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Boys Love shows get serious

FOR those who can’t get enough of the Boys Love (BL) genre currently sweeping across the Philippines, here are two more shows worth watching — with one tackling “more serious issues” such as queerbaiting and another showing the lead character being confused by his sexuality.

“Boys Love” and its abbreviation “BL” are used to describe a wide variety of works in all media that focus on male/male relationships. The genre was first introduced in Japan by way of manga and anime.

#INFLUENCERS THE SERIES
(Watch the Trailer here: https://youtu.be/3ZorCrvnbjo)

Created by Camp Avenue Studios, #Influencers The Series takes a dive into influencer culture and other issues including mental health as it follows the story of two influencers “in two different worlds with different stories to tell,” according to a press release. The series aim to showcase the life behind the Insta-glam images of these influencers. The cast is led by Ram Agoncillo and Migo Valle, who play the two influencers who meet and eventually fall in love.

“[In the series], we’re going to tackle different social issues such as cancel culture, cyberbullying, bottom-shaming, name it all. You guys are going to see it but in the context of BL,” Renz-Bhil Tugelida, the series’ director, said in the vernacular during a press conference on Nov. 7 held via Zoom.

He admitted that with such a tall order, it was hard to fit all of those issues into one coherent story but under the pen of Stephanie-Rose Quiros, the series’ writer, it all fit perfectly in eight episodes.

Mr. Tugelida and Ms. Quiros previously worked together in Chasing Sunsets, a girls’ love series which streamed online in June and tackled issues including mental health, HIV, and LGBTQIA+ acceptance.

#Influencers the Series will stream on the Camp Avenue Studios YouTube page on Nov. 21 though those who want to see the Director’s Cut, which is ad-free and includes behind-the-scenes exclusives, the studio is offering an advance screening opportunity on Nov. 18 with tickets being sold via Ticketnet.com.ph. Tickets for the advance screening are P69 for one episode and P499 for the full eight episodes.

OH, MANDO
(Watch the Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHAllMmKvd8)

Coming from iWantTFC is Oh, Mando, a different kind of BL series focused on a boy who is coming to terms with his own sexuality. The show, which started streaming on Nov. 5 on the iWant streaming platform and directed by Eduardo Roy, Jr., is described as a coming out and coming-of-age tale about the titular character played by Kokoy De Santos, a hopelessly romantic college student who has long suppressed his attraction to boys.

Despite confusions about his sexuality, Mando is charmed by Krisha (played by Barbie Imperial) and they enter into a relationship while he continues to hide his secret from his girlfriend. The relationship becomes more complicated when he becomes attracted to Barry (played by Alex Diaz), an out and proud gay basketball player.

Standard and premium subscribers can stream new episodes of Oh, Mando every Thursday, 9 p.m., on the iWantTFC app (iOs and Android) or on iwanttfc.com. Episodes can also be viewed on the iWantTFC YouTube page a week after it first aired on the streaming platform. — ZBC

Manila Water, Maynilad await gov’t negotiation on new contract

METRO Manila’s two water providers await the start of negotiations with the government after the Department of Justice confirmed that President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the proposed contract governing their water concession.

In a mobile phone message, Manila Water Co., Inc. Corporate Strategic Affairs Head Nestor Jeric T. Sevilla said the company would wait for the invitation from the government to start discussions on the amendments to the provisions of their concession agreement.

“We are pleased to learn that President Duterte has approved the proposed changes to the concession agreement. As it has been from the beginning, we remain willing to work with the government in the fervent hope to finally resolve all issues relating to the concession agreement,” Mr. Sevilla said.

He did not respond when asked to comment on the provisions that the east zone water concessionaire plans to negotiate and what are non-negotiable.

“We still need to wait for what exactly are the approved amendments, which I think will be discussed once the discussions commence,” Mr. Sevilla said.

Meanwhile, Maynilad Water Services, Inc. Head of Corporate Communications Jennifer C. Rufo said the west zone water concessionaire would want to see the new terms first.

“We have not seen the approved contracts. We have to see the government’s terms first, then we start negotiations,” she said in a mobile phone message.

“As far as I know, there is no set date yet on when the negotiations will take place,” she added.

On Wednesday, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Gueverra announced that Mr. Duterte approved the proposed new contract, which removed the supposed onerous provisions in the previous agreement.

Manila Water and Maynilad drew the ire of Mr. Duterte because of these provisions and prompted his order for a review of the water contracts.

In December 2019, the Justice department said it had determined onerous provisions terms stated in the water contracts such as the provision on the non-interference of the government in rate-setting and the liability of the government if the companies suffer losses. Another provision deemed irregular was the extension of their contracts until 2037.

In early November, both water concessionaires decided to waive their respective water rate increases for 2021 under the rate-rebasing adjustment approved by the regulatory office of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) as assistance to their customers.

Under the current five-year rebasing period, the MWSS approved a P5.73 per cubic meter increase for Maynilad, while the price hike for Manila Water ranges from P6.22 to P6.55 per cubic meter, to be imposed in tranches from 2018 to 2022.

For next year, Maynilad was supposed to implement a P1.95 per cubic meter increase in its basic charge while Manila Water was set to impose a price hike worth P2 per cubic meter.

Manila Water and Maynilad also opted to forego their rate adjustments for 2020, amid the hearings with the House of Representatives over the same alleged onerous provisions in their 1997 concession agreement with the government. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Rural banks to be given credit data access

INFORMATION solutions firm TransUnion Philippines plans to provide all rural banks in the country access to credit reports by 2022.

The firm said it has already enrolled in its system 100 out of over 400 rural banks this year.

“We are expecting a gradual change in our customer base as rural bank data comes in. Once all are onboarded, we are expecting a few million records to come in from this segment alone,” TransUnion Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Pia Arellano said in an e-mail on Wednesday.

TransUnion signed a partnership with the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines in August 2019 to allow the sharing of customers’ financial data.

TransUnion collects the data online and analyzes them to determine customers’ risk scores to ease their application for various loans and help banks design loan products to suit different customer segments.

“Providing rural banks with a more complete picture of a person’s creditworthiness helps open up more financial possibilities, giving consumers access to credit that might have been inaccessible to them before this partnership,” Ms. Arellano said.

A study by the World Bank in 2019 said banks can reduce bad loans by 22-45% with the use of an efficient credit database.

However, TransUnion said the lack of internet connection or better online services in several parts of the country has limited rural banks’ access to credit reports.

“Connectivity of rural banks located in the far flung areas are having a hard time having the IT [information technology] infrastructure needed in order to have access to credit reports. We are constantly working with our IT team in finding alternative solutions that could help fill this gap,” Ms. Arellano said.

“The availability of accurate and more extensive credit information is an important catalyst to an efficient credit ecosystem which can help fuel and support further economic growth,” she added.

State-run Credit Information Corp. (CIC), which coordinates with private firms to build its credit database, reported it is already receiving data from 534 financial entities, including rural banks.

The CIC said most of the data started coming in from rural banks last year, along with cooperatives as the underserved sectors. — K.K.T. Jose

Change of tune: Japan music fans moving from CDs to streaming services

TOKYO — Japanese music enthusiasts, loyal to CDs long after the rest of the world went online, have begun reaching for the eject button and switching to streaming services as artists cancel in-store events and fans stay home because of the pandemic.

Despite a slow decline in sales in the past decade, CDs are still the most popular music format in Japan, accounting for around 70% of recorded music sales last year. In the US and European markets, CDs have long been relegated to the history bin in favor of online downloads and recently, streaming.

Streaming services, which had accounted for less than 10% of sales in Japan until a few years ago, grew to 15% last year and will likely exceed 20% this year, said Jamie MacEwan, who covers the Japanese media business for Enders Analysis.

The shift is closely watched by the global music industry because Japan is the world’s second-biggest music market after the United States, worth nearly $3 billion annually.

“The crossover point where total digital revenues eclipse physical production is now just a matter of time,” Mr. MacEwan said.

Beyond hurting CD retailers like Tower Records, still a big presence in Japan, the shift may also signal more growth for streaming services such as Amazon, Spotify, which only entered Japan four years ago, as well as smaller domestic rivals.

Tower Records Japan, which runs over 80 stores in the country, would not release data but said it has suffered a serious slump since the pandemic as consumers avoided going out and artists cancelled new releases along with events to promote them.

“It will take a long time for things to return to normal,” said Tatsuro Yagawa, a spokesman for the stores which became independent from the now-bankrupt US chain after a 2002 management buyout. Still, he was optimistic about a return.

“Music fans here like buying CDs to show support for their favorite artists. I don’t think people will stop buying CDs.”

NO HANDSHAKES
One major reason CDs have remained so popular in Japan has been that record labels often bundle CD singles and albums with perks for pop idol fans, including vouchers for priority concert ticket purchases and invitations to handshake events.

Such events and concerts have mostly been cancelled or scaled down in recent months because of the pandemic, with some moving online.

Avex, Japan’s biggest listed music label and entertainment group, held its annual music festival online in August for the first time.

Featuring acts including veteran singer Ayumi Hamasaki and K-pop group Red Velvet, the event attracted 1.6 million views including free and pay-per-view spots — a rare bit of cheer for a business by plunging sales.

But Avex CEO Katsumi Kuroiwa, talking to investors last Friday after the company reported losses for its fiscal first-half, described the financial results of its foray into large-scale online events as mixed.

On one hand, he said, Avex learned it could attract huge audiences online, but tickets had to be priced much lower than physical events — a predicament it will grapple with as it seeks to livestream more events.

So far, CD sales have been buttressed by a lack of new hits on streaming services as record companies sought to avoid cannibalizing physical sales.

But this, too, is seen changing as CD sales decline and record companies recognize money shifting to streaming. Recent chart-hitting singles by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu and veteran boy-band Arashi are now available on Spotify.

“Domestic labels are likely to make more of their catalogues available to stream closer to physical release, which will accelerate the digital transition in the coming years,” Mr. MacEwan said.

But he also said that unlike in other markets where Spotify and Apple Music are the main streaming services, local Japanese streaming services such as LINE Music, Avex’s own AWA and RecoChoku may have an advantage by offering live streaming and other content aimed at J-pop fans.

“This will prevent the emergence of an Apple-Spotify duopoly as seen elsewhere,” Mr. MacEwan said. — Reuters

NTC to telcos: Hasten service restoration in typhoon-hit areas

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Thursday directed all public telecommunications entities to fast-track the restoration of their services in the areas severely affected by the Typhoon Ulysses.

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba issued the memorandum “pursuant to the instructions from the Department of Information and Communications Technology.”

Mr. Cordoba also directed the telcos to deploy free call and phone charging stations in strategic areas affected by the typhoon.

“You are also reminded to coordinate with the local government units and observe strict health protocols to avoid transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” he added.

Mr. Cordoba said further the telcos should provide status updates to the commission every six hours of their restoration activities.

Meanwhile, PLDT-Smart and Globe said they temporarily closed some of their stores on Thursday for the safety of their personnel.

PLDT-Smart ordered the closure of its stores in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan in North Luzon, and South Luzon except those in Bicol.

Globe closed all of its stores in the Greater Manila Area and some in North, South, and Central Luzon.

Globe said its network remained stable as of Thursday afternoon, although “there were major multiple fiber cuts reported” in some areas in Luzon.

PLDT-Smart said it is ready to provide free call, WiFi, and charging services in critical areas “when it is safe to do so.”

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. — Arjay L. Balinbin

JazzyPay looks to diversify partner merchants for e-payments

JAZZYPAY is eyeing to provide cashless payments solutions to health and educational institutions while forging partnerships with other business industries such as tourism and recreation.

The payments solutions provider is eyeing to ease financial transactions for small merchants across the country, one of its top officials said.

“Most of the fintech institutions nowadays are tapping the mainstream businesses especially the retail establishments, boutiques, restaurants. On the other hand, JazzyPay is coming from a different angle. We’re supporting the underserved businesses, especially essential service providers,” JazzyPay Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Joshua Martin A. Marindo said in an interview with BusinessWorld.

Mr. Marindo, together with the firm’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Denise P. Acosta, conceptualized JazzyPay guided by the experiences of Filipino families that sometimes have to wait for remittances or help from other relatives to pay for tuition fees or hospital bills, which is unreliable for urgent needs as these are not available real-time.

Through the payments firm, relatives from abroad or in other parts of the country can pay real-time using their credit card through JazzyPay’s app or through their website, without even having to sign up for an account.

It charges on a per transaction basis — 3% for the merchants and 1% plus a P15 transaction fee for the customers. Payments coursed through JazzyPay may be done via credit and debit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers, and over-the-counter transactions.

Mr. Marindo said while 50-60% of their business partners are Luzon-based, they have also inked deals with hospitals in Visayas and Mindanao region particularly in Isabela, Bukidnon, and Cotabato, among others.

While their priorities are merchants with education and health-related businesses, Mr. Marindo said they are open to accepting firms from other sectors looking to digitize their payments.

“We are getting applications from other businesses such as auto garage, travel agencies, spas, wellness, gyms. So we expect more merchants that will be driving more transactions by next year, especially the travel agencies…as they are preparing for the opening of the tourism industry,” Mr. Marindo said.

JazzyPay raised $500,000 or about P24-25 million from a seed financing round from Cocoon Capital. Mr. Marindo said they will use the funds to improve their platform and to support their marketing efforts.

“We will be opening another fund raising somewhere next year around the second quarter,” Mr. Marindo said, noting they have already been approached by several venture capital firms across Southeast Asia to explore business prospects with them.

As they continue to build more business partnerships across the country, Mr. Marindo and Ms. Acosta said they also see some opportunities in Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam, where they have observed some trends similar to those in the Philippines.

“We are not closing our doors to opportunities, but we want to focus on the Philippines for now. And if given the chance for those plans to proceed earlier, we will gladly take on to it,” Ms. Acosta said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is targeting to make the Philippines cash-lite by 2023, where 50% of payments are done digitally. — L.W.T. Noble

Party at work like it’s 2020: Tips for celebrating the holidays virtually

NEW YORK — It may be a remote memory, but the workplace party is back for the holidays. While some companies throw up their hands at the thought, others are planning to celebrate like it’s 2020 — in virtual worlds.

“We may be apart, but we do have the technology to create the psychological and emotional experience of being together,” said Priya Parker, author of  The Art of Gathering and host of the New York Times podcast “Together Apart.”

“People still need to party: We need release, we need connection, we need to let go of all this stress and step into a joyful space.”

The prospect of hosting holiday parties is so daunting that only 23% of companies are even planning one, compared to 76% last year, according to a new survey by staffing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Of the employers trying to pull this off, about three-quarters are going to do it remotely. Some will throw parties in virtual environments so that even if you cannot be there, at least your avatar can have a pretty good time.

“With a lot of current online parties, it’s just staring at a wall of faces, with the boss cracking corny jokes for an hour,” said Salimah Ebrahim, co-founder of Artery, a startup that organizes gatherings and performances.

Ebrahim is building out a new platform, Bramble (bramble.live) that can create virtual worlds that feel more like a real-life party and less like a Webex team meeting. Its recent “House of Hallucinations,” hosted in partnership with Brooklyn venue House of Yes, was named a top Halloween event in New York City by Time Out magazine.

Artery is putting finishing touches on the Holiday World options on its platform — think of a ski lodge vibe, with roaring fireplaces, cocktail bars, outside campfires, holiday playlists, performances and more.

“It’s like Zoom meets Animal Crossing,” Ebrahim said, referring to the video game set in a village of animals that fish, catch bugs and hunt for fossils.

COVID-19 is forcing us to be creative and celebrate in innovative ways such as virtual escape rooms, culinary battles, shared games like charades, murder mystery dinner parties. Novel solutions are endless for those willing to think outside the box.

Here are a few tips.

DO YOU NEED A PARTY?
Different teams need different things in this unique year, and leaders cannot decide without talking to the partygoers.

“Some communities this year need escape, some might want to mark losses, some might need moments of nonsensical joy,” Parker said. “So first find out what your people need, and then design your event around it.”

GET THE TECH RIGHT
Throwing everyone into an unfamiliar tech platform for an online party with no preparation is a recipe for disappointment. Choose an online environment that is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate, and spend some time getting everyone up to speed.

“Don’t underestimate the need to know how to use the technology,” Parker said. “Especially for older generations, you want to make sure they have the tools to meaningfully connect. It’s very frustrating to deal with tech glitches, and not be able to be a part of something.”

INVITE FAMILIES
As head of Atlanta’s Team Building With Taste, Paul McKeon has been hosting culinary competitions for years, in his company’s fully stocked commercial kitchen. This year, most of those kitchen battles are taking place online.

The best way to make a holiday party work is to allow a glimpse of your personal life, McKeon said.

“Make your partner the sous-chef, or have your son or daughter help in the prep work,” said McKeon, whose chefs guide partygoers in creating dishes like risotto primavera and judge at least the plating, even if they cannot eat it.

“This is not the time to be just staring at each other’s foreheads,” McKeon noted. “We’ve all been lonely for so many months, so share a bit of yourself, make it personable, and have fun.” — Reuters

Stuff to do (11/13/20)

Art by the Bay

THE ASSOCIATION of Pinoy Printmakers is holding the first online iteration of its bi-annual exhibit, “Art by the Bay.” The exhibit, which runs until Nov. 14, is centered on the concept of “reconnection and healing,” This online platform allows “Art by the Bay” attendees to continue to participate in this  anticipated yearly anticipated event, and at the same time also gives artists the opportunity to sustain their increasingly precarious practice through the selling of their artworks. Art by the Bay runs until Nov. 14 at www.artbythebay.ph.

Crisis Coffee Talk with Madhur Nain-Webster

DEPRESSURIZE your life, learn practical tools to de-stress, and live well by joining the Tools for Crisis Coffee Talk on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 10 a.m. with US-based psychotherapist and author Madhur-Nain Webster. Webster is an international kundalini yoga lead trainer, a California-licensed marriage and family therapist, and the author of The Stressless Brain. Tickets to the coffee talk are priced at P750 with proceeds going to Grace to Be Born, a halfway home for pregnant women in crisis. For more information contact 0918-888-9198.

Uncrating O2O

THE ORGANIZERS of Art Fair Philippines and Art in the Park, Philippine Art Events Inc., have a new art project — “Uncrating O2O,” a hybrid experience of viewing and acquiring art in real life and online. The project runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 6 and will feature two exhibitions in a pocket venue — the Gallery at Greenbelt 5 in Makati — and online, and will present small works from up and coming artists from Tin-Aw Art Management and rarely accessible works from street artist Egg Fiasco. To access the catalog online, visit the @O2Oart on Instagram. The works on exhibit can be purchased offline or online. Visitors who use their BPI Visa Signature or Amore Platinum cards will receive a special gift from BPI.

CCP Book launch

THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP), through its Intertextual Division, launches the e-book Sa Pababasa, Hindi Ka Nag-iisa on Nov. 27, 4 p.m., via the CCP and CCP Intertextual Division’s Facebook pages. The launch is part of the ongoing Children’s Biennale. The e-book contains a collection of children’s books, artworks for children, comics and other artistic and literary works about health, COVID-19, and the value of cooperation created by Filipino writers, illustrators, and children from different regions of the country. In addition to the e-book launch, there will be a storytelling session of “Masama Bang Humiling Ng Isa Pang Araw?” a story written and illustrated by Oliver V. Arevalo of Olongapo City. His story is part of #KuwentongKalusugan, a project of the Department of Education’s Bureau of Learning Resources. The e-book is available for free.

Steve Wozniak webinar

APPLE co-founder Steve Wozniak will be taking part in the second “Leaders Inspiring Leaders” series presented by MMI Live on Dec. 1. The webinar will see Mr. Wozniak, a Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist, in a virtual fireside chat with Filipino business leaders Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe Telecom, and Tommanny Tan, President and CEO of Filipino Entrepreneurs and Resources Network International, which will be hosted by journalist Roby Alampay. The webinar is on Dec. 1, 4 p.m., via www.beacons.media. Tickets are priced at P1,680. For more information, visit www.smtickets.com and www.beacons.media or call 0917-530-1047.

Tax appeals court grants P10.6-M refund to Carmen Copper Corp.

THE Court of Tax Appeals partially granted the petition of Carmen Copper Corp., granting the refund of P10.6 million out of its P36.1 million claim.

In a 27-page ruling dated Oct. 28, the court’s second division said the company only proved its entitlement to the said amount.

“In fine, petitioner has sufficiently proven its entitlement to a refund or issuance of Tax Credit Certificate (TCC) in the amount of P10,585,608.98, representing its unutilized excess input VAT for the 3rd quarter of TY 2016 (which is attributable to its zero-rated sales/receipts for the same period),” the ruling of the second division read.

Carmen Copper initially filed a refund claim of P48.2 million with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, but was only granted a refund of P12 million. The company raised the denied amount of P36.1 million to the court.

The company reported zero-rated sales for the third quarter in the amount of P2.6 billion supported by various documents such as sales invoices, export documents, and certificate of inward remittances.

However, the court said upon independent verification sales amounting to P1.8 billion do not qualify for VAT zero-rating as some were dated outside the period of claim and some with VAT sales invoice and export documents cannot be properly traced to certificate of inward remittances.

Only the amount of P816.6 million is allowed as valid-zero rated sales, it said.

The court also said that the total valid input VAT of the company for the said quarter is at P47.3 million out of the P49.2 million reported.

The excess input VAT allocated to zero-rated sales amounted to P34.5 million upon applying remaining output VAT liability and the partially granted amount of the BIR.

“However, out of the said excess input VAT allocated to total zero-rated sales, only the remaining input VAT of P10,585,608.98 is attributable to its valid zero-rated sales of P816,678,736.39,” it said.

The court added that there are no other output tax liability that may be credited against the input VAT and the company did not carry-over any output tax in the succeeding quarters.

The company said that it complied with the requisites for refund claimed and the denial letter of the BIR failed to identify from the list of input tax the items that were granted and denied.

It said that the denial letter “hardly complied with the due process requirement” as there was no schedule indicating the reason for denial of specific input tax, according to the court.

The BIR, on the other hand, said the petition should be dismissed for failure to substantiate its administrative claim for refund.

The court said the denial letter should be invalidated, despite a law mandating the commission to state the basis of denial. It said the letter, although not as detailed as the petitioner expected, could not be deemed as “outright void.”

It does not find its “brevity violative of petitioner’s right to due process.” The court said it conducts trials and claimants for refund must prove “every minute detail of their case.” — Vann Marlo V. Villegas

Infra buildup to spur inclusive growth

During the first “Sulong Pilipinas” consultative conference in June 2016, the Duterte administration unveiled its 10-point socioeconomic agenda for inclusive growth. Chaired by then-incoming Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the conference took place at SMX Lanang Convention Center in Davao City.

One of the reform agenda’s goals was to usher in a “golden age of infrastructure” through the centerpiece “Build, Build, Build” program — an aggressive infra spending plan to reduce poverty and encourage economic growth outside Metro Manila. These investments have multiplier effects on the economy in terms of creating jobs, spurring new businesses, facilitating trade, and improving logistics as well as connectivity.

Mr. Dominguez said the big-ticket projects would be funded mostly by official development assistance from the Philippines’ bilateral and multilateral development partners with additional revenue collections from the government’s tax reform program. The rationale behind this funding strategy was the implementation of the infrastructure program without delay and at the lowest possible cost. While still welcome, public-private partnership (PPP) projects that  truly benefit the people and not just the private sector are to be prioritized.

PPP projects encountered delays in the past because private proponents squabbled over legal issues while taxpayers ended up absorbing the contingent liabilities. Under the previous administration when PPP was the major source of financing, infrastructure investments as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) had an average of 2.9% per annum and peaked at 4.5% in 2016.

Over the last 50 years, infra spending in the Philippines averaged only 2.8% of GDP. Being an archipelago, the country was trapped in a cycle of non-inclusive growth and its poor infrastructure was not only debilitating but is among the reasons why we have lagged behind our ASEAN neighbors in attracting foreign direct investments.

Prior to the onset of COVID-19, the percentage of infra spending to GDP had almost doubled to 5.5% compared with the previous half-century’s average. Investing in infrastructure has now become even more crucial to the government’s recovery strategy to combat the pandemic-induced crisis since it will fuel the economic rebound that will benefit present and future generations of Filipinos.

Sad to say, politics has gotten in the way of the flagship “Build, Build, Build” program. Critics continue to discredit infra projects such as Central Luzon’s New Clark City (NCC) that remained on the drawing board of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) during the previous management but came to fruition under BCDA President and CEO Vivencio Dizon in 2019.

With a land area of almost 10,000 hectares, NCC is the country’s first smart and green city described as a “climate-resilient metropolis where the future begins.” Envisioned as an agro-industrial hub and a home for cutting-edge tech companies, its first phase includes the construction of a world-class sports complex and the National Government Administrative Center that will serve as back-up offices of various agencies to ensure continuous operations in case of disasters and calamities.

The NCC sports hub was completed at a record of 18 months, just in time for the Philippines’ hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) last December. Local sports enthusiasts and visiting ASEAN delegations were impressed at the quality of the internationally certified facilities in this venue built to Olympic standards. It became a source of pride for Filipinos and a morale booster for our athletes who went on to capture the overall SEAG 2019 championship.

Supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as transaction adviser, the project’s legality was reaffirmed by the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC). Its record completion time, along with the swift implementation of the Clark International Airport expansion project without sacrificing the quality of their construction, have been used by Cabinet officials as showcases of proper infra execution.

Recently, however, a complaint was filed by a group of concerned citizens before the Office of the Ombudsman claiming irregularities in the deal between BCDA and Malaysian firm MTD Capital Berhad for the NCC sports hub’s construction. Included in the complaint were Mr. Dizon, OGCC head Elpidio Vega, MTD director Isaac David, and BCDA lawyer Elvira Estanislao. Are the complainants insinuating that both the ADB and OGCC gave bad advice on the project? Or is it an attempt to derail the “Build, Build, Build” program?

At this critical period when we need to ensure a strong economic recovery, the acceleration of infra projects must earn the support of all sectors. The pandemic should not stop the government from proceeding with the massive infrastructure program and protecting the gains it has achieved through bold and decisive actions.

 

J. Albert Gamboa is CFO of the Asian Center for Legal Excellence and chairman of FINEX Publications.

Entertainment News (11/13/20)

Foo Fighters announces new album

THE FOO Fighters debuted their new single “Shame Shame” on the Nov. 7 episode of Saturday Night Live. “Shame Shame” is the first taste of the band’s forthcoming 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, due out Feb. 5, 2021 on Roswell Records/RCA Records. The latest from Foo Fighters earned glowing reviews from music critics on the day of its release, with Stereogum calling it “a refreshing twist on their signature sound that doesn’t reach for trends” and praising the new direction for its “percussive, and slightly funky” approach. The tenth studio album is produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, engineered by Darrell Thorp and mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent. It packs nine songs into a tight 37 minutes. Medicine at Midnight is now available for pre-order, and includes a limited-edition purple swirl vinyl version, available exclusively at http://smarturl.it/FFOnlineStore.

Ben&Ben releases video for ‘Di Ka Sayang’

BEN&BEN’S new single “Di Ka Sayang” surpassed expectations when it trended at No.1 worldwide on Twitter and debuted at the top spot of Spotify Philippines’ top 50 overall chart upon release. Following its debut, Ben&Ben dropped the official music video on Nov. 9 Helmed by Jorel Lising, the band’s frequent collaborator and the director behind their hits “Pagtingin” and “Nakikinig Ka Ba Sa Akin,” the visual accompaniment of the song follows the band performing in random intimate spaces with Kintsugi artform as the backdrop. Ben&Ben released a special BBTV episode on their YouTube channel. The music video of “Di Ka Sayang” is now available on YouTube.

Viber releases mini-video series

TO CELEBRATE its 10th anniversary, Viber turns the spotlight on its users by launching Heroes of Viber, a mini-video series that features 14 unique stories of how the app had an impact on people’s lives around the world. Among the featured Viber heroes are Filipino superadmins KG Sison and Celina Payawal, whose Communities became popular amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Sison is the founder of Homebaking Community, which was initially dedicated to bakers who were looking for supplies before evolving into a support group for baking enthusiasts during quarantine. Payawal, meanwhile, is the creator of Gym & Fitness Marketplace MM, which helps sellers of workout equipment connect with potential buyers who want to stay fit and healthy especially in a pandemic. Other “heroes” featured in the video campaign are Russia’s Alena, a mother who started a gardening Community all while taking care of a disabled child; Iraq’s Shelan, a kindergarten teacher who created a Community to share her lessons with her students during the pandemic; Bulgaria’s Dr. Stilyana Tomova who used Viber to allow parents to see their premature babies through video calls; Ukraine’s Dr. Yaroslav Kureza who launched the Take the Medic Community to connect medical frontliners to volunteers who’d give them a ride to the hospital while the public transportation services were halted; and Sri Lanka’s Gayan and Gavindi whose love story started with a simple Viber sticker. “Heroes” from Algeria, Greece, Serbia, and Nepal complete the short video series.

Gloc-9 teams up with UE Jam Sessions

RAPPER Gloc-9 contributed a verse on the acoustic version of UE Jam Sessions’ retitled track, “Lalaban Tayo (The Renewal of Honors).” With a message that champions the spirit of Filipino bayanihan in the pandemic crisis, the award-winning hip-hop artist called for solidarity in a bid to rise above the uncertainty of the times. As featured main artists, the UE Jam Sessions delivered a stripped-down but empowering take on an anthem that serves as tribute to the unsung heroes: the frontliners. UE Jam Sessions’ “Lalaban Tayo (The Renewal of Honors)” featuring Gloc-9 is now available on all streaming platforms worldwide.

Sayaw Record’s debut release

DJS MICA (UK) and Alinep, who are both known in Manila’s underground electronic music community, have joined forces to launch Sayaw Records, a non-commercial electronic music label based here in the Philippines. For their debut release, they have brought together some of the country’s top electronic music producers for a 15-track compilation entitled Sayawan Vol. 1, which will be released on Dec. 11. The music label will also be launching a Sayaw Radio Show on Z Hostel Radio, a platform where they will dive deeper into getting to know the artists on the compilation, as well as reveal the musicians they will be collaborating with in the near future. The record will premiere on Nov. 17, pre-orders will be accepted starting Nov. 27, and the release date will be on Dec. 11.

New premieres on HBO and HBO GO

HBO and HBO GO offer a dose of laughter this November with Jesters: The Game Changers, about a troupe of goofballs hired to bring out the best positive rumors about the ruling king of Joseon Korea. Follow the funny misadventures of Deok-Ho and his troupe as they attempt to put King Sejo into good light starting Nov. 13, 10 p.m., on HBO GO and RED by HBO. Meanwhile, the HBO GO and HBO premiere of the film Last Christmas — where a store Christmas elf gets her Christmas spirit back — will be on Nov. 21, 9 p.m. Aficionados of action films and thrillers will enjoy HBO and HBO GO bring new shows and movie titles this month. Learn more about the ins and outs set in the financial world with the newest HBO Original, Industry, which premiered on Nov. 10. New episodes will premiere every Tuesday, 10 a.m., with each episode encoreing the same day at 11 p.m. on HBO. The late Chadwick Boseman shows more of his action skills in the upcoming movie premiere of his last theatrically released film, 21 Bridges, on HBO GO on Nov. 14, 9 p.m. Boseman plays an embattled New York Police detective who hunts down alleged cop killers while unravelling a hidden conspiracy that will change his life forever. Meanwhile, His Dark Materials Season 2 premieres on Nov. 17, 10 a.m. on HBO GO and HBO, with new episodes every Tuesday. Each episode encores the same night at 10 p.m. on HBO. The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco stars in The Flight Attendant, which will premiere on Nov. 26 on HBO GO. The film revolves around a flight attendant waking up in the wrong hotel, next to a dead man — with no idea what happened. This dark comedic thriller is based on the novel by New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalia. Download the HBO GO app at the App Store or Play Store on your device and enjoy a seven-day free trial. Access HBO GO via Cignal or at https://www.hbogoasia.com/. HBO GO can now be accessed via Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV — and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.

Vanna released new EP

VANNA’s five-track EP High Hopes has been three years in the making, and is produced by Roy Avital of Tel Aviv-based, indie-electronic trio Garden City Movement and mastered by Matt Colton (James Blake, Muse, Coldplay). Delivering a delicate fusion of indie electronic, pop, and folk influenced by artists like RY X, Oscar and the Wolf, SYML and Sóley, VANNA’s latest EP maps her personal journey into falling in love and hurting, rediscovering her inner self and unearthing past traumas, owning up to her sexuality, and speaking up about issues that are close to her heart. The eclectic record is accompanied with the release of a brand new single called “All I See.”

PhilPop releases third batch of songs

THE PHILPOP song contest has officially released the songs from the North Luzon clusters.The latest batch balances drama and introspection as it gravitates toward themes of unrequited love, romantic dissolution, and abusive relationships. Produced with professional polish and help from PhilPop, the newest selection includes “Paos,” composed by Angelic Mateo and interpreted by Keiko Necessario; “Balikan,” composed by Lolito Go and interpreted by Benj Manalo and the Collective; and “Agsardeng,” composed by TJ Paeldon and Abby Esteban, and interpreted by Miss Ramone. Distributed by Warner Music Philippines, the homegrown songs are now available on all digital and streaming platforms worldwide via PhilPop.

CEOs who dislike empowering workers

I’m the operations manager of a small factory in Laguna. Our current issues are delayed product delivery to customers caused mainly by poor labor productivity. Our workers are high school graduates who appear eager to learn and help management. When I consulted our human resource manager, he recommended that we create an employee empowerment and engagement program. He cautions me, however, that our CEO disliked the idea when he proposed it two years ago. I like the idea as I’ve visited many dynamic factories within the area. Could you help us gain the CEO’s support for this? — Yellow Bell.

An eight-year-old boy asked his girlfriend to marry him. She rejected him outright, saying that in her family, only relatives married each other. She added: “If you and I are relatives, we could get married at the right age, but we’re not. In my family, my father married my mother. My grandpa married my grandma, and all of my uncles married my aunts. You see? We can’t get married because we’re not relatives.”

When everything is said and done, reflect on the lesson of this story. Do we understand how things work? Put things in the right perspective to find out.

You want to do a good job. You want to solve those operational issues. And you’ve agreed with the HR manager that the most likely solution is by empowering and engaging the workers. There should be no question about that. Many dynamic organizations have done that and are continually benefitting from it.

But why does your CEO dislike the idea? Know both the written and the unwritten rules of your top management. Sometimes, a written policy gets misinterpreted by the people and by the management team. How much more if they are unwritten? If you’ve been in your job for a long time, you should have learned all these rules by now. If not, then you better ask questions. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know the answer. If you don’t ask, the answer is always “no.”

If we don’t know where your CEO is coming from, then you better ask what makes him reject the idea of making the workers help management in problem-solving and decision-making. In the meantime, we can only speculate. Many decades back, I had a boss who didn’t want to call me by my first name. Instead of calling me “Rey,” he insisted on addressing me by my last name until I discovered several months after that he was a former captain who missed barking orders to his soldiers.

PRUDENT WAYS
Don’t agonize over the thought that your employee empowerment and engagement program will be rejected automatically. Times may have changed. Your CEO may have changed his mind about it except that he doesn’t want to admit it. Unless you adopt a strategy to correct your operational issues, you won’t make progress. After all, how can you improve product delivery and labor productivity without the active cooperation of your workers? Therefore, let’s look at some prudent ways to deal with your current situation:

One, do your homework before proposing a program. It may look obvious to some people, but in real work life, even factory managers don’t think through their proposals, because it’s not part of their work experience and training. They are experts in using their hands and feet in plant operations but not in writing convincing reports.

It doesn’t mean, however, that you’ll be writing a 100-page thesis. Who cares about that? In fact, a one-page executive summary will suffice, if only to provoke your CEO into deep thought. Go and assign your hard-working and promising engineer to write that first draft for you.

Two, get the cooperation of other department managers. Seek the input of the HR manager and improve on the draft, if any. You can also get the support of other managers like those in Finance, Sales, and Administration. The more, the merrier. They can help you discover probable issues that you can proactively resolve. If there are none, then they might point the way to discovering why the CEO is so reluctant. They ought to know how to deal with him. The most important approach is to secure other managers’ cooperation in the spirit of co-ownership. You can’t go wrong with that.

Last, solve problems without spending much money. More often than not, managers would like to solve problems by hiring additional workers or buying more equipment. That’s totally wrong. First things first. Commit to solve your current operational issues by understanding Kaizen, Lean Management, and the Thinking Production System.

They’re basically one and the same in advocating the use of creativity before committing capital. If you embrace this, how can the CEO block your proposal? He is less likely to oppose a three-month pilot project with demonstrable impact.

CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE
Your ability to convince the CEO about empowerment and engagement rests on your track record. I should say it’s an important indicator for predicting whether your proposal is accepted, regardless of merit. I’ve seen and heard managers who don’t get along with their bosses succeed simply because of their credibility.

Many CEOs view performance as the only thing that really matters in the workplace. Therefore, show initiative in improving your work performance. It may look like a chicken and egg situation, but there’s no point in overanalyzing it. Even if you demonstrated superior performance in the past, don’t coast. You have a current problem that needs to be corrected right away.

Your CEO may easily forget what you’ve done over the years, but he could be focused on asking, “What have you done to solve our current operational issues?”

 

Send anonymous questions to elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.consulting

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