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WB, ADB may provide Marawi rehab assistance

TWO MULTILATERAL institutions may collaborate in pooling assistance grants for the rehabilitation of Marawi City, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said.

Mr. Pernia said the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are studying the possibility of technical assistance (TA )grants.

“The World Bank has expressed interest in helping, it’s a technical assistance grant for rapid damage and needs assessment over the short medium and long term, what are the needs for reconstruction and rehabilitation over short medium long term, and which also could be implemented with other partners,” he told reporters last Monday.

“And ADB has also expressed interest in formulating a TA project for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi, so I guess ADB and World Bank will be collaborating. I don’t think they should be competing,” Mr. Pernia said.

On top of the technical assistance, the World Bank is also working on a possible emergency loan — which is expected to be arranged in four to five months — not just for the conflict in Marawi, but also in other areas where conflict is rife.

“Also they are looking at emergency reconstruction and development loan, an additional emergency loan, for expanding activities in the … MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) areas. These emergency loans will be prepared in four to five months,” he said.

Quizzed on the specifications of the aid packages, Mr. Pernia said: “That’s still being worked on.”

“Things also have to go through the process in the World Bank. It’s a TA grant so it should be faster than loan,” he said.

Mr. Pernia noted that the government still does not have a damage assessment of the Marawi siege — which started on May 23, that prompted the government to put the whole island of Mindanao under martial law.

“That’s more difficult to [determine] at this point. It’s fluid,” said Mr. Pernia, when asked for initial estimates.

An Executive Order that Malacañang announced early this month bearing the title “Bangon Marawi” — a proposed blueprint for the rehabilitation of the city submitted by the Defense department — is awaiting Mr. Duterte’s signature.

The government has so far alloted P20 billion for rehabilitation. The Chinese government has also donated P15 million for Marawi’s revival.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released so far a total of P662.5 million for the government’s operations to support displaced civilians.

Earlier this month, the DBM said it transferred P800 million in intelligence funds to the military and the Philippine National Police for combat operations. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

SN Power, Aboitiz JV’s Magat hydro project seen completed by November

SN ABOITIZ Power-Magat, Inc. (SNAP-Magat) is on track to finish its 8.5-megawatt (MW) run-of-river hydro-power facility in Ramon, Isabela in November, well within the deadline set by regulators for projects availing of the guaranteed rate under the feed-in-tariff (FiT) system.

“Right about now, we’re probably at 90% completion. That’s the technical part and installation. They’ve been managed very very well by the team,” said Joseph S. Yu, president and chief executive officer of SNAP, the joint venture between SN Power of Norway and Aboitiz Power Corp.

“Then we begin our dry commissioning and the wet commissioning,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Second Philippine Hydro Summit and Exhibition at the Makati Diamond Residences on Thursday.

The $47.1-million project, SNAP’s first greenfield venture, will generate power from the water flowing from the Maris reservoir into the south main diversion canal. The facility is in Barangay Ambatali, which is downstream of SNAP’s large Magat hydroelectric power plant.

“There will always be surprises; that’s the only certainty in the project execution,” Mr. Yu said.

He said commissioning should begin in September. The project broke ground in 2015.

Separately, AboitizPower told the stock exchange that the project was 85% finished and would start commercial operations in November. Mr. Yu said the quoted completion date was for June 2017.

“This is our first project to come through our greenfield pipeline so we are very excited. We have been working hard to ensure we finish on time and within budget, as well as within safety, social, and environmental standards. Barangay Ambatali is also now our host barangay, a welcome addition to what we hope would be a growing number of SNAP host communities,” AboitizPower quoted Mr. Yu as saying.

Mr. Yu also gave an update on the 390-MW Alimit hydro project in Ifugao, which he described as “making very good progress.” The multi-facility complex is made up of the 20-MW Olilicon hydro, 120-MW Alimit hydro and the 250-MW Alimit pumped storage.

“We’ve conducted informational and education campaigns, built up a fair bit of trust in the communities. I think early on we struggled with communicating what the project is and the value of the project to the community,” he told reporters.

The Alimit complex also requires a 42-kilometer 230-kilovolt transmission line to transmit power from the plant to the grid.

“There’s a little bit of firming up that we will need to do, but that shouldn’t take a lot of time. The biggest thing for us for Alimit is to make sure that it has the right sociopolitical acceptance in the community,” he said.

He said the “three big hurdles” for the project are the free prior informed consent from the National Commission on Indigenous People, the environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the endorsement of the local government units.

The project encompasses four ancestral domains in the municipalities of Aguinaldo, Lagawe, Lamut and Mayoyao.

SNAP owns and operates the 360-MW Magat hydro-power plant on the border of Isabela and Ifugao. It also has the 105-MW Ambuklao and the 140-MW Binga hydro plants in the province of Benguet.

Under the FiT system, qualified developers of emerging renewable energy sources are paid a fixed rate per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of their exported electricity, but excluding the energy for their own use.

For run-of-river hydropower, the Department of Energy set a target of 250 MW with a FiT rate of P5.90 per kWh.

As of May 2017, only four projects have been built with a total capacity of 28.70 MW. The rate has been degressed this year to P5.8705 per kWh as called for by the FiT rules. The incentive scheme ends this year. — Victor V. Saulon

Caraga, Zamboanga regions top study for vulnerable families

ABOUT FOUR in every 10 Filipino households has experienced poverty at least once in the previous three years, with two Mindanao regions leading the country in households vulnerable to poverty, according to a study by a state think tank.

Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) researchers Christian D. Mina and Celia M. Reyes said that 37.7% of the sample households fell below the poverty line once during the period, using data from 2003 to 2009.

However, it also said that eight in every 10 or 77.4% of poor households were classified as vulnerable — those threatening to slip below the poverty threshold.

The study noted that the Caraga region and the Zamboanga Peninsula had the highest proportion of vulnerable households.

The never-poor households meanwhile were mostly from the National Capital Region, and neighboring regions such as Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

“This study found that vulnerable households, regardless of whether poor or not, were more susceptible to unobservable idiosyncratic than covariate shocks,” the paper read.

Idiosyncratic shocks are those that specifically impact individuals or households such as injuries, accidents, while covariate shocks are those that can affect the entire community or a larger geographical unit such as natural disasters and a human or animal epidemia.

The researchers explained that they were more vulnerable to idiosyncratic shocks “probably because of the latter’s direct and more specific impacts.”

“Covariate shocks have indirect and varied impacts across households. This could point to the imperfect risk-sharing among households, poor functioning of the insurance mechanism within communities, and the difficulty of anticipating idiosyncratic shocks,” the research paper said.

To address this, the researchers said that the government should continue to increasing investment in education through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education law.

It also recommended to raise the competitiveness of the agriculture sector — where its workers are less-educated individuals — to boost labor demand.

“One way to enhance the sector’s competitiveness is by promoting agricultural diversification and market consolidation. The government should remove bias toward traditional food crops (rice and corn) and increase support to more profitable high-value commodities,” the research said.

The researchers likewise batted for capacity-boosting programs such as the Go Negosyo Act.

“Stronger implementation of laws promoting entrepreneurship (e.g., Go Negosyo Act) and provision of technical and financial assistance to budding entrepreneurs are also worthwhile strategies,” they said.

“The government should examine the Social Security System (SSS) pension system to improve its provision of pension for its retirees, similar to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). In addition, emergency assistance programs, such as loans during calamities provided by GSIS and SSS, can serve as buffer during times of emergency,” they added. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

PM Lee denies nepotism amid family feud in parliament speech

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday rejected claims from his siblings that he abused power and engaged in nepotism as he faced parliament over a family feud that has shocked Singapore.

But the leader said he will not sue his brother and sister for their online attacks over the legacy of their father Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding leader. The city-state is tightly controlled and has long been used to censorship and libel suits against critics of the family.

“Their allegations are entirely baseless,” Mr. Lee, 65, told a regularly scheduled session of parliament.

His sister Wei Ling, 62, and brother Hsien Yang, 60, had accused the premier of exploiting their father’s legacy for his own political agenda, and seeking to groom his son Li Hongyi, now a senior public servant involved in government data services, to one day become leader of the city-state.

The row — which erupted into the open last month — is an escalation of a dispute over what to do with a family bungalow that has simmered since the 2015 death of the elder Mr. Lee, who ruled Singapore with an iron hand but transformed the city-state into one of the world’s wealthiest societies.

The prime minister called for an open debate in parliament after the attacks on Facebook against him and his wife Ho Ching, who is chief executive of state investment fund Temasek Holdings.

He apologized for a second time over the quarrel and rejected charges of nepotism. He said the head of Temasek is appointed by its board subject to confirmation by the president of Singapore, and that his son has already said he was not interested in politics.

The allegations “have already damaged Singapore’s reputation,” he told parliament.

“Unrebutted, they can affect Singaporeans’ confidence in the government.”

SINGAPOREANS ‘TIRED’ OF FAMILY DISPUTE
Mr. Lee said Singaporeans were “tired of the subject, and wish it would end.”

However he added that he would not sue his siblings because a lawsuit might drag on for years and “further besmirch my parents’ names.”

At the center of the fight is the century-old bungalow which the patriarch wanted destroyed after he passed away to prevent the creation of a personality cult.

The siblings said the prime minister is attempting to block its demolition to capitalize on their father’s legacy, including grooming his own son to be a third-generation leader — a charge Mr. Lee and his wife have denied.

The Lees are the closest thing Singapore has to royalty, dominating the now wealthy island’s politics for nearly six decades.

The prime minister said that despite a “demolition clause” governing the house in his final will, his father was “prepared to consider alternatives” and even approved renovation plans should the government decide against tearing it down.

He said he was not behind the creation of a ministerial committee led by his deputy Teo Chee Hean to explore various options for the house, which hosted many of the early meetings of the People’s Action Party which has governed Singapore since 1959.

Lee Kuan Yew served as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, and the current leader has been in power since 2004. The city-state has had only one other prime minister, Goh Chok Tong.

The row focuses on a clause in Mr. Lee’s final will which stated that the old family home should be demolished after his death or after his daughter, who is unmarried, moves out.

Lee Kuan Yew feared the house would become a monument, with strangers walking through the family’s private quarters.

The sparsely furnished five-bedroom house in Oxley Road was built in the late 19th century in what used to be a plantation district, and gained value as Singapore became urbanized and prosperous.

The land, located off the posh Orchard Road shopping belt, is estimated by property agents to be worth Sg$24 million ($17.5 million). — AFP

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks at a special sitting of parliament in Singapore July 3. — PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF SINGAPORE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

SMC acquires Australian wine bottling facility

DIVERSIFIED conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is strengthening its presence in Australia with the acquisition of a wine bottling and packaging facility in Barossa Valley.

In a statement issued Thursday, the listed firm said its international packaging unit San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International Ltd. (SMYPIL), acquired Barossa Bottling Services Pty Ltd. through its Australian subsidiary, San Miguel Yamamura Australasia Pty Ltd.

Established in 2002, Barossa Bottling operates as a specialist independent contract wine bottling and packaging facility based in Nurioopta, Barossa Valley — a wine-producing region northeast of Adelaide in South Australia. It has become a niche provider of bottling and packaging services to various wineries in the Australia, according to the company’s Web site.

“We remain bullish on the Australasian market and will continue to look for bigger and better opportunities in that region. In the meantime, our Philippine operations will continue to expand to meet growing domestic and export demands,” SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang was quoted as saying in the statement.

Barossa marks SMYPIL’s fifth acquisition in the packaging business in the Australia and New Zealand region. In February this year, the company announced it acquired Portavin Holdings Pty. Ltd., which is engaged in the bottling of wine, as well as trading and distribution of packaging products in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

SMC’s packaging unit also purchased in 2016 the assets of Auckland-based Endeavour Glass Packaging Ltd. which specializes in providing packaging solutions to the wine, beverage and food industries.

In 2015, the firm bought the assets of Vinocor, considered the market leader in terms of supplying corks and closures for wine bottles in Australia.

“With this new acquisition (Barossa), SMC’s packaging group expects the contribution of its Australian and New Zealand businesses to be close to 300 million Australian dollars,” SMC said.

This year, SMC announced plans to triple its net income to P150 billion by 2020, following earnings of P52 billion in 2016.

In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Ang unveiled plans to enter the conglomerate’s third phase of expansion, which will mark SMC’s entry into electronics manufacturing. The executive noted that this would yield high margins for the company, likening the expansion to that of South Korean electronics giant Samsung.

SMC has continued its growth since diversifying from a food and beverage company to include infrastructure, energy, and fuel and oil.

For the first quarter of 2017, SMC delivered a net income of P13.82 bilion, 2.13% higher than its earnings of P13.54 billion in the same period in 2016. Revenues, meanwhile, went up by 23% year on year to P195.8 billion.

Shares in SMC showed a 0.39% uptick on Thursday, adding 40 centavos to close at P103.40 each at the stock exchange. — Arra B. Francia

SEC approves Vista Land shelf registration for P20-B bonds

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday approved the shelf registration of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc. for fixed-rate bonds worth P20 billion.

The Villar-led real estate developer’s initial offering will be worth P3 billion with an oversubscription option of P2 billion to be issued in up to two series. This includes Series A bonds that will mature in seven years, and Series B bonds due 10 years from the issuance.

The bonds will be listed and traded at the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

The final interest rate for the offer has yet to be determined by the company.

Vista Land looks to net a total of P4.93 billion should it exercise the overallotment portion of the offer. The proceeds will be used to finance the construction and completion of the Evia Lifestyle Center Expansion, the development, construction, and completion of Vistamall Malolos, and also for general corporate purposes.

This year, the Villar-led firm has allocated P35.3 billion in capital expenditure for the expansion of it rental spaces, alongside its plan to move to 100 new cities.

Vista Land posted a net income of P2.3 billion in the first quarter of 2017, up by 11% from the P2.1 billion it generated in the same period a year prior.

Vista Land currently operates its residential property development business through six units, namely Brittany Corporation, Crown Asia Properties, Inc., Camella Homes, Inc., Communities Philippines, Inc., Vista Residences, Inc. and mall operator Starmalls, Inc.

The company’s residential developments range from socialized and affordable, middle income and high-end subdivision house and lots, as well as condominium projects.

Shares in VLL traded flat at P5.97 each on Thursday. — Arra B. Francia

D&L Industries allocates P400-million capex for this year

D&L INDUSTRIES, Inc. is allotting between P400 million and P420 million in capital expenditures for 2017, as it prepares plans to expand the capacity of its existing plants.

D&L President and Chief Executive Officer Alvin D. Lao said on Thursday the company is still finalizing expansion plans, but will likely make an announcement within the third quarter.

“We are approaching the point where we need to plan ahead since it will take two to three years to expand and we do not want to be caught unprepared,” he said after the firm’s annual stockholders’ meeting in Makati.

D&L’s capex for 2017 is 15% to 20% higher than the listed firm’s actual spending in 2016 amounting to P314 million.

At present, D&L and its subsidiaries have seven plants with a total capacity of 200,000 tons per year.

The company’s subsidiaries include Oleo-Fats, Inc., which manufactures and markets specialty food ingredients and specialty fats and oils; First in Colours, Inc. which engages in the manufacture and selling of dry colors, masterbatches, color compounds, plastic additives, and engineered polymers; Aero-Pack, which customizes aerosol products for homecare, personal care, and maintenance chemicals; and Chemrez Technologies, Inc., which introduced the first continuous process biodiesel plant in the country.

Meanwhile, the company also declared a regular cash dividend of 18.5 centavos per share alongside a special cash dividend of five centavos per share to all stockholders of record as of July 27.

This will bring shareholders’ total dividends to 23.5 centavos, or a dividend yield of 1.9% based on the price of shares at the close of July 12, or P12.60 apiece.

This year, the company is following a profit guidance of 15-19% growth, with its aerosol and food exports business seen as driving growth.

In the first quarter of 2017, D&L said its recurring income stood at P663 million, 15% higher than what it generated in the same period a year ago. D&L’s revenues, meanwhile, reached P6.3 billion, up by 35% year on year due to a 73% increase in export sales.

Shares in D&L dipped by 20 centavos or 1.59% to close at P12.40 apiece at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday. — Arra B. Francia

Philippine Airlines to resume Abu Dhabi flights on Oct. 31

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES (PAL) is resuming its flights to Abu Dhabi starting end October due to increased demand for flights on the route.

This comes just a few days after the Lucio C. Tan-led carrier suspended its Manila-Abu Dhabi operations last July 8 to “allow PAL to undertake route assessment.”

“Effective Oct. 31, Philippine Airlines shall resume its nonstop thrice weekly service between Manila and Abu Dhabi after experiencing increased demand for flights on the route,” PAL said in a statement.

The airline said it will continue to operate PR 656 — every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — departing Manila at 11:45 a.m. and arriving in Abu Dhabi at 5:45 p.m. PR 657 operates on the same days, leaving Abu Dhabi at 7:30 p.m. local time and touching down in Manila at 8:50 a.m. the following day.

PAL President Jaime J. Bautista earlier said the flag carrier will provide a bi-class (business and economy) service across all its Middle East routes citing intense competition in the region and the need to provide better services.

A bi-class service will give passengers the flexibility to choose between regular economy, premium economy and business class service and provide board amenities, free baggage allowance, comfort, convenience and inflight entertainment.

The Philippine carrier operates 30 flights per week to the Middle East. PAL also operates other Middle East destinations daily for Dubai and Riyadh as well as five times weekly flights to Dammam, thrice weekly to Jeddah and four times a week flights to Kuwait.

Ahead of the air talks between the Philippines and Qatar in June, PAL had said there is no need for additional flights to the Middle East, citing “overcapacity” in the present routes.

Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific also said it will suspend its long-haul service from Manila to three Middle Eastern cities — Riyadh, Kuwait and Doha — citing “oversupply” amid intense competition from Gulf carriers.

The Manila to Middle East route is also currently served by Emirates, Etihad Airways. Other airlines linking the Philippines directly with the Middle East are Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air and Gulf Air.

PAL serves at least 43 international destinations, including 20 regionally within East Asia, 10 in Australasia and the Pacific, and seven in the Middle East, among others. — ICCD

Game of Thrones: Winter is finally here

LOS ANGELES — Game of Thrones returns for its penultimate season Sunday (Monday in the Philippines. — Ed.), presaging the end of a saga of sex, violence and political intrigue that has become the world’s most popular TV show.

The R-rated fable of noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne has just 13 episodes left, split across two shortened seasons which will bring the curtain down on a ratings juggernaut that made television history.

One of the darkest and most controversial primetime series ever made, it has been the target of criticism over the years for senseless violence and its repeated use of rape as a dramatic device.

The scriptwriters have brutalized women, killed children, depicted graphic sex and had their characters hacked, stabbed, flayed, poisoned, decapitated, burned alive, eye-gouged, and eviscerated — all in glorious, close-up detail.

The adult themes have not deterred fans, however, and the audience has grown in the US to more than 23 million per episode.

Game of Thrones has more Emmy Awards than any narrative show in history and airs in 170 countries, with viewership figures shattering records across the world.

Season six was the first to move beyond George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels and carve its own path.

Critics said it marked a return to form, with the narrative allowing female characters to demonstrate complexity and moral agency lacking in some of the earlier seasons.

Viewers saw hero Jon Snow (Kit Harington) resurrected and declared King in the North, while Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) staged a coup in King’s Landing, murdering most of the royal family and her religious opponent, the High Sparrow.

BRUTAL KILLER
Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), raped in a controversial off-book episode in season five by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), fed him to his hounds, and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) set sail for Westeros.

Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss last year announced the shortened run of seven and six episodes for the final two seasons and confirmed the summer return for season seven, a departure from the usual April premieres.

The show has been teasing winter’s arrival since its pilot episode in 2011, and with the season six finale entitled “The Winds of Winter,” the camera crew was forced to wait for colder weather to begin filming season seven.

Few details have been revealed about the new episodes, except that Oscar-winning Jim Broadbent joins the cast and pop sensation Ed Sheeran is to make a cameo appearance.

One theory doing the rounds on social media is that fan favorite Daenerys may become a villain.

Proponents point out that her father, Mad King Aerys Targaryen, was a brutal killer and that the Mother of Dragons herself appears to be getting colder with each new season.

“I think that would be highly unlikely,” Iain Glen, who plays her ally and fellow exile Jorah Mormont, told the Huffington Post, however.

“I mean, this is Iain speaking and Jorah speaking — we share the same voice — my belief in her is such that I can’t see her going that way myself.”

RULING WESTEROS
Snow and other major characters are expected to get more screen time during the final episodes despite the shorter seasons, mainly because the minor players keep getting killed off.

“It’s a nice change for me this season, he talks more, he’s more sure of himself,” Harington told Entertainment Weekly (EW) of his character.

“He doesn’t just know what he’s got to do but he’s more sure of what he’s saying, whereas before there was always some fear and doubt. I’ve gotten to enjoy not just grunting.”

A 90-second trailer entitled “Long Walk” showed Cersei, Daenerys and Jon heading towards their respective throne rooms in King’s Landing, Dragonstone, and Winterfell.

Episode 61, entitled “Dragonstone,” premieres on HBO at 9 p.m. in the US (In the Philippines, it will air on Monday, July 17 at 9 a.m. on HBO, with a same-day primetime encore at 9 p.m. — Ed.), while the network has announced the following two episodes will be called “Stormborn” and “The Queen’s Justice.”

The biggest question of all — which will not be answered this summer — remains who will be sitting on the Iron Throne and ruling Westeros when Game of Thrones comes to an end.

“I think Sansa should get the Iron Throne, and I think Jon Snow should rule Winterfell,” Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran Stark, said in a video posted by EW.

“Sansa should rule the Iron Throne. Arya should rule Winterfell,” countered Harington, who said he thought Snow should rejoin the Night’s Watch defending the realm against threats from the north. — AFP

MMFF could consider dropping final entries if film quality is poor — Joy Belmonte

ONE OF the new members of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Executive committee (Execom) suggests the possibility of a film festival entry being dropped from the lineup if its quality if not up to par.

“I think we should not be closed to the idea that those film scripts already selected can still be excluded should the final product be below an established set of standards,” said newly appointed Execom member Ma. Josefina “Joy” Belmonte-Alimurung in an online interview with BusinessWorld.

The Quezon City Vice-Mayor and head of the Quezon City Film Development Council is one of three replacements for the four members who recently resigned from the Execom due to disagreements with how the festival is being run, most notably with the decision to choose four of the eight official festival entries via their scripts rather than as finished films.

Joining Ms. Belmonte-Alimurung on the committee are film director Maryo J. delos Reyes, and actor and AVP for Community Relations and Services of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Arnel Ignacio.

The announcement was made on July 11 by the MMFF.

“I have the highest regard for the resigned Execom members and understand completely the reasons behind their resignation, all of which I took into consideration before accepting the appointment,” Ms. Belmonte-Alimurung told BusinessWorld on July 12.

She added she accepted the post “because I feel that the MMFF is still relevant to the majority of Filipinos given the timing on which it takes place and the traditions that surround it.”

“I don’t think the MMFF ever had any pretenses of being just an indie filmfest to begin with unlike, say, QCinema, so no conflict there,” she noted.

RESIGNATIONS
On June 30, scriptwriter Ricky Lee, academician Rolando Tolentino, and broadcast journalist Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala all announced their resignations from the Execom, partly in protest of the way the first four entries to the film festival were selected. This was followed by the resignation of Ed Lejano, the executive director of the Quezon City Film Development Council, on July 8.

“From early on, I was hopeful that the significant gains of the 2016 MMFF be maintained for this year. Succeeding developments with the various committees thus far, have proven otherwise. The ensuing issues resulting from the current compromise selection process make it untenable for me to remain in the committee,” Mr. Lejano said in a statement furnished to Interaksyon.com.

“I firmly believe that for MMFF to truly benefit all its industry stakeholders, the finished film submission is one basic requirement that is fair and viable for all, not to mention above board,” he added.

The four entries — chosen from submitted scripts — saw the return of the regular big ticket names: comedian/host Jose Marie “Vice Ganda” Viceral, Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (better known as Coco Martin), and Marvic Valentin “Vic” Sotto.

This year’s MMFF vision was to combine “quality and box-office potential” according to Thomas Orbos, general manager of the MMDA, as quoted by MMFF spokesperson Noel Ferrer in an online interview with BusinessWorld in March.

Among the films that didn’t clinch a spot in the first round were Erik Matti’s Buy Bust; Raya Martin’s Smaller and Smaller Circles, an adaptation of F.H. Batacan’s Palanca-winning English novel; and Loy Arcenas’ Ang Larawan, a musical adaptation of National Artist Nick Joaquin’s The Portrait of the Artist as Filipino.

CHALLENGE TO COMMERCIAL OUTFITS
While some people see the return of festival staples as a sign that the MMFF is only considering the star power of the leads instead of the quality of the films, Ms. Belmonte said: “if anything, last year’s festival put some pressure on our commercial film producers to up the ante and set the bar higher in terms of artistic excellence even while they are headlined by big stars and have the advantage of bigger budgets.”

The challenge now, she explained is for the festival not to alienate new audiences developed by last year’s festival.

“Thus in short, fairness is important. This means that artistically excellent films should not be pulled out of cinemas prematurely just because they do not pull in SRO crowds but be accorded the same treatment as the more commercially viable ones,” she said.

She also noted that the festival should “be more transparent with regards to the funds earned by this festival.”

“I am assuming that the bias towards commercial films has some philanthropic objective other than to enrich producers, so I’d like to have very definite mechanics in place to ensure this and to make this info open,” she explained.

The MMFF will run from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Shakey’s eyes bigger slice of Middle East with UAE deal

SHAKEY’S Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. (SPAVI) is hoping to grab a slice of the United Arab Emirates market, as it signed a deal with Dubai-based Aljeel Capital LLC. to open at least 10 stores in the next five years.

In a statement on Thursday, SPAVI said its subsidiary Shakey’s Pizza Regional Foods Limited signed the area development agreement with Aljeel Capital, its second international franchise.

The listed firm holds the perpetual rights to the Shakey’s brand for the Middle East, Asia (except for Japan and Malaysia), China, Australia, and Oceania.

The first store in UAE is scheduled for opening in the first half in 2018, and will be located in Dubai.

In December, SPAVI signed an agreement with a franchisee in Kuwait to put up at least 10 stores in the Middle Eastern country. The company said it is on track to open its first store in Kuwait by the third quarter of this year.

“Dubai, UAE, and the rest of the Middle East are great markets for us. Not only are there strong and welcoming Filipino communities which love the Shakey’s brand and are excited about experiencing it away from home, but there are also tremendous growth opportunities within the mainstream markets there,” SPAVI President and Chief Executive Officer Vicente L. Gregorio was quoted as saying in a statement.

For his part, Aljee Capital Chief Executive Officer Firas Hurieh cited the opportunities in the region.

“We are excited about this partnership and more thrilled to bring a solid brand such as Shakey’s to the UAE as there is a huge opportunity to target a wide customer base and grow the brand in the next few years,” Mr. Hurieh was quoted as saying.

The first Shakey’s store in the Philippines opened in 1975, and has since expanded to 189 stores as of the end of March 2017.

Earnings of SPAVI gained 25.67% year on year in the first quarter of 2017, to P172.83 million compared to the P137.53 million it delivered during the same period a year ago.

Shares in SPAVI fell by 52 centavos or 3.84% to close at P13.02 apiece on Thursday. — Arra B. Francia

Higher prices, weak peso boost Nickel Asia

NICKEL ASIA Corp. on Thursday said the estimated value of shipments jumped 41% in the first six months of 2017, amid an improvement in nickel ore prices and a weaker peso.

The country’s top nickel miner told the stock exchange the value of nickel ore shipments stood at P7.16 billion in the first half, higher than the P5.08 billion during the same period last year.

“The increase is mainly due to higher prices for its nickel ore sales combined with higher shipment volumes and a weaker peso exchange rate,” the firm said.

Nickel Asia sold a total 8.92 million wet metric tons (WMT) of nickel ore from its four operating mines during the January to June period, versus 8.54 million WMT logged a year ago.

“The estimated realized nickel price on 4.68 million WMT of ore sales to Japanese and Chinese customers in the first six months of the year averaged $25.88 per WMT compared to an average of $18.24 per WMT on 5.14 million WMT of ore sales realized during the same period last year,” the miner said.

To recall, nickel prices in the first half of 2016 were significantly lower due to a slump in demand amid an economic slowdown in China.

“We are delighted with our first-half shipment results, despite the challenges we continue to face. By focusing our efforts on the shipment of higher-value saprolite ore, the company benefited from higher ore prices, particularly in the first quarter,” Gerard H. Brimo, Nickel Asia president and CEO, was quoted as saying.

Nickel Asia shares dropped 2.97% to P6.20 a piece on Thursday. — J.C. Lim

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