Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 6209

Pilmico launches hog feed brand to boost production

PILMICO Foods Corp. announced on Thursday that it launched an improved hog feed brand to help boost swine farmers’ production.

“Elite XP was revamped to provide a better nutrition solution for hogs as an answer to the continued threats to swine health. The leveled-up formulation contains new features,” the Aboitiz group’s food and agribusiness unit said in a media release.

Among the improvements are an immuno-growth factor and Piglet+ Technology, designed to strengthen the health and improve the growth of pigs and optimize breeder pigs’ full genetic potential.

“With Elite XP’s new formula that helps speed up the efficient growth and productivity of pigs, Pilmico aims to thrust the recovery of the swine industry and help swine farmers meet the country’s high demand for pork,” it added.

Pilmico Assistant Vice-President of Nutrition and Research Joana J. Pequiro said that this project is part of the firm’s initiative to push for food security in the country.

“To continue delivering our mission to feed humanity, Pilmico is committed to being at the forefront of transforming our products and services and helping our partners in the swine industry to reach their full potential. This is one of the many initiatives we have in store as we continue on our mission to achieve a sustainable and food-secure country,” she said.

Pilmico comprises four divisions: flour, feeds, farms, and trading. It has more than 29 facilities, including flour and feed mills, pig farms and a meat-cutting facility across nine Asia-Pacific countries. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Tokyo medalist Sanchez wants to represent PHL in Paris Games

OLYMPIC swimmer Kayla Sanchez — HANDOUT PHOTO

PHILIPPINE sports have a sad, heartbreaking fate of some of its national athletes searching for greener pasture to represent other countries like chess player Wesley So and, most recently, golfer Yuka Saso.

So when a Canadian tanker with full Filipino lineage who snared silver and bronze medals in last year’s Tokyo Olympics decided to leave Toronto and represent the Motherland, the country should celebrate.

Meet Kayla Sanchez.

“It was a difficult decision, but in the end, I’m proud to be Filipino,” said Ms. Sanchez in on Thursday briefer at the PhilSports Complex that was attended by Philippine Swimming, Inc. (PSI) president Lani Velasco.

“If I’m able to inspire young kids and Filipinos in general just to start swimming, it just means a lot to me,” she added.

Ms. Sanchez, who was part of the Canadian team that copped the 4×100-meter freestyle relay silver and 4x100m medley relay bronze in the Tokyo Games, however, would have to fulfill numerous requirements including the minimum 12-month residency and approval from the International Swimming Federation or FINA for her to officially don the national colors.

So if she could surpass all the hurdles, the most Ms. Sanchez could represent the country is in July next year, in time for the 2024 Paris Games where she hopes to deliver the country’s first swimming medal since legendary Teofilo Yldefonso captured a 200m breaststroke bronze in Los Angeles 90 years ago.

“While PSI has always been intent on developing grassroots talent, PSI welcomes with open arms any Filipino based overseas who wishes to represent the Philippines as this is their right,” said Ms. Velasco, who relentlessly pursued Ms. Sanchez to transfer since 2017.

“Pride for country is not exclusive to those who remain in the Philippines. In fact, we celebrate each and every Filipino all over the world who raises our flag and brings honor to our country,” she added.

Ms. Velasco also had Swimming Canada and Ms. Sanchez’s parents Noel and Susana, who trace their roots from Mabalacat, Pampanga and Bicol, respectively, to thank for.

“Our gratitude goes to Swimming Canada, first of all, for being able to develop Kayla into the successful swimmer that she is today. The environment and resources made available to Kayla in Canada all these years certainly played an important role in making her who she is. More importantly, we thank Swimming Canada for agreeing to Kayla’s request for her to transfer to the Philippines,” said Ms. Velasco.

“Thank you to Kayla’s father Noel and mother Susana. The whole nation sends its thanks.” — Joey Villar

SC affirms P51-M canceled tax assessment on Unisys

THE Philippine Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the cancellation of the tax assessment on Unisys Public Sector Services Corp. worth P51.19 million representing its erroneously paid value-added tax (VAT) for three quarters in 2009 and three quarters of 2010.

In an 11-page resolution dated June 15 and made public on July 6, The High Court said the commissioner of internal revenue’s (CIR) appeal only “rehashed” its arguments rejected by the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).

The High Court noted that the CIR’s petition was denied for lack of merit.

“It is worth noting that the CTA division and the CTA en banc were on in finding that respondent made an overpayment of VAT in the amount of P51.19 million and is entitled to the refund of the same,” according to the tribunal’s ruling.

The CTA previously ruled that the company had failed to take into account the 7% standard input tax mandated by the country’s revenue code. Its actual sales for the six quarters were lower than the standard input tax rate.

The company is a VAT-registered domestic corporation engaged in manufacturing and supplying computer hardware and other information technology solutions to government agencies.

CIR, the petitioner, argued that the company failed to comply with the requirements for the claim for a refund.

The High Court disagreed with the argument, as it said the nonsubmission of supporting documents is not fatal to the taxpayer’s judicial claim for a VAT refund.

It added that the CIR did not present proof that it required the company to submit additional documents and likewise cannot claim that the taxpayer failed to comply with the requirements.

“The law accords the claimant sufficient latitude to determine the completeness of his submission because, in the first place, he bears the burden of proving his entitlement to a tax refund or credit,” said the court. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Navarro signs with Seoul Samsung Thunders in KBL

GILAS Pilipinas cadet Will Navarro — FIBA

GILAS Pilipinas cadet and Ateneo product Will Navarro became the latest local to take his talents abroad, signing with Seoul Samsung Thunders in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).

The team already announced the acquisition in a press release on Thursday to Korean news outlets, according to local sports site Jumpball, though terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mr. Navarro, 25, is expected to join the club after the Gilas’ stint in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup slated for July 12-24 in Indonesia.

He posted averages of 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in his last UAAP year in Season 82 when Ateneo completed a three-peat highlighted by a perfect 16-0 season.

The 6-foot-6 forward was then selected by NorthPort in the special Gilas round of the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft that led to his consecutive national team stints.

Mr. Navarro played in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Southeast Asian Games and the ongoing FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

In Korea, he is anticipated to contribute for the struggling Thunders following their dismal 9-45 campaign at last place last season.

Mr. Navarro followed the path of SJ Belangel (Daegu KOGAS Pegasus), RJ Abarrientos (Ulsan Mobis Phoebus), Justin Gutang (Changwon LG Sakers), and Ethan Alvano (Wonju DB Promy), who will strut their staff in Korea under the Asian Player Quota program staring in the 2022-2023 Season.

Other local talents stamping their class overseas are Dwight Ramos, Kiefer Ravena, Thirdy Ravena, Ray Parks, Jr., Kobe Paras and Jordan Heading, who are all in the Japan B.League.

Javi Gomez de Liaño (Philippine Basketball Association), Kemark Cariño (PBA D-League), and Juan Gomez de Liaño (PBA D-League) had also played in Japan before coming home this year. — John Bryan Ulanday

Bill granting 15 days’ paid leave for workers on caregiver duty refiled

A BILL has been refiled in the Senate guaranteeing 15 days’ paid leave to public and private sector workers who have to serve as caregivers to relatives.

Senate Bill (SB) 24 or the proposed Family and Medical Leave Act of 2022, is based on SB 303, which filed in the 18th Congress but did not become law.

“Many workers cannot afford to take unpaid time off work to provide care for their ailing child, parent or immediate family members. Family caregivers face financial, physical and emotional hardships, and in many cases their careers, incomes, and retirement security suffer because of their family responsibilities,” Senator Ramon B. Revilla, Jr. said in a statement accompanying the bill.

Under the bill, eligible employees include those who have performed at least 1,250 hours of service for a minimum of a year. However, it excludes any worker employed at an organization with less than 50 workers.

Eligible for paid family and medical leave are any worker, regardless of status, if any family member suffers from serious illness. The leave policy also applies to a worker who is rendered physically incapable of performing work.

The application must be accompanied by a notarized medical certificate duly accomplished by a physician. If the employer objects, the employee may obtain, at the expense of the employer, a second opinion from another healthcare provider with no links to the employer.

The returning employer must enjoy the same pay, benefits and work conditions as before.

The unused portion of the 15 days may not be carried over into the succeeding year. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Century Pacific ventures into fish-free tuna

CENTURY Pacific Food, Inc. released its latest innovation in plant-based alternatives — unMEAT fish-free tuna.

For the company, the launch of the new alternative will leverage its might in developing leading tuna products. It is said to be made with 100% plant-based ingredients: non-GMO soy, natural oils, and flavors.

“Much of the focus in the industry has been on meat alternatives. On the other hand, seafood alternatives remain a wide-open space where we see pent-up demand from consumers looking for healthier and more sustainable options at an accessible price,” Century Pacific’s Chief Operating Officer Gregory Francis H. Banzon said.

Since 2021, the company has been rolling out its shelf-stable plant-based alternatives with its unMEAT luncheon meat line and unCHEESE dairy alternative.

Century Pacific disclosed that within two months of its launch, unMEAT fish-free tuna has gained distribution in over 500 retail outlets in the United States, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates, where it is carried in retail giant Carrefour.

The company reported that in a recent survey conducted in the US by a third-party market research firm, its tuna alternative significantly won over leading plant-based tuna brands in the country.

“We’re currently working on increasing its retail footprint in key markets abroad,” said Mr. Banzon.

Century Pacific launched unMEAT in 2020 in response to the expanding consumer preference for “healthier, better-for-you, and better-for-the-planet food choices.”

The company goes by the philosophy that eating plant-based food should be easy, thus offerings are made and priced as close as possible to their real meat and seafood counterparts.

unMEAT began with an institutional rollout domestically through Shakey’s Pizza and was immediately followed up with a retail launch across major supermarkets nationwide.

At present, unMEAT is being distributed in the UAE, United States, China, Australia, and Singapore.

Century Pacific Food is one of the country’s largest branded food and beverage companies. It is primarily engaged in the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of processed marine, meat, milk, coconut, plant-based, and pet products.

In the stock market, Century Pacific ended lower by 0.62% or 15 centavos ending at P24 apiece. — Justine Irish DP. Tabile

‘Breaking through the noise’

KARGO by TM Malones

Cinemalaya brings back full-length films, onsite screenings

THE 2022 CINEMALAYA Independent Film Festival returns with onsite screenings of full-length and short feature films competing for the Balanghai Award and cash prizes.

The 18th edition, which carries the theme “Cinemalaya: Breaking Through the Noise,” will feature 11 full-length films and 12 short features from August 5 to 14.

“One of the saddest things to happen in the festival, which had no options other than going online, was the absence of the new full-length competition films. But now, the good news is, two years later, we have the finished films meant for showing in 2021 and 2022,” Laurice Guillen, president of Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc., said in a video shown at a press conference at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) on July 6.

The full-length films in this year’s competition were the finalists selected for the 2020 and 2021 editions of the film festival. However, pandemic restrictions delayed film production.

In his speech, Chris B. Millado, former CCP vice president and artistic director and Cinemalaya festival director, referred to filmmakers as culture-bearers “cutting through noise” (referencing the film festival’s theme) of social media, revised histories, misinformation and disinformation, personal anxieties, and international goings-on.

“How do we cut through these [stories] … — the genuinely discreet, unique voices of our filmmakers and artists who collaborated in this year’s batch of Cinemalaya,” Mr. Millado said.

The 11 full-length films in this year’s film festival are:

• 12 Weeks by Anna Isabelle Matutina, about a 40-year-old woman who finds out she is pregnant a few weeks after ending a romantic relationship;

• Angkas by Rain Yamson, about two estranged friends rebuilding their relationship while traveling together to retrieve the body of a deceased friend;

• Bakit ’Di Mo Sabihin? by Real S. Florido, about a deaf couple struggling to keep their marriage;

• Batsoy by Ronald Espinosa Batallones, about two young siblings in a fantastical adventure to satiate their craving for batsoy;

• Blue Room by Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagńalan, about young musicians who get arrested for possession of illegal drugs;

• Bula Sa Langit by Sheenly Gener, about a soldier who comes home from a siege and finds himself faced with a different battle;

• Ginhawa by Christian Paolo Lat, about an aspiring boxer who gets exposed to the sport’s grim reality while in training;

• Kaluskos by Roman S. Perez, Jr. about a single mother fighting for her child’s custody;

• Kargo by TM Malones, about a woman who seeks revenge from the man who killed her family;

• Retirada by Milo Alto Paz and Cynthia Cruz-Paz, about a retired government employee whose new hobby leads her to desperation and financial problems; and

• The Baseball Player by Carlo Obispo, about a Moro child soldier who dreams of becoming a baseball player in the midst of war.

The 12 short films, meanwhile, were praised by director Jose Javier Reyes, main competition and monitoring chair of the Cinemalaya: “This year was an exceptional batch which only proved that nitong pandemiya [ay] nahasa at na-develop (the pandemic trained and developed) the art of short filmmaking. … For the first time, the entire archipelago is represented by these short films.”

“This also opens an impetus that we should really encourage and develop our regional filmmakers because they are as Filipino as Filipino can get,” he added, noting that only two films were shot in the National Capital Region (NCR). 

The short films in the main competition are:

• Ampangabagat nin Talakba ha Likol (It’s Raining Frogs Outside) by Maria Estela Paiso;

• Black Rainbow by Zig Dulay;

• City of Flowers by Xeph Suarez;

• Dikit by Gabriela Serrano;

• Distance by Dexter Paul de Jesus;

• Duwa-Duwa by Nena Jana Achacoso;

• Kwits by Raz de la Torre;

• Mata Kang Busay by Nińo B. Maldecir and Cypher John T. Gayorgor;

• Mga Handum nga Nasulat sa Baras (The Dreams that are Written in the Sand) by Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico;

• See You, George! by Mark Moneda;

• Si Oddie by Maria Kydylee Torato; and

• Roundtrip to Happiness by Claudia Fernando.

The competing films will be screened in CCP venues from Aug. 5 to 14; in partner cinemas from Aug. 10 to 17; in regional theaters from Aug. 22 to 29; and online via the CCP’s Vimeo account from Oct. 17 to 31.

OTHER ACTIVITIES
The film festival will open on Aug. 5 with the 2022 Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize Winner Leonor Will Never Die written and directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar. Starring Sheila P. Francisco, the film follows a retired screenwriter who falls in a coma and finds herself as the protagonist of her unfinished screenplay.

The film festival will close with two documentaries: Karl Malakunas’s Delikado about illegal logging in Palawan; and Stafanos Tai’s We Don’t Dance for Nothing about the lives of overseas Filipino workers during the protests in Hong Kong.

One of the film festival’s major components is the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video which gathers the best films which will compete in categories such as Short Feature/Narrative, Experimental, Documentary and Animation. Finalists from the different categories will be screened from Aug. 6 to 8 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde and will be awarded on Aug. 13.

Meanwhile, the Cinemalaya Awards Night for the main full-length films will be held on Aug. 14 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

According to Mr. Millado, the film festival will open a new category for documentaries in 2023.

Since 2005, Cinemalaya has supported and promoted the production of Filipino full feature independent films and short films. Various films have won awards in local and international competitions and festivals. Cinemalaya has since showcased over 1,000 works by independent filmmakers.

For the past two years, the independent film festival held online screenings of competing short features and exhibition films. Last year, it sold 3,800 online tickets (worth P800,000) during its four-week run. 

For more information, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites and social media pages. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

SSC-R Lady Stags eye Final Four slot

SAN Sebastian College Lady Stags — SYNERGY/GMA NETWORK, INC

SAN SEBASTIAN College – Recoletos (SSC-R) shoots an outright Final Four while Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), San Beda and José Rizal University (JRU) fight for dear life in NCAA Season 97 volleyball at the Paco Arena.

The Lady Stags (5-2) will battle the Lady Pirates (3-4) at 2:30 p.m. while the Lady Red Spikers (2-5) and the Lady Bombers (3-4) tackle each other at 12 p.m. with all four eyeing exactly the same thing — a Final Four spot.

Powered by super rookie Katherine Santos’ career-high 24-hit explosion, SSC-R clawed its way from a deep hole and eked out a 25-21, 23-25, 30-32, 25-23, 15-13 win over San Beda on Tuesday to inch a step closer to the semis.

If it wins, SSC-R will join College of St. Benilde (7-0) and Arellano University (7-1) there.

Ms. Santos, who leads the league in scoring with an average of 18.2 points a game, is expected to be the focal point of the Lady Stags’ attack while Reyann Cañete continued to struggle.

Ms. Cañete has normed just six points in SSC-R’s last two games after once leading the league in the scoring category with an 19-hit average.

SSC-R coach Roger Gorayeb is hoping that their every win will boost his charges’ low confidence.

Also eyeing semis entry are San Beda and JRU, both of which are desperate to sweep their remaining two games to stay alive. — Joey Villar

Supreme Court upholds mayor’s authority to order disciplinary action vs council employee

THE Supreme Court (SC) said it overturned a Court of Appeals ruling that had nullified the suspension of a Valenzuela City council employee charged with sexual harassment.

The SC decision came in the form of a granted appeal which had been filed by former Valenzuela City mayor and now Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian.

In a 13-page decision dated March 16 and made public on July 6, the court’s Second Division ruled that as mayor, Mr. Gatchalian had the authority to discipline Romeo V. Urrutia, the former chairman of the employee cooperative of the city council.

“In fine, the Court of Appeals (CA) committed reversible error in dismissing Gatchalian’s petition on the basis that the city mayor had no power to discipline Urrutia and that only the vice-mayor has the sole jurisdiction to discipline Urrutia,” according to the ruling issued by Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando.

The CA affirmed a ruling of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) which said that Mr. Gatchalian had no power to issue the formal charge and preventive suspension order against the city council employee.

Under the Local Government Code of 1991, mayors may impose penalties they deem appropriate on subordinates and employees under their jurisdiction.

The case stemmed from a sexual harassment complaint filed by a female intern who was working in the Valenzuela City government in 2012.

On Feb. 15, 2012, Mr. Gatchalian issued an executive order creating a committee to investigate sexual harassment cases within the city government.

Based on the committee’s findings on the incident, he issued a formal charge of sexual harassment and ordered a 60-day preventive suspension on the employee.

Mr. Urrutia then appealed to the CSC, which ruled in his favor.

“The law is clear and explicit,” the High Court said. “There is legal basis for not reinstating Urrutia to his former position since Gatchalian, through the committee on sexual harassment cases, had jurisdiction and authority to try the sexual harassment case against Urrutia.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Reserves inch down to $101.983B at end-June

THE COUNTRY’S dollar reserves inched down at end-June as the government paid its foreign currency debt obligations and amid a decline in the value of the central bank’s gold holdings. 

Preliminary data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) — which shield the country from liquidity shocks — stood at $101.983 billion at end-June.

This is 1.6% lower than the $103.646 billion recorded at end-May and by 3.5% from the record $105.762-billion level seen as of June 2021.

The BSP sees the country’s reserves ending the year at $105 billion.

“The month-on-month decrease in the GIR level reflected mainly the National Government’s payments of its foreign currency debt obligations and downward adjustment in the value of the BSP’s gold holdings due to the decrease in the price of gold in the international market,” the central bank said. 

At the end-June level, the country’s GIR is enough to cover 8.5 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

It is also equivalent to about 7.3 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.6 times based on residual maturity.

GIR is made up of foreign investments, gold, foreign exchange, the country’s reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and special drawing rights (SDR).

The BSP’s gold holdings were valued at $8.94 billion as of end-June, a 1% decline from the $9.03 billion as of end-May. Still, this was 0.68% higher than the $8.88-billion level a year earlier.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a Viber message that the lower value of the government’s foreign investments by the government amid the sell-off in the global stock and bond markets also caused GIR to decrease.

The BSP’s foreign investments amounted to $85.66 billion at end-June, down 2.6% from $87.95 billion in the prior month and by 7.11% from the $92.22 billion seen a year ago.

Meanwhile, the level of foreign exchange reserves rose by 34.89% to $2.83 billion at end-June from $2.098 billion as of May, and was 6.79% higher than the $2.65 billion seen last year.

Our reserve position in the IMF was at $755.9 million, down 1.61% from $768.3 million the month prior and by 5.32% from the $798.4 million logged a year ago.

SDRs were, meanwhile, at $3.8 billion as of June, steady from the previous month but more than double the $1.22 billion seen a year prior.

Mr. Ricafort said the decline in the GIR “somewhat correlated” with the peso’s decline versus the dollar in recent months.

“Nevertheless, GIR is still equivalent to 8.5 months of imports or still way above the minimum international threshold of 3-4 months and could still provide enough buffer/support versus any speculations versus the peso,” Mr. Ricafort added. — KBT

Bank avails of P7.52-B rediscount loan

BW FILE PHOTO

A LONE BANK tapped the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) peso rediscount window in June after the facility was left untouched last month.

A universal bank took out a P7.52-billion loan from the BSP’s peso rediscount facility in June, data from the central bank showed. This followed its P4.08-billion loan in April.

The lender’s two loans made up the P11.6 billion in total availments made under the peso rediscount window for the first semester.

In 2021, lenders only tapped the facility in June, July, and September. These peso rediscount loans amounted to P6.12 million.

“These availments are secured by the bank’s credit instruments arising from Commercial and Other Credits, as authorized under Section 282 of the Manual of Regulations for Banks,” the BSP said.

“Other Credits, comprising 97.72% of the total availments, represent the rediscount of loans that financed capital asset expenditures while the remaining 2.28%, under Commercial Credits, represent the rediscount of loans that funded importation activities.”

Meanwhile, the Exporters’ Dollar and Yen Rediscount Facility (EDYRF) remained untapped last month. The last time an availment was made under the EDYRF was a dollar rediscounting loan in 2016, the BSP said.

The BSP’s rediscount window gives banks access to additional money supply by posting their collectibles from clients as collateral.

In turn, banks may use the cash — denominated in peso, dollar or yen — to extend more loans to their corporate or retail clients and service unexpected withdrawals.

Bank lending growth was at a two-year high in May as economic activity continued to recover and as borrowers secured financing amid rising interest rates, with liquidity also sustaining its expansion.

Latest data from the BSP showed outstanding loans by big banks, net of reverse repurchase placements with the central bank, rose by 10.7% in May to P9.97 trillion in the same month last year.

This was the fastest growth in lending seen in 24 months or since the 11.2% expansion logged in May 2020.

As lending growth continued to pick up, domestic liquidity expanded by 6.9% to P15.3 trillion in May. This was slower than the revised 7.2% growth in March.

JULY RATES
For July, the applicable rate for peso rediscount loans will be at 3.3969% for 90 loan maturity days, and at 3.7938% for 91-180 days. 

Meanwhile, dollar borrowings will be priced at 4.68204% (1-90 days), 5.07894% (91-180 days), 5.87274% (181-360 days).

Yen-dominated borrowings will be priced at 2.3658% (1-90 days), 2.7627% (91-180 days), 3.5565% (181-360 days). — K.B. Ta-asan

Pilipinas Shell offers EV charging, carbon offset program

PILIPINAS Shell Petroleum Corp. launched Thursday its electric vehicle (EV) charging service in the country that it described as the first of its kind on local expressways.

It also started offering what it calls nature-based solutions (NBS) carbon offset service for drivers, specifically its B2B fleet customers.

“Shell is rapidly becoming the Philippines’ leading mobility company and this launch is a testament to the range of its offer to motorists,” said Istvan Kapitany, global executive vice-president for Shell Mobility, in a media release.

He said the offerings are among the company’s drive to reduce carbon emissions and cater to a growing number of customers with fast-changing needs.

Pilipinas Shell said both initiatives mark its drive “toward decarbonizing mobility by helping customers in avoiding, reducing, and compensating for carbon emissions, as well as its transformation toward becoming the mobility destination of choice for motorists.”

EV charging, called Shell Recharge, and the carbon offset service are part of the steps that Pilipinas Shell is doing to lower its carbon footprint.

Shell Recharge will initially be available in Shell Mamplasan in Biñan City, Laguna starting this month and will be rolled out to more Shell Mobility stations within the next 12 months.

The carbon offset service will be available in 15 sites, including Shell Mamplasan by this month, with a target of 100 sites by yearend.

Shell Recharge comes with two EV charging points with CCS2 connectors allowing two vehicles to charge simultaneously.

With a 180 kilowatt-hour charger, an average EV vehicle can recharge to optimal battery charge levels in just 30 minutes. This varies per vehicle type and their respective battery management systems.

For the carbon offset service, customers can opt to compensate the equivalent carbon emissions from their fuel purchase for an additional service fee per liter.

The total number of liters bought with carbon offsets by customers are then assigned the equivalent carbon credits from Shell’s independently verified global portfolio of afforestation, reforestation, and conservation projects. These carbon credits are then retired by Shell on behalf of the customer.

“By being the first Shell market in Asia to offer this particular service to everyday customers, Pilipinas Shell underscores its commitment to continue powering progress to achieve a more sustainable future,” said Pilipinas Shell Country Head Lorelie Quiambao-Osial.

“These two new low-emission energy solutions encapsulate what Pilipinas Shell means when we say sustainability. It’s about providing energy in a responsible manner to our consumers so that we can minimize the impact we make on the environment while achieving a lower-carbon future,” she added.

1...6,2086,2096,210...14,264Page 6,209 of 14,264
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube