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E-sports firm taps Now for internet service

NOW CORP. is signing more long-term deals with clients for its fixed wireless broadband service, the latest of which is with a local e-sports company.

The Velarde-led listed firm said in a statement Monday it has signed a two-year service agreement with BrenPro, Inc. to provide its Fiber Air service to the company’s e-sports training facility in Makati City.

“Internet connection is mission critical for BrenPro and Now Corp.’s Fiber Air is more than capable and willing to answer the challenges of low latency and high capacity internet and provide the best service it can to improve and promote the Philippine esports industry,” Now Corp. Chief Operating Officer Rodolfo P. Pantoja was quoted in the statement as saying.

Now Corp. said BrenPro’s 2,000-square meter office in Makati is home to the biggest e-sports training complex in Southeast Asia. It is also used for several professional video production and professional live streaming events.

“We are confident that our internet service will provide the competitive advantage that BrenPro is looking for,” Mr. Pantoja said.

For his part, BrenPro Chief Operating Officer Leo Andrew “Jab” Escutin said the company chose Now Corp. because of the quick activation of the service which took less than a month. “We value partnerships that provide a premium, value added care to our needs. Now’s first-class accommodation endeared their brand with BrenPro’s brand of excellence,” he was quoted as saying.

The announcement of Now Corp.’s partnership with BrenPro came after it said last week it also signed a multi-year agreement with Union Bank of the Philippines to provide connectivity in its headquarters in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. — Denise A. Valdez

Frustrating

They Are Billions
PlayStation 4

DEVELOPER Numantian Games’ They Are Billions is one of Steam’s Early Access success stories. Despite its humble beginnings, it has managed to make a name for itself in a genre that many consider long dormant. Presenting a mix of city-building, tower-defense and real-time-strategy elements in a post-apocalyptic setting, it pits a budding human colony against innumerable hordes of the undead in the late 22nd century. Its gameplay forces the last bastions of the human race to build and develop a base of operations on which they survive, and then thrive, against a seemingly never-ending tide of flesh-tearing, brain-eating zombies.

Released during the holiday season in 2017, They Are Billions became a certified hit, and fast. Instead of resting on its laurels, however, Numantian Games listened to feedback from gamers and continually improved on its intellectual property, thus keeping its forward momentum. And given the positive response, a crossover to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 was a matter of when, not if. It now finds itself a home in the libraries of current-generation console owners as one of the few RTS titles that can be played with a controller in hand. But how well? Is it really just as good as on the PC?

For the most part, the PS4 port of They Are Billions hews close to its original version. It looks and feels great, and, the learning curve notwithstanding, plays pretty fluidly. Those who have already taken on its challenges with keyboard-and-mouse setups will be happy to note that it‘s a near-perfect recreation; it renders the same components — from units to buildings to enemies — the exact same way, and forces gamers to approach decision points as they would on the PC. Build houses and high walls. Scavenge for resources. Juggle the management of food, power, and research — all while preparing colony against the inevitable next wave of the undead.

Which is all well and good, except for one thing: The DS4 controller gamers rely on to see their intentions through on the PS4 is limiting at best. As adept as they may be in the use of analog sticks and controller buttons, there’s simply no way they can go as fast as if they had a keyboard and mouse instead. The handicap isn’t apparent in, say, building planning and placement — which can be done with minimal effort even with imprecise controls. There’s no rush to doing it, either, as the option to pause the gameplay allows for an unlimited amount of time to formulate plans. Meanwhile, control groups are still present, and units team in as responsive. When things are hunky dory, navigation is easy going.

For gamers, the frustrations set in when They Are Billions hits its pressure notes. During tense sequences, when supposedly quick decisions make all the difference between life and death, micromanagement is all but impossible on the controller. For example, the DS4 makes it far more difficult to root out smaller pockets of zombies without casualties. Pathfinding has, even on the PC, been serviceable at best, with units frequently getting stuck on buildings. It’s a relatively minor issue overall, but when coupled with a controller setup, can lead to some pretty slow and frustrating sessions of jostling and maneuvering.

The complications of imprecise unit movements are magnified when gamers are compelled to command large groups. Late in They Are Billions, when proper placements of humongous armies of soldiers are required to progress, the lack of fluidity and precision becomes such a nagging irritant that pausing the proceedings winds up being the only remedy. And while the virtual cheat doesn’t render the game unplayable, it dampens much of the pacing and tension, countering its very purpose; its more action-packed segments are supposed to make adrenaline flow, not artificially stimulate gray cells.

Significantly, They Are Billions on the PS4 likewise carries over the PC version’s blemishes. The lack of a fast-forward button remains an issue, and slowdown is still noticeable, especially in the busy denouement. While not exactly deal breakers, they do tend to underscore deficiencies vis-à-vis the source material. Which, to be sure, are compounded by the absence of a campaign narrative (albeit a corrective patch has been promised for rollout next month). That said, it manages to live up to its name as an enjoyable romp for console owners with no access to the original.

THE GOOD:

• A faithful port of the highly acclaimed PC version, with the same presentation and gameplay elements

• A heady mix of city building and zombie killing

• Decently paced RTS-cum-survival offering

THE BAD:

• No campaign narrative; patch still incoming

• Intrinsic limitations of controller

• Still misses essential features that should have otherwise cut down tedium

RATING: 7.5/10

POSTSCRIPT: Taimumari: Complete Edition is an impressive port of a highly regarded platformer released on Steam two months short of four years ago. As the title suggests, the Nintendo Switch version already contains the main game and a couple of additional modes otherwise offered separately on the personal computer. And developer TERNOX has changed nothing in the presentation; it likewise has gamers control Himari, a young wizard sent off by High Keeperess Kanamishi to travel across ages in an effort to return to citizens of Zaria the capacity to care for time and thereby restore balance to the world.

Taimumari: Complete Edition’s side-scrolling gameplay is seemingly simple. As gamers go through themed levels that take on the character of their final boss, they’re able to get Himari to scale walls and do double jumps and forward dashes, not to mention inflict damage at close range through a trusty sword or from afar via magic spells. For all the no-frills look it adopts by way of homage to the glory days of eight-bit consoles, however, is likewise retro in the challenges it presents. It offers three difficulty settings, but, regardless of choice, death should be seen as inevitable.

There are five levels all told, all fairly lengthy and requiring quick reflexes and impressive hand-eye coordination to navigate. For every run-through, Taimumari: Complete Edition allows for just three lives; using them all up requires a restart of the given level from scratch. Thankfully, gamers are afforded skill upgrades between levels via stars collected during the journey. That said, button mashing is a requisite in the face of the maximum four spells being subjected to depleting, albeit replenishable, mana. Enemy variety is limited, but the bosses do take significant work to overcome.

In the final analysis, Taimumari: Complete Edition manages to justify its significantly higher price point on the Switch. At $14.99, it’s a heady throwback to an era in which gamers grappled between plodding on and simply throwing their controllers at the television screen. This time around, they benefit from portability even while being treated to old-school graphics and sounds. And by the time they do get to finish it after half a dozen hours, they will have felt a keen sense of accomplishment. (8/10)

THE LAST WORD: Idea Factory International has partnered with Limited Run Games for the physical release of Mary Skelter 2. Set to be up for preorder on Nov. 26, the Switch version of the three-dimensional dungeon crawler includes Mary Skelter: Nightmares, the first installment of the series previously available only on the PlayStation Vita, but revamped for system improvements and balancing adjustments.

Mary Skelter 2 was previously out on the PlayStation 4 in Japan. It’s a direct sequel to Mary Skelter: Nightmares, which saw principal protagonist Jack and best friend Alice try to escape “The Jail,” an underground prison administered by the monstrous Marchen. Boasting of a new battle system that gives Jack the power to become a “Nightmare,” but at staggering cost, it is slated to go live on the Nintendo eShop later this month.

A $440-B pension market sounds alarm as liabilities swell in challenging environment

BACK IN 2012, the world’s best-managed pension market was thrown a lifeline by the Danish government to help contain liabilities. That was when interest rates were still positive.

Seven years later, with rates now well below zero, even Denmark’s $440-billion pension system says the environment has become so punishing that it may be time for a change in European rules.

Henrik Munck, a senior consultant at Insurance & Pension Denmark, an umbrella organization, says the way liabilities are currently calculated “could cause a negative spiral” that forces funds to keep buying low-risk assets, drive yields lower and the value of liabilities even higher.

The warning comes as pension firms across Europe struggle to generate the returns they need to cover their growing obligations. In Denmark, some funds saddled with legacy policies guaranteeing returns as high as 4.5% have had to use equity to meet their obligations.

To calculate liabilities, pension firms use a complex mathematical formula constructed by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). The formula is intended to shield funds from erratic market swings that artificially inflate or hollow out balance sheets. But with negative rates more entrenched, there are signs the EIOPA curve, as it’s called, may not be working as intended.

“When pension funds across Europe de-risk simultaneously, it may actually become pro-cyclical: it increases the price movements, and it could result in yet more downward pressure on the EIOPA yield curve, exacerbating the problem,” Munck said.

The curve is comprised of several elements. Its backbone — the euro interest-rate swap curve — has sunk since its implementation about four years ago, driving up the value of liabilities.

SINKING SWAP RATES
The European Commission has started reviewing the regulatory framework around insurers — Solvency II — with a view to proposing improvements by the end of next year. Insurance Europe, an industry group, is urging the commission to address the curve in its evaluations.

In the meantime, pension funds have been coping by buying up riskier assets. The Dutch, ranked with Denmark as the world’s best performing pension providers by Mercer, have complained to the European Central Bank about the fallout on the industry.

And then there’s the headache of what’s called the volatility adjustment (VA), which is set on a country-by-country basis and is designed to cushion the impact of erratic markets. According to Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst Charles Graham, there’s “widespread” agreement that VA is “flawed.”

“It is something that EIOPA is considering recommending changing, but the challenge is still what to replace it with, or how to fine tune it,” Graham said.

Earlier this year, EIOPA unexpectedly slashed Denmark’s VA to roughly a third its previous level, causing considerable alarm in the industry.

According to Anders Damgaard, the chief financial officer of Denmark’s biggest commercial pension fund, PFA, which has about $100 billion in assets, EIPOA’s reason for the adjustment made sense: The new VA incorporates call options that let Danish borrowers buy back the bonds that fund their mortgages. The long-term covered bonds to which those call options are attached are a cornerstone of Danish pension funds’ investment portfolios.

With interest rates at unprecedented lows, a record number of borrowers are now taking advantage of those call options to refinance their mortgages. Damgaard says the way EIOPA calculates the volatility adjustment means the very device that’s intended to mute market swings has itself become more volatile. Worse, because it’s “an artificial number,” pension funds can’t hedge it, he says.

“That’s really where the main challenge is for us,” Damgaard said. “We have an unhedgeable component of the yield curve — which is actually active on the entire yield curve — and you can’t hedge it, which means that the balance sheet posts are very volatile.”

PFA, like many Danish pension funds, started scaling back guaranteed products for retirees many years ago. That’s given it a buffer to help absorb some of the shock of growing liabilities. But not everyone’s as well prepared. “If the discount curve is more volatile and you can’t hedge it, you can — if you don’t have enough capital — be forced to lower risk on the more hedgeable space, to compensate,” Damgaard said.

Olav Jones, deputy director general of Insurance Europe, says the pension industry “does not see any need to change the way the risk-free curve is generated, but there is a need to improve how the VA is generated.” Right now, it’s “generally too low and generally leads to liabilities that are inflated” and creates artificial volatility in insurers’ balance sheets, he said. — Bloomberg

New Toto showroom opens

TOTO, the world’s largest manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and fittings, has opened a new showroom at the Robins Design Center in Meralco Ave., San Antonio, Pasig City.

The showroom features Toto’s state-of-the-art bathroom products, including its signature product Washlet. First released in the 1980s, the innovative toilet seat “utilizes a water-cleansing system, that features a lid that opens and closes automatically by motion-sensor and adjusts its temperature to match its user’s preference.”

The Washlet also has a Tornado flush, deodorizer, a motion sensor and ultra violet light that kills 99% of germs and bacteria.

“We believe that this showroom brings us closer to our customers in the area and the metro. Our products are inspired by a culture of providing people prime comfort in their bathrooms while helping the environment. This mindset is important, especially in creating a sustainable and more comfortable living space,” said Roxanne Robins-Go, president of La Europa Ceramica — the official distributor of Toto in the Philippines.

How PSEi member stocks performed — October 7, 2019

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Monday, October 7, 2019.

 

How does Manila compare in terms of quality of life?

How does Manila compare in terms of quality of life?

House panel studying 5% tax on POGO revenue

REPRESENTATIVE Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda, the Ways and Means committee chair from the second district of Albay, said the panel is studying his proposal to impose a 5% “franchise tax” on revenue generated by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Mr. Salceda told BusinessWorld in chance remarks that such legislation is “pinag-aaralan at sinusulat (being studied and drafted)” but the basis for imposing the tax will be to reclassify POGOs as resident corporations.

In a separate phone message, Mr. Salceda said: ”POGOs shall be registered as resident corporations as basis for their taxability.”

Under the proposed measure, all POGOs registered with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) are subject to tax, in line with the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 102-2017.

He added that he is expecting that the bill will be discussed on the floor before the year ends. “Within 2019, we will try to get to the floor.”

Another proposal in the bill is a gaming tax of $10,000 a month per table for a live set-up casino and a $5,000 a month gaming tax for random number generator (RNG)-based games.

For POGOs with more than 100 RNG-based games, the panel is considering a $5,000 monthly tax per game for the first 100 games, and a $3,000 monthly tax in excess of the first 100 games.

Earlier, Mr. Salceda said he plans to impose $1,000 presumptive corporate income tax per seat for POGOs. The bill also requires the Bureau of Internal Revenue to collect P76 billion from POGOs. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Senate support for e-vehicle industry heralds showdown over incentives

THE Senate is consolidating five bills seeking to jump-start the electric vehicle industry, with subsidies for the sector the common theme of the legislation which a key Senator hopes will make it out of committee by next month.

Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, the chamber’s energy committee chairman, said at a briefing Monday: “We’ll enter into a technical working group two weeks from now and by November magpa-file na tayo sa (we will report it out on the) floor.”

“Hopefully, ma-approve ‘to within the year, considering na limang Senators ang may ganitong bill (We hope to have this approved within the year, considering that five Senators have filed bills on this matter).”

The committee tackled five Senate Bills which all propose to provide incentives for the production of e-vehicles and other green vehicles, heralding a possible showdown with the Department of Finance (DoF), which is currently seeking to simplify the tax incentive system.

“The challenge is cost. Mahal ang e-vehicles, kaya ang request ng industriya tulungan sila with subsidies at fiscal incentives, ibig sabihin tanggaling ang excise tax, tanggalin ang import duties (E-vehicles are expensive, which is why the industry has requested assistance in the form of fiscal incentives like the removal of excise tax and import duties),” Mr. Gatchalian said.

The bills have been supported by the Department of Energy (DoE), but opposed by the DoF.

According to the DoE’s Energy Utilization and Management Bureau, incentives, such as free charging and free parking, are needed to support the industry.

“Based on our studies, other jurisdiction were able to jump-start with government taking a more proactive role in having and offering free charging facilities,” bureau director Patrick T. Aquino told the committee.

Other non-fiscal incentives he cited were exemption from number coding and other traffic management schemes.

DoF fiscal policy planner and economist Charmaine B. Odicta said the Department does not support incentives for e-vehicles which will run against current efforts to streamline fiscal incentives under the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA).

Ms. Odicta said e-vehicles are already included in the 2017 Investment Priorities Plan. “Based on our data in 2017, there were nine manufacturers, but only three enterprises availed of the fiscal incentive… we would like to note that fiscal incentives alone are not effective in advancing the development of the industry,” she said.

“Another point is that the proposal for the fiscal incentives, contradicts the DoF’s efforts in reforming the tax system. For the VAT (Value-Added Tax) exemption, we agree that the excise tax is a better policy tool to incentivize the production of e-vehicles,” she said, noting that this issue was addressed by Republic Act no. 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

House sees passage of water dep’t bill by Jan.

THE House of Representatives is expected to approve on final reading by January a bill that seeks to establish a Water department, Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda of the second district of Albay 2nd said Monday.

Mr. Salceda, who chairs the ways and means committee and is part of the technical working group studying the creation of the Department of Water Resources Management, said that the chamber is “working very hard” to pass the measure.

“We want pasado na siya sa third (to pass the bill on third reading) by January,” Mr. Salceda said in chance remarks to reporters on the sidelines of the technical working group meeting.

He added, “…Baka ma-report na itong substitute bill (We might report out a substitute bill) by the first week of November when we return. So we are working very hard. Yung meeting ngayon (Today’s meeting) is more formal, but actually there have been a lot of exchanges and consultations.”

The Department of Water Resources Management will be the primary agency for planning, policy formulation, appropriation, utilization, development, conservation, and protection of water resources.

The bill also seeks to establish a Water Regulatory Commission which will be an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The commission will have the power to impose price controls, invalidate contracts, and impose fines and penalties. It will also be the primary agency for the registration and licensing of all water supply and sanitation service providers.

Mr. Salceda, who also filed a similar bill, said that one of the plans for the department is to fold in the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) as an attached agency.

“Nung una sabi ko wag muna isama NIA kasi more on agriculture siya. Kaso kailangan din natin ng NIA, kasi marami po sa mga multi-purpose facilities katulad na pinagkukunan ng tubig natin, yung [La Mesa] Eco dam ay ginagamit sa kuryente, sa agri[culture], ginagamit din as domestic water, so ang importante sa amin na yung mga multi-purpose asset facilities, water assets ay mapunta dito sa Department of Water (At first I did not want NIA to be included because its role is more focused on agriculture. But we need NIA, because many of the facilities are dual purpose for agriculture as well as water. We consider it important that the Department of Water handle such multi-purpose facilities like La Mesa Dam,” Mr. Salceda said.

He said the creation of the department will help the government efficiently utilize the country’s water resources.

“Marami tayong tubig actually pero hindi natin nagagamit gawa nga po ng hindi nama-manage kaya kailangan ng Department of Water. Like yung mga flood waters, yung mga tubig sa mga lakes, although nagagamit pero hindi systematically nao-optimize ang kanilang utilization (There’s a lot of water which we cannot use because it is not properly managed… like flood water or lake water. We do use these resources but not optimally),” Mr. Salceda said.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte said in his State of the Nation Address in July that the creation of water agencies are needed, noting that “the El Niño wreaked havoc on the agricultural sector and caused water shortage in the greater Metro Manila area.”

The creation of a Water Department was also part of a wish list of measures submitted by 14 business groups to Congress. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Davao business chamber backs reclamation to create industrial park

Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII)

DAVAO CITY — The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) said land reclamation is the “ideal” option for the development of an industrial park near the city center.

“It is a challenge to find space in the city because most of the properties are owned by private owners… and also because of the escalating prices of real property,” DCCCII President Arturo M. Milan said in an interview on the sidelines of the Japanese Community 100th Anniversary at the Marco Polo Davao on Oct. 3.

“It is quite a challenge because of the increasing prices of real property in Davao, plus it’s difficult to convince local owners to go into a joint venture because most of the industrial park developers want a joint venture,” he added.

He also noted that Cebu City reclaimed land and developed this into an industrial park.

The need to establish an industrial park was highlighted during last week’s Japanese Community celebration as investors from Japan expressed interest to set up manufacturing plants in Davao City.

Miwa Yoshiaki, consul general of Japan in Davao, said among the potential locators are metal and plastic manufacturers aside from processors of agricultural goods.

“Manufacturing industry has a very wide range… I understand that DCCCII thinks that manufacturing is very important and I agree… but of course agri-business is also important such as processing agriculture (products),” he said.

Mr. Milan said if Davao City can develop the industrial space, foreign partners could bring in the equipment and technology for processing local agricultural resources.

“We will just marry the two and put them in an industrial park where we can process. That is the ideal to help the farmers,” he said.

Mr. Milan also clarified that they would not like Davao City to go into heavy industry.

“Maliliit lang (Just light industry) such as manufacturing plants for cell phone chips,” he said.

DCCCII, he added, has been in discussions with the Semi-conductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI), which is looking at Davao as a future expansion area.

“Only that we don’t have an industrial park at mas gusto nila na (and they prefer an) established industrial park… An industrial park is like a one-stop-shop and the incentive is already bundled in the offering,” Mr. Milan said.

Mr. Milan said the chamber hopes that the government will take the lead in the establishment of an industrial park, which would open doors for value-adding to agricultural products, generate employment, and contribute to overall economic growth. — Maya M. Padillo

BSP to subsidize production of blank cards for national ID

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has signed a deal with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to subsidize production of blank cards for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), a national ID scheme which the bank hopes will remove a major hurdle to opening bank accounts.

According to the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the BSP will produce blank cards for the national ID while the PSA will maintain and secure the database of ID owners, safeguarding the confidentiality of their data.

BSP has set aside P3.4 billion to subsidize production of 116 million blank cards for issuance until 2022, equivalent to about P30 per card. The ID will initially be issued free of charge.

Bank rules pose a hurdle to financial inclusion because the current Know-Your-Customer (KYC) set-up, opening a bank account requires two government IDs.

“Now with this national ID, all you need is this to open an account. So that is very helpful for most of our unbanked sectors because as you know, farmers don’t have passports or driver’s licenses,” BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said in a news conference following the MoA signing, adding that the national ID is a program “30 years in the making.”

Pilot-testing for the national ID was launched in September. PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa said that the tests will run until May, with the formal rollout of the ID registration by July.

Mr. Mapa said the tests have revealed that registration time is shorter than expected at 15 minutes, though seniors might take longer.

“The expected time to register was shorter in the pilot than what we have been expecting. Right now we are talking about 15 minutes to register [on] average,” Mr. Mapa told reporters.

He added that the target is to issue 14-15 million IDs in 2020, 50 million in 2021, and the remainder needed by 2022.

The national ID is authorized by Republic Act. No. 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act, which establishes a unified identification system for both Filipinos and resident aliens. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Philippines brings largest-ever exhibitor delegation to German food show

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said brought its largest contingent thus far of food exporters to the world’s biggest food show in Germany this week.

In a statement issued Monday, the DTI said its Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) organized the delegation of 36 food producers and manufacturers to the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne on Oct. 5-9.

The biennial Allgemeine Nahrungs- und Genussmittel-Ausstellung (General Food and Beverage Exhibition) or Anuga, which attracted over 165,000 visitors from 198 countries.

DTI Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Trade Promotions Abdulgani Macatoman said that the Philippine contingent grew to 36 from an initial roster of 31 exhibitors.

“Many of our local firms are looking to leverage the increasing food demand in the global market and what better way to do that than to be at the world’s biggest food show,” he said.

Of the 36 participants, 21 were first-timers. To feature delicacies from various Philippine regions, 17 of the exhibitors are so-called “One Town, One Product” (OTOP) companies.

OTOP is a DTI stimulus program for micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises that identifies and promotes products specific to their communities.

“Along with the well-known exporters, local food producers under the OTOP section will elevate the country’s iconic and quintessential flavors from local farms and grass roots communities to surprise and delight the global palate,” CITEM Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan said.

The Philippine delegation in Germany exhibited “creative applications” of the country’s “Premium 7” export products: banana, cacao, coconut, coffee, mango, pineapple, and tuna.

The delegation also brought salmon, sardines, oriental noodles, shrimp, gluten-free pasta, confectioneries and baking ingredients, fruit beverages, sauces, spices, and condiments.

The Philippine delegation to Germany consisted of partners in various programs run by CITEM and OTOP, supported by the Foreign Trade Services Corps (FTSC), the association of trade attaches worldwide, and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PITC) in Berlin. — Jenina P. Ibañez

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