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South Cotabato’s ‘convergence’ approach to primary health care

HEALTH is on the top of the list of South Cotabato’s convergence approach in the responsive delivery of social services.
“We realized that if we wanted to go down to the villages… we had to do it together and help each other. That was when we decided to adopt the convergence approach in delivering social services to our people,” said South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance Fuentes when she spoke during the 2018 Health for Juan and Juana: Moving Forward with the Philippine Health Agenda forum.
Ms. Fuentes stressed that a functional local health board is crucial. The Provincial Health Board of South Cotabato is composed of the Governor, the Chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Health, a representative of the Department of Health (DoH) Regional Office, and an NGO partner.
In one of the board’s regular meetings, Ms. Fuentes and her team found out that they were not getting the feedback needed to respond to the health needs of their constituents. As a result, there were many gaps in the province’s health service delivery network. “This was because we were all bureaucrats in the regional and provincial government.”
She proceeded to enroll in the DoH and Zuellig Family Foundation’s Provincial Leadership and Governance Program (PLGP) which aims to bridge leadership towards an improved and integrated provincial health system. “The program gave me a deeper understanding of the challenges in the health system, as well as empathy for our health workers and my constituents.”
Ms. Fuentes noted that the national government mandates local government units (LGUs) to ensure poor patients in hospitals have no out-of-pocket expenses and benefit from PhilHealth’s No Balance Billing policy. “But this is not possible if LGUs rely only on PhilHealth reimbursements because we pay for indigent patients admitted in both public and private hospitals.”
To address this gap, the South Cotabato provincial government established a trust fund for the purchase of medicines and medical, laboratory, and radiology supplies of South Cotabato Provincial Hospital, Norala District Hospital, and Polomolok Municipal Hospital. Funding comes from contributions of the three provincial hospitals, which allot 25% of their total income to the trust fund.
“Even if we procure by bulk on a semestral or quarterly basis, many of the supplies we purchase do not arrive on time. With the trust fund, our provincial hospitals have an alternative means to procure supplies in a timely manner.”
The South Cotabato provincial government also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with all pharmacies and drugstores in the province and Davao from which the provincial government can purchase medicines and hospital supplies.
Moreover, the provincial government has partnered with the Mahintana Foundation, a local NGO that operates a chain of community drugstores. One of these is the Health Plus Shop-in-a-Shop (HPSiS), a public-private partnership (PPP) between Mahintana Foundation and the South Cotabato provincial government aimed at improving poor patients’ access to quality and affordable medicines in public hospitals.
“Whatever medicines the provincial government cannot supply in time, HPSiS addresses the gap. We pay them every 15 days, and 70% of their net profit goes back to the provincial government,” Ms. Fuentes explained. HPSiS is a 2015 Galing Pook awardee and one of the 2017 10 Best PPP Stories of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). Medicine Cabinet is a weekly PHAP 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.
medicinecabinet@phap.org.ph

Eagle Cement’s 3rd facility to operate at full capacity by Q3

EAGLE Cement Corp. (ECC) expects its third cement facility in Bulacan to start contributing to earnings by the second half of the year, after partially commencing operations last April.
The listed cement manufacturer said its third cement line in San lldefonso, Bulacan will add two million metric tons (MT) to its current capacity of 5.1 million MT per year. The plant will start operating at full capacity by the third quarter of this year.
“We’re expecting some volume growth compared to previous year’s second half… impact financially will be second half,” ECC President and Chief Executive Officer John Paul L. Ang said in a press briefing after the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Mandaluyong City yesterday.
The capacity expansion will allow the company to expand its market range to areas in Region 1, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Western Visayas.
The Bureau of Investments granted an income tax holiday to ECC as an expanding producer of cement. The company said this will give them P530 million in savings over the next three years.
Once the third line operates at full capacity, Mr. Ang said this will make ECC the largest cement firm in the company in terms of size.
ECC is also currently constructing its fourth cement line in Cebu, which will expand the company’s market to the Visayas and Mindanao regions. The plant in Malabuyoc, Cebu will have a capacity of two million MT, with target completion by 2020. Asked whether the company will start exporting cement given its expanded capacity, Mr. Ang said the surplus for cement in Southeast Asia is keeping them from doing so.
“The line 4 in Cebu has a pier of which we can receive massive amounts of raw materials and at the same time, export cement of at least four million ton[s]. The pier is built to handle two lines, so there’s a possibility of export. But currently the ASEAN — Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, there’s a surplus of cement capacity. It only makes sense to export in nearby areas,” Mr. Ang explained.
The company said the rising foreign exchange rates will have a minimal effect on its operations, since it does not import cement products.
“May tama samin (We will see an effect) because all these inputs are dollar denominated. There’s some effect, but since we make our own clinker, some effect but minimal. We don’t import clinker, we don’t import cement so we are less vulnerable to exchange rate,” Mr. Ang said.
With this, Mr. Ang said there is no need to increase prices to improve profitability.
This year, ECC targets to grow its net income to P6.5 billion, from the P4.26 billion it generated in 2017. Revenues are also seen to grow to around P23 billion for the year.
Shares in ECC went down by 0.13% or two centavos to P15.88 each at the stock exchange on Thursday. — Arra B. Francia

70 years since 1st LP released, vinyl enjoys revival

LONDON — In the basement of the British Library, curator Andy Linehan inspects the latest addition to a massive archive of wax cylinders, cassettes, LPs and CDs — a vinyl record that made musical history.
Released in the United States in 1948, Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor, performed by violinist Nathan Milstein with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, was the very first vinyl LP, or long playing record.
The 12-inch 33 1/3 rpm format allowed longer pieces to be recorded, changing the way listeners enjoyed their music.
“The fact that the long playing record came into existence was a huge step for music sound recording and for the listener,” Linehan, curator of popular music in the British Library sound archive, said.
“Previously you could only get three minutes or so onto one side of a record and now because you had a narrower groove and a slower speed, you could get up to 20 minutes, which meant you could get a whole classical piece on one side of a record… you could get a whole package of songs together on one record.”
Thursday marked 70 years since Columbia Records introduced the LP, and British music retailer HMV and label Sony Classical recreated 500 copies of the concerto to give away to fans, with one replica donated to the British Library’s archive.
The record adds to the library’s 250,000 collection of LPs, usually commercial releases in Britain, and artifacts going back to the beginning of sound recording, such as wax cylinders, patented by Thomas Edison in 1877, the first way fans could buy music to listen to at home.
Thursday’s anniversary comes at a time when vinyl has been enjoying a revival. In Britain, while it still only accounting for 7% of album sales, it draws fans of all ages.
According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), vinyl LP sales rose to 4.1 million last year from 205,292 in 2007.
“Vinyl is popular because people see it more artifact rather than utility,” Gennaro Castaldo, BPI communications director, said. “They love the whole ritual around buying it and then playing it at home and also the sound quality is much warmer, richer and people appreciate that.”
Rock remains the best selling vinyl genre and last year, the biggest seller on the format in Britain was Ed Sheeran’s Divide album. Older titles such as Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours were also in the top 10.
“Our record stores are stocking more vinyl than we’ve ever stocked in terms of the last 10 years,” Simon Winter, PR and events manager at HMV, said.
At the flagship HMV store on Oxford Street, in central London, music aficionados buying vinyl records said they appreciated its sound quality.
“I grew up with mum and dad listening to a lot of Meat Loaf and a lot of heavy metal and rock and roll… and a lot of that was done on vinyl,” Steve Pound said. “That recording is just very, very unique.” — Reuters

IRC expands into infrastructure

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
IRC Properties, Inc. is changing its name and expanding its business to include infrastructure development and mass transport, as the Tiu-led company prepares to build a subway system in Makati City.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Thursday, IRC said its board of directors has approved to change the company name to Philippine Infradev Holdings, Inc.
“The amendment shall enable the company to expand its business operations to include infrastructure and real estate development projects,” IRC said.
The renamed Philippine Infradev has been authorized to incorporate a new firm called Alternative Metro Transport System, Inc. (AMTSI), which in turn will enter into mass transportation projects such as transportation, subway, ferry, and bus.
“AMTSI aims to provide alternative solutions to decongest Metro Manila by developing and/or operating ferry, subway, and electric vehicles providing green alternatives to Filipino commuters,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Meanwhile, IRC’s wholly owned subsidiary Interport Development Corp. will also be renamed to Greater East Metro Development Corp. IRC plans to change the directors and officers of the unit as well as increase its capitalization.
The changes follow the Makati City government’s acceptance of the IRC-led consortium’s proposed $3.7-billion Makati Mass Transport System. The 11-kilometer intra-city subway system is set to have eight to 10 stations, and should address the traffic situation in the country’s leading business district.
While the IRC-led consortium was given original proponent status, project will still undergo a Swiss challenge. IRC is partnering with international firms Greenland Holdings Group, Jiangsu Provincial Construction Group Co. Ltd., Kwan On Holdings Ltd., and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. for the Makati subway.
The company looks to interconnect the subway to the Metro Rail Transit-Line 3, the proposed Metro Manila Mega Subway, and Pasig River Ferry.
IRC further authorized its Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Georgina A. Monsod to sign a letter of intent to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the rehabilitation and modernization of the Pasig River Ferry Service.
In May, the company saw a change in leadership, with the appointment of businessman Antonio L. Tiu as president and chief executive officer. The new chief also heads listed firms AgriNurture, Inc. and Greenergy Holdings, Inc.
Incorporated in 1975, IRC originally engaged in the acquisition, reclamation, development, and exploration of land, forests, minerals, oil, gas, and other resources. It ceased exploration activities in the 1970s following the global recession, and bounced back in 2013 as a property developer.
The company currently has a residential project in Binangonan, Rizal called Casas Bauhinia which offers residential units for the lower income segment.
IRC’s net income attributable to equity holders of the parent soared 407% to P25.4 million during the first three months of 2018, supported by a 47% uptick in revenues to P75.17 million for the period.
Shares in IRC shed seven centavos or 5.15% to close at P1.29 each at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday.

FDCP’s Cine Lokal features LGBT films


THE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) celebrates Pride Month by screening four award-winning films that empower and recognize the plight of the LGBT community, in all Cine Lokal cinemas as part of PelikuLAYA: An LGBT Film Festival from June 22 to 28.
The lineup includes the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival 2013 drama Lihis, written by Ricky Lee and directed by Joel C. Lamangan. Set in the turbulent 1970s, the film features Jake Cuenca and Joem Bascon as communist rebels bound by a their cause to topple a dictatorship. Their relationship turns passionate amid their struggles to fight for freedom. Lihis also stars Lovi Poe, Isabelle Daza, Gloria Diaz, Raquel Villavicencio, Tony Mabesa, Jaime Pebanco, Lloyd Samartino, Alex Castro, Ruby Ruiz, Jess Evardone and Chanel Latorre, among others.
Another film featured in PelikuLAYA is the Cinema One Originals 2017 comedy Si Chedeng at Si Apple, directed by Rae Red and Fatrick Tabada. Chedeng (Gloria Diaz) decides to come out during her husband’s wake. Meanwhile, her best friend Apple (Elizabeth Oropesa) kills her live-in partner, beheads him and stuffs the head inside her favorite Louis Vuitton bag. Together, they are on the run from the law and their children as they set off on an adventure to find Chedeng’s ex-girlfriend.
The third film in the program is Joselito Altarejos’ Kasal, which won Best Film at the 2014 Cinemalaya Film Festival. It tells the story of a gay couple — played by Arnold Reyes and Oliver Aquino — whose relationship is challenged when they attend a wedding. Providing support are Rita Avila, Maureen Mauricio, Ruby Ruiz, Rener Concepcion, Sue Prado, Ronwaldo Martin, Luis Ruiz, and Ray An Dulay.
Completing the list is Out Run, a documentary about an LGBT political party mobilizing transgender hairdressers and beauty queens. Directed by S. Leo Chiang and Johnny Symons, the film provides a unique look into the challenges LGBT people encounter as they transition into the mainstream and fight for dignity, legitimacy, and acceptance across the globe.
PelikuLAYA, which is organized by FDCP in partnership with different LGBTQIA+ organizations, screens this month at Cine Lokal theaters in SM Manila, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Southmall and SM Bacoor.

PT&T settles P7-M SEC fine for failure to comply with reportorial requirements

THE PHILIPPINE Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PT&T) on Thursday said it has paid the P7-million fine slapped by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its failure to submit audited financial statements and annual reports, among others.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange, PT&T said the SEC Markets and Securities Regulation Department (MSRD) order dated June 5, had imposed a P7-million penalty on the company and indefinitely suspended its registration statement, due to the previous management’s failure to comply with reportorial requirements.
“PT&T is cited and held liable for violating the pertinent provisions of Rules 17, 20 and 68 of the implementing rules and regulations of the Securities Regulation Code, as amended, for PT&T’s failure to (i.) conduct its Annual Stockholder’s Meeting and file (ii.) its Audited Financial Statements and (iii.) Annual Information Statements,” the SEC MRSD said in its order.
The SEC ordered PT&T to submit the following within four months: its 2016 annual report; 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter reports for 2017; and an affidavit confirming there are no other complaints against the company. The company was also directed to amend and file its registration statement, and immediately conduct an annual stockholders’ meeting.
The SEC said the suspension of PT&T’s registration statement will only be lifted after it has fully complied with the directives under the order.
For its part, PT&T said it has already settled the P7-million penalty.
“The said payment absolves PT&T from all liabilities arising from the deficiencies in its reportorial and compliance requirements committed during the time of the company’s previous management. The settlement of this monetary penalty will allow the company to operate as a going concern under its new management ,” the company said.
At the same time, PT&T said it has also paid a fine of P88,000 to the SEC Corporate Governance and Finance Department for its failure to comply with SEC memorandum circulars that require certain information be made available on the official websites of publicly listed companies. — Denise A. Valdez

With a billion users, Instagram takes on YouTube

SAN FRANCISCO — Instagram said Wednesday it now has more than one billion active users, as it unveiled a new long-form video feature in a bid to attract “creators” like those on YouTube.
It becomes the fourth Facebook platform to hit the billion-user mark, including the namesake social network with more than two billion users, and the messaging applications WhatsApp and Messenger.
Instagram, which had some 800 million users as of September, has been outpacing rival social networks such as Twitter and Snapchat and has been gaining younger users even as Facebook itself has seen declines in the youth segment.
Instagram chief executive Kevin Systrom announced the milestone as he unveiled the new video application known as IGTV.
“We have now a community of one billion users,” Systrom told the event in San Francisco.
“Since our launch in 2010, we’ve watched with amazement as the community has flourished and grown.”
As Facebook itself has moved deeper into video, Instagram will become a direct competitor to YouTube with IGTV.
IGTV will enable any user to upload long-form videos and will also include “channels” from video “creators,” similar to a format employed by Google-owned YouTube which has given rise to a number of YouTube “stars.”
“Anyone can be a creator — you can upload your own IGTV videos in the app or on the web to start your own channel,” Systrom said.
BUILT FOR SMARTPHONES
Systrom said IGTV is built to be used on a smartphone, and boosts the time for videos from the previous limit of one minute.
“The way we are watching video is changing,” Systrom told the event.
He added that IGTV is “built for how you actually use your phone, so videos are full screen and vertical.”
The launch comes amid a shift in video viewing habits away from traditional television to online platforms including Netflix and Hulu, and with more people watching both professional and user content on services like YouTube.
According to the research firm eMarketer, 181.7 million Americans will watch video content on their smartphones at least once a month this year, up 6.1% from a year ago.
Product manager Ashley Yuki told the event that IGTV “is an open platform from day one, so everyone can become a creator.”
Rolling out for the iOS and Android apps, IGTV will allow any user to upload videos up to 10 minutes long, with the limit for larger accounts at one hour.
Systrom described the new app as “a separate space, a dedicated space to enjoy video without being distracted.”
Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012 for a combination of cash and stock worth some $1 billion at the time.
Since then it has become a strong engineer of growth for Facebook in terms of users and ad revenues.
While Facebook offers no detailed revenue breakdown, eMarketer estimates Instagram will generate $5.48 billion in net US ad revenue this year, up 70.4% from last year and accounting for more than one-fourth of Facebook’s net mobile ad revenue.
Facebook itself is also ramping up its video offerings with original shows and this week announced new formats including interactive game shows, quizzes and polls. — AFP

PLDT Enterprise on track for double-digit revenue growth

PLDT, Inc. said its enterprise business is on track to post double-digit revenue growth this year.
PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Eric R. Alberto told reporters during the Philippine Digital Convention 2018 in Pasay City that the company is targeting 11% full-year revenue growth for the enterprise business.
“That’s the target guidance this year but we are tracking 9.5%. You know, it’s a build up. You are trying to build your pipeline. We’re still very optimistic that hopefully, business cycles are not that terrible that we are not able to meet that. We are still tracking and hopeful that we will be able to do at least double-digit,” he said.
In the first quarter PLDT Enterprise revenues jumped 15%, driven by cloud infrastructure and managed IT services revenues.
Mr. Alberto noted data and information and communications technology (ICT) accounts for the bulk of PLDT’s revenues, displacing traditional voice.
However, he noted many businesses still depend on traditional voice services it for specific functions such as multiple-platform unified communication solutions.
“It’s just that (traditional voice) will be overtaken by more and more data use. Data as I say, is the new gold for everyone particularly for enterprises. Data is your core platform for your database for analytics so that businesses can relate more intimately with customers,” he said.
PLDT netted P6.97 billion in the first quarter, up 41% from the same period last year, while core income jumped 14% to P6.07 billion in the first three months of 2018. It has set a guidance of core recurring income of P24 billion for this year.
Meanwhile, PLDT Enterprise also announced it will start offering software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) technology to its enterprise customers, which helps them become “more agile” in its workflow.
“SD-WAN interconnects enterprise networks, data centers, and the cloud with each other — enabling customers to be agile despite geographical distances via a powerful and secure platform,” the company said in a statement.
PLDT is partnering with Cisco for its SD-WAN offer.
“The key differentiator for us when we talk about SD-WAN which we just launched today (is) it’s not just domestic. It includes international,” said Jovy I. Hernandez, head of Head of PLDT & Smart Enterprise Business Groups.
Mr. Alberto is positive that SD-WAN will be a contributor in helping the telco company reach its target growth for the year, as he believes its enterprise customers, whether large or small and medium enterprises(SME), are “fearless” in digitizing.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — D.A. Valdez

Malacañang signs ‘Balik Scientist’ bill into law

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law the Balik Scientist Act, which offers incentives for eligible technology workers seeking to work in the Philippines.
The law goes into the books as Republic Act 11305, will institutionalize incentives to encourage Filipino experts in the fields of science and technology to practice in the country.
This law is a big help in motivating Pinoy scientists to return and assist in developing the country and the lives of Filipinos,” Senator Benigno A. Aquino IV said in a statement. Mr. Aquino is he principal author of the legislation.
According to the Senator, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, the Philippines has 189 scientists per million, well behind the levels in advanced countries.
“South Korea and United States have 5,300 and 3,500 scientists per million, respectively. Malaysia, for its part, has 2,000 scientists per million,” Mr. Aquino said.
The law defines eligible scientists, who are certified by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), as Filipino citizens or foreigners of Filipino descent, undertaking science and technology activities under a short-, medium- or long-term engagement.
Professionals seeking to be included in the program can either be residents of another country or residing in the Philippines for not more than three years at the time of application.
Benefits include such as accident and medical insurance as well as exemption from permitting or licensing requirements of the Professional Regulation Commission. They will also be exempt from paying taxes on the importation of equipment, instruments and materials.
The DoST, which is designated to administer the law, may also draw up other benefits and privileges in the implementing rules and in accordance with other existing laws.
In return, Balik Scientist awardees will assume professional or technical roles in the DoST Research and Development Leadership Programs. They can also participate in Grants-in-Aid research and development programs of the DoST subject to its guidelines. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

BSP eases rediscount loan rules

THE CENTRAL BANK has allowed lenders to use syndicated loans as collateral for rediscount borrowings.

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez, Senior Reporter
BANKS will soon have more leeway in acquiring short-term funding from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as the regulator said it will now accept syndicated loans as collateral.
BSP Circular 1008 relaxed the central bank’s rules on rediscount loans, which will essentially allow lenders to avail of bigger amounts via rediscounting.
The new rules now accept syndicated loans — or those arranged by a group of lenders for a single borrower — as collateral for banks in using the BSP’s rediscount window.
BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. signed the circular on June 14. The new guidelines take effect 15 days after it is officially published in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper.
The rediscount facility allows local banks to get hold of additional money supply by posting their collectibles from clients as their collateral. In turn, they can use the fresh cash to grant more loans or service unexpected withdrawals, depending on the bank’s needs.
The BSP allows banks to get additional money supply in the peso, dollar or yen. The rediscount window also allows the central bank to fulfill its mandate of being a “lender of last resort” should banks find themselves short of liquidity.
Apart from syndicated loans, the BSP will also start accepting loans with underlying real estate collaterals “for rediscounting and emergency loans.”
To add, the regulator also lifted the P3-billion cap per bank on using rediscountable National Food Authority (NFA) papers for rediscount credit.
However, the cap remains at 25% of a bank’s net worth as far as rediscount availments using NFA collectibles are concerned.
These are subject to certain requirements, which include the requirement that such promissory notes are negotiable.
Currently, the BSP accepts a bank’s loan collectibles like bills, promissory notes letters of credit, trust receipts, property mortgages, credit guarantees and debt papers in awarding rediscount credits, to name a few.
Total rediscount borrowings reached P8.917 billion as of end-May, well above the P15 million availed during the comparable period in 2017.
Nearly half of the loans were acquired to finance capital asset spending while borrowings for commercial credits took a 43.87% share, according to latest available BSP data.
Loans maturing in 90 days or lower are charged a 3.8125% rate while 180-day credit lines carry a 3.875% spread. The rediscount rates are likely to go higher following a fresh rate hike announced by the central bank on Wednesday.

Calum Scott’s Asian tour comes to PHL in Oct.

BRITISH crooner Calum Scott, is coming back to Manila for a concert on Oct. 30 at the Kia Theater in Quezon City as part of his ongoing Only Human Asia Tour.
Mr. Scott first came into the limelight as a finalist in Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. During the competition, he sang British singer Robyn’s 2010 hit, “Dancing on My Own,” a rendition considered his breakout hit and which was included in his debut album released this year.
His version has so far accumulated 6.5 million worldwide sales and reached five times Platinum in Australia. It also got him a nomination for the Brit Award British Single of the Year.
His debut album, Only Human, features 14 songs which he describes are “just about living.”
“[The album] is just about self-love and self-acceptance. I wanted to be as honest as I could in this album and celebrate who I am and who I love,” said Mr. Scott during a press conference preceding his small concert held at Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City in March.
Only Human is led by its first single “You Are the Reason,” a ballad about transforming pain into beauty and finally becoming a story of celebration of “how the love you feel for the people in your life is more powerful than anything else,” he said.
Mr. Scott’s elegantly sculpted pop centers on his soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics, exemplified in gently uplifting single “You Are The Reason,” piano ballad “Hotel Room,” and “Rhythm Inside.”
The Only Human tour will take him to Australia, New Zealand, and around Asia after having toured the UK and Europe in May.
Tickets prices for Calum Scott’s Only Human Asia Tour Manila concert range from P2,640 to P5,810. Tickets will go on sale starting June 23 through www.ticketnet.com.ph. For inquiries call 911-5555 or 532-8883. — ZBC

Online hiring boosted by positive fundamentals — Monster.com

ONLINE hiring activity in the Philippines increased during the first quarter with the outlook improving due to the country’s strong fundamentals, Monster.com said.
Monster.com said according to its Southeast Asia Online Recruitment Trends Report, “the spike in hiring activity at the start of 2018 comes as no surprise for the Philippines” due to the “positive investor outlook on the country’s economic fundamentals.”
Monster cited a study by Microsoft and IDC/Asia Pacific saying that the country’s strong gross domestic product (GDP) growth will strengthen recruitment activity.
“This will likely boost job creation, salaries, and training opportunities, pointing towards even more promising hiring growth prospects ahead,” Monster.com said.
Job listings with the strongest growth were in the human resources (HR) and administration specialization, which grew 30% year on year in March after posting 29% growth in February and 18% in January, according to the Monster Employment Index (MEI).
The listings for advertising, market research, media, and entertainment jobs also grew strongly, with a 27% rise in March, 25% in February and 20% in January. — Gillian M. Cortez

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