Maguindanao massacre suspect hospitalized

October 23, 2019 | 8:47 pm

ONE OF the prime suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, Zaldy U. Ampatuan, was brought to a hospital last Monday due to heart ailment, a jail official said. “I can confirm that Zaldy Ampatuan was rushed to the hospital due to Cardio Vascular Disease Infarct Secondary to Cardiac Dysrhythmia,” Bureau of Jail Management and Penology spokesperson Xavier Solda said in a mobile phone message on Wednesday. “He is in a stable condition now,” he added. The location of the hospital in Metro Manila was not disclosed due to “safety reasons.” Mr. Ampatuan was governor of the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao when 58 people were massacred in the town of Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009. Among the victims were 32 media practitioners, and family members and supporters of a political rival of the Ampatuan clan. Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra in August said the trial for the Maguindanao massacre case was completed July 17 and submitted for resolution on Aug. 15. A decision is expected to be rendered before the 10^th anniversary of the incident. Andal Ampatuan, Sr., father of Mr. Ampatuan and the alleged mastermind of the massacre, died of cancer on July 15, 2015. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Davao Oriental gears up for Pujada Bay validation as 1 of the world’s most beautiful

October 23, 2019 | 8:46 pm

THE DAVAO Oriental provincial government is preparing for the visit and evaluation by the Club of Most Beautiful Bays in the World for the formal inclusion of Pujada Bay in the list. “We will be waiting for the ground validation,” said Ednar Carlos G. Dayanghirang, chief of staff of Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson L. Dayanghirang, adding that there is no specific date set yet. Mr. Dayanghirang attended the club’s general assembly in Japan last Oct. 18, where the 27-member group accepted the Pujada Bay application. The validation process will determine the bay’s listing and induction during the club’s World Congress next year, to be held in Morocco. The provincial government, together with the Mati City government, supported the bay’s listing as part of the campaign to boost the local tourism industry. Davao Oriental is also home to the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

NRC taps Iloilo City to be resilience model

October 23, 2019 | 8:45 pm

ILOILO CITY has been chosen by the National Resilience Council (NRC) as the first local government unit for assistance towards becoming a model for safety and sustainability. “The NRC approached Iloilo City because we are aware that the leadership is open to both the collaboration with the private sector and the science and technology community. Iloilo has very good foundation for how evidence-based risk governance can actually be part of the sustainability of the city,” NRC President Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last week. Among the target output under the MoU are an integrated risk assessment, a resilience roadmap, and an integrated multi-stakeholder plan. The MoU was signed by Ms. Loyzaga, Iloilo Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Gay D. Defiesta for the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV). As part of the partnership, Iloilo City also received disaster risk reduction devices from the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction in Taiwan. Aside from UPV, NRC will also be assisted by the University of San Agustin, John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University, West Visayas State University, and the Iloilo Science and Technology University. Mr. Treñas said the collaboration, together with the private sector, is important for economic growth. “We need to be resilient… to make sure that our people will be safe and not only our people, but investors,” he said. He announced that Megaworld Corp. has committed an P8 million contribution for the program on improving resilience capacity. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Conflict over roads to Davao del Norte banana farms settled

October 23, 2019 | 8:44 pm

THE CONFLICT surrounding roads in the Floirendo-run banana farms in Sto. Tomas and Braulio Dujali, Davao del Norte has been settled with an agreement signed by the parties. Under the deal, the existing biosecurity facilities at entry points will not be demolished, but the requirement of a gate pass for public access will be removed. The agreement also provides for the creation of a joint monitoring committee composed of two representatives each from the parties involved: the provincial government of Davao del Norte, the Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc. (TADECO), and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which owns the land. TADECO and BuCor have a joint venture agreement for the banana plantations. “Proper security protocols shall be observed by the three parties the details of which shall be discussed by the Joint Monitoring Committee,” the agreement read. The agreement also settles the court cases filed by both sides. Earlier, a Regional Trial Court in Panabo City issued a temporary restraining order stopping the provincial government from demolishing the biosecurity facilities set up by the company to prevent the spread of Fusarium Wilt, or Panama disease. The signatories to the agreement were Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin I. Jubahib, TADECO Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Zeaus Apollo C. Vadil, and BuCor Director General Gerald Q. Bantag. The agreement was reached through the mediation of Mindanao Development Authority Chair Emmanuel F. Piñol. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Nationwide round-up

October 23, 2019 | 8:42 pm

DoJ verifying reported entry of drug trafficker in rogue cops’ case

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) is still verifying if a suspected foreign drug trafficker, supposedly arrested in a 2013 police operation carried out by 13 allegedly rogue cops, entered the country last month. DoJ Spokesperson Markk L. Perete said records from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) indicate that a certain Kim Yu Seok entered the country on Sept. 30 and there is no record of his departure since. “The BI cannot however confirm if the holder of said passport is the same Johnson Lee allegedly involved in a drugs-related case currently under investigation,” Mr. Perete told reporters in a mobile phone message. “The BI is currently reviewing, among others, footages from their CCTV as part of the verification process,” he added. The 13 policemen, along with former Philippine National Police chief General Oscar D. Albayalde, are facing complaints before the DoJ over their alleged involvement in the recycling of drugs in the 2013 operation. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, former director of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said during Senate hearings that the 13 policemen reported to have seized 38 kilograms (kg) of drugs, instead of 200 kg, and arrested drug trafficker Johnson Lee. Mr. Magalong further said Mr. Lee allegedly paid the cops about P50 million to present a different person in his place. Mr. Albayalde, who will be retiring next month, resigned after being accused of attempting to stop the firing of the 13 cops in 2016 over the said drug operation. PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa on Monday said three of the 13 cops were dismissed for another offense involving a buy-bust operation in Antipolo early this year. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Nation at a Glance — (10/24/19)

October 23, 2019 | 8:41 pm

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

ZEN Rooms strengthens alliance with billion-dollar Korean travel group Yanolja

October 23, 2019 | 5:50 pm

ZEN Rooms, one of the largest hotel franchises in Southeast Asia, announced last week that it had signed a definitive agreement with travel group Yanolja regarding additional investment, acquisition of early investors’ stakes and the signing of a wide strategic alliance. Yanolja is the leading travel group in South Korea, backed by Booking Holdings and GIC, among others. Yanolja was the lead strategic investor in the company’s US$15M funding round in 2018, with rights to invest further.

The alliance combines ZEN’s top-rated budget hotel franchise business with Yanolja’s scale, hospitality technologies and the backing by the global leader in Online Travel, Booking Holdings (behind Booking.com, Agoda, Priceline.com, Kayak, etc), thus granting ZEN unique competitive advantages in both hotel technology and sales distribution.

The groups will work to heavily deploy automation technology to enhance customer experience, further reduce budget hotels’ operating costs and reinvent budget hospitality across Southeast Asia.

“We have proudly built ZEN into the top rated budget hotel franchise in the region and were honored to be Yanolja’s first international investment,” said Nathan Boublil, co-founder and CEO of ZEN. “With this strategic alliance, we are joining forces with one of the most technologically innovative travel groups and its unique backers Booking Holdings to create the first full service
budget and mid-range hospitality group in SEA, able to deploy world-class technology infrastructure in IoT R&D, automation, hardware and software to all hotels in Southeast Asia.

“This alliance will greatly benefit our ability to serve our hotel clients and ultimately the travelers of the entire region,” he said.

Jongyoon Kim, CEO of Online Business at Yanolja, adds: “Since first investing in ZEN, we have shared the same vision of operational excellence and customer centricity to radically improve the SE Asian hospitality market. In the last 12 months, the ZEN team has taken major steps to fulfill this vision and has grown exponentially while displaying top inventory quality. With this exciting agreement, Yanolja plans to fully support ZEN to solidify its status as the market leading full-stack hospitality company in the region.”

Startup World Cup

October 23, 2019 | 12:59 pm

With Pegasus Tech Ventures’ Startup World Cup to be held in May 2020, it’s time to determine the best representative for each country– and it could be your startup for the Philippines.

If you think you have what it takes, join the Philippine Regional Competition on November 22 to be held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria. It will also be part of the Slingshot event during the Philippine Startup Week organized by the DTI-EMB.

The winner will not only represent the country in the Startup World Cup Global Competition but will also enjoy an all-expense paid trip to San Francisco and get a chance to win $1,000,000.

You may send your application through this link (https://lnkd.in/fcWtxSW) on or before November 8, 11:59PM.

#SWC2019 #IGNITE2020″

Dan Lachica on CITIRA and the importance of tax incentives

October 23, 2019 | 11:29 am

Danilo C. Lachica, president of the Semiconductors & Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI), shares his thoughts on the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA).

OPPO launches Reno2 series in Philippines

October 23, 2019 | 11:14 am

Designed to bring out the creative storymaker in you

World-leading smartphone brand OPPO takes on today’s emergence of video content creation as a creative outlet with the grand launch of the Reno2 Series in the Philippines, which includes both the Reno2 and the Reno2 F. This latest iteration to the successful line of the Reno series is jam-packed with top-notch video-focused specs such as the Quad Rear Camera setup capable of up to 20x Digital Zoom, Ultra Steady Mode, Ultra Dark Mode, and more. These high-grade features allow users to create quality videos, and ultimately sparks creativity in sharing stories. With the OPPO Reno2, #AnyoneIsAStorymaker

The Reno Collective Embraces being Storymakers

The Reno Series values creativity and self-expression through the stories that make up our everyday lives, brought to life by storymakers that make up The Reno Collective. Alongside the Reno2 Series Launch, notable vloggers and content creators were introduced as the official brand ambassadors: Actors Gabbi Garcia and Mikael Daez, fashion and lifestyle personality Laureen Uy, and globe-trotting adventurer Daniel Marsh. These well known icons’ content may differ in theme, but they all share the same goal of creative self-expression in the form of videography, which then inspires others to embrace being a storymaker. The OPPO Reno2 Series’ newest innovation enables one to widen horizons, discover new possibilities, and express one’s self with no reservations.

With a mix of old and new storymakers onboarded, OPPO also launched the “100 Moments” digital campaign that gives a glimpse of 100 diverse stories, all creatively captured with the Reno2. Each distinct story is open for viewing online through the hashtag #AnyoneIsAStorymaker.

The Evolution of Phone Videography with the new OPPO Reno2

More people are seeing the vast potential behind videos as a form of expression nowadays. We also see this with the rise of popular platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as the increased number of videos being churned out online. Videos speak volumes in creating stories, and with smartphones now being an extension to one’s lifestyle, people are more open to sharing stories and expressing creativity through videos seamlessly captured with their smartphones.

With the advent of the rise of video, the OPPO Reno2 takes things up a notch to better capture video content. The Reno2 series was especially designed to allow its users to help budding content creators become more effective storymakers. Thanks to the smartphone’s enhanced Quad Rear Camera consisting of a 48MP main camera, an 8MP wide angle lens, a 13MP telephoto lens, and a 2MP mono lens, supported by 5x Hybrid Zoom and up to 20x digital zoom and the Ultra Wide Angle lens. The Reno2 offers 116° Ultra-Wide Angle view, bringing your stories to life through boundless landscapes day or night. The series enables its users to capture long-distance scenarios in ultra-high quality imaging, whether it be taking videos of your favorite performers at a concert or capturing breathtaking scenery.

The Reno2’s Ultra Steady Mode feature is designed to guarantee stable and smooth videos in the midst of extremely shaky situations. The series is equipped with Optical Image Stabilization and a 60 fps frame rate to compensate for those shaky shots and enhance image stabilization, fluency, and overall image quality. A true testament of eliminating boundaries as you better express yourself.

The Reno2 is equipped with the Ultra Dark Mode, which produces crisp and clear shots even during low light conditions, capable of picking up details invisible to the human eye.

Adding to the Reno2 camera’s roster of video-focused features are the Bokeh Effect Video that adds depth, the Background Noise Reduction feature that cuts out background noise to make the subject’s sounds more focused, and the Audio Zoom feature that allows one to amplify the sound of a subject while zooming in on it.

The upgraded VOOC 3.0 flash charging technology and a large-capacity 4,000 mAh battery will enable its users to a more enjoyable and longer experience. It is also powered by Hyper Boost 2.0, Frame Boost, and Touch Boost to provide a smooth user experience while running on ColorOS 6.1 based on Android 9.0. You can enjoy the immersive video experience on the Reno2’s 6.5” AMOLED full screen made from durable 6th Generation Corning® Gorilla® Glass and the Dolby ATMOS feature to experience surround sound effects when using a headset.

The Reno2 series comes in colorways inspired by nature: options for Reno2 are Sunset Pink and Luminous Black, while Sky White and Lake Green for Reno2 F.

Reno2 F: the next generation of the OPPO F series

With the objective of boosting the OPPO F series’ features, the brand introduced the Reno2 F equipped with a 48MP Quad Rear camera that comes with the Ultra Night Mode 2.0, which offers greater adaptability to a wider range of lighting intensity and optimized night shooting. Amplifying this is the Atmosphere Light for an optimized experience when using the front camera to take selfies efficiently. The Reno2 F also utilizes Electronic Image Stabilization to guarantee image stabilization amidst high-action activities together with 119° Ultra Wide angle adaptability to enable you to capture wider perspectives.

Enhanced Auditory Experience with the new OPPO ENCO Q1

Alongside the Reno2 Series, OPPO has also launched in the Philippines its first wireless noise-cancelling headphones, the OPPO ENCO Q1. The noise-cancelling feature comes in handy in low-frequency noise environments when in transit such as in cars, airplanes, or trains. Designed by the OPPO acoustic team, it cancels out all external noise to enable uninterrupted auditory experience. It is equipped with massive 11.8 mm high-resolution dynamic driver units with PEEK+PU composite diaphragms, resulting in rich mid-range to crystal-clear treble.

Charging time completes within 2 hours and can last up to 15 hours of music play time, 10.5 hours of communication, and 22 hours standby. It is also built with Bluetooth 5.0 that allows stronger connection between the phone and earphones up to 10 meters. The OPPO ENCO Q1 comes with premium design that exhibits elegance and beauty, available in color variants Midnight Black and Sunny Orange.

Get your OPPO Reno2, Reno2 F, and OPPO ENCO Q1 soon!

The new OPPO Reno2 will retail at PHP 28,990 with Muse Bluetooth Speaker worth PHP2,499 as a freebie, while the Reno2 F will retail at PHP 19,990 with O1 Bluetooth Headphone worth PHP2,499 as a freebie. Both will run pre-order period from October 18 to 24, and will be officially be available nationwide on October 25 in OPPO concept stores, authorized dealers, and online via Lazada, Shopee, Akulaku, Argomall, Abenson and Memoxpress.

The Reno2 series will be available in partner operators Globe and Smart. For Globe, the Reno2 will be available on Plan 1,799 online and offline with no cash out starting October 24, while for Smart, the Reno2 will be available on Smart Signature Plan M 1,499 with Php7,500 cash out starting November 8.

You can enjoy the auditory experience as well with wireless noise-cancelling earphones OPPO ENCO Q1 for only PHP4,990 starting October 25 in all OPPO concept stores and authorized dealers nationwide. It is also available via Home Credit for 6 months installment with 0% interest.

To know more about the new OPPO’s latest products, visit the website www.oppo.com/ph or check the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OPPOPH.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s new sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

State spending short despite Sept. boost

October 23, 2019 | 12:32 am

By Beatrice M. Laforga

STATE SPENDING rose by its fastest pace in almost a year and a half in September as the government rushed to make up for muted expenditures last semester, but even this boost was not able to ensure that the nine-month program was met, according to data the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) released on Tuesday.

And with revenue collections growing by double-digit pace and a smaller year-to-date fiscal gap, the government also fell short of its programmed deficit.

SPENDING
National government expenditures jumped by 39.01% to P415.1 billion last month from the P298.6 billion a year earlier, its best performance since the 42.7% increase recorded in April last year.

Primary spending — which excludes interest payments and includes infrastructure expenditures — for the month climbed 39.89% year-on-year to P372 billion, while interest payments totaled P43.1 billion, up 31.88% from a year earlier, primarily due to coupon payments for reissued bonds and the five-year retail treasury bonds issued in March.

“The national government continued to catch up with its spending plan for the year where 71.2% of the P3.77 trillion full-year program is to be disbursed as of end-September despite the delay in the passage of the 2019 budget and the election ban in the earlier part of the year,” BTr said.

The nine months to September saw total state expenditures growing 5.51% year-on-year to P2.627 trillion, with primary spending picking up by 5.15% to P2.333 trillion and interest payments increasing by 8.26% to P293.7 billion.

Still, the government missed its P2.685-trillion spending program for those nine months by 2.14%, with primary spending missing a P2.367-trillion target by 1.42% and interest payments falling short of a P317.8-billion program by 7.56%.

REVENUES
The government raked in 16.89% more revenues at P236.5 billion in September from P202.4 billion a year ago.

Tax collections, which made up 89% of the total, increased by 15.15% to P211 billion in September from P183.2 billion.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which contributed 71.3% of tax collections and 63.6% of gross revenues, grew its take by 15.24% to P150.5 billion from P130.6 billion, while the Bureau of Customs, which contributed 27.9% to tax collections and a fourth to total revenues, raked in 15.13% more at P58.8 billion from P51.1 billion.

Non-tax revenues — including subsidies to cover taxes on government transactions — increased by 33.53% year-on-year to P25.5 billion, with collections of the Treasury climbing 48.83% to P10.7 billion and those of other offices rising 24.3% to P14.8 billion.

The nine months to September saw revenues climb 10.25% to P2.328 trillion from P2.112 trillion, with tax collections growing 10.3% to P2.091 trillion from P1.895 trillion and non-tax revenues increasing by 9.78% to P237.4 billion from P216.2 billion.

The same comparative nine-month periods saw collections of the BIR increase 10.98% to P1.603 trillion from P1.444 trillion, while those of Customs grew 8.15% to P470 billion from P434.6 billion.

Non-tax revenues increased by 9.78% to P237.4 billion from P216.2 billion, with Treasury collections climbing 31.05% to P118.6 billion from P90.5 billion, while other offices reported 5.54% less collections at P118.7 billion from P125.7 billion.

While the nine-months to September saw gross revenues exceed the P2.32-trillion target by 0.35%, tax revenues still fell 3.81% short of a P2.173-trillion goal, with the BIR missing its P1.674-trillion target by 4.25% and Customs missing its P481.1-billion goal by 2.29%.

On the other hand, non-tax revenues exceeded a P146.3-billion program by 62.19%, with the Treasury beating its P60.4-billion goal by 96.46%.

DEFICIT
Revenue collections and expenditures resulted in a P178.6-billion fiscal deficit in September that was 85.52% more than the year-ago P96.2 billion.

That resulted in a year-to-date fiscal gap of P299 billion that was 20.95% smaller than the P378.2 billion recorded in 2018’s first nine months.

Still, the year-to-date deficit was 18.03% off a P364.7-billion program for those nine months.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND GROWTH
Latest data which the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released on Monday showed that infrastructure and other capital outlays were still down 13.2% year-on-year to P59.3 billion in August from P68.4 billion a year ago, with the eight months to August seeing such expenditures drop 11.8% to P446 billion — less then half the P1-trillion infrastructure spending program for 2019.

DBM attributed such smaller spending to late enactment of the 2019 budget that left new projects unfunded and the 45-day public works ban ahead of the May 13 midterm elections.

Sought for comment, DBM Undersecretary Laura B. Pascua said that she remains “hopeful” that infrastructure spending will meet the full-year program, explaining that “spending is traditionally up” this quarter.

Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa, senior economist at ING Bank NV-Manila Branch, said the performance of revenue-generation and state spending were both “impressive,” giving “hope” for a six percent full-year gross domestic product growth — after last semester’s muted 5.5% — “as expenditures roll out while the government continues to streamline and improve its collection efforts.”

“A resurgence in government spending coupled with still-robust and potent household spending will look to carry the load for 3Q GDP growth as capital formation remains handicapped and recovers from its meltdown in 2Q,” Mr. Mapa said in an e-mail.

“As capital formation regains form hopefully by 4Q, we can expect growth to return to form and close out the year on a strong note with the economy firing on all cylinders once more.”

National government fiscal performance (September 2019)

October 23, 2019 | 12:32 am

STATE SPENDING rose by its fastest pace in almost a year and a half in September as the government rushed to make up for muted expenditures last semester, but even this boost was not able to ensure that the nine-month program was met, according to data the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) released on Tuesday. Read the full story.