Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 5954

South Korea candidates woo young voters with ‘deepfakes,’ hair insurance

MEN talk beneath an installation to encourage people to vote for the upcoming March 9 presidential election in Seoul, South Korea, March 7. — REUTERS

SEOUL — South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol got a boost on Thursday when a rival dropped out, but if the conservative former prosecutor wins next week, it may also be thanks to “deepfake” avatars and viral short videos.

Opposition leader Mr. Yoon and the top liberal contender have gone to unusual lengths in the nation’s tradition-bound politics to shed the image of grumpy old men, courting young voters who could prove decisive in what has been a close race.

The candidates are vying to replace liberal President Moon Jae-in, who came to power five years ago with help from voters in their 20s and 30s. They have since deserted his party in droves.

Mr. Yoon, 61, who has been narrowly ahead of Lee Jae-myung, 57, from Moon’s governing party, won the backing on Thursday of a fellow conservative running a distant third, who joined with Mr. Yoon in a combined ticket. Mr. Moon is barred by terms limits from seeking reelection.

A former top prosecutor, Mr. Yoon has enjoyed steadfast support from people over 60, while Lee leads with those in their 40s and 50s, leaving a battleground for younger voters. Their support has swung dramatically toward some conservative challengers, but disapproval ratings are high for both top contenders amid scandal and mud-slinging.

Mr. Yoon and Lee both established campaign task forces aimed at capturing or winning back young voters.

A digital avatar of Mr. Yoon, his campaign says, is the world’s first “deepfake candidate”, explaining policy ideas and taking digs at his rival. Lee’s team responded with its own AI-powered character. Mr. Yoon’s slogan “OK, Let’s go!” — shouted at rallies with his signature uppercut gesture — has gone went viral on social media, creating endless memes and video spoofs.

NO MORE ‘GGONDAE’
Kim Dong-wook, a 30-year-old adviser on Mr. Yoon’s social media campaign, is trying to shake the candidate’s image as “ggondae” — a bossy old person stubbornly insisting on his opinion.

“I’ve found him to be more open to change,” said Kim, a former think tank researcher. “He was portrayed as passive and at times lacking confidence in the media, so I wanted to help change that and add young voices to his policies.”

Mr. Yoon’s youth team, selected by public audition, comprises people aged 23 to 38, including a start-up founder, a former professional gamer, a psychiatrist and a home shopping executive.

The team got off to a rocky start with clashes and resignations. When Mr. Yoon finally met with the team, Mr. Kim says he pointed out the candidate’s ggondae image while others urged him to listen more to young voters and sack “political parasites.”

“His face turned darker” after the criticism, Mr. Kim said, but “there was no censorship and he listened carefully and took notes. And in the end, he accepted most of our suggestions.”

The team created 29 YouTube short videos on Mr. Yoon’s and the party’s pages, discussing policy ideas and generating more than 14.5 million views, in a country of 52 million people.

The strategy has helped lift Mr. Yoon’s popularity with 20-somethings above 40% from around 30% in early January, according to Realmeter.

“There was a lesson that brief yet strong messages could have a massive impact, especially on young generations and people who are apathetic about politics,” said Park Min-young, a Yoon adviser who has written about generational political shifts.

A FIGHT FOR HAIR
Liberal contender Lee, after meeting with young men and mothers, proposed allowing public healthcare insurance to cover hair loss treatment.

In an appearance-obsessed country where plastic surgery is common, many young men believe baldness can harm career and marriage prospects, but uninsured treatments are expensive.

A 15-second video clip in which Mr. Lee did a spoof of a hair-loss commercial sparked explosive reaction on social media as well as complaints from some experts and rival candidates that he was pushing a populist agenda.

He courted younger voters in January by calling for legalizing the estimated $1 billion tattoo industry, which operates underground because South Korean law allows only doctors to perform the procedure. Mr. Lee is especially targeting young people who joined candlelight vigils leading up to the 2017 impeachment and ouster of conservative then-president Park Geun-hye.

Lee Jung-in, 19, a candlelight protester who now heads a group of some 30 youth campaigners for candidate Lee, steered a successful movement to lower South Korea’s voting age by a year to 18 in 2019.

“It is extremely rare that teenagers would have a chance to speak at rallies during any presidential elections, and political parties are generally not good at embracing young people,” said Mr. Lee, who is not related to the candidate.

“We’re aiming to persuade other young voters to join us, which I believe would bring a big change in further democratizing the country’s politics.” — Reuters

Thailand bids to avert ‘population crisis’ as birth rate crashes

PIXABAY

BANGKOK —  Thailand is scrambling to encourage its people to have more babies to arrest a slumping birth rate, offering parents childcare and fertility centers, while also tapping social media influencers to showcase the joys of family life. 

The campaign comes as the number of births has dropped by nearly a third since 2013, when they started declining. Last year saw 544,000 births, the lowest in at least six decades and below the 563,000 deaths, which were also swelled by coronavirus-related fatalities. 

While Thailand’s demographic path is similar to other Asian economies like Japan or Singapore, as an emerging market relying on cheap labor and a growing middle class the implications for Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy are far more profound. 

“The data reflects a population crisis … where the mindset towards having children has changed,” said Teera Sindecharak, an expert on demography at Thammasat University. 

Senior health official Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters the government recognized a need to intervene. 

“We are trying to slow down the decline in births and reverse the trend by getting families that are ready to have children faster,” he said, describing plans to introduce policies so that newborns get the full support of the state. 

The plans include opening fertility centers, currently limited to Bangkok and other major cities, in 76 provinces and also using social media influencers to back up the message, officials said. 

Such policies may come too late for people like Chinthathip Nantavong, 44, who decided with her partner of 14 years not to have children. 

“Raising one child costs a lot. A semester for kindergarten is already 50,000 to 60,000 baht ($1,520 to $1,850) and then it reaches millions later,” she said, adding that other countries have better care facilities and welfare policies. 

‘SUPER-AGED SOCIETY’
Thailand is not alone in the region struggling with low fertility rates, but is less wealthy than some more developed countries that have been forced to rely on migrant workers to support their economies. 

Experts said it is hard to reverse a situation where social conditions have changed and attitudes towards having children are now colored by concerns over rising debt and elderly care. 

Thailand is heading towards becoming a “super-aged society” where the number of people over 60 will account for more than a fifth of the population, Thammasat University’s Mr. Teera said. About 18% of Thailand’s population is aged over 60. 

The ratio of working-aged to elderly people last year was 3.4, but by 2040 officials forecast it could be 1.7. 

“The manufacturing sector will face productivity slumps … so we have to develop skilled labor and adopt the use of automated technologies,” the head of the state-planning agency, Danucha Pichayanan, told a recent business forum. Thailand is a major regional manufacturing sector for automotive and electronics. 

Mr. Danucha also noted the demographic trend could also strain government finances and experts have said welfare for the elderly is not seen as sufficient even today, with monthly allowances of 600 to 1,000 baht. 

‘WE HAVE A CAT’
“It’s become more difficult in deciding to have children,” said Mr. Teera, noting in the last decade the economy had been sluggish, while living costs increased and income growth slowed. 

Political division, rising debt, and education costs were also major factors determining attitudes towards having children, and short-term remedies may not be enough, experts said. 

Household debt has grown to nearly 90% of gross domestic product, from 59% in 2010, Bank of Thailand data showed. 

Thailand has also been rocked by political instability over most of the past two decades, with two military coups and large anti-government protests. 

But for many like Ms. Chinthathip, who has chosen not to have children, the expense remains the main issue. 

“The middle class, office workers or people that are trying to make ends meet think the same way,” said Ms. Chinthathip. 

“Right now we have a cat and it’s not as costly as a child.” — Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat/Reuters

Duterte approves bill raising sex consent age from 12 to 16

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law a bill that raises the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16, his office said on Monday, in a bid to protect minors from rape and sexual abuse. 

The Philippines until now has had one of the world’s lowest minimum ages of sexual consent, behind Nigeria’s age of 11, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). 

A joint 2015 study by UNICEF and the Center for Women’s Resources, a local non-governmental group, showed seven of 10 rape victims in the Philippines were children. 

One in five respondents age 13 to 17 reported experiencing sexual violence, while one in 25 experienced forced consummated sex during childhood, the study said. 

Under the bill endorsed by Mr. Duterte, which is gender-neutral, any adult engaging in sexual contact with anyone 16 or under would be committing statutory rape, unless the age difference between them was three years or less and sex was proven to be consensual, and neither abusive nor exploitative. 

The exemption does not apply if one of those involved was under 13. 

“We welcome this legal development and hope that it will help protect young girls from rape and sexual abuse,” said Josalee Deinla, spokesperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, which provides legal help to poor and marginalized people in the Philippines. 

Lawrence Fortun, one of the bill’s main sponsors, described it as “a major step forward.” 

“I am elated that our collective efforts at pushing for stronger protection against rape and other forms of sexual abuse are advancing,” he said in a statement. — Reuters

Asian workers pushed to upskill as pandemic quickens digital shift

STOCK PHOTO

BANGKOK — Jaya Latchmi Mutusammy had worked several years in customer service and finance in Singapore, when caring for her ailing parents and demand for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic led her to change track, with help from the government. 

Ms. Mutusammy, 47, is among tens of thousands who have tapped the city-state’s SkillsFuture Singapore program, an education and training initiative for adults that has been rejigged to prepare workers for the pandemic environment. 

“With my mom and dad in and out of hospital, I saw how critical healthcare professionals were, and did a certificate course in healthcare support through SkillsFuture and got a job as a clinical assistant,” Ms. Mutusammy said. 

“Then the pandemic hit, and healthcare workers became even more key. So I did another course in phlebotomy, as I saw drawing blood was a much-needed skill, and I didn’t want to be left behind,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 

The coronavirus pandemic upended jobs globally, with unemployment worldwide forecast to be 207 million in 2022 — compared to 186 million in 2019 before the coronavirus hit, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). 

About half of all workers will need reskilling in the next five years, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in a 2020 report, and governments and corporations are crucial in ensuring low-wage workers are not forgotten. 

In Asia, countries including India, Singapore and Malaysia set up skilling programs and offered tax incentives and cash subsidies to boost learning in sectors such as information technology, healthcare, and the so-called green economy. 

Technology firms including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and IBM also launched global initiatives to train workers for tech jobs. 

But while there was a sharp rise in people seeking online learning, particularly digital skills, during the pandemic, there is a risk of widening inequality as large sections of the population remain unable to access them, WEF noted. 

“If governments and corporations do not focus on skilling the workforce and making them employable, it will lead to an unprecedented increase in social and economic inequality,” said Rituparna Chakraborty at TeamLease, a staffing firm in India. 

PRIORITY PILLARS
The coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns to control its spread affected a wide range of industries, from aviation to tourism and hospitality to retail, with millions of workers furloughed or laid off worldwide. 

Many of these jobs are not coming back, as firms have deployed automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in warehouses, grocery stores, call centers, and manufacturing plants to reduce congestion and meet stricter health rules. 

By 2025, some 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift to machines, while 97 million new roles related to machines and algorithms may emerge, WEF noted. 

Malaysia last year launched its digital economy blueprint, and allocated 1 billion ringgit ($240,000) in its budget this year for upskilling and reskilling programs, while a skills pledge in New Zealand requires companies to double their on-the-job training and reskilling by 2025. 

Singapore’s SkillsFuture uses big data and machine learning to monitor trends in global, regional, and local jobs and skills to help workers “stay relevant and employable” with training, career coaching, webinars, and subsidies for course fees. 

About 540,000 Singaporeans participated in SkillsFuture initiatives in 2020, compared to 500,000 the previous year. In 2021, that figure rose to about 660,000 — the highest number since the launch of the program in 2015, official data showed. 

In December, the agency’s first skills report named the digital sector, the green economy, and the care sector as the three “priority economic growth pillars” that can create tens of thousands of jobs in the country. 

With disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, “knowing which skills are in demand has never been more important,” said a spokesperson at SkillsFuture Singapore. 

A wealthy country like Singapore, with a population of only 5.7 million, can better afford to invest in skills programs than larger and poorer nations, said Ayesha Khanna, chief executive of ADDO AI, a Singaporean technology services firm. 

“We are going to be an increasingly digital environment, and countries have to proactively help workers upskill,” said Ms. Khanna, who was on the steering committee of SkillsFuture Singapore. 

“The pandemic is the nudge to governments to do it.” 

GIG WORK
Worldwide, one of the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was the explosive growth in the gig economy, as the shift to digital transactions triggered a surge in delivery, transportation, and warehouse jobs, largely filled by informal and contract workers. 

In India alone, the number of gig jobs could rise to 90 million in 8–10 years from about 3 million now, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. 

With adequate protections, the gig economy can create opportunities for women and older adults, and make jobs more accessible and inclusive for low-income communities, it said. 

“The numbers of gig workers surged during the pandemic because people lost jobs or needed additional incomes because of medical emergencies,” said Shaik Salauddin, national general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), an advocacy group. 

“Many of the delivery workers have Bachelor’s, even Master’s degrees — but there are no jobs, so they are continuing with gig work despite the tough conditions,” he said. 

India has introduced several initiatives to tackle the skills gap, but critics say they are inadequate for the large number of people who need reskilling, and do not address the issue of fewer jobs being created for hundreds of millions of the working-age population. 

National unemployment peaked at 23.5% in 2020 and has remained well above 7% since, higher than the global average. 

“I don’t think enough is being done to enable workers to reskill and transition,” said Amit Basole, associate professor of economics at Azim Premji University. 

“The potential consequences are very serious: we may be looking at long-term structural unemployment for certain kinds of workers. Combined with low-quality education during the pandemic, it can mean a large mismatch of labor supply and demand.” 

For Sarah Mokhtar in Singapore, reskilling for a technology job with her SkillsFuture credits was relatively easy. 

The 35-year-old, who had worked in the consumer goods industry for nearly 15 years, went to a three-month tech bootcamp run by Generation Singapore, a non-profit that prepares and places workers in jobs. 

She is now training as an application developer. 

“There is some risk in making a career switch at this stage,” she said. “But I wanted to join an industry that is future-proof.” — Rina Chandran/Thomson Reuters Foundation

Japan Inc. feels the heat over Russia ties as rivals shun Moscow

Sakhalin-2 LNG project in Russia. MITSUBISHICORP.COM

TOKYO — Japanese firms are under deepening pressure over their ties to Russia and are scrambling to assess their operations, company and government insiders say, after Western rivals halted businesses and condemned Moscow for invading Ukraine.

While environmental, social and governance (ESG) investors have previously targeted Japan Inc. for use of fossil fuels, scrutiny over Russia could become intense. Executives say privately they are worried about reputational damage, a sign corporate Japan is — however reluctantly — becoming more responsive to pressure on social issues.

Japan’s trading houses, commodities giants long seen as quasi-governmental arms integral to Japan’s energy supply, have big ties to Russia. Last year Russia was Japan’s second-biggest supplier of thermal coal and its fifth-largest of both crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“The energy issue has implications for national and public interest, so it has to be discussed properly with the government,” said one trading house insider, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity.

“But we also have to think about our corporate value and about how we explain this to our shareholders. It’s a difficult position.”

Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. have stakes in the giant Sakhalin-2 LNG project Shell is now exiting. Itochu Corp. and Marubeni Corp. have invested in the Sakhalin-1 oil project that Exxon Mobil is pulling out of.

Mitsui and Mitsubishi said they would consider the situation, together with the Japanese government and partners. Itochu and Marubeni declined to comment on their plans related to Sakhalin-1.

Japanese firms have largely said they are watching the situation. Those that have halted activity have tended to cite supply-chain disruption rather than human rights.

A senior executive at an automaker said management at his company was holding daily meetings to gauge the impact of financial sanctions and the implication for parts supply.

“We’re also discussing reputational risk and how to deal with the news from the point of view of human rights and ESG — of course we’re aware of that,” said the executive.

“But we can’t just immediately decide we’re going to pull out because we can’t tell how long the Ukraine crisis will continue.”

Japanese firms typically do not face the same level of scrutiny from shareholders, customers, regulators, and even their own employees that Western companies now confront, said Jana Jevcakova, the international head of ESG at shareholder services firm Morrow Sodali.

“Most Japanese companies still don’t have a majority of international institutional investors. Those that do will very shortly, or already are, feel the pressure.”

RELIANT ON RUSSIA

A manufacturing executive said his company felt a responsibility to local staff in Russia but was also concerned about the risk of saying nothing.

“Japanese companies have been slow to react. Too slow. And I can’t agree with that,” he said. “If we keep quiet and just continue manufacturing and selling, we will likely face a risk to our reputation.”

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has unveiled steps to help cushion the blow from higher oil prices, but it is unclear what the government will do about broader dependence on Russia. Japan’s imports from Russia totaled around $11 billion in 2020.

Government officials say privately Japan cannot just walk away from Russian energy, even as they acknowledge the peril.

“If Japan remains invested in Russia, that itself runs the risk of drawing criticism” should the conflict be prolonged, said an official close to Mr. Kishida.

In a moment of rare outspokenness for the leader of a state-owned lender, the head of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation said last week that “it would not be right” for companies to stick to business as usual in Russia.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. have stopped exports to Russia, citing logistics issues, with Toyota halting local production.

Nissan, Mazda Motor Corp., and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. are all likely to stop local production when parts inventories run out, they say.

Japan’s most prominent companies will likely feel more heat as Western investors themselves pare back ties to Russia.

“We believe good corporate citizenship includes support of governmental sanctions, as well as closing down activities that might fall outside the current sanctions,” said Anders Schelde, chief investment officer at Danish pension fund AkademikerPension, which has $21.3 billion of assets under management and $342 million exposure to Japanese equities.

“From a financial point of view this might mean companies suffer short-term losses, but given the long-term stigmatization of Russia that is likely, the long-term cost will not change much.” — Yuka Obayashi, Maki Shiraki, and Yoshifumi Takemoto/Reuters

Southern Europe grapples with changing face of tourism

UNSPLASH

CORFU, Greece — It took one electricity bill to crush Dimitris Diavatis’ hopes that his Greek summer resort could bounce back to its pre-pandemic health this year, even with bookings pouring in. 

The amount was more than double what he paid this time last year when the hotel was not even open. After two sluggish summers, the irony was not lost on him: “We won’t make a profit in a good year,” he said. “It’ll be eaten up by inflation.” 

Greece — like the other tourism-dependent economies on the euro zone’s Mediterranean fringe — is seeing signs of a much-needed recovery in visitor numbers in 2022 after two largely lost years. As in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, the sector is a huge employer and contributor to state revenues. 

But across the region, the pandemic has changed the face of tourism. Hotels were already grappling with higher fuel bills and inflation which a further energy price surge in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will only make worse. 

The dislocation of labor markets caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has left entrenched staffing shortages, while Italian tourist officials concede that pandemic-era holidaying — with its emphasis on hygiene, cleanliness and space — is a big challenge for its aging infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, a market for more modest, small-scale vacations is opening up: In Spain and Portugal, a reluctance among many tourists to travel far is accentuating the trend for stays in rural areas in tents, campers, or motorhomes. 

Industry and government officials in Greece are forecasting revenues will reach 80–90% of the record seen in 2019, when 33 million tourists brought in 18 billion euros in revenues, worth a fifth of national output. 

Yet a bumper season is unlikely to offer much relief to struggling businesses which emerged from a decade-long financial crisis in 2018 only to have the pandemic bring global travel to a halt two years later. 

So acute is the problem of soaring heating oil, gas, and electricity prices that the president of the Greek tourism confederation SETE, Yiannis Retsos, wrote to ministers in January urging them to provide financial support, saying it was “objectively impossible” for year-round hotels to the cover their costs, especially after the quieter winter months. 

The highly indebted countries of Europe’s south were also bracing for the European Central Bank to remove the stimulus that has kept their borrowing costs down. 

Although the Ukraine war has left the interest rate outlook uncertain, the southern fringe still badly needs its tourism sectors to get back to work given the economic hit the conflict is set to deliver. 

Speaking a day after the invasion, which Russia calls a “special operation,” Greece’s Mr. Retsos said it was too early to gauge its impact on the tourism sector. 

More than a week into the conflict, there has been no noticeable increase in cancellations across the region. 

Russian tourists only make up a very small proportion of the sector in southern Europe — 2% of revenues in Greece in 2019 and around 1% of nightly hotel bookings in Portugal. Turkey — outside the European Union — is a more popular destination. 

But with European gas prices already at record highs, and this likely to feed into inflation globally, the concern in countries like Greece is the conflict will only worsen an already bleak outlook, further crimping guests’ spending power and increasing providers’ costs. 

NO END TO COSTS 

Even hotels that were shut during winter worry they will not be able to shoulder the extra burden, having already agreed prices with tour operators last summer, said Babbis Voulgaris, head of the Corfu hoteliers’ association. 

Resort owner Mr. Diavatis, who also owns a year-round boutique hotel and a waterpark complex on the island, agreed. “This will be a real crisis for us,” he said. “I won’t say it’s worse than the pandemic because at least we’re open. But we didn’t lose money then. Now we’re heading towards losing money.”

The Greek government has spent over 42 billion euros in pandemic support measures since 2020 to keep businesses and households afloat and about 2 billion euros since September to subsidize power bills through March. For hoteliers, the support does not go far enough. 

“In the summer, with the air-conditioners working, the refrigerators, the kitchen, everything — I don’t how when this will end,” said Costas Merianos, who owns a small family-run hotel on Corfu’s Ionian coast. 

Across the sea in Italy, lockdowns and energy prices have forced many hotels to shut for good, said Marina Lalli, president of the Federturismo industry association. 

And while Ms. Lalli was hopeful tourism could inch closer to 2019 levels this year, Italy faces the additional problem of being “a mature tourist destination with mature hotel structures that need to be renewed,” she said. 

“In the post-COVID era, tourists are even more attentive to quality, they want a guarantee of cleanliness and want to feel safe.” 

SOMETHING DIFFERENT 

Greece said it was opening its tourism season as early as March 1 this year to meet demand but, like in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, the season will not begin in earnest until the Easter break in April, a litmus test before the vital summer months. 

Both Greece and Italy are racing to fill job shortages as the pandemic forced workers abroad for better-paying jobs or into different sectors with less uncertain prospects. 

In Greece, the tourism minister even appealed to refugees fleeing Ukraine, offering them residence and work permits to fill 50,000 job gaps in hospitality. 

Demand for Spanish holidays was looking very strong this year, according to the vice-president of industry association Exceltur, Jose Luis Zoreda, thanks to Spain’s high vaccination rates and the easing of pandemic restrictions in its big markets, the UK and Germany. 

“There is a strong, accumulated travel appetite in Europe,” Mr. Zoreda said, forecasting an “explosion” of tourism from Easter onward, but also lower profit margins due to inflation and energy prices. 

Exceltur, however, also found tourists were seeking a different experience. In 2021, campsite rentals were up 19.2%, flat rentals were up by 16%, rural homes by 11%. Hotel usage fell by 8%, a decline also driven by fewer business trips. 

In January, new motorhomes and camper vans sales were up 34.1% on an annual basis, according to the Spanish Association of the Caravanning Industry and Trade (ASEICAR). 

“The ‘all-in-one’ holiday model has been left behind,” Yescapa, an online motorhomes and camper vans rental company, told Reuters. 

Nico Aro, who rents out a camper van on the island of Tenerife, says he has not been able to enjoy it himself since he bought it last March because requests keep coming in from Italy, France, and Belgium. His biggest problem is that he cannot find another one to buy because they are in great demand. 

“I have benefited from the pandemic,” he said. 

The appetite for “slower” tourism has also grown in Portugal, where the sector played a crucial role in its recovery from the 2010 debt crisis. Tourism stood at about 15% of GDP in 2019 but fell to 8% in 2020. 

“There’s an increasing number of people looking for places with fewer people,” said Helder Martins, president of Algarve’s main hotel association. “I don’t believe that they will return to just wanting the sun and the beach.” 

The centuries-old “schist villages,” built from the stone of a mountainous region clad in pine trees, are roaring back to life after being abandoned over the years by young Portuguese seeking work elsewhere. 

“This summer is filling up fast,” said Sonia Cortes, who owns a small five-room hotel in the Janeiro de Cima schist village, where construction workers are rebuilding traditional houses. 

“The beginning of the pandemic was really difficult for those who lived off tourism,” she said. “[But then] those in bigger cities looked for villages like this one where they could feel safe.” 

There was a 30% increase in the number of night stays at schist villages from 2019 to 2020–21, said Bruno Ramos, who works for an agency promoting tourism there. 

Still, back in Greece, Merianos, the Corfu hotel owner, has a more sober view of the months ahead. 

“I’ll be happy if at the end of the season I don’t owe my staff, I don’t owe the state, I don’t owe the energy provider — even if I’m left with 10 euros in my wallet,” he said. — Karolina Tagaris/Reuters

Chinese brands stay put in Russia for now despite Western exodus

Xiaomi Tech Park in Beijing, China. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

SHANGHAI — Chinese firms are staying put in Russia for the moment despite a growing exodus of Western companies — albeit bracing for growing uncertainty — taking a cue from Beijing’s stance of refraining from criticizing Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. 

Even as Apple, Nike, Netflix, fashion chain H&M and many other Western companies have cut or paused business in Russia amid a tide of sanctions and international criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s actions, Chinese firms so far have stayed largely silent about their operations in Russia. 

The Chinese government, which struck a “no limits” partnership accord with Russia just weeks before Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion, has blamed NATO expansion for the crisis and urged talks to resolve the situation. On social media, the Chinese public has shown overwhelming support for Russia’s attack, which Moscow calls a “special operation.” 

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing faced a public backlash in China last week after it announced it would pull out of Russia, with social media users accusing it of succumbing to US pressure on Moscow. It later reversed the decision without giving an explanation. 

Lenovo, the world’s No. 1 personal computer maker, was also subject to heavy criticism in China when a local Belarusian news outlet reported, without saying where it got the information, that it would cease supplying Russia. Lenovo did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the issue. 

The relatively small size of the Russian market for Chinese firms would however make it easier for them to change tack and join foreign rivals in departing, especially as Moscow faces economic collapse due to growing Western sanctions. 

“For most Chinese companies, Russia is just too small of a market for the business to be worth the risk of getting cut off from developed markets or being sanctioned itself,” wrote Dan Wang, an analyst for Gavenkal Dragonomics, in a research note. 

Russia’s smartphone market, for example, totaled 31 million units last year, or just one-tenth of China’s domestic market size by comparison, according to research firm IDC. 

PAUSING FOR ASSESSMENT 

By opting to stay in Russia, Chinese companies may be in a position to grab market share. But how long more they will be able to sell there for is a big question, given escalating sanctions and export curbs, analysts said. 

In the realm of smartphones, Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Honor vie with market leader Samsung and Apple for sales in Russia, while Chinese automakers such as Great Wall Motor and BYD have also targeted the Russian market in recent years. 

These Chinese smartphone makers use chips designed at least partially with US-origin technology. 

This potentially subjects them to secondary sanctions against Russia via the Foreign Direct Product Rule, which stipulates that products with a certain percentage of US-origin technology cannot be shipped to targeted parties without a proper license. 

Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), two companies that produce critical technologies such as chips and networking gear, are themselves subject to US restrictions, and also rely on overseas technologies to produce final goods. 

“Chinese companies will have to make intuitive and technical judgments on the likelihood that the products they’re manufacturing and their related inputs and plants are captured by these complex regulations,” said Nathan Bush, who practices trade and antitrust law at DLA Piper in Singapore. 

He said Chinese firms are likely pausing to assess their supply chain’s vulnerability given the “devilishly complicated” nature of the foreign direct product rules. 

Xiaomi and Honor did not respond to requests for comment. Huawei, SMIC, Great Wall and BYD declined to comment. 

At least for now, it appears that China Inc. is trying to conduct business as usual in Russia and is ready to bite the bullet. 

On March 2, the day Apple announced it would pull out of Russia and the rouble tumbled against the U. dollar, a commentator asked the Instagram account of Xiaomi Russia whether they planned to raise prices. 

“Prices on our official website have not changed,” Xiaomi Russia replied. — Josh Horwitz and Brenda Goh/Reuters

Caltex ends 2021 on a high, with more retail sites, Havoline autoPro and bikePro workshops, promos and partnerships

The newly opened Caltex station in Barangay Masipit, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro is ready to serve quality fuels and lubes to locals and travelers alike.

Caltex with Techron, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), finished 2021 with a stronger retail network and more inroads in the car and motorcycle after-sales service market.

Caltex opened 35 new retail stations and 73 new Havoline autoPro and bikePro workshops nationwide, allowing more customers to experience its quality fuels, lubricants and services all over the country.

Aside from Caltex’s continuous expansion efforts, other notable milestones for 2021 were inking of new partnerships and the rollout of a number of promotions.

Caltex opens 15 new retail sites in Q4

Caltex was able to open fifteen more service stations in the fourth quarter of 2021 across the Philippines.

The first two sites are located in CALABARZON area, specifically in the Municipality of Guinangayan in Quezon Province and Pila, Laguna. Guinangayan is known as the Seafood Paradise of Quezon province while Pila, Laguna is a town with National Historical Landmark status due to the preserved historic layout of the town dating back to the Spanish era.

Caltex’s newly opened site in Pila, Laguna.

There are also 2 new retail sites located in the region of MIMAROPA. The first is located in Calapan City, known as the center of commerce, transport, communication and education in the entire province of Oriental Mindoro. This site also has one of the biggest 7-Eleven convenience stores in the Philippines. The other retail site is located in the Municipality of Narra in Palawan, dubbed as “The Rice Granary of Palawan” since they are the main rice producer in the province.

Caltex also strengthened its retail site presence in the provinces of Marilao, Bulacan, San Fernando, Pampanga and Libmanan, Camarines Sur. The newly opened site in Sindalan, San Fernando Pampanga also includes a McDonalds Drive Thru and a 3-lube Caltex Havoline Autopro, a workshop designed to deliver the best possible customer experience when it comes to vehicle preventive maintenance and other services.

opened Caltex site to experience quality fuels for an enjoyable ride to their destination.

Caltex also further established its retail presence in the VisMin region. Three recently opened retail sites can be found in Loon, Bohol, Can Avid, Eastern Samar, Sara, Iloilo and two newly opened sites in Dumangas, Iloilo. In Mindanao region, Caltex expanded its retail presence Davao Del Norte, opening sites in Sto. Tomas and Panabo City.

In addition to service stations, Caltex Havoline autoPro and bikePro sites also continued to expand. There are a total of 42 Caltex Havoline autoPro and 31 Caltex bikePro workshops that opened in 2021 so more motorists can avail of first-rate lubricant products, and reliable maintenance check and service for a worry-free ride.

Caltex brings value added offerings to car owners

enjoy rewards and benefits through the Go Rewards loyalty program.

Aside from the continued growth of its retail network, Caltex also formed strategic alliances with industry leaders to provide more value offerings for Filipino motorists. Caltex teamed up with Data Analytics Ventures, Inc. (DAVI) of the Gokongwei group for their Go Rewards loyalty program and Suzuki Philippines for Caltex SavePlus.

Caltex also offered various discounts and promos all year long. During the monsoon season, Caltex provided fuel discounts for Go Rewards and MVP Rewards cardholders and for CLiQQ rewards cardholders, an opportunity to earn e-stamps for every fuel up that can be used to redeem grocery items and basic goods at 7-Eleven stores nationwide or at cliqqgrocery.com.

MVP Rewards cardholders got fuel discounts from Caltex stations simply by presenting their card upon fuel purchase.

Caltex also showed its support to the Phiippines’ battle against COVID-19 through its Caltex Biyaheng Bakunado promo which ran twice last year wherein fully vaccinated motorists were able to avail fuel discounts. And just recently, Caltex wrapped up its Christmas season promo, Biyaheng Pamasko, where motorists fueling up on weekends at participating Caltex stations automatically got fuel discounts.

“I am delighted that we were able to reach so many milestones in 2021 as the country gradually reopened. We’re even more determined to continue finding ways to make Filipino motorists journey an enjoyable ride this 2022,” says CPI Country Chairman, Billy Liu.

Grow together with Chevron. Visit www.caltex.com/ph/investors.

 

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.

Join us on Viber to get more updates from BusinessWorld: https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA.

The smallest chef in the world comes to Manila

Grand Hyatt Manila

Experience grand theatrical dining with Le Petit Chef at The Peak

Grand Hyatt Manila invites guests to experience the best of theatre and dining combined in an immersive culinary journey at The Peak, starring Le Petit Chef. The world’s smallest chef of French descent who recently made his debut last March 1, 2022, will take patrons on a two-hour unique dining adventure featuring sensational cuisines and cinematic entertainment, alongside the stunning views of the city. Revel in an exquisitely curated 6-course set menu as Le Petit Chef comes to life from the virtual realm for an animated whimsical performance projected right on the dining table, orchestrated with a live presence of a host to enhance sensorial engagement and make the experience even more enjoyable.

Le Petit Chef will be performing two shows per night — 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., every Tuesday to Saturday at The Peak’s Veranda Room, which offers a table sharing experience and can accommodate 16 people per session. Price starts at PHP 5,800 net per person for the six-course Classic Menu which features Italian burrata, bouillabaisse with fresh premium seafood, smoked chicken foie gras ballotine, char-grilled Australian beef tenderloin, mascarpone crème brûlée, and homemade baked Alaska. For patrons who opt for an Australian wagyu beef in the steak course, they may upgrade to the Premium Menu priced at P6,300. The First Class Menu at P6,800 features premium set and switches the tiger prawns for lobster tails in the bouillabaisse course. A special six-course set menu is available for kids.

Le Petit Chef ‘comes to life’ with technology developed by a Belgian-based company, Skullmapping. This innovative dining experience delivers using 3D projection mapping, the story of a small animated chef onto diners’ plates, where he proceeds to ‘cook’ their food in front of the diners. With the help of overhead projectors, the dining table transforms into an immersive theatre where the tablecloth, plates, and utensils become backdrops for the little chef to show off his culinary prowess.

Visit https://bit.ly/GHMLePetitChef to take a sneak peek of the Le Petit Chef multisensory dining experience. For bookings, visit https://lepetitchef.com/grand-hyatt-manila, and for inquiries call (63 2) 8838 1234 or email manila.grand@hyatt.com.  Follow Grand Hyatt Manila on Instagram @grandhyattmanilaph and Facebook, www.facebook.com/GrandHyattManilaPh for updates in its latest promotions.

 

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.

Join us on Viber to get more updates from BusinessWorld: https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA.

[B-SIDE Podcast] Let’s talk about sex: rallying for reproductive health

Follow us on Spotify BusinessWorld B-Side

Teenage pregnancy, abortion, birth control, and HIV/AIDs testing are topics considered taboo by Filipino society. For the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), providing better access to sexual and reproductive services is an uphill battle because the country is predominantly Catholic.

“The stigma and discrimination is still there. But advocacies like ours are getting louder,” said Mona S. Diones, FPOP Iloilo Chapter manager.

In this B-Side episode, Ms. Diones tells BusinessWorld reporter Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson what’s at stake, in terms of reproductive health policies, with the change in administration. 

TAKEAWAYS

Sex education should be taught in schools.

“There are really challenges brought about by opposing views on sex and reproductive health (SRH). Our conservatives, they bend towards pro-life policies, which are, most of the time, at odds with pro-choice advocacies. The pursuit of women’s health and well-being—we are all promoting the right [of] being empowered women. Being in this health system, I would always educate women that they should be empowered,” Ms. Diones said.

“It’s a big challenge for us to talk about contraceptives, especially young people accessing such services. In our minds, what’s most important is sex education, which is still not yet in curriculums,” she added.

Ms. Diones said that FPOP wants the youth to be sexually responsible and learn how to protect themselves. To make otherwise awkward discussions more palatable to young people, they employ teen-friendly strategies.

“We train peer educators [because] we do believe we should have a peer-to-peer interaction. A young person listens to his or her peers, that’s how we have our strategy: these peers are the ones educating our young people,” she said.

Silence is death.

When it comes to HIV/AIDS testing, Ms. Diones said the strategy to persuade testing without force is to utilize effective communication This includes mass campaigns and promoting more “responsive and innovative” ways of prevention, such as commodities like condoms, lube, and medication.

“We always promote that HIV testing is free, available, and accessible. We have a lot of counselors and case managers, mental health workers, media practitioners working with us,” Ms. Diones said.

In coordination with the Department of Health, FPOP is now introducing self-testing as well.

‘Government has been so lax with the implementation of the law.’

On sex and gender-based violence, Ms. Diones said that the country desperately needs stricter enforcement of the law and more financial support from the government.

“Our government has been so lax with the implementation of the law. Although we have these laws, they are not fully exercised. Even just in the barangay level, it should be activated. There are so many lapses and gaps,” she said.

“The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act is not fully implemented or fully exercised … we still lack a lot of funds in order to have a full implementation of these projects,” she added.

With the upcoming elections, there is a lot at stake with the reproductive health policies with the change in administration.

“We want to ensure, that regardless of who wins in the elections, [there will be] uninterrupted progress,” Ms. Diones said.

She said she hopes to see candidates’ platforms place more attention on promoting reproductive health laws, strengthening public and private support, and giving equal opportunities to highlight their advocacies.

“For now, we must ensure women’s health and rights are not compromised, so we work hard on protection and prevention,” she said.

Recorded remotely on Feb. 11, 2022. Produced by Jino D. Nicolas and Sam L. Marcelo.

Follow us on Spotify BusinessWorld B-Side

Celebrating the illustrious life of a business leader

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President George T. Barcelon

By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran, Special Features Writer

Top Philippine business leader George T. Barcelon wears many important hats today. His success in life and the well-respected name he has built for himself is a result of decades of grit, resilience, credibility, and genuine care for people.

Mr. Barcelon currently serves as the president of Integrated Computer Systems, Inc. and Paramount Vinyl Products and Interpolymer Corp. He sits on the board of BDO Unibank, is a representative of the private sector in the Industry Development Council and National Competitive Council, and is chairman of the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT). He has also been elected as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (PCCI) new president for the second time, after his successful first term in 2015.

But before all of these, he started out as a graduate of chemical engineering at De La Salle University, working with his family’s rubber and plastic manufacturing company that made plastic sheetings and foam materials for footwear in the 1970s. That was when he had the idea to export to other markets besides the Philippines.

“Early on in the late 70s, when I thought that we should not only focus on the domestic market and ventured out into exports, we were able to deal with major US importers and grow the company,” he told BusinessWorld in an interview.

“We ended up with around 2,000 workers doing exports, and that allowed our Philippine-made products to be noticed. We were one of the earliest footwear exporters at the time,” he added.

That venture ended up with him getting involved with PHILEXPORT and the PCCI, with him being inducted into the latter’s Productivity Council in the 1970s.

Mr. Barcelon’s hobby at the time was electronics, and he entered into the computer business shortly before the 1980s. “I would say that I am fond of electronic gadgets. When we entered the computer business, we were rather new. I entered in 1978. We started very small, we started with five people. Now, we’re close to about 500. We work in different disciplines, from cloud to cybersecurity, and we deal with major companies,” he revealed.

Looking back, these are the things he recalled the most as being the catalyst for his own story of success. “Those are some things I personally don’t classify as achievements, but part of my journey,” he said.

From there, he moved on to venture in other areas. In the 1990s, Mr. Barcelon began investing in real estate in the logistics sector with warehouses and other similar properties.

“It’s been quite challenging considering what we’ve gone through as a country, politically, and economically. I’m lucky I fared out well,” he shared.

As for PCCI, the country’s leading and biggest non-stock, non-profit, non-government business organization in the country, comprising of small, medium, and large enterprises; local chambers; and industry associations representing various sectors of business, Mr. Barcelon hopes that he can foster better cooperation with the private sector and the government for a swift recovery from the pandemic.

In his first term serving as president, he has made a major contribution in getting PCCI to be a co-convenor to Sulong Pilipinas, the annual consultative conference between the Duterte administration and various citizen groups. Since 2016, Sulong Pilipinas has been the platform for the government to consult stakeholders on socioeconomic priorities.

“If there is a need for a system to change, we voice out what we hope to change. Other than that, we play by the rules,” he said. “We hope that the new administration will continue allowing us a venue for our voice to be heard.”

The continual pursuit of a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas is how Mr. Barcelon approaches his leadership roles as well.

“Given the mandate that you have, you have to be able to impart to your coworkers or associates that commitment in working. It’s important to be able to learn to listen. In any organization of people, one cannot do everything by yourself. You’ve got to be able to listen to the people you work with and balance things out. You may have your own opinions and ideas, but others may have their own. You’ve got to balance it out. If theirs make more sense, you’ve got to be willing to say ‘I will accept your suggestion’,” he stressed.

As for doing business, Mr. Barcelon emphasized the importance of commitment and integrity to aspiring businessmen. At his core, he also believes that caring genuinely about the people you work with can be the key that leads to success.

“If you want to do business, you better be ready 24/7. You have to be committed. It is something that you should feel that you want to dedicate your life to, and want to learn. Nothing comes easy in business, and it’s important that when you start out you make sure that your integrity is there. With that, there comes credibility, and those things are very important in business. There will be some failures along the way but one should learn from them. If people view you as a trustworthy person who is credible, you can just start again,” he said.

“I’m a people person. I like to meet people. I like to know people, and any way I can help people. One of my philosophies in business is I’d like to make my people successful. Their success translates to my success,” he shared.

Continuing a strong partnership between businesses and government

Finance Secretary Dominguez inducts new PCCI board Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez (left) inducted the new board of directors of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for 2022-2023 last Feb. 23 at Conrad Hotel, Pasay City. The new officers are George Barcelon, president (second from left); (back row, from left) Dr. William Co, chairman; Dr. Sergio Ortiz Luis, Jr., honorary chairman and treasurer, CSR director; Dr. Alberto Fenix, Jr., honorary president/advisor; Apolinar Aure, director SME committee; Jeffrey T. Ng, director, urban housing development committee; Michael Tan, director, transport & logistics committee; (front row, from left) Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco, honorary madame chair/advisor; Engr. Enunina Mangio, vice-president/director, regional affairs; Atty. Benedicta du-Baladad, director, taxation & legislation committee; Sallie Lacson, AVP and director for South Luzon; Teresita Ngan Tian, AVP and director for NCR; Gregoria Simbulan, AVP and director for North Luzon; Samie Lim, director for tourism & franchise committee; Ruben Pascual, secretary general; Ivan John Uy, corporate secretary; and Bernardo Benedicto III, assistant treasurer. Virtually present were Arch. Felino Palafox, Jr., vice- president/director, trade promotion; Ferdinand Ferrer, vice-president/director for industry affairs; Jose Pardo, chairman, council of business leaders; Alfredo Yao, director, banking committee; Benjamin Philip Romualdez, director, mining & natural resources committee; Edgardo Lacson, honorary chairman/advisor; Roberto Amores, director, agri/aqua committee; Frank Carbon, AVP for Visayas, director, power and water committee; and Art Milan, AVP and director for Mindanao.

By Adrian Paul B. Conoza, Special Features Assistant Editor

At a very critical time when the economy moves further into the new normal and the country braces for a new administration after the elections in May, George T. Barcelon once again takes the lead in making the voices of businesses heard as he currently serves as the president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). He was elected by PCCI’s 20-member board of directors for this year during the chamber’s annual meeting held last December.

Mr. Barcelon, who is also the president of computer systems and peripherals pioneer Integrated Computer Systems, Inc., served PCCI in the same role back in 2015 to 2016.

In an interview with the BusinessWorld, the PCCI president noted the chamber’s significant role in strengthening the partnership between the government and the private sector.

“During the administration of President Duterte, we fostered closer the relationship with the administration, especially with the Department of Finance (DoF),” Mr. Barcelon shared, highlighting the annual Sulong Pilipinas consultative conference which has served as a platform for the present administration to consult stakeholders on socioeconomic priorities.

In his speech during the oath-taking and induction rites of PCCI board of directors last February, Mr. Barcelon also noted that Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III institutionalized PCCI’s partnership with DoF to organize the annual Sulong Pilipinas.

“The collaboration allows the private sector to be heard, leading to the game-changing measures that brought the country unprecedented growth and have laid the foundation for sustainability,” he said. The measures that came up from “Sulong Pilipinas” include, to name a few, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives Acts, and the Ease of Doing Business Act.

PCCI Board of Directors and Officers for 2022-2023, headed by President George T. Barcelon, with DoF Secretary Carlos Dominguez
Photo shows Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez (sixth from left) with the PCCI Board of Directors and Officers for 2022-2023 led by its President George T. Barcelon (seventh from left) at the oath-taking ceremony last Feb. 23 at Conrad Hotel, Pasay City. With them are the new set of officers: (back row, from left) Dr. William Co, chairman; Dr. Alberto Fenix, Jr., honorary president/advisor; Apolinar Aure, director SME committee; Jeffrey T. Ng, director, urban housing development committee; Michael Tan, director, transport & logistics committee, Dr. Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr., honorary chairman and treasurer; (front row, from left) Bernardo Benedicto III, assistant treasurer; Ivan John Uy, corporate secretary; Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco, honorary madame chair/advisor; Engr. Enunina Mangio, vice-president/director, regional affairs; Atty. Benedicta du-Baladad, director, taxation & legislation committee; Sallie Lacson, AVP and director for South Luzon; Teresita Ngan Tian, AVP and director for NCR; Gregoria Simbulan, AVP and director for North Luzon; Samie Lim, director for tourism & franchise committee; and Ruben Pascual, secretary general. Virtually present were Arch. Felino Palafox, Jr., vice-president/director, trade promotion; Ferdinand Ferrer, vice-president/director for industry affairs; Jose Pardo, chairman, council of business leaders; Alfredo Yao, director, banking committee; Benjamin Philip Romualdez, director, mining & natural resources committee; Edgardo Lacson, honorary chairman/advisor; Roberto Amores, director, agri/aqua committee; Frank Carbon, AVP for Visayas, director, power and water committee; and Art Milan, AVP and director for Mindanao.

As he looks forward to this year’s Sulong Pilipinas conference in April, Mr. Barcelon aims for continuous and consistent collaboration between the private sector and the government, especially as the country is still feeling the effect of global crises even amid a lower alert level in most areas.

“We are hopeful that the downtrend of the infection will continue so that we can normalize our lifestyle [and] businesses as soon as possible, he said during the interview. “But we are also cognizant of the fact that [what’s happening], especially [in Ukraine and Russia]… might throw a monkey wrench’ on the development of the economy. What happens there affects everybody worldwide,” he emphasized.

“We feel that with what have happened, it’s even more important for the private sector and government to work closely,” the PCCI president added.

The chamber, he continued, also hopes that the new administration will continue giving the venue for businesses’ voice to be heard in various areas of concern, such as assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); addressing power shortages, water shortages, and low dam levels; boosting the agricultural sector, which Mr. Barcelon notes has not grown too much recently; improving connectivity in the country; and gearing education towards upskilling and reskilling future workforces.

“These issues have been addressed by the current administration, and we would like to share our thoughts with the new government,” he added. “Whatever is working, don’t meddle with it… But there are gaps that we see, and we will sound off what needs to be addressed.”

In addition, Mr. Barcelon looks forward to the new administration building on the economic accomplishments of the current administration.

“The Duterte Administration… has built a legacy as responsive to the business sector’s concern in our nation’s credit standing and in dealing with inflation. We are hopeful that the next administration will be able to build on such accomplishments as we recover, rebuild, and rebound to attain economic growth comparable to this administration,” he said during his speech.

In a separate statement last January, the PCCI president also said that the chamber “stands ready to help collaborate” with the next administration “on an economic agenda that will be conducive to immediate business recovery.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr., honorary chairman and treasurer of PCCI and president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) and Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), added that the chamber is hoping that the government will address the country’s exit from the pandemic.

Dr. Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr., honorary chairman and treasurer of PCCI, and president of PHILEXPORT and ECOP

“After addressing the pandemic, we would really like to ask the government to take a closer look at what can bring our economy up. And we are looking at some of the low-hanging fruits,” he told BusinessWorld in another interview.

For Dr. Ortiz-Luis, the Build, Build, Build program is one of these fruits, and so he hopes that other projects under the program will get started this year.

“We hope that most of them will be started during this time, as promised, by the end of the term of President Duterte,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino. “There are funding commitments from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and the World Bank, but we’re wondering why the releases are slow.”

The Philexport and ECOP chief also noted the need to deal with matters regarding the country’s healthcare system “so that we have no fear of surge of the pandemic again.”

“If [medical professionals] have complaints regarding what they earned, that should be resolved by the government immediately, including equipment and medicine. If we have that assurance, then we can relax without fear,” he said.

There should also be an assurance that the transportation system is working and that traffic will not worsen since improvements were hardly seen recently, he added.

1...5,9535,9545,955...13,479Page 5,954 of 13,479
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube