Page 6 - LM Confidential Issue February 2015

Philippines
NEWS
House joins program vs power crisis
Worst forms of child labor persist in Philippines
Charo Santos-
MANILA - The House of Representa- tives enlisted Wednesday as the first government institution to participate in the Interruptible Load Program (ILP), a program aimed at mitigating a power crisis this year.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) presi- dent and chief executive officer Oscar Reyes signed an agreement where the House will contribute as much as three megawatts to the grid in case of a power shortfall this summer.
“Lead by example,” Belmonte said in urging other government agencies to subscribe to the ILP. Also present during the signing was House energy commit-
tee chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali of Mindoro Occidental and Energy Secre- tary Jericho Petilla.
Under the ILP scheme, large com- mercial and industrial establishments are asked to disconnect from the grid and use their own generators during tight power supply situations to free up additional capacity for small users like households.
The House in December approved Joint Resolution 21, which grants Presi- dent Aquino special powers to address any power crisis.
The House-approved HJR 21 identi- fied mitigating or remedial measures, one of them being the ILP, on the looming
power shortage and set a definite time- table from March until July 31 only. Belmonte called on the Senate to
approve the resolution to ensure a stable power supply this summer.
The Speaker reiterated, however, that the problems confronting the country’s power industry needed lasting and long- term solutions.
“The transformation of the power industry from a monolithic structure to one that is divided into different sectors with several industry players, calls for strong coordination and government regulation in promoting a level playing field as well as providing ample protec- tion to consumer welfare,” he said.
Concio
ABS-CBN PRESIDENT AND CEO CHARO SANTOS-CONCIO NAMED OUTSTANDING PAULINIAN ALUMNA
Jeraldine Aboy, 14, tells reporters in Manila about her experience as a child laborer at a sugarcane plantation on the southern island of Mindanao.
MANILA - Millions of children in the Philippines continue to engage in the worst forms of labor despite a massive awareness of the problem and efforts
to address it because root causes such as poverty remain unaddressed, various groups said.
Citing a 2011 survey by the Philip- pine government and the International Labor Organization, speakers at a forum about the child labor situation in the Philippines disclosed around 3 million children aged 5 to 17 remain trapped in hazardous labor activities, mostly in the agriculture and services sectors.
A survey by government a decade ear- lier showed 2.4 million Filipino children were working in hazardous environ- ments.
“Despite all the efforts of government, the international community and multi- sectoral groups, child laborers still exist,” Anna Leah Colina of the Ecumeni-
cal Institute for Labor Education and Research, one of the organizers of the forum, told Kyodo News.
“It’s good there are these various but concerted efforts of government agen- cies. But, you still have to go back to the
ground level and see how effective were these policies and interventions. Did the people feel it? Based on what we saw, the push factors to the child labor problem are still there,” she added.
In her presentation at the forum of her group’s study last year on child labor in mining and plantations, Colina said poverty and low family income are the main reasons children work rather than go to school.
Lack of high schools, the difficulty to reach schools and landlessness contribute to the problem, she added.
In his keynote speech at the forum, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux called on governments to “implement transforma- tive development strategies that enable their people, especially the children, to enjoy their rights and realize their full potential.”
ABS-CBN President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charo Santos-Concio was recently conferred the Fleur-de-lis Award, the highest form of honor given to outstanding graduates of St. Paul University Manila.
According to St. Paul University Manila President Sister Ma. Evangeline Anastacio, Santos-Concio was cited for her outstanding achievements in the field of television and unwavering loyalty to her alma mater.
“Charo is a true inspiration to the Paulinian community because of her exemplary achievement in her field and her commitment to uplift the human spirit through the creation of meaningful dramas and public service programs on television,” said Anastacio about Santos-Concio, who graduated with a degree in communication arts cum laude from St. Paul University Manila in 1976.
Santos-Concio said her love for and fascination with media started even when she was a young girl. And while studying at St. Paul, she worked part-time as a voice talent and a host of a noontime show at a radio station.
“My passion to get into the media industry never died. I realized that I could actually serve my country through media,” said Santos-Concio. “At ABS-CBN, I’m doing what I love to do and have always wanted to do, which is to tell stories that inspire, inform, and empower people. And this award means so much to me because more than anything, it is an affirmation that I have had success by simply doing what I love.”
Prior to her Fleur-de-lis Award, Santos- Concio bagged three international honors in 2014 for her outstanding leadership and accomplishments as the president and CEO of the country’s largest multimedia conglomerate.
Santos Concio won the Gold Stevie Award in the Female Executive of the Year in Asia, Australia, or New Zealand category at the prestigious Stevie Awards for Women in Business; the Gold Stevie Award for the Woman of the Year category for all Asia- Pacific nations (except Australia and South Korea) at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards; and was named Asian Media Woman of the Year by ContentAsia, a premier information resource that covers the entertainment media industry across Asia- Pacific region.
Santos-Concio, who completed an Advanced Management Program at the Harvard University, was appointed CEO in January 2013. Prior to this, she was ABS- CBN’s president and chief operating officer since 2008. She was previously the head of Channel 2 Mega Manila Management.
Onscreen, Santos-Concio hosts ABS- CBN Channel 2’s longest-running drama anthology “Maalaala Mo Kaya.” She began her career in the company as a television production consultant in 1987 after working as a line producer for BanCom, Audiovision, Vanguard Films, Regal Films, and Vision Exponents. She also worked as a film production manager for the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. (Kane Errol Choa, ABS-CBN Corporation Integrated Corporate Communications)
Showtime Boss: Pacquaio-Floyd deal ‘not close to being done’
Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza made it clear that a mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather remains far from a done deal despite reports claiming that the bout was already set.
TMZ reported on Saturday that the fight – expected to be the richest that can be made in the sport – was already a “done deal.”
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Speaking to Boxing Scene, Espinoza made it clear that TMZ’s report was incorrect.
“These series of reports that the fight is done is completely baffling to us,” said Espinoza, whose network, Showtime/ CBS, has an exclusive contract with Mayweather.
“This deal is not close to being done – and everyone involved knows that,” he
stressed.
Espinoza also reacted to Top Rank
chief executive Bob Arum’s assertion that an announcement of the fight was close, saying: “Top Rank’s lawyers have said that there are significant open issues, so I don’t understand how Bob can conceivably be saying the fight is imminent and will be closed within the next couple of days.”
The executive stressed that the situation remains as it has been “for the last couple of weeks;” that is, both sides are trying to make a deal.
“We are continuing to make progress,” said Espinoza. “But there are meaningful open issues.”
“We can’t celebrate getting two-thirds across a minefield. You celebrate when you completely cross and you are clear of danger,” he added. “Right now, we are still in the minefield.”
Mayweather himself has made it clear that the bout has yet to be finalized via a post on his Instagram account.
L. M. Confidential
FEBRUARY 2015
LMC