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Arts&Culture (06/05/19)

Student discounts given

STUDENTS will get a 20% discount on all zones and performances of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream which will have performances from Sept. 17 to 22 at The Theatre at Solaire. To avail of the discount, students should use the promo code SRTCLASS20 or present their school ID at any TicketWorld outlet.

MCAD public programs

AS PART of its ongoing exhibit of The Spectre of Comparison which was shown at the Venice Bienalle, the Museum of Contemporary Art & Design (MCAD) will have a series of public programs from June to July. These include a hands-on workshop called “Poetry in Neon” on June 15, 3 p.m., at the MCAD Multimedia Room. The workshop is meant for children, ages eight to 10, to visualize poetry through neon painting. Meanwhile, there will be a Filipino Sign Language Guided Tour on June 18 and July 19, 2:30 p.m., held in collaboration with Benilde’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies. For workshop attendance or tour bookings, e-mail mcad@benilde.edu.ph.

Silverlens exhibits

TWO exhibits opened on June 1 at Silverlens: The Quality of Sunlight is a Filter Through Which Our Thoughts and Feelings Pass by Catalina Africa, her third solo exhibit at the gallery; and Flux by Bea Valdes, her second solo show at the gallery. Africa presents paintings, objects, and video that explore the genre of landscape painting reconfigured into the artist’s unique visual language of patterned abstraction. A globally collected accessory designer, Valdes is known for her intricate and handcrafted clutch bags and jewelry. She has expanded her practice to large scale installation and sculpture. The exhibits are on view until July 6 at Silverlens, 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave.Ext., Makati.

Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky plays Norma.

Bellini’s Norma

THE sixth season of CCP Met Opera in HD culminates with Norma, Vincenzo Bellini’s two-act opera, to be screened on June 11, at 6:30 p.m., at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3. Known for its bel canto genre, the opera tells the story about Norma, a Druid high priestess who broke her chastity vows and had two children with Pollione, a Roman proconsul. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky takes on the titular role in a new production by Sir David McVicar. Also in the performance are Joyce DiDonato as Adalgisa, tenor Joseph Calleja as Pollione, and Matthew Rose as Norma’s father. Leading the Met Orchestra and Chorus is Maestro Carlo Rizzi. The CCP Met Opera in HD series features screenings of the latest operatic productions of the Metropolitan Opera in New York through the high definition digital technology and Dolby sound recreating the experience of watching an opera production at the Met “live.” For details call Greenbelt 3 Cinemas Customer Service at 757-7883 or CCP Sales and Promotions at 832-3706, or e-mail ccpsalesandpromo@gmail.com.

MSO does Cayabyab

THE MSO opens its season with a tribute to the music of newly appointed National Artist for Music, Ryan Cayabyab. Mr. Cayabyab’s choral and orchestral output will be interpreted by the MSO under the baton of guest conductor Prof. Jonathan Velasco together with the Ateneo Chamber Singers. The Music of Ryan Cayabyab: An Orchestral Tribute will be held on June 9, 6 p.m., at the Hyundai Hall, Arete, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (891-9999, www.ticketworld.com.ph).

Beautiful opening this month

BASED on the true story of Carole King’s remarkable journey from teenage songwriter to Rock and roll legend, Beautiful features classics such as “You’ve Got a Friend,” “One Fine Day,” “So Far Away,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and “Natural Woman.” Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, a production of AtlantisTwenty, will run from June 14 to July 7 at the Meralco Theater, Pasic City. It stars Kayla Rivera and Nick Varricchio, and is directed by Bobby Garcia. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (891-9999, www.ticketworld.com.ph).

B+Abble 2019 arts forum

THE forum B+Abble: A Series of Talks on Contemporary Arts and Design, will be held on June 22, Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., at the PETA Theater in Quezon City. It is meant to encourage people to think outside the box in their fields of expertise, helping them approach their craft in new ways. The speakers are Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT) founder Gabe Mercado, visual artist and sculptor Jinggoy Buensuceso, Interior Design Director of Mañosa & Co. and Founder of Awit At Laro Bambi Mañosa, and Javier Design Studio Manila (JDSM) founder architect Joseph Javier. Now in its 5th edition, the annual forum’s lectures are “The Joy of Improv: The Improvisational Mindset as a Key to the Creative Economy,” “Changing the Landscape of Philippine Art & Design,” “Awit at Laro: Celebrating the Spirit of Play through music, art, dance and culture,” and “The Design of Purpose.” There will also be musical performances by R&B and soul singer Bea Lorenzo, and experimental OPM and jazz duo Project Yazz. Tickets are priced at P800, P500 for members of the United Architects of the Philippines Alabang Chapter, and P350 for students. For seat reservations and details, e-mail design@buensalidoarchitects.com or go to www.facebook.com/buensalidoarchitects.

2 at Mo_Space

RUNNING until June 30 at Mo_Space are Juan Alcazaren’s P and Wire Tuazon’s Sometimes We Name Typhoons After Men. P is a thematic extension of Alcazaren’s work, “End of the Affair,” which was part of MO_Space’s flipbook project, Flipping Out, shown at Art Fair Philippines earlier this year. Discussing his works in the show, Mr. Tuazon wrote, “The works are drawn reflections upon the art of painting itself: that we see our own world mirrored and not the worlds of the past or of some other space or culture.” The gallery is located at the 3rd level, MOs Design, B2 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Drum Tao returns with a new show.

Drum Tao returns

DRUM TAO returns to Manila on Sept. 5 to 8 at the Theatre at Solaire with a new show, Rhythm of Tribe, Time Travel Chronicles. The show combines martial arts and choreography for an innovative contemporary Japanese production with costumes designed by Junko Koshino. Tickets — available through TicketWorld (891-9999, www.ticketworld.com.ph) — range in price from P1,400 to P5,600. For group, corporate, and showbuyers call 897-9697 or 0915. An Early Bird discount of 15% on VIP and Silver seats, and 10% on Balcony will be given until June 14 when using the promo code DT2019.

City of Bawal

NO jaywalking. No trespassing. No littering. No loitering. No loading and unloading. No parking. No U-turn. No texting and driving. No drinking and driving. No entry. No guns allowed. No smoking. No illegal vendors. Not for hire. Post no bill. Do not blow horn. Obey speed limit. Do not delay. How to grasp the everyday minutiae of the city of bawal? City of Bawal is an ongoing exhibit at 1335 Mabini featuring works by Brisa Amir, Datu Arellano, Kristoffer Ardena, Jan Balquin, Lesley-Anne Cao, Miggy Inumerable, Czar Kristoff, Celine Lee, Cris Mora, Indy Paredes, Mark Salvatus, Jel Suarez, and Jose Tong. City of Bawal closes this Saturday, June 8, with an artists walk-through, and a performance from Isola Rosa. This event is open and free to the public. The gallery is located at C18 Karrivin Plaza, Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati.

Tiu’s Infradev to create China unit

PHILIPPINE Infradev Holdings, Inc. said it is forming a wholly owned subsidiary to be based in Jiangsu, China that will primarily be in charge of the company’s procurement processes.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday, the Antonio L. Tiu-led firm said its board of directors has approved the creation of a $10-million subsidiary that will be called “Infra China Ltd.” or a similar name.

It added the China-based firm will be in the business of “procurement, financing, financial leasing, commercial trading and guarantee, among others.“

Earlier this year, the company also tapped China’s Greenland Holdings Group, Jiangsu Provincial Construction Group Co. Ltd., Holdings Ltd. and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. for its $3.7-billion Makati City Subway Project.

In the same Tuesday disclosure, Infradev said its board gave the go signal to start negotiations with Aggregate Business Group Holdings, Inc. (ABG) to participate in the Pasig River project with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC).

ABG is a domestic holding company with a 75.10% stake in Philippine Infradev.

The company earlier said it plans to connect the Makati City Subway, which it is building as an intra-city system within the central business district, to eventually connect to the Pasig River ferry and the Metro Manila Subway Project.

The Makati City Subway Project is currently ongoing soil testing, which Mr. Tiu had said is scheduled to finish in the next 30 to 45 days. The actual construction of the project is expected to begin by the end of the year at the earliest.

The subway is seen completed by 2024, ahead of the 2025 deadline set by the city government of Makati. — Denise A. Valdez

GSIS net income surges to P38.7 billion in 1st quarter

THE GOVERNMENT Service Insurance System’s (GSIS) net income surged in the first quarter on the back of higher interest income and premium contributions, as well as the local bourse’s strong performance.

GSIS said on Tuesday that its net income stood at P38.7 billion in the first three months, surging from the P9.05 billion booked in the same period last year.

“It is due to the improvement in the equities market, domestic and global. There are enough factors there to support the market,” GSIS Executive Vice President Gracita Gilda V. Bocanegra said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

GSIS said its public equities portfolio accounted for about 20% of total assets in the first quarter as the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) climbed 6% year-on-year to 7,920.93 as of March 29.

Also contributing to the increase in its net income is the climb in interest earnings on the back of the GSIS’ new loan programs such as GSIS Financial Assistance Loan for personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) and GSIS Enhanced Consolidated Salary Loan Plus for members.

Premium contributions likewise rose as its active members increased to 1.8 million in the period from last year’s 1.7 million.

GSIS President Jesus Clint O. Aranas said the pension fund will expand its lending initiatives to further push growth.

“We are going to extend loans to government employees other than DepEd… Our collection efficiency can handle this one,” he said.

Mr. Aranas added that the agency is also determined sell its “non-performing” property in the Port Area. He said the GSIS will exhaust all legal means to push through with the sale. The property is partly occupied by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., which Mr. Aranas claimed has not responded despite GSIS’ efforts to send the company letters regarding the asset.

Mr. Aranas said the 672,645 square meter (sq.m) commercial property in the Port Area has a total zonal value of P33.63 billion, while the residential property with an area of 109,212 sq.m has a total zonal value of P3.82 billion.

“The Department of Finance has now come out with the valuation of properties particularly our property in the Port Area. We will pursue our desire to sell our non-performing asset in that area,” Mr. Aranas said.

He said the GSIS will use “every means possible” to complete the sale, which he hopes will happen within the year. — RJNI

LGU approves SNAP’s Alimit hydropower project in Ifugao

SN ABOITIZ Power (SNAP) on Tuesday said it has signed a framework agreement with the Lamut municipal government for the proposed Alimit Hydropower Complex in Ifugao province, and secured the concurrence of the Lamut municipal council.

“With this, all four of the local government units (LGU) hosting the Alimit Hydro, namely the Municipalities of Aguinaldo, Lagawe, Lamut, and Mayoyao, have signified their approval for what is set to be Ifugao’s first large-scale hydropower facility,” the joint venture of Norway’s SN Power and Aboitiz Power Corp. said in a statement.

The agreement details the “cooperation, collaboration, and obligations between and among SNAP as project proponent and the municipalities as hosts during the development and operation phase of the project.”

“We believe that meaningful collaboration with our stakeholders and communities can help propel our country toward a more energy-secure future. We are thankful for the support and trust that the concerned local government units of Ifugao have extended to SNAP and the Alimit Project,” SNAP President and CEO Joseph S. Yu was quoted as saying.

For the first phase, the 120-megawatt Alimit Plant and the 20-MW Olilicon Plant will be built. The company is allocating between $450 to $550 million for the first phase.

The second phase involves the construction of the 250-MW Alimit pumped storage facility.

The Alimit Hydropower complex, which has been certified as an energy project of national significance by the Department of Energy, is expected to bring in a total 390 MW of electricity to the grid and help in securing power supply.

Filipino and Panitikan: We found them at the movies

By Menchu Aquino Sarmiento

DESPITE the hue and cry on social media about the banishing of Filipino and Panitikan (Philippine Literature) from the G.E. (General Education) curriculum, these weren’t even required subjects during much of the last century. Filipino Literature (classics like Balagtas’ Ibong Adarna or translations of Rizal’s Noli and Fili) was taught in high school, and Balarila (Filipino Grammar) in the elementary grades. This was way before the millennials’ time. Today’s high school SAP (Special Arts Program) syllabus may include digital filmmaking. Anyone with a smart phone can be a filmmaker or actor, using social media to distribute one’s creations. The recent scholarly conference “Interseksyon: Pelikula, Panitikan at Wikang Filipino” drew an unexpected crowd which necessitated changing the original venue from the UP Mass Comm Auditorium to the much larger Cine Adarna. National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Vice-Chair Teddy Co cited film and TV as the convergence of various art forms (e.g., performing arts, literature) with new technologies.

Filipinos of decades past learned their Panitikan and Filipino not in any classroom, but at the movie theaters which numbered 300 before WWII. The theaters of yore affirmed Filipino class divisions with the pang-masa (for the masses) orchestra, and the costlier balcony and loge, whose well-heeled patrons preferred Hollywood movies. The bakya (wooden clogs) crowd or hoi-polloi watched the sineng Tagalog (Tagalog-language movies). Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera credits the popularity of these locally produced Filipino movies, also radio and later television programs, for the spread of our national language since the American Colonial Period. The three media platforms of movies, radio, and TV are the most accessible and widely consumed art forms (they occasionally rise to that level) for Filipinos. Generally, we are not serious readers, nor museum, gallery or theater-goers.

The researcher Carmencita Momblanco found over half of the 1,500 Philippine movies produced from 1919 to 1950 (few survived intact or at all), were adaptations of popular Tagalog novels serialized in Liwayway Magazine or rendered as komiks (comics) in other publications. These were leisure reading for the masses, not high art for the literati. Their popularity gave many Filipinos fluency in Tagalog. Even before Filipino became the official language, Tagalog-speakers were considered at an advantage because Manila was the center of commerce, politics and culture. The major movie studios were also here.

Movie themes then were comfortingly mundane experiences of romantic or family love, fantasy, and melodrama. Favorite themes were: the maltreated child (Tahan na Empoy, Mga Batang Yagit); the decadent rich oppressing the noble poor, usually two lovers — one rich, one poor; the tulisan (hoodlum) with a heart of gold. People wanted to be entertained — no political propaganda, history lessons, or painful psycho-drama. The written dialogue in the serialized novel or komiks balloons might be delivered practically verbatim onscreen. Often, the original authors also wrote the screenplays.

Dr. Nicanor Tiongson described the direct transposition from stage to screen of theater forms, i.e., corrido (metrical romances), (melo)drama, and bodabil (vaudeville or variety show). Romantic or farcical mistaken identity plots were crowd-pleasers. The first full length Filipino film, Dalagang Bukid, was a sarsuela, the Pinoy version of the MGM musicale, which morphed into the “Juke Box Musicales” of the 1960s and ’70s, launching Nida Blanca and Nora Aunor into the cosmos. The sarsuela stage troupes, many from the provinces, reprised their stage roles on film. Former President Diosdado Macapagal, part of the Sarsuela de Lubao, Pampanga passed on his acting genes to his daughter, former President now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The stage versions often originated from written literature or komiks. It was a fruitful cross-pollination, still evident in such hackneyed favorites as Enteng Kabisote, now on its 10th rehash.

The movie studio system here was established by the Spanish-speaking wealthy of the mid-20th century. They saw the sineng Tagalog as a great business opportunity. Over 800 sineng Tagalog were made in the 1950s, with more than half by LVN studios. Dr. Roland Tolentino of UP Mass Comm calls Tagalog/Filipino the language of “soft power,” as opposed to English, the language of the political and economic elites.

The movie studio system gave rise to Filipino fan culture and the cult of celebrityhood. The price of admission made movie-going largely a middle-class activity. Middle-class aspirations and values were portrayed on-screen, influencing consumer-spending and giving rise to the movie star celebrity product endorser (eg., the late FPJ, Kris Aquino and Coco Martin). By 1957, a matinee movie idol, Rogelio dela Rosa, had parlayed his popularity to win a Senate seat, making show business a glamorous gateway to government service.

Dolphy and Panchito, Bentot and Chichay, Pugo and Tugo, Bayani Casimiro and Aruray — all these well-loved comedians started on the bodabil stage. Their familiar roles as bumbling servants and sidekicks are still good for easy laughs, as are unconventional looks and physical deformity. These funny men’s movie dialogue was usually “Indian-Koboy” style: improvised or unscripted. The paid screenplay writer was a rarity back then. Dr. Roland Tolentino showed how over the years, the stilted flowery Tagalog of pre- and post WWII films evolved into more realistic conversational styles with lots of slang and American colloquialisms.

A grammar Nazi in the audience decried how Taglish and gay lingo (Sward Speak or Bekinese) have infiltrated the movies/TV and become mainstream. She would have us return to a mythical past and take prior restraint to a whole new level, through the creation of a government office to vet movie/TV scripts and ensure that these were all only in the purest orthodox Filipino. Any violators would not be shown. Not going to happen, Dr. Tolentino flat out declared. Human language is alive and free: ever-changing, dynamic, continuously evolving. Besides, the Ateneo’s Gary Devilles pointed out, there is no such thing as pure Filipino. Even Balagtas used Spanish terms. The language of cinema and TV is not just spoken but also visual. Thus, even Filipinos who are not exactly fluent in English still enjoy the visuality of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Without the resources to make cinematic spectaculars and to compete with the Hollywood blockbusters for a larger share of the market, Dr. Tiongson suggested that Filipino filmmakers might harken back to the literary and theatrical traditions in which their forebears had been steeped for centuries. These seem to have been imprinted in our national DNA. The popularity of rap battles, as shown in Treb Montero’s Respeto resonates with centuries’ old indigenous poetic jousts such as the duplo and karagatan. He pointed out that as admirable and excellent as the craft and conventions of Filipino independent-style filmmaking are, the indies are lucky to get a 20% audience share. The best have won international festival acclaim. The challenge is to get the remaining 80% of the Pinoy audiences to watch.

Singapore builds 3% stake in Julius Baer Group

THE SINGAPOREAN STATE has built up a stake of about 3% in Julius Baer Group, providing a major boost for the Swiss wealth manager as it struggles to reach its targets on attracting new money and reining in costs.

The acquisition — through wealth fund GIC Pte Ltd. — will come as a relief for Chief Executive Officer Bernhard Hodler after Julius Baer’s stock fell the most among Switzerland’s biggest companies last year. Blackrock Inc. and Wellington Management are also among the company’s top shareholders.

Hodler is under pressure amid a prolonged stretch of lackluster returns as he works through cost cuts and purges riskier accounts. Last month, the bank reported new client money that fell short of its targets. Julius Baer has put together a shortlist of both internal and external candidates to replace him as CEO, and may make a decision by the third quarter, according to people familiar with the matter.

It’s not the first time GIC has invested in Swiss banks. The fund purchased debt in UBS Group AG early in the financial crisis and became the bank’s biggest shareholder when the debt was converted into stock. GIC then cut its ownership by almost half two years ago, saying it was “disappointed” that it lost money on the investment.

PRIVATE HOLDINGS
GIC doesn’t disclose its total holdings, saying only that it manages “well over” $100 billion in more than 40 countries. The London-based Sovereign Wealth Center has put its total holdings at $398 billion, making it one of the world’s biggest state funds.

Julius Baer shares were little changed at 39.09 francs in early Zurich trading.

For the year ended March 31, 2018, it achieved a 20-year annualized rate of return of 3.4%. As of that date, its portfolio was split 37% in bonds and cash, 23% in developed-market equities and 17% in emerging-nation stocks. Private equity and real estate comprised 11% and 7% respectively, while inflation-linked notes accounted for 5%.

Julius Baer isn’t the only Swiss asset manager attracting the attention of big-name investors. GAM Holding AG, which has been rocked by client redemptions after a fund manager scandal, saw billionaire investor George Soros build a 3% stake through a subsidiary of his family office recently. — Bloomberg

Implementing the Expanded Maternity Leave Law

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), together with the Social Security System (SSS) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC), recently laid out the Implementing Rules of the newly-minted Expanded Maternity Leave Law, although the law itself already became effective last March 11, 2019.

Women in the private and public sector now enjoy a total of 105 days paid maternity leave benefit for live childbirth, regardless of the mode of delivery. In addition, women workers in the informal economy and national athletes are now explicitly recognized as being entitled to maternity leave benefits. The law also grants an additional 15 days paid leave if the female worker qualifies as a solo parent under the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000.

Notably, the law increased the daily maternity leave benefit to 105 days with full pay (a considerable increase from the initial 60 days, or 78 in case of caesarian delivery), regardless of the frequency of pregnancy. However, for miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy, the law provides 60 days maternity leave with full pay.

Covered employees also have the option of availing an additional maternity leave of 30 days without pay upon written notice at least 45 days before the end of her maternity leave.

At her option, a covered employee may allocate up to 7 days of her maternity leave benefits to the child’s father, regardless if they are married. In the death, absence, or incapacity of the child’s father, the female worker may allocate the same benefits to an alternate caregiver.

Improvements in workers’ benefits are always welcome, yet employers and employees alike are confused on how to smoothly effect a transition from the old provisions to the new. Understandably, there remains a fundamental issue not resolved by the implementing rules.

Under the old rules, an employee must notify either her employer (in case of the private sector), head of agency (in case of the public sector), or the SSS directly (in case of unemployed, self-employed, and voluntary paying members), immediately after becoming pregnant. Her failure to notify may be considered a ground for the employer to deny her application or to deny advancing her benefit. But said employee is not completely without relief; alternatively, she can directly reimburse the amount which the employer would have advanced with the SSS or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). The same policy is reiterated in the new implementing rules, wherein failure to notify the employer shall not bar the employee from receiving the maternity benefits, subject to guidelines to be prescribed by the SSS.

It is therefore crucial that the reckoning point of the law’s effectivity be clearly established for the guidance of all who claim to benefit. What then should be the reckoning point? Should it be upon notice to the employer? Upon a worker’s discovery of her pregnancy? Or upon childbirth?

In theory, the simplest answer is that the law should apply prospectively to all female employees upon notice to their employers beginning March 11, 2019.

Nonetheless, employers are faced with the predicament of dealing with employees who became pregnant during the effectivity of the old law but failed to notify their employer of such pregnancy, because they seem to be better off than those who were diligent enough to give due notice.

Consider this: Employee A, who becomes pregnant during the effectivity of the old law, is obliged to notify her employer; however, she does not do so. Afterwards, the new law is passed. If she thereafter notifies her employer, she will enjoy the benefits under the Expanded Maternity Leave Law.

On the other hand, Employee B becomes pregnant and notifies her employer of the same, during the effectivity of the old law. Thus, she is already enjoying the benefits under the old law, which is capped at 60/78 days. Afterwards, the new law is passed. Since the employee already claimed the benefits granted under the previous law, is she now barred from claiming under the new law?

The situation creates an inherent inequality in applying the law, wherein Employee A enjoys a better benefit (an additional 45 days, give or take) than Employee B, even if the two employees became pregnant at around the same time. The brunt of this disparity will be felt over the next several months not the least by government agencies and employers, who will be advancing the maternity benefits of their employees.

It seems that the source of conflict is the wide latitude given to a female employee in notifying her employer — anytime from the moment she becomes pregnant, until after she gives birth to the child. In any case, the implementing rules are merely a few days old; thus, claimants may expect more guidelines that will rectify any further ambiguities that arise as the law begins to be implemented.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. This article is for general informational and educational purposes, and not offered as, and does not constitute, legal advice or legal opinion.

 

Rhett D. Gaerlan is an Associate of the Labor and Employment Department of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices.

rdgaerlan@accralaw.com

(632) 830-8000

ADB’s biggest Philippine project to improve transport

SUZANNE MARIE RAMOS, 31, leaves her house before dawn and before her 12-year-old daughter wakes up to start her 31-kilometer trip to work by packed public commuter van and light rail train.

Her commute from Meycauyan City in Bulacan province north of Manila to Taguig City takes an average of 2 hours one way, leaving her tired, lacking in sleep, and with less time to spend with her young family.

“I get only about 5 hours of sleep daily. I eat breakfast in the office just so I can beat traffic and get to work early,” Ramos said.

She is one of the millions of commuters who suffer daily from traffic in Manila, a city with the third worst traffic conditions in Southeast Asia according to a study by Boston Consulting Group. This resulted from the lack of proper infrastructure and access to work, schools, and social services following years of underinvestment especially in high-capacity transportation.

Economic loss due to road congestion was estimated to be at least $53.6 million per day, or around $18 billion a year, in 2014, according to the Philippine Development Plan.

To address this problem, the Philippine government launched the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) infrastructure development program in April 2017 aimed at raising public spending on infrastructure to 7% of gross domestic product by 2022 from less than 2% a decade ago, with total required investment estimated at $158 billion.

CONNECTING REGIONS TO MARKETS
The BBB program is aligned with the government’s National Spatial Strategy which seeks to address wide income disparities across the country by connecting regions to markets and attracting more investment, generating jobs, and spurring improved regional economic growth in a country that is already one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies. The strategy aims to decongest Manila and cut poverty by ensuring the benefits of growth reach the marginalized.

One of the big-ticket projects under the BBB program is the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), a 163-kilometer suburban railway network connecting the growing urban areas in Pampanga and Tarlac provinces in the north and Calamba in Laguna province in the south to Metro Manila. The railway, including links to the soon-to-be-completed New Clark City in Tarlac, will be constructed in sections.

On May 23, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $2.75 billion financing facility for the Malolos-Clark Railway Project covering two sections of the NSCR. Under the facility, $1.3 billion will be committed this year to fund the project, with two additional tranches to be released by 2022. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is co-financing the project.

It will be ADB’s biggest project in the Philippines and ADB’s single largest infrastructure project financing in its 52-year history.

“The benefits from the Malolos-Clark Railway project will be significant, from a more reliable commute for ordinary Filipinos to potentially bigger investments in regional centers like Clark because of the improved access to the capital Manila,” said Mr. Ramesh Subramaniam, Director General of ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.

“We will be using cutting-edge technology in building an elevated railway line, and we will ensure the project follows ADB, JICA, and government policies on environmental impact and social standards,” he said.

The project includes the creation of a training center for railway staff and an operation control center to ensure efficient rail operations. ADB is supporting institutional capacity building of the Philippines’ Department of Transportation (DOTr) to manage the project, and will help establish a regulator for railway safety.

“The Malolos-Clark Railway project, along with the expansion of the Clark International Airport, are part of the government’s overall regional development plan for North and Central Luzon aimed at enhancing mobility and connectivity in the country to make the everyday lives of all Filipinos more comfortable,” said DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.

CLARK AS VIABLE OPTION
The project will provide safe, reliable, and affordable public transport for a total of about 342,000 passengers expected to travel daily along the Manila–Clark corridor and up to 696,000 passengers per day to Calamba by 2025. It is estimated to cut the travel time from Metro Manila to Clark International Airport to less than one hour by rail, compared with 2 to 3 hours by car or bus today. The project is expected to be partially operational from 2022.

“It is a good option for me since I also go to Clark rather than the point-to-point buses that are now available, because we all know travelling by train is a lot faster,” said Ramos, who also travels to Pampanga as part of her work as a sales and marketing officer.

Malolos-Clark Railway will have seven stations, with one station linked to Clark International Airport which is currently building a second terminal to triple its capacity to 12 million passengers by 2020 from the current 4.2 million.

The railway will make the airport in Clark a viable option for tourists and business travelers, helping to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)in Manila, which has exceeded by 20 percent its maximum capacity of 35 million passengers in 2017.

How PSEi member stocks performed — June 4, 2019

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Tuesday, June 4, 2019.

 

SSS sets expanded maternity leave eligibility date at March 11

THE Social Security System (SSS) issued guidelines on the payment of the expanded maternity benefits following the singing of a law in February, setting the eligibility date at March 11 for those making claims for child deliveries, miscarriages, and emergency terminations.

In circular 2019-009, the state pension fund said on its website that Republic Act (RA) No. 11210 or the Expanded Maternity Leave Law (EMLL) authorizes the new benefits, along with Section 14-A on Maternity Leave Benefits of RA 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018.

According to the circular, the maternity benefit program under RA 11199 covers all female workers in the private sector, including employees, the self-employed (SE), Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and voluntary members (VMs).

The circular requires employers to fully pay maternity benefits in advance, within 30 days from the filing of the maternity leave application.

SSS will reimburse the employer in full for advances upon receipt of satisfactory proof of payment.

In case the eligible member is unemployed, temporarily laid off or whose company is in lockout or undergoing a strike, the pension fund will pay the female member directly. SSS is also obliged to pay directly all eligible SEs, OFWs and VMs.

Maternity leave can be credited as combinations of prenatal and postnatal leave, as long as it does not exceed the maximum amount of days allowed.

“In no case shall postnatal care be less than sixty (60) days,” SSS said.

Employers are to cover the salary differential, or the difference between the full salary and the actual fund benefits received from SSS.

However, establishments that are distressed, have a headcount of less than 10, classified as micro enterprises with assets not exceeding P3 million, or those that are already providing similar or more than the provided benefits under an existing collective bargaining agreement or company policy, are exempt from paying the salary differential.

These exemptions are subject to approval of the Department of Labor and Employment.

The EMLL was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in February, increasing paid maternity leave to 105 days from the previous 60 days, with an additional 15 days for solo mothers.

Qualified members suffering miscarriages or terminations of pregnancy are entitled to 60 days of paid leave.

Under the new law, qualified members will receive P70,000 worth of maternity benefits regardless of the means of the child’s delivery, from the previous P32,000 for normal delivery, based on the P20,000 monthly salary credit.

In March, SSS said its fund life was depleted by a year to 2044 due to the net impact of expanded maternity benefits, and proposed a new round of hikes in member contribution rates to fund its increased commitments. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

FDA identifies 5 brands violating product standards for vinegar

THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday identified five brands of vinegar found to have used synthetic acetic acid, in possible violation of food labeling rules which require vinegar producers to use fermented sugarcane and other such crops as their raw material.

The FDA issued FDA Advisory No. 2019-144 after fears about the “authenticity” of vinegar being sold to consumers first emerged last month after the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DoST-PNRI) reported eight out of 10 of the 360 vinegar it tested are “fake,” failing to meet product standards that require vinegar sold on the market to be naturally fermented.

The FDA, in seeking to validate the PNRI report, said: “The FDA Laboratory tested 39 samples of vinegar collected from various sources and five of these… were found to contain synthetic acetic acid.”

Vinegar typically consists of 5-20% acetic acid. Vinegar that meets product standards is typically made from a natural raw material, suggesting that some brands have substituted lab-produced acetic acid.

The brands using syntehtic acetic acid are Surebuy Cane Vinegar; Tentay Pinoy-Style Vinegar; Tentay Premium Vinegar; Tentay Vinegar Sukang Tunay Asim’; and Chef’s Flavor Vinegar.

The FDA said such products are technically “adulterated” and cannot be sold as vinegar.

Last month, FDA Officer-in-Charge Director Ronaldo Enrique M. Domingo said that products found to have used synthetic matter to facilitate fermentation are at risk of having their FDA registration revoked for misdeclaration.

The FDA said however that synthetic acetic acid is not necessarily harmful. It added: “This only means that the vinegar is of substandard quality.”

Last month, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol ordered the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) to establish new norms for vinegar, explicitly that only products on the market that undergo natural fermentation can be labeled “vinegar.” — Gillian M. Cortez

ASEAN Nikkei PMI tuns more positive in May as orders pick up

MANUFACTURING activity expanded in May in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), driven by expansions in output and new orders, according to the Nikkei ASEAN Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) prepared by IHS Markit.

According to the report, ASEAN headline PMI increased to 50.6 in May from 50.4 in April, “signalling only a slight improvement in the health of the manufacturing sector.”

A reading above 50 signals a contraction in purchasing, considered a leaing indicator for future manufacturing activity and potentially economic growth. A reading below 50 signals a contraction.

The report said the May reading is the highest since August 2018.

The report covers seven of the 10 ASEAN members. The manufacturing PMI consists of five sub-indices, with new orders having the heaviest weight at 30%, followed by output at 25%, employment at 20%, suppliers’ delivery times at 15% and stocks of purchases at 10%.

An IHS Markit report released earlier gave a PMI reading for the Philippines at 51.2, from 50.9 in April, showing a “modest but stronger improvement in the health of the manufacturing sector.”

According to the ASEAN report, Myanmar had the top PMI reading in the region of 54.2. PMI readings for Vietnam were at 52; Indonesia, 51.6; Thailand, 50.7; and Malaysia, 48.8. There is no available PMI data yet for Singapore, but the report said it likely recorded a downturn, along with Malaysia.

“ASEAN manufacturing firms saw an established recovery of business conditions in May, building on the progress made after the downturn at the start of the year. Output grew more strongly as firms enjoyed the quickest increase in sales for nine months. Specifically, the PMI signaled an improved picture for the region’s export market which remained broadly stable following an eight-month sequence of decline,” David Owen, IHS Markit economist, was quoted in the report.

According to the report, stronger demand drove the growth for the month, which supported the fastest expansion of production in six months. Also, firms raised their inventories of inputs for the first time since September 2016, the report said, but noted that this performance was marginal.

Input prices rose at a quicker pace, with all seven countries reporting increase in manufacturing costs for the first time in seven months, due to firmer demand which led suppliers to raise prices, the report said, while unfavorable exchange rates and higher fuel costs were also factors.

The report said business sentiment about output 12 months in advance improved in May, with sentiment at its highest in two and a half years, with five of the seven countries expressing a more positive outlook.

“…given the impact of the US-China trade war last year, businesses will be downbeat on news of tariff increases in May. Export demand from China may be damaged once more, possibly leading to another period of declines in foreign sales. Luckily, domestic markets are holding up, offering hope of continued strength in new factory orders,” Mr. Owen said. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio