INVESTORS will primarily be looking at the possible passage of the tax reform package as the major catalyst for the market this month, after a loss in November.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) ended at 8,254.03 on Nov. 29, the last trading day of November, and recorded a loss of 1.33% for the month. The highest close for the month was 8,523.07 recorded on Nov. 6.
Corporate earnings lifted the market during selected trading days of the month, but investors mostly took profits despite good third-quarter gross domestic product results.
Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. had the highest return in the blue-chip category, while Semirara Mining Corp. led losers, down by 15.29%
“The reconciliation of the tax reform bill version of the Senate and the House of Representatives will be one of the focus of local investors as the current admin is expected to sign it into law this month. Aside to this major catalyst, window dressing may also push our index higher, so, I’m guessing a rally towards 8,800-9,000 area before end of the year is highly likely,” Jervin S. de Celis, equities trader at Timson Securities, Inc., said in a text message.
The Senate earlier this week approved its version of the tax reform package, and a bicameral session is expected this month for the Senate and the House of Representatives to reconcile their versions and target enactment before the year ends.
Financial markets were closed yesterday in observance of Bonifacio day.
Meanwhile, other Southeast Asian stock markets were downcast on Thursday as broader Asian equities fell sharply on a selloff in technology heavyweights, with Singapore falling the most.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan retreated over 1% after US technology stocks posted steep losses overnight as investors shifted to financials and other sectors that could potentially benefit from lower regulation and taxes, as well as higher interest rates.
China economic data showing an unexpected pickup in factory activity in November had little impact on Asian shares.
Singapore shares fell as much as 0.6% to their lowest in a week, weighed down by industrial and financial stocks. DBS Group Holdings and Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd were the top drags on the index, inching down 1.1% and 1.7%, respectively.
Malaysian stocks held steady as losses in consumer discretionary stocks offset an about 30% jump in Sime Darby Bhd after the company’s plantation and propertyunits debuted on the Jakarta Stock Exchange. Trading in Sime Darby Bhd was based on the reference price provided by the company of 1.85 ringgit per share.
Indonesian shares slipped 0.3% as consumer staples and telecom stocks weighed, with the index of the country’s 45 most liquid stocks down 0.3%.
Unilever Indonesia Tbk PT, a unit of Unilever Plc, and United Tractors Tbk PT fell about 1.2% and 2.1%, respectively. — with Reuters
THE FILM adaptation of Agatha Christie’s thriller focuses on 13 strangers who are all suspects in a murder. Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is tasked to solve the case. Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in the film, along with Tom Bateman, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, and Penelope Cruz. Empire’s Will Lawrence remarks, “There are strong emotions on display, the film exploring collective and individual senses of grief and loss, and there are many fine performances.” MTRCB Rating: PG
Wonder
BASED on R.J. Palacio’s New York Times best-selling novel of the same title, Wonder tells the story of August Pullman who was born with a facial deformity. Entering school for the first time as a fifth-grader after being home-schooled, he is challenged to interact with other kids and stand up to bullies. Directed by Stephen Chbosky, it stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin, and Daveed Diggs. Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers writes, “Though Auggie stays at the center of the plot, Chbosky lets each character claim his or her own section of the film. The varied perspectives give dimension to a story that could have hammered away relentlessly at the same theme.” MTRCB Rating: PG
Daddy’s Home 2
STEPDADS Dusty and Brad collaborate to celebrate the holidays with their kids but things might just turn chaotic when Dusty’s old-school and macho father and Brad’s ultra-affectionate and emotional dad arrive unexpectedly. Directed by Sean Anders, the film stars Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson, and John Lithgow. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman remarks, “You will feel good, for half a minute. The same way that you’ll chuckle, for a moment. That’s what happens when a Hollywood comedy is a Christmas present that’s all package.” MTRCB Rating: PG
Midnight Runners
AFTER two Korean National Police University students witness a kidnapping, they team up to investigate. Directed by Kim Joo-hwan, the film stars Kang Ha-neul, Park Ha-sun, and Park Seo-joon. James Marsh of the South China Morning Post writes, “Midnight Runners manages to be critical of the police, without demonizing the entire force. It also tackles some pressing social issues, without making grown men cry about it.” MTRCB Rating: PG
Barbi D’ Wonderwall Beki!
A CLOSETED gay working as a bodyguard, Billy Bayagan tries to prove his worth to his family of strict and conservative policemen. Directed by Tony Y. Reyes, it stars Paolo Ballesteros, Joey de Leon, Joey Marquez, Benjie Paras, Bianca Umali, Ejay Falcon, and Kim Domingo. MTRCB Rating: PG
Unexpectedly Yours
PATTY and Cocoy reunite after 30 years when start to organize their high school reunion. Cocoy and his nephew, Jason try to woo Patty and her daughter, Yanni. Directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, it stars Sharon Cuneta, Robin Padilla, Julia Barretto, and Joshua Garcia. MTRCB Rating: PG
PETA Theater presents Ang Buhay ni Galileo, Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m., at the Raja Sulayman Theater, Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. The play is a Filipino translation of Bertolt Brecht play about one of the more controversial astronomers of the Renaissance. Directed by Rody Vera, it features Joel Lamangan, Upeng Galang Fernandez, and Randy Villarama. Tickets (P600) are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
RESORTS World Manila and W Pagemanx Exclusive Management presents TYGA — Live in Manila on Dec. 1, 9 p.m., at House Manila, Remington Hotel Resorts World Manila. Tickets to the rapper’s show are P3,500. Patrons must be at least 18 years old. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Ballet Philippines presents Edna Vida’s The Nutcracker, a retelling of the holiday classic set in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. It runs from Dec. 1 to 10 at the CCP Main Theater. Tickets available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
COMIC Jon Santos stars in Laugh Wins on Dec. 2, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Resorts World Manila. Directed by Joaquin Valdes, the show features special guests Mitch Valdes and Isprikitik Improv. Tickets available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
BALLET MANILA presents the ballet Snow White on Dec. 2 and 3 at the Aliw Theater, Cultural Center of the Phlippines Complex. Choreographed by Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
ATLANTIS Theatrical Entertainment Group presents Tony award-winning Matilda the Musical, adapted from Roald Dahl’s children’s novel of the same name about a little girl with extraordinary powers who finds refuge from her abusive parents and her school’s cruel headmistress in library books. The show runs until Dec. 10 at the Meralco Theater, Ortigas Ave., Pasig City. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
REPERTORY Philippines Children’s Theater presents the musical Beauty and the Beast at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City until Dec. 14. Joy Virata directs the classic story. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
THE 1960s celebration of drugs, sex, love, and peace, Hair — presented by Repertory Philippines — has performances until Dec. 17 at the Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City. The musical is directed by Chris Millado and choreographed by PJ Rebulida. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
MEGAWORLD LIFESTYLE malls have set up Christmas Playville gingerbread areas which will be up until Jan. 4. Mascot characters meet-and-greet are scheduled on December at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m., at Eight Forbes Town, Forbes Town; Uptown Mall in Uptown Bonifacio; and Newport Mall at Resorts World Manila. The mascots include Thomas and Friends, Tobot, DCSHG, Ben 10, PPG, Shopkins, and more.
IN QUEZON City, the Vertis North mall’s façade shines with a giant cathedral covered with lights for the holidays daily from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. until Jan. 8.
MEGAWORLD’S Venice Grand Canal brings back the Parata Di Natale or Grand Christmas Parade with Venetian masquerades and mimes, a marching band, and popular mascots from children’s shows. The parade will run every Saturday at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Kids get to meet popular characters like Robo Carpoli, PJ Masks, Pokemon, Barbie, Peppa Pig, the Silvanian Families and more. Meanwhile, a Venetian Christmas Concierto will be held at the Ponte de Amore Bridge every Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. There are also Christmas Fairs daily, plus a fireworks show over the Grand Canal every weekend at 7 p.m. Christmas Bear displays for photo opportunities are located near the Christmas Tree and around the mall. For more information, call the Venice Grand Canal Concierge at 624-1971, 0917-512-9934 or veniceconcierge@megaworld-lifestyle.com).
RESORTS WORLD MANILA’s Christmas offerings for this season include concerts, a play, and Instagrammable attractions. Adorned with 100,000 multi-colored LED bulbs, Lumina is a tunnel of lights connecting Newport Mall and Maxims Hotel. Complementing the 110-meter Lumina is the giant Christmas tree at The Plaza, Newport Mall. Taking the “Fanstasy Funfair” theme for its annual Grand Fiesta Manila celebrations, RWM has announced that its show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has been extended until February 2018. Other shows at the Newport Performing Arts Theater are Bamboo’s The Oven Tour (With a Twist of Christmas) on Dec. 7; Dingdong Avanzado and Jessa Zaragoza’s 20/30 on Dec. 8; Manila Sound with Hotdog on Dec. 13, and Aegis’s Ating Sayawin on Dec. 20. The party will culminate on Dec. 31 with the annual New Year’s Eve countdown featuring Lani Misalucha, Arnel Pineda, Darren Espanto, Giselle Sanchez, and Jon Santos.
CHILDREN can try their hand at decorating a gingerbread house among other activities at The Pen’s Santa’s Workshop.
THE PENINSULA Manila’s annual family holiday classes called Santa’s Workshop offer a chance to decorate gingerbread houses, paint Paete taka horses, and create plush Christmas tree ornaments. There will be two sessions on Dec. 2, at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Prices are P2,000++ for one child and one accompanying adult with an additional P1,000++ for every additional companion. At the end of the Santa’s Workshop session everyone gets to bring home their masterpieces. Children also get to enjoy all the popcorn, cookies, cakes and hot chocolate they want while there will be gluehwein for the adults. For inquiries, call 887 2888, extension 6694 (Restaurant Reservations), 7410 (Festive Desk), e-mail diningpmn@peninsula.com or visit peninsula.com.
DEC. 3 will see four top chefs working in tandem in an exclusive eight hands six-course Auro Chocolate-inspired benefit dinner at The Peninsula Manila’s Old Manila restaurant, featuring the hotel’s chef de cuisine Allan Briones and executive pastry Chef Xavier Castello, and chefs Josh Boutwood of The Test Kitchen and Chele Gonzalez of Gallery Vask. The Beyond Bean-to-Bar: Chocolate-Inspired Dinner is priced at P5,000 where dinner guests get to adopt an organically grown Criollo cacao tree in Davao and help a small community of retired marines that have traded in their arms to farm cacao trees. For details, call 887-2888, extension 6694 (Restaurant Reservations), e-mail diningpmn@peninsula.com.
PRESENTE is a pop-up event by ArteFino that focuses on gift giving that supports and promotes Filipino craftsmanship. On offer are Philippine artisanal products from over 30 brands. The event will be co-presented by Power Plant Mall in celebration of “Christmas at Rockwell.” The collection also covers a broad price range to ensure that there is something for every budget. Gift delivery services will also be offered during the pop-up. Presente: A Holiday Pop-up by ArteFino runs from Dec. 1-31, at the R2 Level of Power Plant Mall. Proceeds will go to the HeArteFino Development Program.
THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it plans to increase its focus on Mindanao, particularly in the areas of regional connectivity and enhancing financing capabilities for local government units (LGUs), as it firms up the terms of its new medium-term partnership program with the Philippines.
In a review of the ADB’s engagement with the Philippines, the bank said the 2017-2020 Country Partnership Strategy also focuses on aligning its programs with the Philippine Development Plan.
“Given Mindanao’s poverty and general lack of infrastructure and regional connectivity, there is a strong rationale for ADB to scale up its operations there,” the bank said, while noting that such a move would sync with the government’s increased focus on the south. It said that the ADB could also establish a liaison office in Mindanao.
Enhanced operations in Mindanao will aid regional integration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, to which Mindanao is the country’s nominated gateway.
“Mindanao has great potential for regional cooperation and integration with Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia, given its geographical proximity to these countries and historic links rooted in culture and religion,” it added.
The bank said it plans to focus its efforts on developing LGU finance, particularly a municipal bond market.
Between 2011 and 2016, the ADB’s total approved portfolio was $4.78 billion, almost double the planned investment for the period. Sixteen projects accounted for loans worth $4.317 billion, and 11 were grants amounting to $47 million. There were also 37 technical assistance projects totaling $73 million, while nonsovereign operations consisted of four projects totaling $342 million.
Of the total, 50% were in public sector management, 12% in education, 11% in agriculture and natural resources, 11% in transportation, 8% in energy, and 8% in the water sector and other municipal infrastructure and services.
In terms of the projects’ relevance to the country’s needs, the ADB assessed them as “highly relevant,” and validated program performance as “efficient,” as the processing time of all loans from approval to effectivity averaged 6.9 months, slightly below the bank average ofseven months.
However, the review found program performance “less than effective,” due to shortfalls in achieving project and program outputs and outcomes, design and monitoring frameworks, compared with targets.
It added that the development impact of the partnership program was “less than satisfactory.”
“In terms of achievement of the government’s overall targets, only three targets out of six are likely to be achieved or exceeded,” which include improvements in the human development index, reduction in the fiscal deficit, and consolidation of the public-sector deficit.
“Achievements are lagging in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) growth, rate of growth of employment, and poverty incidence.” — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
BUENOS AIRES — Former Argentine navy captain Alfredo Astiz, known as the “Angel of Death,” received life in prison Wednesday for crimes committed at a notorious torture center during the country’s 1976-1983 military junta.
He, along with ex-navy officer Jorge Acosta, were two of 54 accused in the massive trial probing nearly 800 human rights abuses carried out at ESMA, a former Argentine naval school that was one of the regime’s most notorious torture centers.
Both men had already been sentenced to life imprisonment in prior trials.
In total, 29 people were handed life in prison, while another 19 got sentences ranging from eight to 25 years in prison. Six people were acquitted.
Some 30,000 people were kidnapped, tortured and killed in what became known as Argentina’s “Dirty War,” according to rights groups. Victims included Montonero guerrillas, labor union leaders, students, leftist sympathizers and in some instance, their relatives and friends.
The trial is part of an effort to probe torture and crimes against humanity committed at the ESMA Naval Mechanics School.
Only a fraction of the estimated 5,000 regime opponents survived being sent there.
This is the third trial for human rights violations committed at ESMA, and some 800 witnesses have given court testimony.
Since the process began in November 2012, 11 of the accused have died, and three were deemed too ill to face trial. — AFP
FOR THE REVIEW of the prequel Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, please refer to this link: https://goo.gl/zmGgHu
Released in Japan in September 2016 and translated to English for Western markets the year after, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth (MoT) picks up from where Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (MoD) left off.
In following the exploits of main protagonist Haku in his adopted homeland of Yamato, it sees Osthor, one of his companions and the Royal General of the Right, killed in battle. He then takes it upon himself to continue Osthor’s struggle, even going so far as to take advantage of their similarities in appearance in order to assume the latter’s identity.
From MoT’s start evolves a surprisingly interesting narrative, one that those new to the series, and perhaps even to visual novels (VNs), may well fail to notice. Osthor is hardworking, strong-willed, and idealistic, which is to say Haku’s complete opposite, compelling him to suppress his personality to keep his deception going.
This, even as he learns firsthand how much influence the man he is impersonating wields, and, likewise, how important he himself was to people who believe it was he who fell in battle.
Considering the expansive backdrop, framed with falling empires, large-scale battles and powerful enemies and allies revealing themselves chapter-by-chapter, MoT delves into an intriguing premise, where Haku is not just dealing with inner conflict, but also with the actual demons that are plaguing his land.
This juxtaposition propels the plot and keeps the gamer/reader going, as Haku is pressed into conflict after conflict while struggling to keep his identity secret. In this sense MoT’s greatest asset — its story line — also underscores its biggest failing. It relies too much on information from the prequel to move forward.
Granted, the game’s prologue sequence does try to fill the gaps, but a large part of what makes it gripping is undermined by the inordinate amount of time gamers bumble along and try to glean the backstory harking to MoD from text alone. It certainly adds unnecessary length to what is already a protracted reading; clocking in at around 60 hours, MoT can be a text-dependent chore even for avid VN fans. In short, it’s as much of an acquired taste as its older sibling, especially to those who aren’t predisposed to Utawarerumono’s overly dramatic pacing.
Occasionally, MoT’s story is broken up by “battles,” though, as before, they seem to be just a way to break up the monotony more than anything else. Featuring tactical RPG-esque mechanics, the fights feel more like light bonuses than apt challenges, as they are neither particularly hard nor absorbing enough to spur strong positive sentiments. Attacks can feel flat and generic, and battles unsatisfying as a whole, even with its QTE (quick time event)-like segments mid-swing. That said, the combat system is serviceable, and Munechika’s Trials, its version of a free battle/quest system, does add in a bit of variety when players get tired of reading.
Overall, MoT holds its own when compared to other VNs. Fights can be a bit boring, but, at worst, provide welcome side-activities from time to time. It doesn’t break new ground, but it at least stays faithful to the Utawarerumono series and provides a good jump-off point for the next release.
For all its emphasis on fan-service and overreliance on MoD, it’s a good pickup for those partial to VNs in general and those who love the franchise in particular.
Video Game Review
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth
PlayStation 4
THE GOOD
• A VN lover’s haven, with tons of dialogue and voiced text
When being suddenly unemployed, whether through mandatory retirement or a company being acquired by what seems at first to be a friendly force, applying to a new company for the same job is not always possible. The paradox on job hunting states that one is given a good offer, when he’s not even looking for one. If you’re happy where you are, you become as an object of poaching.
If a career turns out badly, it’s time to look for a new one.
With early retirement, say before age 50, thoughts turn to alternative occupations. Career counselors urge their clients to “reinvent themselves” without needing surgery or a new name. If former business associates or competitors don’t pick up calls on job openings, there is a need to look for a different set of strangers.
A second career entails a shift in goal setting and office hours, and maybe even working out of a low-rent office, like the unused den of the house. A totally different occupation, though possibly related in terms of skills set, needs to generate income of some sort, not coming from a family member or the sale of a property.
Hobbies and sidelines are always good places to look for alternative careers. The mantra of following your passion, when not referring to unwelcome advances on unwilling objects, seems the best place to start. Many a successful catering business started off from serving good food at parties. Sometimes, however, collection is a problem.
Do you like karaoke singing, especially with beer and raucous company? Okay, that particular bee in the bonnet may be left buzzing. Sure you like to belt out “Bridge over Troubled Waters,” but is there a market for ear-splitting wails, and going one octave lower for the chorus?
Executives who exit from high-paying jobs try looking for another one in a related field and find themselves brushed off as “over-qualified,” a code phrase for too old or difficult to place in a box. High-flying stars in entertainment that lose their jobs due to low ratings are game for auditioning for even minor roles. The Hollywood maxim from “Sunset Boulevard” about an aging star is often rechanneled — there are no minor roles, just minor talents. And true enough, the minor talents get the small roles at smaller fees.
The prospect of a second career stumps the executive used to a semi-monthly paycheck and a company car with free parking. His initial ideas are unimaginative. Going into his own business after all his life working for a company that has a department dealing with business permits and fire inspectors can be unsettling. There is no one to delegate anything to.
Obvious second careers which require no investment like teaching (pays too little) and consulting (no clients willing to pay more than lunch for free advice) are temporary.
Second careers are expected to pay less than the first ones. They also involve lower stress levels, flexible hours, and more socials. Commute time is shorter, sometimes requiring only a staircase from the bedroom to the home office. Office attire can also double as pajamas. Many of the adjustments involved in a second career are psychological. They revolve around having less money and status, but more enjoyment and free time. When asked by well-meaning (or gloating friends) “what keeps you occupied”, it’s best to be vague and give a short answer — venture capital.
The phenomenon of doctors re-training for second careers as nurses is special. This is change required by a desire to read a different set of newspapers in another country. Still, this shift entails a second career with lower status but possibly greater employment opportunities.
Second careers can have the makings of fantasy — what one has always wanted to be as a child but never got around to becoming. This wish list is now referred to as things to do before kicking the bucket.
There need not be the desperate search for something else to do for money. There’s always the option of simply ending the first career and leaving it at that. Retirement is not bad. It’s a chance to dip into the savings and stock portfolio, restart the engine… and drive to the beach.
AMERICAN AIRLINES Group, Inc. is rushing to resolve a scheduling fault that gave time off to too many pilots in December — a flaw that has left more than 15,000 flights without sufficient crew during the holiday rush, according to a union for the carrier’s pilots.
The Allied Pilots Association estimated the number of affected flights, from Dec. 17 to Dec. 31, based on information provided by the carrier, said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the union. American spokesman Matt Miller declined to quantify the potential number of flights involved, saying the airline expects to correct the problem in time to prevent service disruptions.
“We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season,” Miller said. The number of flights involved will decline each day as the carrier reassigns them, he said.
The computer-system problem will force American to rebuild its staffing schedule, similar to what airlines must do after major weather disruptions, said John Cox, chief executive officer of consultant Safety Operating Systems and a former commercial airline pilot. Revenue will take a hit if American has to scrub many flights. At a minimum, the carrier is likely to face higher labor costs just as investors are stepping up scrutiny of airline expenses.
“It will be a challenge, but I don’t think there will be mass cancellations,” Cox said. “There’s going to be a lot of midnight oil spent on it, but I think they’ll get the vast majority of them covered one way or another.”
American was little changed at $49.25 at the close in New York, after erasing an earlier gain of as much as 3.9%. All other major US airlines advanced significantly, pushing an index of the five biggest US carriers to the biggest increase in almost two months. American has climbed 5.5% this year, compared with 2.7% for the index.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is offering pilots 1.5 times their normal hourly wage to pick up some of the flights, the top rate laid out in their contract, Miller said. It also has a higher-than-normal number of pilots on reserve during December who will fill “a good chunk” of the affected flights, he said.
The APA, representing 15,000 American pilots, has filed a grievance, saying the proposed solution violates its labor pact. The union wants to consult with American to find a remedy that will motivate pilots to give up vacation they’ve already been granted after years of working over the holidays, Tajer said.
“This is certainly not routine,” Tajer said. “This is a crisis right now, and in that crisis, they’ve gone solo.”
The glitch caused the scheduling system to show that American had ample staffing coverage for some planned flights when it actually didn’t, Miller said. The system let pilots drop some trips they had been assigned next month because it wrongly showed there were sufficient crew members willing to pick up the flights.
The carrier has made adjustments and expects the schedule to function smoothly from now on. American, the world’s largest airline, operates about 6,700 flights a day.
Flights that are scheduled without a captain, first officer or both originate from Dallas-Fort Worth International, American’s largest hub, and airports in Boston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a company memo to the union, which was seen by Bloomberg News. — Bloomberg
ABS-CBN Corp. said it sold over four million TVplus boxes as of November, two years since it rolled out its digital television service.
“It’s just more than two years and at the time we were starting from zero but even then we already found support. Just this week, we just hit four million already. We promised you early this year, we will hit 4 million, we hit it earlier than Christmas,” Chinky de Castro-Alcedo, head of ABS-CBN Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), said at a media event on Wednesday.
The Lopez-led multimedia company in 2015 launched the TVplus digital box product, which offers free-to-air channels such as ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Sports + Action and four premium channels including CineMo!, YeY!, Knowledge Channel, and DZMM Teleradyo.
TVplus is currently available in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Benguet, and Metro Cebu. This year, it has expanded to Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Cagayan de Oro cities.
ABS-CBN is scheduled to do pilot tests of WiFi-ready DTTs in Cebu and Davao, as it aims to expand its market reach in the provinces.
“It’s something that we are working on. We will actually have a pilot in some areas not yet in Mega Manila but in Cebu and Davao… It’s just a small scale just to make sure we continue to refine the product …to make sure that before we roll out, it’s something ready,” Ms. Alcedo told reporters.
The company sees better opportunities in areas outside Metro Manila. Ms. Alcedo said they aim to increase its presence in suburban areas, as the market in Metro Manila can be saturated.
“The telcos have their own broadband services and in those areas there is still more need… We think there’s better opportunities in those areas before we actually get into the more served areas,” she said.
ABS-CBN Corp. reported a 20% decline in attributable profit to P2.27 billion for the nine months ended September as advertising revenues fell after discounting the impact of last year’s election-related spending. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
Movie Review Murder on the Orient Express Directed by Kenneth Branagh Screenplay by Michael Green, based on the novel by Agatha Christie 114 minutes
THERE’S ARGUABLY not a lot to Agatha Christie’s mysteries. She writes functional prose, sketches serviceable characters, delivers the occasional clever aphorism (“The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances” — which, when you think about it, sounds suspiciously like Arthur Conan Doyle).
But the plots were amazing: Rube Goldberg devices that whirred furiously intricately, accelerating till finally all fall away to reveal a beautiful simplicity (“I’d never guess!” is the common reaction, though a slap of the forehead will suffice). Christie’s plots take to the theater stage (The Mousetrap, The Witness for the Prosecution) and the big screen (Rene Clair’s And Then There Were None — easily my favorite; and Sidney Lumet’s 1974 Murder on the Orient Express) as if to the manner born; there’s something about the spare (some would say “thin”) elegance of her fiction that renders it ready-made for translation to other media.
Now Kenneth Branagh’s version of Christie’s murder masterpiece, about a retired Belgian detective named Hercule Poirot (played by the director himself: “Are kool Poirot — I do not slay ze lions mademoiselle”) trapped on a snowbound train with over a dozen other suspicious types, played by an international cast of stars.
It’s grand entertainment stuffed with cracked watches, burnt messages, a scarlet kimono, a gruesome murder, and more eccentrics than you can populate a theater stage with—for the most part; for the most part Branagh respects the text enough to let Christie’s classic plot chug merrily along.
Perhaps the film’s greatest nemesis isn’t the ostensible murderer but the director himself, who when he isn’t respecting the text likes to send the camera spinning this way and that, capturing unlikely action sequences stuck haphazardly into the film to help keep the presumably ADHD audience awake.
Pity really. The visual climax of Lumet’s film comes early with the departure from the station and in that sequence you can see a — well not “master” but definitely “skilled and experienced artist” — at work.
The station master strides down the length of the train, the camera following and we’re treated to the gleaming ironblack beauty of the transport; a pause, a musical cue, the engine’s giant headlight flaring to life like a monstrous cyclops waking and we’re off. Such little gestures are clear signals that 1) we are in for a ride and 2) the director knows what he’s doing.
Sometimes, Branagh knows what he’s doing. In his departure sequence, the camera follows the different characters as they board, tracking them through the windows as they cross a corridor rise up to the ceiling to take in the surrounding bustle. Close-up of arguably the most suspicious character of all, Ratchett (Johnny Depp having the most fun with a role in years) as the rail car jerks sideways: instead of a buildup and spectacular send-off the train is already leaving the station, and we’re consoled with (largely CGI rendered) shots of the transport rolling through ’20s Stamboul neighborhoods. Plenty of huffing and puffing to end with a disappointingly digital payoff.
I’d say Lumet assembled the more stellar cast — I mean Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Richard Widmark against (much as I like most of ’em) Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Depp? — but Branagh has more fun with his performers (Dafoe’s racist professor getting considerable mileage out of his heavy Teutonic accent).
Albert Finney needed a gimmick to distinguish himself from a carload of scenestealers so he plays Poirot as a veteran English actor playing French (Belgian) sleuth — suspect he took his cue from Peter Sellers’s Inspector Clouseau, but that’s all right; Sellers gets to mercilessly parody Finney and all other drawing-room detectives in a brief but brutal scene in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (directed by Blake Edwards — who, come to think of it, would have been a wonderful choice to direct the picture).
Lumet has roots in theater and it shows, his camera mostly playing out in long takes that allow the actor room to build and improvise. Most folks remember him shooting Ingrid Bergman’s five-minute interview scene in a single take, winning her an Oscar for Supporting Actress, but I remember best the climactic murder and the champagne toast that ends the film, both of which had this ritualistic aspect, as if Poirot were witness to the practices of a coven.
Branagh isn’t as generous — he loves his whirling camera too much — but he does, on occasion, settle down enough for his performers to make an impression. He does play around with the notion of Poirot, mostly a caricature in the novels, here a soft-spoken eccentric obsessed with “balance” and cursed with a continually fast-forwarded mind (in a film full of badly done action sequences, the only one to show any wit is the first, where Poirot presciently plants his walking cane — an added detail in the film — firmly in a wall, to figure prominently later when all hell breaks loose).
Where Finney played his Belgian big, Branagh underplays slyly even brilliantly (Ratchett: “What’s wrong with my proposition?” “If you will forgive me for being personal — I do not like your face.”) allowing his mustache to step forward and dominate center stage.
Of course we have to discuss that ’stache — a multi-limbed creature straight out of Hokusai with its tentacles rooted in Branagh’s upper lip, drawing sustenance for all I know (Branagh allows himself plenty of close-ups and those whiskers look firmly planted). It’s a spectacular bit of prosthetics or, perhaps, genuinely groomed and cultivated.
If there was ever an award for Best Facial Hair, Branagh’s should be the undisputed winner; otherwise they need to invent one, give it to him immediately. It’s the film’s single best special effect, and it isn’t even digital.
THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has warned the public against reported unscrupulous individuals posing as members of the Cabinet, including the executive secretary, to solicit funds supposedly for various government programs. DoJ Memorandum Circular No. 065, dated Nov. 21 and marked “extremely urgent,” says: “The public is also warned that the OP (Office of the President) and the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) have not authorized any person to solicit money or other things of value from the public for the alleged benefit of Marawi soldiers, senior citizens, illegal drug campaign, or any other cause, for that matter.” Various government agencies have been directed to help in the dissemination of the warning. — Andrea Louise E. San Juan
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) ended at 8,254.03 on Nov. 29, the last trading day of November, and recorded a loss of 1.33% for the month. The highest close for the month was 8,523.07 recorded on Nov. 6.
