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Senate passes telecom, broadcast, radio franchise bills 

THE UPPER house passed on final reading the renewal of legislative franchises of 19 telecommunication and broadcasting companies to operate in various parts of the country, and a bill expanding radio franchises in Davao City.

House Bill (HB) 9384, which proposes to expand the franchise granted to the Davao City government for its radio broadcasting stations, was passed late Monday.

Along with this were franchises for Mount Apo Science Foundation College, Inc. or HB 10212, Capricom Broadcasting Network Corp. or HB 10192, Amapola Broadcasting System or HB 10196, South Cotabato Communications Corp. or HB 10123, Prime Broadcasting Network, Inc. or HB 10124, National Council of Churches in the Philippines or HB 10125, and GVM Radio, otherwise known as TV Corp., or HB 10211.

Ismo, Inc. or HBN 8971, Aspire Media Technologies and Ventures, Inc. or HB 10169, Linkserve Telecommunications Network, Inc. or HB 10193, Derecho Telecommunications, Inc. or HB 10194, Unicorn Communications Corp. or HB 10195, Purple Flower Telecommunication Corp. or HB 10197, Calapan Telephone System, Inc. or HB 8975, Bicol Telephone and Telegraph, Inc. or HB 9424, Lukban Telephone System, Inc. or HB 9438, Continental Telecommunications System, Inc. or HB 9439, Victorias Telephone System, Inc. or HB 10182, and General Telephone System, Inc. or HB 10183, were also approved to put up and maintain their respective telecommunications systems and services.

The Senate also passed local bills seeking to establish, convert and upgrade the local offices of the Land Transportation Office in 32 locations across the Philippines, including offices in the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Camarines Norte, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Iloilo, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon.

Likewise, the upper house voted to approve three House bills seeking to establish offices of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Bacoor City, Cavite; and Dasmariñas, Cavite. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Singular names

Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco, Dama Players

WARHOL, Kusama, Botong. Some artists are so well known that one does not have to use their full names to know what is in store for the viewer. Some works by the singular names can be found in the upcoming auction, “Art & Design,” by Salcedo Auction’s subsidiary, Gavel & Block.

The online auction will be held on Feb. 5, starting at 11 a.m., on salcedoauctions.com.

The auction house’s first sale of the year, co-presented by HSBC Premier, is divided into four themes: Orient Express, Femme Fatale, Master’s Series, A Man’s World, and Pop Phenomenon.

The Masters Series is where one finds the singular names Ocampo, Luz, Botong, Alcuaz, Orlina, Malang, Manansala. Among the many works up for auction are the 1977 watercolor on paper piece Abstraction series and a 1974 untitled ink sketch by National Artist H.R Ocampo; an acrylic collage on paper, Kyoto Series 1 (2014) by National Artist Arturo Luz, along with one of his signature sculptures, Homage to Isamu Noguchi (2015); and National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s lithograph, Dama Players.

More singular names are found in the section The Femme Fatale — a selection of works focusing on the female face and form — including Warhol, Magsaysay-Ho, Garibay, Olazo. Among the pieces are a lot of four plates featuring Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe (1997), licensed by AWF and the Estate of Marilyn Monroe. There are also nude drawings by Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Emmanuel Garibay, and Romulo Olazo. Following the “feminine” theme, there are also silk scarves including a Hermes’ Carrossier silk scarf by Philippe Ledoux, and a Passementerie silk scarf by Francoise Heron.

Kusama is another famous name that can be found in the Pop Phenomenon selection alongside Warhol. The section includes Yayoi Kusama’s A Lot of 2 Pumpkins; a plate featuring Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Can (1997); and a pair of yellow and red Trioli children’s chairs in rotational-molded polyethylene.

The Orient Express section pays homage to the famous transcontinental railway service (which will be relaunched in 2023) by focusing on décor and furnishings inspired by the train. These include the Flower chair by Pierre Paulin for Magis, made of smoke gray transparent polycarbonate with a dark red cushion; a lot of four Vega martini glasses by Baccarat; and a hibiscus-colored polyurethane foam Amoebe chair designed in the 1970s by Verner Panton for Vitra. Singular names can also be found here: Luz and Impy, among several others, with glass works, sculptures, paintings that somehow suggest the world of the Orient Express.

Finally, A Man’s World focuses on objects and art which exude a certain air of masculinity. These range from landscapes by Cesar Buenaventura, a director’s chair by Philippe Starke, an antique Gub Glashutte ’56-hour marine chronometer, and a carriage wheel chessboard on sugar press base.

To preview the lots at the gallery — located at the NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Ave., Makati — , contact Kristine Sanders (0905-464-2802) to set a schedule. The e-catalog is available at salcedoauctions.com, where interested bidders can also register.

COVID shines spotlight on imbalanced approach to death globally — expert panel

PIXABAY

LONDON — The way we die needs a fundamental rethink, according to a group of international experts, who say coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shed a harsh spotlight on care for the dying.  

Death has been “overmedicalized” and millions around the globe are suffering unnecessarily at the end of their lives as a result, with healthcare workers in wealthy nations seeking to prolong life rather than support death, according to an expert panel convened by the Lancet medical journal.  

At the same time, around half of people globally die without any palliative care or pain relief, particularly in lower-income countries.  

The Lancet Commission — involving patients, community experts, philosophers and theologians as well as experts in health and social care — are calling for change.  

“How do we create a balanced way to support people as they are dying?” Commission Co-Chair Dr. Libby Sallnow, a palliative medicine consultant and honorary senior clinical lecturer at University College London, said in an interview. “At the moment we are not managing it as we could be.”  

Although the Lancet Commission’s work began in 2018, Dr. Sallnow said the extremes seen during the pandemic had given it a new focus.  

She recalled treating COVID patients at home and in hospital during the pandemic, with those in hospital able to access therapeutics and pain relief, but only able to speak to their loved ones via an iPad held aloft by medical staff. Conversely, patients at home had their loved ones with them, but often struggled for medicines to ease their suffering.  

Dr. Sallnow acknowledged that infection control measures early on in the pandemic had made it difficult to deliver care in a “balanced” way.  

“In the first wave of COVID, people were trying to respond to something entirely unknown. But quickly the world realized that it is not okay not to have people you love with you when you are dying,” she said.  

The commission had five recommendations for what they called a “new vision of death.” First, tackling the social determinants of death, dying and grieving, to allow for healthier lives and more equitable deaths.  

They also recommend that dying should be seen as more than just a physiological event, and as such, networks of care must include families and communities as well as professionals. Conversations about death must also be encouraged, and death itself recognized as having value, they concluded.  

The commission’s work focuses on life-limiting illness or injury, rather than sudden or violent deaths, deaths of children, or deaths due to injustice. — Reuters

P30-B CCLEX on track to open this quarter; RFID installation resumes

CEBU Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), the private company behind the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), said it recently resumed its installation of radio-frequency identification (RFID) stickers for vehicles, weeks after Typhoon Odette battered Cebu.

The construction progress of the P30-billion bridge project, which is expected to open this quarter, is now at 90%, CCLEC said in a statement posted on its website.

“On Jan. 17, 2022, CCLEC resumed installing CCLEX RFID in the following locations: SM Seaside City Cebu, Il Corso Lifemalls by Filinvest, and Robinsons Galleria Cebu,” it added.

CCLEC is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), the tollways arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC). The toll bridge project is being undertaken in partnership with the City of Cebu and the Municipality of Cordova.

In preparation for the opening of the project, the company started inviting motorists to have their vehicles installed with RFID stickers in October last year.

“Vehicle owners who have previously registered but were affected by the suspension of the CCLEX RFID installation can now… reschedule their appointments through the ‘Manage Appointment’ tab on the CCLEX website,” it said.

The toll bridge, which is seen to increase economic activities in Cebu and throughout the Visayas region, is the “longest and tallest” bridge in the Philippines, spanning 8.9 kilometers, CCLEC noted.

“CCLEX, highlighted by its iconic crosses on top of the twin pylons of the cable-stayed main bridge over the Mactan Channel, is MPTC’s first toll road project outside Luzon,” the company added.

MPIC is one of three key Philippine units of First Pacific, the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

NAMCYA’s young virtuosos play in a virtual concert series

MICHAEL ANGELO VALENCIANO performs on the CCP’s Fazioli piano — PHOTO BY ORLY DAQUIPIL

FIVE young pianists will showcase their talent in a special virtual concert series on Feb. 9-13. Their performances will be live streamed at the YouTube Channel and Facebook Page of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Nathan Samuel Gemina, Michael Angelo Valenciano, Aidan Ezra Baracol, Inna Montesclaros and Ella Gabrielle Gaw will each perform a classical piece in a 15-minute solo recital, showing their musicality and piano skills using the CCP Fazioli piano, one of the few in the country.

The concert series was organized by the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) which has been producing outstanding young pianists through the Junior and Senior Piano categories of the competition since 1973.

A grade-10 scholar at the Philippine High School for the Arts, Mr. Baracol won first prize in 2020 NAMCYA Junior Piano category and Best Interpretation of the Contest Piece in the same competition, among other awards.

Nine-year-old Ms. Gaw enjoys playing Beethoven and Mozart and has won several awards. She is preparing for her solo concerts featuring Bach’s intervention works, Beethoven sonata, and D. Shostakovich pieces.

A music degree graduate at the Royal College of Music in London, Ms. Montesclaros is known for her warm musical tone and in-depth understanding of musical pieces. In 2019, she completed a series of concerts in the Philippines to promote classical music and raise funds for advocacy projects for women.

Mr. Valenciano, a Piano Performance degree holder from the UST Conservatory of Music, is a 2018 NAMCYA 2nd place winner. He was a full scholar of the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines.

Also a graduate of the UST Conservatory of Music, Mr. Gemina won the 2nd prize in the 2019 NAMCYA Senior Piano category, and was a finalist in the 2016 Junior Piano category. He is currently a piano teacher in ACTS Manila and a member of the Piano Teacher’s Guild of the Philippines.

The concert series — which was pre-recorded at the CCP’s Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo — will be hosted by pianist Raul Sunico. The pianists all performed on the cultural center’s Fazioli piano.

Best described as perfectly balanced, the Fazioli pianos are highly regarded for their rich tone and feather-like touch. The CCP’s has been used and played for concerts featuring Dr. Sunico, pianist Mary Anne Espina, and PPO’s pianist/harpist Madeline Jane Banta.

For more updates, follow the CCP and NAMCYA Facebook Page.

BSP looking to create credit facility to boost green loans

By Luz Wendy T. Noble, Reporter

THE CENTRAL BANK is looking to set up a separate credit facility that will encourage lenders to provide sustainable financing.

“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is exploring regulatory incentives which may include the use of preferential rediscount rates or provision of higher loan values. This may be implemented through enhancements in the existing rediscounting facility and/or creation of a new credit facility for banks that lend to priority green sectors,” the central bank said in an e-mail.

In November, the central bank launched the second phase of its sustainable finance framework. Its focus was directing banks to monitor environmental and social risks in their credit exposures and business operations.

The BSP said they are still assessing potential regulatory incentives for green financing.

“We are carefully considering the potential incentives so as not to create any unintended consequences. Nevertheless, we are hoping that this initiative will spur a change in the behavior among our supervised banks to mobilize funds towards green and sustainable activities and investments,” the BSP said.

The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) welcomed the central bank’s move to explore regulatory incentives that could help boost lending for green projects, noting local banks have issued more than $1.15 billion of green, social, and sustainability bonds since 2017.

“The BAP will continue to collaborate with the BSP and Congress to pursue a clear regulatory framework to mainstream sustainable finance in the Philippine financial system. This will ensure that we and future generations of Filipinos, will benefit from the initiatives we have today,” the BAP said in a Viber message.

Meanwhile, Chamber of Thrift Banks Executive Director Suzanne I. Felix said they are actively collaborating with the central bank on a training program that will help banks in the implementation of the sustainable finance framework.

The framework was released in 2020, with banks given a three-year transition period to adopt sustainability principles through environmental and social risk management systems, as well as in their governance frameworks, strategies and operations.

“Creating a more sustainable future should be everyone’s responsibility, and the financial sector holds enormous power in funding and bringing awareness to issues of sustainability,” Ms. Felix said in an e-mail.

Smaller banks are still navigating how to implement the sustainable framework as their borrowers are mostly small businesses and “backyard industries” that do not particularly focus on green practices for business operations, Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines President Albert T. Concha, Jr. said.

“Rural banks are caught between a rock and a hard place in having to choose between implementing the mandate of sustainability under threat of penalty or to lose a client borrower.  The cost of having sustainable practices is deemed high, and these incentives, if given to rural banks will trickle down to borrowers to cushion the expense of compliance,” Mr. Concha said in a Viber message.

He said apart from the potential regulatory incentives floated by the central bank, a separate valuation and classification for loans that are classified under the green sector should also be considered.

“Rural banks might shy away from lending sustainable loans such as renewable projects as it may be considered riskier to undertake due to higher capital requirement and its dependency on weather conditions and exposure to calamities,” Mr. Concha said.

To improve COVID response, combine national and on-the-ground data — researchers

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

By Brontë H. Lacsamana  

THE Philippine pandemic response should take into account on-the-ground perspectives as well as national aggregate data to avoid making the same mistakes that landed the country dead last in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, a position it has held for three of the five previous months.

 “To minimize uncertainty, we need to involve many people,” said Jomar F. Rabajante, analytics researcher and member of the University of the Philippines (UP) pandemic response team, at a Jan. 25 webinar on the Omicron variant.

Despite their mathematical modeling — which the team has done since the onset of COVID-19 — uncertainties have cropped up due to a lack of capacity-building on the local government level, with executive officials scrambling to respond.  

With the latest surge caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant appearing to recede, health authorities relaxed restrictions to Alert Level 2 for Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, Batanes, Biliran, Southern Leyte, and Basilan.  

Meanwhile, all other provinces retained Alert Level 3 due to case count being high.

A better focus on the granular level would mean considering the high case count in other provinces despite the lower number nationally, since the surge happens asynchronously across the Philippines, said Dr. Rabajante.  

He noted that the Department of Health (DoH) includes only RT-PCR tests and not antigen tests in its data, meaning aggregates are not accurate.  

“There are mathematical methods we can use to estimate actual number based on positivity rate. Reports estimating almost 50% positivity rate, that translates to x10 of reported cases,” said Dr. Rabajante.   

VACCINATION, SELF-REPORTING
The stealth Omicron or BA.2 subvariant now accounts for most of the cases in the country, according to the Philippine Genome Center’s (PGC) latest sequencing.  

Though its relative mildness and high transmissibility don’t differ much from the BA.1 subvariant, it is proof that the virus may still continue to mutate, said PGC Executive Director Dr. Cynthia P. Saloma at the same webinar.  

“We know how to reduce [risk] by mitigation measures — medical-grade masks, distancing, ventilation, air filtration … And it’s important to strengthen healthcare capacity and vaccination rates, as the current crop of vaccines are still effective in preventing hospitalization and severe cases,” said Dr. Saloma.

As part of the DoH strategy to address the surge caused by Omicron, there has been an ongoing rollout of booster shots for all fully vaccinated Filipino adults three months after their second dose. This is supported by studies showing that Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca booster doses offer better immune response against both Delta and Omicron variants.  

Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, advisor of the National Task Force for COVID-19, called on the private sector to help through campaigns such as Resbakuna sa Botika, in which vaccines are administered in pharmacies.  

He added that the DoH is developing a mechanism of self-reporting of tests, given that many Filipinos have been resorting to antigen testing at home. However, this will take some time as there is “lots of complexity in the self-reporting system,” mainly the question of test quality and accuracy.

Aboitiz Construction says more projects to be completed this year

ABOITIZ Construction, Inc. said it expects completion of various projects this year, including the construction of a 6,000-square-meter warehouse in Iloilo City and a water infrastructure in Batangas.

The company also intends to “further expand into water and transportation infrastructure, projects for ready-built factories, and maintenance services,” Aboitiz Construction said in an e-mailed statement on Monday.

“Aboitiz Construction expanded its portfolio in infrastructure after bagging a deal to design and build an additional overhead transmission line project for Lima Enerzone, a distribution company under AboitizPower,” it noted.

“It also received an award for the construction of a water infrastructure project for Lima Land, Inc. in Batangas. Most recently, it confirmed the construction of a warehouse for Therma Visayas, Inc. in Toledo City. These projects are expected to be completed in 2022.”

It is also expecting to complete this year the construction of a 6,000-square-meter warehouse for a local food company in Iloilo City.

The company has already started work on its projects in Parañaque City, which include the construction of a 26,000-square-meter warehouse and office buildings.

“In line with our vision to solidify our national footprint, we are also expanding our portfolio and continuously looking for better ways to help in building a better future for a better Philippines,”  said Levi B. Agoncillo,  Aboitiz Construction’s vice-president for business development, tender planning, engineering, and design.

The company started implementing its “Big Shift Strategy” in 2021, which targets the improvement of its financial performance, processes, and people development.

“2021 is our recovery period and through teamwork, we became stronger and steadfast. As we drive towards expanding operations and setting a national footprint, we have started to implement programs that will continue this momentum through 2022,” said Aboitiz Construction Chairman and President Anton Mari G. Perdices.

The company said that among its accomplishments last year was the completion of maintenance and shutdown works at the Sarangani Energy Corp.’s thermal power plant.

Civil works for the expansion of a fuel storage facility in Subic, Zambales and construction works for a local manufacturer and distributor of high-grade oleochemicals in Misamis Oriental were also completed in 2021. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Spotify shares rebound after Joe Rogan apology, Citigroup upgrade

REET TALREJA/UNSPLASH

US podcaster Joe Rogan apologized and pledged more balance on his show amid a backlash against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) misinformation on the streaming service that wiped more than $2 billion off its market value last week.

On Monday, investors appeared to shrug off the controversy that hurt shares last week, as Spotify’s stock price jumped 12% after brokerage Citigroup raised the stock rating to “buy” from “neutral” saying the Swedish company would be able to improve its advertising business. Spotify said it would add a content advisory to any episode with discussion of COVID to try to quell the controversy, a first step into the field of content moderation that other tech platforms have found challenging and costly.

Mr. Rogan’s show, The Joe Rogan Experience, has been the most listened-to podcast on Spotify and is central to its plan to expand beyond music and take on rivals such as Apple and Amazon.com for a share of the podcasting market. In a 10-minute Instagram video post on Sunday evening, Mr. Rogan apologized to Spotify for the backlash but defended inviting contentious guests.

“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” Mr. Rogan said. “I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”

Mr. Rogan is a prominent vaccine skeptic and his views on vaccines and government mandates to control the spread of the virus alienated prominent figures from singer-songwriter Neil Young to guitarist Nils Lofgren to best-selling US professor and author Brene Brown. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell also asked for her music to be taken off Spotify, citing a letter from hundreds of medical professionals urging the platform to prevent Mr. Rogan spreading falsehoods on the pandemic.

Spotify, which reports its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, has spent billions to build its podcast business and currently has over 3 million titles on its platform. Although it has an exclusive license to distribute the podcast, Mr. Rogan himself owns the show.

According to the company, it reviewed the episodes and decided that they did not meet its threshold for removal.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said late on Sunday that he might disagree with the views of some individuals on the platform but that it was “important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor.”

Its new policies include adding an advisory to any pandemic-related podcast that will direct listeners to a COVID-19 hub containing information from medical and health experts, as well as links to authoritative sources.

But the task of content moderation that it has now been dragged into is very different from removing songs with copyright violations, a job that Spotify is familiar with.

PODCAST MODERATION
Social media giants Facebook, Alphabet’s YouTube and Twitter have struggled with balancing the rights to free expression with moderating harmful content on their platforms amid intense regulatory scrutiny. Technology companies have invested in human content moderators as well as artificial intelligence technology over the past few years.

Under increasing pressure to police false content on their platforms, these companies have tightened their rules on vaccine misinformation. YouTube last week banned Fox News host Dan Bongino for making rule-breaking statements about the effectiveness of masks in stopping the spread of COVID.

Podcasts, which researchers have argued can be a powerful conduit for misinformation both due to their reach and the intimate relationship created with listeners, have often received less scrutiny over content moderation decisions than social media platforms. The challenges of monitoring and analyzing audio, coupled with the open nature of the podcasting ecosystem, has also complicated moderation.

Research from the Brookings Institution recently showed how misinformation about voter fraud was pushed on podcasts ahead of the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, including on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, which was removed from Spotify in 2020 but is available on Apple and Google. — Reuters

Mega Global sets market listing on its 50th year

CANNED sardines manufacturer Mega Global Corp. announced its plan for an initial public offering (IPO) once it reaches its 50th year.

“We will be able to take it public when we turn 50,” said Marvin P. Tiu Lim, chief growth and development officer of Mega Global’s Mega Sardines division, in an interview with ANC Market Edge, adding that the company is now 47 years old.

“We want make sure to continue our company legacy and continue to grow the business,” he added.

For now, Mr. Tiu Lim expects “healthy” competition after Century Pacific Food, Inc. announced on Dec. 24 its acquisition of the Tung family’s legacy Ligo sardines brand.

Under the deal, Century Pacific will buy assets and intellectual property related to the manufacturing of Ligo’s product lineup, which is composed of shelf-stable marine products.

“Competition brings the best in all of us and that kind of competition is good to have. It will bring in more innovation, more technology, and make the whole industry livelier. A new entry would be very fun,” Mr. Tiu Lim said.

As for the company’s Mega Sardines brand, Mr. Tiu Lim anticipates growth for the coming year.

“I foresee the outlook of our industry is growing because of its affordability. It’s a staple product, even more so now, where people really have to tighten their belts,” he said.

“When the lockdown happened in March 2020, that was the start of the fishing season. Our demand peaked two or three times in those first few months. We were able to supply all the demand,” he added.

However, rising crude oil prices have been a challenge, Mr. Tiu Lim said, adding that the fishing and canning company is hopeful that costs will normalize so it can maintain affordable food products.

“It is a huge problem, but we are hopeful by the start of our fishing season in March, crude oil prices will soften because this really has a big impact on everything we do,” Mr. Tiu Lim said.

“Tin prices are up and raw materials are up. However, since it’s the start of the season, we also have a buffer stock inventory to make sure we can offset highs we have in the start of the season,” he added.

He said Mega Global made sure not to pass on the full added cost to consumers.

“We did not pass 100% of the cost because we do understand the situation we are in. We are tightening our belts, the way everyone is. It’s not all about profits nowadays, we are foregoing some profits to make sure its sustainable and prices don’t go off because so many people are dependent on our products,” he said.

The canned seafood maker has been working on improving its facilities to boost production.

“We made a lot of investments in ship building and launched more innovative and efficient fleets to make sure we can catch well, all within the parameters of sustainable fishing,” he said.

“Right now, we have also increased our fishing fleet size to the largest in the Philippines,” he added.

In June, Mega Global will be launching a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant to increase production.

“We’re hoping to expand in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) markets, but our top priority is still the Philippines. We have to make sure our food security is addressed and make sure our products are widely available, nutritious and affordable. We also make sure the quality reaches global standard, because the Philippines deserves the best,” Mr. Tiu Lim said.

“It’s more of advancing digitalization, making sure all our processes are seamless. We have to keep up with technology, that’s why a lot of innovation and automation are currently in place,” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

PHL submits second report to FATF

THE PHILIPPINES has submitted its second report following its gray-listing to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which focused on the improvements in the manpower of the watchdog and the heightened financial intelligence and “dirty money” investigations, according to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

The report already tackled the requirements that are expected by May, AMLC Executive Director Mel Georgie B. Racela said.

“What we reported in the second cycle were due in May 2022 (third reporting cycle), so that if FATF favorably considers our submission, the Philippines has nothing [urgent] to report in the coming May 2022 third progress report,” he said in a Viber message.

This will give them more time to prepare for the next progress report due this September where they are expected to prove improvements on six action plan items on boosting anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures (AML/CTF), Mr. Racela said.

In its February report, Mr. Racela said they noted the increase in the use of financial intelligence and heightened investigations and prosecutions related to money laundering cases. This, as the AMLC boosted its manpower to promote its effectiveness.

The country has also increased resources and capacity for terrorism financing, he added.

Mr. Racela said they have also created a coordination center together with the Bureau of Customs to implement cross-border measures in major international ports.

He noted the May report will focus on showing progress on the use of AML/CTF measures of supervisors to manage risk related to casino junkets, the implementation of new registration requirements for money value transfer services and the sanctions for unregistered and illegal remittance operators, and boosting the targeted financial sanction for terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

“The Philippine report will also focus on demonstrating that appropriate measures have been taken with respect to the nonprofit organization (NPO) sector, including unregistered NPOs, without disrupting legitimate NPO activity,” Mr. Racela added.

He said he is confident that they can continue showing progress on implementing tighter AML/CTF measures despite the election season and the change in administration.

In October, the FATF said the Philippines is still under increased monitoring for money laundering and terrorism financing risks, despite some progress in implementing measures against such crimes.

The country was placed in the FATF’s gray list in June 2021. The government is hoping the country can exit the gray list by January 2023. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Omicron subvariant BA.2 more infectious than ‘original,’ Danish study finds

COPENHAGEN — The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which has quickly taken over in Denmark, is more transmissible than the more common BA.1 and more able to infect vaccinated people, a Danish study has found.  

The study, which analyzed coronavirus infections in more than 8,500 Danish households between December and January, found that people infected with the BA.2 subvariant were roughly 33% more likely to infect others, compared to those infected with BA.1.  

Worldwide, the “original” BA.1 subvariant accounts for more than 98% of Omicron cases, but its close cousin BA.2 has quickly become the dominant strain in Denmark, dethroning BA.1 in the second week of January.

“We conclude that Omicron BA.2 is inherently substantially more transmissible than BA.1, and that it also possesses immune-evasive properties that further reduce the protective effect of vaccination against infection,” the study’s researchers said.  

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, was conducted by researchers at Statens Serum Institut (SSI), Copenhagen University, Statistics Denmark and Technical University of Denmark.  

“If you have been exposed to Omicron BA.2 in your household, you have 39% probability of being infected within seven days. If you instead had been exposed to BA.1, the probability is 29%,” lead study author Frederik Plesner told Reuters.  

That suggests BA.2 is around 33% more infectious than BA.1, he added.  

BA.2 cases have also been registered in the United States, Britain, Sweden and Norway, but to a much lesser extent than in Denmark, where it accounts for roughly 82% of cases.  

The study also showed that BA.2 was relatively better than BA.1 at infecting vaccinated and booster-vaccinated people, indicating greater “immune evasive properties” of the subvariant.  

But vaccines still played an important role, the study underlined, since both booster-vaccinated and fully vaccinated individuals were less like to get infected and transmit either subvariants, compared to those not vaccinated.  

Preliminary analysis by SSI has shown that there is no difference in the risk of hospitalization for BA.2 compared to BA.1.  

The study also confirms preliminary analysis from England, which showed BA.2 appears to have a substantial growth advantage over the BA.1 type, according to Britain’s UK Health Security Agency. — Reuters 

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