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China implementing new rules to make business easier from Jan. 1 — state planner

BEIJING — China will implement new regulations that aim to make it easier to do business from Jan. 1, 2020, China’s state planner said on Wednesday, amid increasing pressure on the world’s second largest economy.

The new policies will guarantee equal market access and protect fair competition in the market. They also promise to strengthen existing protections under the law.

Foreign companies operating in China have long complained of unfair treatment when it comes to market access, burdensome red tape and weak law enforcement. China’s private firms, which have a harder time accessing financing than state-owned enterprises, have also been harder hit by the economic slowdown.

The measures said that foreign and domestic companies should be treated equally, as should all types of market entities regardless of ownership.

China will set up a punitive damage system for infringements on intellectual property, according to the measures. Intellectual property protection is a key issue in negotiations between China and the United States that seek to end a bruising trade war.

Public bids and government procurement should be transparent, fair, and open to all, the measures said.

The European Chamber of Commerce in China complained of “blatant discrimination” against foreign companies in public procurement, in a paper released in September.

The measures come as recent data points to increasing pressure on China’s economy, which grew at a near-30-year low in the third quarter this year. — Reuters

A different kind of gender reveal

FOR MEMBERS of the LGBTQ community, coming out of the metaphorical closet is the first step into a new life, and it makes the difference between merely surviving and really living. In coming out, someone steps out of the smoke and shadows they’ve wrapped around themselves. It’s not an easy step, and it always takes years of self-examination, and of course, it comes with the fears of rejection, and several hard questions for yourself and others.

And now members of the LGBTQ community will have a tasty way of announcing what some call their “second birthday.”

Just as some families have gender-reveal parties for their soon-to-be-born babies where one of the rituals involves cutting open a cake and revealing a color inside (pink for girls, and blue for boys), gays, lesbians, and the rest of the rainbow brigade can have the same experience — on their own terms — with a series of LGBTQ cakes from The Cakeshop by Sonja, in a campaign called My 2nd First Birthday.

“The advocacy aims to celebrate the second time a person recognizes his/her/their new gender identity in a bid to renew lives, push for acceptance, give pride and celebrate genuine love in society. The recently unveiled campaign launched a short film featuring celebrity fashion stylist, Vince Uy, and introduced a special line of cakes, which features designs and colors inspired by the LGBTQ community,” explained a press release.

The special line of cakes introduced by Sonja’s founder Sonja Ocampo include “O-Gay Cake,” a chiffon layered cake with a surprise of chocolate nibbles inside; the “Les-bi Honest Cake” which is slathered with marshmallow icing; and the “BI-the way,” “Transtastic,” and “Queerly Beloved” which are pound cakes covered with thick buttercream with colorful layers inside representing the different LGBTQ flags, thus sending a message of diversity, even within the spectrum of the LGBTQ rainbow.

A portion of each sale of the cakes until December will go to the LoveYourself Foundation for its mission to provide aid to HIV+ patients.

The cakes were launched in Glorietta on Oct. 11, which was National Coming Out Day.

Said Ms. Ocampo, “It’s a celebration. It’s about people finding the courage to celebrate themselves entirely for who they are. Loving yourself and being yourself is something to be celebrated.”

She pointed to the cakes, which are plain on the outside, but are riotously colorful on the inside. “Some of them might look ordinary on the outside, but I guess what matters is on the inside,” she said, a lesson we can all learn.

At the end of the day, is it really just a cake? A confection in the face of a life about to change is but a small mercy; a small step, but Paul Junio, Digital Strategy and Brand Management Head from LoveYourself Foundation said, “If you have a lot of small steps… it will really make a big impact.” — Joseph L. Garcia

PECO allots P1 billion to upgrade facilities

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor

PANAY ELECTRIC Co., Inc. (PECO) is allocating about P1.1 billion in the next 10 years to upgrade and expand its existing facilities, including the construction of new substations and the replacement of its meters with “smart” ones, a company official said.

“One of the issues we see with Iloilo is that in 10 years time, we’re gonna get 180 megawatts (MW). So to source that supply, you’re really going to have to have creative solutions,” Marcelo U. Cacho, PECO head of public engagement and government affairs, said in a briefing on Wednesday in Taguig City.

PECO has embarked on four solutions, namely retail electricity supply, net metering, “pasa kuryente” that allows the transfer of a consumer’s excess capacity, and lease-to-own solar energy systems.

Mr. Cacho, a fifth-generation member in the family business, said the company has also launched its smart metering project, which allows prepaid metering, real-time wireless meter reading, automatic disconnection and reconnection. Smart meters also lower the rates due to customer load profiling, he said.

“We’re expecting an investment of close to P205 million for the smart meters,” he said of the capital expenditure in the next five years or until 2024.

“Then of course, there’s an opex (operating expense) component. So the opex component we can estimate between P10-P20 million,” he said.

At present, the company has a total customer count of 64,000, Mr. Cacho said, translating to a peak demand of 123 MW, which is reached during the month of May.

The company has so far installed 2,000 smart meters and another 2,000 will be delivered within the year.

On net metering, a program that allows customers with their own power generation systems to sell their excess capacity, PECO takes the energy thrown back by its customers’ solar energy systems and credited to their regular electricity bill.

“Our net metering system further gives our consumers the power of choice, because now they can choose to generate their own electricity and save money in the process,” Mr. Cacho said.

“Pasa-kuryente” service allows solar panel owners to pass on to other consumers any excess power their system has generated.

“These are just some of the initiatives that PECO has done for the Ilonggos,” Mr. Cacho said. “But we’re not stopping there, because we believe that the people of Iloilo deserves a dynamic kind of service that is improved and enhanced as the years go by.”

Iloilo-based PECO claims to be the first 100% Filipino-owned private enterprise and the leading energy innovator in the Visayas. The distribution utility has been serving Iloilo for the past 95 years.

GREAT Women’s restaurant collaboration to help weavers

ON A recent trip to Iloilo, Jeannie Javelosa, chief visionary officer of GREAT Women (the acronym for Gender-Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women) — a platform that supports women for economic empowerment through microenterprises — visited a weaving community and noticed that production speed was slow. The older weavers said that poor eyesight made it difficult to work.

“We can help enhance the productivity of our weavers by having their eyes checked and giving them new eyeglasses. We had wondered why our GREAT Women weavers were so slow and realized it was because many of the older weavers could not see anymore,” Ms. Javelosa said.

GREAT Women focuses on the sustainable supply chain of yarns, textiles, lifestyle apparel and gifts. It works closely with 40 weaving communities including indigenous communities, nationwide.

As a way to help the community of weavers, restauranteur Trish Panlilio opens its third culinary collaboration with GREAT Women at Mulberry Door in BGC, Taguig City.

“We are happy to be partnering with the GREAT Women platform, because our rich indigenous Filipino culture is something to be proud of and its preservation is something that we openly ought to support,” Ms.Panilio said in a press release.

DINING FOR A CAUSE
In line with the collaboration, 20% of the proceeds from selected dishes in the existing menu of Mulberry Door will be donated to GREAT Women to help in providing eyeglasses or spools of thread to the Bagobo Tagabaw and lbaloi community weavers.

The selected dishes from Mulberry Door are Chipirones, Bone Marrow Onion Soup, Mushroom Chicken Asiago served with Sourdough Bread, Callos with Garlic Baguette, Luca’s Chicken Kiev with Mashed Potatoes, Eggplant Parmigiana with Ciabatta, and Lemon Carbonara.

“We need to find meaning in our collaborations, in the kind of work that we do and the cause we support,” Ms. Javelosa told the press over lunch on Oct. 16.

The collaboration runs until the end of December.

SLOW BUT QUALITY FASHION
In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples’ Month, Shangri-La Plaza will host the People’s Pride Cultural Fair, a pop-up trunk show in partnership with GREAT Women on Oct. 24 to 27 at the mall’s East Atrium. The event will showcase food and craftsmanship of Filipino indigenous groups such as the T’boli, Yakan, and Maranao.

“You cannot be a great woman kung cute ka lang (if you are just cute). You are a great woman when you are helping others and in the process, you become empowered,” she said.

Mulberry Door is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 8 Forbestown Road, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For more information and reservations, call 8810-5427, 0918-998-7474, or 0977-412-8002. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

AirAsia PHL load factor hits 86% in 3rd quarter

AIRASIA Philippines is aiming to swing to profit this year.— FILE PHOTO

PHILIPPINES AIRASIA, Inc. said its load factor rose to 86% during the third quarter of 2019, as it expanded its capacity with the launch of new international routes.

In a preliminary operating statistics report released by AirAsia Group Berhad, AirAsia Philippines’ load factor stood at 86% during July to September, from 77% during the same period a year ago.

Load factor is the measure used by airlines on how much an aircraft’s carrying capacity is utilized.

“AirAsia Philippines expanded capacity by 19% during the quarter on the commencement of new international routes and an increase in frequency on both domestic and international sectors,” the budget carrier said.

During the third quarter, AirAsia Philippines’ capacity stood at 2.45 million seats, 19% higher than the 2.05 million seats a year ago.

AirAsia Philippines carried 2.1 million passengers during the third quarter, a 33% increase from the 1.57 million passengers recorded a year ago.

As of end-September, AirAsia Philippines had a fleet of 24 aircraft versus 21 aircraft a year ago.

Earlier this month, the company said it is delaying its initial public offering to next year or 2021, as it focuses on corporate reorganization.

AirAsia Philippines is aiming to swing to profit this year from posting a net loss of P2.11 billion in 2018. It is also hoping to hit revenues of P30 billion by end-2019. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Samsung Galaxy Fold to be available in the Philippines ‘soon’

THE Samsung Galaxy Fold will be sold in the Philippines “soon” following its official launch in other markets last month, the company said in a statement on Tuesday, which comes after a months-long delay because of a defect in the foldable phone’s design.

“Following the successful launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold last month where it sold out in a number of countries, Filipino consumers now get to take part in unfolding the future of devices as Samsung brings this new category of mobile technology to the Philippine shores soon,” Samsung Philippines said.

“During the past several months, Samsung has been refining the Galaxy Fold to ensure it delivers the best possible experience. Not only did Samsung improve the Galaxy Fold’s design and construction, but also took the time to rethink the entire consumer journey,” it added.

The Galaxy Fold, first announced by Samsung Electronics Co. in February, was set to be released in April. However, problems with the phone’s screen prompted the company to push back its launch to address the issues.

Local pricing has not been released, but the Galaxy Fold is sold starting at $1,980 in the United States.

“The category-defining Galaxy Fold is a device that defies the barriers of traditional smartphone design. Now, we’re excited to release this pioneering mobile technology, and allow consumers to experience it for themselves,” said DJ Koh, Samsung Electronics President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division.

“Consumers have responded positively to larger screens, and the Galaxy Fold’s revolutionary form factor offers a bigger, more immersive screen without sacrificing portability. This is what we call innovation of new mobile experience in action.”

The foldable phone has a clamshell design. Its main display is a 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex Display. Meanwhile, the cover screen is a 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Display.

“When closed, users can access essentials on the cover display comfortably with one hand, and when opened, they can explore new ways to multitask, watch videos, play games, and more, on its immersive 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display,” Samsung said.

The Galaxy Fold has six cameras: a 10-megapixel (MP) cover selfie camera, two front cameras (10MP selfie camera and 8MP RGB Depth camera), and three rear cameras (16MP ultra wide camera, 12MP wide-angle camera and 12MP telephoto camera).

“The Galaxy Fold transforms how users capture, share, and edit mobile content. When closed, you can shoot a quick video, and then simply open the device to watch it on a larger screen — with App Continuity, the video seamlessly transitions from the cover display to the main display,” the company said.

“With Multi-Active Window, you can run multiple apps at once in real-time and effectively multitask: Edit footage, browse through the photo gallery for still shots, and read emails from friends and co-workers, all at the same time.”

The phone runs on Android 9 and has 12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage. Its LTE model features a 4380mAh battery, which is fast charge compatible on wired and wireless. The Galaxy Fold also has a 5G model.

Samsung said every Galaxy Fold comes with exclusive access to specialized customer care services, including one-on-one access to Samsung experts and a 24/7 support hub online or over the phone.

“Samsung will further elaborate on its plans in the Philippines to ensure every aspect of the Galaxy Fold experience is as extraordinary as the device itself,” it said.

Virtus Awards honors hotel’s ‘lifeblood’

OUTSTANDING marketing professionals from the hospitality industry were honored on Oct. 14 at Conrad Manila at the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association’s (HSMA) Virtus Awards. The organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

There were four awards given: Outstanding Sales and Marketing Associate, Outstanding Sales and Marketing Manager, Outstanding Sales and Marketing Leader, and an award for Outstanding Marketing Campaign. The winners are as follows: Rigil Kent V. Acapulco, Event Sales Manager at The Bellevue Manila and Ian Bencio David, Sales Executive for MICE at the Conrad Manila tied for the Outstanding Sales and Marketing Associate Award. Marvia Jelizha Villarin, Sales Manager at The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts, took home the award for Outstanding Sales and Marketing Manager, while Evangeline A. Imperial, Director of Sales and Marketing of Solaire Resort Manila, won the award for Outstanding Sales and Marketing Leader. Finally, “Passionately Pink” by Crimson Hotel Filinvest City Manila and Taal Vista’s 80th Anniversary campaign, “Here for Always,” tied for the Outstanding Marketing Campaign Award.

Rose Libongco, current chair of the Virtus Awards, told BusinessWorld what it meant for a property when their associates win at the awards. “It means that they are able to nurture their associates. Outstanding associates only come from a good, organized property.”

One might have several ideas about what it takes to run a hotel: is it excellent rooms, excellent food, or excellent staff? Ms. Libongco makes it clear: “Sales and marketing is the lifeblood of the hotel. No sales and marketing, no one to serve; no one to enjoy your facilities, or your food and beverage. Sales and marketing is the center of the hotel. Operations support it. Sales and marketing brings the people into the property. It’s up to operations and services to keep them.” — J.L. Garcia

Pag-IBIG’s plan to raise savings rate gets labor groups’ support

THE HOME Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) on Wednesday said labor and employer groups are backing its move to increase the three-decades old P100 monthly savings rate of members.

“The low interest rates of our home loans make home ownership within reach of our members, so much so that the availment of our home loans has grown tremendously. And for us to continue financing the growth in home loans of our members under such low rates, there is a need to increase our members’ P100 monthly savings,” Eduardo D. del Rosario, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, said in a statement.

Mr. Del Rosario said they have met with labor unions, OFW nongovernment organizations (NGOs), employer groups, and other stakeholders to seek their views on the Pag-IBIG Fund’s plan to increase the membership savings rate to P200 a month by 2021. The P100 monthly savings rate has been unchanged for the last three decades.

Among the groups consulted were the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA), Kapisanan ng mga Manggagawa sa GOCCs at GFIs (KAMAGGFI), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), the Filipino Migrant Workers Group, OFW NGOs, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), and Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP).

“As we expect demand to remain strong with growth at around 15% annually in the coming years, we need to find additional sources of funds to sustain the low loan interest rates we currently offer to our members. Our proposal is to adjust the members’ savings rate to P200 per month by 2021, which will be matched by an equivalent amount by their employers,” Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti.

Mr. Moti said the adjustments will provide the agency additional funds to address its loan demand which will allow interest rates on its home loans and calamity loan to remain low at least until 2024. — BML

Avast target of cyber-security attack, firm and Czech counterintelligence say

PRAGUE — Czech-based Avast and Czech counterintelligence service BIS said on Monday they had detected a network attack on the cyber-security company which the BIS suspected of originating in China.

Avast said in a blog post that it found suspicious behavior on its network on Sept. 23 and opened an investigation involving the BIS and Czech police along with an external forensics team.

The BIS said in a statement that — with contribution from foreign partners — it detected a threat to products of Avast, a company founded in the Czech Republic.

“Everything from data analysis so far suggests that the attack came from China, with the intention to take control of the popular optimization tool CCleaner, and through that also users’ computers,” BIS said in a statement.

Avast, however, said it did not know who was behind the attack.

Chief Information Security Officer Jaya Baloo said the intruder, using compromised credentials through a temporary VPN profile, had successfully accessed its network. There were several attempts between May 14 and Oct. 4, Baloo said.

Avast said it kept the VPN profile open to track the cyber intruder. It said the attack was likely aimed at the CCleaner software, used to clean up junk programs to speed up devices, as was a previous case in 2017.

The company said it had verified that no malicious alterations were made to previous releases of the software and it halted new updates. It pushed a clean update of the product to users on Oct. 15 and revoked a previous certificate.

“Having taken all these precautions, we are confident to say that our CCleaner users are protected and unaffected,” Avast said.

“It is clear that this was an extremely sophisticated attempt against us that had the intention to leave no traces of the intruder or their purpose, and that the actor was progressing with exceptional caution in order to not be detected.” — Reuters

Forbes Travel Guide names The Pen’s bar among the World’s Best Hotel Bars

FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE (FTG), the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas, unveiled its Verified List for 2019’s World’s Best Hotel Bars on Oct. 15, naming The Bar at The Peninsula Manila as one of only 45 bars around the world — and the only one in the Philippines — to earn the accolade. This comes on the heels of the Forbes Five Star Awards announcement in February, in which The Peninsula achieved Forbes Five Star status across all 10 of its hotels, resulting in The Peninsula Hotels being the first and only hotel brand to achieve the highest possible FTG rating for all its hotels.

Just a few steps from Salon de Ning and a short walk from the famous Lobby, The Bar echoes the dimly lit bars of Cuba, an intimate space to enjoy the signature Batangas Old Fashioned and Poor Man’s Tea, or savor a malt whisky. The plush armchairs and leather couches encourage intimate conversation among guests.

The Verified List for 2019’s World’s Best Hotel Bars recognizes 45 bars across 13 countries, and represents hotel bars that performed exceptionally on standards related to the quality of their beverage program, their presentation and their luxurious service. Each hotel bar was inspected and scored using criteria such as elements of luxury standards, which reflect sumptuous comfort, choices and conveniences, including a special level of attention to details, and also food and beverage quality standards, which play an important part in the guest experience. Bars must also demonstrate the technical aptitude of their staff, such as their ability to listen to guests’ individual preferences and to deliver beverages at correct temperatures.

“We’ve seen hotel bars evolve enormously in our 60-plus years of operating Forbes Travel Guide, hence the focus of our fourth Verified List,” said Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “Hotel bars are now destinations in their own right and have the ability to transform a hotel experience. We congratulate all of the bars on the list, which were vetted and verified based on the most rigorous standards. They not only scored highly, but also provided the most luxurious experience for hotel and local guests alike.”

Two other Peninsula hotel bars join The Bar at The Peninsula Manila in the Verified List — Z Bar at The Peninsula Chicago and The Club Bar at The Peninsula Beverly Hills.

The Verified List throws a spotlight on amazing hotel bars in the Philippines, China, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Zara launches online store in PHL

SPANISH fast fashion giant Zara on Wednesday launched its online store in the Philippines, according to the SSI Group, Inc.

In a statement, SSI Group said the complete collection for women, men and kids are now available on the website www.zara.com/ph, and apps for iOS and Android versions.

Customers pick up their orders at any of the nine Zara stores in the Philippines for free. They can also get their orders via home delivery or at drop points for free on orders over P2,995.

Delivery time is estimated to take one to three days in Metro Manila, three to five days in serviceable areas, and five to seven days in other locations.

Customers can return the purchased items free of charge at stores or home collection within 30 days.

Zara stores are located at Ayala Center Cebu, Glorietta 3, Greenbelt 5, SM Mega Fashion Hall, One Bonifacio High Street, Power Plant Mall, Shangri-la Mall, SM Mall of Asia and Trinoma.

International Specialty Concepts, Inc., a unit of SSI Group,is the exclusive distributor of Zara in the Philippines.

The SSI Group portfolio includes brands such as Gucci, Burberry, Marks & Spencer, Muji, Lacoste, and Payless.

The listed specialty retailer has been expanding its e-commerce business in recent months. Its e-commerce properties include lacoste.com.ph, gap.com.ph, payless.ph, beautybar.com.ph, 158db.com.ph, superga.ph, bananarepublic.com.ph, and dunelondon.ph.

SSI Group reported its net income jumped by 22% to P345.9 million in the first six months of 2019, on the back of a 6.3% increase in net sales to P9.9 billion.

Kaspersky detects 170 ‘stalkerware’ programs in PHL in the 3rd quarter

INTERNET security firm Kaspersky has detected 170 “stalkerware” (commercial spyware) programs in the Philippines in the third quarter.

“In Q3 of 2019, there are 170 monitored stalkerware programs found in PH,” Kaspersky said in an email to BusinessWorld on Oct. 15 when asked for the latest data on stalkerware installation attempts in the Philippines.

Kaspersky said this is a slight decline from last year’s 286 stalkerware programs detected.

“The decline is too few to signify a dramatic improvement in terms of PH’s safety against stalkerware,” it noted.

Stalkerware, according to Kaspersky, is often used as a tool for domestic espionage.

“By using this software, an abuser can access their victim’s message, photographs, social media, geolocation and audio or camera recordings, without the victim’s knowledge or consent,” it said.

In its 2019 report on the “State of Stalkerware,” Kaspersky said that the number of users globally who encountered at least one stalkerware installation attempt has increased by 35% to 37,532 in the first eight months of this year.

“In the first eight months of 2019, 37,532 users encountered stalkerware at least once. This is a 35% increase from the same period in 2018 when 27,798 users were targeted,” Kaspersky said in its report released on Oct. 2.

The report noted that Russia remains the most targeted globally, “accounting for 25.6% of potentially affected users, in the first eight months of 2019.”

Russia is followed by India with 10.6% of affected users. Brazil is in third place (10.4%) while the United States is the fourth with 7.1% affected users.

As for Europe, Kaspersky said: “Germany, Italy and the UK hold the top three places respectively.”

Kaspersky attributes this increase to the improvement in detecting stalkerware software through cybersecurity solutions.

“In April, Kaspersky launched functionality in its Android security app — Privacy Alert — that specifically alerts users if a software that can be used for stalking is found on their device. Since then, the number of detections has steadily risen,” it noted in its report.

Kaspersky recommended that IT security firms and advocacy groups should join forces to “ensure that cybersecurity companies respond better to stalkerware.”

“We believe that every person has a right to be privacy-protected. That’s why we deliver security expertise, work closely with international organizations and law enforcement agencies to fight cybercriminals, as well as develop technologies, solutions and services that help you stay safe from the cyberthreats,” it added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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