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High-end residential market to remain resilient in 2022 

By Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte,  Reporter

THE UPSCALE and luxury residential property markets are expected to remain resilient in the coming year, property services firms said.

Demand for homes outside Metro Manila will also likely remain strong as the government continues to ramp up infrastructure projects and many companies maintain work-from-home arrangements amid the pandemic.

KMC Savills, Inc. Co-Founder and Managing Partner Michael McCullough is expecting a slow recovery for the property industry next year. Residential sales may continue to be affected by the country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation, and developments in the office sector.

“We anticipate the uneven performance of the residential market to continue and recover in tandem with the office sector,” JLL Philippines Head of Research and Consulting Janlo C. de los Reyes said in an e-mail on Dec. 7.

Meanwhile, Santos Knight Frank Residential Services Associate Director Marievie D. Gimena-Villanueva said the movements “will mainly rely on the intensity of quarantine protocols in the coming months.”   

“Mid-income and upscale residential units will continue to dictate launches and take-up of condominium units in Metro Manila,” Colliers Philippines Associate Director Joey Roi H. Bondoc told BusinessWorld in an e-mail on Dec. 6.   

KMC Savills’ Mr. McCullough said demand for luxury condominium units will “remain stable” next year as high net-worth individuals renovate units in the major central business districts (CBDs) on expectations of higher returns.   

“The mid (market) segment will start to return, but may lag behind the upper segments,” Mr. McCullough said in an e-mail on Dec. 15.   

Overall demand for the mid-market segment may be a tad weaker due to tighter disposable incomes and lower spending appetite on big-ticket items,” JLL Philippines’ Mr. De los Reyes said.

However, the mid-market segment is expected to respond with flexible payment terms and promotions to attract buyers.

“This will drive the general residential market as property buyers will capitalize on relatively lower price points and attractive payment terms,” Santos Knight Frank’s Ms. Gimena-Villanueva said.

Activity from the mid-market segment will be driven by the improving remittances from overseas Filipino workers.

Cash remittances in the first 10 months of the year reached $25.929 billion, rising by 5.3% from a year ago, data from the central bank showed.

Figaro cuts budget for stores, omits acquisitions in IPO plan

FIGARO COFFEE FACEBOOK PAGE

FIGARO Coffee Group, Inc. omitted plans to use a portion of net proceeds for potential acquisitions and decreased the budget for store launches and renovations, following the downsizing of its initial public offering (IPO) to P767.39 million.

Figaro is the holding firm of food brands such as Angel’s Pizza, Figaro Coffee, Tien Ma’s Taiwanese Cuisine, TFG Express, and Café Portofino.

According to the company’s prospectus dated Dec. 22, Figaro has maintained plans to use IPO proceeds for store openings and renovations, commissary expansion, debt repayment, and information technology infrastructure.

However, the company no longer included provisions for potential acquisitions. It previously planned to allocate P600 million of net proceeds to add food businesses to its portfolio in the next three years.

Figaro trimmed its IPO size by 57% to P767.39 million from P1.77 billion last week.

The company will now be offering to the public 930.166 million primary common shares for 75 centavos apiece, along with an overallotment option of up to 93.016 million primary common shares.

Without the overallotment option, Figaro plans to use 33% of the net proceeds for store openings and renovations. The company will now be using just P219.4 million of net proceeds for the stores, down from the previous target of P501.5 million.

The company aims to have 150 system-wide stores by end-2022 and over 300 system-wide stores in the country by the end of 2029.

Through IPO proceeds and internally generated cash, the company is eyeing to open 35 Angel’s Pizza outlets, 18 TFG Express kiosks, six Figaro Coffee shops, and two Tien Ma’s Taiwanese Cuisine restaurants within the next three years.

“We will prioritize the use of proceeds towards the stores opening in 2022,” Figaro said. The company plans to expand via 12 Angel’s Pizza outlets, six TFG Express kiosks, and three Figaro Coffee shops next year.

The company is also planning to roll out its store renovations in 2022. Renovations include “the improvements of the premises” of company-owned stores, upgrading generation sets, additional manpower, among others.

“For any shortfall in the Offer proceeds allocated for this purpose, we shall use internally generated cash flows to complement our plans for store openings and renovations,” Figaro said.

However, should the overallotment option be exercised, Figaro’s budget for store openings and renovations may bump up to P286.9 million from P219.4 million.

The company said the additional funds raised will be used for store launches planned for 2023 to 2024, which includes nine more Angel’s Pizza stores.

Meanwhile, Figaro plans to use P350.30 million of the IPO net proceeds to fund its commissary expansion, P80 million to repay debt, and P5 million for investments in information technology (IT) infrastructure.

The company plans to conduct its offer period for Jan. 10 to 14 next year, while its listing at the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange is tentatively set to Jan. 24 under ticker symbol “FCG.”

Figaro mandated Abacus Capital & Investment Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., and PNB Capital and Investment Corp. as joint issue managers, joint lead underwriters, and joint bookrunners for the transaction. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Pace yourself during year-end crunch, says career coach

UNSPLASH

REQUIREMENTS that punctuate schedules at the end of the year can mean ringing in 2022 with additional stress. This, however, can be managed, said Caroline Ceniza-Levine, a career coach and founder of DreamCareerClub.com, a resource site on career and professional development.  

“Year-end is a natural inflection point, so managers who didn’t plan ahead may find themselves pushing to meet objectives that they should have been focused on all year,” she told BusinessWorld in an e-mail. 

Deadlines can be paced throughout the year, she advised, so work can ebb and flow between busy periods and periods of rest. Managers can also offer support during the year-end holidays by minimizing e-mails, and bringing in extra pairs of hands so team members can take the time off.  

A raft of studies released this year show that people are tired and running on empty. Leaders can help employees avoid burnout at work by taking breaks themselves. 

“Leaders should model that … you will not be judged by how late you stay or how early you come in, but rather by the results you produce,” said Ms. Ceniza-Levine. 

Modeling this approach — plus penalizing managers who overwork their staff — is the only way burnout solutions will have real teeth to them, she added. 

Burnout is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome resulting from unmanaged workplace stress. This occupational phenomenon is characterized by three dimensions, as per WHO: feelings of energy depletion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism related to it; and reduced professional efficacy.   

It has less to do with expectations for hard work and high performance — and more to do with how someone is managed.  

FEELING THE SYMPTOMS
An April survey by McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, found that almost half of those surveyed (49%) feel the symptoms of burnout. The New York-headquartered firm added that this number might be an underestimate, as employees who experience burnout are less likely to respond to survey requests.   

A March survey by global job portal Indeed, meanwhile, found that more than two-thirds (67%) believe the pandemic has worsened employee burnout. It also found that more than half (53%) of work-from-home employees work more hours at home than in the office.   

In its survey, Indeed advised employers to re-evaluate office perks, such as schedule flexibility.  

“People may quit. People may get sick. Morale will diminish,” Ms. Ceniza-Levine said. “Burnout has measurable consequences to work quality, customer satisfaction and employee engagement — and therefore the company bottom line.”  

BusinessWorld previously reported that 76% of Philippine employers plan to adjust their benefit programs in response to workplace changes caused by the pandemic, balancing the need for wellness programs to support workers against their cost, according to advisory firm Willis Towers Watson. 

REST
Individuals can avoid burnout by taking breaks — throughout the day as well as over the course of the year — pacing their workload, and getting their manager and team to support them.  

“Getting some rest is the best solution, so the question becomes how can you do that?” asked Ms. Ceniza-Levine.  

Unplugging is one way. “Technology is helpful, but it can affect our well-being. It should improve life, not the opposite,” said Bernadette Nacario, country director of Google Philippines, citing the e-Conomy SEA 2020 report that showed Filipinos spent 5.2 hours a day on the internet at the height of quarantine last year — the highest across Southeast Asia. 

Cleveland Clinic also suggested attaching work efforts to personal values. “Notice how your work makes something in the world, the culture, or in other people’s lives better,” the medical nonprofit said in a post. — Patricia B. Mirasol 

A big night for Big Night! at the 2021 MMFF awards

CAST and crew of Big Night! at the 2021 MMFF awarding ceremony at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura — SCREENSHOT BY MICHELLE ANNE P. SOLIMAN

JUN Robles Lana’s dark comedy on innocent civilians getting caught up in the current drug war’s watchlists was the big winner in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), bagging a total of eight awards.

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is waning for now, the awarding ceremonies were held onsite this year at the Samsung Hall at SM Aura in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig on Dec. 27. They were also streamed on Facebook.

Big Night! went home with eight awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Christian Bables, Best Supporting Actor for John Arcilla, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score, and the Gender Sensitivity Award.

The film centers on the gay beautician Dharna (played by Bables) whose name is mistakenly placed in the current drug war watchlist and how he stops at nothing to prove his innocence.

The film was recently screened at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Europe in Nov. 2021.

This is Mr. Bables’s second MMFF acting award having previously won the Best Supporting Actor trophy in 2016 for his work in Die Beautiful which was also directed by Jun Robles Lana.

“Ito ay inaalay ko para sa taong merong same situation na kagaya kay Dharna, people who are voiceless or oppressed (I offer this award to people who are in a situation similar as Dharna, people who are voiceless and oppressed). I may find it hard to express my thoughts and opinions in words. But let me fight for you and with you through my art,” Mr. Bables said in his acceptance speech.

Meanwhile, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine) about a mother and son who struggle for survival after Typhoon Yolanda, won Second Best Picture of the festival. It also took several acting awards: Best Supporting Actress for Rans Rifol, Best Actress for Charo Santos, and the Special Jury Prize for Daniel Padilla.

The Third Best Picture was A Hard Day, the Philippine adaptation of the South Korean action thriller of the same title. The film also went home with trophies for Best Sound, Best Editing, and the FPJ Memorial Award.

A PANDEMIC FESTIVAL
After being held exclusively online last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s film festival returned to the cinemas, albeit with a number of restrictions ranging from the number of theaters allowed to participate and limitations on the number of audience members in each screening.

The film festival organizers remain hopeful and continue to encourage the public to support the local film industry.

“The mere fact na nandito tayo ngayon is still a victory for us sa ating pelikulang Pilipino (The mere fact that we’re here today is still a victory for us in Philippine cinema),” said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and MMFF concurrent Chairman Benhur Abalos in his opening speech. The MMDA is the festival organizer.

In a Facebook post, MMFF spokesperson Noel Ferrer wrote that despite a huge fall in the number of viewers compared to the festival’s non-pandemic years, this year’s festival did much better than last year’s.

The festival’s traditional opening day, Dec. 25, was the highest grossing day.

“In fact, the first day gross alone this year covered 1/3 of the total MMFF Online gross (in its entire run) last year,” Mr. Ferrer wrote. “With more people going to the cinemas by the day, sa first three to four days pa lang, puwede nang malampasan ang (it can surpass) total gross last year.”

Last year’s online film festival made less than P50 million, compared to the P995 million it earned in 2019.

The festival is ongoing until Jan. 7. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

 

The winners of the 2021 Metro Manila Film Fest are:

Best Picture: Big Night!

Second Best Picture: Kun Maupay Man It Panahon

Third Best Picture: A Hard Day

Best Director: Jun Robles Lana (Big Night!)

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Charo Santos (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon)

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Christian Bables (Big Night!)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: John Arcilla (Big Night!)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Rans Rifol (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon)

Best Screenplay: Big Night! (Jun Lana)

Best Cinematography: Big Night! (Carlo Canlas Mendoza)

Best Sound: A Hard Day (Albert Michael Idioma)

Best Original Theme Song: “Umulan Man o Umaraw” (Louie Ignacio) from the film Huling Ulan sa Tag-Araw

Best Editing: A Hard Day (Lawrence Fajardo)

Best Musical Score: Big Night! (Teresa Barrozo)

Best Production Design: Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Juan Manuel Alcazaren)

Best Visual Effects: Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Mofac Creative Works)

Best Float: Huwag Kang Lalabas

Gender Sensitivity Award: Big Night!

Creator Jury’s Choice Award (Best Short Film): Kandado by Pio Balbuena

Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award: Kun Maupay Man It Panahon

FPJ Memorial Award: A Hard Day

Marichu Vera Perez-Maceda Memorial Award: Rosa Rosal

Special Jury Prize: Daniel Padilla (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon)

Natatanging Gawad Award: former MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim, and National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera

PCC reminds UnionBank, Po group of notification requirement

UNIONBANK of the Philippines, Inc. has not yet notified the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) of its acquisition of the local consumer unit of Citigroup, Inc., the antitrust body said on Tuesday.

The PCC also reminded the Po family-led Century Pacific Food, Inc. of the notification requirement regarding its acquisition of Ligo Sardines.

Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc., also a Po family-led company, disclosed on Dec. 24 that it was also acquiring food kiosk operator Potato Corner. According to the PCC, the group has yet to notify the commission of the acquisition.

“Given the P50-billion thresholds qualification, the parties are encouraged to conduct due diligence to check if they meet the thresholds for compulsory notification, or to steer clear of any competition issues by undergoing voluntary notification in case they do not meet the thresholds,” Krystal T. Uy, director of the PCC Mergers and Acquisitions Office, said in an e-mailed statement.

“Parties are allowed to file their notifications before consummation, in PCC’s consideration of waiving the usual notification period of 30 days upon signing of definitive agreement, due to the pandemic,” she added.

At the same time, the antitrust body also pointed out that transactions of this nature “may very well indicate the outset for economic recovery or post-pandemic restructuring.”

UnionBank announced last week that it would buy Citi’s local consumer unit for P55 billion.

The transaction would include Citi’s credit card, personal loans, wealth management and retail deposit businesses in the country, the company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

The acquisition also includes Citi’s real estate interests in relation to Citibank Square in Eastwood, three full-service bank branches, five wealth centers and two bank branch lites.

“While change of ownership of well-known brands means efficiency or expansion for former competitors into partners, this also means consumers may be faced with fewer choices and possible changes of price points,” PCC’s Ms. Uy said.

“As the antitrust authority, PCC’s merger reviews will ensure that the transactions do not lead to substantial lessening of competition in the relevant markets,” she added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

How companies — and employees — can avoid a burnout crisis

NEW YORK — In a more typical time, burnout is an exception.  

In the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it almost feels like the norm.  

According to Jennifer Moss, organizations should take a hard look in the mirror for fostering cultures of overwork that make things worse. The author, speaker and workplace wellness expert has penned The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It to help slam the brakes on this crisis before we all hit the wall.  

Ms. Moss spoke with Reuters about making it through the pandemic in one piece. Edited excerpts are below.  

Q: You did some research about how people feel now. What did you find?  

A: During COVID’S second wave, we found that only 2% of people rated their well-being as excellent, and 89% said their work life was getting worse. We expected that people would be exhausted, working more hours in the day and losing efficacy.  

But we also found that cynicism was really high: People are starting to feel like they don’t have any control over outcomes. That’s really dangerous.  

Q: How do you define burnout specifically?  

A: It’s chronic workplace stress left unmanaged. There are six root causes: An unsustainable workload, perceived lack of control, insufficient rewards for effort, a lack of a supportive community, a lack of fairness and mismatched values and skills.  

Q: Companies know something serious is going on, so are they doing enough?  

A: Leaders are worried about people leaving, so they have been adding some well-being strategies to their portfolio. This has put employees more in the driver’s seat; for instance, we have been seeing many companies delaying a return to the workplace. Self-care strategies can be a good thing, but sometimes they are a Band-Aid solution to a much bigger problem that needs to be managed upstream.  

Q: What should companies be doing to prevent burnout?  

A: They need to be looking at the root causes of workload. Giving people a day off is okay, but you also need to reduce your expectations of productivity.  

If you have a culture of overwork, that is not making people more effective — it’s making them sick. Companies need to give people more agency about how and when they come back to work, pay people what they’re worth, compensate them if they’re working extra hours, and make sure they’re promoting people for the right reasons.  

A lack of fairness is a big issue here, because young people feel like there is no path for them.  

Q: What can individuals do to make sure they’re not running on empty?  

A: Organizations need to have a huge amount of accountability for burnout, but employees can be part of the solution, too. We can do a lot of work to identify whether we’re burning out, like how often we feel exhausted and disengaged and cynical. Then we need to start to think about pulling back, like taking breaks every couple of hours, digitally detoxing, going outside, putting on music.  

Set boundaries about answering e-mails and manage your clients’ expectations, so everything doesn’t always seem so urgent.  

Q: Leaders get burned out too. How can they manage those feelings?  

A: We have never had a collective trauma like this where every single person is going through it. We are all feeling fear and social anxiety, and the same is true for leaders.  

Have some self-compassion, show transparency with your team and don’t worry about appearing vulnerable. You’ve got things going on too, and employees can’t be what they can’t see, so model the behavior. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t help the team.  

Q: Have you dealt with burnout personally?  

A: It’s been really hard. We have to give ourselves the space to not be as effective as we used to be. We’re tired, and nothing about this is normal.  

I really did try to follow my own rules and take moments for myself — sitting outside, reading some fiction, walking my dog in nature.  

I knew the only way I was going to get through this in a healthy way for my kids, was to do this work. And it helped.  

Every day, every single one of us should look back at the past year and pat ourselves on the back and say, “I made it.” — Reuters

Metro Manila Film Festival 2021: High stakes all the way

A SCENE from the fim A Hard Day — YOUTUBE/VIVAFILMS

MMFF Movie Review
A Hard Day
Directed by Lawrence Fajardo

ADAPTED from the critically and commercially successful 2014 South Korean action thriller of the same name, A Hard Day pulls no punches when it comes to the intensity of both acting and fighting scenes.

It starts off with high stakes already — corrupt detective Edmund Villon (played by Dingdong Dantes) runs over a man on his way to his mother’s wake and chooses to cover up the accident by hiding the body in painstaking ways. Meanwhile, his team’s office is being searched by the police internal affairs department. In all the hullabaloo, he forgets to buy his daughter a present he had promised her.

By this point, we’re in for a ride with crooked protagonist Villon, which Mr. Dantes plays sufficiently in leading-man fashion. But things get really exciting when he discovers that the body he hid belongs to Apyong, a man involved in a drug case his team must investigate, and doubly so when a mysterious man (played excellently by scene-stealer John Arcilla) emerges, a witness to Villon’s accident and his charismatic harasser to the very end.

Despite being a remake of award-winning Kim Seong-hun’s work, the screenplay feels as if it’s naturally Filipino, which is good news for an adaptation. This is in large part due to the supporting cast who, whether in dramatic, comedic, or action scenes, provide texture to the story, namely Villon’s coworkers at the intel department (Janno Gibbs, Garry Lim, Al Tantay), his family (Meg Imperial, Lhiane Key Gimeno), and a traffic officer that gives Villon much grief in the beginning (played by Jelson Bay).

Lawrence Fajardo’s direction and editing gives it the dynamic energy that any thriller needs and Rodolfo Aves, Jr.’s cinematography serves the action-packed scenes well. It’s safe to say that this may be one of the most engaging entries in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

Though A Hard Day doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it’s got much an audience would want — Mr. Arcilla being a despicable badass who taunts the perpetually aggravated Mr. Dantes, well-choregraphed and painful-looking fist fights, insane explosions, fast-paced car chases, a bit of humor, and even a cute dog that’s important to the plot. — Bronte H. Lacsamana

MTRCB Rating: R-13

DICT says Smart, Globe achieve over 70% service restoration in typhoon-hit areas

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Tuesday said Globe Telecom, Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. both achieved an overall mobile service restoration of over 70% in areas hit by Typhoon Odette.

“Globe reported that 95% [of] cell sites are operational in Palawan, 60% [are] operational in Visayas, and 64%… in Mindanao. Overall restoration is [at] 73%,” DICT Acting Secretary Emmanuel Rey R. Caintic said in a televised Palace briefing.

“Smart reported that 76% [of] cell sites are operational in Palawan, 78% [are] operational in Visayas, and 60%… in Mindanao. Overall restoration is [at] 71%,” he added.

Meanwhile, DITO Telecommunity Corp. reached “above 75%” restoration in Mindanao.

DITO reached more than 70% restoration in Leyte, Mr. Caintic noted, adding that “overall restoration is above 55%.”

In an e-mailed statement, Globe said it was extending bill rebates and payment due dates for affected Globe At Home and Globe Platinum and Postpaid mobile customers up to Jan. 2, as the company “continues its restoration efforts, especially in the areas hit by Typhoon Odette.”

“This means eligible Globe Platinum and Postpaid mobile customers will receive [text] notifications on prorated rebates, and can pay their bills beyond their due date or before the Jan. 2 extension,” it added. Globe also noted that there would be no payment-related service disconnection during this time.

“Eligible Globe At Home Postpaid customers meanwhile will see the rebate adjustment in their bill.”

In a separate statement, PLDT, Inc. and its wireless arm Smart said they were ramping up repairs in Bohol and Cebu to restore affected services.

“The group has also been focusing efforts on bringing key public facilities across the region back online,” the PLDT group said.

“On Tuesday, PLDT and Smart have reconnected Panglao and Tagbilaran airports in Bohol, as well as the Bacolod-Silay International Airport in Negros Occidental,” the group added.

In Cebu province, PLDT and Smart have partially restored services in the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay.

“More and more towns have been fully restored in the northwest, northeast, midwest, southeast and southwest portions of Cebu, as well. The group has also reconnected more barangays in the town of Loboc in Bohol,” PLDT and Smart said.

The group has set up free call, charging, and Wi-Fi stations in more than 40 typhoon-damaged areas in Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao.

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. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Metro Manila Film Festival 2021: A Tito’s take on an online story

YOUTUBE/ABSSTARCINEMA

MMFF Movie Review
Love at First Stream
Directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina

HOW lucky I am to be old enough not to deal with the problems faced by the characters in the pandemic rom-com Love at First Stream.

The romantic comedy, directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina and produced by Star Cinema and social media and streaming app Kumu, sees four youngsters finding love and grappling with the pressures of being social media stars. The film is heavily reliant on what goes on in Kumu’s space (of which Star Cinema’s parent ABS-CBN is an investor*), and it sometimes feels as if the film is a vehicle for the platform itself.

V (short for Vilma, played by Daniela Stranner), is an aspiring vlogger viciously racking up likes on social media, hoping to monetize the attention she gains from the internet so she can move away from her mother (played by Agot Isidro), with whom she has a distant relationship. With her is her cousin and foster sister Megumi (played by Pinoy Big Brother alum Kaori Oinuma) who is a little bit more immersed in the real world (online classes notwithstanding), save for a short flirtation she has on Kumu with a certain CatBoy. She has a rivalry in her Zoom classes with the handsome and popular Gino (Jeremiah Lisbo). V cooks up a scheme to manufacture a love story with her former prom date, Tupe (Anthony Jennings), in order to gain her requisite likes.

If you’re upwards of 30, this plot would hold little appeal. It doesn’t help that the kids speak a la Gen Z, so get your Tita Translator ready. The film is also heavily reliant on the aesthetics of the internet, and texts and Kumu’s interface are as much a part of the film as the set. Otherwise, it might be able to secure the short attention span of younger viewers, and fans of the pairings might find some enjoyment in seeing the stars.

We have to commend the team for making a narrative out of life during the pandemic as the pandemic is still unfolding. The kids are still attending online classes, deliveries have become as necessary as a limb, and the cast are sometimes in their required masks. Perhaps it’s the pandemic too that makes the film so chaste: love is lost and gained through hugs and almost-kisses.

Back to the story: V’s scheming to get more likes (and money) leads her to a dating show on Kumu, where the prize is cash, an online love team with Gino, and a chance to be on a campaign to be the top trending love team on the app (are you still with me?). However, this reel romance compromises the real blossoming love she has with Tupe. Megumi fights for an internship abroad (a goal that’s at least relatable), while trying to discern her feelings for Kumu’s CatBoy (spoiler: it’s Gino).

The stars of this film are rehashes of other, bigger stars. Ms. Stranner has the air of the young Anne Curtis-Smith in her, before that actress hit her stride. Ms. Oinuma has the charisma of another PBB alum, Kim Chiu (make of that what you will). Mr. Jennings is a bootleg Timothée Chalamet, and what luck for him for that look to be fashionable. Mr. Lisbo has the charm of the late Rico Yan, and for being the most watchable in this set (maybe it’s a bias for his storyline of being the adopted son of two women, one of them played in a cameo by a glistening Pinky Amador), I wish him luck.

V’s scheme blows up in her face — but not before getting enough money to secure a down payment for a condominium (congratulations). In another world, I would have sympathized if the climb to the top didn’t rely on likes and online validation. Have the metrics of success changed while the grown-ups were napping? Because this is a rom-com, everybody makes up again, and everybody falls into the arms of their designated lovers.

The film is a commendable take on the culture of the internet audience, and its propensity to form mobs (the mob as a collective, which the four youngsters have to appease, is as much a character in the film). It’s also a nice-enough slice of life piece during the pandemic, should someone from the future find this film. As a romantic comedy, the plot is spread too thinly over its almost-two-hour runtime, propped up as it is by internet ephemera. I left the movie theater an ornery uncle, wondering what the kids were talking about.

*https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/07/19/pinoy-app-kumu-grows-by-tapping-millennial-and-genz-need-for-authenticity and https://www.bworldonline.com/sparkup-community-mediatech-startup-kumu-raises-5-m-in-series-a/

US CDC cuts COVID-19 quarantine time 

STOCK PHOTO

US HEALTH authorities on Monday shortened the recommended isolation time for Americans with asymptomatic cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also said the asymptomatic people after isolation should follow five days of wearing a mask when around others.  

It also recommended a five-day quarantine for those exposed to the virus who are unvaccinated or are over six months out from their second mRNA dose or more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and not yet boosted. The quarantine period should be followed by strict mask use for an additional five days.  

According to the CDC, isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick, while quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.  

“CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.  

Omicron accounts for 73% of US coronavirus infections, the federal CDC had said last week.  

Breakthrough infections are rising among the fully vaccinated population, including those who have had a third booster shot. However, Omicron appears to be causing milder symptoms in those people, some of whom have no symptoms at all.  

Reducing the CDC’s 10-day quarantine recommendation would help asymptomatic people return to work or school, with proper precautions, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci had told CNN last week.  

Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said. — Reuters 

POC finds Philip Juico ‘harassed,’ ‘abused’ pole-vaulter EJ Obiena

By Joey Villar

THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Tuesday declared Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Philip Ella Juico for alleged harassment and abuse against Tokyo Olympian pole-vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena.

“We’re dealing with an Olympian and world-class athlete who has a future,” said POC President Abraham Tolentino after their hybrid executive board meeting at the East Ocean Palace in Parañaque on Tuesday.

Eleven of the 14 executive board members attended the meeting with chairman Steve Hontiveros absent and International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski and netball’s Charlie Ho abstaining.

Athletes Commission representative Nikko Huelgas moved for the recommendation by the Ethics Committee chaired by rowing’s Patrick Gregorio against Mr. Juico and was seconded by POC vice-presidents Alfredo Panlilio of basketball and Richard Gomez of modern heptathlon and fencing.

“We are not removing him (Mr. Juico) as president, we’re not suspending him, we’re just declaring him persona non grata,” said Mr. Tolentino.

“We don’t recognize him as president of PATAFA until its new election of president,” he added.

The decision came exactly a decade after the POC also handed down the same decision against Go Teng Kok, who was incidentally Mr. Juico’s predecessor at PATAFA, for violation of its constitution and by-laws by going to court an issue involving the karate federation.

Mr. Obiena sought the help of the POC after PATAFA accused him of allegedly falsifying liquidations involving payment to the former’s Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov.

The Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and Asian record-holder denied it.

“We have to stop it. He (Mr. Obiena) complained to the Athletes Commission and Ethics Committee. There was due process. There was clarificatory meeting. He (Mr. Juico) waived his right so we have to decide,” said the congressman from Tagaytay.

The STAR tried to get Mr. Juico’s comment, but he has yet to respond at press time.

Harry Potter cast recalls first kisses, horrible haircuts in reunion special

RUPERT GRINT, Emma Watson, and Daniel Radcliff in Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) — IMDB.COM

LOS ANGELES —  Daniel Radcliffe remembers the embarrassing haircuts, Emma Watson found meeting up with her Harry Potter cast mates “an unexpected joy,” and director Christopher Columbus recalls the sets for the movies as “the greatest playground in the world.”

Many of the cast of the Harry Potter film franchise reunited for a 20th anniversary TV special, called Return to Hogwarts, to be broadcast on Jan. 1 on HBO Max.

Mr. Radcliffe, 32, was just 11 years old when he was cast as the orphaned boy with magic powers. He said in the reunion on the set in Leavesden, outside London, that he would always be happy to talk about the film.

“Every part of my life is connected to Potter and to Leavesden. My first kiss is connected to someone here, my first girlfriends were here. … It all spirals out from the Potter set somewhere,” he said, according to advance excerpts released on Monday.

Mr. Radcliffe recalls how he and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) hated being told to grow their hair out for a shaggier look in later films in the series.

“We’re like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. You’re not leaving us like this? We’re supposed to be becoming teenagers and dating girls in this film! That’s not what it’s going to be, is it?’ So, I think we were pretty devastated as we realized that it was,” he said.

Mr. Radcliffe, Mr. Grint, Ms. Watson (Hermione), and Columbus are joined by actors Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), and other cast members for the reunion.

Ms. Watson said she was been overwhelmed with emotion at the reunion after so many years.

“Some of us haven’t seen each other for years. So it’s just been a joy. An unexpected joy,” she said.

Mr. Oldman said getting back together was a “weird experience because you met them as kid, and now some of them are married and they’ve got kids of their own.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Philosopher’s Stone in the UK) was released in Nov. 2001. The eight-film franchise based on J.K. Rowling’s stories took in some $7.8 billion at the global box office.

Ms. Rowling does not make a personal appearance on the reunion special but will show up in archive footage. Ms. Rowling’s opinions on transgender issues in the last year have been a cause of controversy, with some in the LGBTQ community accusing her of transphobia. — Reuters

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