Airlines say return to full capacity depends on demand

March 2, 2022 | 12:12 am

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

LOCAL airlines said they are still assessing demand before returning to full passenger capacity after the government lowered the lockdown in the capital region and 38 other areas to Alert Level 1.

“During this pandemic, we would operate at full capacity if flight booking is 100%,” Philippine Airlines (PAL) Spokesperson Cielo C. Villaluna told BusinessWorld in a phone message on Monday.

“Passenger capacity per flight is dependent on demand,” she added.

For its part, budget carrier Cebu Pacific said the situation “remains fluid.”

“We cannot say for sure yet, but we will continue to monitor as we do all possible to prepare for the expected increase in demand for air travel,” the airline said in a statement to BusinessWorld.

Meanwhile, Philippines AirAsia said the airline follows the rule of the airport of destination.

“This is the case with destinations like Bacolod and Iloilo. However, if our destination LGU (local government unit) falls under Alert Level 1, we will implement 100% full capacity,” it said in a statement.

Under the guidelines released by an interagency task force, public transportation in areas under Alert Level 1 will be at full seating capacity.

Public travels between an area with a higher alert level classification and an area under Alert Level 1 will be limited to the capacity of the area at higher risk.

Air, sea and rail public transport in and out of areas under the first alert level will operate at full capacity.

Flag carrier PAL said its safety protocols remain the same.

“The highest standards of safety continue to be observed on each and every flight. Our cabin crew frontliners continue to wear full PPE (personal protective equipment) throughout the journey,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The requirement for passengers to wear face masks and face shields in-flight (except during meals) remains in place. Our HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorbing) filters cleanse cabin air of bacteria and viruses while disinfection of aircraft surfaces is carried out after every flight. Our flight and cabin crew teams are fully-vaccinated,” it added.

Meanwhile, low-cost carrier Philippines AirAsia said it is gearing up for a “stronger travel demand” this summer.

The shift to Alert Level 1 is expected to “entice more people to travel, especially that all AirAsia destinations are now accepting vaccination cards for fully inoculated travelers,” the airline said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Partially vaccinated guests will also be accepted but subject to LGU travel requirements such as antigen tests,” it noted.

At the same time, Cebu Pacific announced on Tuesday that fully vaccinated travelers from the Philippines may now travel to Singapore for leisure starting March 3 and that they no longer need to quarantine upon arrival, following the extension of the vaccinated travel lane to the country by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

PAL negotiating $100-M loan

March 2, 2022 | 12:11 am

PHILIPPINE Airlines’ (PAL) listed operator PAL Holdings, Inc. said on Tuesday that the airline is “in the process of negotiating an additional $100-million, three-year term loan from international lenders.”

“As at the date of emergence from Chapter 11, PAL had a cash balance of $391 million,” it noted.

The listed company’s shareholders had approved last year the increase in capital from P13.5 billion to P30 billion.

PAL Holdings said it is preparing for the stock swap to be offered to the new shareholders of the airline.

The airline will file an application for equity restructuring with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically to partially wipe out its deficit as of Dec. 31 “using the reduction surplus generated upon its decrease of capital in December 2021,” the listed company noted.

“Ownership in [the airline] is expected to increase to 100% upon approval of [PAL Holdings’] application for increase in capital to P30 billion where creditors holding 20% of the capital stock of [the airline] shall have exchanged their shares for [PAL Holdings’] shares.”

Before the Chapter 11 filing, the flag carrier had around 91 operating aircraft. It had approximately $6.07 billion in long term liabilities.

“As of 1 Jan. 2022, [the airline] emerged from Chapter 11 having reduced its fleet by 20 aircraft and its financial liabilities by$2.1 billion,” PAL Holdings noted.

“The returned aircraft represent approximately 30% of [the airline’s] passenger capacity which not only coincides with the reduced passenger demand, but also contributed to reduced fleet cost,” it added.

At the same time, PAL Holdings noted that the combination of reduction in aircraft capacity, indebtedness, staffing levels and other cost-cutting initiatives has reduced the airline’s monthly fixed costs by around $36 million, compared to 2019 fixed cost levels. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Ayala Land records P3.6-B fourth-quarter net income

March 2, 2022 | 12:10 am

AYALA Land, Inc. (ALI) recorded a 54% increase in net income to P3.6 billion net income in the fourth quarter after revenues inched up 2% to P33.5 billion quarter on quarter.

“Our focus in 2021 was to ensure we provided the right environment in our communities for our residents, businesses, and institutional locators to adapt and function better while executing our business recovery plans,” ALI President and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Vincent O. Dy said in a disclosure to the exchange on Tuesday.

The company said its operations remained resilient despite the pandemic. Property development revenues went up 40% quarter on quarter to P24.4 billion.

Meanwhile, commercial leasing revenues climbed 35% to P6.4 billion. The growth was driven by improved shopping center revenues at P3 billion, 101% better than the previous quarter and a 106% growth from the same period in 2020.

Hotels and resorts revenues also climbed to P981 million, a 55% growth from third-quarter results and 62% year on year.

For 2021, ALI scored a 40% net income after taxes attributable to equity holders, generating P12.23 billion from P8.73 billion in 2020. Its total revenues also grew 10% to P106.14 billion from P96.27 billion a year ago.

The company’s property development revenues for the year were propelled by its fourth-quarter performance, going up 14% to P75.94 billion in 2021 from P66.64 billion in 2020.

Sales reservations for the year rose 13% to P92.2 billion due to the “solid demand” seen in Ayala Land Premier and Alveo lots in Southern Luzon, with fourth-quarter sales growing 5% year on year to P22.1 billion.

The company reported its lot sales reservations surged 36% to P41.5 billion in 2021.

ALI launched 22 residential projects collectively worth P75.3 billion last year, seven times more than the projects launched in 2020.

Meanwhile, commercial leasing revenues inched down 5% year on year to P20.6 billion. Malls, hotels, and resort operations were limited as the country continued to impose pandemic restrictions.

Revenues from shopping centers went down 13% to P7.92 billion from P9.06 billion in 2020, while earnings from hotel and resorts operations declined 12% to P2.83 billion from P3.21 billion.

However, the company saw a 5% growth in office leasing revenues to P9.88 billion from P9.41 billion, owing to the operations of business process outsourcing (BPO) and corporate companies.

ALI’s capital expenditure (capex) amounted to P64 billion in 2021, the majority or 52% of which was spent on residential projects, 17% on land acquisition, 15% on commercial projects, and 14% on estate development.

“As the economy moves to full reopening in 2022, we look forward to the acceleration of our business activity backed by our land bank, diversified portfolio, and market-leading estate developments,” Mr. Dy said.

ALI remains “very positive” in its outlook this year for all its business segments, it announced in an analysts’ briefing on Tuesday.

The company is planning to launch projects worth P100 billion this year. It is also looking at more estate developments after the pandemic “highlighted” the benefits of “estate living.”

For 2022, the company has earmarked P90 billion for its capex. Of the budget, 49% will be allocated for residential developments, 19% for land acquisitions, 18% for estate developments, 5% for malls, 2% for offices, 2% for hotels and resorts, and a remaining 5% for other plans.

ALI shares at the stock market closed unchanged at P39 per share on Tuesday. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Steer clear of toxic positivity in online consultations

March 2, 2022 | 12:09 am

WHEN consulting online, patients and doctors alike should beware of behavioral red flags such as virtue signaling (the conspicuous communication of moral values to garner praise for one’s righteousness); social vigilantism (the tendency to propagate one’s “superior” belief to correct others’ ignorance); and toxic positivity (the belief that people should maintain a positive mindset no matter how dire a situation is).

“[Because] the Internet is an extension of society, we should apply the same standards online as we do in public,” said Dr. Patrick Gerard L. Moral, a physician and associate professor of medical ethics at the University of Santo Tomas.

Toxic positivity, added Dr. Moral, silences emotions, deters individuals from seeking support, and pressures them to pretend to be happy. An example of toxic positivity is telling someone who can’t support his family that he is at least alive.

“That’s why I share that I’m clinically depressed,” he said at a Feb. 24 webinar organized by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP). “I want people to know my life isn’t perfect.”

Physicians have been using online platforms for their healthcare advocacy since the pandemic. Social media, as pointed out during the webinar, provides a vehicle to receive real-time information, stamp out health misperceptions, and learn from patients and caregivers.

Healthcare providers can practice digital responsibility by being deliberate about what they post and understanding that sensibilities — such as political views and sense of humor — aren’t universal. They also need to declare any conflict of interest and shun harassment.

GREAT EQUALIZER
In the Philippines, the most popular physicians in cyberspace include the cardiologist Dr. William T. Ong, who has a 7 million-strong following on YouTube and is now running for vice-president, as well as Dr. Carlo Nemesio B. Trinidad, a nephrologist from Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital and creator of the Hello Kidney Facebook page, which has close to 100,000 followers.

“Social media is the great equalizer. It breaks down hierarchies and enables connections,” Dr. Trinidad said. “There is the potential to reach millions with a single post or tweet.” He added that platforms like Twitter have enabled him to connect with “gods of [the medical] fields” and meet trialists he would otherwise have just read about in books.

Dr. Trinidad cautioned, however, that posting publicly is not for the faint of heart. He narrated how he was trolled when he said tuob (or steam inhalation therapy) is not effective against coronavirus.

“People said I was for Big Pharma, that I didn’t respect elders,” he said at the PCP webinar, adding that he approaches naysayers with diplomacy. “If you mention facts, you may not convince the person you’re talking to, but you may convince the lurkers.”

The goal for physicians is to be positive influencers, according to Dr. Moral — individuals who are relatable, add context to sensational headlines, and stay informed on current questions.

“At its heart, digital media is about people, relationships, and communication. We have to translate our communication skills into the digital setting,” he said. — Patricia B. Mirasol

How to consult online

Dr. Patrick Gerard L. Moral, a physician and associate professor of medical ethics at the University of Santo Tomas, shared this guide on the art of digital messaging by Facebook Messenger in partnership with Debrett’s London, a professional coaching company.

Knowing how to communicate online will help ease the teleconsultation process.

• Hone your tone — avoid irony unless you are sure the other person will get the joke.

• Keep it concise — stick to a few sentences, especially for someone you don’t know well.

• Don’t multi-message — don’t send five messages if one suffices.

• Share with care — don’t forward a message unless the original sender has given permission.

• Know your audience — keep the conversation relevant to the majority.

• Don’t leave them hanging — respond, even if only to say you don’t know the answer.

• Abide by the quick reply — leave a message unread until you have time to respond.

• Give up the ghosting — end an interaction with a polite explanation.

• Practice good exit-quette — either mute a conversation or offer a brief reason for leaving it.

• Sign off in style — sign off every messaging conversation.

SEC eyes monitoring unit to guard LGUs from scams

March 2, 2022 | 12:09 am

By Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte, Reporter

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking to launch a monitoring group to prevent scamming activities at the local government unit (LGU) level.

In an e-mailed response to questions, the SEC said it is planning to put up an Anti-Scam Task iGroup or the so-called “ASTiG” Network.

“This will help the SEC stop unauthorized investment-taking activities and fraudulent schemes at the community level,” the SEC Office of the Commission Secretary said on Monday.

BusinessWorld reached out to the regulator after Masahiko Ferrer Tanaka brushed off the SEC’s advisory to warn the public against investing in Mr. Tanaka’s Global Booking Hub/GBH/Easy Money Vlogs.

In its Feb. 8 advisory, the SEC said Global Booking Hub is involved in delivery services and foreign exchange. The commission warned the public against investing in its Tora (TRA) token and its “Booking Loads” Plan, among its other investment programs.

Mr. Tanaka, in a Facebook Messenger chat, said that the advisory was true but claimed that the commission does not have complaints because the warning was merely a pakulo or a gimmick.

However, the SEC maintained that Global Booking Hub is not licensed to solicit investments. The SEC said it is not registered “and therefore cannot secure the necessary license to offer/sell securities to the public, in accordance with Republic Act No. 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code.”

“The advisory was issued to prevent further harm to the public, by serving as a warning against dealing with/investing in the said entities,” the SEC Office of the Commission Secretary said.

As of end-February, the commission has issued 34 advisories against entities offering unlicensed investment programs to the public, some of which have been identified by the regulator to be similar to pyramiding schemes and Ponzi schemes.

“The SEC continues to strengthen its investor protection programs through the conduct of webinars and information campaigns that seek to improve the public’s financial literacy and ability to spot investment scams,” the SEC Office of the Commission Secretary said.

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine less effective in ages 5 to 11 — NY study

March 2, 2022 | 12:08 am

TWO DOSES of the Pfizer, Inc. and BioNTech SE coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine was protective against severe disease in children aged 5 to 11 during the recent Omicron variant surge, but quickly lost most of its ability to prevent infection in the age group, according to a study by New York State researchers.

The vaccine’s efficacy against infection among those children declined to 12% at the end of January from 68% in mid-December compared to kids who did not get vaccinated, according to the study, which has not yet been peer reviewed.

For those aged 12 to 17, the vaccine’s protection against infection fell to 51% in late January from 66% in mid-December.

“These results highlight the potential need to study alternative vaccine dosing for children and the continued importance of layered protections, including mask wearing, to prevent infection and transmission,” the researchers said.

The vaccine was around 48% effective in keeping the younger age group out of the hospital, with 73% efficacy against hospitalization among adolescents last month, the data showed. That was down from effectiveness of 100% and 85% against hospitalization for the two age groups as of mid-December.

Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, questioned whether the data were robust enough to say that the vaccine’s efficacy had significantly declined, particularly against severe disease.

“It’s not surprising that protection against mild illness would wane,” Dr. Offit said. “We know that Omicron is somewhat immune evasive for protection against mild illness. The goal of the vaccine is to protect against severe illness — to keep children out of the hospital.”

Dr. Offit said the number of hospitalizations were too few to draw any real conclusions, and that there was little information on why the children were hospitalized. He noted that protection from previous infection among the unvaccinated might also skew the numbers.

“Natural infection can protect against serious illness,” he said.

Younger children receive a lower 10-microgram dose of the vaccine than 12- to 17-year-olds, who receive the same 30-microgram dose as adults and are eligible for a third booster shot.

Pfizer said it is studying a three-dose schedule of the vaccine in the pediatric population, noting that studies in adults suggest that “people vaccinated with three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine may have a higher degree of protection.” — Reuters

SunAsia challenges Terra Solar’s 850-MW offer to Meralco

March 2, 2022 | 12:08 am

RENEWABLE energy company SunAsia Energy, Inc. on Monday said it had submitted a letter of intent as a response to the “intimidating” bid invitation of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) for 850 megawatts (MW) of mid-merit power supply for 20 years.

“For the first time, a community of solar developers and independent power producers broke free from their traditional mindset and decided to pool their resources and share talents to offer the largest utility company a green solution for 2026,” SunAsia President Tetchi C. Capellan said in a statement.

Ms. Capellan told BusinessWorld that the group would propose “distributed” power sourced from different areas to lessen electricity outages.

“The idea is to harvest solar energy in multiple sites. This solution proves more efficient as it increases the resiliency of the grid,” she said in the statement.

In January, Meralco called for competitive bids from renewable energy (RE) entities to challenge an unsolicited offer from Terra Solar Philippines, Inc. for the mid-merit power requirement.

Mid-merit power plants operate to fill the gap between baseload generation capacity and peak generation capacity.

Terra Solar is a joint venture between Razon-led Prime Infrastructure Capital, Inc. and Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings, Inc., the holding firm for the solar energy projects led by Leandro L. Leviste.

Terra Solar offered P6.0800 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for headline rate and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), Meralco said in a media release earlier.

“The combined expertise of multiple developers can match the proposal of a giant company. Of course, the success of this experiment rests in the hands of the Department of Energy (DoE) [as it will be] the guardian on how the competitive selection process is structured and their support will spell if the energy sector is ready to adopt a more radical way of procurement,” Ms. Capellan added.

This bidding process is in compliance with the DoE’s policy on renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which requires power distribution utilities and cooperatives to source a portion of their requirements from RE.

The deadline of the bid submission is on March 7.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Marielle C. Lucenio

CCP launches digital museum

March 2, 2022 | 12:08 am

ONLINE exhibitions, archival material, discussions and lectures, and much more are now accessible at the new digital museum of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) called 21AM.

Run by the CCP’s Visual Arts and Museum Division, 21AM — short for 21^st century contemporary art museum — is intended for critical inquiry and artmaking in the 21^st century. It will present exhibitions intended to investigate how manipulation of truth is facilitated in cyberspace, and also how such manipulations can be understood and arrested.

The conceptualization of the digital museum started in 2018 as a key project of the 50^th anniversary of the CCP by independent curator and cultural critic Marian Pastor Roces, who worked with the CCP’s Visual Arts and Museum Division, and CCP Artistic Director and Vice-President Chris B. Millado.

“It has been a rather long history already since 1986, the Cultural Center has become more closely aligned with the imperatives of contemporary art, which means that it has a critical nature,” Ms. Pastor Roces, the museum’s curator, said at the online launch on Feb. 25, livestreamed through Facebook. “The critical nature will always engage the state. It is the nature of contemporary art.”

IT IS NOW 21AM
The chief designer of 21AM, David Loughran, said that the digital museum was programmed with the following desires: to explore the promise of art in cyberspace, and to remember history.

“We wanted a museum that speaks to its audiences from a place of curiosity,” Mr. Loughran said.

The digital museum’s unique feature is its custom-built Accession Record System (ARS) that consolidates the CCP Collection. The design updates the museum’s database information about artworks, objects, and events.

The curatorship, museum and exhibition development company founded by Ms. Roces, TAOINC, designed the accession record system, and undertook preliminary conservation assessment of the CCP Collection.

The digital museum is divided into three main sections: The Collection, Current Exhibits, and Augmented Learning. The Collection (where the ARS is stored) houses the CCP’s holdings from 1969 to the present. All searches for artworks or art associated material are done through 21AM’s custom built accession record system. Augmented Learning is where 21AM’s memories combine with the CCP’s larger programming, it is where all engagements and discussions and support learning are stored. It will also link schedules for events and 21AM’s chatroom, as well as information on the CCPs new exhibits and retrospective reviews.
The online museum also operates with a 24/7 chat room, My Archive, and a Digital Human Rights Hub. My Archive houses all past exhibits, along with all their supplementary texts, as well as records and audio, video, or photography of all public engagements. The Digital Human Rights Hub is a space to host discussions on human rights in the digital universe. The chat room is where guests can attend scheduled discussions around curated topics. It is meant to be a democratic and informal space for people to share similar and contrary opinions.

The 21AM collection will house over 4,000 objects.

“Putting all that online will be a long and arduous process that will take time,” CCP Visual Arts Division Head Rica Estrada said. “What we have now are 50 pieces from the collection, and we will be growing this gradually so that people can get look at and engage.”

Soon to be accessible are the CCP Collection of modern, contemporary, ethnographic, and ethnomusicological art and cultural materials. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Inaugural exhibit of 21AM looks at Marcos hidden wealth

March 2, 2022 | 12:07 am

The Collection of Jane Ryan _ William Saunders, Jameel Art Center, Dubai, 2019 (1) — PHOTO BY MARIAN PASTOR ROCES

1 of 2

LONDON-based Filipino conceptual artist Pio Abad and his wife, the jewelry designer Frances Wadsworth Jones, present The Collection of Jane Ryan and William Saunders: Restitution in AR as the inaugural exhibit of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ new digital musem, 21AM. Launched on the 36^th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, it features digital replicas of Imelda Marcos’ contested jewelry collection which was seized by US Customs at the Honolulu airport when the Marcoses were exiled in Hawaii in 1986.

The exhibit references the false identities — Jane Ryan and William Saunders — which Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos used to amass and conceal their wealth in Switzerland.

Mr. Abad and Ms. Wadsworth Jones were assisted by curator Kenneth Paranada for the digital exhibit. The augmented reality exhibit examines the scale of excess of the Marcos couple during the Martial Law regime (1972-1981).

The artwork, 10 years in the making (Mr. Abad began the project in 2012), examines the political and cultural legacy of the Marcoses by remaking their collection of jewelry.

“The project at its heart is an elaborate resistance… Through excavating silence narratives, we’re making a collection of objects tainted by the regime’s corruption and inviting the public to interact,” Mr. Abad said.

“Jane Ryan and William Saunders were the false identities used by Imelda and Ferdinand to open their Swiss bank accounts in Zurich in March 1968. It was through this account and many others that follow that the couple were able to siphon off money from the National Congress, effectively bankrupting the Philippine Treasury,” Mr. Abad explained.

The Marcoses had an estimated wealth of $10 billion by the time they were ousted from office.

The jewelry collection was referred to as the “Hawaii Collection.” After the seizure, the collection was turned over to the Presidential Commission of Good Government (PCGG). Since the 1990s, it has languished in the vaults of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. In Feb. 2016, the PCGG announced that the pieces would be auctioned following the clearance of legal impediments, and planned a public exhibition.

“I was in initial discussions to find a way of collaborating with PCGG on presentation in early 2016. But the shifting political currents put a stop to these plans,” Mr. Abad said. “Not really knowing what to do with these images that were shared by the PCGG, and fully aware of the epic implications of showing photographs that were not mine, I then turned to my wife, Frances, who not only is an amazing jewelry designer, but also one who was incredibly adept at 3D modeling.”

The Filipino-British couple began their collaborative work in 2018. They have since exhibited together at Jameel Arts Center, Dubai; Kadist, San Francisco; Bellas Artes Projects, Manila; and the second Honolulu Biennial in Hawai’i.

Using the photographs as reference, Ms. Jones digitally sculpted 24 pieces of jewelry into 3D models, a process which took two years to complete.

“The process involves a certain level of creative speculation. My only point of reference was a single photograph from a single angle,” Ms. Jones said.

“It is completing a journey that returns the jewelry to the scene of the crime, so to speak. However, this time, they don’t return as luxurious accessories, but as spectral reconstructions,” she added.

Using 3D scanning and AR technologies, each model of the jewelry also shows the equivalent public projects that its value could have financed.

One of the replicas is of a 1890 Belle Epoque platinum and diamond tiara by Cartier which could fund treatment for 12,052 patients with tuberculosis until their full recovery.

Meanwhile, the exhibition’s “Restitution in AR” feature allows the models to be virtually mounted in public spaces.

“This does not only allow us to place the sculpture within the CCP but, more importantly, allows the public to take ownership by placing perceptual reconstructions in their own domestic spaces,” Ms. Jones said. “We see this as a way of reimagining possibilities of restitution that remain elusive.”

An online artist talk featuring Mr. Abad and Ms. Wadsworth Jones is scheduled on March 14, and an online curators’ conversation between Pastor Roces and John Kenneth Paranada is scheduled on March 21.

Interested parties can view and engage with the augmented reality feature of the exhibition using the hashtags #isauli and #digitalrestitution and tag @janeryan_williamsaunders and @ccpvamd on Instagram. To access the exhibition, visit https://21AM.culturalcenter.gov.ph. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ccpvamd. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Ancient erotic pottery teaches Peruvians to prevent prostate cancer

March 2, 2022 | 12:07 am

SliderSalaErotica — Museo Larco – Lima, Perú

LIMA — A Peruvian cancer prevention group has begun using erotic ceramics sculpted over a thousand years ago to teach men how to self test for early signs of prostate and testicular cancer.

In an event on Friday at Lima’s Larco museum, famous for its collection of pre-Columbian art, men were encouraged to touch genitals of the clay sculpture replicas to learn how to perform a cancer self-test on their testicles and penis.

The sculptures created by the Moche culture that thrived in northern Peru 100 to 800 years after Christ are known as erotic huacos, a pre-Columbian term for handicrafts.

The exhibition, called Touch the Genitals of the Mochicas, was promoted by the private organization League against Cancer. “Timely detection of cancer of the external genitalia in men, both of the penis and testicles, is very low,” said nurse Giselle Grillo from the League Against Cancer. “Many do not know how to explore their genitals, what palpation is. With this we give an early diagnosis.”

According to the organization, some 10,000 cases of prostate, penis and testicular cancer were diagnosed in Peru in 2021. Of that, 45% were in advanced stages with little chance of being cured.

“The aim is to bring closer the knowledge of our ancestors about the human body, expressed through these ceramic vessels that we call the Erotic Huacos,” said Larco Museum Director Ulla Holmquist.

In the museum, the hundreds of huacos, some with large male genitalia and others in varying sexual positions, were displayed in showcases while visitors timidly touched them. — Reuters

Robinsons Retail’s fourth-quarter income doubled to P1.8 billion

March 2, 2022 | 12:07 am

ROBINSONS Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI) doubled its profit in the fourth quarter as the company saw increased consumer spending during the holidays.

In a disclosure to the exchange on Tuesday, RRHI said it saw a 114% growth in net income attributable to parent to P1.77 billion from P825 million in the same quarter in 2020.

“The positive performance in the last quarter of 2021 shows how we came together as a company with unwavering dedication, amid the continued challenges of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) throughout the year,” RRHI President and Chief Executive Officer Robina Y. Gokongwei-Pe said.

RRHI’s net sales posted a 7% growth to P44.4 billion from P41.49 billion year on year. The company said its sales were “propelled” by the increased spending amid the holiday season on top of the easing of pandemic restrictions in Metro Manila.

The company said its e-commerce sales surged by three times compared with the fourth quarter in 2020. E-commerce sales made up for 3.9% of its total sales.

RRHI recorded a same-stores sales growth of 2.3%, boosted by the “strong performance” of its drugstore, department store, convenience store, and specialty store segments.

Its “strong” fourth-quarter performance also improved full-year results. The company’s net income attributable to parent climbed 39.2% for the year ending 2021, generating P4.48 billion from P3.22 billion the previous year.

RRHI’s net sales in 2021 also inched up 1.5% to P153.33 billion from P151.07 billion.

“We entered 2022 driven by our constant goal to remain focused on our customers’ needs,” Ms. Gokongwei-Pe said.

“We look forward to reinvigorated business activity as alert levels fall due to better responses to the pandemic, while the nation forges ahead with a clearer path towards a more open economy,” she added.

RRHI shares at the stock exchange declined 0.97% or 60 centavos to close at P61.10 per share. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Russian conductor Gergiev shunned by La Scala, other venues

March 2, 2022 | 12:06 am

MILAN — Russian Valery Gergiev will not conduct at Milan’s La Scala this week after he failed to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and he is also set to be sidelined from roles in Munich and Rotterdam.

Mr. Gergiev — general director of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater and regarded as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin — conducted The Queen of Spades, an opera based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel, at La Scala on Feb. 23.

The show will run until March 15 and the next performance is scheduled for Saturday.

“I don’t think he will be there, I think at this point we can rule it out,” Giuseppe Sala, La Scala theater board chairman and mayor of Milan, told reporters on Monday.

“The maestro did not reply to us,” he added, referring to requests for Mr. Gergiev to comment on the Ukraine crisis.

The Mariinsky Theater did not respond to a request for comments.

According to a BBC report on March 1, Mr. Gergiev, has been forced to resign his position as honorary president of the Edinburgh International Festival. The festival said in a statement that his resignation was effective immediately.

Meanwhile, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra also said it was suspending its work with Mr. Gergiev, who is an honorary conductor in the Dutch city, and would cancel a Gergiev Festival planned for September unless he distances himself from Mr. Putin’s actions.

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter last week gave Mr. Gergiev a deadline of Monday to speak out or be removed as principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Moscow-born Mr. Gergiev, 68, has performed in the most famous theaters around the world. In 2013, Mr. Putin awarded him the first title of Hero of Labor of Russia.

But those ties have rebounded on him as Western nations react to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the biggest assault on a European nation since World War II.

Mr. Gergiev had been due to conduct three concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall leading the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra from Feb. 25-27.

But the Russian conductor has been replaced by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, according to the theater’s website.

Separately, the Venice La Biennale art exhibition said the curator and artists of the Pavilion of the Russian Federation had pulled out of the event in protest at the war in Ukraine.

“La Biennale expresses its complete solidarity for this noble act of courage,” it said in a statement. — Reuters