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SPNEC’s public offer nearly two times oversubscribed

LEVISTE-LED Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp.’s (SPNEC) initial public offering (IPO) was nearly two times oversubscribed, its underwriter said in a statement on Wednesday. 

SPNEC is a subsidiary of Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings, Inc.

“SPNEC’s IPO was oversubscribed, receiving P5.3 billion in orders for the P2.7-billion offering, with strong demand from investors who want exposure to the first pure-play solar company to list on the PSE (Philippine Stock Exchange),” said Abacus Capital and Investment Corp.

Abacus Capital was tapped by SPNEC to be the issue manager and lead underwriter for the offer, while Investment Capital Corp. of the Philippines is a participating underwriter.

The oversubscription of the offer would lead SPNEC to have an P8.12-billion market capitalization.

SPNEC offered to the public 2.7 billion shares for P1 apiece. The company is set to list on the main board of the local bourse on Friday, Dec. 17, to mark the PSE’s 10th and last IPO this year.

The company plans to use net proceeds from the offer for the first 50 megawatts (MW) of its 500-MW solar power plant, as well as to acquire more land for the project’s expansion beyond 500 MW.

SPNEC aims to develop the largest solar project in Southeast Asia. The company is still at the pre-operating stage.

“We are grateful for the public’s faith in our ability to turn this power point into a power plant, and hope our work can live up to these expectations,” Solar Philippines Founder Leandro L. Leviste said.

The company is the first to list under the Supplemental Listing and Disclosure Rules for Renewable Energy (RE) Companies, which the PSE approved in 2011. The rules exempt RE firms from the PSE’s track record and operating history requirements.

The company was incorporated by its parent Solar Philippines in 2016. The following year, it was able to secure a service contract from the Department of Energy to develop the Nueva Ecija project, the construction of which was planned to commence by end-2021.

The Nueva Ecija project is aimed to support the Luzon grid’s thin reserves.

Meanwhile, Razon-owned Prime Infrastructure Holdings, Inc. recently made a P3.5-billion investment for a 50% stake in Solar Philippines’ three solar projects in Cavite, Batangas, and Tarlac with a capacity of 340 MW. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Accessible Pinoy foods for wine pairing

Andok’s Litson Baka (Roast Beef) is a great alternative to expensive beef steaks and pairs well with wine too.

THERE is no question that many of our favorite Filipino (or Pinoy) dishes are either deep fried, roasted, or grilled. We do know that both deep frying and grilling are not the healthiest ways to cook your food. Deep frying can add calories to the food and are rich in trans-fats (unless you deep fry with olive oil, which is quite expensive and impractical). Trans fats are associated with several diseases including cardiovascular problems, cancer, and diabetes. The problem with grilling and even roasting — specially if like me, you love those charred portions — are known to release heterocyclic amines (HAs) that are said to be cancer-causing. While these Filipino favorites are not the healthiest of foods, it is not a problem for occasional, or even seasonal indulgence. In this column I will explore foods that are super accessible to all Filipinos and are equally deserving to be paired with wines. I focus here on just red meat. This is my anti-snob take, and I will not include wagyu beef, Iberico pork, lamb loin, or other expensive and more refined meats.

I chose the following restaurants/kiosks and my favorite dishes from their menus because these are readily found here in Metro Manila as they have several branches and are local staples for takeout or delivery. The wines I am suggesting to pair with these foods are also available and were chosen based on my own experience drinking them with these local dishes.

1. ANDOK’S LITSON BAKA (THEIR VERSION OF ROAST BEEF)

Background: Andok’s was started by Sandy Javier, the brother of Danny Javier of the Apo Hiking Society and comedian George “Dyords” Javier in Dec. 1985. The name Andok’s was a tribute to the Javier patriarch, Leonardo Javier, whose nickname was Andok. Andok’s now has 300+ branches nationwide. The initial product was their litson manok (roast chicken) but over time they added litson bangus, pork chop, pork BBQ and many more. Recently, Andok’s added litson baka to their menu which is one of their best sellers already.

Taste: Andok’s litson baka comes already thinly sliced, so the meat is quite easy to chew, not as lean as most would like, but it is succulent and tender enough. Can’t be compared to Angus or Wagyu, but Andok’s litson baka is nicely flavored, layered with a sweet and Knorr-like seasoning that is well integrated into the meat. The litson baka comes with a vinegar sauce, which could add some nice extra zest to the beef, though I prefer the litson baka “as is,” especially with wine.

Wine Pair: I would recommend a New World Cabernet Sauvignon, notably American, Australian and Chilean — more of semi-dry styles, or, an alternative, is a young un-oaked Argentine Malbec.

Price: P390/400gm (estimated)

2. BALIWAG LIEMPO (PORK BELLY)

Background: Husband and wife team of Dwight and Dolores Salcedo opened their first Baliwag lechon manok kiosk (the “lechon” spelled differently from Andok’s “litson”) in Nov. 1985 — a month earlier than Andok’s. The couple named it Baliwag Lechon Manok after Dolores’ hometown of Baliwag, Bulacan. To date, Baliwag has 400+ branches nationwide.

Taste: While I have tried several versions of liempo, including those of competitor Andok’s, I really preferred the Baliwag version the most. The seasoning on the meat and the level of char are just what I look for. The meat is very tasty, and even the skin is not rubbery like others. It comes with a nice thick and sweet liver sauce, like a pseudo-diluted version of Mang Tomas lechon sauce.

Wine Pair: I recommend Tempranillo wines from Spain, whether from Rioja, Ribera del Duero or even Toro. Tempranillo has an inherent acidity that cuts through the liempo fat and has genuinely nice complementary fruit flavors. Aged Tempranillo like a Roble (semi-aged) up to a Crianza (six to 12 months in oak) would be my first choice.

Price: P205/370 gm (estimated)

3. GORDO’S CRISPY PATA (FRIED PIG TROTTERS OR KNUCKLES)

Background: Gordo’s Crispy Pata started in Sept. 2014 at Karangalan Village, Cainta, Rizal. The place was so popular that inquiries from Metro Manila came in and Gordo’s expanded and branched out to Pasig City, and then to Quezon City, and today Gordo’s has 24 stores operating in Metro Manila and Rizal. Crispy pata is their main product, but they also have Crispy Ulo (pig head) and Crispy Tenga (pig ears).

Taste: Crispy pata has always been one of Filipinos’ special occasion foods. I have ordered crispy pata in Barrio Fiesta, Max’s, Gerry’s Grill, and other restaurants, but it is so nice to see that you can buy it in a Gordo’s neighborhood kiosk. Gordo’s crispy pata is exactly what I would expect from any restaurant — the skin is crunchy and delectable, and the meat is tasty and moist. The Gordo’s crispy pata comes with their special vinegar sauce.

Wine Pair: I recommend juicy and fruit forward wines like Barossa Shiraz, Piedmont Barbera, and Grenache wines.

Price: P520/1.1 kilo (small size, estimated)

4. CHOOKS TO-GO ROAST CHICKEN

Background: Chooks To-Go started sometime in 2008 as a forward integration from the Bounty Agro Ventures (BAVI), owned by Tennyson Chen. Bounty Fresh is their main brand and they are a huge supplier of vacuum-sealed dressed chicken and chicken choice cuts in supermarkets. Chooks To-Go became their rotisserie chicken chain, and it was a big hit immediately. Unlike other roast chicken, Chooks prides itself in being delicious even without any sauce. Right now, Chooks To-Go has over 1,700 branches nationwide, and is a huge sponsor in the Philippine basketball scene.

Taste: Chooks To-Go unapologetically described their roast chicken as delicious even without any sauce. It is indeed my hands-down choice for roast chicken as it has a cured sweet ham taste that makes it so irresistible. The Sweet Roast variant is the all-time favorite of Chooks’ regular buyers, but the roast chicken also comes in two other variants: Pepper Roast and  Harissa Roast (harissa being a spicy sauce that originated in North Africa).

Wine Pair: I really like a Moscato, sweet Riesling, off dry South African Chenin Blanc, or the Anjou Blanc, also made from Chenin Blanc in Loire, France — sweeter side white wines are my go-to wines for this roast chicken.

Price: P260/whole chicken around 900 gm. (estimated)

5. ARISTOCRAT CHICKEN BBQ

Background: Engracia “Asiang” Cruz Reyes started Aristocrat in 1936 as a humble canteen along Luneta in Roxas Boulevard. Asiang wanted to name the canteen after her eldest son, Andy, who was hesitant to give his name to the small canteen as he was embarrassed by the thought that his classmates at the Ateneo would ridicule him. So Asiang’s comeback name was Aristocrat, a nice jab at her son. The rest, as they say, is history. I have fond memories of Aristocrat when, as a kid, our family would make almost bi-monthly visits to the main Roxas Boulevard branch for our favorite chicken BBQ. My other personal favorite growing up was the Adobo flying saucer sandwich, which I still occasionally crave for when I chance upon an Aristocrat branch. Aristocrat has 17 branches now.

Taste: Classic Aristocrat chicken BBQ is sweet, succulent, juicy, and charred perfectly. The set meal comes with Java rice (that famous orange colored rice made with annatto powder etc.), and atchara (pickled green papaya), and comes with their equally famous Java sauce (made with sugar, peanuts, and soy sauce).

Wine Pair: Lambrusco, especially the Lambrusco Reggiano Frizzante which is a sweet light-bodied sparkling red wine that exudes grapey flavors. I say this with no disrespect that it is no coincidence that soft drinks are best with Aristocrat chicken BBQ, and the Lambrusco Reggiano Frizzante is closest to a Fanta Grape drink you can ever find.

Price: P285/Chicken BBQ three piece-stick Meal Set

All the wines I suggested above for wine pairing are reasonably priced, and should go for below P1,000 in your favorite wine shops. The objective is to have a holiday feast with wines without breaking the bank. Most of these recommendations are comfort foods, and while they are not normally paired with wines in your usual lunch or dinner, this holiday season, add wine to upgrade these meals and feel the yuletide spirit.

Happy Holidays!

The author is the only Filipino member of the UK-based Circle of Wine Writers (CWW). For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please e-mail the author at wineprotege@gmail.com, or check his wine training website https://thewinetrainingcamp.wordpress.com/services

KFC cuts queues to keep Japan’s fried chicken Christmas custom alive

PIXABAY

TOKYO —  A long queue of patrons running out the door of nearly every KFC has been a perennial Christmas sight in Japan but COVID-19 social distancing rules that discourage lines and place strict conditions for dining-in are threatening the custom. This year, KFC Holdings Japan, the domestic licensor of the Yum! Brands, Inc. franchise, is nudging customers to order online and then pick up their chicken at a certain time, rather than forming up in the traditional queues.

The run-up to Christmas is the company’s biggest sales week and it hopes the move will help maintain those revenues, which fell last year from a record, and let customers keep a tradition that stretches back to the 1970s.

While only around 1% of Japan’s population is Christian, the holiday’s commercial aspects have been embraced.

Company lore says the Christmas campaign was inspired by foreign customers in Japan who lamented that they could not find turkey during the holidays. The first “Kentucky for Christmas” promotion started in 1974, marketed towards couples and including a bucket of chicken along with a bottle of wine.

KFC Japan has moved up the start of the campaign this year and offered price incentives for early birds to comply with the COVID-19 rules.

“As an infection countermeasure, we’re spacing out reservations to try to limit as much as possible the times when people are bunched together,” said company spokesman Tetsuya Noguchi.

Customers have seemingly embraced the change, even seeing making the reservations as a sign of maturity.

“I made a reservation for Kentucky yesterday, so I don’t think I’ll have to run around looking for chicken this Christmas,” Rise Ito, a 24-year old musician from Tokyo wrote on Twitter. “I’ve grown up since last year!”

KFC Japan’s Christmas sales in 2019 reached a record 7.1 billion yen ($62.5 million), according to research house Shared Research, but revenue dipped in 2020 to 6.9 billon yen, amid the imposition of social distancing measures and a wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

Since the promotion began, the company has given out commemorative plates and statues of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders dressed as Santa Claus.

Other companies have gotten in on the chicken tradition, with convenience stores chains Seven & I Holdings and FamilyMart Co. offering their own holiday platters.

KFC’s market entry in Japan in the early 1970s and its Christmas push were neatly timed to a shift in the nation’s dining culture, said Eric C. Rath, a University of Kansas professor who researches the topic.

“Dining out was becoming much more frequent for families and young people, especially young women,” he said. — Reuters

Asian champion Vanessa Sarno improves weightlifting records in Uzbekistan event

ASIAN champion Vanessa Sarno missed out on a podium finish but broke a couple of national records in the 2021 World Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Tuesday night.

The 18-year-old Ms. Sarno, considered as the heir to Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn F. Diaz’s throne, finished tied for third with Patricia Sternius of Sweden and Olivia Reeves of the United States on identical 231 kilograms in the 71kg division but the former wound up only fifth after tie-breaks were applied.

Ms. Sternius took the bronze behind American Meredith Alwine, who took the gold with 235kgs, and Brit Sarah Davies, who pocketed the silver with 234kgs.

The Tagbiliran, Bohol native, however, erased the national mark of 101kgs in the snatch and 229kgs she set last April’s Asian Championships also in Tashkent by lifting 103kgs and 231kgs, respectively.

Ms. Sarno, who had two golds in the Tashkent Asian tilt, matched only the 128kgs that she also owns in the clean and jerk.

Countrywoman Kristel Macrohon also competed in the same class but finished just seventh with 228kgs missed snatching a medal.

Olympian Elreen Ann Ando likewise ended fifth in the 59kg category with a total of 214 kgs. — Joey Villar

ICTSI unit in Mexico allotting $230M for terminal expansion

LISTED port operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) on Wednesday said its unit Contecon Manzanillo, operator of a container terminal at the Port of Manzanillo in Colima, Mexico, is investing $230 million for the terminal’s expansion and improvement.

Contecon aims to “serve the growing maritime traffic at the port,” ICTSI said in an e-mailed statement.

The terminal’s capacity will be expanded by 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

“The additional capital will be used for the construction of berths and yards, as well as for the acquisition of quay cranes, rubber-tired gantries, port tractors and other equipment,” ICTSI said.

“All these will complement the public project for the expansion and the adaptation of land access to the terminal, which the Federal Government announced for Manzanillo in November,” it added.

The company also said the project, which will be started in the second half of 2022, “reaffirms” its confidence in Mexico and the growth potential of the Port of Manzanillo.

“The investment is intended to expand the operating capacity of the terminal from 1.4 million TEUs to 1.7 million TEUs annually,” Contecon Chief Executive Officer José Antonio Contreras said.

For the first nine months, ICTSI’s total revenues hit $1.37 billion, a 24% increase from $1.1 billion previously.

Its net income attributable to equity holders for the January-to-September period was $316.4 million, 73% higher than the $182.6 million earned in the same period a year ago.

Its capital expenditures, excluding capitalized borrowing costs, for the first nine months reached $104 million. The company’s total budget for the year is about $250 million.

ICTSI shares closed 0.97% lower at P193.60 apiece on Wednesday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Marathon queen Hallasgo leads action at athletics championship in Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY — All eyes will be on reigning Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) marathon queen Christine Hallasgo as national track and field stars return to action from a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic in the Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships here at the Athletic Bowl.

Ms. Hallasgo headlines the pack of select national team members against capable aspirants in the first event of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) since the national open and the SEAG in 2019 highlighted by an impressive 11-gold medal haul.

The Malaybalay, Bukidnon native will compete in the 10,000-meter run, looming as a heavy favorite to rule anew after winning the event in the 2019 national open in Ilagan, Isabela as part of her SEAG buildup in New Clark City.

But more than just a title defense, the event will serve as a performance trial for Ms. Hallasgo and the rest of the nationals coming off a long hiatus only a few months before the 31st SEAG next year in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“I want to see improvement on the 10,000 run. Then, we’ll go from there all the way to marathon preparations until the SEAG. We’re after a good time for a good basis moving forward,” said national coach Eduardo “Bertek” Buenavista.

Ms. Hallasgo hits the track at 3:30 p.m., a few hours after national sprinter Anfernee Lopena guns for the crown of the centerpiece 100-m dash — without SEAG gold medalist Eric Cray — at 9:35 a.m.

Four-time SEAG women’s long jump queen Marestella Torres-Sunang opens the two-day trackfest at 9 a.m. for a shot at the first gold medal in 32 events that feature over 100 participants.

Other SEAG champions Sarah Dequinan (heptathlon), Clinton Bautista (110-m hurdle) and Aries Toledo (heptathlon), who have been training in Baguio since October, are also poised to reign supreme in their respective events.

Sprinters Mr. Cray and Kristina Marie C. Knott along with pole vault aces Natalie Uy and Ernest John Obiena, meanwhile, have been practicing overseas as part of their own SEAG preparations. — John Bryan Ulanday

Yields on term deposits mixed on auction result

BW FILE PHOTO

YIELDS ON THE central bank’s term deposits ended mixed on Wednesday after the government rejected all bids for Treasury bonds (T-bonds) at an auction on Tuesday and ahead of the Monetary Board’s last policy review for 2021.

Total bids for the term deposit facility (TDF) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) amounted to P502.663 billion on Wednesday, going beyond the P400-billion offering as well as the P479.591 billion in tenders seen a week earlier.

Broken down, bids for the seven-day papers amounted to P242.034 billion, higher than the P150 billion auctioned off by the BSP and the P175.622 billion in demand logged in the previous offer.

Accepted rates for the papers were from 1.7% to 1.775%, slimmer than the 1.7% to 1.9% range seen a week ago. With this, the average rate of the one-week papers slipped 1 basis point (bp) to 1.7486% from 1.7586% previously.

Meanwhile, the 14-day papers fetched tenders amounting to P260.629 billion, surpassing the P250-billion offer but failing to beat the P303.969 billion in bids seen a week ago.

Lenders asked for yields ranging from 1.753% to 2%, narrowing slightly from the 1.75% to 2% band seen on Dec. 9. This caused the average rate of the tenor to increase by 3.31 bps to 1.8572% from 1.8241%.

The central bank has not auctioned off 28-day term deposits for more than a year to give way to its weekly offering of bills with the same tenor.

TDF yields were mixed after the government rejected all bids for its T-bond offer for the second straight week, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a Viber message.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Tuesday did not accept any bids for its offer of reissued seven-year government securities, which have a remaining life of six years and eight months. This, even as tenders hit P52.267 billion, more than twice the P20-billion offering.

Had it fully awarded its offer, the reissued seven-year bonds’ average yield would have declined by 7.3 bps to 4.395% from the 4.468% fetched the last time the series was offered.

This would also have been lower than the 4.5425% quoted for seven-year bonds at the secondary market before the auction on Tuesday, based on PHP Bloomberg Valuation Service Reference Rates posted on the Philippine Dealing System’s website.

Inflation eased to a four-month low of 4.2% in November, mainly due to the slower increase in food prices. However, it was still above the 2-4% target of the BSP.

Mr. Ricafort said the market also factored in the BSP’s upcoming policy review, where it is widely expected to hold fire.

All 15 analysts polled by BusinessWorld last week expect the Monetary Board to keep benchmark rates at record lows this Thursday, citing the need to continue supporting the economy given the threat of the Omicron variant.

BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno has said they will remain accommodative for as long as needed to make the recovery more sustainable, but will be ready to respond to any second-round effects of inflation that could be a risk to price stability. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Jollibee launches first Chowking store in New Jersey

JOLLIBEE FOODS CORP. (JFC) said it launched its first Chowking store in the United States east coast, setting up shop in New Jersey.

In a statement on Wednesday, the listed fastfood giant said it opened its 16th US Chowking store in Jersey City, which is in line with its “aggressive expansion plans in North America.” The company first brought the brand to the US in 1995.

“The opening of the Jersey City store is key in our progress as this marks Chowking’s first entry in the East Coast. Jersey City is home to a large Filipino population making it a natural area of expansion for Chowking,” Maribeth D. Dela Cruz, president of the Jollibee group for North America, Philippine brands.

JFC said opening day sales “were unprecedented.” Without disclosing specific figures, the company said the brand logged the “highest one-day sale of a Chowking store in the US,” with customers even lining up for hours.

The company said Jersey City has a “thriving Filipino community” and is New Jersey state’s second-most populous city.

Its Jersey City menu includes Chicken Wonton Noodles and Soy Garlic Ginger Chicken, which will soon be available in other Chowking stores.

JFC shares on Wednesday declined 2.19% or P5 to close at P223 per share. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Starbucks plans food safety checks in China after expiry violations

HENRY & CO.—UNSPLASH

BEIJING —  US coffee chain Starbucks on Monday apologized and said it would carry out inspections and staff training across all its roughly 5,400 stores in China after a state-backed newspaper said two of its outlets used expired ingredients.

The Beijing News newspaper, in what it described as an undercover investigation, said the incidents occurred at two stores in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi.

The incident became a trending topic on China’s Twitter-like Weibo social media site after the report was published and Starbucks initially said it had shut the two stores and was carrying out an investigation.

Later on Monday it said it had found that the two stores had indeed committed violations and that the company had not sufficiently paid attention to food safety standards.

“We sincerely apologize to all of Starbucks’ customers,” it said in a statement on its official Weibo account.

The Wuxi’s Market Supervision Administration also said in a statement late on Monday that after conducting investigations on the two stores involved in the incident, it also carried out checks on all 82 Starbuck stories in the city, finding 15 issues in total, including employees not wearing work caps and disinfections records not being complete.

Chinese consumers and media have become more aggressive about protecting customer rights and monitoring the behavior of big brands, especially from overseas.

Some targets, such as Canadian winterwear brand Canada Goose which drew complaints over its refund policies, have been subjected to government reprimands, while Chinese brands such as milk tea chain Nayuki have also drawn public attention.

China is the largest market for Starbucks outside the United States with 5,360 stores as of Oct. 3, the firm’s latest earnings report showed.

The Beijing News report said one of the Starbucks stores used expired matcha liquid to make lattes, while another had put pastries up for sale that were meant to be thrown away.

As of Monday afternoon, the topic of Starbucks’ response to the Beijing News report had received more than 50 million views on Weibo. Commenters expressed both disappointment and worries over more widespread problems.

“If Starbucks is like this, the other shops really worry me,” said one Weibo user named Revario. “They suffer the scrutiny because it is a foreign brand.” — Reuters

Cohesity says PHL customers taking ransomware seriously

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

COHESITY, a technology company based in the United States, said on Tuesday that ransomware has become a serious threat to its enterprise customers in the Philippines.

“Now, there are a lot of banks that started thinking about ransomware and how their business can be protected against ransomware,” Sathish Murthy, Cohesity director of systems engineering for ASEAN and India, said at a virtual panel discussion.

“There are serious discussions about it,” he noted. “How much percentage, I really don’t have the exact status just yet… But enterprise customers in the Philippines are definitely looking at it as a serious threat.”

Internet security company Kaspersky defines ransomware as “malware designed to infect computers of organizations and individuals, encrypt data in it, and block access to it.”

“Ransomware attackers will then demand a fee from the victims in exchange for enabling the system to work again,” it added.

The global ransomware damage cost is expected to reach $20 billion this year, according to Ravi Rajendran, Cohesity vice-president for Asia-Pacific and Japan.

“A ransomware attack will occur every two seconds by 2031, up from every 11 seconds today,” he said, citing technology researchers Cybersecurity Ventures and Gartner. “A typical ransomware costs 10x to 15x more damage for organizations than the ransomware demand.”

He also noted that only 2% of organizations’ disaster recovery efforts are aligned with business-defined recovery requirements.

“Protecting and recovering data need to be a security focus, as it reduces disruption and ransom payments,” Mr. Rajendran said. “If data are backed up, cybercriminals have less leverage.”

Deploying next-generation data management capabilities is also seen to help in data management and protection.

The company said it has a “unique approach to protecting backup data and restoring it rapidly when a ransomware attack occurs.”

In an e-mailed statement on Dec. 1, Dmitry Bestuzhev, head of Kaspersky’ global research and analysis team in Latin America, said: “This year has been challenging for many organizations: handling remote access for ad-hoc employees, patching hard systems connected to the Internet to endure ransomware attacks, and dealing with a substantial increase of mobile banking and its malware implants.”

“Cybercriminals have not been shy of taking advantage of attacking markets. We have watched very regional cybercriminals shifting to other world regions, making cybersecurity people work harder,” he added.

Philippine esports athletes to become a powerhouse in the international scene

PHILIPPINE esports is shaping up to be a force to reckon with across the globe. With the local gaming market growing rapidly, Filipino esports athletes have started to gain recognition in the international gaming scene, achieving winning streaks in some of the most prestigious tournaments worldwide. Standing at the forefront of this global success is the OPPO-sponsored esports team Blacklist International (BLI), the team set to represent the Philippines in the third installment of the Mobile Legends World Championships (M3 World Championship) this month. 

BLI is the back-to-back defending champion of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) in the Philippines. Securing Season 7 and 8 titles in 2021, they are the second team in MPL Philippines’ history to win two consecutive times. Earlier this month, the team reached a new milestone when they placed second at the MPL Invitational, wherein 20 of the top MPL teams across Southeast Asia were invited to battle out for a $100,000 prize pool.

“Blacklist International has always aimed at taking Philippine esports to unimaginable heights on a global scale. We extend our utmost gratitude to everyone who has shown their support, especially OPPO, who have seen the great potential of the BLI members to continue the battle. OPPO’s entry into the esports league has greatly helped professional players like us to dream bigger and fight harder,” said Bon Chan, Coach of Blacklist International.

Many Filipinos are thrilled to see BLI play in front of a wider audience at the M3 World Championship as one of the two Philippine representatives. While this will be their first-ever world championship appearance, the team has promised to give their best in winning back-to-back crowns after PH team Bren Esports had bagged the world title in M2 World Championships.

AllDay opens new Sucat store

ALLDAY MARTS, Inc. said it opened its 34th store in the Villar group’s Eastlake development in Sucat, Muntinlupa.

“It is with pride that we add another location to the AllDay roster,” AllDay Chairman Manuel B. Villar, Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.

“AllDay Supermarket Eastlake is yet another milestone for the group towards our continued push to bring a better, global standard of grocery shopping to more Filipino,” he added.

The company said its expansion of AllDay Supermarket is also in-line with the country’s reopening play after a period of pandemic lockdowns.

AllDay sees “signs of revenge spending” on top of customers’ holiday shopping activities. It said the customer basket size “is currently tracking at 15% higher than the first 9 months of 2021.”

AllDay Chief Executive Officer Frances Rosalie T. Coloma said: “Thanks to our successful IPO (initial public offering), we look to use the fresh funds made available to us to enable an aggressive expansion strategy, one that not only seeks to improve our presence in Metro Manila, but throughout the country.”

Meanwhile, setting up shop in a Villar development also reflects the company’s “synergy” with the Villar group.

“This puts our new location in an immediate position of advantage as it will serve a well-established community hungry for upgraded experiences,” Mr. Villar said.

The company also plans to launch another store in Mandaluyong before the year ends. AllDay aims to have 45 stores by next year and 100 by 2026.

AllDay shares on Wednesday closed lower by 1.72% or one centavo at 57 centavos apiece. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

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