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Berlinale film explores lives lived on Zoom

BERLIN —  The past year has been challenging for filmmakers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity. But one film in this year’s Berlin Film Festival line-up embraced the spirit of the pandemic like no other: American director Natalie Morales’s Language Lessons is a drama enacted via Zoom, revealing new artistic possibilities in the process.

The film casts Ms. Morales as Carino, a language teacher from Costa Rica giving Spanish lessons via video call to Adam, a wealthy Oakland, California house husband played by Mark Duplass. But a sudden emotional blow transforms their relationship.

“We didn’t know if it would work,” Ms. Morales said of the film, shot over the summer by a skeleton crew entirely from the perspective of the two characters’ webcams. “We didn’t really know how we were going to shoot it or if it was going to look good or if people were going to be bored to death or if we were going to be bored to death,” she added.

Mr. Duplass, who co-wrote the script with Ms. Morales, said he had been inspired by the experience of taking online language classes during lockdown. “We developed a bond just through the screen. And I thought this could be an interesting way to make a movie with the limitation of the COVID lockdown,” he said.

All of the films in this year’s Berlinale were shaped by the pandemic they were shot during. Actors wear masks in several films, notably Romanian director Radu Jude’s black sex comedy Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, whose characters seem to poison their own environment as efficiently as any virus.

But Language Lessons embraces the lived experiences of home workers during a pandemic year, exploring the curious ambivalence and intensity of online relationships conducted over weeks and months. “We’re still tired of Zoom, but we’re so used to it that it’s a language we understand,” Ms. Morales said. “You relate to the nature of that relationship in a way that you wouldn’t have two years ago.” — Reuters

Aboitiz firms and Wärtsilä to install 49-MW battery storage system in Davao

TWO Aboitiz units and Finnish company Wärtsilä are working together to install a 49-megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system (BESS) in Maco, Davao de Oro in a bid to strengthen power supply in the Mindanao grid.

In a press release on Thursday, Aboitiz Power Corp. said that the system would be its first battery technology project, which will be put up in the facility of its unit Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI).

It expects the stored energy to “fortify TMI’s capability to support the Mindanao grid” during summer months when energy supply from hydropower plants is limited.

AboitizPower said that it had started building the storage system, in partnership with Wärtsilä and Aboitiz Construction, Inc. The system can be connected to the grid, a small grid, a distribution system, or an end-user facility to deliver demand as needed.

AboitizPower said the energy storage project at its TMI facility is the first of its kind in the country and features a hybrid concept of two complementing technologies.

“This is one of the 12 projects with a total capacity of 248 MW for regulating and contingency reserves that AboitizPower is targeting to develop in the next 10 years. It will serve as AboitizPower’s model for its future battery investments, as well as hybrid renewable energy projects,” the firm said in a statement.

AboitizPower President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel V. Rubio said that the firm’s foray into battery technology is a “key component” of its 10-year growth strategy, which seeks to address the energy trilemma of energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability.

“The battery technology presents a great opportunity for AboitizPower to address concerns on the reliability, affordability, and sustainability of energy supply. By ensuring the stability of our grid, we are responding to the needs of our customers and communities, as well as supporting economic growth,” he added.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in 2015 issued a resolution that classified the BESS as a provider of frequency control ancillary services (FCAS), as it can provide primary and secondary reserves.

“The introduction of BESS as a new source of ancillary service for FCAS would be beneficial to the efficient operation of the grid,” the commission said, adding that BESS is being used by system operators handling advanced and complex grids around the world.

AboitizPower is the listed holding company for the Aboitiz group’s investments in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services. It also owns distribution utilities in the country’s three major island groups.

Shares of AboitizPower in the local bourse decreased by 0.41% or 10 centavos to close at P24.40 apiece on Thursday. — Angelica Y. Yang

Fresh Off The Boat creator brings ‘authentic’ Asian-American story to the big screen

NEW YORK — Writer and director Eddie Huang hopes his first feature film, Boogie, will help shift expectations about the type of Asian-American stories shown on the big screen.

“This is the next level, where we get to come in and tell our authentic, specific stories,” said Mr. Huang, whose 2013 autobiography was adapted into the ABC DIS.N television sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. “And then the other step I think the film takes for America and cinema is that it’s intersectional. We can tell a story that feels real to Asian-American immigrants, immigrants all over.”

The coming-of-age story centers around a high school basketball star who dreams of playing in the National Basketball Association while navigating family pressure, love, and rivals. Taylor Takahashi, who plays the leading man, makes his acting debut in the film, which will open in US theaters on Mar. 5.

“It was kind of like taking two weeks of swimming lessons and then go jump into the deep end,” he said. “But I had the support of so many people, whether they’re family and friends to me on set, the producers, our director, everyone was there to kind of always jump into the pool if they saw me drowning.”

Mr.  Huang said he cast Mr. Takahashi because of their similar backgrounds. “I knew his experiences and I knew the emotions he would draw on,” said the director, who wants viewers to see themselves in the film as well. “I hope people walk out of it with a cathartic feeling, but also feeling free to reflect and question all of the things people tell us about our existence and our identity and race, because none of us fit in that box.” — Reuters

30 years on, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall are Coming 2 America

NEW YORK —  More than 30 years after Prince Akeem Joffer and his sidekick Semmi first traveled to the United States to find a royal bride, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reprise their roles in comedy sequel Coming 2 America.

Mr. Murphy, creator and star of the 1988 film — which proved more popular with audiences than critics when it came out —  returns to the fictional nation of Zamunda, this time as Akeem prepares to become king.

A father to three daughters in a country where only a male heir can sit on the throne, Akeem finds out he has a son in America and returns to Queens, the New York borough he first visited decades ago, to meet him.

“This movie is like the first movie. It’s (an) all black cast and it’s … not about race, and it’s not about civil unrest or social injustice or there’s no preaching,” Mr. Murphy told Reuters in an interview. “(It) is just total escapism … it’s a movie about family and love and tradition and doing the right thing.”

In the first film, the pampered prince foregoes his luxuries to find a woman who will love him for himself.

Most of the original cast reprise their roles in the sequel, which is released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, including James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer and Shari Headley as Akeem’s wife Lisa. New faces include Murphy’s daughter Bella Murphy.

“Being on the movie set with my daughter was a big deal for me,” Mr. Murphy said.

The 59-year-old and Mr. Hall revisit the barber shop scene, a fan favorite from the original movie, where the actors portray multiple ageing characters.

“There is a part three that happens in 16 years,” Mr. Murphy said, jokingly leaving the door open for a future film. “I don’t think the barbers will be in this one though.” —  Reuters

ICTSI to spend up to $250M on projects, maintenance this year

RAZON-LED International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) on Thursday said it expects to spend about $250 million this year, mainly for its ongoing and new expansion projects, equipment acquisitions and upgrades, and maintenance requirements.

“The estimated capital expenditure budget will be utilized mainly for the completion of the expansion project at MICT (Manila International Container Terminal) in Manila, Philippines; the ongoing yard expansion at IDRC (ICTSI DR Congo) in Matadi, Democratic Republic of Congo; the new expansion project at VICT (Victoria International Container Terminal) in Melbourne, Australia; equipment acquisitions and upgrades; and for various maintenance requirements,” the company told the stock exchange.

Its 2020 capital expenditures (capex), excluding capitalized borrowing costs, reached $198.7 million, exceeding the reduced capex budget of $160 million.

The company attributed the increase to the additional capex from the new terminal in Kribi, Cameroon and the reinstitution of postponed capex in various terminals, “which demonstrated strong volume growth in the second half of 2020.”

ICTSI’s net income attributable to equity holders grew 1% to $101.8 million last year.

The company said it saw higher revenues (up 2% to $1.5 billion), lower cash operating expenses resulting from continuous group-wide cost reduction and optimization measures, positive contribution of a new terminal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and lower equity in net loss of joint ventures.

However, it said the growth was “tapered” by an increase in interest on concession rights payable recognized at the new terminal in Cameroon and the full year impact of the new terminal in Brazil; additional impairment charges; and COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)-related expenses.

The company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) went up 6% to $876.8 million.

It handled a total volume of 10,193,384 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year, 0.2% higher than 10,178,018 TEUs recorded a year earlier.

ICTSI attributed the slight increase to the contribution of its unit in Rio de Janeiro, improvement in trade activities in the second half of 2020 with eased travel restrictions, and new contracts with shipping lines and services at certain terminals.

But that was “tapered by a decline in trade activities mainly in the first half of 2020” due to the pandemic.

“Excluding the contribution of the company’s new terminal in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, consolidated organic volume would have decreased by 2% in 2020,” it said.

ICTSI shares closed 1.66% lower at P118.80 apiece on Thursday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Golden Globes TV audience plummets by more than half

LOS ANGELES —  The TV audience for the virtual Golden Globes ceremony crashed by some 60%, according to ratings data on Tuesday, making the 2021 edition the least watched since 2008.

Nielsen data cited by CNBC and Hollywood outlet Deadline said that just 6.9 million Americans tuned in to watch the three-hour ceremony for film and TV that was broadcast on NBC television on Sunday. Last year, the show drew a TV audience of 18.3 million. NBC did not return calls for comment on Tuesday.

Sunday’s show, hosted under pandemic conditions by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, was widely criticized for technical glitches and for what many called Zoom fatigue, as scores of nominees watched and reacted to their wins on video camera. Movies Nomadlad, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and TV shows The Crown and Schitt’s Creek were the big winners, but the ceremony was also marred by demands for more diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which chooses the winners.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph described the ceremony as a “shambolic hellscape of Zoom ineptitude” that it said boded ill for the Oscars in April. Oscar organizers have said they will put on a ceremony from multiple locations with some people appearing in person but have given few details.

Sunday’s Golden Globe audience was the lowest since 2008 when the usual gala dinner was replaced by a news conference because of a Hollywood writers strike and attracted 6.03 million viewers. Last September’s Emmy Awards ceremony for television, which was also a virtual affair, dropped to a record low of 6.1 million viewers. — Reuters

SMPC’s net income drops 66% to P3.3 billion

CONSUNJI-LED Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) reported a 66% decline in its consolidated after-tax net income to P3.29 billion on the back of lower coal and power revenues last year.

In a regulatory filing on Thursday, the company placed its total revenues last year at P23.3 billion, down 36.2% from the level in the previous year.

The coal segment logged a 43% decrease in revenues to P16.5 billion, as coal sales dropped last year.

“Coal sales declined 16% from 15.6 MMT (million metric tons) to 13.1 MMT… Average selling price of coal dropped 23% from P2,074 to P1,591 per MT (metric ton),” SMPC said.

Export sales volume declined 27% to 7.6 MMT, but domestic sales volume grew 5% to 5.5 MMT.

The company also noted that the deferment of mining operations at its North Block 7 in Molave Mine, Antique reduced its coal production to 13.2 MMT from 15.2 MMT.

Meanwhile, the firm’s power segment recorded a 23% decrease in consolidated revenues to P11.7 billion in 2020, despite a rise in total power sales volume.

“Total power sales volume up 14% to 4,218 GW (gigawatts)… while ASP (average selling price) fell 32% to P2.76 (per kilowatt),” SMPC said, referring to the latest figures from Calaca Power Corp. and South Luzon Power Generation Corp., which make up the firm’s power segment.

SMPC did not give comparative figures in its disclosure.

SMPC generates revenues by producing and selling sub-bituminous coal. The firm currently has coal supply contracts with its own power subsidiaries, and other power plants and cement manufacturers.

SMPC shares in the local bourse inched up 0.16% or two centavos to close at P12.92 apiece on Thursday. — Angelica Y. Yang

China Bank looking to raise up to P100 billion over three years

CHINA BANKING CORP. (China Bank) is looking to raise up to P100 billion through peso-denominated bonds over the next three years to support its business expansion.

The Sy-led bank told the local stock exchange on Thursday that its board of directors approved a program to raise up to P100 billion in retail bonds or commercial papers.

The papers will be issued in several tranches over the next three years, China Bank said in the statement.

The funds raised from these planned issuances will be used to expand the bank’s operations and for other initiatives.

“The proceeds shall be used to support the bank’s strategic initiatives and expansion program. This is also in line with the bank’s intention to be an active participant in the country’s economic recovery and expansion,” the lender’s statement read.

Market conditions will determine the timing of the first tranche of the program, the bank said when asked for further details.

China Bank raised P20 billion from an issuance of three-year peso-denominated bonds last month, higher than its initial plan to borrow just P5 billion.

The papers carry a coupon rate of 2.5% per annum and will mature in 2024.

The latest issuance was the second drawdown from the bank’s P45-billion bond program launched last year, following the P15-billion issuance of two-year bonds in October.

The Sy-led lender also launched a $2-billion euro medium-term note program in September to support its general funding needs.

The bank saw its net profit climb by 19.8% to P12.071 billion in 2020 from P10.074 billion in 2019 on the back of a 30% growth in net interest income and strong trading gains.

Shares in China Bank went down by 15 centavos or by 0.61% to close at P24.35 apiece on Thursday. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Globe targets up to 120Mbps in remote areas with new partner

GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. said Thursday it targets an average download speed of up to 120 megabits per second (Mbps) in remote areas of the country with its partnership with Curvalux, a manufacturer of next-generation wireless broadband technologies.

It will be using an alternative fixed wireless broadband solution.

“This technology enriches Globe’s internet solutions portfolio, allowing us to cover as many households as possible, and helps provide low cost internet in hard-to-reach areas which are currently deprived of connectivity,” Darius Delgado, Globe’s head of broadband business, said in an e-mailed statement.

He added: “Our partnership with Curvalux will allow faster deployment of high-speed broadband to our customers ranging from 50 to 120 Mbps average download speeds.”

The Ayala-led company said it has been working with Curvalux on the plan “for the past year and a half.”

The telco is currently working with Curvalux on their Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite broadband constellation called “CurvaNet.”

“The CurvaNet satellite constellation will be able to deliver affordable broadband internet to even the most remote areas beyond the reach of any telecom towers, infrastructure or electricity with the use of its proprietary low-cost, solar powered customer terminal,” Globe said.

Globe shares closed 0.10% lower at P2,000 apiece on Thursday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

February outsourcing operation inquiries rise

INTEREST in establishing outsourced operations in the Philippines grew by nearly a third in February, driven by overseas companies looking for ways to operate more efficiently during the pandemic, advisory group Outsource Accelerator said.

Outsourcing inquiries rose by around 29% month on month to almost 300 in February, it said.

“We project that this will only continue to be the case throughout 2021 as overseas businesses, recovering from the impact of COVID, seek ways to cut costs and do more with less,” the company said in a report.

Of the 292 inquiries, 79 booked a phone consultation while 147 requested quotations. Inquiries were mainly from US and UK firms looking for call center agents and configuration engineers, among others.

In January, around 17% were looking for three to 10 workers in the Philippines, while 6.7% were looking to fill 21-50 positions.

“Clients typically start with a smaller requirement then grow the team once they settle,” Outsource Accelerator said.

Around 44% of its clients are US-based, with many in the digital marketing, healthcare, and financial services sector.

The outsourcing industry association reduced its 2022 employment compound annual growth rate projection to 2.7-5%, which translates to 1.37-1.43 million full-time employees, lower than the previous goal of 3-7%.

The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines’ target suggests that the industry plans to add 130,000 jobs between 2021-2022. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Six Dr. Seuss books pulled from publication due to racist imagery

NEW YORK —  Six children’s books written decades ago by Dr. Seuss were pulled from publication because they contain racist and insensitive imagery, the company formed to preserve the deceased author’s legacy said on Tuesday.

The books —  And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer —  are among more than 60 classics written by Dr. Seuss, the pen name of the American writer and illustrator Theodor Geisel, who died in 1991.

“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in a statement explaining why it was stopping their publication.

The books, originally published between 1937 and 1976, contain numerous caricatures of Asian and Black people that incorporate stereotypes that have been criticized as racist.

The most famous Dr. Seuss titles —  The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham —  were not on the list of books that will be yanked from publication. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! often tops the New York Times bestseller list during graduation season, and also was not on the list of scrapped books.

The controversy over Dr. Seuss imagery has simmered for years.  Dr. Seuss Enterprises said it worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review its catalog and made the decision last year to end publication and licensing. Among the publishers are Random House and Vanguard Press.

The company said the move was a first step in its efforts to promote inclusion for all children. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” the company said.

On eBay, some of the discontinued titles surged in value on Tuesday. A copy of If I Ran the Zoo, with a starting price of $48 in the morning, was commanding a bid of $410 within an hour.

Philip Nel, a children’s literature scholar at Kansas State University, likened the decision to stop publication to the recall of an outdated, dangerous product. “In the 1950s, cars did not have seat belts. Now, we recognize that as dangerous —  so, cars have seat belts. In the 1950s, lots of books recycled racist caricature. Now, Random House is recognizing this as dangerous,” Mr. Nel said.

Mr. Nel said the author, who also wrote The Sneetches, a parable about discrimination and racial intolerance, wasn’t conscious of how racism influenced his visual imagination. “At the same time he’s writing books that attempt to oppose discrimination … he’s also recycling stereotypes in other books.”

Dr. Seuss Enterprises made the announcement on Mar. 2, the anniversary of Mr. Geisel’s birth in 1904. In 1998, the National Education Association designated his birthday as Read Across America Day, an annual event aimed at encouraging children and teens to read. —  Reuters

Complaints on financial transactions reach 20,000

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) received about 20,000 concerns from financial consumers last year, mostly about fraud and unauthorized transactions, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said.

“The BSP Consumer Protection on Market Conduct Office showed that some 20,000 complaints were received in 2020. Around 13% refers to fraudulent, unauthorized transactions and financial products of BSP-supervised institutions such as deposits, credit card, e-money services and remittance,” Mr. Diokno said in an online briefing on Thursday.

The most prevalent cases were unauthorized or fraudulent transactions by scammers, he said.

“These complaints were referred to respective financial institutions for their appropriate handling and response,” Mr. Diokno said.

The central bank chief added that the number of complaints also showed increased awareness among consumers about how they can reach the BSP’s consumer assistance mechanisms.

Mr. Diokno said the central bank views consumer protection as a “shared responsibility” of institutions and consumers themselves. With this, he noted that continued guidance and education on handling transactions, especially those done online, would help prevent customers from falling prey to scammers.

“A new law is being introduced to put in place a comprehensive financial consumer protection regime wherein financial inclusion, financial education, good governance and effective supervision all come into play,” he added.

In June, House Bill 6768 or the Financial Products and Services Consumer Production Act was passed on third reading. Its counterpart Senate Bill 1739 is pending at the committee level.

The measure will allow regulators like the BSP, Securities and Exchange Commission, Insurance Commission, and the Cooperative Development Authority “to issue a cease and desist order without the need for prior hearing, if an act amounts to fraud or causes grave irreparable or injury to consumers,” Mr. Diokno said. These cases may include unfair collection practices, such as harassment of consumers.

Under the bill, financial service providers may be subject to fines, suspension and penalties once they are found responsible for allowing credit card fraud.

The bill also gives regulators the power to adjudicate and award an amount claimed by consumers for return from a financial institution without needing to go through usual processes.

“We hope that this critical bill will be passed into law, especially with the prevalence of fraudulent activities related to financial consumers,” Mr. Diokno said. — L.W.T. Noble

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