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Pimentel backs two-month Boracay closure

SENATE President Aquilino L. Pimentel III supports a two-month closure of Boracay to the one-year period recommended by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“If we should close it, maybe two months,” he told reporters when sought for comment.

He said a long closure would affect the livelihood of the workers and the resort investors.

He added that the government could use the two-month closure to better plan the the island’s rehabilitation.

“If you identify what needs to be done and start it, you’re already making progress. After two months, maybe we can open it again,” he said.

The Senate opened an inquiry into the Boracay environmental crisis, led by Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, chair of the committee on environment and natural resources.

Ms. Villar advised against a closure affecting all establishments and recommended instead the closure of businesses found violating environmental laws.

Some senators have proposed the creation of a Boracay Development Authority to oversee and manage activities in the resort island.

On plans to introduce casinos to Boracay, Mr. Pimentel urge more consultation with the community by casino developers.

In a statement, he said the sentiments of the community must be expressed through a resolution of the Sangguniang Panlungsod or Sangguniang Bayan of the host local government unit (LGU).

“Let us adopt the spirit of federalism — let the people take part in the decision if a casino should be built in their locality,” he said.

The government has approved a $500-million casino in Boracay. “I urge the council of LGUs — let your people be heard. Consult them, pass a resolution reflecting their concerns, and present the result to (gaming regulator) PAGCOR and would-be investors,” he said. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Shakey’s eyes double-digit sales growth

SHAKEY’S Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. (SPAVI) is targeting double-digit sales growth this year, as it plans to open at least 20 new stores.

SPAVI President and Chief Executive Officer Vicente L. Gregorio said the new store openings are expected to generate additional revenues as well as further boost its presence outside Metro Manila.

“We have given some guidance of double-digit sales. Store expansion has always seen as source as additional revenue, as we have limited branches outside Metro Manila,” Mr. Gregorio said.

SPAVI is planning to open the new stores in areas outside of Metro Manila. The expansion program is expected to bring its total store network in the country to 228 by end-2018.

“As we mentioned in the past, we’re under-penetrated outside Metro Manila, so it’s going to be more skewed. As we open more Metro Manila stores, there will be more outside Metro Manila,” he said.

Mr. Gregorio said depending on the store size, the average investment would be around P18-25 million.

SPAVI grew its attributable profit by 18% in the first nine months of 2017 to P503 million, from the P423 million it generated in the same period a year ago. This comes on the back of a 17% increase in revenues to P4.99 billion.

System-wide sales, composed of sales generated by both company-owned and franchise stores, rose 15% to P6 billion for the nine months. Same-store sales grew by 6% during the January to September period.

Shares in SPAVI were unchanged at P14.44. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

Shares fall ahead of Lenten break

STOCKS fell on Wednesday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the Lenten break.

The main index lost 0.83% or 67.20 points to close at 7,979.83, slumping back below the 8,000 level after a temporary recovery on Tuesday.

The broader all-shares index also gave up 0.28% or 13.90 points to 4,840.56.

“Today the market went down…on account of slower trading activity. The expected window dressing for this last day of the quarter was offset by investors looking to take profit,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message on Wednesday.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) also tracked global markets, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 1.42% to 23,857.71 overnight. The S&P 500 index also dipped 1.73% to 2,612.62, while the Nasdaq Composite index plunged 2.93% to 7,008.81.

Taking their cue from Wall Street’s decline, most Asian indices likewise edged lower on Wednesday.

Sectoral indices ended mixed, with four in positive territory and the rest in the red. Industrials recorded a 0.33% increase or 37.88 points to 11,429.65. Financials gained 0.18% or 3.91 points to 2,089.67; services added 0.14% or 2.47 points to 1,671.82; while mining and oil barely moved with a 0.01% uptick or 1.31 points to 10,886.93.

Holding firms shed 1.66% or 133.02 points to 7,839.09, while property tumbled 0.70% or 25.87 points to 3,646.85.

The market saw some 1.71 billion issues changed hands for a value turnover of P7.82 billion, higher than the previous session’s P6.55 billion.

Foreign investors chose to sell their shareholdings, as net foreign outflows rose to P1.12 billion from P712.85 million in the previous session. Advancers beat decliners, 113 to 83, while 54 issues closed flat.

The 20 most actively traded stocks of the day saw 10 decliners, seven advancers, and three that were unchanged. Leading losers was SM Investments Corp. with a 3.27% loss to P917 each, followed by Manila Electric Co. with a 3.05% decline to P318 apiece.

On the other hand, D&L Industries, Inc. gained the most, up 2.12% to P11.56 each, followed by Globe Telecom, Inc. which rose 2.08% to P1,622 each.

“Looking at technical indicators, and assuming no other significant macroeconomic events happen during the holidays, the index might see a continuation of its downtrend. Support levels are maintained at 7,850.00,” Mr. Limlingan said.

COL Financial Group, Inc. also noted that rallies may be temporary, warning investors to be “ready for choppiness as prices make their way closer to short-term resistance.” — Arra B. Francia

Peso climbs on profit taking

THE PESO strengthened against the dollar on Wednesday on the back of profit taking ahead of the Holy Week break.

The local currency ended the session at P52.16, 16 centavos stronger than the P52.32-per-dollar finish on Tuesday.

The peso opened Wednesday trading weaker at P52.37, which was also its worst showing for the day. Its intraday high, meanwhile, stood at P52.15 versus the US currency.

Dollars traded rose to $878.5 million from the $718.9 million logged on Tuesday.

A trader said that the peso strengthened as banks took profit to cover demand for remittances during the Holy Week break.

“As expected, the peso moved higher due to remittance covering. We have a long weekend ahead so we saw some heavy selling especially towards the close,” the trader said in a phone interview.

Meanwhile, another trader said there were some heavy inflows ahead of the holidays.

“From the move today, as we noticed, there’s a little bit of volume today. From the move a while ago, I guess there’s inflow coming in,” the trader said on Wednesday.

“If I were to guess, probably it came from the rights offering of Metrobank (Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.). But with the move today, that might be one of the reasons,” the trader added.

Metrobank is conducting a P60-billion rights offering to raise 799.8 million shares priced at P75 apiece until April 4.

The capital raising exercise will fund the lender’s loan growth as well as the full acquisition of its credit card arm Metrobank Card Corp. from ANZ Funds Pty. Ltd.

On the other hand, Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion, chief economist of UnionBank of the Philippines, said “the strength was due to a BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) intervention.” — K.A.N. Vidal

Excise tax collections exceed January-February goal

EXCISE TAX collections rose 74.23% in the first two months of the year driven by “sin taxes” after higher levies were imposed this year, the Department of Finance (DoF) said.

“Total excise tax collections imposed on various products for the January-February period amounted to P44.49 billion as against the target for this period of P38.53 billion, or an excess of P5.95 billion,” the DoF said in a statement on Wednesday, March 28.

“Compared with actual collections of P25.53 billion in 2017 for the same period, this represented an increase of 74.23%,” it added. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

How to go on vacation like a boss, a literal boss

It doesn’t matter how high up you are on the corporate ladder: you need to take a break or risk burning out. Here, members of the C-suite share travel hacks they picked up while earning frequent flyer miles.

NBI nabs illegal Boracay land sellers

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested five individuals suspected of “illegally selling inalienable lands in Boracay island,” according to its press statement.

Suspects Atty. Jacqueline Y. Borres, Gina T. Yap, Lorelei T. Gonzalo, Jason Lacson and Chaulin Yang were charged for syndicated estafa in connection to the sale of Lot No. 598-A in Barangay Balabag, Boracay Island with a total area of 7,988 square meters — a lot which is protected by Proclamation 1064 classifying some parts of Malay, Aklan as inalienable forestland. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

Trump scores his first revised trade deal, with South Korea

President Donald Trump secured his first revamp of a US trade deal, after reaching an agreement this week with South Korea that would allow American automakers greater access to that country’s markets, senior administration officials said on Tuesday night.

The agreement came as the US has been involved in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and has imposed tariffs that have roiled financial markets.

Seoul has agreed to double to 50,000 the number of cars each U.S. automaker can sell in the Asian nation without meeting local safety standards, said the officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. However, it’s not clear how the higher cap will immediately benefit American manufacturers, given that sales by American automakers currently fall well short of the new limit.

Under the revamped deal, the US will extend a 25-percent tariff on pickup-truck imports until 2041. The tariff was set to expire in 2021 under the existing trade agreement, which came into force in 2012.

Meanwhile, South Korea agreed to limit its steel exports to the US to about 2.7 million tons of year, in exchange for relief from the 25-percent tariff Trump announced earlier this month. Many of the details of the revised trade deal and the steel quota were previously disclosed by South Korea.

The deal removes a major economic irritant as the allies prepare for high-stakes meetings on North Korea. Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In are planning separate meetings with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks. Kim made a surprise visit to China this week and met with President Xi Jinping. China’s official news agency said on Thursday that Kim would be willing to give up his nuclear weapons and hold a summit with the US.

South Korea also agreed to eliminate non-tariff barriers such as certain environmental testing requirements and recognize US. standards on auto parts, according to the senior administration officials.

Currency Side Deal

The U.S. Treasury department is negotiating a side agreement on currency issues with the South Korean government, the officials said. The purpose of the side deal will be to secure Seoul’s commitment to avoid competitive devaluations of its currency and provide more transparency, such as when the nation’s central bank intervenes in foreign-exchange markets, the officials said.

Korea did not announce any such agreement when it briefed media on the revised trade deal on Monday. Officials at South Korea’s finance and trade ministries didn’t respond to several calls and text messages asking for comment on the report.

The agreement is Trump’s first revised trade pact since taking office. Trump has slammed existing trade agreements with several countries, regularly singling out the six-year-old trade deal with South Korea, known as Korus.

The steel quota is unlikely to hurt South Korea’s exports since sales to the U.S. account for 11 percent of total overseas shipments of the metal, the South Korean ministry said. The quota is set at 70 percent of the average of steel sales to the U.S. from 2015 through 2017.South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong said the country’s tariff exemption was the first granted by Trump on the country level, and officials were still discussing with the U.S. whether it would be permanent or expire after a time.

South Korea’s trade surplus with the U.S. was about $18 billion last year, down from $23 billion in 2016, according to the Korea International Trade Association. Cars accounted for more than 70 percent of the value of the surplus.

South Korea was one of several countries that received an initial exemption from broad U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum last week. — Bloomberg

GT Capital core net income jumps 29%

GT Capital Holdings, Inc. delivered higher core earnings last year driven by its automotive, banking and infrastructure businesses.

The holding firm of tycoon George S.K. Ty, the country’s sixth richest man, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange on Wednesday, March 28, GT Capital saw a 29% rise in core net income to P15 billion last year from P11.7 billion in 2016.

Consolidated revenues increased 19% to P239.8 billion from P202.1 billion on the back of strong unit sales from Toyota Motor Philippines Corp.] as well as improved performance from associates Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., AXA Philippines, and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

“Our full-year 2017 results show encouraging growth momentum, with core net income up by 29 percent. GT Capital’s key sectors continue to be in the sweet spot, in line with our country’s stage of economic development, reaping demographic dividends,” GT Capital President Carmelo Maria Luza Bautista was quoted in a statement as saying. — Krista Angela M. Montealegre

Alliance Select gets SEC green light on equity restructuring

Alliance Select Foods International, Inc. (FOOD) secured the green light from the Securities and Exchange Commission to undergo an equity restructuring that would wipe out the company’s deficit.

In a statement issued Wednesday, March 28, Alliance Select said it will be reducing the par value of its shares to 50 centavos apiece from P1 each. The company will then apply the resulting additional paid-in capital (APIC) to its retained earnings deficit as of May 31, 2017.

“We are very pleased to receive SEC’s approval of the equity restructuring as this will improve the Company’s financial profile and optimize its performance moving forward,” the company said. — Arra B. Francia

Asian stocks fall after US tech slump, yen slips

Equities in Asia declined after a sell-off in technology shares spooked investors assessing threats to earnings growth for the industry that propelled last year’s rally. The yen slipped and 10-year U.S. yields consolidated below 2.8 percent.

Stocks retreated across the region, with Samsung Electronics Co. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. the biggest decliners on the MSCI Asia Pacific Index. Earlier, American tech shares suffered their worst drop since the broad market correction in early February as investors were rattled by news from Nvidia Corp. and mounting concerns surrounding Facebook Inc. The British pound rose following a report on plans to avoid a post-Brexit hard border with Ireland. The yen declined amid signs of an improving geopolitical situation with North Korea.

Concerns over trade tensions, sparked by President Donald Trump’s protectionist moves, have further stoked volatility that flared in early February amid high valuations and tighter liquidity. The Trump administration is mulling a crackdown on Chinese investments in technologies the U.S. considers sensitive, the latest step in his plan to punish China for violations of intellectual-property rights.

The geopolitical front at least has offered some solace, with China confirming Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with President Xi Jinping on a surprise visit to Beijing — the latest in a series of diplomatic meetings pointing towards a reduction in tensions.

Meantime, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee as lawmakers grow increasingly concerned about privacy protection. Another tech woe has been questions about the near-term prospects for self-driving vehicles in wake of a death in Arizona. Nvidia Corp., the graphics-chip maker, temporarily suspended its self-driving vehicle testing.

Elsewhere, oil extended a drop for a third day after declining on a report that American crude storage surged.

Here’s a list of of the main events coming up this week:

Thailand’s rate decision is due Wednesday. The big four euro-area economies are due to release March CPI readings this week. U.S. personal income and spending data for February are due to be released on Thursday. The Treasury will probably auction about $294 billion of bills and notes this week, its largest slate of supply ever.

And these are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

Japan’s Topix index slid 1.6 percent as of 1:44 p.m. in Tokyo. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index lost 0.7 percent. South Korea’s Kospi index fell 1.5 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1.5 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.1 percent. Futures on the S&P 500 Index fluctuated. The NYSE FANG+ index, tracking the FANG block and its megacap brethren, tumbled 5.6 percent in the biggest rout in data going back to September 2014. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 1.3 percent.

Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1 percent. The pound gained 0.2 percent to $1.4188. The euro was at $1.2415, up 0.1 percent. The yen fell 0.2 percent to 105.58 per dollar.

Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasuries was steady at 2.78 percent after falling about eight basis points on Tuesday. Australia’s 10-year yield dipped about six basis points to 2.59 percent.

Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 0.8 percent to $64.72 a barrel. Gold was little changed at $1,344.33 an ounce after dropping 0.6 percent. — Bloomberg

Balladeer Bert Nievera dies at 81

Roberto Jose “Bert” Nievera, known for singing ballads including “Salamat sa Pag-ibig” (1996), passed away at the age of 81 on Tuesday, March 27.

News of his death was announced by his son, singer/actor Martin Nievera, in an Instagram post. Mr. Rivera died of multiple organ failure at the Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to a report by ABS-CBN.

“You gave me life, you gave me dreams, you gave me a haircut. I will never forget you Dad! I love you!” Martin Nievera said in an Instagram post, which included a photo of him and his father.

Mr. Nievera, called the “Timeless Balladeer,” broke into the industry in the late-50s and gained popularity in the ‘60s for songs like “Misty”, a Johnny Mathis original released in 1959.

File photo of Filipino balladeer Roberto Jose “Bert” Nievera taken in 1991. — BW ARCHIVES

He first gained attention after winning the search for the Johnny Mathis of the Philippines contest of the variety show, Student Canteen which aired from 1958-1990.

This same song, Mr. Nievera said in a 2001 interview with Ricky Lo for The Philippine Star, is what he considers the “song of his life.”

“The line in it that touches me the most is the last one… I’m too misty and too much in love,” he said in the interview. — Zsarlene B. Chua