The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said that it posted 35.1% higher revenue collection to P51.74 billion in August against P38.29 billion last year, beating its collection target for the month.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 4, BOC said that last months’ collection is 4.7% higher than its target of P49.31 billion. However, this is lower compared to July’s collection of P52.14 billion.
This brings the total collection in the first eight months to P384.3 billion, 4% higher from a yearly comparison.
BOC’s Financial Service pointed to the “higher exchange rate, increased oil price in the market, proper valuation and strong enforcement and revenue enhancing measures” as the reasons behind the agency’s performance.
Customs Commissioner Isidro S. Lapeña also said that the agency’s “one-strike policy” motivated the ports to reach its targets.
Preliminary data from the Financial Service showed that the Port of Batangas posted the highest collection of P12.716 billion, followed by the Port of Manila and Port of Limay at P7.81 billion and P3.44 billion, respectively. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the arrest of one of his top critics over a failed mutiny more than a decade ago, in what observers see as his latest move to silence political opponents.
In a proclamation dated Aug. 31 that was published in the Manila Times’ classifieds Tuesday, Duterte revoked an amnesty granted to Senator Antonio Trillanes for 2003 and 2007 coup attempts against former leader Gloria Arroyo. The order said the military and police should “employ all lawful means” to apprehend the former naval officer so he can be detained and stand trial.
Duterte is currently traveling in Israel and Jordan. His spokesman, Harry Roque, didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
Trillanes told reporters on Tuesday that amnesty is an act of Congress that can’t be revoked through executive order.
“This is a clear case of political persecution,” he said in a televised briefing. “It should be clear to everyone that Mr. Duterte is a dictator. He doesn’t respect the institutions.”
Trillanes becomes the second senator and fierce Duterte critic to face arrest after Senator Leila de Lima was detained in February 2017 on drug-trafficking charges, which she has denied. Days before the May 2016 election, Trillanes filed a plunder complaint against Duterte, who was then Davao City mayor. Coup Attempts
Trillanes tried twice but failed to unseat Arroyo, who is now speaker of the House of Representatives and a Duterte ally. In July 2003, Trillanes led more than 300 junior military officers in taking over a hotel in Manila’s business district, but surrendered later that day. In 2007, he tried a second coup attempt by seizing another luxury hotel district but it was similarly quashed by the armed forces.
Trillanes’ amnesty was granted in 2011 by Duterte’s predecessor Benigno Aquino, leading to his release from detention. He won a seat in the Senate in 2007 while campaigning from detention, and was re-elected in 2013.
Duterte’s order said the amnesty was revoked because he didn’t file an application for pardon and never expressed guilt for the crimes committed, as required by law. Trillanes on Tuesday denied that he violated any terms of the amnesty.
“This is a blatant attack on the critical and political opposition,” said Antonio La Viña, a professor at Ateneo de Manila University. — Bloomberg
Amid the shift to adapt to the fourth industrial revolution, Asian Development Bank (ADB), said it will also be making use of digital technologies in its operations and programs to spur further growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
ADB President Takehiko Nakao during the Digital Development Forum 2018 on Tuesday, Sept. 4, said that ADB aims to enable countries to make use of digital technologies especially in the fields of ICT infrastructure, human resources, policies and regulations.
“ICT infrastructure is the foundation of digital economies. Without reliable internet connectivity, any digital services including smart phone apps cannot be used,” he added.
Likewise, this would have to be supported by policies set by the government to promote data sharing amid strengthening its cybersecurity to protect users against fraud and illegal activites.
However, Mr. Nakao noted that human resources would likewise have to be improved as well to adapt to the changing business processes.
Citing an ADB study on the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Mr. Nakao said new technology can create new, value-added jobs while phasing out old ones.
“In addition, economic growth driven by new technologies will result in the creation of more jobs, offsetting job losses. People should be prepared for these new jobs,” he said.
He added that ADB increased its financial support for technical and vocational education and training programs to increase employment rate by improving ICT skills.
Last March, ADB also created the Digital Technology for Development Unit to facilitate digital reforms.
Mr. Nakao said that they are replacing their mainframe — which they first acquired in the 1980s — with a cloud-based system, automating business processes and strengthening data governance.
ADB is also in the process of “enhancing remote IT access so that staff in headquarters and field offices can work from any place and anytime”, while improving its cybersecurity, Mr. Nakao added.
“These digital reforms will strengthen ADB’s operations, financial services, administration, and knowledge services in line with ADB’s new long-term Strategy 2030.”
Prior to this, the ADB has approved around 450 information and communication technology-related projects since 2010, banking on the sector contributing to further development. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan, Reporter
MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY in the Philippines saw “a modest improvement” in August as new business inflows and optimism picked up and more jobs were generated, even as production growth slowed and input costs and prices rose “at marked rates,” according to a survey conducted by IHS Markit for Nikkei, Inc..
The Nikkei Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) improved to 51.9 in August from 50.9 in July, described by the report as a “modest improvement in the health of the sector.”
The manufacturing PMI is composed of five sub-indices, with new orders having the heaviest weight at 30%, followed by output at 25%, employment with 20%, supplier delivery time with 15% and stocks of purchases with 10%. A PMI reading above 50 indicates improvement in business conditions from the preceding month, while a score below that mark signals deterioration.
“Business conditions in the Philippines’ manufacturing sector improved further midway through the third quarter. While output growth softened, new business inflows picked up pace, and optimism improved. Job creation was also reported for the first time in three month,” the report read.
“Firms continued to scale up purchasing activity, which contributed to further accumulation in input inventories. Meanwhile, inflationary pressures remained strong, with both input costs and output prices rising at marked rates.”
The report noted the “improvement in client demand” as order book growth recovered that month to become “solid overall,” coming from a record-low point in the previous month.
“Despite firmer sales growth, production volumes increased at the slowest rate for nearly a year,” it added.
Survey results show that higher sales and increased operating capacity were drivers for the output growth, where it also noted that bad weather disrupted production schedules.
It also said that firms reported delivery delays due to “inclement weather, supply shortages and poor traffic conditions.”
At the same time, “survey details revealed that domestic markets were the primary driver of higher demand as export sales grew at a noticeably slower pace. Growth in export orders was the weakest in the current six-month period of expansion,” the report added.
“The Nikkei survey data indicated that the Philippines manufacturing sector looks to have regained some growth momentum in August, raising hopes that the demand slowdown in July was just a blip,” IHS Markit Principal Economist Bernard Aw was quoted as saying in the report.
It also noted that firms ramped up acquisition of inputs to “meet greater operating demand” despite elevated costs — particularly on increased material prices including metal, sugar, rice — a weaker exchange rate and tax hikes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law (TRAIN). “Input cost inflation remained sharp in August, partially reflecting the impact of the TRAIN law rollout at the start of this year. Consequently, firms raised selling prices further to pass on higher costs to customers. Output prices increased at a marked pace,” the report read.
The law hiked tax rates for automobiles, minerals, tobacco, fuel and documentary stamps, among others; imposed new excise levies on sugar-sweetened drinks and removed some value-added tax exemptions, even as it reduced personal income tax rates as well as estate and donors tax rates.
“With the indicators of price gauges remaining elevated, the August survey sends a hawkish message to policy makers,” said Mr. Aw.
The central bank’s Monetary Board has hiked benchmark interest rates for three straight meetings by a cumulative 100 basis points so far this year — the first such increases in nearly four years — and is widely expected to continue policy tightening towards yearend.
Michael L. Ricafort, an economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., attributed the latest PMI readings to strong growth in real estate and construction.
“The faster reading in Philippine manufacturing as of Aug. 2018 compared to a month ago and versus a year ago may partly reflect the continued growth in real estate and construction and the positive impact on industries allied to/related to real estate and construction, as well as the new record highs in foreign direct investments (FDIs) recently that have led to increased manufacturing activities as they become operational, as the Philippines is still among the fastest-growing economies in Asia,” he said in an e-mail.
He attributed slower export order volumes to the proposed second tax reform package — or the Tax Reform For Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) bill — that seeks to cut corporate income taxes to up to 20% from 30% currently, while removing fiscal incentives which the government considers redundant.
“This may have caused some upcoming/new investments in export-oriented industries that are currently entitled to fiscal/tax incentives [to take] on a wait-and-see attitude or make investments adjustments accordingly,” said Mr. Ricafort.
Sought for an outlook, Mr. Aw said that the “Philippines’ manufacturing sector continues to expand on a steady pace, with forward-looking indicators pointing towards similar growth rates in coming months.”
NEW technologies and ways of doing things are both a challenge and an opportunity for business.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS (CEO) in the Philippines remain confident about business prospects over the next 12 months despite mounting uncertainty from global trade tensions and monetary tightening, regulatory changes at home and the challenge posed by disruption, according to results of a survey conducted by PwC Philippines for the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) that were released on Monday.
A summary of results, presented to journalists, showed 89% of the survey’s 122 respondents (103 of whom belonged to “traditional” businesses and 19 to start-ups), down from 92% in the comparable 2017 survey, “confident about their revenue growth prospects over the coming 12 months.” The respondents came from infrastructure; business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology (IT); manufacturing (consumer and industrial products); agriculture, forestry and fisheries; health care, pharmaceuticals and life; as well as retail and wholesale distribution sectors.
PwC conducted the Philippine CEO Survey, titled: “The future of possibilities: Business in the age of disruption,” in July-August in time for the 16th MAP International CEO Conference that will be held today at the Makati Shangri-La hotel.
The survey showed 79% of the respondents “positive that Philippine economic growth will exceed the average ASEAN economic growth for 2018,” for which state economic managers target 7-8% despite a disappointing 6.3% first-half average that compares to the year-ago 6.6%.
Respondents pin their hopes for the economy on a continued boost from domestic consumption (70% of respondents), infrastructure (67%), BPO and other services (54%), remittances (49%), investments (25%) as well as global and social trends (20%).
In order to spur business expansion, 76% of respondents said they will rely on organic growth, 59% on new strategic alliances and partnerships, 45% on cost reduction and a fifth on outsourcing.
Roughly echoing results of the 2017 survey, this year saw 22% of respondents identifying Singapore as the most important country for their companies’ overall growth in the next 23 months, followed by Indonesia (16%) and Vietnam (14%). Other countries considered were China (11%), the United States (11%), Malaysia and Thailand. RISKS
Asked if quickening inflation — which marked seven straight months of increase in July at a nine-year-high 5.7% and which both the central bank and a BusinessWorld survey expects to have hovered around 5.9% in August (when data is reported on Wednesday) — had a hand in tempered overall optimism, Mary Jade T. Roxas-Divinagracia, Deals and Corporate Finance managing partner at PwC Philippines, replied in the affirmative, noting that the survey was conducted amid a “peak” in inflation rate.
Prices of widely used goods and services surged by an average of 4.5% in the seven months to July against the central bank’s upgraded 4.9% full-year forecast average and 2-4% target range for 2018.
Ms. Roxas-Divinagracia added the weakening peso, global geopolitical tensions, monetary tightening worldwide and the worsening trade row between the world’s two biggest economies to the litany of risks the country and businesses face. “On the external front, of course, there is also the threat in terms of the normalization of… (monetary policies) of more developed nations — therefore, the fear that there will be an outflow of funds from emerging markets back to the developed countries — and also, of course… more protectionism in US…” she said in a press conference in Makati City on Monday.
To that list, PwC Philippines Chairman and Senior Partner Alexander B. Cabrera added uncertainties due to the country’s ongoing tax policy overhaul and a planned shift to a federal form of government through Charter change — which is feared to result in heightened fiscal risks — that is making investors take a “wait- and-see approach” when it comes to expansion plans.
“Partly, some investors are really being spooked by the uncertainty that is happening… looking at the taxes, the incentives that will be pulled out or that will be substantially reduced… also the uncertainty of whether the Constitution’s amendment will be railroaded,” Mr. Cabrera said in the same briefing, adding that some investors also wonder “whether the rule of law is really possible… in this kind of political environment.” DISRUPTION
Business planners also have to contend with increased disruption.
The same survey showed 54% of respondents “recognize that disruptive innovations have significant impact on their businesses and that business models need to be changed to address changing consumer behavior, new kinds of competition and shifting regulations.”
About 94% “believe that disruptive innovations changed their industry over the past 10 years,” while 95% said they “need to work together to introduce new technologies or methodologies to their business.”
The top five drivers of disruption across industries were identified as changes in consumer behavior, new kinds of competition, shifting regulation, new methods of distribution and core technologies of production.
The respondents also identified key disruptive technologies as blockchain, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D printing, drones, robotics and autonomous vehicles.
“There are aspects in the disruption that are scary for certain industries,” Ms. Roxas-Divinagracia said, while the report itself warned that “[w]ith rapid advances in technology, no industry is immune and businesses will suffer if they do not adapt.”
In order to cope, 68% of respondents said they will change business models in three to five years (of whom 80% said they will change how products and services will be created and delivered, 31% said they will change the target market, 18% said they will shift from product to services, while eight percent said they will change from services to product.)
Roughly 79% said they will form strategic partnerships to harness disruption, 75% said they will invest in new technologies, 31% said they will enter a new region and 28% said they will penetrate a new industry.
Forty-five percent of respondents plan to invest in start-ups, with retail and e-commerce, health care, software as a technology, financial technology and artificial intelligence as top preferred industries.
Asked to identify constraints to themselves being disruptors, 51% of respondents cited financial resources, 44% cited regulatory factors, 43% cited lack of talent, 37% cited existing organizational structure and 32% cited inadequate technology. — Janina C. Lim
QUICKENING inflation can be expected to continue eating into economic growth.
OVERALL economic growth will likely fall short of the official target this year, according to the country’s Finance chief and a financial and investment advisor, partly due to quickening inflation even as infrastructure development should pick up steam.
“The second-quarter results came out and it looks like our economy took a breather,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said in an interview last week with Fitch Ratings’ head of sovereign ratings for Asia Pacific, Stephen Schwartz.
The footage was given to journalists on Monday.
Gross domestic product grew by 6% last quarter from 6.6% a year ago and in 2018’s first three months, fueling last semester’s expansion to 6.3% from the year-ago’s 6.6% and against the government’s 7-8% full-year target.
“I think we will still be close to 6.8% this year. I think the momentum on our ‘Build, Build, Build’ is very strong and we are really moving quite well in our infrastructure program,” he added.
Fitch itself expects Philippine GDP growth to reach 6.8% annually from this year to 2019.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia has said that elevated inflation has weighed on growth, adding that GDP expansion will now have to hit at least 7.7% this semester in order to hit the lower end of the government target.
Latest Philippine Statistics Authority data show the overall rise in prices of widely used goods clocking in at a nine-year-high 5.7% in July, averaging 4.5% in the first seven months against the central bank’s 4.9% full-year forecast and 2-4% target range for 2018. The central bank and a BusinessWorld poll expect August inflation — to be reported tomorrow — to hover around 5.9%.
But Mr. Dominguez said that despite inflation’s spike, the economy is not in danger of overheating. Fitch in July flagged a widening current account deficit, high inflation and rapid credit growth as signs of overheating risk, as it then affirmed the country’ credit rating at a notch above minimum investment grade rating with a “stable” outlook.
“I think we can grow at a faster rate in the coming months and we believe that we’re not really in danger of overheating at the moment. We still have long ways to go,” the Finance chief said.
“I think we are still well witihin safe borders. We are looking forward to continuing our ‘Build, Build, Build’ program and we aren’t in great danger. We did pass our tax reform; we have been able to raise our revenues quite significantly.”
Latest government data show that tax revenues grew 18% year on year to P1.47 trillion as of July, while infrastructure and other capital outlays increased by 41.7% annually to P352.7 billion last semester.
He also said the central bank’s 100-basis point cumulative hike in benchmark interest rates this year, so far, should not affect growth prospects that much. “It will a bit… It’s not yet growth threatening because if it were, believe me, a lot of my friends in the industry will be calling me up everyday,” Mr. Dominguez said. ‘GROWTH WILL SUFFER’
For Denmark-based Lundgreen’s Capital, Philippine GDP growth will likely settle around 6.5% this year as inflation will likely eat into real expansion.
Moreover, progress on infrastructure projects remains “very slow” two years into the Duterte administration.
Peter Lundgreen founding chief executive officer of Lundgreen’s Capital, said the government’s 7-8% growth goal is good as missed.
“One reason is… that inflation eats up part of the growth because inflation is spiking too fast… Growth will suffer from the higher inflation because it’s how you calculate growth: gross number minus inflation,” Mr. Lundgreen said in an interview with BusinessWorld.
“If inflation really were set to drop like two percentage points in the coming two months, then there will be a chance for growth to go high again. It doesn’t look like that.”
The Denmark-based financial advisor said 6.5% full-year growth may be doable, but this means that increased activity should be seen between July and December.
Mr. Lundgreen said that while growth is likely to settle below target, economic activity will remain upbeat.
“That doesn’t mean that people will feel there’s less activity, because growth before inflation will remain high,” he said.
However, Mr. Lundgreen said the government has to resolve infrastructure bottlenecks before it can unlock faster growth prospects.
“Apparently, they need to do something about the process because it’s going very slow. The money is getting allocated but the building process — particularly the approval process — somewhere in the system is delayed,” the investment manager added.
The government plans to spend more than P8 trillion on infrastructure up to 2022 on big-ticket priority projects nationwide. Around 35 of 75 projects have been approved by authorities over the last two years.
On the flipside, solid household spending continues to prop up overall economic activity.
“The private consumption story is still valid and pretty strong despite higher food prices, so it means that inflow to the middle-income class is still at a high pace,” Mr. Lundgreen added. — Elijah Joseph C. TubayanandMelissa Luz T. Lopez
By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
The Philippines and the State of Israel on Monday, Sept. 3, signed bilateral agreements on labor, science, and trade, Malacañang said.
In a mobile message to reporters in Manila on Monday evening, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. confirmed that President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu witnessed the signing of the following bilateral agreements in Israel:
1). Memorandum of Agreement on the Temporary Employment of Filipino Home-Based Caregivers in Israel, signed by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre H. Bello III;
2). Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific Cooperation, signed by Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano; and
3). Memorandum of Intent on the Collaboration on Promotion of Bilateral Direct Investments, signed by Economy and Industry Minister Eli Cohen and Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez.
In his message, as posted on the official Web site of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Netanyahu said: “We’re going to sign here today three important agreements, on trade, on science and, no less important, on caregiving.”
The Prime Minister noted that “there has been a remarkable phenomenon in Israel where thousands and thousands of families have taken heart from the support given by Filipino care workers to the elderly.”
He added: “I am one of those families, Mr. President. My late father, who died at the age of 102, in his later years received incredible care by a caregiver from the Philippines, Lee, a woman of exceptional compassion and intelligence. She took care of my father’s every need. And when he passed away, she took care of his brother’s needs, until he passed away.”
“I, like many, many Israeli families, am deeply moved by this show of humanity. And today, we’re going to sign an agreement that will knock off as much as $12,000 from the cost of every caregiver,” Mr. Netanyahu also said.
A YEAR after its successful season, Coca-Cola Philippines comes back with the second season of Coke Studio — the musical program which makes Filipino music artists collaborate to further the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) genre.
“[Coke Studio] about collaboration, it’s about music and it’s about great output and OPM. This is what’s at the core of Coke Studio — it’s about evolving the concept [of Coke Studio], we can’t stay the same,” Stephan Czypionka, VP for marketing at Coca-Cola Philippines, told reporters shortly after the show’s media launch on Sept. 1 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
The launch was followed by a free concert featuring the artists in the second season of the show. The concert was attended by an estimated 3,000 people.
In August last year, Coca-Cola brought to the Philippines its international music franchise which currently has editions in Africa and other Asian countries such as Pakistan and India. The program, which aired on TV5, featured bands and artists such as Sandwich, Noel Cabangon, Curtismith, Urbandub, Gracenote, Autotelic, The Ransom Collective Abra, Reese Lansangan, Ebe Dancel, Moonstar88, and Franco converging and collaborating to create new sounds.
The show managed to produce songs such as “Caution to the Wind,” sung and written by The Ransom Collective, Gabby Alipe and John Dinopol; and “Stargazer” by Gracenote and Abra, among many others.
This time, while the program will still feature 14 artists, Coca-Cola Philippines is focusing on creating more “emotional and personal” songs upon consulting with the show’s audience.
“They want to know more about the artists and their story,” said Mr. Czypionka before adding, “That’s why ‘Homecoming’ was the theme [of Season 2]… it’s a very relevant topic in the Philippines, we have used this in our marketing a lot, but we didn’t want to be lazy and just think about geographic homecoming.”
He explained that when the artists were asked what “homecoming” means to them, it was also about going back to a certain memory or a certain event.
“I don’t know if the songs will be better, but I know they will be different,” Mr. Czypionka said.
The artists included in this season of Coke Studio are: Quest, who sang the 2012 Gilas Pilipinas (Philippine National Basketball team) song, “Sige Lang”; IV of Spades, which is known for songs such as “Mundo” and “Hey Barbara”; Ben&Ben which sang “Kathang Isip” and, most recently, “SUNRISE”; December Avenue, which sang “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig” among other hits; Moira dela Torre, who is known for singing “Tagpuan” and “Malaya”;
Kristine “KZ” Tandingan, who is known for singing “Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako” and singing a cover of Air Supply’s “Two Less Lonely People in the World” for the 2017 film Kita Kita; Sam Concepcion, who is known for singing “Dati”; Khalil Ramos, who sang “Kung Ako Ba Siya”; rapper Shanti Dope (real name: Sean Patrick Ramos) who sang “Nadarang”; AJ Rafael who self-produced his debut album and sang “We Could Happen”; spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo whose performances include “Parating Palayo”; Patti Tiu, who is known for remixing tracks at music festivals in the Philippines; and Kriesha Tiu, a Filipino-born American singer who is now a K-Pop singer.
Aside from the 13 artists mentioned, Coke Studio will have a surprise 14th artist will be revealed as the show goes on. The show will also be having a holiday-themed episode. Coke Studio Philippines Season 2 will premiere on Sept. 16, 11:15 a.m., on ABS-CBN. It will have eight episodes. Episodes can also be viewed at the official YouTube page: Coke Studio Philippines. — Zsarlene B. Chua
VENICE, ITALY — Most of the critics avoided the obvious headline to describe Lady Gaga’s performance in A Star Is Born, but they seemed to agree that the singer showed what it takes to lead a major movie.
For audiences familiar with the pop diva known for high-concept outfits and extraordinary hair and make-up, Gaga is barely recognizable as Ally the girl-next-door who has given up on a music career until she is discovered by grizzled rock star Jackson, played by first-time director Bradley Cooper.
“Given the extravagance of the pop star’s usual costumes, it’s almost like you’re seeing her for the first time,” wrote IndieWire’s Michael Nordine.
“She instantly makes you believe in her Ally as a no-name talent despite already being one of the most successful singers on the planet. Unassuming but obviously special.”
Reverting to form, Lady Gaga donned an off-the-shoulder dress made of long pink feathers as she accompanied Cooper in his tuxedo to the world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Friday.
“Gaga completely sheds her pop persona and exhibits a scrubbed-clean, relaxed appeal and a deft balance of toughness and vulnerability,” The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney wrote, in his review, adding that Cooper has “real warmth and a sexy spark in his onscreen chemistry with Gaga that makes their characters’ instant connection believable.”
From noodling on a piano at home, to huge concert scenes filmed for real at Coachella and Glastonbury festivals that Rooney found “electrifying,” the songs were recorded live, putting Gaga’s best-known talent in the spotlight.
Gaga is the third diva to tackle the story and couldn’t possibly have more fabulous shoes to fill: Judy Garland made the original musical version in 1954. The 1976 remake starred none other than Barbra Streisand.
But critics said Gaga soared to the occasion. In his five-star review in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called her performance “sensationally good.” The movie was “hokum,” but “outrageously watchable and colossally enjoyable.”
Gaga’s “ability to be part ordinary person, part extraterrestrial celebrity empress functions at the highest level at all times.”
Critics were also impressed by Cooper’s debut as director.
“To say that he does a good job would be to understate his accomplishment,” wrote Owen Gleiberman in Variety. “As a filmmaker, Bradley Cooper gets right onto the high wire, staging scenes that take their time and play out with a shaggy intimacy.
“The new Star Is Born is a total emotional knockout, but it’s also a movie that gets you to believe, at every step, in the complicated rapture of the story it’s telling.” NOT BEAUTIFUL
Lady Gaga spoke of her painful road to fame after she shone in her big Hollywood movie debut
“Many times at the beginning of my career I was not the most beautiful woman in the room — but I wrote my own songs,” she told reporters.
The story of an “ugly” girl who thinks her nose is too big and hides behind layers of outrageous makeup had obvious autobiographical echoes for US star.
Lady Gaga said she dug deep into her own experiences for the role.
When she was trying to make it “they often wanted me to give my songs to other singers but I held onto my music with my cold dead fingers, ‘You are not going to take my songs from me’,” she said
“They made suggestions about how I should look,” said the superstar, who thanked a journalist for comparing her nose to that of another great diva, the soprano Maria Callas.
Lady Gaga she said had to be “very strong to negotiate” the music industry’s attempts to remake her.
“I would always take a left turn. I never wanted to be sexy or to be viewed like other women. I wanted to be my own artist and my own woman,” she added.
Gaga, 32, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, plays an Italian-American waitress and singer who meets a country music star on the slide in a drag club where she is performing Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose”.
Sparks fly and soon this odd couple are making romantic and musical fireworks.
Gaga said her biggest fear was “being completely vulnerable and bare” on screen.
The first thing Cooper did at the screen test was wipe the makeup from her face, “and I was only wearing a little bit”, she said.
“I always love to transform myself and shape shift, it is part of my art and my music. But he wanted to see me with nothing… and he brought out this vulnerability in me, in someone who doesn’t necessarily feel safe to be vulnerable… he made me feel so free,” she added.
Cooper, 43, said their shared Italian-American roots helped weld the “amazing connection” between them.
“I got to live my dream, I always wanted to be an actor,” said Lady Gaga. A Star Is Born screened in a non-competition slot at the Venice festival which runs to Sept. 8. — Reuters/AFP
ROBINSONS Retail Holdings, Inc. is planning to open 20 to 30 Ministop stores this year.
By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
ROBINSONS Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI) has tightened its grip on the chain of Ministop convenience stores in the company, as Mitsubishi Corp. exited the venture.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Monday, the Gokongwei-led retailer said its wholly-owned unit Robinson’s, Inc. will purchase Mitsubishi Corp.’s 161.05 million shares in Robinsons Convenience Stores, Inc. (RCSI), equivalent to an eight percent stake in the exclusive master franchisee of Ministop in the country.
The transaction raised RRHI’s effective ownership in RCSI to 59.1% from 51%. The company did not disclose the deal’s value due to a non-disclosure agreement.
Mitsubishi also unloaded its remaining four percent stake to Japan-based partner Ministop Co., Ltd., which hiked the latter’s stake to 40.9%.
Robinson’s, Inc. and Mitsubishi have entered into a share purchase agreement for the transaction.
“We remain fully committed in keeping and growing our convenience store business. The CVS format is the fastest growing retail channel in the region and we intend to take advantage of this trend,” RRHI President and Chief Executive Officer Robina Y. Gokongwei-Pe was quoted as saying in a statement.
RRHI partnered with Mitsubishi and Ministop Co., Ltd. back in 2000 to establish Ministop in the Philippines. Aside from a wide assortment of merchandise, the 24-hour convenience store also features an in-house kitchen facility for its freshly-prepared meals.
Ministop reported P4.5 billion in system-wide sales for the first six months of 2018, with P3 billion in merchandise sales.
RRHI currently operates 492 Ministop branches in key areas in Metro Manila, Luzon, and Visayas. Ms. Gokongwei-Pe earlier said there are plans to open 20 to 30 convenience stores this year.
This forms part of the company’s planned spending of P3.5 billion this year to finance the opening of 100 to 120 new stores. Aside from convenience stores, RRHI has scheduled to open 13 supermarkets, three department stores, 10 to 15 do-it-yourself (DIY) stores, 25 to 30 South Star Drug stores, and 30 to 35 specialty stores.
On top of this, RRHI will also open 100 new franchised stores from The Generics Pharmacy (TGP).
By end-June, RRHI had a total of 1,742 stores in its network, excluding the franchised brands of TGP. Its portfolio includes Handyman Do It Best, True Value, Toys R Us, Ministop, Daiso Japan, Costa Coffee, Savers Appliances, and South Star Drug.
RRHI’s net income attributable to the parent grew 14.9% to P2.62 billion in the first six months of 2018, following a 13% increase in revenues to P60.46 billion. The company’s same store sales growth stood at 6.5% for the period.
Shares in RRHI rose 40 centavos or 0.49% to close at P89 each at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday.
A SCENE from Pedro Páramo
THIS MONTH, the Instituto Cervantes and the Embassy of Mexico will treat moviegoers to “La Literatura en el cine mexicano,” a series of Mexican films based on classic literary works. The film cycle, to be held every Saturday at the new Instituto Cervantes branch in Intramuros, is an invitation to discover the richness and variety of Mexican literature and cinema.
The classic films from the “Golden Period” of Mexican Cinema — La rosa blanca (1961), Los albañiles (1966), Doña Bárbara (1943), Santa (1931), and Pedro Páramo (1943) — will be screened at the Instituto Cervantes de Manila Intramuros every Saturday of September, at 6 p.m.
The film series kicked off last Saturday with La rosa blanca, and continues on Sept. 8 with Los albañiles. Directed by Jorge Fons in 1976, the film explores several cases of corruption linked to some unsolved crimes.
The drama Doña Bárbara, based on the classic novel by Rómulo Gallegos, will be shown on Sept. 15. After studying law in Caracas, Santos Luzardo returns to take charge of his herd in Altamira, in the Venezuelan plain controlled by Doña Barbara. The woman has the peasants under her thumb, through a mixture of guile, a firm hand, and witchcraft. The encounter between Doña Barbara and Santos causes her to fall in love with the young man and to try to make him her’s whatever the cost.
The melodrama Santa will be shown on Sept. 22. Based on a novel by Federico Gamboa, it was directed by Antonio Moreno in 1931. It tells the story of Santa, a humble girl who lives happily with her family in a small town until Marcelino, a soldier, seduces and abandons her. Because of this she suffers the shame of being thrown out of her home and being condemned to prostitution.
The film series will conclude on Sept. 29 with the drama Pedro Páramo, directed by Carlos Velo in 1966. Based on the novel by Juan Rulfo, it is about Juan Preciado, who, walking through the Jalisco mountains, arrives at Comala looking for his father, Pedro Páramo, to demand what is rightfully his, due to a promise given to his mother on her death bed.
All the films are in Spanish with English subtitles. Entrance is free on a first-come, first-served basis. For details visit http://manila.cervantes.es or www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.
The new Intramuros, Manila branch of Instituto Cervantes is located at Casa Azul, Plaza San Luis Complex, next to San Agustin Church.
VENICE, ITALY — Hollywood director David Cronenberg has predicted that cinema-going will die out — and says he “does not care” in the least.
The maker of The Fly, Crash, and Naked Lunch told a talk at the Venice film festival Saturday that “television screens are getting bigger and bigger and therefore the difference between theater and domestic viewing has become really flimsy.”
But the Canadian auteur said cinema itself would survive streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon and that it was “just evolving.”
He also revealed that he is working on a new television series himself, but said that he “can’t talk about it yet.”
Cronenberg said the visual language directors were using now was also moving away stylistically from the big screen.
“The rule used to be that close-up shots were only done for TV, and not for movies. But today that’s no longer the case,” Variety reported him as saying
In July Cronenberg told students at a Toronto university that streaming was “shattering the big screen into many little screens. This is causing much stress amongst movie-nostalgia hardliners. It does not matter to me. In fact, it pleases me.”
The Cannes film festival has found itself locked in conflict with Netflix over the last two years for its support of cinema owners.
It demanded that the streaming giant show the films it wanted to premiere at the festival on the big screen before releasing them online.
Rival Amazon often gives films it finances a cinema run before they are streamed. — AFP
