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Stevie Wonder releases two songs appealing for love and unity

LOS ANGELES — Stevie Wonder on Tuesday released two new singles appealing for unity amid the challenges of systemic racism and the coronavirus pandemic, and said he would donate 100% of the proceeds of one of them to the non-profit Feeding America.

“Where Is Our Love Song” and “Can’t Put It In the Hands of Fate,” are songs Wonder, 70, said he had started writing years ago about romantic relationships but was inspired to give them a different twist by the tumultuous events of the past year.

“If I can do anything to use the gift of song to help to feed people, to share my love … it is my joy,” the singer-songwriter told a video news conference, referring to “Where Is Our Love Song.”

“In these times, we are hearing the most poignant wake-up calls and cries for this nation and the world to, please, heed our need for love, peace and unity,” he said.

Wonder began his career as an 11-year-old and later used his 1980 song “Happy Birthday” to campaign for the late Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday to be made a US national holiday.

The 25-time Grammy winner said on Tuesday that “Can’t Put It In the Hands of Fate” was inspired by street protests against social injustice, the search for a coronavirus vaccine and the right to vote.

“Where Is Our Love Song” was written in response to “all the confusion and hate, all the east versus west, left versus right” in contemporary America, he said. — Reuters

(View the videos of the songs here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMB5o5vtLs and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgdfxeh0WtE .)

DBM releases Bayanihan II funds for OFW repatriation

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P820 million in additional funds for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to help with the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The DBM issued Tuesday the special allotment release order (SARO) that will augment DFA’s assistance to nationals (ATN) fund, as authorized by Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan II).

More than 250,000 OFWs have been repatriated to date, with the government expecting the number to reach 300,000 by year’s end. The ATN fund has a P1-billion budget each year.

So far, funds released under Bayanihan II amounted to P4.2 billion, or 2.5% of the P165.5-billion total. President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law the relief measure on Sept. 11 and it expires at the end of 2020.

The DBM released P855.19 million to the Department of National Defense last week for operating coronavirus facilities, and P2.523 billion to the Department of the Interior and Local Government on Oct. 2 for the hiring and training of contact tracers, according to the issued SAROs.

A SARO allows agencies to incur obligations that will cover the funding needs of specific programs or projects.

Budget Assistant Secretary Rolando U. Toledo has said the DBM will release the budget allocations under Bayanihan II upon the request of implementing agencies and after necessary documents are processed. The Bureau of the Treasury also has to certify that funds are available.

“The DBM will release the necessary funding requirements under Bayanihan II upon receipt of the request together with the usual supporting documents from the respective implementing agencies and certification from the Bureau of the Treasury of the availability of funds. Said request will be evaluated by the DBM consistent with existing budgeting laws, rules and regulations,” Mr. Toledo said via Viber last month days after the law was passed.

Bayanihan II has a P140-billion budget plus a P25.5-billion standby fund to help sectors affected by the ongoing pandemic.

Other relief measures included in the stimulus package are P40 billion in capital infusions to government financial institutions to help them expand their lending; P24 billion to the Agriculture department for cash aid and loan programs; P9 billion to assist the transportation industry; P3 billion to help state universities and colleges organize for online learning; and P3 billion for the cash-for-work program for the jobless. — Beatrice M. Laforga

TV’s West Wing swaps fictional politics for the real thing

LOS ANGELES — 14 years after television political drama The West Wing shut down its White House set, the show is back with its idealized version of a US president and a mission to get Americans to the polls on Nov. 3 to choose a real one.

Martin Sheen— who played the liberal-leaning US President Jed Bartlet on the show — reunites with fictional White House staffers portrayed by Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Dule Hill, Janel Maloney and Richard Schiff for a one-off special to promote voting.

A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, to be broadcast on HBO Max on Thursday (Friday in Manila), is a staged theatrical performance of an episode from 2002, called “Hartsfield’s Landing,” in which the cerebral Bartlet plays chess with his aides while awaiting the results of a state primary election and dealing with a brewing crisis over Taiwan.

The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin said it was chosen “because the episode ended with a feeling that we wanted the audience to have. A feeling about voting.”

While Sorkin wrote no updates to the script, the likes of former President Bill Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and Hamilton musical creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will appear during commercial breaks “giving information about voting, knocking down some untruths about voting, and doing it in their own style,” Mr. Sorkin said.

Mr. Sorkin said he was a firm believer in the influential power of movies and television in shaping ideas, but said The West Wing would be no different if he was writing it in today’s political environment.

“What the show was always about was a workplace drama set in a very interesting workplace,” Mr. Sorkin said.

“In our popular culture, our elected leaders are portrayed either as Machiavellian or as dolts. So I thought, what if there is a show where these people are every bit as confident and dedicated as doctors and nurses on a hospital show or the lawyers on a legal drama.”

The West Wing ended its seven-year run in 2006 after winning more than 20 Emmy Awards. The special was shot as a play in an empty theater in Los Angeles under coronavirus guidelines.

This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown takes the role of chief of staff Leo McGarry following the death in 2005 of actor John Spencer.

“It was moving to have everybody back together,” said director Thomas Schlamme. “What was stunning to me was how quickly these actors slipped right back into their characters.” — Reuters

Senator planning bill setting limits on foreign construction workers

A BILL limiting the participation of foreign workers and firms in construction projects and according priority to Filipino workers is being drafted in the Senate.

“I’m planning to file a bill which will limit the entry of foreign construction companies,” Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said at an online briefing Thursday.

This follows a Senate hearing on the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways, in which senators raised concerns about the influx of foreign workers in infrastructure projects.

Mr. Zubiri said he is open to employing foreign workers for highly technical jobs, provided that up to 90% of the workers employed are Filipinos.

“Definitely… we should allow (foreign workers) when it comes to highly-skilled engineers, technical know-how. (The) construction engineers (may be) foreign workers… They’re called foreign consultants,” he said.

“Ibigay na natin ‘yang masonry works sa ating mga kababayan, (let’s reserve the masonry work to Filipinos), which should be 90% of the project in terms of workforce.”

Mr. Zubiri said the bill will amend Republic Act No. 4566, the “Contractors’ License Law,” which at present provides no limits on the entry of foreign firms and workers in the construction industry. He cited the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the nationality requirement in granting licenses.

He said he will include a provision that will allow foreign contractors to participate in big-ticket infrastructure projects, leaving the small ones exclusively for Filipino contractors.

“We will limit it maybe to projects that are P2 billion and above… projects that may need foreign assistance, but even then, the main bulk of their workforce… will be Filipino hires,” he said.

“They may participate in large flagship projects but their workforce should be 80 to 90% Filipinos, that’s what we are going to study in the committee hearings.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Grab Philippines introduces new country head Grace Vera Cruz

RIDE-HAILING company Grab Philippines announced on Thursday the appointment of a new country head, Grace Vera Cruz.

Ms. Vera Cruz, a former managing director at investment firm Seawood Resources, Inc., is expected to bring her “deep expertise and understanding to help drivers and small businesses use digital services to grow and support the Philippines in its economic recovery,” Russell Cohen, group managing director for Grab, said in a statement.

Grab said Ms. Vera Cruz, who has also held key positions in McKinsey & Co., CLSA Exchange Capital, and Shell, “will focus on creating deeper synergies across Grab’s suite of services, including on-demand transport, food and mart deliveries, and e-payments and financial services, to better serve customers, driver-partners, merchant-partners, and corporate partners in the Philippines as One Grab.”

“She will also drive ‘Grab for Good’ initiatives to contribute to the Philippines’ longer-term socio-economic development,” Grab added.

Grab Philippines used to be headed by Brian P. Cu who resigned in July. Ronald Roda, Grab Philippines’ head of transport and shared services, continued leading the operations.

Grab currently serves 18 cities in the country. Its operations include ride-hailing and on-demand food-delivery app, as well as groceries and package delivery, concierge services, bill payments, and financial services.

“I look forward to working with the team to leverage Grab’s technology and innovation to help Filipino communities safely and sustainably recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms. Vera Cruz said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

MoneyGram, PayMaya partner for real-time fund transfers from US 

DIGITAL payments firm PayMaya Philippines, Inc. announced on Thursday its partnership with American money transfer company MoneyGram International, Inc. for real-time fund transfers from the United States (US) to the Philippines.

“Through this partnership, families of overseas Filipino workers across the country can quickly and conveniently receive funds from their loved ones in the US in their PayMaya Visa card,” PayMaya said in an e-mailed statement.

US-based customers can use the mobile app of MoneyGram or its website to send money to any PayMaya Visa cardholder in the Philippines.

Kamila Chytil, MoneyGram chief operating officer and leader of the company’s digital business, expects the new offering to “drive digital growth” and improve customer experience.

“In the Philippines today, majority of Visa debit and prepaid cards are enabled to receive real-time payments via Visa’s real-time push payment solution, Visa Direct,” Dan Wolbert, Visa country manager for the Philippines and Guam noted.

Citing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Mr. Wolbert said overseas Filipino workers had made a total of $11 billion for US-based remittances in 2019.

“Money transfers from the US contributed close to 40% of total remittances in the Philippines. In this digital age, we believe it is important to introduce solutions that can benefit our cardholders’ lives, including making cross-border remittances hassle-free and efficient,” he added.

PayMaya is a subsidiary of Voyager Innovations, Inc., the digital innovations company of 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. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Gov’t online employment platform lists nearly 10,000 job openings

THOUSANDS OF JOB openings in both the private and public sectors are now available on the government’s job listings platform, the Labor department said Thursday.

The jobs are posted on the site of Trabaho Negosyo Kabuhayan (TNK), a program offered by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The TNK page also provides access to online lectures and seminars offered by DoLE, DTI, and other participating agencies.

The program is part of the government’s efforts to ease unemployment as the economy reopens during the pandemic, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a statement Thursday.

“As such the online program gives jobseekers access to online employment facilitation and entrepreneurial options. This is purposely for displaced workers, returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), K-12 graduates, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and senior citizens,” he said.

The job openings may be accessed through http://www.ble.dole.gov.ph/index.php/TNK.

“Those in need of pre-employment requirements such as Police/ NBI/ Barangay clearance, birth certificate, marriage certificate, tax account number, and the like, are exempted from paying fees,” Mr. Bello said.

Online skills training opportunities from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will also be available, according to Assistant Secretary and concurrent Bureau of Local Employment Director Dominique R. Tutay.

Ms. Tutay added that a list of entrepreneurship opportunities and useful information on how to become a successful business owner, is likewise included in the webpage. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Fender releases new professional guitars as sales boom during pandemic

FENDER Musical Instruments Corp. on Tuesday released a new range of electric guitars aimed at professional players, hoping that a sales boom in entry level guitars will carry over into $1,000-plus instruments, even as many live music venues remain shuttered.

Fender released updated American Professional II versions of its iconic Stratocaster and Telecaster models long played by artists such as Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen.

But it is the bedroom players of tomorrow rather than the rock gods of yore that have pushed up revenue at Fender this year. The company said sales of sub-$500 instruments had grown 92% since mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic confined many Americans to their homes.

Many of those guitars were imported acoustic instruments purchased online by first-time players. The guitars released on Tuesday, by contrast, are built in Fender’s factory in California and cost more than $1,000 — the kind of professional tool performers relied on before bars and concert halls closed.

Fender Chief Executive Andy Mooney said the company has seen a U-shaped sales pattern, with first-time players snapping up instruments, and experienced players buying pricier guitars for home recording, to add to their collections or simply enjoy with extra time on their hands while working from home.

Since the company’s factory re-opened, it has added extra shifts to keep up with demand while complying with social distancing protocols.

Mr. Mooney said he expects Fender to finish 2020 with more than $700 million in sales, up from more than $600 million in 2019.

“We’re selling everything that we can make in Corona, California, and everything we can find capacity to buy in Southeast Asia,” he said.

“Generally speaking, you’ve got two and half hours extra per day, because you don’t have a commute to deal with” in major cities, he said. “So what are you going to do with all that time?” — Reuters

E-payments seen rising in cash-heavy ASEAN

DIGITAL transactions are seen increasing in the Philippines and ASEAN as more unbanked and underbanked individuals tap e-wallets. — WWW.FREEPIK.COM/

THERE IS ROOM for growth in digital payments across cash-heavy Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the Philippines, as businesses can tap underbanked consumers in markets with relatively high smartphone and internet penetration, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. (HSBC) Global Research said on Thursday.

“While e-wallets are the most popular mode of payments in China, cash on delivery is high in certain markets like Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand,” it said in a note titled “ASEAN Next: Digital payments to triple in the next decade” released yesterday.

HSBC said online payments will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, fueled by the members of the underbanked sector beginning to tap e-wallet services.

“With credit card penetration much lower than in developed markets, we see e-wallets playing a bigger role,” HSBC Global Research said.

In the Philippines, 53% of smartphone users do not have a credit card, which shows e-wallets can play a role to drive financial inclusion, the bank said.

This will be supported by attractive subsidies or cash back provisions, smartphone usage, and adoption of digital payments by businesses as e-commerce apps take off, it added.

In particular, it said firms in the region that could buoy the rise of e-payments include Globe Telecom, Inc., which operates e-payment app GCash that had over 20 million users as of the second quarter of 2020.

“Telecom-driven platforms are also well placed given a large distribution network which can reach unbanked or underbanked users, and due to their consumer insights,” it said.

In a high-fragmented digital payment industry, the “best positioned segments include ride-hailing apps, e-commerce and telecom-driven platforms, HSBC Global Research said.

A study by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed only 29% of Filipino adults had formal accounts in financial institutions as of 2019, leaving behind about 51.2 million still unbanked. By 2023, the BSP wants 70% of Filipinos to have access to a formal account. The central bank also targets to have 50% of transactions done digitally.

Online payments made up 10% of the total transaction volume as of 2018 from a mere 1% in 2013, based on a United Nations-based Better than Cash Alliance report. Digital transactions also increased to comprise 20% of the total value in 2018 from just 8% in 2013. — L.W.T. Noble

Three Ayala firms donate school sanitation facilities

THREE AYALA-led companies and their respective foundations launched a program that promotes hygiene and proper hand washing amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

On Oct. 12, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Foundation, Manila Water Foundation, and Ayala Foundation unveiled “Brigada ng Ayala” program at Ramon Magsaysay High School in Manila.

During the launch of the program, 10 faucet hand-washing facilities and 200 Ayala EduCare packs were turned over to the school’s staff and teachers.

According to Manila Water, the hand-washing facility has a contactless design that lets users turn on the faucet with the use of a foot pedal.

The 10 faucets are also placed one-meter apart to allow users to observe physical distancing, while signs were also placed on the facility to make sure that proper hand-washing steps are observed.

Meanwhile, the Ayala EduCare packs are hygiene kits that contain school supplies, face masks, a face shield, alcohol, and bar soaps.

The packs also contain posters that educate about measures against COVID-19 and a Manila Water Foundation children’s storybook that teaches about water access, sanitation, and hygiene.

“If we all work together – together with the communities, learners and teachers, we achieve much more. This is not just within the Ayala Group, we also welcome other partners who may be able to help,” Ayala Foundation Senior Director for Corporate Communications Cel Amores said.

The newly launched program focuses on areas dubbed “Kalusugan and Kaligtasan” led by Manila Water Foundation and “Edukalidad” by Globe Telecom.

Donations under Manila Water Foundation’s program focuses on health sanitation and disinfection, multivitamins and food supplements, and personal protective equipment, among others.

On the other hand, Globe Telecom’s “Edukalidad” donations include teaching materials, e-learning kits, and training.

BPI Foundation, which sponsored the hand-washing facility, is targeting to contribute to minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

“We wanted to increase awareness and show the importance of hand hygiene because during these trying times, it saves lives,” BPI Foundation Program Manager Kristine Gonzales said.

Manila Water Foundation is the lead implementer of the “Brigada ng Ayala” program’s health and safety pillar that aims to assist schools and communications against the threats of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

UnionBank earns two big wins at 2020 IDC Digital Transformation Awards

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), the country’s top digital bank, took home two major wins at the recently concluded 2020 Digital Transformation Awards held virtually by the International Data Corporation (IDC) last October 12, further strengthening its foothold as the leading digital transformer in Philippine banking.

UnionBank President and CEO Edwin Bautista was named “2020 DX CEO for Philippines” for his efforts to lead the Bank in its various digital transformation initiatives and inspire employees to adopt an agile work culture throughout the company.

The DX CEO award is given to CEOs who have developed a strategy to create a digitally transformed enterprise, and whose vision follows an agenda aligned with the emerging digital economy, responding to new customer requirements, capabilities, critical infrastructure, and industry ecosystems, according to IDC.

“Edwin Bautista is among the few leaders in the country bold enough to transform the organization immediately when he started as UnionBank’s CEO starting with strengthening the bank’s IT infrastructure, reinforcing a digital and agile culture. These include critical digital customer touchpoints and the Bank’s own fintech company,” IDC said.

UnionBank was also named “2020 Talent Accelerator for Philippines” for its ground-breaking “People Tech – People at the Core, Technology at the Fore” initiative. According to IDC, the award “recognizes technology programs or projects that have enabled discernible and measurable excellence in the organization’s ability to achieve business objectives by effective sourcing, deployment, and integration of internal and external resources”.

A key component of the Bank’s People Tech initiative is its Xcellerator Program, which is a strategic initiative to equip educators and students with the necessary knowledge that will allow them to thrive in the digital economy. The program is one of the many ways that the Bank is helping future-proof the country’s workforce under its unique “TechUpPilipinas” advocacy, and showcase Filipino talent to the world.

“People Tech focused on workforce transformation through UBP Xcellerator Program. A learning resource website that offers a variety of on-demand learning content and pathways to allow learners, educators, and career-shifters to gain basic, intermediate, and advanced knowledge in blockchain, data science, artificial intelligences, robotics, and other emerging technologies. Participants receive firsthand coaching from experts and the opportunity to work on use cases related to the field they intend to learn. Externally, it also trains individuals through a learning portal where they can receive structured mentoring by online channels,” IDC said.

The IDC Digital Transformation Awards is an annual ceremony that honors excellence in digital transformation. For this year, the event focused on recognizing the resilience and innovation of organizations in the implementation of digitization initiatives that have enabled them to adapt to the new normal and its impact on consumer behavior and preferences

Held annually since 2017, the event is spearheaded by IDC, a global research, analysis, and advisory firm that provides insights on trends and opportunities that are shaping the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

 

Synergy Grid announces schedule of annual stockholders’ meeting

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