Funeral homes go digital via Onora app

June 17, 2021 | 12:01 am

MORE than 500 funeral services homes nationwide have joined the funeral mobile application Onora to offer their products and services.

Onora, which is now available on Google Play Store, brings the funeral service industry online, company officials said at an online briefing on Wednesday.

The funeral application allows users to search, book, and pay for funeral services.

“Aside from the obvious practical advantages Onora’s technology provides by making planning easier, lifting the mental load allows mourners time to grieve,” Onora Founder Benjamin E. Dychangco said.

“Onora means honor in the Gaelic language, and we believe that to honor a loved one should be the only thing that you focus on during this trying time. With Onora, we hope to make the grieving process just a little bit easier,” he added.

Onora said more than 2,000 services are available on the application, including burial, cremation, catering, flowers, obituaries, and photographers.

“Onora has over 500 funeral services homes nationwide that people can choose from,” it also said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Dining In/Out (06/17/21)

June 17, 2021 | 12:01 am

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188 restaurants offer Smart Bakuna Benefits

HERE’S another incentive to getting vaccinated: 188 restaurants in NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal) are offering free dishes, upsizes on drinks, discounts, or buy-one get-one promos, if customers can present an original COVID-19 vaccination card and valid ID. “We are excited to see our customers again as more Filipinos get vaccinated. Our offers are a way to welcome everyone back, thank them for being vaccinated and at the same time, speed up community protection through mass vaccination,” says Eric Teng, president of the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (RestoPH). The program, dubbed as Smart Bakuna Benefits, is part of the vaccine education efforts under the “Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat” campaign and is spearheaded by Taskforce T3 (Test, Trace, Treat), Smart Communications, and RestoPH. The exclusive offers aim to provide additional incentives for Filipinos to get themselves vaccinated. The offers are available during the operational hours of participating stores from June 1 to Aug. 31. Vaccinated customers only need to show their vaccination cards and a valid ID to avail of the promos. For the full list of restaurants in the Smart Bakuna Benefits promo, visit www.ingat-angat.com/benefits.

Accor Live Limitless triples bonus points

WITH the easing of dining restrictions across the Philippines, ALL (Accor Live Limitless) — is inviting its members to enjoy dining at participating restaurants and bars under Accor brands such as Sofitel, Novotel, Raffles, Fairmont, and Mövenpick. Members of Accor’s lifestyle loyalty program will now earn ALL rewards points when dining at hotels, which can then be redeemed for hotel stays or other selected experiences. Members who prefer to enjoy dining in the comfort of their home can also earn ALL points as well as an additional 10% discount for any takeaway or delivery order until Dec. 31. To celebrate the launch of #TasteTheRewards, ALL members will earn triple loyalty points for all dining and deliveries from June 18 until July 17. Accor Plus member will enjoy a 20% discount for takeaway or delivery order.

Raffles’ Mirèio dine-in reopens

RAFFLES Makati’s brasserie-style restaurant Mirèio has reopened to serve authentic Provençal and French-inspired cuisine using the freshest ingredients and traditional French cooking techniques. The restaurant offers both al fresco and indoor dining. Meanwhile, Mirèio à la Maison offers its signature creations in a delivery menu that includes dishes such as Lobster and asparagus penne pasta, Pan-seared beef tenderloin, and Confit pork Belly. Other highlights such as the Beef cheek burgundy and the Spinach & Parmesan pasta are suitable for reheating, providing a perfect option for those living further away from the hotel. Larger families can enjoy a selection of platters and larger dishes for sharing, such as the Spinach and Aged Parmesan lasagna or the USDA Prime Beef Roasted Rib eye with rosemary (for five to six people). Order online: https://mireioatraffles.com/food/.

Sofitel’s Spiral opens for dine-in

Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s Spiral has reopened its doors for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Diners can now revisit its 21 interactive dining ateliers and take a culinary journey around the world. For those who want to experience an al fresco dining with picturesque view, the Food Truck by Sofitel is offering international favorites complemented with free-flowing beverages, in a lush bayside garden with a sunset view. For takeaway, there is Spiral at Home, a curated selection of Spiral’s signature dishes. These include the L’Epicerie Grazing Box, which includes eight types of cheese and six varieties of cold cuts with fresh baguettes, grapes, and dried fruit; the Omakase Set with yakisoba, Japanese fried rice, Salmon croquettes, Beef teriyaki, assorted yakitori, Pork tonkatsu and other treats. A selection of Spiral DIY kits have been developed so that those seeking inspiration have the ingredients to make their own cronuts, pizzas, pasta, or laksa. Corporate lunch boxes can also be arranged for those looking to provide some encouragement to their teams working at home. Order online at https://www.spiralathome.com/. For more at home dining, check out EasyPeasy, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s first cloud kitchen featuring a selection of popular dishes such as freshly made pizzas, handcrafted pasta, Japanese style Wanpaku sandwiches, and signature burgers. The collection of dishes offers great value with favorites such as the Spaghetti Bolognese and Chicken Noodle Soup available from ₱398. Order online at https://www.easypeasymanila.com/.

Al fresco dining, takeout at Novotel

NOVOTEL Manila Araneta City’s The 6^th Manila is welcoming guests back with an al fresco dining experience featuring all-time favorite dishes such as Crispy pork belly lechon and the Novotel Classic Burger. Newly signed up ALL members can enjoy a complimentary welcome cocktail at The 6^th Manila. Meanwhile, Take Me Out by Novotel Manila Araneta City offers up three styles of menu to choose from. The Ready-to-Eat menu includes freshly prepared dishes including salads from the hotel’s sustainable garden, flame-grilled burgers, rice bowls, gourmet pizzas, and baked goods. The Ready-to-Cook menu offers vacuum-packed frozen cuts of meat that are marinated in advance for cooking at home, such as Chicken Inasal (₱300) and Australian beef steak (₱800). Finally, the Ready-to-Reheat menu offers up vacuum-packed meals which just need to be defrosted at home, such as Sisig (₱400), Adobo (₱400), and Kaldereta (₱450). Pair these dishes with Sabor Bar De Vinos’ wine selection. Find out more at https://www.novotelmanilaaranetacity.com/offers/take-me-out-by-novotel-manila/.

Jollibee’s Chickenjoy Family Box and Sweet Chili Chicken

JOLLIBEE’S new four-piece Chickenjoy Family Box is available at a special intro price of P249 this month. One can choose to order two servings of Jolly Spaghetti or two large Jolly Crispy Fries to go with the chicken for a total price of P330. Meanwhile, things are heating up with the new Jollibee Sweet Chili Chicken — fried chicken coated with a delicious sweet chili glaze. The new Jollibee Sweet Chili Chicken is available for a limited time only, starting June 12 in Metro Manila stores, and July 2 in Provincial Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao stores. Get the one-piece Sweet Chili Chicken for P89, the four-piece box for P320, and the six-piece box for P475. All these chicken dishes can be delivered via the Jollibee Delivery App, JollibeeDelivery.com, #87000, GrabFood, and foodpanda. They are also available in drive-through and take out.

McDonald’s PHL launches strawless lids

MCDONALD’S Philippines started introducing strawless lids across several of its Metro Manila stores this month. This move is in line with the company’s goal of significantly reducing waste by minimizing the need of consumers for straws. The strawless lids will be replacing the flat lids used for iced beverages of McDonald’s which includes all its soft drinks and juices, iced tea and all variants of Iced Coffee. This will be available for take-out, drive-through and delivery. This shift in packaging follows the change in McDonald’s policy regarding the distribution of straws, which started as early as 2018 when restaurants nationwide limited the distribution of straws to select cold beverages only, namely the McFloat, Coffee Float, Milk Tea, and McFreeze.

NutriAsia’s green innovation

CONDIMENTS and sauce producer NutriAsia has launched a sustainability hub with multiple features that help Filipinos embrace a greener way of living. Located at the bus stop along 30^th street beside Track 30^th in Bonifacio Global city (BGC), the NutriAsia EcoStation is a convenient and more sustainable way of shopping and restocking NutriAsia kitchen staples. A simple online process through the website https://selectandcollect.ph/ allows customers to select and pay for their pantry favorites. Then, they can choose a preferred time to pick up their purchases at either the curbside of the JY Campos Center, the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bote) booth at the Mind Museum, or the Select and Collect lockers at the NutriAsia EcoStation. This system enables people to collect their purchases at their own time and use their own reusable shopping bags. It is a concept that keeps purchasing pantry essentials safe by minimizing contact and it also allows people to lessen their carbon footprint through reducing unnecessary packaging.

Metro Channel’s Potluck looking for Pinoy dishes

FILIPINO culture and heritage will take center stage in the second season of Metro Channel’s show Potluck, as home cooks get to show off their staple and beloved Pinoy recipes in the cooking show. Filipinos who are 20 years old and above and are currently residing in the Philippines can send in their home cooking video featuring a local dish — which can be anything from a unique take on a Pinoy classic like adobo or sinigang to a prized heirloom recipe — until Aug. 1. Recorded cooking videos must be in a landscape format with good audio and video quality and with no music and graphics. All videos submitted will be aired via Potluck on Metro Channel and the top three videos with the highest scores from the panel of judges composed of chefs Claude Tayag, Sandy Daza, and Margarita Forés will take home prizes. Submit the home cooking videos to http://bit.ly/PotluckSeason2 for a chance to win prizes and be featured on Potluck. For more details, like Metro Channel on Facebook www.facebook.com/metrochannelph and follow it on Instagram and Twitter (@metrochannelph).

EU ruling sharpens focus on Facebook, Big Tech

June 17, 2021 | 12:01 am

LUXEMBOURG — Facebook and other Silicon Valley giants could face more scrutiny and potential sanctions in the European Union after the bloc’s top court backed national privacy watchdogs to pursue them, even when they are not the lead regulators.

Consumer lobbying group BEUC welcomed Tuesday’s ruling by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU), which backed the right of national agencies to act, citing enforcement bottlenecks.

“Most Big Tech companies are based in Ireland, and it should not be up to that country’s authority alone to protect 500 million consumers in the EU,” BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said after the judgement.

Along with Google, Twitter and Apple, Facebook has its EU headquarters in Ireland, putting it under the oversight of the Irish data protection regulator under privacy rules known as GDPR, which allow for fines of up to 4% of a company’s global turnover for breaches.

The CJEU got involved after a Belgian court sought guidance on Facebook’s challenge to the territorial competence of the Belgian data watchdog, which was trying to stop it from tracking users through cookies stored in the company’s social plug-ins, regardless of whether they have an account or not.

“The BE DPA (Belgium’s data watchdog) now needs to analyze the judgment in more details to determine whether any of the situations described… apply to the case it has opened against Facebook in 2015,” Hielke Hijmans, Chairman of the Belgian Data Protection Authority’s Litigation Chamber, said.

Several national watchdogs in the 27-member EU have long complained about their Irish counterpart, saying that it takes too long to decide on cases. Ireland has dismissed this, saying it has to be extra meticulous in dealing with powerful and well-funded tech giants.

Ireland’s cases in the pipeline include Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Twitter, Apple, Verizon Media, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn and US digital advertiser Quantcast.

“Under certain conditions, a national supervisory authority may exercise its power to bring any alleged infringement of the GDPR before a court of a member state, even though that authority is not the lead supervisory authority,” the CJEU said.

Judges said these conditions include regulators following cooperation and consistency procedures set out in the GDPR and that the violations occurred in the relevant EU country.

“We are pleased that the CJEU has upheld the value and principles of the one-stop-shop mechanism, and highlighted its importance in ensuring the efficient and consistent application of GDPR across the EU,” Jack Gilbert, Facebook’s associate general counsel, said.

BACK DOOR OPEN
But tech lobbying group CCIA said the ruling could lead to inconsistent and uncertain enforcement and jack up costs.

“It has also opened the back door for all national data protection enforcers to start multiple proceedings against companies,” CCIA Europe senior policy manager Alex Roure said.

“Data protection compliance in the EU risks becoming more inconsistent, fragmented, and uncertain,” he said.

However, David Stevens, President of Belgium’s DPA, said the ruling was “a good thing for the protection of the privacy of citizens, and for the harmonized application of the GDPR.”

“We have always been convinced of the importance of maintaining a possibility for authorities to act on behalf of users,” Stevens added in a statement.

Wojciech Wiewiórowski, of the EDPS, the EU privacy watchdog for EU institutions such as the European Commission and the European Parliament said the ruling confirmed that a lead supervisory authority cannot “go it alone” and must closely cooperate with other data protection authorities.

Wiewiórowski said it had stressed the need for “sincere and effective cooperation to preserve both consistent interpretation of the GDPR and the effectiveness of its provisions.”

The case is C-645/19 Facebook Ireland & Others. — Reuters

Term deposit yields mixed ahead of Fed decision

June 17, 2021 | 12:01 am

YIELDS ON THE term deposits offered by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas were mixed on Wednesday. — BW FILE PHOTO

YIELDS ON THE central bank’s term deposits were mixed on Wednesday amid market expectations that the US Federal Reserve’s policy will remain supportive of the economy and after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its growth outlook for the Philippines.

Total bids for the term deposit facility (TDF) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reached P655.826 billion on Wednesday, surpassing the P530 billion on offer and the P599.126 billion in tenders seen a week ago.

Broken down, demand for the one-week papers amounted to P212.281 billion, well above the P140 billion offered by the BSP and the P140.165 billion in bids logged during the previous offering.

Banks asked for yields ranging from 1.7% to 1.7999%, a slimmer band compared with the 1.7% to 2.49% seen last week. With this, the average rate for the seven-day term deposits dropped by 1.18 basis points (bps) to 1.7464% from 1.7582% previously.

Meanwhile, bids for the 14-day term deposits amounted to P443.545 billion on Wednesday, higher than the P390-billion offering but failing to beat the P458.961 billion in tenders recorded for the June 8 auction.

Accepted rates for the tenor ranged from 1.7125% to 1.85%, a narrower margin versus the 1.65% to 1.88% band seen last week. This caused the average rate of the two-week papers to rise by 1.68 bps to 1.8118% from the 1.795% quoted in the previous offering.

The central bank did not offer 28-day term deposits for the 34^th straight week to give way to its weekly offerings of bills with the same tenor.

The term deposits and the short-term bills are used by the BSP to gather excess liquidity in the financial system and to better guide market rates.

Yields on the term deposits moved sideways on Wednesday as the market was waiting for the outcome of the Fed’s policy review later in the day, where it was widely expected to keep borrowing costs low, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a text message.

The Federal Open Market Committee was set to conclude its two-day meeting overnight. While it was expected to keep its interest rates near zero, the market was watching out for hints on when the US central bank would start tapering its bond-buying program.

Another factor that affected market sentiment on Wednesday was the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) lower 2021 economic growth forecast for the Philippines, Mr. Ricafort said.

The Washington-based multilateral lender on Wednesday said it expects the Philippine economy to expand by 5.4% this year, a less optimistic outlook compared with the 6.9% projection it gave in April. This is also lower than the government’s 6-7% growth target.

“The slowing in the recovery in the first half is mostly due to the second wave of the pandemic which peaked in April and necessitated some stricter quarantine measures and has also weighed on confidence. But now, hopefully, the second wave should be on the way out,” said Thomas Helbling, division chief of IMF’s Asia Pacific Department.

The World Bank last week also slashed its growth outlook for the country to 4.7% from the 5.5% it gave in March. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Tourism contribution to national output in 2020 smallest since at least 2000

June 17, 2021 | 12:00 am

THE TOURISM industry’s contribution to the economy plunged to its lowest level in at least two decades in 2020 amid the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data released on Wednesday showed. Read the full story.

How PSEi member stocks performed — June 16, 2021

June 17, 2021 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

Trade panel to streamline Customs processes to aid small businesses

June 16, 2021 | 9:32 pm

The newly established committee for trade facilitation is expected to help micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to be more active in international trade and widen their access to international goods and services, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said.

During its first meeting Wednesday, Mr. Dominguez said the Philippine Trade Facilitation Committee (PTFC), which he chairs, aims to make Customs processes more efficient to benefit the small firms in their pursuit of international business.

“Our work is especially critical for the MSMEs that often do not have the financial capacity to overcome the inefficiencies of the trading system and lack access to the global markets. What we aim to accomplish here will allow them to actively participate in international trade and broaden their access to the global value chains,” he said in a speech.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte issued Executive Order No. 136 on May 18, creating the PTFC to streamline customs processes and help the Philippines comply with commitments under the World Trade Organization-Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO-TFA).

WTO-TFA, established in February 2017, requires member countries to have a national committee on trade facilitation or assign an existing system that will implement the TFA.

The agreement aims to fast-track movement of goods and encourages customs authorities to collaborate with other agencies on trade facilitation. The WTO estimates that fully implementing the TFA can bring down trade costs by 14.3% on average and boost international trade by $1 trillion yearly.

Mr. Dominguez said streamlined procedures in customs and trade can spur job creation, attract investment, help upgrade the skills of workers and spur entrepreneurship. Eventually, this will help the economy grow faster and sustainably over the long term, he added.

He said modernizing operations at the Bureau of Customs will also cut trade costs, pave the way for more transparency, boost government revenue, reduce corruption and improve the digital economy.

“A streamlined, transparent, and efficient customs administration will result in a more conducive trading environment for all our businesses. This is expected to increase our trade volumes and reduce costs for consumers and producers,” he said. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Competition commissioner weighing possibility of collusion in grid outages

June 16, 2021 | 9:32 pm

THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said it is looking into whether the recent power outages on the Luzon Grid are the result of collusion, as part of a broader investigation involving the Justice and Energy departments.

“The outages may result from many sources. Obviously, if it is an outcome of collusive practices, that’s terrain for the PCC,” PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan told ANC Wednesday. Outages caused by natural factors are outside the commission’s mandate.

The grid was recently placed on red alert for three consecutive days after a series of unscheduled power plant outages, causing a spike in market prices.

The Energy Regulatory Commission said it will order generation companies to explain the interruptions. A commission task force has scheduled four plants for technical inspection.

“We’ll do (the investigation) as fast as we can to contribute to the resolution of this case,” Mr. Balisacan said.

“Our mandate is to prevent anti-competitive practices, so if these are things emanating out of abusive practices in such a way that the players can enhance their profits, then obviously that’s a thing for PCC and we will investigate the matter.”

Meanwhile, an Udenna Corp. unit’s acquisition of Shell Petroleum N.V.’s stake of the Malampaya gas field could still be assessed after a pause in the review, he said.

Compulsory notification on all mergers and acquisitions with transaction value of below P50 billion is suspended for two years from the effectivity of Republic Act No. 11494, informally known as Bayanihan II, which was signed in September. The law also suspended the PCC’s review of these transactions, conducted on its own initiative, for a year.

The PCC is monitoring the market while it awaits the resumption of its own assessment of transactions below the threshold value in September.

“We encourage players, if in doubt about the nature of the transaction, (to have a) free consultation with the PCC,” Mr. Balisacan said.

“If there are reasons to believe that there is an element anti-competitive practice there then we will exercise our motu propio review power.” — Jenina P. Ibañez

Wholesale price growth of general goods eases in April

June 16, 2021 | 9:31 pm

THE year-on-year growth in wholesale prices of general goods slowed in April compared to the rate recorded in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Wednesday.

The general wholesale price index (GWPI) rose 2.7% year on year in April, against the 2.8% pickup in March, according to preliminary data.

Driving the April outcome were moderating price increases in the following: food (1.9% in April from 2.4% in March); crude materials, inedible except fuels (42.9% from 44.4%); and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials (0.7% from 0.8%).

The PSA noted faster price growth in mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (17.9% from 11.9%); chemicals including animal and vegetable oils and fats (5.4% from 5.2%); and machinery and transport equipment (0.6% from 0.5%).

Growth was steady for beverages and tobacco (7.4%) and miscellaneous manufactured articles (0.7%).

Wholesale prices in Luzon registered 2.8% growth in April, easing from 2.9% in March.

In the Visayas, wholesale prices grew 0.7%, reversing the 0.6% drop recorded the previous month.

In Mindanao, wholesale prices rose 4.6% in April from 4.5% previously.

In an e-mail, Security Bank Corp. Chief Economist Robert Dan J. Roces attributed the easing of wholesale prices to mobility restrictions caused by strict lockdowns imposed during the month.

Metro Manila and adjacent provinces were placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) between March 29 and April 11 after a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. This was later relaxed to a lockdown setting of modified ECQ between April 12 and May 14.

“With the shift to looser community quarantines, expect the GWPI to trend higher in the months ahead,” he said.

The GWPI monitors wholesale trade sector and is among the indices used as a deflator in the PSA’s national accounts. — N. M. A. Bo

NEA says new consumer connections up 11% in Q1

June 16, 2021 | 9:29 pm

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) said Wednesday that electric cooperatives (ECs) connected 148,792 new power consumers in the first quarter, up 11% year on year, as the agency works towards a target of 400,000 by the end of 2021.

NEA Information Technology and Communication Services Department Manager Roderick N. Padua said in a statement that the connection total represents 37% of the new connections target for the year.

The NEA said the nationwide electrification rate is now at 90% with 14.45 million consumers covered within the franchise areas of 121 ECs nationwide.

“Luzon is now 95% energized with 6,745,982 connections; Visayas at 93% with 3,826,682 connections; and Mindanao at 80% with 3,873,635 connections,” it said.

NEA estimates the number of unserved consumers at 1.45 million, based on the 2015 population and housing census.

The NEA earlier reported that its ECs connected over 522,000 new power consumers in 2020, surpassing the target by 14%. — Angelica Y. Yang

Trade dep’t developing online consumer complaints portal

June 16, 2021 | 9:28 pm

An online consumer dispute resolution system will be rolled out soon in response to a spike in consumer complaints last year, the Trade department said.

The system being developed by the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) consumer protection group will be a unified consumer complaints portal linking various government departments.

Consumer complaints received by the DTI’s consumer protection group increased after a surge in online shopping during the lockdown, the DTI said in a statement Wednesday.

Through the online system, consumers can file complaints and seek redress as long as the products bought either online or offline are from a business in the Philippines.

In the first phase of development, the DTI and its partners are assessing consumer complaints management tools to come up with recommendations for the online system.

“The system will help both the DTI and the consumers because through the online platform, it will be easier to document and track every process of a complaint,” DTI Consumer Protection Group Assistant Secretary Ann Claire C. Cabochan said.

The DTI is working with the United States Agency for International Development – University of the Philippines Public Administration Research and Extension Services Foundation, Inc. in developing the system.

The system is a response to DTI Administrative Order No. 20-05 issued in September to develop such a consumer complaints system. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Dar calls for pooling of know-how to fight hunger, climate change

June 16, 2021 | 9:28 pm

william-dar-philstar — PHILIPPINE STAR/ GEREMY PINTOLO

EFFORTS to end hunger by 2030 and reduce the effects of climate change will gain impetus from a pooling of international expertise, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.

Speaking at the virtual 42^nd session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference on June 15, Mr. Dar said such cooperation could be a pathway to meeting Sustainable Development Goals in relation to hunger and climate change.

“It is important that international pooling of knowledge, science and technology, and innovation is further encouraged, and that their benefits should extend to all sectors and stakeholders across all nations,” Mr. Dar said.

“Because of the complexities brought about by climate change and its impact on food systems, as well as the new normal brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we should ensure that the benefits of science-driven innovation find a place in our farms as well as in the homes of every rural family and ultimately, in every home in all societies,” he added.

Mr. Dar said the Philippine government is pursuing private investment and partnerships to modernize and industrialize its farm sector sustainably.

“Agriculture is the mainspring of rural economic progress in the Philippines, and its development is key to addressing the bigger part of our continuing problem of poverty,” Mr. Dar said.

At the conference, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said the global effort to end hunger, achieve food security, and narrow inequality is hindered by conflict, climate change, and economic disruption.

“The future of agriculture needs to be built on science, innovations and digital applications, that can produce significant gains in terms of increased efficiency, facilitate the good functioning of supply chains and enhance sustainability,” he said.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said assistance should be given to smallholder farmers especially in low-income countries, adding that investment must be pursued in climate-resilient agriculture.

“Smallholder farmers are accustomed to overcoming incredible adversity and are constantly innovating based on changing weather and market demands. But they cannot solve this alone. Better data is needed to measure progress,” Mr. Gates said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave