Top tile trends to consider for your business spaces

March 9, 2021 | 11:03 am

Tiles make spaces unique and beautiful. They have a wide variety of choices for floors and walls that you can choose from in achieving different themes and style inspirations for your establishment’s interior. Create a statement look and set the ambiance in your spaces with these top tile trends for 2021 from Wilcon Depot, a trusted and favorite brand that offers all-around home improvement and building needs.

Coffee Shops

When choosing the perfect tiles for your coffee shop, the ambiance is supreme. A cozy place with unique elegance is right on point to make your regular customers and newcomers stay. What’s better is that you design your shop with Terrazzo tiles, which are known as one of the most hard-wearing tile options available that are made from chips of marble, granite, quartz, glass, or shells. And, when you want to create an accent wall or floor space, then Moroccan tiles might be just the right thing for you. It is an ideal addition to your space to achieve decorative and fantastic patterns and a unique appearance to your space.

Saigres Terraza Negro and Novabell Imperial Venice Bianco

Restaurants

If your restaurant walls need an upscale, Art Deco tiles can do the trick. Make your interior wall spaces look very stunning and bring out a chic flair with its decorative features such as geometrical forms, zigzags, chevrons that are excellent accent wall tiles. To achieve an earthy, warmed tone that creates a balance of rough texture yet refined style to your dining floors, the classic Terracotta tiles can be a great advantage. Terracotta tiles are perfect for achieving Mexican, Mediterranean, or Southwest decors.

Gardenia Orchidea Linear Bianco Dama and Basel Brick Natural

Apartments and Condos

For an effortless upgrade to your condo and rental spaces, bedeck your walls with Art Deco tiles. These types of tiles provide dimension and transform a plain-looking wall into a stunning work-of-art. Since rental spaces sometimes have limited room for decorations, installing these tiles can serve as an added style to brighten up the walls whether it be in your kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom area. They come in a wide variety of designs and patterns to choose from that can suit your interior and taste preference.

Emigres Linus Velvet Cobre and Valentia Cronos Zig Zag Gris

Hotels and Resorts

For your hotel bathroom spaces, infuse nature-inspired tiles as your accent wall. From different hues of green, complemented by rattan, sisal, bamboo, and rustic wood shades, adding a natural touch is such a versatile choice that adds vibrancy to your bathroom space. While a durable yet stylish indoor and outdoor tile is a great way to tile your outdoor and pool area. It must be equipped with tiles that can withstand stains, water, changing weather such as rain, wind, heat, humidity, and sunlight over a long span of use.

Naxos Felci Emerald and STN Ceramica Medici Natural

Corporate Offices

Installing tiles in corporate offices can create a warm and welcoming environment for your employees and guests alike. For your lobby and reception areas, make sure to choose the tiles that can make a good impression and withstand high foot traffic daily. For a maximum visual impact on your designs, dark color tiles are a wonderful option to transform your office spaces and can give a modern style and sophistication to your space. Large-format tiles are suitable for spacious interiors that can interestingly make your space look more bright and modern minimalistic. Office area flooring must be easy-to-maintain, durable, stain- and scratch-resistant.

Grespania Sidney Grafito and Gardenia Orchidea Burlington Gray

Transform your spaces with tiles that evoke quality, elegance, and impressive design. Wilcon Depot offers an expansive range of high-quality and exceptional wall and floor tiles that are perfect for any business and commercial space.

Explore the limitless selection of hand-picked and high-quality European tiles at any Wilcon Depot store nationwide — from Italian tile brands such as Novabell, Versace, Energie Ker, Gardenia, Dom, Herberia, Opera, Castelvetro, Keradom, and Naxos, Spanish tile brands including Grespania, Rocersa, Cifre, Emigres, Keros, Tesany, Valentia, Onix, Oset, Vitacer, Grupo Halcon, Myr, Etile, and Eco Ceramica to Asian tile brands like Arte, Sol, Lola, Huanqiu, Verona, Picasso Mosaic, Roman, Mulia, Kia, China Natural Granite, Basel, Saigres, and Gemma.

Get all your home improvement and building needs at any Wilcon Depot and Wilcon Home Essentials store nationwide. Visit any of their 65 stores nationwide and explore the limitless product selections that Wilcon offers ranging from Tiles, Sanitarywares, Plumbing, Furniture, Home Interior, Building Materials, Hardware, Electrical, Appliances, and other DIY items.

Adhering to health and safety protocols to fight against COVID-19, Wilcon continuously implements necessary precautionary measures in all of its stores to ensure their employees and valued customers’ safety, health, and well-being a priority.

Wilcon Depot also introduces a hassle-free shopping option with its Browse, Call, and Collect/Deliver feature. This new shopping option allows you to shop for your home improvement and building needs through browsing online on the Wilcon website or online shop to find the products they want to purchase. Customers can call/text/Viber to place their orders, and collect their purchases in-store or have them delivered to their doorstep.

Another shopping alternative is the Wilcon Virtual Tour. An online shopping option wherein customers can contact the nearest Wilcon store via Facebook Messenger App. Customers can contact the nearest stores, and the Wilcon team will take you on a virtual tour where you can explore the available products inside their physical stores.

Wilcon also provides contactless payment options to its customers. It offers different online payment channels like bank transfers, GCash, PayMaya, Instapay, PesoNet, WeChat, and Alipay for customers’ convenience.

For more information about Wilcon, you can log on to www.wilcon.com.ph or follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram at @wilcondepot.ph and subscribe and connect with them on Viber Community, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Understanding liver cancer: Treatment options

March 9, 2021 | 11:00 am

1. What is liver cancer?

Liver cancer occurs when liver cells grow out of control. Within the liver there are de-novo liver cells and also bile duct cells. When liver cells become cancerous, they are known as liver cancer or hepatocellular cancer. When bile ducts cell become cancerous, it is known as cholangiocarcinoma.

Commonly there are cancer nodules due to spread of cancer to the liver. Those cancers in the liver from other sites are known as secondary liver cancer.

2. How common is primary liver cancer?

It is the 6^th most common cancer worldwide and the 3^rd most common cancer causing death worldwide.

In Singapore, it is the 4^th most common cancer among Singaporean men and not even among the top 10 cancers in women. However, it is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men and fifth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Singaporean women.

3. Risk factors

The most common risk factors include:

• Chronic Hepatitis B infection

• Hepatitis C infection

• Cirrhosis or hardening of liver due to alcohol , fatty liver and a condition called hemochromatosis due to deposition of iron in liver. Fatty liver causing liver cancer is increasingly seen in Singapore.

• Environmental causes such as taking mouldy peanuts containing aflatoxin and exposure to mycocystin in contaminated pond waters.

• Smoking and male sex are also risk factors

4. Symptoms

In the early stage of liver cancer, most patients do not have any symptoms. Symptoms occur only when disease is more advanced and not operable. Symptoms include:

• Fatigue and general weakness

• Loss of weight and appetite

• Nausea and vomiting

• Abdominal distension and swelling

• Fever

• Jaundice or yellow skin

5. How to diagnose liver cancer

Liver cancer is diagnosed after a thorough clinical examination with blood test abnormality (called tumor marker known as alpha-fetoprotein) and special X-Ray or MRI scans of the liver. The most definitive diagnosis is biopsy of the liver.

6. How is liver cancer staged?

Liver cancer is staged by the extent of disease on the scan, liver function and also physical fitness of patient.

7. How is liver cancer treated?

Liver cancer is treated based on the staging and function of liver.

In early stage the treatment of choice is liver resection.

In early stage liver cancer patients, who has bad liver function, liver transplant is an option.

In intermittent stage, administration of chemotherapy and a gel directly to the liver cancer called trans-arterial chemoembolization is the choice. Alternatively, instead of chemotherapy, small minute beads tagged with substance that emit radiation is also increasingly used, this is called trans-arterial radioembolization.

Other options include radiofrequency ablation and cryotherapy.

In more advanced stages, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy can be administered to control the disease.

8. Prevention

These include:

• Hepatitis B vaccination

• Hepatitis C treatment

• Stopping alcohol and or drinking alcohol in moderation

• Regular six monthly screening of liver cirrhosis patients from whatever causes and hepatitis B carriers using blood test and ultrasound

• Drinking two cups of coffee and a diet high in omega3 fatty acids seem to prevent liver cancer

Learn more about cancer care. Join BusinessWorld Insights, in partnership with Mount Elizabeth Hospital Singapore and Parkway Cancer Centre Singapore, with the theme, “Hope, Science and Technology: Cancer Care in the New Normal” this March 10, 2021 at 11 a.m. Register at bit.ly/BWCancerCare.

For inquiries, please contact us at Parkway Hospitals Singapore-Manila Office at G/F-B, Marco Polo Hotel, Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600, e-mail us at manila.ph@parkwaypantai.com or call 0917-526-7576.

(This article was written by Dr. Foo Kian Fong, Medical Oncology Senior Consultant, Parkway Cancer Centre. Check out www.parkwaycancercentre.com for more information.)

Programs and projects addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Las Piñas City

March 9, 2021 | 9:58 am

Almost a year after the country was placed in “community quarantine” to combat theCOVID-19pandemic, we could say that Las Piñas City has adapted well to the pandemic and continues to rise-up to the challenge.

Dealing with the pandemic is not easy, but the public officials in the cityjust kept on doing its bestto serve the people.Here are their initiatives:

COVID-19 testing laboratory

To help in the government’s strategy to ramp-up COVID testing, particularly for the residents of Las Piñas and others in the south of Metro Manila, Sen. Cynthia Villar exerted earnest efforts since March 2020 to make sure that the Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGHSTC), the DOH-operated hospital in Brgy. Pulang lupa, will put-up and operate its own COVID testing laboratory. Sen. Villar and her family immediately donated essential RT-PCR testing laboratory equipment to LPGHSTC. In coordination with Sec. Mark Villar, the San Miguel Foundation likewise donated a RT-PCR equipment to the hospital.

While initially the LPGHSTC administration was not able to start with the construction of the laboratory due to some bureaucratic process, this was forthwith resolved when Sen. Villar decided to donate also the construction works to finish the testing laboratory according to the DOH and WHO-approved standards. The LPGHSTC COVID Testing Laboratory was finally opened in August 2020 and at present, it has the capacity to up to one hundred fifty (150) COVID test samples per day.

Efficient Contact tracing in Las Piñas City

From its first case of COVID in March 2020 and up to now, Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar made it possible for the surveillance team of the city governmentby continuously conduct its meticulous contact tracing operation. Suspected COVID-infected individualsare being thoroughly located and monitored. All businesses establishments were mandated to require people, entering their premises, to fill-out contact-tracing forms, in writing orthru an online app.

Lodging facility to accommodate frontline workers

In March 2020, one of the buildings that was donated by the Villar Family for the Las Piñas Drug Abuse and Treatment Rehabilitation Center (LPDATRC) in Brgy.Daniel Fajardo was converted to a lodging facilityforthe LPGHST frontline workers in nearby Brgy.Pulanglupa1. This spared the frontliners from the rigors oftravelling during the pandemic, and due to its proximity, it has allowed them to get sufficienthours of rest despite their hectic schedule.

Provision of PPEs and food for healthcare frontline workers

The healthcare frontline workers were provided with PPEs and food supply.

Sen Cynthia and Congw Camille Villar donated PPEs and hygiene supplies for the LPGHSTC frontliners. Also, while the ECQ was in effect, they likewise sent food packs for all the LPGHSTC healthcare workers on a daily basis.

The city government of Las Piñas provided PPEs and food supply to the city healthcarefrontliners.

Provision of PPEs and food to all the barangays

Senator Cynthia Villar, Congw. Camille Villar and Mayor Imelda Aguilar provided PPEs, food supply and hand washing stations to all the barangays of Las Piñas City during ECQ.

Las Piñas Community Quarantine Centers

To cater to confirmed, suspect and probable mild COVID-19 cases, the City Government of Las Piñas currently operates the following two (2) community quarantine centers, namely: (1)the LIGTAS-1 Center located at the 2Villar Family-donated buildings at the LPDATC Compound in Brgy. Daniel Fajardo, which has the capacity to accommodate up to one hundred (100) COVID patients; and (2) theLIGTAS-3 Center in Brgy. Almanza 2, which was constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) led by Sec. Mark Villar. This may accommodate up to eighty five (85) COVID patients. The accommodation, food and water, essential medicines, and the proficient monitoring by health professionals are provided for free in these LIGTAS Centers by the city government.

Procurement of Astra Zeneca and Novovax Vaccines

Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar has entered into two (2) agreements for the procurement of COVID vaccines that are expected to arrive in July 2021 – first, with AstraZeneca for 300,000 doses of vaccines; and second, with Novavax for 200,000doses of vaccines. The city government has likewise engaged the services of Zuellig Pharma to provide the necessary logistical support, which include storage, transportation and delivery systemtoprotectthe integrity and quality of the vaccines.

Las Piñas City is also entitled to get its share ofvaccinesfrom theNational COVID-19 Vaccination Program, including those from the COVAX Facility (COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Initiative promoting equitable access to vaccines led by WHO, among other), tofill-in the gapand complete the vaccination of the city’s target population.

It is also worth mentioning that some private companies in Las Piñas, led by All Home of the Villar Family, will also procure enough volume of vaccines, allowing them to donate 50% to the national government and 50%to cover their employees.

Given the foregoing, there is assurance that there will be more than enough vaccines to coverall Las Piñeros, aged 18 years and above.

Placing signages on health and safety protocols at strategic places

SIignages on the basic health and safety protocols were put-up in strategic places all over the city, through the efforts of Sen. Cynthia and Las Piñas Congw. Camille Villar, to serve as constant reminder for the people.

LPGHSTC’ supgrade and increase in its the bed capacity from 200 to 500 beds

Through the sponsorship of Congw. Camille Villar and Sen. Cynthia Villar, RA No. 11497 mandating the increase in LPGHSTC’s bed capacity, from 200 to 500 beds, was enacted into law in November 2020. The budget component for the purchase of land and construction of a multi-story hospital building were allocated in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), through the initiative of Sen. Villar – P144 Million in 2020 and P500 Million in 2021. The increase in the bed capacityof LPGHSTC is envisioned to better equip the hospital inprovidingthe necessary healthcare servicesand facilities, including provision of ample isolated ICU rooms, particularly when there are outbreaks of COVID-19 or other similar infectious diseases, which may occur in the future.

Those are just some of the COVID response initiatives of our public officials in Las Piñas City, who are constantly working in order to combat the pandemic, including the anticipated delivery of a successful vaccination program in Las Piñas, where no one will be left behind.

More than ever, we wish for the good health and safety of everyone.

Liquidity measures intact for now — BSP

March 9, 2021 | 12:34 am

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will not stop liquidity measures until the economy has recovered, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said on Monday.

“We don’t have plans of stopping or taking away the liquidity measures that we have released until such time that the economy has recovered,” he said in an interview with ANC on Monday.

Mr. Diokno earlier said around P2 trillion in liquidity was infused into the financial system through the central bank’s easing measures during the pandemic. This is equivalent to about 10% of the economy.

“That [liquidity infusion] has yet to be absorbed by the market, so that remains to be on the table,” Mr. Diokno said, noting banks’ risk aversion as well as the lack of consumer and investor confidence.

Last year, the BSP slashed the reserve requirement ratio of big banks by 200 basis points (bps) to 12%. Meanwhile, thrift and rural lenders saw their reserve requirements reduced by 100 bps to 3% and 2%, respectively. The central bank also allowed credit to small businesses to be counted as alternate reserve compliance to encourage lending to the sector.

Despite the liquidity boost, bank lending continued to slump. Latest BSP data showed outstanding loans by big banks slipped 2.4% in January, reflecting signs of risk aversion by banks that are concerned about asset quality and profitability.

Meanwhile, the consumer price index rose 4.7% in February, the second successive month it went beyond the BSP’s 2-4% target range. This was attributed to higher prices of staple food items such as meat, fish, and even rice.

The BSP expects average inflation this year to reach 4% before slowing to 2.7% in 2022.

“We still have lots of tools but I think it’s not appropriate to talk about it at this time because as I said, the P2-trillion monetary stimulus that we’ve deployed is yet to be digested by the financial system and is still relevant,” Mr. Diokno said.

“Because once the economy opens up, and once the consumer and investor confidence returns, then they can actually use this stimulus which is still in the financial system.”

The Monetary Board will have its next rate-setting meeting on March 25 where it will also reassess inflation expectations.

Mr. Diokno said the upward trend in inflation may continue in the coming months, before tapering off by the second half.

The BSP maintained its key policy rates untouched at 2% on Feb. 11, signaling it will remain accommodative to support recovery. Last year, it slashed rates by 200 bps amid the crisis.

On the economy, Mr. Diokno said the first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) is still expected to be “a bit slow” or “slightly negative.”

“But in the second quarter, there will be a strong rebound based simply on the base effects. As you know that was the poorest quarter last year, and then it will normalize,” he said.

Asian Institute of Management economist John Paolo R. Rivera welcomed the BSP’s signal to keep liquidity measures intact.

“I agree with the BSP’s move to continue with their liquidity measures. But for it to be absorbed by the market faster, an effective demand-side intervention may be necessary. However, this is beyond the mandate of the monetary authority. It rests on the fiscal sector. Hence, a policy mix may be warranted,” Mr. Rivera said in a text message.

Mr. Rivera said demand-side support could come in forms of cash or food aid.

He said the central bank’s monetary relief measures are more directed to businesses, but may not necessarily translate to increased demand from consumers.

“Yes, businesses will have fuel to operate but nobody will come in because consumers are also experiencing liquidity constraint. Hence, it’s a vicious cycle — businesses will need more liquidity support to be financially viable since there are no customers,” he said. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Unemployment rate hits record high in 2020

March 9, 2021 | 12:33 am

UNEMPLOYMENT rose in 2020 as businesses laid off workers amid the pandemic. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

LAST YEAR proved to be challenging for the labor market as many Filipinos became jobless with businesses closing or downsizing operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Preliminary results of the statistics authority’s 2020 Annual Labor and Employment Estimates based on the average of four rounds of the labor force survey (LFS), showed the labor force participation rate (LFPR) stood at 59.5% in 2020, lower than the 61.3% in 2019. This rate is equivalent to 43.9 million Filipinos out of the 73.7 million population 15 years old and over.

LFPR represents the country’s “economically active population” that are either employed or unemployed.

“This annual LFPR is lowest since the adoption of the new definition of unemployed in April 2005, reflecting the effect of the various community quarantine restrictions, business closures, and physical distancing measures that were put in place in the Philippines starting March 2020 amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,” the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in a statement.

The annual unemployment rate in 2020 reached a record-high 10.3% versus the 5.1% in 2019. This is equivalent to 4.5 million Filipinos who do not have jobs, but are looking for one.

Meanwhile, the underemployment rate or the proportion of those working but are looking for more work or longer working hours, increased to 16.2% (or 6.4 million) from 13.8% the previous year.

The employment rate, which is the proportion of the employed to the total labor force, likewise declined to 89.7% from 94.9% previously. This translates to around 39.4 million employed, from 41.9 million the year before.

This equates to a net job loss of 2.6 million last year versus the government’s annual target of 900,000 to 1.1 million.

Meanwhile, the 10.3% unemployment rate this year is way above the 3.8%-5.2% target set in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 for this year.

Of the four LFS rounds, the largest negative readings were recorded in April with unemployment and underemployment reaching as high as 17.6% and 18.9% during that month. Similarly, the employment rate and LFPR shrank to as low as 82.4% and 55.7%.

The services sector accounted for the biggest proportion of the employed population with a 56.9% share in 2020, down from 58.4% a year earlier. Industry accounted for 18.3%, also down from 19.3% in 2019. On the other hand, the share of those employed in the agriculture sector increased to 24.8% from 22.2%.

Wage and salary workers accounted for 62.9% of the workforce in 2020 from 64.6% in 2019. Employers in their own family-operated business likewise dipped to 2.5% from 2.9%. On the other hand, the share of self-employed individuals without any paid employees and unpaid family workers went up to 28.3% (from 26.8%) and 6.3% (from 5.7%), respectively.

Working hours averaged 39.4 per week in 2020, down from 42.2 a year earlier.

Full-time workers, or those who worked for at least 40 hours in a week, shrank to 55.9% from 69.3%. Part-time workers accounted for 34.5% of employed persons from 29.9%.

The results were not surprising for UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion. “[T]he employment story was the hardest part in 2020,” he said in an e-mail.

Asked on how to address the current conditions in the labor market, Mr. Asuncion cited “more fiscal support” from the government, as well as assistance for the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises as they employ around 60% of working Filipinos.

“I am expecting things to get better. As the economy continues to open up, more job opportunities will come back,” Mr. Asuncion said.

The lockdown restrictions imposed by the government to contain COVID-19 severely constricted economic activity. For 2020, the Philippine economy posted a record-high annual decline of 9.5%, peaking at 16.9% in the second quarter before decelerating to 8.3% contraction in the final three months of the year.

The country’s economic planners had been urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to relax lockdown restrictions to boost consumption and stimulate economic growth.

The country began its COVID-19 vaccination program on March 1, with health workers inoculated with vaccines donated by China. The government is targeting to inoculate 70 million, but the delivery of other vaccines has been delayed. — Ana Olivia A. Tirona

Animation studios ‘aggressively’ hiring workers in Philippines

March 9, 2021 | 12:32 am

By Jenina P. Ibañez, Reporter

ANIMATION outsourcing studios in the Philippines are experiencing a worker shortfall as demand for their services surged during the pandemic, an industry group said.

Demand for animation from global entertainment companies has been increasing amid the coronavirus health crisis as lockdowns slow down live-action filming, Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) President Juan Miguel del Rosario said in a phone interview. The Philippines is an outsourcing hub serving animation studios based in countries like the United States.

The Toon City chief executive officer said the need for a quick turnaround has led local studios to shift to more rigged or digital animation from hand-drawn, requiring retraining across their workforce.

But most Filipino animators working from home are now drawn to freelancing for foreign clients, leaving studios in search of talent.

“We’re aggressively hiring all over the country — in Cebu, Iloilo, even in the Bicol area,” Mr. Del Rosario said.

Large studios, he said, have been promoting the assurance of consistent work to lure talent as more animators either choose to work freelance or for smaller studios.

Adel S. Garangan, president of the Philippine Animation Workers Association, said in a phone interview that more animators are attracted to freelance work to capitalize on increased demand for their work.

As live performance-based creative industry revenues plummet, Mr. Del Rosario said that there is more demand for digital creative work, including animation.

“The latest game in town for animation is Netflix, which aims to beat Disney in their own game,” he said.

Eric Calderon, a Los Angeles-based animation producer, said global demand is growing, but “not as much as you might think.”

“Actually, animation itself has been on the rise for years, especially with new content demands from streaming platforms,” he said in an online message. “So, it’s hard to say what was pandemic-related and what was the launch of new distribution systems. But, definitely a handful of projects opted for animation when live-action could not be achieved.”

Representing a small fraction of the industry, Philippine animation outsourcing revenue growth targets pre-pandemic were higher than the pace of outsourcing overall.

Mr. Calderon said the global animation industry experienced some hiccups as it transitioned to remote work, but remained productive.

Most of Toon City’s employees are working remotely. The company, Mr. Del Rosario said, plans to retain a hybrid model of remote and in-office work, reducing 80% of its office space in the process.

Work-from-home operations continue to cause delays. Toon City is now reporting a 10% lag after productivity dropped by nearly 30% during the stricter quarantine last year due to connectivity issues and disrupted feedback methods.

Clients are so far tolerating the situation, Mr. Del Rosario said, as the lockdowns across Europe have similarly disrupted the global industry.

According to Mr. Calderon, animation outsourcing — and Philippine competitiveness — would remain unchanged because outsourcing is already remote by nature.

“But, I would agree that if artists don’t have access to high-speed connectivity, it could become a dangerous bottleneck to overcome,” he said.

Mr. Del Rosario, however, maintained that remote work could create work opportunities outside the capital.

“(The lockdowns) really worked to the advantage of the industry because we’re digital, and therefore that digitalization and internet has given access to people from outside of Manila to work, and that’s a big reach.”

Most Philippine employers say they plan to raise salaries this year

March 9, 2021 | 12:31 am

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.

Citing its latest Salary Budget Planning Survey report released on Monday, WTW said 82.4% of 233 companies surveyed in the Philippines will be raising their employees’ salaries this year.

This year’s projected average 5.6% pay rise will be lower than the actual 5.7% hike in 2020 and the 6% increase in 2019.

For the past 10 years, the average salary increase hovered around 6%, but the pandemic forced companies to be more “modest in budget planning” this year, Patrick V. Marquina, head of talent and rewards for the Philippines at WTW said in an e-mail.

“While some businesses may be picking up, most companies remain cautiously optimistic hence are more modest in their salary budget planning.”

In Asia-Pacific, companies in 13 out of the 20 markets have lowered their 2021 average salary hike projections.

The findings were based on a survey of 233 firms in the Philippines as part of a broader survey across 130 nations worldwide to track the latest salary movement and review practices of companies. The responses were collected online from October to November 2020.

Fewer firms will implement a salary freeze this year according to WTW. Only 13% of companies surveyed said they will suspend any wage increases for the time being, against the 28% seen last year.

WTW said the survey results indicated the private sector’s “cautious optimism” for 2021.

“While there is certainly more optimism this year in both employers and employees alike, the recovery for many hard-impacted businesses would not be smooth sailing. Companies will continue to experience smaller salary budgets this year,” Mr. Marquina was quoted as saying in a press release.

Firms that increased their salary budget forecasts for the year are in the health, technology, electronics and outsourcing sectors, which experienced a surge in demand amid the global health crisis.

WTW noted companies in pharmaceutical and health sciences, high-technology, electronics manufacturing and business support services, which include business process outsourcing, gave an at least 5% increase in their salary budget forecasts for the year.

Meanwhile, businesses related to consumer products and retail; energy and natural resources; and financial services were more “conservative in their salary budget plans” than the rest, according to Mr. Marquina.

“It is important for employers to differentiate their allocation of pay rises, so that they can provide meaningful salary increases for their best and most valuable talent, and prioritize spending on jobs that are likely to contribute the most to the success or survival of their businesses,” he said.

“After a difficult year for employers and employees — battling lockdowns, employee safety issues, working from home and declining revenues — many employers are finding ways to handle the crisis better, manage their businesses and help their employees with a more focused work and reward strategy,” he added.

Business closures and quarantine protocols last year forced companies in hard-hit sectors to cut wages and lay off employees. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Restored Chaplin films to be released in cinemas worldwide

March 9, 2021 | 12:10 am

LONDON — A hundred years since Charlie Chaplin directed and starred in his first feature-length film The Kid, some of the silent comic’s best-known movies are being restored to be released in cinemas worldwide.

French film company mk2 and international distributor Piece of Magic said in a statement they had teamed up to mark the centennial. The Paris-based company’s 2k and 4k restorations of Chaplin’s films include classics The Gold Rush, City Lights, The Circus, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator.

mk2 will release a 4K restoration of The Kid in France in the autumn while Piece of Magic will work with its network of exhibitors to release the film and others in around 50 territories as well as collaborate with mk2 distribution partners.

“In 1921 The Kid confirmed Chaplin’s stardom and extraordinary skills in the art of cinema,” mk2 Chief Executive Nathanaël Karmitz said in a statement.

“It is fitting that this year in partnership with Piece of Magic we return Chaplin to cinemas around the world and continue to maintain the legacy of his work, celebrating its modernity and emotions that live on today.”

The two companies said there would be new posters and trailers “designed for contemporary audiences” to mark the anniversary. — Reuters

TV5 airs more ABS-CBN shows, adds game shows to its lineup

March 9, 2021 | 12:09 am

TV5 has added several more ABS-CBN shows to its primetime offerings, including the long-running primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. It will also be adding two new game show franchises to its lineup.

Beginning March 8, viewers can watch Cardo Dalisay in action in Fernando Poe Jr.’s Ang Probinsyano, the final two weeks of the drama Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin, the family drama Walang Hanggang Paalam, and the final week of reality show Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Connect on TV5. The shows will air Monday to Friday from 8 to 10:30 p.m.

PBB Connect’s Big Night will air on TV5 on March 14.

“We welcome the inclusion of ABS-CBN entertainment shows in our roster of programs. We believe that this content deal will benefit Filipino viewers across the country because of TV5’s extensive coverage,” Robert P. Galang, Cignal and TV5 president and CEO said in a statement.

The four programs are the latest ABS-CBN Entertainment shows to be aired on TV5, following the simulcast of ASAP Natin ‘To and FPJ: Da King on Sundays since Jan. 24.

NEW GAME SHOWS
The new game shows — The Wall Philippines and 1000 Heartbeats-Pintig Pinoy — both franchises of foreign game shows, will premiere on TV5 this month.

The Wall Philippines, a franchise of the American game show of the same title, is likened to a giant pachinko game. The show’s host, singer and actor Billy Crawford, described it as the “most exciting game” he has seen in a long time.

“Lahat ng emosyon sa isang laro pwedeng mangyari (every emotion that can be felt in a game are possible),” Mr. Crawford said during a Zoom press launch on March 2. He added that it is a game of luck, trust, and knowledge.

The game is completed in three rounds by a team of two contestants. One answers questions in an isolated room while the other drops balls down a 50-foot pegboard which has slots marked with the amounts of money in play. Depending on whether the answer is correct or not, the corresponding amount of the slot that the ball falls into will be added to the total pot; on the other hand, missing a question will see the corresponding slot’s amount deducted from the total pot. The grand prize is P12 million. The first episodes will feature contestants who are related by blood.

Meanwhile, 1000 Heartbeats-Pintig Pinoy is based on a British daytime game show franchise. Hosted by TV actor and model Xian Lim and YouTuber Chad Kinis, the game show requires the contestant to wear a heart rate monitor.

The contestant is allotted 1,000 heartbeats as the equivalent time limit to answer a set of questions. Monitoring equipment will record the contestant’s heart rate throughout the game and will end once all 1,000 heartbeats are registered. To win the cash prize, contestants have to keep cool under pressure in all seven rounds.

To add tension to the game, a string quartet plays to the tempo of the contestant’s heart rate which is flashed on screen. The player will have a chance to win a grand prize of P1 million.

“The contestants are doing it for their family,” Mr. Lim, the show’s host, said during the show’s Zoom launch.

“My favorite element is that kakabitan ka ng heart rate monitor (a heart monitor will be attached to you),” Mr. Lim said. “Hindi mo kami pwedeng dayain, [dahil] nakikita namin na kinakabahan ka (You can’t fool us because we will know when you are nervous).”

The Wall Philippines is “inclined to strengthen relationships,” while 1000 Heartbeats gauges “grace and endurance under pressure.”

The Wall Philippines premieres on March 13, 6 p.m., while 1000 Heartbeats-Pintig Pinoy premieres on March 21, 8 p.m. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

AC Energy to divest from Mindanao coal plant

March 9, 2021 | 12:09 am

AC ENERGY and Infrastructure Corp. is transferring its shares in Mindanao’s biggest coal-fired power plant project to its partner and affiliates, the parent firm of the Ayala-led energy platform told the stock exchange on Monday.

Ayala Corp. said AC Energy’s transfer of all its indirect ownership interest in the project, which will have four units with a capacity of 135 megawatts (MW) each, is for a base selling price of approximately $453.24 million, subject to an agreed adjustment. The price per share has yet to be confirmed.

AC Energy signed the divestment agreement on March 5, 2021 with its partner, Power Partners Ltd. Co. and certain affiliate companies, in the project located in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.

“The transaction is aligned with AC Energy’s effort to rebalance its portfolio and to achieve its target of at least 5GW (gigawatts) of renewable energy attributable capacity by 2025,” Ayala Corp. said.

“The transfer will be implemented in tranches with the purchase price to be paid on a deferred basis,” it added.

Power Partners is AC Energy’s developer-partner in GNPower Kauswagan, which is intended to support Mindanao’s power demands and economic development.

AC Energy will also be selling the project site to — the retirement company affiliated with the GNPower firms — for $15.9 million based on the signed divestment agreement.

On its website, the power firm said that it holds an 85% economic stake in the Mindanao coal plant.

In November, Eric T. Francia, president and chief executive officer of Ayala Corp.’s renewable energy firm AC Energy Corp. (ACEN), announced the planned sale of GNPower coal plants located in Lanao del Norte and Bataan.

In another disclosure, publicly listed ACEN said that it would invest nearly P2.2 billion in wholly owned subsidiary Giga Ace 4, Inc. for the latter’s 40-MW battery energy storage system project in Alaminos, Pangasinan.

The firm said that it would buy common A shares, and redeemable preferred A shares from its unit at P219.88 million, and P1.979 billion, respectively. The subscription would be issued out of Giga Ace 4’s increase in authorized capital stock.

Giga Ace 4 is the special purpose vehicle for ACEN’s development projects.

Shares of Ayala Corp. in the local bourse inched down 1.17% or P9 to close at P761 apiece on Monday. Meanwhile, shares of ACEN decreased 5.32% to finish at P6.76 or 0.38 centavos apiece. — Angelica Y. Yang

Romanian film of sex and aggression in the city wins Berlinale

March 9, 2021 | 12:08 am

BERLIN — The Romanian director Radu Jude’s Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, a sexually explicit dark comedy of the everyday aggression experienced by a teacher in contemporary Bucharest, won the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear award.

Judges hailed the film, starring Katia Pascariu as the teacher whose private sex tape is leaked, triggering a witch hunt by parents of the children at her school, as a “lasting art work” that “attacked” the viewer.

“It captures on screen the very content and essence, the mind and body, the values and raw flesh of our present moment in time,” Israeli director and jury member Nadav Lapid said announcing the award.

Other prizewinners at this year’s online Berlinale included German actress Maren Eggert, who played a woman resisting a perfect android’s charms in I’m Your Man and Hungary’s Denes Nagy, awarded best director for the war movie Natural Light.

The overall winner opens with a lengthy shot of Ms. Pascariu having sex in porn style and continues showing the dozens of aggressive acts she deals with running errands in Romania’s frenetic capital.

Irritable shopkeepers, swearing car drivers, strident advertising hoardings, and the Romanian Orthodox Church all attract the film’s gaze.

“I wanted to show as much as possible the values of the community through the tissues of the city,” Mr. Jude told an online news conference — a chaotic 1920s cityscape by German expressionist painter Nikolaus Braun as his background image. “How the buildings are, the culture of parking — all these things say a lot about the values,” he added.

Shot in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the film shows almost every character wearing a mask, but the viewer is left with the sense that the poison people inject into their own environment is as destructive as any virus.

The film culminates in a grotesque tribunal composed of the middle-class parents of pupils at the elite school where Ms. Pascariu teaches. Paragons of virtue, they carefully scrutinize her sex tape before passing judgment.

Producer Ada Solomon acknowledged the film would have to be censored for its most explicit scenes for wider distribution, but questioned the values that made this necessary.

“Violence is accepted, nudity not,” she said. “I wonder why that is?”

Festival organizers hope to show this year’s films in cinemas at a live follow-up event in June, pandemic permitting. — Reuters

Mobile number portability seen to help DITO corner 30% of telco market

March 9, 2021 | 12:08 am

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

DITO Telecommunity Corp. said on Monday the planned implementation of the mobile number portability law would help the company achieve its target of capturing 30% of the telco market.

“Now, ‘yung laban natin (the competition) will really be on the quality of service,” DITO Chief Administrative Officer Adel A. Tamano said at a virtual briefing, noting that switching telecommunication networks will be easier once consumers are allowed to retain their contact digits.

“What mobile number portability does is that you can keep your number, and you are not forced to stay with the current telco that you have,” he added.

DITO Chief Technology Officer Rodolfo D. Santiago said the new telco player, which launched its mobile services in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao on Monday, targets to corner 30% of the market “as soon as possible.”

DITO is currently capable of serving 37.48% of the country’s population based on the technical audit report by R.G. Manabat & Co.

Thirty percent of the telco market is “more than enough” for DITO to be profitable, according to Mr. Santiago.

“(But) we cannot achieve the 30% market share with just 37% (national population coverage),” he noted.

“Pinakamadali siyang ma-achieve kapag 84% na ‘yung population coverage or higher (Achieving the target is easier if we increase our population coverage to 84% or higher),” Mr. Santiago explained.

The telco has a commitment to cover 84% of the population and provide an internet speed of at least 55 megabits per second (Mbps) by the end of its fifth year of commercial operations.

“We’re not contemplating on achieving the five-year commitment of 84% in five years; we want to achieve that very soon,” Mr. Santiago said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission approved in January last year the creation of the Telecommunications Connectivity, Inc. that would ease the portability of mobile phone numbers.

The new company would enable number porting services in line with the new mobile number portability initiative of the government or Republic Act No. 11202, also known as the Mobile Number Portability Act.

It was jointly put up by the country’s major telecommunications companies.

“We are fixing a few things. But maybe by July, it will be available to the public,” Mr. Tamano said, referring to the actual start of the implementation of the mobile number portability law.

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