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Big-brand BTS promotions disappear as band sparks uproar in China

HONG KONG — South Korean boyband BTS is facing a barrage of criticism in China after its leader made remarks about the Korean War and several big-name brands, including Samsung, have apparently distanced themselves from the K-pop group amid the uproar.

The controversy is the latest example of the political landmines lying in wait for big brands in China, the world’s second-largest economy.

The leader of BTS, known by the initials RM, upset many people in China in a speech when the band received an award from a US-based organization for their contribution to South Korea–US relations.

RM invoked a “history of pain” shared between South Korea and the United States and, referring to the 1950–53 Korean War, spoke of “sacrifices of countless men and women.”

The war pitted South Korean and US forces against those from North Korea and China.

The comments touched off heated debate on social media in China.

“They should not make any money from China,” one angry user said on the Weibo platform, referring to BTS.

“If you want to make money from Chinese fans you have to consider Chinese feelings.”

Posts featuring Samsung’s BTS special edition smartphones and earphones disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com as the controversy swirled.

BTS-related posts from other companies including sports fashion brand FILA and automaker Hyundai, which have endorsement deals with the seven-member group, also disappeared from their official Weibo accounts, Chinese users said.

It was not clear if the companies or someone else had removed the posts. Samsung, FILA, and Hyundai did not respond to requests for comment when contacted by Reuters.

The band’s management company, Big Hit Entertainment, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Reuters

‘Car-centricity kills cities,’ says expert

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities of public transport systems to external shocks, and this is providing cities an opportunity to rethink urban mobility. “It should be the hero, not the villain,” said Catarina Heeckt, a Policy Fellow at the London School of Economics, on mass public transport being the backbone of urban life.

“Car-centricity kills cities,” she added. “In Europe, we are rolling back the worst excesses of the car in our cities, but it is much easier to simply not design cities around cars to begin with.”

The Philippines has long grappled with issues related to public transport. Commuters have been desensitized to the realities of mass public transportation: kilometric queues, overcrowding in public utility vehicles, and snaking through purgatorial traffic just to get to work and back. 

“Roadways are inefficient primarily because they are designed for car priority, which has the lowest throughput of all designs,” said Anthony Siy III, head of transport of Pasig City, which deployed a bike-sharing program for frontliners and health workers on March 19, soon after the declaration of the first enhanced community quarantine. The city is also revising standards for bicycle parking provided by private buildings in Pasig. 

“Bicycle parking is incredibly important and one of our recent projects was to install 30 bicycle racks throughout the vicinity of Pasig City Hall complex, creating 180 new bicycle parking spaces,” said Mr. Siy. “This will be continued in 2021.” 

While cycling improves mobility over short distances, it cannot entirely replace public transport. Ms. Heeckt recommended rethinking how limited urban street space is utilized.

SIDEWALKS ARE FOR WALKING

Another important component in urban mobility is the use of sidewalks and other such open spaces. “We start and end all our commutes by walking, but very little is invested for pedestrians and bicycles,” said environmental planner and landscape architect Paulo Alcazaren, who pointed out that sidewalks in the metro are used for everything else but walking. 

Mr. Alcazaren gave examples of pedestrianization and open space improvements in the country, including those in Makati Central Business District, Bonifacio Global City, Manila Baywalk/Cultural Center of the Philippines Esplanade, and Iloilo Esplanade. “Cycling in Iloilo is a chicken and egg case. Once bike lanes were created, people took them up. Dozens of bike shops sprung up. Most households in Iloilo now have one to two bikes.”

Iloilo’s local officials were of a singular political will when it came to these changes, Mr. Alcazaren added. “It’s one reason why Metro Manila has challenges. There are 17 political wills—18, including the national will—but it can be done.” 

“Urban Mobility in the Philippines—during and after COVID-19” was organized by Liveable Cities Philippines and the League of Cities of the Philippines. — Patricia B. Mirasol

FDI climbs to 7-month high in July

By Luz Wendy T. Noble, Reporter

FOREIGN DIRECT investment (FDI) net inflows reached a seven-month high in July, as investor sentiment improved slightly with the economy’s gradual reopening.

July also saw the third straight month of growth in FDI net inflows, but this was not enough to reverse the 11% year-to-date slump for the first seven months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

FDI net inflows jumped by 35% to $797 million in July from $590 million a year ago, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed. This was 65.7% higher than the $481 million in net inflows in June, and the highest since the $1.153 billion in December 2019.

“The FDI net inflows rose for the third consecutive month on the back of investors’ improving sentiment due in part to easing of containment measures, and some signs of gradual improvements in economic activity based on high-frequency indicators,” the BSP said in a statement.

For the first seven months of the year, FDI net inflows declined by 11% to $3.795 billion from the $4.259 billion during the same period in 2019.

The BSP expects to see FDI net inflows worth $4.1 billion this year, less than half the $8.8 billion outlook it gave last year before the pandemic.

The higher FDI inflows in July was attributed to the 60% surge in net investments in debt instruments to $643 million.

Equity other than reinvestment of earnings dropped 19.6% to $81 million in July, as placements shrank 47.7% to $89 million and withdrawals plunged 88.7% to $8 million.

Top sources for equity capital placements during the month were Japan, China, and the United States, the BSP said.

“These were channeled largely to the construction, real estate, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing industries,” it added.

Reinvestment of earnings was also down 16.1% to $73 million in July.

Meanwhile, FDI that flowed into equity and investment fund shares fell 18% to $154 million during the month.

“We can attribute the pickup of late to some pent-up investment outlays now that the economy is opening up gradually, but we remain skeptical of a sustained strong influx of equity investments for the balance of the year sans an economic rebound both in the Philippines and abroad,”  ING Bank N.V. Manila Senior Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa said in an e-mail.

The economy slumped to a recession amid the record 16.5% contraction in the second quarter due to the impact of the strict lockdowns. The government expects gross domestic product to shrink by 4.5% to 6.6% this year.

Restriction measures have been eased since June, although strict lockdowns have been reimposed in areas where infections surged.

A recovery in FDI remains uncertain as sentiment is clouded by the pandemic and the lack of vaccine, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said.

“As long as we have the coronavirus hanging over our heads, FDI inflows recovery of non-debt instrument investments will be slow, but may improve as the virus is continuously contained in different parts of the world,” Mr. Asuncion said in an e-mail.

“If the vaccine comes in the early part of 2021 or even earlier, FDI may rebound faster than expected,” he added.

The Philippines had 342,816 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases as of Monday, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Remittances slump may continue through 2021 as OFWs face layoffs

Cash sent home by overseas Filipino workers rose by 7.8% to $2.783 billion in July, the highest in seven months. — BLOOMBERG

CASH REMITTANCES may continue to decline through 2021, as more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are expected to lose their jobs.

In a note on Monday, IHS Markit Chief Economist for Asia-Pacific Rajiv Biswas said remittances will remain lower than pre-pandemic levels as 178,000 OFWs have already returned home amid the pandemic with more expected to follow.

“There have been significant job losses among Filipino workers abroad, with an estimated 178,000 workers having returned home in the first eight months of 2020 according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), with a similar number of further repatriations expected for those who have lost their jobs already… This large decline is likely to result in lower remittance inflows in coming months and during 2021,” Mr. Biswas said.

He estimated eight percent of OFWs may have returned home already, based on the number of repatriated workers relative to the 2.2 million OFWs counted in the 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos. The government estimates 300,000 OFWs will return to the country this year as companies lay off workers due to the global economic slowdown.

Money sent home by OFWs rose by 7.8% to $2.783 billion in July from a year ago, the highest in seven months. Year-to-date remittances fell by 2.4% to $16.802 billion.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a blog last month the recent uptick in remittances may be due to migrant workers’ tapping into their savings so they can send money to their families dealing with the crisis back home.

If the scenario proves to be true, ING Bank N.V. Manila Senior Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa warned the rebound “may not be sustainable and that we can expect a contraction in remittances both this year and next with the stock of overseas Filipinos based abroad likely depleted.”

Mr. Mapa said they project a 10% drop in remittances this year and a flat growth in 2021 mainly due to base effects.

“The loss of the usual steady and reliable stream of foreign exchange could complicate the economic recovery with authorities banking on consumption to carry the load for a quick bounce back. Slower or less remittance flows would mean that the remittance boost will be less punchy and that the support for (Philippine peso) next year will be limited to some extent,” he said in an e-mail Monday.

Remittances have been the “economy’s escape valve” in the past, Mr. Mapa said, as they stimulate growth through domestic consumption and help sustain a steady stream of foreign currency.

IHS Markit’s Mr. Biswas said the economy will likely contract by 8.2% this year. A 7.7% growth next year can be achieved if a COVID-19 vaccine will be available, he said.

“Over the medium term, the Philippine economy is forecast to return to its previous high growth path, growing at a pace of between 5% and 6% per year. The strong pace of expansion will be underpinned by the growth pillars of renewed strong expansion in domestic consumer spending, rapid growth in government infrastructure spending and rapid growth in exports of manufactures and IT-BPO services to key global markets,” he said.

Mr. Biswas said higher foreign direct investment flows would also help sustain growth as the country becomes more competitive regionally and positions itself as an ASEAN manufacturing hub. — Beatrice M. Laforga

CAAP to waive airport fees for domestic airlines

REUTERS

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday said it intends to waive airport fees for domestic air carriers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan II), which expires on Dec. 19.

“The intention is to waive landing and take-off fees, as well as the parking fees to be paid by the domestic carriers within the coverage or effectivity of the Bayanihan II. This is actually among the assistance initially requested by the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP),” Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Chief of Staff Danjun G. Lucas told BusinessWorld in a phone message.

“If we look at the law, it is only effective until Dec. 19, 2020. This is the timeline we are working on,” he added.

Bayanihan II or Republic Act. No. 11494 was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sept. 11 and will remain in force until the next adjournment of the 18th Congress on Dec. 19.

ACAP earlier said airlines pay around P500 million per month for such fees.

“A waiver (of fees) as distinguished from deferral will help,” ACAP Executive Director and Vice-Chairman Roberto C.O. Lim told BusinessWorld in a recent interview.

At the same time, Mr. Lucas said the air sector already submitted its draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Bayanihan II to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) for consolidation.

“Under the law there should be an IRR. DoTr is ready with the draft implementing guidelines as required by the law. To be sure, weeks back, Sec. (Arthur P.) Tugade already directed all the sectors, including the air sector, to finalize the draft IRR concerning assistance to critically impacted industries,” he said.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran said the overall IRR for the transport sector is now being finalized.

“We are also waiting for release of the funds from DBM (Department of Budget and Management), but there are already identified allocations and activities. IRRs are being finalized,” she said, adding that she could not yet disclose the details.

Under Bayanihan II, P9.5 billion has been set aside for the recovery programs of the Transportation department. Of that amount, P2.6 billion is dedicated to assist the critically hit businesses in the transportation industry.

About P7 billion goes to land-based transport workers and to build bicycle lanes, ACAP’s Mr. Lim said.

ACAP is composed of Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL), Cebu Air, Inc. (Cebu Pacific), Philippines AirAsia, Inc., Air Philippines Corp. (PAL Express), and Cebgo, Inc.

Mr. Lim said the air, land, and sea sectors are expected to get around P700 million. Each airline is expected to receive around P140 million in loan assistance under the economic stimulus package, he added.

The Bayanihan II law also states that critically impacted businesses “may avail of the grant for a period of not more than six months.” Grants include reductions in rates, fees and charges imposed by any regulatory agency and local government unit.

Mr. Lim said government financial institutions are also supposed to get P30 billion in equity infusion that would allow them to extend loans to or invest in the transportation industry.

“We are awaiting details of the entire financing package, so we can determine participation of DBP (Development Bank of the Philippines) and LANDBANK (Land Bank of the Philippines), if any,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told BusinessWorld in a phone message on Monday.

He added the details should come from “those applying.”

Mr. Dominguez last week said the government is ready to assist the airline sector, but “private sector banks have to cough up the majority of the assistance.”

Car sales fall 23% in Sept.

Vehicle sales reached 24,523 units in September, dropping 23% year on year, amid the economic slowdown. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

AUTO SALES in the country declined at a slower pace in September, as lockdown restrictions were eased once again in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that the industry sold 24,523 units in September, or a 22.9% drop from the 31,820 sold in the same month last year.

This is the slowest pace of decline since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

Sales plunged as much as 99% in April, at the height of the strict lockdown in Luzon, but has since slightly recovered as restrictions eased.

September usually starts off an upward trend in automotive sales due to the upcoming holiday season.

CAMPI President Rommel R. Gutierrez said the industry is still optimistic that it will continue to recover until the end of the year, pointing to 37% month-on-month growth in September. Sales were sluggish in August, as Metro Manila was placed under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for two weeks.

“Demand for new cars posted double-digit growth on all vehicle categories except trucks and buses (in September). But we are still cautious that consumer spending is below pre-pandemic levels due to the evident shifts to essential goods and services,” Mr. Gutierrez said.

In the first nine months, sales declined by 44.6% to 148,012, which is well below the 240,000-unit target for 2020. Car sales in 2019 reached 369,941 vehicles.

Commercial vehicle sales in September fell 27.7% to 15,967 units compared with the 22,099 in the same month last year.

Broken down, Asian utility vehicle sales slid 20% to 2,627 units, while light commercial vehicle sales dropped 28.9% to 12,425 units.

Passenger car sales slipped 12% to 8,556 units compared with 9,721 a year before.

Year to date, commercial vehicle sales plummeted 44.4% to 103,933 units, while passenger car sales dropped 45.1% to 44,079 vehicles.

For the first nine months of the year, Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) remained the market leader with a 42.69% market share. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. followed with 17.76% market share, while Nissan Philippines, Inc. had a 10.52% share. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Docu fest tackles perception and truth

THIS WEEK, documentary film festival Daang Dokyu is focusing on films that reflect the Philippines’ journey throughout decades of conflicts and issues that continue to hound the country today.

The section, called Nation: Perception is Real, the Truth is Not, runs until Oct. 15, follows last week’s Ecology which talked about the country’s complicated relationship with nature.

Daang Dokyu is a documentary film festival celebrating 100 years of filmmaking in the Philippines by presenting documentaries that chronicle the country’s history. The festival runs online until Nov. 5 and films are free to watch on the website daangdokyu.ph/watchnow.

“If last week’s section, Ecology, is the ruined body, the Nation section is the battered soul. So if you have been following Daang Dokyu’s program over the past weeks, I’m sure your heart has gained enough additional muscle to journey with us through this new section. These documentaries are not easy to watch, but by seeing them, something is gained, something is given to the Filipino viewer,” Jewel Maranan, one of the film festival’s directors, said in a statement.

The section, “interrogates both historical memory and the documentarists’ complex relationship with truth and view of reality,” according to a press release.

Films in this section are Aswang (2019) by Alyx Arumpac; Yanan (2013) by Mae Caralde; May Istorya nga Tayo, Patay Naman Tayo (2001) by The Probe Team, directed by Howie Severino;  Mendiola Massacre (1987) by Lito Tiongson, produced by AsiaVisions through IBON Foundation; Marcos: A Malignant Spirit (1989) produced by ABS-CBN News, hosted by Angelo Castro, Jr.; A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution (1988) by Nettie Wild; Sa Mata ng Balita: The Birth of Philippine TV, The News and Many Firsts, Unos at Puntos sa Bagong Milenyo (2003) by Ricardo Trofeo, produced by ABS-CBN News; Tupada ‘92: The Philippines in the Year of the Elections (1995) by Fruto Corre; Maid in Singapore (2004) by Clodualdo Del Mundo, Jr.; The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of The United Farm Workers Movement (2014) by Marissa Aroy; and Queer Transnational Love in the Time of Social Media and Globalization (2017) by Adrian Alarilla.

“In these documentaries — from urban to rural; from Manila to Mindanao to the US — we see how common Filipinos seek survival in the face of poverty, injustice, discrimination, etc. Some chose to feature the act of documenting as dissent, some took up arms, others went to find greener pastures in other countries. These comprise the texture of rich experiences, always reflected upon with the Filipino identity as an index. In effect, the section maps a mediation of a nation where nation is not a given but one that has always been negotiated and fought for,” says Adjani Arumpac, one of the festival’s curators. Ms. Arumpac is the sister of Alyx Arumpac, the director of Aswang.

Aswang, which had its online Philippine premier in July, documents the killings and atmosphere of fear in the streets of Manila and other parts of the country under the current administration’s drug war that is largely affecting the city’s poor.

Yanan meanwhile depicts the remembrance of Ka Yanan, a member of the revolutionary armed movement who died during an encounter with government troops, through letters and memoirs left with her son and two daughters who survived her. In May Istorya nga Tayo, Patay Naman Tayo relates Howie Severino’s experience with fellow journalists caught in the crossfire in covering the siege in Lamitan, Basilan in 2001.

Three films, Mendiola Massacre, Marcos: A Malignant Spirit, and A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution, shown during the festival’s launch week in September are having reruns this week.

Sa Mata ng Balita: The Birth of Philippine TV, The News and Many Firsts, Unos at Puntos sa Bagong Milenyo looks back on the 50 years of television history. Tupada ‘92: The Philippines in the Year of the Elections shows the coverage of the 1992 Philippine national elections with inserts of a seer’s ominous visions, including the return to power of the Marcoses. Maid in Singapore explores the lives of three women working as domestic helpers in Singapore. The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of The United Farm Workers Movement tells the story of Larry Itliong and a group of Filipino farm workers who instigated one of the American farm labor movement’s finest hours; and Queer Transnational Love in the Time of Social Media and Globalization analyzes the possibilities and impracticability of queer, long-distance love.

“Each film in the section is a story and slice of the Filipino reality worth knowing. But seeing the films altogether gives the viewer something more — a window to historical consciousness. By curating films that bring out interconnected realities, the program offers a vantage point. This is the real harvest. By allowing each film to expand the context of the next film, we discover the power of documentaries that seems to feed on time, which continues to link together, swell and add up as the closest we can have of — a social memory. This is the real farm,” Ms. Maranan said in the release.

Aside from the films presented in the festival, Daang Dokyu is also holding masterclasses for free via its Facebook and YouTube channels.

On Oct. 14, Alyx Arumpac, director of Aswang, will be holding a masterclass on the introduction to documentary filmmaking: seeing it develop from a personal idea to a work seen by the wider public. Documentary Filmmaking 101 streams starting 2 p.m.

For people who want a historical view on how documentaries developed in the country, a masterclass by historian Nick de Ocampo is scheduled on Oct. 21, 4 p.m. In the masterclass, called Historya ng Dokyupelikula, Mr. de Ocampo will discuss the beginnings and movement of documentary filmmaking in the Philippines, through two World Wars, and from revolution to revolution.

Another masterclass, focusing on the current state of Philippine journalism, will be held on Oct. 23, 8 p.m. The class will be headed by veteran journalists Roby Alampay, Ging Reyes, Maria Ressa, John Nery, and Sheila Coronel, while GMA Network documentarists Raffy Tima, Atom Araullo, and Kara David will hold a masterclass on Oct. 30, 4 p.m. where they will impart their knowledge in producing documentaries for television. — ZBC

San Miguel gets Senate OK on airport franchise

New Manila International Airport
FIFTY-YEAR franchise is inclusive of a 10-year period for the design, planning and construction. — SAN MIGUEL CORP

THE measure granting a 50-year franchise for San Miguel Aerocity, Inc. to construct and operate the Bulacan airport and “airport city” has been approved on third and final reading.

With 22 affirmative votes and zero negative, the Senate on Monday approved the franchise bill, which adopted House Bill No. 7507, for the operation of a new domestic and international airport, seen to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The proposed P1.5-trillion Bulacan airport and airport city are expected to accommodate 100 million passengers annually. It is also expected to generate employment that could benefit up to a million Filipinos.

“The San Miguel Airport alone will provide 450,000 jobs during the construction phase, and then after that upwards of a million people will be able to benefit from this undertaking,” Senator Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares said during the session. “Not to mention, the hundreds of thousands of passengers that will fly in and out of the country every day.”

San Miguel Aerocity will also build an expressway that will link it to North Luzon Expressway and a rail link through Metro Rail Transit-7.

The 50-year franchise is inclusive of a 10-year maximum period for the design, planning and construction of the airport and airport city.

The franchise provided that San Miguel Aerocity should be able to commence construction within one year from the signing of the franchise into law. Otherwise, the franchise may be revoked.

Other conditions for the revocation are the failure to start operation within one year after securing a permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and within 12 years from the enactment. The airport is also required to operate continuously for two years.

Once the franchise expires, the grantee is mandated to turn over the ownership of the airport to the Department of Transportation.

Moreover, the franchise exempts the grantee from direct and indirect taxes during the 10-year construction period after which an income tax and real estate tax exemption will be granted.

The exemption, however, will expire once the Bureau of Internal Revenue finds the investment cost of the airport and airport city has been recovered.

Upon expiration, San Miguel Aerocity will then be entitled to a revenue share worth 12% of the internal rate of return (IRR) annually. The amount in excess of the 12% IRR will be remitted to the government. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

TLDC turns focus on investor buyers to weather pandemic

By Denise A. Valdez, Senior Reporter

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY developer Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. (TLDC) is targeting investor buyers as it seeks to weather the economic slowdown.

“We need to bring in revenues that would correct the expected slump starting July 2021. And how are we doing that? We’re looking at new sales channels that targets mostly investor buyers,” TLDC Chief Finance Officer Emmanuel A. Rapadas told BusinessWorld last week.

Mr. Rapadas described these investors as bulk buyers that are looking to take advantage of the slow real estate market at the moment.

The real estate market has seen a slowdown in sales since the lockdown began in mid-March, although restrictions have since been eased.

Mr. Rapadas said TLDC may see a 35-40% drop in gross revenues for 2020, but still maintain slim profitability. The company’s revenues reached P2.2 billion in 2019.

“Our sales are definitely taking a beating,” he said. TLDC has seen a compound annual growth rate of 47% from 2015 to 2019.

By tapping investor buyers, TLDC hopes to save about 12% of its usual expenses from marketing and selling. However, the company would have to give up some margins.

“Yes, we will have to sacrifice some margins. But also, this sales channel is more efficient,” Mr. Rapadas said. “At the moment, we’re working with our financial advisers and our lawyers for us to perfect that structure that allows for this investor type buyers to invest into Torre Lorenzo developments.”

TLDC currently has close to 10 projects under construction, comprised of university residences, lifestyle developments and townships. These projects will augment the company’s inventory, which is now down to P7-billion worth of projects that could last about two years of sales.

Turnover of new projects will start in 2021.

Despite the slowdown, Mr. Rapadas said he believes the market will prove resilient in the long run, as most of the company’s buyers are from the upper middle to high-end markets.

TLDC also remains bullish for its leisure segment, as it expects tourism to recover in the near term.

“Leisure pre-COVID (coronavirus disease) was one of the fastest growing sectors in the Philippines… Full recovery in the leisure sector will probably happen in 2023,” Mr. Rapadas said.

The company is currently building dusitD2 and Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort in Davao, Dusit Princess Hotel Lipa in Batangas, and Torre Lorenzo Malate, which will have an Ascott-managed hotel. Leisure developments are expected to contribute about 30% of TLDC’s revenues starting 2023, from less than 5% at the moment.

The company is allocating about P7 billion for capital expenditures to support its pipeline of residential and leisure projects in the next few years.

ABS-CBN shows now on Kumu livestream

ABS-CBN is continuing its digital shift despite its return — albeit partial — to free TV via A2Z channel, by introducing shows including its classic game show, Game Ka Na Ba (abbreviated to GKNB, which is also the name of the channel it is on), on livestream platform, Kumu.

The new shows on Kumu will be hosted by Angelica Panganiban, Bianca Gonzalez, Ces Drilon, and Robi Domingo and are meant to bring celebrities closer to ABS-CBN audiences as the livestreaming app allows the hosts to interact with viewers.

Game Ka Na Ba returns every weekday at 12 p.m. starting Oct. 12. The game show, which first aired in 2001 and ran until 2009, is a quiz show where contestants can progressively win bigger and bigger prizes for every correct answer. The grand prize daily is P10,000. The livestream version is hosted by Robi Domingo and will be simulcast on television on Jeepney TV.

ABS-CBN already has another channel on Kumu, For Your Entertainment (FYE), introduced in July, which focuses on various celebrity streamers in virtual talk shows, game shows, and features musical performances. Among the shows on the channel are comedy shows Awards Nights, Kwentong Macoy, Pop-Up Comedy Bar, and Lakas Tawa, while Ambagets, RISE Here, Right Now and We RISE Together feature celebrities interacting with their fans.

The channel also has several talk shows: Bawal Ma-Stress Drilon, Hey Hershey, Kumustahan with Fr. Tito Caluag, Metro Chats, Metro K-Drama Club, MYXclusive, Secret Ladies Club, and Talak ni Mameh Grace. For beauty and fashion enthusiasts, FYE has shows including Beauty and the Besh, Manhacks, Style Me Now, while Chink Positive, Hanz Swerte! Hanz Saya! offer tips for everyday living.

Meanwhile, music channel MYX also launched a weekly talk show Make It Mondays, hosted by Dani Mortel, on Zumu. Fridays on the MYX Zumu channel are for musical performances on MYX Fullscreen. The channel also has a quiz show, Pop Quiz, which is all about pop culture and is hosted by Ai dela Cruz.

FYE, GKNB, and MYX PH channels are produced under ABS-CBN’s subsidiary, Creative Programs, Inc. (CPI). The new shows and channels are available via the Kumu app which can be downloaded on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Privacy commission probes data misuse in contact tracing

THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) is investigating several businesses for allegedly mishandling data collected from contact tracing forms.

Citizens have reported a shopping mall, fast food and drugstore chains, supermarkets, a European fast-fashion retailer, and a North American coffee shop franchisee for mishandling and misusing data, NPC said in a statement on Monday.

Reports said that logbooks were improperly used, with filled-out contact tracing forms left visible to other people. The forms include names, addresses, and contact numbers.

Citizens also said that personal data have been used for purposes outside of contact tracing, and some data have been kept for too long. They said they were also not given privacy notices.

“We hear out the sentiment of the public and their encounters with establishments that violate privacy rights and employ inappropriate security measures,” Privacy Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro said.

The commission may conduct compliance checks, which NPC Director of Compliance and Monitoring Olivia Khane S. Raza said function as early warnings. Subsequent complaints could lead to legal action, she said.

She advised companies to act on issues raised by a notice of deficiency within the prescribed time, as not doing so could lead to a cease-and-desist order.

NPC said that depending on the violation, those who have combined violations of the data privacy law may be fined up to P5 million, or imprisoned for up to six years.

The government has issued two guidelines for contact tracing, including joint privacy guidelines from the NPC and the Health department and workplace health guidelines from the Trade and Labor departments.

Ms. Raza  said businesses must come up with reasonable ways to collect data and prevent accidental viewing.

She added that they must collect minimal data, provide privacy notices, properly dispose of data, limit storage time periods, and train employees on privacy measures.

“As you are in the best position to anticipate and manage risks based on your store setup, you should be able to identify points of possible risks for you to develop the security measures appropriate for your operations,” she said. – Jenina P. Ibañez

Luxury Thai hotels opening amid pandemic bet on 5-star quarantine

A SLEW of luxury hotels opening in Thailand amid the pandemic are pinning their hopes on a government plan to lure high-spending tourists, betting those seeking five-star quarantine will help cushion the devastation wrought on the travel industry.

About half-a-dozen luxury hotels that opened in Bangkok during the pandemic, or will open soon, from Four Seasons, Kempinski and Capella are likely to benefit from a new visa aimed at attracting long-stay visitors, high-spenders and medical travelers to put the economy back on a growth track.

While Thailand has weathered the virus outbreak better than most other Southeast Asia nations, it is faced with one of its worst recessions on record because of the loss of tourists, who in 2019 pumped $62 billion into the economy.

Targeting luxury travelers who stay longer and spend more could staunch some of those losses, said Deepak Ohri, chief executive officer of Lebua Hotels & Resorts. “The pandemic has given Thailand the opportunity to hit reset on how the tourism industry will look after COVID-19,” he said in an interview.

Starting this month, tourists with the new visa will be allowed into Thailand for the first time since borders closed in late March. They will be required to stay at least 90 days, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine, which can be served in a luxury hotel. After that, they will be free to travel anywhere they want.

“These groups of travelers have the highest potential of increasing money spent on lodging and dining, which can help boost the economy, especially during these difficult pandemic times,” said Yuthasak Supasorn, the head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. “We have about 800 to 1,000 Chinese tourists who are ready to travel here on private jets in the first phase of reopening.”

Even so, the government, which used to worry about the effects of over-tourism, expects about 1,200 visitors a month to use the new visa, generating about 1.2 billion baht ($38 million) in revenue — a fraction of the amount spent by mass-market holidaymakers. A majority of Thais don’t agree with the plan to open the borders, a survey showed Wednesday.

“It’s a good starting initiative to focus on quality instead of quantity, but it won’t be enough to make up for the lost revenue,” said Somprawin Manprasert, chief economist at Bank of Ayudhya Pcl. “Tax measures aimed at middle- to high-income Thais to promote spending would help inject more money into the economy.”

The Capella opened on Oct. 1, making it the latest of several luxury hotels that have entered the market since the pandemic began. Before COVID-19, the hotel was expecting up to 90% of revenue to come from foreign travelers. Next door, The Four Seasons is set to open by year-end. This follows other top-end hotels such as the Rosewood and the Siam Kempinski Sindhorn. — Bloomberg

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