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BWORLD TEST: MG ZS AT Alpha

By Manny N. de los Reyes

MG is a British sports car maker that dates back to 1924. Its halcyon years were the 40’s through the 70’s, when it came out with some of the most iconic roadsters of the time. These included the immortal MG TC, TD and TF of the 40’s and 50’s, followed by the MGA, MGB, MGB GT coupe, and MG Midget from the 60’s through the 80’s.

Financial troubles saw the brand being transferred from one new owner to another in the 90’s, with various British companies (and even BMW in 1994) stepping in to try to save the marque with the octagon badge from insolvency.

It wasn’t until Chinese conglomerate Shanghai Automobile Industry, Inc. (SAIC) took over the brand in 2005 that MG experienced a renaissance. In 2011, the company, now called MG Motor, launched a new model, the MG 6, which became the first new-generation MG available in the UK since the MG TF more than half a century ago.

MG is now sold in Australia, China, South America, Thailand (where it quickly became a best-seller), South Africa, the UK — and now the Philippines, by Chevrolet’s local distributor, The Covenant Car Company. And the model that’s spearheading the British brand invasion is the MG ZS — a compact front-wheel drive crossover tailor-made for SUV-crazy Filipinos.

The MG ZS sports contemporary styling that features “London Eye” headlights with LED daytime running lights, a Mercedes-Benz-like “Stardust” grille, and LED taillights. Size-wise and in silhouette, the ZS is closest to the previous-generation Hyundai Tucson and the current Mazda CX-5, especially in the execution of the large upright grille and the rearward-pointing arrowhead-shaped quarter windows. Handsome alloy wheels are generously sized 17-inchers wrapped by 215/50 tires.

The ZS is powered by a smooth and vibration-free 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine that produces 114 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque. Modern driver-assist features include a reverse camera, ABS, Cornering Brake Control, Brake Assist, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Hill Start Assist, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, and a Traction Control System.

Some might rue the use of a four-speed automatic instead of the more advanced five- or six-speed automatics, but given the sub-P1 million-peso price point, it’s an acceptable compromise. Besides, with traffic nowadays, it’s very rare we even reach fourth gear (in both manual and automatic gearboxes). And I’d take a four-speed auto over a droning and boring CVT or jerky dual-clutch manumatic (like in the old Ford Ecosports).

Inside, the ZS is liberally covered in soft-touch materials. The interior is comfortable and ergonomic, featuring easy-to-reach controls and abundant storage areas. It also sports an 8-inch LCD infotainment system with Apple CarPlay so you can stay connected while keeping both hands on the wheel. Build quality as well as fit and finish are surprisingly very high. There is absolutely no evidence (or even a hint) of cheap manufacturing or craftsmanship.

The top-of-the-line AT Alpha variant that we tested might represent a ton of value at P998,888 (the midrange AT Style goes for P868,888), but the ZS range actually starts at an irresistible P818,888. This is solid value for the money, even for a relatively new and unproven brand.

MG owners should have easy access to after-sales services, even as the dealer network is established, to ensure that all their needs are met. A string of independent, MG Philippines-accredited service outlets will be made readily accessible for MG owners, while a “Mobile Garage” service caravan, which comes online this January, will offer regular preventive maintenance servicing in the convenience of your garage.

MG Philippines is also implementing a host of other innovative service platforms including “One-Hour Max and Go,” which refers to a speedy, one-hour basic maintenance service procedure; a customer care hot line that is available 24/7; “MG HERO Services,” which offers 24/7 roadside assistance; and “Mobile Gadget,” which allows users to pair their MG to a proprietary smartphone app so that they can closely monitor their car’s running stats, and allow them to schedule an appointment online from the convenience of their phone for periodic maintenance. And on top of that, and every brand new MG car will come with a 5-year or 100,000-km warranty.

Priced like a subcompact crossover but sized closer to a compact SUV, the MG ZS has the space, performance, build quality, styling, and equipment to take on any of its size and price rivals — and come out the winner.

PHL rice imports seen dropping on strong inventories, production

THE PHILIPPINES is expected to reduce its rice imports due to ample inventories and increased production forecast for 2019/2020, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

In its Grain: World Markets and Trade report for May 2019, the USDA noted that it expects Philippine rice inventories to rise with better production, forecasting that in 2020, rice imports will decline by 100,000 tons to 2.7 million metric tons (MT).

“The quantitative restrictions on rice imports have been replaced with tariffs, with a tariff advantage for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries,” it said.

This year, the Rice Tariffication act was signed into law. It aims to bring down the price of rice by importing foreign grain more freely. Tariffs that will be collected from the scheme will be used to fund upgrades to the rice industry.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in the third week of April, the average farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice, fell 1.12% from the previous week to P18.48/kg.

The average wholesale price of well-milled rice fell 0.25% week-on-week to P39.91/kg, while the average retail price of well-milled rice fell 0.25% from a week earlier to P43.68/kg. Expectations of cheap imports are pressuring domestic prices, affecting farmer incomes ahead of full-on importation.

In March, the agency estimated imports of rice of $82.860 million, up 668% from a year earlier.

The USDA said wheat imports to the Philippines are “projected unchanged at 7.0 million tons and remain at record-large (levels) with strong growth in both food and feed use.”

In March, the PSA estimated wheat imports of $148.479 million, up 51.3% from a year earlier. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

CTA upholds Air PHL refund ruling

THE Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) affirmed a May 2017 decision ordering the refund of excise taxes paid by Air Philippines Corp. (APC) on its importation of aviation fuel worth P235.6 million.

In a 36-page decision on May 2, the CTA, sitting en banc, denied the appeal of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) seeking to overturn a 2017 decision by the CTA second division, which ruled that APC is entitled to the refund of the excise taxes it paid between May 2003 and December 2004 for Jet A-1 fuel.

“After a judicious review of petitioners’ arguments and the record of the case, the Court En Banc finds no reason nor rhyme to modify much more reverse the assailed Amended Decision and Resolution of the Court in Division,” it ruled.

“It is evident that the arguments raised by both the CoC (Commissioner of Customs) and the CIR (Commissioner of Internal Revenue) have already been adequately addressed and passed upon by the Court in Division in the assailed Amended Decision and Resolution,” it added.

The court’s second division on May 8, 2017 ruled in favor of APC, saying the company satisfied all requisites for exemption from taxes pursuant to its franchise as it proved that the imported fuel was used for flight operations and other activities and that during the time of the importation, the Jet A-1 fuel was not locally available in reasonable quantity.

The CTA, in the decision, discarded the claim of the BIR and the BoC that APC failed to prove that the imported Jet-A fuel was not locally available in “reasonable quantity, quality, or price,” as the company submitted certifications issued by the Air Transportation Office (ATO) to support its claim.

ATO, according to its charter, is tasked to cooperate on any research and technical studies on “air navigation facilities including aircraft fuel and oil,” among others.

“The foregoing mandate negates the CIR’s contention that only the DoE (Department of Energy) could best determine the local availability in reasonable quantity, quality and price of the subject Jet A-1 aviation fuel,” the court said.

It also rejected the claim of the BoC that the court does not have jurisdiction over the allegedly erroneously-paid excise taxes of APC as the customs bureau has authority over matters involving duties and taxes on imported goods.

The CTA said that under the Tax Code, a taxpayer should file a claim for refund with the BIR within two years after its payment and no claim should be entertained in the specialized court unless the claim has been filed with the commissioner.

“Anent CoC’s contention that respondent committed intentional forum shopping, suffice it to say that the CoC is merely acting on a delegated authority given by the CIR. In fact, when the CoC failed to render a decision on respondent’s protest, and the 2-year prescriptive period under Section 229 of the NIRC (National Internal Revenue Code) of 1997, as amended, was about to end, that respondent filed its administrative claims for refund with the BIR, and subsequently with the CTA,” it said.

It also said that the Supreme Court previously said that when the two-year prescriptive period is about to expire, a taxpayer may not wait for the decision of the BIR “for purposes of judicial intervention.” “In fine, respondent cannot be faulted for complying with the mandated requisites under the law and taking the appropriate action to avoid the lapse of the 2-year prescriptive period.”

The decision was written by Associate Justice Esperanza R. Fabon-Victorino and concurred in by Presiding Judge Roman G. Del Rosario and Associate Justices Juanito C. Castañeda, Jr., Erlinda P. Uy, Cielito N. Mindaro-Grulla and Ma. Belen Ringpis-Liban. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo makes winning debut in British GT

LAMBORGHINI began its 2019 British GT campaign in victorious fashion as Jonny Cocker and Sam De Haan came out on top in Race 2 at Oulton Park in Cheshire. The Barwell Motorsport duo, who completed a spectacular recovery to finish fourth in Race 1, brought the Italian marque its first continental success for the brand-new Huracán GT3 Evo.

The sister Barwell No.72 Huracán of Phil Keen and Adam Balon started the race from pole and opened up a healthy lead either side of safety car interventions — first for the No.77 Mercedes of Michael Broadhurst and then for the No.2 Aston Martin driven by Mark Farmer.

De Haan emerged from the regulation pitstop in front of the No.72 after Balon, taking over from Keen just after the halfway marker, served his seven-second time penalty for its Race 1 result, and maintained its advantage over the second Lamborghini until the end of the one-hour race.

Lying second at the restart of the second safety car period, De Haan immediately piled the pressure on race leader Richard Neary in the Mercedes and feinted a move on the first racing lap after resumption.

De Haan’s pressure ultimately paid off next time around, forcing Neary into running deep at Knickerbrooke Chicane, with the Lamborghini snatching the lead round the outside with just 10 minutes of the race left to run.

From then on, De Haan opened up a four-and-a-half second advantage over Neary, who had to fend off the attentions of Andrew Howard’s Aston Martin and the No.72 Huracán of the recovering Balon.

Despite a late surge from Neary in the closing laps, De Haan comfortably came across the line the winner by just over two seconds from the Mercedes, with Balon unlucky to miss out on the final podium position in fourth place.

Nevertheless, the opening round of the 2019 season proved more than a success for the pair of Huracáns with both cars finishing inside the top five in each race.

The Oulton Park victory was the third this year for the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo, following the GTD triumphs at 24H Daytona and 12H Sebring.

Speaking of his race victory, Sam De Haan said post-race: “[I am] delighted with that one, it couldn’t have gone any better. We got really lucky at the start and in the pitstops and I worked really hard to get past Richard in the Merc, but really happy with it.”

For more information, contact Lamborghini Manila at 0917-555-3771 or visit our showroom at 28th Street cor. 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City.

Bringing a tradition back

THE 1970s were a dark time for the Philippines, mostly due to the atrocities of the Marcos regime. For better or for worse, there were some bright spots in the arts during that period, mostly due to the spendthrift former First Lady, Imelda Marcos. Fashion-obsessed Mrs. Marcos nurtured fashion designers and wore their clothes on the world stage, lending her very visible visage to Filipino designers. Galas for this and that ran every evening, and in 1979, Filipino designer Ben Farrales, known as The Dean of Philippine Fashion, organized a Flores de Mayo parade at the Manila Hotel, under the Congregacíon del Santissimo Nombre del Niño Jesus. Beauty queens and celebrities participated in the parade that honored the Virgin Mary, part of the Catholic devotions to Mary during May.

The Manila Hotel tradition eventually ended after a run of about 20 years.

This year, the Manila Hotel revived the tradition with its own Flores de Mayo, staged on Labor Day. This time, the parade was populated with models and pageant personalites. The clothes were furnished by members of the Designers Circle of the Philippines, with an underlying theme of 19th-century traje de mestiza, otherwise known as the Maria Clara.

The traje de mestiza is an east-meets-west amalgamation of the influences that shaped colonial Filipino society. The base of the dress is the traditional baro’t saya (blouse and skirt) and a continuing evolution since the 1700s can be seen in the gown’s components: the panuelo (fichu), for example, is a relic from the 1700s, while the wide sleeves are a bequest from the Victorian Era of the 1800s.

In any case, the 30 pairs of attractive people dressed in their Filipiniana best went down the same route as in the 1979 parade, going along the hotel’s facade and circling back for a dinner at the Maynila Ballroom, but not before offering flowers at a statue of the Virgin Mary. It was a spectacular show, with these bejeweled young ladies in their fussy ternos, making the wearing of the heavy garments a worthy sacrifice for a good spectacle.

Awards for Magandang Paraluman (Beautiful Muse) and Natatanging Ginoo (Oustanding Gentleman) were given to Sheena Dalo (Ms. Philippines Earth 2016) and Aaron de Tommaso. The Bestido Pilipino Award was given to Santa Emmanuelle for a sequinned black number with feathers on the skirt, topped with a veil. The Bituin ng Gabi (Star of the Night) award was given to designer Edwin Uy and his model, Samantha Lo, for a lovely pink traje de mestiza, both opulent and innocent, topped with a pink veil, golden tassels, and a gold-embroidered train.

Manila Hotel President Joey Lina said, “The present management deems this [as] a very good tradition to revive.”

“Manila Hotel symbolizes what is truly Filipino.” — Joseph L. Garcia

OFWs remittances increase markedly for Mother’s Day — WorldRemit

ONLINE MONEY transfer service WorldRemit said remittance activity from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) tends to increase in the run-up to Mother’s Day.

WorldRemit Managing Director for Asia-Pacific Michael Liu said Filipino customers tend to increase their remittance activity shortly before Mother’s Day.

“We do see remittance activity increase during events like Mother’s Day. Last year, WorldRemit saw an increase of remittances in the week leading up to Mother’s Day of 13%,” he told BusinessWorld on Friday.

According to a WorldRemit survey, 99% of OFWs observe Mother’s Day and 82% celebrate the holiday by sending money to their mothers. More than half of WorldRemit’s OFW customers have transferred money online for Mother’s Day.

“We conducted a survey of our Filipino customers in connection to Mothers Day activities — 62% said they send money to their Mothers for Mother’s day… Our conclusion (is that) Mother’s day is an important day for our OFWs,” he added.

The survey also shows that 78% call their mothers on the phone to mark the occasion and 52% send gifts. Mr. Liu added that WorldRemit also observes “an increase in value” in money sent during Mother’s Day from the usual amount OFWs typically send.

“We see an increase in average amount sent. Not only do OFWs send on a more regular basis in the period leading up to these events but they do send more. We do see an increase in transaction value, transaction output (during these periods),” he said. — Gillian M. Cortez

US EPA proposes hike in biofuel mandate to 20.04 B gallons in 2020

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed increasing the volume of biofuels refiners must blend into their fuel annually to 20.04 billion gallons in 2020, from 19.92 billion gallons in 2019, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The proposed mandate, now under review by other government agencies before being finalized, includes 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels like ethanol, unchanged from 2019. It also includes 5.04 billion gallons of advanced biofuels, like those made from agricultural wastes, up from 4.92 billion in 2019, the sources said.

The EPA is charged with setting biofuel blending requirements for the refining industry as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a more than decade-old regulation that is aimed at helping farmers and reducing US dependence on oil.

The policy has helped farmers by creating a huge market for ethanol and other biofuels, but oil refiners say compliance can cost a fortune.

EPA spokesman Michael Abboud confirmed the agency submitted a proposal for review, but did not comment on its contents.

“The proposal is currently under interagency review, which places the Trump administration on track to release the Renewable Fuel Standard Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) on time for the third consecutive year,” he said.

As part of the advanced biofuel proposal, the agency set mandates for cellulosic fuel at 540 million gallons and non-cellulosic at 4.5 billion, according to the sources.

It also proposed a biodiesel mandate of 2.43 billion gallons for 2021, unchanged from 2020, they said. The EPA sets biodiesel mandates a year in advance.

Small refineries can be exempted from biofuel blending if they prove that complying would cause them financial strain, and the Trump administration made extensive use of such exemptions in the last two years.

That has saved refiners money but angered the corn lobby, which argues the practice erodes biofuel demand. — Reuters

Ford Motor Co. appoints PK Umashankar as Ford Philippines managing director

FORD MOTOR COMPANY last Monday announced the appointment of PK Umashankar (‘Uma’) as managing director, Ford Philippines, effective July 1. Umashankar is currently serving as director, Customer Service Division, Ford ASEAN, based in Bangkok.

Umashankar will relocate to Manila, and will continue to report directly to Yukontorn ‘Vickie’ Wisadkosin, president, Ford ASEAN. He will replace Bert Lessard, who will repatriate to his home country of Canada.

In his new role, Umashankar will be responsible for continuing to drive Ford’s momentum in the Philippines, including sustaining the success of Ford’s nearly fully refreshed vehicle lineup in the market, continuing the ongoing expansion of the Ford dealership network, and further enhancing the after-sales experience including driving a more competitive cost of ownership structure for Ford customers.

“Uma’s leadership and real hands-on approach, coupled with his extensive experience across the business, will help us continue to grow our business and further strengthen our brand in the Philippines,” said Wisadkosin.

In his current regional customer service role, Umashankar has been working with both the Ford dealer networks and Ford customer service teams across the ASEAN markets to implement a number of successful initiatives aimed at improving and enhancing the overall Ford customer experience.

This includes leading efforts to streamline parts sourcing and delivery across the Ford network, the appointments and launch of the Ford Authorized Parts Distributor Network in Thailand, as well as the launch of the Ford-owned Quick Lane brand in Thailand.

From 2015-2017, Umashankar served as brand manager, Ford Asia Pacific, based in Shanghai, where he oversaw the region-wide launch of the new EcoSport compact SUV, as well as the new Ford Figo compact car in India and the Middle East and Africa.

Prior to his regional postings, Umashankar served for nearly 19 years at Ford India in roles of increasing responsibility, including leadership positions across Customer Service, Marketing, and Operations.

This includes nearly four years as vice-president, Customer Service Operations, where he led efforts to implement a new nationwide parts distribution center and set up a new modification center connected to Ford’s Chennai manufacturing facility.

Prior to this, Umashankar served for almost four years as general manager, Product Marketing, during which time he helped to launch the all-new Figo, Ford’s first vehicle designed and built for the India market.

As general manager, Customer Service Operations from 2005-2008, Umashankar led process improvements in customer service across the organization, which helped drive observed customer satisfaction improvements.

From 2002-2005, Umashankar served in various roles that included divisional operations manager, North and East, which represented more than 40% of Ford India’s sales; national parts operations and service marketing manager, where he led the company’s spare parts operations and business development of service operations; and national service planning and marketing manager, where he helped deliver service marketing initiatives to improve customer service.

From 2000-2002, Umashankar served Ford India as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, during which time he helped promote and support improvement activities for the business, most notably in the area of parts distribution.

Umashankar earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras, and an MBA in Finance from the Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA).

Yields on T-bills, bonds likely to drop this week

RATES OF government securities on offer this week will likely decline on the back of the recent policy rate cut from the local central bank as well as anticipation of a possible reduction in banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR).

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) is offering P15-billion worth of Treasury bills (T-bill) on Tuesday, broken down into P4 billion and P5 billion via three- and six-month papers, respectively, and P6 billion from the one-year debt papers.

The BTr will also offer on Wednesday reissued seven-year Treasury bonds (T-bond) worth P20 billion. The bonds have a remaining life of six years and nine months.

Bond traders said rates of the T-bills to be auctioned off on Tuesday will likely decline by 5-10 basis points (bp) from rates fetched the previous offering.

Last week, the government made a full award of the debt notes it placed on the auction block, borrowing P15 billion as planned. Yields on the three-month, six-month and one-year papers slid to 5.438%, 5.825% and 5.977%, respectively.

At the secondary market on Friday, the 91-, 182- and 364-day securities were quoted at 5.691%, 5.962% and 6.102%, respectively, according to the PHP Bloomberg Valuation (BVAL) Service Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website.

“Rates of T-bills for auction will move lower from previous auction. Demand may be evident across all three tenors in response to Monetary Board’s (MB) decision to cut policy rates,” Robinsons Bank Corp. trader Kevin S. Palma said in a phone message on Friday.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Thursday trimmed benchmark interest rates by 25 bps to a 4-5% range, taking into consideration the “manageable” inflation outlook on the back of a “decline in food prices amid improved supply conditions.”

Headline inflation continued to ease for the sixth straight month in April to 3%, slower than the 3.3% recorded in March and beating market consensus.

At its Thursday policy review, the central bank also adjusted its inflation forecast to 2.9% this year and 3.1% in 2020, from the previous 3% for both years.

“Of course, the market will price in the recent policy rate cut of the BSP. Yields will be lower because it will be aligned with the BSP rates,” another trader said in a phone interview.

Meanwhile, for the reissued seven-year bonds, both traders expect the average rate to settle between 5.7% and 5.8%.

The government made a full award of the seven-year T-bonds when they were last offered on March 26, borrowing P20 billion as planned versus bids totalling P73.685 billion.

The bonds fetched an average rate of 5.934%, lower than the 6.087% fetched when the debt papers were previously issued the month prior and the 6.25% coupon.

Based on the PHP BVAL Service Reference Rates, the yield on the seven-year bonds ended at 5.741% last Friday.

“Yields [on] the seven-year paper…would be much lower versus the last time it was auctioned in March. A lot of bond-friendly catalysts have already happened since the last seven-year auction which caused local bond yields to ease down,” Mr. Palma said.

Both traders added that the market is anticipating a reduction in big banks’ RRR.

Although the central bank made no reduction in reserve ratio last Thursday, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said it will be “on the agenda” of the MB’s meeting this week.

Currently, universal and commercial banks are required to keep at least 18% of their total deposits with the BSP. Trimming the RRR is expected to unleash about P90 billion into the financial system, which can used for loans or investments.

Mr. Diokno previously described big banks’ RRR, which was already reduced by a total of two percentage points last year, as “really high.” He also cited “room for…one percentage point (cut) every quarter for the next four quarters.”

The government plans to borrow P315 billion from the domestic market this quarter, broken down into P195 billion in T-bills and P120 billion through Treasury bonds.

It is looking to raise some P1.189 trillion in funds this year from local and foreign sources to finance its budget deficit, which is expected to widen to as much as 3.2% of the country’s gross domestic product. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

BCDA sees Filinvest Clark project eventually generating 1 million jobs

THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said the completion of Filinvest Land, Inc.’s (FLI) project in New Clark City (NCC) will generate up to a million jobs.

BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Vivencio B. Dizon told reporters in Capas, Tarlac last week, however, that the employment estimate will be realized after some 25 years after the 288-hectare project is completed.

The project, which will be developed jointly by FLI and the BCDA, is intended for locators in the logistics and industrial segments, and will feature mixed-use development.

Another employment generator in the Clark corridor is the 500-hectare Chinese industrial park slated for groundbreaking this year, according to Mr. Dizon.

BCDA and China Gezhouba Group Co. Ltd. signed a partnership deal in November during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to develop the industrial park which will be used by light to medium manufacturers.

The completion of the first phase of the FLI projects and that of the China-based firm, both expected next year, can immediately generate 100,000 jobs.

Mr. Dizon said employers in Clark will “predominantly” hire locals.

Elsewhere, Mr. Dizon noted that the BCDA is negotiating with over ten firms interested in developing areas within the NCC but declined to identify them, pending completion of the talks.

“Madami, may foreign may local, halos equal (There are many, foreign and local, almost equal),” Mr. Dizon added.

NCC is approximately 9,450 hectares, of which around only 4,000 hectares have been secured for development.

Among the projects of the BCDA in the NCC are the 220-hectare National Government Administrative Center, developed in partnership with MTD Philippines, Inc.; its joint venture agreement with the PrimeWater consortium for water and wastewater services; and its joint partnership with the Meralco-Marubeni Consortium composed of Manila Electric Co, Marubeni Corp., Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. — Janina C. Lim

Weaving new life into Iloilo’s hablon

By Emme Rose S. Santiagudo
Correspondent

ILOILO CITY — Connie M. Atijon, a master weaver of Iloilo’s hablon cloth, believes that the younger generation can be enticed to appreciate and keep alive the fading tradition.

Her son Franco is living proof.

The mother-and-son team, along with other weavers mostly from the town of Miagao, recently conducted lectures and hands-on demonstration of hablon — a Hiligaynon word that refers to both the weaving process and the finished fabric — organized by the National Museum Western Visayas in Iloilo City.

The event was attended by students of different age groups from public and private schools and universities, men and women from public and private institutions, and even tourists.

“Mostly, the teenagers want to play rather than learning hablon weaving. I hope they give time to learn how to weave,” Ms. Atijon said in an interview.

Her son Franco, who assists in the family’s weaving business, stressed that the tradition need not only be for women.

“Anyone can learn hablon weaving. It’s not only for women, even us men can learn weaving,” he said.

One of the participants, tourist and local product enthusiast Yeti T. Arbiz, said experiencing the actual weaving process on the terol (loom) deepens one’s appreciation of culture and tradition.

“It’s a bit complicated at the start, but it gets easy later (on). The experience is fulfilling because you get to go back in our own heritage and culture,” she said.

“Not all teenagers could be able to experience hablon weaving, but they should know the culture of hablon at least. Usually, most of them lack the basic idea on various Ilonggo cultures,” Ms. Arbiz added.

Historical records show that traditional weaving in Iloilo, which used to be a major industry in the province, started to fade in the late 1800s when sugarcane production became highly profitable.

Efforts to revive the tradition are growing, with Miagao town receiving various grants for projects to support the textile industry.

Among these is the Cotton Development Program initiated by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority, while the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute, together with the Iloilo Science and Technology University, is building a P41.6-million Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center.

At the 5th Quanzhou Maritime Silk Road International Brand Expo (MSREXPO) held on April 18 to 21, Iloilo was the only Philippine representative and showcased food, lace and embroidery products, and the hablon collection of designers Jackie Peñalosa, Girlie Flores of Balai Hablon, and Hector Gellangarin.

Asian economies set to dominate 7% growth club during 2020s

SINGAPORE — The 2020s are set to be the Asian decade, with the continent dominating an exclusive list of economies expected to sustain growth rates of around 7%.

India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines should all meet that benchmark, according to a research note Sunday from Madhur Jha, Standard Chartered’s India-based head of thematic research, and Global Chief Economist David Mann. Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire are also likely to reach the 7% growth pace, which typically means a doubling of gross domestic product (GDP) every 10 years. That’ll be a boon to per-capita incomes, with Vietnam’s soaring to $10,400 in 2030 from about $2,500 last year, they estimate.

The South Asian members of the group should be GDP standouts as they’ll together account for about one-fifth of the world’s population by 2030, Standard Chartered reckons. The demographic dividend will be a boon for India, while Bangladesh’s investments in health and education should juice productivity.

The Asian dominance of the list is a change from 2010, when the bank first started tracking the economies it expected to grow by around 7%. Back then, there were 10 members evenly split between Asia and Africa: China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Mozambique.

China is a notable absence from the latest ranking after being a member of the club for almost four decades — reflecting both a slowdown in economic growth and a progression toward higher per-capita incomes that makes faster growth rates more difficult to sustain. Standard Chartered estimates the world’s No. 2 economy will keep up a 5.5% economic growth pace in the 2020s.

Sub-Saharan African countries also have faded, which the analysts attribute to “waning reform momentum, despite a slowdown in commodity prices.”

While faster economic growth isn’t a panacea — think income inequality, crime, pollution — it tends to come with a lot of positive knock-on effects, Jha and Mann wrote.

“Faster growth not only helps to lift people more quickly out of absolute poverty, but is also usually accompanied by better health and education, as well as a wider range of — and better access to — goods and services,” they say in the report. “Higher incomes resulting from faster growth also usually reduce socio-political instability and make it easier to introduce structural reforms, creating a virtuous cycle.”

In addition, 7% club members tend to have savings and investment rates of at least 20-25% of GDP, according to the report. — Bloomberg

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