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DMCI Homes adds free Wi-Fi in workers’ dorms

DMCI Homes said it has added free Wi-Fi service and more recreational facilities in its workers’ dormitories.

The property arm of DMCI Holdings, Inc. expanded the dorms last year “to ensure convenient workers’ accommodation amid the coronavirus health crisis.”

“We have formed a dedicated committee whose main task is to look for ways to give our workers a safe and healthy working environment. As the lifeblood of the company, the health and well-being of our workers is of paramount importance to us,” DMCI Homes Vice-President for Human Resources Teresa Tiongson said in a statement.

At present, DMCI Homes has 19 dorms in various construction sites occupied by 3,323 workers. Fourteen out of the 19 dorms now have Wi-Fi service.

The dorms, which are offered for a minimum fee, feature a mess hall, cooking area, canteen, comfort rooms, entertainment room, laundry area, locker area, and mobile phone charging stations.

DMCI Homes also launched an interest-free, salary deduction “Bike Loan” program, to reduce workers’ dependence on public transportation.

It also provides free Vitamin C supplements and personal protective equipment for workers.

Entertainment News (03/09/21)

Viva launches hip-hop music label

IN RECOGNITION of the popularity of hip-hop and rap in local mainstream music, Viva Music Group has partnered with music producers Emmanuel Salen and Wilde Quimson to launch the music label, WAYBETTR. The new label aims to cultivate the new generation of hip-hop and rap while revolutionizing the way the music production industry operates in the Philippines. “The world is increasingly turning into a digital society that’s why one of the directions WAYBETTR is taking is being a digital-first label. This means the majority of our operational and marketing efforts will leverage our understanding of data and technology, digital communities, and digital marketing,” Mr. Salen said in a press release. One of their first acts is female R&B singer DENY. Her first single, “Gusto With Ya,” is expected to drop on Mar. 12 on all digital platforms.

Press freedom documentary A Thousand Cuts to be shown

TO MAKE it accessible in the Philippines, American documentary program Frontline has acquired the distribution rights to the press freedom documentary A Thousand Cuts and will be making it available online for free beginning Mar. 13 on Frontline’s website and on YouTube. Directed by Ramona S. Diaz, the film follows journalist Maria Ressa and makes the case that press freedom is threatened under the Duterte administration.

Maja Salvador signed anew as RLC brand ambassador

Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) has renewed its contract with actress Maja Salvador to serve as the face of the company for the campaigns of Robinsons Malls, Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, RLC Residences, and RHomes. Ms. Salvador “is a woman who is honest and authentic, traits that resonate deeply with RLC’s warmth and credibility,” the company said in a statement. She has been RLC’s brand ambassador since 2014.

English singer James Arthur releases new single

FOLLOWING the success of his song “Train Wreck,” English singer-songwriter James Arthur returns with a new single, “Medicine,” an autobiographical song. Mr. Arthur recently signed a new deal with Columbia Records UK, a co-deal with Columbia Records Germany. “Medicine” is now available to stream on Spotify.

Navillera on Netflix

Navillera tells a story of an unlikely friendship between Deok-chul, a 70-year-old man who takes up ballet, and Chae-rok, a late bloomer 23-year-old ballet dancer. Adapted from the webtoon of the same name, the show is directed by Han Dong-hwa, and written by Lee Eun-mi. It stars Park In-hwan, Song Kang, Na Moon-hee, and Hong Seung-hee. Navillera premieres on Mar. 22 with new episodes released on Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Philippine time, on Netflix.

fern. releases new single

SINGER, songwriter, and music producer fern. (a.k.a. Fernando Miguel Tan) has released his new single, “Whatever This Is,” which is available now on all digital and streaming platforms worldwide via Island Records Philippines. Mr. fern. is known for his award-winning track “Down on Me” which he recorded with Julie Anne San Jose. In 2019, he released his debut album Loveless.

Japanese Breakfast announces new album

JAPANESE Breakfast, the musical project of Michelle Zauner, has announced a new album, Jubilee, the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Soft Sounds From Another Planet. The announcement of the new album comes with the release of a video directed by Ms. Zauner herself for its lead single, “Be Sweet,” a jagged and propulsive 1980s inspired pop song. Of the song, Ms. Zauner said in a release: “After spending the last five years writing about grief, I wanted our follow up to be about joy. For me, a third record should feel bombastic and so I wanted to pull out all the stops for this one. I wrote ‘Be Sweet’ with Jack Tatum from Wild Nothing a few years ago. I’ve been holding onto it for so long and am so excited to finally put it out there.” Jubilee is available for pre-order now and will be released on June 4 via Dead Oceans. Additionally, Ms. Zauner is releasing a book based on her viral 2018 New Yorker essay, Crying In H Mart. The unflinching memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity is due out Apr. 20 via Knopf.

Days of traders slamming phones coming to an end

THE DAYS of traders slamming phones and breaking computers are becoming a thing of the past.

Such behavior was a frequent sight when Citigroup, Inc.’s Deirdre Dunn got her start on Wall Street two decades ago. One colleague even kept a mini baseball bat in his desk to hammer his phone back together. Now, with banks desperate to attract diverse candidates to their hallowed trading floors, there’s far less tolerance for that kind of hard-charging attitude, she said.

“If I look at trading when I started, I would say a phone or occasionally a computer got broken at least once a week, or once every two weeks,” Ms. Dunn, Citigroup’s global co-head of rates trading, said during a virtual roundtable last week, held ahead of International Women’s Day on Monday. “That kind of thing doesn’t happen anymore, or it rarely happens.”

Wall Street has long known it needs to change from a bellicose boys’ club, with many of the world’s largest banks pledging to increase the share of roles held by women up and down their corporate ladders. Now, with the pandemic causing a record number of women to leave the workforce entirely, those efforts matter even more.

For its part, Citigroup has been working to boost the share of women from assistant vice-president up through the managing director level to bolster its efforts to close the pay gap between male and female employees. It’s the first major US bank with a woman as chief executive officer, and one of the few financial firms to disclose details of that gender pay disparity.

QUITTING TIME
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Wall Street executives to send workers home in droves last spring, managers had to be lenient. Images of their traders juggling caring for children or elderly relatives with the daily demands of their jobs suddenly filled their Zoom screens.

Despite the added stress, trading desks thrived. The five biggest US investment banks notched their first year with over $100 billion in such revenue in more than a decade. That’s all meant that trading executives have learned they can offer the flexibility that women long craved and would often leave finance in order to get.

“The world is not going to end if I wake up earlier, go through my e-mails and then every morning, from 7 to 8, I feed my kids breakfast,” Ayesa Latif, who oversees Citigroup’s electronic foreign-exchange sales teams in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said during the event. “If you need to leave early and go to a school play or a sports game and log on later to finish your work, that’s perfectly fine.”

So far, the flexibility appears to be working. The share of women in finance roles in the US has held steady, according to data from the Department of Labor. At Bank of America Corp., attrition among women remains at a record low as the lender rolled out a bevy of perks tied to childcare in the last year.

Still, the percentage of women occupying roles on Wall Street’s trading floors remains stubbornly low. Most studies put it below 20%.

And fixing that won’t be easy. Ms. Dunn said she has received some pushback to her bank’s efforts to diversify, with some raising the issue of positive discrimination, or the practice of favoring someone for a role or opportunity because they’re a member of a protected class — affirmative action, essentially.

“Another thing that commonly gets a lot of discussion, from my perspective, especially on a trading floor, is what is aggressive behavior? Or what is aggressive language?” Ms. Dunn said. “There is some discussion over ‘I wasn’t yelling, I just have a loud speaking voice.’”

To Ms. Dunn, that’s just meant more discussions with senior managers in which she shares the findings of the massive employee surveys Citigroup conducts each year.

“You don’t shy away from the fact that these things exist,” Ms. Dunn said. “You certainly can’t pretend that those kind of conversations aren’t happening. You need to address them head on and discuss it.” — Bloomberg

ATI to spend nearly P7B on equipment acquisition, projects this year

ASIAN TERMINALS, Inc. (ATI) said on Monday it will be spending around P6.9 billion this year, mainly for the acquisition of new cargo handling equipment and for some logistics infrastructure projects in Luzon.

“For 2021, ATI is investing an estimated P6.9 billion in step with its growth strategy and in line with its investment commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority,” the listed port operator said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

The budget will be used to support the acquisition of “more modern cargo handling equipment and the development of related logistics infrastructure projects” in Manila, Batangas, Laguna and Cavite, it added.

The company noted its capital expenditures budget for 2020 was set at P10 billion, mainly for yard and berth development as well as construction of new facilities and equipment acquisition.

Developing more cargo storage spaces, offering ancillary services leveraged on its core ports business, and new port operations here and abroad are among the opportunities the company is currently exploring.

ATI saw its attributable net income for 2020 drop 20.4% to P2.95 billion.

Revenues from operations declined 17.8% to P10.96 billion last year.

“Revenues from Manila South Harbor’s (MSH) international containerized cargo operations and Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) decreased by 16.9% and 20.2%, respectively, compared to 2019 on account of lower container volumes resulting from the negative economic impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019),” it said in an e-mailed statement.

“Container volumes at MSH and BCT declined by 20.4% and 19.7%, respectively,” it added.

The company noted it handled more than 700,000 teus (twenty-foot equivalent units), 25% higher than the first half, in consolidated container volume from July to December. It closed 2020 with a volume of about 1.3 million teus.

ATI Executive Vice-President William Khoury said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses and industries around the world at unprecedented proportions. But with discipline, teamwork, and prudent cost management, ATI has remained resilient, keeping our gateway ports viable and operational 24/7, which in turn kept commodities and cargoes flowing especially during this pandemic.”

“With the rollout of the government’s inoculation program, the lifting of government restrictions and the calibrated opening up of the economy, we are optimistic for a stronger year this 2021,” he added.

ATI shares closed 0.65% higher at P15.60 apiece on Monday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Projected average salary increase in the Philippines seen to be the lowest in more than a decade

EMPLOYERS in the Philippines expect to raise salaries by an average of 5.6% this year — the slowest pace in over a decade — as companies remain cautiously optimistic amid the coronavirus crisis, global advisory company Willis Towers Watson (WTW) said in a report. Read the full story.

Projected average salary increase in the Philippines seen to be the lowest in more than a decade

How PSEi member stocks performed — March 8, 2021

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Monday, March 8, 2021.

Stocks end lower on fears of tighter lockdown

PHILIPPINE SHARES dropped on Monday over fears of tighter lockdown restrictions amid a spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections and as some investors prepared for an upcoming initial public offering (IPO).

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 124.45 points or 1.8% to close at 6,756.92 on Monday, while the broader all shares index fell by 79.14 points or 1.9% to 4,079.40.

“[Investors’] fear of a second wave that might result [in] another lockdown. That’s why some are taking profits and turning their investment into cash to avoid the risk,” UPCC Securities Corp. Equities Trader Aristotle D. Reyes, Jr. said in a text message.

“Another reason might be the incoming initial public offering (IPO). Some investors are selling their positions to fund their IPO subscription,” Mr. Reyes added.

DDMP REIT, Inc., the real estate investment trust of DoubleDragon Properties Corp., on Friday priced its initial public offering at P2.25 per share, the high end of its indicative pricing.

The company has applied for the listing of some 17.83 billion common shares on the main board of the PSE. With the IPO priced at P2.25 per share, DDMPR is poised to raise P14.71 billion.

The offer period will run from March 10 to 16. DDMPR shares are tentatively scheduled to debut on the exchange on March 23.

“Selling pressure was minimal at the beginning of the trading session as investors were trying to get a feel of the sentiment. No one wanted to be the first to unload shares as the recent spike in new cases may be temporary and the market may still recover,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John J. Mangun said in an e-mail. “However, selling pressure kept picking up, drawing more and more investors into the sell-off.”

All sectoral indices closed in the red on Monday. Financials fell by 48.65 points or 3.29% to 1,428.97; mining and oil declined by 271.27 points or 3.06% to finish at 8,583.19; property decreased by 89.94 points or 2.58% to 3,389.87; industrials went down by 145.48 points or 1.65% to 8,641.20; holding firms dropped 91.04 points or 1.29% to 6,968.19; and services inched down by 7.23 points or 0.49% to finish at 1,457.40.

Value turnover rose to P9.85 billion with 7.20 billion shares switching hands on Monday from the P7.73 billion seen on Friday.

Decliners overwhelmed advancers, 201 against 38, while 29 names closed unchanged.

Net foreign selling went down to P497.84 million on Monday from the P595.70 million recorded on Friday.

Mr. Mangun said he expects the PSEi to finish between 6,600 to 6,700 in the coming days as investors watch out for how the government will respond to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

“The government has announced its strategy of restricting mobility in certain cities that are experiencing a surge rather than the entire metro to soften the blow on the economy. Failure to maintain a grip on the situation will certainly spell disaster for the stock market,” he said. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Peso nearly unchanged vs the dollar as market awaits jobs report

THE PESO moved sideways against the greenback on Monday as investors await the latest data on the country’s jobs situation.

The local unit closed at P48.561 per dollar on Monday, nearly flat versus its P48.56 finish on Friday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.

The peso started the session at P48.55 against the dollar. Its weakest showing was at P48.61 while its intraday best was at P48.51 against the greenback.

Dollars that changed hands dropped to $685.98 million on Monday from the $933.45 million seen on Friday.

Market players were waiting on the sidelines for the jobs data release, which affected the peso’s flattish movement during the day, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said.

“It seems trading was lackluster and prices just moved sideways. Traders may also be waiting for unemployment numbers to be released,” Mr. Asuncion said in a Viber message.

The jobless rate in October eased to 8.7% or 3.813 million unemployed Filipinos in October, lower than the 10% unemployment rate in July but still a jump from the 4.6% in October 2019 when 2.045 million Filipinos were jobless.

It peaked at 17.6% in April, equivalent to 7.228 million jobless individuals at the height of the lockdown.

The preliminary results of the January Labor Force Survey are set to be released  by the Philippine Statistics Authority on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the peso’s marginal weakness was on the back of the losses seen in the stock market.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index dropped 1.81% or 124.45 points to finish at 6,756.92 on Monday. All sectoral indices fell, with the financials counter recording the steepest decline at 3.29% or 48.65 points to 1,428.97.

For today, UnionBank’s Mr. Asuncion gave a forecast range of P48.50 to P48.60 per dollar, while RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort expects the local unit to move within the P48.50 to P48.62 levels. — L.W.T. Noble

Virus cases near 600,000 with 12,521 deaths

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 3,356 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 597, 763.

The death toll rose to 12,521 after five more patients died, while recoveries increased by 61 to 545, 912, it said in a bulletin.

There were 39,330 active cases, 2% of which were critical, 91.2% were mild, 4% did not show symptoms, 2% were severe and 0.83% were moderate.

DoH said five duplicates had been removed from the tally, two of which were reclassified as recoveries. Six laboratories failed to submit data on Mar. 7.

Meanwhile, the agency said the surge in COVID-19 infections in Manila, the capital and nearby cities could not be traced solely to variants of the virus.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the rise could have been due to Filipinos’ failure to comply with health protocols. “We can’t say that the variants were to blame solely for the increase,” she told an online news briefing in Filipino on Monday.

Coronavirus cases in the capital region have been rising faster, hitting levels last seen in July, the OCTA Research Group from the University of the Philippines said on Sunday.

There had been 1,025 infections daily in the capital region in the past seven days, 42% higher than a week earlier and more than double the number two weeks ago, it said. The number could still go up this month.

They noted a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Metro Manila on Mar. 6, when DoH reported 1,464 new infections. This could be due to the spread of coronavirus variants that are more contagious, they said.

OCTA Research said the infection surge in Metro Manila could undermine the government’s vaccination program.

OCTA Research said Pasay, Makati, Malabon and Navotas were high-risk areas. Pasay had the highest daily attack rate at 30 for 100,000 people.

Makati City had used 80% of its hospital beds, while Quezon City, Taguig, Malabon, Muntinlupa and Pateros had used more than 60%, OCTA said. Las Piñas and Mandaluyong exceeded 70%.

Metro Manila’s overall hospital bed occupancy was 44% and 53% for its intensive care units. Only Valenzuela showed a decline in infections from Feb. 28 to March 6, it said.

But Ms. Vergeire said the term “surge” should not be used just yet because scientific evidence is needed to validate the phenomenon.

She said healthcare use in the region was still manageable and could still accommodate almost 50% of COVID-19 patients.

DoH has recorded 118 cases of the more transmissible United Kingdom variant and 58 cases of the South African variant.

The National Capital Region posted the highest number of infections with the variants, with 28 cases of the one from the UK and 45 cases of the South African variant. Meanwhile, senators urged the government to boost measures to curb infections.

Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva called for a stricter implementation of health protocols. “It is very alarming and we need to take extra precautions once more,” he said in a statement. “We have to go back to observing social distancing as the new variants are reportedly more infectious,” he added.

Senator Grace Poe-Llmanzares said the government must fast-track the delivery of coronavirus vaccines to address the “alarming surge.”

“We should vaccinate faster than the virus can spread,” she said in a separate statement. “This is taking into account that the supply of the government-procured and donated doses will reach the Philippines on time.”

“We count on the task force to continue equitable negotiations for the purchase of safe and efficient vaccines, complemented by a smooth implementation of the inoculation program,” she added.

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson urged local government units (LGUs) to determine specific areas “where the surges occur or are evident, so that extra control measures and closer supervision can be instituted immediately.”

With the surge, the role of LGUs “becomes indispensable since they are the closest to the potential spreaders, not to mention their familiarity with the people in their localities,” he said in a statement.

Presidential Palace cites ‘excellent’ handling of pandemic

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PRESIDENTIAL Palace on Monday touted its “excellent” response to the coronavirus pandemic, a year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic.

Presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said the government had managed to control the virus compared with richer nations such as the United States, where half-a-million people have died.

“We were excellent,” he told a televised news briefing. “We controlled the spread of the disease unlike richer nations that have more and advanced hospitals,” he said in Filipino.

The coronavirus has killed more than 12,000 Filipinos. It also forced the government to lock down many areas, leading to the shutdown of many companies that had to lay off some of its workers.

Last year, the Philippines fell to its worst recession since World War II as economic output shrank by 9.5%.

“The fact that we are still under a general community quarantine shows the failed pandemic response,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“We have the longest quarantine. We have the longest school closures. We have the worst drop in gross domestic product. We are the last ASEAN country to receive a vaccine. How is that excellent?”

Former Social Welfare Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo said the Duterte administration “excelled” in militarizing a public health issue.

More than 120,000 violators of quarantine protocols were arrested in the Philippines amid what was considered as the strictest and longest lockdown in Southeast Asia, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said last year.

The list included aid distributors, jeepney drivers, rallyists and other sectors critical of the slow delivery of social services during the pandemic.

Several countries including the Philippines have used the pandemic to harass journalists, opposition activists, health workers and “anyone else who dares to criticize the official response to the coronavirus,” according to Human Rights Watch.

Ms. Taguiwalo said the government had also delayed and limited assistance to the poor.

Based on the survey involving 1,032 people living in Southeast Asia, 53.7% of Filipino respondents thumbed down the government’s handling of the health crisis, making them the most dissatisfied of their government’s pandemic response.

The government was also “excellent” in prioritizing “VIPs in mass testing and vaccination and in describing the prolonged lockdown as vacation time for the people,” Ms. Taguiwalo said.

Ramon T. Tulfo, Jr., the country’s special envoy to China, earlier said he and other high-ranking government officials had been injected last year with an unapproved vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm Biotech Group.

“We were excellent in managing it,” Mr. Roque said. “Unfortunately, in the absence of a vaccine, many will really get infected and some will die,” he added in Filipino.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte earlier said Manila was having difficulty getting more vaccine supplies, citing problems in the global supply chain. Countries that can pay more were being prioritized by drug makers, he said.

With a GDP (gross domestic product) per capita of $9,471, the Philippines ranked 76th in the list of poorest countries in the world in 2020.

But poorer nations such as Bangladesh, Cambodia and Còte d’Ivoire, with a GDP per capita of  $5,028, $4,664 and $4,457, respectively, got their vaccines before the Philippines, according to the website Our World in Data.

Duterte cites efforts to break glass ceiling on Int’l Women’s Day

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday said his government had created an environment where women’s rights are respected.

The tough-talking leader, who once said the presidency was not a job for a woman, added that the government has recognized women’s contributions to society.

Governments, international organizations and women’s movements have “worked together and made significant strides in addressing gender inequality by dealing with its cultural, institutional and historical roots,” Mr. Duterte said in a statement on International Women’s Day.

His government had asked the Commission on Elections to cancel the registration in the party-list system of Gabriela Women’s Party, the sole women’s sectoral representation in Philippine Congress.

In 2019, the President signed a measure expanding maternity leave for women. Gabriela initiated the bill.

Mr. Duterte has drawn flak for comments viewed as derogatory to women, but his allies have said his remarks were harmless.

The President said “there is still much to be done” to address gender disparity.

Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo urged women to answer the calls to leadership and unite with allies to combat gender inequality.

“We need to band together to continue the work,” she said in a statement. “We need as many women and allies as possible banging against the glass ceiling and creating spaces where all genders can flourish and contribute to society.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Nationwide round-up (03/08/21)

Justice dep’t says will first assess if Sunday’s raids, deaths were possible EJK

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) will conduct an initial assessment on whether the death of at least six activists during simultaneous raids by government forces on Sunday are potential extra-judicial cases before they conduct an investigation. “We will determine first if the incident falls within the purview of the DoJ-led… task force on (extra-judicial killings or EJK), then we’ll act accordingly,” Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said in a mobile message on Monday. If the incident is ascertained to be not within the task force’s jurisdiction, “I will direct the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to do the probe,” he added. Renato M. Reyes, Jr., secretary general of the left-wing alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said those targeted during Sunday’s raids are legal activists and not members of the armed communist group New People’s Army. In a press conference Monday, the group condemned the incidents and Mr. Reyes pointed out that those killed or arrested were “not in the act of committing crime” as claimed by the police. Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate of the left-wing Bayan Muna Party-list also called out the national government for its failure to make a “distinction between armed rebels and legal organizations.” Meanwhile, Mr. Guevarra said it is premature to conclude whether the raids are related to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order on Friday to “kill” and “finish off” all communist rebels in the country. Nonetheless, the Justice chief said he is “disappointed” at what transpired not long after he delivered a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). “I was really hoping that with that statement I made before the (UNHRC), our law enforcers would be more careful in their operations.” Presidential Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr., in a televised briefing Monday, defended Mr. Duterte’s order saying it is “legal” under existing International Humanitarian Law given that there is an ongoing “fight” against armed communist groups. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Grab says threshing out provision of 20% discount to senior citizens

GRAB Philippines said it is currently working out the provision of the mandatory 20% discount to senior citizens availing of their food delivery service after a lawmaker sought a probe on alleged violations by service providers. “We will work closely with our merchant-partners and the government to find an effective way to provide a 20% discount to senior citizens for food purchased on our platform under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010,” Grab said in a statement on Monday. Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera-Dy on Friday said she filed House Resolution No. 1626 calling for the investigation in aid of legislation on complaints from senior citizens who could not avail of the 20% discount from a number of food delivery platforms. The Expanded Senior Citizen Act states that those who are at least 60 years old are entitled to a 20% discount for applicable goods and services from all establishments, including food deliveries made through telephone. — Gillian M. Cortez

Labor inspections to focus on sectors at high risk of COVID-19 transmission

WORKPLACE inspections for this year will focus on sectors that are most vulnerable to coronavirus transmission, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said on Monday. In a virtual briefing on Monday, Labor Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresita S. Cucueco said inspections will prioritize businesses that saw cluster outbreaks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “In terms of priorities based on the highly hazardous nature and the COVID-19 cases recorded, (these are) construction, BPOs (business process outsourcing), transportation… manufacturing, because these were most of the complaints came from,” she said. Last year, over 71,000 establishments were inspected by the department, with particular focus on compliance to guidelines relating to COVID-19. Ms. Cucueco said, “76% was the initial compliance but after we gave them due recommendations, it went up to 92%.” The DoLE released its latest guideline last week, contained in Department Order 224-21, which called for the installation of proper ventilation in work places and public transportation to prevent coronavirus transmission. — Gillian M. Cortez

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