Maya launches time deposit product

January 10, 2024 | 12:02 am

DIGITAL LENDER Maya Bank, Inc. has launched its time deposit product that it says offers users high returns.

In a statement on Tuesday, Maya said users could now open Maya Time Deposit Plus accounts starting Jan. 5. Clients can set a savings target and select a period that aligns with their financial conditions.

“This level of flexibility is unprecedented in traditional time deposits,” the bank said. “This innovative approach allows users to steadily enhance their savings while enjoying attractive rewards with interest rates of up to 6% per annum.”

Users can open up to five time deposit accounts with a maximum balance of P1 million per account. Customers can select three term options, three months at 5.5% a year, six months at 6%, or 12 months at 5.75%.

The time deposit product allows instant cancellations, giving users immediate access to their funds.

Clients can directly transfer funds from their Maya wallet for free or through other payment channels such as InstaPay or PESONet.

The digital bank has also introduced a motivational tool that customers can use to earn badges. These badges would serve as milestones that track and encourage a user’s progress, Maya said.

“The Maya Time Deposit Plus represents our latest innovation to make financial growth widely accessible and empowering for all,” Maya Group President Shailesh Baidwan said in the statement.

The time deposit product allows users to reinvest in diverse financial services such as Maya Funds, stocks and crypto, or facilitate daily transactions.

Maya Bank was launched on April 29, 2022, six months after it got a digital banking license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The PayMaya Philippines platform was rebranded to Maya to include online banking services alongside e-wallet, cryptocurrency trading and micro-investments.

Maya Bank is one of the six entities with digital banking license in the Philippines.

Maya Innovations (formerly Voyager Innovations), is the fintech company behind Maya Bank, Inc. and Maya Philippines. PLDT, Inc. is one of Maya Innovation’s shareholders. 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. — Keisha B. Ta-asan

A fantastical, dreamlike swan song

January 10, 2024 | 12:02 am

Movie Review
The Boy and the Heron
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

IT IS impossible to watch this film without wondering why it came to exist. The great Hayao Miyazaki, the 82-year-old co-founder of the beloved animation company Studio Ghibli, came out of retirement yet again to deliver his “final” film, The Boy and the Heron.

Seven years after it was announced and a full 10 years after his 2013 magnum opus The Wind Rises, many now doubt if this is truly the end of his illustrious career, especially after he has claimed it was over several times before. But who can blame him? Animation is his life, and many artists are known for creating more personal yet complex works in their old age.

The Boy and the Heron’s original Japanese title, How Do You Live?, is taken from the 1937 novel that inspired it, only appearing in the film as a book that is left to the protagonist by his deceased mother. It also poses a question that perhaps Miyazaki himself is answering, or suggesting we answer on our own.

The film follows 12-year-old Mahito (voiced by Soma Santoki in Japanese, and Luca Padovan in the English dub), still devastated by the tragic death of his mother during World War II. His journey of acceptance is made difficult by his father moving on with his mother’s sister, as they relocate to her countryside estate. The titular heron (voiced by Masaki Suda in Japanese, and Robert Pattinson in the English dub) is an ominous gray nuisance inhabiting the grounds and serves as Mahito’s guide into a fantasy world.

This synopsis alone is exciting, but in the context of Miyazaki’s life and work a bit puzzling. It’s more dreamlike than what people might expect for an artist’s swan song. The Wind Rises seemed the perfect note to end on — a profound biopic-slash-self-portrait about a wartime engineer who grapples with the reality that makes his creations possible (no, it’s not Oppenheimer, but that would indeed make an excellent double feature).

Miyazaki is a legend in the industry but is also awfully cynical about the madness of this world being necessary to create the most astonishing things, be it stunning animation or weapons of war (see his musings in the documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, essential viewing material for Studio Ghibli fans). After churning out a 2013 masterpiece that sums up his perspective, think on why he comes back with a seemingly random fantasy adventure featuring a boy and a heron.

Except this new journey he brings us on isn’t as random as it appears. For one, it is also set in the period of Miyazaki’s boyhood during the war. It even features his lifelong fascination with flight, seen in the sheer number of birds in the film.

The Boy and the Heron can also be mistaken for a mere hodgepodge of Miyazaki tropes. Mahito’s coming-of-age fantasy adventure to find a parent mirrors Chihiro’s in Spirited Away. The cute, tiny proto-human blobs in the magical world look like the forest spirits in Princess Mononoke. Himi’s cottage is very similar to Howl’s in Howls Moving Castle, Himi herself mysteriously traversing time like Sophie does.

Of course, the self-reflecting narrative is akin to The Wind Rises. And the epic scenery of green, grassy fields under a picturesque blue sky evokes Nausicaa, Kiki, and, heck, much of the aesthetic that Studio Ghibli is now known for.

Still, it has its own unique additions, all spectacularly animated.

(Mild spoilers from this point on!)

Most visceral is the first sequence with Mahito running through a Tokyo being ravaged by flames. Most bizarre is the army of colorful parakeets that have overrun the tower’s secret world, all moving parts in a totalitarian system. The most thrilling is the ritual of tiny blobs floating up to the sky, being threatened by hungry pelicans, then eventually saved by a fire princess.

But the most poignant are Mahito’s surreal visions following the loss of his mother. They border on psychological horror — frogs that slowly climb all over his body, a sleeping woman on the sofa melting away into water, the falling of blocks causing the eventual crashing down of an imagined world.

It’s all impressionistic and dreamlike, somewhat underwhelming after all the narrative buildup. Admittedly, as a whole, it is far from Miyazaki’s best work. There is so much value hidden within it, though, in each painstakingly and intricately animated sequence. Here is a magical yet violent world that doesn’t completely make sense, but does if you dwell on how much of life is struggle, seen through the eyes of a mourning child not quite ready to move forward.

The Boy and the Heron is animation at its best, but also at its most expansive and overwhelming. It lacks the powerful, cohesive punch of The Wind Rises, which feels like the solid goodbye in a letter whereas this feels like the rambling, endearing P.S. trailing the end of it. (If Miyazaki comes up with another film, who knows how else this analogy may continue.)

At 82, he is creatively at his most restless yet preparing for the worst. Perhaps no one can truly carry on his legacy, the way he was afraid he couldn’t carry on the legacy of his good friend Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of Princess Kaguya). It seems he has accepted that his own tower of blocks he has carefully built may also fall down with no one to stop it from happening.

In a world full of difficult truths that can easily crumble due to the folly of man, a chaotic ode to love, loss, and memory seems a most fitting goodbye.

Ajinomoto pilots incentivized recycling program for sari-sari stores

January 10, 2024 | 12:02 am

AJINOMOTO Philippines Corp. (APC) on Monday introduced its first SariCycle single-use plastic (SUP) collection and incentive program for sari-sari stores in Quezon City to manage their waste output.

The pilot initiative aims to collect 40 metric tons of flexible SUPs within the next six months, Ernie S. Carlos, APC chief sustainability officer, said in an interview with BusinessWorld.

It will provide “environmental points” for flexible plastic packaging collected by sari-sari store and market stall owners, which can be exchanged for goods from partner establishments. Additional points will be granted for Ajinomoto packaging exchanges.

“Sari-sari stores play a very vital role in sustainability because of their demand,” Mr. Carlos said.

Sari-sari stores are small retail shops commonly found in residential areas in the Philippines, selling a wide range of consumer goods, from food and beverages to household items, especially in small quantities.

There are about 1.3 million sari-sari stores in the Philippines, which 94% of consumers depend on for daily needs, according to the Asian Preparedness Partnership.

Excluding those without paid employees, there are 40,549 sari-sari stores in the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“In production, the cost of packaging material is more costly than content,” Mr. Carlos said. “If you get rid of the packaging material, then you get more value for your product.”

However, he noted that this is a closer reality for non-food and beverage products, hence Quezon City’s refilling station initiative in sari-sari stores for cleaning agents and detergents only.

“We would like to use it soon. Can you imagine vetsin being sold in a one-gallon bottle by the gram? It’s a possibility,” he added.

“But we are a sachet society, and that would remain. We needed to make a program to help manage this kind of development.”

APC has partnered with Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies, Inc. to collect and process the collected plastic. “It can be converted into pallets and used for coprocessing in cement factories as fuel,” Mr. Carlos noted.

It aims to evaluate its pilot run before expanding the program to other municipalities, eyeing neighbors in the metropolitan area such as Taguig and Pasig, he added. — Miguel Hanz L. Antivola

Navigating the privacy landscape: A closer look at consent guidelines in the Philippines

January 10, 2024 | 12:01 am

The Philippines places a significant emphasis on privacy and consent, rooted in constitutional rights. In Ople v. Torres*, the Supreme Court expressly recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, identifying in the process several constitutional provisions that protect different facets of such right.

To fortify this commitment, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) recently issued Circular No. 2023-04, which delineates comprehensive guidelines on obtaining valid consent.

Published on Nov. 7, 2023, NPC Circular No. 2023-04 specifically applies to personal information controllers (PICs) engaging in the processing of personal data based on the consent of the data subject. The Circular serves as a roadmap, offering detailed insights into the elements and procedures constituting valid consent in adherence to the Data Privacy Act (DPA) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

ELEMENTS OF CONSENT
The Circular explicitly defines the essential elements of valid consent, emphasizing that it must be freely given, specific, informed, an indication of will, and evidenced by written, electronic, or recorded means. It further underscores that consent cannot be considered freely given in situations involving pressure, intimidation, adverse consequences, or any impairment of the data subject’s free will. Genuine choice and control over the decision to consent are paramount. A data subject must have a genuine choice and control over their decision to consent to the processing of their personal data. (Sec. 7)

Provided that all the elements of consent are present, and the PIC provides the data subject with information on the processing of personal data for a specific service, the continued use of the PIC’s specific service is an assenting action signifying consent. (Sec. 10, C)

Furthermore, the circular provides that Consent must be expressly given through a clear assenting action that signifies agreement to the specific purposes of the processing of personal data as conveyed to the data subject at the time consent was given. (Sec. 10)

Hence, Consent can never be assumed, and that non-response or implied consent does not constitute valid consent. (Sec. 10, A)

TRANSPARENCY
Because transparency is a cornerstone of the Circular, PICs shall ensure that the data subject is aware of the nature, purpose, and extent of the processing of personal data. This includes the risks and safeguards involved, the identity of the PIC, the rights of the data subject, and how these rights can be exercised. Transparency empowers the data subject to make informed choices, and where applicable, to have reasonable control over the processing of their personal data, and to hold a PIC accountable based on the information provided at the time the data subject gave their, is aware of the nature, consent.

Specific information. At the minimum, the following information should be provided in a concise statement: description of the personal data to be processed, the purpose, nature, extent, duration, and scope of processing for which consent is used as basis, the identity of the PIC, the existence of the rights of the data subject, and how these rights can be exercised. (Sec. 3, A)

Timing. Such concise information should be provided at the moment when consent is obtained (e.g., at set-up, just-in-time, context-dependent). Further information or additional details should be made available to the data subject by means of a Layered Privacy Notice (i.e., use of a link to the detailed information on the processing). (Sec. 3, B)

Clarity. A PIC shall use clear, plain, consistent, and straight-forward language when providing information to the data subject. A PIC must not use vague or blanket wording, convoluted information, technical jargon, confusing terminology, double negatives, and deliberately providing information in a circuitous manner. Providing the data subject with information that is difficult to understand, long-winded, or complex is inconsistent with informed consent. (Sec. 3, C)

WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT
Consent, as a dynamic process, can be withdrawn at any time without cost to the data subject, subject to certain limitations as may be provided for by law, regulation, or contract. Should a data subject choose to exercise the right to withdraw consent to the processing and if there is no other lawful basis justifying the continued processing, a PIC is obliged to stop the processing without undue delay, terminate any processing activity including the provision of services relying on that consent, and delete the personal data.

To ensure this, a PIC shall ensure that withdrawing consent is as easy as, if not easier than, giving consent. A PIC is obliged to implement simple procedures to enable the data subject to exercise the right to erasure, including to suspend, withdraw or order the blocking, removal, or destruction, of personal data from the PIC’s repository. (Sec. 13, A)

Additionally, a PIC should refrain from utilizing or switching to another interface for the sole purpose of consent withdrawal since this would require undue effort from the data subject unless it will result in an easier manner to withdraw consent. (Sec. 13, B). Moreover, a PIC shall also provide the data subject with adequate information on the scope and consequences of the withdrawal of consent at the beginning of the processing and at that point when the consent is to be withdrawn. This includes informing the data subject of any further processing of personal data, its purposes, and the corresponding lawful bases relied on for those other purposes. (Sec. 13, C)

Importantly, when consent is withdrawn by the data subject, the withdrawal shall not affect the lawfulness of the processing before the withdrawal of such consent.

Overall, the legal foundations and regulatory initiatives outlined in NPC Circular No. 2023-04 serve to promote accountability, transparency, and respect for individual privacy while balancing societal interests. The legal foundations and regulatory initiatives encapsulated in this Circular reflect the Philippines’ proactive stance in addressing contemporary challenges related to data protection and privacy rights. This approach reaffirms the goal of navigating the complexities of the digital age while safeguarding the fundamental rights and privacy expectations of every citizen.

*G.R. No. 127685, July 23, 1998.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not offered and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.

John Joshua R. Carillo is an associate of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW).

(632) 8830-8000

jrcarillo@accralaw.com

MakatiMed teams up with South Korean hospital for skills development

January 10, 2024 | 12:01 am

THE MAKATI Medical Center (MakatiMed) has partnered with Asan Medical Center of South Korea (SoKor) for skills development of medical professionals, the Philippine hospital said on Tuesday.

“The primary objective of this program is to enhance the competencies of MakatiMed’s medical professionals in preparation for the institution’s upcoming liver transplantation program,” MakatiMed said in a statement on Tuesday.

The collaboration has led to a special Observership Program designed for MakatiMed’s liver specialists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, critical care doctors, and nurses at Asan Medical Center, the Philippine hospital said.

“This alliance is poised to foster a vibrant exchange of ideas and methodologies, ultimately benefiting patient care and medical advancements in the field of hepatology.”

During the signing, MakatiMed was represented by its Medical Director Saturnino P. Javier, while Asan Medical Center was represented by its President Seung-Il Park. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Arthaland Corp. to hold Special Stockholders Meeting through remote communication on Jan. 31

January 10, 2024 | 12:01 am

NOTICE OF SPECIAL STOCKHOLDERS MEETING

NOTICE is hereby given that a Special Stockholders Meeting of ARTHALAND CORPORATION will be held on 31 January 2024, Wednesday, 9:00 A.M. and will be convened by the Presiding Officer in Taguig City through remote communication. In order to participate during the meeting, attendees must register at –

https://zoom.us/j/94791691040?pwd=NW9YNlpmeXB4TjVRK0xNVndzanBmQT09

The Agenda for the meeting is as follows:

Call to Order
Secretary’s Proof of Due Notice of the Meeting and Determination of Quorum
Proposed Amendment of Article SEVENTH of Articles of Incorporation
Other Matters
Adjournment

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on 19 January 2024 (Friday) will be entitled to further notice of and to vote at this meeting. Electronic copies of the Information Statement which will include the manner of conducting the meeting and the process on how one can join the same, as well as vote in absentia, among other relevant documents, will be made available in www.arthaland.com and the Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE EDGE).

WE ARE NOT SOLICITING YOUR PROXY. However, if you cannot personally attend the meeting or participate through remote communication but would still like to be represented thereat and be considered for quorum purposes, you may inform the Office of the Corporate Secretary at the address indicated below or through investor.relations@arthaland.com not later than 24 January 2024 (Wednesday). You will be advised thereafter of any further action on your part, which may include accomplishing a proxy.

RIVA KHRISTINE V. MAALA (Sgd.)
Corporate Secretary

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Arts & Culture (01/10/24)

January 10, 2024 | 12:01 am

1 of 7

NCCA’s Heneral Tuna awards students’ fan art

The recently concluded digital poster making contest featuring Heneral Tuna, the witty and fierce blue alien cat from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) eponymous animated and book series, featured artworks done by Filipino high school and college students, with each poster interpreting Filipino values for the common good. Out of 220 entries, the first place winner was Boholano artist Anna Rina Oncog who depicted elements like the jeepney and pagmamano. Second place went to Lorenzo Angelo Maranan of Baguio City, and third place went to Khem Mary Abalos of Antipolo City. The winning entries can be seen on Heneral Tuna social media pages.

MO_Space brings collection of portraits

THE second iteration of “A Portrait of A Portrait Show” is coming to MO_Space this January. It features works by Juan Alcazaren, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Vic Balanon, Elmer Borlongan, Annie Cabigting, Roberto Chabet, Jonathan Ching, Mariano Ching, Joy Dayrit, Pardo de Leon, Nilo Ilarde, Geraldine Javier, Mark Justiniani, Romeo Lee, Julie Lluch, Joy Mallari, Manuel Ocampo, Jayson Oliveria, Mawen Ong, Bernard Pacquing, Diokno Pasilan, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Elaine Roberto Navas, Juni Salvador, José Santos III, Mona Santos, Soler Santos, Yasmin Sison, Gerardo Tan, Pam Yan Santos, and Reg Yuson. They continue the first show’s theme on selfhood and its many facets through the diverse practices of drawing and painting, photography and printmaking, mixed media and sculpture. It is open for public viewing at MO_Space at Taguig’s Bonifacio High Street from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.

Villamael, Pettyjohn solo exhibits at Silverlens

SILVERLENS Manila presents two solo exhibitions this January, highlighting two different forms of artistry. “Return, My Gracious Hour” sees Ryan Villamael surveil, appropriate, and reconstitute American-occupation archival material, shaping them into paper-cutout flowers. His works consider history as a medium, motivated by Jose Rizal’s poem “Memories of My Town.” Meanwhile, “A Light in Everything” explores tranquility in the form of sculptural clay. Tessy Pettyjohn’s illuminating forms come about from the act of meditation, a practice that has long informed her art-making process. Both exhibitions opened on Jan. 9 at Silverlens Manila, at 2263 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. They will run until Feb. 3.

Feast of Santo Niño exhibit at Ali Mall

IN time with the feast of Santo Niño, Araneta City has opened the “Ang Batang Hesus” exhibit in Ali Mall. It features more than 70 images of the child Jesus from devotees around the country. Among the replicas on display are those of the three oldest Santo Niño images in the Philippines — the Santo Niño de Cebu, Santo Niño de Tondo, and Santo Niño de Arevalo. In Philippine history, the very first image of the child Jesus was given as a baptismal gift to native Filipinos by Spanish explorers. “Ang Batang Hesus” is open for public viewing at the lower ground floor activity area of Ali Mall in Cubao, Quezon City, until Jan. 18.

The M holds conversations and film screening

CURATOR Erwin Romulo and actor and comedian Jun Sabayton will be hosting an exhibition commentary-walkthrough of “Parallel Histories: Moving Image from the Philippines and the United Kingdom,” featuring the works of experimental filmmakers working in the Philippines and the United Kingdom from 1990 onwards and the historical parallels between them. Mr. Romulo will then host a screening of Nick Deocampo’s Let This Film Serve as a Manifesto for a New Cinema (1990), which states the goals and beliefs of the New Cinema movement pioneered by young filmmakers rebelling against Marcos-era propaganda. The screening will be followed by a talkback with the director to learn the artmaking process of the work and its sociopolitical and historical context. The event on Jan. 13, Saturday, at 2p.m., is free and open to all at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Bambike Night Tours explore Intramuros after dark

MANILA Canvas, a store operator of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Go Lokal! program, recently launched Bambike Night Tours, a novel way to explore Intramuros’ storied past. In partnership with Bambike Revolution Cycles, also a Go Lokal enterprise, and the Intramuros Administration, this unique venture invites locals and foreign tourists to explore Manila’s historic landscape after dark. Committed to sustainable tourism, the tour lets curious adventurers immerse themselves in Manila’s vibrant nightscape. Special tours are also available for families with children ages one to five years old and for individuals needing mobility support. To book, visit http://bit.ly/Bambiketours.

‘Van Gogh Alive’ immersive exhibit opens new slots

The immersive exhibit “VAN Gogh Alive,” which delves into the vibrant world of Vincent van Gogh, has been extended until Jan. 14 at the Bonifacio Global City Arts Center. The multi-sensory art experience is presented by Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. with Del Monte Philippines and created and produced by Grande Experiences. It offers a unique way to interact with Van Gogh’s art, immersing visitors in a symphony of light, color, sound, and aroma. Tickets are available at the BGC Arts Center Box Office or via TicketWorld.

BSP approves Salmon banking license

January 10, 2024 | 12:01 am

CONSUMER financial technology firm Salmon has become a licensed bank after the Philippine central bank approved its purchase of a controlling interest in the Rural Bank of Sta. Rosa (Laguna), it said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Salmon will own 59.7% of the bank upon the completion of this transaction, which will conclude in the coming weeks,” it said.

The acquisition of the rural lender will allow Salmon to offer artificial intelligence (AI)-centric consumer credit and debit products in the Philippines through both offline and online settings, it added.

Salmon said it plans to open branches in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao to increase access to modern banking services for underserved and underbanked Filipinos.

Under the deal, Salmon will enhance the rural bank’s offline presence through capital and technological improvements.

The rural lender will also distribute Salmon’s products and services through its offline and online channels.

“The transaction will help us reach additional underserved communities in the Philippines, bringing modern, customer-centric and easy-to-access financial services to more people, regardless of smartphone ownership or customer location as we combine offline and online settings for providing our services,” said Raffy Montemayor, co-founder and business head at Salmon Philippines.

Established in July 2022, Salmon is a consumer financial technology company in Southeast Asia that focuses on AI and data-driven banking solutions. It said it is supported by the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi ADQ, as well as international and Filipino investors.

The Rural Bank of Sta. Rosa was set up in 1963 and has been operating in Laguna and Cavite provinces. — Aaron Michael C. Sy

Lack of priority on business education poses challenge for young Filipino entrepreneurs — Siklab

January 10, 2024 | 12:01 am

sme-entrepreneurs-online seller — STOCK PHOTO | Image by our team from Freepik

THE Philippine government needs to prioritize entrepreneurial education to address the challenges hindering young individuals from venturing into business careers, a development consultancy group said.

“Systemic change has to start both at the grassroots level and the top to overcome the challenges for young people to pursue entrepreneurial careers,” Saje Molato, founder and chief executive officer of development consulting organization Siklab, said in an interview with BusinessWorld.

When addressing the challenges encountered by young businessmen, he noted that the primary issue lies in the “inherent lack of prioritization and acknowledgment of the importance by government officials regarding the value of providing entrepreneurial education to young people.”

He also said that prioritizing funding for businesses founded by young entrepreneurs will address the lack of innovation in most developing countries, which has resulted from the absence of programs prioritizing youth development.

“Systems in developing countries are generally resistant to innovation and youth priorities in general, save for a few select states like Singapore and Thailand that place a premium on these skills,” he said.

Mr. Molato, speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Dialogue on Young People’s Skills, Employability, and Transition to Decent Work last year, emphasized the need to focus on educational systems, including entrepreneurial programs, to preserve competitiveness despite the digitalization of jobs.

He urged the public and private sectors to establish protective measures to upskill workers and entrepreneurs who face the changes brought about by the rise of Industry 4.0, including the integration of artificial intelligence technologies in industrial processes.

He also stressed the need for cultivating a versatile workforce capable of adjusting to the changes in the global economy amid the rise of advanced technologies. — Jomel R. Paguian

Philippine Labor Force Situation

January 10, 2024 | 12:00 am

THE COUNTRY’S unemployment rate dropped to another record low in November, as businesses ramped up hiring ahead of the holiday season, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday. Read the full story.

How PSEi member stocks performed — January 9, 2024

January 10, 2024 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

Meralco battles Phoenix for the twice-to-beat edge in quarters

January 9, 2024 | 9:27 pm

Games Today
Smart Araneta Coliseum
4 p.m. — Phoenix vs Meralco
8 p.m. — NLEX vs Converge

A COVETED Top 4 ranking with twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals is within sight for both Meralco and Phoenix.

Expect the Bolts and the Fuel Masters, currently in a logjam for No. 2 at 7-2, to pull out all the stops to get there.

With this as backdrop, Meralco and Phoenix engage today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in a livewire duel with one of the sought-after playoffs bonuses on the line.

Game time is 4 p.m. with the victor taking the second incentive in the Last-8 after Magnolia (9-2) and leaving the loser in a race with the charging San Miguel Beer (7-3) and Barangay Ginebra (7-3) for the remaining two.

“Very crucial (game) for both teams,” Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin. “As far as I know, whichever wins gets the twice-to-beat advantage, Top 4, so we have to prepare and be ready.”

Meralco counterpart Luigi Trillo stressed how a loss could mess up things for his squad.

The Bolts hope to build on their 85-80 verdict over pacesetting Magnolia (9-2) in Iloilo over the weekend in this pivotal encounter while the well-rested Fuel Masters look to rebound from 96-117 loss to San Miguel Beer last Christmas.

Meanwhile, ninth-running NLEX (3-6) fights to stay in the hunt for the eighth and last quarters berth as it battles also-ran Converge (1-8) at 8 p.m. The Road Warriors are eyeing to draw level with idle TNT (4-6) at No. 8.

Frankie Lim’s team has brought in a new import in Deandre Williams Baldwin in place of Stokley Chaffee Jr. in a bid to salvage its bid.

Williams Baldwin is coming off a stellar stint with Memphis in the NCAA, where he logged impressive averages of 17.69 points, 8.17 rebounds, 2.91 assists, and 1.46 steals per game in his senior year.

Though out of it all, the FiberXers are expected to fight for pride and create momentum for next conference before they bow out of the season-opening tournament. — Olmin Leyba