Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 6137

LBC Ronda Pilipinas returns to South next year

LBC RONDA PILIPINAS

BAGUIO CITY — The LBC Ronda Pilipinas is going back to Visayas and Mindanao next year after a memorable 11th edition that was ruled by new millionaire king Ronald Lomotos of Navy Standard Insurance.

“We’re happy to announce that there will be a Ronda Pilipinas next year and LBC is targeting Visayas and Mindanao as venues,” said LBC Ronda Pilipinas executive project director Bernadette Guerrero in Sunday’s awarding rites hosted by city Mayor Benjamin Magalong at the Baguio Convention Center here.

It marks the first time the annual race will go to Mindanao since holding a five-stage leg from Butuan to Cagayan de Oro six year ago.

Ronda’s last sortie in the Visayas came three years back — a five-stage, UCI-sanctioned edition that started in Iloilo and wound up in Antique.

There were initial plans to hold its 10th anniversary race two years ago but it did not come to fruition.

But next year, expect a smashing return to the South by Ronda.

Meanwhile, Ronald Lomotos and his powerhouse Navy Standard Insurance squad are looking forward to defend their individual and team crowns next year.

“After a break, we hope to return to training to prepare for 2023,” said the 27-year-old Mr. Lomotos.

The proud son of San Felipe, Zambales pulled off one of the most shocking comebacks in Ronda history in topping this year’s 10-stage race that opened in Sorsogon and concluded here.

Mr. Lomotos came out of nowhere to rule the ninth and penultimate stage, erase the nine-minute lead by teammate and Navy captain Ronald Oranza and snatch the crown.

“The feeling is still unreal,” said Mr. Lomotos.

Navy Standard Insurance, also composed of runner-up and King of the Mountain winner Ronald Oranza, third placer El Joshua Carino, and fourth placer and Best Rookie and Under-23 awardee Jeremy Lizardo.

“The key is training hard and staying disciplined. If we keep that mindset, we’ll have a chance to win again next year,” said Navy coach Reinhard Gorantes. — Joey Villar

Ukraine band adds new meaning to Clash hit with ‘Kyiv Calling’

PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM.COM/BETONBANDA/

LONDON — Ukrainian punk band Beton have reworked the Clash’s famous song “London Calling,” turning it into “Kyiv Calling” to highlight events in Ukraine and raise funds for a resistance movement.

The three-piece band, comprising an architect, orthopedist, and businessman, recorded their reworded take on the 1979 Clash hit in a studio in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

They hope it helps raise funds for the non-military operations of the Free Ukraine Resistance Movement (FURM), a publicist for FURM said, adding the Clash have agreed to donate all royalties raised to the movement’s communications department.

“Kyiv calling to the whole world …Come out of neutrality, you boys and girls,” read the new lyrics. The song is accompanied by a video of the band with clips of battle damage in Ukraine.

“Many Ukrainian musicians are now on battlefields or in territorial defense. This time they’ve changed guitars to guns,” said Beton lead singer Andriy Zholob. “We hope this song shows Ukrainians’ spirit and our defiance to Russian aggression.”

The Clash were one of the biggest bands to emerge from Britain’s punk scene in the late 1970s and had several hits, including “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock the Casbah.” — Reuters

Gov’t partially awards T-bills as rates rise further

BW FILE PHOTO

THE GOVERNMENT partially awarded the Treasury bills (T-bills) it offered on Monday as rates continued to rise on expectations of further rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised just P13.9 billion via the short-term securities auctioned off on Monday or less than the programmed P15 billion, even as the offering attracted P25.91 billion in bids.

Broken down, the Treasury awarded just P4.87 billion in 91-day T-bills versus the P5 billion on offer, even as total bids reached P9.47 billion. The average rate for the three-month T-bill climbed by 23.1 basis points (bps) to 1.536% from the 1.305% fetched during the previous auction.

The government also made a partial P4.03-billion award of 364-day papers versus the P5-billion offer even as bids totaled P7.7 billion. The average yield on the one-year paper went up by 5.8 bps to 1.792% from the 1.734% fetched previously.

Meanwhile, the BTr borrowed P5 billion as planned via the 182-day T-bills that attracted P8.74 billion in tenders. The tenor fetched an average yield of 1.607%, up by 14.9 bps from the 1.458% seen previously.

At the secondary market prior to the auction on Monday, the 91- 182- and 364-day T-bills were quoted at 1.2005%, 1.4172% and 1.7486%, respectively, based on the PHP Bloomberg Valuation Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon said in a Viber message to reporters that T-bill rates continued to rise on expectations of further actions from the US Federal Reserve to curb inflation.

Still, the climb in yields was “tempered by expectations that BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) will keep rates steady,” Ms. De Leon said.

Meanwhile, a trader said via Viber that the T-bill yields were within expectations as the country moves towards policy normalization.

“While (the) market is pretty much assured of steady policy rate domestically, the indicators for consumer price index (are) not that favorable moving forward,” the trader said.

The trader noted that Dubai crude averaged at $95 per barrel year to date, which could make inflation to come in at 4%, based on the BSP’s sensitivity analysis.

“That, coupled with aggressive Federal Open Market Committee guidance, there will be continued pressure on domestic rates.”

The Fed last week raised rates by a quarter percentage point, the first time since 2018, to help combat rising inflation. It penciled in six more increases for the rest of 2022.

The US consumer price index was at 7.9% year on year in February, the fastest in four decades.

Global oil prices have been surging after the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, further raising inflation concerns here and abroad.

Despite inflationary pressures, the BSP is expected to keep benchmark interest rates steady at its March 24 meeting as it supports economic recovery, 15 out of 17 analysts polled by BusinessWorld said.

The BTr wants to raise P250 billion from the domestic market this month, or P75 billion via T-bills and P175 billion from T-bonds.

The government borrows from local and external sources to help fund a budget deficit capped at 7.7% of gross domestic product this year. — Jenina P. Ibañez

PHirst Park Homes eyes P3.5-B sales from Naic project

PHIRST PARK HOMES, Inc. (PPHI) is looking to generate P3.5 billion in sales from its new project in Naic, Cavite.

The joint venture of Century Properties Group and Mitsubishi Corp. is developing PHirst Park Homes Naic, a 21.2-hectare project with 1,948 units. The project is located along Governor’s Drive in Brgy. Halang, Sabang, and San Roque, Naic, Cavite. This is PHirst Park Homes’ 11th project, and third in Cavite.

“One of the country’s most historic provinces is also one of its fastest-growing as its economy is driven by many sectors — from agriculture, industrial and economic zones, to residential developments, making it a perfect place to settle down or begin a family,” PPHI President Ricky M. Celis said in a statement.

PHirst Park Homes Naic offers house-and-lot packages: the Calista townhouse and Unna single-attached. The Calista unit has a floor area of 40 square meters (sq.m.) on a lot area ranging from 44-60 sq.m. The Unna single-attached house has a floor area of 54 sq.m. on an 88 sq.m. lot.

Ipsos launches Asia-Pacific online market research platform

GLOBAL market research company Ipsos has launched an online market platform in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in a bid to provide fast and high-quality data for its clients.

Ipsos said in a statement on Monday that the platform, named Ipsos.Digital, will be accessible in markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong SAR, China, and New Zealand. The company added that the platform is already accessible in Australia.

“The intuitive, self-service, end-to-end platform offers clients fast, simplified access to Ipsos’s global research capabilities and insights. It provides access to Ipsos’ fully integrated online panels of consumers,” the company said.

The features of the platform include FastFacts, which is a do-it-yourself (DIY) research tool that helps users build their own surveys, InnoTest (innovation testing), and creative assessment tools (Creative|Spark, and Creative|Spark Digital).

“Ipsos.Digital’s main benefits are its speed with the ability to access research responses within 24 hours; simplicity of use with DIY functions and the ability to access a research expert at any stage; security with time efficiencies without compromising quality and substance of being able to design bespoke surveys or a specialized Ipsos solution,” the company said.

Yang Kil, Ipsos chief growth officer for Asia-Pacific, said the online platform provides real-time and self-serve consumer research.

“Our clients need to make faster decisions (more) than ever to cope with rapid changes in consumer behavior and Ipsos.Digital answers these needs. Its fast turnaround time, from set-up to delivery, ensures high data quality,” he said.

“It reflects our commitment to outstanding research quality and turning data into actionable insights. In an ever-growing DIY market, we bring a unique alternative that combines technology with state-of-the-art knowledge and applies our principles of security, simplicity, speed and substance,” he added.

Ipsos.Digital Chief Executive Officer Andrei Postoaca said the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of market research.

“We are delighted to launch our digital platform in Asia, the power of Ipsos.Digital is its ability to streamline processes and enable clients to access insights in hours rather than days or weeks. Platform users can work on their own or obtain assistance from relevant Ipsos experts around the world,” he said.

According to the company, Ipsos.Digital is currently available across 40 markets including United States, Australia, Czech Republic, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, Turkey, Chile, and Colombia. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

‘We are overwhelming underdogs,’ says coach Guiao

PBA IMAGES

THE GREENEST among the lot, the NLEX Road Warriors accept the reality that odds are against them in their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals matchup with seasoned defending champion Barangay Ginebra.

But the troops of veteran mentor Yeng Guiao are firm in their desire to prove they can compete against the battle-hardened Gin Kings and possibly pull off an underdog triumph en route to a historic finals appearance.

“We’re the overwhelming underdogs. Aside from being the new players among teams competing in the semifinal round, Ginebra has the crowd support and the experience,” said coach Yeng Guiao.

The win-once Road Warriors took two games to beat No. 7 Alaska in the quarterfinals and advanced to the Final Four for only the second time after their breakthrough in the 2017-18 Philippine Cup. NLEX lost to Magnolia in six games in a best-of-seven affair that time.

On the other hand, the Gin Kings toppled twice-to-beat No. 3 TNT to get their usual spots at this stage of the tourney. Prior to this duel, the crowd darlings captured the crown in two of the last three conferences.

For Mr. Guiao and the Road Warriors, the best approach is to just concentrate on getting themselves well-equipped for the best-of-five series that begins tomorrow at the MOA Arena.

“We’re focused on our improvement, our progress,” said Mr. Guiao. “We don’t want to focus on Ginebra because the more you worry about them, the more pressure it is for us.”

The NLEX Road Warriors coaching staff is pleased with the progress of the squad especially with new additions like Kris Rosales, Matt Nieto, Justin Chua, and import Cameron Clark starting to blend in.

Still, they will have their hands full against Ginebra’s resident reinforcement Justin Brownlee and reliables like Scottie Thompson, LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Christian Standhardinger. — Olmin Leyba

The Batman N. American box office again

LOS ANGELES — Robert Pattinson’s gritty superhero adventure The Batman is the No. 1 movie at the domestic box office for the third weekend in a row.

That feat is not surprising because March has been relatively light in terms of new releases. But even though there hasn’t been much competition, The Batman has managed impressive week-to-week holds. The movie collected $36.8 million from 4,302 theaters between Friday and Sunday, a 45% decline from last weekend.

Those ticket sales push The Batman past $300 million in North America, making the comic book adaptation only the second pandemic-era movie to cross that benchmark. — Reuters

Go Hotels Plus set to open in Naga

GO HOTELS Plus Naga will formally open its doors before the first half of 2022.

In a statement, Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) said the new hotel will “showcase modern designs and Instagram-worthy spaces.” Go Hotels Plus is an updated essential value brand under RLC.

The hotel will be located next to Summit Hotel Naga, which opened in January.

“Our newest Summit Hotel offers 60 spacious guest rooms — a mix of 56 deluxe rooms and four Summit suites,” Joy de Mesa, RLC group director of sales and marketing, said in a statement.

The Summit Suites, which are named Peñafrancia, Makusog, Magayon, and Voyadores, include a receiving/living room area.

Summit Hotel Naga is also expected to become the preferred business conference hotel in the city. It has business conference rooms, a grand ballroom, function rooms and an outdoor patio.

Summit Hotel Naga and Go Hotels Plus Naga are located in Robinsons Place Naga Complex, Almeda Highway, Barangay Triangulo, Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Moncupa elected as new BAP head

EAST WEST Banking Corp. (EastWest Bank) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Antonio C. Moncupa, Jr. was elected the new head of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP).

Mr. Moncupa, elected president during the group’s annual meeting on Monday, will succeed outgoing BAP chief Philippine National Bank (PNB) President and CEO Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso, the BAP said in a statement.

“Through the years, our agenda in the BAP is to seek better banking efficiency, through modernization that we now call digitalization, better fixed income, foreign exchange and derivatives markets, and safe and trustworthy banking.” Mr. Moncupa was quoted as saying in a BAP statement released on Monday. “These are necessary preconditions that improve commerce, create jobs, and increase economic output.”

Meanwhile, the BAP also reelected Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo as first vice-president, ING Bank N.V. Manila Managing Director and Country Manager Hans B. Sicat as second vice-president, and Security Bank Corp. President and CEO Sanjiv Vohra as secretary.

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) President and CEO Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco was elected as BAP’s new treasurer, succeeding UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista.

The industry group also welcomed representatives to its board of directors from BDO Unibank, Inc.; Bank of China; Bank of Commerce; BPI; China Banking Corp.; EastWest; ING Bank; JPMorgan Chase Bank; LANDBANK; Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.; MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.; Robinsons Bank Corp.; Security Bank; and Standard Chartered Bank.

“We proactively worked closely with banking regulators and government agencies, media groups, and social media personalities to keep the public informed and educated on the latest trends and developments in cybersecurity,” BAP Managing Director Benjamin P. Castillo said.

He said local banks have issued $1.15 billion in green, social and sustainability bonds to encourage the financing of these kinds of projects.

“Incorporating sustainability shall promote long-term economic growth and development, which ultimately helps improve the quality of life of the Filipino people and ensure ecological integrity in the country,” he added.

The BAP is an industry group of commercial and universal banks consisting of 45 local and foreign lenders. — Tobias Jared Tomas

Aboitiz InfraCapital allots P1.4B for Cebu expansion

ABOITIZ InfraCapital, Inc. said that it is allotting P1.4 billion to expand its West Cebu Estate (WCE) in Balamban, Cebu.

The infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz group said it would develop 39 hectares of the total 540-hectare estate. Once completed, it is expected to generate an additional 14,000 jobs by 2024.

“The province of Cebu is well-positioned to welcome foreign and local investors as they look for high-growth areas that can support their businesses — given its strategic location, skilled population, lower cost of doing business and a well-established ecosystem of infrastructure,” Cebu Industrial Park Developers, Inc. President and Head of Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates Rafael P. Fernandez de Mesa said in a statement on Monday.

The expansion will host more industrial locators in the province and include the diversification of WCE’s locator mix to include light to medium manufacturing.

The company quoted Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Charito B. Plaza as saying that the expansion will spur economic growth through the creation of livelihood opportunities.

“By giving jobs to our people, we are not just increasing their buying power, we will be creating a multiplier effect that will see more businesses growing along with the demands of the people. PEZA’s plan is for all LGUs to have ecozones, which will be an economic driver to grow smart towns, digital cities, leading to new metropolitan regions in all areas,” she said.

WCE hosts 11 locators from medium to heavy industries, and has complementary residential, commercial, and institutional components, with future development areas for commercial centers, dormitories, and residential communities.

It is owned and developed by Cebu Industrial Park Developers, which is a joint venture project of Aboitiz InfraCapital and Tsuneishi Holdings of Japan. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Hong Kong Dragons to compete in next Governors’ Cup

IN LINE with its partnership with the East Asia Super League (EASL), the PBA has opened its doors to the Bay Area Dragons of Hong Kong, China as a guest team in the next Governors’ Cup hostilities.

Players from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei and a foreign reinforcement will banner the Dragons as they duke it out with the country’s top pro clubs in the import-flavored competition of Season 47.

The Dragons will be the first squad from overseas to vie in the PBA since the UBC Thunderbirds and the US Mail and More Fil-Am Selection competed in the 2004 Fiesta Conference.

“It’s a great opportunity for the PBA to have the Hong Kong Dragons compete here,” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said during yesterday’s Zoom presscon with EASL CEO Matt Bayer and CFO Henry Kerins. “Not just income-wise, it also helps us in terms of creating awareness and drawing more fans, especially from the Chinese community.”

The Dragons will be based in Manila from August to around March 2023 as they see action in the Governors’ Cup as well as EASL’s inaugural tournament kicking off in October.

Like the Greater China representative Dragons, two PBA teams, to be picked in a lottery involving the top four finishers of the Philippine Cup, will plunge the EASL as the pro league’s bets.

Mr. Marcial said the 12 PBA clubs, including the franchise that will eventually take over from Alaska, will be in a win-win situation having the Chinese opponent in the Governors’ Cup.

“It will work both ways. They will learn from us, we will learn from them. They will see the Philippine style of basketball and we will see how the Chinese plays,” said Mr. Marcial.

While in the Philippines, the Dragons will be open to playing Gilas Pilipinas in scrimmages, according to Mr. Bayer.

“We can work that out,” said Mr. Bayer. “Let’s get Gilas better and let’s make a huge commercial impact as well. Let’s keep giving fans what they want, which is more exciting basketball after this horrible pandemic.” — Olmin Leyba

Entertainment News (03/22/22)

Mackie Empuerto — FACEBOOK.COM/THETNTBOYS/

Liway on YouTube

KIP Oebanda’s film Liway is now streaming on the filmmaker’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVzF8xqctco). Based on the director’s childhood, the film follows a young boy named Dakip who grew up in a prison camp with his mother, anti-Marcos dissident Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, also known as Commander Liway. It stars Glaiza de Castro as Liway, Dominic Roco as Commander Toto, and Kenken Nuyad as the young Dakip. The film is on view until April.

Documentary on life after Franco

IN 1977, Spain passed an amnesty law that has come to be known as “the pact of forgetting.” It prohibits the prosecution of any crime against humanity committed during the 40-year dictatorship of General Francisco Franco for the sake of the country’s healing. But for much of the population, there is no peace in silence. From March 25 to 27, the Dokyu Power Documentary Film Festival will screen for free a film about the struggle of the victims and their families and their groundbreaking international lawsuit to fight “the pact of forgetting.” Entitled The Silence of Others, the film is a cautionary tale about fascism and the dangers of forgetting the past. It is executive produced by Pedro Almodóvar and directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar. Filmed over six-years, The Silence of Others tells the story of people like José María Galante, who lives meters away from the man who tortured him. It also features the stories of families desperate to recover the bodies of their loved ones from thousands of mass graves across Spain. They are blocked by their own government from doing so. In addition to murders, forced disappearances and torture, babies belonging to opponents’ families were kidnapped to be given to political supporters. Tens of thousands of parents continue to search for their children. The Silence of Others has won more the 40 international prizes, including the 2019 Goya for Best Feature Documentary, two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Panorama Audience Award and Peace Film Prize at the Berlinale. Best Feature Documentary for the 2019 Academy Awards.  Screening is free via MOOV by Cinema Centenario. It may be accessed at cinemacentenario.com/dokyu-power. The Dokyu Power Documentary Film Festival kicked off on Feb. 25 and runs until April 9. A Q&A with the film directors will also be presented by the organizers on March 25, from 8 to 8:30 p.m., on the festival’s Facebook page (facebook.com/DaangDokyu).

Family issues, marital woes tackled in public service show

JULIUS Babao and Christine Bersola-Babao are now hosting their own show, Julius & Tintin: Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino, on Cignal TV’s One PH channel. It is a daily public service program where the couple give advice on relationship problems, starting from simple misunderstandings to the most complicated issues that parents and partners go through. The hosts are ready to discuss various issues in love, life, relationships, as well as their personal experience as parents, with the help of guest experts. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 4 p.m. Tintin Bersola-Babao also teaches viewers how to budget and manage their finances on her show, Mag-badyet Tayo!, every Monday to Friday at 10 a.m. Julius Babao co-anchors the news program Frontline Pilipinas every day at 5:30 p.m.

Family Feud returns to GMA

THE Filipino franchise of Family Feud returns to GMA Network, again hosted by actor Dingdong Dantes. Directed by Treb Monteras, the game show features two families of four as they try to outsmart each other in guessing the most popular answers to survey questions. The winning team takes home P100,000 plus another P100,000 if they win in the jackpot round. Meanwhile, the losing team receives P50,000. Viewers will also get a chance to win cash prizes while watching through the “Guess to Win” promo, which is open to all Filipinos aged 18 years old and above and currently residing in the country. Participants must watch Family Feud and wait for any of three questions that will be flashed on the screen. All entries must be submitted to the website www.gmanetwork.com/FamilyFeudGuessToWin. Entries must be submitted during the airing of the show to be qualified for the electronic raffle. There will be five winners of P20,000 each per episode. Weekly winners will be posted on the program’s social media accounts. Family Feud airs from Monday to Friday at 5:45 p.m. before 24 Oras on GMA.

TNT Boys’ Mackie Empuerto tackles classic song

MACKIE Empuerto, one of the trio called TNT Boys, breathes new life into the Ryan Cayabyab classic “Can This Be Love,” his first single as a solo artist. A Smokey Mountain original, “Can This Be Love” talks about young love. Marvin Querido arranged and produced the remake under TNT Records. Coinciding with the launch of his single, the 16-year-old singer also signed a contract with ABS-CBN Music, TNT Records, and Polaris Entertainment. Mr. Empuerto was a finalist in Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids which led to his joining the TNT Boys. Aside from music, he also ventured into acting and won Best Child Actor of the Year at the Urduja Film Festival 2019 for the movie Bakwit Boys. He will continue to be a member of TNT Boys.

World Autism Awareness Day film screenings

TO HELP mark World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, a diverse selection of internationally and critically acclaimed films that share stories on the condition will be screened on select Wednesdays of April. The line-up was curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. The films are: documentary Best Kept Secret (2013) about a special education teacher in a New Jersey high school helping her graduating students with special needs reach their full potential and find their place in the real world (April 6); Life, Animated (2016), a coming-of-age documentary on how the magic of animated Disney movies serve as a language to express love, loss and brotherhood and aid a family reconnect with their son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three (April 20); and,  The Reason I Jump (2020), based on the best-selling biography by Naoki Higashida, a Japanese non-verbal person with autism (April 27). The free and public online screenings will be conducted via Zoom at noon on the scheduled dates. To register, e-mail mcad@benilde.edu.ph. For more information, visit the official Facebook page of MCAD (https://www.facebook.com/MCADManila).

1...6,1366,1376,138...13,727Page 6,137 of 13,727
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube