Fastfood groups tap PayMaya for cashless transactions

July 16, 2020 | 12:02 am

DIGITAL PAYMENTS firm PayMaya Philippines, Inc. on Wednesday said Jollibee Group, McDonald’s and KFC have started to adopt its digital payments solutions as part of their health and safety measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“To help contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus for dine-in and drive-thru, Jollibee Group brands, McDonald’s, and KFC have deployed One by PayMaya POS device in their respective branches to enable customers to scan-to-pay via PayMaya QR, or tap, dip, or swipe using their Visa, Mastercard, and JCB credit, debit, and prepaid cards,” PayMaya said in a statement e-mailed to reporters on Wednesday.

On Monday, the Trade department said it was preparing an order increasing the capacity limit for restaurant dine-in operations to 50% in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting July 21.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said that a new memorandum circular will be released this week increasing the dine-in cap to 50% under GCQ and 75% under modified GCQ.

He said health guidelines at restaurants, salons, and barbershops should be more strictly implemented after the Health department warned the public that the COVID-19 could be airborne.

“With the economy opening up from quarantine measures, the food and restaurant industry is instituting health and safety protocols, including making cashless acceptance part of the standard options of doing business under the new normal,” PayMaya said.

PayMaya noted that under the guidelines issued by the Trade department on June 22, restaurants in GCQ areas may open at 30% operational capacity, provided that the venue allows for social distancing protocols and are compliant with the proper protocols it prescribes.

For areas under modified GCQ, the establishments may operate at a 50% capacity for their dine-in services. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Dining In/Out (07/16/20)

July 16, 2020 | 12:01 am

China Blue by Jereme Leung re-opens

NOW THAT COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) quarantine protocols have allowed restaurants to start operations again, Conrad Manila’s award-winning restaurant, China Blue by Jereme Leung, has reopened, offering its modern interpretation of authentic Chinese cuisine curated by celebrity Master Chef Jereme Leung and Executive Chinese Chef Eng Yew Khor. Stringent health and safety measures are in place to ensure the well-being of all diners including social distancing practices, acrylic table barriers, and a digital a la carte menu which can be viewed by scanning a QR code for contactless ordering, among other best practices. Conrad Manila observes thorough health measures, particularly in proper food hygiene and safety. A Hygiene and Services Manager ensures that each dish is prepared in compliance with the highest global and Hilton standards, with team members undergoing daily health checks and observing proper hygiene practices at all times. On offer at China Blue are signature favorites such as Steamed house specialty truffle mushroom buns, Wagyu beef cheeks and tendons with radish hot pot, and Homemade spinach tofu, spicy eggplant in minced chicken sauce, among others. China Blue by Jereme Leung is open daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For inquiries or reservations, call 0917-650-4043 or e-mail conradmanila@conradhotels.com.

The Peninsula takeaway service

THE Peninsula Boutique returns with its takeaway service, offering favorites from The Peninsula Manila’s The Lobby, Spices, signature cocktails from The Bar, and selections from the Peninsula Boutique. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For inquiries and advanced orders, call 8887-5747, 8887-2888, or e-mail penboutiquepmn@peninsula.com.

Best of BGC dining deals from foodpanda

BGC, Bonifacio High Street, and foodpanda are teaming up to satisfy quarantine-induced food cravings. Through this collaboration, diners can now get P100 off on foodpanda when they order from any of the participating merchants in BGC when they make a minimum order of P499 from July 15 to Oct. 15. BGC favorites such as Shake Shack, Din Tai Fung, TGIFridays, Ooma, Mango Tree, to name a few, have joined the promo. For updates, visit Bonifacio Global City’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bonifacioglobalcityph/.

Sheraton Manila Bay offers meeting packages

SHERATON MANILA Bay is offering a Suite Up! Room Package, offering not only tailor-made arrangements and amenities to meeting organizers and participants but also a convenient and safe meeting experience. One can book the fully furnished Executive Suite with rates starting at P25,000 net or the Presidential Suite with rates starting at P35,000 net. Both suites boast of stunning views and are equipped with high-speed internet access. The package includes a coffee break and working lunch, a dedicated events planner for seamless meeting coordination, and access to cutting edge AV facilities including complementary use of built-in LED TV for AV presentation, complimentary projector and portable white screen (upon request), free-flowing water, a coffee and tea setup, a video conferencing facility (subject to additional charge), and standard meeting stationary. Of course, enhanced cleanliness and safety protocols are in place to ensure the health, wellness, and safety of organizers and delegates. There are temperature screening at all entries, enhanced cleaning procedures on both public areas and guestrooms, disinfection of high-traffic areas, sanitation amenities, implementation of social distancing measures, installation of protective barriers, and contactless food options. All associates wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in accordance with local government regulations. Stay-in delegates may also enjoy touchless transactions and services through the Marriott Bonvoy app such as Mobile Key, Mobile Dining, eFolio delivery and Mobile Requests. For reservation, call 5318-0788 or e-mail reservations.manilabay@sheraton.com. Sheraton Manila Bay is located at M. Adriatico cor. Gen. Malvar Streets, Malate, Manila.

New Starbucks Rewards

ON July 17, Starbucks will begin its new Starbucks Rewards program. The new program offers members a faster and easier way to collect Stars and redeem rewards. Members can now get one Star with every P25 spent on almost everything they buy in stores using their registered card or app. For every 100 Stars, customers have the option of redeeming a reward for a handcrafted beverage, any pastry, or slice of cake. To start things right, members are welcomed into the program by getting twice as many Stars on their purchases on the first seven days after joining the program. Members also get double the Stars as a bonus when they purchase a featured beverage on the first day of a new promotion. Starbucks will also hold Double Star Days, different days every month when customers can get twice as many Stars on their purchases. To top it off, members will also enjoy a free beverage or food on their birthday. To join, new customers will need to activate and register a Starbucks Card to Starbucks Rewards. Previous members of the My Starbucks Rewards can update their old password and add a new Starbucks Card to their account through the website and latest app on Google Play or the App Store. Members will enjoy cashless payments and new features like automatic reloading, so they never have to line up to add value on their Starbucks Card. For more information, visit the Starbucks Rewards website.

Pizza Hut introduces Beer Pan Pizza

PIZZA HUT is uniting pizza and beer lovers with its latest innovation, the Beer Pan Pizza, which is now available for dine-in, delivery, and take-out. The pizza is made with sweet BeerBBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and chicken chunks on Pizza Hut’s signature pan pizza, and topped with crispy chicken skin and beer sprinkles. The Beer Pan Pizza can be purchased for ₱339 for a Regular Pan Pizza or ₱519 for a Large Pan Pizza. For delivery call the Pizza Hut Hotline at 8911-11-11 for Metro Manila or #11111 for provincial orders, or through the Pizza Hut website at www.pizzahut.com.ph. Other take-out options are also available such as, Walk-in Take Away; Click and Collect for orders made through the website and to be claimed in-store; and Car Pick-up where customers can order in advance using the hotline and then claim it curbside from their nearest Pizza Hut branch. To know the updated list of open Pizza Hut stores nationwide, visit https://www.pizzahut.com.ph/store-lock-down.

Google Cloud rolls out new data analytics, security solutions

July 16, 2020 | 12:01 am

GOOGLE CLOUD, the cloud-computing arm of tech giant Google, has launched new solutions for its smart data analytics and security portfolios including memory encryption for cloud-based workloads and the BigQuery Omni solution meant to provide a “unified analytics experience.”

“Organizations [whose workloads] are on the cloud…[what’s] always top of mind is around protecting sensitive data,” Sunil Potti, general manager and vice president of cloud security at Google, said during a digital conference on July 10.

Mr. Potti said that while Google “actually has quite a bit of capabilities…both for enforcing and monitoring sensitive data,” data becomes vulnerable during processing as it is decrypted for processing. Now, Google is said to stop that loophole with Confidential VMs, the first product of Google Cloud’s new Confidential Computing portfolio.

Confidential VMs, now in beta, offer memory encryption so that “customers can further isolate workloads in the cloud,” according to a release. The product is available on AMD CPUs and takes advantage of the secure encrypted virtualization supported by 2^nd generation AMD EPYC CPUs.

Industries who can benefit from this new product are those who are “navigating the complexities of compliance and privacy in the cloud, especially those in regulated industries,” said Mr. Potti in the statement before adding that such industries include financial services, healthcare, and government agencies.

Among the newest industry partners using Google Cloud and its new solutions are Deutsche Bank, Groupe Renault, Verizon, and Fox Sports.

“Confidential VMs will help us better serve customers in these industries, so they can securely take advantage of the innovation of the cloud while also simplifying security operations,” he explained.

Another Google Cloud solution launched in the conference is BigQuery Omni which will allow customers to connect directly to their data across Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and in the future, Azure, for analysis without having to move or copy datasets.

This solution will give users the ability to analyze data in the region where it is stored through a single user interface.

“For customers, moving data across different clouds is both cumbersome and expensive. To address this, we continue to invest in multi-cloud in an effort to democratize access to the best technologies for our customers, no matter what cloud provider they’re using today,” Debanjan Saha, general manager and vice president of engineering at Google Cloud, said in the release.

BigQuery Omni, he added, provides enterprises “the openness and portability they need to break down silos and create actionable business insights” without having to pay “expensive egress fees” for moving data from other cloud providers to Google Cloud. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Philippine Business Bank to hold its virtual stockholders’ meeting on August 7

July 16, 2020 | 12:01 am

Cybersecurity risks rise as customers go online

July 16, 2020 | 12:01 am

BANKS need to spend on ramping up cybersecurity as online transactions climb. — *UNSPLASH.COM*

LENDERS NEED to boost spending to strengthen cybersecurity with digital transactions on the rise amid quarantine measures, a bank official said.

“When you do digital banking, it’s imperative that you put a commensurate amount of security in the way to ensure this secure online experience of our customer,” Jose Paulo G. Rufo, chief information security officer and vice-president at UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc., said in an online briefing on Wednesday.

Mr. Rufo said they have “invested a lot” on technology as well as on educating consumers on proper cybersecurity “hygiene,” but said he could not disclose figures as they are confidential.

Meanwhile, James P. Ileto, UnionBank vice-president of public relations, said they saw “at least 50% growth in digital transactions and a fivefold increase in digital account openings during the pandemic.”

Amid the surge in transactions, Mr. Rufo said they also observed a spike in phishing activities.

“When the lockdown started, they just started to grow (phishing incidents). It just grew almost on a day-to-day basis and we had consumers seeing and some of them unfortunately being victimized,” he said, noting some of these schemes pretend to be charity drives for virus response.

Mr. Rufo said the bank employs a 24/7 Integrated Operation Center that monitors internet protocol and security. He added they have employees focused on using blockchain to secure customer data and transactions and address cyber fraud incidents.

He urged clients to practice “cyber hygiene” in their financial transactions and refrain from using familiar words or names of relatives as passwords to guard against cyber attacks.

The Aboitiz-led lender’s net income increased 22% year on year to P2.641 billion in the first quarter, supported by better revenues and higher net interest income.

UnionBank’s shares closed unchanged at P53 apiece on Wednesday. — L.W.T. Noble

ERC considers tapping state auditors to check Meralco refund

July 16, 2020 | 12:01 am

ERC is preparing to discuss its engagement with CoA “as soon as practicable.” — *BW FILE PHOTO*

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is planning to engage the Commission on Audit (CoA) to inspect the Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco) conduct of refunding some bill portions that were collected in the past years.

The regulator previously ordered the country’s biggest distribution utility to return the collected bill deposits, meter deposits, and income taxes to its customers.

“The ERC is short of auditors so we are mulling to seek the assistance of the CoA to find out if the refunds that [Meralco] is supposed to have undertaken have already been completed or not,” ERC Chairperson Agnes VST Devanadera said in a statement on Wednesday.

The CoA had audited the books, records, and accounts of the listed distribution utility when ERC sought its assistance in determining whether its approved unbundled distribution rate for the utility resulted in a “fair” return. It had also done a review of the company’s recovery of generation costs.

“We are preparing to discuss our upcoming engagement with the CoA as soon as practicable,” Ms. Devanadera said.

In October last year, the Supreme Court tasked the regulator to review its approval of Meralco’s unbundled distribution rates in 2003 for the determination of a “reasonable and fair valuation of the regulatory asset base” of the utility, ensuring that its customers pay in the “least cost manner.”

The utility said it would anticipate a future government audit of its records. “We will await any order or directive from the ERC on this matter and act accordingly,” Meralco Head of Utility Economics Lawrence S. Fernandez told BusinessWorld.

The Meralco official said there remains around P2.3 billion that it has yet to return to customers out of the over P30 billion in income tax charges previously collected.

“From more than P30 billion to be refunded, the unclaimed amount is down to around P2.3 billion,” he said.

In February 2019, the ERC ordered Meralco to reflect the then-remaining amount of income tax refunds on customers’ bills, bringing distribution charges.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Adam J. Ang

PHL ranks 99th in sustainable development scorecard, faces challenges in achieving these goals by 2030

July 16, 2020 | 12:00 am

How PSEi member stocks performed — July 15, 2020

July 16, 2020 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Peso rebounds on data showing record dollar reserves

July 15, 2020 | 9:00 pm

THE PESO rallied against the greenback on Wednesday on the back of continued growth in the country’s dollar reserves.

The local unit finished trading at P49.48 per dollar, gaining six centavos from its P49.54 close on Tuesday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.

The peso started the session at P49.45 against the greenback. Its weakest showing was at P49.495 while its strongest was at P49.425 versus the dollar.

Dollars traded dropped to $563.8 million yesterday from the $793.7 million seen on Tuesday.

The peso’s gain was on the back of the continued increase in the gross international reserves (GIR), said Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. “The peso closed stronger after record-high GIR data, which fundamentally provides greater structural support for the exchange rate.”

Preliminary data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday showed the country’s GIR was at $93.318 billion at end-June, higher by 9.88% from the $84.931 billion seen a year ago and the $93.288 billion level logged at end-May.

“The month-on-month increase in the GIR level reflected inflows mainly from the National Government’s foreign currency deposits with the BSP,” the central bank said.

Meanwhile, a trader attributed the local unit’s appreciation to market sentiment on US inflation data.

“The peso strengthened as US core inflation for June 2020 remained subdued, which indicated sustained weak price pressures in the US,” the trader said in an e-mail.

The US Labor department on Tuesday reported headline inflation inched up by 0.6% last month, the steepest gain since August 2012 after the 0.1% uptick in May, on the back of higher gasoline prices, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy components, rose 0.2% in June after dipping by 0.1% in May.

For today, Mr. Ricafort gave a forecast range of P49.35 to P49.55 per dollar while the trader expects the peso to move within the P49.40 to P49.60 band. — L.W.T. Noble

PHL stocks decline on fears of another lockdown

July 15, 2020 | 9:00 pm

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE MAIN INDEX retreated below the 6,100 level on Wednesday as investors were worried over a possible tightening of quarantine measures in the country.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) erased 156.30 points or 2.53% to close at 6,016.51 on Wednesday. The broader all shares index shaved off 81.49 points or 2.24% to end at 3,544.36.

“The PSEi collapsed as investors believe stricter quarantine restrictions will be reimposed because of surging coronavirus cases,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun said in an e-mail.

The local tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases reached 57,545 as of Tuesday, where 360 of the 634 new cases came from Metro Manila. Total cases in the capital have now gone up to 28,276 — nearly triple Central Visayas’ 10,895 cases — with 7,303 of these reported within the last two weeks.

This rising number is raising worries that quarantine measures in Metro Manila might be tightened anew, thus limiting business operations again and erasing hopes of a strong rebound in the second half.

Mr. Mangun said the warning of the Labor department that more workers are getting displaced also pushed investor sentiment down. Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said last week some 400,000 overseas Filipino workers have been affected by the pandemic.

For Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, the PSEi’s performance is attributable to increasing tensions between the United States and China.

“The geopolitical risks which may come from the souring relations between the two could weigh on the already pandemic stricken global economy,” he said in a mobile message.

Mr. Tantiangco added investors chose to pocket gains ahead of the government’s decision on new quarantine measures.

All sectoral indices closed with losses. Industrials gave up 229.33 points or 3.03% to 7,321.66; holding firms lost 182.22 points or 2.8% to 6,304.52; services dropped 35.25 points or 2.46% to 1,393.98; mining and oil slid 114.39 points or 2.16% to 5,163.33; financials shed 24.26 points or 2.02% to 1,174.45; and property fell 53.34 points or 1.77% to 2,960.88 at the end of session.

Some 2.66 billion issues valued at P7.29 billion switched hands, down from the previous session’s 5.80 billion issues worth P5.13 billion.

Decliners beat advancers, 166 against 48, while 32 names ended unchanged.

Net foreign selling jumped to P1.65 billion from the P60.12 million seen the previous day.

Overseas, several markets recorded gains due to positive news on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. In Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indices closed 2.13%, 1.34% and 0.94% up on Tuesday.

COVID curve now ‘bent’ — Health chief

July 15, 2020 | 8:32 pm

HEALTH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said the curve for coronavirus infections in the country has been “bent” as the doubling time for cases is now longer.

Mr. Duque, in a social media post Wednesday afternoon after saying in a morning briefing that the country has “successfully flattened the curve,” explained that the three-day case doubling time in April has been improved to eight days as of July 15.

“This means we bent the curve in April after the March ECQ (enhanced community quarantine, which was a strict lockdown) but we are seeing an increase in cases due to the expanded testing capacity and community transmission as we allow movement of people,” he said on twitter.

In another statement read by Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, Mr. Duque said the strict lockdown in March “served its purpose” as it provided “a window of opportunity to improve and to increase ramp up our health systems capacity.”

The Department of Health reported 1,394 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 58,850.

Recoveries increased by 517 to 20,967 while the death toll rose by 11 to 1,614.

There are 36,360 active cases in the country.

Meanwhile, Food and Drug Administration Director General Rolando Enrique D. Domingo announced that the country will start with its trial for the influenza drug Avigan, different from the World Health Organization’s solidarity trial.

He said the drug is used in mild to moderate cases.

Japan said in April that it would send the Avigan to 38 countries, including the Philippines, after it conducted clinical trials with other countries.

Mr. Domingo also said that there are 163 candidate vaccines worldwide, with 140 in pre-clinical studies while 23 are undergoing clinical trials. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

PHL to pursue ‘peaceful’ assertion of sea sovereignty

July 15, 2020 | 8:32 pm

THE PHILIPPINE government is looking for “peaceful and diplomatic means” to assert the country’s sovereignty over parts of the disputed South China Sea, the President’s spokesperson said on Wednesday.

“We have not waived nor have we relinquished these rights. Unfortunately, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling has no way of being enforced by the body which rendered it, so we must look to other means to resolve the dispute,” Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in a statement.

The statement comes after a special Social Weather Stations special survey showed 70% of Filipinos believe that the Philippine government should protect its sovereignty against China.

Beijing has never recognized the international court’s July 2016 ruling in favor of the Philippine’s claim on the West Philippine Sea, dismissing China’s nine-dash line assertion.

The case was filed by the Philippine government under President Benigno S.C. Aquino III, predecessor of President Rodrigo R. Duterte who assumed office in July 2016.

Mr. Duterte has sought closer trade and investment ties with China.

Earlier this week, Mr. Roque said the Philippine’s sea dispute with China is not the “sum total” of the two countries’ relations. — Gillian M. Cortez