BSP to hike policy rates again in Dec.

by Lee C. Chipongian

BSP to hike policy rates again in Dec.

By Lee C. Chipongian

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to go for another policy rate hike of 50 basis points (bps) on Dec. 15, lifting the overnight borrowing rate to 5.50 percent. 

BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said they will keep a tightening mode and maintain a decent interest rate differential between the BSP and US Federal Reserve funds rate to stabilize exchange rate pressures.

The BSP chief, however, has not yet signalled by how much the Monetary Board will increase the policy rates next month, but the possibility of again matching the US Fed action is high.

BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla

Medalla is also ruling out a pause in the immediate future. “The forex (foreign exchange) market is expected to remain very sensitive to the interest rate differential. A 50 (bps) by the US Fed in December can’t be met by a pause by the BSP,” he told Manila Bulletin. 

He has said before that interest rate differential should be at least a 100 bps. As of Nov. 2, the US Fed rate stood at 3.75 percent to four percent versus the BSP’s five percent as of Nov. 17.

On Friday, Nov. 18, the peso vis-à-vis the US dollar closed stronger at P57.26 compared to P57.36 on Nov. 17, the day the BSP announced its expected BSP rate hike.

In a press briefing after the Monetary Board meeting, Medalla said they cannot let the interest rate differential to fall back at this time.

“We don’t really have a model that says if the interest rate is this, the exchange rate will be this, because there are so many things that cause the exchange rate to move. However, what we do know is if the interest rate differential is too small especially during times when the US economy is the only game in town, then the peso” will tend to behave abnormally, he said.

“This is the reason why right now, the US policy rate is a bigger influencer of our policy rate than normal,” Medalla added.

Weeks before the Nov. 17 Monetary Board policy meeting, Medalla has communicated early on that they will raise the reverse repurchase rate or the RRP by 75 bps. 

Medalla on Thursday said this will probably be the last time that the BSP will do a big rate increase. The recent 75 bps rate adjustment is the second one, the first was an off-cyle move last July.

The BSP has jacked up the rates by a cumulative 300 bps to battle high inflation and exchange rate pressures. As of end-October, the inflation rate averaged at 5.4 percent. For the rest of the year, the BSP forecasts inflation to exit at 5.8 percent. Medalla said inflation will peak in November or December but it will not likely breach eight percent. In October, inflation climbed to a 14-year high of 7.7 percent from 6.9 percent in September

The last time the RRP rate was at five percent was on Jan. 29, 2009, before the interest rate corridor system was implemented in 2016, which adjusted the monetary policy transmission to bring market rates closer to the BSP rate.

Medalla said the US Fed is now signalling that they could increase funds rate in smaller doses after four 75 bps in a row. This could temper the US dollar’s strength in favor of regional currencies, especially the peso which has lost P8.1 or 15.7 percent last Sept. 29 when it depreciated to its record lowest of P59 versus the end-2021 closing rate of P50.99.

The last two rate increases on Sept. 22 and Nov. 17 were essentially responses to what the US Fed did.

The BSP initially increased the rates gradually from a two percent flat rate since November 2020. It started with two 25 bps adjustment on May 19 and June 23, followed by a surprised 75 bps off-cycle move on July 14. The fourth and fifth rate hikes were 50 bps each on Aug. 18 and Sept. 22, followed by a 75 bps increase on Nov. 17. The next and last Monetary Board policy meeting for the year is on Dec. 15.

Since price stability is a key BSP mandate, the six in a row policy rate increases are intended to bring back the inflation path to within the two percent to four percent target range by 2024.

The BSP expects inflation will stay above-the-target in the near term amid broadening price pressures and second-round effects but will be closer to three percent than four percent by the second half of 2023.

Adele, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar among top nominees at 65th Grammys

by Punch Liwanag

Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nominations.

The singer’s most recent album titled “Renaissance” earned the pop superstar nine nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards that will happen early next year, on February 5, 2023.

Rap music artist Kendrick Lamar is a close second with eight nominations earned through his “Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers” album.  

Adele and Brandi Carlile meanwhile both have seven nominations each respectively for the albums “30” and “In These Silent Days.”

All aforementioned artists will vie for the major awards that include “Album Of The Year” and “Record Of The Year.”

Also included in the best album list are ABBA with their comeback album “Voyage,” Coldplay with “Music Of The Spheres,” Lizzo’s “Special,” Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti,” and Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House.”

Likewise the Record Of The Year category includes Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Adele’s “Easy On Me,” Kendrick’s “The Heart Part 5,” and Brandi Carlile’s “You And Me On The Rock” (featuring Lucius).  

Those and ABBA’s “Don’t Shut Me Down,” Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” Doja Cat’s “Woman,” “About Damn Time” by Lizzo and “As It Was” by Harry Styles.   

The Song Of The Year category is comprised of aforementioned songs by Beyoncé, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Steve Lacy and the Tiktok hit “Abcdefu” by Gayle and DJ Khaled’s “God Did,” “Just Like That” by Bonnie Raitt and Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).”

Grammy observers note that this upcoming event’s narrative will boil down between Beyoncé and Adele.

Both female acts are some of the most decorated in Grammy history.

Beyoncé has got the edge in number of awards but has only one major award to her credit with Song Of The Year with “Single Ladies.”

Meanwhile Adele has swept Album, Record and Song Of The Year honors in a previous ceremony.  

Extended long weekend in 2023 to increase revenue in tourism – DOT chief

by Jun Marcos Tadios

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco welcomed Presidential Proclamation No. 90 which extended more long weekends in 2023.

(File photo courtesy of Department of Tourism)

Frasco said the DOT foresees the Presidential Proclamation as “an important stimulus to boost the country’s domestic travel figures,” as this will “allow travelers to stay longer in destinations and thus bring direct economic benefits to the local communities.” 

“We are very thankful to the President for making this move to adjust certain holidays, therefore allowing Filipinos to enjoy at least nine long weekends for the year 2023. This gives our kababayans more opportunity to rest, recharge, and spend longer quality time and trips with their families and loved ones,” Frasco said.

Under President Marcos’ vision for the tourism industry, Frasco noted that the DOT has identified the maximization of domestic tourism as one of its seven main objectives.

“The Presidential Proclamation corresponds to the Marcos administration’s thrust to maximize domestic tourism in the country, cognizant of its significant contribution to the recovery of the local economy and the overall growth of the country’s tourism industry,” Frasco uttered.

Based on Presidential Proclamation No. 90 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., there will be a total of nine long weekends in 2023.  

Starting on January 2, which falls on Monday, and November 2 (Thursday) have been added as special non-working holidays to be observed next year.

Moreover, April 10 was also declared as a non-working holiday in place of April 9 – the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan, which will fall on a Sunday in 2023.

In observance of Bonifacio Day (which falls on a Thursday for the year 2023), the proclamation declared November 27 – the nearest Monday to November 30 – as a non-working holiday pursuant to Republic Act 9492.

Signed last Nov. 11, Presidential Proclamation No. 90 amends provisions of the earlier issued Presidential Proclamation No. 42, S. 2022, or the declaration of the regular holidays and special (non-working) days for the year 2023.

“The long weekends will help spur economic activities, sustain tourism-related employment opportunities, and aid communities dependent on tourism,” Frasco furthered.

Sharon Cuneta: ‘Retirement is calling’

by Stephanie Bernardino

Once again, with feeling.

Sharon Cuneta just announced anew her intention to retire from show business.

She did so on Instagram, sharing Joanna Gaines’ new book, “The Stories We Tell.” 

According to her, she could relate to the part when Joanna talked about how she was “grateful beyond measure but exhausted.”

“This part really resonated with me because, well, I am 56 now – and I am just undeniably EXHAUSTED,” said Sharon.

Then she declared: “Retirement is calling.”

Not totally, though. 

She related that maybe she could pop up once in a while in a movie or two, do a concert, or a TV show, even a series.

That is, if they’re not too tiring.

She’s “tired,” she emphasized.

“All I wish I could do is be with my family and take care of them. And do all those other things I always wish I could do but just couldn’t find the time for,” she said.

Sharon then asked followers to pray with her.

“Thank you so much and I love you all.” 

Sharon already said the same thing in 2019.

She said she’s planning to try semi-retirement after four decades in showbiz

Fertility survey mirrors changing face of Philippine society

Published November 19, 2022, 12:02 AM

by Manila Bulletin

Demographic surveys are important because their results become the basis for a lot of policy-making and legislative action that form the basis of governance. These samplings also show changes in behavior, consumer preferences and overall ideological bent of the population, and thus have a huge bearing on business and the economy.

Quietly but efficiently, the National Health Demographic Survey (NHDS) was completed this year under the auspices of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and it confirmed what many in the country’s urban areas have thought all along:  the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of Filipino women 15- to 49-years old now stands at 1.9 children — which means that each Filipino married woman wants a maximum of two children.

According to Population Commission (POPCOM) Officer-In-Charge Executive Director Lolito Tacardon, this latest TFR number reinforces the PSA’s findings in February this year that the Philippines is now in a “demographic transition” with low levels of fertility and mortality. 

Tacardon and other population experts said “this significant decline in total fertility rate offers both an opportunity, as well as a challenge.”

They positively see this as a “breakthrough” for the country’s programs on population and development as well as family planning, which were instituted more than five decades ago.

Economists see this sharp decrease in TFR of Filipino women not a cause for alarm but rather an advantage because it has the potential of being the catalyst in hastening socioeconomic development in the country.  In particular, low TFR can improve labor force participation and reduce poverty with couples devoting more time to productive endeavors and livelihood activities.

“Focus should now be on ensuring that the quality and capacity of the country’s human resources are enhanced. At the household level, lower fertility also means greater opportunity for personal development of couples and individuals, which can redound to more savings and investments,” the POPCOM chief said.

Is being fluent in the Filipino language still significant in this day and age?

Michelle Jones

Professional Matchmaking Consultant for CebuWomen.com

International Dating Coach and Matchmaking Consultant for Cebu Women

 with years of professional experience in the industry.

The real question is who is it significant for?

1. To be globally competent, being fluent in English is more important.

2. For visitors/tourists to the Philippines, being fluent isn’t a requirement.

So here are instances where I feel fluency in Filipino is a requirement:

1. The classical arts. If you are interested in deeply understanding, studying, and performing Filipino classical arts (singing, literature, etc.), you will need some degree of fluency.

2. If you like to travel around the Philippines. If you’re from Cebu, and you want to travel to Tacloban where they speak Waray, you’re better off speaking in Filipino (Tagalog). If you’re clearly a native Filipino and you speak English to your fellow Filipino in an informal setting, that’s a no-no.

3. When it’s your job. If you’re a Filipino historian, public speaker, or politician, your Filipino has to be tip-top.

YOU HAVE THREE WISHES

Be careful what you wish for—it could reveal who you are, says Laura King, of Southern Methodist University. In a study published in the Journal of Personality, King administered a personality test to 405 college students, then asked them a simple question: "If you could have three wishes, what would you ask for?" Responses ran the gamut, from the obvious ("to be healthy and happy") to the impossible ("to have sex with Marilyn Monroe") to the peculiar ("to eat Chinese food at every meal every day for the rest of my life"). When examining these wishes and the people who made them, King discovered some interesting connections:

The most common wishes were for friends, happiness, health, marriage, money, success, self-improvement, and to help other people.

Although men's and women's wishes were generally similar, men were more likely to wish for sex and power, while women were more likely to wish for happiness, a better appearance, and better health.

Extroverted people often wished for happiness and positive feelings, and frequently included other people in their wishes. Neurotic people wished to be more sociable and more emotionally stable—in other words, to be less neurotic. "The chances of that wish coming true are practically zero," says King, noting that personality traits are notoriously hard to change.

Those who were already satisfied with their lives were the most likely to believe that their wishes would come true.

When I was still a young boy, I was taught that there might be fairy creatures offering us those three free wishes. We should always be wise enough to think it over very well and select the best wishes for our very own. Sure, there will always be classic stupidities regarding fairy-wishes. We are all human beings and don't belong to the fairy category.

Your wish is my command! And, there is someone who wishes at first a strong health, and - sure, he or she receives it, because good fairies never hesitate. And now and then? Here he is, for example, the healthy man is like a boulder in the surf, but surrounded by a world of war, flames and so-called military conflicts. But this man is still alive and as fit as a fiddler. Why should he wish for a strong health...?

Well, maybe we have to formulate our wishes for something more improved. But what? Discretion is the better part of valor. Let's try it like a fairy-tale and ask for wealth, riches and abundance. These are the one and only things on earth, right?

With money we can travel around the globe, find friends, even in far away distances, and we can do charities. Well, and if we might become sick, maybe seriously sick, we must not worry. We can afford and finance the most affordable doctors and most updated hospitals to give us back our good health. And if not?

In many fairy tales, we can also find the one with unassuming manners, inconspicuous, poorly dressed-up, a little bit silly, mostly disregarded and easily to be overlooked. This guy has only one wish, such as eternal salvation and bliss with a little stool in heaven besides God. And guys, be sure, that he will get it, and, he is happy and very
thankful. So far so good, it seems the simpleton has been the brightest.

It's all right: three wishes and no one more. A different thing, isn't it?

If all human beings on this entire globe could be all around happy, which means to say: nobody must go hungry any more, nobody must be despairing, nobody must be worried about wars and catastrophes, and everybody could be able to enjoy health and happiness without bearing trials ... yes, if ... Then we wouldn't need fairy-wishes...

Real life looks different. Real life is not a fairy tale. We need prayers and should be more respectful and friendly to each other.

Each one of us has his or her own three wishes. Me too. 

Marcos says help underway for landslides, flash floods victims in Davao region

by Joseph Pedrajas, MB

President Marcos said Thursday night that concerned agencies are now in charge of those affected by flash floods and landslides in Davao Del Sur and Davao Occidental.

Marcos, in a series of Twitter posts, said necessary actions were already taken to secure individuals affected by heavy rains brought by the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in two Mindanao provinces. 

Photo courtesy of President Marcos Twitter page

The President, who is currently in Thailand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, said agencies that have already been mobilized are the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Clearing operations and distribution of relief goods are already underway, he added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Bureau of Fire Protection, together with NDRRMC, have “been conducting search and rescue operations since this morning,” Marcos said.

“I have also instructed DSWD to make sure all evacuees get immediate help. They assured us that teams on the ground are continuously repacking relief goods,” he added.

Pulong proposes P5-M fine for hospitals demanding deposit for emergency cases

by Ivy Tejano, MB

DAVAO CITY – Davao City first district Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte has filed a bill increasing the P1-million fine and imposing other stringent penalties on hospitals and clinics demanding deposits before administering treatment for emergency and severe cases.

House Bill (HB) 3046 filed by Duterte and three other lawmakers amending the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law also has a provision mandating the establishment of a government hotline in which the public can immediately call to seek immediate assistance regarding violations of the law.

Together with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and ACT-CIS party-list Reps. Edvic Yap and Jeffrey Soriano, the Davao City solon said the current set of penalties imposed under Republic Act (RA) 10932 on erring employees and officials of medical facilities should be increased further to P5 million as “there is still a significant number of reports of hospitals violating the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.”

“The (Anti-Hospital Deposit Law) asserts the rights of an individual to be admitted to any hospital and be given basic emergency care without being asked to hand over an advance payment outright. This is in consonance with the Hippocratic Oath that physicians take, pledging to help the sick to the best of their ability and knowledge,” the bill’s authors said.

“Hence, hospitals, in general, are duty bound to provide care and treat those injured or suffering,” they added.

Batas Pambansa (BP) 702 makes it unlawful for any hospital or medical clinic to demand deposits or advance payments for the confinement or treatment of patients in emergency and severe cases. Certain provisions of BP 702 have been amended under RA 834 and RA 10932 and increased the penalties on hospital employees and officials violating the law. 

RA 10932, which was signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017 and implemented the following year, penalizes hospital employees or medical practitioners found guilty of violating the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law with P100,000 to P300,000 or imprisonment of two months to two years.

The law also imposes higher penalties of imprisonment of four to six years, and a fine of P500,000 to P1 million, or both, on directors or officers of hospitals or clinics responsible for implementing policies or instructions that violate the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.

Five years after the signing of RA 10932, Rep. Duterte wants even more severe penalties imposed on hospitals and clinics, complemented by the establishment of a Department of Health (DOH)-administered national hotline to make it easier to flush out the law’s violators.

Under HB 3046, a hospital employee, official, or medical practitioner found violating the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law shall be fined between P500,000 and P1 million or imprisoned for four to six years, or both, upon the discretion of the courts.

If the courts find that the violation was committed due to the medical facility’s established policy or upon instructions of its management, the director or officer responsible shall be penalized with imprisonment of six to 12 years or fined P2 million to P5 million under the bill.

HB 3046 also has a provision that would allow the filing of administrative cases against erring hospital employees and officials with the corresponding penalty of suspension, cancellation, or revocation of their professional licenses.

This is on top of the revocation of the medical facility’s license to operate by the Department of Health after three repeated violations of the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law arising from an established policy or instructions of its management.

Under the bill, the president, chairman, board of directors, trustees, and other officers shall be held solidarily liable for damages the court may award to the patient-complainant.  

CELESTIAL! Celeste Cortesi’s official headshot for Miss Universe 2022

by Neil Ramos, MB

The Miss Universe Philippines organization has released Miss Universe-Philippines 2022 titleholder Celeste Cortesi’s official headshot.

The photo, made available via Instagram Thursday, sees the 24-year old Filipino-Italian beauty queen from Pasay looking all-too fierce, ready.

The organization wrote, “The Miss Universe season is upon us! Here’s the official headshot of Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi.” 

It went on to urge fans, “Show support for our candidate in the 71st Miss Universe Competition by heading over to the link in our bio to vote.”

“Let’s make our Miss Universe dreams come true, Philippines,” it added.

The pageant will be held January next year in New Orleans.