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CCC-Nestlé innovation lab to help solve climate change

THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) and Nestlé Philippines, Inc. have forged a deal to launch “Klimathon,” an innovation lab which allows the youth to come up with solutions in tackling the climate crisis.

CCC Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director Emmanuel M. de Guzman, and Nestlé Philippines Senior Vice-President and Head of Public Affairs Arlene Tan-Bantoto signed the memorandum of agreement in a virtual ceremony on Wednesday.

Klimathon aims to look for the next generation of young minds who are passionate about solving the climate crisis.

The initiative encourages teams of Filipino students and young professionals to submit project proposals tackling plastic waste management, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and food security.

Ten finalists will undergo a mentorship program with industry experts, with the top three winning teams receiving cash prices totaling P100,000.

The first placer will receive P50,000, while the second and third placers will get P30,000 and P20,000, respectively.

Participants must be 16 to 24 years of age.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, who is the chairperson-designate of CCC, told participants that their proposals will help their experts craft and implement “achievable, coherent, concerted and compelling climate action programs on the ground.”

For Nestlé Philippines Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kais Marzouki, the food and beverage manufacturer is committed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

“With climate change as a priority [concern], we have in place a whole of business approach to source responsibly, transform our operations and shape a waste-free future. As a company with 110 years of presence in the country, we want to leave our children and the next generation a legacy of effectively caring for the planet,” he said.

The Philippines has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% over 10 years, according to its nationally determined contribution (NDC) which it submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change earlier this year.

NDCs, which are at the heart of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, detail the efforts of countries in reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. — Angelica Y. Yang

Travel/Hotel News (10/21/21)

The Pen Manila marks 45th years with rooms offer

FROM Oct. 16 to Nov. 30, The Peninsula Manila is marking its 45th anniversary with a staycation room package that reflects the spirit of the anniversary and the hotel’s birthday: the Wish You Were Here room package at P4,545, inclusive of taxes. Book a weekday escape at The Peninsula Manila with the Wish You Were Here room package for a relaxing overnight stay that includes five-star accommodations in a Superior Room. Start the day with laps at the sunny and breezy outdoor pool followed by a supervised workout at the immaculately clean Peninsula Fitness Center, capped off by sitting at The Lobby and enjoying Martin Avila tinkling at the piano keys. Because the hotel understands that one’s time is precious, guests will also enjoy Peninsula Time, a unique check-in/check-out experience where guests may check in and out at any hour of the day or night for no additional fee — as early as 6 a.m. on Day 1 and check out as late as 10 p.m. on Day 2. To cap off the anniversary experience, upon check-in at the Front Desk, guests will be asked spin a roulette for a chance to win a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe Room or pastries from The Peninsula Boutique. The Wish You Were Here rate start at P4,545 for a Superior Room, inclusive of taxes. Guest night stays are from Sunday to Thursday, exclusive of breakfast. For inquiries and details on the room package, call 8887-2888 (trunk line), extension 6630 (Room Reservations), e-mail reservationpmn@peninsula.com, visit the website peninsula.com, or through PenChat, the hotel’s 24-hour e-concierge by using this link: https://bit.ly/PenChatFacebook.

PHL is Asia’s top beach, dive destination

THE PHILIPPINES is, once again, Asia’s leading beach destination and Asia’s leading dive destination at the 28th World Travel Awards (WTA), the Department of Tourism (DoT) announced. This is the Philippines’ fifth time to win Asia’s Leading Beach Destination and the third time in a row since 2019 to win the Asia’s Leading Dive Destination award. The Philippines is still in the running for the following World categories of the 28th World Travel Awards: World’s Leading Beach Destination 2021 (Philippines); World’s Leading Dive Destination 2021 (Philippines); World’s Leading Island Destination 2021 (Siargao, Philippines); World’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2021 (Intramuros, Philippines); World’s Leading Tourist Board 2021 (Philippines, Department of Tourism). Voting runs until midnight of Oct. 25 via https://www.worldtravelawards.com/.

El Nido Resorts named as among Asia’s best

EL NIDO Resorts, one of the country’s leading eco-luxury chain located in northern Palawan, was recently voted as among the top resort destinations in Asia for 2021 at the annual Readers’ Choice Awards of the Condé Nast Traveler media group. Consisting of Apulit, Lagen, Miniloc, and Pangulasian Island Resorts, El Nido Resorts is the only Philippine property that landed in the Top 10 list. Pangulasian Island Resort, known for its eco-luxe villas inspired by contemporary Filipino architecture and unspoiled marine sanctuary, is a six-time Reader’s Choice Awardee, and a Gold List favorite in 2018. Last year, Lagen and Pangulasian, and Apulit Island Resort in Taytay town also bagged the 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Resorts in Asia. More than 800,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers voted and rated their travel experiences across the globe, citing places they can’t wait to visit again. The 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast Traveler’s website at www.cntraveler.com and celebrated in the November issue of its US and UK magazine editions.

Emirates offer for families visiting Dubai Expo 2020

EMIRATES is making a vacation in Dubai during Expo 2020 a family affair. The airline has rolled out a special offer on children’s tickets to Dubai, in addition to a host of other added-value incentives. In the promotion running until Nov. 6, families booking tickets to Dubai will pay only 25% of the adult fare for children ages two to 11 years old, valid for the duration of Expo 2020. The special offer is applicable on all Business and Economy Class tickets to Dubai, for travel dates up until March 31, 2022. Visit the offer page for more information. Special offers on children’s flight tickets are not all — customers get a complimentary Expo Day Pass for every Emirates ticket to Dubai during the event. Members of the airline’s award-winning loyalty program, Emirates Skywards, will earn Skywards Miles for flight tickets purchased. Emirates has also launched a special Expo offer where customers will earn 1 Skywards Mile for every minute spent in Dubai until March 31, 2022. Existing and new Emirates Skywards members who sign up for the program before March 31, 2022, can avail the offer on Emirates.com, and will earn up to 5,000 Miles. With the additional Miles earned during Expo, family members will be able to redeem to enjoy reward flight tickets and other rewarding benefits. My Emirates Pass is back, enabling customers to enjoy exclusive deals at over 500 retail, dining, and recreational attractions across Dubai and the UAE by presenting their board pass. Details of the offers can be found on www.emirates.com/myemiratespass.

BSP backs tax perks for cooperative lenders

BW FILE PHOTO

THE CENTRAL BANK is supporting a bill that will grant tax exemptions to cooperative lenders to spur the growth of the industry.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said they are backing House Bill 9541, which is currently pending at second reading, as well as its counterpart Senate Bill 2392, which is pending at the committee level.

“To encourage the formation of cooperative banks, the bill grants incentives and privileges to said entities,” Mr. Diokno said at an online briefing on Wednesday.

Under the proposals, cooperative banks will be granted tax exemption from national and local taxes, fees and charges, as provided under the Cooperative Code and related laws, subject to certain conditions.

They will not be required to submit publication requirements on foreclosed lands. Cooperative banks will not need to comply with maximum landholding limits under existing agrarian laws relative to its foreclosed assets, based on the bills.

There will also be an advantage for cooperative banks that are considered as rural financial institutions (RFIs) under Republic Act 10000 or the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2009, as they will be given unrestricted rights to open agriculture-oriented branches in unbanked municipalities.

They will also be automatically eligible for agricultural credit guarantee from the Philippine Guarantee Corp., Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., and for other risk mitigation services provided by other government offices.

The measure likewise grants these RFIs priority status to be a conduit for the government’s agricultural projects. They will also be entitled to join capability-building activities related to lending, agriculture, and technology transfer conducted by regional bodies and international organizations.

It will also widen membership in cooperative banks as it will allow individual members and foreign cooperatives to be regular members, while external individuals can be associate members.

The assets of the cooperative banking industry stood at P23.9 billion as of end-June 2019, accounting for just 0.12% of the P19.8 trillion worth of assets of the country’s banking system.

There are 24 cooperative banks in the country with a network of 145 branches as of end-September.

Mr. Diokno said cooperative banks are the main entities that provide financial services to Filipinos in the countryside.

“Among their clients are hundreds of primary cooperatives and their individual members who usually have limited, or no access to banking services, other than those provided by cooperative banks,” he said. — L.W.T. Noble

Huawei unveils two platforms for building ‘green’ 5G networks

HUAWEI Technologies Co., Ltd. has introduced two new platforms that would help operators build green, low-carbon fifth-generation (5G) networks.

Aaron Jiang, president of Huawei’s single radio access network product line, launched the company’s GreenSite and PowerStar2.0 solutions at the 2021 Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) last week.

“The GreenSite solution integrates innovative architecture, site construction, and algorithms with leading-edge software and hardware, improving energy efficiency by 20 times,” Huawei said in a statement.

“The PowerStar2.0 solution introduces new intelligent energy-saving features to base stations and networks to reduce energy consumption by over 25% through multi-dimensional coordination under typical configurations,” it added.

The rising demand from businesses and consumers results in an “explosive” increase in data traffic, according to Mr. Jiang.

For him, the demand highlights the significance of improving energy efficiency in building green low-carbon networks.

“Huawei will continue to develop innovative solutions and bring intelligence to base stations to help operators build green, low-carbon 5G networks and achieve the carbon peak and neutrality goals,” he also said at the forum. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Smart inks deal with South Korean telco for 5G innovation

SMART Communications, Inc., the wireless arm of PLDT, Inc., on Wednesday said it signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea’s largest telecommunications company KT Corp. to develop fifth-generation (5G) use cases for consumers in the Philippines.

“In order to build a truly world-class 5G ecosystem with life-changing experiences, we will need to collaborate, learn, and partner with formidable industry leaders, such as KT,” Katrina Luna-Abelarde, PLDT and Smart head of the strategic partnerships, said in an e-mailed statement.

KT Head of Global Business Unit Justin Moon said: “Timing is crucial in digital transformation in business.”

“We hope that the two companies can grow to always share information… and promote new business,” he added.

Analytics firm Ookla’s recent data showed that Smart is the Philippines’ fastest 5G network.

Smart said it operates the “widest” 5G network in the country with more than 4,400 sites.

The company recently fired up its commercial 5G standalone sites in Makati City.

The technology paves the way for a variety of new industry applications that use 5G’s full features, Smart said.

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. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Post-pandemic food trends addressed in MAFBEX Wired

BENILDE Culinary Arts alumna Chef Austin Cale Labago

CHEFS and industry experts will be discussing the recovery of the food and beverage field in a post-pandemic world in the 2021 Manila Foods and Beverages Expo (MAFBEX) Wired, the month-long gathering of the local food trade.

Key players tackle next year’s food trends forecast, as well as strategies for both established restaurateurs and home-cooked food business owners on how to thrive amid the lockdown and beyond on Oct. 22.

Slimmer’s World International Nutritionist-Dietitian and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) educator Marivic Lucasan will list down nutritious food options and plant-based alternatives to foster healthy consumption. Meanwhile, Greenpak Philippines Business Development Manager IA Lising will discuss the importance and long-term benefits of eco-friendly food packaging made of 100% biodegradable and compostable paper.

China Plant-Based Foods Association chef ambassador Francois Guissani will discuss international cuisine, while chef and Center for Culinary Arts Manila instructor chef Gelo Guison will discuss the various facets of local and homegrown dishes.

MAFBEX features a series of workshops on kitchen and plating techniques. The lineup spotlights Benilde Culinary Arts alumna chef Austin Cale Labago, a Silver Toque Awardee at the 2020 Young Chef Olympiad held in Kolkata, India. She will give tips on pasta-making on Oct. 26.

Master bartenders and chef-educators will giver demonstrations, and Benilde Culinary Arts Chairperson chef Margarita Marty will share her personal Latin Chicken Rice recipe, on Oct. 27.

Organized by the Worldbex Services International in partnership with the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, the lectures, workshops and seminars are all free and open to the public. Interested participants may register through https://bit.ly/2YHZcrR. For the full calendar of events, visit https://mafbex.com/.

Gov’t looking to set up sustainable finance institute

THE GOVERNMENT could set up a sustainable finance institute to put together expertise and policy support for green finance in the country.

A proposed center of excellence for sustainable finance in the Philippines would centralize knowledge and provide policy support and market development, the Philippine Sustainable Finance Roadmap launched on Wednesday, said.

The center would provide said support through the participation of a “range of different sectors,” the roadmap said. Expertise on sustainable financing can be found in the academe, private firms, and public agencies.

“(The center) could also be the entity that develops and delivers capacity building across the sustainable finance ecosystem, and become a long-term ‘repository’ for the capacity materials, so they can be made available to a wide range of stakeholders on an ongoing basis.”

According to the roadmap, similar bodies in other countries coordinate their sustainable finance ecosystems, including the UK Green Finance Institute or the Malaysian Sustainable Finance Initiative.

The interagency technical working group on sustainable finance or the “greenforce” is composed of the Department of Finance and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), in partnership with the British Embassy in Manila. The group is tasked to assess the need for the institute.

The government launched its sustainable finance roadmap to address the country’s policy and regulatory gaps in promoting sustainable investments.

“(The roadmap) sets the guiding principles that will create the environment for greener policies, the mainstreaming of sustainable finance, and a pipeline for of investments that will help us reduce our carbon footprint even as we raise our economic output,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said at the launch event.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said the roadmap could support green loans, which he said provide opportunities for smaller banks and caters to borrowers in underserved segments.

“Since 2017, a total of more than $1.15 billion and P85.4 billion for green, social and sustainability bonds were issued by seven local banks,” he said.

The banks used the proceeds to fund and refinance renewable energy, energy efficiency projects, green buildings and transportation and sustainable water management, he added.

“As of Sept. 30, $4.8 billion, or 29% of the total ASEAN labeled green social and sustainable sustainability bonds were issued by 15 Philippine companies coming from banking, electric and water utilities, renewable energy, real estate and supranational sectors.”

The blueprint and its guiding principles were developed under the United Kingdom government’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Low Carbon Energy Program.

It tackles sustainable financing based on three pillars: policy, financing, and investments. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Google’s new Pixel smartphones and Android beef up iPhone competition

GOOGLE launched the latest Pixel smartphones Tuesday, betting on its first custom-designed system processor and a new version of the Android operating system to lure buyers away from Apple, Inc.’s iPhone.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro differ only slightly in size, memory and camera specs, with both built around Google’s Tensor system-on-chip, a custom semiconductor that took four years of development. Tensor is optimized for Google’s strengths in image processing and artificial intelligence, helping deliver faster and more accurate speech recognition and better battery life.

While Google’s Android is the top smartphone operating system globally, the Alphabet, Inc. unit has a minuscule market share in mobile handsets. The company is now trying to stand apart from the competition with its own processor, joining Apple in making such a move.

“Mobile chips simply haven’t been able to keep pace with Google research,” said Google Silicon Senior Director Monika Gupta at the company’s launch event. “And rather than wait for them to catch up, we decided to make one ourselves.”

The 6.4-inch Pixel 6 costs $599 while the 6.7-inch Pixel 6 Pro comes in at $899, both shipping on Oct. 28. Google’s online store crashed as shoppers tried to order the new devices immediately following their announcement.

Outside of the iPhone, most smartphones rely on Qualcomm, Inc. and, to a lesser degree, MediaTek, Inc. for their processors, leading to a relative lack of differentiation. In addition to the Tensor, Google’s new devices include the company’s Titan M2 security chip, tasked with handling jobs like passcode protection, encryption and secure transactions in apps.

Android 12, the latest version of the software, marks what Google calls the biggest design change in its history. It features personalization through color palettes and redesigned widgets, and privacy indicators signal when an app is accessing the device’s microphone or camera. Its safety features will ensure Google’s audio and language processing happens exclusively on the device.

“There is still a huge swathe of consumers who don’t know that Google makes phones or in some cases, that Android is a Google product,” said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. “Google is clearly excited about the chip it is offering with the Pixel, but history has shown that mass market consumers will care little about custom silicon.”

The pricier 6 Pro model ups the memory to 12GB from 8GB on the Pixel 6, includes an extra 4x zoom camera and has a larger battery. The bigger device also has an adaptive display refresh rate, much like the iPhone 13 — scaling from 120Hz for fast-moving on-screen action or animations down to 10Hz to preserve battery life.

Another commonality with Apple, which this year introduced a cinematic mode for video recording on its newest iPhones, comes in Google’s push of creative imaging extras. It’s adding a long-exposure feature, which blurs moving objects such as vehicles passing through an intersection, as well as an action mode that does the reverse, blurring the surroundings of a subject in motion.

Google and Apple are competing in a much-changed smartphone market this year, as Chinese Android vendors from Oppo to Vivo to Xiaomi Corp. have improved significantly in the chase to fill the gap left by sanction-stricken Huawei Technologies Co. Vivo, for instance, has collaborated with Carl Zeiss on its lenses and the recently launched X70 Pro+ flagship has four gimbal-stabilized cameras on its rear.

Google still has to prove that the Pixel can be more than a niche gadget for an audience loyal to its products and reliant on its services. The company has asked suppliers to double their production this year to more than 7 million units of the Pixel 6 smartphones, the Nikkei reported, citing people familiar with its plans.

The bespoke silicon, the more personal Android software and the comparatively affordable price points are the company’s key pillars for making the case to the broader market that it’s serious about becoming a hardware player. — Bloomberg

Users of AUB’s digital banking services reach 2M

ASIA UNITED Bank Corp.’s (AUB) digital services have reached two million users since its launch in late 2019 after the pandemic led to a surge in demand.

AUB launched its HelloMoney prepaid account and e-wallet in the fourth quarter of 2019, just a few months before lockdown restrictions were declared to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“We have almost 2 million users already at this time,” AUB Executive Vice-President and Operations and Information Technology Head Wilfredo E. Rodriguez said at a virtual event on Wednesday. “That’s almost a million a year that we were able to onboard.”

Demand for online transactions have grown due to mobility restrictions during the pandemic. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) aims to bring 70% of Filipinos into the formal banking system and have 50% of transactions done online by 2023.

More of the AUB’s credit card users have also turned to e-commerce during the pandemic. Half of transactions are now done online versus in-store, First Vice-President and Business Group Head for Credit Cards & Acquiring Maria Magdalena V. Surtida said at the same event. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Rodriguez said the bank is still “quite slow” in adopting cryptocurrency.

“You have to understand that banks are heavily regulated by the (BSP) and there has been really no definite guidelines yet on the crypto, but it is somewhere in the grey area,” he said.

“It does not mean that crypto is not legal, except that dabbling in crypto presents a lot of challenges for banks especially with the ‘know your customer’ understanding where the money came from and therefore, we are quite cautious.”

AUB’s net profit increased by 7.72% to P1.2 billion in the second quarter as loan loss provisions dropped.

The bank in June set a P4-billion net profit target for 2021, 30% higher than its actual earnings last year as it expects its lending business to rebound. — J.P. Ibañez

Basic Energy eyes ‘complete’ enterprise with Filoil stake

BASIC Energy Corp. said on Wednesday that its plan to acquire 60% ownership in local oil company Filoil Energy Co., Inc. through an equity investment is part of its objective to become a complete energy enterprise.

In a regulatory filing, the listed holdings firm said the decision to invest in Filoil Energy “will culminate [Basic Energy’s] objective to become a complete energy enterprise with end-to-end activities from the upstream oil business, renewable energies or alternative power sources, and downstream gas and oil business and allied logistics services.”

The de Venecia-led company announced on Monday that its board of directors approved the investment, with eight in favor and two abstentions as they have direct and indirect interests in Filoil Energy.

Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved Basic Energy’s plan to double its authorized capital stock to P5 billion from P2.5 billion, which it will use to “raise funds for energy projects and to expand its existing business operations.”

In March, the firm secured a deal with the Energy department for a 50-megawatt wind project in Mabini, Batangas.

It currently holds five service contracts for the exploration and development of geothermal energy in Batangas, Bataan, Benguet, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon.

The investment transaction with Filoil Energy is still being finalized by the parties involved, but the company said it would release further details once relevant contracts are executed.

Basic Energy further said in the disclosure that its investment in the downstream oil business will allow the company to enhance the value of its shares as its indirect interest in “the operating assets, property assets and retail stations under Filoil Energy… is seen to bring in revenues in the short to medium terms.”

Shares in Basic Energy at the local bourse went down by 5.48% or four centavos on Wednesday to finish at 69 centavos apiece. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Cyprus’s homage to the humble spud goes viral

PEOPLE pose for a picture next to a 5 meter high replica of a potato in Xylophagou village, Cyprus Oct. 14. — REUTERS/YIANNIS KOURTOGLOU

XYLOPHAGOU, Cyprus — A Cypriot community’s endeavor to pay homage to the humble spud has gone viral after their five meter (16 ft) tall statue of a Cyprus potato drew comparisons to a giant penis.

The fiberglass replica, which cost €8,000 ($9,300) and sits by a main road at the entrance to the village of Xylophagou, has drawn widespread ribbing on social media.

“Other countries have instantly recognizable monuments, now we have ours,” Euripides Evriviades, who is a former Cyprus ambassador to the UK, wrote on Twitter.

Alongside he posted a collage juxtaposing an image of the Big Potato with the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and Hong Kong’s Big Buddha.

But Xylophagou’s residents are taking the ridicule in their stride, insisting that the beige-colored knobbly design named The Big Potato is a faithful reproduction of its main potato crop, the Spunta.

Community leader George Tasou said those who saw in the statue anything more than a potato was guilty of a dirty mind.

“That is, I think, talk of a mind possessed,” he said.

“Whether we like it or not this potato, the Spunta, is thin and long.”

Potatoes are the mainstay of Cyprus, known for its rich red fertile soil. Next year Xylophagou plans another novelty with its favorite produce; frying 800 kgs of potatoes in a chip-fest.

Mr. Tasou said work on the Big Potato was incomplete and that it would be mounted in local stone with a bench, a park and a small store, bringing the total cost of the project to €15,000.

“It will be a landmark,” he said as giggling visitors behind him posed for selfies. — Reuters

Facebook plans to rebrand company with new name, Verge says

FACEBOOK, Inc., facing intense scrutiny over its business practices, is planning to rebrand the company with a new name that focuses on the metaverse, according to The Verge.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is expected to announce the name at the company’s Connect conference on Oct. 28, the website reported on Tuesday.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company doesn’t “comment on rumor or speculation.”

Mr. Zuckerberg, who co-founded the social network in 2004, has said that the key to Facebook’s future lies with the metaverse concept — the idea that users will live, work and exercise inside a virtual universe.

“In the coming years, I expect people will transition from seeing us primarily as a social media company to seeing us as a metaverse company,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in July. “In many ways, the metaverse is the ultimate expression of social technology.”

The rebranding would come at a time when Facebook is under fire from regulators, lawmakers and activists. Whistle-blower Frances Haugen has shared thousands of company documents with regulators and the Wall Street Journal. The documents detailed Facebook’s struggle with moderating its content and alleged deleterious mental health effects of its photo-sharing app Instagram. — Bloomberg