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Can we skip to Christmas?

 

 

PERHAPS just as a promo gimmick, one fast food outlet put out Christmas décor for the store last month, in July. It’s not certain whether this unexpected and playful approach increased the take-outs and dine-in sales levels. But it was worth a try, if only to lift the spirit with a wink.

Maybe spreading holiday cheer this early can be a worthwhile (even if fanciful) plan to lift the gloom and accelerate economic recovery after the second, but surely not the last, quarter of negative growth. Doesn’t Christmas shopping boost consumption for dining and consumer goods like jackets and hats? Should the malls start playing holiday music?

The calendar date of Dec. 25 does not anyway determine when Christmas is celebrated. It merely serves as a reference point for the inevitable countdown that stores and media use to build up excitement for the season and perk up consumption.

Can we now already skip to Christmas?

We still remember a time when Christmas started on the first day of the novena of dawn masses before Christmas, on Dec. 16, and unofficially ended on Jan. 6 for the feast of the Three Kings. Maybe because malls found the nine days constricting in terms of stoking depraved and wanton shopping, it was decided to move Christmas earlier and earlier by the simple expedient of putting up star lanterns, reindeers, and lights and piping in Ray Conniff and Mabuhay singers’ carols, even at the car park.

We already held the record for having the longest Christmas in the 1950s reckoned then from Dec. 16, the previously agreed upon start of Christmas, to Jan. 6 of Three Kings, which has since become a moveable feast celebrated on a Sunday and called by its more liturgically correct but unromantic tag of Epiphany.

With the erosion of this once clear dividing line in the calendar, keepers of records like Guinness or Ripley needed to look for another date in November, like after All Saint’s Day. Absent some common agreement on precise dates, guardians of world records may have just lost interest in the longest Christmas altogether.

Is an earlier celebration of Christmas, even before the already aggressive marking with the “ber” months, an economic recovery program worth looking at? Consumption after all is the driver of our GDP, accounting for 70% of this number. With the delay of the government spending on infrastructure (Build, Build, Build) now replaced, or complemented, by an equally alliterative mantra (Plant, Plant, Plant), can increased holiday spending offset high unemployment and the repatriation of the OFWs?

There is a need to rescue the word “positive” from its current implication of a death sentence. Testing positive, after all, consigns one to becoming a statistic in the contagion rate which is tracked daily. What happened to the non-medical meaning of “positive”? The association with hope, optimism, and, yes, the Christmas spirit needs to be restored.

In an experiment on emotional intelligence among children enticed with marshmallows (two right now or four after three hours), it is established that the virtue of deferred gratification for a greater goal is considered an ingredient for success. Has our all too ready and premature celebration of Christmas become a case of wanting our dessert before the obligatory tofu with bean sprouts? Is it too early to recycle last year’s haul of fruitcakes?

Must economic considerations of an earlier Christmas and its positive effect on sales take precedence over the distortion of the Gregorian calendar? Has the “countdown” to Christmas caused the season to lose its original meaning and become merely a promotion of consumerism?

True, there is an element of self-delusion in moving the calendar around, at least in spirit, to already jump-start economic confidence and recovery. Moving the countdown to Christmas a month earlier from the traditional hundred days can lift the spirit.

Anyway, how can you argue with the Christmas message of peace and goodwill to men being embraced much earlier than usual? Still, we haven’t heard such a call for unity and fellow feeling in a long while. Can this new-new normal for the Christmas spirit flip the now all-too-familiar “hoy, hoy, hoy” back to the more cheerful “ho, ho, ho”?

Still, even for Christmas, we don’t always get the gift that we want. It’s the spirit that counts. And it really needs a boost.

 

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Biden picks Kamala Harris as his running mate

JOE BIDEN chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, Tuesday, betting that her ties to the African-American community and self-branding as a “progressive prosecutor” will help propel him to the White House.

Ms. Harris, 55, who ran against Mr. Biden in the Democratic presidential primaries, becomes the first Black woman and first Asian-American on a major party presidential ticket. Known as an aggressive campaigner, the junior senator from California has won statewide elections in the most populous US state three times. She built her early career as district attorney of San Francisco and later California attorney general.

“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate,” Mr. Biden tweeted.

Ms. Harris tweeted her own response, pledging to help Biden defeat President Donald Trump.

“@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals. I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief,” she said.

The Democratic nominee announced the selection six days ahead of the party’s convention, which begins Aug. 17.

The two candidates will appear together in a virtual fund-raiser on Wednesday and at events in Delaware in the coming week. Ms. Harris will face Vice-President Mike Pence in a Oct. 7 debate scheduled to be at the University of Utah.

Mr. Biden made his decision based on his own eight years as Barack Obama’s vice-president. He often said he hoped to choose a running mate with whom he’d be compatible and shares values, even if she came from a very different background than his.

Ms. Harris knew Mr. Biden’s son Beau when he was attorney general of Delaware and Ms. Harris held the same job in California. Mr. Biden was also impressed by her work on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the campaign said.

With her history in law enforcement, Ms. Harris could help Mr. Biden revamp the US criminal justice system, which has been under intense scrutiny since nationwide protests after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Her tough stance for police reform in recent months, including co-authoring a Senate bill to ban police chokeholds and other steps, has helped mute criticism from advocates of her own record as a prosecutor.

Ms. Harris has drawn criticism over her aggressive prosecution of men of color, some of whom were later exonerated, for serious crimes. Ms. Harris responded to that criticism by describing herself as a progressive prosecutor who worked to thread the needle between law-and-order toughness and a protective instinct for those who needed it.

Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a political action committee, said Ms. Harris was a “stellar Black candidate” even if they haven’t always agreed on issues.

But Mr. Robinson said Ms. Harris needs to directly confront her past as a prosecutor and talk about how her views have evolved.

“These are questions that she has to answer head on, she actually has to talk about her evolution and talk about the way the world was in terms of her progressive prosecution back when she was a prosecutor, talk about the challenges that she’s had and talk about where she’s moved,” Mr. Robinson said in a phone call with reporters.

Mr. Biden committed to choosing a woman even before he’d won the nomination, making a surprise announcement during the final debate of the primary in mid-March. Ms. Harris endorsed Mr. Biden on March 8, throwing her support behind his candidacy after sharply criticizing him in the Democratic primaries.

Representative Jim Clyburn, whose support gave Mr. Biden the momentum he needed to win South Carolina and eventually the nomination, welcomed the historic choice.

“What we’re seeing today is one more chapter in this country living out its true creed that all men and women are created equal,” he said.

Mr. Obama said Mr. Biden had “nailed this decision.”

“Now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead,” Mr. Obama said in a statement.

Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden had a heated exchange during the primary, when she confronted him over his opposition in the 1970s to a federal mandate for busing to integrate schools, which put him on the same side as segregationist senators. Mr. Biden has said he supported desegregating schools, but not the federal mandate.

After the debate, it became clear she and Mr. Biden agreed on modern desegregation policies.

Mr. Trump said he was “a little surprised” that Mr. Biden selected Ms. Harris as his running mate, saying she had been “nasty” to the former vice-president in primary debates, using a term he usually reserves for women. He criticized her for her aggressive questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations during his Senate confirmation hearings.

“I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the US Senate,” Mr. Trump said. — Bloomberg

Leagues lay down their 3×3 basketball plans

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE local 3×3 basketball scene is set to be busy when conditions for on-court action permit to do so as two leagues have laid down their respective plans for the sport.

Recently named professional league Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) said preparations are now under way for tournaments they will be staging geared towards the further development of, and appreciation for, the growing sport.

Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, which was established last year and founded by Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. President Ronald Mascariñas, is targeting a September start for its new season and will work around the challenges presented by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Commissioner Eric Altamirano said they are taking all the necessary steps and precautions to assure the safety and welfare of players, officials, and staff who will be participating in the tournament.

Their preparations cover right from the practices of the 12 competing teams, which they hope to start once the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine setup for the National Capital Region and nearby provinces is lifted, all the way to the tournament proper.

As per the plans of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, the tournament will be held in bubble to be set up at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

Teams will be composed of six players each.

Everybody entering the bubble is required to undergo a series of swab testings (PCR testing) to ensure that one is free of COVID-19.

For the workouts, Mr. Altamirano said they are eyeing a single facility where all the teams can train and prepare. This is to make it easier for the league to monitor the movements of all players involved.

“We’re ensuring that we will cover everything from testing to contact tracing,” said Mr. Altamirano, sharing as well that they have been in close consultation with Dr. Tony Leachon, the former special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, and other health experts about the protocols the league will have to observe before and during the tournament.

He admitted that the situation with COVID-19 presents a huge challenge but believes that if all concerned work together and do what is asked of them a successful staging of their tournament is possible.

PBA 3X3 TOURNEY
Meanwhile, after the coronavirus pandemic pushed to the sidelines its plans for a 3×3 tournament early this year, the PBA said that it is now reviving the league’s 3×3 push and preparing the foundation.

The PBA board of governors, in a meeting Friday, named Alaska Milk’s Dickie Bachmann as chairman of the committee for 3×3. Also making up the body is NorthPort’s Erick Arejola, Phoenix’s Atty. Raymond Zorrilla, PBA technical official Joey Guanio and PBA great Ronnie Magsanoc, who is representing the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

“They will form the system, policy, guidelines, format and everything about the tourney. All of these are actually there already but they will make the finer details and complete the action plan,” said PBA commissioner Willie Marcial.

The committee is set to meet this week to further discuss the direction the PBA 3×3 event will take, including the best time to start it.

Meanwhile, Mr. Altamirano expressed hope that the PBA and Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas could find a middle ground as far as the country’s bid in next year’s 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) next year in Austria.

The two leagues are among the parties involved in the OQT campaign as players representing the Philippines will come from the basketball organizations.

Top 3×3 players Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol from Chooks will team up with PBA stars CJ Perez and Mo Tautuaa for the tournament happening from May 26-30 in Graz.

Mr. Altamirano said he has yet to meet with the SBP and PBA on the plans for the team but hopes to have the meeting sometime in the near future.

“Hopefully all parties can agree, and we can come up with a win-win situation both for Chooks and also for the PBA players. I’m sure there are plans for the PBA players from their mother teams and we need to know them so we can plan on the best setup for practice and hopefully for them to play in our league as part of their preparations,” Mr. Altamirano said.

Three-on-three basketball is making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021.

Lillard nets career-high 61 as Blazers outlast Mavs

DAMIAN LILLARD scored a career-high 61 points and assisted Hassan Whiteside on what proved to be the game-winning dunk in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 134-131 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday in the Orlando area.

On a night in which Lillard also became the first player in Portland franchise history to score 50-plus points in consecutive games, the guard’s most critical play may have come on defense.

Lillard drew an offensive line on Dallas’ Trey Burke with 4.5 seconds remaining and the Trail Blazers (34-39) leading 132-131. Moments after Burke bumped Lillard down to the floor, he dished to a wide-open Dorian Finney-Smith, whose made corner 3-pointer was waved off.

Portland took the lead with 59.1 seconds left when Lillard dished his eighth assist of the night for two of Whiteside’s eight points. The basket marked the culmination of a back-and-forth fourth quarter in which neither team led by more than five points.

Helping Lillard shoulder the offensive load was Carmelo Anthony, who scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point line. Anthony and Lillard combined for 12 of Portland’s 15 made 3-pointers.

Dallas (43-31) shot a blistering 20-of-44 from 3-point range, with Kristaps Porzingis going 7-of-9 en route to a team-high 36 points before fouling out.

All five Mavericks starters scored in double-figures. Luka Doncic added 25 points with 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, while Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 24 points. Finney-Smith finished with 15 and Burke scored 12 points with nine assists.

Maxi Kleber added 12 points off the bench.

Despite its offensive balance and edge from behind the 3-point arc, 17 turnovers for Dallas against just eight from the Trail Blazers helped make the difference. Anthony pitched in on defense with a pair of steals.

Portland also dominated the glass with a 48-37 edge.

With the win, the Trail Blazers remain ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who won earlier on Tuesday over Philadelphia, to remain in position for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. A Portland win against Brooklyn on Thursday lands Portland in the play-in game at the Orlando-area bubble. — Reuters

PSC locks down Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, PhilSports

THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has put the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) in Manila and the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City under total lockdown beginning Wednesday until further notice after a PSC employee tested positive for the coronavirus.

In an advisory released on Tuesday night, PSC Chairman William Ramirez confirmed that one of their employees had contracted the highly contagious respiratory disease which they learned from their recent round of RT-PCR testing, forcing the agency to put on lockdown its offices and facilities.

The name of the employee, however, was not disclosed.

Mr. Ramirez said the decision was part of the PSC’s health security protocol to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has 139,538 confirmed cases in the country as of this writing.

The PSC has been very active in the government’s fight against the pandemic, lending its sports facilities in Manila and Pasig, in particular, as venues to accommodate people with COVID-19.

Amid the pandemic, the sports body continues to dispense with its duties albeit with limited work force, putting a premium on the safety of its personnel.

In the advisory, Mr. Ramirez asked for the understanding and cooperation of all concerned and said they intend to reopen the facilities as soon as possible.

RMSC houses the administrative office of the PSC as well as the quarters for national athletes while the PhilSports Complex has the offices of the PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee and a number of national sports associations.

CASUGAY LAUDED
Meanwhile, the PSC lauded Southeast Asian Games gold medal-winning surfer Roger Casugay after the latter became the first Filipino to be awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play Award by the Comité International du Fair-Play (International Fair Play Committee).

Mr. Casugay, 26, was recognized for his act of kindness during last year’s SEA Games where he gave up his ride for gold to save a surfing competitor from Indonesia.  

“We are very proud of Roger because he has truly exemplified the true meaning of being a Filipino and a sportsman. Above all, it is a more fulfilling achievement to be recognized for character than skills and achievements. It shows who we are as people and as a nation,” said Mr. Ramirez in a statement.

The International Surfing Association (ISA), through its Membership and Development Manager Alex Reynolds, informed the United Philippine Surfing Association on Tuesday of Mr. Casugay’s achievement of one of the most prestigious awards in the field of sports, named after the father of the international Olympic movement. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Heat, Thunder seek momentum as playoffs approach

THE last time the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder met, way back in mid-January in Oklahoma City, it looked like both teams’ rosters were about to change significantly.

The Thunder, looking toward a rebuild after offseason trades sent Russell Westbrook and Paul George away, were eyeing the future while the Heat were trying to bolster their roster for a playoff run.

But the rumored deal never took place between the sides that would have sent Danilo Gallinari to Miami.

Oklahoma City held on to Gallinari and has become one of the surprises of this NBA season, going 43-27 heading into the penultimate game of the regular season.

For the Heat, the game could be their only break from facing the Indiana Pacers for a couple weeks.

The Heat and Pacers could wind up playing as many as in nine of 10 games if, as expected, they meet in the first round of the playoffs.

“You can get caught up in all that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re trying to get our guys together, get in rhythm, get prepared for the playoffs. We’re not even certain we’ll play Indiana, so you have to proceed and do what you think is best for the team.”

The Heat comes into the game a game up on Indiana for the no. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Miami broke a two-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Pacers and is 3-3 in seeding games.

It was an important win to put the Heat on the doorstep of clinching the no. 4 seed, but it also was important because of the return of Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic from injuries.

Miami could get rookie guard Kendrick Nunn back for Wednesday’s game after he missed two games when he left the bubble for personal reasons.

While Nunn has started every game in which he has been available this season, Spoelstra could shake up his lineup with Nunn’s return.

Nunn is shooting just seven of 30 from the floor and four of 18 on 3-pointers in his last three games.

The Thunder come into the game just a half-game ahead of Utah for fifth in the Western Conference.

While the Thunder’s playoff opponent is still very much up in the air, Oklahoma City is starting to look toward the playoffs.

In Monday’s loss to Phoenix, the second of a back-to-back set, Billy Donovan sat out three starters and backup center Nerlens Noel with minor ailments.

The Thunder could get Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel back for Wednesday’s game, though they’ll once again be without backup point guard Dennis Schroder.

Schroder has missed the last five games after leaving the bubble for the birth of his second child but recently returned.

With players missing time recently, rookie Darius Bazley has emerged as a key piece of the rotation.

Since the restart, Bazley is shooting 42.6% from the field and 49% from behind the 3-point line.

Bazley hadn’t scored more than 17 points in a game before the season paused, but he has scored a combined 45 points over the last two games.

“He shot the ball better,” Donovan said, “because he’s taking better shots.” — Reuters

Sports retail store launches official website Live Sport

TO BETTER adapt to the growing business done online in the country, sports retail store Go Sport recently launched its official website Live Sport.

Live sport offers a virtual catalog of Go Sport Philippines, which is part of Groupe Go Sport France’s international network.

Go Sport set foot in the Philippines in 2018 and has a lone branch located at Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa. It has since brought over different sports brands to the local market.

To better serve Filipino consumers, the retail store deemed it fit to establish its digital presence through Live Sport.

On the newly launched website, shoppers can browse products, compare items, shop their favorite brands, pay online, and have their purchases delivered.

Go Sport has brought its collection of sports products and big athletic brands to its online catalog which is similarly categorized like in its physical store — Go Running, Go Water, Go Outdoor, Go Fitness, Go Racket, Go Cycling, Go Precision, Go Combat and Go Team.

For gender-based products, there are special tabs for men and women as well a kids category. High-tech sports gadgets are also available. To make the online shopping experience further engaging, Live Sport, too, is offering exclusive deals.

Payment channels on the website (www.livesport.ph) include bank transfer, cash on delivery and Paymaya after check-out. Live Sport will also waive the fee for delivery within Metro Manila per single purchase amounting to P2,000 and above just as it guarantees consumer protection with its hassle-free returns policy under certain terms and conditions. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Sevilla reaches Europa semis as Wolves pay for penalty miss

DUISBURG, Germany — Sevilla midfielder Lucas Ocampos headed a late goal to snatch a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers as they reached the Europa League semifinals on Tuesday after the English side paid the price for an early penalty miss.

Raul Jimenez saw his hesitant spot kick easily saved by goalkeeper Bono in the 13th minute of the single-leg tie and Wolves failed to muster a shot on target after that as former Real Madrid and Spain coach Julen Lopetegui’s side took control.

Five-times winners Sevilla, who will face Manchester United in the last four in Cologne on Sunday, enjoyed 73% of possession and won 14 corners to none for Wolves in a one-sided game.

Wolves, playing in their first European quarter-final for 48 years, appeared to feel the effects of a marathon season which saw them play 59 matches, including 17 in the Europa League starting at home to Crusaders on July 25 last year.

Yet the Midlands team made a promising start with Adama Traore at the centre of things. Having set up an early chance which Raul Jimenez headed straight at Bono, the Spaniard powered into the area and was tripped from behind by Diego Carlos.

Jimenez, who usually waits for the keeper to move, appeared caught in two minds and his effort was comfortably stopped by Bono with a dive to his left. It was the Mexican’s first penalty miss for Wolves after converting his previous eight efforts.

Sevilla dominated the match after that, passing the ball around in the centre of the pitch, but it was fairly unproductive possession and they created few openings.

The second half was a similar story with Wolves apparently happy to allow Sevilla to knock the ball around in midfield.

But the Spaniards grew more dangerous towards the end and broke through with two minutes left. Their 13th corner was rolled to Ever Banega and he curled a cross into the area which Ocampos flicked past keeper Rui Patricio. — Reuters

Dominant Shakhtar cruises into Europa League semis

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — Shakhtar Donetsk booked a clash with Inter Milan in the Europa League semifinals after goals from Brazilians Junior Moraes, Taison, Alan Patrick and Dodo gave them a 4-1 win over FC Basel in a one-sided last-eight clash on Tuesday.

Shakhtar, who won Europe’s second-tier competition in 2009, missed a string of chances to win by an even bigger margin as they dominated throughout the match with crisp one-touch passing and superior close control.

Moraes headed the Ukrainian side into a second-minute lead after a howler by Basel’s Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Nikolic, who was beaten to the ball by the striker after he rushed off his line to meet a Marlos corner.

Nikolic made amends with several good saves in the first half but was powerless in the 22nd minute when Taison capped a lightning Shakhtar break with a deflected shot after good work by Marlos and a clever dummy by Patrick.

Marcos Antonio rattled the woodwork with a long-range effort in the 40th minute before Patrick made it 3-0 with a 75th-minute penalty after Yannick Marchand fouled Taison in the area.

Right back Dodo put the icing on the cake for Shakhtar in the 89th minute with an unstoppable shot before Basel substitute Ricky van Wolfswinkel netted a stoppage time consolation for the Swiss from close range. — Reuters

Microsoft delays ‘Halo Infinite,’ biggest game for Xbox launch

Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox team delayed “Halo Infinite,” the biggest video game planned for the November launch of its new console, partly due to the challenges of working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The change was made “to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision,” according to a statement posted on the Halo Twitter account.

Halo is a multibillion-dollar franchise that began with the first Xbox almost two decades ago. The delay may hurt sales of the new Xbox Series X console, which the company confirmed will go on sale in November.

Originally announced at the E3 2018 conference, Halo Infinite stayed under the radar until last month, when it was showcased during a video presentation for upcoming Xbox Series X games. Footage of the game was widely panned, with fans criticizing the graphics and gameplay. 

Shortly afterward, community manager John Junyszek wrote in a blog post that the team had heard fans’ feedback. “We do have work to do to address some of these areas and raise the level of fidelity and overall presentation for the final game,” he added.

Microsoft cited delays resulting from a development team working at home during the pandemic. Some parts of video-game development are difficult to do remotely.

Other games for Xbox and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation have been postponed and Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer said in May that the pandemic was hitting game development harder than the console-building schedule.

343 Industries, the Microsoft game studio that builds Halo, has been rushing to finish the game and realized it wasn’t going to be possible by November. Even getting the demo ready for last month’s presentation was difficult, said a person familiar with the decision. Some of the finish and fidelity issues that plagued the demo can be improved with the additional time, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.

Even before COVID-19, Halo Infinite’s development had been turbulent. Last year, the game’s creative director and executive producer both left. — Bloomberg

Airbnb is close to filing to go public after travel rebound

Airbnb is preparing to submit documents confidentially with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering. The long-awaited move would represent a swift comeback for the home-sharing startup after the coronavirus pandemic sent the travel industry into a tailspin.

Airbnb Inc. plans to file paperwork for a stock market listing in the next few weeks paving the way for its shares to start trading as soon as the fourth quarter, according to people familiar with the matter.

The San Francisco-based company is preparing to submit documents confidentially with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, said the people, who asked to not be identified discussing private information. The long-awaited move would represent a swift comeback for the home-sharing startup after the coronavirus pandemic sent the travel industry into a tailspin.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Airbnb was planning to file paperwork later this month. Airbnb declined to comment on the matter. The company’s plans could change as new outbreaks of the disease continue to flare in the US, the people said.

Airbnb is working with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on its IPO, according to a person familiar with the matter. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky had originally wanted to take the initial steps toward a listing in March, but his plans were nixed by COVID-19. By April, Mr. Chesky was facing $1 billion in cancellations, he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in June. Travel bans and lock-downs caused planned bookings to tumble about 90% and Airbnb cut 25% of its workforce in a bid to survive. Other travel sites, like TripAdvisor Inc. and Booking Holding’s Inc., also hit crisis mode and had to eliminate thousands of jobs.

But by May, Airbnb was already seeing a rebound. The number of nights booked at US listings between May 17 and June 3 was greater than during the same period the previous year, as city dwellers took advantage of work-from-home policies and escaped apartments for nearby vacation rentals. As of June 17, Airbnb’s bookings had increased 20% year over year in the US, according to data from market research firm AirDNA.

Prior to the pandemic, Airbnb had been leaning toward a non-traditional route to the public markets. The company was planning to follow in the footsteps of Spotify Technology SA and list directly, forgoing raising new money by selling shares and allowing its investors to put their shares on the market without waiting for a lock-up period. But the turmoil caused by the pandemic forced Airbnb to raise $2 billion in debt and equity securities in April to shore up its finances, reducing its valuation to $18 billion from $31 billion. As a result, the company decided to go the traditional IPO route to raise cash for the business, the people said. — Bloomberg

QBO partners with US Embassy to turn ideas into viable businesses 

QBO Innovation Hub has partnered with the US Embassy to bring entrepreneur’s ideas to reality with the third iteration of Bootqamp: From Idea to Fruition. According to the PwC 2020 Philippine Startup Survey: COVID-19 Edition, 49% of business owners have started offering a new product or service during the pandemic.

In a five-week online program, 20 teams will be guided through the steps of launching a startup. “Supporting new approaches and innovation is especially important as we seek to meet the challenges posed by this pandemic. Bootqamp in particular targets idea stage innovators who are looking to bring their concepts out into the market for the first time,” said QBO director Katrina Rausa Chan. 

“Many startups would build an app or a platform the moment they think of a brilliant idea and all is good until they encounter issues. My tip for founders is to explore different ways you can validate your idea to make sure you’re not wasting your time, energy, and money. Don’t stop until you discover which technique suits your company,” said MK Bertulfo of FHMoms, a startup that completed QBO’s first Bootqamp run. 

Bootcamp will be delivered fully online, with learning sessions, workshops, feedback sessions, and allocated periods for the teams to run validation activities with potential customers. At the culminating showcase, select teams will win valuable resources to support their product or business launch. 

For details, visit bit.ly/QBOBOOTQAMP3. Registration is open until Aug. 23. Bootcamp begins Sep. 4.

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