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July 20, 2023 10:48 PM

India is the world's biggest rice exporter and supplies the grain to more than 100 countries.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) ranks third among the strongest brands in the Philippines for 2023, and one of the country’s most valuable brands overall, according to a study by a London-based brand valuation consultancy firm.

CEB received a Brand Strength Index score of 81.0, corresponding to a rating of AAA-, according to Brand Finance’s 2023 report on the most valuable and strongest Filipino brands.

CEB also placed 20th among the Philippines’ most valuable brands for this year—the first time the airline made it in the list—with a brand value worth US$194 million.

Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy firm, published the annual list of the most valuable and strongest brands following a survey of over 100,000 respondents worldwide to assess their perception of more than 4,000 brands.

The survey was complemented with an analysis of the companies’ investments in marketing and research and development, as well as ratings by review sites, social media engagement, customer churn, market share, among others.

According to Brand Finance’s report, the Philippines’ strongest brands are determined based on a balanced scorecard that evaluates the marketing investment, shareholder equity, and business performance of each company. (PR)

BANK of the Philippine Islands capped its first half of 2023 with net income of P25.1 billion, up 23 percent, delivering a return on equity of 15.5 percent.

Drivers of the strong financial performance were average asset base expansion, margin growth and lower provisions.

Total revenues for the first semester of the year ramped up 13.8 percent to P65.6 billion, on the back of the 27.4 percent increase in net interest income to P50.1 billion, attributable to average asset base expansion of 9.2 percent and net interest margin widening by 56 basis points to 4.03 percent.

This was tempered by the 15.4 percent decline in non-interest income to P15.5 billion due to the property sale gain recognized in the prior year.

Removing the impact of this one-off transaction, non-interest income would be higher by P2.2 billion or 16.3 percent, led by the increase in fees from credit cards, various service charges and securities trading. (PR)

DOUBLEDRAGON Corp. worldwide hotel expansion subsidiary Hotel101 Global Pte. Ltd. Wednesday, July 20, 2023 signed Master Service Agreements with Orience, PSI Consultants and L&L RSM Law as the exclusive advisory service providers to process the residency applications by investment option for buyers of at least three units in Hotel101’s first European project, Hotel101-Madrid located in Valdebebas Madrid, Spain.

A Golden Visa for Spain, officially known as the Spain Investor Visa is a residence permit issued to non-European citizens who make a substantial investment in Spain such as buying a real estate asset worth 500,000 euro.

The Golden Visa applications are for evaluation and approval of the proper authorities of the Government of Spain, at its discretion, but the purchase of Hotel101 units may be used by the foreign buyer to comply with the 500,000 euro Spanish real estate investment requirement.

The Golden Visa processing and advisory fee that cost about 6,000 euro will be free of cost for those who will purchase three Hotel101 units in Madrid Spain from the start of the unit pre-selling until Dec. 31, 2023 or until the units are fully sold out, whichever comes first. Hotel101-Madrid is set to become one of the Top 5 largest hotels in Madrid, Spain.

Hotel101-Madrid is set to be the first homegrown Filipino hotel chain to enter Spain. (PR)

THE Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) will soon deploy two bus units that will take local and foreign tourists from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to Cebu’s port terminals for free.

CCTC head councilor Joy Pesquera made this pronouncement on Thursday, July 20, 2023, during the first day of the Cebu Tourism Summit of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry held in SM Seaside City Cebu.

CCTC is currently in talks with MCIA and will also seek permission from the Cebu Port Authority to allow these buses to pick up and drop off passengers.

Pesquera said these buses are meant to improve the tourism experience of tourists when they arrive in Cebu. This free transport is also meant to provide them seamless mobility.

“We want to maximize Cebu as a hub and at the same time help airlines provide good service to their passengers. This is also to make our missionary routes to Baguio, Laoag, Cotabato and Tawi-Tawi sustainable,” said Pesquera, explaining that passengers from neighboring islands can easily take these buses going to the airport.

The buses will ply with a 30-minute interval.

Pesquera said the CCTC will make use of the buses already owned by the Cebu City Government. They have yet to identify the cost of the project as they are still studying the cost of the gasoline and of dressing up the buses.

The CCTC head said they plan to roll out this project this year.

New parks

Besides providing convenient transport to Cebu’s major gateways, Pesquera also announced the plan of CCTC to co-manage the idle Ayala Heights in Barangay Sirao, Cebu as they want to turn it into a park.

Pesquera said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has already reached out to Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) for the possibility of co-managing the Ayala Heights project and opening it for public use.

“We need more parks. This can be a venue for activities like camping and other outdoor events,” she said.

Ayala Heights is a 200-hectare property owned by ALI originally developed as an ultra high-end residential project. Its development was halted because of geological issues.

Ayala Heights was developed in the latter part of the 1990s at a time when Asia’s economy was badly hit by a financial crisis. It is supposed to be another luxury residential project similar to Maria Luisa Estate Park, among others. (KOC)

A TOTAL of 3,000,079 visitors from foreign countries have arrived in the Philippines from Jan. 1 to July 19, 2023, surpassing the international arrival count of 2.65 million for the whole of 2022.

This figure reflects the “continued recovery and the gains” of the country’s tourism sector, a top official from the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

The country’s inbound tourism receipts from January 1 to June 30 also went up to P212,467,522.100.14, which is 502.02 percent higher than the P35,292,495,457.14 tourism revenue generated in the same period last year.

The tourism sector had experienced a drought for nearly two years due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

“We are glad to report that in roughly seven months, we have already achieved the three million international visitor mark, reflecting continued robust recovery and the gains of the Marcos administration towards the resurgence of Philippine tourism,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco in a statement.

“Tourism provides employment and livelihood to millions of Filipinos. We are grateful for the renewed interest worldwide in the Philippines which offers a multitude of reasons to love travel across our islands,” she added.

Frasco also expressed gratitude to Filipinos who continue to travel domestically, supporting local communities and families who are all part of the tourism value chain.

Top arrivals

Of the over three million international arrivals, 91.36 percent or 2,740,802 are foreign tourists, while the remaining 8.64 percent or 259,277 are overseas Filipinos.

The country had most tourists from South Korea, at 741,658 or 24.72 percent of the total arrivals; followed by 550,569 or 18.35 percent from the United States; 146,062 or 4.87 percent from Australia; 143,227 or 4.77 percent from Japan; and 132,018 or 4.40 percent from Canada.

Other visitors were from China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia.

In 2022, the country’s international arrivals reached 2.65 million, surpassing the agency’s target of 1.7 million foreign visitors, which translated to P214 billion or roughly $4 billion in estimated revenues, exceeding the targeted revenue of P155.03 billion by 38.06 percent.

For this year, the DOT’s target for foreign visitors is 4.8 million, the same level before the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world.

In May, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023 to 2028 that aims to transform the country into a tourism powerhouse in Asia.

The plan includes ways to address essential issues of tourism development, such as the development of infrastructure, connectivity, as well as digitalization, the equalization of tourism, development and promotion, the enhancement of overall tourism experience as well as the strengthening of tourism governance.

Frasco said programs under NTDP will be anchored on Filipino culture, heritage and identity.

The DOT launched on June 27 its new tourism campaign slogan “Love The Philippines.” (TPM / SUNSTAR PHILIPPINES)

July 20, 2023 10:00 PM

But opposition PN say debt cleared years ago.

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is once again calling on all cellphone users to register their SIM cards as the extension granted for the registration is set to expire on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

According to the most recent NTC data, 103,670,164 people, or 61.70 percent, have registered their SIM cards as of July 17.

The NTC revealed that 7,359,116 of them have signed up with Dito Telecommunications, 47,267,960 have signed up with Globe, and 49,043,068 have signed up with Smart.

According to the data of NTC in December 2022, there were a total of 168,016,400 subscribers.

Those who have yet to register may follow the following procedures:

First, check the SIM registration website of the service provider such as Globe, Smart and Dito.

Second, provide your 10-digit mobile number and click the “Register” button. You will receive a text message containing a One Time Pin (OTP), which you must immediately input on the registration website.

Once your OTP has been validated, you can proceed with the registration. Among its requests are complete name, birthday, gender, address, and nationality.

To validate information, pre-paid users will be asked to also submit a selfie and a government-issued ID such as passport, national ID and Social Security System ID, among others, as part of the requirements.

Once done, one can click the “Submit” button to complete the process. After the process, a reference number will appear on your screen confirming that your SIM card has been registered. (ANV / TPT)

STATE-RUN Pag-Ibig Fund has lowered its interest rates on housing loans, making home financing more attractive and affordable to Filipinos.

Under the new rates, the Pag-Ibig housing loan now carries a lower interest of 6.25 percent per annum under a three-year repricing period, down from the previous 6.375 percent.

Interest rates for repricing periods of five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years have also been reduced to 6.5 percent from 6.625 percent, 7.125 percent from 7.375 percent, 7.75 percent from 8.00 percent, 8.50 percent from 8.625 percent, 9.125 percent from 9.375 percent, and 9.75 percent from 10 percent, respectively.

The new rates came into effect on July 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, the agency’s home loan rate under its one-year repricing period remains at 5.75 percent per annum, while its special interest rate for home loans of minimum-wage earners under its Affordable Housing Program remains at three percent per annum, the lowest in the market.

According to Pag-Ibig Fund’s chief executive officer Marilene Acosta, the agency was able to reduce its home loan rates due to its strong fiscal standing, record-high collections and high-performing loans ratio.

“With our performing loans ratio at a high 92.53 percent and collections from both membership savings and loan payments at a record-high, we are able to effectively fund the high demand for our home loans without the need to borrow from the market. As a result, we were able to reduce the interest rates on our housing loan, despite the upward market trend,” said Acosta.

From January to May, Pag-Ibig collected P31.97 billion in home loan payments, which is 15 percent or P4.22 billion higher than the amount collected in the same period last year.

The amount is also a record high in terms of home loan payments collected by the agency for any January to May period, the agency said. (KOC)

THE Mandaue Business Month (MBM) 2023 was launched on Thursday, July 20, 2023, and business leaders aim to use the event as a platform for digital adoption, as enterprises must stay on top of their game amid changes in the market brought by the internet.

Kelie Ko, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said businesses must adopt technology or else everyone will perish.

“This is the new era. If you don’t digitalize, then you die,” said Ko, quoting Ana Maria Aboitiz-Delgado, senior executive vice president and chief customer experience officer, as well as chief digital channels officer of UnionBank of the Philippines.

“Some people think digitalization is expensive. Some think digitalization is difficult. But what we are trying to do is tell them that it might not be and resources are available,” he added.

Ko led the launching of the start of MBM 2023 activities on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the City Sports Club Cebu in Cebu City. This year’s MBM carries the theme, “Empowering Business for the New Era.”

Mandaue’s potential

For his part, MBM 2023 chairman Mark Anthony Ynoc invited the business community to join them in various events starting from August to October 2023, as these will showcase Mandaue’s potential as business haven and world-class industries that continue to contribute to the city’s economic development.

“We are indeed entering into a new era. Technology has ushered these changes and there is a need to equip business to cope up with the challenges. New business models, artificial intelligence, changing geopolitical landscape and borderless economies are becoming a norm and we have to face them head-on,” Ynoc said in his speech.

MBM 2023 will again feature its flagship programs—the Business Summit on August 23, at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu in Nivel Hills, Cebu City and the Business Seminar on August 24 at the City Sports Club Cebu. The summit will include relevant and crucial presentations from key industry players, highlighting successful business ventures and innovative strategies that will propel further Mandaue City’s

economy.

This year’s presentations will focus on the “digital takeover” and how businesses must adopt the online shift in the travel industry in a post-pandemic world.

Other events

MBM 2023 will also feature the Sugbo Negosyo Exhibit on August 16-20 at SM Seaside City Cebu at the South Road Properties. It will be held in collaboration with the Cebu Provincial Government and the Department of Trade and Industry.

The other events include Tree Brew Life, Lord of the Pins (a bowling tournament) on August 17-19; MCCI Talent Fest, Property and Investment Expo, and MCCI Chamber Night in later dates.

There is also the return of Bakery World Cebu, the biggest bakery and food service exhibit in the Visayas this year. MCCI last hosted the event in 2018, and it is expecting 187 exhibitors and around 800-1,000 delegates to join this year’s event that will be held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino on September 14, 15 and 16.

“There will be seminars on food safety and how to use new processes and technologies. We will have a photographer to the stars and a food photographer to teach us about food photography,” Ko said.

MCCI has invited a seasoned keynote speaker and travel trend spotter, Sarah Mathews of Trip Advisor for the Asia Pacific region, and she will present the latest data on most of Asia’s tourist spots and their conversation, according to Ko. One of Matthews’ published suggestions for the Philippines was that the country must always stay authentic to its own culture to attract tourists and keep them coming back.

Unlike some countries that use artificial schemes to elevate their rankings, Ko said tourist spots must be improved and fully equipped to help small and micro entrepreneurs. (EHP WITH CNU INTERN HAZEL FAITH SAYMO AND NWSSU INTERN JURALYN BESO BALDOMARO)

Experts gathered in Ukraine to discuss ways to ensure prisoners' basic rights and needs are met during and after the war, as well as to ensure penal reform efforts continue as Ukraine rebuilds. 

Kyiv, Ukraine, 21 June 2023 - While the war in Ukraine continues, leaving nearly 40 per cent of Ukraine's population in need of humanitarian aid, it has also caus

(Austin, July 20, 2023)-Reports that migrants and asylum seekers, including children, have been pushed back by Texas officials, stranded in sweltering heat, and wounded by razor wire installed under Operation Lone Star should be investigated and all federal support to the operation ended, Human Rights Watch said today.

An

Brij Bhushan Singh, who is a lawmaker for the ruling BJP, is accused by Olympic medallists and other female wrestlers of groping and demanding sexual favours.

THE Philippines makes history today, July 21, 2023, 1 p.m. (PH time) as it makes its first World Cup appearance.

The Philippines takes on No. 20-ranked Switzerland in its opening match in Group A in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup at the Dunedin Stadium in New Zealand. The Philippines is coming in as a huge underdog in the group being the lowest ranked team at No. 46.

The Filipinas, however, is led by a very experienced and capable coach in Alen Stajcic, who once helped Australia reach the quarterfinals in the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada. The Philippines also has a lot of talent in its rosters with players that play club football internationally, the likes of Sarina Bolden, Jessika Cowart, Dominique Randle, Jacklyn Sawicki, skipper Tahnai Annis, Sara Eggesvik, Quinley Quezada, Carleigh Frilles and Katrina Guillou.

The Philippines reached the semifinals in the AFC Asian Cup and won the AFF Women’s Championship.

The Philippines was very busy in its preparation for the World Cup. It played in the Southeast Asian Games, the Olympic qualifiers and exhibition matches with Wales, Iceland, Scotland and No. 3-ranked Sweden.

Switzerland is making just its second World Cup appearance after making it back in 2015. Led by coach Inka Grings, Switzerland will heavily rely on the talents of Paris Saint-Germain striker Ramona Bachmann and FC Barcelona winger Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic.

In 2023, Switzerland also faced Poland, China, Iceland, Zambia and Morocco in exhibition matches.

Host New Zealand was off to a hot start in Group A after beating No. 12-ranked Norway, 1-0, in an upset. Hannah Wilkinson scored New Zealand’s lone goal in the 48th minute.

The Philippines’ matches in the Fifa Women’s World Cup will be televised locally through CignalTV via One Sports and through its app Pilipinas Live.

“This is an exciting development for football fans in the Philippines with the Filipinas’ matches in the Fifa Women’s World Cup to be shown live on free television and other platforms of Cignal TV,” said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta in an article at the official PFF website.

“Cignal stepped up and made sure that the Filipinas’ historic campaign will be available in the Philippines. This is not just a historic moment for the Filipinas but for the entire country and having a broadcaster ensures that we all enjoy the moment together.” (EKA)

FILIPINO pole vaulter EJ Obiena has risen to No. 2 in the world men’s pole vault rankings after a spectacular run of podium finishes in numerous tournaments this year, including the recent Asian Athletics Championships where he won the gold medal.

According to the latest rankings released by World Athletics last July 18, Obiena—who has already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics—has 1,432 points and trails the top-ranked Armand Duplantis of Sweden who has 1,569 points. Obiena, though, is just four points clear of the third-ranked Christopher Nilsen of the United States.

The 27-year-old proudly announced his latest achievement on social media, saying: “Your very own skinny kid from Tondo, alumni of CKSC (Chiang Kai Shek College) and UST (University of Santo Tomas), is now WORLD NUMBER TWO.”

“Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and my deepest gratitude to those who went to war so that I could continue this dream,” Obiena’s post continued.

Obiena has been on a roll, setting a new tournament record in the Asian Athletics Championships, with a performance of 5.91 meters last July 16 in Bangkok, Thailand. He has also made it to the podium in all eight events he has competed in this year, surpassing the 5.80-meter mark in five of those meets. (JNP)

THE Crossfit-Subtero-2006 kicked off its campaign in Division B of the 26th Sacred Heart Ateneo Alumni Basketball Athletic Association (SHAABAA) basketball tournament in the most rousing of fashion, as it toppled the reigning champions, Cebu Landmasters-2003, 63-61, on July 19, 2023, at the Magis Eagles Arena in Mandaue City.

Batch 2006 turned it on in the fourth period as it uncorked a 13-4 run in the first five minutes to turn a 41-45 deficit into a 54-49 lead. But the battle-tested Batch 2003 refused to give in and tied the ballgame at 61-all with just 43.7 seconds to go after a floater by Justin Huang and two freethrows from Darylle Tan.

Batch 2003 even had a shot at retaking the lead after stopping 2006’s offensive but Huang lost control of the ball, leading to Luis Yu III driving the ball inside before dropping it to a wide-open Uriel Lim who made a layup to give 2006 a 63-61 lead with 16 seconds remaining.

Batch 2003 still had a shot at winning the game but its offense went awry, forcing Huang to shoot a tough triple that missed at the buzzer.

Mark Blanco and Luis Yu III had 13 points each for 2006, while Frank Dinsay added 11 points and 10 boards. Tan led 2003 with 15 points and 17 rebounds.

In the other Division B game, the Efficascent Boost-BRC-2010 defeated the Bigatin Trading-2008, 79-66.

It was a close game for the first three periods as 2010 entered the fourth ahead by just three, 57-54. However, it found its second wind in the final stretch to hack out the lopsided win.

Gabe Branzuela had 22 points, five boards, six assists and two steals for the winning side. Jasper Diaz also had a fantastic game with 18 points, 10 boards and four steals. (JNP)

HOME Sourced captured its fifth straight victory after defeating the Wipro Tigers, 66-55, in the Hoop Nation Inter-BPO basketball tournament on July 16, 2023, at the City Sports Club Cebu.

James Villafuerte shredded Wipro’s defense to the tune of 32 points, six rebounds and five steals, thwarting the double-double effort of Wipro’s Jam Ferraren, who tallied 26 points, 10 assists and five assists. Home Sourced now owns an immaculate 5-0 record while Wipro is at 0-1.

The Newfold Wolves also kept in step with the league-leaders, as it crushed the Techma Knights, 100-60. Dave Sabandon shone for the Wolves, registering 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals, as his team rose to 5-1 in the standings. Techma lost for the second game in a row and dropped to 0-2.

Cognizant also bested the Amazon Aces, 53-44, to snatch its first win. Jig Lascona fired in 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to hand the Aces its third loss in five matches. (JNP)

Statement by ECA Acting Executive Secretary Antonio Pedro

Session: General Debate

Theme: "Building momentum towards the 2023 SDG Summit: Transformation for accelerating implementation of the SDGs".

Venue: Trusteeship Council Chamber