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Avatar director Cameron traces roots of sci-fi movie explosion

LOS ANGELES — Avatar director James Cameron’s latest project takes audiences back to the humble beginnings of science fiction movies, long before films like Star Wars sold billions of dollars worth of tickets and dominated popular culture.
In a six-part documentary series that debuts on US cable network AMC on Monday, Cameron explores the B-movies of the 1950s, space and alien films of the 1960s, and post-apocalyptic thrillers of the 1970s.
While many are now considered classics, including Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey from 1968, Cameron said Hollywood executives at the time showed little interest in a genre that rarely yielded big box office returns.
“Nobody had ever made any damn money with science fiction,” Cameron told reporters at the Manhattan Beach, California, studio where he is in the middle of making two Avatar sequels.
Everything changed with 1977’s Star Wars, which became the highest-grossing domestic film in history at the time and sent film studios scrambling to imitate it.
“You had a lot of bad science fiction for a while, all trying to cash in on Star Wars,” Cameron said. “Then the whole genre elevated and became much more what it is today, which is much more a part of the mainstream culture.”
Today, movies grounded in science fiction are among the biggest draws at box offices. Cameron’s Avatar holds the current record for ticket sales with $2.8 billion worldwide.
Last weekend’s Avengers: Infinity War, from Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios, was expected to rank among the top US and Canadian openings of all time. (See story here.)
In the series called AMC Visionaries: James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, Cameron interviews fellow directors Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, and Christopher Nolan about filmmaking and their influences.
Cameron traded notes with the directors on their favorite sci-fi literature from as far back as the 1930s, something he wanted to highlight as a key part of the genre’s origins.
“What was important to me for this series was to trace back the DNA of these stories,” Cameron said. “So if you’ve got a time travel story, where did that come from? If you’ve got a space story, how did that enter our popular culture? Why did science fiction as a genre struggle to try and popularize these ideas?”
Cameron argued that science fiction is now more relevant than ever as humans become more dependent on machines.
“We are co-evolving with our own technology,” Cameron said.
“Science fiction is kind of our headlights. It helps us see what’s down the road.” — Reuters

Weinstein ‘believes he will be forgiven’ by Hollywood — Piers Morgan

LONDON — Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, believes he will eventually be forgiven by Hollywood, according to television presenter Piers Morgan.
Once one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures, Weinstein has been accused by more than 70 women of sexual misconduct, including rape.
Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
Morgan told GQ magazine he had spoken to Weinstein at a clinic where he has been seeking treatment.
“I’ve spoken to Harvey in the clinic in Arizona, for about an hour. He’s fighting,” Morgan said.
“He’s a fascinating character. The apocalyptic symptom of the whole thing — the casting couch finally brought to judgment.”
Morgan said he was not as surprised by some of the allegations.
“Listen, this has been the system since Hollywood existed,” Morgan said.
“It’s been a moral cesspit since the ’20s, and the idea that Harvey Weinstein is the only villain? Do me a favor.
“Look at Mel Gibson: ultimately Harvey believes he will be forgiven.”
Gibson sparked controversy in 2006 after unleashing an anti-Semitic tirade during his 2006 arrest for drunk driving, but has enjoyed recent success and was awarded a best director nomination for his film Hacksaw Ridge in 2017.
Weinstein said in a statement that he spoke with Morgan last year.
“I have immense respect for Piers Morgan and appreciate him. During our conversation, which was back in 2017, the only thought I conveyed was that my focus now and in the future is on my family,” Weinstein said.
“I did not talk about business or Hollywood. My priority is my family.”
The full GQ interview will be published on May 3. — Reuters

Pangilinan eyes resumption of talks with CNOOC


By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor
PXP ENERGY Corp. sent feelers to China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) for a possible resumption of talks about jointly exploring the contested area in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, the chairman of the local company said on Monday.
“I believe we have sent feelers to CNOOC to see whether we could meet with them again as soon as they are available to talk about the South China Sea situation. Of course, anything with them will have to be cleared with our government. I’m sure it’s true for their side as well,” PXP Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan told reporters on the sidelines of the quarterly briefing of Manila Electric Co., a company he also chairs.
Asked if the feelers were sent recently, he replied: “Not this year.”
Mr. Pangilinan said there had been some suggestions on the legal framework for the Philippines and China on joint exploration, and that the local group had hired legal experts to clarify the sovereignty issue and to help come up with a “legal structure.”
“I think there have been some suggestions. We have engaged both local lawyers… and international lawyers to help us craft a legal structure that obviously will meet the test of sovereignty of the Philippine government and what these lawyers think might be acceptable to the Chinese government,” Mr. Pangilinan
PXP Energy directly and indirectly owns 77.5% of Forum Energy Ltd., a London-listed company whose main asset is a controlling interest in offshore exploration Service Contract (SC) 72 west of Palawan island in the disputed seas. SC 72 is covered by the decision handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in the Netherlands on July 12, 2016.
The court ruled that Reed Bank, where SC 72 lies, is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone as defined under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
On March 2, 2015, the Department of Energy (DoE) placed SC 72 under force majeure because the contract area falls within the disputed area, which was the subject of the arbitration process.
Under the terms of the force majeure, exploration work at SC 72 is suspended from Dec. 15, 2014 until the DoE notifies Forum Energy that it may continue drilling.
Mr. Pangilinan said the Philippine government had not set a timeframe for coming up the legal structure.
“I think a great deal of it will depend on the timeframe by which the Philippine government and the government could agree a protocol, a code of conduct for the joint or cooperative surveys, development etcetera of the South China Sea,” he said.
Mr. Pangilinan said PXP Energy and CNOOC had been waiting for the two governments “to sort things out between the two of them,” although they appeared to be “moving positively in arriving at something.”
“From what we gathered, it’s a positive development,” he said, citing the recent visit of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to China to attend an economic forum, during which he met with Xi Jinping, China’s president.
Mr. Pangilinan also said the recent pronouncement of Mr. Duterte favoring a 60-40 sharing of the gas find in the area would be the government’s call.
“But at the end of the day, the proportion of sharing are numbers that the government will tell us what’s acceptable to them,” he said.
“If he’s happy with 60-40 then we’ll take it as marching orders,” he added.

TV’s Single/Single grows up in new film

EVERYBODY HAS to grow up someday, and the cast of Single/Single, the TV series by Cinema One and The Philippine Star which was first shown in 2016 will now have to make the transition from the small to the big screen for the movie Single/Single: Love Is Not Enough.
The TV series opened with the premise of Joey and Joee (played respectively by Matteo Guidicelli and Shaina Magdayao) moving in together as roommates, and while it was all fun and games at first, romantic feelings developed between them. By the end of the second season, Joee has become pregnant by Steve (JC Santos), and the movie, picking up from this cliffhanger, begins with Joee giving birth, making Joey a reluctant foster father.
“Even if you didn’t see the series, you’ll understand the story,” said head writer for the series and movie Lilit Reyes.
“Itong movie…is one big leap, or three steps higher, because we are not just [learning] #HowToAdult. This time, dahil magkakaroon na ako ng anak, #Adulting na talaga siya (This movie is one big leap, or three steps higher, because we are not just learning #HowToAdult. This time, because I’m having a child, it’s really about #Adulting),” said one of the film’s stars, Ms. Magdayao.
“Kung dati, hinahanap lang namin ’yung pagkatao namin, ’yung hobbies namin, kung anong gusto namin sa buhay, ngayon, paano namin pananagutan itong malaking responsibilidad na ito (Before, we were just looking for ourselves, our hobbies, and what we want out of life. Now, how do figure out how we can take responsibility for this big task)?”
According to Lucien Dy Tioco, executive vice-president of the Philstar Media Group, “Kami actually nag-pitch ng idea to Cinema One (We actually pitched the idea to Cinema One). We wanted a co-production with them. It was hitched actually on the advocacy of financial literacy.”
Single/Single: Love Is Not Enough will hit cinemas on May 2.
The movie is directed by Veronica Velasco and Pablo Biglang-awa, and is co-written by Jinky Laurel. It stars Matteo Guidicelli, Shaina Magdayao, Cherie Gil, Ricky Davao, Anna Luna, Brian Sy, and JC Santos.
BusinessWorld is part of the Philippine Star Group. — Joseph L. Garcia

Meralco Q1 profit rises 10% due to ‘unusually’ strong energy sales

MANILA ELECTRIC Co. (Meralco), the country’s biggest power distribution utility, posted a net income of P5.31 billion in the first quarter, up 10% from the same period last year, largely because of higher energy sales.
Adjusted for one-time, exceptional transactions, core net income at P4.92 billion was higher by 6.9% from a year ago.
“We were quite surprised by the unusually strong sales that we saw in the first quarter, particularly in March,” said Oscar S. Reyes, Meralco president and chief executive officer, during the company’s quarterly financial briefing.
Meralco Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan described the quarterly performance as possibly resulting in a “better year” for the distribution utility.
Energy sales in the first quarter went up nearly 9% to 10,145 gigawatt-hours (GWh), even as average distribution rate was a centavo lower at P1.40 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
Also contributing to the higher profit during the period was the flat operating and maintenance expenses and adjustment of provisions for impairment of certain trade receivables, said Betty C. Siy-Yap, Meralco senior vice-president and chief finance officer.
Consolidated revenues for the first three months reached P70.81 billion, up 6.4% compared with the same period last year. Electricity revenues accounted for the bulk at P69.01 billion, higher by 6.6% from a year ago.
Mr. Reyes said industrial customers recorded the biggest growth in terms of power consumption at 11% to 3,014 GWh. Residential customers followed with a 9% increase to 2,997 GWH, while the commercial segment posted an 8% increase to 3,979 GWh.
He said commercial sales volume were still driven by the real estate, retail trade, and hotel and restaurant business.
Real estate and retail trade had been supported by the mixed-use developments to meet the strong demand for residential and commercial spaces for the business process outsourcing sector and offshore gaming operations. Operations of hotels that opened last year continue to ramp up and normalize in 2018.
The rise in industrial sales volume had been largely spurred by the semiconductor, food and beverage, and rubber and plastics industries.
Mr. Reyes reported that Meralco’s customer base as of the third quarter increased by nearly 5% to 6.4 million, of which 290,000 are net new accounts since March 2017.
The residential customer base, which increased by 5% represented 92% of Meralco’s customer base. The figure includes 93,522 prepaid electricity customers, up from 49,825 as of end-March 2017.
“Our first quarter billed volume growth of 9% is encouraging and indicative of continuing strong economic growth. Domestic consumption and investment expenditures remain rather strong; the prospect of regional stability with the recent developments in North and South Korea and the friendly tone in Philippine-China relations add to this positive view,” Mr. Pangilinan said in a statement distributed during the briefing.
On Monday, shares in Meralco rose by 2.48% to close at P322 each. — Victor V. Saulon

Project seeks to use 100% fly ash to make cement

By Carmencita A. Carillo
Correspondent
DAVAO CITY — The development and commercial production of concrete made entirely from fly ash, a residue of coal-fired power plants, is being eyed within the next five years.
“We have a booming construction industry and one of the most widely used materials in the industry is concrete with Portland cement as the main ingredient,” Dr. Michael Angelo B. Promentilla,a professor at De La Salle University’s Chemical Engineering Department, told BusinessWorld in an interview last week on the sidelines of the 2nd ASEAN Science Diplomats Assembly.
Mr. Promentilla, also the head of the Waste and Chemicals Management Unit of the Center for Engineering and Sustainability Development Research, the research arm of the Gokongwei College of Engineering, said the product they are developing is a more environment-friendly construction material.
“The production of cement emits a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). The industry is also energy intensive,” he said
At the same time, using fly ash from the coal-fired energy sector would help manage the power plants’ byproduct.
Mr. Promentilla’s ongoing research project, “Developing Green Cementitious Material for a Carbon-Constrained World,” seeks to use 100% fly ash in making cement to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction material.
The Portland cement currently available in the market already has a 15% fly ash component.
Mr. Promentilla, who refers to his project as “GAMERS” (Geopolymer and Advanced Materials Engineering Research for Sustainability), said “these cement plants emit about two metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide per year, which is about 5% to 7% of the global anthropogenic CO2 .”
“My project aims to use fly ash alone without using Portland cement. We try to utilize the waste of coal-fired plants to produce material comparable to Portland cement and we call the technology geopolymer,” he explained.
Mr. Promentilla said the project is still in the research and development stage, although they have already successfully created brick out of the geopolymer at the laboratory. They have yet to go on field testing, which means actually using the product to construct a house.
The project has already spent P3 million since it started in 2013, and requires another P10 million for field tests.
The project has financial support from the ASEAN University Network/Southeast Asia Engineering Education Network (AUN/SEED-Net) — Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the National Academy of Science and Technology/Department of Science and Technology (NAST/DoST) Grants to Outstanding Achievement in Science and Technology, and collaborators from DLSU Gokongwei College of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan), and Ho Chi Minh University of Technology (Vietnam).
“R&D usually takes two to three years and with the best scenario, we can come up with a level of technology readiness in five years where we can commercialize it,” he said.
Mr. Promentilla said the geopolymer technology itself is already being used by scientists from France and Australia, but their project is the first in the Philippines and he wants to popularize it as the green and better option.
He said he hopes the construction industry will consider the new technology and “they work with us to produce green materials.”
“I call it upcycling or trying to convert something of low value or something considered waste into a high-value product, which is the framework of a circular economy,” he said.
“We hope we can apply the technology to build houses, low-cost housing or even road embankment,” he added.
Their team is also anticipating other challenges such as establishing standards for the product and introducing legal amendments to make it part of the National Building Code.
In the future, when GAMERS has become mainstream, Mr. Promentilla said he also wants to explore the use of agricultural waste such as abaca fiber, rice hulls or other indigenous materials as a composite to be mixed with geopolymer.
“Utilization of such wastes as sources of reactive alumino-silicate resource is proposed as a viable solution to the pollution problem and at the same time as an economical option in the design of sustainable construction materials for a carbon-constrained world,” he said.

Treasury partially awards papers

THE AUCTION of P15 billion worth of Treasury bills (T-bills) on Monday saw mixed results as investors swarmed the shorter-dated securities but avoided the longer tenors amid continued uncertainty in financial markets.
The government raised a total of P8.63 billion during yesterday’s auction of the shorter-tenored securities, just a little over half of the P15 billion it offered, even as total tenders reached P24.49 billion.
The Treasury fully awarded P5 billion in three-month debt papers with tenders reaching three times as much at P15.153 billion. The average yield on the T-bills dropped to 3.485% from 3.597% in the previous auction.
Meanwhile, it partially awarded the P4-billion worth of six-month papers it offered, accepting just P3.362 billion in bids as rates rose, even as the auction volume was oversubscribed, with tenders reaching P6.357 billion. Yields sought by banks increased to 4.019% from 3.889% previously.
However, the government rejected all bids for the one-year securities as its P6-billion offer was undersubscribed, attracting just P2.98 billion in tenders. The papers also fetched higher yields, jumping to 4.263% from 3.986% in the previous auction.
At the secondary market at noon, the three- and six-month T-bills were quoted at 3.7846% and 3.8299%, respectively, and 4.3635% for the one-year papers.
At the close of trading, the 91-day T-bill saw its rate drop to 3.4778%, while yields on the 182-day and 364-day papers climbed to 3.8326% and 4.3661%, respectively.
Deputy Treasurer Erwin D. Sta. Ana said rates bid by banks for higher-dated tenors climbed due to higher inflation expectations, which heightened bets of policy tightening from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Meanwhile, the 91-day papers, being the shortest tenor, saw its yield decline on the back of the country getting a “positive” outlook on its credit score from S&P Global Ratings last Thursday.
“We are somewhat expecting that because of the change in the credit rating outlook by S&P. So, to some extent, that has impact on that. But as you can see, with respect to the other tenors, that’s where the demand weighed a bit. So it’s really because of the usual uncertainties [as] the markets are waiting the inflation report, the action of the Monetary Board [and] whether they will move or not in their May 10 policy meeting,” Mr. Sta. Ana said after yesterday’s auction.
“We don’t want to reject, but if we see that the rates are way off market expectations, then we would really be forced to do so,” he added.
A BusinessWorld poll of 11 economists showed a 4.5% median forecast for April, which if realized will be higher than the 4.3% booked in March using 2012 as the base year.
The government will report official inflation data on Friday.
Mr. Sta. Ana said the government’s improved tax collection performance is giving the Treasury room to reject some bids.
“We are always dependent on the performance of the revenue side. We also look at the disbursements, but the revenues side, the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and the BoC (Bureau of Customs) are doing well. On the expenditure side, there’s been a pickup but it’s been covered adequately. We are still within deficit targets so there’s nothing to worry about,” said Mr. Sta. Ana.
The BIR raked in P423.1 billion in the first quarter, exceeding its P361.8-billion target, while the BoC raised P129.8 billion, a tad higher than its P129.5-billion goal.
A trader meanwhile said the market was more upbeat than expected on news of the “positive” credit rating outlook from S&P.
“We only initially expected a sideways movement for the three months — even a slight increase of five basis points. But investors seem to have flocked to the shorter tenor that saw lower average yields, versus the longer ones,” the trader said in a phone interview yesterday.
“As we expected, the longer-dated ones continued to see higher yields and weak demand. This may be due to positioning ahead of the BSP’s meeting, as well as the Fed[eral Reserve] this first week of May,” another trader said in a phone interview.
Both traders noted that the market has already factored in a likely increase in benchmark rates in their bids.
“They have been anticipating it for a while now. As the BSP governor said, it’s just a question of when. It is also supported by the climb in US Treasuries,” the first trader said.
The government wants to raise P325 billion from local creditors this quarter through weekly auctions of securities.
It is holding two auctions per week — one for T-bills and another for Treasury bonds — than the previous one auction a week as it increased its borrowing requirements for the period. — EJCT

Cosby conviction could mean hefty damages in civil cases — legal experts

NEW YORK — On top of the years in prison comedian Bill Cosby faces for sexual assault, his criminal conviction increases the likelihood he will have to pay hefty damages in civil lawsuits brought by women who say he assaulted or defamed them, legal experts said.
“The idea that ‘I never did any of these things’ — well there’s been a very public finding by a jury of 12 good citizens,” said David Harris, a criminal justice professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Cosby, 80, famous for his role as the lovable father in the 1980s TV hit The Cosby Show, was found guilty on Thursday by a jury in Norristown, Pennsylvania, of drugging and sexually assaulting onetime friend Andrea Constand in 2004. Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison for each of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Constand is one of about 60 women who have accused Cosby of assaulting them, often using drugs to incapacitate them. The accusations go back decades but only Constand’s resulted in criminal charges. The other allegations were too old to prosecute.
Cosby, once known as “America’s Dad,” has denied all the accusations.
At least 10 women have pending civil claims against Cosby in lawsuits filed in California and Massachusetts, carrying potentially hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in damages for him.
Two women have brought sexual assault claims against Cosby. Others, barred from doing so because too much time has passed, have filed defamation lawsuits, saying he smeared their reputations by publicly denying their accusations.
Lawyers representing Cosby in the civil cases could not be reached for comment.
Lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents one sexual assault accuser, said she will seek to introduce Cosby’s conviction if the lawsuit goes to trial.
“I definitely think it will have an impact on the jury to know that Mr. Cosby has been convicted in a criminal court,” Allred said.
Women who brought civil cases against Cosby will only need to show the weight of evidence is on their side, a lower standard than in the criminal case in which prosecutors must prove claims beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lynne Abraham, a former Philadelphia District Attorney and now partner at the law firm Archer, said Cosby’s conviction could prompt new accusers to sue him.
“It might give them courage to come forward,” she said.
While judges do not always allow evidence of previous bad actions in court, they may do so if it shows a pattern of behavior, said Douglas Wigdor, an attorney who represents plaintiffs in sexual harassment cases.
In Cosby’s criminal trial, five accusers other than Constand who were allowed to testify each said they, too, had been drugged and violated.
“I think in this particular case it would be more likely than not that a judge would admit the evidence, because he did have a peculiar way of going about his sexual assault,” Wigdor said.
Paul Callan, who represented the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson in a civil case against her ex-husband, former football star OJ Simpson, after he was found not guilty of her murder, said the criminal conviction would be “an enormous assist” in civil cases.
The defamation claims would be more difficult to prove than the sexual assault claims against Cosby, but the damage to Cosby’s reputation after the verdict “may give new life” to them, Callan said.
If Cosby is imprisoned, it will make defending himself even more difficult.
“Cosby’s lawyers would be wise to settle the cases early and quickly if funds are available,” Callan said.
Plaintiffs would likely need to establish that Cosby said something about them beyond merely denying allegations of sexual assault, Callan said.
So far, women who have brought defamation claims against Cosby have had mixed success.
A California court has allowed one defamation lawsuit against Cosby, filed by former model Janice Dickinson, to proceed, while a federal appeals court has dismissed a similar case brought by actress Kathrine McKee. Defamation claims by seven other women are pending in a Massachusetts federal court.
Joseph Cammarata, a lawyer for the women in the Massachusetts defamation case, said he planned to use the conviction as evidence. — Reuters

Universal Robina earnings drop 12% in 1st quarter

UNIVERSAL Robina Corp. (URC)’s attributable profit fell by 12% in the first quarter of 2018, as lower coffee volume, higher inflation, and the continued depreciation of the peso dragged down its operations in the Philippines.
In a regulatory filing on Monday, the Gokongwei-led food and beverage manufacturer reported a net income attributable to the parent of P2.95 billion in the January to March period, lower than the P3.37 billion it booked in the same period a year ago.
Revenues grew by 1.6% to P31.2 billion, driven by the international operation of its branded consumer foods (BCF) segment. The international arm improved its sales by 9.6% to P10.8 billion for the quarter, or 6.5% to $209 million in terms of US dollars.
“Top-line growth came from Vietnam, Malaysia, and SBA (snack brands Australia). Vietnam is still on its path to recovery with C2 and Rong Do showing continued momentum, as well as biscuits and candies both registering strong performance,” the company said.
The local market, meanwhile, was met with headwinds for the quarter, as net sales slowed by 4.6% to P14.3 billion. URC attributed the decline to the underperformance of snacks and total beverages, as well as lower volumes in the coffee category.
The BCF segment accounted for 80.5% of URC’s consolidated sale of goods and services for the quarter. URC’s two other businesses, namely the agro-industrial food group and commodity foods group, contributed the remaining 19.5%.
The agro-industrial arm picked up by 11.2% to P2.6 billion for the quarter, fueled by higher sales of dog food and hog feeds. The company also benefited from its strategy of shifting to value-added products.
The commodity foods group contributed P3.1 billion in sales for the period, 2.6% lower year on year following lower sugar volumes alongside lower prices of raw and refined sugar. The flour business, meanwhile, saw a 4.4% increase given higher volumes and price of pasta.
With the decline in earnings, URC’s gross profit market went down by 91 basis points to 31.2% for the quarter, versus 32.1% in the same period in 2017.
This year, the company has allocated P8 billion in capital expenditures to support the expansion of capacities as well as to improve handling and distribution.
URC is bringing in new management starting May 14, after announcing last week that it has tapped former Procter and Gamble executive Irwin C. Lee as its new chief executive officer, president and director.
Mr. Lee’s appointment marks the first time that a non-Gokongwei family member will lead the firm. Mr. Lee will replace Lance Y. Gokongwei, who will now take on the position of chairman.
URC is the consumer arm of JG Summit Holdings, Inc., which also has core interests in air transportation, property development and hotel management, banking, and petrochemicals.
Shares in URC went up 1.59% or P2.20 to close at P140.50 each at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday. — Arra B. Francia

Robinsons opens third mall in Leyte

By Zsarlene B. Chua
Reporter
KNOWN for some of the country’s sweetest pineapples, Ormoc City in Leyte is now the site of the newest mall in Robinsons Land Corp.’s (RLC) portfolio, making it the third mall in the province (and 49th mall overall) which was devastated by typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in 2013
“After Typhoon Yolanda, we thought about what we can do for the people of Leyte so we decided to build malls,” Arlene G. Magtibay, RLC’s general manager-commercial centers division, said during the mall launch on April 19.
RLC currently has two malls in Tacloban. The first mall, located in Marasbaras, opened in 2009 and has since undergone two expansions including its own Summit Hotel slated to open in June. A second mall in Abucay opened last year.
Robinsons Place Ormoc, located along Palo-Carigara road in Barangay Cogon, has 34,900 square meter (sq.m.) in gross floor area and a gross leasable area of 23,700 sq.m. spread across three floors.
The mall is Ormoc City’s first full service mall as it includes four cinemas capable of seating more than 900 people.
In recognition of the city’s most popular produce, the mall’s chief designers ASYA Design included pineapple accents throughout — from its facade to the entrance foyer. Artist Anna Rubio lent her expertise by doodling inspirational images seen in the mall’s second floor.
The place also celebrates local businesses as the second floor food gallery features homegrown dining establishments including May Abohan, Choi’s Sizzlers, Zenaida’s Chateau Bistro, Pare’s Lechon, Pier Capitan and Pepita’s Kitchen.
Pare’s Lechon by Victor Juezan opened only its second branch at the mall, but its roasted pigs are anything but ordinary. Mr. Juezan told the media during the partners’ night on April 18 that he marinates and seasons the pigs himself and uses herbs including rosemary, thyme and lemongrass alongside olive oil to produce the almost crackling-like skin and flavorful meat.
He said the pigs are from smaller piggeries around the neighborhood, although he may have to tap bigger ones as his business scales up with the new branch.
Mr. Juezan disclosed that he used to work at Cebu’s famous Zubuchon — now a chain of restaurants across the country — and after leaving the company, decided to put up his own business.
The influence of Zubuchon’s salty, no-sauce-needed, roasted pig is apparent in his recipe but is improved with a few tweaks.
But unlike his former employer, Mr. Juezan said that he doesn’t plan on expanding to other provinces as he wants to make a mark in the Leyte scene first.
Robinsons Ormoc’s anchor tenants including Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Department store which houses brands like Liberte, Stella, among others; Robinsons Appliances, Handyman and Daiso Japan.

BSP looking to link InstaPay platform within region

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez, Senior Reporter
THE CENTRAL BANK is eyeing to link the Philippines’ InstaPay platform to other digital clearing houses within Southeast Asia to facilitate real-time fund transfers across borders.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. said he is looking to connect the automated clearing house for real-time payments with its counterparts in neighboring countries for improved connectivity and efficiency.
“The more interesting prospect, potentially, is to link up the instant payment networks regionally,” Mr. Espenilla said when asked about long-term plans for InstaPay.
Last week, industry players unveiled the InstaPay platform which will process electronic payments across accounts from different banks and digital wallets.
InstaPay clears electronic fund transfers worth up to P50,000 per transaction and without a daily limit. The platform is available 24/7, with the funds to be made available to receivers almost immediately.
Seven banks are offering real-time fund transfers as of April 23, while 11 other lenders and two electronic money issuers are able to receive payments, according to the central bank.
Clients of InstaPay participants maintaining savings, current or e-money accounts can use the platform to send or receive cash via cash transfer instructions made through online or mobile app channels.
InstaPay is expected to be more high-impact in terms of processing money transfers as it is expected to give a substantial boost for e-commerce. Mr. Espenilla said this platform under the National Retail Payment System is in keeping with the goal of raising the share of e-payments to at least 20% of total transactions by 2020, coming from a measly one percent recorded in 2013.
“This (InstaPay) is basically very young but as it matures it could possible to interface with other countries,” the BSP chief added.
The Philippines is the third in the region to set up an e-payments platform. In November, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that it is working to link their PayNow platform with Thailand’s PromptPay system to allow people from either country to send money to each other using mobile phone numbers.
Mr. Espenilla said joining these two nations for a regional network is “very doable” with InstaPay now live. The move could likewise boost efforts for regional integration.
The BSP is currently in talks with the Bank of Thailand for cross-border banking agreements. Once signed, qualified banks from one jurisdiction may operate in the other, subject to the regulations of the host economy.
Looking ahead, Mr. Espenilla said the central bank is also exploring the use of QR codes for retail payments as they look to shift the Philippines away from cash-heavy transactions.

Netflix-loving tykes tune out Nick in worst year for kids TV

KIDS LIKE Caleb Moushey are killing cable TV in the US.
Not that Caleb knows from cable. After all, he’s seven years old. But Caleb rarely if ever watches conventional television. “Everything is Netflix,” said his mother, Ally Brown, an insurance agent in the St. Louis area who also has a five-year-old and a baby on the way.
More and more kids are like Caleb. The cable networks for children, in decline for years, are now in a free fall. This season’s ratings for the two-to-11 set are shaping up to be the worst yet. And few in the industry predict a turnaround.
The implications are enormous for giants like Viacom, Inc. and Walt Disney Co. Viewership of the three most-popular networks for the very young — Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and the Cartoon Network — is down more than 20% this season from year earlier, according to data from Nielsen. It’s a low point in a long-running trend as Netflix, Inc., YouTube, and other streaming services have taken off.
Media companies still make money from children’s TV, with the most-watched cartoons spawning toy brands and licensing deals that can generate millions of dollars. So “the traditional brands are stuck in a tough position,” said Birk Rawlings, who left Nickelodeon to run DreamWorksTV, a kids media company that includes a YouTube channel. “They can see what is changing, but to embrace what’s new they must run away from a healthy business.”
Rawlings was vice-president of animation at Nickelodeon when its parent company, Viacom, committed what many in the industry consider the original sin: It licensed many of its kids shows in a package to Netflix in 2010. That arrangement allowed Netflix to lure customers with Nick’s biggest hits, including SpongeBob SquarePants.
At the time, Netflix had fewer than 20 million subscribers. Now, it has 125 million. Nickelodeon considers a show a hit if it draws 2 million or so viewers.
Meanwhile, the amount of time that the youngest watchers spent viewing conventional TV fell 30% between 2010 and 2017. And US advertising sales for kids’ networks haven’t grown for five years, having plateaued at about $1.2 billion annually. Disney and Nickelodeon declined to make executives available for interviews for this story.
Netflix, whose shares have climbed 58% this year, is ramping up the competition further by bringing more youth-oriented production in-house. Last year, it hired Melissa Cobb away from a DreamWorks joint venture to run a kids and family division, which just produced a new live-action series, Alexa & Katie.
The company also poached two writers, Scott Thomas and Jed Elinoff, from Walt Disney Co.’s Disney Channel, where they recently created a follow-up to That’s So Raven. They’re the first producers of children’s programming to strike an exclusive arrangement to make shows for Netflix, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing a deal that hasn’t been announced.
Disney, Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network, are playing catch up. Nick has a three-year-old streaming platform called Noggin. Time Warner, Inc.’s Boomerang online subscription service shows classics like Looney Tunes, and Cartoon Network released videos from the popular show Steven Universe on its app before they appeared on TV.
Disney announced plans to yank its movies from Netflix and to make content based on Marvel comic books, Star Wars and its trove of animated characters for its own streaming service that will debut next year.
The pressure is on. The youngest entertainment-seekers are being raised on the internet, and cord-cutting will accelerate as new batches of babies joins them. The networks have to figure out how to make more money from the shows they produce, whether they’re streamed or broadcast on the tube.
“We have to believe” the dollars “will catch up to the audience,” said Christina Miller, head of Cartoon Network and Boomerang. “If it’s the opposite, game over.” — Bloomberg

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