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Indonesian augmented reality developer plans $20-M PHL investment

INDONESIA’s PT WIR Asia Tbk plans to invest an initial $20 million in the Philippines for 2022, bringing in its augmented reality (AR) technology, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the DTI said the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Jakarta met with PT WIR officials in April to discuss its entry into the Philippines.

WIR, a listed company, develops AR technology integrated with virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

“PT WIR Asia Tbk is considered the first Metaverse company in Indonesia and has opened offices in the Philippines through the acquisition and investment in domestic Philippine companies,” the DTI said.

“The Indonesian tech company currently has five global patents for AR which are registered nationally as well as in the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) which covers 153 countries. WIR Group has completed more than a thou-sand projects, encompassing AR and VR application development and branding projects, for corporations from various industrial sectors located in more than 20 countries,” it added.

According to Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, AI technology is expected to revolutionize everyday life within the next decade.

He added that the Philippines has been enhancing its own AI capacity, which holds the potential to lower cost, boost efficiency, increase revenue, and improve the customer experience.

“We expect the talent of the Filipino to lead in terms of building, developing, and utilizing new technologies like AI, robotics, the cloud, and 5G connectivity, among others, and use these technologies for economic expansion, so-cial change, and nation-building,” Mr. Lopez said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Jan.-Feb. births and deaths fall sharply

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The number of registered births and deaths in the two months to February declined by 63.2% and 60.4% year on year, respectively, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Citing preliminary data from its Vital Statistics Report, the PSA said births in the first two months of 2022 totaled 68,087, with the National Capital Region (NCR) accounting for 10,727, or 15.8% of all births nationwide.

Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) was close behind with 10,023, down 62.9% from a year earlier.

Registered deaths amounted to 43,805 nationwide, down 60.4% from a year earlier. Metro Manila accounted for 8,385 or 19.1% of all deaths in the Philippines.

Registered marriages, on the other hand, totaled 21,495, down 64% from a year earlier. Metro Manila registered the most marriages with 3,094 or 14.4% of the national total.

In a separate statement, the PSA said ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular disease, and neoplasms — a category that includes cancer — were the top three causes of deaths.

Ischaemic heart diseases accounted for 20.8% of the total deaths in the country while cerebrovascular diseases accounted for 9.9% and neoplasms 8.9%.

Deaths associated with COVID-19 totaled 3,007 in the first two months, of which the dead who had been identified as infected with the virus accounted for 2,377 cases. COVID-19 was the sixth-leading cause of death dur-ing the period.

The NCR had the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 with 1,339 or 44.5% of the total. This was followed by Calabarzon with 512, and Central Luzon 459.

Quezon City had the largest number of deaths due to COVID-19 with 301, accounting for 22.5% of the total. This was followed by the City of Manila with 218 or 16.3% and the City of Caloocan with 143 or 10.7%.

According to the PSA, COVID-19 death data were based on the descriptions written on the medical certificate of the deceased and certified by health officers of the local government units where the death took place.

These COVID-19 tallies differ from the disease surveillance numbers produced by the Department of Health.

Data on the Vital Statistics report was compiled from tallies generated by city or municipal Civil Registrars, consolidated by the PSA’s Provincial Statistical Offices and then submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General as of March 31, 2022.

The PSA also noted that the figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration. — Abigail Marie Pelea Yraola

Fuel marking revenue hits P459.58 billion

PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

TAXES generated from fuel marking amounted to P459.58 billion since the program started in September 2019, the Department of Finance said.

The total includes P429.77 billion collected from customs duties as of May 12. Some P29.81 billion worth of excise taxes had been collected as of Oct. 28, 2021.

The volume of marked fuel was 41.33 billion liters as of May 13, according to data provided by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III via Viber on Monday.

Luzon accounted for over 73% of all marked fuel, or over 30 billion liters, while 8.6 and 2.2 billion liters were marked in Mindanao and the Visayas, respectively.

Diesel accounted for 60.70% of all marked fuel, while gasoline consisted of 38.8%, and kerosene 0.51%.

Mr. Dominguez said in his message that he believes the next administration should continue the fuel marking program.

He added that it is essential the program be included in the next administration’s fiscal consolidation plan, considering the revenue it brings in and its effectiveness at curbing oil smuggling.

The fuel marking program was launched on Sept. 4, 2019. Fuel is marked with a special dye to signify tax compliance, while the absence of the dye is considered an indication that the fuel may be smuggled.

The program is authorized by Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

Last year, P158.44 billion was collected via duties. In 2022 so far, collections amounted to P144.77 billion.

Some 28 oil companies are participating in the fuel marking program.

The Bureau of Customs has marked a total of 12.19 billion liters of fuel this year, as of May 13. Last year, it marked 17 billion liters.

Mr. Dominguez said that the government expects to collect P147.1 billion worth of fuel excise tax and value-added tax in 2022. — Tobias Jared Tomas

Pilmico meat unit targets distribution to over 300 supermarkets this year

Pilmico Food Corp.-controlled meat retailer The Good Meat said it has set a target to distribute its product to over 300 supermarkets as well as additional bricks-and-mortar stores by the end of 2022.

“This is in line with the goal of Pilmico, the Aboitiz Group’s food and agribusiness unit, to become closer to their consumers,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Good Meat currently supplies fresh cuts, marinated pork, and ready-to-cook products to over 250 supermarkets, including Puregold, Robinsons Supermarket, Marketplace by Rustan’s, Merrymart, Shopwise, and Divimart in Greater Luzon.

“The Good Meat aspires to be the leading pork supplier in the Philippines,” Pilmico Vice-President of Farm Sales and Meat Operations Hendel P. Cabral said. “We make sure to follow only the highest food safety standards in our technologically advanced facilities so that more Filipinos can enjoy quality meats.”

In March, Pilmico said that The Good Meat tapped Landmark supermarket to distribute ready-to-cook products, while a new physical store was opened in Libis, Quezon City.

The company processes its meats at Tarlac Meatmasters.

“The facility implements heightened food safety protocols and biosecurity measures that ensures The Good Meat provides safe and premium quality meats,” Pilmico said.

The Good Meat products are also available in e-commerce platforms such as its website, thegoodmeat.ph, Shopee, Lazada, Food Panda, Grab, Pick-A-Roo, and MetroMart. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

CTA rules against BIR in withholding tax dispute

The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has partially granted an appeal by Tullet Prebon Philippines, Inc. (TPPI), a financial services company, to review an assessment of the company’s 2016 unutilized and excess credit withholding tax amounting to P11.3 million.

In a 24-page decision on May 11, the CTA Third Division ordered the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to issue a tax credit certificate to the petitioner, reducing its tax liabilities to P7.5 million.

“(TPPI’s) administrative claim was filed on June 26, 2018, while the judicial claim via the instant petitioner for review was filed on April 11, 2019, it is clear that both the administrative judicial claims were timely filed,” the court said in the ruling written by CTA Associate Justice Erlinda P. Uy.

TPPI is based in Taguig City and brokers foreign exchange transactions, deposits, and other income security agreements.

The tax court noted that since the company was able to prove that it filed its administrative claim within the prescribed period, the Court had jurisdiction to handle the dispute.

“Timeliness of the filing of the claim is mandatory and jurisdictional and the court cannot take cognizance of a judicial claim for a refund either prematurely or out of time,” it said. “As long as the administrative claim and the judicial claim were filed within the two-year prescriptive period, then there was the exhaustion of the administrative remedies.”

The CTA noted that the certificate of creditable taxes withheld presented by the TPPI was deemed competent and conclusive evidence of payment and remittance to the revenue bureau.

The petitioner was able to substantiate only P7.5 million of the P11.3 million unutilized credit withholding tax for 2016. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Stocks rise as March cash remittances grow 3.2%

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PHILIPPINE shares ended higher on Tuesday on data showing higher remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in March and continued bargain hunting.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 1.42% or 92.54 points to finish at 6,594.66 on Tuesday, while the broader all shares index improved by 0.78% or 27.37 points to 3,533.65.

“The local bourse extended its rally this Tuesday by 92.54 points (1.42%) to 6,594.66 as investors appreciated the Philippines’ March cash remittance [data]… The continuous growth in cash remittances is seen to help the local economy by giving a boost to demand, primarily household spending,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a Viber message.

Marc Kebinson L. Lood, Timson Securities Inc. head of online trading, said in a Viber message that the market closed higher due to bargain hunting after the PSEi hit 6,300 last week.

“It is also expected that the central bank will raise interest rates to protect the currency and keep inflation under control. Meanwhile, investors are looking at the very cheap market… as well as good first-quarter earnings from some blue-chip companies and growing OFW remittances, which support consumption,” he added.

Money sent home by OFWs rose by 3.2% in March, reflecting improved economic conditions in many host countries as pandemic restrictions eased.

Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday showed cash remittances sent through banks stood at $2.59 billion in March, up from $2.51 billion in the same month in 2021.

For the first three months of the year, cash remittances rose by 2.4% to $7.77 billion, from $7.59 billion in the comparable period last year.

The BSP expects remittances to grow by 4% this year.

Meanwhile, the BSP Monetary Board is holding a policy meeting on Thursday. A BusinessWorld poll of 17 analysts conducted last week showed they are divided on the BSP’s next move, with nine betting rates will remain un-changed, while eight are expecting a 25-basis-point hike.

Among sectoral indices, the lone decliner was services, which dropped 0.10% or 1.99 points to 1,857.51.

Meanwhile, holding firms went up 2.13% or 127.19 points to 6,098.08; property climbed 1.67% or 49.82 points to 3,026.86; financials increased 1.22% or 19.02 points to 1,573.59; mining and oil rose 0.65% or 70.87 points to 10,904.47; and industrials improved 0.59% or 54 points to 9,069.98.

Value turnover on Tuesday was at P7.32 billion with 1.17 billion shares switching hands, lower than the P8.06 billion with 678.36 million issues recorded on the previous trading day.

Advancers outnumbered decliners, 109 versus 88, while 50 names closed unchanged.

Net foreign selling declined to P65.05 million on Tuesday from the P763.47 million recorded on Monday. — RMDO

Peso climbs vs dollar as March remittances rise

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THE PESO strengthened versus the greenback on Tuesday following strong remittance data.

The local unit closed at P52.425 on Tuesday, appreciating by 6.8 centavos from its P52.493 close on Monday, based on Bankers Association of the Philippines data.

The peso opened Tuesday’s session at P52.45 versus the dollar. Its weakest showing was at P52.48, while its intraday best was at P52.41 against the greenback.

Dollars exchanged increased to $843.1 million on Tuesday from $549.84 million on Monday.

The peso strengthened following the release of data on March remittances, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a Viber message.

Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos increased by 3.2% to $2.59 billion in March from a year earlier, central bank data released on Monday showed.

This brought inflows for the first quarter to $7.77 billion, up by 2.4% from the same period of 2021. The central bank expects remittances to grow by 4% this year.

Meanwhile, a trader in an e-mail said the peso appreciated due to growing market expectations of a rate hike amid inflation concerns.

Eight out of 17 analysts in a BusinessWorld poll last week expect the central bank to start increasing interest rates given the stronger growth in the first quarter, which could put upward pressure on inflation.

The Department of Labor and Employment this Saturday approved a P33 increase for the daily minimum wage in Metro Manila and by P55 to P110 for the Western Visayas Region. Wage and fare hikes are among the factors the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said it will monitor for possible second-round inflation effects.

For Wednesday, Mr. Ricafort gave a forecast range of P52.35 to P52.50 per dollar, while the trader expects the local unit to move within P52.30 to P52.50. — L.W.T Noble

High Court asked to stop Marcos proclamation

FACEBOOK.COM/BONGBONGMARCOS

By John Victor D. Ordoñez

A GROUP of taxpayers has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the proclamation of Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who is set to win this year’s presidential election by a landslide.

In a 70-page petition dated May 16, Fides M. Lim, Ma. Edeliza P. Hernandez, Celia Lagman Sevilla, Roland C. Vibal, Josephine Lascano and Catholic priest Christian B. Buenafealso asked the tribunal to stop lawmakers from counting the votes for Mr. Marcos, saying he is unfit to become president.

The plaintiffs seek to overturn a Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling allowing Mr. Marcos, better known as “Bongbong,” to run for president on May 9, accusing him of lying about his qualifications. They also cited his conviction by a trial court for tax evasion in the 1990s.

“The Comelec is under a legal duty to cancel the certificate of candidacy of anyone suffering from the accessory penalty of perpetual special disqualification to run for public office by virtue of a final judgment of conviction,” they said.

“For all intents and purposes but more relevantly in relation to the cancellation of Marcos Jr.’s certificate of candidacy for president, [he] is a convicted criminal,” they added.

They said the election body had gravely abused its authority by failing to disqualify Mr. Marcos despite his conviction.

“The law itself bars the convict from running for public office, and the disqualification is part of the final judgment of conviction.”

“The petition is reflective of the unacceptability of yet another Marcos regime despite getting more than 31 million votes,” Kontra Daya lead convenor Danilo A. Arao said in a Facebook Messenger Chat.

The Comelec full court earlier affirmed a Second Division ruling that said Mr. Marcos did not mislead the public when he said in his certificate of candidacy that he was eligible to run for president. It also threw out several appeals that sought to disqualify the leading presidential bet due to his conviction.

“In view of respondent Marcos Jr.’s material misrepresentations in his certificate of candidacy (COC), this court must cancel or deny due course to his COC, declaring the same void ab initio,” the plaintiffs said in its lawsuit.

“Respondent Marcos, Jr. must be deemed to have never been a candidate from the very beginning, his candidacy invalidated, and the votes attributed to him considered stray,” it added.

The en banc earlier affirmed a ruling by Commissioner Aimee P. Ferolino, who in February said there is no law punishing one’s failure to file income tax returns.

Retired Election Commissioner Maria Rowena V. Guanzon had accused her of delaying the case so her vote for disqualification would not count. She also said a senator from Davao was meddling in the case.

Marcos spokesman Victor D. Rodriguez told a press briefing on Tuesday the petitioners should “learn to respect the will of the people” since the Comelec full court had unanimously ruled in Mr. Marcos’s favor.

Both houses of Congress are set to count the votes for president and vice-president race on May 23.

Mr. Marcos is set to win by a landslide and clinch a remarkable comeback for his family, which is still facing court cases involving ill-gotten wealth and unpaid taxes.

He will be the first candidate to win a majority in a Philippine presidential election since his father’s two-decade rule.

Mr. Marcos fled into exile in Hawaii with his family during a February 1986 “people power” street uprising that ended his father’s autocratic 20-year rule. He has served as a congressman and senator since his return to the Philippines in 1991.

“The possibility of the incoming Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio copying the path of a nine-year presidency forged by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be hard to ignore,” Michael Henry LI. Yusingco, a senior research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“The chatter about this possibility will only increase as disagreements between the tandem become evident and this is an issue that citizens must watch closely.”

Ms. Arroyo as vice-president succeeded then President Joseph E. Estrada after his ouster by a popular street uprising in January 2001, three years short of the single six-year term of a Philippine president. She served six more years as president after winning in 2004 amid allegations of cheating.

“The Marcos presidency will always be questioned from day 1 and the incoming administration should not expect any political honeymoon, even from journalists who still remember the repression characteristic of martial law,” Mr. Arao said.

“A campaign strategy hinged on disinformation will always have detractors among truth-seekers and the call for unity will remain an empty rhetoric,” he added.

The Senate and House of Representatives are expected to convene in a joint session on May 24 to canvass the votes for this year’s presidential and vice-presidential elections.

Marcos embarks on low-key trip to Australia

SYDNEY — Philippine president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. has made a low-key trip to Australia, the Age newspaper reported, bringing some protesters onto the streets of the city of Melbourne on Tuesday.

The protesters gathered outside an address in central Melbourne and said they believed Marcos was on a private visit to Australia.

Mr. Marcos was on a private-trip with his family for a “much needed rest,” his spokesman Victor D. Rodriguez told a news briefing. He is expected to return to the Philippines on Thursday , he added.

The president-elect is the son of disgraced dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos and the return to rule of the political dynasty has divided the country.

The older Mr. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989.

Under his dictatorship, his family and cronies amassed about $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth, a government-appointed commission found. Tens of thousands of suspected communist rebels and political foes were jailed, beaten or killed.

The Age reported an Australian government spokesperson had confirmed that the Philippine government had informed them of the private visit.

Australia’s foreign affairs department did not respond to a request for comment.

Strengthened relations with the US expected under Marcos presidency

Meanwhile, Philippine-US bilateral relations are expected to be strengthened under Mr. Marcos’s leadership.

“We’re very much looking forward to the new president-elect once he’s inaugurated to further strengthen our alliance,” US Department of State Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink told journalists during a teleconference on Tuesday.

The Philippine presidential frontrunner has received about 31 million votes, according to the partial and unofficial tally released by the Commission on Elections.

Mr. Kritenbrink cited the call between US President Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. and Mr. Marcos, where the US leader cited the need to boost the alliance and expand cooperation on a broad range of issues.

“Our sincere expectation is probably that we find ways to strengthen the bilateral relations between the United States and the Philippines,” saidEdgard D. Kagan, special assistant to the president and senior director for East Asia and Oceania in the National Security Council.

“At the same time, we are able to work effectively in the context of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).”— Alyssa Nicole O. Tan with Reuters

Local transmission of more infectious Omicron subvariant confirmed

PEOPLE in face masks attended a mass infant baptism in Mabuting Pastol Parish in Commonwealth village, Quezon City on Oct. 23. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

Philippine health authorities on Tuesday confirmed the local transmission of a more contagious Omicron subvariant that has become dominant in the US.

“There’s local transmission of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 in specific areas in the country,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said at a televised news briefing.

She said local governments were now boosting a four-door strategy that involves border controls and basic containment strategies to contain the Omicron subvariant that isabout 20% more infectious than BA.2, the dominant subvariant of Omicron in the Philippines.

The fourth phase of the strategy involves ensuring that the country’s healthcare capacity is ready for a surge in infections.

BA.2.12.1 can evade immune protections and is highly transmissible, according to health experts. The Philippines has detected 17 cases of the subvariant, 16 of which were locally acquired while one was a returning Filipino who lives in central Philippines. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

DoJ drops 29 cases of ‘state-sanctioned’ drug killings

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has dropped 29 cases from its list of extralegal killings and torture cases for lack of evidence, according to the Justice secretary.

“We created a small working group to move the investigation and prosecution of cases of international humanitarian law violations,” Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra told reporters in a Viber message on Tuesday.

“We delisted from our inventory certain old cases where witnesses could not be found or where complainants had desisted, with exception of enforced disappearance cases which shall continue to be in the active file,” he added.

Mr. Guevarra said 29 of these cases were from the Calabarzon and Eastern Visayas regions.

An inter-agency committee formed 15 teams last year that probed extralegal killings and human rights violations involving the government’s anti-illegal drug operations.

Mr. Guevarra said the agency had streamlined the procedure to classify cases as either ordinary crimes or incidents that the special committee could pursue.

The International Coalition for Human Rightssaid in March it would sanction the architects of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s war on drugs.

The measure by the group is a follow-up on a report conducted last year by Investigate PH, an independent human rights group that alleged patterns of systemic human rights violations including crimes against humanity by the government.

Filipino lawyers have been calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to resume its probe of the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign, saying the Justice department was only looking into 52 deaths out of the tens of thousands killed.

Government prosecutors have filed charges in court against law enforcers in four cases and plan to probe 250 more of what could have been wrongful deaths in Mr. Duterte’s drug war, Mr. Guevarra told the United Nations Human Rights Council in February.

The Philippines would remain “positively engaged” with the international community and all human rights mechanisms on issues concerning rule of law and institutions in the country, he said. “But we will draw the line between parties that engage in good faith, and those that abuse and exploit these mechanisms to make demands of accountability with little or no factual basis.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Marcos offers Laguesma, Ople Cabinet posts

FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

THE CAMP of presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday confirmed that it has invited former labor secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma and migrant workers’ rights advocate Susan “Toots” Ople to be part of the incoming administration.

Mr. Laguesma has been offered to head the Labor department, while Ms. Ople for the newly-established agency for migrant workers, Mr. Marcos’ spokesman Victor D. Rodriguez said at a news conference.

“Their reception was very warm. They were honored,” added Mr. Rodriguez, who also heads Mr. Marcos’ transition team.

He said the personalities asked for some time to consult with people they trust to seek advice.

Among the personalities expected to be part of the next Cabinet is former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. for the Interior department. Mr. Abalos was the manager of Mr. Marcos’ presidential campaign.

Presumptive vice president Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has also agreed to be education secretary. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

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