ZURICH — The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday a clinical trial in 52 countries would study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
“These therapies — artesunate, imatinib and infliximab — were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” it said in a statement on the Solidarity PLUS trial.
The trial involves thousands of researchers at more than 600 hospitals, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing from Geneva.
Finland is one of the first countries to enroll patients in the Solidarity PLUS trial, he added.
“There are many variants, and all variants can appear anywhere on the planet. And so having so many sites in so many different countries and regions will help us get to these answers as fast as possible,” said Marie Pierre Preziosi, co-lead of the research and development blueprint at the WHO.
Artesunate is already used for severe malaria, imatinib for certain cancers, and infliximab for diseases of the immune system such as Crohn’s Disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The WHO warned countries to come together to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus and urged equitable access to essential countermeasures.
“At the current trajectory, we could pass 300 million reported cases early next year. But we can change that. We’re all in this together, but the world is not acting like it,” Mr. Tedros said.
The WHO last week called for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.
The original Solidarity trial last year found that all four treatments evaluated — remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon — had little or no effect in helping COVID patients. The WHO expects final results from this trial next month.
So far, only corticosteroids have been proven effective against severe and critical COVID-19.
The WHO said artesunate, produced by Ipca, is used to treat malaria. In the trial, it will be administered intravenously for seven days, using the standard dose recommended for the treatment of severe malaria.
Imatinib, produced by Novartis, is used to treat certain cancers. In the trial, it will be administered orally, once daily, for 14 days.
Infliximab, produced by Johnson and Johnson, is used to treat diseases of the immune system. In the trial, it will be administered intravenously as a single dose. — Reuters
ONE world strawweight champion Joshua Pacio of the Philippines is keenly eyeing the fight between Miao Li Tao of China and Alex Silva of Brazil at ONE: Battleground II on Friday. — ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
ONE Championship’s “Battleground II” event happens on Friday in Singapore and one individual keenly eyeing it is reigning world strawweight champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
Mr. Pacio, 25, is particularly interested in the co-main event featuring fellow strawweights Miao Li Tao of China and Alex Silva of Brazil who are in pursuit of having the title that the Team Lakay stalwart has.
Messrs. Miao and Silva collide in a three-round contest which could determine who Mr. Pacio faces next.
The Filipino champion sees an exciting fight in Battleground II but thinks the outcome leans more on the side of former world champion Mr. Silva.
“The fight between Miao Li Tao and Alex Silva is surely a thrilling bout. Miao is a very aggressive and explosive athlete, but Alex on the other hand is very dangerous, especially on the ground,” Mr. Pacio said.
He was speaking based on experience since his last title defense in January 2020 was against Mr. Silva where he was given a tough time before winning by split decision.
“I learned a lot when I faced Alex last year. He’s always a dangerous opponent and I think if we’d face each other again, I’d have to show more aggression, much loaded striking, and I’d throw a lot of combinations to be able to eke out a decisive win,” he said.
While Mr. Pacio has not fought since he faced Mr. Silva, he said he has been staying active and continuously working on his game.
“The wait continues, but as I wait, I’m continuously improving. I’m very excited and I cannot wait to get back inside the ONE Circle to show how well I have improved,” he said.
Mr. Pacio (17-3) went on to say that the strawweight division has shored up with quality challengers from the field, but he expressed his readiness to take on all comers.
“ONE’s strawweight division just got more stacked because of the athletes’ constant improvement and them continuing to level up their game. They’re all very hungry and with that, the competition just gets tougher and tougher,” he said.
“This is the reason why we are more motivated to train and get better every day.”
ONE: Battleground II is headlined by Mr. Pacio’s teammate Eduard “Landslide” Folayang against ONE-debuting Zhang Leping of China.
It can be seen over One Sports at 9 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
THE Petro Gazz Angels are the third-place winners at the PVL Open Conference, beating the Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
— PVL MEDIA BUREAU
THE PETRO Gazz Angels bagged third place at the Premier Volleyball League(PVL) Open Conference after completing a sweep of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in their best-of-three series with a straight sets win in Game Two on Thursday.
Petro Gazz struggled early against Choco Mucho, which decided to rest its starters for much of the game, but when it got its footing was not to be denied the shutout win, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21, at the PCV Socio-Civic & Cultural Center in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.
Myla Pablo once again showed the way for the Angels in the win with 17 points, followed by Grethcel Soltones with seven and Seth Rodriguez with six points.
Veteran setter Chie Saet had 15 excellent sets to go along with four points.
Angels coach Arnold Laniog said while the ultimate goal was to win a championship, still to come up with a podium finish was satisfying from their end, seeing how the players really committed from the “bubble” training all the way to the tournament itself.
“This was all worth the sacrifice and hardships that the players went through. This was a totally different experience where they were challenged not only physically, but also mentally,” Mr. Laniog said in Filipino after their Game Two win.
The third-place finish ended for Petro Gazz a campaign in the PVL bubble where it wound up fourth after the elimination round with a 6-3 record before losing to the Creamline Cool Smashers, 2-0, in their best-of-three semifinals series.
For Choco Mucho, which played its seventh straight game in as many days, it was Caitlyn Viray who top-scored with nine points, with Nicole Ebuen finishing with seven.
Starters Kat Tolentino, Bea De Leon and libero Denden Lazaro-Revilla were not fielded.
Captain Maddie Madayag, too, did not play after suffering a left knee injury in the series opener on Wednesday. Results of her MRI have yet to be made known as of this writing.
Choco Mucho finished the eliminations as the third seed with a 7-2 card and lost to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the semifinals.
Game Two of the best-of-three PVL Open Conference finals between Creamline and Chery Tiggo, meanwhile, was set for later on Thursday with the Cool Smashers leading the series, 1-0. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
LIONEL MESSI (center) at his presentation with Paris St.-Germain with Nasser Al-Khelaifi (left, President of PSG), and Leonardo Araújo (director of sporting of PSG). — REUTERS
PARIS — Lionel Messi dashed any thoughts of him taking it easy in his later years as he set his sights on leading new club Paris St.-Germain (PSG) to their first ever Champions League title at his presentation in France on Wednesday.
The Argentine forward, 34, had agreed to stay at former club Barcelona after his deal expired at the end of June, only for the Spanish club to admit they could no longer afford him last week.
He signed a two year deal with an option for a third with the Parisians on Tuesday.
PSG have hoovered up domestic titles since the investment of their deep-pocketed owners Qatar Sports Investment in 2011. However, they have never won the Champions League, while Messi has won it four times, the last one coming in 2015.
“That’s why I am here (to win trophies). It’s an ambitious club,” Messi, who will wear the No. 30 jersey — which was his first squad number in senior football at Barcelona in 2006, told a news conference.
“You can see they’re ready to fight for everything.
“My dream is to win another Champions League, and I think this is the ideal place to be to do that.”
The Argentine conceded he did not know when he would be able to make his debut given he has not played since winning the Copa America with his country last month.
“I’m coming back from holiday. I need a bit of a pre-season and get myself going. Hopefully, debuting can be soon, but I can’t give you a date. It’s up to the coaches.”
FRIENDS REUNITED Messi will join former Barça team mate Neymar in Paris.
The Brazilian left Catalonia for the French capital in a world record €222-million ($259.94 million) deal in 2017, however he never hid his desire to link up with his close friend once again on the pitch.
They will now line up together again, with Kylian Mbappé as the third member of a potent frontline.
“To be able to play with the likes of Neymar and Mbappé is insane. They’ve made so many good signings, I’m really happy and can’t wait to get started,” Messi added.
FAN CRAZE Eyebrows were raised as to how PSG could afford to sign Messi within UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. However, club chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was sat alongside Messi, insisted the deal was well within their economic scope.
“We are always attentive to Financial Fair Play. It’s the first thing we check with the commercial, financial and legal people to see if we can do it before signing someone,” he said. — Reuters
BELFAST — Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga came off the bench to make two shootout saves as Champions League winners Chelsea beat Spain’s Villarreal (6-5) on penalties to add the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Super Cup to their trophy collection on Wednesday.
Extra time had ended 1-1 at Belfast’s Windsor Park stadium, with Chelsea bringing on Kepa for Edouard Mendy in the final seconds in what turned out to be the game’s tactical master-stroke.
The freshest player on a field of tired legs saved first from Aissa Mandi at 1-1, after Kai Havertz had missed for Chelsea, and then made the winning stop at 6-5 when Villarreal captain and 2010 World Cup winner Raul Albiol hit the ball to the bottom left.
Mendy was one of the first to congratulate his team mate, with Chelsea lifting the trophy for a second time.
“It was certainly not spontaneous,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said of the goalkeeper switch.
“We had some statistics, we were well-prepared. Kepa is the best percentage in saving penalties. The analyzing guys, the goalkeeper coaches showed me the data and then we spoke with the players that this can happen.
“And since then they know and it’s fantastic how Edu accepts it,” added the German. “Kepa is better in this discipline and these guys are true team players.”
Mendy said he had no hard feelings at all. “Of course, I’m happy because we won,” the Senegal international told BT Sport television.
Hakim Ziyech had put Chelsea ahead in the 27th minute, sweeping in from 12 yards after a perfectly measured cross from Kai Havertz on the left.
The Morocco international, an unused substitute when Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in the Champions League final in Porto on May 29, then went off injured four minutes before the break following a collision with Juan Foyth.
Ziyech returned with his right arm in a sling to watch the rest of the match from the bench while Christian Pulisic took his place.
Villarreal, the Europa League holders with a noisy contingent of some 1,000 fans among the 13,000-strong crowd on a clear evening in Northern Ireland, hit the woodwork either side of half time.
Their equalizer came as no surprise in a lively match with several scoring chances squandered on both sides and both keepers making key saves.
Gerard Moreno — who scored against Manchester United before the Europa League final in Gdansk went to penalties — rescued Unai Emery’s side in the 73rd with a side-foot finish after a back-heel from Boulaye Dia.
It was Moreno’s eighth goal in his last nine European appearances for Villarreal.
“It was tough, 120 minutes,” said Tuchel. “We were very strong in the first 30-35 minutes and then we lost a bit easy balls after our goal… the equalizer was well-deserved.
“Right after we conceded the goal, we were very strong again, right until the end.”
Pulisic had a good chance in the 99th, the ball just running wide, while Mason Mount had a shot pushed out for a corner in the 108th.
Chelsea now turn their thoughts to the start of the Premier League season, and the imminent signing of striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan, with an opening match at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday. — Reuters
BRITAIN’S Justin Rose was named the recipient of the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour’s Payne Stewart Award on Wednesday, which honors a player for his character, sportsmanship and a commitment to charity.
Named after the three-time major champion Stewart, who died in a private plane crash in 1999, Rose will receive his award at a ceremony that will take place on Aug. 31 in conjunction with the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be associated with the enduring legacy of Payne Stewart through this award,” Rose said in a statement. “The Payne Stewart Award has become an annual celebration of Payne’s impact on the PGA Tour and its players.
“I am forever grateful to be connected to a man who was the consummate professional on and off the golf course and will cherish being a Payne Stewart Award recipient well after my playing days are over.”
A former-world number one, Olympic gold medalist and US Open champion, Rose is also respected for his charitable work.
In 2009, Rose and his wife Kate established their own foundation working with charities in South Africa, the United States, the Bahamas and England.
The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation (KJRF) has raised more than $3 million and provided more than 500,000 hunger-free weekends and more than 300,000 books to 29,000 children.
The charity has also partnered with “Blessings in a Backpack” to feed hungry children in the Orlando area and in 2019 after the devastation in the Bahamas from Hurricane Dorian, to help rebuild the Grand Bahamas Children’s Home.
“Justin Rose embodies everything the Payne Stewart Award represents,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Like Payne, he has been one of the premier players of his generation while using his platform to better the lives of those around him.” — Reuters
Dennis Schröder’s announcement on Instagram yesterday smacked of exuberance. “I’m proud to announce that for the 2021-22 season, I’ll be playing with the Boston Celtics,” he said, giving the distinct impression that he had angled for the development. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history and it will be an honor to put on the green and white and do what I love. I’m going out there every night and leaving it all on the floor for the city!! Who’s ready?!” Forget that the post actually had him in a green-and-black uniform and featured a black background with a couple of four-leaf clovers. Casual observers who didn’t know better would have pegged him as ecstatic.
In truth, shocked is the adjective that more aptly describes Schröder’s sentiment. After all, he could do no better than affix his Hancock on a $5.9-million taxpayer midlevel exception — a number that belied his previous pronouncements of his worth. And just to buttress the point, fans need only note that he saw fit to turn down a four-year, $84-million extension offer from the Lakers in March. That he couldn’t even get the full midlevel exception of $9.5 million in his free agency bid speaks volumes of the yawning gap between how he regards himself and how others regard him.
Perhaps Schröder would have attracted more suitors had he come up with a respectable showing during the Lakers’ one-and-done appearance in the playoffs. Instead, he got progressively worse as the first round progressed. And, for the most part, his uneven campaign, even in the regular season, exposed his breakthrough run with the Thunder in the previous season as the exception rather than the rule. He was good, transcendent even, as a sixth man for the lottery-bound blue and yellow, so it was but logical to expect him to thrive with stars of the purple and gold. Instead, his stock swooned.
Schröder’s experience provides a cautionary tale for players who overestimate their value. No doubt, he was likewise handicapped by wrong timing; despite his rejection of the Lakers’ initial overture, he still could have been primed for a return had the dominos not fallen the way they did. Once the trade for nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook was consummated, he became both expendable and expensive. Which redounded to the benefit of the Celtics.
Needless to say, Schröder figures to make use of his 2021-22 campaign as an audition for a big payday in the next offseason. How much of an opportunity he will get remains to be seen; with scrappy Marcus Smart already at the point, he may well be coming off the bench anew. In any case, he has no choice. He wasn’t careful with what he asked for, and he’s now paying the price.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
Online turn-over ceremony (Photo credits to Keimyung College University)
– Turn over and inauguration ceremony was held online on August 6, 2021 – Promotes knowledge sharing between Philippine and Korean institutions through Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program
Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Manila, the Commercial Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines, and Keimyung College University held an online turn-over and inauguration ceremony of 34 sewing machines on August 6, 2021, via Zoom. The online ceremony was co-organized by the Municipality of Sibunag and attended by more than 50 people from the Municipality, Association of Barangay Captains, Women Federation Officers, and ERPAT Federation Officers.
KOTRA, a South Korean government agency promoting trade and investment between the Philippines and Korea, also supports Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project. Through various types of CSR activities, KOTRA not only creates business opportunities for companies but also helps to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while contributing to social development, human resource training, environmental improvement, etc.
Hon. Annabelle V. Samaniego, Mayor of Sibunag congratulated this turnover and inauguration ceremony stating “34 sewing machines from Keimyung college university by KOTRA Global CSR project would be of great help in empowering women. Also, this project could provide them livelihood assistance and make them more productive especially during this time of the pandemic.”
Keimyung College University was selected as the participating organization for the CSR project of KOTRA last year, but this donation had been postponed due to the pandemic. Instead of dispatching specialists for training session, this university made a tutorial video and allocated budget in order to improve sewing facilities. The President of Keimyung College University, Mr. Seung-ho Park, said “this donation of 34 sewing machines would help Philippine women in terms of technical education and skill development and we will plan to sign sister organization agreement with the Municipality of Sibunag for continuous support.”
Mr. Myongsoo Kim, Director General of KOTRA Manila, added,“Unfortunately, I could not visit Sibunag, Guimaras and attend the ceremony due to ECQ, but I believe that this donation would contribute to skill development and empowerment of the women. Starting from this donation, I hope this will lead to not only exchange of techniques and skills, but also people-to-people exchanges.” As the Heads of KOTRA Manila and Keimyung College University mentioned in the turn-over ceremony, both organizations are planning to visit Sibunag and hold offline training sessions after the pandemic and will discuss more activities for the local community.
Discover the latest power vitamin for all Supermoms who need “lakas at ganda” every day
Normally, mothers would feel exhausted or overworked after a long tiring day of managing the household, working, and taking care of kids at home. Not to mention, in these challenging times, moms would take extra efforts to keep her family healthy and safe. All these pressures may take a toll on every mother’s health and on how she looks. That is why they need a reliable ally in looking after themselves while they look after their loved ones.
UL Skin Sciences, the maker of personal care brands like Myra, pH Care and Céleteque, strives to achieve its vision of a life well-lived for everyone, especially Filipino mothers. Introducing the new FORTIMA, a multi-vitamin that is thoughtfully curated for the new generation of supermoms. Fortima is powered by Fortibella Complex, a unique and effective combination of Vitamin C (500 mg Sodium Ascorbate), Zinc (27.5 mg of Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate) and Vitamin E (22 I.U. d-Alpha Tocopheryl Succinate), all infused in one (1) tablet. The synergistic effect of these three (3) nutrients can help provide a strong body to fulfill multiple roles as a mom, strong immunity against common illnesses, and healthy-looking skin.
Fortima addresses the changing needs of all types of supermoms. With Fortima, all supermoms can now power through motherhood while feeling at their best even while braving this pandemic. Health is indeed the top-most priority, not to mention staying strong and beautiful for supermoms and empowered women alike. Indeed, “Kapag may LAKAS ka, iba ang GANDA!”
Get your daily dose of Fortima for as low as PHP12.50 per tablet in leading drugstores and supermarkets nationwide. You may also shop online through UL Skin Sciences Official Stores in Lazada, Shopee, and BeautyMNL.
To know more about the NEW Fortima, visit the website https://fortima.com.ph and follow Fortima’s Facebook (@fortimaphilippines) and Instagram (@fortima) accounts. Shop at Beauty & Health Hub in Shopee Mall, and UL Skin Sciences Flagship Store in LazMall.
Be a #FortiMAMA today and join Fortima in this health and beauty journey enabling more supermoms to achieve that #LAKASatGANDANGFortima.
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.
BEIJING – China will draft new laws on national security, technology innovation, monopolies and education, as well as in areas involving foreigners, the national leadership said in a document published late on Wednesday.
The government has in recent months reined in tech giants with anti–monopoly or data security rules and clamped down on tutoring companies, as the state increases its control of the economy and society.
Authorities used a law aimed at responding to foreign sanctions for the first time last month to sanction former U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and imposed a national security law on the special region of Hong Kong last year, employing legal means to protect interests beyond the mainland border.
President Xi Jinping has made “rule of law governance” a signature of his rule, which will be extended if, as expected, he seeks a third term next year.
The Chinese Communist Party and the government asserted that a “rule of law government” must follow the leadership of the party, in a blueprint for the five years to 2025 published by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Authorities will aim to develop laws consistent with new sectors such as the digital economy, internet finance, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, they said, adding that they would also improve the response to emergencies.
The party and government said they would also improve legislation around public health by amending the infectious disease law and the “frontier health and quarantine law”. China is working for a return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in its Wuhan city in late 2019.
They also laid out directives for the prevention and resolution of social conflicts and reiterated an order for officials to “nip conflicts in the bud”.
Better legislation for areas including education, race and religion and biosecurity was also on the cards, they said.
Regulations dealing with food and medicine, natural resources, industrial safety production, urban governance, transport, would be strictly enforced, they said. – Reuters
The “Be Your Best Yoga Pose Challenge” was one of the contests for Sitel Philippines associates that encouraged them to participate and gave them a chance to win fun prizes. Margilen Reyes, Sitel Eton, was among those who rose to the challenge.
The global BPO wellness program, SitelFit, supports global learning while promoting employee health, fitness, and well being
The “Be Your Best Yoga Pose Challenge” was one of the contests for Sitel Philippines associates that encouraged them to participate and gave them a chance to win fun prizes. Margilen Reyes, Sitel Eton, was among those who rose to the challenge.
Sitel Group®, a global leader in end-to-end customer experience (CX) products, and solutions, encouraged its global roster of employees to get fit for a good cause. Bringing back the highly successful Step Forward, Give Back Challenge, Sitel Group presented employees with a united global fitness challenge for the chance to donate USD$15 thousand to World Learning, a global organization focused on making high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education programs available worldwide.
Launched in the Philippines in 2018, the SitelFit program is a global health and wellbeing initiative that encourages Sitel Group associates to make healthy choices and provides health and wellness information and advice.
In 2020, before the pandemic, SitelFit launched the #OneSmallChange campaign encouraging employees to take even just small steps to create positive changes in their lives. SitelFit also regularly calls on Sitel Group associates to participate in exciting and fun challenges for charity and to create and achieve personal fitness goals.
SitelFit launched the first global challenge Step Forward, Give Back challenge last year. The program invited associates all over the world to engage in friendly competition and participate in a variety of physical activities while challenging them to accumulate 1,000,000 points to unlock a donation to a global Non-Government Organization (NGO). In 2020, Sitel Group teams collectively unlocked a donation for UNICEF through their combined efforts.
“For 2021, we wanted to bring back the Step Forward, Give Back challenge, but make it even bigger and better,” shared DimitarPigev, global program manager, SitelFit. “We experienced such a positive response in 2020 and now we’re challenging our global teams to take it even further. For 2021 we’re supporting the STEM education program of the World Learning organization which is aligned with our global CSR strategy of education and wellbeing.”
For the 2021 Step Forward, Give Back Challenge, Sitel Group challenged associates to reach 3,000,000 points globally and activate 3,000 new SitelFit users across the company’s 29 countries around the world to unlock a donation of USD S15 thousand for World Learning. The NGO operates in over 60 locations worldwide with participants from over 162 countries.
In the Philippines, Sitel Group encouraged Philippine associates to participate in the global challenge by hosting local inter-site challenges. Sites in the country were encouraged to sign-up new members and contribute to the global step challenge. Weekly challenges with different activities and fitness pose goals were launched, and the site with the highest points and sign-ups won a monetary donation for their chosen local charity.
“Our associates rose to the challenge admirably,” Pigev added. “They completed it in just 19 days. Not only did they allow us to contribute to World Learning, but the positive impact the program has had has so many dimensions. Through this initiative, we emphasize our company values and culture, make stronger connections, focus on our people’s wellbeing, create opportunities for growth in our communities and have fun together. As an organization, we fully believe in the power of giving back and investing time and resources into meaningful causes which resonate with our core values.”
The company continues to raise the bar amid disruptions.
It takes tons of courage and dedication to forge ahead—much less expand—one’s business amid uncertain times as the pandemic disrupted industrial production worldwide.
SteelAsia, despite being the country’s largest steel manufacturer, was not exempted from the economic uncertainty brought upon by the health crisis. The company took a hit last year with revenues down to about only 70 percent of its 2019 output.
Any other CEO would have decided to take a step back, but for Benjamin Yao, recognized in the industry as the man of steel himself, it was an opportunity to shake things up and innovate new solutions. The result: An organization that continues to thrive at a time when most businesses are still trying to recover. In fact, starting in March this year, all of its six plants are running at 100 percent capacity, and it was able to protect and keep the jobs of its over 3,000 employees. “It took a pandemic for the Philippines to do what is right in the construction sector, something which we started 20 years ago,” he added.
Powering through a pandemic
Apart from the company’s agility, it was also through the help and support of industry partners and stakeholders—including Meralco and its subsidiary MSERV—that SteelAsia was able to bounce back in record time.
“We are in an industry where power is a major cost—a major component—aside from the raw materials. In fact, labor is much, much lower [a cost] compared to power and fuel. Meralco plays a big role in building the steel industry,” he said.
Meralco has been the distribution utility for SteelAsia’s Meycauayan plant since 1988. As the steel manufacturer’s operational needs grew over the years, so did the partnership with Meralco, who continued to address its power requirements as needed.
The partnership between the two companies began over three decades ago, when the power distributor energized the steel manufacturer’s plant in Meycauayan, Bulacan.
A key example was when SteelAsia started manufacturing reinforcing mesh and ramped up the production of steel rebars, which led to the decision to migrate from 34.5-kV to 115-kV. The plant’s migration was completed in August 2018, resulting in optimal power quality and minimal interruptions.
“The migration, together with the load flow analysis greatly helped in stabilizing the voltage supply in our Meycauayan plant. Being connected to the 115-kV also greatly reduced the system’s loss being charged to us,” Yao said.
MSERV, an energy solutions expert, took care of the supply and replacement of the power circuit breaker in SteelAsia’s Batangas plant, which ensured the safe condition of its electrical system.
The two companies are also looking to work together to energize a new plant that SteelAsia will begin constructing in 2022.
No retrenchment here
SteelAsia also takes pride in being able to keep its employees and provide a livelihood for them, despite being severely affected in the first few months of the pandemic.
“We did not retrench any employees. We are, in fact, hiring more people today. We also have more plants coming up: one in Compostela, Candelaria (Quezon), Cebu, another in Lemery, Batangas, and yet another in Concepcion, Tarlac,” Yao said.
At a time when companies are reducing their manpower, SteelAsia was able to retain—and even continues to grow—its workforce.
“And because of COVID-19, they wanted to lessen people in job sites. Suddenly, our cut and bend products are very much in demand. Off-site fabrication work has become very popular; we deliver to the job site and the rebars are ready for installation.”
SteelAsia pioneered off-site fabrication that introduced cut and bend, a value-added rebar solution, to the Philippines where rebar work was done primarily at construction sites.
Stakeholders all-in as we bounce back
Yao underscored the importance of support both from the government through efforts to level the playing field and crackdown on substandard materials and from utility firms through faster installation of high-voltage lines.
“In certain places outside of Meralco’s franchise, it takes about four years to set up high-voltage 115-kV transmission lines. I think that would turn off a lot of investors because there is a lot of uncertainty within the four-year period. That is a suffering that we all bear and that is why we still do not have a steel industry in our country,” he said.
“We produce two million tons of steel but most of our steel products remain imported: I-beams, H-beams, sheet piles. We import 100 percent of these from our neighboring countries. And these are the products that we in SteelAsia would like to go into and these require high-voltage,” he added.
To ensure that substandard steel products do not flood the market, Yao said SteelAsia has been working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry and its Bureau of Philippine Standards.
“The opportunity is still here in the Philippines”
While he is first to acknowledge that the Philippines has been lagging behind when it comes to steel infrastructure, citing as an example the Metro Manila Skyway project that began construction in 1995 and formally opened only in January this year, Yao remains optimistic. “The opportunity is still here in the Philippines—not in Singapore, not in Japan. We just have to do what we can do.”
“If Vietnam was able to dramatically increase its steel production, that can be done also in the Philippines. We are not a small country—we are a country of more than 100 million people so there is a market here. There is demand,” he said.
“We are doing our part. The pandemic is separating the men from the boys, so to speak…It is tough but we don’t stop. In fact, we are still expanding. This is our main thrust: to serve our country,” Yao added.
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.
The partnership between the two companies began over three decades ago, when the power distributor energized the steel manufacturer’s plant in Meycauayan, Bulacan.