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Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar: Scaling the realms of social responsibility
There is something quite riveting about Ana Margarita “Ginggay” Hontiveros-Malvar. Her gaze direct, her rhetoric fluid, she shares stories of immersing in conflict areas, of being in Leyte post-“Yolanda” and in Marawi post-violence, and within the same conversation, of her corporate hat within the “power, banking, food, land and infrastructure sectors.” Not so much as a vein mars her refined features. If not for those eyes, which reveal a depth of thought and feeling, hers would likely be a face some might take as just another classic beauty. Then again, her relationship with similarly strong-minded women cannot be discounted. She says, from the get-go, that she would rather not talk about herself or her sisters (Risa, the senator, and Pia, the broadcast news personality). Unlike them, she took the private route, but now unwittingly finds herself in the limelight. The Aboitiz Group, for which she handles a vital role, has many exciting things to share, Ginggay says. Smiling, she proceeds to rattle off some of these pillars — in education (“to create future leaders” who are solutions-oriented), in climate action and in enterprise and jobs. “For over 35 years, we’ve delivered probably over 5,000 CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects, spread over all the business units all over the Philippines. We’ve partnered with something like 600,000 individuals and organizations and we’ve invested the amount of P5.1 billion in all these different programs. We’re trying now to reevaluate what it is that’s next for Aboitiz Foundation, and then how we can serve our stakeholders better, and what are some of the things that we want to scale. Maybe to create a bigger impact in the country, help the country more, I think is what we want to do.” In the pipeline toward this goal of creating a bigger impact on development, Aboitiz Foundation is seeking more collaboration — “more conversations between organizations that are doing a lot of work already here in the country, and probably having a stronger voice and then putting that voice out there,” she enthuses. Clearly, Ginggay is in her element in the world she inhabits — at the heart of an “old legacy conglomerate,” her words, that now sees the need to transform along with the climactic times. “I lead a department called Reputation Management. We cover brands, media, corporate communications, sustainability — the ESG (environmental, social and governance) journey for the Aboitiz Group. We provide strategy, direction, governance and then very recently, just this year, we have our CSR arm which is called Aboitiz Foundation. It was recently also placed under us. Because at the end of the day, Aboitiz Foundation is like the big ‘S’ in our ESG — it’s really all about the social impact, the social good that we want to continue,” Ginggay tells the DAILY TRIBUNE in an interview on Pairfect. Ginggay is currently vice president for Reputation Management and Sustainability at Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., a holding company of the Aboitiz Group. For the Aboitiz Foundation, meanwhile, she works to help “scale its impactful programs for systemic change.” The mother of two is also communications lead for the Philippines’ Private Sector Advisory Council and team leader for APEC Business Advisory Council, which are areas where the visionary leader, Aboitiz Group chief executive officer Sabin Aboitiz, holds key roles. Grateful her children are adults now, Ginggay keeps her nurturing side on overdrive with her current responsibilities. “Aboitiz is a group,” she emphasizes. “And as a family of organizations, our priority has always been about people. That’s always been our passion, whether it’s the well-being of our own employees or the well-being of communities where we have our businesses. It’s really always been about people. “We don’t feel it’s right that a business does well and then the community that it’s in doesn’t. It cannot be like that — it has to go hand in hand. So, we’ve always been like that. Very people-centric. I think what we’re trying to change now in our transformation or evolution is to see how can we use more of technology and innovation and balance it with our people-centric approach. So maybe we can be a little bit faster, be better, be more data-driven in the kinds of things that we’re doing,” she says. And has her heart always been in this kind of work — one she freely admits is demanding and sometimes even emotion-driven? “My dad was pretty laidback. And he usually let us do what we want to do as long as you know, like, please do well in school, and things like that,” Ginggay recalls. “My mom was very attentive to us and she just wanted to make sure that aside from doing well in studies, you also had to do well in something else. And then, very ingrained, I think, in our DNA, I think as a family also, is that aspect of service, whether it’s public service, or you know, just service in general — whether it’s to your community or to your family, or your immediate set of, I suppose, stakeholders. So, it’s almost been like part of my DNA or something like that, or probably my character as well.” With so much on her plate, and a daily grind that consists of steering various teams to ensure the conglomerate is moving toward its goals smoothly, Ginggay makes sure she takes time — even just 30 minutes a day, she says — disconnecting from it all and connecting with herself. “Our days are very fast — they are jam-packed with schedules, meetings, a lot of stakeholder engagement activities,” she says. “There’s a lot of collaboration also that goes on between our team and the rest of the business units in the Aboitiz Group, and then a lot of meetings as well with the board just to check in on directions and things like that. It’s very fast-paced. It’s very demanding. It takes a lot of time and I think a lot of commitment… and this is what I see from all our team leaders and team members — people are really passionate about what they do. I think that’s important.” For Ginggay, certainly, such passion is necessary to lead the company toward its goals including “delivering on communications and brand that are integral to the transformation of the group into the Philippines’ first techglomerate.” Techglomerate, she explains, “is a dream in Aboitiz Group, something that we have really been working hard on for the past few years. We kind of coined the term from ‘technology’ and ‘conglomerate,’ putting it together — and it is really about trying to be more technologically advanced but we also want to incubate exciting businesses which are more in the techspace or, say, data science. To incubate all these new companies and hopefully lead in certain industries… and I think at the end of the day we realized we have a much greater responsibility to the country.” And what’s next? “We realized that to stay ahead, we also need to transform… and I suppose that transformation should happen first and foremost at the level of the person. We’re also really focused on building a new kind of culture for the Aboitiz Group, still very much rooted in our core values of responsibility, innovation, teamwork, integrity. But now, probably trying to imbibe more of the behaviors like being more entrepreneurial, trying to be more articulate, being better storytellers, being more open to new things, being more data-driven in our decisions, you know, and a lot of other things that we’re trying to do in terms of helping to develop this new culture.” In her capacity as first vice president at Aboitiz, as well as in her other roles — senior adviser for Agripreneurship at Go Negosyo, for example — Ginggay keeps her “eye on the prize” no matter what challenges come along. This “multi-disciplined, results-oriented and multi-awarded leader,” as she is described in the Women of the Future, may prefer to keep herself below the radar, but Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar will certainly not stay unnoticed. The post Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar: Scaling the realms of social responsibility appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Think tank: SMGPH faces liquidity crunch
The declining profitability of San Miguel Corporation’s energy unit San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. has affected the capability of the company to meet near-term financial obligations, according to a report of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, or IEEFA. Local groups held a forum on Wednesday ahead of the 133rd anniversary of the Adian conglomerate that focused on the “losing strategy” of maintaining its dependence imported fossil fuel with its planned shift from traditional coal to liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Think tank Center for Energy, Ecology and Development indicated during the event that SMGPH is implementing “a losing strategy that is having devastating consequences on shareholders and investors, energy consumers, and the environment.” “While SMC is pursuing the country’s further dependence on fossil fuel, it is also losing on the actual energy transition development. SMC had lost in the race to secure new permits for renewable energy capacity, which will be built in the next two to three years,” Gerry Arances, CEED executive director, said. Sam Reynolds, author of an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, or IEEFA, report titled San Miguel Global Power: Fossil fuel-oriented growth strategy raises financial red flags, said the article detailed the financial issues SMC faces because of its reliance on coal and gas. IEEFA is a Detroit-based advisory group for energy industry strategies. He warned the company’s overexposure to volatile fossil fuel prices could sink its financial health and that “SMGPH’s overreliance on fossil fuels has weakened its financial health — moving from coal to LNG is not going to solve the fundamental problem of overexposure to fossil fuel prices.” SMGPH debts are falling due between 2024 and 2026, according to the study. The company’s financial position would likely remain inadequate to address the callable perpetual securities, amounting to $3.4 billion (P193 billion). “SMGPH could face a double-edged sword. On one hand, the need to redeem perpetual securities demands additional capital or funding. On the other, opting not to exercise the call option subjects the company to additional financial costs, further straining its financial position,” according to IEEFA. No contract to back up projects “This is especially true when you consider the company’s lack of contracts for its existing and proposed LNG facilities,” he added. SMC’s status as one of the country’s biggest conglomerates entails that the company should be among those leading the transition away from fossil fuels, Reynolds added. Reynolds also doubts the company will be able to fulfill the 2050 net zero commitment it unveiled earlier this year. “Unless there is a major, material pivot within the company to transition to renewables and phase out its fossil fuel expansion plans, the company is going to have very little chance of achieving its 2050 net zero target. Without a strategic, material, immediate pivot, that goal is simply unrealistic,” he said. Liquidity crunch possible As a result of SMGPH’s declining profitability, IEEFA’s analysis indicated that its ability to cover near-term financial commitments in the form of debt, interest and capital distribution for perpetual securities may have worsened considerably. This points to an overall liquidity crunch, which could translate to a longer-term funding shortfall if not carefully managed. IEEFA indicated that its view “aligns with conclusions from Bloomberg Intelligence, which stated that the company may need $900 million (P51 billion) by the end of this year to meet its financial commitments. “SMGPH’s funding constraints also depend on its ability to extend P21 billion worth of short-term loans. There is also a possibility of obtaining local funding due to its connection to parent company SMC,” IEEFA indicated. Its financial SMGPH’s perpetual securities come with a notable feature: a step-up interest mechanism. If the call option on the security is not exercised, the interest rate increases by a certain percentage each year. SMGPH has strategically tapped into the issuance of bonds and loans to fund its expansion plans, increasing its total debt. Total equity has also grown, driven largely by the company’s issuance of perpetual securities. The paper added that a broader assessment, beyond operating cash flows, reveals a rising liquidity risk for SMGPH. It measured the SMGPH’s cash flow from operations (CFO)-to-current liabilities ratio, the results of which pointed a “concerning trend.” The ratio has been on a downward trajectory since 2019. In 2022, the CFO-to-current liabilities ratio plummeted to an all-time low of -0.12, indicating insufficient cash flow to cover short-term liabilities. The same ratio remained weak in the first half. Its ratio in 2022 was 1.00, down from 1.43 in 2021, meaning the company has exactly one dollar of current assets for every dollar of current liabilities. “In essence, the company holds a relatively tight margin of assets available to cover its immediate financial obligations. Meanwhile, the accounts receivable turnover ratio stood at 3.15, marking its lowest value since 2016.” The post Think tank: SMGPH faces liquidity crunch appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
High BoI figures show capital swing
As a testament to the strides taken to raise the country’s laggard investments, the country’s main investment promotion agency, the Board of Investments reported registering P720 billion worth of investments for the year until August. In a forum on Thursday, BoI Governor Marjorie Ramos-Samaniego said they now see positive investment growth for the rest of the year. “As of August of 2023, the BoI approvals amounted to 72 percent of the P1-trillion investment target for the year,” she added. Last Tuesday, BoI chairperson and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said he is confident of hitting and even surpassing the 2023 investment approvals target of P1.5 trillion. He said the investment promotion agency has projects in the pipeline, some of which came from past foreign trips of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the investment missions of the Department of Trade and Industry. Last year, the BoI approved an estimated P729 billion worth of new projects, which is 11 percent higher than the P655.4 billion approved in 2021. On Thursday, the BoI announced that it granted green lane endorsement to five floating solar power projects in Laguna Lake under Executive Order 18 or “Constituting Green Lanes for Strategic Investments,” meant to expedite, streamline and automate government approval and registration process of priority and strategic investments. “In keeping with the government’s goal of accelerating the realization of green investments in the Philippines, the BOI has given the go-ahead to ACEN Corporation’s requests for Green Lane processing of several renewable energy ventures located in Laguna Lake,” Pascual explained. The approved projects include SolarAce4, AC Laguna, AC Subic, GigaWind1 and Ingrid Floating Solar Power Plants, which are consistent with the government’s mission to accelerate the growth of eco-friendly investments. In accordance with EO 18, the five renewable energy. or RE, projects are now identified and designated as strategic investments, which are expected to be completed between 2026 and 2027. Obtaining green lane status expedites permit and license issuance, including resolving strategic investment issues. Trade Undersecretary and BoI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo awarded the Green Lane Certificates of Endorsement to ACEN president and CEO Eric Francia in an awarding ceremony at the BoI Main Office in Makati City last 6 September 2023. BoI Governor Ramos-Samaniego and Executive Director Bobby Fondevilla of the Investment Assistance Center are present in the ceremony, and ACEN representatives namely Anabelle Natividad, authorized representative; Atty. Lucky Aranas, project lawyer; and Miguel Ignacio, project manager. SolarAce4 covers 100 hectares of the lake surface area in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and will produce a 140-megawatt peak of clean energy. AC Laguna Floating Solar Power Plant — AC Laguna is located on 200 hectares of lake surface area in Victoria and Pila, Laguna, and will generate 280MWp of clean energy. The AC SUBIC Floating Solar Power Plant, occupying 200 hectares of lake surface area in Victoria and Santa Cruz, Laguna, is expected to produce 280MWp of clean energy. GigaWind1 Floating Solar Power Plant covers 200 hectares of lake surface area in Kalayaan and Paete, Laguna and will generate 280MWp of sustainable energy. Finally, Ingrid Floating Solar Power Plant is located on 100 hectares of lake surface area in Lumban, Laguna and will produce 140MWp of clean energy. At the forefront of Asia Pacific’s renewables revolution, ACEN is the first energy company in Southeast Asia to announce a Net Zero roadmap. ACEN, established in 2011, is the renewable energy platform of the Ayala Group. Its portfolio continues to grow with new solar and wind farms under construction in the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, Lao PDR and India. ACEN aims to be the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia and is targeting to reach 20 GW of renewable capacity by 2030. Its key markets are the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. The post High BoI figures show capital swing appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Long way to go to hit 35 percent target RE share’
The government and the private sector are facing a difficult task ahead as the Philippines will need to add about 18,000 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity to attain the goal of increasing the share of RE in its power generation mix to 35 percent by 2030, a top energy company executive said......»»
Mapúa leads health sciences studies in Mindanao
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states that employment in the healthcare field is projected to grow by 13 percent from 2021 to 2031. [caption id="attachment_172840" align="aligncenter" width="777"] MAPÚA MCM College of Health Sciences boast of immersive simulation where students can work on 3D anatomical models.[/caption] This increase indicates the creation of two million jobs over a span of 10 years, a much higher than the average for all occupations. With this, students who wish to pursue a career in the medical field have a plethora of options waiting for them locally and abroad. Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao establishes its mastery in the said field through its College of Health Sciences. Programs include BS Biology, BS Psychology, BS Pharmacy, and BS Physical Therapy. Opportunities provided to students encompass global learning, advanced research,and digital technology. Mapúa MCM’s College of Health Sciences has collaborated with Arizona State University to hone pre-med students to be globally ready, be proficient with advanced and immersive facilities and digital mastery. Arizona State University is ranked #1 in the US innovation ahead of MIT and Stanford for eight consecutive years by U.S. News and World Report. ASU is also among the top one percent of universities worldwide, ranked by the Center for World University Ranking 2022-2023 and among the top 150 universities worldwide by the Shanghai Ranking, 2022. MAPÚA MCM College of Health Sciences is one of the few schools in the region that boasts of immersive simulation rooms where students can work on 3D anatomical models, virtual dissection tables and human body projections via AI. But above and beyond technological innovations, MAPÚA MCM College of Health Sciences ensures that their students are anchored on solid ethics and human values through hands-on experience and real-world exposure. Its students undergo internships in hospitals, clinics and community centers where they learn about promotion, prevention, treatment and intervention as they get to interact with real patients. “The medical field is an ever-evolving industry, and the demand for healthcare workers is stronger now than ever. We build our capacity to address this gap through a collaboration with the Healthway network, wherein we streamline the career path of our students — from school to internships and hands-on clinical rotations, straight to career opportunities,” Dr. Adorico M. Aya-ay, dean of the MAPÚA MCM College of Health Sciences, said. MAPÚA MCM also substantiates its faculty members by sending them to train and seminars abroad to learn from experts worldwide. The post Mapúa leads health sciences studies in Mindanao appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Congress earmarks funds NAIA infra projects
House Committee on Appropriations Vice-chairperson and Makati City Representative Luis Jose Angel Campos Jr. on Sunday announced that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is set to receive some P2.8 billion for infrastructure projects. Campos disclosed that also included is the P1.2-billion budget for the acquisition of a new traffic management system following the New Year’s Day breakdown that disrupted hundreds of flights. He said that the P1.2 billion in the proposed 2024 budget was allocated for the communications, navigation, and surveillance-air traffic management system which seeks to improve the efficiency of the country’s main gateway. “We are counting on the new CNS-ATM system to optimize airspace and airport efficiency, reduce flight delays, and improve travel experience,” said Campos in a statement. “Our hopes are high that the new system, once installed and fully functional, could potentially increase airport capacity to accommodate more flights in the years ahead,” he added. The move comes as Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista in January cited the need for a backup system, as the current system in use estimated to be worth P13 billion — is already in its midlife. Last month, the National Economic and Development Authority Board chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., opted to push through with plans to privatize NAIA through a solicited bid with the upfront payment cost now being studied and initially estimated at P30 billion. In June this year, the DoTr and the Manila International Airport Authority submitted a joint proposal to the NEDA Board seeking a private concession to invest and improve the NAIA for 15 years. The NEDA Board approved the 15-year concession period, with the option to renew for another 10 years based on a performance review, and should the two new airports — the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan and the Sangley International Airport in Cavite — be delayed. Before this, the Manila International Airport Consortium in April submitted an unsolicited proposal to take over NAIA, but this was deemed “de facto closed” when the government opted for a solicited bid. At present, NAIA’s terminals service over 40 million passengers versus its 32-million annual capacity, with 38 to 40 landings and takeoffs made per hour. The post Congress earmarks funds NAIA infra projects appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Remolona: ‘Be careful not to hike too much’
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona underscored the need for careful consideration before making any decisions on tightening the monetary policy despite inflation easing for the sixth consecutive month and other non-monetary measures that the economic managers laid out. In a recent interview with reporters, Remolona acknowledged that the country is already close to its full capacity with the current state of the economy. His remarks imply that any additional interest rate hikes must be approached cautiously to avoid excessive tightening that could impede economic growth. "If we could hike, we have to be careful not to hike too much. Maybe just a little for now," Remolona said ahead of the upcoming Monetary Policy meeting on 17 August. The BSP Governor stressed the importance of data-driven decisions, stating that a pause in rate hikes is warranted if the economic data is inconclusive or contradictory. "We don't want to raise just because we feel like raising. We want to know why we are raising," Remolona said. Addressing concerns about the potential impact on the country's GDP growth target, which aims for 6 to 7 percent growth this year, the BSP Governor reiterated the importance of data consistency and accurate analysis. "Usually the pause is because we want to reassess, and if the data that come are not quite consistent with each other or we're kind of scratching our heads about what is really happening, the thing to do is to pause," he explained. "We don't want to raise just because we feel like raising. We want to know why we're raising," Remolona added. When asked about the influence of the recent Federal Reserve interest rate hike on the BSP's decision-making, Remolona pointed out that the Monetary Board has already considered the Federal Reserve's 25-basis-point increase in their data analysis. He further explained that the narrowing of the differential between the target country and the reverse repurchase transactions policy rate typically weakens the Philippine Peso. However, he noted that market participants are optimistic about the stable peso as the differential is not expected to narrow further in the next few meetings. When asked about the influence of the recent Federal Reserve rate hike, Governor Remolona reassured that the Monetary Board had already considered the data analysis. For context, the Federal Reserve raised its rates by 25 basis points, narrowing the differential between the target country and the Philippines' RRP policy rate. "Looking at the meetings, it doesn't look like the differential will narrow further. That's why the peso remains stable despite the hike of the Federal Open Market Committee," Remolona said. The post Remolona: ‘Be careful not to hike too much’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pompous Pompeii
POMPEII, Italy — The main attraction on this once lively and bustling ancient civilization is not the Temple of Jupiter nor the Spectacula, a 20,000-capacity amphitheater that was built a century ahead of the more famous Colloseum in Rome. [caption id="attachment_163984" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] Entry pass to the Pompeii Ruins.[/caption] [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="163981,163982"] [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="163979,163986"] While these sites are fascinating to look at, they don’t compare to the sight of the plastered bodies of Pompeiians who were caught unaware by the massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the fall of 79 AD. [caption id="attachment_163983" align="aligncenter" width="1125"] Exhibit shows an inhabitant of Pompeii who had been petrified during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.[/caption] Placed inside a glass and metal showcases, a medium-built woman, her body covered in liquid plaster — a smart technique used in the mid-1800s to preserve the form of bodies — drew the most oohs and aahs from a pack of tourists that make up the 2.5 million that visit the site yearly. “She was a servant,” the lady tour guide said, noting the strap around her waist, a clear symbol of her lowly status. After Vesuvius turned violent for almost two days, around 2,000 inhabitants of the city were killed by the pyroclastic flow, a lethal mixture of fast-moving lava pieces, ash and hot gases. Aside from the woman being consistently gawked at by a flock of curious onlookers, another area holds a bigger number of embalmed victims: 13. Discovered in 1961, the bodies — covered in hardened ash and volcanic debris — are on display at the Garden of the Fugitives. Though the bodies included children, those who lost their lives consisted of masters and servants and a family who all thought they could flee the suffocating blanket of pumice. But the sheer volume of toxic gases and ashes caused asphyxiation, a deadly condition that killed most of the natives as they attempted to escape. Many had thought that the sky was falling during the eruption that also buried the neighboring town of Herculaneum, just 15 kilometers away at the foot of Vesuvius. But unlike in Pompeii, only 300 skeletal remains were found there. Here, authorities have ruled that a large portion of the ruins will no longer be excavated so archaeologists with better technology in the future can study them well. Recently, a previously unexcavated spot produced several bodies more of the vicious volcano that, incidentally, is overdue for another eruption. Visiting Pompeii, though, is not just for geeks. Outside the main entrance of the ruins, several specialty restaurants line up the street, teasing tourists with tasty Italian favorites like creamy carbonara adorned with chunks of guanciale (pork jowl) and pizza Margherita. Sellers also display cute souvenirs like ref magnets, keychains and eye-catching shirts to make the journey extra memorable. And if you’re coming from nearby Naples, the main train station is a short walk from the ruins, making the day trip convenient and comfy. The post Pompous Pompeii appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Law graduates told: Inspire justice
Supreme court associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando is urging the new law graduates of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law to “live justice, breathe justice, do justice and inspire justice, at all times.” Hernando — who was also the 2023 Bar Exams chairperson — was the guest speaker at the 77th Annual Commencement Exercises of the held at Areté Ateneo’s Hyundai Hall on 23 July 2023. The SC associate justice previously taught at the AdMU School of Law from 2015 until 2018, when he was appointed to the High Court. “Wholeheartedly push yourselves successfully through the Bar Examinations and prepare yourselves for what is inevitably ahead, which is your life role, as lawyers,” said Hernando to the graduates. “If someday, somehow, you get lost, confused, or tempted, please allow yourselves to be guided by your moral compass,” he added. Emphasizing that “lawyering is a profession of compassion,” Hernando told the graduates that when written law falls short of compassion, “you, as soon-to-be members of the Bar, shall fill that void in the law with overt acts of compassion, in whatever capacity that you will find yourselves in, whether in the public or private sector. After all, compassion establishes trust.” Hernando urged the Ateneo Law graduates to approach people “of different standings in life, grips on power, and levels of principle” without prejudice, stressing that they should strive to be lawyers of equity just as courts of law are also courts of equity. They were reminded to be lawyers with empathy and to put emotional quotient over intelligence quotient. “You may have a great level of legal knowledge, but without a greater level of emotional intelligence, you will never be able to forge that trust with the people that you will serve,” Hernando said. Furthermore, he urged them to not stop at the logical bounds of the statute, especially when the realities are obviously and unreasonably unfair. “Do not falter in choosing to do the right thing, even if you are alone in doing so. Remember that silence and inaction in the face of unfairness makes you complicit and accessory to such unfairness,” Hernando said. The post Law graduates told: Inspire justice appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
SBG bats for inclusive economic recovery efforts ahead of PBBM’s second SONA
As the second State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., scheduled on 24 July looms, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go expressed his optimism regarding the administration's capacity to uplift the lives of more impoverished members of the Filipino society and roll out further pro-poor initiatives. With the current government's focus on the nation's economic recovery, the senator affirms the crucial need to ensure that no Filipino is left behind in the process. "Unang-una, siyempre po kailangan po na walang maiwan na Pilipino sa ating economic recovery," Go said in an interview on Monday, July 10, after providing aid to fire victims in Quezon City. "Dapat po, nais ko pong marinig sa Pangulo ang kanyang additional na plano kung ano pa 'yung pwedeng gawin upang mas lalong maisakatuparan ang ating inclusive and full economic recovery mula po sa pandemya,” he added. Go, known for his active role in providing assistance to the less fortunate Filipinos, emphasized the need for government programs that target the struggling sectors of society. "Dapat walang maiwan na mahihirap nating kababayan. Unahin po ang mga programa na nakatutulong po sa mga kababayan natin,’ he stressed. As the country continues to grapple with the impact of the global pandemic, Go said that the issue of food security, a chronic concern in many Filipino households, stands at the forefront of the discussion. "Dapat po, walang magutom. Importante po dito tiyan ng bawat Pilipino. Importante po dito trabaho ng bawat Pilipino,” the senator underlined. Go also talked about his support for the administration's Philippine Development Plan, an eight-point agenda that seeks to achieve food security, improve supply chain management, decrease energy costs and preserve energy security, and reduce economic vulnerability triggered by the pandemic. The agenda also aims to address healthcare issues, strengthen social protection, promote infrastructure development, and encourage entrepreneurship, especially among the micro, small, and medium enterprises. "The more we should invest sa ating healthcare system sa ngayon," Go remarked. "Infrastructure development, trabaho po 'yan at creating a green economy, strengthening market competition and promoting entrepreneurship, negosyo po lalong-lalo na ang mga MSMEs, 'yung maliliit nating negosyante,” he added. The post SBG bats for inclusive economic recovery efforts ahead of PBBM’s second SONA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden arrives in Britain ahead of NATO summit, Finland visit
President Joe Biden arrived in Britain Sunday where he will meet King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before continuing to Vilnius for a NATO summit, then a final stop in new NATO member Finland. Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport north of London late in the evening, an AFP journalist reported. On Monday, he meets the British monarch at Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences, for the first time since Charles III's coronation. The US president did not attend the ceremony, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead. Their talks are expected to focus on environmental issues, the White House said. Biden will also be meeting with Sunak at 10 Downing Street. The main part of Biden's Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday and Wednesday, where the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine to oust Russian occupation forces. Ukraine is pressing for admission to the military alliance but Biden said in an interview aired Sunday with CNN that this cannot happen until the war is over. Bringing Ukraine in now would mean NATO is at war with Russia, Biden said. Under its Article 5, NATO is committed to defending any member that comes under attack. "It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden said. Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden's all-but-cleared NATO membership bid. Entry requires unanimous consent from all members. In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said. The two leaders "expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine," the statement added. Erdogan's office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. The talks will focus on "Ukraine's position in NATO, Sweden's NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said. - Ukraine and NATO - In the interview with CNN, Biden had said he was considering supplying Turkey and Greece with new or upgraded US-made fighter aircraft as an enticement for Turkey to let Sweden join NATO. "And so, what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where we're strengthening NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in," Biden said. "But it's in play. It's not done." Erdogan's office said, however, that it was "not correct" to link Turkey's desire to acquire the fighter jets, which need congressional approval, with Sweden's membership drive. While in Vilnius, Biden will also deliver a major foreign policy speech at the city's university. His trip comes in the wake of a controversial decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, which most NATO member countries have banned but which the United States continues to hold in its arsenal and says will help Ukraine destroy heavily dug-in Russian forces. Biden's final stop before returning to Washington on Thursday will be Finland, which ended its historic neutrality to enter NATO in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine. Biden will be the first US president to visit Helsinki since Donald Trump went five years ago to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. sms-acl/kjm © Agence France-Presse The post Biden arrives in Britain ahead of NATO summit, Finland visit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN talks aim to harness AI power and potential
The United Nations is convening this week a global gathering to try to map out the frontiers of artificial intelligence and to harness its potential for empowering humanity. The UN hopes to lay out a clear blueprint for the way forward for handling AI, as the development of the technology races ahead the capacity to set its boundaries. The "AI for Good Global Summit", being held in Geneva on Thursday and Friday, will bring together around 3,000 experts from companies like Microsoft and Amazon as well as from universities and international organizations to try to sculpt frameworks for handling AI. "This technology is moving fast," said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the International Telecommunication Union, the UN's information and communications technology agency that convened the summit. "It's a real opportunity for the world's leading voices on AI to come together on the global stage and to address governance issues," she told reporters. "Doing nothing is not an option. Humanity is dependent upon it. So we have to engage and try and ensure a responsible future with AI." She said the summit would examine possible frameworks and guardrails to support safe AI use. Listed participants include Amazon's chief technology officer Werner Vogels, Google DeepMind chief operating officer Lila Ibrahim and former Spain football captain Iker Casillas -- who suffered a heart attack in 2019 and now advocates for AI use in heart attack prevention. They will be joined by dozens of robots, including several humanoids like Ai-Da, the first ultra-realistic robot artist; Ameca, the world's most advanced life-like robot; the humanoid rock singer Desdemona; and Grace, the most advanced healthcare robot. Benefiting humanity? The Geneva-based ITU feels it can bring its experience to bear on AI governance. Founded in 1865, the ITU is the oldest agency in the UN fold. It established "SOS" as the Morse code international maritime distress call in 1906, and coordinates everything from radio frequencies to satellites and 5G. The summit wants to identify ways of using AI to advance the UN's lagging sustainable development goals on issues such as health, the climate, poverty, hunger and clean water. Bogdan-Martin said AI must not exacerbate social inequalities or introduce biases on race, gender, politics, culture, religion or wealth. "This summit can help ensure that AI charts the course that benefits humanity," UN chief Antonio Guterres said. However, while AI proponents hail the technology for how it can transform society, including work, healthcare and creative pursuits, others are worried by its potential to undermine democracy. 'Perfect storm' "We're kind of in a perfect storm of suddenly having this powerful new technology -- I don't think it's super-intelligent -- being spread very widely and empowered in our lives, and we're really not prepared," said serial AI entrepreneur Gary Marcus. "We're at a critical moment in history when we can either get this right and build the global governance we need, or get it wrong and not succeed and wind up in a bad place where a few companies control the fates of many, many people without sufficient forethought," he said. Last month, EU lawmakers pushed the bloc closer to passing one of the world's first laws regulating systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot. There is also growing clamor to regulate AI in the United States. ChatGPT has become a global sensation since it was launched late last year for its ability to produce human-like content, including essays, poems and conversations from simple prompts. It has sparked a mushrooming of generative AI content, leaving lawmakers scrambling to try to figure out how to regulate such bots. Juan Lavista Ferres, chief data scientist of the Microsoft AI For Good Lab, gave an example of how AI could be used "to make our world a better place". He compared the more than 400 million people diagnosed with diabetes, a major cause of blindness, with the small number of ophthalmologists. "It's physically impossible to diagnose every patient. Yet we and others have built AI models that today can take this condition with an accuracy that matches a very good ophthalmologist. This is something can even be done from a smartphone. "Here AI is not just a solution, but it's the only solution." The post UN talks aim to harness AI power and potential appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ACEN may attain 5 GW RE capacity ahead of schedule
ACEN Corp., the listed energy platform of the Ayala group, is optimistic about attaining its five gigawatts of renewable energy capacity target earlier than 2025 amid the company’s aggressive expansion......»»
ASEAN vows action on human traffickers operating online
Southeast Asian nations vowed Wednesday tougher action on human trafficking as criminals increasingly use social media and other online platforms to recruit and exploit victims. International alarm is growing over internet scams in the region that are often staffed by trafficking victims tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments. Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have emerged as "countries of destination" for victims, according to the International Organization for Migration. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, which is meeting in Indonesia this week, adopted a declaration pledging to "strengthen cooperation and coordination" to catch traffickers and identify victims. ASEAN said criminals increasingly "use and abuse" social media and other online platforms to profile, recruit and exploit victims as well as launder the proceeds of the crime. Among other things, the member countries agreed to boost the capacity of law enforcement and other agencies to investigate, collect data and evidence of trafficking, exchange information and conduct joint operations. "I'd like to emphasize that the crime of human trafficking must be completely eradicated from the upstream to downstream," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Monday, ahead of the 9-11 May summit on the tropical island of Flores. The IOM has said most people trafficked into these illegal online operations came from around Asia -- including from Vietnam, India and Bangladesh -- but some were from as far away as Brazil and Kenya. Victims tended to be "middle-class graduates who have limited employment opportunities" at home, Itayi Viriri, IOM regional spokesman for Asia Pacific, told AFP in February. The scam centers were involved in online gambling, cryptocurrency, online money lending and romance applications, Viriri said. Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said Tuesday traffickers posing as job recruiters would face heavy punishment. "Based on our inspection, they would usually send the people in a large number of 100 or 200 people without proper documents," Mahfud said. In the past year, Indonesia has rescued more than a thousand of its nationals working in online scams in Myanmar and Cambodia. Philippine authorities recently rescued over a thousand people from several Asian nations who were trafficked into the country and also forced to run online scams. The post ASEAN vows action on human traffickers operating online appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Power update: yellow alerts up ahead, red alert possible
The Department of Energy warned that the Luzon grid may be placed anew on red alert — an occurrence when supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand, prompting intermittent power — if a transmission line tripping incident happens again. At a press conference on Tuesday, Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla said about 15 yellow alerts are also expected to occur for the rest of the year due to thin power supply. However, Lotilla noted that the power outlook may improve significantly once the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan Natural Gas Plant goes online this month to help augment the country’s power supply as demand increases. The Ilijan Plant, which is expected to go online by 26 May, has historically contributed up to 10 percent of Luzon’s net reliable capacity. Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevarra, meanwhile, pointed out that the government’s supply and demand scenario was computed considering the absence of the Ilijan plant. “We have potential yellow alerts for the entire month of May. Now the way that was computed was in the worst-case scenario. We assumed that Ilijan will be on an extended shutdown,” Guevarra said. “If that power plant comes in, the yellow alert occurrences will be slashed,” she added. A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s regulating and contingency requirement, which is at 668 megawatts each. A red alert status is issued when supplies are insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement. On Monday, hundreds of thousands of consumers in Luzon were affected by a power interruption after five power plants went on forced outages, while three other plants went on derated capacities. The incident stripped a total of 1,354 megawatts of capacity from the grid. The available capacity of 12,186 MW was not enough to cover the peak demand, which clocked in at 12,468 MW on that day. This afternoon, the Manila Electric Co. or Meralco, reported anew an automatic load dropping or ALD occurred due to the tripping of the Duhat-Hermosa 230kV line. Service was restored immediately by 3:57 p.m. “This affected more than 200,000 Meralco customers in portions of Paco and Sta. Mesa in Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Batangas, Antipolo in Rizal, San Pedro and Biñan in Laguna, and San Rafael and Pulilan in Bulacan,” Meralco said. The post Power update: yellow alerts up ahead, red alert possible appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Joy, fear as India’s population becomes world’s biggest
Exhausted, elated and cradling her newborn daughter in a rundown government hospital, young mother Manu Bala had just helped make India the world's most populous nation. Tears of joy and relief streamed down Bala's cheeks as her as-yet-unnamed child -- one of more than 67,000 born across India on Monday -- rested on her chest. It was also the day the UN announced that India, already home to more than one in every six humans on the planet, would this week eclipse China with more people than any other country. "I am very happy that my child was born on the day India left behind China -- it feels special to become a mother on this day," the 22-year-old housewife told AFP from her bed. "I want my baby to study hard and become whatever she wants to become. I want to give her a good life." Bala had writhed in agony on her gurney inside the crowded and somewhat decrepit maternity ward of her Himalayan town's public hospital. Flanked by nurses in green and white overalls, her face turned pale as she lay on a bare bed with her feet mounted in stirrups. "Push harder," the doctor urged the first-time mother in the labor room, while her husband and mother-in-law waited anxiously outside. Sweat trickling down her forehead, Bala winced in pain and clasped the sides of the bed before the final push, met with a round of cheers from the staff. Holding the baby to her chest with relief writ large on her face, she mustered up one final reservoir of energy to thank the doctor and nurses. Bala's husband Rohit, a state government employee, was relieved that the birth was without complications and ecstatic about becoming a father. He already has his mind turned to the weeks ahead: the family will have a naming ceremony 11 days after the birth, with the assistance of a Hindu priest consulting astrological charts for an auspicious moniker. But beyond that, Rohit was fretting over the future awaiting his daughter. "There are many problems we have to face because of the growing population," the 30-year-old told AFP. "Even for seeing the doctor here we had to queue up for so long." India faces huge challenges in providing electricity, food and housing for its growing population. Many of its cities struggle with water shortages, air and water pollution, and packed slums. Millions of young people are entering the workforce each year and struggling to find opportunities in an economy that does not have the capacity to provide them all with jobs. "Already there is so much unemployment in the country. It will become all the more difficult to get a job," Rohit said. "I think one baby is enough in today's times." The post Joy, fear as India’s population becomes world’s biggest appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Germany ends nuclear era as last reactors power down
Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors on Saturday, exiting atomic power even as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels and manage an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. While many Western countries are upping their investments in atomic energy to reduce their emissions, Germany brought an early end to its nuclear age. It's "the end of an era," the RWE energy firm said in a statement shortly after midnight confirming the three reactors had been disconnected from the electricity grid. Europe's largest economy has been looking to leave behind nuclear power since 2002, but the phase-out was accelerated by former chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. The exit decision was popular in a country with a powerful anti-nuclear movement, stoked by lingering fears of a Cold War conflict and atomic disasters such as Chernobyl in Ukraine. "The risks of nuclear power are ultimately unmanageable," said Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, who this week made a pilgrimage to the ill-fated Japanese plant ahead of a G7 meeting in the country. Anti-nuclear demonstrators took to the streets in several German cities to mark the closures. Greenpeace, at the heart of the anti-nuclear movement, organized a celebratory party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. "We are putting an end to a dangerous, unsustainable and costly technology," said Green MP Juergen Trittin. In front of the Brandenburg Gate, activists symbolically slayed a model dinosaur. Initially planned for the end of 2022, Germany's nuclear exit was delayed as Russian gas supplies dwindled. Germany, the largest emitter in the European Union, also powered up some of its mothballed coal-fuelled plants to cover the potential gap left by gas. The challenging energy situation had increased calls domestically for the exit from nuclear to be delayed. Germany had to "expand the supply of energy and not restrict it any further" in light of potential shortages and high prices, the president of the German chamber of commerce Peter Adrian told the Rheinische Post daily. Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition CDU party, said the abandonment of nuclear power was the result of an "almost fanatical bias". Meanwhile the conservative daily FAZ headlined its Saturday edition "Thanks, nuclear energy," as it listed benefits it said nuclear had brought the country over the years. Outside observers have been similarly irked by Germany's insistence on exiting nuclear while ramping up its coal usage, with climate activist Greta Thunberg in October slamming the move as "a mistake". As expected, the Isar 2 reactor in the southeast of the country, the Neckarwestheim facility in the southwest and Emsland in the northwest were disconnected from the electricity network before midnight. Earlier, Guido Knott, CEO of PreussenElektra, which operates Isar 2, said it would be "a very moving moment" to power down the reactor. The three final plants provided just six percent of Germany's energy last year, compared with 30.8 percent from all nuclear plants in 1997. "Sooner or later" the reactors will start being dismantled, Economy Minister Robert Habeck told the Funke group ahead of the scheduled decommissioning, brushing aside the idea of an extension. The government has the energy situation "under control", Habeck assured, having filled gas stores and built new infrastructure for the import of liquefied natural gas to bridge the gap left by Russian supplies. Instead, the minister is focused on getting Germany to produce 80 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030. To this end, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the installation of "four to five wind turbines a day" over the next few years -- a tall order given that just 551 were installed last year. But the current rate of progress on renewables could well be too slow for Germany to meet its climate protection goals. Despite planning to exit nuclear, Germany has not "pushed ahead enough with the expansion of renewables in the last 10 years", Simon Mueller from the Agora Energiewende think tank told AFP. To build enough onshore wind capacity, according to Mueller, Germany now has to "pull out all the stops". The post Germany ends nuclear era as last reactors power down appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
8 AFAB buildings produce solar power
Eight buildings located at the Freeport Area of Bataan in Mariveles town are now capable of producing solar power, with total capacity of 2.84 megawatts after leading agro-solar energy supply and solutions company Citicore Power Inc. completed the works ahead of schedule......»»
Churches get go-ahead to allow for 10% capacity
The government finally gave in to the Catholic Church’s request to ease restrictions on religious gatherings as churches were allowed to accommodate up to 10 percent of seating capacity for a four-day period during the observance of the Holy Week from April 1 to April 4......»»
San Miguel defends offer to pay capacity charges on Ilijan power plant in advance
Conglomerate San Miguel Corporation on Thursday defended its offer to pay the capacity charges for its 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant two years ahead of schedule, saying it was a gesture of good faith......»»