OpenAI plans to announce Google search competitor on Monday, sources say

May 10, 2024 | 12:24 pm

OpenAI plans to announce its artificial intelligence-powered search product on Monday, according to two sources familiar with the matter, raising the stakes in its competition with search king Google.

The announcement date, though subject to change, has not been previously reported. Bloomberg and the Information have reported that Microsoft-backed OpenAI is working on a search product to potentially compete with Alphabet’s Google and with Perplexity, a well-funded AI search startup.

OpenAI declined to comment.

The announcement could be timed a day before the Tuesday start of Google’s annual I/O conference, where the tech giant is expected to unveil a slew of AI-related products.

OpenAI’s search product is an extension of its flagship ChatGPT product, and enables ChatGPT to pull in direct information from the Web and include citations, according to Bloomberg. ChatGPT is OpenAI’s chatbot product that uses the company’s cutting-edge AI models to generate human-like responses to text prompts.

Industry observers have long called ChatGPT an alternative for gathering online information, though it has struggled with providing accurate and real-time information from the Web. OpenAI earlier gave it an integration with Microsoft’s Bing for paid subscribers. Meanwhile, Google has announced generative AI features for its own namesake engine.

Startup Perplexity, which has a valuation of $1 billion, was founded by a former OpenAI researcher, and has gained traction through providing an AI-native search interface that shows citations in results and images as well as text in its responses. It has 10 million monthly active users, according to a January blog post from the startup.

At the time, OpenAI’s ChatGPT product was called the fastest application to ever reach 100 million monthly active users after it launched in late 2022. However, worldwide traffic to ChatGPT’s website has been on a roller-coaster ride in the past year and is only now returning to its May 2023 peak, according to analytics firm Similarweb, and the AI company is under pressure to expand its user base.

An earlier attempt to bring updated and real-world information in to ChatGPT, called ChatGPT plugins, was retired in April, according to a help center posting on OpenAI’s website. – Reuters

US to post influenza A wastewater data online to assist bird flu probe, official says

May 10, 2024 | 12:18 pm

cows-8114279_1280 — STOCK PHOTO | Image by katerinavulcova from Pixabay

CHICAGO – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to post data on influenza A found in wastewater in a public dashboard possibly as soon as Friday that could offer new clues into the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in cattle herds.

CDC wastewater team lead Amy Kirby told Reuters on Thursday that the agency has identified spikes of influenza A, of which H5N1 is a subtype, in a handful of sites and is investigating the source. She said there is no indication of human infection with H5N1.

Testing wastewater from sewers proved to be a powerful tool for detecting mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kirby said the CDC has been collecting influenza data in wastewater in about 600 sites since at least last fall to better track respiratory infections. That data can now be helpful in tracking the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu that has infected 42 dairy herds in nine US states, and one dairy farm worker.

Scientists are closely watching for changes in the virus that could make it spread more easily among humans.

The wastewater tests are capable of detecting many types of influenza A, including the H5N1 subtype, but the findings do not indicate the source of the virus or whether it came from a bird, cow, milk or from farm runoff or humans.

The dashboard will allow individuals to check for increases in influenza A in their area, and compare it with historical data where available. Seasonal influenza cases have fallen off sharply, so spikes could offer a signal about unusual flu activity.

So far, testing has identified some increases in the presence of flu in samples that are “very localized in only a handful of sites,” Kirby said.

What is surprising, she said, is the outbreak in cattle and the presence of virus in milk, which sometimes makes its way into wastewater. The agency is now working to identify what factors are contributing to the wastewater findings, including understanding the presence of milk in wastewater.

‘NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE COWS’

Dr. Marc Johnson, a virologist at the University of Missouri who developed a wastewater monitoring system for COVID, and other scientists have developed tests that can identify H5N1 in wastewater samples, but he said the CDC is discouraging use of such tests.

Kirby said such widespread testing would be a drain on resources and ultimately would not identify the source of the virus, although there may be times when such subtyping is needed.

“It really doesn’t get us any further to knowing what the source of this is. Is it dairy? Or is it human? Or is it wild birds? Or is it poultry? All of those things are still on the table,” she said. “It doesn’t get us any farther down the road.”

Johnson said such tests put scientists in a better position to track changes in the virus.

“I’m not worried about the cows. I’m not worried about the milk. But I’m worried that there are lots of other animals that it can jump to, and eventually it’s going to find a combination that can make it into humans if we’re not careful,” he said.

Academic researchers working with Verily, a health sciences unit of Alphabet, already demonstrated how wastewater can help in the outbreak.

Their not yet peer-reviewed paper, posted on medRxiv, identified the virus in three wastewater plants in two Texas cities where infected cattle were present.

Using archived samples, they identified bird flu in wastewater as early as Feb. 25, before the first reports of cattle with unknown illnesses on March 7, and a full month before Texas confirmed H5N1 in dairy cattle.

“That represents a really significant lead time that we can have if we’re implementing this work as widely and as readily as we should be as a country,” said Dr. Marlene Wolfe, from Emory University in Atlanta and program director of WastewaterSCAN, a wastewater detection program supported by Verily. – Reuters

Philippines eyes boost to nickel processing capacity

May 10, 2024 | 11:30 am

mining-people — STOCK PHOTO | Image by Tshekiso Tebalo from Pixabay

MANILA – The Philippines said on Friday it aimed to add three more processing plants in the effort to develop a downstream industry for its abundant nickel resources, after nations such as China and the United States expressed interest in the mining sector.

The Southeast Asian nation is looking to follow neighboring Indonesia, which lured major investment in processing plants for its huge deposits of nickel ore after banning unprocessed exports in 2020.

Environment Minister Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, whose agency also regulates mining, said the Philippines should boost its capacity to process nickel, a key component in producing EV batteries.

Australia, Britain, Canada and European Union nations had also shown interest in the Philippines, she said.

“We do wish we were part of the value chain, rather than just the supply chain,” Ms. Loyzaga told a briefing.

“We want to be able to foster an environment that will encourage investments in processing by making sure we’re able to facilitate exploration, and facilitate extraction in a responsible way.”

Ceferino Rodolfo, the undersecretary for trade, said the Philippines was targeting three more processing plants to boost its capacity and add value to its nickel output. He did not give details, however.

The country now has two nickel processing plants, both partly owned by the biggest ore producer, Nickel Asia Corp.

Processing its nickel ore output would be the ideal scenario for the Philippines, said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and the time was right as its seeks to add value to its production of minerals.

“This energy transition issue has made our critical minerals not just an economic value proposition, but also has implications for energy security, national security,” Mr. Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of a mining forum.

With its large untapped mineral deposits, the Philippines is studying possible incentives for mining companies, he added.

The latest government figures show that the Philippines, a major supplier of nickel ore to top metals consumer China, produced 35.14 million dry metric tons last year, an increase of 19% on the year. – Reuters

JG Summit Holdings, Inc. sets 2024 Annual Meeting of the Stockholders on June 3

May 10, 2024 | 8:00 am

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Philippine economy grows by 5.7%

May 10, 2024 | 12:34 am

Kamuning Flyover — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY grew by 5.7% in the first quarter, outdoing most of its peers in Southeast Asia despite slowing consumption and government spending, according to the local statistics agency.

But the expansion was below the 5.9% median forecast of 20 economists in a BusinessWorld poll last week. The less-than-expected growth makes a case for the Philippine central bank to keep rates steady next week despite quickening inflation.

“Despite various risks and challenges, the economic outlook for the Philippines in the near and medium terms remains bright,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan told a news briefing on Thursday.

“With hard work and the right policies in place, we are confident that we will achieve our growth target of 6-7% this year,” he added.

The Philippines’ first-quarter growth is about the same as Vietnam’s 5.6% and ahead of China’s 5.3%, Indonesia’s 5.1% and Malaysia’s 3.9%.

Last quarter’s expansion was better than 5.5% in the previous quarter. On a quarterly basis, the economy grew by 1.3%, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.

Mr. Balisacan said the growth showed the resilience of the Philippine economy, which posted the fastest advance in Southeast Asia last year. But interest rates at a 17-year high and red-hot inflation may be limiting economic activity.

Household spending, which accounts for more than 70% of economic output, rose by 4.6% last quarter, the slowest after a coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Balisacan attributed weaker consumption to spiraling prices of major food items and El Niño.

The “moderated growth” in domestic demand reflected the less favorable business sentiment, he said. Construction slowed amid prolonged periods of extreme heat.

State spending growth also slowed to 1.7%, while investment increased by 1.3% from 11.6% in the fourth quarter.

“Consumption of durable equipment is also quite low,” Mr. Balisacan said. “That’s the likely effect of high interest rates.”

“Globally, inflation is coming down faster than earlier expected. We should see this continued improvement. Even domestically, we should see loosening of the rates eventually,” he added.

Inflation quickened for the third straight month to 3.8% in April. It was 3.7% in March and 3.4% in February.

“As domestic and external headwinds persist in 2024, the government will continue pushing forward growth-enhancing strategies to boost economic expansion and ensure that the Philippines remains on track with its medium- to long-term goals,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said in a separate statement.

To finance the P5.767-trillion national budget for 2024, the agency is boosting resource mobilization efforts to collect P4.3 trillion in revenues. “The government is on track to meet this goal, with total revenues already reaching roughly P1.41 trillion as of the end of April,” he said.

The Finance chief also said the government is trying to improve nontax revenues to generate more funds without imposing additional taxes, mainly through dividend remittances from state-owned corporations.

MODERATE GROWTH
Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa, senior economist at ING Bank N.V. Manila, said the first-quarter economic output data strengthen their expectations that full-year growth would settle below the government’s 6-7% target.

“We do not expect any adjustment to the current policy settings,” he said in a note. “However, a sustained deceleration of inflation and disappointment on the growth front could convince the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to cut rates as soon as the US Fed does later this year.”

Makoto Tsuchiya, assistant economist at Oxford Economics, expects private consumption to “more or less remain at the current level.” “The drop was bigger than we had expected, but the direction is in line with our narrative that household spending will be subdued this year,” he said in an e-mail.

Despite the weaker momentum brought by a gloomy outlook on exports and investment, Mr. Makoto said growth would likely improve this quarter.

Aris Dacanay, an economist at HSBC Global Research, expects growth to moderate in the second half due to base effects. “The longer the BSP keeps its monetary stance tight, the larger the drag will likely be for growth,” he said in a note.

Economic recovery is unlikely to be robust due to “rising unemployment, stabilizing income and elevated borrowing costs,” ANZ Research economist Debalika Sarkar and Chief Economist Sanjay Mathur said in a separate note.

Mr. Balisacan said the first-quarter growth mirrored the lagged effects of the central bank’s aggressive interest rate increases that began in May 2022.

“What’s so encouraging though is that despite these developments, our exports were able to recover from high negatives last year, especially in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter,” he said.

Exports grew by 7.5% in the first quarter, while imports rose by 2.3%.

The growth of services, which had the biggest contribution to the economy among major industries, eased to 6.9%.

It contributed 4.2 percentage points, followed by industry with 1.51 points and agriculture with 0.03 point. Farm growth also slowed to 0.4% from 2.2% a year ago. Industry growth quickened to 5.1% from 4.1% a year earlier.

Shivaan Tandon, Capital Economics Emerging Asia economist, said weaker economic performance would probably continue.

“We expect further weakness over the rest of the year as tight monetary policy, slower growth in remittances and weaker export demand weigh on activity,” he said in a note.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index slumped by 1.75% or 116.72 points to close at 6,542.46, while the peso finished half-a-centavo stronger at P57.38 a dollar. — Mariedel Irish U. Catilogo

June rate cut by BSP still possible, says Pantheon

May 10, 2024 | 12:33 am

Vegetable-market-vendors — PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

By Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson, Reporter

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) might still cut interest rates as early as June amid weaker-than-expected economic growth and as inflation comes within target, Pantheon Macroeconomics said.

“Our call for a June cut is grounded on the assumption that first-quarter gross domestic product will fall short of expectations, enough to override any potential BSP fears over a likely — albeit temporary — breach of its consumer price index (CPI) target range in May,” it said in a report.

The Philippine economy grew by 5.7% last quarter from 5.5% a quarter earlier and 6.4% a year ago.

This fell short of the government’s 6-7% full-year target for 2024 and was below the 5.9% median forecast in a BusinessWorld poll of 20 economists last week.

Pantheon Macroeconomics said hopes for a June rate cut were “still alive.”

At its April meeting, the BSP stood pat for a fourth straight time and kept its benchmark rate at a 17-year high of 6.5%.

The Monetary Board’s next policy review is on May 16.

BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. earlier said they would consider easing if inflation could firmly settle at around 3% for several months.

“The latest [inflation] result helps to bolster our admittedly fraying below-consensus conviction that the Monetary Board will cut rates by a total of 100 basis points (bps) this year, with the first reduction still possible in June,” Pantheon said.

Inflation quickened for a third straight month to 3.8% in April from 3.7% in March. It has stayed within the BSP’s 2-4% target for the fifth straight month.

Inflation averaged 3.4% in the first four months, still below the central bank’s 3.8% full-year forecast.

Pantheon noted that food prices could push inflation higher next month.

“Adverse food base effects, which pushed up food inflation further in April to a six-month high of 6%, will remain unhelpful for the next report, lifting the headline to 4.1% in our estimates.”

Food inflation quickened to 6.3% in April from 5.7% in March, driven by elevated vegetable and rice prices.

“Crucially, food-price base effects will turn decisively and increasingly helpful from June to September, pulling CPI inflation back comfortably within the BSP’s target range.”

The BSP earlier said inflation could temporarily accelerate above target in the next two quarters due to base effects and El Niño.

As of April 30, agricultural damage from El Niño had reached P5.9 billion. Rice was the most affected crop, accounting for 53.21% of total farm damage, equivalent to P3.14 billion.

PHL consumption may rebound as inflation moderates

May 10, 2024 | 12:32 am

Fish market-vendor — PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

PHILIPPINE CONSUMER SPENDING is expected to rebound this year amid easing inflation and improved labor conditions, Fitch Solutions unit BMI said.

“We have a positive outlook for consumer spending in the Philippines in 2024,” it said in an e-mailed commentary on May 8. “Easing inflationary pressures, a slightly favorable labor market and lower interest rates form the base for consumer spending growth.”

BMI sees household spending expanding by 6.4% this year.

The statistics agency on Thursday said household consumption grew by 4.6% in the first quarter, slower than 5.3% in the fourth quarter and 6.4% a year ago.

It was the slowest since the 4.8% decline in the first quarter of 2021 amid a coronavirus pandemic.

Consumption accounts for three-quarters of the Philippine economy.

“Spending will remain impacted by the environment of elevated inflationary pressures over 2023 as well as high debt levels and servicing costs,” BMI said.

“However, easing inflation and a tight labor market will support spending, as real wage growth returns to positive territory, supporting purchasing power over the year,” it added.

Inflation quickened for the third straight month to 3.8% in April from 3.7% in March. It was within the central bank’s 2-4% target for a fifth straight month.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects inflation to average 3.8% this year.

“Easing inflationary pressures will provide relief on real household income and enable growth in spending,” BMI said. It also cited the country’s “strong labor market dynamics.”

“This was driven by rapid economic recoveries locally and globally,” it said. “The Philippine government was supportive of local labor markets, resulting in a tightening that pushed up nominal wages.”

Data from the statistics agency showed that the unemployment rate rose to a two-month high of 3.9% in March, equivalent to two million jobless Filipinos.

The underemployment rate eased to 11% from 12.4% a month earlier, the lowest since September 2023.

BMI expects the jobless rate to improve amid government efforts to boost jobs, attract more foreign investments and promote more public-private partnerships.

On the other hand, consumer spending could be dampened by a decline in remittances, a weaker economy and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which could stoke oil prices and inflation.

BMI cited the risks to the remittance outlook. “There are several risks to this income over 2024, mostly related to potential financial stress in several global markets, especially the US, which accounts for 41% of total remittances.”

Cash remittances rose by 3% in February to $2.65 billion, data from the central bank showed.

“Another risk is the strengthening of the peso, which could reduce the amounts sent back by overseas workers in local currency terms,” it added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Philippine debt-to-GDP ratio at 60.2%

May 10, 2024 | 12:31 am

road construction-workers — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE NATIONAL Government’s (NG) debt as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP) stood at 60.2% as of the first quarter, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said on Thursday.

This was below 61.1% a year ago but higher than 60.1% at the end of last year, it said in a statement.

This year, the government’s debt-to-GDP ratio target was set at 60.3%. It seeks to bring this down further to 55.9% by 2028.

The threshold considered by multilateral lenders to be manageable for developing economies is 60%.

As of end-March, the NG’s outstanding debt slid by 1.67% to P14.93 trillion from the record-high P15.18 trillion at end-February, mainly due to the net redemption of government securities.

The Treasury said the deficit-to-GDP ratio stood at 4.46% at end-March, from 4.82% a year ago and 6.2% at the end of 2023. It was also well below the 5.6% deficit ceiling set by the government this year.

The country’s budget deficit narrowed by 6.82% to P195.9 billion in March from a year earlier. In the first quarter, the fiscal gap widened by 0.65% to P272.6 billion.

The below-target debt and deficit ratios were due to the “continued recovery of the economy,” Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said in a Viber message.

He also cited improved tax collection, disciplined government spending and other fiscal reform measures.

“These tax and fiscal reform measures, alongside faster GDP growth that is among the fastest in Asia would help further reduce the NG debt-to-GDP ratio, which would help support the country’s favorable credit ratings,” he added.

The Philippine economy grew by 5.7% last quarter from 5.5% in the previous quarter and 6.4% a year ago. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

PLDT Q1 income hits P9.8B with data, broadband growth

May 10, 2024 | 12:08 am

PANGILINAN-LED telecommunications company PLDT Inc. saw its attributable net income climb by 8.9% to P9.82 billion for the first quarter (Q1) from P9.06 billion a year ago, boosted by higher net service revenues.

PLDT’s combined revenues for the period expanded by 3.6% to P54.22 billion from P52.36 billion previously driven by service revenues.

“We continue to squeeze growth out of an industry that seems bound by gravity. That said, our first quarter results are encouraging. We are determined to break past this gravitational hold,” PLDT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

Broken down, service revenues lifted the company’s top line after climbing by 5% to P52.2 billion from last year’s P49.73 billion, representing 96.3% of the company’s revenues for the period, while non-service revenues accounted for the 3.7% share at P2.03 billion.

Among its service revenues, the company’s individual wireless segment posted P21.1 billion, while mobile data revenues reached P18.8 billion, PLDT said.

To date, active data users grew to 39.4 million with an average data usage per subscriber at 11.6 gigabytes.

PLDT’s telco core income, which excludes the impact of asset sale and Maya Innovations Holdings, formerly Voyager Innovations Holdings, reached P9.32 billion, 7.9% higher than the P8.64 billion in the first quarter last year.

The telecommunications company’s wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. has recorded a total of 59 million mobile subscribers as of end-March.

Digital Lender Maya Bank, Inc. is expecting to launch more loan and investment products this year to help boost the company’s goal to serve unbanked and underserved markets.

For the first quarter, Maya has disbursed P34 billion in loans with 59% of its borrowers having Maya as their first and only bank, it said, adding that this highlights the digital inclusion roadmap of the company.

“Maya continues to solidify its status as the Philippines’ payment backbone by enabling thousands of large, small, and micro businesses to accept digital payments,” PLDT said.

PLDT SELLS DATA CENTER BUSINESS
Further, the company said it is in talks with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Japan on its data center assets.

In March, PLDT said it was in discussion with a foreign entity for the asset management of ePLDT, Inc.’s data centers.

“Likely to be north of $1 billion,” Mr. Pangilinan said when asked about the price of PLDT’s data center business.

“Do we sell 48%, 40%, 50%, or 60% of the data center business? Obviously when you sell control of the data centers, we get more money or premium, the question now to PLDT is do we keep control?,” he said.

However, Mr. Pangilinan said nothing is final yet at the moment and if the negotiations with NTT Japan will not push through, its data center unit may opt for a real estate investment trust (REIT) listing.

Earlier this year, ePLDT designated its unit VITRO, Inc. to handle its data center operations.

“If we cannot get the values from equity investors, let’s say we decide to keep control, we might get a REIT of the data centers,” Mr. Pangilinan said.

To date, PLDT has 11 data centers including the 50-megawatt hyperscale data center in Sta. Rosa Laguna which is expected to be completed by July.

Meanwhile, Mr. Pangilinan said PLDT is still searching for the next president after Alfredo S. Panlilio resigned from the role last year due to health reasons.

Currently, Mr. Pangilinan said the company has at least two to three candidates being considered for the role.

“I am still alive, (the search) is ongoing. I have seen two to three candidates. But I think in the shorter period (we will announce) because I do not intend to stay in this seat for a longer (period),” Mr. Pangilinan said.

“I do hope that by the start of next year. We will have visibility of a CEO position.”

At the local bourse on Thursday, shares in the company shed P13 or 0.95% to end at P1,355 apiece.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

A different side of Hong Kong

May 10, 2024 | 12:07 am

Murals-line-the-walls-in-Tai-O’s-market-and-temple-area — MURALS line the walls in Tai O’s market and temple area — BRONTË H. LACSAMANA

1 of 2

THERE was rain and fog obscuring the beauty of Lantau Island, Hong Kong, when media guests were given a preview of Klook’s newest day tour, inspired by the Filipino-Thai film Under Parallel Skies.

The movie stars Filipino actress Janella Salvador and Thai actor Win Metawin as two unlikely souls, Iris and Parin, who meet and form a connection in Hong Kong. Their whirlwind romance takes them to destinations both familiar and off the beaten path, as they discover love and heartbreak.

While the weather made travel difficult, what with cloudy skies, wet roads, and humid air, the spots the group visited continued to pulse with tourists. Most were locations that the leads of the film had visited.

“About 35% of our customers come from Southeast Asia,” said Michelle Ho, Klook Philippines’ general manager, at an April 25 briefing the day before the tour. “Many of them are from the Philippines and Thailand.”

She added that, based on Klook’s 2024 Travel Pulse survey, Hong Kong is on the top five travel destinations for both countries, making it a perfect setting for Under Parallel Skies and its resulting tour offering.

The Under Parallel Skies Day Tour offers a choice of either the Lantau Island Day Trip (P3,443) or the City Guided Tour (P3,072).

Equipped with raincoats and umbrellas, the media guests only had time for the first package, which is the quieter, more nature-filled one of the two. It’s the right choice for those who have been to Hong Kong before and want to see a different side of the city beyond the trams, city lights, and harbor skyline.

TAI O FISHING VILLAGE
The starting point is the quaint Tai O Fishing Village, tucked away on the far end of Lantau Island. In the film, Iris and Parin’s visit to the peaceful village takes up a few scenes.

The Klook tour includes a boat ride around the fishing village. It is an interesting destination, with traditional wooden stilt homes contrasting with larger steel houses and traditional boats side-by-side with motorboats. Though locals have transformed the village’s façade over the years, the various structures floating on the water are painted different colors, ensuring a vibrant scene with a picturesque backdrop of mountains.

The boat ride concludes with sailing out of the village to the open sea for a chance to spot a dolphin. Perhaps because of the inclement weather there were none to be found, though the location allows one to glimpse part of the longest sea crossing in the world, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

After getting back on land, the tour continued to Tai O Market, where dried seafood, salted fish, and shrimp paste are the main delicacies. Its charm lies in the locals, who go about their day selling or buying seafood at the market as usual, deftly maneuvering to avoid the slow tourists in their way.

As part of the tour, visitors get a giant fishball on a stick that serves as a light snack before going to the nearby Buddhist Temple. The area is also home to colorful murals that adorn some of the village walls, perfect for picture-taking.

The fishing village is a living museum of Hong Kong’s maritime heritage amid a fast-developing world. Its local traditions endure to this day, such as the Dragon Boat Water Parade, usually held late in June, and the Lantern Festival that takes place in mid-autumn.

To end this part of the tour, the guide handed out frozen pineapple treats, a common summertime snack among locals that want to beat the heat.

BIG BUDDHA
Next up was the most popular destination on Lantau Island (though since Disneyland was built, it has faced serious competition). The Big Buddha, also known as the Tian Tan Buddha, is a giant bronze statue sitting atop a hill.

The behemoth structure, all cast in bronze, stands at 112 feet and weighs 250 metric tons including the lotus leaf throne on which the Buddha sits. Because of its massive size, it really looks like a protective guardian of the mountain and forests as it overlooks the valley of Ngong Ping.

Despite its imposing figure, the Buddha’s raised right hand shows that this is the Protection Buddha, one that has reached enlightenment and can guard from fear, anger, and delusion and show compassion to those suffering.

And suffer you will — since you must first climb 268 steps to reach the statue. This attracts Buddhist pilgrims who are engrossed in prayer as they climb. Even if you aren’t interested in the religion, seeing the magnificent craftsmanship up close and taking pictures of it might make the climb worth it.

Unfortunately, the day the media tour was held was rainy and overcast, so fog obscured the Buddha. Its high placement and sheer size apparently make it visible from many points in Lantau Island, but that afternoon it was totally covered in fog even from the foot of the long staircase.

If poor weather doesn’t deter you from the climb, you will still be rewarded — with ominous shots of the Buddha shrouded in fog. It may look a bit creepy, but it is kind of cool to have a protective Buddha looking out for you in the mist.

The Po Lin Monastery, which built the statue in 1993, is a short walk from the foot of the monument itself. The tour includes a vegetarian lunch at its in-house restaurant. If that isn’t your thing, nearby Ngong Ping Village, the next stop in the tour, has many other restaurants in its vicinity.

NGONG PING CABLE CAR
The tour ends with a cable car ride away from the beautiful mountain views at Ngong Ping Village via the Ngong Ping Cable Car. This ride connects the upland area with Tung Chung down below, and it features 360-degree views of Lantau Island’s green terrain and the ocean beyond Hong Kong.

Again, the inclement weather meant the view was obscured by fog, so in cases like these you may simply enjoy the light breeze as the cable car makes its way down the mountain. On a clear day, the 5.7-kilometer rescue trail etched in the forests below would be visible.

As the cable car reached the foot of the mountains and turned toward its end at the Tung Chung Station, the fog eventually cleared to reveal the cityscape and highways as well as the nearby Hong Kong International Airport.

Upon leaving the cable car, the tour officially ends. At that point, you have many options as to where to go next — shopping at the adjacent Citygate Outlet mall or going exploring via the Tung Chung MTR station next to it. Many hotels also offer shuttles straight from this area to their properties, including the luxurious Sheraton Tung Chung.

The Under Parallel Skies Tour is now available on Klook. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

Meralco sees increase in generation charge for May

May 10, 2024 | 12:07 am

MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) said it expects an increase in power costs from suppliers this month due to higher prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

“This is mainly due to higher WESM prices brought about by the tight supply condition, as power demand surged along with higher heat indices,” Meralco said in a statement on Thursday.

Peak demand in Luzon rose by about 2,400 megawatts compared with the March supply month, the power distributor said.

The generation charge mostly makes up the bulk of a consumer’s monthly bill.

For April, typical households saw a nearly P1 decrease in their monthly electricity bill for the first time this year due to a sharp drop in generation and transmission charges.

The power distributor cut the overall rate by P0.9879 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to P10.9518 per kWh in April from P11.9397 in March.

Meralco Spokesperson Joe R. Zaldarriaga has said that there is a possibility of an increase in power rates for May as high demand adds pressure to the WESM, the trading floor for electricity.

“We continue to remind the public to practice energy efficiency to have better management over their power consumption and electricity bills,” the energy company said.

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

Ben&Ben releases introspective single four years in the making

May 10, 2024 | 12:06 am

NINE-PIECE folk pop band Ben&Ben has released their new single, “COMETS,” an ode to the ephemeral nature of people and relationships that took four years to make. In embracing change, they also look to the evolving landscape of original Pilipino music (OPM).

Since the nine members got together as Ben&Ben in 2017, the group has amassed a total of 5.4 million listeners on Spotify.

The band is composed of twin brothers Paolo Benjamin Guico (lead vocals, acoustic guitar) and Miguel Benjamin Guico (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Poch Barretto (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jam Villanueva (drums), Agnes Reoma (bass), Andrew de Pano (percussion, backing vocals), Toni Muñoz (percussion, lead vocals), Keifer Cabugao (violin, vocals), and Patricia Lasaten (keyboard).

Their recent achievements include becoming the Philippines’ number one streamed OPM artist on Spotify in 2023, performing onstage with Ed Sheeran in March this year, and contributing their songs to a musical theater adaptation of the 2007 blockbuster film One More Chance in April.

Following the release of the singles “Could Be Something,” “Courage,” and “Autumn” in 2023, Ben&Ben returns with another single.

Released under Sony Music, the new song is a pop-rock tune that finds meaning in impermanence, penned by the Guico brothers. The track looks back at memories with mixed feelings of loss, pensiveness, hope, and acceptance.

“[The song lets you] reflect on your past,” said Miguel Guico at a press launch on May 8 at Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas.

FOUR YEARS OF WORK
On why the song took four years before being released, he said: “Ito ang tamang time para sa amin, hindi lang ako na kinasal, kundi kaming lahat na ang dami na naming pinagdaanan kaya mas mature na kami (This is the right time for us, not just for me being recently married, but for all of us since we’ve been through a lot and are more mature now).”

The band hopes that the song helps fans think about the “comets” in their lives — the people who come and go and the lessons they leave behind.

It was also a technical struggle to complete the track over those four years, said Paolo Guico.

“We wrote the song back in 2020. We tried performing it on Facebook live and, ever since, inaabangan na siya ng mga Liwanag, pero di namin na-feel na iyun pa iyung tamang tama na ilabas siya (our fans have been anticipating it, but we didn’t feel it was complete yet),” he said.

While they’ve been playing a version of the song in live shows for two years now, it was still not the final one. Indonesian producer Petra Sihombing, whom they met this year, was the last piece of the puzzle that they needed to complete the song.

“He really helped complete the music, what we now know as ‘COMETS,’” said Mr. Guico. “It was a four-year process. It’s like the comets aligned,” he joked.

STUFF TO LOOK FORWARD TO
For Ben&Ben, this year is an exciting one for OPM in general, with many new releases to check out and look forward to.

“Last year was a season of OPM going back to full force through festivals and gigs, so this year everyone’s making music,” said bassist Agnes Reoma. She pointed to P-pop girl group BINI’s album Talaarawan, released in March, which Ben&Ben’s members have on repeat.

The Guico twins added that they’re inspired by contemporaries like funk pop band Lola Amour, which just released their first full-length eponymous album, and indie folk band Munimuni, which just released an album titled ALEGORYA.

“Grabe iyung diversity sa OPM ngayon (The diversity in OPM now is insane). P-pop, bands, upbeat dance music, mellow music, you name it, we have it,” they said.

“For listeners, there’s a lot of choices. As an artist too, when you’re surrounded by so many different kinds of music and musicians, you’re bound to inspire each other.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana