Tag: Featured2

THE government agency tasked with regulating and supervising professional sports and allied activities in the country, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) is continuing to build its legs to better deliver on its responsibilities, especially during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

THERE will be no automatic qualification for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 co-host Indonesia. This, after the world basketball governing body ruled that the Southeast Asian country has to earn its spot in the global hoops spectacle.

FACTORY ACTIVITY dropped for a fifth straight month in July, as manufacturing firms reported weaker production and demand despite relaxed lockdown restrictions.

LOCAL agricultural production likely contracted, albeit at a slower pace, in the second quarter, as the strict lockdown affected the employment of farm workers and prevented them from transporting their harvest, economists said.

THE EDUCATION UNIT of Phinma Corp. has invested P449 million to buy a controlling stake in a Laguna-based college to beef up its portfolio.

A COURT approved the deal signed between a hydropower unit of Aboitiz Power Corp. and an Ilocos Sur town seeking a compromise over a property tax issue.

THE IMPLEMENTATION of flexible working arrangements compelled companies to rationalize their office space requirements by looking at areas outside business districts, according to Colliers International Philippines.

EARLY ON in the pandemic, reports of the death of the office appeared greatly exaggerated. But as COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) lingers, and second infection spikes dot the global map, something is changing in how employees and employers view the workplace: It’s being seen as an option rather than a necessity for many white-collar workers.

IN JUNE, streaming service Netflix introduced five Filipino films to its slate including critically acclaimed films such as 2016’s Pamilya Ordinaryo (Ordinary People) and Untrue (2019). This August the service is adding 15 more films to its content library, mostly romantic films such as Love the Way U Lie and Write About Love.

IN THE late 1940s until the 1960s, drive-in cinemas abounded in the US as more and more people were able to buy vehicles. Decades later, the proliferation of TV, cable, and video rentals signaled the decline of these cinemas. Now, with the pandemic making going out to the movies a health and safety risk, SM Cinemas is trying to bring back drive-in cinemas as a “fun and safe movie watching” option, according to a cinema executive.

METROPOLITAN BANK & Trust Co. (Metrobank) booked a lower net income in the second quarter as it continued to boost its loan loss provisions amid the pandemic.

THE PESO logged a fresh three-year high versus the dollar following the US economy’s contraction in the second quarter.

FOOD STOCKS in supermarkets are expected to decline in the coming days due to increased demand after Metro Manila was placed again under a strict lockdown.

THE SENATE Committee of the Whole will proceed with its investigation of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Tuesday even as the chamber put the Senate building on a two-week lockdown.

THE Senate Committee on Finance has committed to pass on time the P4.5-trillion national budget, which is expected to sustain the government’s efforts to help the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

THE construction of the P10-billion New Cebu International Container Port is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021, the Transportation department said.

“You have been told, O Man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only this, to act justly, to have mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Many of us will long remember how mean and wicked COVID-19 is.

HONG KONG denied plans to harvest residents’ DNA as part of a China-backed coronavirus-testing blitz, as deep political mistrust further complicates the city’s efforts to contain its worst outbreak ever.

SINGAPORE — Singapore will make some incoming travellers wear an electronic monitoring device to ensure that they comply with coronavirus quarantines as the city-state gradually reopens its borders, authorities said on Monday.

WITH Metro Manila reverting to a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) setup for the next two weeks to recalibrate efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the Philippine Basketball Association was forced to adjust its push for a return to activities.

SPENT two decades playing the Beautiful Game, former national team player Emilio “Chieffy” Caligdong shared that now in retirement he looks back at his playing career with much satisfaction, happy and thankful that he was able to do something to help the development of the sport in the country for others to build on.

ANNUAL INFLATION may have slightly quickened in July on the back of an uptick in food and transportation prices as coronavirus-led restrictions eased, a BusinessWorld poll showed.

THE National Government’s borrowings surged to P1.723 trillion in the first half, as it incurred more debt to boost its war chest in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

THERE have not been many customers who asked for refund of their quarantine arrears, according to Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).

MEGAWORLD CORP. has completed the sale of $350-million senior unsecured notes, marking its first senior straight bond issuance in seven years.

NONPERFORMING LOANS (NPL) will likely climb in the next few months, with local banks’ strong capitalization and regulatory relief measures seen helping the industry weather the crisis, Moody’s Investors Service said.

MANY BUSINESSES have gone online due to the pandemic because of the closures of physical stores, limitations on movement, and general fear of being sick. E-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee have introduced more and more sellers on their sites, and online second-hand marketplace Carousell is no different. What is different is a new category becoming popular in the quarantine: food.

JAPAN-HEADQUARTERED premium car maker Lexus rallied in May and June to pace the luxury car segment in sales for the period. In an exclusive interview with “Velocity,” Lexus Manila President Raymond Rodriguez said that the lone dealership of the brand (on 8th Avenue and 34th Street in Bonifacio Global City) was able to sell 30 and 69 units in May and June, respectively.

DAVAO CITY — Banana chip maker Southern Harvest, Inc. (SHI) started operating its factory at the Anflo Industrial Estate in Panabo City last week, and is looking to employ an additional 130 employees as it slowly increases output.

YIELDS ON government securities (GS) ended flat last week amid the government’s ongoing retail Treasury bond (RTB) sale.

“DRESS is a form of visual art, a creation of images with the visible self as its medium,” wrote art and clothing historian Anne Hollander in her book, Seeing Through Clothes. “People dress and observe other dressed people with a set of pictures in mind — pictures in a particular style.” A recent talk by Dr. Stephanie Coo under the Icomos Philippines (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Lighter Side Talks series called “Clothing and Spaces” planned to highlight the dynamics of 19th century clothing in the Philippines, but managed to say so much more, namely, on the matter of clothing itself.

ONLINE MARKETPLACE Carousell holds its first-ever used-car sale in the Philippines. “Car-o-Sale” aims to help jump-start businesses of its automotive sellers, many of which are longtime listers since the platform’s days as OLX. It envisions to provide potential car buyers with “a wide selection of quality used vehicles from its list of trusted sellers, paired with great deals.” With public transportation limited due to restrictions, Carousell reports a surge in online searches and inquiries due to a need to find alternative ways of commuting.

PETROBRAS is ready to produce renewable diesel from soy or other edible oils at commercial scale and will expand investments in the segment as soon as it is granted a sales permit, the company’s refining head, Anelise Lara, told reporters on Friday.

THE Department of Health (DoH) reported the highest daily increase of 5,032 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 103,185.

THREE HUNDRED overseas Filipinos arrived from Qatar on Saturday amid a coronavirus pandemic that has sickened about 18 million and killed more than 689,000 people worldwide, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

NUCLEAR POWER within the next two years is unlikely because of the need to complete the appropriate preliminary studies and pass laws regulating the sector, the Senator who chairs that chamber’s energy committee said.

THE Department of Energy (DoE) is studying the use of small nuclear generators to power off-grid areas, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said in a statement.

Our people are getting sick and dying because of COVID-19. Our health system is on the verge of collapse. We are experiencing a new surge of transmission, which could make our urban areas suffer the catastrophe that Italy and New York City went through.

The Philippines has a consumer-driven economy where 72% of economic output is attributed to private consumption. For decades, Filipino entrepreneurs have benefitted from brick and mortar stores. But all that changed when the Wuhan virus struck. Overnight, bustling restaurants, crowded malls and busy stores were empty. Retailers today only realize 15% of their pre-COVID sales, on average.

Japan is trying to both contain a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak and support the economy, especially the tourism sector, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

THE National Basketball Association (NBA) successfully restarted its season on Friday, bringing relief and excitement to the league, especially after putting much effort in making it a reality and overcoming challenges in the run-up.

LAST weekend the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons welcomed the good news of UAAP juniors standouts Carl Tamayo and Gerry Abadiano committing to take their talent to Diliman for their collegiate careers.

FOREIGN PORTFOLIO investments fled the country’s financial markets for a fourth straight month in June, as the uncertainty over the pandemic continued to weigh on investor sentiment. 

ARLENE P. CALLEJA, a pediatrician in Legazpi City southeast of the Philippine capital, has been spending the past few months responding to patients’ fears about the coronavirus pandemic.