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Lopez firms donate equipment to boost PGH’s virus testing

TWO LOPEZ-LED units have pledged to donate P46 million worth of equipment and machines to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), boosting its capacity to test for the virus causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

First Gen Corp. has provided the University of the Philippines (UP) some laboratory machines that the state hospital can use to conduct RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) tests for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). The said test collects a genetic material from the virus and confirms it through a PCR.

Meanwhile, media network ABS-CBN Corp. is completing its turnover of “BD Max” units, a fully integrated automated molecular diagnostics platform, to PGH to shorten the virus testing period to two hours from four hours.

“Together with assistance from other government agencies and donors, these machines from the Lopez Group will bring us closer to the target of performing 30,000 COVID-19 RT-PCR tests daily,” PGH Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi was quoted in a statement as saying.

PGH, which is under the UP system, is both a COVID-19 referral center and laboratory of government and private hospitals.

It was found that the state hospital was “in dire need” of testing machines to bolster its testing capacity.

The Lopez Group’s donations can help PGH serve coronavirus disease patients, not just in Metro Manila, but also from adjacent provinces, Dr. Legaspi said. — Adam J. Ang

Jo Koy mixes travel, food, and culture in new Netflix special

FILIPINO-AMERICAN stand-up comic Joseph Glenn Herbert — better known as “Jo Koy” — has his third Netflix special coming up. But this time, instead of a pure stand-up show, he is mixing a bit of food and culture as he travels through the streets of the Philippines to “see where it all started,” as he says in the trailer.

Jo Koy: In His Elements combines his trademark comedy — which revolves around Filipino idiosyncrasies and how he grew up with a Filipino mother in the US — with the rediscovery of his roots in the Philippines.

“Every element in this show is Filipino,” he says in the trailer where he is seen riding jeepneys, watching people play street basketball, and enthusing about chicken adobo.

Mr. Herbert started his stand-up career in 1994 at a club in Las Vegas and soon became a regular on the Catch a Rising Star show at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.

He also regularly guested on Chelsea Handler’s show, Chelsea Lately, appearing in over 100 episodes.

He did two highly-rated comedy specials on Comedy Central: Don’t Make Him Angry (2009) and Lights Out (2015). His third comedy special, Live in Seattle, was streamed in 2017 on Netflix. His second special on Netflix was Comin’ In Hot in 2019.

Mr. Herbert performed sold-out shows at the Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque City and at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City in 2017.

When asked about his comedy, he told BusinessWorld in a 2017 interview that stories about his mother are something “everyone gets,” not just the Filipinos.

(In one of his shows, he talked about how his mother thinks everything can be cured with Vicks Vaporub.)

In that interview, he also talked about how some of his favorite moments growing up were the five years he spent as a child in the Philippines. Now, with his new special, he gets to return to the Philippines and rediscover his roots.

He will be joined by other Filipino-Americans in Jo Koy: In His Elements: breakdancer Ronnie Abaldonado, Grammy-winning music producer Ramon “!llmind” Ibanga, Jr., and comedians Andrew Lopez and Joey Guila. Also guesting in his special is singer/songwriter Inigo Pascual.

Jo Koy: In His Elements streams starting June 12 on Netflix. — ZBC

Employers cite health support, job protection as key COVID-19 tasks

EMPLOYERS said they deem reassuring workers about their jobs and keeping workplaces safe to be critical tasks during the pandemic as Metro Manila transitions to a more relaxed form of quarantine next month.

Representatives from Ayala Corp. (AC), Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc., Philippines AirAsia, Inc., and PwC Philippines-Isla Lipana & Co. revealed these and other post-quarantine strategies at a virtual forum Thursday organized by the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and Management Association of the Philippines.

When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced a lockdown in mid-March, AC Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said his group’s priority was to provide financial support to stakeholders.

The Ayala Group has so far rolled out P6.5 billion in monetary and in-kind support to employees, partners and communities, which includes uninterrupted wage payments, leave conversions and loan deferments.

Mr. Zobel said the group’s focus now is providing healthcare support to employees. AC has started an employee testing program for selected persons across the Ayala Group, which includes some 18,000 frontliners.

“In the end, we all have to become people-centric organizations for both people internally, within our organizations, and the many stakeholders that surround us,” he said.

Coca-Cola Philippines President and CEO Gareth McGeown highlighted the importance of ensuring employee safety, protecting mental health and ensuring job continuity during the pandemic.

He said safety protocols have to be refined for people to return to work.

Apart from physical wellness, Coca-Cola also initiated mental health webinars to keep anxiety in check. “People are anxious, and it’s our job to communicate facts to help them understand the challenges and follow the protocols,” Mr. McGeown said.

About 50% of Coca-Cola’s 1 million outlets remain closed because of cash flow difficulties. But Mr. McGeown said the company is considering helping operators rebound via loans and credit deferment. It is also training sales people on operating remotely.

“We’ve learned significantly from (before the lockdown)… We’re in the phase now of reimagining and reframing what the future could look like as we continue to protect jobs,” Mr. McGeown said.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricardo P. Isla said technology will play a key role in bringing back consumer confidence.

AirAsia is installing upgraded air contaminant filters in cabin ventilation. These filters are rated for coronaviruses. It is also implementing a system of contactless kiosks activated by quick response (QR) codes to print boarding passes and luggage tags.

“The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines has been ready with the new protocols of travel for about two months… What we’re doing is pushing the teamwork with the government and smaller businesses that are very dependent on travel,” Mr. Isla said.

He said apart from airlines, many other stakeholders depend on the airline industry, including travel agencies and suppliers of food and materials used in flights. “There has to be a continuous private and public-sector coordination,” Mr. Isla said.

PwC Philippines Chairman and Senior Partner Alexander B. Cabrera cited the value of digital transformation in building resilience across industries.

He said uninterrupted cold-chain logistics are needed to support agriculture industry, while weather-resilient farming can be enhanced using technology.

“I think the government is exerting a lot of effort… to help MSMEs (micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises) digitally transform. Without digital transformation, there can be no resiliency,” Mr. Cabrera said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, who also participated in the forum, reminded the private sector to stick to hygiene protocols and implement work from home arrangements as much as possible.

“The private sector has to continue to revisit business models, restructure and realign businesses to adapt to this new normal,” he said. “We want to encourage more private sector (participants) to come into the manufacturing and production of essential goods and services in this fight against this pandemic.” — Denise A. Valdez

Webinar fatigue — another pandemic?

WHEN lockdowns and community quarantines were implemented in many parts of the globe, suddenly everything became digital, including the traditional face-to-face conferences, trainings, public fora, and corporate presentations. Enter the now-ubiquitous webinar!

A webinar (a combination of the words “web” and “seminar”) is a video workshop, lecture, or presentation hosted online using webinar software. This approach including the technology has been around since year 2000; but just like video-conferencing, it never made the impact it was supposed to make because people preferred face-to-face interaction… until now.

If you’re in social media, your feeds are most likely inundated with a daily dose of at least 50 webinars announcements, livestreams, and watch parties. At the onset of the community quarantine, topics like building resilience, managing and coaching work-from-home employees, the “new normal,” and business continuity webinars were a dime-a-dozen. Nowadays, the fashionable webinar topics revolve around post-COVID scenarios and living in the “new normal.” Some of these are extremely useful and well-thought-of.

But webinar organizers, hosts, moderators and speakers are still going through a learning curve, resulting in technical glitches, sound and lighting issues, lackluster choice of speakers, incoherent program flow, “hello, can you hear me” prelude from speakers, and distracting speaker background; not to mention the same-same topics. Another culprit is the choice overload, a cognitive process in which people have a difficult time making a decision when faced with many options; and there are lots of webinar options!

These are all now leading to a new pandemic, albeit non-lethal — the webinar fatigue. What was your reaction lately when you saw your e-mails and social media feeds inviting you to a webinar? You may have glanced at the topic and headline, and eventually shrugged it off.

Webinar fatigue is a new term used to describe an overall feeling of tiredness or lack of energy towards webinars. I validated this with some of my former students and with audiences in the webinars we ran, who confirmed that, indeed, they are experiencing webinar fatigue to the point of not deciding, if not, completely stopping attending webinars.

So if you’re a webinar producer, how do you attract and sustain the attention of your attendees, and quell their webinar fatigue? Drawing form several scientific studies on webinar and face-to-face seminar effectiveness, here are the factors that impact the effectiveness of webinars.

Speaker and moderator performance. This involves how they speak clearly and to the point. It should be clear to the speaker what objectives he or she will attain with the delivery of the webinar. Moderators should seamlessly transition topics from one speaker to another, as well as synthesize at the end of the session.

Webinar content. It goes without saying the content should be interesting, out of the ordinary, and can impact the attendees. Me-too content should be avoided unless new knowledge or analysis will be shared. This, together with the speaker profiles, should be communicated effectively and in advance to potential attendees. Fillers and teasers before the actual webinar date can be effective in drawing the attention of participants.

Frequency and length. There’s no optimal length or frequency of delivery. But best practice is breaking up longer content into chunks of smaller webinars to avoid fatigue.

Group interactions. Interestingly, the reason why webinars were less favoured than face-to-face seminars before the pandemic, is that participants look for group interactions, in the forms of networking, group work, or group participation. This is what webinars patently lack. Though there are chat rooms in most webinar platforms, these are not close proxies for good old face-to-face interaction. Luckily, there are advances in technology that virtually mimic networking and personal interactions which we use in our virtual events.

Choice of technology and environment. This plays a vital role in enhancing the experience of the speakers and the participants. You should choose the technology that’s easy to use for both speakers and attendees, without compromising on other aspects like sound quality, lighting, and opportunities for group interaction. The bandwidth speed of the host and speakers should be checked.

In summary, webinars are similar, yet different from face-to-face seminars. It requires thoughtful preparation and practice. A digital director, a key emerging role, will understand and design the speaker and attendee experience. A scriptwriter is equally important to make the flow of the webinar seamless

Ultimately, the objective of the webinar producer is to make the webinar interesting and stand out, before and during the webinar date itself, to preclude webinar fatigue… and avoid another pandemic.

 

Reynaldo C. Lugtu, Jr. is Founder and CEO of Hungry Workhorse, a digital and culture transformation consulting firm. He is Institute Fellow at the US-based Institute for Digital Transformation and the Country Representative of the Institute of Change and Transformation Professionals Asia (ICTPA). He is also the Chairman of the ICT Committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex). He teaches strategic management in the MBA Program of De La Salle University. The author may be e-mailed at rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com

Banking unit boosts Filinvest income

FILINVEST Development Corp. (FDC) expanded its attributable net income in the first quarter by 8% to P3 billion due to the growth of its banking unit.

In a statement Thursday, the Gotianun-led holding company said it was able to rise above the challenges brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by implementing cost-control measures across its businesses.

While its total revenues slipped 2% to P17.18 billion, the company’s gross expenses were slightly lower at P14.75 billion from P14.83 billion last year.

Banking unit East West Banking Corp. contributed P2.3 billion to FDC’s net income, surging 75% from the year-ago figure due to improved margins in core lending and deposit-taking businesses and higher trading gains.

FDC’s real estate business, operating under Filinvest Land, Inc. and Filinvest Alabang, Inc., took the brunt of the negative impact of COVID-19 as its net income contribution dropped 26% to P1.5 billion. Sale of lots, condominium and residential units fell 40% to P3.4 billion due to lower sales take-ups last year and delayed project completions. Leasing revenues were flat at P1.9 billion.

Power unit FDC Utilities, Inc. added P511 million in net income as its revenues dipped 5% to P2.2 billion. It said the lockdown in March due to the pandemic dented customer demand for its services.

The lockdown also weighed on hospitality arm Filinvest Hospitality Corp., which contributed a net income of P15.6 million as revenues fell 21% to P689 million. Five out of its six hotels were operational during the lockdown but on a very limited basis.

“We are in unprecedented times… We responded quickly to address our customers’ needs and provided financial relief such as rental waivers, deferment or loan term extensions during the [lockdown] period. These have impacted on our results for the first quarter,” FDC President and Chief Executive L. Josephine G. Yap said in the statement.

“Beyond financial and scenario planning, FDC and its subsidiaries answered the pandemic with clear protocols to safeguard the health and safety of the Filinvest family,” she added.

Shares in FDC at the stock exchange picked up 39 centavos or 4.81% to P8.49 each on Thursday. — Denise A. Valdez

Seafarer’s manning agency responsible for quarantine costs, DoLE rules

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has ordered manning agencies to absorb the cost of quarantining seafarers.

According to Department Order (DO) 211-A series of 2020 released Thursday, “the Philippine Manning Agency or the ship owners they represent shall cover the board and lodging of their deployed seafarers during their quarantine period.”

The order also assigned them the responsibility for board and lodging regardless of quarantine conditions and even after quarantines expire.

DoLE said the order is consistent with the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Information Note on Maritime Labor Issues and Coronavirus issued last month, as well as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’s Resolution No. 23 which called for the mandatory quarantine of all repatriated OFWs.

The DO amends DO 211 issued in March.

DoLE directed Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration “to strictly implement pertinent provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 in the areas of social protection, maritime occupational safety and health, medical repatriation and other seafaring concerns, guided by the Information Note on Maritime Labor Issues and Coronavirus (COVID-19).” — Gillian M. Cortez

New show focuses on home cooks

LIFESTYLE and entertainment channel Metro has come up with a new cooking show, Potluck, that focuses on the talent of home cooks and their favorite recipes. The channel currently is looking for home cooks who are interested in being featured.

The program was made “for viewers who enjoy creating new dishes, experimenting with ingredients, and rekindling their fondness for food” as it will feature “everyday kitchen masters and their home-cooking staples,” according to a release.

The show is open to home cooks 20 years old and above who would like to share their own recipes — crafted in quarantine or otherwise.

Interested participants must send a video entry where they introduce themselves and their dish, show the ingredients, and take the viewers step-by-step through the cooking process while ideally dropping some tips and techniques for cooking newbies.

The video entries can be shot using phones, as Filipino chef Miko Aspiras did on the channel’s YouTube page where he created a caramel Creme Brulee tart. Other videos — like one featuring chef JP Anglo doing his version of a yakisoba — showing how dishes may be done can be viewed on the Metro.style YouTube channel including videos by Metro Channel hosts Raul Manzano, Tim Yap, Marc Nelson, and chef Sandy Daza.

(It should be noted that unlike Mr. Aspiras’ video, the show asks its participants to shoot horizontally and not vertically.)

Potluck entries can be submitted until June 30 by sending in a GoogleDrive or WeTransfer link of the video to metrochannel@abs-cbn.com along with the cook’s name, contact details, and the name of the dish. Also include photos of the finished dish and its ingredients and a signed waiver form which can be accessed at https://bit.ly/MCPotluckWaiver.

The entries must not be more than 300MB in size, should not be longer than five minutes, and should be in an mp4 format. There should also not be any background music and no graphics. Clear audio and video are required.

Metro Channel is available on SKYcable channel 52 (SD) and channel 174 (HD), and on SKYdirect channel 31. For more information on the show, visit the Metro Channel social media pages. — ZBC

Stuff to do at home (05/29/20)

Bayanihan Musikihan

Online concert fundraiser Bayanihan Musikahan presents a Big Friday Special Live Concert with Lea Salonga on May 29 (10 p.m.) at https://www.facebook.com/bayanihanmusikahan/. To donate, visit https://www.bayanihanmusikahan.org/donate-now.html.

This House online

James Graham’s This House will stream online for a week starting May 29 to June 4, at The National Theatre’s YouTube channel. The 2013 production is a funny, insightful look into the workings of British politics, with infighting and backstabbing during a hung parliament in 1974. To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre).

PETA’s Let’s Get Creative

On May 29 (3 p.m.), join PETA’s Let’s Get Creative video series with Kiks Baento in the “Developing Creativity Thru Drawing” workshop. On May 31 (7 p.m.), the Storytelling Sunday series presents Felinda Bagas’ short story, “Girl in a Box.” It will be directed and performed by Ian Segarra. To watch, visit PETA’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/petatheater and YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/petatheateronline.

National Artists online

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) presents The National Artists Series of Sagisag Kultura TV at the NCCA Youtube (https://tinyurl.com/NationalArtistSeries). The premiering episodes include videos about National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa-Gocquinco, and National Artist for Music Lucrecia Kalisag.

Tanghalang Pilipino plays online

Tanghalang Pilipino (TP) launches the Pantawid ng Tanghalan fundraising project to sustain its commitment to providing the public with artistically excellent and socially relevant productions during the pandemic. From May 30 to June 30, TP will be streaming six of its original plays through iWant. The plays are Lam-ang: An Entho Epic Musical, Mabining Mandirigma, Coriolano, Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw, Der Kaufmann, and Sandosenang Sapatos. To donate, visit https://ktx.abs-cbn.com/events/25444/pantawid-ng-tanghalan.

CCP Online

CCP Online’s seventh week of online programming finishes with the hit superhero musical Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal which premieres on May 30 (3 p.m.). Based on a graphic novel of the same title by Carlo Vergara and performed by Tanghalang Pilipino, it follows the adventure of a gay beauty salon owner who transforms into a voluptuous superhero who saves her town from marauding zombies, power-tripping fashion forward aliens, and a giant dancing frog. Watch the shows at bit.ly/CCPOnlineYT.

The Romance of Magno Rubio

Lonnie Carter’s The Romance of Magno will stream for free on Ma-Yi Theater’s website (http://ma-yitheatre.org/) from May 25 to June 4. The performance was filmed in 2003 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Directed by Loy Arcenas, the show features Jojo Gonzalez, Art Acuña, Ron Domingo, Antonio del Rosario, and Ramon de Ocampo. The play is based on an original short story of the same title by America is in the Heart author Carlos Bulosan. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/MaYiTheaterCompany/posts/10157504311167411?d=m.

Creating Post COVID

The 9th Studios Creative Hub presents the “Creating Post COVID” online summit with professionals in the arts and culture industry on May 27 to 29. Speakers include singer Mig Ayesa, Cultural Center of the Philippines Production Management Services Division Head Nikki Garde-Torres, Komunidad x Sipat Lawin Inc. artistic director JK Anichohe, Manila Wrestling Federation senior analyst and actor Tarek El Tayech, and painter Dino Pajao. Register for free at www.the9thstudios.com.

Indigo Child

Rody Vera’s Indigo Child, a one-act play about 20-year-old Jerome who takes care of his rebellious and bipolar mother, is now available online at https://learn.pelikulove.com/blackbox. The play is on view until May 31.

Ayala Museum online

Experience Fernando Zobel’s art through a virtual visit to his exhibition Toward Abstraction. Watch the full tour at http://bit.ly/ZobelVV.

National Museum of the Philippines

The National Museum of the Philippines has released a new illustration for coloring by Larie Dianco featuring the humpback whale. Download the coloring sheet at https://www.facebook.com/nationalmuseumofthephilippines/photos/a.195151237175869/3258074807550148/?type=3&theater. This joins the previously released illustrations of a dugong or “sea cow” and another featuring butterflies.

A Better Normal podcasts

The Philippines’ first podcast network PumaPodcast, launches A Better Normal, a series where experts and thought leaders share their vision for the future, and new ideas to make the world better, from small nudges to big initiatives. In the first episode (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2k1spbGGLvOQsocGWATZnw), urban planner and mobility expert Benjie dela Peña discusses why we should seize this moment as a chance to finally fix our public jeepney and bus systems. His big idea is that the government should pay jeepney drivers and operators to run their routes. In other episodes, listeners will hear ideas from thought leaders in business, mobility, health, sports, culture, education, agriculture, and more.

Expo Pompéi

Expo Pompéi opens an immersive virtual exhibit and retraces the history of the ancient Roman city of Pompei. The exhibit includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), 360 projections and 3D reconstructions, online games, and quizzes. Experience the Expo Pompei at https://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/expo-pompei-chez-vous.

Tanghalang Pilipino’s Lola Doc

Written by Layeta Bucoy, Tanghalang Pilipino’s play Lola Doc features a senior frontliner (played by Nora Aunor) who talks about the pain of losing her husband in a pandemic, remaining strong for their family, and courageously facing the risk of catching the deadly virus to attend to the sick. To watch the performance, visit http://youtube.com/tanghalangpilipino. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/tanghalangpilipino/.

NHCP Museums

Learn about Philippine history by visiting various National Historical Commission of the Philippines museums across the country online. To do so, visit https://www.facebook.com/historymuseumsPH/photos/a.474072142988822/769005046828862/?type=3&theater.

Foo Fighters at the Wembley Stadium

The Foo Fighters’ concert film Live at the Wembley Stadium is now available online at the band’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcwBsntqjmY&feature=emb_title). The show features guest performances by Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.

Gateway Gallery’s interactive website

THE Gateway Gallery launches its own website https://gatewaygallery.aranetacity.com/. Exhibits featured online include SiningSaysay: Philippine History in Art which retells the story of the Philippines from prehistory to contemporary period in 30 monumental paintings. The gallery’s show Art Heals: Echoes of the Pandemic exhibition is also on view.

Tanghalang Ateneo’s Lysistrata ng Bakwit

Tanghalang Ateneo’s Lysistrata ng Bakwit (2018), an adaptation of Aristophanes’ Greek classic, is available for viewing online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8HhUJTXE2A&feature=emb_title. Directed by Ricardo Abad, the story is set in a fictional war-torn Philippine province and follows the revolt of women evacuees fighting their own wars concerning territory, familial ties, and tribal disputes.

Shelter fund’s photography

The Shelter Fund gives freelance photographers a venue to exhibit their art for sale amidst the challenges posed by the quarantines. Each print is an original signed artwork specially selected by the photographer for the Shelter Fund, and printed on archival, heavyweight paper in A2, A3, A4 and A5 sizes through Shutterspace Studios. Visit the Shelter Fund on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shelterfund and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shelterfundph.

Jerrold Tarog’s Senior Year

Written, directed, edited, and scored by Jerrold Tarog, the film Senior Year (2010) is now streaming on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/404089376). Set in a Catholic school the story follows the struggles and anxieties of students during their final year in high school.

Dulaang UP’s Adarna

Dulaang UP’s play Adarna (2013) is now streaming online. Adapted by Vlad Gonzales and directed by José Estrella, the story is based on the narrative poem about three princes’ quest to save their ailing father by capturing the Adarna bird which is believed to have curative powers. To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hV2UPXi1wMA&feature=emb_title.

National Library of the Philippines

The National Library of the Philippines offers free scholarly eResources including research related to COVID-19. The list of resources come from the National Emergency Library, Cochrane Library (Medical & Health Science), De Gruyter — Journals (Multidisciplinary), and more. To view access links to eResources, visit https://www.facebook.com/NLP1901/photos/a.375779479606724/912930019224998/?type=3&theater.

Jenkins at Royal Albert Hall

Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins performed alone at The Royal Albert Hall. The online show is the first in a series of performances of the London Together initiative as a tribute to the COVID-19 frontliners. Watch the concert at The Royal Albert Hall’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugNt9gmBgZSFEv4lc4B6Zg.

Guggenheim artbooks

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum offers downloadable items from its archives for free. Titles include modern and contemporary art books about Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Vassily Kandinsky, Gustav Klimt and more. The archive is searchable by artist, year, medium and artistic style or movement. Visit the archives, https://archive.org/details/guggenheimmuseum.

BioBalance Wellness consultation

The BioBalance Wellness Institute offers the following services and features: free online consultation with its clinical nutritionist and nurse practitioners, wellness expert psychologist; online health and immunity risk assessment; and more payment options for availed services and products. For more information, contact 0917-521-4860 or concierge@biobalanceinstitute.com.

IkotMNL tour from home

The Museo de Intramuros, Ayala Museum, and Presidential Museum and Library in Malacañang Palace have partnered with Google to put their works online. Learn new things at home and visit the museums through a virtual tour: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/malacanang-presidential-museum-and-library; https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/ayala-museum; and https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/intramuros-administration.

CAST recordings on Spotify

CAST PH offers CAST Recording, a collection of one act plays, recorded online and released as radio/audio drama. The first recordings are A Matter of Husbands by Ferenc Molnár, featuring Pinky Amador and Giannina Ocampo-Van Hoven; and Enemies by Neith Boyce and Hutchins Hapgood, featuring David Bianco and Jennifer Blair-Bianco. Listen at https://open.spotify.com/show/5bLSOsJPkZnlaEFDfSSHbl?si=fDsW-kNpT6iP89En-dWbog.

National Bookstore delivery

National Book Store has reopened its branch in Cubao, Quezon City and now offers delivery services for its supplies to selected areas around Metro Manila. For orders from Marikina, San Juan, and Quezon City, contact 0917-631-1374; Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, and Taguig contact 0917-834-3224; Caloocan, Manila, Navotas, and Valenzuela, contact 0917-302-7475; Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, and Las Piñas, contact 0917-791-0916. Orders are accepted on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Film masterclasses

Learn film concepts through interviews and film retrospectives from more than 60 directors, producers, writers, and actors including Bong Joon-Ho, Abbas Kiarostami, Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Werner Herzog (with Roger Ebert), Jane Campion, Jodie Foster, Todd Haynes, Ang Lee, Jessica Lange, and Clint Eastwood. To watch, visit https://walkerart.org/magazine/series/dialogues-film-retrospectives.

Fully Booked delivery

FULLY BOOKED is back in business for book orders (https://www.fullybookedonline.com/). In a Facebook post, Fully Book stated: “[O]ur Lazada and Shopee stores will be back online, too. Please do expect some delays and changes in our processes.” For advisories, visit bit.ly/fb-ecq-advisory.

English National Ballet shows online

ENGLISH National Ballet launched ENB at Home, releasing one show weekly for its Wednesday Watch Parties. The first in the lineup is Broken Wings, a Frida Kahlo-inspired production starring lead principal and ENB artistic director Tamara Rojo as Frida. It is available to stream for free for 48 hours. Watch at https://www.youtube.com/user/enballet or https://www.facebook.com/EnglishNationalBallet/.

Radiohead Concerts

BRITISH rock band Radiohead has been uploading some of its concerts via its official YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/radiohead). Fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, known for songs like “Creep” (1992) and “Fake Plastic Trees” (1995), can watch the concerts Live from a Tent in Dublin (2000) and Live in Berlin (2006).

David Guetta: United at Home

FRENCH DJ David Guetta, the man behind the song “Titanium” (2011) featuring singer SIA, held a live concert fundraiser inside his Miami home benefiting the World Health Organization and other charities. The two-hour concert is currently available on his YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/davidguettavevo).

Dior’s Designer of Dreams exhibition

DIOR’S exhibition titled Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams is now available to view online. Originally held at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs from 2017 to 2018, the exhibition traces the evolution of the house of Dior from post-war Paris to the present through a behind-the-scenes in-the-making of the exhibition, plus a virtual tour of its rooms. Visit Dior’s YouTube channel to watch the documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1521&v=FLWDWzMrkBE&feature=emb_title).

Frank Lloyd Wright virtual tours

THE Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation is offering #WrightVirtualVisits every Thursday (1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific time) in participating sites. Check the participating sites at https://savewright.org/news/public-wright-sites-swap-virtual-visits/.

Color Tolkien characters

THE official Facebook page of the late author J.R.R. Tolkien has uploaded an illustration of Smaug the Magnificent from The Hobbit Movie Trilogy Colouring Book. Download the coloring sheet at https://bit.ly/2wKY3lp.

MoMA free courses online

After offering virtual tours, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is now offering free online courses. The courses include a series of five free classes for contemporary art, fashion, and photography. It includes readings and exercises which can be completed within 12 to 38 hours. For details, visit https://www.coursera.org/moma.

Print & Play activities for kids

Keep kids entertained with new curated Print & Play activities from HP. The activities from craft making, mazes, dot-to-dot drawing and puzzles are suitable for ages 2 to 12. With HP Print & Play, parents can choose from a range of activities that are best suited to their children’s needs to achieve the best possible learning outcomes. To try the activities, visit https://www8.hp.com/ph/en/printers/printandplay/index.html?jumpid=va_u19mhncewr.

Harry Potter exhibit online

The British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition is available online through Google Arts and Culture. Its features include video clips and sketches, a Q&A with exhibit curator Julian Harrison. To view, visit https://artsandculture.google.com/project/harry-potter-a-history-of-magic.

The Nanny’s Pandemic Table Read

The cast of the ‘90s comedy sitcom The Nanny reunites for The Pandemic Table Read of the show’s pilot episode. It stars Fran Drescher as Fran Fine who finds a job as a nanny to the three children of wealthy widower and theater producer Maxwell Sheffield (played by Charles Shaughnessy). To watch, visit Sony Pictures Entertainment’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3a6KuP1X14&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1eEwvK0A7lrLMnt2GTXBPoDR7y8_Q5TXMexTLIo9es9Gei4W1Yi-asITM.

Science experiments at home

Enjoy 44 science experiments with the kids at home with the James Dyson Foundation Challenge cards. To download the challenge cards, visit https://www.jamesdysonfoundation.co.uk/resources/challenge-cards.html.

Hogwarts online

Hogwarts Is Here, an online version of the Harry Potter series’ magical school by Harry Potter fans that allows visitors to take courses like the characters from J.K. Rowling’s book series. Various courses include Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, and Transfiguration. The website also includes a forum, groups, and library feature. Visit http://www.hogwartsishere.com/.

Color Manolo Blahnik designs

Manolo Blahnik shares a selection of his original sketches for coloring. The shoe designs are downloadable at https://www.manoloblahnik.com/gb/smile.html.

Podcasts on Philippine crime

Stories After Dark features podcasts on Philippine true crime and mystery stories. It currently has 14 episodes including The Maguindanao Massacre (2009), The Ozone Disco Fire (1996), and Pepsi Paloma: Rape or Publicity Stunt? Suicide or Murder? (1982/1985). To listen, visit https://www.facebook.com/storiesafterdarkph/.

Palacio de Memoria virtual tour

Art and history enthusiasts can now go on a virtual tour of Palacio de Memoria, the resplendent Colonial Revival mansion, and marvel at its luxurious facilities and hundreds of Euro-Filipino paintings, sculptures, art displays, and historical pieces online. It features the showroom of Palacio de Memoria’s auction house, Casa de Memoria or the Casa, which houses the Lhuilliers’ unrivaled collection of antiques, the Mosphil Lounge, and a passenger plane that was refitted to be a lounge for special occasions. To view the complete Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour, visit https://www.palaciodememoria.com/tours. For more updates, follow @thepalaciodememoria on Facebook and @palacio.de.memoria on Instagram.

E-coloring books

The Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute of Los Angeles offers the Color Our Collections edition for 2020. To view, visit http://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/page/11/.

Improving teamwork while working from home

There’s no better choice than an eyeball-to-eyeball, face-to-face, physical meeting with colleagues to improve cooperation and team play. Now that we’re in a pandemic where many of us are working from home, how would you advise workers and managers on improving teamwork? — White Lily.

Theoretically speaking, many business organizations are dragged down by autocratic people managers who would want their workers to execute their instructions to the letter without complaint. With competition intensifying even during a pandemic when businesses are struggling to get things done even with many of their employees working from home, teamwork among people and their managers tends to suffer.

Part of the problem is when management believes in the virtues of teamwork by delivering constant pep talks but without giving any specific approaches on how the line executives can do it successfully.

At times, the issues are caused by the command-and-control style of some supervisors and their managers. Be that as it may, there’s much we can do to promote teamwork even for those people assigned to work from home. It is worthwhile to note that keeping employee morale high goes hand-in-hand with the need for cooperation and teamwork.

PRACTICAL APPROACHES
During the pandemic, many people are keeping on their toes to prevent a shutdown of their organization or fend off downsizing, retrenchment, or pay cuts. There’s no better time to think of enhancing teamwork and here is what I would recommend:

One, encourage everyone to stay flexible and positive. Everyone needs to bend some rules and regulations, if only to adjust to the dictates of the situation. Going by the book is important but may not be sufficient to solve certain issues brought about by COVID-19. To help meet the needs of the situation, there should be less time spent in useless online debate.

Two, establish the formal ground rules of teamwork engagement. This is related to number one above, with the intent of reducing, if not eliminating paralyzing online discussions. This allows everyone to react more quickly to all questions, issues, suggestions or ideas. And to implement this basic rule, the organization must agree to resolve all issues within 24 hours. You may even want to be strict about it by reducing it to 12 hours.

Three, decentralize problem-solving and decision-making. To complement the above techniques, it’s also worthwhile for top management to consider empowering managers and workers. Empowerment means providing sufficient, reasonable amounts of authority to those on the ground. In any kind of workplace, regardless of one’s product or service, teamwork is built on respect and trust.

Four, provide a different perspective, but don’t criticize. We can all encourage a team-oriented environment and nurture an army of inspired workers, if we can foster a cooperative work ethic daily without creating resentment. People don’t respond well when their opinion is openly attacked or harshly criticized. If that happens, people are less likely to voluntarily report their mistakes until it is too late.

Last, allow room for error and continuing adjustments. We are human beings prone to error and with varying comfort zones. This makes it difficult for any change to flourish, including the option of people working from home. As a result, any attempt by an organization to change is saddled with many issues like poor employee morale, which holds the potential to bring even profitable companies to their knees. Therefore, it must adjust accordingly to any issue that emerges.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW
The more everyone in a unit, section, department or division cooperates in getting the job done, the more productive an organization. To do just that, there must be some form of a periodic review that includes teamwork as part of everyone’s key performance metrics. Unfortunately, teamwork is often ignored by both managers and workers until a major issue comes along.

To encourage greater teamwork, we must place greater emphasis on every employee’s contribution. This requires management to be specific in telling people what they like and dislike about their performance as team players. Of course, management style is also critical.

People managers must set the right example day in, day out. If management leads by example, your own workers are more likely to be inspired to become team players themselves after observing your own approach. Therefore, if the workers see you as a team leader inside and outside of the organization, they will tend to follow your lead.

 

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

Grab app adds features versus pandemic

Grab Philippines has added new features to its app to ensure the enforcement of “higher safety and hygiene standards” across its fleet when lockdown measures are eased.

In a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Grab launched “GrabProtect” as it anticipates returning to regular operations in Metro Manila in case the government decides to allow public transportation under the more relaxed community quarantine.

It said the new features are part of GrabProtect, which covers all its measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“By the end of June, the Grab app will prompt passengers, drivers, and delivery-partners to complete the online health and hygiene checklist, confirming they do not exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms and have adopted the necessary safety and hygiene measures before they make a booking or start driving,” Grab said in a statement.

It said both drivers and passengers are “strongly encouraged to submit feedback through Grab’s in-app Help Centre should either party appear unwell.”

“Individuals who have received more than one report about exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms will be advised to see a doctor and will have their Grab accounts temporarily put on hold until they receive medical clearance,” it added.

Grab delivery-partners, drivers and passengers are required to wear a face mask.

“Both drivers and passengers can cancel the booking without penalty before the ride commences, by selecting ‘driver/passenger did not wear a mask’ as their cancellation reason, should either party show up without a mask on,” Grab said, adding that it will investigate accounts that have received such feedback multiple times.

Grab’s app now has a “mask-selfie verification feature” to help users verify that drivers and delivery partners are wearing a mask.

The company said it is working on the assumption that the government will allow transport network vehicle services once Metro Manila shifts into the general community quarantine.

“That is going to be June 1, but again, the government can still make changes at the last minute,” Grab Public Relations Manager Arvi P. Lopez said in a phone message.

Grab also requires a “safety and hygiene training” for all its drivers who wish to ply the roads. They will be provided with partially subsidized hygiene kits.

Deep disinfection of vehicles every other day is also required.

“This will be done in partnership with select sanitation hubs who have deep-disinfection capability. Once cleaned, driver-partners are required to allow for the chemicals to dissipate prior to boarding any passenger. This layer of sanitation will ensure that all vehicles are safe and hygienic for public use,” Grab said.

In a statement, Grab Philippines President Brian P. Cu said: “Safety has always been at the core of what we do at Grab and while we understand that the public health situation remains to be fluid and ever-changing, we will continue to introduce innovations and policies that would protect and support the lives and livelihoods of every Filipino.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Keppel Philippines Marine, Inc. to hold annual stockholders’ meeting via remote communication on June 19

Keppel Philippines Holdings, Inc. announces annual stockholders’ meeting via remote communication on June 19

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