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POGOs required to obtain tax clearances before resuming operationa

PHILIPPINE Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and service providers will be required to secure tax clearances from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and settle all liabilities before will be permitted to resume operations, The Department of Finance said.

In a Viber message, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said POGO service providers will have to settle their 2019 income tax liabilities while registered POGOs will have to pay their outstanding franchise taxes in 2019, before they can start operating again.

POGOs and the service providers will also have to remit to the BIR all of their current withholding tax liabilities for the year, and submit an undertaking that they will pay other taxes due.

“Once these are complied with the BIR will issue a tax clearance to enable them to operate,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters.

The government’s anti-coronavirus task force allowed POGOs and their service providers to reopen with up to 30% of their workforce after they were classified as part of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

Mr. Dominguez has said that the service providers are not exempt from tax since their classification as part of the BPO sector will not grant them these tax privileges.

In a separate statement, ASPAP or the Accredited Service Providers of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said it will observe all health and safety protocols set by regulators once it resumes operations.

“We wish to reassure our legislators and the public that resumption of POGO operations would not undermine the ECQ or pose unnecessary health risk to the community,” ASPAP Spokesperson Margarita Gutierrez was quoted as saying.

Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel earlier filed a resolution seeking to prevent POGO service providers from resuming operations once the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is lifted, citing their unpaid taxes.

Meanwhile, 31 legislatorsn have filed a bill proposing to outlaw offshore gaming operations, including a ban on service providers, POGO hubs and gaming laboratories.

The proposed Anti-POGO Act also seeks to revoke the licenses of all foreign-based operators, local gaming agents and service providers.

Among other requirements, POGO employees, whether Filipinos or foreign nationals, should first be tested for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and must obtain a negative test result from a testing facility duly registered with the Food and Drugs Administration, before they can be allowed to work.

The BIR collected taxes totalling P6.42 billion in 2019 from POGOs and service providers, up 170% from a year earlier.

Of the total, P5.13 billion was generated by withholding taxes, P644.07 million by income taxes, P91.13 million by value-added taxes (VAT) and percentage taxes, P81.11 million by documentary stamp taxes and P469.13 million by other taxes.

The Bureau has estimated that around P27-billion worth of tax liabilities have not been collected from POGOs. — Beatrice M. Laforga

LGUs to take on bigger role in food security plan

THE food security framework adopted by the government will seek to expand the role of local governments in food logistics and distribution, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The framwork, formally known as the Food Security Development Framework (FSDF), was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), which is coordinating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) containment effort.

“The FSDF outlines the national government’s immediate action points and ‘rebound’ mechanisms. We will strengthen partnerships with local government units (LGUs), farmers’ groups and cooperatives, agricultural state universities and colleges, and the private sector,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.

LGUs have been instrumental in food distribution during the lockdown, and have also developed direct purchasing arrangements with farmers in order to stabilize the market for produce, which had collapsed after they were cut off from major markets like Metro Manila.

“The framework aims to provide the overall vision and high-level goals for the sector to attain in the immediate and short-term. It focuses on five objectives of food production, namely: availability, accessibility, affordability, price stability, and food safety,” Mr. Dar said.

The DA heads the Task Group on Food Security (TGFS), which is composed of 20 agencies. The TGFS has four sub-groups focused on food resiliency, energy, the food value chain, and logistics.

The IATF also approved guidelines developed by the DA to ensure the safety of agricultural workers during the pandemic.

Mr. Dar said that the guidelines will cover food safety practices in production, handling, transportation, retail, and household preparation of farm and fisheries commodities during the lockdown.

“Keeping every player across the food supply chain — from producers, handlers to consumers — healthy and safe is also critical to our food security efforts,” Mr. Dar said.

The food safety guidelines include good hygiene practices, cleaning and sanitation, storage, distribution and transport, and personal hygiene and fitness to mitigate possible COVID-19 transmission and produce healthy work environments.

“While COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and the primary transmission route is through person-to-person contact and not via food nor food packaging, it is imperative to observe food safety protocols to protect agri-fishery frontliners,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

PayMaya sees pandemic bolstering case for more digital payments

DIGITAL payments firm PayMaya Philippines, Inc. is hoping that the momentum driving cashless payments during the coronavirus pandemic will ultimately translate to profitability.

“There are a lot of realizations that digital is the way, and we are here to provide financial operating systems for this new kind of economy. So if that translates to accelerated profitability, we hope that helps in the cause,” Voyager Innovations, Inc. Chief Executive Officer and Founder Orlando B. Vea said during a virtual briefing Thursday.

PayMaya is a subsidiary of Voyager Innovations, Inc., the digital arm of PLDT, Inc.

Mr. Vea added: “As of now, our efforts are more focused on helping the government and society to take advantage of the digital leapfrog.”

“Our numbers are up, even in previously challenged areas like online commerce. Lazada is coming back up. It’s almost at the level of pre-COVID. Other commerce sites are back as well.”

He said PayMaya is also seeing new opportunities in health and education.

Tele-consultations are now very active and doctors are receiving more payments through PayMaya, Mr. Vea said.

PLDT Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan has said he expects PayMaya to be profitable by 2024.

Mr. Vea noted that Paymaya user registrations have doubled during the pandemic as more people turned to online transactions.

“COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) for us is both a challenge and a blessing as we have areas with a lot of activity, which have increased, and some areas with challenges. As far as the opportunities are concerned, we’ve seen registrations doubling from last year,” he said.

PLDT, China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd., Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), International Finance Corp. (IFC), and IFC Emerging Asia Fund signed agreements last month to commit up to $120 million in new funding towards Voyager’s expansion efforts.

The fresh funding will enable PayMaya to accelerate digital and financial inclusion, PLDT said.

In 2018, PLDT sold more than 50% of its stake in Voyager for $215 million (about P10.91 billion) to Tencent, KKR, IFC, and IFC Emerging Asia Fund. PLDT remains the single largest shareholder in the technology firm.

Voyager’s portfolio, aside from the PayMaya e-wallet and app for consumers, includes PayMaya Enterprise for end-to-end merchant-acquiring solutions and Smart Padala, which has over 30,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

BSP eases asset cover norms for foreign currency loans

THE central bank said the rules easing the standards for asset cover on foreign currency liabilities will allow a two-week compliance period to bring coverage back to 100%

In a circular issued on May 6 by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno, the central bank said lenders will be subject to a “rolling two-week compliance period” to make good any deficiency in asset cover.

Banks are required to maintain 100% asset cover at all times on expanded/foreign currency deposit units (E/FCDUs). The two-week compliance period gives banks more flexibility to manage their foreign currency exposure.

The BSP said banks will be required to report on their compliance with the FCDU/EFCDU asset cover requirements, the data for which should be available for on-site examination or off-site verification when required. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Peso gains after progress in US-China talks

THE peso strengthened Friday after risk-on sentiment returned after positive developments on the US-China trade negotiations as well as signals from the central bank of a pause in monetary easing.

The peso finished trading at P50.42 to the dollar on Friday, against its Thursday close of P50.56, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

On April 30, the peso closed at P50.40.

The opening level for the curency was P50.50, with the low at P50.51 and the high P50.41.

Dollar volume slipped to $433.2 million from $558.39 million Thursday.

A trader said positive sentiment from the US-China trade negotiations helped the peso finish stronger.

“The peso appreciated after the US and China mutually agreed on the implementing guidelines of their trade agreement earlier this year,” he said in an e-mail.

Reuters reported that key US and Chinese trade officials spoke by telephone Friday and agreed to improve the atmosphere for Phase 1 of the trade deal implementation.

Under the deal, China agreed to expand its purchases of US goods from a 2017 baseline by $200 billion over two years, with about $77 billion in increased purchases in the first year and $123 billion in the second year.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the peso was also boosted by recent signals of a pause in easing from the central bank.

“BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) Governor (Benjamin E. Diokno) signalled a possible pause in policy rate cuts,” Mr. Ricafort said in a text message.

Mr. Diokno said Thursday that the 125 basis-point (bps) worth of rate cuts this year are “appropriate to provide support to the economy and boost market confidence” given the manageable inflation environment and stable inflation expectations during the pandemic.

The cuts this year came through a 25-bp reduction in February followed by two 50-bp cuts in March and April. This has lowered the overnight reverse repurchase facility to 2.75% while lending and deposit rates fell to 3.25% and 2.25%. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Pag-IBIG Fund: Two programs providing loan relief available to members

Top officials of Pag-IBIG Fund on Thursday (May 07) reiterated that the agency has made available two programs aimed to provide members relief on loans with its automatic grace period on loan payments in accordance with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and its 3-month moratorium program on all loans.

“We are one with the administration’s effort, led by President Duterte, to provide borrowers relief on their loan payments during the Covid-19 pandemic. The automatic grace period on all loan payments following the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and the 3-month moratorium on all Pag-IBIG Loans will allow our members to prioritize their welfare and that of their families during these challenging times. While these two programs are separate, both seek the same objective of providing financial relief for our members,” said Secretary Eduardo D. del Rosario, who heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

Earlier in the week, the agency reported granting an automatic grace period to all its 4.77 million borrowers, deferring more than P15 billion in total loan payments. This move by Pag-IBIG Fund, following the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, defers all loan payments which fall due during the period of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and allows payment on its next due date without incurring any penalty. The mandatory grace period further allows the staggered payment of the accrued interest on the unpaid principal within the remaining life of the loan.

Meanwhile, the agency continues to offer its moratorium program to members with Pag-IBIG Housing Loan, Multi-Purpose Loan (MPL), and Calamity Loan whose incomes have been impaired due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or by the closure of businesses as a result of the declarations of state of calamity or state of public health emergency in their area. Made available as early as mid-March, the program provides a three-month payment extension on loan payments which fall due from March 16 to June 15, 2020, without incurring penalties and other charges.

“Just a day after the declaration of the ECQ was first made, we immediately offered a 3-month moratorium on all our loans to help our members, particularly those whose incomes would be affected during this period. The program in fact, grants immediate approval to moratorium applications of home loan borrowers who are minimum or low wage earners, and borrowers with socialized housing loans. The program also provides immediate approval to moratorium applications of borrowers who have diligently kept their accounts updated,” said Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti.

He said that since the moratorium program’s availability, the agency has received as many as 12,400 applications in a day, with nearly 80% of all applications already approved. Applications for the moratorium program can be filed online via the Virtual Pag-IBIG (link: https://www.pagibigfundservices.com/virtualpagibig/LoanMoratorium.aspx), with members needing only to provide their Pag-IBIG Housing Loan Account Number, for those with home loans, or their Pag-IBIG Membership ID (MID) number, for those with MPL or Calamity Loan.

“While we have automatically granted a grace period on all loan payments in accordance with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, our members have the option for a longer payment extension on their loans by applying for our 3-month moratorium program. We have also made the application process for our moratorium program safe and easy, as members may apply online through our Virtual Pag-IBIG portal. Patuloy pong makakaasa ang aming mga miyembro na kami sa Pag-IBIG Fund ay makakasama nila, lalo na sa pahanon ng krisis. Patunay po dito ang agarang pagkakaloob namin ng grace period na ito, at ang pag-alok ng moratorium na higit pa sa naaayon sa batas, upang lubos na makatulong sa kanila,” Moti added.

AMTI: The ICT company that remained steadfast amid the health crisis

The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic has put a lot of pressure on businesses nationwide. Like many other leaders like him, on the day the ECQ was put into effect, AMTI President Allyxon Cua was faced with a dilemma – will he halt operations, putting hundreds of his employees out of income at a time when they most need it?

Most of his peers implemented a similar strategy after all. With restrictions on non-essential businesses, there is little chance for a company to make significant revenues during the quarantine. All over the world, economists and industry leaders are fearing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.

Yet, unlike many of his peers, Mr. Cua did not relent to the pressure. Knowing that he had a responsibility to his employees, customers and stockholders, Mr. Cua had prepared AMTI for such eventualities through a digital transformation initiative that could flourish even in the most turbulent of times.

“Digital Transformation (DX) is about doing things in a different way (through the use of technology) in order to achieve desired business outcomes,” he said in an email.

“It mitigates the adverse effects of change and disruptions to businesses. Today, change is inevitable as we are in the era of the fourth industrial revolution where market disruption is common. Given the changes and disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, every company must embrace and adopt DX in order to survive and stay relevant.”

Through digital transformation, AMTI, which has more than two decades of history as one of the biggest and most diversified ICT companies in the Philippines, has managed to operate through the ECQ as if it was business as usual, while keeping their employees safe against COVID-19.

AMTI’s digital transformation journey

It all started almost two years ago when Dell Technologies, the world’s biggest technology company and AMTI’s longtime technology partner, challenged Mr. Cua, to assemble a core team of executives to take part in the Digital Transformation Journey.

This was a time when digital transformation was little more than a buzzword in the Philippine business community, when most business owners failed to see the urgency to adopt it. But Mr. Cua quickly assembled his Digital Transformation core team composed of Stanley Yu (SVP, Finance), Whilma Cua (SVP, HR and Admin), and Bong M. Paloma (SVP/GM, CTO). AMTI, without hesitation, went ahead and made the investment – both in time and money – and joined discussions by diverse and experienced sets of experts from Dell Technologies in Singapore, which was followed by a series of tech updates and follow-up meetings in the Philippines.

At the time, the digital transformation helped create a response to the worsening traffic situation in Manila. The situation was not only putting a toll on the health of the company’s workforce, but it lessened employees’ customer time as they needed to take an average of three to four hours travel time every day. Mr. Cua’s AMTI-DX team toiled tirelessly to build the blueprint of a workforce transformation roadmap and immediately set it into motion.

AMTI’s early journey into digital transformation gave them the knowledge and insight that ultimately helped them become an effective & trusted IT advisor to their customers. It also paved the way for AMTI to becoming a true innovator and an ICT Technology enabler.

The company’s Digital Workforce Transformation initiative was in full swing and working like a well-oiled machine when the ECQ was implemented across the country. For Mr. Cua, it was only a matter of organizing his leadership team and rallying his resilient and passionate workforce. He declared that they will stay operational and will use their early investment in digital transformation to carry out a business-as-usual activity to respond to the urgent and immediate needs of their customers.

Now, nearly two months into the ECQ, the systems that AMTI have put in place have been stress-tested and proven effective beyond all doubt. More than that, AMTI even found that the amount of business that came in was more than their average – it was a record month for AMTI.

Thanks to the challenge set forth by Dell Technologies, and the rigorous planning and implementation of their digital transformation, AMTI managed to stay open during the most difficult time in recent history.

The initiative enabled them to capture the surge in business demand from old and new customers from the essential sectors during the ECQ. As a result, AMTI earned a lot of long-term goodwill and credibility from its customers because they delivered and served them even during these trying times. They were prepared, ready and able to ride the wave.

“Those who are prepared and willing to read the signs will surely win. We looked at DX initially as a solution to our worsening traffic condition. We explored ways to recover productivity loss due to long commute time and eventually creating what we call today a Digital Workplace as part of our Digital Transformation blueprint. Digital Workplace is all about technologies, using new tools, applications and mobile computing devices to work faster, smarter and better from any location, anytime. Digital Transformation enabled us to coast and swim against the tide especially during this pandemic,” Mr. Cua said.

For inquiries on Digital Transformation / Workforce Transformation needs, e-mail AMTI at inquiries@amti.com.ph.

 

AirBnB’s internal memo on letting go of a quarter of their workforce

Following an unprecedented global slowdown in travel that has sent related industries plummeting to a standstill, AirBnB CEO Brian Chesky announced on May 5, that he would be making the difficult decision of letting go of roughly a quarter of the travel giant’s workforce.

It’s a decision many firms the world over are facing—one necessitated by financial clampdowns (Chesky cited AirBnB’s revenue projections for 2020 being less than half of their 2019 numbers.), rising uncertainty over when the current crisis will come to an end, and what world we’ll be entering into once it does.

Below, in full, is Chesky’s internal message to his 7,500 employees. It outlines the practical steps his company will be taking, expressing his sincere empathy, and at points sorrow, for those affected by the decision. For firms finding themselves at similar crossroads, it can serve as an example of how a leader that truly values their workforce navigates these difficult conversations.

————

This is my seventh time talking to you from my house. Each time we’ve talked, I’ve shared good news and bad news, but today I have to share some very sad news.

When you’ve asked me about layoffs, I’ve said that nothing is off the table. Today, I must confirm that we are reducing the size of the Airbnb workforce. For a company like us whose mission is centered around belonging, this is incredibly difficult to confront, and it will be even harder for those who have to leave Airbnb. I am going to share as many details as I can on how I arrived at this decision, what we are doing for those leaving, and what will happen next.

Let me start with how we arrived at this decision. We are collectively living through the most harrowing crisis of our lifetime, and as it began to unfold, global travel came to a standstill. Airbnb’s business has been hit hard, with revenue this year forecasted to be less than half of what we earned in 2019. In response, we raised $2 billion in capital and dramatically cut costs that touched nearly every corner of Airbnb.

While these actions were necessary, it became clear that we would have to go further when we faced two hard truths:

We don’t know exactly when travel will return. When travel does return, it will look different.

While we know Airbnb’s business will fully recover, the changes it will undergo are not temporary or short-lived. Because of this, we need to make more fundamental changes to Airbnb by reducing the size of our workforce around a more focused business strategy.

Out of our 7,500 Airbnb employees, nearly 1,900 teammates will have to leave Airbnb, comprising around 25% of our company. Since we cannot afford to do everything that we used to, these cuts had to be mapped to a more focused business.

A more focused business

Travel in this new world will look different, and we need to evolve Airbnb accordingly. People will want options that are closer to home, safer, and more affordable. But people will also yearn for something that feels like it’s been taken away from them — human connection. When we started Airbnb, it was about belonging and connection. This crisis has sharpened our focus to get back to our roots, back to the basics, back to what is truly special about Airbnb — everyday people who host their homes and offer experiences.

This means that we will need to reduce our investment in activities that do not directly support the core of our host community. We are pausing our efforts in Transportation and Airbnb Studios, and we have to scale back our investments in Hotels and Lux.

These decisions are not a reflection of the work from people on these teams, and it does not mean everyone on these teams will be leaving us. Additionally, teams across all of Airbnb will be impacted. Many teams will be reduced in size based on how well they map to where Airbnb is headed.

How we approached reductions

It was important that we had a clear set of principles, guided by our core values, for how we would approach reductions in our workforce. These were our guiding principles:

Map all reductions to our future business strategy and the capabilities we will need. Do as much as we can for those who are impacted. Be unwavering in our commitment to diversity. Optimize for 1:1 communication for those impacted. Wait to communicate any decisions until all details are landed — transparency of only partial information can make matters worse.

I have done my best to stay true to these principles.

Process for making reductions

Our process started with creating a more focused business strategy built on a sustainable cost model. We assessed how each team mapped to our new strategy, and we determined the size and shape of each team going forward. We then did a comprehensive review of every team member and made decisions based on critical skills, and how well those skills matched our future business needs.

The result is that we will have to part with teammates that we love and value. We have great people leaving Airbnb, and other companies will be lucky to have them.

To take care of those that are leaving, we have looked across severance, equity, healthcare, and job support and done our best to treat everyone in a compassionate and thoughtful way.

Severance

Employees in the US will receive 14 weeks of base pay, plus one additional week for every year at Airbnb. Tenure will be rounded to the nearest year. For example, if someone has been at Airbnb for 3 years and 7 months, they will get an additional 4 weeks of salary, or 18 weeks of total pay. Outside the US, all employees will receive at least 14 weeks of pay, plus tenure increases consistent with their country-specific practices.

Equity

We are dropping the one-year cliff on equity for everyone we’ve hired in the past year so that everyone departing, regardless of how long they have been here, is a shareholder. Additionally, everyone leaving is eligible for the May 25 vesting date.

Healthcare

In the midst of a global health crisis of unknown duration, we want to limit the burden of healthcare costs. In the US, we will cover 12 months of health insurance through COBRA. In all other countries, we will cover health insurance costs through the end of 2020. This is because we’re either legally unable to continue coverage, or our current plans will not allow for an extension. We will also provide four months of mental health support through KonTerra.

Job support

Our goal is to connect our teammates leaving Airbnb with new job opportunities. Here are five ways we can help:

Alumni Talent Directory — We will be launching a public-facing website to help teammates leaving find new jobs. Departing employees can opt-in to have profiles, resumes, and work samples accessible to potential employers. Alumni Placement Team — For the remainder of 2020, a significant portion of Airbnb Recruiting will become an Alumni Placement Team. Recruiters that are staying with Airbnb will provide support to departing employees to help them find their next job.RiseSmart — We are offering four months of career services through RiseSmart, a company that specializes in career transition and job placement services. Employee Offered Alumni Support — We are encouraging all remaining employees to opt-in to a program to assist departing teammates find their next role.Laptops — A computer is an important tool to find new work, so we are allowing everyone leaving to keep their Apple laptops.

Here is what will happen next

I want to provide clarity to all of you as soon as possible. We have employees in 24 countries, and the time it will take to provide clarity will vary based on local laws and practices. Some countries require notifications about employment to be received in a very specific way. While our process may differ by country, we have tried to be thoughtful in planning for every employee.

In the US and Canada, I can provide immediate clarity. Within the next few hours, those of you leaving Airbnb will receive a calendar invite to a departure meeting with a senior leader in your department. It was important to us that wherever we legally could, people were informed in a personal, 1:1 conversation. The final working day for departing employees based in the US and Canada will be Monday, May 11. We felt Monday would give people time to begin taking next steps and say goodbye — we understand and respect how important this is.

Some employees who are staying will have a new role, and will receive a meeting invite with the subject “New Role” to learn more about it. For those of you in the US and Canada who are staying on the Airbnb team, you will not receive a calendar invite.

At 6pm pacific time, I will host a world@ meeting for our Asia-Pacific teams. At 12am pacific time, I will host a world@ meeting for our Europe and Middle East teams. Following each of these meetings, we’ll proceed with next steps in each country based on local practices.

I’ve asked all Airbnb leaders to wait to bring their teams together until the end of this week out of respect to our teammates being impacted. I want to give everyone the next few days to process this, and I’ll host a CEO Q&A again this Thursday at 4pm pacific time.

Some final words

As I have learned these past eight weeks, a crisis brings you clarity about what is truly important. Though we have been through a whirlwind, some things are more clear to me than ever before.

First, I am thankful for everyone here at Airbnb. Throughout this harrowing experience, I have been inspired by all of you. Even in the worst of circumstances, I’ve seen the very best of us. The world needs human connection now more than ever, and I know that Airbnb will rise to the occasion. I believe this because I believe in you.

Second, I have a deep feeling of love for all of you. Our mission is not merely about travel. When we started Airbnb, our original tagline was, “Travel like a human.” The human part was always more important than the travel part. What we are about is belonging, and at the center of belonging is love.

To those of you staying,

One of the most important ways we can honor those who are leaving is for them to know that their contributions mattered, and that they will always be part of Airbnb’s story. I am confident their work will live on, just like this mission will live on.

To those leaving Airbnb,

I am truly sorry. Please know this is not your fault. The world will never stop seeking the qualities and talents that you brought to Airbnb…that helped make Airbnb. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing them with us.

Brian

The opportunity to make this digital era inclusive

When Ginni Rometty, executive chairman and former president and CEO of IBM, was growing up, her family relied on food stamps to get by. It’s a personal story she shared in a conversation she had with musician, businessman, and philanthropist will.i.am, best known as the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas. Like Rometty, will.i.am’s family struggled with poverty in his youth, a fact he didn’t realize until his high school organized a charity food drive targeting the apparently underprivileged East L.A. neighborhood he called home.

The unlikely pair shared this conversation as part of IBM Think Digital, a two-virtual event that explored new ways of working, stabilizing, and transforming organizations amidst the evolving impacts of Covid-19.

Providing an environment to thrive

Diving into their shared upbringing, Rometty and will.i.am spoke about the need to develop technologies that promote inclusivity. Due to varying access to knowledge, resources, and skills, people face different paths and different opportunities in life.

During the event, technology was framed as the silver thread that runs through everything, with the potential to equalize a world of inequality. In this utopic vision, those with the right skills are assured of a role in society in this digital era.

IBM aims to inculcate this thread through their six-year complementary school program called P-TECH, where students are taught the tech skills needed in today’s world. The framework is flexible and iterative, allowing for enough leeway to keep pace with rapid changes in technologies and workplaces. The company also recently launched Open P-TECH, a free digital education platform focused on workplace learning and digital skills. The platform—with content in English, Portuguese, and Spanish—equips 14 to 20-year old learners and educators with foundational technology competencies such as AI and cybersecurity, along with professional skills, like Design Thinking.

“We’re a builder of tech, but it’s our job to also prepare society to interact with that technology,” Rometty said. “That’s responsible stewardship.”

One of the beneficiaries of that stewardship is Itzel Becerril, a first-generation American graduating with an Associate Degree in Web Development, the first one in her family to do so. “I have been very fortunate to have tools like Open P-TECH,” Becerril said. “It allows me to continue reinventing myself by learning new skills.”

will.i.am, on his part, launched the i.am.angel Foundation in 2009 to administer charitable activities and programs targeted towards providing college scholarships, college preparation, and opportunities in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education.

The philanthropist talked about the importance of education and imparting the importance of growth. “A lot of times when you have kids in the hood… what’s an A when they’re dealing with crime, drugs, peer pressure? [They’re thinking] ‘what’s an A going to do for me right now when there’s drug dealers telling me to do something for them and I can get $5000. right now?’ You have to inspire a kid, entice a kid, bring mentors to the table to let them know the value of an A.”

One of the more than 700 kids being nurtured by i.am.angel is Mariano Bonilla, who is off to the University of Southern California to study physics and computer science. Having worked at IBM the past summer, he’s realized that there’s a big difference between learning in a classroom setting from applying what you know at a large company. “I learned that clients have changing needs,” Bonilla said. “It’s important to adapt to those needs and think about problems efficiently.”

Being more human in this digital era

will.i.am gave an impassioned statement on what this unusual time has taught him: “What I learned is that the world is super fragile. A couple of months ago, we thought life was uninterrupted. We thought that you could sit in traffic, be rude to people, and take for granted the freedom of going where you want to go when you want to go. You took for granted people at the supermarket, people that clean the streets and take out the garbage. You took for granted the delivery service folks. You took for granted the people that work in stock. And it turns out that those people are the most important people in society.”

“I love technology, love it,” he continued. “But let’s make sure that those jobs aren’t taken as the digital world gets more advanced. Like, what did we all stay at home and be behaved for? [It’s to] protect life, to protect humanity. In this digital age, what I learned is that we have to be more human. It’s smacking us in the face, saying, humans need to be more human. We have to be more empathetic… Covid-19 was a shake-up, a wake-up call because the machine is around the corner and the machine is not going to rule us.”

Rometty shared that her role at IBM is to stress that everyone matters. She is optimistic that there will be a better future for more people if we all work on the right things together. “There is an opportunity for everyone to be involved here. IBM has P-TECH and will.i.am has i.am.angel but it doesn’t really matter which foundation you choose to support,” she said. “If we work together on the right things, this will be an inclusive era.”

Fres cheers COVID frontliners on

Fres mint, the first mouth fragrance candy to “talk” through creative messages in each pack, joined soldiers, policemen and health workers at the frontlines. The Luzon-wide community quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic became an instrument for appreciation and the pioneer mint candy made sure that the frontliners know they are valued.

Fres shared thousands of candies along with an appreciation letter designed with words of encouragement taken from the back of every candy pillow pack. The candy pack says “thank you,” “good job” and “walang iwanan” among others. They gave it out to security checkpoint frontliners including Marine Headquarters Batallion Landing Team-10 and Naval Reserve Southern Command thru the Philippine Marine Corp. The Chief Surgeon’s Office, Civil Military Operations Group HQ, 710th SPOW, 5th FW, TOG and 600 ABG through the Philippine Air Force were also reached out by Fres.

Medical frontliners were also reminded how grateful people are with their selfless efforts, as Fres partnered with Frontline Feeders PH and Makati Med Foundation. Fres candies were also given to San Lazaro Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital and the quarantine facilty of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

“This crisis is hard for everybody but it has given rise to new heroes from all walks of life and we are hopeful that a small token like a candy can bring a smile to someone’s lips. We want to celebrate the people at the frontlines and let them know that their brave and selfless efforts are admired,” said Coleen N. Ducusin, Marketing Manager for biscuits, chocolates and candies.

In this time when people are mandated to wear masks, the mint candy will leave your mouth fresh and it allows you to express your feeling through the ‘Emoticon pack’. It has more than 65 words of encouragement, love, and friendship printed at the back of every pillow pack. Available in cherry, grape, and barley mint. Fres Mint is manufactured by PT Mayora, available at all sari-sari stores nationwide.

Expanded testing: Cornering the coronavirus, one test at a time

By Argie C. Aguja
Senior Features Writer, The Philippine STAR

Priority testing for COVID-19 covers symptomatic individuals, pregnant women, the elderly, the immuno-compromised and medical workers with symptoms

On May 7, the number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines breached the 10 thousand-mark, reaching 10,343 cases with 685 deaths and 1,618 recoveries. The country is now among 40 nations worldwide that registered 10,000 or more COVID-19 cases.

To stem the rise of COVID-19 cases, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has set up 132 sample collecting booths nationwide and ramped up the accreditation of COVID-19 laboratories as the government initiates expanded testing to include symptomatic individuals, pregnant women, the elderly, the immuno-compromised and medical workers showing symptoms.

According to the May 6 issue of Beat COVID-19 Today published by the Department of Health (DoH), there have been 126,713 unique individuals tested for COVID-19. A total of 140,134 tests have been conducted and 235,311 test supplies remain in the national stockpile. The 22 laboratories licensed to run real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests have managed to process 7,130 tests per day, inching closer to the DoH target of 8,000 daily tests processed.

“Testing is the cornerstone of our response,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said, emphasizing the importance of conducting more tests in order to ensure early detection of cases and timely isolation of confirmed COVID-19 patients to mitigate the risk of community transmission.

The DoH earlier stressed that those most at risk for COVID-19 will be given priority for the expanded testing. Based on the Department Memorandum No. 2020-0151, the following reflects the sub-groups of at-risk individuals arranged in order of greatest to lowest need for testing:

• Subgroup A – Patients or healthcare workers with severe or critical symptoms

• Subgroup B – Patients or healthcare workers with mild symptoms, relevant history of travel/contact and considered vulnerable (elderly, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc.)

• Subgroup C – Patients or healthcare workers with mild symptoms, relevant history of travel/contact

• Subgroup D – Patients or healthcare workers with no symptoms butrelevant travel history/contact.

Anyone who requests to get tested must first be assessed by a licensed health professional who shall determine where he falls into any of the prioritized groups (Subgroup A and B) and whether he should get tested immediately. Upon assessment, the patient will be instructed to proceed to the most accessible health facility for testing. An RT-PCR test will be used to confirm COVID-19 among patients. Afterwards, a patient may be advised to undergo home quarantine or proceed to a community quarantine facility.

“Those who think they are infected will still need to be assessed by a health professional. They can do this in the comfort of your home through Telemedicine consultations. We want to avoid people crowding and lining up in our testing centers to demand for tests even if they do not experience any symptom,” explained Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire during a virtual presser.

The DoH recommends calling the 24/7 Telemedicine Hotline or consulting health professionals from the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) to check if one needs to be tested.

Metro Manila residents may call 02-8424-1724 or 02-7798-8000. Those outside NCR may call 1555 (for all networks) and the (02) 8942-6843 hotline for medical advice. Once confirmed, the patient will be referred to the nearest available facility for testing.

‘SAFE SIX’ GUIDE FOR THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ IN OFFICES

Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield crafted a “Safe Six” guide that real estate owners should follow in preparation for the “new normal” in offices.

Full story here: https://bit.ly/35IdLLh.

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