Thursday, April 6, 2017

Public service is ABS-CBN’s ‘constant,’ president says

Public service will be at the heart of ABS-CBN Corp, even as media and audiences evolve, its president, Carlo L. Katigbak said Thursday.

Katigbak told shareholders the story of Primrose, who sought help from ABS-CBN for her four children who were all diagnosed with a rare bone disease.

“Nanay Primrose,” Katigbak said, showed "incredible strength" even as one of her already sick children was diagnosed with leukemia while another contracted dengue.

“We listen to her story so we can understand how ABS-CBN can be of more help. Instead, we’re left feeling like she had been the one that helped us,” Katigbak said.

“Because of her story, we find new meaning in our work and are inspired to pursue our mission of public service. It is in retelling her story to our audiences that we can create hope for many other people who are going through similar journeys,” he added.

ABS-CBN Chairman Emeritus Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr. instilled in employees the value of public service, saying it was “the only reason we are in business,” Katigbak said.

“If a company were to live only for profit, it would not grow. In the end, it would wither off the vine. We have to give back to society,” Katigbak said.

“This social contract with the Filipino will ensure our continued growth, despite the changes we now see across society, technology and our audiences,” he said.

“Our company will adapt, but to be in the service of the Filipino is our one constant because this is what ABS-CBN stands for,” he said.

The country’s largest media and entertainment network posted a record net income of P3.5 billion in 2016, up 39 percent from the previous year on the back of strong advertising revenues and a growing consumer business.

Total advertising this year could grow by 5 to 7 percent compared to 2016 if election-related spending is discounted, ABS-CBN chief finance officer Aldrin Cerrado told reporters.

In a written message to investors, Katigbak said the network would pursue four “strategic pillars”: ensuring the creation of the best content while strengthening digital distribution, continuing to build businesses that cater to overseas Filipinos and international audiences, providing new ways to experience ABS-CBN content through businesses like Kidzania and O Shopping and ensuring the development of employees through the ABS-CBN University.

“Your company is prepared to adapt and grow in these exciting times,” Katigbak said.

House approves Revised Flag and Heraldic Code

The House of Representatives has approved on second reading House Bill 5224 seeking to strengthen the rules on the proper use and display of the country’s national symbols, including the Philippine flag, and the rendition of the national anthem.

The bill seeks to repeal Republic Act 8491, also known as the “Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines,” in light of contemporary changes in attitudes and idioms. It also aims to instill love of country and underscore the importance of complying with standard expressions of respect for the country’s national symbols.

Rep. Maximo Rodriguez, Jr. (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City), a principal author of the bill, said despite the existence of RA 8491, many Filipinos do not accord the respect due the Philippine flag and the national anthem.

Rodriguez said RA 8491 provides that reverence and respect shall at all times be accorded the flag, the national anthem, and other national symbols which embody the national ideals and which express the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity.

“The national flag is the symbol of the country while the national anthem embodies and expresses the aspirations, dreams, ideals, longings, commitment and determination, nationalism and patriotism, sentiment and spirit of the people. One simple way to inculcate nationalism and patriotism, not just to the youth but to Filipinos of all ages, is to emphasize the importance of saluting the national flag and the singing of the Philippine national anthem,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on Mindanao affairs, said disrespecting the national anthem, which is a violation of the law, usually happens in cinemas where moviegoers do not even stand when the national anthem is being played.

House Bill 5224, also known as the proposed “Revised Flag and Heraldic Code” seeks to strengthen the rules on the proper use and display of the country’s national symbols and the rendition of the national anthem.

It declares it is a State policy that reverence and respect shall at all times be accorded the flag, the national anthem, and other national symbols which embody the national ideals and traditions and which express the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity.

The bill further declares that the heraldic items and devices shall seek to manifest the national virtues and to inculcate in the minds and hearts of the people a just pride in their native land, fitting respect and affection for the national flag and anthem, and the proper use of the national motto, coat-of-arms, and other heraldic items and devices.

One of the salient features of the bill is that it expands the coverage of the penal provision to include administrative penalties for administrative offenses. Any public official or employee who violates any of the provisions of the Act shall be punished, in accordance with Rule 10 of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, without prejudice to the filing of an appropriate criminal case, the bill provides.

The jurisdiction of a government agency or department over cases involving administrative offenses shall be in accordance with Rule 2, Section 9 of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.

Moreover, any person who, or entity which violates any of the provisions of the Act, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of P50,000 to P100,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, at the discretion of the court.

For any second and additional offenses, both fine and imprisonment shall always be imposed. In case the violation is committed by a juridical person, its President or Chief Executive Officer shall be liable.

Meanwhile, those who fail or refuse to observe the provisions of the Act and violate the corresponding rules and regulations issued by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) shall, after probe, notice and hearing, be penalized by public censure to be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation.

Likewise, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), upon the recommendation of the NHCP and after the proper notice and hearing, shall cause the cancellation of the recognition or permit of any private educational institution which fails or refuses to observe the provisions of the Act for the second time.

The bill prescribes the design of the national flag such that the flag of the Philippines shall be blue, white and red with an eight-rayed golden-yellow sun and three five-pointed stars, as consecrated and honored by the people.

The flag shall be hoisted or displayed in all public buildings, official residences, public plazas, and institutions of learning every Monday to Friday throughout the year.

The flag should be permanently displayed or hoisted day and night, throughout the year, and in front of the following: Malacañang Palace; Senate of the Philippines building; House of Representatives building; Supreme Court building; Rizal Monument in Luneta; Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite; Barasoain Shrine in Malolos, Bulacan; Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; LIbingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City Metro Manila; all memorials dedicated to the veterans of the military, Musoleo de los Veteranos dela Revolucion in the North Cemetery, City of Manila; Marcela Agoncillo historical landmark in Taal, Batangas; Pinaglabanan historical Landmark in San Juan City, Metro Manila; all international ports of entry; and all other places as may be designated and marked by the NHCP.

The flag shall be flown also on all seafaring vessels of Philippine registry.

The bill also provides a standard protocol when the Philippine flag is flown or displayed with another flag. When the Philippine flag is flown with another flag, the flags, if both are national flags, must be flown on separate staffs of the same height and shall be of equal size.

The Philippine flag shall be to the left of the observer and hoisted first and lowered last.

The flag shall be replaced immediately by the concerned agency/institution/office when it begins to show signs of wear and tear. A flag that is worn out through wear and tear shall not be thrown away. It shall be turned over to the appropriate Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts Local Council Committee in the nearest school which shall in turn conduct proper disposal rites to avoid misuse or desecration of the worn-out flag. The manner of disposal of the worn-out flag shall be in accordance with the rules to be issued by the NHCP.

The bill also provides for the mandatory singing of the national anthem during flag ceremony in all government offices and educational institutions.

It expands the coverage of government officials and personnel wherein the flag shall be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning on the day of official announcement of the death of any of the following officials: the President or a former President, the incumbent and former Vice President, Chief Justice, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the incumbent and former members of the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Senate or the House of Representatives, the incumbent and former elected LGU officials; and an incumbent public school teacher.

Other authors of HB 5224 are Reps. Christopher Vera Perez De Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan), Marlyn B. Alonte-Naguiat (Lone District, Biñan City) Victoria Isabel G.Noel (Party-list, AN WARAY), Jose Christopher Y. Belmonte (6th District, Quezon City), Deogracias Victor B. Savellano (1st District, Ilocos Sur), Sandra Y. Eriguel (2nd District, La Union), Pablo C. Ortega (1st District, La Union), Ana Katrina M. Enverga (1st District, Quezon),Lianda B. Bolilia (4th District, Batangas), Rosanna Vergara (3rd District, Nueva Ecija), Ron P. Salo (Party-list, KABAYAN), Mark O. Go (Lone District, Baguio City), Cecilia Leonila V. Chavez (Party-list,BUTIL), Luisa Lloren Cuaresma (Lone District, Nueva Vizcaya), Divina Grace C. Yu (1st District, Zamboanga del Sur), Vilma Santos-Recto (6th District, Batangas City), Giona Labadlabad (2nd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Ana Cristina S. Go (2nd District, Isabela) and Celso L. Lobregat (1st District, Zamboanga City). / ICY JR.

http://congress.gov.ph/press/details.php?pressid=10015

A memorable Tokyo sojourn

Tokyo – We were in this beautiful city from March 20-26, just in time for the Cherry Blossom (Sakura) season. We owe this trip to our dear friend Mercy Tan Ong and her business partner Yasuhiro Ishiyama, president of Japan Sakura Trading (JST) Inc., who generously and patiently toured us around the city and neighboring places of interest. Among these were the Garden Necklace in Yokohama, the Sankeien Garden also in Yokohama, Mount Fuji, and the Ueno Park with all its attractions that include a zoo, a monorail and about 800 cherry trees.

The last time we were in Japan was courtesy of the Department of Tourism. Prior to that, in 1995, we came over to interview Kevin Costner who was then promoting his movie “Waterworld” (made to the tune of $175-million!). The movie co-starred Costner with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Hopper and Jack Black among others.

Anyway, Mercy who used to own MTO, my favorite spa in Malate, is the head of SkiDes Essential Water Inc. She is also a member of the Filipino Inventors Society and as civic leader, she was president of the Rotary Club of Malate Prime.

But while engrossed with her business endeavors, she also could have been a movie star or even a singer, having received many offers when she was younger. Anyway, she was born a businesswoman and is now even more passionate about it, having Yasuhiro as a business partner.

Yasuhiro was president of Maruhon Kohsan Co. Ltd. a steel manufacturing company in Yokohama which had factories in Indonesia, Malaysia and Egypt.

During our Tokyo trip, Mercy and Yasuhiro signed a distribution and marketing deal with Kazuhiro Hagiwara, president of Sohten Co., Ltd. For this, Mercy is slated to go to Pakistan, India and the US in the next few months to meet with prospective importers who are interested in the distribution of Sohten mineral water processed from vanadium stones.

“There are five countries in the world with vanadium stones but only the stones in Japan has mineral nutrients,” Mercy said.

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Centennial celebration

Veteran stage director Rico Ancheta, president of Artists Concept Production, was the over-all project director of the recently concluded centennial celebration of the province of Abra which was a great success.

The whole event was the brainchild of Abra’s centennial governor Ma. Jocelyn “Joy” Valera Bernos. The activities included the Iloko-Tingguan Festival, Kawayan Festival Street Dancing competition, Mr. & Ms. Abra, Katutubong Pinoy fashion show featuring Abel Abra as fabrics, Pammadayaw Festival and the Grand Day Parade. Big name stars graced the week-long event.

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ABS-CBN, GMA continue to claim ratings leadership

Rivals ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc. both claimed to have won the nationwide television (TV) ratings game in March.

In a statement yesterday, ABS-CBN said it remained the leader in nationwide TV ratings through its 46 percent audience share compared to GMA’s 34 percent, based on data from Kantar Media.

Kantar Media’s data was based on a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes that represent 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population.

ABS-CBN said it ruled the primetime block (6 p.m. to 12 a.m.) with an average audience share of 50 percent, compared to GMA’s 33 percent in March.

The primetime block is the most important part of the day as this is when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put bulk of their advertising budget.

Aside from primetime, ABS-CBN also had more viewers in the morning block (6 a.m. to 12 noon) with an audience share of 39 percent versus GMA’s 33 percent, in the noontime block (12 noon to 3 p.m.) with 47 percent versus GMA’s 34 percent, and in the afternoon block (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) with 45 percent versus GMA’s 36 percent.

ABS-CBN said it was also the winner in Total Balance Luzon where it recorded an average audience share of 47 percent compared to GMA’s 35 percent, as well as in Total Luzon with 42 percent versus GMA’s 36 percent, in Total Visayas with 53 percent versus GMA’s 29 percent, and in Total Mindanao with 55 percent versus GMA’s 30 percent.

Of the 10 most watched programs in March, nine were from ABS-CBN, with FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano topping the list, followed by Wansapanataym, Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids, MMK, Langit Lupa, The Better Half, The Greatest Love, Wildflower, TV Patrol, My Dear Heart, Home Sweetie Home, Rated K, and It’s Showtime (Saturday).

Meanwhile, GMA said it was ahead of competition based on Nielsen TV Audience Measurement’s National Urban Television Audience Measurement with a 41.7 percent people audience share, higher than ABS-CBN’s 36.3 percent.

Based on National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM) data, seven out of the top 10 programs were on GMA.

GMA ruled across all day parts in NUTAM including the hotly contested primetime block.
Primetime telefantasya series “Encantadia” remains to be the most watched program nationwide bagging the top spot. Also among the top five of the list are Kapuso programs “Magpakailanman” and “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.”

Also included in the list of top programs nationwide were Destined To Be Yours, Pepito Manaloto, 24 Oras, Hay Bahay, Meant To Be, Tsuperhero, Ika-6 Na Utos, 24 Oras Weekend, Eat Bulaga, Sunday PinaSaya, Full House Tonight, and Case Solved.

The Kapuso Network also dominated competition in Urban Luzon.

The network's media website, www.abs-cbn.com, breached three billion page views and averaged 40.3 million monthly users in March, becoming the biggest local website in the country. It also ranked fourth after global giants Facebook, YouTube, and Google, according to web traffic data and analytics site Alexa.

As March, ABS-CBN TVplus has sold 2.6 million boxes nationwide, highlighting the network's shift to digital services.

The top five most watched programs on iWant TV last month were "A Love to Last," "FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,' "Wildflower," "The Greatest Love," and "Love in the Moonlight."

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Tidbits: Happy birthday greetings today, April 6, go to Sonny Casulla, former Caloocan Mayor Boy Asistio, QC Councilor Roderick Paulate, Vicky Hechanova, Gen. Guillermo Pecache, Col. Gerry Cunanan, US-based Rosemarie de Vera, Emer Rojas, Marcuz Enrick Gajuda Belardo, Eva Hamaybay, Catherine Resumadero, Pauline Angela Domingo, Lollie Cruz, Jimmy Regala, US-based Recelyn M. Delmonte, Melai Cantiveros-Francisco, Maximo Abrenica, Andrea Franceska Ybanez, Angel Dick Cortes, Atty. Hugo Kudera, Marilyn Mara, Oscar Sabordo, Renante Labrica and Justin Marc S.B. Chipeco… April 7: Richard Gomez, KC Concepcion, Nadia Montenegro, US-based singer Yolly dela Torre, Mrs. Puring Asuncion, PR man Donnie Ramirez, entertainment editor Isah Red, Zaida Rawarai, Marites Igacio, April Teosico, Evelyn de Boda, Ana Mary Landingin, Manola Villacorta, Jaime Constantion Flores, Anne Katherine Medina Isip of Fairfield, California, Blackfairy Hernando II, Miguel Balsell, Carmencita Genato, Andrea Francheska Ybanez, Angel Dick Cortes, Atty. Hugo Kudera, Marilyn Mara, Oscar Sabordo, Renante Labrica and Rep. Satur Ocampo... Happy 29th wedding anniversary to Gov. ER Ejercito and Mayor Gerlie Maita Ejercito...