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MREIT eyes 4 office properties

MREIT, Inc. is looking to acquire four assets with 55,700 square meters (sq.m.) of gross leasable area (GLA) by December this year, the real estate investment trust (REIT) sponsored by Megaworld Corp. said in a statement on Tuesday.

The company plans to inject Iloilo Business Park’s Two Techno Place, Three Techno Place, and One Global Center, as well as World Finance Plaza in McKinley Hill into its REIT portfolio.

“We remain steadfast in our vision of making MREIT one of the largest office REITs not only in the Philippines, but in the Southeast Asian region as well, and this acquisition is but the first to realizing the significant growth potential of the company,” said Kevin Andrew L. Tan, president and chief executive officer of MREIT and chief strategy officer of Megaworld.

MREIT said the acquisition will boost MREIT’s GLA by 25% to 280,131 sq.m. from its current 224,431 sq.m. The company previously said it plans to infuse an additional 100,000 sq.m. of office GLA into its portfolio before the end of 2022.

The properties are said to “benefit from a very stable tenant base” with an average occupancy rate of 99%. The company said tenants are comprised of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, such as Transcom, WNS, and Nearsol.

MREIT noted that despite the pandemic, it saw continued demand for office spaces, especially from BPO locators, in Iloilo Business Park and McKinley Hill.

“The quality of growth is also important to us. That is why we are very deliberate in choosing which properties to acquire. This way, we not only ensure the sustainability of our income generation but also provide a clear path towards capital appreciation,” Mr. Tan said.

The acquisition, which will be financed through new borrowings “to further enhance returns,” is still subject to final approvals.

“We look to close the deal by December this year and expect that these assets will start to contribute revenues to MREIT starting January 2022,” Mr. Tan said.

Shares of MREIT at the stock exchange went up by 0.33% or six centavos on Tuesday to close at P18.30 apiece. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

With productions grounded by COVID, theater fest turns to archives

AS live theater has yet to return, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Virgin Labfest (VLF) theater festival goes online again this year, this time looking into its archive of plays and with a focus on storytelling education.

The Virgin Labfest 2021 will be held online for a second year, with activities and plays streaming for free from Nov. 24 to Dec. 5 on the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), VLF, and Tanghalang Pilipino Facebook pages.

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown in 2020, that year the VLF looked into the processes and new possibilities of staging and presenting performances for audiences online.

Despite the optimism surrounding the loosening of pandemic restrictions as the year draws to a close, the organizers chose to prioritize the safety of the artists, and hold the festival online again instead of on-site.

For 2021, the festival takes on the theme “Yakap” (embrace) as the festival strives to “embrace” the artistic community as it deals with the pandemic.

“‘Yakap’ is the battle cry for this year’s VLF,” CCP Vice-President and artistic director Chris B. Millado said during an online press conference on Nov. 11.

“We embrace the artistic community as they continue together to strive and endure the terrible effects of this pandemic, [embrace] new possibilities and new narratives shaped by the times, and our audiences with works that have provided comfort, enjoyment, and mindfulness,” Mr. Millado said.

FLASHBACK, FAIR, FELLOWSHIP
The pandemic threw a spanner into the plans for this year’s festival. There were supposed to be live stagings of plays which were going to be filmed for the festival, but then came the Delta variant of COVID-19, and plans had to change. “We had various programming done beginning Jan. 2021, we already created the draft for this year for June. We were ready to go back and film and document those live stagings. But when we were about to film, the Delta variant spread,” VLF festival director JK Anicoche said.

To prioritize health and safety of all involved, the documentation of new plays was postponed.

Since the conditions of the pandemic precluded the staging of new works, the festival has adjusted. Instead, the first component of the festival, called “Flashback,” will feature works from VLF 1 to 15 from the CCP’s extensive archives. Mr. Anicoche said that most of the performances for this year’s festival are previously documented plays from the past festival seasons.

The featured plays for “Flashback” will be divided into themes — works by Em Mendez, works by J. Dennis Teodosio, works by women playwrights, works on the diaspora, works on the Mindanao experience, and, works in the regional language.

“It has been a while since we had a look back at the plays of the VLF which have not been viewed by many. At the same time, it is good to celebrate the 16 years and the plays showcased at the VLF. [Restaging] them would not have been possible live,” VLF founder and former festival director Rody Vera said, in a mix of English and Filipino. “Hopefully, next year, we go back to regular programming to showcase the plays live,” Mr. Vera added.

The second component of VLF is The Playwrights Fair. The sessions are scheduled at 8 p.m. throughout the two-week festival. There will be 11 sessions with playwrights around the country, giving recognition to the works and life of artists and playwrights who died during the pandemic: National Artist for Theater Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, Mario “Em” L. Mendez Jr., Carlito “Lito” Casaje; Jose Dennis C. Teodosio; and Manuel “Manny” Pambid.

The Playwrights Fair will also feature current playwrights, their challenges, efforts, and experiences using virtual platforms to cope with the situation in the theater community with COVID. The sessions will also tackle updates about local and US-based theater communities, and they have coped with the pandemic.

Guest speakers include Luna Sicat-Cleto, Layeta Bucoy, Dennis Marasigan, Liza Magtoto, Juan Ekis, Hobart Savior, Lorna Velasco, and Dessa Quesada-Palm.

The third component, the Writinåg Fellowship Program, will be conducted from Nov. 16 to Dec. 5 under the tutelage of award-winning playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas. The Culminating Activity, directed by Dennis Marasigan, will be streamed online on Dec. 5.

“This year is different because in a sense we knew what we were doing in terms of going online. Last year, we really had no idea how to do it. This year is very different because we focus on education. We took the limitations of the situation and we decided that this year we will focus on the playwrights’ fair, on sharing ideas and thoughts and focus on the fellowship program,” VLF production manager Nikki Garde-Torres said about the playwrights fair which is now on its 10th year.

“This is part of embracing the youth, the playwrights, and the audience by giving back by teaching,” Ms. Garde-Torres said in English and Filipino.

Established in 2005, the Virgin Labfest is the premier playwright’s festival in the country, focusing on producing untried, untested, and unstaged works.

For more information and for the schedule of activities, follow VLF on the CCP’s social media platforms, or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Globe to scale up data center capacity

GLOBE Telecom, Inc. is hoping to scale up its data center capacity and capture more of the latent demand for data center services in the country.

Globe is currently in advanced discussions with Singapore-based ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), a data center provider, on the Ayala-led telco’s data center business in the Philippines.

In a statement, the telco said it believes a partnership with STT GDC “is the next important step that will accelerate” its “data center growth strategy and market share position in the Philippines.”

“Under the exclusivity agreement, Globe and STT GDC will enter into discussions and aim to sign definitive agreements” related to the telco’s data center business, it noted.

“The intention is to leverage Globe’s existing portfolio, as well as the expertise of STT to be able to get immediate scale and increase Globe’s speed to market.”

Ernest L. Cu, Globe president and chief executive officer, believes that the potential joint venture with STT GDC will be a significant multi-year growth driver for Globe.

“[It] will further drive our transformation into a digital platform, this time into B2B (business-to-business) space, after success of B2C (business to customer) with GCash,” he added.

The telco has been operating data centers since 2001, serving both its internal requirements and corporate clients.

As of September this year, the telco’s attributable net income increased 12.8% to P17.90 billion from P15.87 billion in the same period in 2020.

Total revenues for the January-to-September period grew 4.1% to P113.55 billion from P109.10 billion in the previous year.

Globe Telecom shares closed 2.37% higher at P3,460 apiece on Tuesday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

NCCA denies petition to delist temple as Important Cultural Property

PAO ONG HU TAOIST Temple in Sta. Ana, Manila

THE NATIONAL Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has denied a petition to delist the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple in Sta. Ana, Manila as an Important Cultural Property (ICP).

An Important Cultural Property is one that has been determined as possessing “exceptional cultural, artistic, and /or historical significance” to the country. It is the second highest level of protection after the classification of National Cultural Treasures. The determination is made by the NCCA, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP).

According to a statement released by the NCCA on Oct. 27, the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple had been declared as an ICP under NMP Resolution No. 03-2016. “The temple is located just behind the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Abandoned (Sta. Ana Church), which is a declared National Cultural Treasure,” said the statement, which noted that “It features two rooms dedicated to two different personas, one for Pao Kong — a Taoist God, and for Guanyin — a female deity resembling the image of Virgin Mary.”

The NCCA had received a petition from Chloe Go on Aug. 8, 2020 to delist the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple. Ms. Go filed a petition giving the following reasons for delisting the temple: 1.) that the previous and current owner had no knowledge of the ICP status of the structure, as there was no indication that the property was already declared an ICP; 2.) that the property was turned over to Ms. Go by the previous owner devoid of any artifacts; 3.) that the declaration of the property as an ICP blatantly disregards the principles of due process, as no public notice and/or hearing has been done; and, 4.) that after declaring the structure as an ICP, the concerned Registry of Deeds was not notified.

In the NCCA statement it explained that, “Pursuant to Sec. 8 of Republic Act No. 10066 and Section 11 of its Implementing Rules and Regulations, the NCCA posted a public notice online to invite support or opposition from various stakeholders regarding the filed petition. This public notice was posted on Jan. 8, 2021 with a deadline set on Jan. 29, 2021.

“Moreover, this Commission requested the comments of the National Committee on Monuments and Sites (NCMS), National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts (NCAAA), Manila Heritage Tours Sta. Ana, and the local government unit of the City of Manila. The NCAAA asserted that while the said property is culturally significant, it has deteriorated so much that its architectural significance has been compromised. The Manila Heritage Tours Sta. Ana and the City of Manila have not given any position regarding the matter.”

Given this, the NCCA said, “After due deliberation and careful evaluation, the petition to delist the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple as an ICP was dismissed on Sept. 16, 2021 for lack of legal and factual justifications as per NCCA Board Resolution No. 2021-312. Furthermore, the declaration of the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple as an ICP will be duly registered in the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property and the installation of the declaration marker be implemented accordingly.”

GMA income down 6%; ABS-CBN trims loss

GMA Network, Inc. on Tuesday reported a 6% decrease in third-quarter attributable net income to P2.34 billion from P2.49 billion in the same period last year, while ABS-CBN Corp. trimmed its attributable net loss to P303.09 million from a loss of P3.33 billion previously.

In a stock exchange filing, GMA said its net revenues for the quarter grew 0.85% to P5.96 billion from P5.91 billion in the same period a year ago.

Production costs for the third quarter surged to P1.20 billion from P618.37 million in the same period last year, while cost of sales dropped by 61% to P109.36 million from P280.58 million previously, bringing the company’s gross profit to P4.65 billion, down by 7% from P5 billion in the same period in 2020.

The company’s general and administrative expenses increased 5.6% to P1.50 billion in the third quarter of the year from P1.42 billion in the same period in 2020.

Meanwhile, GMA’s nine-month attributable net income grew 53.3% to P5.98 billion from P3.90 billion previously, as net revenues for the period climbed 30.8% to P16.56 billion — propelled by advertising revenues — from P12.66 billion last year.

“With GMA’s broadcasting operations currently enjoying the widest reach in the free-to-air arena, consolidated sales of the company for the past nine months breached the P16.0-billion mark, at P16,556 million,” the company said.

“Advertising revenues comprised 93% of the total revenue pie and was also the driver for the considerable improvement in the topline — both through airtime sales and through the company’s presence in the online landscape,” it added.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN managed to reduce its nine-month attributable net loss to P3.67 billion from a loss of P7.25 billion in the same period last year.

ABS-CBN’s total revenues for the January-to-September period fell 25.1% to P12.75 billion from P17.03 billion previously.

The company’s production costs for the period went down 30.2% to P5.38 billion from P7.71 billion, while cost of services fell 8.8% to P6.04 billion from P6.62 billion previously, and cost of sales dropped 94.3% to P17.87 million from P313.59 million in the same period last year, bringing its gross profit to P1.31 billion, down 45.2% from P2.39 billion last year.

ABS-CBN’s advertising revenues for the period fell by P2.1 billion, or 35.5% lower, attributable to its absence in the free-to-air advertising space following the cease-and-desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission on its broadcast operations on May 5, 2020 and the adoption of a resolution denying its franchise application by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises on July 10 of that year.

“Consumer sales [were] similarly affected by the cease-and-desist order as this prohibited the company from engaging in Sky Cable’s DTH (direct-to-home) services and distribution of TV Plus Boxes,” the company noted.

“In addition, the impact of the [coronavirus] outbreak resulted in the cessation of various ancillary operations such as Heroes Burger, Kidzania Manila and Studio XP. These unfortunate events resulted in a decrease in consumer revenues of P1.9 billion,” it added.

The company also announced on Tuesday that it was awarded $21 million in lawsuit against 21 pirate website operators.

“The court in the Southern District of Florida entered a default judgment in favor of… ABS-CBN and against 21 pirate site operators. The order includes an award of damages in excess of $1 million against each of the 21 pirate website operators,” the media company said in an e-mailed statement.

The company also said the websites associated with these “illegal operations” are streaming portals offering “free access” to its content in the United States and abroad. — Arjay L. Balinbin

OPM folk music icon Heber Bartolome, 73

FILIPINO musician Heber Gonzalez Bartolome — FACEBOOK.COM/HEBER.BARTOLOME.18

FILIPINO musician Heber Gonzalez Bartolome passed away on the evening of Nov. 15, his brother Jesse confirmed. He was 73.

While Mr. Bartolome’s cause of death is not confirmed, his brother said that he had a lingering prostate illness for over a year.

Mr. Bartolome, best known for songs like “Tayo’y Mga Pinoy,” “Karaniwang Tao” and “Nena,” came from a musical family. Born on Nov. 4, 1948 in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, his parents were Deogracias Bartolome, a pastor and also violin and guitar maker, and Angelina Gonzalez, a zarzuela singer.

Mr. Bartolome earned a degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1973 before founding a protest band band called Banyuhay Ni Heber during martial law together with his brothers Jesse and Levi. He performed around the country, as well as staged concerts in Australia and Europe.

He was also a former member and trustee of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP), a non-stock, non-profit organization that grants music users legal permission to publicly play, stream, broadcast, or reproduce.

Aside from playing music, Mr. Bartolome was also an educator and painter.

He was a Filipino Literature professor at the De La Salle University from 1981 to 1984.

In Sept. 2017, Mr. Bartolome held an art exhibit at the Philippine Consulate in Calgary. He also participated in art exhibits and competitions in Australia, Germany, Brussels, Austria, Spain, and China.

Details on the burial are to follow. — MAPS

DITO CME incurs P1.8-B loss; Chelsea cuts loss

DENNIS A. Uy’s DITO CME Holdings Corp. incurred an attributable net loss of P1.81 billion for the third quarter, a reversal of its P14.64-million profit in the same period last year.

Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., his shipping and logistics company, cut its attributable net loss for the quarter to P1.13 billion from a loss of P1.32 billion in 2020.

In a stock exchange filing on Tuesday, DITO CME said it consolidated the financials of DITO Telecommunity Corp. into the company in the third quarter of the year, making it part of the reporting of its financial results.

For the third quarter, DITO CME reported P327.27 million in revenues, which generated a gross profit of P287.15 million.

However, its operating expenses for the quarter surged to P1.71 billion from P2.1 million in the same period a year ago, resulting in an operating loss of P1.42 billion from a loss of P2.1 million previously.

“The increase in operating expenses was mainly due to expenses involving the rollout of DITO Telecommunity in various areas within the Philippines,” the company said.

DITO CME, which owns 54% of DITO Telecommunity, handles the investments of Mr. Uy’s Udenna Corp. in media, communications, entertainment, and information technology.

It has three digital companies: Unalytics, which provides managed analytics services; Acuity Global, which curates media properties across platforms and provides media planning and buying; and Luna Academy, an online education platform aimed at equipping users with future-ready skills, credentials, and certificates.

For the January-September period, DITO CME reported P327.27 million in revenues, which generated a gross profit of P287.15 million.

Operating expenses rose to P1.75 billion from P3.68 million in the same period last year, resulting in an operating loss of P1.46 billion from a loss of P3.68 million previously.

“DITO Telecommunity is playing the long game. From day one, we did mention already that building a telco from scratch will be very much capital extensive, but the milestones reached in just nine months of operation is encouraging to say the least,” DITO CME President and Director Ernesto R. Alberto said.

The company said DITO Telecommunity now covers 340 cities and municipalities with over 3,300 towers built.

Since March, DITO Telecommunity has already gained four million subscribers, DITO CME noted.

Meanwhile, Chelse Logistics reported P1.14 billion in revenues for the third quarter, up 51.8% from P752.54 million in the same period last year.

Helped by lower expenses, the company managed to trim its loss before tax for the quarter to P1.13 billion from a loss of P1.29 billion in the same period in 2020.

Attributable net income for the nine-month period was cut to P2.2 billion from a loss of P2.6 billion in 2020.

Chelsea’s total revenues for the January-to-September period declined 1.5% to P3.27 billion from P3.32 billion previously.

The company managed to trim its loss before tax to P2.20 billion from a loss of P2.57 billion last year.

Chelsea said the narrower net loss was driven by “continued rational cost-containment measures as well as a slight year-on-year improvement in revenues led by its freight and logistics businesses.”

“Chelsea group’s third-quarter performance highlights the continuing recovery story for the industry as well as the group with our freight business leading the way,” Chelsea President and Chief Executive Officer Chryss Alfonsus V. Damuy said.

He said that despite the continuing fears from the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Delta variant, “we are confident that the economy is poised to gradually recover in the last quarter of the year as the government accelerates the vaccination program, which will bring about herd immunity for the population.”

“We have already seen a continued drop in the number of active cases with substantially lower positivity rates,” he added.

On Tuesday, shares in DITO CME fell by 1.49% to P5.95 each, while Chelsea shares closed unchanged at P1.93 apiece. Mr. Uy is chairman of both companies. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Where’s the wasabi? 7-Eleven is sued over snack mix

7-11
DUY NGUYEN-UNSPLASH

NEW YORK — 7-Eleven, the convenience chain known for Slurpees and Big Gulp beverages, has been sued by a US consumer who claims its private-label Wasabi Delight Flavored Snack Mix contains no wasabi.

The lawsuit, filed on Sunday night in Manhattan federal court by Oscar Ithier, joins hundreds of proposed $5 million-or-larger class actions accusing food companies of overcharging consumers through false and misleading packaging.

Mr. Ithier said the label for 7-Eleven’s snack mix is deceptive because neither the wasabi powder in the “crunchy wasabi peanuts” nor the artificial wasabi flavor in the “wasabi green peas” on the ingredients list contains wasabi.

The West Harrison, New York resident also said real wasabi, a greenish Japanese condiment that is similar to horseradish and has antioxidant properties, tastes “bright and pungent” with a fast-fading heat, while “fake” wasabi burns hotter and longer.

“Defendant gained an advantage against other companies, and against consumers seeking to purchase a product that contained some wasabi,” the complaint said.

7-Eleven did not immediately respond on Monday to requests for comment. The chain has more than 77,000 stores worldwide, including nearly 16,000 in North America. Its parent is Seven & I Holdings Co.

The lawsuit seeks damages for snack mix purchasers in New York and eight other US states, who typically paid $2.59 or more for a 4.5-ounce (128-gram) bag, whose packaging includes a pair of chopsticks holding a wasabi pea.

Mr. Ithier is represented by Spencer Sheehan, a Great Neck, New York, lawyer known for filing dozens of lawsuits claiming that “vanilla” products contain little or no vanilla bean. More recently, he has filed lawsuits alleging that Kellogg Co.’s Strawberry Pop-Tarts contain too few strawberries. — Reuters

Sia’s DoubleDragon reports income decline; REIT, MerryMart records growth

SIA-LED listed firms reported mixed earnings in the third quarter as listed property firm DoubleDragon Properties Corp.’s attributable net income declined, while the real estate investment trust (REIT) firm and listed grocery operator both posted net income growths for the period.

In a regulatory disclosure on Tuesday, DoubleDragon reported a 76% decline in attributable net income for the quarter ending September, scoring P120.45 million from P495.58 million in the same period last year.

DoubleDragon’s topline for the quarter inched up by two

ent, amounting to P1.73 billion from last year’s P1.69 billion. 

For the January-September period, DoubleDragon’s attributable net income declined 33% to P2.53 billion from P3.8 billion year on year. Its nine-month topline dropped to P4.41 billion from last year’s P9.79 billion as its rent income declined 15% to P2.53 billion and interest income went down by 40% to P20.53 million.

Compared with the same period last year, the company did not account for a one-off P5.49-billion unrealized gains from the changes in fair values from an investment property.

Hotel revenues for the nine-month period rose 14.49% to P420.70 million, while real estate sales surged 124.29% to P718.64 million.

However, the company’s core net income as of September this year went up 250.86% to P4.18 billion from P1.19 billion in 2020.

DoubleDragon said its total equity grew 31.35% to P64.44 billion in the nine-month period after it listed its real estate investment trust (REIT) and after the new equity infusion of Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) into its industrial leasing unit, CentralHub Industry Centers, Inc.

“DDMP REIT, Inc. (DDMPR) is just the first of DoubleDragon’s pillars to unlock its true value. DoubleDragon’s warehouses, community malls and hotels will soon follow suit as DoubleDragon positions itself in the forefront of the post-pandemic recovery of the economy,” DoubleDragon Chief Investment Officer Hannah Yulo-Luccini said in the DoubleDragon statement.

The company said CentralHub is working on ramping up the construction of its P24.8-billion industrial warehouse portfolio after completing its equity joint venture with JFC. DoubleDragon and JFC plan to launch CentralHub’s REIT initial public offering (IPO) next year, which is expected to be the country’s first industrial REIT IPO.

Meanwhile, according to a DDMPR regulatory filing, the firm swung to profitability in the third quarter with a net income of P589.9 million, a reversal of the P82.44-million loss incurred a year ago. It generated a topline of P664.12 million. 

For the nine-month period, DDMPR’s net income declined 37% to P2.77 billion from last year’s P4.42 billion. Its topline also dropped to P1.81 billion from P6.36 billion.

However, its nine-month core net income jumped 171.68% to P2.77 billion, excluding fair value gains, from P1.02 billion in the same period last year. Rental and CUSA income rose 6.94% to P1.55 billion.

DDMPR said its portfolio is 97.71% leased out “and continues to remain stable.”

On the other hand, MerryMart Consumer Corp’s regulatory disclosure showed its net income surged to P6.59 billion in the third quarter from P836.45 million a year ago. The company’s topline rose 23% to P966.08 million from P782.73 million. 

As of September this year, MerryMart’s net income posted a 59% growth to P23.01 million from the P14.5-million income logged a year ago. Consolidated revenues grew 15.92% to P2.81 billion from P2.42 billion.

In a separate statement, MerryMart also noted it recently signed agreements with Quezon-based Carlos SuperDrug chain and Zamboanga-based Cecile’s Pharmacy chain. The transactions are expected to “bring significant improvement on cost efficiencies.”

“The whole team of DoubleDragon and MerryMart will remain determined to nurture and grow all its business units in preparing to be a major beneficiary in the next cycle of economic recovery that should follow post the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) global pandemic era,” Edgar J. Sia II, chairman of DoubleDragon, DDMPR, and MerryMart, said in the DoubleDragon statement.

On Tuesday, shares of DoubleDragon declined by 0.10% or one centavo to close at P9.99 each and DDMPR closed unchanged at P1.81 apiece.

Meanwhile, MerryMart stocks rose 0.63% or two centavos to close at P3.18 per share. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

MPBL Invitational Tournament kicks off at MOA Arena on Dec. 11

By John Bryan Ulanday

TWENTY-TWO teams so far have thrown their hats to the much-awaited return of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) for the Chooks-to-Go-backed Invitational Tournament at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena next month.

After initial plans of playing in either Caloocan, Antipolo or Sta. Rosa, commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said the league is already ironing out details with the Pasay City venue under a closed-circuit setup when it opens shop anew on Dec. 11-21.

Accommodation of fully-vaccinated fans, pending the go signal of the Inter-Agency Task Force, is also in play with Metro Manila now under a more relaxed Alert Level 2 situation amid the pandemic.

“Hopefully, the venue (MOA) can be confirmed today. We’re ready and excited. This is the right time to reignite the league after our long hiatus,” Mr. Duremdes said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum yesterday.

Defending champion Davao Occidental and archrival San Juan banner the cast in the MPBL’s first tourney since finishing the pandemic-delayed Lakan Season last March in Subic under a full-bubble setting.

Apart from a transition to the metropolis under a semi-bubble environment, the MPBL Invitationals will also serve as the league’s walk through for a professional shift soon under the monitoring of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

“FIBA will be watching how we run a tournament. It will be our testing ground for the pros,” added Mr. Duremdes as the Invitationals follow a FIBA-type format for 10 days.

The 22 squads will be divided into four groups playing in a single-round robin format. Top two teams of each pool then advance to the crossover knockout phase all the way to the finals.

Climate change is a public health issue, says study 

PIXABAY

By Patricia B. Mirasol 

NO DISEASE GROUP is spared from the effects of climate change, as the rise in global temperatures is increasing the incidence of heat-related illnesses and expanding the reach of zoonotic diseases like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to a study commissioned by insurance provider Pru Life UK, a subsidiary of British financial service provider Prudential plc.  

“Climate change reverses some of the gains we already had in public health,” said the study’s co-author Dr. Ramon Lorenzo R. Guinto, a planetary health expert and member of the National Panel of Technical Experts of the Climate Change Commission of the Philippine government. Planetary health is a field that refers to the interconnectedness of humanity’s wellbeing to the quality of their environment.  

Released this November, the paper offers five actions for mitigating the negative health impact of climate change: viewing climate change as a public health issue; transitioning to clean renewable energy as a means to keeping the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius; pursuing climate adaptation to enhance resilience to disasters and other health impacts; raising everyone’s awareness of climate change and adaptation; and enacting financial solutions as a protection from climate emergency-related shocks.   

“Don’t just be concerned about the future waves of COVID-19, but also the future tsunamis of recessions, climate change, and biodiversity collapse,” warned Dr. Guinto. “Hopefully, we will recover and revitalize universal healthcare also as a climate change measure.”  

NO DISEASE IMMUNE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
A key finding, according to the study, is that there is no disease group immune to the effects of climate change. In the Philippines, some of the disease conditions that are expected to worsen include:  

  • Heat-related illnesses like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke — The country does not have the national and local heat health plans that are more familiar to temperate regions like Europe, Dr. Guinto said. “In a tropical place like the Philippines, people think, ‘Oh, we can withstand high temperatures,’” he added.
  • Vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria — In the National Capital Region alone, every 1 degree Celsius increase in minimum temperature will cause 233 more dengue cases. Droughts and floods yield dengue outbreaks, as the stagnant bodies of water that are created become breeding grounds for virus-carrying mosquitoes.
  • Emerging infectious diseases with pandemic potential like COVID-19 — An estimated 75% of emerging human infectious diseases are noted to be of zoonotic origin. The conversion of animal habitat into agricultural use has brought animals and humans in closer interaction, increasing the chance of exchanging pathogens.
  • Cardiorespiratory diseases due to air pollution, as well as other forms of pollution produced by fossil fuels — Air pollution exposes 91% of the world’s population to poor air quality levels. In Switzerland-based Institute for Management Development (IMD)’s smart city index 2020, Manila scored low in air quality under the health and safety indicator.
  • Forced displacement of communities due to typhoons, storm surges, and coastal flooding —The prediction is that the coastal City of Manila could be underwater by 2050 if climate change isn’t addressed, said Dr. Guinto. Manila is not a unique situation; more than 60% of the Philippine population live in coastal areas. Rising sea levels may make these areas become uninhabitable, forcing mass displacements.
  • The co-occurrence of undernutrition and obesity resulting from climate-unfriendly food systems — Obesity is intertwined with malnutrition, and can stem from a diet that is calorically excessive but not nutritionally adequate. In the Philippines, the rate of increase in adult obesity exhibited a rapid growth between 1995 and 2015: 5.4% in men and 3.7% in women, according to the World Obesity Federation.
  • Mental health conditions emanating from both abrupt disasters and slow-onset environmental change — Typhoon Haiyan’s survivors still suffer mentally and emotionally, according to a 2019 news report, years after the 2013 climate emergency. Haiyan’s impact overwhelmed the disaster response which focused more on providing basic needs, setting mental health aside.

“This is an equity issue as well,” said Dr. Guinto. “It affects the marginalized at a greater degree… [rather] than us who have access to healthy food and air-conditioning.”  

 

SIDEBAR | How individuals can help mitigate climate change  

Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Health secretary and chair of social development non-profit Health Futures Foundation, offered the following suggestions for mitigating climate change at an individual level:  

  • Start at home — practice recycling, waste segregation, and composting.
  • Limit plastic consumption — observe how much you use plastic, especially single-use plastic, in a given week.
  • Plant a tree — make it a regular activity, like a planned birthday event.
  • Consider eating green — lessen your consumption of red meat as its production is a contributor to land use-related greenhouse emissions.   

Hollywood crew members narrowly approve contract with TV and film producers

DE’ANDRE BUSH/UNSPLASH

LOS ANGELES — Some 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in US film and television narrowly approved a new contract with producers, their union said on Monday.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which includes camera operators, make-up artists, sound technicians and others, said in a statement its members voted to ratify a new three-year contract that was tentatively agreed last month.

The voting was close, with 50.3% of members voting yes and 49.7% voting against, IATSE said.

The deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) was reached in October after the union threatened a strike that would have to shut down film and television production around the United States in the biggest stoppage since the 2007-2008 strike by Hollywood screenwriters.

It would have hit a wide range of media companies including Netflix, Inc, Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp.

The contract reduces working hours and increases pay for members who work on streaming platforms, and improves rest periods and meal breaks on TV and film sets. IATSE leaders had strongly urged members to ratify it, saying it was “the best agreement possible.” — Reuters

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