The cliche “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” is especially true in the Philippines, where food is central to gatherings and “kumain ka na ba” or “have you eaten” is a common greeting.
When the pandemic struck, the simple act of breaking bread in the presence of friends and family was taken away from us.
In this B-Side episode, John Paolo C. Dalupang, a research associate at the Institute of Philippine Culture and lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, tells BusinessWorld reporter Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan about the social role of food.
Mr. Dalupang, who has done research on feeding programs, public health, and disaster resilience, shares what he’s learned about what we lost when we were deprived of social gatherings and how our relationship to food has changed because of the pandemic.
TAKEAWAYS
Food can maintain identities and relationships.
“Food practices enable people to create and maintain cultural, racial, and ethnic identities,” said Mr. Dalupang, adding that it is the ritual of food preparation and sharing that helps build relationships.
“It’s the experiences that surround the food that really help form the bonds,” he said.
Food can sometimes express what words cannot, he continued, like when someone is asking for forgiveness or when courting someone.
“I think, in general, when we give food to others, there is this notion of concern.”
Food is a status marker.
“Food is a reflection of the particular context that you are in,” said Mr. Dalupang
Food preferences can hint at what you can afford or where you live.
“There’s this concept called conspicuous consumption wherein you buy things and you ensure that other people see you buying it,” he said.
The pandemic changed our relationship with food.
“We lost the ability to gather and share food but being resourceful, we have made adaptations,” said Mr. Dalupang, who pointed out that Zoom parties allowed us to gather virtually. “The only thing is, it’s still a different feel. A lot of people will tell you that it’s still different when you can sit with each other and actually converse.”
The ASEAN edition of the World CX Summit is set to take place virtually to explore the future of CX through re-engineering and re-inventing innovative strategies, tech trends, and possibilities in CX. The Summit will focus on the importance of digital transformation and how it can be applied across all aspects of a business to transform the way customers engage. The event will be bringing together the leaders that shape how businesses approach customer experience and emerging technologies.
Taking place on March 24, 2022, the event will virtually gather CX stakeholders from across the region. #TresconCX will feature keynotes from thought-leaders, industry experts, private networking sessions, secure audio-visual meetings, private meetings and more from thought leaders in ASEAN.
ASEAN countries, over the years, have seen economic growth which is driven by innovation, where CX is the new battleground. It is one area that is often overlooked in the race to develop new products that can make a difference in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat purchases and customer retention. Reports suggest that customer experience is one among the list of top priority for ASEAN enterprises in a post-pandemic world.
“When you hear about AI you think of impersonal research institutions that don’t relate to your business. But our AI lives in the data center, not the lab. This makes us different. It was designed to automate the customer experience, powered and trained by data from humans and consumers in contact center over the last 20 years.” – Liveperson
These businesses of today are aiming nothing less than to provide a better CX to increase customer satisfaction and lifetime value of their brand; improve customer engagement, satisfaction, and retention; improve conversion rates; improve marketing return on investment or ROI, and the most important of all – improve brand loyalty, advocacy, and reputation.
To address these concerns, World CX Summit will feature prominent experts such as:
Raymond Tan, Director of Customer Responsiveness Department Ministry of Manpower, Singapore;
Nate Brown, Chief Experience Officer, Officium Labs, US;
Mary Drumond, Chief Marketing Officer, Worthix, US;
Chatrudee Ngamvalairatt, EVP, Customer Experience Management, Bank of Ayudhya – Krungsri, Thailand;
Sarah Mathews, Global Head of Destination Marketing, TripAdvisor APAC, Hong Kong; and
Harish Agarwala, Head of Customer Experience Strategy for SEA, India and HK, Qualtrics, to name a few.
World CX Summit – ASEAN will cover current topics including accelerating digital transformation, changing customer behaviors, art and science of leveraging data, automating contact centers, building a future-ready organization using cloud, digital experience platforms, navigating changing customer expectations and much more.
“We are at the threshold of implementing a new digital customer experience that transforms customer service delivery, as organizations are increasingly becoming data-driven and analytics-led organizations that understand how to leverage future-tech to deliver a world-class customer experience,” said Mithun Shetty, CEO of Trescon. The event is Powered by – UserTesting; Platinum Sponsor – LIVEPERSON; Gold Sponsors – ServiceNow, Uniphore, & Exotel; Silver Sponsor – Qualtrics, and Bronze Sponsor – Outsystems. The summit will be hosted on the virtual events platform Vmeets to help participants network and conduct business in an interactive and immersive virtual environment. Participants can also engage with speakers in Q&A sessions and network with solution providers in virtual exhibition booths, private consultation rooms and private networking rooms. For more information visit: https://tresconglobal.com/conferences/cx/asean/
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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) officially onboarded 26 startups to two recently-launched programs that are co-implemented by the said institutions.
After screening more than 60 applications from startups across the country, DTI and PhilDev announced last Feb. 15 20 early-stage programs that are moving forward to the Incubation, Development, and Entrepreneurial Assistance (IDEA) program and six growth-stage programs that will proceed in the Accelerating Development, Valuation, and Corporate Entrepreneurship (ADVanCE) program.
Launched last January, the IDEA and ADVanCE programs aim to provide customized support to tech startups in the Philippines to help them become market and investment-ready.
“By strengthening startups, these two programs are key drivers for the development of a robust startup ecosystem in the Philippines,” DTI Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba said in her opening remarks during a virtual onboarding event.
“We put startups at the forefront of innovation- and S&T-based policies and with technology entrepreneurship at the core, the IDEA and ADVanCE programs can support the growth and development of startups, increase their access to trainings, market expansion activities, and funding opportunities. Through these programs, early- and growth-stage startups will receive customized incubation and acceleration assistance to enable them to grow and scale up,” Ms. Aldaba further explained.
IDEA Incubation Program
Twenty early-stage startups from various sectors will be joining the first cohort of the IDEA Incubation Program. The cohort will be participating in workshops, receiving legal and financial management support services, and mentorship from world-class experts and entrepreneurs from the combined network of PhilDev and DTI.
These startups include: Anihan Technologies (AniTech), a business-to-business agritech company that develops deep technologies for creating supply chain solutions; Avodah Philippines, a one-stop platform for services; Bantay, a welfare assistance chatbot for answering queries regarding social welfare programs; Basky, a food marketplace and delivery app for home-based online food sellers and MSMEs; and Bookuna, a booking platform for vaccination services.
Also part of the cohort are software-as-a-service company Britana Global Solutions, online used-car appraisal tool CarSurvey.ph, meal-kit delivery marketplace Cookbook.ph, clean energy-based technology provider Cleenvent, and energy startup Dali Innovations.
The IDEA program onboarded as well tech startup DigitizePH, rental marketplace Forent, climate action platform Green Impact Global, online food and delivery service application Tinda by Hinulawanlab.com, and online self-service rental property management technology I-Board Living.
Also joining the cohort are Lifeprentice, a peer-to-peer platform aimed to help young people improve their holistic health; RaffleExchange, a raffle-based, crowdsponsored loyalty and promotion platform; SafeTravelPH, a mobility platform for improving commuters’ experience; Sociov, a career coaching app; and Sureplus, a social enterprise startup that resells, repurposes, and reallocates surplus food.
Last Feb. 25, the IDEA cohort started a three-day camp that was set to help them solidify their startup foundations and help formalize their business.
Kicking off the first day of the IDEA Camp, Noreen Bautista, co-founder and chief executive officer of tropical textiles and artisan craft sourcing platform Panublix, shared with the cohort how important it is for entrepreneurs to stick to their startup’s vision, mission, and goals.
“It’s really an important question to always keep asking yourself… why you are doing this, because you need a way to help you endure this whole entrepreneurship journey,” Ms. Bautista shared.
ADVanCE Acceleration Program
Meanwhile, the ADVanCE Acceleration Program will be helping advance six growth-stage startups with solutions aligned with the strategic priorities of the Philippine Development Plan.
The startups that are part of the acceleration program are: Edukasyon.ph, the largest education technology platform in the country; Empath, a provider of telemental health counseling, wellness classes, and psychoeducational training services; Insight Supply Chain Solutions, or InsightSCS, which “envisions connecting the world’s supply chain through technology;” Magwai, a company producing marine-friendly personal care products; Nanotronics, a sustainable and advanced nanomaterials producer; and TakeFive Outdoors, an outdoors-oriented trip-sharing application.
In addition to workshops, masterclasses, and tailored mentorship support, the ADVanCE cohort will also be receiving legal and financial management assistance, public relations, and marketing support and investor linkages.
Crucial programs
In his congratulatory message during the onboarding event, Diosdado “Dado” P. Banatao, founder and co-chairman of PhilDev, noted that incubation and acceleration programs like IDEA and ADVanCE are vital in supporting and empowering startups as they harness technology and innovation into scalable businesses “that can empower Filipinos to get themselves out of poverty.”
“In my journey being an entrepreneur and investor, I’ve realized that entrepreneurship is one of the fastest ways to redistribute wealth in the community. This is why it is crucial to create programs like IDEA and ADVanCE to equip more Filipino founders and, ultimately, to spur entrepreneurship in the country,” Mr. Banatao said.
The co-chairman also expressed his support and gratitude to DTI for the partnership.
“We are grateful to be co-implementing [the IDEA and ADVanCE] programs alongside the DTI. With the combined expertise and experience of both organizations in business, industry, innovation, and entrepreneurship, we look forward to a thriving startup ecosystem in the Philippines,” Mr. Banatao highlighted.
The IDEA and ADVanCE programs will run until June 2022. — Adrian Paul B. Conoza
Sprout Academy, a five-week online bootcamp that aims to train senior high school students all over Southeast Asia on 21st century skills necessary for their future careers, is accepting applications until tomorrow, March 15.
As megatrends for careers accelerate, unemployment remains at its highest with the workforce becoming increasingly unprepared for job descriptions that require much more specialized collaborative skills. In particular, students, having just started the climb into the labor force from a highly structured environment, may find it difficult to adapt immediately to the bureaucratic system of the corporate world.
Seeking to leave no student behind, Sprout Academy is an educational initiative by six ASEAN youth leaders, striving to empower and guide Southeast Asian senior high school students in becoming ready to enter the workforce and serve their communities. In collaboration with the YSEALI (Young Southeast Asia Leaders Initiative) and Arizona State University, this free five-week bootcamp will train students to solve real-life problems using the essential skills of collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity.
Each session will feature prominent Southeast Asian leaders as speakers on the following topics: March 20 — Learning how to communicate well and correctly whilst in a highly collaborative culture; March 27 — Finding precise and accurately problem-solving by thinking through a scientific process; April 3 — Harnessing their unlimited creativity and adaptability in diverse environments; April 10 — Building interest and talent for consistent productivity as well as the decision-making process; and April 24 — Training to develop career-specific and entrepreneurship skills for the future.
Moreover, participants will also be given the opportunity to interact and learn from one another through a group project competition. Groups will address issues within their communities by leading feasible and impactful projects. The winning group will be awarded with US$150 worth of training and an international certificate.
Grant to support innovation projects, healthcare startups
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) will have an Internet of Things (IoT) laboratory through the grant awarded by the multinational technology and professional services firm Accenture. UST, through the College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS) and the DOST-TOMASInno Center, has secured funding from the firm in August last year. The grant will focus on industry innovation initiatives and healthcare startups.
The UST CICS will put up the IoT laboratory as part of the industry innovation initiatives.
Dean Jerralyn T. Padua of CICS said, “[IoT] is important in creating a framework in distance education, with all the important components in place such as wearables [such as smartwatches], cameras, microphones, cloud storage that are all connected to a learning management system.”
“This technology can aid teachers in monitoring attendance, behavioral indicators, and even emotional states. It is also helpful in analyzing data captured in the administration of practical exams and other assessments,” she added.
The IoT laboratory will be housed in the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, O.P. Building. According to Ms. Padua, while the laboratory will remain under the administration of CICS, it will be shared with other academic units for multi-disciplinary research projects as well.
Looking forward, the CICS dean believes IoT would continue to benefit the university even in the post-pandemic in-person classes scenario.
The IOT can provide interconnected emergency alert buttons in classrooms, utilize data from the occupancy sensors to capture attendance in a particular class, and generate attendance monitoring reports for both faculty members and students.
Furthermore, through the occupancy sensors paired with devices like laptops or tablets, the IoT-connected lights and temperature controls can be programmed to turn off when a room is vacant. Hence, this can help improve building efficiency and reduce energy waste.
Another emerging technology that will be developed through the grant is Extended Reality (XR), an umbrella term for immersive technologies. Instruction delivery can be supported by providing platforms to augment learning through simulated environments, especially for the Enhanced Virtual Mode already in place.
One subset of XR is Augmented Reality, which can make instructors present virtual examples of concepts and add gaming elements to give textbook material support.
Ms. Padua said they expect to complete the acquisition of equipment including drones, swarm robots, robotic arms, and other learning materials as well as the training and course content development by the current academic year to make it available to students by A.Y. 2022-2023 at the latest.
Meanwhile, aside from the support to CICS, the funding will be shared with selected healthcare startups of the UST DoST-TOMASInno Center, the university’s official technology business incubator.
UST is among the 10 Metro Manila-based partner institutions that received the Accenture grant last year.
“The grant is expected to be the start of more collaborations with Accenture, with the goal of providing the most fitting learning environment for our students, to help them be ready to take on actual and real-life projects,” Ms. Padua said.
Arvin Yason, innnovation lead for Accenture Technology in the Philippines, said the grant will enhance the content of the schools’ technology curriculum, fund research and publication on emerging technologies, and explore other activities that will facilitate the adoption of these technologies in the academe and their incubated startups. — Chelsey Keith P. Ignacio
ADB’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2022
As countries begin to transition to a post-pandemic world, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is holding its third Southeast Asian Development Symposium (SEADS) on 16-17 March to discuss innovations and solutions that can reinvigorate economies and lay the foundation for an equitable and enduring recovery.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has reversed many of Southeast Asia’s hard-won gains in reducing poverty, creating jobs, and enhancing health and wellbeing, with the poor and vulnerable particularly hard-hit. #SEADS2022, “Sustainable Solutions for Southeast Asia’s Recovery,” builds on the momentum that ADB and its partners have achieved over the past two years in sharing insight and expertise to address the pandemic’s unprecedented challenges.
SEADS 2022 will be headlined by experts in government, development, and the private sector to discuss novel approaches that can help countries build back better from the pandemic. Through cooperation, collaboration, and creativity, Southeast Asia can overcome COVID-19, unleash the region’s potential, and usher in a new period of prosperity and renewal.
SEADS 2022 Priority Areas
#SEADS2022 will focus on actionable solutions supporting three lynchpins of the region’s recovery: addressing debilitating supply chain bottlenecks; rejuvenating the region’s once-flourishing tourism industry; and advancing digital transformation.
SEADS will also explore new opportunities that can take the region beyond business as usual, measures that can better ensure that the region’s post-COVID-19 recovery: is green and environmentally sustainable; expands inclusivity for the poor and other vulnerable groups; ensures equality and greater opportunities for women; and is adequately financed through domestic resource mobilization measures.
The first day of SEADS will open with keynote addresses from ADB’s President and other esteemed government and industry leaders, and will feature a special high-level panel discussion on “Building Back Better through Inclusive Solutions.” The second day of SEADS 2022 will focus on “Revitalizing Tourism and Ensuring Cities’ Sustainable Future,” featuring thought-provoking keynote speakers and two special plenary sessions on (i) Driving an Inclusive Tourism Recovery in Southeast Asia; and (ii) the Future of Sustainable Cites. The SEADS agenda highlights the imperative to build back better at this critical juncture, with afternoon deep-dive workshops to facilitate substantive discussions.
Study Launch: Southeast Asia: Rising from the Pandemic
A new in-depth ADB study, Southeast Asia: Rising from the Pandemic, presents economic prospects for the region, and provides critical policy actions that can address pandemic impacts and help countries reboot their economies. The study will be launched on 16 March at SEADS, and sheds light on the extent of disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, as well as emerging growth opportunities.
The study will serve as a basis for the invitation-only Southeast Asia Policy Roundtable at SEADS 2022, which will provide government officials and ADB management with a unique opportunity to discuss policy responses for a post-COVID-19 world. The outcomes of this discussion will be used to inform ADB’s COVID-19 planning and response for the region.
Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.
Motorists fill up their tanks at a gas station in Novaliches, Quezon City, March 12. Fuel retailers are expected to implement another big-time hike in pump prices on Tuesday. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS
By Luz Wendy T. Noble, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINES may find it more challenging to reach the government’s 7-9% economic growth target this year, as household consumption will likely take a hit from higher inflation caused by a prolonged Russia-Ukraine war, an analyst said.
The Philippine economy will probably only grow within the 5% range due to geopolitical developments that have dented recovery prospects, ING Bank N.V. Manila Senior Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa said.
“Although we don’t expect growth to slow to a pace more akin to stagflation, we do know that the 7-9% growth aspiration will be a tall order,” Mr. Mapa said in an e-mail.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III last week said he does not expect the Russia-Ukraine crisis to “last very long,” adding the Philippine economy will only be affected because oil and food prices will continue to rise.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank estimated Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 6.3%, 5.3%, and 6%, respectively, this year.
Credit raters Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service, and S&P Global Ratings projected Philippine GDP to expand by 6.9%, 7%, and 7.4%, respectively, which are near or at the low end of the government target.
Mr. Mapa said higher inflation is “all but a given which will cap consumption even during an election year.”
Household spending, which accounts for about 70% of the economy, usually gets a boost during an election year. It grew by 4.2% in 2021 following the 7.9% decline in 2020.
Crude oil prices have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Latest data from the Department of Energy showed the prices of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene have increased by P13.25, P17.50, and P11.40 per liter since the year started. This week, gas prices are expected to surge by P11.80-P12 per liter, diesel by P6.90-P7.20 per liter, and kerosene by P9.70-P9.80 per liter.
At the same time, the gradual relaxation of pandemic restrictions could help to boost growth but could also cause faster price increases, Asian Institute of Management economist John Paolo R. Rivera said in a Viber message.
“Our inflation figures are not yet reflecting the oil price surge but can manifest shortly when other industries and sectors feel the change in prices and when the wage spiral kicks in,” Mr. Rivera said.
Metro Manila and most parts of the country are under the most relaxed Alert Level 1. As the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases decline, there are calls to downgrade this to Alert Level 0.
Inflation stood at 3% for the second straight month in February, which is within the 2-4% target of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). However, the central bank warned that inflation could breach the target in the second quarter due to the rising oil prices, before slowing in the second half of the year.
“The worst-case scenario for inflation will not be limited to oil prices. We earlier [warned] about other transmission channels, including food and feeds, other fuel inputs for electricity, a weaker currency and other second-round impacts,” GlobalSource analyst Romeo L. Bernardo said in a note sent to BusinessWorld.
“Price pressures will likely force BSP to hike rates sooner than anticipated, and possibly even more aggressively should they delay the reversal any longer,” Mr. Mapa said.
The BSP last week said it will continue to prioritize supporting economic growth, but vowed that it will be ready in case there is need to respond to potential second-round effects from elevated inflation.
The Monetary Board’s next policy review is scheduled on March 24. It kept rates at record lows during its previous meeting on Feb. 17.
Meanwhile, the government has committed to release fuel subsidies for the transport and agriculture sector amid the surging prices. It is also reviewing petitions seeking to raise the minimum fare for public utility vehicles.
Aside from household spending, analysts also warned that government spending may drop due to the fiscal burden that increased during the pandemic.
“Public finances, already strained by pandemic assistance and stimulus programs, are coming under increasing pressure, both on the revenue and expenditure sides,” Mr. Bernardo said. He noted that policy proposals to reduce tariff and other trade barriers to mitigate inflation concerns have also hurt the government through foregone revenues.
Last year, government spending grew at a faster pace of 7.4%, from 5.1% growth in 2020.
“Government spending, a key pillar of the recovery, will possibly turn negative as the new administration faces a fiscal handicap,” ING’s Mr. Mapa said.
Outstanding debt hit a record P12.03 trillion in January as the government’s borrowings piled up due to its pandemic response. The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio was at 60.5%, the highest since the 65.7% in 2005. This is also slightly above the 60% threshold considered as manageable by multilateral lenders for developing economies.
The government has set a budget deficit ceiling of P1.65 trillion for 2022, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP.
THE NATIONAL Government’s debt service bill jumped by a fourth to P1.2 trillion in 2021 as amortization payments climbed, data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed.
The BTr said the government’s debt payments rose by 25% from P962.5 billion the previous year. Last year’s total was just under the P1.28-trillion debt service budget for 2021.
In December alone, the debt service bill stood at P69.9 billion, down by 5% from the same month in 2020.
Amortization payments accounted for 60.9% of the total debt service bill in December, after slipping by 11.9% to P42.66 billion.
Principal payments to foreign creditors that month amounted to P6.3 billion, while those to domestic lenders totaled P36.36 billion.
Meanwhile, interest payments in December grew by 7.9% to P27.33 billion.
Broken down, interest paid on domestic debt reached a total of P24.18 billion, up by 2.4% year on year.
These payments consisted of P12.79 billion in retail Treasury bonds, P9.2 billion in fixed-rate Treasury bonds, and P1.07 billion in Treasury bills.
On the other hand, interest paid on external debt surged by 82.6% year on year to P3.14 billion.
The government borrows from foreign and local sources to plug its budget deficit as it spends more than it makes to support programs that will stimulate economic growth.
As for the full-year 2021, amortization payments made up 64.3% of the total debt service bill, while the rest went to settle interests.
Amortization payments in the period jumped by 33.1% to P774.73 billion.
Broken down, principal payments made to external sources reached P237.19 billion, up by 67.4% year on year. Those made to domestic lenders rose by 22% to P537.54 billion.
On the other hand, interest payments as of the end of last year increased by 12.9% to P429.43 billion.
Interest paid to domestic debt in 2021 hit P333.34 billion, jumping by 19.5% year on year. In contrast, interest payments on external debt slipped by 5.2% to P96.1 billion.
The government’s borrowings reached P2.58 trillion in 2021, declining by 5.9% year on year. — J.P.Ibañez
MOTHERS and their children wait for free vitamins and medicines at a local health center in Manila, Philippines, Jan. 26, 2021. — REUTERS
By Patricia B. Mirasol, Reporter
MARIAN T. RIVAS, 59, went to a nearby state health center in the village of Talon Singko in Las Piñas City near the Philippine capital to get free amlodipine for her hypertension. She went home after being told that the generic drug was out of stock.
“Usually, medicines are out of stock,” she said in a Facebook Messenger chat in Filipino. “And most of the time, there’s no doctor. It’s usually the health worker that you have to deal with.”
It has been particularly difficult for poor people on maintenance drugs during a coronavirus pandemic, when visits to the local health center are limited.
Primary care, which focuses on prevention rather than cure, is supposed to provide wider coverage and prevent social disparities in healthcare, apart from reducing the financial burden on the public health system.
But health advocates complain that people are unaware of its benefits and government health centers are few and far between, not to mention the lack of funds to run them properly.
“There are no oxygen tanks at the local health center,” Becky S. Barrios, who heads a civic group that helps the Manobo tribe of Agusan del Sur in southern Philippines, said in an e-mailed reply to questions. “Medicines are incomplete. Losartan and other hypertensive drugs are usually out of stock.”
Primary healthcare, which should address 80% of a person’s health needs, is unlikely to succeed in a country that struggles to allot sufficient budget for its citizens’ health, she said. “Local villages lack the facilities to treat people,” she added, noting that there’s only one midwife for every barrio.
Indigenous people have also been hesitant to visit health centers for fear of being declared coronavirus positive in an antigen test, Ms. Barrios said.
Half of Filipinos don’t have access to a nearby primary care facility — one that patients can reach in 30 minutes, according to the Department of Health (DoH). The Philippines had 216,841 community health workers, based on government data from 2010.
Many of these workers are concentrated in poblacions, said Ellen Dictaan-Bang-oa, a coordinator for the indigenous women program of Tebtebba, a local resource center in Baguio City in the country’s north. “This is a challenge in cost, time and access especially for those in remote villages.”
In 2019, Tebtebba started a dialogue among indigenous youth and government agencies, where they discussed the need to build more health centers, hire more health workers and make them more culturally sensitive.
There was also an initiative to integrate indigenous birth attendants into the local healthcare system in Mindanao and Mindoro, Ms. Dictaan-Bang-oa said.
SPECIALISTS Protecting medicinal knowledge is also an enduring concern, she said in an e-mail. Some local governments have issued ordinances to criminalize the practice of indigenous healers.
“Indigenous peoples visit baylans or traditional healers if they believe their illness is caused by spirits,” Ms. Barrios said. A baylan’s rituals include offering eggs and candles, using herbal medicines such as turmeric and moringa to treat stomach aches, urinary tract infection and other illnesses.
Filipinos usually consult specialists when they’re sick, betraying the country’s bias for a curative-, hospital- and doctor-centered service, said Magdalena A. Barcelon, president of the Community Medicine Practitioners and Advocates Association.
This healthcare model, patterned after that of the US, has led to expensive medical care in the Philippines, she said via Zoom. Specialists end up treating illnesses that primary care doctors could have easily managed.
“Prioritizing the role of the barangay in the healthcare system is a welcome development for us,” Ms. Barcelon said. “This is because the primary stakeholders are the people in the basic unit of the social infrastructure — the grassroots community, which consists of the barangay.”
Their group envisions primary care in which people can decide about their own nutrition, sanitation and other health concerns.
Health centers in the countryside should keep vital services in the peripheries because of their limited capacity, Raul S. Ting, a doctor and community health advocate from Tuguegarao City, told an online forum in September.
He had helped rural health units get coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) supplies through his volunteer contacts. Among the beneficiaries were ward nurses who used to buy their own face masks and birthing units that were given disinfecting UV sterilizers.
“Last year’s work evolved into helping out rural health units because either the local government unit couldn’t afford to budget more for health services, or it was not among its priorities,” he said in a Messenger chat, noting that some cities only act if there’s income to be earned.
Letting the National Government enforce healthcare services would improve these facilities, Ms. Barcelon said. The poorer the local government, the sadder the state of healthcare in the area, she pointed out.
Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law mandates a healthcare system that focuses on prevention.
But for primary care to really work, people have to be health literate, according to Christian Edward L. Nuevo, DoH’s chief health program officer for disease prevention and control. Primary care facilities also have to be expanded, he added.
Ms. Barcelon said primary care at the community level could boost rapport between health workers and patients. “A rural health doctor can monitor a patient from infancy onwards,” she said.
Ms. Rivas, mentioned at the outset, said free medicines from the health center are a big help to cash-strapped Filipinos like her. “But I feel like I have to beg for them. It doesn’t feel right.”
DAET, Camarines Norte — Outshone and outfoxed in the early stages by Excellent Noodles, Navy Standard Insurance made sure it will not cower from a heated showdown on this one.
George Oconer and Ronald Oranza bared their true fangs and came through with worthy performances on a rainy, slippery 179.8-kilometer Stage Four to spring back to life in the 11th LBC Ronda Pilipinas that started in Legazpi and ended in front of the Provincial Capitol here on Sunday.
The 30-year-old Mr. Oconer, the last Ronda winner two years ago, edged Mervin Corpuz of Excellent Noodles and Arjay Peralta of Drey in a wet and wild ending to rule the stage in four hours, 10 minutes and 12 seconds.
Mr. Corpuz had the same clocking and wound up second while Mr. Peralta timed in 4:10:14 to take third.
Mr. Oconer was so ecstatic that he raised his right hand at the finish after sealing the deal.
He later said he has more to offer. “I’m still starting to heat up,” said Mr. Oconer.
The effort sent Mr. Oconer zooming No. 9 in the overall individual general classification race from No. 13 and joined Mr. Oranza, the 2018 titlist who leapt from No. 7 to No. 4 after the latter towed a nine-man packed that checked in at fifth in the stage in 4:10:38, in the top 10.
Jan Paul Morales of Excellent Noodles was with Oranza’s group to cling to the overall lead and the red LBC jersey with an aggregate clocking of 9:42:37.
He is being chased by teammates Mr. Corpuz, who posted a second straight runner-up stage finish to ascend from No. 4 to No. 2 with a 9:42:57, and Ryan Tugawin, who fell to No. 4 from No. 4 with a 9:43:15.
And then Mr. Oranza, who remained optimistic he can still catch up and overtake his rivals despite being 2.05 minutes behind, was there at No. 4 with a 9:44:42.
“We still have six stages to go and I’m familiar with who I’m racing against. I’m confident of my conditioning,” said Mr. Oranza.
Their efforts eased the pain of losing the team’s best climber, Junrey Navarra, who will no longer return to the race after bowing out of Stage Three due to breathing problems.
Two-time Ronda champion Santy Barnachea skidded to No. 5 from in 9:44:52 and remained ahead of three Go for Gold riders in Jonel Carcueva (9:45:03), Jericho Jay Lucero (9:45:10) and Aidan Mendoza (9:45:15).
Mr. Oconer was at No. 9 with a 9:45:18 while Excellent Noodles’ Mar Francis Sudario rounded out the top 10 with a 9:45:39.
Excellent Noodles kept its iron grip of the overall team lead with a 26:37:41, followed by Go for Gold’s 26:40:03 and Navy Standard Insurance’s 26:40:47.
The race gets tougher from here as it resumes today with the longest lap of this 10-stage race packed into 10 days (including a one-day break) — the 212.5km Daet-Lucena Stage Five.
This annual event stakes a P3.5-million cash pot including P1 million to the champion courtesy of LBC Express, Inc., MVP Sports Foundation, Quad X, Smart, Twin Cycle Gear, Standard Insurance, Print2Go, Elves Bicycles, Elitewheels, Orome, Maynilad, PhilHydro, Garmin, Petron, Boy Kanin, Green Planet Bikeshop, Prolite, Fujiwara, Black Mamba Energy Drink, Lightwater, LBC Foundation, PhilCycling and the Games and Amusements Board.
IRR of amended retail trade law sets up to P5-M fine for violators
THE Philippine government has called on foreign retailers to promote Filipino-made products in their shops under the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the amended Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RTLA).
The IRR of the amended law was signed on March 9 by Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Emilio B. Aquino.
On Dec. 10 last year, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11595 that amended Republic Act No. 8762 or the RTLA.
Based on the amended law, the minimum paid-up capital of foreign retailers is reduced to P25 million from $2.5 million, while the minimum investment requirement per store was lowered to P10 million in a bid to entice more foreign investors into the Philippines.
Under Rule 5, Section 6 of the IRR, foreign retailers are encouraged to provide a stock inventory of products manufactured in the Philippines by implementing any of the initiatives such as the designation of a store space as Filipino section; use of locally made packaging materials such as bags, boxes, and containers; use of locally sourced raw materials in production; and other arrangements that will promote Filipino-made products.
Rule 9, Section 2 of the IRR also provided that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and SEC will review the required minimum paid-up capital every three years from the effectivity of the amended law.
“The DTI, SEC, and NEDA shall each report its recommendation to Congress,” the IRR said.
The IRR also provides that the SEC or the DTI will be responsible for monitoring the registered foreign retailers, while both agencies maintain a record of registered entities that are engaged in retail trade.
Meanwhile, Rule 8, Section 1 of the IRR also said that the new minimum investment per store as required by the amended law will not be applicable to “foreign investors and foreign retailers who are legitimately engaged in retail trade and were not required to comply with this requirement at the time of the effectivity of the act.”
However, registered foreign retailers still need to maintain the minimum paid-up capital as provided under RA 8762.
The IRR provided that violators of the law will face imprisonment of four years to six years and a fine ranging from P1 million to P5 million.
Further, Rule 5, Section 3 of the IRR also requires that every registered foreign retail enterprise will submit to the DTI or SEC the following reports on the maintenance and actual use of the paid-up capital requirement: number and location of stores, investment per store, and status of each store; stock inventory of locally manufactured products; and other reports that may be required.
“It shall be the duty of the foreign retailers to keep their records, inventory, and books of accounts available at all times for inspection by the SEC or DTI, as applicable,” the IRR said.
The amended RTLA is one of the economic liberalization measures of the government seen to help in the country’s economic recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The other measures include the signed amendments to the Foreign Investments Act and the pending amendments to the Public Service Act. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
FILIPINO Eljay Pamisa overpowered Iranian Nima Beygi on Sunday to barge into the gold medal round in the bantamweight division of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Junior and Youth Championships at the Al Hossein Sports City in Amman, Jordan.
The 17-year-old Cagayan de Oro native dazzled Mr. Beygi with his punishing counters and deft footwork in securing him a spot in the finals against Uzbek Abduvali Buriboev, who lost to Indian Anand Yadav in their semis duel but won his protest to take the finals berth instead.
Mr. Pamisa, a silver medal winner in the 2019 Asian Junior Championships in Al Fujaira, United Arab Emirates when he was still competing in the lighter divisions, is one of the country’s top junior boxers and a gold here would be a testament to his oozing potential.
Other members of the team are junior boxers (15-16 years old) Robert Malunoc, Jr. (46kg), Justine Valero (48kg) and Van Hendrich Abing (50kg) while the youth team is composed of (16-17 years old) Reymond Lofranco (48kg) and John Wayne Vicera (51kg).
Meanwhile, the ASBC held its Congress and Elections Saturday at the Marriott Bonvoy Hotel in the same city.
Representing the Philippines were Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Ed Picson and secretary-general Marcus Manalo.
Thailand’s Pichai Chunhavajira was elected as the new ASBC president besting his opponent Saken Polatov of Uzbekistan, 18 votes to 11.
ABAP president Mr. Picson is one of the close advisers of the prominent Thai businessman-sportsman. — Joey Villar
SEADS will also explore new opportunities that can take the region beyond business as usual, measures that can better ensure that the region’s post-COVID-19 recovery: is green and environmentally sustainable; expands inclusivity for the poor and other vulnerable groups; ensures equality and greater opportunities for women; and is adequately financed through domestic resource mobilization measures.
Primary care, which focuses on prevention rather than cure, is supposed to provide wider coverage and prevent social disparities in healthcare, apart from reducing the financial burden on the public health system.
