BACOLOD CITY - The city government here turned over the keys to buyer-beneficiaries of the 64-unit second tower of the Asenso Yuhum Residences, its shelter project under the Pambansang Pabahay Para Sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, in Barangay Vista Alegre on Saturday.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who led turnover rites with other city officials, congratulated the homeowners for making an investment seen to increase in value in the coming years.
“This is one program that will greatly benefit the people of Bacolod, a decent and affordable housing, that is being developed into a world-class township,” Benitez said.
The first batch, also composed of 64 occupants, received their housing units in Building 1 in January.
An initial 296 buyer-beneficiaries, approved through the Home Mutual Development (Pag-IBIG) Fund, will occupy the first four towers.
The third building has 80 units while the fourth has 88, according to the Bacolod Housing Authority.
“The Yuhum housing has facilities that they could not enjoy in rental houses. You have a clubhouse that can be used by all unit owners. We will establish a mini hospital here. A nearby skate park with multi-purpose gymnasium will soon be inaugurated,” Benitez said.
The Asenso Yuhum Residences’ wide-open space also has a park, swimming pool, basketball court, commercial spaces and parking lots.
“I have long dreamed of owning a home. It’s difficult to rent a place and when I heard about this housing program that is affordable, I asked my son and my daughter-in-law to help me avail of the housing unit. I’m so happy,” Fely Lindio, who will soon turn 64, said.
Hanica Po, 29, a virtual assistant, said the housing unit will be a new home for her partner and their children.
“I’m happy that we now have our place in Bacolod. We were only renting before,” she added.
Jermie Falcis, 24, a resident of Barangay Villamonte, said she bought a housing unit as investment “while the price is still low and affordable.”
PNA PHOTO
Berlin's economic rise comes at a price
BERLIN - The Art House Tacheles used to be the epicenter of the alternative art and culture scene in Berlin, an impressive five-storey building in the heart of the capital dating back to 1908 and occupied by artists after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
But in 2012 the raves were over and the artists were kicked out when the building was sold to a New York investor and renovated to make room for apartments, offices, stores, a supermarket and a Swedish photography museum.
For Oliver Putzbach, a 52-year-old Berlin native who used to live nearby, Tacheles' transformation symbolises that of the capital itself.
While its economy grows and investment capital pours in, long-time residents like Putzbach fear it is losing its edgy character and bohemian charm that had its former mayor famously declaring over two decades ago that Berlin was “poor but sexy."
"It looks the same as a typical train station in Germany ...just like a mall," Putzbach said about the building he remembers as a multicultural village where he used to perform with his band Beat Organization three times a week.
"Berlin has sold its soul," he said.
For decades, Berlin stood out among European capitals, poorer than the rest of the country because of its unique history as a divided city and its costly reunification.
For the past 10 years, however, the capital's growth has outpaced the sluggish overall performance of Europe's largest economy.
Last year, Berlin's economy grew by 0.8 percent while the national one contracted for the second year in a row, data showed on Friday. As a result, Berlin's economic output per capita, which long lagged that of Germany, moved further above the national average, with 54,607 euros and 50,819 euros, respectively.
"Berlin was not wealthy, but that became the foundation for getting richer: Berlin attracted young talent who came here to reshape their lives and make their ideas reality," said Martin Gornig, researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research DIW Berlin.
The city has become Germany's startup capital, overtaking Munich with around 500 companies founded each year, and digital consumer services companies, such as e-commerce group Zalando or fintech N-26, calling Berlin home.
Tesla's gigafactory about an hour away and the city's new airport that opened in 2020 after multiple delays, also brought thousands of new jobs to the area.
Berlin's unique blend of high culture, counterculture and history has also made it a major tourism destination, Europe's third behind London and Paris in terms of overnight stays.
MAYBE RICH AND EXPENSIVE
Now, however, Berlin is becoming a victim of its economic success.
Rising costs are threatening livelihoods of artists and bohemians who after the fall of the Berlin Wall flocked here, drawn by low rents and many abandoned buildings.
Rising prices are also now starting squeezing the budgets of those who followed the startup boom decades later.
Rents have been rising faster than the German average, soaring food and drink prices have spurred calls for a doner kebab price cap and Berlin's techno clubs have begun charging costly entry fees, with some, such as Watergate, forced to shut down.
"Prices are getting very high and if you go to Berghain or Kitkat, now it's not sexy," said Sergei Egorchenko about two of its most iconic clubs. "Now it's like commercial sexy, you know?"
Egorchenko, a cloud engineer, who moved to Germany in 2016, has lived in Berlin since 2021 and is now sharing with his partner, Claudia Marti, a 70 square metre (753 square ft) three-bedroom apartment in the Mitte neighbourhood. They sublet one of the rooms to be able to cover 1,800 euros ($1,950) in rent.
"We are sharing but it is fine," said Marti, who works as a cancer researcher at the Charite hospital.
Berlin's notoriously tight housing market meant it would be hard to find another place they could afford on their own, she said.
Prices and rents in the capital had stayed low for years after Germany's reunification in 1990 because most jobs there were relatively low-paying ones in the public sector. The global resurgence of inflation but also the influx of private capital and foreign professionals, like Marti and Egorchenko, changed that.
While Berlin rents remain below those in some other major German cities, they have risen about 32 percent since 2021, data from housing portal ImmoScout24 showed, well above the national 20% average.
Despite its transformation, the capital is still catching up with Germany's traditional business centers in the west and south.
Last year, local unemployment of 9.7 percent still well exceeded the national 6-percent average. Berlin's gross average monthly earnings of 4,634 euros also remain below wages in Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart or Germany's finance hub Frankfurt.
Yet Berlin has already made big strides over the past decades, Gornig said.
"If you look back 20 years, Berlin has already developed from a pure seat of government into an economically strong center, which is quite a remarkable development."
And while long-time Berliners say they miss its edgier, subversive side, recent transplants say there is still much to admire about the city. Egorchenko, for example, says street events, such as Love Parade or Rave the Planet continue to reflect the openness Berlin stands for.
"Some places are losing sexiness, but in general, I would say Berlin is still sexy, it's still cool, it's still like ... wow." REUTERS
People walk along bars and clubs at RAW site, a former industrial rail maintenance plant, in Berlin, Germany, Mar. 27, 2025. REUTERS
Protestors rally against Tesla CEO Elon Musk outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco on Mar. 29, 2025. AP PHOTO
DRYING TIME Farmers take advantage of the sunny weather to dry palay (unhusked rice) along Concepcion Road in Tarlac on Mar. 26,2025. Farmers said they are offered by traders P18 to P19 pesos per kilo for dry and clean palay. PHOTO BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
Protests swarm Tesla showrooms
SAN FRANCISCO — Protesters against billionaire Elon Musk’s purge of the US government under President Donald Trump demonstrated outside Tesla dealerships throughout the US and in some cities in Europe on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in the latest attempt to dent the fortune of the world’s richest man.
The protesters were trying to escalate a movement targeting Tesla dealerships and vehicles in opposition to Musk’s role as the head of the newly created Department of of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, where he has gained access to sensitive data and shuttered entire agencies as he attempts to slash government spending. The biggest portion of Musk’s estimated $340 billion fortune consists of his stock in the electric vehicle company, which continues to run while also working alongside Trump.
After earlier demonstrations that were somewhat sporadic, Saturday marked the first attempt to surround all 277 of the automaker’s showrooms and service centers in the U.S. in hopes of deepening a recent decline in the company’s sales.
By early afternoon crowds ranging from a few dozen to hundreds of protesters had flocked to Tesla locations in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Minnesota and the automaker’s home state of Texas. Pictures posted on social media showed protesters brandishing signs such as “Honk if you hate Elon” and “Fight the billionaire broigarchy.”
As the day progressed, the protests cascaded around the country outside Tesla locations in major cities such as Washington, Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Seattle, as well as towns in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Smaller groups of counterprotesters also showed up at some sites.
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go!” several dozen people chanted outside a showroom in Dublin, California, about 35 miles (60 miles) east of San Francisco, while a smaller cluster of Trump supporters waved American flags across the street.
A much larger crowd circled another showroom in nearby Berkeley, chanting slogans to the beat of drums.
“We’re living in a fascist state,” said Dennis Fagaly, a retired high school teacher from neighboring Oakland, “and we need to stop this or we’ll lose our whole country and everything that is good about the United States.”
Anti-Musk sentiment extends beyond the US.
The Tesla Takedown movement also hoped to rally protesters at more than 230 locations in other parts of the world. Although the turnouts in Europe were not as large, the anti-Musk sentiment was similar.
About two dozen people held signs lambasting the billionaire outside a dealership in London as passing cars and trucks tooted horns in support. AP
WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he did not warn car industry executives against raising prices as tariffs on foreign-made autos come into force, telling NBC News he "couldn't care less" if they do.
The White House has been preparing to impose new tariffs on a range of consumer goods on April 2, a move that has drawn criticism from international leaders and concerns about potential price increases for consumers.
In the NBC News interview, Trump said his permanent tariffs on foreign-made automobiles would be a boost to U.S.-domiciled factories and was confident the move would lead to increased sales of American-made cars. "I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are gonna buy American-made cars," Trump said.
Trump maintained that he would only consider negotiating on the tariffs "if people are willing to give us something of great value."
The tariffs are part of Trump's efforts to promote American manufacturing and reduce the country's trade deficit.
Trump's trade policies have been a key focus of his presidency, with ongoing tensions with major trading partners.
INITIAL FOREIGN BUSINESS LINE UP
Protests against Elon Musk’s purge of US government swarm Tesla showrooms AP
US, China raise the stakes in Panama Canal ports row AFP
France slams US 'interference' in firms' diversity programmes AFP
Trump tells NBC he 'couldn't care less' if car makers hike prices due to tariffs REUTERS
Italy PM urges 'reasoned' EU approach to Trump tariffs AFP
US, China raise stakes in Panama Canal ports row
HONG KONG - China's fury at the sale of Panama Canal ports to a US-led consortium reflects how container hubs have become prized currency as Beijing and Washington vie for global influence, analysts say.
Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison this month sold 43 ports in 23 countries -- including operations in the vital Central American canal -- to a group led by giant asset manager BlackRock for $19 billion in cash.
After two weeks of rhetoric, Beijing hardened its response on Friday and confirmed that antitrust regulators will review the deal, likely preventing the parties from signing an agreement on April 2 as planned.
Speaking before the review was announced, experts told Agence France-Presse that the deal allowed US President Donald Trump to claim credit for "taking back" the canal as part of his "America First" agenda.
"The US (created) a political issue at China's expense and then has been able to declare victory," said Kurt Tong, managing partner at The Asia Group and a former top US diplomat to Hong Kong.
"That doesn't feel good in Beijing," he said.
Some of the ports being sold are in nations that participate in Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- a global development framework championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Ports are crucial to that network and China "has been notably successful in this area", said Henry Gao, a trade law expert at the Singapore Management University.
Last month, Panama formally exited the BRI following a visit from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"There is indeed a growing trend of 'weaponising' ports and trade infrastructure as tools of geopolitical leverage," Gao said.
‘POSSIBLE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
On March 4, CK Hutchison sent shockwaves through China's shipping industry by announcing a deal of "unprecedented scale," according to Xie Wenqing, a port development researcher at the Shanghai International Shipping Institute.
Chinese shipping firms questioned whether they could ensure neutral passage once the ports changed hands, he told AFP.
"There are concerns about additional costs for Chinese ships or discriminatory treatment in terms of queuing orders," he added, highlighting the long-arm jurisdiction of US authorities.
The deal -- coupled with recent US tariff hikes -- could undermine China's manufacturing dominance, argued Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China.
"Increased inspections and additional docking costs would erode China's competitive edge and disrupt global supply chains," he noted.
The United States has used various justifications to target key infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative "to strip away these assets and weaken China's position as the world's factory", Wang added.
John Bradford, executive director of the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies, said the deal would not serve China's interests but said some concerns were "overblown."
Port operators such as CK Hutchison are commercial entities constrained by law and cannot decide matters of national sovereignty, for example whether a ship could visit a port or not.
"If (operators) were to blatantly favour one company over another, that would generally speaking... be illegal," Bradford said.
"Most countries have laws which say you have to treat different customers similarly, so the nightmare scenarios are not particularly realistic,” he added.
HONG KONG’S ROLE
Beijing's next steps in scrutinizing CK Hutchison may also have far-reaching implications on Hong Kong and its role as China's business gateway to the world, according to analysts.
"This whole Panama ports issue has refocused attention on the question (of) whether Hong Kong is a good place to put assets or to do business," said Tong, the former diplomat.
"Certainly the foreign business community operating in Hong Kong is watching this issue very closely," he added.
CK Hutchison is registered in the Cayman Islands and the assets being sold are all outside China.
That did not stop the State Administration for Market Regulation from announcing the antitrust review on Friday.
Jet Deng, a senior partner at the Beijing office of law firm Dentons, said China's antitrust laws can be applicable outside its borders, similar to those of the United States and the European Union.
Once a deal meets China's reportability threshold, a declaration is required even if the transaction takes place abroad, as long as the parties involved had substantial operations in mainland China, he said.
Firms that fail to declare may be fined for up to 10 percent of their operating income from the preceding year, Deng added.
Hung Ho-fung, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, said Beijing risks spooking "cautious" foreign firms that have already lowered their business exposure in Hong Kong.
If the deal crumbles under Chinese pressure, people may believe that Hong Kong is converging with mainland China where "national security considerations are of utmost importance in any business deal", Hung said. AFP
France slams US 'interference' in firms' diversity programs
PARIS - France's trade ministry condemned "unacceptable" US interference Saturday after the American embassy in Paris sent several French firms letters warning against using the diversity programs known as "DEI", a frequent Donald Trump target.
The letters, sent to French companies currently doing or looking to do business with the United States, included an attached questionnaire asking firms to certify that they "do not practice programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion," or DEI.
The questionnaire, which was shared with Agence France-Presse, added that such programs "infringe on applicable federal anti-discrimination laws" in the United States, where Trump signed an order banning federal DEI programs the day he returned to office for his second term as president.
France, already bristling at Trump's moves to slap hefty tariffs on imports, hit back through the ministry of foreign trade.
"US interference in French companies' inclusion policies is unacceptable, just like its unjustified tariff threats," the ministry said.
"France and Europe will defend their companies, their consumers, but also their values," it added.
Designed to provide opportunities for Blacks, women and other historically excluded groups, DEI programs have drawn the wrath of Trump and his followers, who say they are discriminatory and incompatible with meritocracy.
The letter, first published Friday by newspaper Le Figaro, told companies that Trump's January 20 executive order agaist DEI programmes "also applies to all contractors and suppliers of the US government, regardless of nationality or country of operations."
It gives them five days to fill out, sign and return the questionnaire.
Economy Minister Eric Lombard's office said the letter "reflects the values of the new US government."
"They are not ours," it said. "The minister will remind his US counterparts of that."
‘ATTACK ON SOVEREIGNTY’
It was unclear how many companies got the letter.
The economy ministry estimated "a few dozen" had received it, but said it did not yet have a final figure.
The US embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As published in the press, the letter was not on US embassy letterhead.
"If companies received it in that format, it's not an official communication, much less a diplomatic one," Christopher Mesnooh, an American business lawyer based in Paris, told AFP.
The US government cannot force French companies to follow its laws, added Mesnooh, from law firm Fieldfisher.
"French companies won't now be required to apply US labour law or federal law against affirmative action policies," he said.
In fact, most affirmative action policies are illegal in France, which bans treatment based on origin, ethnic group or religion, though many large companies have sought to diversify their recruitment pools.
France does however require companies with more than 1,000 employees to promote equality for women under a 2021 law, with benchmarks such as having at least 30 percent women executives.
That means a French company that adheres to the requirements stipulated in the US letter could risk breaking the law in France.
The head of French business group CPME, Amir Reza-Tofighi, called the letter an "attack on the sovereignty" of France, and urged political and business leaders to "stand together" against it.
Gerard Re of French labor confederation CGT called on the government "to tell companies not to adopt any policy that hurts equality between men and women or the fight against racism.” AFP
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