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Mining firms urged to collaborate with DOST on research and development

MINING companies are encouraged to work with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to come up with new innovations to help the local mining industry grow and be more competitive.

Ma. Anya Yasmin S. Roslin, head of the project management office of the DOST’s Science for Change Program, said mining firms can tap programs, such as the Business Innovation Through Science and Technology Industry (BIST) program.

The program will cover up to 70% of the total eligible cost of the necessary technology without interest. Project proposals will solely depend on what the company thinks it needs.

“Ngayon lang natin nakikita na what they really need is to handhold them in terms of proposal. That is I think one of their gaps kasi wala tayong problema sa kanila in terms of counterpart funding, pero hindi nila ma-access dahil lahat ng mga ganitong bagay is proposal driven. (We are already seeing that what they really need is to hold their hand in terms of proposal. That is I think one of their gaps since we don’t have problem with them in terms of counterpart funding, but they can’t access since these programs are proposal driven),” Ms. Roslin said at the sidelines of the mining lecture series of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) and the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) on Monday in Pasay City.

If mining firms want to stay competitive, Ms. Roslin said they need do research and development to come up with new innovations.

“What we discovered today is that there is numerous opportunities for collaboration that we have yet to explore. Clearly, mining companies have needs that we have to address. We have of environmental and social issues that can be addressed through R&D,” CoMP Executive Director Ronald S. Recidoro said in a separate interview.

Through the collaboration between mining companies and the government, he also hopes that research and development could help lift the image of the mining industry in the Philippines.

“There is money, we just need to get that collaboration going and that’s what we plan to do starting next year,” he added. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Ayala estate to rise in Tarlac City

AYALA LAND, Inc. (ALI) is looking to replicate Tarlac City’s beloved poblacion within its new mixed-use estate Cresendo.

The property giant recently launched the 290-hectare Cresendo, envisioned as a “modern local community” with residential, commercial and industrial components.

At the heart of Cresendo is a 30-hectare urban core with a 1.5-hectare central plaza with a church, school and a commercial district.

“Tarlac City has a poblacion — with San Sebastian Cathedral and across it is the plazuela and at the center is F. Tañedo St. — the central business district of Tarlac. We were inspired by this one, and so in Cresendo, that will be our core,” John R. Estacio, Cresendo estate head, said during a briefing in Makati City on Nov. 15.

Mr. Estacio said ALI is creating this new downtown area to complement the existing one in Tarlac City.

“What we bring as ALI is we will inject life’s new conveniences and best practices over our collective experience. We feel this will work with them. It will be familiar, a little greener and organized.

“Cresendo Town Plaza is as big as the Tarlac City plazuela. In our culture, it would be the center for activities and seasonal community events. That’s our ambition,” he said.

The town plaza will be surrounded by commercial buildings with sizes ranging from 500 square meters (sq.m.) to 2,000 sq.m. Mr. Estacio noted these shophouses are ideal for small and medium enterprises who want to live above their stores or offices.

ALI is also developing a 1.5-kilometer greenway from the town plaza to the 7-hectare River Terraces, which is near the planned residential development. The River Terraces will feature landscaped gardens, jogging paths, viewing deck and also as the estate’s detention pond.

Don Bosco Technical Institute will open a senior high school and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Center on a six-hectare lot within the Cresendo estate.

“We partnered with Don Bosco Tarlac to deliver quality and holistic education… By 2022, senior high school will first be offered here. The TVET Center will operate by 2025,” Mr. Estacio said.

Around 32 hectares will be allotted for the Cresendo Industrial Park (CIP), which will offer lots from 1,200 sq.m. to 10,000 sq.m. for sale at P6,000 to P9,000 per sq.m.

Mr. Estacio said CIP is looking to attract locators in light to medium, non-polluting industries. It is expected to open by 2022.

Avida Land will be the first ALI brand to develop a residential village in Cresendo. It is expected to be launched by early 2020.

ALI has allocated P18 billion to develop Cresendo, including P5 billion for Phase 1 which will involve the completion of the church, opening of Don Bosco senior high school, as well as the development of the residential community, transport terminal and the industrial park.

“We believe (Tarlac City) is a next wave city, accessible via land, air and sea,” Mr. Estacio said.

Located in Barangay Central, Cresendo is near the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and MacArthur Highway. It is also near the Clark International Airport and Subic Bay Freeport.

The estate’s name takes inspiration from the musical term “crescendo” which means “the highest point reached in a progressive increase of intensity.”

“(Cresendo) is a symbolism that we will help you go up there… We hope to deliver life’s essentials,” Mr. Estacio said. — Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Cyber bullying, star suicides: The dark side of South Korea’s K-pop world

SEOUL — The apparent suicide of a second K-pop artist in a month has cast renewed focus in South Korea on vicious personal attacks and cyber bullying of vulnerable young stars, and how it mostly goes unpunished.

The police consider cyber violence a serious crime and have an active program educating the public how not to fall prey to online attacks, or to become the perpetrator.

Charges laid are steadily on the rise with nearly 150,000 cases last year, but they form just a minuscule portion of what goes on and there is no good recourse for the victims in a country once touted as one of the most wired on earth, police say.

“It’s rather simple with physical violence, as the victim can go see a doctor, but with cyber violence, there is no cure,” says Jeon Min-su, a cyber crime investigator with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

K-pop singer Koo Hara was found dead in her home on Sunday last week and the police found a handwritten note despairing about her life. She had been subjected to vicious attacks online about her relationships with men, local media said.

Koo had spoken out against cyber bullying. She was found unconscious at her home in May and hospitalized, and a month after the incident she said she was suffering from depression and vowed to fight malicious online comment.

Koo was friends with the K-pop star Sulli, who was found dead in October, who was also outspoken against cyber bullying.

The Korean pop music world is popular across Asia but has a dark underbelly. Earlier this year, several male K-pop stars and one of the industry’s biggest producers were questioned by police in connection with illegal gambling and prostitution.

Kwon Young-chan, comedian-turned-counsellor who has himself been a victim of online violence, said stars have little recourse when they come under attack and it is almost impossible to avoid rumors and personal attacks.

“When the perpetrators write vicious comments, they first begin with a ‘light tap’ and the scale of cyber bullying then intensifies to a ‘punch’,” he said in an interview.

The rumors and personal attacks online make their way into the stars’ personal lives, Kwon said.

Both Sulli and Koo had been with girl bands and later broke out on their own, which made them more vulnerable, Kwon said.

“After the artists began performing solo, they had to deal with depression and attacks against them all on their own.”

Member of parliament Park Sun-sook, a former presidential spokeswoman who first addressed the issue of online attacks in 1998, wants to make it possible for anyone to ask web portals to take down malicious or blatantly false comments.

“Young stars are exposed with no defense to cyber violence. It’s time for the law and the society to protect them,” she told Reuters. — Reuters

Eton names new COO

ETON Properties Philippines Chairman Lucio C. Tan has appointed his daughter Karlu Tan Say as the company’s new chief operating officer.

Ms. Say is currently a director and head of human resources of the LT Group’s property arm.

In a statement, Eton Properties quoted Ms. Say as saying she wants the company to become the “most improved and most efficient real estate developer in the country.”

Ms. Say identified three of her priorities: “to increase leasing revenue; to increase the land values of Eton City in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Eton Centris in Quezon City; and to convert land bank assets into cash flow.”

“As your new COO, I humbly ask for everyone’s full support to working effectively and as a team. It is my wish that all of us be open and willing to take on new challenges as we face the ever-changing expectations of our market. I believe that by working together, we can truly achieve success as envisioned by my brother Bong,” Ms. Say said, referring to her brother Lucio “Bong” K. Tan, Jr. who died last month.

Eton Properties noted that Ms. Say has 20 years of management experience in property, human resources, trading and acquisitions, and service industries.

She is a founding director and board member of Dong-A Pharma Phils., as well as worked at Century Park Hotel and Sterling Department Store Midway Trading Corporation in San Francisco, California.

Ms. Say graduated with a degree in management from the Ateneo de Manila University. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of interior design from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco, California.

New facilities ready at Lubi Plantation Resort

THE LUBI Plantation Resort, one of the joint ventures of Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. and Dusit International in Davao, has opened additional facilities as it officially received on Dec. 1 its Dusit Thani mark, the Thai hotel group’s high-end and full-service brand.

“We are officially launching the new brand, Dusit Thani at Lubi Plantation Resort… Together with the rebranding, we are also showcasing updates on the resort. We now have a total of 18 luxury villas, half of which have their own plunge pools facing the quiet and private beach,” Christopher Wichlan, general manager of the Davao Dusit hotels, said.

In an interview with BusinessWorld after the recent Christmas lighting ceremony at the dusitD2 Davao and Dusit Thani Residence, Mr. Wichlan said the focus next year is ramping up their marketing campaign for both local and foreign visitors.

“For 2020, the team is focused on attracting both the local and international markets namely, China, Singapore, U.S., Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan,” he said.

Mr. Wichlan said they are also excited to prepare for and participate in the local celebrations such as the annual Kadayawan Festival in August, and “we are introducing popular Thai events in Davao including the Songkran Festival and Loi Krathong.”

The 120-room dusitD2 is already fully operational while the adjoining Dusit Thani Residence, which will have permanent dwellers and Dusit-managed units for guests, is currently on soft opening and is expected to have full opening by mid-2020.

At the Lubi Plantation Resort, located on a private island in Compostela Valley, among the new amenities are the indoor games and entertainment center, tennis court, The Mill western cuisine restaurant and bar, and a dive center.

These are in addition to the all-day dining Tarictic Grill; beachfront infinity pool; fitness centre; Namm Spa; facilities for snorkelling, jet ski, and kayaking activities; the Tamsi Hall for events; and a church.

For the Christmas holidays, there will also be an arts, culture and music festival on the island featuring local artists.

Promotional packages are on offer at both dusitD2 and the resort, and a percentage of these bookings will be donated to the victims of the October earthquakes in Mindanao through the Philippine Red Cross.

“This year is the first Christmas for our properties and we wanted to make sure it’s nothing less than extraordinary,” Mr. Wichlan said. — Marifi S. Jara

A year in showbiz: court drama, box office records and a young billionaire

LONDON — From the world’s youngest self-made billionaire to celebrities in court, the world of entertainment produced a wide array of headlines this year. Below are some of the biggest showbiz stories of 2019.

• The year began with rap making history at the Grammys as Childish Gambino’s “This is America” became the first hip hop track to win the ceremony’s top record and song of the year accolade. At the Oscars, Green Book took best film while Briton Olivia Colman beat presumed favorite Glenn Close for the best actress honor.

• The case surrounding Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who is gay and black, lit up social media after he told Chicago police two men had attacked him by throwing a noose around his neck, pouring bleach on him and shouting abuse.

Smollett was later charged with making up the attack and taken off the Empire TV show, although prosecutors dropped the criminal case against him.

• Criminal cases during the #MeToo era saw Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s trial, in which he is accused of rape and predatory sexual assault, set for January 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of groping three women.

• Singer R. Kelly was arrested and charged with recruiting underage girls and women to have sex with him. He has denied abuse accusations for decades.

• Prosecutors dropped a sex assault case against Oscar winner Kevin Spacey after the alleged victim refused to testify.

• Documentary Leaving Neverland, in which two men said they had been abused as children by Michael Jackson, renewed scrutiny of the late singer’s legacy. Jackson’s estate called it a “rehash of dated and discredited allegations.”

• The US college admissions cheating scandal saw actress Felicity Huffman briefly go to prison. Rapper A$AP Rocky got a suspended sentence following a brawl in Sweden.

• The Rolling Stones temporarily postponed their North American tour after singer Mick Jagger underwent heart surgery. The Spice Girls reunited for a tour, though without fifth member Victoria Beckham.

• Reality star Kim Kardashian revealed she is studying to become a lawyer and her half-sister Kylie Jenner became the youngest self-made billionaire thanks to her makeup business.

• Dwayne Johnson was named the world’s highest-paid actor in an annual Forbes list while married couple Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra took People magazine’s best dressed accolade. People named singer John Legend “sexiest man alive.”

• The ending of medieval drama Game of Thrones divided fans, with some petitioning for a re-write.

• Superhero film Avengers: Endgame broke Avatar’s 10-year record as the biggest box-office movie of all time. Comic book standalone Joker became the first R-rated Hollywood production to take more than $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide.

• Actress Sophie Turner and singer Joe Jonas tied the knot and Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence married art gallery director Cooke Maroney. Chart topper Justin Bieber and model Hailey Baldwin married a second time while singer Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom got engaged. Actor Liam Hemsworth and singer Miley Cyrus separated after seven months of marriage.

• Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan welcomed son Archie while Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West announced the arrival, via surrogate, of their fourth child, Psalm.

• The world said goodbye to several big names including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, actors Doris Day, Peter Fonda, Albert Finney, Carol Channing, and Luke Perry, composer Andre Previn, Prodigy frontman Keith Flint and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. — Reuters

Myanmar tycoon open to foreign investment in wake of Ayala deal

MYANMAR tycoon Win Aung is open to foreign investment in the listed industrial-estate provider he oversees, following Ayala Corp.’s tie up with a firm traded on the nation’s fledgling stock exchange.

In an interview in Yangon, Win Aung said a stake sale is an option as he plans to expand Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings Pcl, which operates a manufacturing zone where 109 firms have opened factories or plan to do so.

“We’ll need more capital and technology,” Win Aung, the firm’s chairman, said Thursday. “Detailed plans will be revealed later after the authorities officially allow foreigner participation on the Yangon Stock Exchange.”

Myanmar is trying to expand a stunted bourse that currently has just five stocks by allowing overseas purchases of domestic equities from 2020. The Philippines’ oldest conglomerate Ayala is investing in one of those five — First Myanmar Investment Pcl — via an $82.5 million convertible loan that will become a 20% shareholding when rules permit.

The four-year-old Thilawa special economic zone is viewed by some as the largest in Myanmar. Japanese, Thai and Malaysian firms account for the bulk of the factories located there, according to Win Aung.

TRADE WAR
Myanmar’s business community hopes to benefit from the U.S.-China trade war by luring manufacturers fleeing tariffs. Win Aung said the tension had yet to impact Thilawa significantly.

“But Myanmar is in a good position to benefit from the trade war,” he said. “It’s really important that the government sets the right policies on how to attract potential investors.”

Win Aung is also the founder and chairman of conglomerate Dagon Group. He was on the U.S. government’s list of “specially designated nationals” until 2015, under a sanctions program that targeted individuals and entities when the country was run by a military junta.

Net foreign-direct investment into Myanmar collapsed to 1.8% of gross domestic product last year from 6% in 2017, World Bank data shows.

That reflected in part a souring of sentiment after the Rohingya refugee crisis flared up in Rakhine state in the second half of the same year.

At the same time, some firms remain interested in gaining exposure to Myanmar’s high levels of economic growth.

Ayala is placing a $237.5 million bet on the nation by linking up with one of the country’s best known tycoons, Serge Pun. The deal includes the potential equity stake in First Myanmar Investment. — Bloomberg

Colliers expects ‘sustained’ Philippine property market over next two years

By Vincent Mariel P. Galang
Reporter

COLLIERS International Philippines said it is seeing a “sustained” property market over the next two years, fueled by growth in private construction backed by increasing public infrastructure spending.

“With economic growth for the remainder of President (Rodrigo R.) Duterte’s term (June 30, 2022) likely to be anchored on government and infrastructure spending, Colliers sees a sustained property market over the next 12 to 36 months,” the real estate consultancy firm said in its report “Stronger GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Bolsters Property.”

Colliers noted that the 11% increase in public infrastructure spending in the third quarter, coming from a 27% contraction in the previous quarter led to a 19.1% rise in private construction, higher than the 10.4% growth recorded, year-on-year.

“This indicates a strong appetite for office towers, residential units (condominium and house & lots), malls, hotels, and industrial parks across the country,” the property consultancy firm explained.

Colliers attributed the improved data to the growth in the country’s GDP, which was at 6.2% in the third quarter, “making the country one of the fastest growing economies in Asia ahead of China’s 6% and next to Vietnam’s 7.3% growth.”

In terms of office space demand, offshore gaming companies are the drivers of demand for the first nine months of the year. For the period ending September, these firms have accounted for 37% of closed deals, or about 442,000 square meters (sq.m.) of office space. These now take up 10% of leasable office space in Metro Manila, or about 1.14 million sq.m.

Colliers expects this to extend to the next two to three years, especially with government efforts to regulate the sector through measures like better tax collections.

“We remain optimistic that POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) will continue to lead office space take-up over the next two to three years especially with continued efforts from lawmakers to legitimize their operations,” Colliers said.

Co-living housing projects near major business districts will also continue to see strong demand from Filipino workers, as various infrastructure projects continue to cause heavy traffic in the capital.

“Colliers believes that these types of housing are likely to remain popular among Metro Manila employees especially as major infrastructure projects, intended to ease Metro Manila traffic, will likely continue through at least 2025,” it said.

Demand for mid-income condominium units also accounted for stronger demand. These units, worth P3.2 million to P6 million, accounted for a chunk of the take up for Metro Manila with 43%.

K-pop singer gets 6 years for rape, sharing sex videos

A SOUTH KOREAN court sentenced a K-pop musician to six years in prison on Friday for raping a woman and distributing a video capturing the act in a case that drew attention to the darker side of the country’s lucrative entertainment industry.

Jung Joon-young, 30, was arrested in March. Choi Jong-hoon, 30, a former member of South Korean boy band FT Island, was also sentenced to five years in prison for the rape of the woman.

Both were members of online chat groups that shared secret sex tapes and made jokes about drugging and raping women, the Seoul Central District Court said.

Jung’s conviction also includes the illegal distribution of other videos he took secretly while having sex with women. The identities of the victims were suppressed to protect their privacy.

The court also sentenced each man to 80 hours in “sexual violence treatment” education.

“The defendants are well-known celebrities and friends, but the chat they’ve had showed that they simply considered women as objects of sexual pleasure, and committed crimes that were extremely serious,” Judge Kang Seong-soo said as he handed down the verdict.

“Strict punishment is inevitable as the damage inflicted has not properly been recovered and the victims demand harsh penalties.”

Jung admitted distributing the video and others he took, though he argued the sex was in all cases consensual. Choi denied raping the woman, and had argued that he did not remember having sex with her and that if he had, it was likely consensual.

Lawyers for Jung and Choi could not be reached for comment.

Their case was one of several scandals involving sex crimes and other illegal activity that revealed a dark side of an industry at the center of the global K-pop craze.

Lee Seung-hyun, a former member of K-pop group Big Bang better known by the stage name Seungri, is also on trial over accusations he paid for prostitutes for foreign businessmen to drum up investment in his business. — Reuters

Pueblo de Oro launches new community

PUEBLO DE ORO Development Corp. recently launched The Grove at Pueblo Golf, an exclusive boutique community in Cagayan de Oro City.

The Grove features residential townhouses with a “modern Asian” aesthetic, surrounded by the greens and open spaces of the Pueblo de Oro Golf Course.

The low-density community only has 92 two-storey units within the 1.66-hectare development.

Each townhouse has three bedrooms, three toilets & baths, a flexi-room, a balcony with view of the golf course, and a carport for two vehicles.

Lot sizes at The Grove range from 88 to 132 square meters (sq.m.), with floor areas from 90 to 101 sq.m.

The Grove is part of the 400-hectare Pueblo de Oro Township, which is home to several residential subdivisions, Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan), Corpus Christi School, and the St. Francis Xavier Parish.

Pueblo de Oro is the residential development arm of the ICCP Group.

Australian company introduces workforce optimization programs in Philippines

By Jenina P. Ibañez

AUSTRALIAN workforce management company Call Design is launching the first workforce optimization and management service programs in the Philippines to help contact centers manage staff efficiency and costs.

In a recent interview, Call Design Executive Director Sean Mather said that Philippine contact centers struggle to retain skilled employees due to block scheduling that hampers work-life balance.

“One of the key things that we find is contact centers — over here specifically, but around the globe — suffer with attrition. One of the key reasons they suffer with attrition is they’re not managing or aim to help people manage their work-life balance,” he said.

He noted that call center agents receive good salaries and benefits but do not have schedule flexibility.

The service provides software and workforce process consulting to help employees manage and switch shifts on their mobile devices. Workforce management would help assign and reassign employees based on their skills and knowledge.

Mr. Mather said workforce management programs would help employers reduce 10% of labor costs by reducing overstaffing on particular schedules.

“Part of it is about cost, but more of it is about efficiency and helping the agent community to be more engaged in work and keep the skill level there,” he said.

The contact center workforce is changing as automation would require workers to upskill to more complex tasks that cannot be done by computers, Mr. Mather said.

“Agents don’t cost less — they cost more because they are dealing with more complex transactions. They take more training, which is why when you lose them, it hurts.”

But he also said that workforce management works best for process-oriented rather than complex work, because preferential scheduling allows employees to easily trade shifts in process-based work.

“When one person finishes their shift, another person can come in and do that,” he said, which is not always true for more complex work.

Even with a shift to complex work, Mr. Mather said that he still sees an increase in need for workforce management.

“At the end of the day, workforce management says ‘I’m going to have a certain number of requests. Those requests can be categorized in a particular way, by the information they’re looking for. And to answer those requests, we need to have a number of resources — some are human, some are machines — to answer those requests. And we need to manage that.’”

Call Design has been operating a contact center in the Philippines to support its global operations since 2008. The company was founded in 1999.

PHL’s first Panda Express to open on Dec. 12

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. (JFC) is opening the Philippines’ first Panda Express store on Dec. 12 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

In a statement on Monday, the listed fast food giant said the Panda Express store in the country will offer the same menu as those in the United States.

“This new and exciting dining destination is expected to draw families and local foodies for a taste of the celebrated Original Orange Chicken, wok-tossed crispy chicken in a sweet and spicy sauce,” the statement said, referring to Panda Express’ best-selling dishes.

JFC took a bet on the American brand when it signed a 50-50 joint venture with Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. last year, forming JBPX Foods, Inc. with an authorized capital stock of $5 million.

The local operator is supposed to open five Panda Express stores in the Philippines for the first phase of the partnership. Aside from SM Megamall, JFC has not announced other locations.

Panda Express is known for serving American-Chinese cuisine such as Kung Pao Chicken, Broccoli Beef and Asian Grilled Chicken. These dishes, JFC said, will be offered in Manila once the store opens.

Bringing the fast food brand to the country is part of JFC’s portfolio expansion plan, as it also bought The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL) for $350 million and signed a $13-million joint venture with Singapore’s Dim Sum Pte. Ltd. to bring the Tim Ho Wan brand to China.

Aside from Panda Express, CBTL and Tim Ho Wan, JFC controls Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King, PHO24, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Dunkin’ Donuts, Highlands Coffee, Hard Rock Cafe and Smashburger.

JFC booked an attributable net income of P4.53 billion in the first nine months of the year, falling 26% from a year ago.

Shares in JFC at the stock exchange increased 5.90 points or 3.07% to P197.90 apiece on Monday. — Denise A. Valdez

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