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Ballots for May elections ready by mid-April

THE PRINTING of ballots for the 2019 National and Local Elections (NLE) will be finished before the Holy Week begins on April 14, which is earlier than the target date, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Wednesday. “Latest data from the Printing Committee show that 38,347,754 ballots have been printed as of March 19, 2019. This represents 60.24% of the 63,662,481 total number of ballots to be printed,” Comelec said. Around one million ballots are being printed daily by the National Printing Office (NPO). Additional ballots are also being printed at the NPO, which Comelec said “will be used for the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) process, while the rest are demonstration ballots allotted for vote-counting machine (VCM) road show and demonstration purposes.” — Gillian M. Cortez

Foreign lawyers claim being tailed, threatened by state agents

THE INTERNATIONAL delegation of lawyers who conducted an examination on the killing of lawyers in the Philippines said they were tailed and subject to threats and surveillance by alleged state agents. In a statement late March 19, they said that at the press conference at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) last March 18, a man in civilian clothes who identified himself as a military personnel told an IBP staff that “these foreigners are now under surveillance.” They also said that they were tailed by two men on a motorcycle with no plate number from the IBP to the mall where they had lunch, and to their hotel. “(T)hese vexatious acts against our Delegation appear to have the fingerprints of intimidation and reprisal by State agents,” they said. The nine foreign lawyers on March 14 to 17 met with various government and non-government offices to conduct a preliminary investigation on the killings of lawyers, judges, and prosecutors in the country. Among their findings include the sharp increase in the violations and killings of legal professionals under the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. “Indeed, to see and feel is to believe. And no amount of ad hominem insults and official denials of reality can change this matter of fact. But we will be back,” they said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Draft law in the works to extend military retirement age to 60 or 65

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana said they are now crafting a law that would extend the retirement age of potential chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to 60 or 65 years old from the current 56. With the extension, AFP chiefs would be able to serve up to three years in the top post instead of the average six months. “Some people are saying that chief-of-staff for three years is too long. If you look at the officers in the other countries especially in PaCom [US Indo-Pacific Command], the average days of a PaCom commander is I think 1,300 days which is about three years. I think this is good and will be good for the organization,” said Mr. Lorenzana. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

33 deaths due to dengue reported in Central Visayas

DENGUE CASES in Central Visayas increased to 5,339 during the Jan. to March 16 period this year, with 33 deaths recorded. Department of Health officials in the region reported that in the same period last year, there were 1,598 cases with 11 deaths. Cebu province had the most cases at 3,471 with 25 fatalities. Bohol had 923 with six deaths; Negros Oriental, 888 cases with two deaths; and Siquijor, 55 with no casualty. Senior health program officer Ma. Michelle Acosta called on all local government units to reactivate their respective anti-dengue ordinances to hasten and strengthen the response measures to the situation. Ms. Acosta also appealed to homeowners to be cooperative when rural health unit personnel visit them to conduct misting operations. — The Freeman

Robinsons Cybergate Magnolia gets ecozone status

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has designated the Robinsons Cybergate Magnolia located along Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City as an information technology center. Mr. Duterte signed Proclamation No. 699 on March 19, a copy of which was released to Palace reporters on March 20. The building has a gross floor area of 18,314 square meters and is part of the mixed-use complex developed by Robinsons Land Corp., the real estate arm of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. This designation was upon the recommendation of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. — Arjay L. Balinbin

CA upholds libel conviction of Mejorada

THE COURT of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the conviction for four counts of libel of former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel P. Mejorada. In a three-page resolution, the CA denied the motion for reconsideration of Mr. Mejorada in which he cited that the Pasay Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 118 erred in imposing imprisonment as penalty instead of a fine. “(T)he judicial discretion granted to judges to rule on the appropriate penalty for the crime of libel must necessarily involve the exercise of judgement on the part of the court,” the CA said. The case filed by Senator Franklin M. Drilon involves four articles indicating that he intervened in various projects of Iloilo City “by manipulating them as well as benefitting himself by unwarranted gains.” In a statement, Mr. Mejorada said he will bring the case before the Supreme Court as he believes that there was no libel as the element of the injury was not established when Mr. Drilon failed to testify. “Injury in libel is personal and nobody but the complainant can tell the Court on how he felt about the alleged libelous publications. I am confident this issue on the failure of Senator Drilon will be given due consideration,” he said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

GenSan gov’t orders nightly patrols, allocates P13-M additional fund for neighborhood security amid recent crime reports

GENERAL SANTOS CITY Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera has ordered the city police and barangay officials to conduct joint nightly patrols amid a recent rise in reports of crimes such as carjacking. In a meeting earlier this week, Mr. Rivera also announced that a P13 million monthly fund has been allocated for distribution to the 26 villages to beef up security measures. Barangay officials are required to present their peace and order plan to have access to the fund. “We are calling on the public and the residents of General Santos City to help in keeping our city safe by providing us with critical information as well as cooperation in our law enforcement efforts,” Mr. Rivera said in a statement. Also this week, the local government distributed eight new patrol cars and several firearms to the police force. Meanwhile, Col. Raul S. Supiter, head of the GenSan City police, warned residents against “unverified news reports that have gone viral in social media lately.” Mr. Supiter cited postings on “alleged kidnapping of children and other reports that have not been validated or reports that have been blown out of proportion.” He said the local police are working double time to resolve confirmed crimes, noting that they have already made two arrests in the series of carjacking incidents and filed charges against the gunman and mastermind behind the killing of a barangay chairman.

GenSan now has own legislative district

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has signed into law a measure “creating the lone legislative district” of General Santos City, an independent city categorized as highly urbanized in the SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato-Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City) Region. “The First Legislative District of the Province of South Cotabato is hereby reapportioned in order to create the Lone Legislative District of General Santos City to commence in the next national and local elections after the effectivity of this Act,” states Republic Act No. 11243, signed on March 11, and a copy released on March 20. South Cotabato’s first legislative district now covers the municipalities of Polomolok, Tampakan, and Tupi. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Holcim Davao plant former workers seek union recognition, regularization

PROTESTING WORKERS who have been dismissed from the Holcim Philippines, Inc. plant in Davao City, hired through contractor Fort Steel Cargo Integrators Inc., pressed on their call to be reinstated and be given regular employment status. In an open letter to the company, a copy of which was sent to BusinessWorld, the group All Unfairly Dismissed Workers of LafargeHolcim Davao who are also members of the labor union Dahewu-Sentro, said their three basic demands are: “1. Stop hiring of scabs by reinstating all of us direct to LafargeHolcim with full back wages without a labor-only contractor Fortsteel; 2. Recognize our union membership in DAHEWU-SENTRO; and, 3. Fairly implement voluntary regularization by complying with the Collective Bargaining Agreement of DAHEWU-SENTRO and LafargeHolcim…” The group said they are standing pat on these conditions, noting that most of them have been working for the company “side by side with the regular rank-and-file workers” for 10 to 30 years. In a statement earlier this month, Holcim Philippines said it is “closely coordinating” with contractor Fort Steel “for the immediate resolution of this matter.” — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Nation at a Glance — (03/21/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Nation at a Glance — (03/21/19)

Ayala Land Offices opens new Clock In flexible workspace in Vertis North

Ayala Land Offices (ALO), the office leasing arm of Ayala Land, Inc., recently opened its latest flexible, co-working space under the brand name Clock In in Vertis North, a sprawling mixed-use development of its parent company in Quezon City.

The new Clock In occupies 800 square meters of space on the sixth floor of Vertis North Corporate Center 1, which is in close proximity to critical transportation hubs, major Metro Manila arteries, a slew of retail establishments, residential properties and hotels.

It is the fourth Clock In flexible workspace to go online since Ayala Land entered the shared office space business in 2017, after the one at the Penthouse of the Makati Stock Exchange building in Makati City and the other two in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City. Three more are scheduled to open by the end of the year — at The 30th in Pasig City, at Ayala North Exchange in Makati City and Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa City.

According to Carol Mills, Vice President and Head of Ayala Land Offices, rapid advancements in mobile technology and connectivity are changing the way people work, resulting in jobs that are based online and the realization of businesses that tasks can be performed under flexible conditions.

“We are leveraging the synergies of Ayala Land to address the growing demand for shared spaces that inspire innovation and collaboration,” she said.

At the opening of Clock In Vertis North, she said they were pleased with the occupancy of Clock In Makati and BGC, noting that the take-up was fast within the first year.

“We were able to expand our tenant base to include start-up companies, small, medium enterprises and companies that perhaps could not have been able to locate in our traditional offices,” Ms. Mills said.

A flexible workspace like Clock In has huge advantages such as fully furnished facilities and services. Its plug-and-play simplicity meshes well with the always-on-the-go work styles prevalent today. It also entails low start-up costs and flexible lease terms and provides passport access across all Clock In locations.

That’s why it’s incredibly popular among start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, digital nomads, freelancers, road warriors and swing-space seekers, and it is beginning to catch on with large corporates, specifically those that deploy project-based teams in satellite offices.

Designed as a modern twist to an English pub, Clock In Vertis North features a workspace that can seat up to 185 people, fostering collaboration and productive discourses among tenants. It has 23 private offices, a 28-seater co-working space, two meeting rooms (an 8-seater and a 12-seater), and an event space for a variety of purposes, including company presentations, product launches and mixers.

All tenants get to enjoy fast Internet connection of up to 80 mbps, maintenance services, administrative and IT support, unlimited supply of coffee and tea, among other perks.

Ms. Mills added, “In this fast-paced digital world, new skills and business models are needed to thrive. Companies are recognizing that in order to attract and retain top talent, they need to be more community-minded and this should be reflected in the kind of work environment they provide. Clock In by Ayala Land Offices offers the environment for the new generation of businesses to begin.”

For more information, visit http://www.clock-in.com.ph.

Bad debts outpace total bank loans’ rise

SOURED DEBTS held by Philippine banks rose in 2018 to outpace the growth in total loans at a time of higher interest rates and rising commodity prices.
Non-performing loans (NPLs) held by banks hit P178.532 billion last year, 16.7% more than the P152.985 billion in 2017, according to data the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released on Tuesday.
NPLs are loans left unpaid for at least 30 days beyond due date. These are considered risky assets given the slim chance borrowers would settle such liabilities.
The growth in soured debts outstripped the 13.6% increase to P10.076 trillion in total loans handed out by banks.
As a result, industry NPLs took a bigger slice of total loans at 1.77% in 2018, compared to the preceding year’s 1.73%.
Problem debts held by universal and commercial banks grew 16.4% to P113.518 billion from P97.531 billion as of end-2017, faster than the total loan portfolio of these big lenders that expanded by 14.6% to P9.018 trillion.
This pushed big banks’ NPL ratio to 1.26% of total loans from 1.24% in 2017, capping declines observed since 2013.
Across the Philippine banking system, past due loans — which refer to all types of loans left unsettled beyond payment date — soared 44.2% to P253.582 billion, data showed.
Restructured debts fell 14.9% to P39.713 billion.
Still, banks added just a little to their reserves to cover prospective loan losses. The lenders set aside P187.342 billion, just 1.7% more than the previous year’s allowance for possible defaults.
This eroded the banks’ coverage ratio to just 104.93%, still enough to cover the entire NPL stash but significantly less than the 120.44% provision the year prior.
Philippine banks made a cumulative P178.835 billion in 2018, up 6.4% from the P168.075-billion profit the previous year.
BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi G. Fonacier said that the higher NPL may be attributed to a “stricter definition” of past-due and non-performing loans as provided under a recent circular.
The higher NPLs also came after the BSP raised benchmark borrowing rates by a total of 175 basis points in 2018 in five successive rate hikes meant to rein in inflation expectations as consumer prices surged by as high as 6.7% in September and October. The key rate rose to 4.75% from three percent in early 2018, which in turn pushed market yields higher.
The central bank monitors NPL ratios of banks and other firms in order to keep track of asset quality and maintain the soundness of the financial system.
In a March 6 webcast, S&P Global Ratings said the higher NPLs do not ring alarm bells just yet, noting that the ratio “continues to remain very low.”
At the same time, the global debt watcher cited the rapid rise of interest rates as well as currency volatility as key risks to bank profiles.
“We expect the uptick in NPLs to continue in 2019 as well,” Nikita Anand, S&P’s associate for Financial Institutions Ratings, had said then. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

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