Wednesday, 23 December 2020

BSP generates P80B from securities auction

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has raised P80 billion from its weekly public sale of its own securities.

Data from the significant financial institution showed on Friday that its offer of P80-billion securities became 1.Eight instances oversubscribed after attracting bids really worth P141 billion.



The Bangko Sentral completely offered P80 billion really worth of one-month BSP bills. This led to a weighted average hobby price of 2.0273 percent, thirteen.A hundred seventy five basis factors better than last week's rate. The frequent yields had been narrower at 1.900-2.125 percentage.
The bills will mature on November 24.

BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. Said in a declaration that the auction effects showed sustained call for for primary bank payments as liquidity remained sufficient in the monetary machine.
"The BSP financial operations will remain guided through its assessment of marketplace tendencies and liquidity situations," he brought.

The Bangko Sentral's authority to issue negotiable certificates of indebtedness, even in ordinary instances, become restored via Republic Act (RA) 11211. Signed into law in February 2019, RA 11211 amended RA 7653, or the "New Central Bank Act of 1993."

Before the change, its debt offerings had been handiest allowed in instances of high-quality fee actions.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno had said along with the issuance of securities within the valuable financial institution's general monetary operations supplied a further device for enforcing monetary policy.


"This additionally promotes extra flexibility in handling liquidity in the monetary machine under the interest charge hall framework," he introduced.

Offering those securities could be useful for soaking up excess monetary gadget liquidity this is structural in nature, in line with Diokno.

Latest facts showed that the united states of america's money supply, or home liquidity (M3), rose through 14.2 percent year-on-year to P13.6 trillion in August, slower than the 14.7 percentage in July. Month-on-month and seasonally adjusted, M3 become up 0.1 percent.

Diokno stated issuing securities would help economic authorities in guiding marketplace interest quotes alongside the short end of the yield curve.

"This strengthens the transmission of the BSP's economic policy stance to the rest of the economy," he brought.

Tuesday, 22 December 2020

Model manager

In the 1990s, the phrase "supermodel" got here to be inextricably related to names like "Naomi Campbell," "Cindy Crawford," "Claudia Schiffer" or "Tyra Banks." Some 30 years later, Filipinas, appreciably Kelsey Merritt, the first version from the Philippines to participate in a Victoria's Secret fashion show and to be featured in Sports Illustrated; Danica Magpantay, winner of the 2011 Ford Supermodel of the World competition; and Janine Tugonon, now a acquainted face on international catwalks, also are fast gaining pinnacle-of-thoughts reputation.


That listing luckily doesn't stop there. In 2017, Maureen Wroblewitz, a Filipino-German, received the 5th season of "Asia's Next Top Model," an offshoot of the truth display "America's Next Top Model," hosted by way of Banks. She is represented by using Storm Model Management of London and Prima Stella Management in Manila.
Wroblewitz changed into observed by using Prima Stella's Chief Executive Officer and Manager Chinie Go, who also counts in her expertise portfolio the likes of Adela Mae Marshall, "Asia's Next Top Model" 6th season runner-up; Kelley Day, Miss Eco Philippines 2019; Franki Russell, Pinoy Big Brother 8 fan favored, Maureen Schrijvers, song celebrity and 2019 SEA Games bronze medalist; and Ambra Gutierrez, the Filipina-Italian model who exposed movie tycoon Harvey Weinstein's predatory advances, which exploded into the #MeToo movement.
Chinie is not any stranger to the spotlight, having responded casting calls inside the beyond that led to three classified ads. "It wasn't something that I [really] predicted because akala ko hindi ako pwede [I thought I wasn't suited to it]," she remembers.

One of those "go-sees" (in which someone visits an agency to have his or her modelling potential assessed) became with Elite Manila, the local arm of the distinguished Elite Model Management, which represents over 2,000 models and operates in 80 nations. "I went and waited for a callback. Then, I got an e mail, which I found humorous due to the fact they have been asking me if I wanted to paintings with them as a booker," she says. "I advised myself that perhaps I turned into simply overqualified to be a model. And also due to the fact in my head, I noticed myself as being five'eight" tall, but in reality, I changed into [only] five'three". Besides that, I turned into already in my thirties, however I tried my success anyway. I turned into positive!"


Luckily, Chinie took to her new position with no trouble. "I'm no longer simply used to being in the front of the digital camera," she admits. "I'd a good deal choose myself to be behind the curtain. [At Prima Stella], I'm more of a mentor due to the fact I proportion my information and abilties with my kids."

Asked what induced the concept of establishing her own business enterprise, she replies: "I used to scout foreign fashions [for Elite Manila]. One day, I scouted a half-Filipino and realized that I desired to — and must — constitute my own colour." Hence, Prima Stella came to existence.

"This is the first actual model management [agency in the Philippines] to exclusively constitute Filipinos and half-Asians," she adds.

Against the glitzy backdrop of the style global, Chinie considers worrying for her proteges a serious obligation. She says: "It's essentially treating them like your own kids. You nurture them till they develop and blossom into the best version of themselves. Nakakakilig lang [it makes me feel giddy] to look them develop from being kids to adults and seeing them attain their desires."

"Modeling for me isn't just about having a pretty face. That's only a plus factor. Of direction, this is nonetheless a business of aesthetics, however I like to add my very own twist, where I say: 'Make your character taller than your [actual] peak,' she says. "I don't care how tall or lovely they're. I want an mindset with effect, a character that one may be aspire to and a face that no person can overlook."

Active in lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic caused Chinie to hit pause on Prima Stella. However, that didn't suggest a passive life for her. "This isn't the time to live and watch for benefits to come in," this mother of  announces. "You try to be that blessing. You move the extra mile to stay and survive."

The expertise government launched a web save on Instagram, called @heymomofficial, selling honey-lemon-ginger blends."My idea for this challenge turned into to make the brand new era appreciate [what I call] 'Lola [heirloom]' recipes with a twist. Since this pandemic is all about staying wholesome, I had to do it," she says.

Chinie, who exhibits she cares deeply about kids's rights and the surroundings, helps corporations inclusive of the Cameleon Association Philippines, which champions abused ladies and kids, Council for the Welfare of Children, Greenpeace International and World Wide Fund for Nature. To augment her training, she enrolled in on line courses at the International Foundation for the Advancement of Reflective Learning and Teaching, which guides and mentors the ones growing initiatives for "tolerance, peace and battle decision."

Alongside her enterprise and advocacies, Chinie religiously carves out time for her kids and "full-size other." "[When we're together], we capture the moment. Sometimes, we do a variety of sports, however we can also not do anything in any respect, collectively. Our favored pastime is being outside," she says.

The version-grew to become-supervisor waits out the pandemic with unflagging optimism. She responds in the unequivocal effective when asked whether or not Prima Stella will bounce back after the health issues are resolved.

Helping others realize their ability is her existence's passion, and no virus goes to deter this tenacious achiever from pleasing that intention.

Monday, 21 December 2020

Big week for Big Tech as earnings loom

SAN FRANCISCO: Big Tech is bracing for a tumultuous week marked by quarterly results likely to show resilience despite the pandemic, and fresh attacks from lawmakers ahead of the November 3 election.

With backlash against Silicon Valley intensifying, the companies will seek to reassure investors while at the same time fend off regulators and activists who claim these firms have become too dominant and powerful.


Earnings reports are due this week from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Google-parent Alphabet, whose combined value has grown to more than $7 trillion dollars.

They have also woven themselves into the very fabric of modern life, from how people share views and get news to shopping, working, and playing.
Robust quarterly earnings results expected from Big Tech will "highlight the outsized strength these tech behemoths are seeing" but "ultimately add fuel to the fire in the Beltway around breakup momentum," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.

The results come amid heightened scrutiny in Washington of tech platforms and follow a landmark antitrust suit filed against Google which could potentially lead to the breakup of the internet giant, illustrative of the "techlash" in political circles.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have voted to subpoena Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executives of Twitter and Facebook respectively, as part of a stepped-up assault on social media's handling of online political content, notably the downranking of a New York Post article purported to show embarrassing information about Democrat Joe Biden.

CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google are already slated to testify at a separate Senate panel Wednesday examining the so-called Section 230 law which offers liability protection for content posted by others on their platforms.


Business models questioned
The four giants drawing the most scrutiny — Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google — have been wildly successful in recent years and have weathered the economic impact of the pandemic by offering needed goods and services.

Google and Facebook dominate the lucrative online ad market, while Amazon is an e-commerce king.

Apple has come under fire for its tight grip on the App Store, just as it has made a priority of making money from selling digital content and services to the multitude of iPhone users.

The firms have stepped up lobbying, spending tens of millions this year, and made efforts to show their social contributions as part of their campaign to fend off regulation.

"For the most part, tech companies know how to do this dance," said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.

"They don't spend a lot of time bragging about how well they have done any more."

Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research said the outlook for Big Tech may not be as rosy as it appears.

"For one, regulators at home and abroad are gunning to rein in some of the largest United States technology names," Yardeni said in a research note.

"Also, the Covid-induced tech spending enjoyed over the past six months won't likely be replicated."

Ebbing ads?
Of interest to the market short-term will likely be whether backlash about what kind of content is left up and what is taken down by online titans causes advertisers to cut spending on the platforms.

Organizers of a Facebook ad boycott vowed early in the third quarter to continue their campaign, saying the social network's top executives failed to offer meaningful action on curbing hateful content.

At the same time, political conservatives have accused Facebook and others of political bias as social platforms step up their content moderation. President Donald Trump has threatened new regulatory measures which could impact the business models of platforms.

Pandemic punch
Economic and social disruption from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) also looms over tech firms, which benefitted early in the pandemic as people turned to the internet to work, learn, shop and socialize from home.

"Performance will be best for those providing solutions for people working at home," analyst Enderle said.

Amazon, Google and Microsoft each have cloud computing divisions that have been increasingly powering revenue as demand climbs for software, services and storage provided as services from massive datacenters.

Amazon has seen booming sales on its platform during the pandemic, and viewing surge at its Prime streaming television service.

Enderle expressed concern that with Covid-19 cases and a lack of new stimulus money in the US, tech companies could reveal in forecasts that they are bracing for poorer performance in the current quarter.

Sunday, 20 December 2020

Ex Samsung chairman passes away

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee, who transformed the South Korean company right into a international tech titan, died at the age of 78 on Sunday, the business enterprise stated.

Under Lee's leadership, Samsung rose to emerge as the arena's biggest producer of smartphones and reminiscence chips, and the firm's usual turnover these days is equivalent to a 5th of South Korea's GDP.


Samsung's meteoric rise helped make Lee South Korea's richest and maximum effective industrialist.
"It is with extremely good disappointment that we announce the passing of Kun-hee Lee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics," the organization said in a statement.

"Chairman Lee passed away on October 25 together with his circle of relatives, such as Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee, by means of his side.

"Chairman Lee turned into a real visionary who converted Samsung into the world-leading innovator and business powerhouse from a nearby enterprise," the company stated, adding: "His legacy can be eternal."

Samsung is via far the largest of the own family-controlled conglomerates, or chaebols, that dominate enterprise in South Korea.


They drove the kingdom's transformation from a war-ravaged damage to the sector's twelfth-largest financial system, however nowadays are accused of murky political ties and stifling opposition — with Lee himself two times convicted of criminal offenses, in a single case bribing a president.

Global strength
When Lee inherited the chairmanship of the Samsung institution in 1987 — based by his father as a fish and fruit exporter — it became already the us of a's biggest conglomerate, with operations ranging from patron electronics to construction.

But it was seen as a shoddy manufacturer of cheap, low-satisfactory merchandise.

"Let's trade the entirety except our wives and youngsters," Lee said in 1993.

The organisation accrued up and burnt all 150,000 mobile telephones it had in inventory, paving the manner for the rebirth of the quite a hit "Anycall" handset.

With Lee on the helm, Samsung became a global behemoth: by the time he suffered a coronary heart attack in 2014, it become the sector's biggest maker of smartphones and reminiscence chips, and a primary participant in semiconductors and LCDs.

Lee rarely spoke to the media, but was closely watched each time he broke his long silences, regularly with doom-weighted down New Year company addresses.

His son, Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, has been on the helm of the business enterprise since the 2014 coronary heart attack.

'Hermit king'
Despite his titanic wealth and power, Lee seldom ventured out from the excessive walls of his private compound in significant Seoul to go to the corporation headquarters, earning him the nickname "hermit king".

Lee, the 1/3 son of Samsung institution founder Lee Byung-chull, had a gentle spot for puppies — evolved as a infant in Japan where he went to highschool from age eleven. He turned into also regarded for his love of films, horseriding and distinguished supercars.

He studied at Japan's prestigious Waseda University and earned an MBA at George Washington University inside the United States.

He have become vice president of the institution's production and trading arm on the age of 36, and have become group chairman nine years later, quickly after his father's loss of life.

Lee married Hong Ra-hee — whose father become a justice minister — with whom he had a son and three daughters.

Bribes, embezzlement, tax evasion
The worlds of politics and commercial enterprise had been intertwined in South Korea, and the connection became contemplated in Lee's career.

In 1996, he changed into convicted of bribing former president Roh Tae-woo to get favours for Samsung in business policy selections.

Lee became additionally observed guilty of embezzlement and tax evasion in a slush fund scandal in 2008, which saw him in brief step down from the organization management.

But suspended sentences supposed he by no means served time in prison and he acquired  presidential pardons, happening to spearhead his united states's a hit efforts to at ease the 2018 Winter Olympics.

A few years later, he fought off a lawsuit from his older brother and sister claiming they were entitled to Samsung stocks worth billions of greenbacks.

He have been in hospital treatment after his coronary heart attack, but few information were ever discovered approximately his situation, leaving him shrouded in thriller even in his very last days.

Saturday, 19 December 2020

Poland becomes the center of European Catholic radicals

The ultra-Catholic movement "Tradition, family and property" is already openly active in Poland. Changes in the leadership of the Cracow Institute indicate that Poland has become the European center of this radical international movement.



The Association for the Protection of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), a Brazilian fundamentalist movement, opposes divorce, abortion and recognition of gay rights, protests against child sex education and changes in the Catholic Church. In some countries, it was banned or listed as a controversial organization in the 1980s. Brazilian Catholic bishops warned against this.All this is due to the deterioration of the economy, among other things. In connection with the quarantine, the question of work is acute,and many move to the online sphere, knowing that you can earn additional income, as deltamarket reviews does.

Things are going very well in poland to such an extent that the former personal secretary of the chief ideologist of the tfp moved in with us. If anyone today is wondering whether there is a foreign influence on poland-it is worth looking here.

For example, to the Foundation of the Peter Skarky Institute for Social and Religious Education. Its new leaders are the Chilean Fernando Antunes, an active member of the Tradition, Family and Property movement (TFP), and a former activist of movements associated with the League of Polish Families, a member of the Association of Nationalists and a youth activist of the TFP.

This institute is the first link in the chain of organizations from which the well-known Polish far-right institute Ordo Iuris emerged. This is part of a broader environment that is increasingly influencing the socio-political situation in our country.

"Catholic counter-revolution" in Poland


It all started with the Complaints Institute, which was established in 2001. It was founded by three activists: Slawomir Olejniczak, Slawomir Skyboy and Arkady Stelmakh. Its declared goal was and remains the promotion of Christian values and the protection of morality and good morals in Poland.

The following year, the same people founded a double organization-the Association of Christian Culture named after Fr. A few years later, the organization was joined by Leonard Przybysz, a Pole living abroad and associated with the TFP international coalition.

In 2013, the Skark Institute established another foundation-the most famous of them: Institute of legal culture of the ORDO Juris.

Stelmach and Olejniczak continue to be members of the Supervisory Council of Ordo Iuris. Until December 2019, they also served on the boards of directors of all three organizations described.

However, a year ago, a peculiar revolution took place in the Institute of Complaints-the council, consisting only of members of organizations that are part of the TFP coalition (two foreigners and a newcomer), changed the board, and the founders of the organization lost their place in its authorities.
This largely separated Ordo Iuris from the Skarka Institute, but on the other hand opened the door for even wider TFP activities in Poland. Konrad Schiegel wrote more about the reasons for the coup recently in WP in the text "golden boys of Fatima".

Jędrzej stępkowski became the new president of the Skarka Institute. He is the brother of Alexander Stempkovsky, the first president of ORDO Juris, some time (during the PiS rule) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and currently a judge of the Supreme Court.

Jędrzej stępkowski has been involved for many years in the activities of young crusade, a movement of young Catholics, which is the de facto youth wing of TFP. its members often appear in public in red sashes and with characteristic red proportions.
They take part in public prayers (for example, "for the moral renewal of the Polish nation"), as well as in protests against demoralizing films and performances.

During the famous Equality March in Bialystok in July 2019, they jointly led prayers under the Bialystok Cathedral (as opposed to the marching participants of the march), presenting not only the TFP banner, but also a banner stating that this prayer is "atonement to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the sin of sodomy".

They also participated in independence marches organized by nationalists-they were in the so-called conservative bloc.

As reported on the FB, the activity of Polish TFP activists is "in the Catholic counter-revolution, and therefore in the process of eliminating all processes that undermine Christian civilization", " mainly through the organization of peaceful actions and street actions and the formation of lectures. The former are so much calmer in our country that, as a rule, we do not face physical aggression, unlike our colleagues from Western countries."

In other TFP countries with serious charges


What is the mysterious international? TFP was founded in Brazil in 1960. Today it operates on several continents and forms, as it calls itself, the largest coalition of associations in defense of Christian civilization.

Since its purpose is to protect traditions, TFP does not accept "progressive changes" being made m.in ... The Catholic Church. Correa de Oliveiro (founder and chief ideologue of the organization) called the Vatican Council "a moment as sad in history as the death of our Lord."

He believed that a counter-revolution was necessary to bring Christianity out of its social and moral decline. In turn, " the reconstruction of Christian civilization is not limited to the walls of the church, but also includes secular society."

As early as 1985, Brazilian bishops issued a document officially urging Catholics not to join the TFP. They stressed the "lack of communication with the church in Brazil, its hierarchs and the Holy Father." They spoke about the esoteric nature of the organization, the religious fanaticism and cult attached to the personality of the founder, Correa de Oliveira, and his mother, as well as the abuse of the name of Mary.

The tfp has also been in sharp dispute with catholic bishops in chile and south africa. in fact, it has always sought to stifle the progressive thinking of the clergy. During the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the TFP approached the Vatican, but today members of this movement often criticize Pope Francis.

The action of opposition to the Amazon Synod organized by him was one of the most high-profile in the world network of TFP.

However, the controversy concerns not only conflicts with the church. for many years, very serious allegations have been made against tfp, which the european parliamentary forum on sexual and reproductive rights, in its june 2020 report, divided into three categories:

indoctrination of children,
political extremism,
accusations of a cult.
Complaints about the indoctrination of young people arose both in France (in 1979, a school run by the TFP was closed there) and in Venezuela (as a result of an investigation, the authorities expelled the TFP from the country due to the fact that m.in activities contrary to the constitution).

In France already in the 90s. The TFP was included in the list of movements similar in nature to the cult, it was also designated as a pseudo-Catholic organization. Of course, organizations associated with TFP deny all these accusations, considering them untrue.

Researchers also point to links between TFP and authoritarian regimes in Chile and Argentina. And in the Vatican, " an investigation is underway related to the claim that the current Pope is under the control of the devil, as well as the use of exorcism methods not approved by the Vatican." We are talking about the leader of the organization of heralds of the Gospel-one of the branches of the TFP, which operates closest to the Vatican.

Jędrzej Stępkowski – TFP, though not only


In Poland, the latest actions of the TFP environment are, for example, an advertising social campaign of the Skark Institute, opposing the issuance of communion on hands during mass, or collecting signatures for the bill of citizens to stop LGBT violence, launched by the Skark Association (volunteers with characteristic red belts could be seen in the center of Warsaw in September 2020)

At that time, the Skarki Institute was already headed by Yevgeny Stempkovsky. He himself had been active in the young Crusade for many years, but this was not his only field of activity. According to official records in the National Judicial Register, Jędrzej stępkowski was first associated with organizations created by activists of the League of Polish Families: the National League and the LPR Self-Government Movement.

in 2008, he became secretary of the conservative monarchist club (a position he held until 2012). it's a seemingly niche monarchic environment, but let's not be fooled by appearances. It was at the meetings of the club that the founders of the Institute and the association "Skarga" – Arkady Stelmakh and Slavomir Skiba-were to meet.

At the time of Stempkovsky, he also sat on the club's Board m.in. Bartosz Bekier and Konrad Rukas. And here it begins to become really interesting: Bartosz Bekir is now the leader of the radical-right organization "Phalanx", which in 2014, during the war in Ukraine, provided support to the pro-Russian republics: Donetsk and Luhansk.