The Franco-American director, screenwriter and producer has close ties to the festival, having opened the prestigious event with two of his films in the past decade 鈥� First Man in 2018 and La La Land in 2016.

鈥淚 am humbled and delighted to be invited to lead this year鈥檚 jury,鈥� he said in a statement after his appointment was announced.

French director Alice Diop, whose first feature-length fiction film, Saint Omer, won the Silver Lion and Grand Jury Prize at last year鈥檚 festival, will head the jury to decide who should win the award for a debut film this year.

The 80th edition of the festival, held on the lagoon city鈥檚 Lido island, will run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9. The movies in competition will be announced in July. 鈥� Reuters

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笔贰罢础鈥檚 Walang Aray premieres this weekend

THE PHILIPPINE Educational Theater Association (PETA) is to full live performances in the theater with a new original Filipino musical, Rody Vera鈥檚 Walang Aray. Presented by PETA with Indie.Go Media, Walang Aray is a genre-defying adaptation of the screenplay Walang Aray, based on Severino Reyes鈥� classic zarsuela, Walang Sugat. The musical mashes the timeless classic with contemporary language, funk and pop tunes, and tongue-in-cheek humor. This old-meets-new production is directed by Ian Segarra, with original music by Vince Lim, and caps 笔贰罢础鈥檚 emerald year. Walang Aray runs at the PETA-Phinma Theater, PETA Theater Center, New Manila, Quezon City, from Feb. 17 to May 14. For partnerships and show-buying inquiries, contact Mitch Go at 0917-539-1112 or e-mail PETA at petatheater@gmail.com.

Ang Huling El Bimbo tickets go on sale

FULL House Theater Company is bringing back Ang Huling El Bimbo The Musical at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in April. The award winning musical features music of one of the most iconic Pinoy rock bands and tells the tale of the friendship of Joy, Hector, Anthony, and Emman as they navigate life. Directed and choreographed by Dexter M. Santos, with a book by Dingdong Novenario, and musical arrangements by Myke Salomon, the new production will include additional scenes and dialogue by Floy Quintos. Original cast members returning for this production include Gian Magdangal, Gab Pangilinan, Topper Fabregas, Jamie Wilson, and Sheila Francisco. Joining them are new cast members Nino Alejandro, Bullet Dumas, Anthony Rosaldo, Paw Castillo, and Katrine Sunga. Tickets are now available at TicketWorld (https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/shows/show.aspx?sh=AHEB23) and SM Tickets outlets, with prices ranging from P1,079 to P3,776. For inquiries and early bird offers and bulk ticket purchases, contact 0917-872-8309, 0917-872-8734, and 0917-872-8765. For more information, visit 飞飞飞.蹿补肠别产辞辞办.肠辞尘/蹿耻濒濒丑辞耻蝉别迟丑别补迟别谤.听

Ateneo Blue Rep restages Zsazsa Zaturnnah

Ateneo Blue Repertory restages the musical adaptation of the superhero graphic novel, Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah, in March. Zsazsa Zaturnnah the Musical鈥︹�榊un Lang! is the first onsite show of Ateneo Blue Repertory鈥檚 31^st season. Kim Molina plays the titular character. The first stage adaptation of Carlo Vergara鈥檚 2002 graphic novel, Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal, was created by Chris Martinez for Cultural Center of the Philippines鈥� resident theater company Tanghalang Pilipino in 2006. The music, lyrics, and musical direction are by Vincent de Jesus, and it starred Eula Valdez as the super hero Zsazsa Zaturnnah, Tuxqs Rutaquio played her alter ego Ada, and Agot Isidro was the evil Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux. The play was staged multiple times until 2011. Inspired by the Darna story, Zsazsa Zaturnnah follows the beautician Ada who finds a large rock that fell from the sky. Their friend Didi convinces them to swallow it. Upon swallowing the rock, Ada transforms into bombshell superheroine Zsazsa Zaturnnah who battles threats to the town, such as a huge frog and a villainous band of alien women led by Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux. Shows are on March 17-19, 24-26, 30 and 31, and April 1 and 2 at the Doreen Fernandez Black Box Theater, Aret茅 of Ateneo De Manila University, Katipunan Ave., Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ateneobluerepertory.

听听

罢笔鈥檚 Ang Pag-uusig premieres this weekend

TANGHALANG Pilipino (TP) presents Ang Pag-uusig on Feb. 17 to March 12 at the Black Box Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Ang Pag-uusig is a Filipino translation of the Tony Award-winning play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The show features 罢笔鈥檚 senior actors Marco Via帽a, Lhorvie Nuevo, Toni Go, and Jonathan Tadioan. The Crucible used the setting of the Salem witch trials in the 1690s to comment on the United States government鈥檚 persecution in the 1950s of people accused of being communist. Ang Pag-uusig in turn, uses The Crucible to comment on the Philippine situation. For more information, visit 丑迟迟辫蝉://飞飞飞.蹿补肠别产辞辞办.肠辞尘/迟补苍驳丑补濒补苍驳辫颈濒颈辫颈苍辞.听

JEFR脣 holds first museum show in PHL

AFTER a decade creating art worldwide, USA-based Filipino-American artist JEFR脣 (a.k.a. Jeffrey Manuel) turns to his ancestors鈥� homeland, the Philippines, with Points of Origin, his first solo museum show in the country, at BGC鈥檚 Metropolitan Museum of Manila 鈥� or The M 鈥� on Feb. 15. The exhibition is a celebration of the monumentality of the artist鈥檚 work, and a way of connecting his two homes. Selected pieces from the artist鈥檚 portfolio have been scaled down for the show, and his site-specific, monumental sculptures and installations may now be experienced within the walls of the museum. To book a visit, go to https://metmuseum.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=64f1d8c007caed195bea931b5&id=54ee75307c&e=2ed03baaa0.

Filipino and Indian artists hold joint exhibit

The Angono Ateliers Association Philippines (AAAP) and the Arth Art International India, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, present the 鈥�Philippines-India Art Exchange 2023鈥� on Feb. 15 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City. With the theme 鈥淎rt Diversity,鈥� the art exhibit will showcase 68 art pieces by 17 Filipino artists and 17 Indian artists. Philippines-India Art Exchange 2023 will be open for public viewing from Feb. 16 to 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Two shows at Mo_Space

Two shows are opening at Mo_Space gallery on Feb. 18. At the Main Gallery will be Jill Paz鈥檚 鈥淓cho of a Site,鈥� presenting the artist鈥檚 new series of paintings using Palm Tree imagery. At Gallery 2, Pinky Ibarra Urmaza鈥檚 鈥淎RCADIA鈥� will be on show. The artist turns to book covers 鈥� a ritual object in itself 鈥� to take viewers on a journey of internal wanderings. The exhibits run until March 19.

Art at the National Science Complex

FOR the entire month of February, the Institute of Biology at the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) is showcasing art works by its students, faculty, and family at the IB Auditorium. Works on display range from detailed anatomical drawings to whimsical slices of life. Also on show are intricate sketches of the Philippines鈥� many kinds of Rafflesia flowers. The exhibit is open to the public until Feb. 28. Admission is free.

2 shows at Xavier School Nuvali

Xavier School Nuvali, the youngest Jesuit school in the Philippines, is the latest breeding ground for the future of Philippine theater. This year, Xavier School Nuvali鈥檚 theater clubs are slated to usher in the return of in-person performances starting with Dulaang X performing Christine Bellen-Ang鈥檚 musical Si Pilandok at ang Bayan ng Bulawan. Pilandok uses the kwentong-bayan (hometown tales) to challenge both young and old to take part in creating a nation immersed in solidarity, trust, and integrity. Directed by Kim Nathanyel Sejera, and starring the Junior High School students of Dulaang X, Pilandok has performances on Feb. 14, 16, and 17 (contact kimnathanyelasejera@xsn.edu.ph for showtimes and more details). Capping off Xavier School Nuvali鈥檚 theater season is the 44^th Anniversary Production of Onofre and Joel Pagsanghan鈥檚 Sa Kaharian ng Araw. Directed by PHILSTAGE Gawad Buhay 2009鈥檚 Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Marvin Ong, featuring the Senior High School students of the Xavier Actors Society (xACTs), Kaharian tells the story of two friends on a journey to find the mythical answer to all their problems while discovering the true meaning of friendship, love, and most importantly, self-giving along the way. Kaharian will have performances on Feb. 25, 28, March 3 and 4 (contact marvintong@xsn.edu.ph for showtimes and more details). Both Pilandok and Kaharian will be staged at the John Tiu Ka Cho Multi Purpose Center, Primary Building, in the Xavier School Nuvali Campus.

Columnist shares Siargao move in new book

What started as a story of desperation turned into a beautiful transformation. Mindanao Gold Star Daily columnist David Haldane shares his adventures as he uproots听 himself and his wife, Ivy, to the Island of Siargao in a new book entitled A Tooth in My Popsicle. The story recalls Mr. Haldane鈥檚 journey leaving his life in Los Angeles, California, to move to his wife鈥檚 hometown on the famous but oh-so-foreign island paradise. This book is a compilation of essays about his experience, from first inviting his now-wife to America for a new life to the beauty of hope with two young children. Mr. Haldane is a former Los Angeles Times staff writer with over 20 years of experience at that publication. His two previous books are the award-winning memoir, Nazis & Nudists, and a short-story collection called Jenny on the Street.

Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF) took its Puhunang Pangkabuhayan program to its coastal community partner in Alaminos, Pangasinan, donating bicycles, pocket Wi-Fis, Smart retailer kits, and sewing and edging machines for the establishment of alternative livelihood programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alaminos marks the fourth leg of Puhunang Pangkabuhayan, already contributing to alternative livelihoods in Batangas, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, and Del Carmen, Siargao.

Forward Towards Alternative Livelihood

MPIF, through its flagship environmental program, Shore It Up! (SIU), has constantly developed green livelihood programs that generate viable employment opportunities for locals. With SIU partner sites heavily dependent on ecotourism and tourist foot traffic as their main source of income, the heightened restrictions and strict lockdowns coerced them to find other means to provide for their families.

With its Puhunang Pangkabuhayan program, MPIF brought the fourth leg of its alternative livelihood initiative to its partner community in Alaminos, Pangasinan.

鈥淔or years, we have significantly relied on the natural beauty of our city 鈥� beauty that has enticed thousands of tourists to come see for themselves – as an integral source of livelihood for our community members,鈥� said Alaminos Mayor Arth Bryan Celeste. 鈥淲ith the shaken stability of this sector, we are truly grateful for programs such as MPIF鈥檚 Puhunang Pangkabuhayan, which empowers our locals to get back on their feet and take responsibility for their self-sufficiency.鈥�

In a turnover event last October 12, MPIF President Melody del Rosario presented 10 bikes, 10 Smart pocket Wi-Fi units, 10 Smart retailer kits, three sewing machines and two edging machines to beneficiaries in the municipality, alongside Mayor Celeste and Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc. Executive Director Menchie Silvestre. Beneficiaries were primarily displaced tourism workers such as tour guides, hotel staff, and small store operators, as well as marginalized families and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Creating a Circular and Sustainable Economy

Beyond Puhunang Pangkabuhayan, Alaminos is one of 11 SIU partner sites across the country, housing the Mangrove Propagation and Information Center for Luzon 鈥� MPIF鈥檚 legacy project for all Filipinos. The LGU of Alaminos will utilize some bicycles for their Mangrove boardwalk, intended to boost ecotourism and supplement foot traffic in the Center.

鈥淲ith almost a decade of commitment to the Municipality of Alaminos, MPIF remains a reliable ally, especially amid these challenging times,鈥� said del Rosario. 鈥淥ur goal for this leg of Puhunang Pangkabuhayan is two-fold, like our previous objective with the Municipality of Del Carmen: to strengthen our long-standing partnership and create a more holistic impact that benefits the community, their environment, and their economy.鈥�

Together with the infrastructure are the Mangrove Eco-guides, who serve as ambassadors of the Center. The Eco-guides program is part of MPIF鈥檚 thrust towards green livelihoods 鈥� incentivizing people to take care of the environment to serve as their security against the constant worry of providing food on their tables.

The commitment to strengthening green jobs, creating alternative livelihood opportunities, and reinforcing environmental sustainability through Shore It Up! is aligned with MPIC鈥檚 efforts to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 1 No Poverty, 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, 13 Climate Action, 14 Life Below Water, 15 Life on Land, and 17 Partnerships for the Goals. It is also in support of the United Nations鈥� Decade of Ecosystem Restoration which aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.

Spotlight is 大象传媒鈥檚 sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with 大象传媒鈥檚 audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the 大象传媒 Web site. For more information, send an email to听online@bworldonline.com.

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Spotlight is 大象传媒鈥檚 sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with 大象传媒鈥檚 audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the 大象传媒 Web site. For more information, send an email to听online@bworldonline.com.

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In celebration of National Heroes鈥� Day, Vista Mall and Starmall pay tribute to lucky riders of GetAll, Foodpanda, and other accredited couriers who are the malls鈥� partners for their online delivery services. The lucky riders, who were in the vicinity of Vista Mall and Starmall branches nationwide, were given grocery packs, as tokens for their hard work during the pandemic.

To make the education stakeholders feel more optimistic for this school year, Globe has launched GoLearn, the unified, company-wide platform aimed at helping the country achieve 21st Century Learning. Through the initiative, Globe is looking forward to creating a better tomorrow for the sector.

GoLearn is a valuable platform for everyone who aspires to further enrich their education as it opens up doors for a brighter future.听 It promotes continuous learning and further bridges the digital gaps in the education landscape in the country via access to connectivity solutions, learning platforms, and solutions.

鈥淚t is our commitment in Globe to work with the whole education sector to bring forth everyone鈥檚 aspiration for better education, ensuring that learning never stops for all, wherever they are, regardless of their status. This is the heart of GoLearn – Globe鈥檚 unified initiative to bring together products, programs, services, and solutions that will empower the whole learning ecosystem,鈥� said KD Dizon, Globe Head of Small, Medium Business Group.

Supporting Globe in this undertaking is Sen. Joel 鈥淭esdaman鈥� Villanueva, Chairman of the Philippine Senate Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development; and the Higher and Technical and Vocational Education Committees, and Digital Learning Advocate. A son of two former public school teachers, he is also a staunch advocate of continuous learning and has paved the way for accessible education for all.

Villanueva mentioned a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on possible learning loss due to school closure and remote learning.听 The impact on the kids may be long term which can affect their competitiveness and work performance in the near future.

鈥淲e advocate digital learning and we partner with Globe for the fulfillment of this advocacy,鈥� Villanueva said. 鈥淭hat’s why importante ang mga ginagawa o gagawin pa nating mga interventions para hindi tuluyang bumaba ang kaalaman ng mga kabataan.听 Makakatulong dito ng malaki ang initiative ng Globe to ensure na tuloy-tuloy ang learning ng mga bata.听 GoLearn is a digital solution to widen the access to training.听 With GoLearn, learning is at your fingertips kaya very convenient.鈥�

鈥淣apakahirap po ng ating kinakaharap ngayon ngunit ito po ay magiging听 hindi gaano kahirap dahil po sa ating partner.听 Napakalaki po ng tulong ng Globe sa pagbibigay ng connectivity, mga learning platforms, at mga learning management systems na pwede po nating gamitin to supplement what we are already doing. Kaya atin pong pinapasalamatan ang Globe,鈥� said Undersecretary of Legislative Affairs, External Partnerships and School Sports of the Department of Education, Tonisito C. Umali.

GoLearn is supported by the different groups inside Globe:

• Globe Enterprise provides students from low-income households with access to new normal education through the enhanced Phinma Education data plan.
• Globe Small and Medium Enterprise assist institutions with digital transformation to enhance teachers鈥� teaching abilities and support the learning competencies of students. This is done through its E-Skwela Webinars and Online Training Program which are meant to enlighten the education sector on the vast benefits that digitalization brings towards continuous growth of quality education.
• Globe At Home gives its subscribers learning vouchers through the Globe At Home app.
• Globe Prepaid, through Virtual Hangouts, has scheduled a series of activities or interactive experiences for students to enable meaningful connections and renew school friendships.
• TM has a FunAral E-Campus to be rolled out in different TM Campus Connect partners and national school organizations intended to immerse the students in a fun and engaging virtual learning experience.
• Educational apps and learning activities and resources are also made available for Globe customers
• Globe also leads the way in creating a safer online environment with programs that promote cybersecurity and safety, responsible digital citizenship, and mental wellness.

鈥淲e hope you鈥檙e as excited as us to really raise the quality of education in the country together,鈥� said Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO on how the company places priority on the enablement of online learning. 鈥淲ith the launch of GoLearn, know that the entire One Globe group is with you to continue to provide affordable connectivity, accessible platforms, and safer learning environment for all.鈥�

鈥淭he Ayala Group gives its full support to Globe鈥檚 GoLearn program as it provides enabling solutions that propel the education sector to progressive digital learning,鈥� said Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman of Ayala Corporation.

Globe is a strong advocate of quality education which is one of the 10 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that the company has committed to support. In line with the new normal, Globe is pushing for digital learning by providing connectivity to learners and teachers.

To know more about GoLearn, visit .

Spotlight is 大象传媒鈥檚 sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with 大象传媒鈥檚 audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the 大象传媒 Web site. For more information, send an email to听online@bworldonline.com.

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Ma.听Jhona听B.听Acu帽a听confirmed听the听death听of听her听husband听in听a听Facebook听post.听Mr.听Acu帽a听on听Tuesday听said听he听and听his听wife听had听tested听positive听for听the coronavirus.

Mr.听Acu帽a,听a听member听of听the听Foreign听Correspondents听Association听of听the听Philippines,听was听known听for听hosting听media听fora, including on the sea dispute between the Philippines and China.

“I听will听remember听you听for听asking听insightful听questions,听framed听in听context听and听always听delivered听with听respect听and听sensitivity,听not听just听for听the听institution听but听for听the听people听who听watch听the听briefing,”听presidential听spokesman听Herminio听L.听Roque,听Jr.听said听in听a听Facebook听post.

Mr. Acu帽a听is听survived听by听his听wife听and听son.听鈥� Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza听

United Linked with Kane and Haaland

United have been linked with and Harry Kane for some time now, as the world鈥檚 top clubs desperately scramble for the signatures of these prolific frontmen. The likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville have urged United to go out and spend big on one of these players, believing that this is the key to elevating the club to the level they were at under Sir Alex Ferguson. At the moment, United don鈥檛 seem like they are close to Manchester City. Pep Guardiola鈥檚 side are odds-on favourites in the to retain the title, but Solskjaer鈥檚 side are at 900 at the time of writing.

The arguments of these top pundits certainly make sense. Ferguson had a habit of signing world-class strikers during his time at Old Trafford. The legendary Scottish manager was known to develop a vast amount of youth, but he always seemed to have a preference to sign readymade strikers. These included the likes of Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Carlos Tevez, and Robin van Persie. On most of these occasions, bringing in these players made the difference as well and took the side to the next level.

A String of World Class Strikers

The problem is, though, that United had Romelu Lukaku on the books only three seasons ago. Few would disagree that the Belgian player is up there with the best strikers in the world, after having scored 47 goals in 72 league appearances for Inter Milan. If United hadn鈥檛 had this player before, pundits would be calling for the club to sign him this summer. It raises the question as to why the former Everton man didn鈥檛 live up to his potential in Manchester.

There have been other world-class forwards at the club in the years since Ferguson retired. Radamel Falcao and Alexis Sanchez were both major flops that failed to continue their incredible careers at Old Trafford. Memphis Depay was also a highly disappointing signing, but the Dutch forward has gone on to impress at Lyon and for his country. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani both enthralled at United, but they weren鈥檛 progressive, sustainable additions for the club.

With United having signed plenty of world-class strikers in the decade since Ferguson left, why have none of these made the difference? It may be the case that the problems run deeper, and there are other issues behind the scenes that are having an effect on the team.

Signing Kane or Haaland could help elevate United to the next level. On paper, the signing of either seems like a no brainer. The main worry is that if one of these players joins and joins the list of other failed forwards at United.

To ensure a safe and convenient shopping experience, Wilcon received the DTI Safety Seal certification as a fulfillment of its commitment to providing a safe environment for both valued customers and employees. Currently, Wilcon Depot stores located in Libis, Balintawak, Valenzuela, Quezon Ave., Commonwealth, Capitol-Commonwealth, I.T. Hub, Pasong Tamo,听 Filinvest, Alabang, Sucat, Taytay, Antipolo, San Isidro, San Juan, Baliuag, Calumpit, Dau, Mexico, San Fernando, Tarlac, Naga, Daraga, Bacoor, Batangas, Sto. Tomas, Lipa, Palawan, Aklan, Jaro, Sta. Barbara,听 Bacolod-Talisay, Mandaue, Talisay, Tacloban, Ormoc, Zamboanga, Opol, Matina, Panacan, General Santos, Butuan, and Wilcon Home Essentials stores located in Mindanao Ave., Mu帽oz, Pasay, and Festive Walk Mall Iloilo have already gotten their DTI Safety Seal guaranteeing safe shopping.

Along with the certification is the company鈥檚 continuous implementation of the necessary safety measures to all Wilcon stores nationwide.

For more information about Wilcon, you can log on to or follow their social media accounts on and . Subscribe and connect with them on , and

鈥淲e are happy to report that despite the impact of the pandemic to our economy, the amount saved by our members in the MP2 Savings from January to May of this year has reached P10.67 billion. This amount is a record-high for any January to May period in our history and hence, speaks highly of the trust that our members have in Pag-IBIG Fund. We would like to assure our members that we will continue to safeguard their savings and do our best to gain the best possible return for every hard-earned peso they save with us. This will also go a long way in helping us serve more members by providing funds for their cash loans and home loans, all in line with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte鈥檚 directive to help uplift the lives of more Filipinos especially during these difficult times,鈥� said Secretary Eduardo D. del Rosario of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and Chairperson of the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

The MP2 Savings is Pag-IBIG Fund鈥檚 voluntary savings program that has a 5-year maturity period and a minimum savings requirement of only P500. Made available to members in 2010, the MP2 Savings has seen phenomenal growth over the last 5 years due to the program鈥檚 consistently high dividends. In 2020, amid the pandemic-induced economic slowdown, the program still posted a 6.12% annual dividend rate.

Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti cited the MP2 Savings鈥� remarkable growth, noting that even in midst of the pandemic, more members continue to save in the program.

鈥淚t was only in 2017 when collections from our MP2 Savings surpassed the P1 billion-mark, which was then a historic feat. By the end of 2020, in a span of just three years, MP2 Savings reached a record-high P13.28 billion, surpassing the previous high of P12.01 billion saved by our members in 2019 鈥� an 11% growth. This year, despite the ongoing health crisis, MP2 Savings continue to increase as collections in January to May are up by 109% compared to the same period last year. In fact, the amount of MP2 Savings collected in the first five months of 2021 is already equivalent to 80% of the P13.3 billion saved in MP2 for the entire year of 2020. We thank our members for their continued support and enduring trust that despite the challenging times, they opt to save voluntarily in our MP2 Savings Program,” said Moti.

The Awards recognizes and celebrates leading organizations in the region that have harnessed innovations from across SAP’s ecosystem of products and services, turning insights into action to drive successful transformation for their businesses. SAP is a global market leader in enterprise software applications.

鈥淕lobe鈥檚 powerful story of transformation, agility and resilience will continue to inspire and influence businesses across Southeast Asia, and we can鈥檛 wait to see what other opportunities await you next year. I look forward to building on our partnership, and am confident we can innovate and excel together as a stronger Southeast Asia,鈥� said EdlerPanlilio, Managing Director, SAP Philippines, in his letter to Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO.

Organizations were assessed on their ability to think out of the box and how technology has been implemented to innovate and disrupt industries to drive greater business outcomes in a distributed and uncertain economic environment.

Globe migrated to SAP as its digital core to address varying systems and technical challenges that caused downtime.听 It decommissioned seven legacy systems and implemented various cloud solutions and additional modules to automate manual processes to minimize infrastructure management.

SAP said Globe successfully engineered new ways of staying agile, scalable, and sustainable to achieve stable and reliable systems and uphold business continuity despite the lockdowns.

鈥淥ur migration resulted in savings of 14,200 hours and 99.99% uptime. More importantly, it allowed us to not drop the ball on our enterprise-wide financial tracking and allowed full work-from-home when the pandemic surprised the whole world,鈥� said Globe Chief Finance Officer Rizza Maniego-Eala.

The efforts provided Globe with real-time or near real-time visibility of financial reports and important resources such as inventory, assets, and external services necessary for better decision-making. It also resulted in significant person-hour savings, reduction in full-time equivalent in operations support, and better user experience.

Other benefits include instant conversion to purchase order for catalog items, faster processing of long-running programs, and hours saved by streamlining the budget monitoring processes and manual payment classification for accurate cash flow planning.

“SAP has allowed us to enhance employee experience by enabling our employees to have better use of their time brought about by streamlined processes and work efficiencies. This has empowered our employees to be more productive and has given them more flexibility and control over their work,” added Globe Chief Human Resource Officer, Ato Jiao.

Menchit Briones, Financial Control Division Head at Globe said the S/4HANA migration paved the way for the Globe finance transformation journey. 鈥淎long with implementing quick wins and standard solutions, the business process reviews helped us identify other opportunities where we can do further automation to achieve touchless finance operations,鈥� she said.

Due to complex business requirements, Globe faced challenges in the availability of accurate and timely data when making critical decisions.听 Its operations were also hampered by inefficient and non-value-adding repetitive processing, which caused delays in the execution of important projects.

Other problems include manual processes that led to negative employee experience, business opportunity loss, and other unnecessary expenses.

Globe adapted the SDA (Simple, Digital, Agile) principle for a reduced turnaround time to address the concerns.听 This is done through process streamlining and paperless transactions without sacrificing employee experiences.听 Globe also enables self-service transactions for procurement, external service acquisition, invoice processing, and employee expense management.

To know more about Globe, visit .

AGENDA

EXPLANATION OF AGENDA ITEMS

1. CALL TO ORDER. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, will call the meeting to order.

2. NOTICE OF MEETING, DETERMINATION OF QUORUM AND RULES OF CONDUCT AND PROCEDURES. The Corporate Secretary will certify on the date when written notice of the time, date, place and purpose of the meeting was sent to all stockholders of record as of March 11, 2022 and the date of publication of the notice in the newspapers of general circulation.

The Corporate Secretary will further certify the presence of a quorum. The holders of record for the time being of a majority of the stock of the Company then issued and outstanding and entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Pursuant to Sections 57 and 23 of the Revised Corporation Code which allow voting in absentia by the stockholders, the Company has set up a designated online web address (uniform resource locator or URL), which may be accessed by the stockholders to register and vote in absentia on the matters for resolution at the meeting. A stockholder who votes in absentia as well as a stockholder who participates by remote communication shall be deemed present for purposes of quorum.

Unless otherwise amended, the following, are the rules of conduct and procedures at the meeting:

(i) Stockholders may attend the meeting by remote communication through the URL provided. Questions and remarks may be sent via e-mail prior to or during the meeting to corporatesecretary@globe.com.ph, and shall be limited to the items in the Agenda of the meeting.

(ii) Stockholders must notify the Company of their intention to participate in the meeting by remote communication through corporatesecretary@globe.com.ph to be included in the determination of quorum, together with the stockholders who voted in absentia and by proxy.

(iii) In the event that physical attendance will be allowed at the meeting 鈥�

1. Anyone who wishes to make a remark shall identify himself after being acknowledged by the Chairman and shall limit his remarks to the item in the Agenda under consideration;
2. Stockholders present at the meeting may opt for manual or electronic voting. For manual voting, each stockholder will be given, upon registration, a ballot where he can write his vote on every item in the Agenda or proposed resolution. For electronic voting, there will be computer stations near the registration table where stockholders may cast their votes electronically using a digital version of the ballot.

(iv) Each of the proposed resolutions will be shown on the screen during the livestreaming as the same is taken up at the meeting.

(v) Voting shall only be allowed for stockholders registered in the Company鈥檚 Voting in Absentia & Shareholder (VIASH) System or through the Chairman of the meeting as proxy. Detailed requirements and instructions pertaining to the VIASH System and the use thereof are provided in the Information Statement.

(vi) Stockholders voting in absentia, who have previously registered in the VIASH System, may cast their votes electronically at any time using the VIASH System prior to or during the meeting.

(vii) All the items in the Agenda requiring approval by the stockholders will need the affirmative vote of stockholders representing at least a majority of the issued and outstanding voting stock present at the meeting, unless the law requires otherwise.

(viii) Election of directors will be by plurality of votes and every stockholder will be entitled to cumulate his votes. Each outstanding share of stock entitles the registered stockholder to one vote.

(ix) The Office of the Corporate Secretary will tabulate all votes received and a firm selected for this purpose will validate the results. The Corporate Secretary shall report the results of voting during the meeting.

(x) The meeting proceedings shall be recorded in audio and video format.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE STOCKHOLDERS鈥� MEETING HELD ON APRIL 20, 2021. Copies of the minutes of the stockholders鈥� meeting held on April 20, 2021 will be made available to the stockholders before the meeting. Likewise, the minutes of the meeting are available at the Company website, .

4. ANNUAL REPORT OF OFFICERS AND AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. The Chairman, Mr. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Ernest L. Cu, will deliver a report to the stockholders on the highlights of the Y2021 Company performance as reflected in the audited financial statements (AFS 2021), and the outlook for Y2022. The AFS as of December 31, 2021 will be included in the Information Statement to be sent to the stockholders at least 28 days prior to the meeting. The AFS 2021 will be released by the Company at least 60 days from the financial year end and available at the Company website,鈥�.

A resolution noting the annual report and approving the AFS 2021 will be presented to the stockholders for approval by the affirmative vote of the stockholders representing at least a majority of the outstanding voting stock present at the meeting. Likewise, the stockholders will be given an opportunity to ask questions prior to submitting the AFS 2021 for their approval. Copies of the Information Statement and AFS 2021 will be made available to the stockholders before the meeting.

5. RATIFICATION OF ALL ACTS AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MANAGEMENT ADOPTED DURING THE PRECEDING YEAR. Ratification by the stockholders will be sought for all the acts and resolutions of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and other Board Committees and all acts of Management of the Company taken or adopted since the ASM on April 20, 2021 until April 26, 2022. The acts and resolutions of the Board and its Committees were reflected in the minutes of the meetings including approval of contracts and agreements, projects and investments, treasury matters and acts and resolutions covered by disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Philippine Stock Exchange and applicable regulatory agencies. The acts of Management were those taken to implement the resolutions of the Board or its Committees or taken in the general conduct of business.

6. APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENTS TO THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE AUTHORIZED CAPITAL STOCK. Management will obtain approval of the Board on the proposed increase of Authorized Capital Stock (ACS) on or before April 25, 2022. In accordance with the Revised Corporation Code², approval by the stockholders representing at least two-thirds (2/3) of the outstanding capital stock will be sought to increase the Corporation鈥檚 ACS from Ten Billion Two Hundred Forty-Six Million Seven Hundred Eighteen Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Pesos (Php 10,246,718,650.00) consisting of One Hundred Forty-Eight Million Nine Hundred Thirty-Four Thousand Three Hundred Seventy-Three (148,934,373) Common Shares with a par value of Fifty Pesos (Php 50.00) per share, One Hundred Sixty Million (160,000,000) Voting Preferred Shares with a par value of Five Pesos (Php 5.00) per share, and Forty Million (40,000,000) Non-Voting Preferred Shares with a par value of Fifty Pesos (Php 50.00) per share to Eleven Billion Two Hundred Forty-Six Million Seven Hundred Eighteen Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Pesos (Php 11,246,718,650.00) divided into One Hundred Sixty-Eight Million Nine Hundred Thirty-Four Thousand Three Hundred Seventy-Three (168,934,373) Common Shares with a par value of Fifty Pesos (Php 50.00) per share, One Hundred Sixty Million (160,000,000) Voting Preferred Shares with a par value of Five Pesos (Php 5.00) per share, and Forty Million (40,000,000) Non-Voting Preferred Shares with a par value of Fifty Pesos (Php 50.00) per share.

7. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS (INCLUDING THE INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS). In accordance with the By-Laws of the Company, the Manual of Corporate Governance as revised, and the SEC Rules, any stockholder including minority stockholders, may submit to the Nomination and Governance Committee the names of nominees to the Board of Directors. The Nomination and Governance Committee, in the exercise of its assigned task, will determine whether the nominees for the Board of Directors including the independent directors, have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications to sit as members of the Board of Directors of the Company before submitting the nominees for election by the stockholders of the 11 members of the Board of Directors including the 3 independent directors. Copies of the curriculum vitae and profiles of the nominees to the Board of Directors will be provided in the Information Statement and on the Company website for examination by the stockholders.

8. ELECTION OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS AND FIXING OF THEIR REMUNERATION. The Audit and Related Party Transactions (ARPT) Committee will endorse to the stockholders the appointment of the Independent Auditor for the ensuing year as well as the proposed remuneration of the Independent Auditor. The profile of the Independent Auditor will be provided in the Information Statement and on the Company website for examination by the stockholders.

9. CONSIDERATION OF SUCH OTHER BUSINESS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING.听 The Chairman will open the floor for comments and questions by the stockholders, and take up items included on the agenda received from stockholders in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission³.

10. ADJOURNMENT. Upon determination by the Corporate Secretary that there are no other matters to be considered, and on motion by a stockholder duly seconded, the Chairman shall declare the meeting adjourned.

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