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PHirst Park launches P1.9-B Pampanga development

CENTURY Properties Group, Inc., (CPG) has launched a new residential property in Pampanga, which offers 1,079 units valued at P1.9 billion.

In a statement on Wednesday, CPG said its affordable housing subsidiary PHirst Park Homes, Inc. recently did a “digital property launch” for PHirst Park Homes Magalang, a 10-hectare masterplanned development in Barangay Santo Rosario, Pampanga.

This expands the company’s presence north of Metro Manila following its 18-hectare PHirst Park Homes Pandi in Bulacan.

“PHirst Park Homes is culminating the year with the very positive reception on the much-anticipated launch of our Pampanga project. Aside from Calabarzon, we are eyeing projects in the key growth areas of Central Luzon where there continues to be strong demand,” PHirst Park Homes President Ricky M. Celis said in the statement.

The first phase of the Magalang project will include 556 house and lot units. It will offer four types of housing, namely the 40-square meter Calista End, the combinable 80-square meter Calista Pair, the 40-square meter Calista Mid and the 54-square meter single-attached Unna. Prices per unit start at P1.5 million.

Some of the amenities in the development are a clubhouse, swimming pool, kiddie pool, basketball court, and other play areas.

“We are on track with our development plans as more Filipinos recognize the value of home ownership as a primary essential and a way to provide a safe and secure place for their families,” Mr. Celis said.

As of end-October, PHirst Park has sold 6,916 house and lot units of the 9,940 from its P12.7-billion inventory. These came from sales in its developments in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Bulacan, and Nasugbu.

PHirst Park is a joint venture between CPG and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp.

In the nine months through September, CPG’s attributable net income slid 2% to P1.03 billion due to a slowdown in real estate activity because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CPG shares at the stock exchange shed 0.5 centavo or 1.05% to 48 centavos each on Wednesday. — Denise A. Valdez

Kaspersky sees emergence of new cyberattack strategies in 2021

INTERNET SECURITY firm Kaspersky on Monday said it expects new cyberattack strategies to emerge next year, which will mainly target network appliances and 5G.

“New attack vectors, such as the targeting of network appliances and the search for 5G vulnerabilities, will happen alongside multi-stage attacks and positive actions against activities enabling cyberattacks, such as zero-day sales,” Kaspersky said in an e-mailed statement on Monday.

The company said its forecast for 2021 was developed based on the changes that its global research and analysis team observed in 2020.

For 2021, Kaspersky anticipates more countries to use legal indictments as part of their cyber strategy.

“Kaspersky’s previous predictions of ‘naming and shaming’ of APT (advanced persistent threat) attacks carried out by hostile parties has come true, and more organizations will follow suit,” it noted.

“Exposing toolsets of APT groups carried out at the governmental level will drive more states to do the same, thereby hurting actors’ activities and developments by burning the existing toolsets of their opponents in an effort to retaliate,” it added.

Kaspersky’s researchers also expect more Silicon Valley firms to take action against zero-day brokers.

“Following the scandalous cases where zero-day vulnerabilities in popular apps were exploited for espionage on a variety of different targets, more Silicon Valley corporations are likely to take a stance against zero-day brokers in an effort to protect their customers and reputation,” it said.

As for the expected increase in the attacks on network appliances, Kaspersky said: “With remote work, organizational security has become a priority, and more interest towards exploiting network appliances such as VPN gateways will emerge.”

It added harvesting credentials to access corporate VPNs through “vishing” work-from-home employees may also emerge.

The company also anticipates changes in ransomware gangs’ strategy.

“Following the success of previous targeted attack strategies, more major ransomware players will start focusing their activities and obtaining APT-like capabilities — with the money the gangs have extorted, they will be able to invest large funds into new advanced toolsets with budgets comparable to that of some of the state-sponsored APT groups,” Kaspersky noted.

More disruptive attacks can also be expected, “as our lives have become even more dependent on technology with a much wider attack surface than ever before,” it added.

Cybercriminals will likewise have a greater incentive to look for vulnerabilities they can exploit, Kaspersky said, referring to 5G.

Such attackers are expected to continue exploiting the coronavirus pandemic crisis. “While it did not prompt changes in tactics, techniques and procedures of the threat actors, the virus has become a persistent topic of interest. As the pandemic will continue into 2021, threat actors will not stop exploiting this topic to gain a foothold in target systems,” the company said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

PLDT partners with ASUS to offer WiFi 6 system 

PLDT HOME has partnered with Asus in bringing WiFi 6 technology and providing faster internet connection speeds to the internet provider’s subscribers starting Nov. 26.

In a virtual launch on Wednesday, PLDT Home will be offering Asus products, namely: the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rapture GT-AX11000 gaming router and Asus ZenWiFi XT8 mesh router, as add-ons to existing Fibr subscribers who wish to have next level digital experiences at home.

“This partnership is in line with our mission to empower Filipino families to rediscover meaningful experiences and further pursue their passions powered by the strongest Fibr connection at home,” PLDT Senior Vice President Menardo G. Jimenez said.

PLDT Home said that with the routers from Asus, customers will have four times faster WiFi speeds at 1000 megabits per second (mbps), can cover 50% more area up to 270 square meters, and can support up to 50 devices simultaneously.

Asus Regional Marketing Manager John Robert Osorio said the company’s Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 gaming router is the most powerful and most awarded router available in the market today.

Mr. Osorio said the Rapture GT-AX11000 gaming router is capable of 11,000 mbps of data throughput and has features such as a 1.8 gigahertz (GHz) 64-bit quad-core CPU and a 2.5G gigabit gaming port.

Meanwhile, Mr. Osorio said the company’s ZenWiFi XT8 is capable of up to 6,600 mbps throughput. Some of the router’s features include a 1.5 GHz quad core CPU and WP3 security, among others.

“It has increased capacity and efficiency, and has wider coverage, and commercial-grade security,” Mr. Osorio said.

PLDT is now offering bundles for its PLDT Home subscribers who want to avail of the WiFi 6 routers from Asus.

Existing PLDT Home Fibr customers can avail of the Asus ROG Rapture GT AX11000 as an add-on for P1,349 per month for 24 months, P2,599 per month for 12 months, or for a one-time purchase of P26,700.

On the other hand, Asus ZenWiFi XT8 can be purchased by existing PLDT Home Fibr clients for P1,399 per month for 24 months, P2,599 per month for 12 months, or for a single purchase price of P26,299.

PLDT said the two WiFi 6 mesh routers are only available in areas within Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

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. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

MSI introduces three new laptop lines

TAIWANESE technology company MSI is taking a stab at the growing business and productivity market by introducing several new notebooks, using its “gaming DNA” to develop the new devices.

“Leveraging on our gaming DNA, MSI’s new business and productivity laptops reflect years of research and development, customer feedback, and design improvements, which only underscores our commitment in providing only the best-performing, sleekly designed PCs to its wide range of users regardless of any scenarios, may it be at home or the office,” Rhyan Sy, MSI Philippines’ product manager, said in a statement.

This pivot to business and productivity is also in line with MSI’s headquarters’ attempt to respond to the growing need for machines suited for remote work and distance learning caused by the pandemic, Mr. Sy explained during a press conference on Nov. 20 held via WebEx.

The machines, he added, “balance the power and value” the company is known for and as such they are optimistic that the Philippine market will welcome the new entrants.

MSI is introducing three lines: the Modern series for everyday use; the jack-of-all-trades Prestige series; and the Summit series for those requiring more power.

The Modern series contain 11th Gen Intel® processor and AMD RYZEN 4000 series that aims to combine versatility with high functionality and value. The series is intended for videographers, photographers, and graphic designers because it comes with True Color Technology calibration that delivers “true-to-life images at the highest standards,” according to the release. Battery is said to last up to 10 hours and comes with a fast charging feature.

The Prestige Series is said to be “the best mobile workspace that could cater to people’s every need” as it offers powerful performance, high-range NVIDIA graphics, color-calibrated display, and long durability all within an “ultra-portable and ultra-light design.” The line also contains a fast fingerprint sensor, IR webcam, and a Nahimic feature that “enhances audio performance with virtual surround sound.

Finally, the Summit series is designed for “business leaders and professionals” with devices coming with 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processor and Intel® iRIS Xe graphics. The machines also come with “enterprise-grade security” and are equipped with the latest authentication technologies like fingerprint and facial recognition readers, TPM 2.0 security chips, and BIOS security menu. A highlight feature of the new series is the MSI Summit E13 Flip, featuring a display that flips 360 degrees. It is said to combine the utility of a laptop with the convenience of a tablet to accommodate the many ways people work.

To know more about this lineup, visit https://ph.msi.com/Business-Productivity. Users may get these laptops with up to P9,500 worth of freebies on the ongoing MSI’s Christmas Promotions 2020. Visit www.facebook.com/MSIPhilippines for more information. — Zsarlene B. Chua

AC Health, QualiMed increase COVID-19 capacity

AYALA HEALTHCARE Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) and hospital operator QualiMed have expanded their capacities to accommodate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Laguna and Bulacan in preparation for any surge in new cases.

In a statement on Wednesday, AC Health said it doubled its COVID-19 capacity by adding more beds to the QualiMed Hospital — Sta. Rosa in Laguna and the QualiMed Hospital — San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan.

The Laguna facility now has 75 beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, while the Bulacan facility has 30 beds allocated for the same purpose.

“It has been encouraging to see national and local numbers improving, but our experience has taught us that managing this pandemic requires continuous vigilance,” AC Health President and CEO Paolo Maximo F. Borromeo said in the statement.

“We used this time to increase our capacity even further at QualiMed, and we also expanded our services across AC Health to include telehealth and home services, with the goal of ensuring we are ready to deal with this virus for the long haul,” he added.

Aside from increasing the bed capacity, the two facilities also implemented efforts to strengthen their COVID-19 response, such as updating treatment protocols, implementing comprehensive triaging processes and conducting risk-based testing to frontliners and doctors.

They are likewise looking to build a portable dialysis unit and buy more equipment such as high flow nasal cannula machines, closed circuit ventilators and suction pumps.

“This expansion project signifies another milestone in our partnership with AC Health… This is a necessary addition to our existing initiatives, such as ramping up safety protocols and improving testing capacities, as we support our country’s fight against the health crisis,” QualiMed Health Network President and CEO Edwin Mercado said.

AC Health and QualiMed forged a partnership in April to jointly roll out initiatives to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of the health crisis, the Laguna and Bulacan facilities have admitted more than 400 COVID-19 patients, triaged more than 21,000 suspect cases and conducted close to 41,000 tests.

In May, AC Health said it is setting aside P300 million for COVID-19 efforts.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines stood at 421,722 on Tuesday, accounting for 26,745 active cases, 8,185 deaths and 386,792 recovered patients. Parts of the country remain under varying levels of quarantine to contain the outbreak. — Denise A. Valdez

OPPO unveils concept phone with ‘rollable’ display

CHINESE consumer electronics and mobile communications company OPPO has unveiled its newest concept phone for the second edition of its global conference: one with a proprietary “rollable” display that extends the phone screen seamlessly.

“It’s very elegant, it’s very beautiful. The display is rollable like a scroll — this is a new exploration of ours on form factor, [an] electric rollable screen,” Levin Liu, vice president and head of OPPO Research Institute, said during the Nov. 17 OPPO Inno Day 2020 live-streamed via YouTube and held physically in Shenzhen, China.

“Its unique charm is to give freedom to the users who can, as per their needs, adjust the size of their screens,” he explained before adding that because of this new form factor it’s hard for them to describe the actual size of the screen as it can measure from 6.7 inches up to 7.4 inches.

Called the OPPO X 2021, the phone is a different variation of the now popular foldable smartphone concept by using a screen panel that has a motor-powered sliding mechanism to unroll without creases.

The concept handset includes a roll motor powertrain, a two-in-one plate, and self-developed Warp Track high-strength screen laminate, all of which are proprietary technologies of the company according to a company release.

While an impressive concept phone that presents a new form factor, it seems OPPO has no plans in the near term to build the said phone for the mass market.

“Although there is no plan for its commercialization in the short term, it will serve as a guide for the transformation and evolution of future product form factors. Commercialization requires market research and business justification, and may take some time,” the company told tech website Android Authority on Nov. 23.

Aside from the concept phone, the OPPO Inno Day also saw the launch of the OPPO AR Glass 2021 that has adopted a “brand-new split design” making it compact and ultra-light, according to the company, which posits the device’s weight as “nearly 75% lighter than its predecessor.”

The AR Glass 2021 is also said to be built with a Birdbath optical solution to enhance the immersive experience and includes a stereo fisheye camera, one ToF sensor (for depth mapping), and one RGB camera.

Finally, the company also launched their CybeReal AR Application powered by “real-time, spatial calculation technology enables high-precision localization and scene recognition” which pinpoints the user’s “exact location to the centimeter and one degree.”

“When the user visits any new places, they will find their location through CybeReal as soon as they open the camera,” said the company release. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Something fishy going on

Mega Global celebrates National Sardines Day with CSR effort

ASIDE from celebrating all things fishy, National Sardines Day, as celebrated by Mega Global (the company behind Mega Sardines and Mega Tuna), was about the people. National Sardines Day was celebrated by Mega Global virtually on Nov. 24 via its Facebook page with actor Piolo Pascual and celebrity chef JP Anglo.

The event served to launch its CSR (corporate social responsibility) program, Mega Bigay Sustansya sa Pasko. According to Chief Growth and Development Officer Marvin Tiu-Lim, their goal is to feed 100,000 families nationwide by the end of the year. This is led by the Mega Tiu Lim Foundation and a partnership with Reach Out Feed Philippines, represented in a webinar last week by co-founder Dawn Cabigon. According to Ms. Cabigon, they had drawn up a plan to distribute hot meals to thousands of families, but have had to reshuffle their efforts because of the recent typhoons. They have since realigned their efforts to feed families in typhoon-struck areas, including in Rizal, Bicol, and Catanduanes.

Customers can help too, by purchasing the National Sardines Day Bundle through the official Mega Global stores on shopping platforms Lazada and Shopee. Still available as of the time of writing, the prices of the bundles range from P119 to P264, with P100 from every bundle bought to be donated towards their CSR efforts.

National Sardines Day also served as a backdrop for the groundbreaking of their second processing plant, located in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. According to a release, Mega Global invested over P1 billion to build “its second manufacturing plant in order to meet the growing demand for its canned goods both in Luzon and abroad and to help boost the nation’s economy amidst the pandemic.”

Mega Global Founder William Tiu-Lim said during the webinar, “I can hardly believe that we started with one boat in Bicol. Now, through the grace of God, we have 88 fishing vessels and counting; we are building more.” Mr. Tiu-Lim also pointed out that they employ over 40,000 people. “Aside from growing the business, I’m all the more grateful that we have been given the opportunity to contribute to nation-building.”

“These are very difficult times for the whole world, but Mega Global recognizes that it is the moral responsibility to provide support for the greater community.” — J.L. Garcia

Yields on term deposits decline sharply on surprise easing move

YIELDS on the central bank’s term deposits dropped after last week’s rate decision. — BW FILE PHOTO

YIELDS ON term deposits offered by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) dropped on Wednesday following the central bank’s surprise rate cut last week.

Demand for the central bank’s term deposit facility (TDF) reached P602.03 billion on Wednesday, surpassing the P460 billion up for grabs but lower than the P645.585 billion in tenders logged in last week’s auction.

Broken down, the one-week deposits attracted bids amounting to P193.53 billion, going beyond the P170 billion on the auction block but failing to beat the P230.855 billion in tenders recorded last week.

Lenders asked for yields ranging from 1.62% to 1.8%, a lower band than the 1.945% to 2.0095% margin logged a week ago. With this, the tenor’s average rate stood at 1.7479%, dropping by 23.34 basis points (bps) from the 1.9813% logged on Nov. 18.

Meanwhile, tenders for the 14-day papers hit P408.5 billion, higher than the P290-billion offering but also below the P414.73 billion in bids seen a week ago for the P190 billion auctioned off by the BSP.

Accepted rates ranged from 1.64% to 1.7925%, declining from the 1.9% to 2.0455% band logged the previous Wednesday. With this, the two-week paper’s average rate settled at 1.7326%, lower by 26.58 bps from the 1.9984% seen a week ago.

The central bank did not offer the 28-day term deposits for the seventh consecutive week. This follows the start of the central bank’s weekly auctions of its own bills with the same tenor.

The TDF and the BSP’s securities are among the central bank’s main tools to gather excess liquidity in the financial system and to better guide market interest rates.

Term deposit yields declined sharply this week due to the surprise rate cut fired off by the BSP, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said on Wednesday.

The BSP unexpectedly cut benchmark rates to new record lows last week, the fifth reduction this year, citing the continued uncertainty caused by a fresh surge in coronavirus cases globally and the impact of recent typhoons on the struggling economy.

The Monetary Board on Thursday trimmed the rates on the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase, lending, and deposit facilities by 25 bps to 2%, 2.5%, and 1.5%, respectively.

The latest easing move followed a “prudent pause” by the central bank since its June meeting. The central bank has already cumulatively lowered interest rates by 200 bps this year.

A BusinessWorld poll showed five out of 16 analysts expected the BSP to cut rates by 25 bps.

The central bank upgraded its inflation forecast this year to 2.4% from the 2.3% it gave in the October meeting.

On the other hand, the inflation outlook for 2021 and 2022 were lowered to 2.7% (from 2.8%) and 2.9% (from 3%), respectively, due to the slower-than-expected pickup in domestic activity, the decline in global crude oil prices, and the strengthening of the peso.

Philippine gross domestic product declined by 11.5% in the third quarter, slightly better than the record 16.9% contraction seen in the April to June period. — LWTN

Cavite to evaluate validity of MacroAsia-China firm consortium agreement

THE provincial government of Cavite said on Wednesday, MacroAsia Corp. and its partner China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC) have formally submitted their consortium agreement.

“We will evaluate the validity of their [consortium] agreement,” Cavite Gov. Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla told BusinessWorld in a phone message.

Mr. Remulla also said the province targets to seal a joint venture agreement with the MacroAsia-CCCC consortium in December.

Cavite expects all issues “joined and settled in 21 days,” he noted.

“We still have PR issues to tackle. I’m going to be hit on all sides because there are other interested parties. I’m confident though that as long as I keep my nose clean and do the right things for the right reasons, good things will happen,” the Cavite governor said further.

The Cavite province initially targeted to break ground for the first phase of the airport project in the second quarter of the year.

The $4-billion first phase of the project covers the construction of a connector road and a bridge to connect the Kawit segment of the Manila-Cavite Expressway to the airport. It also involves the construction of the airport’s first runway.

The airport is rated at 25 million passengers yearly, and is intended to help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

It is expected to be fully operational by 2023, with partial operations to start a year earlier. The fourth runway will be opened after six years.

The same consortium will work on the other two phases.

MacroAsia incurred losses of P269.44 million in the third quarter, a reversal of its profits a year ago, as the group’s core business segments “continue to be impacted by the downturn in air travel due to COVID-19-related quarantine and airport restrictions from March 2020 onwards,” the company said in a recent stock exchange disclosure.

In the same quarter last year, MacroAsia recorded an attributable net income of P300.05 million.

MacroAsia shares on Wednesday closed 5.90% lower at P8.13 apiece. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Samsung launches Odyssey curved gaming monitors

SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd. has launched their new Odyssey curved gaming monitors in the Philippines, focusing on providing “next-level game play” and designed for “the serious gamer,” it said in a press release.

“These gaming monitors are every serious gamers’ dream. Complete immersion, next level gaming performance, stunning image quality, industry-defining visual design, and unrivalled eye comfort. We want to give Filipino gaming fans all these with the new Samsung Odyssey gaming monitors,” James Jung, president of Samsung Philippines, said during a press conference on Nov. 21 held via Zoom.

The two new products — the Odyssey G9 and G7 — are said to have comfortable curvature, unmatched immersion, and seamless picture clarity, providing unrivalled eye comfort.

The Samsung Odyssey G9, “the world’s first, and largest 1000R gaming monitor,” according to the statement, has 49-inches of screen created to match “the curvature of the human eye” and retails for P74,799.

The G9 is said to provide “unrivaled immersion with its unbelievable performance, pixel perfect image quality, and incredible design with a glossy white exterior combined with technology-leading Infinity Core Lighting Design,” the company said.

For those who want more compact units, there’s the Odyssey G7 which comes in either 32-inch or 27-inch, both QHD and 1,000R curved gaming monitors with the same features as the G9. The 27-inch G7 costs P33,699 while the 32-inch costs P37,299.

The gaming monitors are now available for pre-order from Nov. 21 to Dec. 21 via the Samsung E-Store. Every purchase of the monitors comes bundled with Logitech Gaming Mouse (worth P4,350) for the the 27-inch Odyssey G7, Logitech Gaming Keyboard (worth P7,200) for the 32-inch Odyssey G7 monitor, and the Logitech Gaming Mouse, Keyboard, and Headset (worth P19,35) for the 49-inch Odyssey G9. — Zsarlene B. Chua

The Ivy’s bang bang chicken marries peanut butter, Asian flavors

By Richard Vines, Bloomberg

BANG BANG chicken is so popular at The Ivy, the London restaurant can’t take it off the menu.

Fernando Peire, the celebrity restaurant’s director, tried once more than a decade ago, when chef Gary Lee decided to rework the classic originally developed by Mark Hix. Fernando thought it would be a good idea to rest the dish for a month or two before it returned in its new incarnation.

First, customers started complaining, then the e-mails began to come in, and finally Campaign magazine published a Christmas wish list that included the return of bang bang chicken. Fernando relented and it’s now an immovable dish, like the Ivy shepherd’s pie.

It is a starter that combines sweet childhood memories of peanut butter sandwiches with balancing acidity and chili heat plus the complexity of Asian flavors. It’s a dish that I always order but I have never previously attempted to make.

I didn’t find it difficult. Tracking down the ingredients in my local supermarket was the hard part. (An assistant gave me a puzzled look when I was looking for mooli.) The recipe serves six as a starter, but I just cut the quantities by half and ended up with a couple of mains. For the photograph, I made one small plate that I thought looked pretty, but that is not how I really eat.

Ingredients:

350 ml chicken stock

10 lime leaves

30 grams of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

2 sticks of lemongrass, bashed

100ml coconut cream

3 tablespoons of light soy sauce

1 red chili, halved

4 skinless, boneless, free-range, organic chicken breasts

Peanut sauce:

100g smooth peanut butter (The Ivy uses Skippy)

1 tbsp hot chili sauce (look for a good-quality brand)

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

Finely grated zest of ¼ lime

30g unsalted roasted peanuts, lightly crushed

Salad:

2 large carrots, finely shredded

50g mooli (daikon), finely shredded

50g mangetout (snow peas), finely shredded

1 bunch of spring onions (scallions), finely shredded

50g beansprouts

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

For the chicken, in a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil with the lime leaves, ginger slices, lemongrass, coconut cream, soy sauce and red chili. Add the chicken breasts to the boiling stock, cover with a cartouche (a disc of baking parchment) and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is firm and no longer pink inside. Remove from the heat and leave the chicken to cool completely in the poaching liquor.

For the peanut sauce, soften the peanut butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or for 20 seconds in the microwave. Whisk in the chili sauce, followed by the sunflower and sesame oils, pouring in a thin stream and whisking constantly. Once the oil has been added, whisk in the lime zest and crushed peanuts. Keep this at room temperature until you are ready to use it.

For the salad, put the shredded carrot, mooli, mangetout, spring onions and bean sprouts in a bowl, add the lime juice and olive oil and mix together. Leave to stand for 10 minutes to soften the vegetables a little. Meanwhile, shred the now-cool chicken breasts. (The leftover poaching liquor from the chicken makes a wonderful base for a fragrant chicken soup, so do save it.)

When ready to serve, divide the salad between six plates and top with the shredded chicken. Spoon the peanut sauce over the chicken and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Anglo Philippine Holdings invests P32.6M in Shang Properties

ANGLO Philippine Holdings Corp. has concluded a P32.64-million investment to buy a 0.25% stake in its listed affiliate Shang Properties, Inc.

In a disclosure to the exchange Wednesday, Anglo said it has acquired 12,000 shares in Shang Properties at P2.72 each. The shares were previously owned by National Book Store, Inc.

“Considering the track record of Shang Properties and that it has consistently paid dividends with a dividend yield of about 6% in the last couple of years, management believes it is a safe and solid investment for Anglo in which to deploy current funds,” it said.

The plan has been approved by the company’s board of directors in a special meeting on Monday.

The acquisition would comprise approximately 0.3% of Anglo’s total consolidated assets. It would be paid in cash via regular cross sale.

Shang Properties’ main business is the development of office, retail, and residential properties. Some of the projects in its portfolio are Shangri-La Plaza Mall, The Shang Grand Tower, The St. Francis Shangri-La Place, One Shangri-La Place, Shang Salcedo Place and Horizon Homes.

The company also holds a 70% stake in KSA Realty Corp., which owns The Enterprise Center, and a 60% stake in Shangri-La at the Fort.

In the first nine months of 2020, Shang Properties recorded an attributable net income of P1.12 billion, sliding 44% from the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile, Anglo booked an attributable net income of P96.06 million in the same period, swinging from a loss of P37.89 million a year ago. It has businesses in mineral exploration, property development, and power generation, among others.

On Wednesday, shares in Anglo closed flat at 71 centavos each, while shares in Shang Properties shed one centavo or 0.36% to P2.73 each. — Denise A. Valdez

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