MPTC continues to champion safer roads for children in celebration of World Children’s Day

November 24, 2023 | 12:10 am

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the leading mobility infrastructure and solutions provider in the Philippines, is one with UNICEF Philippines in its unwavering commitment to champion the rights and well-being of children on World Children’s Day 2023, last Nov. 20.

To celebrate World Children’s Day, several prominent structures under MPTC in north, south Luzon, and the Visayas— NLEX Corporation’s headquarters in Balintawak, Caloocan; motorists rest stop NLEX Drive and Dine in Valenzuela; MPT South’s LEED Gold Certified green headquarters South Hub in Imus, Cavite and the iconic Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway in Cebu—were lit in blue to symbolize hope and a promise of safer roads and sustainable business practices that benefit children.

“MPTC and our group of companies have road safety at the core of our construction, maintenance, and operations. We are on a mission to contribute to the country’s economic and social growth to provide a better life to our customers, communities, employees, and of course, their children. This partnership with UNICEF allows us to further live up to our life-long commitment to road safety,” said MPTC President and CEO Rogelio Singson.

“Every child has the right to a safe and healthy environment where they can play, walk, and move, without harm. We hope to further our joint effort and collective action to ensure that more children have access to their basic rights, including having a role and voice for a more sustainable world,” said UNICEF Fundraising Chief Cristina Bertolino.

In a study by UNICEF, on average, more than 600 children and adolescents become casualties of unsafe roads every day — that’s one casualty every two minutes. This fuels the organization to strengthen its ties with different sectors to make efforts that will benefit the next generation.

MPTC and its business units have been at the forefront of integrating child safety into road safety campaigns, as well as “green highways”. Solar-powered toll plazas and rainwater catchment systems also promote energy efficiency and set the gold standard for sustainable expressway operations.

NLEX and Paramount Consumer Products had the ‘Nickelodeon Safety First with PAW Patrol’ campaign showcasing messages of safety for children. A full awareness campaign for motorists of NLEX and SCTEX was launched on NLEX’s extensive road network.

MPT South, which operates and manages CAVITEX and CALAX, has its Bayani ng Kalsada (BayaniKa) program that teaches kids about road signs and familiarizes them with road safety, in and out of expressways. The program has benefitted over 800 school children from host communities since 2022.

Aside from MPTC’s existing road safety efforts for children, it entered into a multi-year agreement with UNICEF to share resources and committed to building sustainable models for safe school zones and child road traffic injury to support 100 schools in high-risk areas that will benefit over 20,000 children. This partnership project on child road safety has been recognized by the Department of Health with a prestigious Healthy Pilipinas Gold Award for advancing health promotion strategies to help shape a healthier future for Filipino children.

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Wish commemorates Disney’s past and present magic

November 24, 2023 | 12:10 am

LOS ANGELES — Wish, the new animated musical movie marking Walt Disney Co.’s 100^th anniversary, reaches back to its modest beginnings to inspire future generations.

The lavish folk tale draws from the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” from the 1940 cartoon film Pinocchio, about a puppet wishing to become a real boy.

The “power and importance of wishing” is key to storytelling, magic and possibility in the studio, said Walt Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee, who wrote the new film, in an interview.

“A simple word … unlocked a complex story from such a simple idea that’s at the heart of Disney itself,” said Ms. Lee, who wrote and directed Disney’s Frozen, one of the highest grossing animated movies with box office receipts of $1.28 billion in 2013 when it was released.

In Wish, which opens in theaters on Nov. 22, 17-year-old Asha makes a passionate plea to the stars after she senses a darkness in the Kingdom of Rosas. A magical Star responds and helps her challenge the powerful King Magnifico, a sorcerer, after sensing his evil intentions.

Actor Chris Pine, who provides Magnifico’s voice, said he was moved by “the elegant way of celebrating the 100-year anniversary by making a film that’s all about probably the most iconographic part of the Disney brand, which is ‘When You Wish Upon a Star.’”

“So, to make a movie where one of the stars is that star, we’re talking about dreams, dreams that are personified by these stars, I think is really beautiful,” Mr. Pine added.

Walt Disney Studios was founded in 1923 in Hollywood, California, by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney, making it the world’s oldest running animation studio. Disney movies are usually based on classic fairy or folk tales, mixing romance, humor, sadness, high-stakes action, and self-discovery.

“It’s just in the Disney DNA,” said Ariana DeBose, who lends her voice to Asha. “Not just to wish, but usually sing to their heart’s desire, and so I think it’s important to this movie obviously. I think it will be important to many Disney movies in the future too.” — Reuters

Disney’s Wish faces reality of post-pandemic Thanksgiving

November 24, 2023 | 12:09 am

RECENT box-office history is working against Walt Disney Co.’s newest film, the animated musical Wish.

Thanksgiving has historically ranked among the most lucrative dates on Hollywood’s calendar, with studios releasing some of their biggest films as millions of American families gather for the long weekend.

But a number of factors have conspired to make the holiday less of a feast for theater owners. Hollywood isn’t making many mid-budget family comedies, like Three Men and a Baby, which ruled the weekend in 1987. Christmas-themed films, such as 2004’s top Thanksgiving release, Christmas with the Kranks, now go straight to streaming services.

Animated movies, a staple of the weekend with so many kids out of school, aren’t drawing the big crowds they used to. During the pandemic, families learned to wait a few weeks to watch them on streaming services such as Peacock or Disney+.

“Thanksgiving in the post-pandemic era has gone from a $200 million — and as high as $300 million — overall domestic juggernaut to a much slower corridor,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, Inc.

Hollywood’s biggest Thanksgiving was in 2018. Films in theaters that weekend included Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet, MGM’s Creed II, Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Universal Pictures’ The Grinch. They helped power a five-day, box-office haul of $315.6 million, according to Comscore.

Last year’s total was less than half that due to the weaker performance of films like Disney’s animated Strange World. It also didn’t help that the sequel to Knives Out, a surprise hit for Thanksgiving 2019, appeared in theaters for only one week before moving to Netflix the following month, a schedule that likely prompted many fans to wait.

Disney has released some of its biggest films on Thanksgiving weekend, among them Toy Story in 1995 and Frozen in 2013. The sequel Frozen II holds the record as the biggest Thanksgiving release, bringing in $125 million over five days in 2019.

This year’s entry, Wish, may not live up to those standards. The musical about a teenage girl who wishes upon a star is timed to coincide with the 100^th anniversary of the Disney company. It has scored only 47% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

“It’s high on complicated magical rules and low on genuine magic,” Daily Beast critic A.A. Dowd wrote in his review.

Early screenings for Wish on Tuesday grossed $2.3 million in the US and Canada, in line with Disney’s 2017 hit film Coco. Boxoffice Pro is projecting $49 million to $66 million in ticket sales over the extended, five-day holiday stretch.

The twin strikes by Hollywood writers and actors wreaked havoc on studios’ scheduling and marketing plans. The actors ended their walkout on Nov. 9, the very night of the Wish premiere in Los Angeles. Due to union restrictions, the stars weren’t able to appear and promote the film, although many attended a London premiere this week.

Other films opening this weekend include Napoleon, a biography of the emperor directed by Ridley Scott for Apple Inc., and Saltburn, a thriller from MGM, now part of Amazon.com, Inc. — Bloomberg

Napoleon: The film’s fashion tells a story of its own, from cropped hair to ribbon chokers

November 24, 2023 | 12:08 am

Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in Napoleon (2023) — JOAQUIN Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in Napoleon.

IN HIS epic historical drama, Ridley Scott depicts Napoleon Bonaparte’s career not only through a military lens but a romantic one, suggesting that Napoleon’s global conquests were driven by a desire to conquer his wife Josephine’s heart.

The film’s trailer offers a glimpse into the couple’s coronation in 1804, a moment immortalized by the artist Jacques-Louis David.

David’s work emphasizes that the coronation broke with traditional royal protocol. Traditionally, queens were not crowned directly after the king. In doing so, Napoleon was signaling the start of a new dynasty. He also invoked a historical parallel. The last queen to receive such treatment was Marie de’Medici, crowned in May 1610.

Josephine wore a sumptuous, high-waisted white satin gown with a red velvet train. Her fan-shaped lace collar invoked a second reference to Medici. Known as a chérusque, Medici is seen wearing the design in Ruben’s depiction of her coronation in 1624. Josephine was therefore sartorially linked to the leading figure of a powerful dynasty.

Josephine’s journey to becoming empress of France was marked by tumult and tragedy. Raised in Martinique, she moved to Paris as a teenager and married Alexandre Beauharnais, a French viscount. Josephine experienced the trauma of the Revolution first-hand. Beauharnais was executed in 1794. Shortly after, she was sent to Les Carmes prison where she lived under the fear of a similar fate. By the time she was released, she found herself in a society attempting to redefine its political and cultural identity.

In such a period of uncertainty, a new fashionable set emerged. Referred to as the les Merveilleuses (the wonderful), they captivated the post-revolutionary social scene with their radical approach to dress. Corseted dresses and all their elaborate padding were eschewed for a streamlined silhouette.

Embroidered silks and ruffled sleeves were disregarded for cotton muslin and flaxen linen. The towering, powdered hairstyles favored by the old royal court were replaced by a shorn cut known as the coiffure à la victime, paying tribute to guillotined prisoners whose hair was lopped off before execution.

Paris was both enthralled and scandalized. As fashion magazines breathlessly depicted the new styles in beautiful, hand-colored plates, other newspapers featured doctors pleading with the Merveilleuses to forsake their diaphanous dresses for fear of catching ill.

At the forefront of this movement was Josephine, who wielded such influence in fashion that she and her fellow Merveilleuses would often exchange letters before social functions, methodically planning their attire. They knew their garments would be eagerly followed, replicated and reported in painstaking detail in the French press.

Napoleon’s appearance contrasted sharply with his wife’s. His contemporaries often derided him for his lackluster style, marked by dust-ridden boots and ungloved hands. He refused to attend social functions in anything other than his uniform.

His letters to Josephine after their first meeting in 1795 show him to be utterly enamored. In his eyes, Josephine was worldlier, older, and effortlessly charming. Most importantly, perhaps, she was emblematic of two worlds: the French aristocracy of a bygone era and the new, sophisticated glitterati set he now wished to enter.

Ridley Scott’s depiction of their first meeting shows Josephine sporting the popular coiffure à la victime. She’s also wearing a red ribbon — another staple of the “guillotine aesthetic.” The ribbon emphasized where the blade would have landed on a loved one’s exposed neck.

The differences between them — Napoleon, stubbornly clad in his uniform, Josephine impeccably attired in the styles she and her fellow Merveilleuses heralded — is sartorially punctuated.

Newly wedded, Josephine visited Napoleon in Italy where she began what became a lifelong enthusiasm for cameos (a hard or precious gemstone carved with a raised relief, often depicting a person, animal or mythical scene). Attaching pieces to her belts, jewelry, and headwear, she sparked a revival of the trend.

Napoleon’s gifts of Kashmiri shawls during his 1798-99 Egyptian campaign turned these garments into coveted luxury staples. A shawl was often included as an item of prestige in the gift basket for affluent 19^th-century brides. Josephine boasted over 400 in her personal collection and wears the shawl in several paintings.

As Empress, she became synonymous with the Empire style, marked by high-waisted dresses with tiny sleeves. White remained her preferred color for dresses, its pale aesthetic often contrasted with a red Kashmiri shawl.

Napoleon relied on Josephine’s sartorial influence: what his wife wore, he knew, would be replicated. The fabric of her dresses changed, from the English cotton muslin she wore as a Merveilleuse to Lyonnais silk satin brocade. Her fashion choices were not only personal, they were strategic, stimulating the French luxury industry and contributing to the post-revolutionary national economy.

In 1810, after 14 years of marriage with no offspring, Napoleon and Josephine divorced. Josephine retreated to her beloved Malmaison, a country chateau outside of Paris, where she continued to receive flocks of guests and admirers until her death in 1814.

“You want to be great, but you are nothing without me,” Josephine tells Napoleon in the trailer. An apt sentiment, perhaps, for a woman whose fashion sense is imbued with historical significance and endures in cultural relevance to this day. — The Conversation via Reuters Connect

Tania Sheikhan is a PhD candidate on History of Art at UCL.

Denise Julia aims to level up Filipino R&B

November 24, 2023 | 12:07 am

A DEBUT album has been in the works for R&B singer-songwriter Denise Julia for over a year now, following the success of her viral single “NVMD.” After much anticipation, the album finally hit streaming platforms on Nov. 17.

“I learned that you cannot rush art. It comes with years, time, and experience, plus fans can feel it more if it’s something you connect to,” Ms. Julia said in an interview with BusinessWorld at the launch party.

“I made sure that this album doesn’t have a track I don’t like. Every single one is from the heart,” she added.

With seven tracks, the album, Sweet Nothings (Chapter 1), tackles the various facets of love in today’s age of never-ending screentime and short attention spans. It combines R&B with a modern touch of jazz and hip-hop beats.

The singer cites Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, and Aaliyah for her musical style.

“Growing up, I didn’t find artists from my country to represent morenas like me. They’re my skin color. They show that little girls like that could make it,” she said.

Her album features a lot of collaborators, from Nigerian producer Joel Tracks to Norwegian-Filipina multi-instrumentalist Hillari. J.Greg and Duaneinsane helped bring her vision to life while Neo Cruz was behind the sultry melodies of “Butterflies.”

“Bum 2 Me” was a track she was particularly excited about because it involved working with the alt-R&B experimentalist Jason Dhakal.

“I was such a big fan of his since high school. It was a full circle moment for me when he wanted to work with me. The sky’s really the limit,” she said.

Meanwhile, both the crossover hit “B.A.D.,” featuring acclaimed rapper P-Lo, and the album’s airy focus track “Lackin’,” have quickly become fan favorites.

For Ms. Julia, the goal is to let listeners explore love in all its ups and downs. She said: “Love has so many aspects to it, and I really strive to tell the different stories involving that emotion.”

Now that the album is out, the future of Filipino R&B is her next target. Through more music and collaborations, it could “cross borders, defy norms, and level up.”

“It’s time to make more space for more women who are stepping up and dominating,” she added.

Sweet Nothings (Chapter 1) is available on all streaming platforms nationwide. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

SPNEC moves to comply with minimum public float

November 24, 2023 | 12:06 am

SOLAR PHILIPPINES Power Project Holdings, Inc. (SPPPHI) has donated additional shares of its listed subsidiary to Asia Pacific Institute for Green Development, Inc. (Green Development) to comply with the stock exchange’s minimum public ownership (MPO) requirement.

In a regulatory filing on Thursday, Leviste-led SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC) said its parent firm executed a deed of donation on Wednesday for an additional 1.58 billion unlisted and fully paid common shares of SPNEC to Green Development.

The donated shares represent 4.6% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of SPNEC.

As of November, SPPHI held 74.38% ownership of SPNEC’s outstanding common shares.

SPPPHI first executed a deed of donation for 550 million unlisted and fully paid common shares of SPNEC to Green Development on Oct. 25, which represented 1.6% of the issued and outstanding shares of its unit.

“The shares donated by SPPPHI to Green Development in total represent 6.20% of the issued and outstanding shares of SPNEC, and SPNEC would thereby comply with the MPO requirement,” the listed energy company said.

It said that the taxes on the additional donation had been paid, and the application for the certificate authorizing registration had been filed with the Bureau of Internal Revenue over the transfer of shares.

The activities that SPNEC has undertaken and intends to undertake are part of its MPO requirement.

Separately, SPNEC said that it plans to “pursue several transactions to increase its public float further after the lifting of its trading suspension.”

Under the listing rules of the Philippine Stock Exchange, listed firms must maintain an MPO of at least 20%. Those that would fall below “shall be suspended from trading for a period of not more than six (6) months and shall be automatically delisted if it remains non-compliant with the MPO after the lapse of the suspension period.”

On June 2, trading of SPNEC shares at the stock exchange was suspended for falling below the MPO requirement after a series of acquisitions that involved swapping of shares.

To recall, SPNEC’s board approved an increase in the company’s authorized capital stock on Jan. 10, 2022 to 50 billion from 10 billion shares previously, to support the expansion of its project portfolio.

The company greenlit on May 5 the modified acquisition by SPNEC of the shares of SPPPHI in various entities from the proceeds of its parent firm’s subscription of 24.37 billion shares.

With a public afloat of 47% prior, SPNEC’s increase in authorized capital stock was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1.

As a result, SPNEC’s total number of nonpublic shares increased to 29.62 billion, with the total number of shares owned by the public at 4.75 billion, which represented a public ownership of 13.82%.

To increase its public ownership, the company said it plans to conduct a follow-on offering (FOO) to support the expansion of its project portfolio.

“In the meantime, the Company is having discussions with its advisors and potential underwriters for the FOO,” SPNEC said.

The company and its parent firm are also in talks with institutional investors for private placement, provided that its shares resume trading.

“The measures outlined in this Compliance Plan are intended to ensure the Company’s compliance with the MPO requirement. With this, the Company hopes that its shares may be an attractive investment for the benefit of its public shareholders,” it said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Spoilers can’t ruin true enjoyment of your favorite book series, TV show or sports team — here’s why

November 24, 2023 | 12:06 am

AS I WRITE THIS, my wife is desperately trying to avoid spoilers for the latest episode of Strictly Come Dancing. Having missed the original broadcast, she has been frantically logging out of all forms of social media, lest a stray Facebook status or retweet give the game away. Add to this the possibility of a friend innocently revealing what happens, and it’s clear just how difficult it is to live spoiler-free.

And it’s not just difficult for those watching television. For followers of sports, too, there is a longstanding problem of avoiding the final score before being able to watch the game.

Popular book series also face the problem of key twists being revealed too early. When J.K. Rowling’s novel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in 2005, a banner was hung over a bridge over the A442 in Shropshire revealing an important character’s death.

Council officials swiftly removed the banner — although possibly because it was likely to fall, rather than out of fear of ruining people’s enjoyment.

Spoilers, then, seem to be everywhere — and the general view is that they are bad. In its extreme form, “toxic” spoilers arise from both the pleasure some take in spoiling others’ surprise and the use of plot ruining as a form of vengeance.

This ire can be aimed at specific people or the series itself. The latter happened with the Star Wars prequel films, as some fans spoiled the endings for those who hadn’t seen it yet as “immunization against disappointment.”

Spoilers can be weaponized in this way because of some of our assumptions about them. Most fundamentally, that they ruin enjoyment. But is it that simple? In a series of psychological experiments published in 2011, researchers in California found that knowing the end of a story did not diminish readers’ enjoyment. In fact, readers preferred the stories where they had the ending revealed to them beforehand.

The researchers theorized that we think of spoilers negatively because we are unable to compare spoiled and unspoiled experiences and therefore assume that the unspoiled is better. They argued that: “It is possible that spoilers enhance enjoyment by actually increasing tension. Knowing the ending of Oedipus Rex may heighten the pleasurable tension caused by the disparity in knowledge between the omniscient reader and the character marching to his doom.”

These experiments focused on classical literature, which often requires some kind of explanation in order to follow the plot at all. The spoilers in this research were therefore arguably able to complement the plot, at least for a contemporary readership unfamiliar with the complexities of ancient Greek tragedy.

Perhaps the experiments may have reached different conclusions if they had used, say, screenings of the Succession finale.

Also, because the research involved texts that were all written a long time ago, their experiments removed the issue of the timeline of when information does and does not count as a spoiler.

These boundaries are debatable. In 2008, Vulture, an entertainment news website, published a satirical “statute of limitations” on spoiler reveals. They ranged from “as soon as the episode finished” for reality TV to 100 years after its debut performance for operas.

The speed of the spoiler is significant because it is inherently linked to the digital platforms that carry them to both willing and unwilling readers.

In other words, finding out things too soon raises more fundamental questions about how we engage with the rapid availability of information across digital media today.

Consider the controversy when a Wikipedia article on Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap was created. According to Wikipedia guidelines, a summary of the plot was required. But the question was whether the twist of who the murderer is should be revealed in this summary, given that theater audiences are historically sworn to secrecy at the end of each show.

It was agreed, in the end, that users of Wikipedia should expect this information to be revealed. We do not need to be Poirot to deduce from this that our expectation of information being easily and readily available creates the conditions for a constant threat of spoilers.

This points to the real problem with spoilers. Whether they ruin plot twists or not depends on the idea that presenting reductive summaries — pure information — somehow replaces or equates to an understanding of the film, show, or story.

In his book Spoiler Alert, literary theorist Aaron Jaffe argues that the threat of the spoiler hinges on the idea that everything can be translated into information and that information can be found everywhere. But this is — he clarifies with a spoiler alert — a myth. In truth, information is rarely fully accessible or complete, due to the different ways it is stored and connected.

It may seem obvious to say that should I accidentally discover the score of a football game before I get to watch it, it would spoil my entertainment. But the score would not tell me if my team deserved to lose, if they were robbed by a referee’s decision, if my favorite player had improved, and so on. In short, the spoiler does not allow me to interpret the meaning of the game.

So while spoilers seem to require us to log out of X or avoid low bridges on the A442, there is still a part of our enjoyment that blunt information cannot remove.

Tom Grimwood is a professor of Social Philosophy, University of Cumbria.

K-Pop band BLACKPINK receives honorary MBEs from Britain’s King Charles

November 24, 2023 | 12:05 am

LONDON — King Charles on Wednesday presented K-Pop band BLACKPINK with honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs) medals in the presence of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during his state visit to the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace said.

The quartet — Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rose — chatted, laughed and took photographs with the British monarch as he presented the medals.

“It’s amazing you’re still talking to each other after all these years,” King Charles jokingly said to the band at the ceremony. “I hope I shall be able to see you perform live at some point.”

BLACKPINK received the MBEs in recognition of the band members’ role as COP26 Advocates for the United Nations climate summit held in Glasgow in 2021, Buckingham Palace said.

BLACKPINK made history in July, becoming the first K-pop group to headline a major UK music festival and took to the stage at the BST Hyde Park summer festival in central London in front of a crowd of 65,000 for a sold-out concert.

Since their debut in 2016, BLACKPINK has become one of the most successful girl groups in the world, breaking records such as becoming the most subscribed to music artists on YouTube. — Reuters

Real estate’s return to pre-pandemic levels seen

November 24, 2023 | 12:05 am

BGC-buildings skyline — OJ SERRANO-UNSPLASH

By Revin Mikhael D. Ochave, Reporter

SURGING demand across various sectors is expected to drive the Philippine real estate sector’s return to pre-pandemic levels, industry experts said.

“The country’s real estate sector will continue to grow next year. We’re actually going back to pre-pandemic levels in 2024,” McKinsey & Company Philippines Managing Partner Jon Canto said during the BusinessWorld Forecast 2024 economic forum in Taguig City on Nov. 22.

“Philippine real estate has been resilient but sustained demand and investments will take it to the next level,” he added.

Mr. Canto said that optimism for the real estate sector is driven by increased foreign tourists, surging investment pledges, higher property prices, and sustained demand in the office and retail segments.

“We are optimistic about real estate. It is one of the sectors that is going to rebound fully next year. It has been resilient in the wake of COVID-19, inflation, and rising construction costs,” Mr. Canto said.

Noli D. Hernandez, Megaworld Corp. executive vice-president for sales and marketing, said the Philippine real estate sector has been doing well despite rising inflation.

“Overall, despite the surging inflation, I would like to say to you that the Philippine real estate sector has been doing very well,” Mr. Hernandez said.

The country’s inflation rate decelerated to 4.9% in October from 6.1% in September amid the slower increase in food prices.

“For our office and hotel businesses, we have also seen a surge of investor confidence and as far as retention levels of tenants are concerned, these have been steady and even increasing,” Mr. Hernandez said.

“Similarly, we’re seeing a very huge demand coming from the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry. We have been seeing not just an increase in occupancy rates but also an increase in room rates,” he added.

According to Mr. Hernandez, the risk posed by inflation to the real estate sector’s recovery could also become an opportunity.

“While inflation poses a threat, it also can serve as a boon to the industry because we know that real estate investment still remains to be a very good hedge against inflation. On one hand, there is the threat posed by inflation as a deterrent to the impulse to invest but on the other hand, it can be the same impulse that will generate more interest in the industry,” Mr. Hernandez said.

Meanwhile, Federal Land, Inc. President William Thomas F. Mirasol said the company is seeing increased consumer confidence and “favorable opportunities in the high income and luxury market segments.”

“Higher interest rates naturally bring down demand. But as the economy is growing, we see more consumers that are more confident in the future. They’re saying that the interest rate is higher than it used to be, but it is not that scary,” Mr. Mirasol said.

Mr. Mirasol also called for better infrastructure such as roads in order to bring down property prices.

“No developer wants to raise its costs more than absolutely necessary. Developers also want to reach a broader market. If the nation had better infrastructure, like if you live in Cavite and you work in Metro Manila and it was only a 20-minute drive, then we would see lower property prices,” Mr. Mirasol said.

“The key to making sure that prices don’t rise unreasonably is going to be infrastructure. One of the biggest cost drivers for real estate is the cost of land, and while land remains isolated, it is very difficult for people to move around from one place to another. That’s why you see pockets of development that tend to rise at a much faster rate than any other area,” he added.

Achieving a rustic Christmas for Filipino homes

November 24, 2023 | 12:05 am

As we speak of Christmas, it is no secret that the Christmas traditions in the Philippines play a significant role in the country’s diverse and rich culture, making it home to the global’s longest-running celebration. As the holiday season approaches, the time has come to infuse your home with the warmth of Christmas, especially for the humble home of Filipinos. If you’re still scrolling to your Pinterest ideas, looking for a solid Christmas theme, you might want to consider going for a rustic Christmas vibe.

Achieving a rustic Christmas theme is primarily about embracing a warm, natural, and classic ambiance which also gives a very Filipino style. What you need are the premium items that complements your visual aim and also will last for a long haul. All the possible items you need to transform your space into a whole country charm can be found in Wilcon Depot.

Crafting Cozy and Christmas-y Vibes in your Living Room

Filipino celebrations tend to be large and loud, since the whole family and tribe come together to sing their favorite karaoke songs, engage in fun and creative games, share hearty laughter, and of course, exchange and unwrap Christmas presents.

To ensure that everyone will have a really good time, begin with setting the tone of your living room. Create an inviting atmosphere using throw pillows and fuzzy blankets. Opt for earthy tones color which can also mimic the Filipino style. Add paintings that will enhance the cultural aspect of your wall or help evoke a familial emotion that will pique the interest of your guests. There’s also a vast selection of Heim indigenous styles and designs to add into your Filipino flair.

To create spaces for conversation, consider arranging a couch and two chairs so that they’re facing each other. Go for a classic leather sofa which is absolutely timeless and exudes a warm luxurious feel. Complete the setup with a sturdy center table crafted from reclaimed premium wood or one with intricate carvings.

Introduce handmade elements crafted from stones, fabric, and wood, ensuring your living space radiates a grounded aesthetic that is a true reflection of you. In embracing these design elements, you’ll be well on your way to creating a living room that captures the fuss-free festive rustic vibe.

Embracing the Rustic and Filipino Spirit of Christmas: Cozy Cabin Dining Room Ideas

Explore the new items from Wilcon Depot and bring the rustic cabin vibe into your dining room as well. From large tables to an exuberant table setting, let’s delve into the elements that will transform your dining room into the heart of holiday cheer.

First on your checklist should be a classic chandelier with an antique look. This statement lighting piece does more than just illuminate the room; it sets the perfect ambiance for sharing good food and laughter with your loved ones. The soft and gentle glow will envelop the dining area, creating a comforting and safe atmosphere that encourages good conversation.

You may also want to play a little with your table setting. This holiday season, bring out your ditsy prints, playful stripes, and delicate laces. Layer them creatively and lay them neatly across your table, building a tablescape that’s both visually captivating and inviting. To maintain an air of sophistication, opt for white dinnerware, elegant gold and silver utensils, and native placemats. For a distinctive Filipino touch, consider using native placemats that bring a touch of tradition to your holiday celebration. Combine these intricate details with wooden dining chairs and tables for an absolute Filipino ambiance. The warmth of wood complements the rustic cabin theme, and the familiarity of these elements invokes a sense of nostalgia.

The essence of the Christmas spirit should be conveyed through every element on your table, from the serveware to the elegant table settings. This holiday season, extend the cozy cabin atmosphere from your living room into your dining room while preserving your Filipino traditions. Incorporate rustic elements, classic lighting, creative table settings, and a blend of Filipino and cabin-inspired decor to create a dining experience that embodies the true spirit of Christmas. Let the warmth of your home and the love of your family shine as you celebrate this festive season in style.

Planning for your next project? Do it with Wilcon!

For more information about Wilcon, visit www.wilcon.com.ph or follow their social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. or subscribe and connect with them on Viber Community, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Or you may contact Wilcon Depot Hotline at 88-WILCON (88-945266) for inquiries.

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Filipinos cautious about spending

November 24, 2023 | 12:05 am

public market-shoppers — PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

MORE FILIPINOS prefer to be cautious about spending their income this quarter amid high interest rates and elevated commodity prices, a study from TransUnion Philippines showed.

Filipino households experienced different changes in income over the past three months, TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Study for the fourth quarter showed.

“While nearly half (44%) of Filipino households reported an increase in income, 39% saw their income levels remain static,” it said.

The 44% of Filipinos who saw an increase in earnings was lower than the 48% reported in the same quarter in 2022. Meanwhile, the 39% who reported that their incomes remained unchanged was higher than 35% previously.

“Like the prior year, 17% of households experienced a decrease in income, reflecting a persistent segment of the population facing economic hardship,” TransUnion added.

About 20% of household incomes was affected by job losses, slightly higher than the 18% a year ago. Meanwhile, 23% dealt with reduced salaries or wages and 15% had less work hours.

However, despite a challenging economic environment, the survey showed 21% of households had a member who started a new job.

About 23% of respondents also saw an increase in salaries or wages, while 24% of Filipinos indicated someone in their household started a new business.

“Filipino households adopted strategies that underscore their financial resilience in response to these economic pressures,” it said.

More than half (51%) increased their savings for emergencies, while more than a third (34%) accelerated debt repayments.

“When faced with immediate financial challenges, the top strategies included paying what they can afford (46%), using savings (45%), and borrowing from friends or family (38%),” it said.

Most respondents (80%) also remained optimistic about their income growth in the next 12 months.

“Despite this optimism, there was an undercurrent of concern with 43% unsure about their abilities to meet all their bill and loan obligations — a sentiment unchanged from the previous year, indicative of an ongoing anxiety about financial liquidity among many Filipinos,” TransUnion said.

“Looking ahead to spending plans over the next three months, the survey revealed a careful calibration of household budgets. While some foresaw increased spending on necessities like bills and loans (43%) and retail purchases (35%), there was a notable intention to curb spending on non-essential items (48%), big-ticket purchases (44%), and even digital services (21%),” it added.

Meanwhile, consumer interest for credit and other lending products went down to 58% from 64%.

Only 40% of respondents felt they have enough access to credit. This is lower than the 45% seen in the same period last year. Those planning to secure financing dropped as 50% intend to get new credit, down from 57% a year ago.

“About 52% favored personal loans over other types of credit. However, actual follow-through was low due to high borrowing costs,” TransUnion said.

There was also a slight dip in confidence about credit scores rising with alternative data use, reflecting a gap in consumer credit knowledge.

“Understanding their credit health is crucial to help consumers stay on top of their creditworthiness and allows them to be ready for immediate financing needs amid economic uncertainties,” TransUnion Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Pia Arellano said in a statement.

“As a provider of global information solutions, we know that these findings indicate a need to intensify consumer education efforts across the financial system about how access to credit information can affect or benefit an individual’s financial health and enable them to make more informed financial decisions,” she said.

The study also showed that awareness and experience related to digital fraud was high among respondents, as 72% of Filipinos reported being targeted by fraudsters in the last three months even as most did not become victims. Phishing remained the top type of scheme.

“Concerns about sharing personal information online remained extremely high at 90%, driven by fears of identity theft and privacy invasion. Although concerns about unsolicited contact and government surveillance were less pronounced, they’re still noteworthy,” TransUnion said.

The Consumer Pulse survey of 907 adults was conducted from Sept. 27 to Oct. 10 by TransUnion, in partnership with research provider Dynata. — Keisha B. Ta-asan

GCash offers all-in-one insurance platform as 56% of Filipinos seek access to affordable protection

November 24, 2023 | 12:04 am

Finance superapp GCash makes securing the future convenient and affordable through insurance products fit for different needs

Filipinos understand that insurance products are valuable – most just find them expensive.

In 2021, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported that only half of the Filipino population had some form of insurance. Of those who do not have insurance, 56% said it was not a priority at present due to inadequate funds, while 7% said they have not found the right product for them.

In partnership with trusted insurance companies, GCash hopes to provide affordable and credible financial protection for different needs such as health, income protection, travel, lifestyle, business, vehicle, and lifestyle, through GInsure, a one-stop shop for all insurance needs inside the GCash app.

“A lot of Filipinos are already working hard to meet their everyday needs as is, and we want to provide them with one less thing to worry about,” said Winsley Bangit, VP, Head of New Businesses of GCash. “With GInsure, making the most out of the present while thinking ahead for the future is made possible with insurance offerings that are not heavy on the wallet and easy to accomplish.”

Health and personal protection

A study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies found that the country’s National Health Insurance Program covers only 40% of total hospital costs on average. This means that some may still have to shoulder out-of-pocket payments, leaving a dent in their everyday household or personal budget.

To help cover medical costs, GCash offers health protection in partnership with Singlife Philippines. For as low as PHP 79 per month and in under three steps, insured users can get PHP 250,000 worth of coverage in cases of COVID-19, dengue, and accidents.

In partnership with Cebuana Lhuillier, Sun Life, Singlife, Pru Life, Pioneer Insurance and Generali, GInsure also offers personal insurance that will ensure regular monthly income for beneficiaries in case of disability or death. Personal insurance on GInsure costs as low as P10 and only takes three steps to complete, providing a safety net for breadwinners and family heads.

“Filipinos are known to be family-oriented, with most taking on breadwinner roles. Through our selection of health and personal insurance, we want users to never have to worry about securing their family’s future when they’re covered against loss of income and medical expenses,” Bangit said.

Worry-free travels

With revenge travel in full swing, travel disruptions have also increased. While travel insurance is not considered mandatory in several destinations, Filipinos can largely benefit from the protection from unexpected travel expenses resulting from trip delays and cancellations, loss and damage to baggage, accidents, and illnesses.

Powered by Standard Insurance and Malayan Insurance, travel protection premiums on GInsure start at PHP 103 pesos and can be accomplished in under three minutes.

Peace of mind for business

Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises make up 99% of the total establishments in the Philippines. However, their limited resources make it difficult for them to recover from the impacts of natural and human-induced hazards.

GCash has partnered with Malayan Insurance and Igloo to offer Negosyo Insure, a product designed to protect small business owners with physical stores. With a premium as low as PHP 160 per month, the insurance product offers up to PHP 50,000 coverage for the owner’s personal accidents, damage, or loss of property due to fire, burglary, and housebreaking.

“A lot of effort, time, and money goes into starting and growing a business, and we want entrepreneurs to not have to worry about their hard work going to waste because their business is protected,” Bangit said.

Protection on the road

In Metro Manila alone, an average of 157 car crashes were recorded last year, with the average cost of minor injuries resulting from a road crash amounting to PHP 71,000. As road mishaps remain common despite careful driving, GCash has collaborated with trusted partners to provide car owners with affordable vehicle insurance they can purchase within minutes.

For car owners looking for alternative insurance deals outside dealer options and second-hand car owners looking for insurance, GInsure offers both mandatory CTPL (compulsory third-party liability) and comprehensive insurance. GCash partnered with Standard Insurance, Kwik.insure, FPG Insurance, and BPIMS Insurance to offer CPTL insurance that covers up to PHP 100,000 of possible liability, and with Standard Insurance and Kwik.insure to offer Comprehensive Insurance, which covers possible own damage and theft to vehicles.

Users may access GInsure on the GCash dashboard or find it under “Grow.” No GCash yet? Download the GCash App on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Huawei App Gallery. Kaya mo, i-GCash mo!

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