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Monthly wages rise for Region III domestics

OFFICIALGAZETTE.GOV.PH

THE Central Luzon regional wage board has approved an increase in the monthly wage for domestic workers to at least P6,000, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said.

More than 126,000 domestic workers are expected to benefit from the P1,000 to P1,500 increase, as approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, which issued Wage Order No. RBIII-DW-04. The new pay scale takes effect on April 1.

The P1,000 increase applies to those working in cities and first-class municipalities in Central Luzon, while P1,500 will be added to other municipalities.

“The increase considered the results of a survey and public hearings, as well as the needs of domestic workers and their families, the employer’s capacity to pay, and the existing socio-economic conditions in the region,” according to a DoLE statement.  

On March 12, the National Wages and Productivity Commission confirmed the pay order after it had been submitted for review by the regional board.

The last wage order for domestic workers in Central Luzon came into effect on June 20, 2022. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana 

Moody’s Ratings: Philippine banks’ profits to remain stable

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PHILIPPINE BANKS’ profits are expected to remain stable this year as increased interest earnings from loans to retail and small and medium enterprises (SME) could be offset by higher provisioning and funding costs, Moody’s Ratings said.

“In terms of profits, we expect this to be largely stable. Any further uptick to NIMs (net interest margins) will be limited due to higher funding costs,” Moody’s Financial Institutions Analyst Clarabelle Tan said in a webinar on Thursday.

“Meanwhile, the higher yields from SME and retail loans will be partially offset by a mild increase in provisioning costs,” she added.

Philippine banks will be supported by strong economic growth, Ms. Tan said.

“The overall outlook for the Philippines’ banking system is stable and this is really underpinned by the strong economic growth which will be much higher than its Asian peers, and thus we have the operating environment improving,” Ms. Tan said.

An increase in retail and SME loans could also affect banks’ nonperforming loans (NPLs), but the overall ratio is expected to be at just 3.2% to 3.5%, she added.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ expected rate cuts could also support banks’ asset quality, Ms. Tan said.

“We expect the rate cuts in the second half of the year will also support any repayment capacities, and the banks’ high loan loss provision coverage will provide sufficient buffers against loan losses,” she said.

“Meanwhile, we expect the impact of interest rate cuts will be lagging while cost of funds will come down first and this is because if we look at the loans balance sheets, typically their deficits reprice faster than loans and hence we expect a more pronounced compression of NIMs in 2025,” Ms. Tan noted.

She added that banks could face asset quality risks from agricultural loans due to the El Niño weather event, even as their exposure to the sector remains limited.

Lenders’ capitalization is also expected to stay strong, Ms. Tan said.

“Funding and liquidity will remain robust as deficit growth will keep pace with the modest loan growth at about 2%,” she added. — A.M.C. Sy

The challenge on the fast track

ISABELLA FISCHER-UNSPLASH

Sleep is precious. Every living organism needs sleep to thrive in the environment. For human beings, one needs it for our well-being. A life of quality and productivity. However, there are many people who are sleep-deprived for several reasons.

What is it like to be on the fast track?

Working round-the-clock and traveling around the globe are exciting but they have health hazards. Constantly changing time zones while juggling multiple executive duties are physical activities that accelerate the ageing process and raise stress levels.

Everything has a price, it seems. Sometimes, the price of the perks of success and frequent travel may have its own hidden cost: the loss of sleep.

Sleep is a commodity that cannot be bought, borrowed, traded, or stolen. Time was when (as infants and toddlers) we had bountiful hours of blissful sleep. As soon as the lights dimmed, or as soon as dusk set in, carefree children floated easily to dreamland — soaring on clouds and flying over rainbows. Sleep was what we needed to grow tall, bright, healthy, and strong.

Growing up deprived us of quantifiable hours of sleep, we discovered. As we acquired responsibilities and privileges in adulthood, we also began to accumulate emotional, mental, and physical baggage. A complicated lifestyle and challenging work environment translate into pockets or waves of anxiety and woeful hours of sleeplessness.

Hormonal changes wreak havoc on the internal clock and gentle patterns of healing slumber.

As we grow older chronologically — not necessarily mentally or emotionally — we begin to miss the habit of easily falling asleep at night.

Perhaps we have had too much work, food, or drink. Most likely, we have simply forgotten to switch off the mechanisms that drive us to compete and achieve. We don’t know when or how to stop worrying.

Instead of dreaming, we are fretting about a thousand things — major problems and inconsequential details. We are anxiety-ridden, full of angst or burnt out.

We try all kinds of remedies — whatever it is that motivates or pushes us to the brink of yawning. We rely on exercise, warm milk (it works because of tryptophan), a good book, TV and movies (not the news, please), counting sheep, praying the rosary, and some natural or prescribed anti-anxiety pills.

Insomniacs and jet-lagged victims, take heart! There is a natural food supplement — melatonin — a pill with the hormone that induces sleep. The hormone is produced by the pineal gland of the brain.

Throughout our early life, we produce melatonin in abundant quantities. As we age (chronologically), the production of this hormone decreases. This explains the difference between the easy sleep of babies and the insomnia (and senescence) of older persons. Melatonin keeps our cells from ageing and disintegrating. The hormone is secreted in response to the amount of light that hits our eyes. Doctors say that melatonin keeps us in sync with the circadian rhythms — of the day and the changing seasons.

It sounds reasonable enough — to desperate insomniacs.

Skeptics caution people not to pop pills indiscriminately. They should refrain from experimenting with supplements that do not have any record of long-term beneficial effects.

Cellular biologists, however, have discovered that melatonin has another important basic function — “to protect oxygen-based life from the side effects of oxygen.” The process of oxidation corrodes our cellular membranes and damages our DNA. As we metabolize oxygen, free radicals are generated — slowly destroying our cells. This weakens our minds and causes degenerative diseases (such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and serious heart problems as we age.)

Although our bodies produce enzymes to protect certain cells — melatonin is supposed to produce enzymes that inhibit oxidation — we also need vital nutrients such as vitamin C and beta carotene, which are known antioxidants, to provide extra protection to certain cells.

Melatonin is still in demand a decade after it first came out in health food stores. There have been multiple marketing claims — it eases insomnia and jet lag, turns back the ravages of time, boosts the immune system, and extends life. But the pills or capsules come in a jar that says, “no proven therapeutic claims.” Caveat emptor.

Some doctors still prescribe it to help patients sleep better.

On a personal level, it works 75% of the time (3 mg to 10 mg) depending on the mood. If one is too anxious or burnt out, it might not be as effective. When one is in a state of peace or relaxation but cannot fall asleep, one pill would suffice.

Based on research and personal experience, healing sleep is still a function of one’s psychological and physical well-being.

The beneficial effects for people on the fast track could be the mélange of a natural hormone with a strong psychological suggestion that induces sleep!

(Contrary to the famous quote, “To sleep, perchance to dream,” this writer has a different creative rhythm. I dream — even before I fall asleep.)

 

Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.

mavrufino@gmail.com

Gwyneth Paltrow’s next step in wellness journey: finding calm

GWYNETHPALTROW.COM

LOS ANGELES, March 13 (Reuters) — Actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow has felt the intense glare of the Hollywood spotlight from a young age. And by her own admission, Ms. Paltrow tends to worry — a lot.

“I get stressed out quite easily, so I have to work a lot to stay calm,” she said in an interview.

“Being in the public eye is like an extra layer of stressor that luckily most people don’t have to experience because it can be very wearing, but I think I’ve had a lot of maturity and development around not really engaging with those projections.”

Ms. Paltrow’s latest collaboration with meditation app Moments of Space is part of that self-love journey, the 51-year-old said.

“At this point in my life I really know who I am. I’m friends with myself and I don’t spend any time thinking about what other people think about me because I don’t find it beneficial. So, anything I can do to kind of strengthen my relationship with myself is really valuable to me.”

The artificial intelligence-powered app focuses on an eyes-open approach to meditation, allowing users to engage with the world while meditating.

Ms. Paltrow, who runs the lifestyle and wellness company Goop, was drawn to the project because she felt it was missing from her brand.

“I suppose what I really liked about it was I never knew that there was such a thing as eyes-open meditation,” she said. “I knew that when I took a walk through the woods by myself, I felt I could go into a kind of meditative state but I didn’t know that there was an actual practice you could do along with it.

“I’m doing it right now and I’m still able to formulate thoughts and talk to you but I’m able to sort of tap into this reservoir of calm,” she said, demonstrating the practice during the interview.

Paltrow has not acted in nearly four years. Is she on a hiatus or has she retired from Hollywood?

“I definitely could not pursue it right now, my day job is just way too all-encompassing,” she said. “I couldn’t, not with my job here at the company, but I think I’ve learned at this point to never say never.” — Reuters

Alsons records 22% surge in 2023 income

ALCANTARA-LED Alsons Consolidated Resources, Inc. (ACR) said on Thursday that it saw a 22% jump in its 2023 net income to P2.29 billion, driven by higher power demand.

The company’s revenue grew by 3% to P12.4 billion last year, Alsons said in a stock exchange disclosure.

“Alsons’ strong financial performance last year is attributed to the growing power demand in Mindanao. Aside from this, our participation in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market in Mindanao has opened additional revenue streams for the company, contributing to our financial growth,” ACR Deputy Chief Financial Officer Philip Edward B. Sagun said.

The company plans to diversify its portfolio this year.

“Looking ahead, Alsons remain optimistic about its growth trajectory, particularly considering the expected increase in power demand to support the Philippines’ projected annual economic growth of 6.5 percent through 2028,” the company said.

Alsons is developing three renewable projects consisting of the 14.5-megawatt (MW) Siguil Hydro Power Plant in Sarangani, the 37.8-MW hybrid Siayan Hydro-Solar Power Plant in Zamboanga del Norte, and the 42-MW Bago Hydro Power Plant in Negros Occidental.

In 2023, Alsons marked its entry into the Visayas market with the groundbreaking of a 95.2-MW baseload backup power plant project in Ubay, Bohol.

The project will serve as a backup electricity source if the province gets isolated from the Visayas grid during calamities or natural disasters.

The company’s portfolio consists of four power facilities with a total capacity of 468 MW. It serves more than eight million people across 14 cities and 11 provinces.

The company seeks to increase its renewable energy capacity to support the Energy department’s target of 35% renewable energy mix by 2030 and 50% by 2040.

On Thursday, Alsons shares rose by 19.61% or 10 centavos to 61 centavos apiece. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

MPower renews supply deal with Pioneer Highlands South

MPOWER, the local retail supplier of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), said it has renewed its supply deal with Pioneer Highlands South Condominium Corp. (PHSCC).

“We have a very strong partnership with PHSCC for more than a decade now and remain committed to being part of their growth and success,” Meralco First Vice-President and Head of MPower Redel M. Domingo said in a statement on Thursday.

PHSCC owns and manages Pioneer Highlands South Condominium in Mandaluyong City, a mixed-use condominium comprising Tower 1, its residential tower and Globe Telecom Plaza, its commercial and office tower.

The company was among the first batches of customers that signed up with MPower under the Retail Competition and Open Access implemented in 2013.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Time to hold people accountable for lockdowns

ISABELLA FISCHER-UNSPLASH

It’s practically straight out of Monty Python.

After years of terrorizing people about the “deadliest virus ever,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new guidance, declaring that those who tested positive for COVID-19 need not isolate for five days.

In other words, COVID is to be treated “exactly the same as a flu or other respiratory illness.” Thus, “per the new guidance, coming down with a COVID variant — which a few short years ago would have meant two weeks of self-quarantine, multiple rounds of testing, and a fear of imminent death — should now be handled by staying home when sick, practicing good hygiene, and improving indoor air quality.” (“CDC Revises COVID Guidelines, Says to ‘Treat It Like the Flu’”; Valuetainment.com, March 2024)

“Ah,” but COVID apologists will say, “the reason for is because vaccines made COVID safer.” That is a lie contradicted by many commentators, including yours truly, most recently in my column, “The fact-checkers were wrong: Vaccines can harm people” (March 8, 2024).

Another egregious lie was that COVID-19 “does not discriminate,” which was used to justify the locking up of everyone in their homes for years. This was soon exposed.

An article in The Guadian about a then-new book, The Year the World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir by Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the Usher Institute in the University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, opens by saying:  “There was a distinctive moment, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that neatly encapsulated the mistakes and confusion of Britain’s early efforts to tackle the disease, says Mark Woolhouse. At a No. 10 briefing in March 2020, cabinet minister Michael Gove warned the virus did not discriminate. ‘Everyone is at risk,’ he announced.

“And nothing could be further from the truth, argues Professor Woolhouse, an expert on infectious diseases at Edinburgh University. ‘I am afraid Gove’s statement was simply not true,’ he says. ‘In fact, this is a very discriminatory virus. Some people are much more at risk from it than others. People over 75 are an astonishing 10,000 times more at risk than those who are under 15,’” wrote The Guardian.

“We did serious harm to our children and young adults who were robbed of their education, jobs and normal existence, as well as suffering damage to their future prospects, while they were left to inherit a record-breaking mountain of public debt,” The Guardian quotes Professor Woolhouse. “All this to protect the NHS from a disease that is a far, far greater threat to the elderly, frail and infirm than to the young and healthy.” (“Britain got it wrong on COVID: long lockdown did more harm than good, says scientist”; The Guardian, Jan. 2, 2022)

And the incredibly damaging effects of the lockdowns have been well documented. According to the Washington Policy Center, one meta-analysis involving 18,000 studies found “that lockdowns reduced mortality in the United States and Europe by only 0.2% on average. They also looked at forced shelter-in-place, which reduced mortality by only 2.9% on average.

It said: “The researchers had this final conclusion: ‘While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.’” (“Comprehensive Research Finds That Lockdowns Don’t Work,” Washington Policy Center, Feb. 3, 2022; citing Herby, Jonas & Jonung, Lars & Hanke, Steve, 2022, “A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality,” Studies in Applied Economic 200, The Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise. See also “COVID Lockdowns Were a Giant Experiment. It Was a Failure”; The Intelligencer, Oct. 30, 2023).

Another study was even more succinct: “Many original predictions are broadly supported by the research data including: a rise in non-COVID excess mortality, mental health deterioration, child abuse and domestic violence, widening global inequality, food insecurity, lost educational opportunities, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, social polarization, soaring debt, democratic backsliding and declining human rights. Young people, individuals and countries with lower socioeconomic status, women and those with pre-existing vulnerabilities were hit hardest.” (“How Did the COVID Pandemic Response Harm Society? A Global Evaluation and State of Knowledge Review (2020-21),” Kevin Bardosh, University of Washington; University of Edinburgh – Edinburgh Medical School; May 22, 2023).

All that — the economic and human devastation — simply because policymakers wanted to exercise authoritarian power and refused to acknowledge that a virus with a 99% survival rate has practically no effect on healthy teens or younger and of moderate effect on healthy 50-year-olds or younger.

And this is on top of the fact that the lockdowns were, in all likelihood, illegal (see my column, “Is this lockdown even legal,” Sept. 16, 2021).

Furthermore, it is utterly disingenuous to claim that when the pandemic started nobody knew lockdowns were ineffective and harmful — experts had been shouting that fact from the beginning. There is a commonsense reason why “lockdowns have not been used to such a large extent during any of the pandemics of the past century” (see Herby, et.al., above).

It is surely time to hold people accountable for this incredibly disastrous policy.

Foreign corporations should study the possibilities of bringing a suit for damages before the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID; see my column, “Foreign investment damages under lockdowns,” BusinessWorld, Nov. 12, 2020).

For Filipino citizens and private entities, they may likely sue the national or local government, individual government officials, even private establishments, whether it be businesses, schools, or residential condominiums, for damages incurred due to illegal and unjustified COVID measures, including lockdowns, mandatory vaccination, and even mask requirements. The constitutional prescription that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law or be denied the equal protection of laws is applicable to all and the responsibility of all.

That responsibility has been further legislated specifically in the Civil Code, particularly Articles 19, 20, 26, and 32. The penal code also provides for criminal proceedings where private individuals, without authority of law, coerced people to do things or stay in a place against their will (see “illegal detention,” “unlawful arrest,” or “grave coercion,” Articles 267, 268, 269, and 286, respectively of the Revised Penal Code) or where government officials, without authority of law, coerced people to do things or stay in a place against their will (see “arbitrary detention,” “violation of domicile,” “interruption of religious worship,” Articles 124, 128, 132, respectively, of the Revised Penal Code)

Bottomline, those responsible for the incredible loss or damage to life, liberty, property, the national economy, individual livelihoods, and people’s futures should be held to account. All for what? For a measly “0.2%” benefit just so some people could satisfy their lazy dictatorial tendencies through never-ending lockdowns.

 

Jemy Gatdula read international law at the University of Cambridge. He is the dean of the Institute of Law of the University of Asia and the Pacific, and is a Philippine Judicial Academy lecturer for constitutional philosophy and jurisprudence.

https://www.facebook.com/jigatdula/

Twitter  @jemygatdula

Marketing tech in financial services

Marketing technology (martech) in financial services has witnessed significant evolution in recent years, transforming the way financial institutions engage with customers and prospects. From personalized messaging to data analytics, the integration of technology into marketing strategies has revolutionized the industry landscape. The impact of marketing tech on financial services has far-reaching implications for both businesses and consumers.

One of the most notable advancements in marketing technology within financial services is the use of data analytics. Financial institutions now have access to vast amounts of customer data, ranging from transaction history to online behavior. By leveraging sophisticated analytics tools, banks and other financial service providers can analyze these data to gain valuable insights into customer preferences, behaviors, and needs. For example, banks can use predictive analytics to anticipate customer needs and offer personalized product recommendations. This enables them to deliver targeted marketing messages that resonate with individual customers, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Moreover, marketing automation has become increasingly prevalent in the financial services sector. Automation tools allow financial institutions to streamline their marketing processes and deliver relevant content to customers at the right time. For instance, e-mail marketing automation platforms enable banks to send personalized e-mails based on customer behavior, such as abandoned cart reminders or product recommendations. By automating repetitive tasks, financial institutions can free up resources and focus on strategic initiatives, improving efficiency and effectiveness.

The views expressed herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.

In addition to data analytics and automation, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing marketing in financial services. AI-powered chatbots, for example, are being deployed by banks to provide personalized assistance to customers 24/7. These chatbots can answer usual questions, provide account information, and even offer financial advice based on the customer’s financial goals and preferences. By leveraging AI, financial institutions can enhance customer satisfaction and reduce the burden on human customer service agents.

Furthermore, social media has emerged as a powerful marketing tool for financial services companies. Platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn offer unique opportunities for banks to engage with customers and prospects in real time. For instance, banks can use social media to share educational content, provide customer support, and even run targeted advertising campaigns. Using social media, financial institutions can increase brand awareness, foster customer loyalty, and generate leads more effectively.

The rise of mobile technology has also transformed the way financial services are marketed to consumers. Mobile banking applications allow customers to access their accounts, make payments, and manage their finances on the go. Financial institutions can leverage these apps to deliver personalized marketing messages based on the user’s location, transaction history, and preferences. For example, a bank could send a push notification to a customer offering a special promotion at a nearby branch. By harnessing the power of mobile technology, financial institutions can reach customers wherever they are, driving engagement and loyalty.

Personalization has likewise become a cornerstone of effective marketing in the financial services industry. Today’s consumers expect personalized experiences tailored to their unique needs and preferences. Financial institutions can achieve this by leveraging customer data to deliver targeted marketing messages across multiple channels. For example, banks can use dynamic content to personalize website experiences based on the user’s demographics, browsing history, and past interactions. By delivering relevant content to the right audience, financial institutions can increase engagement, drive conversions, and build stronger customer relationships.

The adoption of martech has also opened new opportunities for collaboration and partnerships within the financial services ecosystem. For example, banks may partner with fintech companies to leverage their innovative technologies and reach new customer segments. By collaborating with fintech startups, traditional financial institutions can tap into innovative marketing tools and techniques, such as blockchain-based loyalty programs or robo-advisors. These partnerships not only drive innovation but also enable financial institutions to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

Moreover, regulatory compliance remains a critical consideration for financial institutions when implementing marketing technology. As financial services become increasingly digitized, regulators are paying closer attention to how customer data is collected, stored, and used for marketing purposes. Financial institutions must ensure that their marketing practices comply with relevant regulations, such as General Data Protection Regulation  or GDPR and California Consumer Privacy Act or CCPA, to avoid fines and penalties. By prioritizing data privacy and security, financial institutions can build trust with customers and maintain a positive reputation in the market.

In summary, martech has transformed the financial services industry, enabling financial institutions to deliver personalized experiences, streamline marketing processes, and reach customers more effectively. From data analytics and automation to AI-powered chatbots and social media, technology has revolutionized the way financial services are marketed to consumers. Embracing these advancements and prioritizing regulatory compliance will allow financial institutions to stay ahead of the curve and drive growth in an increasingly competitive market landscape.

 

Reynaldo C. Lugtu, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Hungry Workhorse, a digital, culture, and customer experience transformation consulting firm. He is a fellow at the US-based Institute for Digital Transformation. He is the chair of the Digital Transformation IT Governance Committee of FINEX Academy. He teaches strategic management and digital transformation in the MBA Program of De La Salle University. The author may be e-mailed at rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com

Behind the OnlyFans porn boom: allegations of rape, abuse and betrayal

MIAMI — Sammy remembers nearly every detail of the night in April 2022 when she says two men raped her.

The Miami apartment, stark and empty, where it happened. The loud music as she screamed and told them to stop. The fear and the pain, the overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

Sammy, recalling the night in an interview, also remembers seeing a phone perched on a dresser and thinking: Am I being filmed?

Two months later, on June 30, an edited recording of Sammy’s alleged assault was posted on OnlyFans, a website where people can create porn and charge for it. The video was marketed by one of her alleged assailants as “train” sex, jargon for multiple men having sex with one woman, according to screenshots obtained by Reuters.

“The full train video is here guys,” he said on OnlyFans. “Who wants it?”

OnlyFans is an adults-only website where anyone — celebrities, porn stars, cash-strapped moms, and aspiring influencers — can sell sexually explicit videos of themselves. Top earners make millions of dollars a year. Created in 2016, OnlyFans now boasts almost 240 million users and has achieved mainstream fame. Beyoncé namechecked it in a song lyric. Rapper Iggy Azalea said it had brought her a small fortune.

But other people have reaped pain, not profit. They describe lives upended after sexually explicit content featuring them was posted and sold on OnlyFans without their consent. Some videos, like Sammy’s, involve alleged sexual assault. Law enforcement has struggled to monitor such nonconsensual pornography on the website, while victims often have limited legal recourse.

OnlyFans says it is building “the safest social media platform in the world.” But a Reuters investigation identified 128 cases in which women and men complained to US law enforcement agencies that sexual content featuring them ended up on OnlyFans without their permission — and was often sold for profit — between January 2019 and November 2023.

Under public records laws, Reuters sought documents on cases involving OnlyFans from more than 250 of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States — the platform’s biggest market. Fifty-six of them produced records in which people complained of explicit, nonconsensual posts on OnlyFans. Reuters also interviewed police officers, prosecutors, legal experts and nine people who said their sexual images appeared without their consent.

Most of the 128 police complaints were lodged by women against men who were former sex partners. They often said the content was produced consensually but was posted without their permission — or even their knowledge. In about 40% of the complaints, the videos also appeared on other popular social media sites, usually as snippets to promote lengthier and more explicit material for sale on OnlyFans.

The cases highlight how technology has transformed modern relationships and the porn industry. Today, anyone with a cellphone and an internet connection can make and distribute sexual videos and images. Filming and sharing these is now an accepted part of many intimate encounters — so long as it’s a lovers’ secret. Posting those videos online, however, can feel like a major betrayal. It can also be illegal.

Some women said their unwanted appearance on OnlyFans had nearly destroyed their lives.

“A whole company has made money off of my biggest trauma,” said Sammy, 21, in her first public comments on the case. She requested that her full name be withheld.

In Texas, a woman described being forced to install a home security system after being harassed by stalkers who saw an OnlyFans video of her that went viral. A Nebraska woman said she struggled to go out in public, terrified that people might recognize her from a sex video her ex-boyfriend was selling on OnlyFans for $15. An Illinois woman said she learned that naked images of herself were circulating from her teenage daughter, who saw them online.

In response to a detailed account of Reuters’ findings, an OnlyFans spokesperson said that “in the few examples where bad actors have misused our platform,” OnlyFans “removed the content swiftly, banned the user and actively supported investigations and prosecutions.”

Sammy, a college student from Florida, has filed the first lawsuit under US federal sex-trafficking laws against OnlyFans.

The spokesperson said OnlyFans had reviewed the cases of Sammy and others described in this report and found that those accounts were deleted either by OnlyFans moderators or the creators themselves. Those deletions sometimes occurred a year or longer after women complained to police, a Reuters review of police records and account information from OnlyFans found.

The spokesperson didn’t elaborate on the cases but said OnlyFans tightened its consent verification procedures in late 2022. The company requires “proof of identification and consent from all individuals featured in any explicit content uploaded to our platform, and we moderate all uploaded content,” she said.

She declined to respond to questions about how explicit content of non-consenting adults could have ended up on the site when OnlyFans says it moderates everything.

Combining social media glamor and the business of sex, OnlyFans casts itself as a new breed of adult website. Most big porn sites offer content for free and make money mainly from advertising. At OnlyFans, revenue is generated by its 3.2 million creators, most of them amateurs. They sell content to their subscribers, or “fans,” usually for a monthly fee of between $4.99 and $50. One-off sales of videos and images through the site’s direct-messaging function can be even more lucrative.

The terms are attractive for OnlyFans creators: They keep 80% of their fans’ payments. For OnlyFans, which takes the rest, it’s a goldmine. According to the most recent filing by its British parent company, Fenix International, OnlyFans’ pre-tax profit in 2022 reached $525 million — almost a hundred-fold increase in just three years. Revenue expanded at least twenty-fold to more than $1 billion.

OnlyFans doesn’t know how many of its creators are making “adult content,” the spokesperson has said. The platform says it also features sports, music, and other non-explicit material.

Beyond the United States, OnlyFans has also seen explosive growth — along with allegations of abuse against celebrities and other content creators.

In Australia, a Queensland man faces trial after being accused of filming himself raping his unconscious girlfriend in 2021 and uploading the video to OnlyFans, according to court records. The man hasn’t entered a plea, a court official said. In Thailand, a married couple was arrested in October on suspicion of drugging and raping four women and a 17-year-old girl, then selling videos of the acts on OnlyFans, Thai police said. The couple hasn’t entered a plea but denied the rape charges, police said. In Romania, former kickboxer Andrew Tate is awaiting trial on rape and sex-trafficking charges connected to running an operation that allegedly forced women to create porn for OnlyFans, said Romanian prosecutors. Mr. Tate denies the charges.

In Britain, Stephen Bear, a former reality show contestant, was sentenced in March 2022 to 21 months in jail after posting a sex video of his ex-girlfriend on OnlyFans without her permission. Mr. Bear, who denied all charges, was released in January after serving half his sentence. He didn’t respond to a request for comment. Reuters documented another 17 cases in Britain in which people had complained to UK authorities of nonconsensual porn appearing on OnlyFans, according to public records obtained from the country’s police forces.

Despite the attention generated by high-profile cases, law enforcement officials say the sheer size of OnlyFans and the paywalls surrounding its individual creators have made it nearly impossible to monitor systematically. OnlyFans is largely a black box to outsiders, much less accessible than social media sites like Instagram, X and Facebook.

The paywall “absolutely, unequivocally adds a barrier,” said Joseph Scaramucci, a deputy sheriff in Texas who formerly worked on a US Department of Homeland Security anti-human trafficking task force. Some law enforcement agencies won’t subscribe to OnlyFans accounts due to budgetary constraints, he said.

There are other reasons perpetrators of nonconsensual porn aren’t held to account, Reuters found. Some people were reluctant to press charges against former lovers. Police often lack expertise in gathering technical evidence of cybercrimes or view the cases as low-priority misdemeanors. Women can be hesitant to share explicit images with male police and prosecutors.

No federal law specifically criminalizes nonconsensual porn. It has been prosecuted under federal anti-trafficking statutes in at least three cases — none of which involved OnlyFans. Complaints typically are handled by local authorities enforcing a patchwork of state laws, and they usually focus on individuals who post abusive content, not on the sites that host it.

OnlyFans chief executive officer Keily Blair has said that “100%” of content is reviewed by human moderators aided by artificial intelligence. But the cases documented by Reuters, including the video of Sammy’s alleged rape, point to significant gaps in this system.

“The victim is clearly saying no” in the video, said Todd Falzone, a lawyer for Sammy. “So if they were really moderating that video, they would have seen and heard that.”

Her alleged assailants, Michelson Romelus and Bendjy Charles, face charges of sexual battery and distributing obscene material. They have pleaded not guilty.

Separately, in federal court in Florida, Sammy is suing the two men — and OnlyFans. Her lawsuit is the first to take on the platform itself under a federal sex-trafficking law that prohibits companies from financially benefiting from commercial sex abuses, according to a Reuters review of court filings and interviews with legal experts. Sammy’s sex-trafficking claim is part of a growing number of lawsuits by people who accuse social media sites of profiting from abusive sexual content. The suits could signal a reckoning for OnlyFans and others in the industry, said five lawyers who specialize in porn and sex-trafficking cases.

“The legal landscape has shifted,” said Julie Dahlstrom, a human trafficking expert at Boston University School of Law. “You’ve seen judges interpreting trafficking laws more expansively,” and “lawyers and survivors understanding that they can bring those cases.”

NO FACE, NO CASE
For some people, the shock of seeing their naked images on OnlyFans was followed by a futile fight for justice.

Amanda Dicrosta’s battle began in Florida in February 2022, when she walked into the Tampa Police Department to file a sexual cyber-harassment complaint against her ex-boyfriend, Mike McFarland, a former player for the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts. “I was just hoping that they would take me seriously,” she said.

The two had dated for about a year and then split up. Mr. McFarland afterward posted videos of them having sex on his OnlyFans and Twitter accounts without her permission, she told police.

Ms. Dicrosta, 28, told police that Mr. McFarland recorded some of the sex videos without her knowledge or consent. She knew other videos existed but said the couple had an understanding that those were private.

When Ms. Dicrosta first learned in June 2020 that Mr. McFarland, 32, had posted the videos on OnlyFans, she confronted him, and he initially took down the videos, she wrote in a sworn police statement. But in August 2021, when she revisited McFarland’s OnlyFans account, she discovered not just those videos but also new ones recorded without her knowledge, she told police.

When she saw videos of her advertised on OnlyFans for $5 each, she felt sick. Mr. McFarland had “exposed my entire body for $5,” Ms. Dicrosta told Reuters. “I can’t even buy a full meal at McDonald’s for $5.”

Ms. Dicrosta said she contacted Mr. McFarland again. This time, he refused to take down the videos, she told police.

On Twitter, Mr. McFarland posted snippets of the videos with links to his OnlyFans account, according to screenshots Ms. Dicrosta provided to Reuters and police. Another ex-boyfriend recognized her body in the videos and shared them with friends, some of whom assumed she was now in the business of “doing porn,” she said.

Mr. McFarland told police that Ms. Dicrosta knew the recordings would be posted on OnlyFans and Twitter. “It was with her consent,” he told Reuters. “I have nothing to lie about.”

X, as Twitter has been renamed, declined to comment on Ms. Dicrosta’s case but said it works to limit sensitive adult content from being shared.

After consulting with the state attorney’s office, police told Ms. Dicrosta the case couldn’t be prosecuted. The videos showed her private parts, underwear, and a bathing suit – but not her face. For the case to proceed in court, the police report said, the videos had to include information that more specifically identified her.

Police closed Ms. Discrosta’s case in July 2022 and told her they’d reopen it if she located any such videos.

“I felt hopeless,” she said. “Do I just need to strip naked and show you my naked body for you to believe me? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to prove to you that this is me?”

To violate Florida law, explicit images shared nonconsensually must contain “personal identification information,” such as unique physical attributes.

Mary Anne Franks, a professor at the George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C., studies the issue of nonconsensual porn and is familiar with Florida’s law. After reviewing Ms. Dicrosta’s case at Reuters’ request, she said the case could have been prosecuted because there was enough context of Dicrosta in the video to allow someone — in this case, a former boyfriend — to recognize her.

The case speaks to a broader problem, Ms. Franks said: Not all police departments are familiar with the nuances of laws on nonconsensual porn, especially as some laws are relatively new.

A Tampa police spokesperson said that detectives “dedicated over five months to the investigation,” but the evidence did “not meet the criteria to establish a criminal violation.”

Ms. Dicrosta felt angry and let down. She thought about the “personal identification information” demanded by Florida law and came up with another way to protect herself in case a sexual partner secretly filmed her in the future.

She walked into a tattoo parlor and had the words “not yours” etched on her backside.

BARRIERS TO PROSECUTION
Ms. Dicrosta’s experience illustrates the long odds of holding people who post nonconsensual porn to account.

Of the 128 US cases Reuters documented, only 28 ended in an arrest and eight resulted in any sort of criminal conviction. Three people went to jail — two for 48 hours each.

Police closed 90 of the cases, including nine for lack of evidence, 12 because investigative leads were exhausted, and 10 because the accusers decided not to pursue charges. The other 38 remained open, including 15 cases marked as “inactive.”

Police documented some cases for “informational purposes only” when the accusers didn’t want to pursue charges but wanted a record of the incident.

Forty-eight states, Washington D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico have criminalized nonconsensual porn in the past two decades. But many laws have loopholes or are weakly enforced, according to lawyers, academics and victim advocates. Repeated efforts by the US Congress to pass federal laws that criminalize nonconsensual porn have failed, largely due to objections by free-speech advocates.

Thirty-eight states classify the sharing of nonconsensual porn as misdemeanors, a low-priority crime for some police departments. Some investigators blame the victims for allowing themselves to be filmed, said Ms. Franks, the law professor.

“There’s not much sympathy for victims to begin with,” she said.

Many of the state laws now used to fight nonconsensual porn are designed to combat “revenge porn,” in which someone posts explicit images to retaliate against a former partner. But in the OnlyFans cases documented by Reuters, the motive often isn’t just retribution. It’s money.

That’s a barrier to prosecutions in some jurisdictions.

In Florida’s Okaloosa County, a man contacted the sheriff’s office in September 2022 after discovering his ex-girlfriend posted a sex video of them on OnlyFans without his permission. Under Florida law, however, the video must be published with intent to cause “substantial emotional distress.”

“Although the victim expressed emotional distress, the intent of the suspect was financial gain, and therefore the elements of this crime have not been met,” the investigating detective said in the case report, which redacted the man’s name.

Police dropped the case.

‘IT NEVER ENDS’
Many OnlyFans creators rely on other social media to promote their content to potential subscribers. Some videos on OnlyFans are published or leaked on other porn sites. And some are disseminated so widely that victims are powerless to stop them.

Adreiona Prater said she was caught in a viral nightmare.

Ms. Prater was 18 when a sex video of her appeared on OnlyFans and other websites. She was attending junior college, studying criminal justice, in Tyler, Texas, in July 2019, when she met and briefly dated Anthony Reshon Scott, then 20.

MS. Prater said she reluctantly allowed Mr. Scott to record them having sex but afterward asked him to delete the video. Mr. Scott assured her he did, she told police.

In February 2020, Ms. Prater discovered the video on Pornhub, another big porn site, and contacted Tyler police. She said she dropped the case after Mr. Scott promised to take the video down, but later discovered it on OnlyFans. She watched helplessly as it took off on social media.

On Oct. 6, 2020, a clip appeared on Mr. Scott’s Twitter account, revealing her face and naked body, police records show. The caption read, “Check out my onlyfans with over 200+ girls,” and provided a link to Mr. Scott’s OnlyFans page. An eight-minute version was also posted to Reddit by an anonymous user, watermarked with the address of Mr. Scott’s OnlyFans account.

In comments under the Reddit post, someone identified Ms. Prater by posting her social media information, according to screenshots she shared with police. On Instagram, one person asked her: “That was you in that onlyfans vid?”

After being harassed by online stalkers, Ms. Prater said she installed a home security system, changed her phone number and called police again, this time in Arlington, Texas, where she’d recently moved.

“I just felt so scared,” she said.

An Arlington police detective investigating Ms. Prater’s report ran into a problem: the OnlyFans paywall. It required a $5 monthly subscription fee. “So I was unable to view the contents,” Detective Jacklyn Donalson wrote in a case report.

Ms. Donalson told Reuters she knew from experience that it would be tough to convince her superiors to pay for a porn subscription, especially when there was no guarantee it would provide usable evidence.

“Like all government agencies, our resources are finite,” said Tim Ciesco, spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department. “We have to be strategic about the way we disperse them.”

The case might have stalled there. Without a subscription, there’s almost no public information on OnlyFans accounts available to investigators. Some seek subpoenas to force OnlyFans to disclose account information, but that involves persuading a court that it’s relevant to an investigation.

In Ms. Prater’s case, however, Ms. Donalson said she ultimately was able to document enough evidence of a crime without Mr. Scott’s OnlyFans information because the video appeared on other platforms, including Twitter.

Spokespeople for Reddit and X didn’t comment on Ms. Prater’s case but said their platforms strictly prohibit nonconsensual porn. Pornhub operator Aylo said it “expeditiously” removed the video when it learned about it.

In August 2021, a Tarrant County grand jury indicted Mr. Scott for violating Texas’ “revenge porn” law, a felony. The jury cited his Twitter post that advertised his OnlyFans page.

In a conversation that Ms. Prater recorded and submitted to police, Mr. Scott told her he would pay her to drop the charges, according to the recording, which Reuters reviewed. This time, Ms. Prater refused.

Mr. Scott pleaded guilty in June 2022 to publishing intimate visual material without Ms. Prater’s consent, and received three years of community supervision, akin to probation. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Mr. Scott said in an interview. “I want to leave it at that.”

As police investigated her case, Ms. Prater wrote to OnlyFans on Feb. 23, 2021, to complain about the video and give them the name of Mr. Scott’s OnlyFans account. The company replied the next day, saying the video would be removed if confirmed to be nonconsensual, according to a screenshot of the message that Ms. Prater shared with Reuters.

“We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously,” a help desk representative wrote to her.

Ms. Prater said she never heard from OnlyFans again.

According to OnlyFans, the complaint contained “no actionable information.” The company did not elaborate but told Reuters its moderators deactivated the account in April 2022 — more than a year after Ms. Prater’s takedown request.

Versions of the sex video remain online, the OnlyFans watermark still visible.

“I still get harassed about it to this day,” Prater said. “It never ends.”

‘MY HEART DROPPED. IT WAS ME’
The surge of pornography unleashed by OnlyFans and other websites in the smartphone era is reminiscent of the “Golden Age of Porn,” a period in the 1970s and 1980s when another technological advance — home video players — brought porn to a much wider audience.

As the porn market expands, turbo-charged by social media, so does the challenge of verifying consent.

OnlyFans’ terms of service say creators must have documents to prove the age, identity, and consent of other people who appear in their content, unless OnlyFans has already vetted those people as creators too. But multiple creators said in interviews that they have uploaded porn featuring others without providing that proof.

The OnlyFans spokesperson said the company strengthened procedures in late 2022 to require proof of consent before creators could post content on the platform. Yet Reuters found more than a dozen cases filed with US law enforcement agencies in 2023 in which people alleged that explicit videos or images were posted without their consent.

In addition, of the nine people Reuters interviewed who said they were victims of nonconsensual porn, all said they were never asked for documents.

“Even if you have content moderation rules that are fairly clear against nonconsensual intimate images, those rules are abused regularly,” said Danielle Citron, a University of Virginia School of Law professor who has studied online abuse on porn platforms.

While CEO Keily Blair pledges that OnlyFans monitors 100% of content, the terms of service say the company has no obligation to do so: “We are not responsible for reviewing or moderating Content.”

The company spokesperson didn’t address the apparent inconsistency but said: “We know the legal identity of all our creators and work closely with law enforcement around the world. This approach means OnlyFans is an extremely hostile environment for anyone” seeking to share nonconsensual sexual content, she said.

Some women said they were only able to confirm suspicions or rumors of their appearance on OnlyFans by buying access to images or videos of themselves.

Jennifer Aviles told police she initially heard about the explicit videos of herself from her 15-year-old daughter. The teen discovered Twitter posts by Ms. Aviles’ ex-boyfriend, William Lewis, that advertised his OnlyFans account with images of her face and body.

“I got my only fans set up if y’all want to see some really GOOD STUFF,” Mr. Lewis tweeted on Oct. 18, 2020.

“I looked at it and my heart dropped. It was me,” Ms. Aviles, 40, of Woodstock, Illinois, recalled in an interview.

Ms. Aviles knew that explicit images and videos had been taken during their eight-year relationship. “I enjoyed being recorded, then watching afterwards,” she said. “I think it’s why most people consent to do intimate videos.”

But she told police that she had asked Mr. Lewis to delete the images after they broke up. “Being vulnerable like that involves a lot of trust. Little did I know years later it would haunt me.”

Wanting to know exactly what Mr. Lewis had posted of her on his OnlyFans page, she paid for a $50 monthly subscription to his account, she said. She discovered photos and videos of her naked body and of her engaged in sexual acts with Mr. Lewis.

Ms. Aviles called the Woodstock Police Department.

On Aug. 29, 2021, a detective brought Mr. Lewis, 41, to the police station for questioning. During the videotaped interview, which Reuters reviewed, Mr. Lewis initially denied posting explicit material of Aviles on OnlyFans or Twitter. Then he said he couldn’t remember. Then he broke down in tears. “I’m hoping this doesn’t ruin the rest of my life,” he said.

In May 2022, Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of nonconsensual dissemination of a sexual image — a felony. He received 24 months of probation.

“I am remorseful,” Mr. Lewis told Reuters. “I do feel bad about putting it out there into the universe.”

OnlyFans confirmed it responded to a police inquiry about Aviles’ case in March 2021 and that the account had been deleted the previous November. X didn’t comment on the case but says it bans non-consensual nudity on the platform.

Far from giving consent, 11 women and five men involved in the cases reviewed by Reuters told police they had no idea that images featured on OnlyFans even existed until after they had been posted. Each said the videos had been recorded without their knowledge.

Taysha Blase, 29, was among them.

The Nebraska woman said she had subscribed to her ex-boyfriend’s OnlyFans account out of curiosity. What she found distressed her. Her ex, Vincent Tran, 31, sent out a notification in July 2021 offering his OnlyFans subscribers a 47-second sex video of a “PAWG,” or Phat Ass White Girl, for $15.

The video showed a distinctive tattoo. Ms. Blase said it was hers.

The next morning, Ms. Blase contacted the Omaha Police Department. She told Reuters she also submitted an online complaint to OnlyFans about Mr. Tran’s account but never received a response. According to OnlyFans, “no actionable information” was provided to the platform at that time.

About a month later, Ms. Blase said, she heard from the police that her case would be forwarded to the domestic violence unit. By that time, Mr. Tran had taken down the video, but Ms. Blase still wanted him charged, fearing the post could resurface, she said.

For months, Ms. Blase said, she felt distraught and uncomfortable in public, wondering who might have seen her on OnlyFans. “For all I know,” she said, “that person may now know what the most intimate parts of my body look like, and there’s nothing that I can do about it.”

On Dec. 12, 2023 — more than two years after Ms. Blase reported the incident to police, and nearly four months after Reuters first inquired about the case — an arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Tran. It alleged he recorded and distributed an intimate video of Blase without her consent — felonies in Nebraska.

Mr. Tran remains at large. Reuters reached him by telephone, however, and asked about the case.

“That’s something I don’t want to talk about,” he said.

‘WHEN I HAVE SEX… I ALWAYS FILM IT’
One alleged victim of nonconsensual porn is setting her sights on OnlyFans itself: Sammy, the college student.

Her lawsuit, filed in November 2022 in federal court in southern Florida, isn’t just about her alleged rape, but also about who profited from it.

It’s the first of its kind against OnlyFans and tests whether the website is liable under federal statutes designed to protect people from companies that “knowingly” benefit from sex trafficking — defined as commercial sex produced under “force, fraud, or coercion.”

“Those types of claims require that there be a financial benefit to the platform,” said Carrie Goldberg, a New York lawyer specializing in nonconsensual porn cases. “There’s really no easier platform to prove that for than OnlyFans,” she said, because the website takes a 20% cut of every transaction.

Sammy’s lawsuit cites violations of the same sex-trafficking laws used in a high-profile case against Pornhub. In 2021, its parent company, MindGeek, settled a sex-trafficking lawsuit brought by 50 women who accused the site of hosting nonconsensual porn and sought $100 million in damages.

The parent company — now called Aylo Holdings — said it has comprehensive safety measures to eradicate illegal material.

Sammy’s case, if successful, could bring similar attention to OnlyFans and its effectiveness in policing millions of creators, four legal experts told Reuters. It could also spur more lawsuits, they said.

OnlyFans did not comment on the experts’ assessments.

In a court filing, OnlyFans’ US subsidiary, Fenix Internet, said it will seek to have Sammy’s sex-trafficking case dismissed, citing free-speech protections that shield social media platforms and other websites from liability for content posted by users. If the two men did post the video, they would have violated OnlyFans’ terms of service, the company said.

Sammy’s lawsuit against OnlyFans is on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case against the men, Romelus and Charles.

Reuters couldn’t access the video of Sammy’s alleged rape posted on OnlyFans, which her attorney said lasted about 10 minutes. Instead, reporters viewed screenshots and listened to parts of the recording played by Miami-Dade detectives while questioning Romelus and Charles. They also pieced together Sammy’s story from other law enforcement records and interviews with her.

It was spring break in 2022, when Sammy, a music production student and aspiring singer, met Charles, 24, on a dating app. He invited her to a party at his apartment, she told police and Reuters.

She was excited when Charles picked her up that night with Romelus, 27, in the passenger seat. But when the three arrived at the apartment, no one else was there. After some drinks and dancing, the men grew sexually aggressive, she said.

Their behavior culminated in an attack in the bedroom, where Sammy said she was stripped, slapped, raped, and sodomized — all while a phone recorded her from atop a dresser.

“I was disoriented, shocked, scared,” she told Reuters. “I was just overwhelmed with how powerless I felt.”

She gathered her clothes and tried to take refuge in the living room, she said, but was again raped there. She said Romelus stood over her, holding his phone close to his head. At the time, Sammy thought he was on FaceTime, talking to someone, and shielded her face with her hands.

In fact, police said, Romelus was recording.

Afterward, the men took her to the workplace of her friend, Chris Philbert. As he drove her home, she broke down, punching the dashboard and swearing, Sammy and Philbert said in interviews. She opened the car door and tried to hurl herself onto the highway, because it felt “like the moment I’m supposed to die,” Sammy said. Her friend pulled her back in. “It was bad,” Philbert said. “It was just a terrible situation.”

Later, she checked herself into a hospital, where she called police.

Meanwhile, Philbert, after learning from Sammy that she might have been filmed, found Romelus’ OnlyFans page. Using OnlyFans’ messaging function, he said he was interested in buying a video of three people having sex, according to screenshots of his chats with Romelus provided to Reuters by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office.

On June 30, Romelus sold Philbert the video for $20, the screenshots showed. “More good videos coming my boy,” he told Philbert.

Philbert shared the video with investigators, and on July 26, 2022, Miami-Dade police arrested Romelus and Charles. They both denied they had raped Sammy. “Nobody forced her,” Romelus said in a video-recorded interview with two detectives, which Reuters reviewed.

The detectives played the OnlyFans video for Romelus on a phone. “In the video she says, ‘No, stop.’ Did you hear her?” Detective Nicole Wells said to Romelus. “She’s pushing you off.”

Romelus said he thought she was protesting because he was penetrating her too deeply. She knew she was being recorded and consented, he added. “When I have sex with somebody I always film it.”

When the detectives played the video for Charles, he said he couldn’t hear Sammy saying no and didn’t know the video had been posted on OnlyFans.

It’s unclear how long OnlyFans hosted the video or how many customers viewed it. Eleven days after it was posted, a lawyer for Sammy e-mailed police and said she was seeking to have it removed from the site “ASAP,” according to Miami-Dade Police Department records. The video has since been removed.

According to OnlyFans, it deactivated the account on July 29, 2022 — three days after Romelus’ arrest. OnlyFans didn’t comment further on the case.

The OnlyFans video remains key evidence against the defendants, who are out on bond and due to stand trial later this year. Charles declined to comment, as did the public defender’s office representing Romelus.

The detectives questioned Romelus for an hour on the day of his arrest, then left him alone in the interview room.

A camera in the room continued to record.

He sank his head into his hands and spoke quietly to himself. The man who had filmed Sammy seemed unaware he was now being filmed himself.

“I should have never posted that video,” Romelus said. “I’m so stupid.” — Reuters

ACEN obtains higher rating from CDP

ACEN Corp. has obtained a higher rating from nonprofit global entity CDP, which measures a company’s disclosure and environmental performance, the Ayala-led company said on Thursday.

“Our commitment to environmental transparency through CDP is a pivotal element of our sustainability strategy,” Jonathan Back, chief finance officer and chief strategy officer of ACEN Group, said in a statement.

“It not only reaffirms our accountability to stakeholders but also enhances our capability to manage environmental risks as we expand our renewable energy portfolio globally,” he added.

The company received a “B” score, which indicates that it has addressed the environmental impact of its businesses and that it has ensured good environmental management.

This rating is two levels up from its last year’s “C” score which indicates awareness-level engagement.

With the new rating, ACEN said that it “signifies the company’s strong environmental accountability to its stakeholders, helping it assess, identify, and manage environmental risks amid a growing renewables portfolio.”

The company attributed the improvement in its CDP score to its energy transition mechanism (ETM) made for the full divestment of the 246-megawatt South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp. coal plant.

Under the ETM framework, the coal plant will be retired by 2040, reducing its operating life of up to 50 years by half and reducing up to 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

“With over 23,000 businesses disclosing through CDP this year, it is clear that sustainability — and the data that underpins it — is not a ‘nice to have,’ but an essential part of long-term success in the business community that is showing no sign of slowing down — nor should it,” CDP Chief Executive Officer Sherry Madera said.

ACEN said that it has “actively participated” in the climate change questionnaire since starting its disclosures with CDP in 2022.

“The company’s ongoing efforts align with the increasing demand for environmental transparency from financial institutions, customers and policy makers,” the company said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

HR as a balancing act

Most of the time, we human resource (HR) managers are often asked the question — is HR for the workers or management? It’s not exactly a difficult question. My answer to that — HR should work in support of the organization’s best interests. Do you agree? — Blue Mountain.

I agree, 101%. However, many HR so-called professionals don’t share that opinion. They act like horses with partial blinders, favoring only management. That reason alone sends the wrong signal to the workers, which are HR’s customers as well. Even management would agree to that.

That’s why HR is required to pursue programs on engagement, empowerment, and others to reduce attrition rates and to motivate workers to do their best. A good example of the balancing act HR must pull off is as follows:

Bobby is a department manager who supervises the work of Ernie. Last week, Ernie went to Henry, the HR manager, to complain about his boss’ toxic style. What’s the best approach for HR? First, HR must clarify with Ernie on how he feels about the way Bobby operates.

The examples must be based on actual facts that can be verified independently.

Simple allegations will not cut it. However, Henry should be sincere in showing he’s interested in helping Ernie, whose job may be adversely affected if his negative views of Bobby become public. Let Ernie feel that his complaint is being treated seriously. However, if Henry finds Ernie’s complaint unmeritorious, he should explain it well without any hint of favoring Bobby.

Conversely, if there’s merit to Ernie’s complaint, Henry should coax him to discuss the issue with Bobby. This is much better than HR resolving the case between the two to avoid escalating the situation by causing Bobby to feel aggrieved about Ernie going behind his back.

If Henry is too timid to assert himself, then the best way is for HR to indirectly resolve the issue by coming up with a coaching program for all line supervisors and managers on avoiding conflict with their workers, without mentioning Bobby.

THE DAVE ULRICH FRAMEWORK
There’s no better way to perform HR’s job than to follow the four-fold framework of David Olson Ulrich, a global HR guru and university management professor. The framework prescribes that HR professionals should ensure that everyone works towards the best interests of the organization.

The HR manager can wear the hats of a strategic partner, an employee champion, an administrative expert and a change agent, not necessarily in that order.

One, HR as strategic partner. This means selecting the best workers and managing their career growth with an eye towards retaining them long term. It also means establishing policies and programs that are not limited to training, one-on-one coaching, and intra- or inter-department transfers, among other interventions.

Two, HR as employee champion. This involves teaching line leaders, supervisors, and managers how to proactively identify and learn the specific sentiments and concerns of their workers. This can be done by coaching all line leaders on how to conduct casual but effective engagement dialogues.

Three, HR as administrative expert. This requires focusing on process improvement in all HR tasks to ensure efficiency in meeting the specific needs of employees. A good example of this is the prompt issuance of an employment certificate and other documents, and limiting the number of signatories to the bare minimum in leave applications.

Four, HR as a change agent. HR should also serve as a catalyst for organizational change and transformation using the corporate mission, vision, and value statements as a compass. Programs to make this happen include the conduct of an annual employee morale survey, monthly town hall meetings, team problem-solving activities, etc.

NOT A RUBBER STAMP
An HR department head should be an objective professional who must serve the organization’s best interests, rather than meet the specific whims and caprices of department heads. For instance, when another department head asks HR to organize an exclusive training program on problem-solving for its employees, the best approach of HR is to ask the following questions tactfully:

What made you think it is important for your employees to be in that training program? How many employees in your department have a poor performance rating that could be attributed to their failure to solve problems? Have you explored other options to company-sponsored training? How about considering free courses offered by Coursera or other entities for training outside of office hours?

If the diplomatic approach does not succeed, the HR professional should be assertive enough to push back if a department head steps out of line. Indeed, HR must reconcile the interests of both labor and management and not act as anyone’s rubber stamp.

 

Bring Rey Elbo’s popular leadership program called “Superior Subordinate Supervision” to your management team. Contact him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter) or e-mail elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.com

How PSEi member stocks performed — March 14, 2024

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Thursday, March 14, 2024.