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Car importers question petition for safeguards

By Jenina P. Ibañez, Reporter

THE LEGAL representatives of industry groups affected by safeguard duties on car imports are questioning the validity of the petition for the protection measure filed by a labor group.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) applied safeguard duties after it confirmed the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance’s (PMA) claim that employment in the industry sank after imports spiked.

The Safeguard Measures Act or Republic Act No. 8800 allows domestic producers to ask the government to conduct an investigation into their import competitors if they claim to have been injured by excessive imports.

“PMA is a national union of automotive, iron, and steel workers in electronics and electrical sectors. They do not represent the domestic industry,” Rodolf C. Britanico, the legal representative of the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said at a conference with the Tariff Commission on Wednesday.

The Tariff Commission is conducting its own investigation on the duties and will submit a recommendation to the DTI.

The Safeguard Measures Act, Mr. Britanico said, covers domestic producers, which means that the labor group cannot file the petition.

Tariff Commissioner Ernesto L. Albano, however, said that the Trade department could conduct an investigation on its own accord, regardless of petitioner.

“So probably what happened was they thought the presentation of the labor unions which really affects them because of loss of employment, the DTI must have felt that in fact there is a need to investigate,” he said.

But Mr. Britanico maintained that domestic producers like Toyota Motors Philippines and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. opposed the application for safeguards.

“Down the line, there should be inspection, for example, of factories. There should be submission of data. I was wondering how PMA would be able to do that,” Mr. Britanico said.

Toyota and Mitsubishi have car assembly operations in the Philippines, and also import from overseas.

The Mitsubishi Philippines representative during the conference expressed the company’s opposition to the safeguard measures.

“Given there is an issue on the petitioner and we also share the concern regarding the presentation, your honor, on evidence of the PMA, may we ask for clarification on how they will be conducting it? … How will they be presenting documents or evidence on their end considering that they are not a domestic producer?” Jacqeline Ann A. Tan, who represents Mitsubishi Philippines, told the commission.

The domestic industry applying for safeguard measures are usually required by the government to submit a plan to adjust to competition.

Given that the domestic manufacturers oppose the measures, Eric R. Recalde, another Mitsubishi Philippines legal representative, asked if they will be required to submit such a plan as well.

He questioned PMA’s ability to present information and an adjustment plan as part of the domestic industry.

“The PMA is required to submit the adjustment plan and several data, being the petitioner,” Tariff Commissioner Marissa Maricosa A. Paderon said, adding that all concerns mentioned have been noted by the commission.

The DTI applied provisional duties in the form of a cash bond of P70,000 per passenger car unit and P110,000 per light commercial vehicle unit to protect domestic jobs. The duties are in effect for 200 days while the Tariff Commission conducts its own investigation.

SEC greenlights DoubleDragon REIT offering

DOUBLEDRAGON PROPERTIES Corp. has secured the corporate regulator’s approval to bring public its real estate investment trust (REIT) that aims to raise nearly P15 billion.

In a statement, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the Commission en banc “considered favorably” the P14.71-billion initial public offering (IPO) of DDMP REIT, Inc. The shares will be listed on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), pending compliance with the bourse’s requirements.

DDMP, formerly DD-Meridian Park Development Corp., plans to conduct the public offering from March 5 to 11. It is expected to make its PSE debut on March 19.

As much as 5.94 billion common shares, which are owned by DoubleDragon, businessman and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President Benedict V. Yujuico and  Teresita M. Yujuico, will be offered to the public. Another 594.5 million shares were set aside for overallotment.

If the overallotment option is fully exercised, new investors will own 36.67% of DDMP’s issued and outstanding common shares. DoubleDragon will have a 44.33% interest, and the Yujuicos will own a combined 19%.

With a maximum offer price pegged at P2.25 each, DDMP may raise up to P14.71 billion from the offering.

The proceeds will be given to the selling shareholders and will be reinvested in the Philippines in accordance with the implementing rules of Republic Act No. 9856 or the Real Estate Investment Trust Act of 2009.

In a statement last November, DoubleDragon said majority of the proceeds will be injected as equity into CentralHub Industrial Centers, Inc. to boost its leasable industrial warehouse space around the country.

DDMP REIT includes the first six completed buildings in DD Meridian Park, located at the Bay Area, corner of Macapagal Avenue and Edsa Extension in Pasay City. The 4.75-hectare Meridian Park offers up to 280,000 square meters of prime office space.

Credit Suisse (Singapore) Ltd., DBS Bank Ltd., Nomura Singapore Ltd., and PNB Capital and Investment Corp. have been tapped as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners for DDMP’s REIT offering.

CIMB Investment Bank Bhd, Investment & Capital Corp. of the Philippines (ICCP), Macquarie Capital Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Maybank Kim Eng Securities Pte. Ltd., and RCBC Capital Corp. were also named as joint bookrunners as well.

Credit Suisse, DBS, Nomura, CIMB, Macquarie, and Maybank were tapped as international bookrunners for the offer, while PNB Capital, ICCP, and RCBC Capital were chosen by DDMP as its domestic underwriters. — K.C.G.Valmonte

Pandemic brings scams but education is key for investors — SEC chief

By Revin Mikhael D. Ochave, Reporter

INVESTORS have fallen victim to scams as the pandemic has left them with more screen time, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said, as he advised Filipinos to educate themselves to prevent losing their hard-earned money.

“Filipinos are now glued to the screen, which is why there has been an increase in investment scams. Besides, the current situation is difficult for Filipinos as a result of the pandemic,” SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino said on Wednesday.

He said investor education is important in preventing investment scams amid the financial difficulties brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

He gave the advice during a virtual meeting of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines on Wednesday, adding that there is an existing problem in terms of investor education in the Philippines.

According to Mr. Aquino, the SEC’s enforcement and investor protection department has issued 127 advisories on unauthorized investment schemes for 2020, an increase of 95% from the 65 advisories it released in 2019.

“As far as our enforcement is concerned, our enforcement department in the SEC has delivered. Almost double the advisories compared to the previous year. I think there is a problem in terms of investor education,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said one way to educate Filipino investors is to hold information programs, adding that scammers would usually use social media sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for their unauthorized investment schemes.

“We use the same social media platforms that scammers use when it comes to launching our investor education programs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Aquino said some of the investors are aware that they are entering unauthorized investment schemes, but do so as a result of the financial struggles caused by the pandemic.

“I would expect that some of the people getting into investment scams to be somehow aware that they are entering a scam. Not all of them, but quite a number do enter because of these difficult times,” he said.

“They are not exactly clueless of these scams. That’s how we see it. This is the reason why it is very important to be aggressive in investor education,” he added.

MPIC leaves Bangkok’s AIF Toll Roads

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

METRO Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) on Wednesday said its tollways unit Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) sold 100% of its stake in Thailand’s AIF Toll Roads Holdings Co., Ltd. for $149.25 million.

FPM Tollway (Thailand) Ltd., a 100% indirect subsidiary of MPTC, entered into share purchase deals with “several parties” on Feb. 16 for the sale of 100% of its shares in AIF Toll Roads Holdings (Thailand) Co., Ltd., MPIC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

AIF Toll Roads owns about 29.45% of the outstanding shares of Don Muang Tollway Public Co. Ltd., the operator of a major toll road facility in Bangkok, it added.

The move was to “take advantage of the increased interest from third parties to acquire MPTC’s entire shareholdings” in Don Muang Tollway, which holds the concession for a 21.9-kilometer elevated toll road facility in Thailand’s capital, the Philippine infrastructure holding firm said.

“The transaction will allow MPTC to realize a gain on its investment in DMT and benefit from the increased liquidity,” the company noted, adding that the proceeds will be used to fund MPTC’s projects.

Shares were sold to nine Thai citizens, including Sombath Phanichewa, an existing shareholder of Don Muang Tollway and chairman of its board of directors, and one investment company.

The transaction should strengthen the balance sheet of MPTC, according to MPIC.

In a phone interview, Astro C. del Castillo, managing director at First Grade Finance, Inc., said: “Number one, maybe it’s really an opportunity for them to make use of the money to fund additional projects here in the Philippines or outside.”

“Second, given the political condition of Thailand, they opted to take advantage of, perhaps, the attractive price offered by third parties,” he added.

He noted this liquidity will allow MPTC to be more flexible in other opportunities, “which they deem are better compared to the Thai opportunity.”

Nationalist pride, given the political climate, likely played a major role in third parties’ interest in MPTC’s shares, he also said.

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

MPIC shares closed 0.96% higher at P4.21 apiece on Wednesday.

Eastern Communications sets P2.8-B for 2021 expansion

TELECOMMUNICATIONS service provider Eastern Communications said it is allotting P2.8 billion for its expansion plans this year.

“The expansion plans will cover wider service areas, including Davao City, Cagayan De Oro, Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Bacolod, Roxas, Kalibo, Caticlan, Boracay, Naga, Legazpi, Iriga, and Sorsogon,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.

The company intends to support the government’s “digital cities” program aimed at boosting rural development.

The company had also set a capital expenditure budget of P2.8 billion last year.

“The network modernization program started last year, and despite the pandemic, Eastern Communications continued its expansion project, which will likely run throughout 2021,” it said.

The telecommunications firm recently completed its expansion in Iloilo and Tuguegarao.

Aileen D. Regio, co-coordinator of Eastern’s executive office, said: “Eastern will continue this trend and we plan to be available nationwide in the next few years.”

“This is an exciting time of growth for all of us and we, as a telecommunications company, look forward to being a big part of the Philippines’ stronger tomorrow,” she added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

STI offers degrees in retail technology, data science

STI Education Services Group (ESG), STI West Negros University (WNU), and iAcademy have received the go signal from the Commission on Higher Education to offer programs specializing in data science and business analytics.

In a disclosure to the exchange on Wednesday, STI Education Systems Holdings, Inc. said STI ESG and STI WNU began offering programs for a Bachelor of Science degree in Retail Technology and Consumer Science and for an Associate degree in Retail Technology for the school year 2020-2021.

Meanwhile, iAcademy’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree now offers specialized tracks for those who wish to major in either Data Science or Cloud Computing.

“We have already seen before that more and more data science-related jobs and careers will be created in the future. It’s actually happening now and it will continue to unfold in the coming years. This is why we wanted our youth to become more prepared and equipped to take on this trend and get ahead in the game,” STI Holdings Chairman Eusebio H. Tanco said in a statement.

STI Holdings President and CEO Monico V. Jacob said recent developments affirm the company’s decision to offer the new courses.

“Just recently, the Bangko Sentral came out with data saying that e-wallet transactions have more than tripled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, showing a significant increase in the use of technology. This development just affirms STI Holdings’ decision to offer these new courses, which is a testament to our commitment to advancing the use of data science for our country’s progress,” Mr. Jacob said.

STI ESG is working with Smart Communications, Inc. and Globe Telecom, Inc. to assist its students with the online learning set up.

STI will train students in using data to analyze consumer and market behavior. Students enrolled in the Retail Technology and Consumer Science program will be learning retail marketing, consumer psychology, information technology, and data science to prepare them for careers in business and consumer analytics, digital marketing, and e-commerce specialists.

iAcademy’s Data Science program aims to train students to make data-driven decisions, relying heavily on statistics, data mining, and machine learning. The cloud computing track meanwhile is offered in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, where students will learn to design and maintain local and wide cloud networks. These programs may lead to careers in programming, data analytics, and program management.

On Wednesday, STI Education Systems shares at the stock market declined 2.38% to close at P0.41 per piece. — K. C. G. Valmonte

TikTok’s US ad business roars back as Trump’s threats recede

ACCUSED by the Trump administration of being a front for the Chinese government, TikTok’s ad business looked bleak last July.

Big brands backed off on spending even as TikTok executives offered refunds to advertisers in the event the hot social media platform were to be banned from operating in the United States.

But after it became clear Joe Biden had won November’s US presidential election, that all changed.

“The interest in TikTok has exploded,” said Erica Patrick, vice-president and director of social media at Mediahub Worldwide, which has worked with brands including Netflix and Twitch. She said she expects client spending to increase significantly over the next six months.

While the Biden administration pauses a government lawsuit filed by Trump officials, corporate sponsors have raced back to the popular short video sharing app, booking advertising campaigns and experimenting with new ways to reach consumers, three ad agency executives told Reuters.

The clamor around national security and TikTok during the previous administration appears to have been “more of a stunt,” and has not been a serious concern for advertisers, Ms. Patrick said.

Mr. Trump’s defeat in the election was the turning point for many advertisers who were previously “on the fence” about TikTok, according to one media buyer.

As business picks up, the platform has also approached major brands individually in an effort to address lingering concerns such as the placement of their ads, the buyer said.

Although TikTok’s US advertising business is estimated to be small still compared with larger social platforms, TikTok said it tracked a 500% increase in advertisers running campaigns in the United States over the course of 2020. It says it continuously has conversations with advertisers on brand safety.

Since late last year, TikTok has signed up McDonald’s, Kate Spade, Chobani and Bose, as well as nonprofits including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a TikTok spokeswoman said.

Bose has found that ads on TikTok are watched for longer than on other platforms, said Christina Kelleher, manager of global social media for Bose.

St. Jude has raised about $50,000 since September through a donation button on TikTok, according to ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.

“TikTok is one of our fastest growing platforms,” said Rick Shadyac, chief executive of ALSAC, adding that the organization’s first ad campaign in December with actress Ashley Tisdale had “tremendous engagement.”

NEW OPPORTUNITIES
As the app seeks to earn more money and capitalize on its large Gen Z audience, TikTok’s revenue ambitions have grown and now include selling top-dollar ad packages centered around holidays or major events.

To celebrate Black History Month, TikTok will hold a virtual event with 500 Black creators on Thursday and has invited brands to sponsor the event for $750,000, according to a TikTok slide deck obtained by Reuters.

The company has also asked brands for $1.5 million to sponsor a live finale event on Feb. 26 featuring artist performances and special guest appearances, the slide deck showed.

E-commerce is a growing priority, TikTok said in a statement, as the company aims to take on Facebook’s Instagram, which lets users buy products directly through the app.

TikTok said it is exploring letting users share affiliate product links on the app, which could allow influencers and TikTok to earn a commission from sales.

Influencer marketing, already a major form of advertising on TikTok, is booming as more brands rush to pay top stars famous for their dance routines or comedy skits to promote products to their millions of fans.

The Influencer Marketing Factory, which has worked with brands including Dunkin and Amazon to arrange content deals with social media stars, has seen a five-fold increase in requests from brands wanting to work with TikTok influencers since November, said Alessandro Bogliari, chief executive of the agency.

Even staid companies such as financial services firms are asking how they can get in on the app, after the GameStop trading mania showed younger consumers have more varied interests than some advertisers had expected, said Joe Gagliese, chief executive of influencer marketing agency Viral Nation.

“TikTok has diametrically changed. You’re seeing finance and sports on there,” Mr. Gagliese said. “That’s what’s fueling other brands to come in and play.” — Reuters

Robinsons virtual market adds Handyman, No Brand

HANDYMAN Do It Best and Korea’s E-Mart franchise No Brand are the latest addition to the brands available on e-commerce website Gorobinsons.ph.

Handyman offers a variety of hardware and home improvement items. No Brand meanwhile is a seller of Korean food and grocery products.

Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. disclosed to the exchange on Wednesday that the company decided to expand its store offerings on its e-commerce platform after the lockdowns imposed due to the health crisis.

“Going online was an inevitable step Robinsons Retail had to take, and we see Gorobinsons.ph as a one-stop online shop and lifestyle partner for our shoppers,” Robinsons Retails President and CEO Robina Gokongwei-Pe said.

Gorobinsons.ph is Robinsons Retail’s virtual market for brands under the Robinsons Supermarket, The Marketplace, Shopwise, and Toys ‘R’ Us.

The e-market also plans to include products from the Robinsons Department Store, True Value, Southstar Drug, and Robinsons Appliances this year.

Gorobinsons.ph serves customers within Metro Manila and Rizal, but the company said it would expand the online service’s coverage within the year.

“Our aim is to bring our customers closer to products and services that they need at various touchpoints, and we are banking on technological synergies to make this all possible,” Gorobinsons.ph General Manager Edna T. Belleza added.

The Gorobinsons.ph app is available for download on iOS and Playstore.

The company said its Robinsons Rewards Program is connected to the platform, which allows customers to earn points whenever they purchase products through the website or through its mobile application.

Robinsons Retail shares at the stock exchange rose by 1.58% on Wednesday, closing at P57.90 apiece. — K. C. G. Valmonte

I can’t believe it’s not butter!

It’s not butter, it’s not margarine, its coconut

“I CAN’T believe it’s not butter!” said the person who managed to coin the exclamation as the name for the US brand of butter substitutes. I wish I could have said the same when I first spread Sagana on my pan de sal one afternoon.

Sagana is a vegan butter substitute made by a Swiss-Filipino social enterprise of the same name founded by Swiss-Filipina Sharon Cattleya Romero-Faude and her Manila-based sister Sheila, along with three other board members. Formed in Geneva in 2014, the three Swiss board members-mentors support the project “with their entrepreneurial spirit and relevant expertise in Swiss-EU food law, accounting and finance, strategic planning and luxury marketing,” said Ms. Faude in an e-mail to BusinessWorld. “They want to help create green jobs with premium fair wages and help alleviate poverty in the Philippines by creating a forward-thinking business with a conscience.”

According to the company website, Sagana “offers the highest quality, eco-friendly and ethical specialty ingredients… while directly supporting the sustainable community livelihoods of our partner-farmers in the Philippines.” Among its other products are coconut blossom nectar; coconut sweetener; heirloom black, brown, and red rice; coconut concentrate and coconut puree; and various pili nut products.

The newest product, the spread, is made with coconut oil supplied by a single source in Southern Luzon and sent straight to the manufacturing plant. According to a company release, they aim to “responsibly source from and work with smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and like-minded, accountable organizations that strive to employ sustainable practices, helping them create a positive social impact and protect the environment.”

NOT MARGARINE
First off — it isn’t margarine. Margarine, by the way, was created by French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès to respond to an initiative by Emperor of France Napoleon III to create a cheaper alternative to butter for the lower classes and a busy army. Margarine is named after fatty deposits during its making, which take on a pearly appearance (“margaritēs” means “pearl” in Greek).

Ms. Faude explains why Sagana isn’t margarine: “Our Sagana Salted Coconut Spread is a plant-based table butter replacement more than a margarine substitute, actually — because of its high vegetable oil content at 81% pure coconut oil, similar to dairy butter’s fat content.” According to her, American-style butter has 80% fat and European-style butter has 82% fat. “Thus, it is classed as a vegan butter,” she said. “In contrast, margarine or margarine substitutes have lower fat content and are a blend of vegetable oils, so it is best to check the label.”

She continued to list other properties that make their product different from margarine: “Sagana Coconut Spread uses non-hydrogenated coconut oil; margarine uses hydrogenation to harden the vegetable oils. The hydrogenation process forms unhealthy trans fats as a side product. Therefore, zero trans fat means no clogging of arteries, and with fortified high lauric acid at 35%  it helps boost the immune system. In fact, our non-hydrogenated vegan butter baffled food technologists in Manila and became a cool topic on their Facebook group last October 2020.”

As for its difference from margarine in practical applications (such as cooking), she says, “Coconut oil’s excellent creaming properties and ability to withstand high heat makes it more versatile as a basic kitchen ingredient compared to margarine,” she said. “Margarine uses different types of oils, the flavors vary and the consistency is different. Margarine adds a nice flavor and texture as a spread, in cookies and pastries; it likely can alter the flavor of a dish.”

She added, “Noticeably, baked goods using our Sagana vegan butter are moist, have great texture and desired volume. We are pleased that bakers love it!”

TRYING THEM OUT
Sagana sent over a care package with three sticks of Sagana and cookies made with it. Cookies made with margarine are not bad, but you can tell they were not made with butter in an instant. These cookies from baker Ollie Isidro tasted very good, with salted chocolate chips, but without a trace of another flavor, even when one looked for it.

As for an actual stress test, this writer placed Sagana side by side with some butter from one of our local conglomerates. It was a paler yellow than the store-bought butter, and it took a longer time to soften (the label does warn about that). I spread some butter on pan de sal, and it turned out just as expected. I spread some Sagana, and it turned out alright. Trying to find an off note, all I could conclude was that while it does have some creaminess, it isn’t quite the same as butter. It can be a bit saltier than butter, but my conclusions came after giving up on bread and eating five slices of Sagana as is. For one to find anything even slightly off about Sagana, you’d have to work really hard to find it, and in the hands of even an average cook (I made some gravy with it), you can actually trick your family into leaving butter behind. Either way, after having both butter and Sagana on my plate, and two pieces of pan de sal to go, I chose to take seconds with Sagana.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
While searching for a “viable new value-added product to add in our specialty ingredients range in 2018,” Ms. Faude said that she started to wonder if it was possible to make “premium, all natural, dairy-free, plant-based butter” in the Philippines. “With Germany introducing various plant-based products on Swiss shelves and the dairy-free alternative market growing so fast in Europe offering milk and cheese substitutes, that inspired me,” she told BusinessWorld. “Then I found our forward-looking manufacturer partner willing to collaborate with us. In October 2019, Sagana was selected by the NX Food Accelerator program of the Metro hypermarket in Germany to make it ready for market testing in five key German cities,” she said.

“It took three sleepless months to become Swiss-EU compliant, [and] producing our first batch, and exporting these in Germany and Switzerland, respectively.”

Sagana touches on the trend of going plant-based — even Burger King has made a plant-based burger, and several hotels and restaurants are now offering vegetarian- and vegan-friendly options. “There is a global health trend rising rapidly as millions of people suffer from obesity, malnutrition, related health risks and food intolerances due to highly processed diets and lifestyles. The pandemic gives families the chance  to cook homemade meals.  More people are acknowledging that a healthier lifestyle leads to a better quality of life,” she said.

Eating healthy has become a more holistic experience, taking responsibility not just for your body but also for the planet. “Others have convictions and proactively want to make responsible choices on the quality foods they buy and eat. They want high quality, real, safe, healthy and tasty foods; they support fair trade and sustainable farming that empower farming communities, help protect biodiversity, the planet and animals from cruelty,” said Ms. Faude.  “It is fantastic to discover that local vegan communities (in the Philippines) exist, and are thriving and very open to many innovative plant-based foods.”

Being responsible for the planet is a choice, but is fast becoming an imperative. It goes beyond choosing what to buy, but also how what we buy was made. As mentioned earlier, Sagana operates as a social enterprise, and if plant-based is the future, social enterprises might bring us there. “It is a for profit, purpose-driven social start up/association that strives to build a responsible  business with a conscience,” said Ms. Faude. “Our goal is to grow, build trust and create long-term healthy relationships with our partner-producers, business partners and conscious customers.” It’s a product that tastes good, and perhaps the morals behind it help sweeten the deal. “Trading the highest quality products possible… means valuing nature’s natural cycle, preserving traditions and  know-how, and the craftsmanship of Philippine rural farmers.”

Sagana salted coconut spread is available at P255 for a 225 gm brick through www.saganacoconutspread.com.ph and in select specialty grocery and vegan stores in the city (the website has a list). For serving suggestions and recipes, follow SAGANÀ Coconut Spread on Instagram (saganacoconutspread) and Facebook (Sagana Coconut Spread PH). — Joseph L. Garcia

Printed in days, a house: New York firm takes 3D printing to the next level

MOST HOMES are built block by block, or brick by brick. But a demo house in Calverton, New York, was constructed scan by scan — its walls made using a giant three-dimensional printer.

The demo house was built by construction firm SQ4D, to show the public and industry what was possible. Now, the company is putting one up for sale — a still to-be-built house in the nearby town of Riverhead, which has been listed on property site Zillow at $299,000.

With a detached garage, the house will cover some 1,400 square feet (130 square meters). The footings, foundation and slab, along with the walls, will be entirely made with the 3D printer.

“We instruct the machine to go around and follow your floor plan each pass as we go by. We’re constantly building up,” said Kirk Andersen, the director of operations for SQ4D.

Mr. Andersen and his colleagues had to design and build their own printer to fulfill their house-sized dream.

“We took the idea of a plastic 3D desktop printer and wanted to make it much larger and spit out concrete,” said Mr. Andersen.

“We set tracks on each side of the structure where we plan to print. We set up our giant gantry, our large scale printer goes back and forth, extruding these layers one by one, stacking, building all your walls.”

Mr. Andersen said the actual printing time for the walls took about 48 hours, part of an overall eight-day process to build the entire home.

That is significantly faster and around 30% cheaper overall than a home built using standard construction methods, he said, where laborers need to tow in and stack blocks manually.

“We show up with a printer. We can replace the labor-intensiveness of those guys and extrude concrete much faster than they can lay the bricks,” he said.

Not everyone in the construction industry is thrilled at that prospect, and the process has received mixed feedback, he said, with some skepticism in particular from older tradesmen.

“I think people are just unprepared for how this is going to change construction,” said Mr. Andersen. “This is the beginning. This is just scratching the surface right here.” — Reuters

ATN to supply more rock aggregates to first phase of north-south commuter rail

LISTED ATN Holdings, Inc. said that it is gearing up to supply more rock aggregates to the 38-kilometer (km) segment of the North-South Commuter Railway, which spans Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, after the company received additional purchase orders for the project, the firm said on Wednesday.

The 148-km railway will connect New Clark City, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna.

In a regulatory filing, ATN said that it had recently received additional purchase orders for the delivery of rock aggregates for the first phase of the project. It said that it was already serving the railway’s batching requirements in Metro Manila.

“Recently, ATN received additional purchase orders for the delivery of rock aggregates to Bulacan,” the firm said.

BusinessWorld reached out to ATN to clarify the number of additional purchase orders it received, and the updated amount of rock aggregates it would need to supply to the project, but has not yet received a reply as of press time.

In a statement, ATN Chairman and President Arsenio T. Ng said that the firm was simultaneously catering to multiple batching sites for the first phase of the railway.

“By and large, this is a strong testament to the size of our extractable reserves, operational capabilities, and superior product quality. For a project of this magnitude, continuity of premium raw material supply is of critical importance,” he was quoted as saying.

ATN said that the first phase of the railway, which has a contract value of P54 billion, was awarded to the joint venture of contractor D.M. Consunji, Inc. and Japan’s Taisei Corp.

This comes around four months after the firm announced that it was taking part in the first phase of the project, and the rock aggregates it supplied would be used for construction.

Last week, ATN said that it had secured an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for its 82-hectare integrated aggregates project in Rodriguez, Rizal.

The certificate, which was issued by a unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), covered a yearly extraction rate of 7 million dry metric tons of aggregates in the project area.

Based on the DENR’s citizen’s charter, an ECC must be obtained from the department’s Environmental Management Bureau for “environmentally critical” projects.

ATN, which operates rock extraction facilities in Rizal, also has interests in real estate and renewable energy.

ATN shares at the local bourse inched up 1.05% or 0.01 centavos to finish at P0.96 apiece on Wednesday. — Angelica Y. Yang

Snack your way to better health with bite-sized exercise breaks

THE new Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour published by the World Health Organization (WHO) are notable for what is missing: the minimum time for an exercise session.

Similar to previous guidelines, these recognize the importance of regular activity on physical and mental well-being. The guidelines recommend a target between 150 and 300 minutes per week of moderate activity (such as brisk walking) or 75 to 150 minutes per week of vigorous activity (such as running) or a combination of the two.

Gone is the requirement that your exercise minutes need to be conducted in chunks of at least 10 minutes.

My research group investigates the role of regular physical activity on health and disease. Our research indicates the health and fitness benefits from exercise begin from the very first step of movement. These benefits continue to accumulate in a linear fashion up until 300 to 400 minutes per week of moderate activity. Beyond that, benefits continue to occur, but at a reduced rate.

The change in WHO’s guideline follows the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition, which removed this minimum requirement in 2018. This change was made because there is no evidence to indicate that exercising for at least 10 minutes is better than bouts of shorter duration.

This is great news for people who find it hard to fit in exercise, and very timely given the challenges the current pandemic has presented to many people’s daily activities. People have seen their step counts decrease by up to 50% during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Supporting these guidelines is research on so-called exercise snacking: short bursts of activity that you snack on throughout the day. Exercise snacking has grown out of research on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — repeated bursts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with active rest (low-intensity exercise, usually of the same activity). Sandwiched between a warm-up and cool down, a full HIIT session may last 20 to 30 minutes.

Exercise snacking differs from HIIT in both the duration of the activity burst and the time in between. Whereas the exercise bursts in HIIT can range from 30 seconds to four minutes, in exercise snacking, these are reduced to 20 seconds.

The effect of these snacks on fitness was tested in a study of 28 inactive adults. Those randomized to doing three 20-second bike sprints separated by one to four hours of inactivity, three times per day for three days per week experienced a 9% improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness. This was comparable to the 13% improvement in the group that conducted the three 20-second bike sprints over a 10-minute period.

Now this doesn’t mean going to the gym for a minute several times per day, or needing your own home gym. Or even getting into spandex. The beauty of exercise snacks is that you don’t need any equipment. Even climbing three flights of stairs, three times per day, three days per week for six weeks resulted in a modest increase in fitness in non-exercisers. This small amount of activity is enough to improve insulin metabolism in people who are overweight, confirming earlier research indicating two minutes of moderate walking every 20 minutes reduces blood sugar following a high-sugar test drink.

Exercise snacking isn’t new, although the research and the term are. If you’ve ever been sitting at your computer or watching TV and had the urge to stand up and walk around or stretch, you’ve had an exercise snack. This type of body and brain break is famous among many writers. Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, spends a minute every hour when writing doing push-ups and sit-ups. And why not? Short bursts of exercise can give you an energy boost and improve your productivity.

What makes the exercise snack different from standing up and stretching or walking to the kitchen, is increasing your heart and breathing rates. But you don’t need to worry about sweating. Moving about for one to two minutes isn’t enough time for you to start. This is makes it easy to do in everyday clothes.

Some activities you can do include stair climbing, jogging in place, jumping jacks and burpees. You can even do a brisk walk or jog around the block. If you have a stationary bike or rowing machine, just jump on that for a minute or so.

If you want something of longer duration, there’s the Royal Canadian Air Force 11-minute workout plan. Developed in 1959, you can do this program at home without any equipment (although keeping your knees bent during sit-ups is advisable). Researchers recently studied a modified version of this program, and found it effective at improving fitness.

It’s still ideal to get in your regular meal of exercise as well as your snacks. But exercise snacks are a great way to build activity into your day.

If you think you’ll have a hard time remembering to get up every so often, technology can help. From a simple cooking timer, to the alarm on your phone, to watches that vibrate reminding you to get up. But perhaps the most effective may be using a screen time app on your computer, tablet, or phone. Some of these apps lock out your device for a set period of time, giving you the impetus to get up and move. — Reuters

 

Scott Lear, a Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, writes the weekly blog Feel Health with Dr. Scott Lear.

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