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What to see this week

5 films to see on the week of August 30 — September 5, 2019

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

SET in 1969 Los Angeles, fading TV actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth strive to be famous and successful during the tail-end of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Luke Perry, Dakota Fanning, and Al Pacino. Empire’s Ian Freer writes, “At every stage, the film-mak-ing is on point. Robert Richard-son’s stun-ning cin-e-matog-ra-phy pops but never feels overly man-nered, Ar-i-anne Phillips’ cos-tume de-sign is too styl-ish for words, and Harry Co-hen’s dense, bravura sound de-sign in-ter-weaves mu-sic, ra-dio chat, ad-verts and TV chat-ter to spell-bind-ing ef-fect. It’s a film that courses with a love of moviemak-ing and Hol-ly-wood lore and might be Taran-tino’s most per-sonal film to date…”

MTRCB Rating: R-16

Ready or Not

A BRIDE’S wedding night turns weird when her in-laws invite her to play a terrifying game and she ends up fighting for her survival. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, it stars Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, and Mark O’Brien. Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers writes, “It all goes from bloody hilarious to just bloody. What’s unexpected is the subversive wit that that turns Ready or Not into a satiric sneak attack on the institution of marriage.”

MTRCB Rating: R-16

Upin and Ipin: The Lone Gibbon Kris

FIVE-YEAR-OLD twin brothers Upin and Ipin, along with their friends, discover a mystical kris which leads them to the fantastical kingdom of Inderaloka in this animated feature. While finding their way home, they end up having to save the kingdom. Directed by Adam Bin Amiruddin and Syed Nurfaiz Khalid bin Syed Ibrahim, the film features the voice of Asyiela Putri Bt Azhar, and Mohd Amir Asyraf Bin Mohd Noor Rashid.

MTRCB Rating: G

Above the Shadows

A DECADE after Holly unexplainably became invisible to everyone around her, she meets retired MMA fighter Shayne who is the only one who can see her. With Shayne’s help, Holly works to regain her foothold in the world. Directed by Claudia Myers, the film stars Megan Fox, Olivia Thirlby, and Jim Gaffigan. Variety’s Courtney Howard writes, “This magical-realist fairy tale, about a young woman feeling so isolated and insignificant after a tragic loss that she’s literally invisible to everyone except one other struggling soul, is certainly imaginative and intelligent in its ideas. However, the savvy smarts within don’t quite sustain the running time and, much like its protagonist, the film becomes transparent in its motives and sentimentality.” Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 50% rating.

MTRCB Rating: PG

The Ghosting

BASED ON the Solante urban legend, the film follows Ken who knew that Grace met a little girl carrying a headless doll who asks for help to go home to a red house. Ken believes that the urban legend has something to do with the deaths in the neighborhood and Grace’s disappearance — however, no one believes him. Directed by Joey de Guzman, the film stars Khahil Ramos and Andrea Brillantes.

MTRCB Rating: R-13

AirAsia PHL profit surges in Q2

EARNINGS of Philippines AirAsia, Inc. surged in the second quarter as the budget carrier ferried more passengers and increased inflight, duty-free and baggage revenues.

Malaysia-based AirAsia Group Berhad reported its second quarter financial performance yesterday, where it said the Philippine unit reached a profit after tax of P593.07 million in the April to June period, up 777% from last year.

Revenues likewise grew 38% to P7.51 billion, driven by a 22% increase to 2.225 million in the passengers it carried during the period.

Its load factor, or the measure of its aircraft utilization based on passengers on a plane against its capacity, also rose four percentage points to 91% in the second quarter.

“In terms of profitability, we are excited to see…the improved performance of AirAsia Philippines,” Bo Lingam, president of AirAsia Group for airlines, was quoted as saying in a statement.

“We are also steadily growing our traditional airline ancillary revenue,” he added, noting inflight, duty-free and baggage revenues recorded a 42% growth in the Philippines during the second quarter.

The budget carrier 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.

“With our performance so far this year, we are positive on our target for all our ASEAN AOCs (air operator’s certificate) to be profitable this year,” Mr. Lingam said.

AirAsia Group currently has presence in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Japan and Thailand.

AirAsia Philippines is adding three new aircraft in 2019 with a goal of expanding its fleet to 30 planes in the next two years, from the current 23. It is continuously adding new routes and destinations, with an ongoing application to fly to Guam.

AirAsia Philippines’ majority stakeholder, businessman Michael L. Romero’s F&S Holdings, Inc., is targeting to launch an initial public offering of the company before the year ends. — Denise A. Valdez

Mnuchin says ultra-long bonds under consideration

TREASURY Secretary Steven Mnuchin said issuing ultra-long US bonds is “under very serious consideration” in the Trump administration, possibly setting up a move that would mark a historic revamp of the $16-trillion Treasuries market.

“If the conditions are right, then I would anticipate we’ll take advantage of long-term borrowing and execute on that,” Mnuchin said Wednesday in a Bloomberg interview in Washington. He said officials held a meeting earlier in the day to review the possibility.

The concept of issuing 50- or 100-year bonds dates back to at least 2009 and has recently gained traction within Treasury. For the Trump administration, issuing extremely long-term debt would limit the cost to taxpayers of plugging a budget deficit that’s headed to $1 trillion annually. Pension funds would enjoy a few extra points of returns amid falling yields.

Mnuchin said his renewed interest in long bonds was unrelated to the drop in yields on shorter-term US debt. The yield on 30-year Treasuries slid below 2% for the first time earlier this month, and they continued their decline to a new record 1.90% on Wednesday.

“It would be premature for me to comment on what our conclusion is,” Mnuchin said, adding that the department is “actively revisiting it, and it is something that is under very serious consideration.”

Following Mnuchin’s comments, the spread between five- and 30-year Treasury yields widened to 59 basis points from 56 basis points. Mnuchin’s comments helped push up 30-year yields to 1.97%, reversing the decline earlier in the day. Those moves retraced in early Asia trading on Thursday, with the 30-year yield dropping back to 1.93%.

Record-low interest rates make this an opportune time for the Treasury to revisit a proposal it’s shelved in the past. Some observers see a window for the US to issue extremely long-term debt instruments, even though the idea has been met with a cool reception on Wall Street.

Mnuchin studied the issue when he first took office in 2017, but put the idea to rest following a review with the agency’s group of market consultants, called the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, or TBAC.

Treasury’s announcement last Friday after markets closed stirred some confusion among investors who questioned whether the renewed interest was a result of prompting from the TBAC or its primary dealers — or from President Donald Trump.

The decision to make the announcement came after a meeting between Mnuchin and White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, according to people familiar with the matter. It was not the result of fresh information from market participants, the people said.

Among the risks of an ultra-long bond is the ebb and flow of demand over the course of an economic cycle. Buyers may be enthusiastic when yields are high, but in downturns, when the Federal Reserve is cutting rates, demand may evaporate, pushing government borrowing costs higher across different maturities.

“The determination we made at the time was that there was definitely some interest in it but it was not necessarily at the size and scale that we thought made sense to pursue,” Mnuchin said Wednesday. “Some time went by and I thought it made sense that we revisit this.”

The Treasury has examined the possibility of issuing long bonds about four times in the past decade. The TBAC has been unenthusiastic on the prospect of an ultra-long issue since it emerged.

Investors have snapped up 100-year bonds issued by the likes of Austria, although recent experiences in Argentina and Germany underscore some of the potential pitfalls for investors.

Alarms sounded in the Treasury market earlier this month after 10-year yields dipped below two-year ones, an event considered a harbinger of a US economic recession in the next 18 months.

The move caught the attention of Trump, who on Aug. 14 tweeted about the “CRAZY INVERTED YIELD CURVE!” and blamed the Fed for any negative effects.

“There are people who think that the yield curve can predict a recession — I don’t believe that,” Mnuchin said Wednesday. “The answer is: In environments when the market thinks that the Fed is going to lower short-term rates, and that’s built into the market expectation, people end up buying longer-term securities, and that’s what can lead to a flat or inverted yield curve. The market adjusts quicker than the Fed.” — Bloomberg

Tech firm Salarium updates payroll software for larger firms

SALARIUM

TECH START-UP Salarium said it launched the latest edition of its software that will ease the payroll preparation process, this time targeting larger companies.

On Thursday, Salarium launched Version 3.0 of its system, a scalable solution that can be customized to meet a company’s HR needs and integrated with other systems already in use.

Salarium’s systems are being used by 600 companies, mostly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) employing a total of 35,000 workers..

“What an SME wants and what a large enterprise wants are different things. Our Version 2.0 was made for SMEs. Which is why we built a different version for the large enterprise,” Salarium CEO and founder Judah Z. Hirsch told BusinessWorld on Thursday.

“We’ve been working hard to attract the large enterprises so we built a brand new system… making it much more reliable and global.”

Salarium Fintech Operations Head Marc De Juan said, “We are taking a proactive approach to data privacy and as well as a reactive approach (to contain risk from) data breaches or… data privacy. One of which is implementing the right technology in place which is robust enough (to resist attack).” — Gillian M. Cortez

Your Weekend Guide (August 30, 2019)

MaestroRy: A Tribute to Ryan Cayabyab

SOLAIRE Resort and Casino presents MaestroRy, a special, one-night only tribute concert to National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, on Aug. 31, 8 p.m., at The Theatre at Solaire. Hosted by Jon Santos, directed by Paolo Valenciano, with musical direction of Mel Villena, the show will feature Mr. Cayabyab’s classics with special renditions of songs such as “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” to “Paraiso,” “Da Coconut Nut,” and “Nais Ko.” Performing are Autotelic, Baihana, Basil Valdez, Bleu Rascals, Celeste Legaspi, Debonair District, IV of Spades, Kuh Ledesma, Morissette,Nicole Asensio, The Smokey Mountain pioneer members Jeffrey Hidalgo and Tony Lambino, Thyro, Urbandub and more. Tickets are available through TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

6th Edition of PHL Harvest

NOW on its 6th edition, the three-day food and agri-trade Philippine Harvest fair boasts of a wide selection of sustainable farm tourism products. Some 50 exhibitors will be featured with products ranging from assorted vegan desserts, coffee, taho, wild forest honey, artisanal cheese, crunchy garlic, meat and fish products, and salted egg, among others. Locally produced items such as handbags, health/beauty products and bamboo “utensils will also be available. The fair runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., at the Central Square in Bonifacio Global City.

Juana Change at the CCP

MAE PANER, a.k.a. Juana Change, in Tao Po

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and The Citizens for Promoting Human Rights, Inc. in partnership with Mae Paner, a.k.a. Juana Change, present Tao Po, a four part monologue interactive performance that gives a human face to the issue of extra-judicial killings. Tao Po is a one-night show slated on Aug. 31, 8 p.m., at the CCP’s Tanghalang Huseng Batute, and featuring award winning actress and activist Mae Paner. For tickets to Tao Po, call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704.

13th International Silent Film Festival Manila

THE 13TH International Silent Film Festival Manila will be held at SM Aura Premier from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. It has since expanded to include a roster of films from Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the Philippines. The films will be accompanied with live scoring by local bands. Free admission. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/2248725038558888/.

Ballet Philippine’s Swan Lake

BALLET Philippines opens its 50th Season with Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, with performances from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8 at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The ballet has been a staple in the company’s repertoire since 1978. The show will feature dancers from the Mariinsky Ballet (formerly the Kirov Ballet) in two evening performances. Tickets are available through TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

ArteFino

NEW artisanal creations presented by over 100 brands will be showcased at the ArteFino Fair on Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 at The Fifth at Rockwell, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati. ArteFino “is a movement that celebrates the Filipino artisan by creating an environment that treasures creativity and inspired passion.” Among the participating brands are: Alegre by Techie Hagedorn, Gabbie Sarenas, KAAYO Modern Mindanao, Lokal Fashion + Home + Art, Zarah Juan, Island Girl, Mich Dulce, Silnag, Zapateria, SC Vizcarra, Kathy and Kathy Bespoke, Nlagdameo, Sanxi, Casa San Pablo, Cornerstone Pottery, and Red Slab. Entrance tickets will be available at the gate and cost P150 for a one-day pass, and P500 for a four-day pass. Both passes come with one complimentary eco shopping bag. Admission is free for children ages five and below. The ArteFino Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday to Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Mabining Mandirigma, A Steampunk Musical

TANGHALANG Pilipino presents Mabining Mandirigma, A Steampunk Musical about the life of hero and “sublime paralytic” Apolinario Mabini, with performances at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines until Sept. 1. The 2019 run stars Monique Wilson as Mabini. Arman Ferrer will be reprising his role as Emilio Aguinaldo, alternating with David Ezra. Tickets are available through TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Dani Girl

THE Sandbox Collective restages Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond’s Dani Girl at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave., Makati until Sept. 1. Directed by Toff de Venecia, the musical centers on nine-year-old Dani who sets off on a quest to find her hair and figure out the answer to the question, “Why is cancer?” She journeys with fellow cancer warrior and best friend Marty, through lightsaber duels, game shows, and blasting off to outer space. The play stars Rebecca Coates as Dani alternating with Kyle Napuli. Luigi Quesada returns as Marty, alternating with Daniel Drilon. For inquiries, call 0956-200-4909, 586-7105 or sab@thesandboxco.com.

Rak of Aegis

THE hit Pinoy jukebox musical Rak of Aegis returns to the PETA Theater Center, with ongoing performances until Sept. 29. The show uses the songs of the Aegis band such as “Halik,” “Sinta,” and “Basang-Basa sa Ulan” to tell the tale of a perennially flooded barangay. This latest production features a mix of original cast members including Aicelle Santos and Kim Molina, Isay Alvarez-Seña and Sweet Plantado-Tiongson, Robert Seña and Renz Verano, and Kakai Bautista and Neomi Gonzales. Tickets are available through TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Duterte approves SkyJet franchise

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law a measure granting Magnum Air, Inc., the operator of SkyJet Airlines, a franchise to operate domestic and international flights.

Republic Act No. 11410, which Mr. Duterte signed on Aug. 22, gives Magnum Air a 25-year franchise to “establish, operate and maintain domestic and international air transport services” in the country.

Operating since 2012, SkyJet currently offers direct flights from Manila to San Vicente, Batanes, Coron via Busuanga, and Camiguin. It also offers charter and cargo services.

Under the law, the airline still has to secure certificates, permits and licenses from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

The airline is also required to fix “just and reasonable rates” for the transportation of passengers, mails, goods, and freight, subject to the regulations and approval of the CAB and other property regulatory agencies of the government.

Magnum Air also has to offer at least 30% of its outstanding capital stock to Filipinos, in compliance with the constitutional provision, promoting public participation in public utilities.

The bill granting Magnum Air’s franchise was passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 25, 2017, and amended and passed by the Senate on May 27, 2019. The House concurred with the amendments on May 29, 2019. — A.L.Balinbin

RBAP, TransUnion partner on credit information sharing

RURAL BANKERS Association of the Philippines (RBAP) has partnered with solutions provider TransUnion Philippines for credit information sharing, which is expected to boost financial inclusion among Filipinos and strengthen the banking sector.

A statement released Thursday said the 400 rural bank members of RBAP have agreed to contribute consumer credit reports to help better assess consumers’ creditworthiness.

“By using data-based, analytics-driven solutions, we expect the volume of lending to grow as the decision-making process becomes more fluid. Ultimately, this will have a positive impact on the bottom line of each member rural bank,” former RBAP President Armando B. Bonifacio was quoted as saying.

The data-sharing arrangement will also help banks enhance their offerings while clients will have better access to new loans, it said.

It will likewise help clients to validate applications for new financial products and protect them from fraud.

“Providing rural banks with a more complete picture of a person’s creditworthiness helps open up more financial possibilities, giving consumers access to credit that might have been inaccessible to them before this partnership,” TransUnion Philippines President and CEO Pia Arellano was quoted in the statement.

TransUnion Philippines is a solutions provider working on data-sharing models, providing consumer reports, risk scores, analytical services, and decisioning capabilities to its members.

When is the best time to leave a toxic boss?

I’ve been a manager for a major company for five years. I’m happy with my pay and perks package and the working environment until a recent reorganization resulting in the promotion of a colleague as our boss and department vice-president. On his fifth month on the job, he showed an unusual management style that many of his direct reports abhor. For one, he takes credit for our exceptional work and does not bother to commend people who contributed a lot to make it happen. Is this the right time now to leave this company? — Just Asking

When you make a drastic move and decide to leave the organization, the worst thing that could happen to you now is to have coffee breaks on your own unpaid time and lose your bargaining power with a potential employer. Therefore, don’t take it seriously. You need to take things easy and roll with the tide until another opportunity or a better situation comes up.

So what kind of opportunity or better situation are we looking at?

It depends on you. The question that only you can answer is — what makes you happy in that organization? Also, you may not be able to control but only manage your own boss. And if we’re only to consider that credit-grabbing style of your boss, then consider it nothing compared to what other managers must experience with other tough and toxic bosses as defined in my list below.

Your primary focus is to efficiently manage your employees in the performance of their respective tasks. This is not to say that you should totally ignore your perceived injustices by your boss. What I’m saying is that if you focus on doing the best for your department and keeps on managing your relationship with your boss, then everything will be all right.

Now, how seriously wrongful is the “unusual management style” of your department vice-president? You have not listed down all possible issues with your boss, which is understandable due to space limitations. Therefore, allow me to approximate the most common types of unfair treatment committed by many toxic bosses and recommend things for you:

One, your boss distrusts you with important information. Don’t fret about it. Maybe your boss is testing your creativity and resourcefulness. Look for ways to do your job based on available data from other managers, departments, even outside of the organization. Use those credible facts and figures from other sources to surprise your boss.

Two, your boss blames you for his serious mistakes. Clarify this issue in a face-to-face encounter with your boss in a private room. Be brave enough but not argumentative. Find out why he’s blaming you for his serious mistakes. Explain your side. Whatever happens, don’t apologize if there’s no need for it. But if it’s clearly your fault, then accept it and apologize.

Three, your boss insults or disrespects you in front of others. When you hear verbal attacks to your face, take an immediate stand and say: “That’s an insult! It’s unfair to me” or words to that effect. Call your boss’s attention to the fact that such behavior is wrong. But be cool just the same. It’s difficult, but that’s the only way to stop an abusive boss.

Four, your boss makes decision without consulting you. That’s OK from time-to-time but not all the time. The reasons may vary. It can range from expertise in a given area to personal friendship with some concerned employees or customers. Step back for a while and reassess your options. Clarify the issue with the boss if it becomes a bad habit on his part.

Five, your boss rejects your ideas and proposals all the time. The proven cure to this is always to present your ideas in person. Don’t rely on sending emails and leave it at that. If you do that, make a personal follow-up to find out his objections or clarifications on why your boss is dragging his feet.

Last, your boss takes credit for your exceptional work. At times, giving credit when and where it is due can be neglected by the boss who might want to maintain good work relationships with everyone. Don’t feel bad about it. Some bosses feel and think that if they must be held accountable for their sub-par performance, then likewise, they must be given full credit for the above-par performance of their department.

Anyway, your boss knows where to get valuable assistance and good ideas — from people like you. Therefore, keep those ideas coming without any resentment. If you keep on harboring bitterness, somehow, it will show and will adversely affect your performance. If this happens, your boss may take it against you and you could end up on the losing end.

Let your enthusiasm show to people and your boss no matter what. Always communicate your ideas in a positive manner. Cover for your boss when something goes wrong. If your boss commits a serious mistake and he can’t shift the blame to other people, divert attention from it by helping him identify a faulty organizational system.

Your boss will know it for sure and he will not only appreciate your support that may be translated into something bountiful for your mutual emotional bank account. Give yourself another chance to work harmoniously with your boss within the next six months. After that, and if he continues with his old, rotten ways, then prepare to leave for better employment opportunities elsewhere.

ELBONOMICS: Level up your relationship with people, one good chat at a time.

 

Send anonymous questions to elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.consulting

Grab Philippines adds new services

GRAB Philippines is adding new transport, logistics and lifestyle services on its platform.

At a media briefing in Makati City, the company said it will start offering in-house salon services with Toni&Guy and L’Oreal; nationwide parcel delivery with Ninja Van; and hotel booking services with Agoda and Booking.com. These new services will be available by September.

By October, Grab will also start offering video-streaming on its mobile application with service provider HOOQ.

“Our aim as the leading super app is to solve everyday problems so that Filipinos can do more… We collaborate with partners to create a suite of connected services within one super app and help unlock the benefits of the digital economy to Filipinos,” Grab Philippines President Brian P. Cu said.

Aside from the new services, Grab will also expand the coverage of its Bus Marketplace offer next month as it gained more partnerships with bus companies. It will start offering bus reservation services for point-to-point (P2P) buses in the routes Olongapo-Clark, Clark-Dagupan and Makati-Noveleta.

Last July, Grab launched bus booking services for P2P buses in the Glorietta 2-Nuvali and Glorietta 2-Southmall routes.

“We are excited to offer these new transport, logistics and lifestyle services to our fellow Filipinos. As the leading super app, we will continue to innovate and use our technology for good to help improve the quality of life for everyone in the Philippines,” Mr. Cu said. — Denise A. Valdez

Martha Stewart: Sustainable development, legacy

It was full house at the Martha Stewart Leadership event sponsored by ANC at Sofitel. Who is Martha Stewart? Why is she such a big celebrity? She is the first self-made American woman billionaire who has consistently reinvented herself. She is the icon in lifestyle, baking and gardening, among others, and has built an empire in publishing and selling many Martha Stewart home items.

What are some lessons of her success? If you have an idea, especially a good one that fills a void, DO IT! Wake up early. She starts the day before 7am daily. No substitute for hard work and “the early bird gets the worm.” Be observant, be curious and learn something new all the time. Be open minded to new ideas. She said if she writes an article about something today and finds out there is something better tomorrow, she will write another article about it. Be flexible. Attention to details. As they say, “the devil is in the details.” You must have balance and if you’re an entrepreneur, she said “dress well and never be sloppy.” Well, at 78 years old, she is fashionable and certainly looked younger.

Her life wasn’t always a bed of roses. She was imprisoned for a time. When asked about it, she simply said she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. “While it wasn’t pleasant, it was not the end of the world.” Her attitude about it said all. She doesn’t dwell on the negatives to bring her down.

At the event, “super woman” Cora Claudio asked how she would like to be remembered and what legacy does she want to leave behind? Martha responded that she doesn’t think about these things and just focus on what she loves doing and always do her best. The products of her efforts are her legacy, she said.

Cora is in charge of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) Sustainability committee to help government in the reforestation of the Laguna Lake Watershed area (10 times bigger than Singapore) in the Program on Reforestation with Development for Laguna Lake Watershed (PRD-LLW). The plan is to reforest denuded and idle areas with bamboo and indigenous native trees. Hand in hand is vegetable farming to ensure that there will be short term crops to eat as well as livelihood and profitable business to go with it.

Bamboo is grass and grows so fast. According to “Bamboo King” Ed Manda and Celia Elumba, Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Director for Textiles, kawayan tinik bamboos, eight months to no more than two years old are good for textiles. So in a relatively short term of one year, you can already start harvesting and the beauty is without killing the bamboo which is grass, unlike a tree.

Cora has mobilized partnerships in both private sector experts — such as Tony Oposa, Jun Palafox, Cielito and Pilar Habito, Vince Perez, Jimmy Ladao, Toto Malvar, and Bamboo Queen Kay Jimenez, among others — and government which includes Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu, DoST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Ching Plaza for PEZA accreditation, and the Development Bank of the Philippines’ Rolly Metin for grants and funding.

So many are passionate about the environment. The formidable group Cora harnessed for the giant task ahead has started moving.

We visited the beautiful Wonder Island Resort in the middle of Laguna de Bay graciously hosted by Rudy Pua and daughter Lanie. The lake is heavily silted due to soil erosion from deforestation and pollution. But there is hope. Working together towards reforestation and sustainability development, we may have a legacy to leave behind.

 

Flor Gozon Tarriela is the Chairman of Philippine National Bank. She is the Liaison Director for Environment of FINEX Foundation. She is former Undersecretary of Finance and the First Filipina Vice President of Citibank N.A. Contact her at ftarriela@yahoo.com.

KPop Calendar (08/30/19)

NU’EST in Manila

URBAN ELECTRO band NU’EST returns with five members, a new album, and a concert tour which is making a stop in the Philippines. PULP Live World brings the band’s members — JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun, and Ren — here for the 2019 NU’EST Concert in Manila, which will be on Aug. 31 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. For details visit www.pulp.ph.

Actor Park Hae-Jin fan meet

KOREAN ACTOR Park Hae-Jin is set to hold his first Philippine fan meeting, “SPARK: Park Hae-Jin Fan Meeting in Manila,” on Sept. 21 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Presented by Artist League Manila. All ticketholders will get the chance to give the Korean actor — known for his leading roles in tvN’s Cheese in the Trap and MBC’s Man to Man — a high-five after the program. Tickets to the fan meeting are available through ticketnet.com.ph and all TicketNet outlets nationwide.

Actor Lee Seung Gi fan meet

SOUTH KOREA’s “Ballad Prince,” Lee Seung-Gi, will be holding his “2019 Lee Seung-Gi Asia Fanmeeting in Manila” on Oct. 12, 6 p.m., at the New Frontier Theater in Araneta Center, Cubao. Known for his singing, acting, and hosting, Lee Seung-Gi’s fantasy-drama My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, aired on ABS-CBN in 2011. Most recently he was seen in the fantasy-drama Hwayugi, which also aired on ABS-CBN. This year, Lee Seung-Gi is set to star in a new spy-action drama titled Vagabond. Tickets — which range in price from P4,000 to P9,500 — are available at all TicketNet outlets nationwide and online via www.ticketnet.com.ph. The fan meet is presented by HOOK Entertainment and Applewood.

KPop group show

THE SHOW Good Friends in Manila 2019 will be held on Oct. 5 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Among the performers are girl group Momoland, Kim Jae Hwan and Ha Sung Woon. Tickets prices range from P3,000 to P9,500. General ticket selling will start at noon on Sept. 1 at all TicketNet outlets and TicketNet Online. A special pre-selling will happen on Aug. 31. This event is presented by MLD Entertainment and Loun Holdings, organized by DnM Entertainment.

How PSEi member stocks performed — August 29, 2019

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

 

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