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Livestreaming: Growth and Diversification of Content

A look at related industries

AS LOCKDOWNS forced people to stay at home, many of them turned to livestreaming platforms for entertainment and a sense of community. According to a report by livestreaming platform Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet, an electronic sports (esports) business intelligence firm, 3.1 million hours watched on Twitch in the first quarter rose to 5 million in the following quarter. For YouTube Gaming, it increased from 1 million hours to 1.5 million hours within the same timeframe.

Twitch expects this growth to continue for the following year with new products and content. They just launched Versus, an end-to-end suite of tools that streamers can use to organize and manage their own tournaments. Ninja and Shroud, two of the industry’s most influential streamers, also recently returned to the platform with exclusive deals.

Non-gaming content on Twitch is also anticipated to grow in the next months. Just Chatting was the most popular category on the platform in December 2019, according to a report by StreamElements, a livestreaming platform, and Arsenal.gg, a video game livestreaming analytics company.

Sunita Kaur, the platform’s senior vice-president for APAC (Asia Pacific), also cited the likes of broxh_, a Kiwi woodcarver with 1.2 million followers who was even visited by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a stream. “There’s a lot of communities that are coming together especially in a time like this, and that’s a really nice thing to see,” she said.

MUSIC: LOCAL IS KEY

The music industry had its downs during the pandemic, although it is slowly recovering. In the United States, physical album sales dropped by 27.6% and digital album sales by 12.4%. Pollstar, a live-event trade publication and research firm, projects a loss of up to $8.9 billion in revenue for the concert industry by the end of the year.

However, there has been a growing clamor for local and regional music in Southeast Asia. Acts like Phum Viphurit from Thailand and Niki from Indonesia have gained international fans and performed beyond Asia. Mass media company 88rising, which aims to empower Asian artists, recently partnered with telco provider Globe to launch Paradise Rising, a Filipino music label that houses artists such as Kiana V and Leila Alcasid.

“The response has been a lot more favorable than it would be like two, three years ago when every time you say, ‘We have an artist from Thailand,’ they’ll be like, ‘Yeah, whatever, give me back my Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.’ Now, they’re more accepting to this new talent coming from within the region. It’s largely related to whether the video quality production from this region has grown, the music production has grown, the talent has actually acquired more capability, and the gap between the quality from the West and the quality from this part of the world is beginning to grow smaller and smaller,” said Calvin Wong, chief executive officer for South East Asia and executive vice president for Asia at the Universal Music Group.

Weaving through different industries and exploring different platforms will play a huge role in the innovation of the music industry. Musicians have been “performing” in video games; for instance, rapper Travis Scott’s April concert in multiplayer game Fortnite brought in a massive 12.3 million viewers. Bang Bang Con: The Live, a paid online concert by South Korean band BTS held in June, raked in 756,600 viewers and between $19 million to $26 million in revenue.

“The key for us in the music industry is, can we evolve, can we react quick enough to really react to the situation? I think we can. As an industry, we have become very agile in terms of accepting new things…we’ve gone through a lot of pain in the last 15 to 20 years from physical business to digital business,” said Mr. Wong. — Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

Puregold adds feature in mobile app for Globe prepaid customers

GLOBE Telecom, Inc. announced Thursday a new feature added to Puregold Price Club, Inc.’s mobile app for the loading needs of its prepaid customers.

“As customer needs have changed and safety becomes a priority, Puregold, together with Globe, launched the app’s newest feature — Buy Load,” Globe said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday.

The app also allows customers to purchase prepaid sims, call cards, and prepaid WiFi.
Customers may pay via credit card, debit card, GCash or via Puregold’s P-Wallet.

“With the current situation, we want to help our customers to stay safe in their homes. By adding an in-app loading service with multiple payment options in the Puregold app, they can buy load credits anytime 24/7, anywhere they are,” Puregold President Ferdinand Vincent P. Co said.

Globe and Puregold launched the mobile app in January. The app allows Puregold shoppers to do online shopping. Its features include item barcode scanning, store pickup, and real-time updates on order status and stock replenishing.

The app also allows Puregold shoppers to link their perks card for them to easily monitor their points and get access to discounts.

“With the increase in work-from-home and learn-from-home set-up, having ready access to prepaid load and promos is as important as having basic necessities in the house. We want to give our subscribers another platform in the Puregold Mobile App to avail of their load needs so they can always stay connected,” Globe President and Chief Executive Ernest L. Cu said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

PHL economy’s recovery prospects improving

The Philippines’ recovery prospects have improved as of September based on the latest scorecard of Oxford Economics, putting the country at a higher rank among Asia-Pacific economies.

“The updated APAC scorecard continues pointing towards a staggered recovery in the region. But the rankings show some noteworthy shifts compared to the erstwhile Asia scorecard. Northeast Asia no longer distinguishes itself as the H2 recovery leader compared to the rest of the region,” the report published Wednesday read. 

The Philippines’ recovery scorecard eased to -0.12 this month from -0.4 in June, which was when the report was launched. Despite the improvement, it still scored negatively in recovery, which was the average of four components: vulnerability, stringency, containment, and policy scores.

Among 14 economies in Asia Pacific, the Philippines’ ranking in terms of recovery prospects is now fifth from the bottom, up by three places from the previous scorecard where it was projected to post the second-slowest recovery after India.

Broken down, the country’s scores for stringency of lockdown and macro policy measures adopted in response to the pandemic improved to positive territory, with the former rising to 0.1 from -0.3 previously and the latter to 0.2 from -0.4.

However, its score stayed in the red for vulnerability (to -0.3 from -0.2, previously) and containment indicators (to -0.5 from -1.2). Vulnerability scores a country’s exposure in terms of health and the economy, while the containment component covers the economy’s progress and speed in controlling the outbreak.

The economies seen posting the slowest recoveries are India, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, New Zealand, Taiwan and Singapore are now leading recovery prospects across Asia Pacific.

Countries across the globe implemented various restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, hurting their economic performance.

The think tank expects the Philippine economy to shrink by 8% this year. The economy plunged into recession in the first half after posting a nine-percent contraction during the period.

The Philippines imposed one of the world’s longest and most stringent lockdowns from mid-March to May, which included barring individuals from leaving their homes and restricting the operations of some sectors of the economy. Restrictions have been eased since then. 

“The world is entering a more difficult stage of recovery, with the post-lockdown GDP (gross domestic product) bounce expected to give way to slower growth in coming quarters. At the same time, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) situation has broadly deteriorated across APAC economies, following the widespread easing in social distancing measures since mid-Q2,” Oxford Economics said.

It said downside risks to their recovery forecasts include prolonged and recurring waves of the outbreak as this could result in uneven resumption of activity and slower recovery.

Meanwhile, it said the faster-than-expected production of vaccine will be a positive development as this would boost the confidence of consumers and businesses. — BML

Docu fest rails against dangers of Martial Law

DAANG DOKYU, a film festival showcasing the best of Filipino documentaries, was one of a myriad of festivals that were halted — for a time — because of the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. But true to its mission of telling “100 years of Filipino stories told in moving images,” according to a festival organizer, Daang Dokyu has moved to a safer space online and has updated its battle cry to rail against Filipino’s forgetfulness of the horrors of Martial Law for the festival’s opening weekend.

“When all the world is seeking to reflect on the lessons emerging from the pandemic, a group of filmmakers is sounding out the call to resist the lethal lure of forgetfulness,” a press release for the film festival said.

The festival, which runs from Sept. 19 to Nov. 5, will not only feature some of the best documentaries aired on television by GMA Network, ABS-CBN, Probe Productions, Rappler, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), and those recommended by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), but will also feature several masterclasses, lectures, and discussions on how the Philippines’ story measures up.

Daang Dokyu is organized by the Filipino Documentary Society (FilDocs), founded by documentary filmmakers Jewel Maranan, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, Baby Ruth Villarama, and Coreen Jimenez. It was originally slated to run from March 16 to 21 at the University of the Philippines (UP) Film Institute’s Cine Adarna but had to be postponed because of the strict lockdowns imposed to curb the pandemic.

For its opening salvo online, Daang Dokyu tackles forgetfulness and historical revisionism of one of the darkest moments in Filipino history by presenting the ABS-CBN documentary Marcos: A Malignant Spirit (1986) and Imelda (2003) by Ramona Diaz. Both films will be screened from Sept. 19 to 21.

The opening week is themed “Martial Law, Never Again.”

In Marcos: A Malignant Spirit, ABS-CBN’s Angelo Castro Jr., looks into “the inhuman manner in which Marcos and his henchmen systematically drained the economy… in their greedy and unrelenting quest for fortune,” according to the festival’s Facebook page. The film contains rare footage and recorded conversations about the plunder of a nation.

Imelda meanwhile, tells the story of former First Lady Imelda Marcos in her own words and follows her journey from being a young beauty queen in the 1950s to a First Lady of the Philippines in 1960s, her family’s downfall in 1986, and their eventual return to power. The film won the Excellence in Cinematography Documentary Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. “Foregrounding the narrative is not just Imelda and her obsession with power but also the lasting influence of her family on Philippines society even to this day,” said a post on the festival’s Facebook page.

The date when these films will be screened is also very intentional as on Sept. 21, 1972, then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law, a period which saw thousands of forced disappearances, torture, and killings of those deemed critics of the government. The Marcos family stole an estimated $10 billion of Philippine wealth, leaving the country steeped in debt that Filipinos are still paying to this day.

“The opening program is not just a lineup of films to remember the past but a statement for us in the present. Our generation now has been witnessing the erosion of our freedoms, unbelievable abuses of power, and a growing confusion about the future.

We think documentaries can help make up our minds about the lessons already learned, mistakes we shouldn’t repeat, and what we shouldn’t allow again to be done to us as a people,” Jewel Maranan, one of the festival directors, said in a release.

Aside from the Martial Law films, the first week of Daang Dokyu will also be premiering Kiri Dalena’s Alunsina (2020), a documentary about struggles of children and families in an urban settlement severely affected by the current government’s war on drugs; A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution (1988) by Nettie Wild, about the struggles of the newly elected President Corazon C. Aquino as she tried to wrest control of the country from her own military; and Mendiola Massacre (1987) by Lito Tiongson, a newsreel about the massacre on Mendiola Bridge in Manila where authorities opened fire against protesters who were urging genuine agrarian reform which resulted in the deaths of 13 farmers and hundreds of civilian injuries.

A discussion on the theme will also be held on Sept. 19, 8 p.m., moderated by Ed Lingao and featuring guests Chel Diokno, Kiri Dalena, Miguel Reyes, and Joel Lamangan.

Beyond the opening week, Daang Dokyu also has a lineup of documentaries from 1914 to 2020. Early this year, the festival organizers went online to raise funds to bring several Filipino documentaries stored in the British Film Institute to the Philippines, in order to show them at the festival. The films include the 1926 film Manila Street Scene and the 1929 film Glimpses of the Culion Leper Colony and of Culion Life.

“We are offering these films for free, the largest collection of curated Philippine documentaries ever put together for online public viewing, films from 1914 to 2020. We’re inviting everyone to revisit this album of images because these are about us,” Ms. Maranan said.

Aside from film screenings, the festival will also be holding discussions on current issues, offering the “docu way” to take stock “how we have been as a nation and where we are headed,” said the release. The festival will also be holding several masterclasses but information about these is yet to be announced.

The festival will also be launching Dok Book, “a collection and recollection of histories and stories, as well as views and interviews, centered on the rich landscape of the Philippine documentary in film and television.”

The book includes details and historical accounts, from the arrival of cinema in the late 1890s to the shutdown of the press during Martial Law and the advent of digital technology in the 2000s. The book contains writings from scholars and practitioners in the field including Nick Deocampo, Teddy Co, Adjani Arumpac, Patrick Campos, Ed Lingao, Howie Severino, Kara David, Kidlat Tahimik, Kiri Dalena, Sari Dalena, Gutierrez Mangansakan II, and many more Filipino documentarists.

The Daang Dokyu opening films will be available for viewing starting Sept. 19 on www.daangdokyu.com/watchnow. For more information visit the Daang Dokyu Facebook page. — Z.B. Chua

GMA rides Hallyu Wave with new digibox channel

IN LATE June, TV network GMA entered the digital TV box fray with its Affordabox that was met with an “overwhelming response” and introduced a new digital channel focused on Asian dramas. This month, GMA is adding to its digital channels with the music and reality-show-centric HallyPop, riding on the current Hallyu Wave (or Korean pop culture wave).

“We have the heart of fans and that’s going to be seen in the way we program HallyPop. A lot of people are looking forward to that Hallyu (Korean Wave) content. Having another channel that could actually focus on having certain materials like variety shows, K-pop, and reality shows, it can complement what we have started for the Heart of Asia so I’m excited about it because we have a lot of things to learn from these Asian contents,” Jose Mari A. Abacan, GMA’s first vice-president for program management, said in a press release.

The new channel will feature K-Pop (Korean pop music), variety and entertainment programs starting Sept. 20. The channel is done in partnership with international streaming company Jungo TV. HallyPop is one of the “one or two more channels” to be introduced within the year, according to an earlier BusinessWorld interview with Regie C. Bautista, GMA Network chief risk officer and senior vice-president for corporate strategic planning, and concurrent head for program support.

Some of the programs in the HallyPop channel lineup include Korean music show Music Bank, Korean variety show Running Man, and a concert stage HallyStage featuring “highly requested concerts in the country and across Asia.”

“HallyPop represents a new and exciting direction in the reimagined world of Asian entertainment,” said Jungo TV CEO and co-founder George Chung in the same statement.

The new digital channel is free but those using digital TV boxes need to re-scan in order to get the new channel. — Z.B. Chua

NEDA now more receptive to OFW Department

THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Thursday that it is now “more open” to the creation of a new department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) following the job losses experienced by OFWs during the pandemic.

“I have not made any stand yet, but NEDA as an institution, under Secretary (Ernesto M.) Pernia had not supported that,” Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua told senators.

“Given the developments… (and the) need to look after millions of OFWs, I am actually more open to it.”

The coronavirus pandemic has so far led to the repatriation of more than 174,000 OFWs since February.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also monitored over 10,300 confirmed cases involving Filipinos abroad, including 2,900 still undergoing treatment, 6,500 patients who have recovered and 770 who died.

Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, who chairs the labor committee, said he is ready to start hearing bills establishing the Department of OFWs, subject to input from NEDA and the labor department.

“I’m ready to hear the measure. I’ve been waiting for the position of the different
government agencies,” Mr. Villanueva said.

The measure is among the bills President Rodrigo R. Duterte asked the 18 th Congress to pass during his fifth State of the Nation Address. It has so far been approved on final reading in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Chua said NEDA will look into provisions that can be improved.

“One of the concerns was whether we need such a department that will last for a long time. As we know DAR (the Department of Agrarian Reform) continues to exist even after certain functions have already ceased,” he said.

“What I told them is look into a time period. Maybe we can evaluate every few years whether such a department or agency is needed.”

He added a cost-benefit analysis will also be conducted, as earlier proposed by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, former Acting Budget Secretary Janet B. Abuel and Mr. Pernia.

“What we actually proposed is instead of creating ecozones, departments or agencies, we look at it as a package,” he said.

“Number one, will a new department really address the problems we are facing? We proposed that all department creation be supported by a cost-benefit analysis.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Startup nation 2.0

A relatively new state with a population of 8.5 million is fast becoming the closest competitor of America’s Silicon Valley as a global technology hub. Founded in 1948, the State of Israel has earned the nickname “Startup Nation” for having the biggest number of startups per capita in the world at the rate of one for every 1,400 people.

This phenomenon has attracted the attention of industry giants due to the outside-the-box entrepreneurship prevalent among young Israeli professionals. Next to the US and China, Israel now has the most number of companies listed in the tech-heavy Nasdaq stock exchange. A culture of innovation is embedded in the citizens of this Mediterranean country, with many startups being promoted and sold — fueling the motivation to create more technological solutions.

An example is FreeMap Israel, a community project set up by programmer Ehud Shabtai in 2006 aimed at crowdsourcing a free digital database map in Hebrew using GPS navigation software. To commercialize the project, he founded Waze Mobile Ltd. in 2008 together with entrepreneurs Uri Levine and Amir Shinar.

After several rounds of funding, Waze maps were upgraded to display real-time, community-curated points of interest that allowed the founders to monetize their mobile app through location-based advertising. Service coverage expanded to the US and Brazil, becoming such a big hit there and luring many buyers. In 2013, Google acquired Waze Mobile for almost $1 billion.

The Philippines can become the next Israel because we have the competitive advantage in terms of creativity, innovativeness, and English proficiency. Like Israeli society, Filipinos have a unique DNA that strives for quick and creative solutions. One way of accelerating the growth of startups is to encourage equity compensation in the form of stock options and stock grants. These are rights granted by an employer to an employee to purchase shares in the corporation.

Based on our existing laws, equity compensation is considered an income subject to taxation. Most Filipino employees do not choose to avail of equity compensation since there is no tangible gain derived vis-à-vis the tax liability, which is considered a disincentive. Thus, they are unable to participate in the ownership of the company or partake of its long-term growth and success — following Israel’s way that deems this form of compensation essential, thereby taxing it upon sale and not upon issuance.

Congress, therefore, needs to revise the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), specifically by excluding in the computation of gross income under NIRC section 32 any gain derived from the exercise of stock options and stock grants. Instead, taxes shall be imposed on any gain derived from the subsequent sale, barter, or disposition of the shares of stock obtained from these options and grants.

For expediency, the proposed revisions should be included in the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) bill pending at the Senate. Although its counterpart in the House of Representatives was approved last year, there’s still time to include these vital provisions in the Senate version of the economic stimulus bill that seeks to reduce the corporate income tax rate and modernize the country’s tax incentives system for businesses.

During the recent Sulong Pilipinas consultative workshop organized by the Department of Finance (DoF), business leaders from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) expressed support for the urgent passage of the CREATE Act to level the playing field and assist businesses that were hardest-hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

PCCI’s position paper on CREATE was presented by DFNN, Inc. Executive Director Ramon Garcia, Jr. and SAS Philippines Partner Liberty Abid-Ali. According to Mr. Garcia, the pandemic highlighted companies such as Zoom, Tesla, and SpaceX but he lamented that “none of these could ever be Filipino companies because of the irregularity in the way equity compensation in this country is recognized.” Ms. Abid-Ali said the passage of the stimulus law should be fast-tracked so the business sector can immediately feel the government’s assistance through a reduced income tax rate.

Estimates from the DoF show that the CREATE bill will free up P42 billion in capital for enterprises during the first six months from the date it is signed into law. Some of these funds may be channeled to technopreneurs who will be incentivized to launch startups similar to Israel’s development model.

Younger Filipino generations that are tech-savvy combined with a supporting ecosystem will create a fertile ground for innovative ideas that can propel the Philippines to become Southeast Asia’s equivalent of the booming Israeli economy.

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

Ben & Ben has most popular Spotify Lite song

WHAT do Ben & Ben’s song “Pagtingin” and the podcast Boiling Waters PH have in common? They are among the most popular items listened to in the Philippines on the Spotify Lite app.

Music streaming service Spotify is celebrating the first anniversary of Spotify Lite — the simplified version of its main app which promises lower data consumption while offering the same features — by releasing a list of songs and podcasts its users have been listening to for a year, along with other statistics.

Currently, Spotify Lite is available for download in 37 markets concentrated in South America, Asia, and Africa. Some of the countries where Spotify Lite is available are the Philippines, Brazil, Argentina, Vietnam, India, Algeria, Jordan, and Egypt.

At its launch in 2019, Spotify Lite was positioned as the younger, lighter sibling of the Spotify app, especially made for those with spotty internet connections, limited data storage, or older phones. While downloading both applications is free and listening on both does not require a subscription, Spotify Lite provides a 15% reduction on the app’s download size and occupies less than 10 MB at download.

Spotify Lite can be used alongside and independently from the main Spotify app on all Android phones running version 4.3 or higher.

Of the 37 markets where Spotify Lite is available, Brazil is the app’s top market followed by Mexico, India, Indonesia, and Argentina. Most of the app’s users listen to music or podcasts on Mondays and Sundays, with lunch being the most common time for listening.

In the Philippines, most users of the app listened to folk-pop band Ben & Ben’s “Pagtingin” (2019) followed by “Imahe” by rock band Magnus Haven. Filipino songs filled four out of the five spots. The only foreign song on the Top 5 list is at No. 3: “Memories” (2019) by American rock band Maroon 5.

The country also has a fondness for Filipino podcasts, with Boiling Waters PH and Adulting with Joyce Pring occupying the top two spots, while the other three spots are occupied by Get Sleepy: Sleep Meditation and Stories, The Morning Rush, and TED Talks Daily.

Below is a list of what people listen to on Spotify Lite:

Below is a list of what people listen to on Spotify Lite:

TOP TRACKS IN THE PHILIPPINES
“Pagtingin”– Ben&Ben
“Imahe” – Magnus Haven
“Memories” – Maroon 5
“Hindi Tayo Pwede” – The Juans
“Zebbiana” – Skusta Clee

TOP PODCASTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Boiling Waters PH
Adulting with Joyce Pring
Get Sleepy: Sleep Meditation and Stories
The Morning Rush
TED Talks Daily

GLOBAL TOP TRACKS
“Señorita” – Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes
“Dance Monkey” – Tones And I
“Tusa” – KAROL G, Nicki Minaj
“China” – Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, KAROL G, Ozuna
“LA CANCIÓN” – Bad Bunny, J Balvin

GLOBAL TOP PODCASTS
PODKESMAS (PODCAST KESEHATAN MASYARAKAT)
Rintik Sedu
Do You See What I See?
NerdCast
Kajian Hanan Attaki — Z.B.C.

DoLE aid program could benefit 700,000 more

THE labor department estimates that it can add 700,000 more beneficiaries to its
informal worker emergency employment program if given funding of P5 billion.

In a Laging Handa briefing Thursday, the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns
(BWSC) said if such funds are allocated to the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating
Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, it expects to aid 700,000 more
workers.

Those who avail of the program will be assigned 10 days of emergency employment at
their region’s daily minimum wage.

BWSC Director Karen Perida-Trayvilla said, “If, for example, the allocation for TUPAD is
P5 billion, our given work days will be 15 days. We increased this from 10 days. And
with P5 billion approximately, we will have more than 700,000 beneficiaries to benefit
the TUPAD program.”

The BWSC is a unit of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), which has
been granted funding of P13 billion under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act
(Bayanihan II). According to Ms. Perida-Trayvilla, the BWSC can also hire program
coordinators to better oversee the TUPAD program thanks to the new funding.

The TUPAD program benefited 604,901 informal workers affected by the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. — Gillian M. Cortez

AMLC freezes assets worth P647 million

THE Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has frozen P647 million worth of assets year-to-date, higher than 2019’s total, AMLC Executive Director Mel Georgi B. Racela said on Thursday.

“We were able to file petitions for issuance of freeze order, application for bank inquiry and petitions for civil forfeitures. As a result, total amount frozen is P647 million for the frozen assets. In 2019, the total is approximately P138 million,” Mr. Racela said in a Senate hearing yesterday.

He said the AMLC had 14 petitions for issuance of freeze orders from January to mid-September.

Meanwhile, Mr. Racela said the Department of Budget and Management approved P85.15 million for the agency’s spending plan in the upcoming year, lower by 34.98% from the P130.966 million they have for 2020.

Broken down, the DBM’s approved budget for AMLC includes P68.26 million for maintenance and other operating expenses while P16.89 million is allotted for capital outlays.

The approved budget was also lower by 37.54% compared to AMLC’s proposed P226.837=million budget for fiscal year 2021.

During the hearing, Mr. Racela said they initially programmed P6.05 million for consultancy services, of which only P2.2 million was approved.

“We hired an international expert for this to help us with our mutual evaluation. But they only approved P2.2 million,” he said.

The Philippines is under an observation period until February 2021, extended from the October initial deadline. During this time, the country is expected to address the gaps in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules.

Failure to pass the review will mean the country is under the risk to be included in the gray list of countries that are deemed to be lax on dirty money standards.

Mr. Racela said they also wanted to buy software to safeguard their databases and requested appropriations worth P6.7 million for this but the DBM did not approve the programmed budget.

He added they were eyeing to use their 2021 program for enhancements in dealing with artificial intelligence.

“We intend to delve into artificial intelligence in 2021 because what we currently do is manual analysis of suspicious transaction reports and this takes a lot of time.”

The AMLC proposed a budget worth P71.5 million for its smart money laundering/terrorist financing detection project. However, only P305,000 was approved. — L.W.T. Noble

Managing the survivors of a retrenched workplace

We’ve retrenched 231 workers out of our total 636 staff in response to business losses due to COVID-19. As we begin to normalize our work operations on Oct. 1, we need to find ways to regain lost momentum and generate at least 80% of our net revenue before the pandemic. Any idea on how we can do this? — Blue Leaf.

A little girl was having dinner at her neighbor’s house. The vegetable dish was broccoli. The mother asked if she would want any. The child replied: “Yes Mam, thank you! I love it.” But when the bowl of broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess asked: “I thought you said you love broccoli?” 

The girl replied: “Oh, yes Ma’am! I do. But I lack the motivation to eat it.”

Many of us often misinterpret how people reply. When the little girl says she likes broccoli, it doesn’t mean she will eat it. For her, “liking” and “eating” are two different things. You yourself may have misinterpreted the basic difference between having a retrenchment plan and a post-retrenchment plan. 

To my mind, a post-retrenchment plan must be an integral part of a retrenchment plan.

The post-retrenchment program must include measures to help survivors cope with the reorganization, with the goal of ensuring a smooth transition. With less than two weeks before Oct. 1, you must cram to do the groundwork which will minimize, if not eliminate the “unsettling” work atmosphere caused by retrenchment.

Part of the “unsettling” atmosphere is confusion about how to work under the circumstances. This includes understanding revised job descriptions and standards, available resources, reporting lines, a skills inventory of the survivors, among others.    

Incidentally, all of these can be done with the help of all line executives who must be appointed promptly even in a temporary capacity. The human resource department must create the guidelines for the implementation of all department heads and ensure their corporate-wide application.

Important measures

Any reorganization triggered by retrenchment is often fraught with difficulty, but not exactly an impossible feat for management. No matter how difficult it is, there’s always one important tool that you can’t afford to ignore. And I’m referring to clear-cut and clearly-worded communication with employees and their managers.

Lack of information will allow rumors to circulate and run recklessly with the help of the gossip mill. In these uncertain times, it’s best for management to proactively issue policy directives to make the transition to the “new normal” easy, practical, and understandable for everyone. Here are few important measures for making the best out of the situation:

One, review the organizational chart. This is necessary to re-define the authority and responsibility of every manager and their staff. Sometimes, you may not have to change the functional reporting but to change only the names of the person who will occupy the “box” in the chart. Corollary to this is the issuance of job descriptions to those concerned and briefing workers on the demands of their new position. 

Two, motivate all survivors. This is the job of all people supervisors and managers who must be taught all the zero-cash motivational strategies. This includes a daily, morning 15-minute meeting (online or face-to-face) between line executives and their workers. Remember, an organization that just downsized is trying to survive with meager resources. Therefore, let’s not think of material rewards for the time being.    

Three, create a multi-tasking environment. Require all workers and their managers to learn a different set of skills, attitudes, and habits so they can cope with the demands of their new jobs. The HR department may screen and recommend various free online seminars and tools workers can use in doing their jobs. To ensure compliance with this directive, HR may require the completion of certification programs as part of everyone’s key results area.

Four, establish a formal job rotation program. This means transferring employees from one job function or geographical work assignment to another. The company may decide that the rotation be done every two years or as soon as opportunity allows, including the determination of an ideal “bench strength” for every unit, section, department or division. If not, to allow non-performing workers to be assigned to the area where they are best suited.

Last, review the company’s waste reduction plan. If there is none, create a program where all workers and their managers work hand-in-hand to systematically define and solve issues that contribute to unnecessary expenses. Such a program may follow the template of team-based Quality Circles or an individual-oriented suggestion scheme focused on eliminating non-value adding procedures from business operations. 

Freeze hiring

By this time, your organization may have already determined that dismissing 231 workers will produce great savings in the short term. But how about the long term? How will you ensure sustained improvements in labor productivity? 

The answer is in continuing to freeze hiring, even for temporary or student workers. If you lower your guard, chances are, you’ll go back to your pre-retrenchment manpower levels that bleed your company resources dry. Any attempt by a department head to be granted an exception to a freeze-hiring policy must be met with strong resistance. In other words, don’t allow any exceptions.

Otherwise, you will be opening the floodgates to more exceptions. For some people, freeze hiring is a bad thing, but not all the time. Rather, continuing with the hiring freeze gives off the impression that the pandemic is not the right time to spend recklessly.       

ELBONOMICS: Great things can happen when you’re out of your comfort zone. 

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

Stuff to Do Online (09/18/20)

Viviamo to hold journaling online summit

VIVIAMO, the company behind the Belle De Jour (BDJ) planners and journals, will be holding its first planning and journaling online summit called #YouGotThis on Sept. 19 to 20. The summit will have three panel discussions and seven individual talks featuring speakers who will share insights and personal experiences on how journaling has helped them, including content creators Macoy Dubs and Cat Triviño, brand and content strategist Victoria Herrera, global design director duo Katwo and Nico Puertollano, creative entrepreneur Alessa Lanot, globally accredited coach and mentor Pia Acevedo, vision board coach Trixie Esguerra, and more. The same summit will also see the launch of the Belle De Jour 2021 product line. The summit will be streamed online 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the BDJ Power Planner’s official Facebook page (facebook.com/bdjbuzz), Crazy About Paper’s Facebook page (facebook.com/CrazyAboutPaper) and You Got This via bit.ly/yougotthisph. To know more, visit https://www.facebook.com/bdjbuzz .

Shadow play performance marks Martial Law anniversary

TO MEMORIALIZE the 48th anniversary of the declaration of the Martial Law that sparked social unrest that led to the People Power Revolution, Awit ng Hinirang, a four-minute multimedia presentation that blends kundiman, shadow play, live-action documentation, and stop-motion and digital animation, will premiere on Sept. 21. To be presented by the Karilyo Shadowplay of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in collaboration with Coro San Benildo, Awit ng Hinirang unravels the various faces and voices of heroism, the distinct beauty of the traditional Filipino love songs, the importance of the ideal image of a hero — in its varying interpretations in different landscapes, timescapes, and perspectives. The performance likewise attempts to answer the question: Who deserves to be the chosen hero? Awit ng Hinirang premieres on Sept. 21, 3 p.m. on the official Facebook account of Karilyo at https://bit.ly/KarilyoBenilde_FB.

Robinsons Place, Century Park celebrate Restaurant Week

ROBINSONS PLACE Manila and Century Park Hotel are among the many participants in Manila Restaurant Week, which runs from Sept. 20 to 27. Manila Restaurant Week, an event under the Manila Support Local Campaign, is a week-long and citywide celebration launched by the Bureau of Permits and City Government of Manila to promote local businesses by showcasing their specialties and new inventions, and to support the city and the economy amid the pandemic. Several of Robinsons Place’s restaurants will be offering exclusive menus and special offers including Gerry’s Grill, Wendy’s, Bonchon Chicken, Pound, Max’s Restaurant, The Aristocrat, Denny’s, MESA, Uncle Cheffy, Cabalen, Tsurumaru Udon x Tempura, Soi Thai, Ramen Nagi, TGIF, Lugang Café, The Dessert Kitchen, Scout’s Honor, Kuya J Restaurant, and Hanamaruken Ramen. Meanwhile, Century Park Hotel’s Atrium Lounge is joining Manila Restaurant Week by offering a 40% discount on classics like Café in the Park’s Set Breakfast, American Breakfast, and the all-time favorite Hainanese Chicken, and other dishes like US Beef Medallion, Salmon Teppanyaki, and Buta Kakuni. All these are available for dine-in, take-out and delivery. The Atrium Lounge will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during this week long celebration. For more updates, visit www.robinsonsmalls.com and the restaurants’ respective social media accounts. For more information on how to avail of these offers, check the festival’s FB page: Manila Restaurant Week, IG account: @manilarestaurantweekofficial and website: http://manila.gov.ph/manilarestaurantweek.

Daang Dokyu festival opens Saturday

DAANG DOKYU, a Filipino documentary film festival, will present five films under the theme “Martial Law, Never Again” during its opening week on Sept. 19 to 21. The films to be screened are Marcos: A Malignant Spirit (1986) narrated by Angelo Castro, Jr., Mendiola Massacre (1987) by Lito Tiongson, A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution (1988) by Nettie Wild, Imelda (2003) by Ramona Diaz, and Alunsina (2020) by Kiri Dalena. There will also be a live talkback to be moderated by Ed Lingao on Sept. 19, 8 p.m. with guests Chel Diokno, Kiri Dalena, Miguel Reyes, and Joel Lamangan. The films will be screened for free through www.daandokyu.com/watchnow. For updates, visit the Daang Dokyu Facebook page.

Tanghalang Pilipino presents The Price of Redemption

THE TANGHALANG Pilipino Actors Company performs an excerpt of Dr. Anton Juan’s Centennial Literary Prize-winning play, The Price of Redemption, which will stream on Sept. 20, 6 p.m via the Tanghalang Pilipino Facebook page. The play examines the parallels of Philippine society in two parts of the country’s history, the American Colonization and the Martial Law regime. The production is a collaboration between Tanghalang Pilipino and Voyage Studios.

Masterclasses on acting and directing for online

TANGHALANG Pilipino’s artistic director Nanding Josef will be giving a masterclass featuring his insights on acting for online productions while the theater group’s former artistic director and Philstage Gawad Buhay awardee Dennis N. Marasigan will be holding a masterclass about direction for online productions. The classes run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 and cost P3,500 each. For inquiries, contact Lei Celestino at 0915-607-2275.

Jazz Stay at Home concert

ENJOY jazz with a special virtual music festival, Jazz Stay At Home, featuring some of the most respected jazz artists in the country including Baihana, Nicole Asensio, Pipo and Lorna Cifra, Tots Tolentino, and Michael Guevarra. The festival is hosted by Stanley Seludo and runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4 and will be streamed via the Facebook page of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Office of the President (facebook.com/ccp.officeofthepresident/).

Scriptwriting workshop with Ricky Lee

AS PART of the Philippine International Comics Festival Online by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), award-winning script writer Ricky Lee (Himala, Jose Rizal) will be holding two classes on creating memorable characters and writing effective dialogue on Sept. 19 to 20, 9 a.m. to noon. Workshops are priced at P1,500 (student rate at P1,200) per class. To register visit http://bit.ly/picof2020week3.

Webinar on platforms searching for content by Quark Henares

WITH the rise of the content platforms comes the thirst for content. Director Quark Henares, talks about the current trends and what content platforms seek to rise above the sea of content on Sept. 19, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The webinar is priced at P500 (student rate at P350). To register http://bit.ly/picof2020week3

How to illustrate storyboards with Josel Nicolas

Illustrating comics can be a viable profession — if you get hired to illustrate for films, animation, or TV commercials. Josel Nicolas is the creator of graphic novel Windmills, editor of PIKO a children’s comic book anthology, and has worked with film director Erik Matti for Buy Bust, Kuwaresma, and Darna. Mr. Nicolas will share the work process of working with directors and film storyboard work on Sept. 20, 1-4 p.m. The workshop costs P1,500 (student price at P1,200). To register http://bit.ly/picof2020week3

Animating Comics with Full Circle Lab

MEET the creators who want to bring their stories and comics to life: Director Avid Liongoren (Saving Sally, Hayop Ka, and Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs the Amazonistas of Planet X), Rob Cham (Light/Lost), Mitzi Delima (Oyayi), Paolo Herras and producer Magoo del Mundo (Strange Natives); and Kim Timan and August Lyle Espino (With You). The webinar will be held on Sept. 20, 5 to 8 p.m. The webinar costs P500 (P350 for students). To register, http://bit.ly/picof2020week3

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