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CCP announces winners of 33rd Gawad Alternatibo

THE WINNERS of the 33rd Gawad CCP Para Sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, considered the longest running independent film and video competition in Asia, were films that “break free from the constraints of the pandemic and embrace the Filipino narratives.”

The theme of this year’s festival was “ALPAS: ‘Kwento Natin ‘To!” (Breaking Free: Our Stories)’

This year’s Gawad Alternatibo “conveys the perseverance of the film community and the audience by surfacing, claiming and embracing the stories that reflect the current time. By doing so, the filmmakers and audiences find their strength in weathering any storm that comes by,” the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) said in a statement.

Streamed from Aug. 6 to Sept. 5, the winners were named during the awarding ceremony held on Sept. 4, live streamed via Gawad Alternatibo, CCP, and Cinemalaya Facebook pages including CCP Kumu Channel.

In the Animation category, 1st Prize went to My Mamily by Cha Roque; 2nd and 3rd Prize winners were Home by Bryan Kent Abias and Haraya by Kem Jaspher D. Abayon, respectively. Honorable Mentions were given to Basurahan by Maki Liwanag and Langit Lupa by Cha Roque, which also received the Special Citation Works by/for/on Children.

Panambi by Jane Mariane Biyo, Katya Marie Corazon Puertollano, and Myra Angeline Soriaso bagged the top prize in the Documentary category; followed by Kambalingan by Terence Giourdan Gonzalves and Mga Gipaambit Gikan sa Tubig by Anna Miguel Cervantes for the 2nd and 3rd Prize, respectively.  Iyallatiw by Melver Ritz L. Gomez garnered Honorable Mention and Special Citation Works by/for/on Children, which a recognition it shared with Maliliit Na Hakbang by Richard Soriano Legaspi.

Transit Tyranny by Jonathan Jose Zamora Olarte beat 24 films in the Experimental category to bring home the 1st Prize. Mga Bag-ong Nawong sang Damgo kag Katingalahan by Mark Raymund L. Garcia won 2nd Prize and was named Best Regional Entry.  Let Our Response Be by Ruka Azuma took the 3rd Prize.

The Honorable Mentions went to Hugas Kamay by Vahn Leinard C. Pascual and Somewhere a Destination by Celeste Lapida; while Atmosphere by Yuki Okazawa received the Special Citation for a Foreign Entry under the Curated Section of Experimental, and Pekyu by Kristine Cerva, the Special Citation Works by/for/on Children.

Manyaok by Kate Villanueva as the 1st Place winner in the Short Feature category. Second Prize went to Gutab by Mary Andrea Palmares, while 3rd Prize was awarded to Bangungot by Moses Webb, and Honorable Mention to Here Not Here by Mariah Vianca Quinesio.

The jury gave Special Citation for Acting to Katelyn Miñoso from the film Camille Alone by Kaya Guillen, and Special Citation Works for Scriptwriting to Nanay, Nanay, Gusto Ko Siya by Nicca Patricia D. Marcelino.  Special Citation Works by/for/on Children went to Laot by John Lester Rimorin.

All first prize winners will receive P25,000 each; second prize winners, P15,000, and third prize, P10,000.  Honorable Mentions get P5,000.00 each.

For this year’s edition of Gawad Alternatibo, over 238 entries in all categories were submitted to the CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media Division.

Del Monte Pacific swings to profit with $18 million

LISTED Del Monte Pacific Ltd. reported an $18.3-million profit for the first quarter of its 2022 fiscal year, a reversal of the $3.2-million loss incurred in the same period last year.

In an e-mailed statement on Thursday, the company said its sales for its first quarter ending July went up by 12% year on year to $462.1 million from $413.1 million.

“We will continue to grow revenues through an innovative product portfolio, more product availability from better distribution and expanded sales channels including e-commerce,” said Joselito D. Campos, Jr., managing director and chief executive officer of Del Monte Pacific.

Del Monte Foods, Inc.’s net profit amounted to $4.8 million, swinging form a $14.3-million loss incurred in the same period last year. It made up 65% of the group’s sales with $298.1 million.

The product offerings launched in the past three years accounted for 4.8% of Del Monte Foods’s first-quarter sales. Its recently launched products include Del Monte Fruit Infusions and Joyoba Bubble Tea, as well as Del Monte Veggieful Riced Veggies for its frozen foods segment.

“Del Monte Foods’ turnaround last year has set it on a path to higher profitability as our team executes against our strategy of increasing higher-margin branded sales and reducing non-core sales,” Mr. Campos said.

Meanwhile, Del Monte Pacific’s “second largest and most profitable subsidiary,” Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) saw its profits surge by 37% to $25.6 million as sales went up by 20% year on year to $176 million, benefitting from a reduced corporate tax rate.

Majority of DMPI’s sales were recorded in the Philippines reaching $92.1 million, “2% higher in US dollar terms but 2% lower in peso terms” but is 16% higher than its sales in the first quarter two years ago. Despite seeing an uptick in its convenience and dessert segment, a slowdown in its health beverages and snacks segment offset the growth.

However, DMPI’s international sales also rose by 40% to $67.8 million driven by packaged fruit and beverages, as well as premium packaged pineapple in the United States and S&W packaged products in Asia.

“Our fresh pineapple exports to Asian markets have also recovered and delivered growth through expansion in offline and online channels,” said Mr. Campos.

Del Monte Pacific deferred the initial public offering (IPO) of DMPI amid market volatility due to the country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation. The IPO had aimed to raise around P44 billion. For the meantime, DMPI plans to focus on product expansion.

In August, DMPI launched a joint venture (JV) with Vietnam Dairy Products JSC (Vinamilk) to allow its entry into the dairy market in the Philippines.

“The JV will import products from Vietnam, and market them under a co-branded label through DMPI, leveraging the trust and affinity built for the Del Monte brand among Filipino consumers, as well as DMPI’s extensive distribution network and long-standing relationships with leading retailers and distributors throughout the country,” Del Monte Pacific said. 

The company believes it is “well-positioned” to continue the momentum it achieved in the previous fiscal year. Del Monte Pacific reversed its losses to generate $63.3 million in profits for its fiscal year ending April, swinging from an $81.4-million loss incurred the previous year.

The company expects to generate a higher net profit for this fiscal year.

“In an environment with increased emphasis on health and wellness, [Del Monte Pacific] is well-positioned to respond to consumer needs, given our nutritious, long shelf-life products which enable consumers to prepare meals at home and build their immunity,” Mr. Campos said.

On Thursday, Del Monte Pacific shares at the stock exchange declined by 1.47% or 20 centavos to close at P13.42 each. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Abba: who actually likes them?

IT MAY have been almost 40 years since their last single, but Abba are now back in the charts with two new songs “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” The new songs form part of a 10-track album that will be released in November.

The band went on what they called a “short break” at the end of 1982. But despite the amount of time it has taken the group to release new songs, Abba are more popular than ever, largely due to the success of the compilation Abba Gold (1992) and the Mamma Mia! films (2008, 2018). The numbers speak for themselves Abba have sold around 400 million records worldwide, with Abba Gold spending more time in the top 100 chart than any other album. So, what’s behind Abba’s staying power?

My ongoing PhD research looks at Abba fandom in the 21st-century, specifically Abba’s long-term fans. I look beyond typical media or even academic portrayals that present them as a monolithic tribe, or pathologize them as obsessive, crazy youths. I focus on the differing yet bonded make-up of Abba fans and explore how their fandom can be understood as a mutually affectionate relationship between band and fan.

Indeed, Abba’s most devoted fans have helped them remain in the public consciousness, sometimes, under difficult circumstances and I believe Abba’s “comeback” would not have been possible without their support.

One of the complexities of Abba fandom is its different waves. There are the long-standing fans from the 1970s and early 1980s often referred to as the “Oldies” within fan circles who knew and loved Abba during their original active period (1972-1982). Then more recently, Abba Gold and the Mamma Mia! franchise introduced younger generations sometimes referred to as “Goldies” and “Mouldies” to Abba’s music.

Goldies and Mouldies have found their own ways of expressing Abba fandom. Abba’s popularity on social media platforms is testament to this the videos on their official TikTok page already had almost 30 million views in five days.

Oldies have had a rather different journey to today’s younger fans. The 1980s are often called the “dark days” of Abba fandom. As the decade changed, so too did popular music tastes, and Abba struggled to do as well as they had done previously.

As the band fell from public favor, many Oldies were bullied, sometimes even beaten up. It was no longer socially acceptable to be an Abba fan. Despite these pressures, the Oldies remained extremely loyal, waiting patiently for new music for years.

Many of them supported the individual band members’ new music, as well as buying Abba re-releases and compilation albums. In 1986, even as many Abba fan clubs began disbanding, two Dutch fans started a new one. This later became the Official International Abba Fan Club, which still exists today.

This fan club publishes four magazines a year and holds an annual Abba Day (outside of pandemic times). Fans from across the world gather on Abba Day to share friendship and the latest Abba news, culminating in a four-hour Abba disco.

It’s easy to assume the Oldies would be thrilled by the recent announcement of two new Abba songs. But the reality is more complex.

Most fans rejoiced on social media, posting about their excitement and delight. Yet for some Oldies, Abba’s 2018 announcement that new music would be on the way felt like too little, too late.

One fan who I worked with as part of my project, wrote at the time on Facebook: “We’ve been told so many times this would NEVER happen, and fans have died waiting for it to happen … I should feel very excited by this but I’m not.”

This disappointment is understandable if you think about fandom as a reciprocal relationship. Oldies kept on giving to Abba emotionally and financially over several decades. Such investment is not to be underestimated: one fan estimates he has spent over £50,000 on Abba-related purchases. Yet during this time, Oldies were not receiving new music from Abba. Some Oldies felt they had given a lot to Abba over the years, but not received anything much in return during their hiatus.

All Abba fans, but particularly the Oldies drank from an empty cup for decades. Finally, loyalty and hopes have been rewarded: the band’s promise of “two new songs” became a whole album, to be followed by a virtual Abba Voyage show in London in spring 2022.

Most fan reaction has been positive so far. People have different opinions as to how “Abba-Esque” these new songs are, but overall Abba fans are effectively singing “Thank You for the Music” back to the band now, as they eagerly listen to new Abba songs for the first time since 1982.

 

Shanika Ranasinghe is a Postgraduate Researcher in the Department of Music, Royal Holloway University of London

AC Energy issues $400-M worth senior green bonds

AC Energy Corp. said its wholly owned subsidiary ACEN Finance Ltd. has completed the issuance of $400-million worth of senior guaranteed green bonds, making up portion of its parent firm’s fresh capital which has hit nearly $1 billion in 2021 alone.

In a disclosure on Thursday, AC Energy said its undated green bonds were issued at an aggregate amount of $400 million, with a fixed coupon of 4% for life, with no step-up and no reset, priced at par.

“The success of this fixed-for-life offering highlights the international investor community’s continuing confidence in ACEN and in our strategic objectives,” AC Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Eric T. Francia said, referring to the company’s stock ticker symbol.

“We believe that this Green Bond issuance will further empower us to scale up RE investments and achieve our vision of becoming the largest listed renewable energy platform in Southeast Asia,” he added.

The bonds were issued by ACEN Finance under its $1.5-billion medium-term note program and are listed on the Singapore Exchange. The unit’s parent firm guaranteed the securities.

The corporate regulator earlier confirmed that the bonds complied with the ASEAN Green Bonds Circular, rendering their net proceeds eligible for the funding or refinancing of new and existing green projects.

AC Energy said that earnings from this issuance may fund solar power facilities, offshore wind projects and geothermal undertakings with direct emissions of less than 100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour.

“Including the Company’s P5.4-billion ($111.2 million) stock rights offering, P10.3-billion ($212.2 million) follow-on offering, and P11.9-billion ($244.2 million) primary share investment by GIC affiliate Arran Investment Pte. Ltd. (Arran), ACEN has now raised a total of close to $1 billion in fresh capital in 2021 which it can use to fund its goal of (achieving) 5,000 megawatts (MW) in attributable renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2025,” it said.

Late last month, the firm announced that its management gave the green light for the firm to embark on a joint venture with an affiliate of German solar firm ib vogt GmbH to develop local solar projects with an initial 300 megawatts of direct current.

It added its executive committee also cleared the respective capital expenditure (capex) amounts of the AC Energy’s planned solar project of about 288 MW in Buguey and Lal-lo, Cagayan; and its proposed 275-MW expansion of its Gigasol Palauig solar project in Zambales.

AC Energy, the listed energy platform of the Ayala group, has about 2,600 MW of attributable capacity in Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Australia. The firm said that its renewable share of capacity stood at 80%, among the highest in the region.

AC Energy shares at the local bourse improved by 0.4% or four centavos to finish at P10.04 apiece on Thursday. — Angelica Y. Yang

BSP dismisses fraud complaint vs current, former RCBC officials

BW FILE PHOTO
THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas dismissed the case against Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. officials for lack of basis. — BW FILE PHOTO

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) dismissed a fraud complaint filed by a nonprofit organization against current and former officials of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) due to lack of basis.

The administrative case filed by Inang Nag-aaruga sa Anak Foundation and other complainants was dismissed by the BSP’s Investigation and Prosecution Group of the Office of the General Counsel and Legal Services “for lack of basis, both in fact and in law,” RCBC said in a filing on Thursday, citing a BSP resolution dated Aug. 20.

Respondents include RCBC President and Chief Executive Officer Eugene S. Acevedo, current and former members of the bank’s board of directors, as well as Liza P. Arzaga, who was a former employee of the bank.

The complainants specifically cited Ms. Arzaga, a dismissed employee of the RCBC Garnet Business Center, for alleged fraud.

RCBC was not impleaded in the case, although the bank said it will monitor the answers of concerned former and current officials regarding the matter.

The bank said the case has “no material impact” on their business or operations.

The complaint versus the respondents was for their supposed violation of Republic Act (RA) 8791, otherwise known as the General Banking Law of 2000, in relation to Section 37 of RA 7653 or the New Central Bank Act, as amended.

Section 56 of RA 8791 lays out unsafe or unsound manners of conducting business that can result in material loss or damage to depositors, the BSP, or financial institutions.

The case was filed before the BSP in June last year by the non-profit organization represented by Pangasinan Representative Christopher P. de Venecia and his mother and former solon Ma. Georgina V. Perez-de Venecia.

Other complainants from the organization include Ma. Asuncion L. Yu, Ma. Teresa P. Cruz-Evangelista, Felipe Ferdinand P. Cruz III, Ma. Asuncion P. Ampil and Veronica F. Roxas.

The Yuchengco-led lender’s net earnings surged 117.83% to P1.747 billion in the second quarter from P802 million a year earlier, boosted by higher net interest income and lower provision for loan losses.

This brought the bank’s net profit for the first half of the year to P3.327 billion, up by 7% from P3.11 billion in the same period of 2020.

RCBC’s shares closed at P20.10 apiece on Thursday, up by 10 centavos or by 0.5%. — L.W.T. Noble

‘Imagine’ marks 50 years with lyric projected on landmarks

LONDON — A lyric from John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s song “Imagine” has been projected on buildings around the world to mark 50 years since the late Beatle released the famed track and album.

From the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London to Times Square in New York, “Imagine all the people living life in peace” has been beamed onto the sites to celebrate Thursday’s anniversary.

Mr. Lennon released the album Imagine on Sept. 9, 1971 and its title track has long been considered one of the greatest songs of all time, according to music publications.

“John would have loved this. ‘Imagine’ embodied what we believed together at the time,” Ms. Ono said in a statement. “We are still together now and we still believe this. The sentiment is just as important now as when it was written and released 50 years ago.”

The lyric was also beamed on Tuesday night in Berlin, Tokyo and in Mr. Lennon’s home city of Liverpool, mirroring a similar projection campaign by Ms. Ono 20 years ago.

A limited edition pressing of the Imagine album as a double LP on white vinyl is being released on Friday to mark the anniversary. — Reuters

Ayala Corp. creates logistics unit

AYALA Corp. said on Thursday that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given the go signal to create a unit dedicated to the logistics sector.

In a disclosure to the exchange, the company said the SEC has approved the articles of incorporation and bylaws of AC Logistics Holdings Corp. on Sept. 6.

“AC Logistics will serve as Ayala’s vehicle for investments in the logistics sector,” the company said. 

BusinessWorld reached out to Ayala Corp. to ask for more details about AC Logistics, however, representatives for the company said no further details can be provided at the moment.

In 2018, Ayala Corp. via infrastructure unit AC Infrastructure Holdings, Inc. invested P1 billion for a joint venture with Brillant 1257 GmbH & Co. Vierte Verwaltungs Kg. The two launched Entrego Fulfillment Solutions, Inc., which offers delivery management of parcels, documents, and bulk deliveries of business-to-business clients and business-to-consumer units.

Meanwhile, listed AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp. (ALLHC) is a subsidiary of the conglomerate’s Ayala Land, Inc. ALLHC focuses on services related to real estate logistics and facilities.

On Thursday, shares of Ayala Corp. at the stock exchange went up by 0.37% or P3.00 to close at P818.00 each. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Banks fined P859M from 2018 to 2020

Benjamin E. Diokno, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor — BLOOMBERG

THE CENTRAL BANK slapped fines worth P859 million on financial institutions from 2018 to 2020, with noncompliance with mandated credit quotas among the top violations, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said on Thursday.

“Top violations include noncompliance with BSP issuances on mandatory credit and other BSP regulatory requirements,” Mr. Diokno said in an online briefing.

Of the P859 million in penalties, P7.2 million were imposed on directors, trustees, officers or employees of BSP-supervised financial institutions, he said.

In the first quarter, banks lent P765.92 billion to the agriculture and agrarian reform sectors, equivalent to only 10.59% of their loanable funds. This was below the 25% mandated under Republic Act 10000 or the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2009, of which 10% must go to the agrarian reform sector and 15% to the agriculture sector.

Meanwhile, lenders extended credit worth P448.458 billion to micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the same period, which was just 5.24% of their total loan portfolio. This was below the 10% mandated by the Republic Act 6977 or the Magna Carta for MSMEs, under which banks should allocate 8% of their loan book for micro and small enterprises and 2% for medium-sized enterprises.

The central bank said financial institutions and their officials can explain their side and submit supporting evidence to contest fines imposed on them.

“Violation of laws, rules, and regulations result in safety and soundness concerns and are rooted in issues in corporate governance, oversight and management or of the BSP-supervised financial institutions,” Mr. Diokno said.

“Sound governance practices promote the stability of the Philippine banking system,” he added.

The BSP in August also released updated guidelines on fines for banks’ transactional violations of lenders aligned with the provisions of Republic Act 11211 or The New Central Bank Act, as amended.

BSP Director for Financial Supervision Department IX Dindo R. Santos said a heavier penalty regime for banks for their implementation of anti-money laundering (AML) measures could help the country exit the “gray list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“The system is aimed to change the behavior so that the BSP-supervised financial institutions and the directors and officers can run the bank in a prudent manner,” Mr. Santos said in the same briefing.

“This will [help us] achieve in terms of compliance with AML standards and the requirement, this will help us in exiting the list,” he added.

In June, the country was included in the FATF’s gray list or jurisdictions under increased monitoring for their implementation of tighter anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules.

Mr. Diokno, who is also the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s chairman, said they expect the country to exit the gray list by January 2023. — LWTN

Disney movie musical Frozen comes to London West End

LONDON — Hit Disney animation Frozen has come to the London stage, officially opening as a West End musical on Wednesday in a theater newly restored by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Oscar-winning film about royal sisters Anna and Elsa in the fictional kingdom of Arendelle has won over legions of young fans around the world since its 2013 release. A stage adaptation opened on Broadway in 2018. Now London has its own version of the musical, starring British actress Samantha Barks as Elsa and Dublin-born actress Stephanie McKeon as Anna.

The musical, which began previews in late August, is showing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which recently reopened after a two-year, 60 million-pound ($82.51 million) restoration. West End veteran Lloyd Webber, known for musicals such as Evita, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera, bought the theater in 2019. — Reuters

Female Coursera registrants drop to 47% in 2020

PHILSTAR

ONLINE TRAINING service Coursera said the share of female first-time registrants to its courses fell to 47% in 2020 from 54% in each of the preceding two years, possibly reflecting women’s outsized share of household duties and childcare, including the supervision of children studying at home.

Betty Vandenbosch, Coursera, Inc. chief content officer, said in a virtual interview that the findings reported by Coursera make the Philippines an outlier.

“That’s different than most of the rest of the world and I have to assume that has to do with the way COVID happened, the way that people had to deal with COVID in the very early days. It may be that in the Philippines, childcare was different,” she said Wednesday.

“The Philippines already has many more women learners than men, and that is very different. Lots and lots of women are on our platform. But I do think that dip had to do with the roles that women had to take during COVID.”

Southeast Asian neighbors Malaysia and Singapore both saw the share of women among new registered learners increase in 2020, Coursera said.

The Philippine share has since bounced back to 56% in the 12 months to June 2021. The growth rate for women registered for online classes was 774%.

“Many countries, particularly emerging economies, have seen a dramatic increase in online learning participation among women year over year,” according to the report.

The Philippines has higher shares of women represented among business, government, and campus learners than the global average, Coursera found.

Female learners in the Philippines are taking classes in business, probability and statistics, data analysis, and computer programming.

Ms. Vandenbosch noted that women learners in the Philippines tend to take more entry-level certificates compared to their counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia.

“Women in the Philippines are really embracing new careers,” she said. — Jenina P. Ibañez

SEC gives firms more time to submit contact details

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is extending the deadline for the submission of the required contact details of entities under its jurisdiction to November, in an effort “to bolster the economic recovery of the business sector during the pandemic.”

“The SEC has extended the deadline for corporations, partnerships, and individuals under the jurisdiction and supervision of the commission to comply with SEC Memorandum Circular No. 28, series of 2020, without penalty, until Nov. 11, 2021,” the regulator said in a notice dated Sept. 8.

Those who fail to file forms or notices by the new deadline will be subjected to a penalty fee worth P10,000.

The memorandum requires persons and entities under the commission’s supervision to have an official e-mail account address and official cellphone number, as well as back-up or alternate contact details, for its transactions with the commission.

These should be under the control of the entity’s corporate secretary or an authorized representative.

Submission of forms or notices of the memorandum may be sent via MC28_S2020@sec.gov.ph. On the notice published online, the SEC also provided contact details of local offices. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

BSP advises public to check banknotes’ genuineness

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THE CENTRAL BANK advised the public to check their banknotes amid reports of circulating counterfeit P1,000 bills.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in a statement on Thursday enjoined the public to scrutinize the security features of their banknotes to ensure their genuineness, noting it is verifying reports on social media platforms about alleged counterfeit P1,000 bills.

It noted that the New Generation Currency banknotes are equipped with the latest anti-counterfeiting technology and “improve the visual and tactile differentiation of each denomination”.

“To ascertain the genuineness of the NGC banknotes, the public is advised to use the Feel-Look-Tilt method to check the security features,” the BSP said.

The central bank last year unveiled the enhanced NGC bills that have different engraved horizontal bands for each denomination.

Besides other security features, the P500 and the P1,000 bills also have a roller bar effect on their value panels, which makes counterfeiting more difficult.

Under Republic Act No. 10951, counterfeiters of Philippine currency could face imprisonment of at least 12 years and one day and a fine not exceeding P2 million.

“From January to June 2021, the BSP led five successful law enforcement operations that resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals and the filing of nine separate criminal charges,” the BSP said.

“The BSP also regularly conducts public information campaigns to educate the public on the design, security features, and proper handling of Philippine currency as well as relevant laws, policies, and programs,” it added.