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Who foots the bill for Marcos’ Davos trip?

By ANTONIO J. MONTALVÁN II

JAN 13, 2023 10:18 PM

The US delegation is lean at 19 members, composed of a sprinkling of cabinet secretaries and some congressmen and headed by labor secretary Martin J. Walsh. No head of government (no Joe Biden). Likewise for India, which is sending a very small delegation of only four union ministers plus three state chief ministers (no Narendra Modi).

Finland’s government portal has also announced that Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin will attend, together with an even leaner delegation of only three ministers.

But for the president of impoverished Philippines who will attend next week’s World Economic Forum 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, there is no transparency in announcing the size of its delegation. Filipinos living in Switzerland who are closely watching the event gave an astounding number – a delegation of at least 70 members, including private and business people, names and designations unknown.

How did our sources know? The invitation was extended by WEF founder and executive chair Klaus Schwab at the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last November 12. One month later, his first cousin House speaker Martin Romualdez announced that the president was accepting the invitation.

Here’s the problem. The Davos gathering begins on January 16. By the time Marcos Jr. had reached a decision to embark on another foreign trip (his eighth in under 7 months), hotel rooms in Davos have been fully booked since months before (astronomical prices range from “the crappiest hotel rooms at $500 a night, and a private chalet costing $140,000 for the week,” says a past business attendee, and that is 2011 prices yet). The result – Philippine representatives in Bern have been scrambling to find hotel rooms for a delegation that numbers at least that size of 70 persons.

So they turned to the nearest city, Zurich. The choices are the Hyatt hotels in town of which there are three: Park Hyatt Zurich (5-star, P39,040 standard rate per night), Hyatt Place Zurich Airport The  Circle (4-star, P9,997 standard rate), and Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport The Circle (4-star, P11,182 standard rate). For a huge delegation from a poverty-stricken nation, that is no peanuts.

Marcos Jr. is not the first Filipino president to attend the WEF. There was his current adviser Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2008 (delegation size unknown) and Benigno Aquino III (seven).

What did these past Davos visits achieve for the ordinary Filipino? At most, there were “investors who signified their intention to expand,” while “new business groups have committed to invest.” No figures were given. All presidents go to Davos using the same worn-out plot: “to seek international recognition of the Philippines’ economic gains.” Aquino reported on his anti-corruption drive and the arrest and jailing of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on corruption charges.

For Davos 2023, 52 heads of states and governments have been invited to attend. The only other Asian head of government attending is South Korea president Yoon Suk-yeol. Among the other presidents attending are those of Spain, Colombia, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, and the chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz representing the only major European power to attend.

Academic scholars from the University of Götinggen in Germany, University of California at Berkeley, National University of Singapore, and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Kiel, Germany) have asked the question: Does it pay off to attend Davos? From 2009 to 2016, the researchers noted that a majority of attendees come only from first world economies (the US, the UK, and Switzerland topped). “The annual meeting is dominated by high-income countries, and the share of attendees from low and middle income countries is stagnating.”

Moreover, by studying the number of company attendees across all given years, the research “did not find evidence of a positive Davos effect on firm performance.” It also “did not detect any measurable effect” of Davos attendance of heads of states in firm performance.

Zurich Magazine does not offer much positive outlook either. “As a gathering of the global elite, Davos has often been a lightning rod for protests about everything from the rapid globalization of the 1990s to the runaway climate change of this century.” As a consolation, it offers two solid achievements: “Davos helped to avert war between Greece and Turkey with the signing of the Davos Declaration in 1988. It was also in Davos that Gavi, the vaccine alliance, was launched in 2000.”

The reality is, WEF is all glam. Davos is an upscale ski resort in the German-speaking side of the Swiss Alps. It has been criticized by some as  “a talking shop for the jetset that merely adds to the world’s carbon footprint.”

The theme of this year’s WEF is “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” It attempts to look at the crises that have deepened divisions in the geopolitical world. One of the highlights of the meeting will be discussions on Ukraine and its need for a post-war reconstruction effort.

Among the five topical themes is “high inflation, low growth and high debt economics.” But for the president of the Philippines, his topic in Davos will be the Maharlika Investment Fund. Imagine a thief who once deposited his family’s loot in Swiss bank accounts and who now wants the world to know that he is suddenly a beggar for investors’ money. Unconfirmed reports say among the participants in the Marcos entourage will be Irene Marcos Araneta. If true, let the implication of that sink in.

By the way, among the 70 or so in that huge entourage will be showbiz stars who will entertain the “meet and greet” with Filipinos in Switzerland. The likely venue will be one of the Hyatt hotels. Again, no names of the performers have been specified.

So who foots the bill for Davos? Not the Marcoses. Us.

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Pimentel flags 'contradictions' in Maharlika Fund bill amid Marcos' plan to tackle it at Davos

Published January 16, 2023 11:56am

Updated January 16, 2023 6:14pm

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Monday flagged "internal contradictions" in the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund amid President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s plan to tackle it at the World Economic Forum scheduled from January 16 to 20 in Davos, Switzerland.

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"Number one, is this a corporation where the profits will be given to the investors? Why will the big businesses who are organized for profits attending the Davos conference invest in a corporation where it is not for profit?" Pimentel said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

"So the approved version of the Maharlika measure is very different from the initial version filed. It has shifted in concept and focus and idea. That's why the final version accommodates different concepts which are already contradicting each other," he added.

Pimentel reiterated that tackling the Maharlika Investment Fund is premature as the bill creating it "is not well thought of and it is not well written."

GMA News Online has reached out to Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil and the office of Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo—one of the authors of the bill—to comment on Pimentel's remarks but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

In a separate statement, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros echoed Pimente's statement that the MIF's soft launch is premature and the administration has "nothing to present '' as the bill creating it has yet to be deliberated at the Senate.

"[I]sn’t it jumping the gun to be talking about it in front of world economic leaders? Hilaw ang diskusyon at maraming butas ang konsepto, magmumukhang amateur ang Presidente,” Hontiveros said.

(The discussions on the MIF are raw and the concept has many holes that need to be addressed. This will make the president appear like he is an amateur.)

"Indeed, it makes sense to talk to an international audience about a domestically-oriented sovereign development fund if there is already a portfolio of attractive projects that have been assembled. But we don’t have that yet," Hontiveros said.

Compared to Indonesia, Hontiveros said the Philippines lacks wealth windfall from exports to fund the MIF and the portfolio of ready projects that could attract investors.

"Indonesia has been touring the international circuit because it has tens of billions of dollars worth of ready projects that have been individually structured to attract capital. Indonesia also had significant windfall from its petroleum and mineral exports — with which it has decided to seed the Indonesian Investment Authority. Unfortunately, we do not have either of these two," she said.

Instead of pushing for the creation of MIF, Hontiveros said the administration must focus on the current problems that the country is facing such as the high prices of food and energy.

"Maraming problema ang bansa na dapat unahin. Problemang direktang tumatama sa mga Pilipino gaya ng mataas na presyo ng bilihin. Sana yung level ng energy na mayroon sa pagpupush ng wealth fund na ito ay mas higit pa para sa pagresolba ng isyu sa mataas na presyo ng sibuyas, itlog at iba pang agricultural products," she said.

(The country has a lot of problems that should be prioritized. These are problems that directly hit the Filipinos like the high prices of commodities. I hope that the level of energy that the administration exerts in creating the wealth fund is higher when it comes to resolving the prices of onion, egg and other agricultural products.)

'Investments in basic areas in agri, energy, climate change'

In an interview with reporters while on board a plane from Manila to Switzerland, Marcos said the proposed Maharlika fund will make investments in the basic areas of agriculture, energy, digitalization and climate change. "Meron na tayong puwede pang pag-usapan na sovereign wealth fund. So sasabihin ko (We have something to talk about, the sovereign wealth fund. So I will tell them) exactly what's happened that we are forming a sovereign wealth fund for investments, for big investments in the basic areas such as agri, energy, digitalization, climate change — the point being is that now there is a wealth fund," he said.

Days before Marcos' trip to Switzerland, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta said the proposed Philippine sovereign wealth fund will have a "soft launch" at the WEF.

Sorreta said it was Marcos' idea to tackle the wealth fund at the international conference.

In a statement released Sunday, Pimentel said the plan to tackle the MIF at the WEF is a "ploy to force the Senate into passing" the measure.

The House of Representatives already approved on final reading House Bill 6608 which seeks to create the MIF.

So far, there is no counterpart bill filed at the Senate.

Earlier, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said they will wait for the House bill to be transmitted to the upper chamber.

The senators will seek a briefing with the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Finance regarding the creation of the MIF.

The MIF bill seeks to maximize the investible funds of state-run financial institutions and ultimately increase public funds for nation-building.

The measure provides that the MIF would be funded by the investible resources of the Landbank of the Philippines (P50 billion), the Development Bank of the Philippines (P25 billion), and the dividends/profits of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The authors originally planned for the investible funds of the GSIS and the SSS to be included as sources for the proposed sovereign wealth fund's capital as well, an idea they later dropped after, said co-author Representative Stella Quimbo, pensioners expressed their concerns.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier said he believes the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund is appropriate despite the risks of a global recession and high interest rates.

"The participation of funds like this as a vehicle for attracting resources is, I think, appropriate at this time," he said when asked if the economic conditions, given the looming global recession and high interest rates, were appropriate to establish the MIF, which could be tapped to finance the country’s economic development in the future.— Hana Bordey/AOL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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Lack of transparency in Marcos trip to Davos scored by analysts

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter and Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

POLITICAL analysts on Monday criticized Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s alleged lack of transparency about his trip to Davos this week, which they said bodes ill for efforts to attract foreign investors.

His five-day visit to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF) raises more questions than answers, they said, after the presidential palace was accused of hiding the size of his delegation. News website VERA Files reported that at least 70 people accompanied him on his trip.

“By not being completely transparent about his activities including his trip to Davos, he is disrespecting the Constitution, the country’s laws and the public to whom he is accountable,” Maria Ela L. Atienza, who teaches political science at the University of the Philippines, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“No matter how the government tries to invite investors to the country, the lack of transparency, as well as the perceived state of politics, governance and corruption in the country does not invite confidence,” she added.

Carol Claudio, the executive assistant of Presidential Communications Office chief Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

Junkets with a large delegation are not new, said Hansley A. Juliano, a political economy researcher, noting that many dictators in Africa have been attending global fora “at taxpayers’ expense, with the promise that the junket is supposed to result in trade deals for the country.”

“If they can’t demonstrate with good faith why 70 people need to be there, questions and criticisms of the costs of travel and personnel are warranted,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

VERA Files on Jan. 13 reported that Philippine delegates had a hard time finding hotel rooms in Davos, prompting them to turn to the nearest city, Zurich, which is considered as the seventh most expensive place to live in Europe.

“The choices are the Hyatt hotels in town of which there are three: Park Hyatt Zurich (5-star, P39,040 standard rate per night), Hyatt Place Zurich Airport The Circle (4-star, P9,997 standard rate) and Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport The Circle (4-star, P11,182 standard rate),” according to the website. “For a huge delegation from a poverty-stricken nation, that is no peanuts.”

“Investors who prioritize careful or transparent investments are likely to see red flags in the Marcos delegation,” Mr. Juliano said.

However, investors who want to engage in “predatory” or nontransparent business practices would see this “as the kind of government that will protect them, at whatever economic cost to the Filipino taxpayer,” he added. “Like attracts like, after all.”

Leonardo A. Lanzona, who teaches economics at the Ateneo De Manila University, said the lack of transparency is “indicative of the absence of ideas” on the part of the Marcos leadership.

“I have not heard of any proposed global initiative from the president,” he said in a Messenger chat. “So why is he going there in the first place?”

Mr. Lanzona said the World Economic Forum’s main objective is to “address and discuss critical global issues, not to finalize and obtain investment pledges.” “The government seems to be more concerned about its own costly travel preferences than the needs of the country.”

On Sunday, Mr. Marcos said he would seek out potential partners for his agriculture and infrastructure push.

Critics have said his appearance at Davos needs to be viewed as a reputation-building exercise rather than a realistic play for investment.

In 2003, the Philippine Supreme Court ruled the Marcos family had illegally acquired P25 billion worth of assets, which were kept in various Swiss bank accounts.

Switzerland is the eighth country that Mr. Marcos visited since he took office in June. The others are Indonesia, Singapore, the United States, Cambodia, Thailand, Belgium and China.

“What makes sense to me at least is the fact that they will be coupling the World Economic Forum travel with visiting communities of overseas Filipino workers (OFW),” Mr. Juliano said. “Considering OFW communities have been a sizable constituency for the Duterte-Marcos alliance since 2016, it does make sense that Marcos is showing himself off there to reinforce the constituencies.”

“This may be once again not about actual economic policy but constituency-building for Marcos, consistent with the kind of politics he espouses,” he added.

More than 2,500 people had registered for the event as of Jan. 10, including state leaders, businessmen, royalty, media honchos and academics, according to a Jan. 15 report by Quartz. “There are hundreds more participating on the sidelines, whether organizing, catering or attending corporate events along the promenade that cuts through the center of Davos,” it said.

‘PECKING ORDER’ Scholars from Germany’s University of Gotinggen, University of California, the National University of Singapore and Kiel Institute for the World Economy in a 2019 report said WEF meetings in 2009 to 2018 had been “dominated by high-income countries.”

“While the number of attendees from low- and middle-income countries has increased from 454 in 2009 to 712 in 2018, the share of attendees from this country group is stagnating.”

“Consistent with previous reports, there’s not always much tangible economic incentive for developing economies’ participation in the WEF,” Mr. Juliano said. “More often than not, they only tend to reinforce their pecking order with global capital.

The global forum has also enabled global inequality because it has been used by high-income countries to pursue unequal trade relations, he added. “What usually happens is a developing country is the one adjusting to the economic demands of rich countries — not them providing equal footing trade agreements with smaller economies.”

George N. Manzano, an economist at the University of Asia and the Pacific, said the Davos forum is “an event for those who want to see and be seen with influential people.”

“President Marcos’ attendance could raise the profile of the Philippines and pitch the investment attractiveness of the country,” he said in a text message. “Given the changes in the Philippines’ investment rules, the president can pitch infrastructure projects as well as manufacturing for companies willing to divest from China.”

Members of the Board of Investments and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) are part of the Marcos delegation.

In a statement, PEZA said the Philippine delegation had bilateral talks with the Swiss government on trade and investments.

The two sides exchanged views on their domestic economic situation, discussed bilateral relations and touched on the free trade agreement between the Philippines and European Union, the agency said.

There are 60 Swiss companies operating in the Philippines, 28 of which are registered with PEZA as export-oriented IT and manufacturing enterprises, PEZA said. These Swiss locators have generated P19.168 billion in cumulative investments and created more than 8,000 jobs, it added.

Also on Monday, congressmen defended Mr. Marcos from criticisms about his foreign trips, noting that the president is the “architect of foreign policy.”

“At this rate, I cannot say that this is excessive,” San Jose Del Monte Rep. Florida P. Robes told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.

“The Philippines cannot afford to isolate itself from the rest of the world,” she said. “What we need now is to strengthen our position and presence in the world stage so that we can attract the needed investments and foreign relations to secure our economy and patrimony.”

Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda said the president’s big delegation to Davos was justified, calling his trip “multi-purpose.” “If he believes that the country is best served by a foreign policy that emphasizes face-to-face and personal relationships, let him,” he said in a text message.

But Party-list Rep. France L. Castro questioned the practicality of Mr. Marcos’s trips. “While I understand that these trips can be beneficial to our country in terms of economic and diplomatic relations, it is important to consider the cost-benefit analysis and ensure that the resources allocated for these trips are being used in the most efficient and effective way possible,” she said in a Viber message.

Ms. Castro called for transparency and accountability on the use of public funds in the president’s trips.

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Most wanted person in Region 8 arrested in Parañaque City

Published January 9, 2023, 10:00 AM

by Jean Fernando

A man facing five counts of rape and tagged as the Top 8 most wanted person in Region 8 was arrested in Parañaque City on Saturday, Jan. 7.

The suspect, identified as Ruel Esmale, 38, was arrested by a combined team from Region 8 in coordination with the Parañaque City police Station Intelligence Unit around 5:30 p.m. at a construction site of Top Coastal Luxury Residence in Barangay Tambo.

Report showed that Presiding Judge Catherine Jane Lopez Vanilla Presiding of Regional Trial Court, 8th Judicial Region, Branch 15 of Burauen, Leyte, issued a warrant for the arrest of Esmale for five counts of rape and for three counts of rape on September 7, 2022 with bail recommended of P 180,000 for each count.

The suspect is also facing two more counts of rape issued by Lopez with no bail recommended.

The suspect is temporarily detained at the Southern Police District custodial facility and will be turned over to Regional Intelligence Unit 8 of Leyte upon the completion of necessary documents for the return of the warrant of the issuing trial court.

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Import plan to hurt local onion farmers — analysts

Ramon Royandoyan - Philstar.comJanuary 9, 2023 | 5:25pm

MANILA, Philippines — A plan devised by the Marcos Jr. administration to import red onions to soothe a brutally-high inflation and growing consumer woes could end up hurting onion farmers in the Philippines, according to analysts.

The Department of Agriculture announced on Monday its plan to import 22,000 metric tons of onion as prices zoomed in the past two months.

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Sonny Africa, executive director of  nonprofit IBON Foundation, expects the import plan to collide with onion harvest season.

“The proposal to import onions will make farmgate prices fall at the expense of local farmers starting to harvest in January and February, collapsing their incomes further, while the impact on retail prices is uncertain and depends on how these will be sold,” he said in a Viber message.

Onion prices have become a trending topic on social media in December, as a kilogram of the produce in now costs as much as P700 in Metro Manila.

“Retail prices will decline the most if the imported onions don't go through traders allegedly engaged in price manipulation,” Africa added.

Data from the DA showed that a kilo of red onion is almost always cheaper compared to local produce. A kilo of locally-produced red onion cost P220 in January 2022, but imported ones cost P200.

Leonardo Lanzona, an economist at Ateneo de Manila University, said the plan will only benefit consumers—at the expense of farmers’ livelihoods.

“On the whole, the importation of onions will be beneficial to consumers but will be harmful to farmers’ prices of onions are expected to decrease, but this will only be temporary if no action is done to increase its local production,” he said.

Africa lamented that relying on imports would result in onion farmers grappling with lower farmgate prices. This means that they could even be selling their onions at a loss if the import proposal pushes through.

For Lanzona, importing onions has no assurances.

“Furthermore, while farmgate prices will decline in the process, there is no guarantee that the retail prices will fall at the same rate as distribution and other transaction costs can remain high,” Lanzona said. “In effect, importation is not necessarily going to solve this issue.”

Onions are a staple in Filipino cuisine. To curb the supply problem, which has worsened inflation woes, Africa offered solutions.

“The best solution for farmers and consumers is to go after unscrupulous traders and immediately stop their hoarding and price manipulation. This has to be done while also already giving greater govt production and trading support to local onion farmers,” he added.

Africa also suggested improving farmers’ productivity, which economists opine could be a solution to manage price inflation in the Philippines.

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Onion crisis blamed on DA forecasting failures

December 26, 2022 | 7:42 pm

THE ONION shortage has been blamed on the failure of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to adequately project supply and demand for the commodity, resulting in a delay in turning to imports.

Danilo V. Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI), told reporters recently: “We failed to import, so that is why we are short of supply. Naturally, there was a transfer of leadership so maybe they did not notice that.”

Mr. Fausto said that during holidays, demand spikes for many commodities, which should have been anticipated and planned for.

“During Christmas season the demand doubles, sometimes triples because of… celebrations and parties left and right. That’s the time that you have to really prepare for, and you prepare for it for a year,” he said.

Mr. Fausto said that this year, the shortage is estimated at about 40,000 to 50,000 metric tons. He added imports should have ordered in July and August to meet current demand.

“We did not import. Naturally, the supply is low and that is why the prices go up. There is no such thing as hoarding of onions,” he said.

Mr. Fausto added that onions tend have a short shelf life. “if you keep onions in cold storage for long, you cannot sell it, simply because of the nature of the product.”

The DA has cited hoarding as a possible cause for high prices.

Mr. Fausto also warned that “farmers are now planting onions because of the price, and it will take three months to harvest.”

He expects a bumper harvest by April, which the government must prepare for with more cold storage.

“If the government will not put up (cold storage), by April we will be throwing onions away,” Mr. Fausto said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

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Shortage of onions seen, bulbs per kilo to reach P400

By Bella CariasoNovember 30, 2022

FARMERS' group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) President Rosendo So has warned that retail prices of onions could reach P400 per kilo as he noted a shortage in the supply of the bulbs.

In a radio interview, So on Tuesday said Sinag already recommended last month to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to import at least 7,000 metric tons of white onions and 7,500 metric tons of red onions to address the tightness in the supply of onions.

"We prefer affordable onions in the market, there is really a shortage. We already warned the DA that there will be a spike in the prices of onions, that's why we recommended last month to import white onions in November and this December, there is a need to import white and red onions," he added.

So accused some DA officials of conniving with traders to manipulate the supply of the bulbs.

"The people at the BPI (Bureau of Plant Industry) have been there for a long time. Only the heads are replaced. They know the consumption and the volume of production of onions to be able to plan and if there is a need to import to prevent an increase in the prices of onions. It's the consumers who suffer. The farmers do not benefit. What I can see is connivance between officials of the DA and the traders," he said.

According to So, last year, at least 5,000 MT of onions were imported in October 2021, 16,700 MT in November 2021, and 24,600 MT in December 2021.

"These imports were used to supply the markets until January to February [2022]," he also noted.

So said the planting season of onions started in October and will end in December and the harvest will begin in February to April.

"We really need to import, especially with the increase in the demand this December. We need at least 7,000 metric tons of white onions and 7,500 metric tons of red onions," he added.

According to So, all the stocks of onions are in the hands of traders.

"The harvest is between February and April. Traders usually buy the onions from farmers at P35 to P40 per kilo, and they store the stocks at cold storage facilities. These are the stocks we are now consuming," he said.

So also said the inventory of the red onions at the cold storage facilities was already critical as early as last month.

He added that smuggled onions continue to flood the market as a result of the recent confiscation of white onions in different markets.

"The DA only confiscated kilos of smuggled onions, but the majority end up in the wet [public] markets. Their system is not effective. There should only be one port of entry to monitor the entry of imported onions," So said.

He was referring to the confiscation of 105 sacks of smuggled white onions at Divisoria Market in Manila, Mutya ng Pasig Public Market in Pasig City and Balintawak Market in Quezon City.

So said DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban should ask the BPI to explain why it did not approve the recommendation of Sinag to import onions to prevent the shortage of bulbs.

On Monday, DA Assistant Secretary and Spokesman Kristine Evangelista said the agency is awaiting the report of the BPI on the volume of red onions still at the cold storage facilities.

According to Evangelista, the DA is yet to determine if there is a shortage in the supply of red onions.

Based on market monitoring of the DA on Tuesday, the retail prices of red onions ranged from P260 to P300 per kilo.

Meanwhile, an official of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) also on Tuesday assured that there will be enough supply of eggs in the country until the end of the year amid the increase in retail prices.

During the Laging Handa briefing, Lani Plata Cerna, BAI Livestock Research and Development supervising science research specialist, said the spike in the prices of eggs stemmed from high demand during the holidays.

"Based on our egg supply outlook, we will have enough supply of eggs until the end of the year as we have 112 percent sufficiency," Cerna also said.

She was reacting to a statement of Philippine Egg Board Association President Irwin Ambal that retail prices of eggs are affected by the bird flu outbreak not only in the Philippines but also worldwide and that the prices of eggs are expected to further go up with the high demand this Christmas.

"At present, the retail prices of eggs are stable with the prevailing price at P7 per piece," Cerna said.

According to her, supply and demand dictate movements in the prices of commodities.

"Like other food items, we expect an increase in the demand for egg as it is used for bread, cakes and other pastries. It is a necessity for Christmas and New Year," Cerna said.

She added that the prices will go up if egg producers fail to supply the needed demand.

At the same time, Cerna also assured that the DA is implementing various programs to boost the livestock industry, including egg production.

"We have enough supply of eggs and chicken. On the part of the Bureau of Animal Industry, we remain vigilant to prevent the spread of bird flu. Our surveillance is ongoing to make sure necessary action will be done in case there is an outbreak of avian influenza," she said.

Earlier, Ambal said areas in Central Luzon, particularly Pampanga, Tarlac and Bulacan, are affected by the high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) virus because of migratory birds.

He also said the market is experiencing the effects of avian flu that started in the first and second quarters of the year.

According to Ambal, a tray of eggs ranged between P205 and P210 from P185 per tray.

He said many countries from where the Philippines imports breeders are also affected by the outbreak of HPAI.

An official said regions infected with ASF decreased to six even as it reported a slight shortage in pork products during the last quarter of the year.

According to Dr. Samuel Joseph Castro, BAI National African Swine Fever Prevention deputy national program coordinator, still affected by ASF were Regions 1 (Ilocos), 3 (Central Luzon), 4A (Calabarzon), 6 (Western Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas) and 12 (Soccsksargen).

Cerna said the country is 95 percent sufficient in the pork supply compared to the 121 percent sufficiency level in the third quarter.

"As of October 20, 2022, for our hog supply outlook, we will have a slight shortage in the supply of hogs for this quarter. We have a 95 percent sufficiency level compared to the third quarter where we have 121 percent sufficiently level," she added.

Cerna said the DA allows the importation of frozen meat products to meet the high pork demands during the holidays.

"We import frozen meat products from the United States, Denmark," she added.

Castro said the DA implements the National ASF Prevention and Control Program to prevent the spread of the virus.

"We have the Bantay ASF sa Barangay. The heart of the program itself is local government unit engagement, cascading the national program until the barangay (village) level," he added.

Castro said the BAI conducts disease surveillance and biosecurity as part of the effort to address the outbreak of ASF.

"Disease surveillance is being done in various areas where our hog farmers are located. We check if there are outbreaks of ASF and make sure that the virus will not spread to other areas," he added.

Castro said an information campaign is ongoing to educate the public on ASF.

"One important component of the program is the recovery and repopulation. We embark on repopulation once we have already cleared areas of ASF. We need to make sure that the level of biosecurity is high to prevent the outbreak of ASF," he added.

"The government needs the cooperation of all the stakeholders from the national to grassroot levels to finally put an end to the ASF," Castro said.

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In the Philippines, Onions Are Now More Expensive Than Meat

from TIME

January 9, 2023 5:00 AM EST

Soaring prices of onions in the Philippines led agriculture authorities to announce this weekend that the country would have to resort to importing around 22,000 tons of the vegetable by March, to augment dwindling domestic supply and arrest rising costs.

Onion is a staple of the Southeast Asian nation’s local cuisine—often coupled with garlic as a base of many dishes. The country’s average monthly demand for the vegetable is around 17,000 metric tons.

But as of Monday, Jan. 9, red and white onions in the Philippines were sold for as high as 600 pesos ($10.88) per kilogram, or about $5 per pound, based on the agriculture department’s monitoring of Manila-area market prices.

That’s about three times as expensive as chicken and 25%-50% more expensive than pork or beef, according to the same market monitoring estimates. The cost of a kilogram of onions is greater than the minimum wage for a day’s work in the Philippines.

What’s caused the price increase?

Philippine lawmakers want to investigate the cause of the surge, asserting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also serves as the agriculture secretary, is “directly accountable.”

Part of the price hike stems from forces beyond individual control. Global inflation—due to a multiplicity of causes including the Russia-Ukraine war, supply chain snags, and extreme weather events—is putting a strain on food prices everywhere.

Inflation in the Philippines hit a record 14-year-high in December, with onion making up 0.3 percentage points of the 8.1% uptick in consumer prices, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a Jan. 5 briefing.

But it’s not just inflation.

The business sector blames the agriculture department for failing to make accurate supply projections despite warnings last year. Agriculture officials forecast possible shortages of onion and garlic as early as August, when the local red onion variety only cost at most 140 pesos ($2.54). However, the department resisted importations, insisting that existing supply would be sufficient, even as Philippine farmers warned consumption was expected to rise during the holidays.

Agriculture officials suspect other local crises, such as internal price manipulation, share responsibility for the skyrocketing onion prices, too. Restoperez said on Dec. 13 that the agriculture department believes a criminal syndicate hoarded onion supply, and an investigation is underway.

How is the government responding?

On Dec. 30, the Philippines’ trade department, upon the President’s orders, imposed a “suggested retail price” of 250 pesos ($4.53) per kilogram for onions. But while the trade department can charge those who set prices higher than the SRP with profiteering, it’s hardly enforced. Despite the price ceiling, the cost of onions has stayed high.

Last month, customs authorities intercepted an estimated $362,000 worth of smuggled red onions from China concealed by boxes of bread and pastry products and another $309,000 worth of smuggled white onions in containers supposedly containing garments.

Marcos Jr. said on Dec. 29 that the government was looking for a legal way to sell the smuggled goods to address supply shortfall. Some of the smuggled onions, however, were found unfit for human consumption. Local news network GMA reported that bacteria like E. coli and traces of pesticide were found on some batches, which had to be discarded.

Agriculture assistant secretary Rex Estoperez told Bloomberg Sunday that the just-announced imports will be a “temporary solution,” with new supply arriving no later than the first week of February, before domestic harvests pick up between March and May.

The Philippines also recently came to a bilateral agreement with China to increase agriculture and trade cooperation. It’s unclear if onion imports will be part of such cooperation.

[newseldrick]

ChatGPT goes pro, layoffs at Alphabet, and Dungeons & Dragons flirts with restrictive new licensing

by Kyle Wiggers@kyle_l_wiggers  5:15 AM GMT+8•January 15, 2023

Welcome, welcome, folks, to Week in Review, TechCrunch’s regular column that recaps the last week in news. If you’d like it in your inbox every Saturday, sign up here. Hope you’re sitting comfortably with a warm beverage on this wintery Saturday afternoon. Expecting Greg’s byline? Not to worry — he’s still enjoying parental leave, as I mentioned in the January 7 edition. All’s well.

Before we get into it, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note, once again, that TC Early Stage in Boston is on the horizon. With tickets starting at $99, it’ll be a worthwhile stop along the Eastern conference circuit, packed with expert-led workshops, case studies and deep dives with technical founders. Some members of the TechCrunch editorial staff will be in attendance — don’t be a stranger if you spot us on the show floor.

most read

ChatGPT goes pro: OpenAI this week signaled it’ll soon begin charging for ChatGPT, its viral AI-powered chatbot that can write essays, emails, poems and even computer code. A “pro” version of the tool called ChatGPT Professional will throw in no unavailability windows, no throttling and an unlimited number of messages with ChatGPT — “at least 2x the regular daily limit.” Pricing remains up in the air.

Microsoft 365 goes Basic: Microsoft will introduce a lower-cost tier of Microsoft 365, its family of productivity software and cloud-based document editing services, starting on January 30, the company announced Wednesday. Called Microsoft 365 Basic and priced at $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year, the plan will initially include 100 GB of storage, Outlook email and access to support experts for help with Microsoft 365 and Windows 11.

Layoffs hit a news aggregator: SmartNews, the Tokyo-based news aggregation website and app, let go of 40% of its U.S. and China workforce, or around 120 people, my colleagues Sarah and Kirsten report. The company was impacted by the same macroeconomic factors that have led to a number of tech industry layoffs in recent months, in addition to complications that arose from Apple’s implementation of App Tracking Transparency, or ATT.

Robotics, too: Brian reports that this week, Alphabet joined the growing list of tech giants making staff cuts amid ongoing economic struggles. The company’s robot software firm, Intrinsic, laid off 40 employees, a move that comes less than a year after Intrinsic acquired both Vicarious and Open Robotics — the latter having been announced less than a month ago.

Licensed fun: Dungeons & Dragons content creators are fighting to protect their livelihoods, Amanda writes in a sobering deep dive. Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the Hasbro-owned publisher of the game, plans to update the game’s license for the first time in over 22 years, releasing a new licensing system that would require any D&D content creator who makes over $750,000 in revenue to pay a 25% royalty to the company on every dollar above that threshold. In a sliver of good news, WotC has delayed the rollout of the licensing scheme, following a widespread backlash.

Colors, but E Ink: One of the cooler gizmos to emerge from the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show is E Ink’s color displays, Harri writes. They can spit out 50,000 colors at 300 DPI — way, way up from the last-gen model’s max of 4,000 colors. E Ink says it aims to use them to build a magazine reading experience that’s good enough to win over even the most demanding publishers.

Keys for days: My colleague (and boss!) Frederic reviewed the Keychron Q10 this week, a keyboard akin to Keychron’s other — but smaller — Alice-style board. He approved of the gasket mount and silicon gaskets, which provide a bit of flex while reducing ping and other noise. As for the Alice layout (the keys aren’t in a straight line, but the left and right half are slightly angled), it was easy to get used to, he said — and he appreciated that the five macro buttons under the knob could be mapped to anything you’d like. Read the full review for more.

Welcome home, Welcome Homes: In a profile, Mary Ann peels back the curtains on Welcome Homes, a proptech startup launched by the co-founders of cloud service provider DigitalOcean. The New York City–based firm — which recently raised $29 million — offers people a way to design and build new homes online, similar to other venture-backed companies (e.g., Atmos, Homebound) attempting to address the housing shortage.

I hear deepfaked voices: Microsoft’s new VALL-E AI model can replicate a voice using just three seconds of audio from the target speaker. But as my colleague Devin writes, it’s not necessarily cause for alarm — or rather, cause for more alarm than was already warranted by voice-duplicating tech. Voice replication has been a subject of intense research for years, and the results have been good enough to power plenty of startups, like WellSaid, Papercup and Respeecher. VALL-E is simply the latest illustration of its potential — and dangers.

Medium joins Mastodon: Online publishing startup Medium, originally created by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, is embracing the open source social platform Mastodon. Sarah reports that Medium has created its own instance — me.dm — to support authors and their publications with reliable infrastructure, moderation and a short domain name to make it easier for authors to share their usernames, among other things.

audio roundup

As always, TechCrunch had a winning lineup of audio content this week for your listening pleasure — although I might be a little biased. On startup-focused Found, TechCrunch startup battlefield editor Neesha Tambe spoke with Sheeba Dawood, the co-founder of clean energy tech provider Minerva Lithium, about the struggles she’s faced as a woman of color trying to innovate in the mineral manufacturing industry and what’s next for the company. TC’s dedicated crypto show, Chain Reaction, featured an interview with Polygon Labs, one of the biggest market shakers and layer-2 blockchains in the crypto space that’s building on top of the Ethereum ecosystem. Meanwhile, over at Equity, Natasha, Mary Ann, and Becca chatted about incoming deals from Inflow, Deel and Fidelity; layoffs and lawsuits at Carta; Microsoft’s much-rumored investment in ChatGPT and OpenAI; and SBF’s Substack debut.

TechCrunch+

Here’s your regular reminder to subscribe to TC+ if you haven’t yet. It’s where TC takes exhaustive, exclusive looks at trends, industries and emerging technologies. Here’s some of the most popular content on TC+ this week:

Crypto rollercoaster: While some crypto-focused venture capitalists are bullish for 2023, others see it as a hazardous time, Jacquelyn reports. Internal sentiment among VCs is a “wait and see” game, according to one source quoted in the piece; competition in the market is likely to heat up as investors write fewer checks and become more selective.

ChatGPT, meet VC: Some investors are (cautiously) incorporating ChatGPT into their workflows, as it turns out. ChatGPT being a specifically text-based support tool, automation could be making its way to rejection letters, market maps or even bits of due diligence, TC found — all in order to stay afloat in a changing venture landscape. Natasha M, Christine, and I have more.

Pivot when ready: Pivots aren’t necessarily bad news. Brian Casey writes about how he pivoted his deep tech startup to become a software-as-a-service company — albeit not without major challenges. In his words: “Pivoting from hardware to SaaS was the right move for our electric motor design startup, but the process wasn’t precisely linear.”