Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 12774

TransCo firming up titles of land hosting transmission facilities

NATIONAL Transmission Corp. (TransCo) has sought the services of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) to secure legal title to all the real estate assets on which transmission facilities from Luzon to Mindanao are built, its president said.

“All [real estate] that we have expropriated, we will have them titled,” said Melvin A. Matibag, TransCo president and chief executive officer, adding that a formal signing was scheduled on Tuesday.

He said the move is aimed at giving the TransCo a “complete set of proof” that it owns the properties on which transmission lines, substations and towers are standing on, including the improvements made by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

TransCo is presenting itself as a potential third player in the telecommunications industry, making the right-of-way it has gained for transmission assets potentially valuable for firms it may seek to partner with.

NGCP looks after transmission assets spanning up 20,000 kilometers. In Mindanao alone, 7,000 transmission lines have been built, mostly towers, steel and wooden poles, and other support structures. The government owns the assets, which the privately owned company operates under a congressional franchise.

Mr. Matibag said the survey to be made by LRA will determine the properties that have been expropriated and paid for by the government, as well as those that remain to be expropriated, for which TransCo will decide on how they will be paid.

Asked about the value of the real estate, he said: “I’ve been hearing around P200 billion.”

He said no accurate valuation is available as titling of all the properties has not been done since grid operation was transferred to the private sector. He added that around 1,000 properties have been titled while at least 4,000 more need titling.

NGCP’s franchise stems from Republic Act 9136 in 2001 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), which paved the way for the sale of government energy assets.

The law separated the various components of the sector, including power transmission, which was spun off to state agency TransCo ahead of its turnover to the private sector through concession.

Unlike in an outright sale, the concession agreement allowed the government to keep ownership of the transmission assets through TransCo. NGCP marked its official start of operation as electricity transmission service provider in 2009.

Mr. Matibag said TransCo has a yearly budget to justly compensate owners of land on which transmission lines are built. He said the company’s utilization of these funds has increased to 30% from 5% because more right-of-way disputes have been settled, paid or closed in court. — Victor V. Saulon

Of pushers, politicians, and presidents

A few weeks ago, I posted on Facebook two anti-drug abuse ads that I created back in 1972. The headline of one read, “Is a pusher paying more attention to your child than you are?” The other ad showed a father swigging a bottle of gin, while his son smoked marijuana. The headline bluntly stated, “One dope deserves another. If you want your kid to stop doing his thing, you can begin by stopping yours.”

I felt that, in today’s permissive environment, the importance of parental responsibility and parental example needed to be brought front and center.

Some readers have pointed out that pushers and parents are not the only culprits in the deterioration of moral values. According to them, politicians and presidents bear the onus, as well.

Indeed, pushers, politicians and presidents may be today’s “reverse role models” — and not just in the Philippines. It’s happening just as blatantly in America.

The Philippines has President Rodrigo Duterte and the US has President Donald Trump. Additionally, the Philippines has a kennel of legislative puppy dogs, while America has unabashed transactional politicians.

Sadly, there’s nowhere well-meaning parents can turn to spare their children from the criminal influence of drug pushers and the morally debilitating influence of politicians and presidents.

By the time this piece comes out, the results of the special senatorial election in Alabama will have been determined. The special election has been due to the vacancy created by the appointment of erstwhile Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to Attorney General (the US equivalent of the Philippines’ Secretary of Justice).

As of this writing, pollsters have said that the contest between Democratic candidate Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore is too close to call.

There’s more to this special election than being a toss-up between candidates of opposing parties in a predominantly Republican state, where President Donald Trump convincingly trounced Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections.

Moore, 70, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, has been accused by several women of being a sexual predator. He is said to have had sex with a 14-year-old girl, a criminal act. He also reportedly forced himself on a 16-year-old. These he did when he was in his early 30s and an assistant district attorney.

In the wake of the allegations against Moore, other instances of sexual harassment committed by prominent US politicians have hit the headlines. One senator and two congressmen have been forced to resign following public disclosure by the victims of their sexual misconduct.

However, in spite of the accusations against Moore, as well as a threat by some Republican senate leaders to subject Moore to an ethics gauntlet should he win, he enjoys a slight edge in the public opinion polls vs. the Democratic contender. Moore, who has denied the accusations, also has the support of the evangelicals in the state. This brings into question the moral values of the evangelicals, as well as that of the hardcore supporters of Moore.

What is even more eyebrow-raising is the fact that President Donald Trump has expressed his full support for Moore.

Trump himself has been accused by several women of being a sexual predator. While he has flatly denied the allegations, there are video and audio proof of his misconduct, including Trump’s recorded voice bragging about grabbing women on their private parts.

The accusations against Trump were made during the presidential campaign. He won anyway. Does this say something about the moral values of Trump’s supporters? Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

If all these were happening in Philippine politics, that would hardly be hot news — or the stories would be very quickly suppressed (a tactic known as “suppress relations”).

Sadly, in our country, politicians and the public don’t give a damn about immorality. In fact, President Rodrigo Duterte and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez have been flaunting their extra-marital affairs.

Pundits attribute the situation in both the Philippines and the US to realpolitik. The decisions and choices of politicians are made based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

Trump’s decision to throw his support behind Moore is obviously self-serving. Condemning Moore for sexual misconduct would boomerang on Trump. But the other reason is the fact that the Republicans cannot afford to lose a seat in the Senate where they hold a 54 to 44 edge over the Democrats, with two independent senators tending to side with the Dems. Some Republicans, like Senator John McCain, also tend to be mavericks.

The vow of Trump and the Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare — the controversial health care legislation passed during President Barack Obama’s administration — was stymied by the nay vote of McCain, in addition to the negative votes of some Republican senators.

The recent close vote in the US Senate on the sweeping tax reform bill (51 yeas and 49 nays) illustrate just how valuable every single vote is for each of the political parties. In other words, Moore may be the devil incarnate but, as far as Trump is concerned, he will be an ally and to hell with moral values.

If that sounds too much like Philippine politics, remember that Pinoy politicians learned their tricks and tactics from the Americans.

What, in fact, could be pointed out is that the Americans can now learn a few tricks and tactics from Malacañang and the Philippine Senate and House.

Such incentives as pork barrel funds to motivate solons to dance to the music of the President and such tricks as bribing senator judges to impeach a sitting chief justice may still be unheard of in Washington DC and Capitol Hill — but politicians of whatever race, nationality, or ideology are quick learners.

In the face of all these, I’m inclined to create a variation on the ad with the headline, “One dope deserves another.”

The subhead will read: “If you have a Duterte or Trump as your President, it’s all your fault.”

 

Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.

gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

Volvo pitches luxury car-buying advice

ACCORDING to Volvo Philippines, trend agency Kjaer Global reported that “consumers’ expectations and perceptions of what constitutes luxury is evolving rapidly than ever,” and that “established luxury brands are facing the need to reinvent themselves.”

The report, Volvo said, identified several key trends that buyers keep in mind when purchasing luxury goods, which include “real-time innovation, constant access and connectivity, a growing appreciation for expertise and craftsmanship, and authenticity and discovery. The car maker added consumers should also consider doing these methods when they are buying a luxury car:

• Get as much information as possible on a certain brand through car Web sites, magazine reviews, auto showrooms and even friends and family. Buyers should also test-drive the vehicle.

• Check that the features needed and wanted are available in a particular vehicle. Most luxury cars have additional items that add to their comfort amenities.

• Consider vehicles that are equipped with advanced safety features such as a collision avoidance system, auto-steer functionality, or even allergy-tested interiors.

• Study financial arrangements offered by brands or dealerships. Examine available payment options, and trade-in or trade-up programs usually offered by luxury brands.

• Take note of the maintenance and upkeep costs of luxury vehicles and choose the brand that gives quality service.

• Factor in a luxury car’s emission levels, recyclability, and use of environment-friendly materials.

PETA’s ’Night Mother invites audience to have a ‘real’ talk

JESSIE wants to end her life, and she’ll do it tonight using her father’s gun. Jessie (played by Eugene Domingo) has told her mother (Sherry Lara) of her plans. Her mother, of course, tries to discourage her from committing suicide, asking why she needs to claim her own life when “normal ka naman ah (you are normal).”

This scene was an excerpt shown to the press from PETA’s upcoming show ’Night Mother, which will go onstage from Feb. 2 to March 18 at the PETA Theater. Based from the snippet alone, the story seems to feature dark humor and revolves around depression and suicide.

“But there is more to it than that. What we’ve shown is only a thin layer of the rich story of the mother and daughter,” said Ms. Domingo. She mentioned that she once played the role of the mother back in the 1990s in a student production by Dulaang UP.

The mother in this production, Ms. Lara, said the play is about “the missed opportunities staring at you, especially in today’s family where everyone has his or her own life and we’ve stopped talking to one another.”

“Lumabas ka [sa usapin ng] pagpapakamatay (Lets leave the issue of suicide),” said the play’s director Melvin Lee, who most recently played the role of Chelsea in PETA’s musical comedy, Care Divas. “Let us look at this play beyond the obvious and the literal. Let it be about conversations that we’ve had or should have had with our loved ones [because] through conversations come clarity, and we need clarity in our feelings and thoughts to steer us away from darkness.”

’Night Mother invites the audience to sit down for 90 minutes (without a break) and appreciate a play that highlights its two stars and the richness of the text. Unlike many of PETA’s recent shows, ’Night Mother is intimate and complex, without visual spectacles, “eargasmic” music and lyrics, or grand narratives.

’Night Mother is a Filipino adaptation of Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, which had its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Massachusetts in 1982. During those times, PETA’s artistic director Maribel Legarda said, the play was read using a feminist lens in the context of a patriarchal society.

The play today can be seen using different lenses, and Ms. Legarda said the show is not an advocacy play, rather the goal is to get the conversation going.

Still, ’Night Mother can be watched using the lenses of feminism, suicide, and/or mental health, and PETA is conscious about it — that’s why it will hold debriefings after performances, especially for student audiences. PETA has also partnered with various mental health organizations in the country and will provide leaflets and hot lines to hand out just in case debriefings are not available after every show.

Mr. Lee said another possible reading of the text is about the “inevitable evolution” every person has to go through in his or her journey as nobody has a stagnant life. He also noted that ’Night Mother talks about traditional thinking versus modern thinking while questioning the norms of the typical Filipino.

An excerpt is not enough, and the audience needs to experience the full story in a theater, said Ms. Domingo, who joked that she’s willing to appear as Dora, who is one the characters she’s played in film, so the audience will not feel sad and depressed about what they have just seen.

Tickets to ’Night Mother are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 0927-603-5913). — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

Del Monte Pacific raises $100M from preferred shares offer

DEL MONTE Pacific Limited (DMPL) said it has completed its offering of Series A-2 preferred shares last Friday, raising $100 million in the process.

The country’s largest canned fruit manufacturer disclosed its preferred shares issuance, with a base size of $80 million and oversubscription option of $80 million, was oversubscribed by two million shares at the end of its offering date.

“The offering generated a total amount of $100 million, which includes $20 million from the oversubscribed shares,” DMPL said in a statement.

DMPL plans to use the proceeds of the offer to pay the outstanding bridge loan facility it secured from BDO Unibank, Inc., which will mature in February 2019. The company added the offering will also help the company strengthen its balance sheet. The shares will have annual coupon rate of 6.5%.

The company targets to list the shares on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Dec. 15 under the ticker DMPA2.

This is the second tranche of DMPL’s shelf listing of up to 36 million Series A preference shares approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission and PSE. DMPL managed to raise $200 million in the first tranche of the offer last April, which also marked the first time dollar-denominated securities were listed on the local bourse.

DMPL tapped BDO Capital and Investment Corp. and China Bank Capital Corp. as joint lead underwriters for the offer, while BDO Capital acted as sole issue manager and sole bookrunner. 

The listed firm swung to a net loss attributable to the parent of $2.08 million in the six months ending October, from an attributable profit of $12.92 million in the same period in 2016. Slower sales from its unit in the United States weighed down the company’s profit, which account for 78% of the group’s total sales.

DMPL is listed on both the PSE and the Singapore Stock Exchange. Local shares in DMPL were unchanged at the close of Tuesday’s trading at P11 each. — Arra B. Francia

Davao City local gov’t officials support martial law extension

DAVAO CITY Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has expressed support to the proposal of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, her father, to extend martial law in Mindanao by another year, which would cover the entire 2018.

“The city is not opposed to the martial law extension; we will defer to the decision of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Office of (the) President since they have access to information related to these decisions,” she told the media.

Other local government officials said they also have no opposition to the extension as the current martial law, which has been in effect since May 23, served to strengthen security and had no adverse impact in the economy.

“We have not heard of any investor withdrawing their investments from the city just because of martial law. On the contrary we are receiving many inquiries from local and foreign investors,” Davao City Investment Promotions Center head Lemuel G. Ortonio said.

The number of foreign visitors in the Davao Region has also increased from Jan. to Sept. this year compared to the same period last year despite the Marawi siege and the declaration of martial law.

“The number of foreign travelers to the region increased to 113,305 from Jan. to Sept. this year from 96,902 during the same period last year based on airport arrivals, hotel arrivals and other data from the region’s tourism sector,” Department of Tourism-Davao Region Chief Tourism Operations Officer Zuhairah Abas said in an interview.

However, domestic arrivals decreased to 1.92 million during the first nine months this year from 2.05 million during the same period last year. The Davao Region received a total of 2.06 million visitors, down from 2.16 million during the period in review. — Carmencita A. Carillo

Leaders join France’s Macron to discuss climate cash crunch

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with world leaders on Tuesday, two years to the day since 195 nations adopted the climate-rescue Paris Agreement — this time to talk about money.

Without trillions of dollars of investment in clean energy, the pact’s goal to keep global warming below 2˚ Celsius (3.6˚ Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels will remain a pipedream, observers and participants warned on the eve of the Paris summit.

Political action “will not be enough if we do not update and reset the global finance architecture and make all development low-emission, resilient, and sustainable,” UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said.

“We see some movement… but climate consideration must now be part of all private sector decisions,” she said.

After the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 to cheers and champagne, helped over the finish line by then US president Barack Obama, his successor Donald J. Trump has cast a long shadow over the process, withdrawing political support and finance.

Money has long been a sore point in the UN climate process, with developing nations insisting on financial assistance to help them make the costly move to less-polluting energy sources, and to shore up defenses against climate change-induced superstorms, mega-droughts and land-gobbling sea level rise.

Mr. Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax,” announced in June that the United States would pull out of the Paris pact, which had taken nearly 200 nations more than two decades to negotiate.

The US is the only country to reject the agreement.

Mr. Trump has also asked Congress to slash the climate research budgets of federal agencies — threatening a loss of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

The Trump administration would also not fulfill US climate finance commitments, including an outstanding $2 billion out of $3 billion it had pledged towards the Green Climate Fund.

“The missing piece of the jigsaw is the funding to help the world’s poorer countries access clean energy so they don’t follow the fossil fuel-powered path of the rich world,” said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid, which represents poor country interests at the UN climate forum.

“This is the missing piece that the One Planet Summit needs to begin to put into place.”

In the absence of former climate champion Mr. Obama, American businesses, regions and local government leaders have reiterated their commitment to decarbonization.

“It doesn’t matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, because the private sector didn’t drop out, the public sector didn’t drop out, universities didn’t drop out, no one dropped out,” former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, now the face of the R20 network of sub-national climate actors, said in Paris.

“Don’t worry about any of that, we are the subnational level, we’re going to pick up the slack,” he said.

On the eve of the summit, the heads of many of world’s space agencies proposed the creation of a space climate observatory to pool acquired data to share with scientists around the globe, according to a declaration they adopted at their meeting in Paris.

Among the leaders in attendance at Tuesday’s summit will be UN chief Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto, Theresa May of Britain, Spain’s Mariano Rajoy, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Mr. Trump was not invited to Tuesday’s gathering, and the US — the world’s biggest historical emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases — will be represented by an embassy official.

Also absent will be the leaders of major polluters China, India, Brazil, Russia and Canada, as well as Germany’s Angela Merkel among EU members.

Rich nations pledged in 2009 to muster $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing nations from 2020.

On 2015 trends, total public financing would reach about $67 billion by that date, according to a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The International Energy Agency estimates that investments of some $3.5 trillion per year in the energy sector will be needed to 2050 to stay under the 2˚ C limit — double current spending. — AFP

Major golf armchair officials barred under rules shake-up

LOS ANGELES — Golf chiefs on Monday announced that tournament officials will no longer act on evidence from television viewers as they attempt to avoid a repeat of the fiasco which scuppered Lexi Thompson’s title hopes at the ANA Inspiration this season.

The change was announced in a joint statement from the United States Golf Association and Royal and Ancient which had set up a working group to create a new set of protocols for video review.

In the most significant rule change, tournament rules officials will no longer accept “call-ins” from members of the public watching on television concerning possible rules violations.

From Jan. 1, an individual or group of officials will be assigned to monitor the television feed to ensure no possible rules infractions occur.

It follows the furore which erupted in the final round of the year’s first women’s major, the ANA Inspiration, in California in April.

Thompson was on the 13th tee in the final round and leading by three shots when she was informed of a four-shot penalty.

The rules violation related to a phone call made by a member of the public who had spotted Thompson replacing her ball in the wrong spot during the previous day’s third round.

Thompson was docked two shots for the wrongly replaced ball and a further two for signing for an incorrect score. Thompson was left in tears by the controversy and eventually lost in a playoff.

Thompson welcomed the rule change in a statement early Monday.

“I applaud the USGA and the R&A for their willingness to revise the rules of golf to address certain unfortunate situations that have arisen several times in the game of golf,” Thompson said.

Thompson’s case triggered an outcry from professional golfers, with Tiger Woods and others lining up to condemn the influence of television viewers. “Viewers at home should not be officials wearing stripes,” Woods remarked on Twitter.

In addition to the video rules, the USGA/R&A statement said players would no longer incur a two-shot penalty for signing for a wrong score if it could be shown they were unaware of a penalty. — AFP

Coast Guard prepares for holiday influx at sea ports

THE PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) will place all units under heightened alert with its Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Krismas 2017 program from Dec. 18 to Jan. 8 to ensure security and assist passengers traveling through the sea ports around the country for the holidays. In a statement released yesterday, Commodore Joel S. Garcia, the PCG officer-in-charge, said he has issued a directive to “maintain a high state of readiness and alertness in all port terminals nationwide,” as well as in beaches, coastal and island resorts. Mr. Garcia also ordered PCG units to “keep a keen eye on the trade and transport of illegal drugs and paraphernalia by sea.” Under the Krismas 2017 program, passenger assistance booths will be installed at the ports, to be manned jointly by teams from the PCG, Department of Transportation, Philippine Ports Authority, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and local government units, and the police.

Art Fair PHL adds photos to the art mix in an expanded exhibit space

HERE are two pieces of good news for art lovers: Art Fair Philippines 2018 will spread out in over six levels and will occupy all the available floors of Makati City’s The Link carpark, and, besides paintings, installations, and sculptures, the fair will now feature a new section on photography.

“With the record attendance of Art Fair Philippines 2017, we’ve seen how the interest in Philippine contemporary art has grown. Securing a bigger space is the natural next step for us not only to expand our reach but also to be able to shine the spotlight on more artists,” said Dindin Araneta, a cofounder of the Art Fair along with Trickie Lopa and Lisa Periquet.

The art fair will run from March 1 to 4, 2018.

“The expansion allows us to stay true to our mission of developing the audiences for contemporary art. And we are very excited to stage our biggest show yet,” said Ms. Lopa.

The carpark will house 51 participating galleries showcasing some of the best in modern and contemporary Philippine art.

The participating galleries and organizations are: 1335 Mabini, Asian Cultural Council Philippines/León Gallery, Altro Mondo Arte Contemporanea, Archivo, ARDNT, Art Cube, Art Lab, Art Underground, Art Verite, Artemis Art Gallery, Artery Art Space, Artinformal, Avellana Art Gallery, Blanc, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Finale Art File, Fost Gallery, Gajah Gallery, Galería Cayón, Galerie Anna, Galerie Stephanie, Galleria Duemila, Gallery Kogure, Gallery Orange, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, Mind Set Art Center, MO_space, Nunu Fine Art, Paseo Art Gallery, Pinto Art Gallery, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, SOKA, STPI, Taksu Gallery, The Crucible Gallery, The Drawing Room, Tin-aw Art Gallery, Underground Gallery, Vinyl on Vinyl, Viva ExCon, West Gallery, XuArtspace, Yavuz Gallery, YOD Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery.

The sixth edition of Art Fair Philippines is introducing a new section called ARTFAIRPH/PHOTO which aims to increase awareness of photography as a contemporary art.

“We feel that the time is right to do this, as the fair has opened up the exposure of Manila’s audience to various visual art practices. Hopefully, photography can finally find its place in our local art scene,” said Ms. Periquet.

Another highlight of the fair is ARTFAIRPH/PROJECTS, featuring new commissions by internationally established practitioners. The participating artists will be announced in February.

The fair’s educational programs — ARTFAIRPH/TALKS and ARTFAIRPH/TOURS — are organized in conjunction with the Ateneo Art Gallery and the Museum Foundation of the Philippines respectively.

Before the fair opens in March, there will be a series of events and museum openings around Metro Manila called 10 Days of Art, which aims to celebrate art beyond the carpark.

Art Fair Philippines 2018 is co-presented by Ayala Land, Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Platinum, Julius Baer, and Bench. For more information, visit www.artfairphilippines.com or follow Art Fair Philippines on Instagram (@artfairph) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/artfairph). — NFP de Guzman

BPO worries about tax status, Duterte’s anti-US stance seen receding in 2018

THE business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is expected to bounce back from the slowdown it experienced this year, as country risk worries recede and the tax reform program moves closer to implementation, boosting investor sentiment, according to property advisers Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC).

The expansion of BPO firms is thought to have stalled due to anti-Western sentiments expressed by the government, approval bottlenecks at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and uncertainty over the success of tax reform.

At the end of November, BPO firms occupied 40% of office space in Metro Manila or 292,288 square meters,  against the 65% share it held in 2016.

“The BPO industry will have a resurgence, and they will come back and expand in a very big way in 2018 because many of these issues will go away,” LPC President David Leechiu told reporters in a briefing in Makati on Tuesday.

Mr. Leechiu said the government has since reaffirmed its positive relationship with the United States during US President Donald J. Trump’s visit to the Philippines for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in November.

He noted that the tax reform program has also “come to be very friendly” to the BPO industry. The Department of Finance, which drafted the tax reform legislation, said in July that BPO companies within special economic zone (SEZs) will continue to be exempted from value-added tax, while those outside SEZs will retain their zero-rated status.

PEZA accreditation has further accelerated, with eight buildings covering a gross leasable area of 241,431.55 square meters in Metro Manila accredited by PEZA in November and December.

Meanwhile, the growth of online gaming firms compensated for the slowdown in the BPO industry this year, as LPC noted a 306% year-on-year increase in office space take-up from the industry in 2017 to 230,102 sq.m., from just 56,700 sq.m. last year.

Online gaming accounted for 32% of the 728,305 sq.m. of office space taken up at the end of November. Some 67% of these are located in the so-called Bay Area on the shores of Manila Bay, with the rest divided across the Bonifacio district of Taguig, Makati, and Alabang in Muntinlupa City.

“The velocity of the online gaming industry has been phenomenal. After the Bay, they will keep looking for new geographies to go to and that’s why we think that Alabang will be the next big hotspot for online gaming,” Mr. Leechiu said.

Asked about the projected take-up from online gaming firms in 2018, Mr. Leechiu said the sector can occupy around 280,000 sq.m., up over 21% from this year.

Expansion plans of online gaming firms however may be hampered as no space is available around Manila Bay until the end of 2018, where these companies prefer to locate. Alternatives are Alabang and the Pasig-Ortigas area.

“There’s very little real estate now in the Bay. They have to wait for some time. Because their priority is to expand in the Bay. And the pipeline in Alabang is not big enough, so they are looking for more space,” Mr. Leechiu said. — Arra B. Francia

Come together and reassess

The local football scene recently raised a howl after what it deemed to be a “poor” showing that the national men’s football team, or “the Azkals,” had in a recent pocket tournament in Chinese Taipei.

A four-nation tournament among the Philippines, host Chinese-Taipei, Laos and Timor-Leste, the Chinese Taipei Football Association International Tournament took place from Dec. 1 to 5.

Due to availability issues, most of the mainstays of the Azkals, including coach Thomas Dooley and manager Dan Palami, were not able to join the tournament, prompting the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to send a team that featured young talents from the collegiate leagues and joined by some members of the national team and players from the Philippines Football League.

The Azkals got their campaign in Taiwan to a good start, beating Laos, 3-1, before dropping their last two assignments to Chinese-Taipei, 3-0, and Timor-Leste, 1-0, to finish with a 1-2 record.

Some fans and stakeholders viewed the result as unacceptable for it negated, they said, the significant headway that Philippine football has made in the last half decade.

They also said it also put the Azkals’ good standing in the world rankings to a bad light considering that of the four teams we had the highest ranking at 118.

The loss to 196th-ranked Timor-Liste was further magnified as it came on the seventh anniversary of the “Miracle in Hanoi” where the Philippines upset Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup which pretty much set off the resurgence of football in the country.

On the other end, some sectors of the local football community downplayed the significance of the Azkals’ showing in Taiwan, choosing instead not to be an “alarmist” and take it in stride.

They argue that the team that competed was not the Azkals in full strength and that foremost it was used by the PFF to give young players the opportunity to compete in an international tournament in the hopes that they get to learn from it and use it when their numbers are called down the line.

This space is not out to dispute the differing trains of thought over the Azkals’ Taiwan tournament result for they make good cases from themselves.

Instead what I would like to see is that for the football community to use it as a rallying point to come together and reassess how affairs on the sport can be improved moving forward.

Bigger challenges obviously lie ahead for the Azkals and our football officials and if in such a case they cannot get their minds in concert, I do not know how we can expect them to really be one when things get further complicated.

So here is hoping that eventually this issue gets a positive ending with Philippine football as the winner.

 

Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.

msmurillo@www.bworldonline.com

1...12,77312,77412,775...13,713Page 12,774 of 13,713
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube