Games Today (Ynares Sports Arena, Pasig) 5 p.m. — TNT vs Terrafirma 7:30 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs Rain Or Shine
RAIN Or Shine (ROS) and San Miguel Beer (SMB) shoot for their third straight win as they duke it out in a PBA On Tour clash headlining today’s double-header at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Game time is at 7:30 p.m. with the Elasto Painters (2-0) bent on staying spotless and the Beermen (2-1) poised to sustain their charge in the pre-season tournament.
ROS kicked off its campaign with impressive victories over NLEX, 117-93, and Phoenix, 113-104, drawing strong performances from Rey Nambatac (18 points per game), Anton Asistio (16.5 ppg), Santi Santillan (11 ppg, 10.5 rebounds per game), Nick Demusis (10 ppg) and Andrei Caracut (10 ppg).
The Beermen, for their part, quickly recovered from their 101-106 opening setback to Phoenix and roared past NorthPort, 87-75, and Barangay Ginebra, 90-78.
Terrence Romeo, the tour’s top scorer with 20.7 markers per outing, and Rodney Brondial, the leading rebounder with 15.7, lead an SMB team competing minus June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Simon Enciso and Vic Manuel.
Jericho Cruz, who’s averaging 17.3 points, is also solid for the Beermen, who got added ammo last Sunday with CJ Perez returning to active duty.
Meanwhile, shorthanded TNT (0-1) aims to get on the win column against a breakthrough-seeking Terrafirma (0-2) in the 5 p.m. curtain-raiser.
The Tropang Giga are bannered by Glenn Khobuntin, Carl Bryan Cruz, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Kib Montalbo with aces Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, RR Pogoy, Kelly Williams and Calvin Oftana out.
Center Poy Erram joined the list of “unavailable” players after spraining his ankle in TNT’s 90-99 loss to NorthPort last Friday.
The Sandy Arespacochaga-coached Tropang Giga are also banking on San Beda cagers Peter Alfaro, Clifford Jopia, Damie Cuntapay and JV Gallego to help out the vets. — Olmin Leyba
THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) acquired another big piece in former University of the East anchor Gani Stevens to further bolster its frontline for the future.
Mr. Stevens, a 6-foot-7 Filipino-American slotman, will be eligible in Season 87 in time for Malick Diouf’s graduation that will help the UP Fighting Maroons stabilize their frontcourt.
“Adding another young, hardworking center in Gani (Stevens) will certainly give us more versatility in our frontcourt as we continue to build our program in the seasons to come,” said coach Goldwin Monteverde in an announcement yesterday.
Mr. Stevens, who also had a brief stint with UST before transferring to UE, tallied 9.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists as the starting center of UE in his lone season. He helped the Red Warriors make some noise from the cellar to finish at No. 6.
He will join a bevy of Diliman’s prized recruits in the aftermath of a runner-up finish to Ateneo in Season 85 following a historic title in Season 84 to end a 36-year drought.
Previously scooped up by UP were Francis Lopez from Ateneo High School, Jared Bahay of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Seven Gagate and NCAA MVP Luis Pablo from St. Benilde, 6-foot-5 Francis Lopez, and Fil-American giant Sean Alter.
UP recently took a blow following the departure and graduation of nine players led by Carl Tamayo, Zavier Lucero and James Spencer, who served as vital cogs in their magical Season 84 run. — John Bryan Ulanday
PARIS — Casper Ruud continued his bid to reach back-to-back finals at the French Open by fending off Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in a 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5 fourth-round win on Monday as Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur also stayed on course for a maiden Grand Slam crown.
Alexander Zverev hardly broke sweat in the night session to seal a 6-1 6-4 6-3 win over Bulgarian 28th seed Grigor Dimitrov and set up a showdown with Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Mr. Ruud, who has only dropped two sets in four matches so far, faced a tricky test against lanky claycourt specialist Jarry but pulled through in three hours and 20 minutes as his opponent failed to make his chances count in the last two sets.
“If we had gone five sets I don’t know how long we would have played,” said Mr. Ruud on Court Philippe Chatrier. “I have to thank my team for pushing me in practice. I did the work and physically I was ready for more.”
He next meets Holger Rune in a rematch of last year’s quarter-final after the Dane got a helping hand from the umpire with a missed but glaring double bounce to battle past Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(3) 3-6 6-4 1-6 7-6(7).
Mr. Etcheverry reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 7-6(8) 6-0 6-1 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka, the 27th seed.
Ms. Jabeur moved into the quarterfinals at the claycourt major for the first time with a 6-3 6-1 victory over American Bernarda Pera and hoped that the romantic atmosphere of Paris will help her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title.
“Paris is always romantic, day or night. Winning here will definitely be an amazing memory for me,” said Ms. Jabeur, who became the first African player to reach the quarters at each of the four majors in the Open Era. The Tunisian had reached the Australian Open quarterfinal in 2020 and finished runner-up to Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon and US Open title clashes last year.
The 28-year-old is not getting complacent ahead of her clash with 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7(3) 6-3 7-5 to become the first Brazilian woman since Maria Bueno in 1968 to make the quarterfinals of a major.
“For now, I just want to take it one match at a time,” added Ms. Jabeur. “I will have a very difficult quarterfinal. I was just taking it one match at a time, trying to make it to the second week. Now I’m going to push more for the next few matches.”
Haddad Maia became only the second Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the Open Era after Ms. Bueno and she got there in three hours and 51 minutes — the longest women’s match of the tournament.
GAUFF BOOKS REMATCH Last year’s runner-up Coco Gauff outclassed Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-5 6-2 in windy conditions to reach the quarterfinals where she will face holder Iga Swiatek in a rematch of the 2022 final.
Poland’s top seed Ms. Swiatek set up the blockbuster meeting when her ailing fourth-round opponent Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine retired while down 5-1 in the first set after she called on the trainer and had her blood pressure checked.
Russian Daria Kasatkina said she left the tournament with a sense of bitterness after being booed off by the crowd following her fourth-round defeat by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Sunday.
“Leaving Paris with a very bitter feeling. All these days, after every match I’ve played in Paris I always appreciated and thanked the crowd for their support and being there for the players,” Ms. Kasatkina wrote on Twitter. — Reuters
KYRIE Irving has reached out to LeBron James to gauge the latter’s interest in coming to Dallas, The Athletic reported Monday.
Irving played 20 games for the Mavericks after a midseason trade from Brooklyn and is currently a free agent. Mr. James has two years and $97 million remaining on his contract but the second year is voidable. Mr. James, who reportedly played the last few months with a torn tendon in his foot, said he has “a lot to think about” about his future.
“Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about,” James said after the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
Mr. James, 38, reportedly needs surgery on his foot this summer.
Mr. Irving, 31, just finished off the final year of a four-year, $136.5-million deal he signed with Brooklyn in July 2019, which included a player option for the 2022-23 season. — Reuters
First off, let’s get one thing clear: Nothing is impossible in the National Basketball Association. History is littered with enough head-scratching developments for longtime observers to definitively argue that anything can happen in pro hoops. Still, it’s fair to contend that a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion isn’t likely to happen with the Mavericks. There are simply too many hurdles to overcome, not least of which are the practical considerations associated with the all-time leading scorer changing addresses.
There is, of course, James’ murky future to address first. The last time anybody saw him in public, he looked like a tired, beaten 38-year-old, 20-year veteran entertaining the notion of hanging up his sneakers. And even assuming his negative body language right after being on the wrong end of a sweep was just a knee-jerk development and not truly reflective of his sentiments, there is the not inconsiderable financial obstacle that his pay presents. He is due to receive $47 million should he opt to burn rubber anew in the 2023-34 season — which effectively means the Mavericks would tie just about their entire projected salary cap room of $134 million to him, resident star Luka Doncic (at $40 million), and free agent Kyrie Irving (at a maximum $47 million).
Given the numbers, the Mavericks would need to gut their roster first, secure the Big Three, and then fill it with journeymen on minimum deals. That doesn’t sound like a winning formula, especially not since James and Doncic appear to have overlapping skill sets. And do the blue and white actually have the personnel — any personnel — the Lakers need or want in exchange for the single most transcendent asset in the game, and still the most popular name in the league by far? Which is probably why franchise owner Mark Cuban, not known to stay silent on any matter involving his interests, has kept silent.
Who knows what Irving smoked before putting out word that he’s angling to get James to switch sides? That he’s interested in partnering with his fellow champion once more is no surprise. And, in this context, perhaps he was just goading the Lakers into action: Better they get him than the Mavericks get their foundational piece. In any case, it’s best considered for what it is; fun for a moment, and ridiculous in the face of logic. Again, there are no boundaries in the NBA. Imaginations run wild because, once in a blue moon, the improbably does become reality. Not this one, though. As the stormtrooper in Star Wars famously noted, “Nothing to see here. Move along.”
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
LOS ANGELES – Hollywood‘s actors union voted to authorize a strike if contract talks break down, turning up the heat on major film and television studios already grappling with a monthlong work stoppage by writers.
After voting closed on Monday, SAG-AFTRA said 97.91% of ballots cast supported a strike authorization. Nearly 65,000 members, or about 48% of those eligible, voted on the measure.
“Bravo SAG-AFTRA. We are in it to win it,” Fran Drescher, the union’s president, said in a statement.
Talks between the 160,000-member union, Hollywood‘s largest, and the major studios are scheduled to start on Wednesday.
No new negotiations are scheduled with the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents 11,500 film and TV writers. Their walkout has disrupted production of late-night shows and shut down high-profile projects including a new season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and a “Game of Thrones” spinoff for Warner Bros Discovery’s WBD.O HBO.
Over the weekend, the studios likely averted a second work stoppage by reaching a tentative deal with the Directors Guild of America(DGA). That pact will take effect if DGA members vote to ratify it in the coming weeks.
With the actors, “we are approaching these negotiations with the goal of achieving a new agreement that is beneficial to SAG-AFTRA members and the industry overall,” said the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Walt Disney Co., Netflix Inc. and other studios.
A strike by actors would lead to a broader shutdown across Hollywood and increase pressure on studios that need programming to feed their streaming services and the fall TV broadcast schedule.
SAG-AFTRA leaders said the industry had changed dramatically with the rise of streaming television and the emergence of new technology such as generative AI.
The coming talks “may be one of the most consequential negotiations in the union’s history,” said chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
“Inflation, dwindling residuals due to streaming, and generative AI all threaten actors’ ability to earn a livelihood if our contracts are not adapted to reflect the new realities,” he said. – Reuters
CUPERTINO, California, June 5 (Reuters) – Apple Inc. on Monday let analysts and media, including Reuters, try its $3,499 Vision Pro headset.
What is immediately clear is the device is not yet meant for a mass market: a test drive requires a setup session with Apple staff and a quick visit with a vision specialist to ensure the headset fits and functions as intended. And the price tag is likely to keep all but the most dedicated Apple fans and business users away.
Instead of starting with a consumer version and working up to a “Pro” model, Apple is starting with the premium tier and hoping to bring prices down as the technology matures, said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Creative Strategies.
Apple released the Vision Pro in an attempt to wrest the nascent headset category away from Meta Platforms Inc., which has already released several headsets but struggled to break out of a virtual reality market long dominated by video games.
The Vision Pro headset has a “digital crown” similar to an Apple watch crown, which can be tapped and turned to make the display transition fluidly between the real world outside and the virtual world inside. Walking around a room or viewing a 3D film both feel natural as does watching a virtual butterfly settle on the user’s outstretched hand.
The device also glitched at least once during a demonstration to Reuters, requiring Apple staff to reboot and showing that the iPhone maker still has some kinks to iron out.
Here are some key takeaways from the demonstration:
– The real world and other people are always present. The default mode while wearing the device is to see the outside world in full color. Even when fully immersed in a virtual world, exterior cameras keep an eye out for other humans. If another person approaches the user, that person starts to materialize through the virtual world.
– Hollywood will likely take an interest. Apple demonstrated a series of “immersive videos”, shot on special proprietary cameras where the viewer can step inside and look around.
– The sense of place can be startling. In one video, a tightrope walker suspended between two mountains edges toward the viewer, creating an unsettling urge to look down at an intimidating chasm below. At the same time, the realism can make mundane details look out of place in a polished production, like a cheap plastic water bottle sitting on the piano during a recording session with a famous singer.
– From the outset, Apple has focused on the business case for Vision Pro, demonstrating how to use multiple apps at once in the headset, which is akin to having several high resolution displays. It also showed how two users could share, and manipulate, three-dimensional virtual objects during a conference call. Both are functions that could find some use in the corporate world, where Vision Pro‘s price tag would sit on cost centers rather than household budgets.
– Video calls will take some getting used to. Apple showed a FaceTime video call between two people wearing the headset. The experience is similar to a standard video call, but uses complicated technology to project an image of the caller, not a conventional face-pointing handset or monitor camera.
– To construct a virtual “persona” of the caller that shows their facial expressions, the system uses pre-loaded pictures combined with data from the Vision Pro‘s interior eye-tracking system and exterior hand-tracking cameras. But the net effect is human-but-not-quite, a phenomenon robotics experts call the “uncanny valley” effect where faces that resemble humans but are slightly off can make users feel uneasy. – Reuters
CHICAGO – Adding an experimental mRNA-based vaccine from Moderna Inc. and Merck & Co. reduced the risk that the most deadly skin cancer would spread by 65% over treatment with an immunotherapy alone in a mid-stage trial, the companies reported on Monday.
With this and earlier data, Moderna is considering seeking faster approval from regulators for the treatment, the company told investors after having presented the results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.
“Some of the residual uncertainty seems to be going away on that potential (option),” said Moderna President Stephen Hoge.
The data followed earlier promising data from the trial showing the customized mRNA vaccine given in combination with Merck‘s Keytruda cut the risk of death or recurrence of melanoma by 44% compared with Keytruda alone.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that mRNA technology, which rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, can be used to assemble personalized vaccines that train the immune system to attack the specific type of cancer cells in a patient’s tumors.
Scientists have been chasing the dream of vaccines to treat cancer for decades with few successes. Experts say mRNA vaccines, which can be produced in as little as eight weeks, paired with drugs that rev up the immune system may lead to a new generation of cancer therapies.
The hope is for “a completely new treatment paradigm in cancer that will be better tolerated and unique to individual patients’ tumors,” said Dr. Jane Healy, an executive overseeing in early cancer treatment development at Merck.
Moderna said during its investor call that it was starting a Phase 3 confirmatory study, which it hoped to open in the third quarter of this year.
The Merck/Moderna collaboration is one of several combining powerful drugs that unleash the immune system to target cancers with mRNA vaccine technology. Pfizer’s COVID vaccine partner BioNTech SE and Gritstone Bio Inc. are taking similar approaches using mRNA technology.
The vaccines all target neoantigens, new mutations that are only present on tumors. Aiming at these unique proteins allows the immune system to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue unscathed.
The trick is determining which of many mutations is driving the cancer.
To accomplish this, tumors are removed and their genetic makeup is mapped using next-generation DNA sequencing. Companies use artificial intelligence to predict which mutations will be the most effective targets. These are used to build an individualized vaccine targeting only mutations in the patient’s tumor.
During this process, patients typically receive an immunotherapy such as Keytruda or Roche’s ROG.S Tecentriq, which block a mechanismcancer uses to hide from the immune system.
‘A STARTING POINT’
Long before COVID, companies had been eyeing messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which carries instructions for cells to make specific proteins, as a vehicle for delivering a cancer vaccine.
Merck and Moderna have been collaborating since 2016. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York began working with Germany’s BioNTech in 2017.
At that time, there was already proof that immunotherapy could work in so-called “hot” tumors, or highly mutated cancers, such as melanoma. There was little hope it would work in “cold” cancers with few mutations, such as pancreatic cancer, said MSK’s Dr. Vinod Balachandran.
With standard treatment, 90% of pancreatic cancer patients die within five years of diagnosis.
Balachandran’s team studied the rare long-term survivors and found an immune system component called T cells in these individuals were able to recognize mutations derived from the cancer, raising the possibility of a targeted vaccine.
In a small ongoing trial testing a made-to-order BioNTech vaccine plus Roche’s Tecentriq, half of the 16 pancreatic cancer patients mounted an immune response, and none showed signs of relapse after 18 months, according to data published last month in Nature.
Gritstone Bio is taking a different tack, combining two types of customized vaccines in hopes of treating patients with metastatic coloncancer, another cancer that has been largely unresponsive to immunotherapy.
The approach first primes the immune system with an older technology called a chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine that targets patients’ tumors. That is followed by a personalized self-amplifying mRNA vaccine, which includes an enzyme that makes extra copies of the antigens, reducing the required dose.
Gritstone is expecting data from a later-stage trial testing its dual vaccine therapy in the first quarter of 2024.
“Based on everything we’ve shown and we’ve published, we’re really excited,” said Gritstone CEO Andrew Allen.
Merck and Moderna are planning a larger Phase 3 trial in melanoma and are also testing its combination in lung cancer.
“We see this as a starting point,” Healy said. – Reuters
Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG plans to sell its 800-employee drug manufacturing plant in Vacaville, California, or it will shut the factory by 2029, according to e-mailed letters to workers seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
In a statement, Roche confirmed the divestiture plan for the site, which makes monoclonal antibodies from genetically modified living cells, but did not address the potential closing of the plant or its timeline.
The company said in the statement it does not expect to need the very large volumes of the medicines the plant provides, and large-scale production will be done in one of the company’s newer plants.
It also plans to focus on drugs targeting smaller patient populations moving forward and to draw on a range of biotechnology methods beyond monoclonal antibodies, it said, adding there would be no impact to operations or employees at this time.
Roche is under new leadership this year after CEO Thomas Schinecker took the helm and Teresa Graham became head of the pharmaceuticals division in March.
The Swiss group is under pressure to develop new treatments to offset the loss of billions in sales due to cheap biotech copies of its established cancer medicines Herceptin, Avastin and Rituxan, some of which are made in Vacaville.
It is also contending with dipping revenue for its COVID-19 therapies and tests.
The company said it is seeking a buyer that will continue to use the plant as an operating facility.
If the company is unable to find a buyer, it will ramp down production and close the plant in 2028 to 2029, the emails said.
Roche acquired the plant more than a decade ago with its purchase of US biotech Genentech. The plant makes drugs for cancer including Avastin and Herceptin, as well as Actemra for rheumatoid arthritis.
During the pandemic, Roche collaborated with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals REGN.O to increase supply of that drugmaker’s COVID-19 antibody treatment. Roche manufactured the treatment at the Vacaville plant, which it sells outside the U.S. under the brand name Ronapreve. – Reuters
WASHINGTON – Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that the tech company illegally collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent, the FTC said on Monday.
The company had been charged with violating the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from children who signed up to its Xbox gaming system without notifying their parents or obtaining their parents’ consent, and by retaining children’s personal information, the FTC said in a statement.
The order requires Microsoft to take steps to improve privacy protections for child users of its Xbox system. It will extend COPPA protections to third-party gaming publishers with whom Microsoft shares children’s data, the FTC said.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the company was committed to complying with the order. The spokesperson added the account creation process will be updated and a data retention glitch found in the company’s system will be resolved.
“Our proposed order makes it easier for parents to protect their children’s privacy on Xbox, and limits what information Microsoft can collect and retain about kids,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“This action should also make it abundantly clear that kids’ avatars, biometric data, and health information are not exempt from COPPA,” Mr. Levine added.
The law requires online services and websites directed to children under 13 to notify parents about the personal information they collect and to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting and using any personal information of the children.
From 2015 to 2020, Microsoft retained the data that it collected from children during the account creation process, even when a parent failed to complete the process, according to the complaint. – Reuters
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) will hold its Q2 General Membership Meeting (GMM) on June 6, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. at Camp John Hay, Baguio City. This GMM will cover advancements in technology as well as initiatives in partnership with the government and academe that will support the Philippine semiconductor and electronics industries’ recovery and growth. Among the notable industry and government leaders that will present are Benguet Province’s Governor Melchor Diclas; Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong; SEIPI’s Association of Purchasing Managers (ASPM) Chairman and Director of Supply Chain Management, Gruppo EMS, Danny Javid; Vice-President and Head of Product Management for Cloud Tech Services of ePLDT, Inc. Jerameel Azurin; Site Quality Manager of Moog Controls Corp. Engr. Reynaldo Balanon; Dean of the University of Baguio’s School of Information Technology Engr. Elisabeth Calub, SEIPI Chairman and Chairman & CEO, Gruppo EMS, Perry Ferrer; and SEIPI President Dan Lachica. This GMM will likewise feature one of SEIPI’s Annual Business Partners, PLDT Enterprise.
In 2022, the Philippine semiconductor and electronics industry accounted for US$49.09 billion, a 6.88% annual growth from 2021. It was 62.27% of the US$78.84 billion in total Philippine commodity exports. Month-on-month electronics exports rose by 27.35% in March 2023 to US$3.83 billion, or 58.72% of the US$6.53 billion total Philippine exports, enabling the industry to retain its position as the country’s top commodity exporter and a significant contributor to the economic recovery.
SEIPI’s unwavering support for its member companies and the industry in addressing their concerns by working with various government agencies has yielded positive results. These include allowing PEZA-registered companies to continue alternative work arrangements, establishing a technical working group to streamline the Certificate of Authority to Transport (CA-TT) application process during the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections’ controlled chemicals ban, enacting VAT zero-rating for goods and services directly and exclusively used in registered projects, implementing the Electronic Zone Transfer (EZTS) System for inter-zone transport of goods, and limiting surety bonds to seven days as part of the EZTS implementation in Cavite. Despite the challenges, SEIPI remains steadfast and actively works towards the reconsideration of the PEZA Travel Pass requirement, BOC’s ETRACC System, parameters for ‘red-tagging’ shipments, and unauthorized overtime charges for exporters. SEIPI has made significant strides forward through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, including the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the Export Development Council, and the Anti- Red Tape Authority (ARTA).
The organization continuously implements projects under its roadmap called the Product and Technology Holistic Strategy (PATHS) in order to move the local industry up the global value chain. Some of these are being led by SEIPI’s Technical Working Groups (TWGs).
The initiatives this year of the Parts Localization TWG, will concentrate on packing materials and chemicals. Packing materials have a long qualification period, while chemicals were difficult to bring in due to the pandemic and national elections. The initial packing material strategy may include, but is not limited to, completing the conversion of low-hanging fruits. The initial strategy for chemicals may include, but is not limited to, routing surveys on chemicals to prioritize and identify the specification requirements of each member for technical discussion. The TWG intends to evaluate and compare suppliers’ performance and quality against industry standards or best practices, and develop a roadmap for other items. It likewise plans to organize collaborative events with business chambers and key government agencies to promote local companies through trade fairs in order to achieve its main goal of helping the industry decrease its dependence on imports and form new linkages with local suppliers.
The Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) TWG continues to guide the SEIPI members on Industry 4.0 implementation through its initiatives, webinars, and collaboration with the government, academe, and private partners. It organized two events during the first half of the year that provided members with ideas and best practices on a more comprehensive, interconnected, and holistic approach to manufacturing.
The Power TWG consists of experts from different companies to resolve power and energy issues, and related industry concerns. This year, the TWG will focus on the stability of supply and demand, power quality, clarity on the roadmap of resources, reasonable electricity power costs, and policy updates. It will support the industry in addressing the increasing power costs here in the Philippines, which will enhance the country’s competitiveness and make it a more attractive investment destination.
SEIPI undertakes various initiatives with its partners to equip the industry’s over 3 million direct and indirect workers with the necessary skills and knowledge, and develop future industry-ready talents. Its Sector Skills Council (SSC), a project in partnership with the Philippine Business for Education and funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will continue addressing the mismatch of jobs available and skills required in the industry. These will include recommending and implementing curricula improvements in collaboration with CHEd, and preparing Training Regulations (TRs) or micro-credentials with TESDA to upskill the industry workers. SEIPI is collaborating with the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development (AMDev) program, a USAID-Unilab Foundation project to develop a skilled and flexible workforce that adapts to the requirements of the IR 4.0 environment. Its Affiliates Networking Committee, which consists of leaders of the public and private universities and colleges, as well as its VisMin and North Luzon Chapters, are implementing industry-academe projects such as OJT and internship partnerships, research collaborations, technical and soft skills trainings for faculty members and students, and information-sharing events for the academe members.
SEIPI will hold the country’s premier electronics event, the 18th Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition (PSECE), on Oct. 25 to 27, 2023, at the World Trade Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila. It features both local and international exhibitors, themed plenary sessions, breakout sessions, and a technical symposium, which makes PSECE the most anticipated annual event of the organization.
To know more about SEIPI’s projects and events, please visit www.seipi.org.ph.
Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.
Join us on Viber at https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA to get more updates and subscribe to BusinessWorld’s titles and get exclusive content through www.bworld-x.com.
From left to right: GCash Sustainability Head CJ Alegre, RAFI Chief Communications, Advocacy, and Partnerships Officer Estee Plunket, and One To Tree Program Director Anton Dignadice
With 1M mangroves and trees planted
Committed to support sustainable development and address climate change, the Philippines’ leading mobile wallet GCash, together with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), are continuing their initiatives to increase forest coverage and enhance existing mangrove areas in Cebu.
Through GCash’s GForest and RAFI’s One to Tree Program, a total of 1,075,000 mangroves and upland trees have been planted since 2021. For the remainder of 2023, 75,000 more mangroves will be planted, completing the target of 1,150,000 trees spread across three projects in the province.
The two GForests cover the Luyang Watershed in the northern town of Carmen. One project has 375 hectares of farmland in the barangays of Caurasan, Upper Natimao-an, Liboron, Ipil, Cantumog, and Lower Natimao-an. Meanwhile, the other consists of 355 hectares of farmland with planting sites in the barangays of Upper Natimao-an, Corte, Ipil, Caurasan, Hagnaya, Lanipga, and Cantumog.
Among the 600,000 native trees planted in the two GForests are Avocado, Bangkal, Cacao, Cashew, Coffee, Guyabano, Jackfruit, Mamalis, Mangosteen, Molave, Nangka, Narra and Rambutan with a high survivability rate between 92 to 94% as of March 2023.
RAFI Client Engagement Officer Arianne Magtarayo and GForest Head Patricia Manio
The Luyang Watershed is a significant ecological area in Cebu as it supplies at least twenty-four thousand cubic meters of surface fresh water. The enhancement of tree cover in the two GForests will improve rainwater percolation.
As a result, this increases the water table under the horizon that supplies springs that support surface water along rivers. The neighboring urban cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu will benefit from this in terms of water supply.
The third project is GForest Mangroves which aims to plant 550,000 seedlings in Daanbantayan, San Remigio, and Medellin. The three municipalities are facing the Tañon Strait, the biggest marine protected area in the Philippines under the National Integrated Protected Areas System.
As of May 2023, about 47.5 hectares have been covered for enrichment planting with 475,000 seedlings of the Bakhaw Lalaki (Rhizopora apiculata), Bakhaw Babae (Rhizopora mucronata), Bakhaw Bato (Rhizopora stylosa), Bungalon (Aviccenia alba), Miapi (Aviccenia marina), Aviccenia officinallis, Aviccenia rumphiana, Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba), Pedada (Sonneratia caseolaris), and Sonneratia ovata species.
Aside from mitigating the risks of natural disasters and augmenting water supply, the partnership has also helped in the livelihood of local communities. GCash and RAFI have engaged 200 landowners, 687 individuals, and ten people’s organizations in the site preparation, tree-planting, and maintenance activities of the projects.
“GCash is steadfast in playing an active role in minimizing the effects of climate change. Through GForest, we encourage Filipinos to take part in our eco-friendly initiatives and be Green Heroes. With partner organizations like RAFI, we continue to plant the seeds for a better tomorrow,” said CJ Alegre, GCash Head for Sustainability.
“This partnership with GCash allows us to reach more people and enable them to take part in caring for our environment even in simple ways. Through this partnershxqip people can build GForests one tree at a time, and also help in community-building and income augmentation of locals. This is a win for the environment and a win for Cebuanos,” said Amaya Aboitiz-Fansler, RAFI President and Chief Executive Officer.
GForest is an in-app feature rolled out in 2019 in line with GCash’s sustainability agenda. Users earn green energy for cashless transactions done in the app such as paying bills, buying load, and sending money. Green energy is collected and used to plant virtual trees.
GCash partners with international and local organizations in planting actual trees around the country. At present, they have planted 2.2 million trees and aim to plant a total of 5 million trees by 2025.
For more information about GForest and other sustainability initiatives, visit www.gcash.com.ph.
Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld website. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.
Join us on Viber at https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA to get more updates and subscribe to BusinessWorld’s titles and get exclusive content through www.bworld-x.com.
