DEBT FEARS STALL SEWAGE SOLUTION
ON HOLD
By Marilou Guieb
TO solve the stink of Baguio’s sewage problem, the city government has to build a new sewage treatment plant that will serve the city’s growing population of 350,000, as well as the 1.6 million tourists who flock there every year.
But the city is now grappling with the problem of funding. Does it borrow from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and be saddled with a debt for the next 30 years, or does it tighten its belt and pay through the nose from the city’s coffers?
To realize the goals of the Baguio Resilient City Tourism Project (BRCTP), the city would have to decommission the existing Baguio Sewage Treatment Plant (BSTP) and build a new one with an increased capacity of 12,000 cubic meters per day, from the current 8,000. It would also have to replace and rehabilitate six kilometers of the main sewer to accommodate 5,700 new connections, future and progressive expansion work, other technical aspects and operational expenses requiring a funding of P2.6 billion.
The city has a tight annual budget of between P2.5 billion and P2.7 billion, covering basics such as salaries, maintenance and operational expenses, among others. The DPWH, despite its mandate to build sewer treatment plants, has its own backlog to deal with, and the hefty cost of rehabilitating the BSTP is beyond its budget. Mayor Benjamin Magalong explained that the city cannot afford the interest rates of a bank loan.
The lifeline: a loan of $46.77 million or P2.6 billion offered by the ADB. The city council, however, has withheld its approval because its members were worried the city lacks the capacity to repay such a huge loan.
The City Fecal Sludge Management Plan 2021-2050
IN preparation for the interventions needed for the BRCTP, the ADB also financed a city fecal sludge management plan for 2021-2050, which the city completed in 2019 under the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).
A survey was conducted by ADB local representative, Angelina Victoria Ferrer; the City Planning and Development Office headed by Antoinette Anaban and the CEPMO, headed by Rhenan Diwas in 2020. The survey consisted of in-depth interviews among a random sampling of 1,609 households with representatives from the four catchment or river areas. The survey found that only 22 percent of fecal sludge is managed safely; 78 percent ends up in the surrounding environment. Only 13 percent of households have requested for septic tank emptying and usually only when a problem occurs. The survey also found that communal septic tanks discharge effluents into open drainage manholes. Although the city has an ordinance requiring desludging every four years, this is not followed.
The survey also found that some 40 percent of the city’s total sludge is surreptitiously dumped into rivers or open sewage manholes by private desludging service providers. This is usually done at night, under the cover of darkness.
Asked whether they were willing to pay for sludge emptying services, 86 percent of household respondents said they were willing to, at hand or right after the service, while the rest prefer the desludging fee to be included in their water bill. The surveys determined that a sanitation fee must be collected and a desludging interval of four years must be enforced. A scheme to repay the ADB loan was also formulated. Repayment scheme for ADB loan WHILE the ADB loan may seem like a last resort, the city council is di-
vided. One point of contention is the repayment scheme, which includes the collection of sanitation fees and environmental user’s fees. Under the BRCTP scheme, the collection of sanitation fees will be made by the Baguio Water District (BWD) with a 16-percent markup on the water bill, to increase by 10 percent every three years, the basis being that the
skewed system which did not work because of the lack of manpower to check every household.
Assuming 41,470 households are connected to the BWD, the city expects an annual revenue of P5,810,710 from 2024 to 2053, which is the year the loan should have been fully paid, given the 29year repayment agreement. The consumer will then be spared the burden of paying for the desludging of their septic tanks as this is covered by the sanitation fees in the monthly water bills. This will also ensure that emptying
Debt fears stall sewage solution
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The ADB loan will be coursed through the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) as a partner in the BRCTP project. Tieza also has a counterpart obligation in the amount of $2.59 million for training tourism workers on the necessary skills and also for financial charges during the project implementation.
Magalong also shared that the Asean Green Catalytic Financing of the United Kingdom will be contributing another $10 million at zero interest.
Alternatives to loan design
ON April 15, the mayor appeared before the council to stress the urgency of the timely approval of the project.
“There are several implications if we are going to delay this,” he said. “The other agencies involved would also lose interest.”
He added, “Also, the DENR is breathing down our neck. If we are going to delay this project, they will impose the penalty,” referring to P6million monthly fines for one river alone due to pollution.
However, the council decided on the side of prudence rather than haste, and on April 29 passed Resolution 267 authored by Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, “Approving the Baguio Resilient City Tourism Project for Inclusion in the Supplemental Annual Investment Plan,” subject to the submission of all documents.
The council did not approve as of yet the ADB loan, despite all the
studies and support it had given for the interventions needed. While there are no issues with the BRCTP project to rehabilitate the sewer treatment, the council has other thoughts on the ADB loan.
To begin with, Tabanda expressed uncertainty about repaying the loan from sanitation and EUFs because these are not guaranteed by any ordinance.
She said one option is to use local funds for some of the expenses to reduce the loan amount. A big portion goes to furniture and fixtures which will not be used right away, she said, but will have to be repaid with interest in dollars as soon as the loan is accepted . “Maybe we can use local funds for these things and meetings on a staggered basis,” she said.
Councilor Peter Fianza finds it ironic that the Baguio Water District will be getting a share from the sanitation fee when under PD 198 or the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973, it should be responsible for maintaining water supply and wastewater disposal, which is the way it is with big water distributors elsewhere.
He is also wary of the constitutionality of collecting EUFs even if it is now commonly practiced in other places. “It restricts the right to travel,” he said. There is also the question of how much can be collected.
Fianza also thinks the city can look into using local funds, disputing the claim of City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente that the city has only enough for basic expenses. Fianza
points to the city’s unspent funds, but Clemente argues this cannot be touched as these are obligated funds. Fianza insists the city can look into priorities and other funds, noting, for one, that the Botanical Garden alone earned P70 million from entrance fees in 2023.
Despite recognizing the urgency of the BRCTP, Fianza said approving the project outright puts wastewater and sewage disposal entirely on the shoulders of the city, when BWD and DENR should also share in the responsibility.
What the future holds THE city’s rivers will always serve as a mirror on how the city deals with its sewage problem.
Joseph Zambrano, newly retired government worker, wonders if Balili River will ever again be the recreational spot where his friends gathered to go fishing. He still remembers his father’s glee whenever he would catch big carps and some goldfish. He regrets his kids never got to experience these things but is aware of the city’s efforts to solve the river pollution. Who knows, he ponders, maybe, if the city finally rids itself of its dirty secret deep in its bowels, so to speak, his children’s children and their children too may one day again chase dragonflies by the river.
(This story was produced through a grant
THE city’s only sewage treatment plant, the Baguio Sewage Treatment Plant (BSTP) located at the North Sanitary Camp Barangay, was built by the Japanese government in 1986 with a limited capacity of processing only 8,600 cubic meters a day. MARILOU GUIEB
THE Balili River flows alongside the Baguio Sewage Treatment Plant (BSTP) in North Sanitary Camp barangay, where treated wastewater is discharged. However, with the city’s aging sewage systems struggling to keep up with increasing demand, untreated wastewater also contaminates the river, highlighting the urgent need for improved wastewater management to protect local water quality. MARILOU GUIEB
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Sunday, September 29, 2024 A3
From cabbage fields to chip factories: Can Japan’s economic revival spread?
ABy Alastair Gale & Yoshiaki Nohara
FTER three decades of stagnation in Japan, one of the most visible signs of renewal can be found in a stretch of old cabbage fields on its southernmost main island.
Apartment blocks, hotels and auto dealerships are springing up near a new semiconductor plant set amid farmland in the prefecture of Kumamoto, which has easy access across the seas to China, Taiwan and South Korea. The plant, operated by global chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., launched this year and one more is planned nearby. Wages and land prices in the area are up sharply, as demand feeds into a burgeoning ecosystem of suppliers and related businesses. With jobs opening up, the population is mushrooming.
Within an hour’s drive of the plant, however, the town of Misato shows more familiar scenes of economic distress. Once busy shopping streets are now lined with shuttered storefronts. The population is roughly one-third of its 24,300 peak in 1947. Instead, the number of roaming deer and wild boar is growing, prompting locals to protect their crops with netting.
Campaign posters for the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party line the main road as it threads its way through rice paddies.
One of them declares: “Bringing you the feeling of economic revitalization.”
“I don’t feel it because we farmers are barely making ends meet,” said Kazuya Takenaga, 67, as he tended his fields of asparagus and rice. The rising costs of fertilizers, energy and utilities have eaten into Takenaga’s earnings. His two sons have left the town in search of work elsewhere.
The two conflicting images lay bare the biggest challenge for whomever the LDP chooses to become Japan’s next prime minister: Ensuring that a broad and lasting recovery
takes hold across the entire nation —not just in certain areas.
The struggle to do that is one of the main reasons Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is stepping down, despite Japan’s economic gains. Nine candidates are vying to replace him as head of the LDP, which has led Japan for all but a few years since the 1950s and is almost certain to win a general election that must be held within the next year, not least because the nation’s opposition parties are weak and scattered.
During the campaign, the LDP leadership candidates have wrestled with the problem of rural decline and the unceasing flow of people from the countryside into cities like Tokyo. Some say the TSMC example provides a model that should be replicated around the country. Others emphasize tourism or incentives for businesses and academic institutions to shift into rural areas. All agree more needs to be done to boost birthrates, but few have new or radical ideas.
Failure to broaden out the recovery risks leaving Japan firmly entrenched as a two-track economy, where the concentration of money and people is among the most extreme in the developed world. Businesses will increasingly struggle to find sufficient manpower and services, a phenomenon that is already evident even in Tokyo and other major cities.
To global investors, Japan is firmly back on the map. The stock market is close to record highs. Deflation appears to be vanquished. Money is pouring in for deals and investment, and the central bank is no longer experimenting with extreme stimulus. The Bank of Japan expects the economy to continue expanding more than its potential growth rate of as much as 1 percent a year.
Japan’s leaders are also becoming more confident on the world stage. While the US ally has long shied away from displays of hard power, it’s now rapidly beefing up military spending in response to concerns about China and North Korea, and becoming an influential
voice on issues like support for Ukraine.
Since Japan’s defeat in World War II, a growth spurt through the late 1980s propelled it from occupied ruin to the world’s secondlargest economy after the US. In 1992, when Japan’s consumer electronics were still the envy of the world, the country’s gross domestic product per capita topped the US at $32,000.
Yet some three decades later, it’s only ticked up to $33,000. Over the same period, International Monetary Fund figures show, per capita GDP in the US has more than tripled to $85,000.
Japan’s population started shrinking more than a decade ago and continues to decline by roughly 600,000 every year. Along with a lack of investment, that rapid depopulation has decimated towns and villages across the country. The door has opened slightly to foreigners of late, but permanent immigration largely remains a political taboo.
Demographics are just part of the challenge. Japan’s productivity ranks 30th among the 38 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a club of developed countries. Outside the auto industry, the stagnation has sliced through Japan’s manufacturing sector. As overseas rivals expanded their global share of chip production, Japan failed to keep pace. Through it all, entrenched deflation prompted authorities to make
stable 2 percent price growth a key goal for re-energizing the nation.
That long economic stasis explains why there’s so much excitement now. Inflation is back as companies award the biggest wage hikes in decades, prompting the BOJ this year to raise interest rates for the first time since 2007. The government has also set aside about ¥4 trillion ($28 billion) to revive its chip industry, a strategy aimed at pushing TSMC and other companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. and Micron Technology Inc. to beef up operations.
“This is such a good place to be in right now,” said Chizuru Watanabe, who relocated from another part of the prefecture to take up an administrative role for Japan Material. “You can see great things are going to happen in the future.”
The city is also strategically important. The TSMC plant in Kumamoto has deepened Japan’s ties to Taiwan, a potential regional flashpoint if China ever moves to seize the democratically governed island. Those concerns have played a large role in Japan’s moves to boost defense spending to 2 percent of its GDP from 1 percent by 2028, and for the outgoing Kishida to repeatedly warn that Russia’s war in Ukraine might be a forerunner of a similar conflict in Asia.
Some of that cash is being spent on anti-ship missiles deployed at a base in Kumamoto that serves as the western regional
headquarters for Japan’s army, known as the Ground Self Defense Force. Sitting roughly halfway between Tokyo and Taiwan’s capital, the base would likely play a major role if Japan is drawn into a regional war. A recent exhibition basketball game held in Kumamoto with a Taiwanese professional team shows how ties are deepening with an influx of technicians and plant managers from overseas, too.
For Takashi Kimura, Kumamoto’s governor, the buzz over the city’s economy can help with the problem of low birthrates and the flow of younger people to cities like Tokyo. If people are more enthused about the future, he said, they are more likely to have families and stay put. Moreover, he added, the growth of the semiconductor supply chain in Kumamoto will eventually reach the more economically vulnerable parts of the prefecture. One local financial group estimated the chip-making project will generate about $80 billion in economic activity through 2031.
“For 30 years our national economy has been closed off,” Kimura said in an interview. “But Kumamoto’s opening up to Asia shows the way forward for Japan’s economic revival.”
Yet in Nagomi, another town a short drive from the TSMC plant, pessimism runs deep. About 40 percent of the town’s 9,000-orso residents are 65 or older. Last year, 188 residents died and only 44 babies were born.
Mayor Yoshiyuki Ishihara said he doesn’t expect much will change when Japan gets a
new leader. “Few policies have left an impression on me, and not many of these measures have really reached the countryside directly,” he said. “I hope they will develop policies that do make the regions more prosperous.” Few Japanese residents of small towns like Misato and Nagomi have money invested in markets, private pensions or any kind of stake in M&A activity. The return of inflation is a shock for people who haven’t experienced rising prices in three decades. Imported essentials like food and fuel are suddenly more expensive, compounded by the yen’s weakness.
On the campaign trail, candidates for the LDP leadership election are speaking more to cost-of-living concerns than trumpeting the positives of rising prices. Sanae Takaichi, who has been climbing in the polls, has called for more income support for the most vulnerable in society. Another top candidate, Shinjiro Koizumi, bemoaned the disappearance of national economic champions.
“To put it bluntly, Japan is in decline,” Koizumi said during an LDP leadership debate in Tokyo earlier this month.
“The high growth of the postwar years was led by companies such as Honda and Sony,” he said. “They started from the town level and they conquered the world. However, in the past 30 years, no such company has emerged.” Bloomberg News
LOLO UWENG OF LANDAYAN: WHERE PRAYERS LEAD TO MIRACLES
IN a quiet corner of San Pedro City, Laguna, a shrine stands as a symbol of faith, hope, and divine intervention. Known as the Shrine of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre, it houses the revered image of Emmanuel Salvador del Mundo, fondly called Lolo Uweng by the faithful. For generations, devotees have flocked to this sacred place in Barangay Landayan, where prayers lead to what many believe are genuine miracles. The roots of this shrine trace back to the 1800s, when the Santo Sepulcro, or the image of the dead Christ, was discovered by fishermen. Over time, tales of miraculous healings and answered prayers spread far beyond the boundaries of Landayan. Today, the shrine attracts thousands of devotees from across the Philippines, seeking solace, healing, and blessings. Dubbed the “Quiapo of the South,” this sacred place has become a pilgrimage site for the weary, the sick, and the hopeful. Despite its humble beginnings, the Shrine of Lolo Uweng has grown in prominence, drawing in people from all walks of life. Visitors often describe a palpable sense of peace and connection within its walls, where prayers are believed to touch the divine. Some recount miraculous recoveries from illness, while others speak of guidance and strength they found during life’s darkest moments. It’s a place where faith transforms lives, where hope blooms amidst uncertainty, and where the power of collective prayer seems to manifest miracles.
As more people come to seek blessings, the shrine itself is evolving. Monsi-
gnor Melchor Barcenas, the former parish priest, envisioned a bigger structure to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. His vision is now taking shape under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Edgar Titoy , the Parish Pastoral Council and the Construction team headed by. Mr. Antonio Olizon. They are currently overseeing the construction of a new pilgrim shrine that will better serve the faithful, offering a more spacious and accessible place for worship.
For the Parish Finance Committee composed of four equally successful ladies from different fields: Cynthia A. Enriquez, Dra. Isabelita M. Samaniego, Dra. Victoria A. Alvarez and Marie A. Espeleta., whose connection is their devotion and endearing love for Lolo Uweng, the collective dream is for a pilgrim shrine designed to best serve the pilgrim's needs.
A New Horizon: The Construction of the Lolo Uweng Pilgrim Shrine
The new pilgrim shrine, which is currently under construction, represents the next chapter in this journey of faith. Spread across a 10,000-square-meter property, the neo-classical design will accommodate up to 1,500 worshippers at a time—double the capacity of the existing church. Designed with pilgrims in mind, the new shrine will feature a stunning Baroque-style retablo, veneration and adoration chapels, and two plazas—Plaza Resurrección and Plaza La Pietà. There will also be an enhanced walkway for those wishing to touch and venerate the image of Lolo Uweng. Architecturally, the shrine will sym-
bolize more than just a place of worship; it will be a spiritual sanctuary that resonates with the deep-rooted beliefs of the community. The parish community and its supporters are pouring their hearts into every detail, from the sound acoustics for choirs to the spacious parking areas for visitors.
Construction is currently in its first phase, with TERP Asia Construction Corporation leading the efforts. The project is expected to move into Phase 2 by the first quarter of 2025, bringing the community closer to realizing their dream of creating a national shrine dedicated to Lolo Uweng.
A Beacon of Hope: The Future National Shrine
The shrine’s significance extends far beyond the local community. Each Friday, around 40,000 devotees visit the church to seek blessings from Lolo Uweng, with nearly a million pilgrims joining the annual Alay Lakad during Holy Week. This massive turnout showcases the deep devotion of the faithful and strengthens the shrine’s case to become a future national shrine in the Philippines.
In 2022, the San Pedro City Council passed City Resolution No. 2022-111, officially recognizing the Shrine of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre as a site of historical significance to the people of San Pedro City. Building on this momentum, the following year, the San Pedro City Tourism, Culture, and Arts Office took further steps by submitting City Council Resolution No. 2023-256 to the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA). This resolu-
tion aims to formally register the revered image of Lolo Uweng and the 1836 Church Bell as Important Cultural Properties in the Philippine Registry of Cultural Properties (PReCuP). For the people of Landayan, Lolo Uweng is
Pilgrims venerate the century-old image of Emmanuel Salvador del Mundo, "Lolo Uweng" to natives of Landayan and recognized as an "Important Cultural Treasure" of San Pedro City
Devotees gather at the Shrine of Santo Sepulcro dubbed the "Quiapo of the South". Novena masses is being held in celebration of the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, Today, September
Lebanon fears Gaza-like carnage as Israel strikes thousands of targets across country
By Kareem Chehayeb & Zeina Karam The Associated Press
WHEN she first heard about the evacuation warnings Israel was sending to residents of Lebanon, Aline Naser’s thoughts immediately turned to Gaza.
For the past year, the 26-yearold Beirut resident has been following with horror the reports about besieged Palestinians in the Gaza Strip ordered to move from one place to the other, fleeing to “humanitarian zones” only to be bombed and ordered to leave again.
The Israeli calls for Lebanese citizens to evacuate ahead of a widening air campaign, delivered via mobile phone alerts, calls and leaflets this week, seemed chillingly familiar.
“It’s definitely something on the back of my mind, and we don’t really know where exactly is safe,” she said.
Almost a year after the start of its war in Gaza, Israel has turned its focus on Lebanon, significantly ratcheting up its campaign against its archenemy Hezbollah. Among many in Lebanon, there is fear that Israel’s military operations in Lebanon would follow the same Gaza playbook: Evacuation orders, mass displacement and overwhelming airstrikes. Israel says its strikes target Hezbollah weapons sites and militants.
There are key differences between Gaza and Lebanon and how Israel has so far conducted its operations, which it says aim to push back Hezbollah from the border so that tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks can return to their homes.
Although it has said it is preparing for a possible ground operation, Israel has so far not sent troops into Lebanon.
Still, there are fears that Israel’s actions in Gaza, including the use of overwhelming and what rights groups and the United Nations have described as disproportionate force, would be repeated in Lebanon. Top Israeli officials have threatened to repeat the destruction of Gaza in Lebanon if the Hezbollah fire continues.
On Monday, Israel struck 1,600 targets across Lebanon, killing 492 people and wounding 1,645, and causing a massive wave of displacement as thousands fled from south Lebanon north. It was a staggering one-day toll that shocked a nation used to war. It was by far the deadliest barrage since the month-long 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, when an estimated 1,000 people in Lebanon were killed.
Throughout the day, the Israeli military sent warnings to residents to immediately evacuate in anticipation of the strikes and to stay away from places where Hezbollah stores weapons—something most would have no way of knowing.
“Please get out of harm’s way now,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded message. “Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely
to your homes.”
Israel’s evacuation orders have been a central part of its military campaign in Gaza for the past year.
In the first week after launching war, Israel ordered 1.1 million civilians in the Gaza Strip to relocate from the north to the south, sowing confusion and fear in the overcrowded enclave.
Since then, the Israeli military has issued dozens of evacuation orders calling on Palestinians to evacuate to Israeli-designated “humanitarian zones.” Israeli officials say they are targeting Hamas militants who have embedded themselves among the population. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. The Health Ministry, part of the territory’s Hamas government, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says that just over half the dead have been women and children.”
With Gaza’s borders sealed, residents of the crammed territory are trapped with nowhere to go, whereas in Lebanon, those fleeing Israeli strikes have been able to move to safer areas. Thousands have fled to neighboring Syria, while others have left through the country’s airport.
A second front for Israel
HEZBOLLAH started firing rockets on Israel in support of Gaza on October 8, a day after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and abducting another 250. Since then, the two sides have been engaged in cross border strikes that have gradually escalated and displaced tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border.
Many Lebanese have been following the growing hostilities with a mixture of nonchalance and dread, hoping they would remain contained. Lebanon has been in the throes of an economic meltdown since 2019 and can ill afford another devastating war with Israel.
Hostilities escalated dramatically last week when thousands of explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated, killing dozens of people and leaving thousands, including many civilians, with severe injuries to the eyes, face and limbs. Israel is widely believed to be behind the attack. Israel has also killed several top Hezbollah commanders in Beirut.
Meanwhile, intensifying Hezbollah barrages have wounded several people in Israel.
As the region appeared to be teetering toward another all-out war, Jana Bsat, 25, who works for a media analysis company in Beirut, said she now has a bag packed, ready for immediate evacuation. She feels it’s only a matter of time.
“It feels surreal, to be honest. We heard about what was happening in Gaza and now we’re experiencing it for ourselves,” she said.
“I am in disgust of all this fearmongering and psychological torture,” she said, adding: “But then you remember, it’s all part of a warfare strategy and it’s not going to stop anytime soon.”
Lebanon is not Gaza
WHILE Israel’s actions in Lebanon may have echoes of Gaza, the conflicts are different. In Gaza, Israel’s goal is the complete destruction of Hamas, whereas Israel’s stated goal in Lebanon is to push Hezbollah away from its border. Whereas Hamas rules Gaza, Hezbollah is a powerful militia with enormous influence inside Lebanon, and has representatives in the country’s parliament and government.
In 2006, Israel flattened entire Beirut neighborhoods and bombed Lebanon’s only international airport as well as key infrastructure, including bridges and power stations. By contrast, its current campaign seems to be, for the large part, targeting Hezbollah, although many civilians have also been killed.
Unlike Gaza, Lebanon is also a mixed tapestry of political and religious groups, including Christian and Sunni-majority areas where there is significant opposition to the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah.
Ali Safa, a 30-year-old interior designer who fled to Beirut from south Lebanon with his family this week, said he isn’t worried about the Gaza scenario being repeated
in Lebanon.
“Gaza is an open prison, it is besieged. Lebanon is much larger, it is not encircled. And it has Hezbollah, which is a much bigger force, much better-equipped than Hamas,” he said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the United Nations Wednesday, said the world “cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.”
Frayed nerves
WHETHER the current hostilities will expand into an all-out war or whether Israel will launch a ground invasion remains to be seen. Israel’s army chief said Wednesday that preparations were underway for a possible ground operation.
Many in Lebanon say they are haunted by the nonstop churn of horrifying images from Gaza over the past year, fearing the same scenario in Lebanon.
For several months, low-flying Israeli fighter jets have launched sonic booms over Lebanon, rattling windows and terrifying residents. More recently, the buzzing sound of Israeli military drones in Lebanese skies have added to the anxiety.
Some have gotten used to it. At a funeral for a Hezbollah commander recently where a few hundred people gathered, hardly anyone flinched when low-flying Israeli planes caused a thundering boom that shook the ground.
Bsat said at some point she, too, got used to hearing sonic booms that made the windows in her house shake.
“The drones I also got used to and now, unfortunately, the bombing,” she said via Whatsapp.
“I’ve come to terms with reality, but my hands still can’t stop shaking as I’m writing this,” she said. “I’m still dreading what is going to happen here.”
UN’s nuclear chief says the world needs to pursue dialogue with North Korea over nuclear weapons
By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press
Uworld must recognize that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons and pursue dialogue despite its violations of U.N. sanctions and international law, the United Nations’ nuclear chief said Thursday.
In an interview with The Associated Press. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, wondered whether slamming the door on Kim Jong Un’s government has solved anything—“or are we, on the contrary, exacerbating the conditions for a situation that may go out of hand?”
He said North Korea’s nuclear program should be condemned for violating Security Council sanctions and international law. But there has been no international engagement since 2006 when the country became “a de facto nuclear weapon possessor state” and since then its nuclear program has expanded significantly.
Grossi said it’s very important to keep reiterating that North Korea has to stop its nuclear activities, but “at the same time, we need to start thinking seriously about stopping to talk past each other.”
“We must be proactive, and we must open doors for dialogue,” he said. “My credo .. for many, many
years, has always been engage, talk, try things.”
Grossi says great care is required WHAT is happening in North Korea is extremely concerning, Grossi said. But at the same time, it should be a call for diplomatic action. He said engagement with North Korea will require “very careful, diplomatic preparatory moves” to regain trust.
“I hope that will be possible.” Grossi said. He said one possible issue for engagement with Pyongyang is on nuclear safety.
North Korea offered a very rare glimpse into a secret facility to produce weapons-grade uranium about two weeks ago. Grossi said it confirmed that the IAEA’s analysis of Pyongyang’s nuclear program is “very, very solid.”
“As these pictures show, and beyond that, they have a vast nuclear program, which is perhaps the only one in the world on which there is no visibility in terms of the observance of the basic international nuclear safety standards,” he said, pointing to tons of material being handled at its nuclear facilities.
During the North Korean leader’s visit to the secret facility, the country’s official news agency, KCNA, said Kim called for stronger efforts to “exponentially” produce more nuclear weapons.
Grossi asked what Kim means by “exponentially,” saying there is
speculation on whether North Korea has 30 or 50 nuclear warheads.
But more broadly, he stressed that “we are at an international juncture” where other countries are also increasing their nuclear weapons’ arsenals, though perhaps not exponentially,
“This is a symptom of our underlying, very profound malaise that will have to be addressed one way or the other,” he said.
Other nations require attention, too
IN his more than a decade in power, Chinese President Xi Jinping has invested in high-tech military technologies and a growing
arsenal of nuclear weapons. The United States is modernizing its nuclear weapons program.
And Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that any nation’s conventional attack on Russia supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country. The announcement was clearly aimed at discouraging the West from allowing Ukraine to use its longer-range weapons to strike Russia.
Grossi called Putin’s threat, outlined in a revision of Moscow’s nuclear doctrine, “serious” and “concerning,” and said it may represent a lowering of the thresh -
old for the possible use of Russia’s nuclear arsenal or a “broadening” of his words. He said other countries have also used hypothetical scenarios that would trigger nuclear weapons use.
“We are not surprised, and this is part of the calculations of countries,” Grossi said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that he received an intelligence report indicating Russia is planning to attack its nuclear power plants, which could lead to “a nuclear disaster.” Grossi, asked about the report, said the IAEA takes Zelenskyy’s statement seriously but “we don’t have that information.”
The nuclear agency still has staff at every nuclear power plant in Ukraine, he said, and this summer has been “particularly difficult,” with military targeting of a nuclear power plant – in Zaporizhzhia, where one of its cooling towers was set on fire. Following Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion into Russia, the IAEA chief visited the Kursk nuclear power plant, the country’s third largest, where the Kremlin said the remains of a drone had been found.
During the more than 2 ½-year war following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbor, Grossi said he has maintained contacts with both sides. If he calls Putin or Zelenskyy, he said, “they
will probably pick up the phone,” because they recognize that nuclear safety has regional and even global implications.
Iran is a focus AS for Iran, its new reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said Tehran didn’t want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced to when the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between his country and six major powers. In his first speech on the world stage, Pezeshkian told the General Assembly on Wednesday that Iran is “ready to engage” on the 2015 nuclear deal if all participants act in good faith.
Grossi said the president’s comments are an opening for the IAEA, and he plans to visit Tehran “very soon.”
“What I would like to hear from him is what is his take on the return to an agreed framework, which is, in my opinion, what we need to do,” the IAEA chief said. It could be on the basis of the 2015 nuclear deal known as the JCPOA, Grossi said, but Iran has far advanced its nuclear capacities since then. “It will have to be much, much stronger,” he said, “and we are ready to work with them.”
Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has covered international affairs for more than a half-century.
SMOKE rises from Israeli airstrikes in the southern village of Kfar Rouman, seen from Marjayoun, south Lebanon on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. AP/HUSSEIN MALLA
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
Balik Scientist helps Maynilad develop waste-to-energy solutions
By John Eiron R. Francisco
ABALIK Scientist has lent his expertise to Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) to help assess and introduce technologies that can transform biosolids into a source of renewable energy.
Dr. Mario Rebosura shared with Maynilad innovative approaches in the management of biosolids (organic byproduct of Maynilad’s wastewater treatment process) to fine-tune the West Zone water concessionaire’s ongoing study of waste-to-energy technologies.
Rebosura’s involvement in Maynilad was part of the company’s participation in the “Balik Scientist Program” of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
He discussed recently with the media the results of his six-month project titled “Water Utility 2.0: Toward Sustainable Biosolids Management in the Philippines.”
While Maynilad has implemented anaerobic digestion technology—a process through which bacteria break down organic matter in wastewater treatment plants, agricultural waste management, and industries handling organic waste—Rebosura noted that knowledge and maturity of its use are still lacking in the country.
In his Maynilad stint, he introduced measures to accelerate technology adoption through several seminars and training sessions for the staff.
With Maynilad’s wastewater facilities expected to generate 484 tons of dry sludge per day by the year 2037, Rebosura said it is necessary to improve the operations and management of sludge and explore further technological advances, including alternative disposal routes, such as anaerobic digestion.
When asked about the importance of treating sludge, he explained that it is one of the byproducts generated after wastewater is cleaned.
Unlike solid waste, which is immediately visible in oceans, wastewater often goes unnoticed when it is discharged.
He emphasized the health impacts of untreated sludge, which includes water from various sources like toilet flushing and dishwashing
The purpose of having a septic tank (poso negro), he explained, is to prevent wastewater from contaminating groundwater, that is crucial to distinguish between wastewater and service water, the latter being safe for consumption.
As sludge accumulates in septic tanks, it cannot simply be disposed of; it must be treated to reduce its volume.
Neglected septic tanks can be filled with harmful bacteria, pathogens, and diseases.
However, employing anaerobic technology can significantly reduce the pathogens in the sludge.
Once the water is removed, the remaining material transforms into biosolid, which is safe for use in the agricultural sector as an alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Scalable solutions
ACCORDING to Rebosura, Maynilad has already invested in and developed plans for a waste-to-energy project, which he believes will materialize within three to five years.
He is optimistic that the water firm’s implementation of anaerobic digestion technology and waste-to-energy solutions will serve as a model for other wastewater facilities in the country.
He noted that acquiring the technology is not prohibitive in price, as it has been available for some time.
He emphasized that it is “very scalable,” a viable option for widespread adoption.
PHL lags behind
THE Filipino scientist has revealed that the Philippines lags 30 years behind first-world countries in adopting anaerobic digestion technology for biosolid management.
He explained that anaerobic digestion can lead to more sustainable waste management and energy production.
While countries like the United States and Australia have long implemented this technology, the 2024 Balik Scientist awardee emphasized its importance which not only reduces sludge volume in water treatment operations, it also converts organic material into biomethane.
The biogas can be used to power facilities, making them self-sufficient, and allowing them to supply excess energy back to the grid.
For instance, researchers from the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures have found that three wastewater facilities in Sydney could generate 38 billion liters of methane annually through anaerobic digestion, replacing the natural gas used by 30,000 households.
The study further estimates the bioenergy potential at 126,000 MWh, which is more than four times the energy produced by local solar panel systems. Globally, anaerobic digestion is seen as a game-changer for energy saving.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), implementing the technology at wastewater treatment plants could result in significant reductions in electricity consumption.
The EPA’s analysis suggests that the use of biogas, through anaerobic digestion and biosolids incineration, could save between 628 million kWh and 4,940 million kWh annually across the United States.
Additionally, biosolids incineration could further contribute by saving between 51.9 million kWh and 1,030 million kWh per year.
However, Rebosura emphasized that there is no need to resort to incineration for waste management.
Instead, he pointed out that biomethane, a component of biogas, possesses properties similar to natural gas and is combustible when ignited.
By collecting and processing biogas through cogeneration technology, there is no necessity to burn solids.
He explained that the approach allows biogas to generate heat and energy within the plant, offering a more sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional incineration methods.
Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. expressed “excitement” about the potential of the project to contribute to the country’s renewable energy goals.”
He said the collaboration with Maynilad “underscores the critical role of science in overcoming key challenges in the water sector.”
“Indeed, through science and technology, we can provide solutions and open opportunities for the Filipino people.”
For his part, Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez said: “As part of our commitment to environmental stewardship, Maynilad constantly seeks ways to reduce waste and promote circular economy principles.”
He said that Maynilad’s partnership with the DOST “allowed us to address the challenge of biosolid disposal while tapping into renewable energy solutions, which can benefit both our operations and the environment.”
Farming meets the future Tech innovations to attract youth to agriculture
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
WHAT if the key to revitalizing agriculture lies not in the fields, but in cutting-edge technology?
Many people, especially the youth, shy away from traditional, labor-intensive farming methods, gravitating instead toward more automated, tech-driven approaches.
If agriculture fails to resonate with their interests, it risks being overlooked as a viable career option.
To address this concern, experts gathered at a media forum, dubbed “Matatag-Ulan: Smart Agri Solutions during La Niña and Rainy Season,” on September 24, led by the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) to discuss agricultural innovations designed to combat climate change while appealing to the tech-savvy younger generation.
“It is currently highlighted that only a few are interested in farming. But that has been an existing problem. It needed to be analized and addressed,” DOSTPCAARRD Executive Director Reynaldo Ebora said in Filipino.
“The youth now do not want purely hard work. So we have to look for technology to make work easier,” he noted.
The digital agriculture landscape in the country primarily features advisory apps and online retail networks, with many other aspects still in the early stages of development, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Although digital agriculture has not yet become the go-to choice for farmers, there is a growing interest in integrating advanced technologies, such as drones and sensors, into agricultural practices.
A study published in the Philippine Journal of Science in 2020 revealed that the average age of Filipino farmers in the three major rice-growing provinces is 53 years, indicating a predominantly middle-aged demographic in the agricultural sector.
With an urgent need to shift perceptions of farming, experts believe that incorporating advanced technologies into agricultural practices can attract a new generation of farmers.
Garden for all seasons JUST as the entertainment industry boasts of timeless icons, agriculture has its own “Garden for All Seasons,” or a solar-powered Tower Garden system designed to thrive in extreme weather conditions.
Introduced by Marvin Cinense, project leader from Central Luzon State University (CLSU), this innovative system allows crops to grow vertically with minimal resources, ensuring year-round productivity while protecting against soil-borne diseases and waterlogging, even in challenging conditions.
“It is called ‘Garden for All Seasons’ because it can be used during El Niño at La Niña,” Cinense said partly in Filipino.
The system has already
been implemented in various barangays and school gardens throughout Central Luzon.
For instance, at Liacong Elementary School in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, the Tower Garden was established in rocky, gravelly areas where traditional farming was unfeasible.
At Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Magalang, Pampanga, the prototype helped prevent crop loss due to waterlogging during the rainy season.
“Our advocacy is to teach the students, our youth… about agriculture, to introduce new technology so they would be interested [in agriculture],” he said.
According to Cinense, a setup featuring 50 towers and solar panels costs approximately P230,000.
However, individual towers can be priced between P1,000 and P4,000 to enhance affordability, with solar panels constituting the most significant cost.
Solar drying tech
IF singer Lorde’s album “Solar Power” captured the essence of summer energy, the Hybrid Solar Powered Dehydrator Machine is bringing that concept to life— literally.
Developed through the DOST-PCAARRD Grants-in-Aid program, Renerio Mucas from Iloilo Science and Technology University introduced a machine that harnesses solar power, supplemented by commercial electricity, to provide an energyefficient solution for drying crops.
Initially designed for herbal teas, it is now being tested on ginger, turmeric, and even lamayo (partially dried fish), with the potential to cut production time while ensuring quality, all while keeping energy costs down.
The project will also assess the economic viability of this technology, with potential benefits, including income generation from sales of fabricated dryers and processed dried products.
Mucas noted that the use of the dehydrator could create job opportunities within local communities, either through production or supplying raw materials for drying.
Satellite and mobile tech
PROF. Moises Dorado from the University of the Philippines Los Baños presented two key tools developed under Project Sarai: the Community-Level Sarai-Enhanced Agricultural Monitoring System (CLSEAMS), and the Smarter Pest Identification Technology (SpidTECH) app.
These innovations aim to help farmers monitor crop health and predict pest outbreaks in near real-time, providing a critical advantage in addressing environmental challenges.
“It is very important that our information about the crops are on near real-time so we could give immediate interventions,” he said.
SARAI’s systems utilize
satellite remote sensing data to track crop growth, estimate yields, and assess damage caused by pests or natural disasters.
These technologies make use of the thousands of satellites orbiting Earth, with Dorado pointing out that “nine out of 10 satellites are Earth observing.”
“It is not only visual, what is good is that it also has numerical data which we can use to process the information,” he said after discussing the system’s ability to generate detailed crop health reports through color-coded images that indicate specific conditions.
The SpidTECH app represents another game-changing tool for farmers.
Available on Android, it allows users to quickly identify pests by uploading a photo. It features a pest and disease library and provides Global Positioning System (GPS)-based crop advisories.
With coverage for 10 crops, including rice, corn, and cacao, Dorado emphasized its practical applications in the field.
“Besides image capture, the app collects [GPS] data, timestamps, and user information to track pest outbreaks in specific areas,” he said.
“It is good to use if there are weather stations nearby... but if they are far, it serves as a good supplement to existing weather data,” he added partly in Filipino.
Weather forecast PAGASA pointed out the importance of accurate, realtime weather forecasts in helping farmers adapt to increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.
Weather Specialist Joanne Moe Adelino discussed how the El Niño Southern Oscillation alert system is a key tool for
farmers to anticipate and mitigate risks from events like El Niño and La Niña.
“Our goal is to provide farmers with the tools they need to make informed decisions, ensuring they can plan their planting and harvesting cycles based on reliable weather data,” she said.
Looking ahead, Pagasa forecasted a 71 percent chance that La Niña conditions will persist into the first quarter of 2025.
“From October 2024 to March 2025, we can expect abovenormal rainfall across many regions, particularly in Luzon, with an increased likelihood of tropical cyclones,” she said.
Revolutionizing agriculture; less imports TO successfully shift mindsets, structural changes within the education system and support from both government and private sectors are crucial, according to Ebora.
“We should show that agriculture is productive,” he said. “If we show that agricultural crops are thrown away, how can we encourage them [the youth to engage in agriculture]?”
Demonstrating the economic viability of farming is essential for attracting new entrants, Ebora said, “We should change the situation of our being importer,” referring to the need for the Philippines to become less reliant on agricultural imports.
In the second quarter of 2024, the Philippines’ total agricultural trade
SOLAR-POWERED
A6 Sunday, September 29, 2024
Bishop: Vote for true leaders, as politicians file candidacy
AS next year’s elections draw near, a Catholic bishop urged Filipinos to select candidates who demonstrate genuine leadership rather than those focused on entertainment.
Bishop Ruperto Santos of Antipolo emphasized that voters should avoid candidates who prioritize performances over meaningful platforms.
“Let us choose those who will truly help us, not those who will just sing or dance for us, [or] only make us laugh… And not those who will do or say nothing when our God is mocked and our Catholic faith is disrespected,” Santos said.
The bishop also said that voting should not be based on camaraderie, promises, endorsements, or popularity.
“We must choose correctly, wisely, and worthily because if we don’t choose correctly, we will regret it and suffer in the end,” he added.
“If we vote for those who are honest, true, and genuine, we can expect good and effective leadership.”
The prelate, who also oversees Stella Maris-Philippines, made
the statement in his homily during Mass at the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters in Manila on September 22, in celebration of the 29th National Seafarers’ Sunday.
Santos encouraged voters to draw inspiration from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly seafarers, who exemplify honesty, hard work, and helpfulness.
“Look at our OFWs. They are well-known all over the world, and they have three characteristics. What are these? Honest, hardworking, and helpful,” he said.
He reminded voters that government positions should not serve as a means for personal gain or privilege, urging them to choose candidates who are honest and dedicated in their duties.
Santos’s message comes just days before the filing of Certificates of Candidacy from October 1 to 8 for the May 2025 elections. CBCP News
Catholic Church celebrates feast of St. Therese on Oct. 1
THE Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face on October 1. Therese died on September 30,1897, at the age of 24, at a Carmelite monastery in Lisieux, France. She was born Marie-FrancoiseTherese Martin on January 2, 1873, to couple Louis and Zelie Martin in Aleçon, France. The Martin couple were also canonized on October 18, 2015,
becoming the first spouses in the church’s history to be canonized as a couple. All five of their surviving daughters, including Therese, became nuns. Also known as St. Therese of Lisieux, she was declared “doctor of the Church” on October 19, 1997, by Pope John Paul II because her writings and spirituality or philosophies are considered valuable to the Church. The Catholic Church will celebrate the centenary of her canonization on May 17, 2025.
Jews, Catholics warn vs Trump’s loyalty test for religious voters
ORMER President
FDonald Trump recently reissued his loyalty test to religious Americans, declaring that he can best protect their freedoms while preemptively blaming members of certain faiths should he lose the presidential election in November.
Jews and Catholics can vote for him and ace the test, but those who don’t, he says, “need their head examined.”
If he loses, Trump added, “Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss.”
Among the Jewish leaders appalled at Trump’s remarks was Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism—an umbrella group for more than 800 Reform synagogues in North America.
“Your words preemptively blaming Jews for your potential election loss is of a piece with millennia of antisemitic lies about Jewish power,” Jacobs said in a social media post.
“It puts a target on American Jews. And it makes you an ally not to our vulnerable community but to those who wish us harm. Stop,” he added.
Trump’s speeches for years have hewed to divisive “us” versus “them” messaging, but tying those themes to specific religious Americans who oppose him is out of line and even dangerous, according to rhetoric experts, religious leaders and academics.
“Non-Jews shouldn’t express public opinions about what is or isn’t good Judaism and non-Catholics shouldn’t express public opinions about what is or isn’t good Catholicism,” said Steven Millies, a public theology professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
“Not only is it bad form, but it’s also an ignorant waste of oxygen.”
Asked to respond to criticism from Jewish leaders, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt
sent statements from herself and several of Trump’s Jewish supporters.
The statements didn’t directly address the potential blaming of Jews for a Trump defeat; rather, they depicted Trump as a stronger supporter of Israel than President Joe Biden and Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Jewish Americans and Jewish leaders around the world recognize that President Trump did more for them and the State of Israel than any President in history,” Leavitt said via email.
“The bottom line is that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden cave to Far-Left extremists and terrorists while President Trump will protect Jewish Americans and put American citizens first.”
Trump’s latest provocative comments came in a span of four days. His warnings about Jewish voters were in September 19 speeches to Jewish donors and the Israeli-American Council in Washington.
His remarks about Catholics came on September 22 in a post on Truth Social.
Matthew Boedy, who studies religious rhetoric as a professor at the University of North Georgia, said Trump has adopted spiritual warfare rhetoric, which is commonplace in certain Christian circles.
“Those who gave him that rhetoric saw Satan or evil as the enemy. Now that enemy is anyone—Jew, Christian, Muslim—who stands in his way,” Boedy said via email, calling it dangerous to democracy and religion.
“Trump always makes his religious followers—especially Christians—choose. They have to choose him over pluralism, over morality, over evangelism,” said Boedy, a Protestant.
“If God is already on your side theologically, it’s not a far leap to say he should be on your side politically. That
isn’t new to American politics,” Boedy said.
“Trump is only making that divide advantageous to him. He’s furthering that which was there, but he is also adding his own weight to it. Making it worse.”
David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Jesuit-run Fordham University, said that in past elections, “for a non-Catholic like Trump to be setting himself up as the savior of Catholics, or Jews for that matter, would have been political insanity.”
“But it’s Trump, and conservatives who would attack a Democrat for such language are cheering for the Republican nominee,” Gibson added in an email.
“There are many reasons, the most obvious is that they like Trump more than they heed their own church.”
Gibson also suggested that Trump’s tough stance on immigration, which includes calls for mass deportations, is at odds with Catholic teaching.
“Catholics listening to the increasingly Nativist rhetoric
on immigration from Trump and even his running mate, JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, ought to have their hearts examined if they support that,” Gibson said.
Professor Jennifer Mercieca, a historian of American political rhetoric at Texas A&M University, said typical politicians seek to connect to voters based on shared policy beliefs, not by demanding religious loyalty.
“But Trump isn’t a typical politician, and he’s very concerned about loyalty,” she said.
“He divides the world up into ‘us’ versus ‘them’ and tries to use those divisions to gain power.”
“It’s especially dangerous to attempt to divide people based upon religious identity,” said Mercieca, author of “Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump.”
“The kind of language Trump is using here is more like that used by an authoritarian personality cult leader.”
Trump’s recent comment about blaming Jews if he loses
came at an event that also featured Jewish megadonor Mariam Adelson, widow of the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. She introduced Trump as “a true friend of the Jewish people.”
Among the pro-Trump statements provided to The Associated Press by Leavitt was one from Ellie Cohanim, who served during the Trump administration as deputy special envoy for combating antisemitism.
Trump “is absolutely correct in challenging our assumptions about voting on auto-pilot and failing to comprehend that the Democrat Party, which has been hijacked by its far-left base, is no longer a home for the Jewish people,” Cohanim’s statement said.
Adelson and Cohanim represent the portion of US Jews that strongly supports Trump.
In 2020, he received about 30 percent of Jewish Americans’ votes compared to 70 percent for Biden, according to AP VoteCast.
The criticism of Trump’s recent remarks came from the
center as well as the left of the national Jewish community. The American Jewish Committee—a prominent advocacy group that strives to broadly represent Jews in the US and abroad—issued a sharply critical statement. It took issue with Trump’s suggestion that if 40 percent of the US Jewish electorate voted for him, “That means 60 percent are voting for the enemy.”
“Setting up anyone to say ‘we lost because of the Jews’ is outrageous and dangerous,” the AJC said. “Thousands of years of history have shown that scapegoating Jews can lead to antisemitic hate and violence.”
“Some Jews will vote for President Trump and some will vote for Vice President Harris,” the AJC added. “None of us, by supporting the candidate we choose, is voting for the enemy.’”
To the left of center, a harsh denunciation of Trump came from Lauren Maunus, political director of IfNotNow—an organization of US Jews that has accused the Israeli government of oppressive policies toward Palestinians and protested Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
“Trump doubled down on his longstanding pattern of scapegoating Jews,” Maunus said. “Make no mistake: This is a clear and flagrant instruction to his fanatical base of extremists to target Jews with retributive violence if he should lose.”
Some Jews found a positive twist to Trump’s remarks, as Betsy Frank of Mattituck, New York, conveyed in a letter published September 23 in The New York Times.
“As a proud Jewish woman who believes in Israel’s right to defend itself but supports the United States and everything it stands for even more, I would not vote for Donald Trump for any office,” she wrote. “If he loses the election, I will gladly take the blame.” David Crary And Holly Meyer/Associated Press
ANTIPOLO Bishop Ruperto Santos of Stella Maris-Philippines celebrates Mass for the 29th National Seafarers Sunday at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) headquarters in Manila on September 22. PHOTO FROM PCG
ST. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
Biodiversity Sunday
Invasive alien frogs threat to PHL biodiversity hotspots
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
WITH the onset of the rainy season, have you seen a frog in your backyard? Be careful because not all frogs are edible unlike the common “palakang bukid.”
Frogs attract predators like monitor lizards or snakes, which means your frog-invaded backyard is also prone to such harmful reptiles.
Besides, some frogs may be invasive alien species.
Invasive alien frogs are spreading fast across the Philippines. This makes researchers fret about their potential adverse environmental impacts, including in some of the country’s biodiversity hotspots.
These amphibious reptiles are friendly to their natural environment. But outside their known habitat, they pose serious threats to native species that may eventually disrupt the natural food chain and ecological balance.
Carnivorous, amphibious reptiles
FROGS are defined as carnivorous, amphibious reptiles. In general, they have protruding eyes, no tail, and strong, webbed hind feet.
Frogs are predominantly aquatic, but some live on land, in burrows, or trees. They are known to be both predators and prey. They prey on insects and other small animals, including fish, but are also prey to bigger reptiles like snakes and lizards.
Invasive alien species
INVASIVE alien species are a driver of biodiversity loss, together with habitat loss and deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, pollution, and lately, climate change.
In 2019, a study conducted by a group of researchers revealed six species of invasive alien frogs have been introduced in the wild. And they are spreading and invading one habitat to another.
In the same year, two studies revealed the occurrence of cane toad in Palawan, an island province considered to be the country’s last ecological frontier.
The identified invasive alien frog species are the greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris), banded bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra), Chinese edible frog (Hoplobatrachus chinensis), American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), cane toad (Rhinella marina) and common green frog (Hylarana erythraea).
Of the six, the American bullfrog appeared to have been extinct as no record of the species was recorded for years.
Introduced species
THE widely published paper titled “Island Hopping in a Biodiversity Hotspot Archipelago: Reconstructed Invasion History and Updated Status and Distribution of Alien Frogs in the Philippines” by Arman N. Pili, Emerson Y. Sy, Mae Lowe L. Diesmos and Arvin C. Diesmos, discussed the historical and geographical data and reconstructed the invasive alien frog’s history of invasion, and their current status and distribution in the Philippines.
These frogs have been introduced in the wild through four pathways: 1) intentional “release” for biological control and hunting in the wild; 2) “escape” from farms; 3) “contamination” of agricultural commodities, fish stocks and ornamental plants/ nursery materials; and 4) “stowaway” on container/bulk and as “hitchhiker” on ship/boat. The last two pathways were identified as important in most recent introductions, the authors reported.
Knowledge gaps ACCORDING to the paper, there remains a huge knowledge gap in the history of alien frog invasions in the Philippines. It added that there’s no recent attempt to synthesize the growing body of knowledge on their current invasion status and distribution.
Such knowledge gaps limit the researchers’ capacity to adequately assess their risk and ecological and socio-economic impacts.
“Moreover, knowledge gaps also limit our capability to develop and implement sound management response strategies and policies to prevent or mitigate invasions,” the paper added.
Threats to nature
SY, one of the authors of the paper told the BusinessMirror that displacing native species through resource competition is one of the dangers posed by the spread of invasive alien frogs to the habitat they have started to invade.
He cited the predation of invasive cane toads of native species of invertebrates and small vertebrates.
It can also pose danger by poisoning of wildlife and even domestic pets by mouthing and swallowing.
Cane toad, he added, is currently very widespread throughout the country, except for Batanes Islands.
With this, Sy said the invasion or spread can be considered extensive as they are now also present in Tawi-Tawi province in Mindanao which is remotely located in the southernmost tip of the archipelago.
Poisonous, opportunistic predators
SOME frogs are poisonous and could lead to the death of their predators, Sy said.
The cane toad, for instance, is poisonous even to snakes, and some are known to be opportunistic predators known to feed even on small native species.
He said there is a documented report in 2020 about the poisoning of a Philippine pit viber that consumed a cane toad.
The following year, another report recorded the death of Reinhardt’s lined snake after feeding on a cane toad toadlet.
“While these invasive alien frogs feed on mainly invertebrates, opportunistically, they can also
pry on small vertebrates like lizards, snakes, frogs, even small birds and mammals like bats,” Sy explained.
While these frogs have natural predators like the water monitor lizards (Varanus spp.) and cobras (Naja philippinensis and Naja samarensis), these invasive alien species are not their preferred diet.
“Native species have many prey options and the introduced frogs are prolific breeders,” Sy said, explaining that it is only a matter of time that the population of invasive alien frogs may eventually become unmanageable.
Fast growing population
SY warned that by doing nothing, the spread of these invasive alien frogs will be uncontrollable, as they reproduce faster because there are no native species that naturally prey on them in the wild.
“Once they are established in a new location, it is very hard to control,” he said.
However, Sy said that currently, while the government can still do something about it, concerned units should step up and control the spread.
Potential economic loss
THE spread of any invasive alien species has potential economic costs.
The Chinese soft-shelled turtles, for instance, invade inland fishponds to feed on tilapia and bangus.
Knife fish and janitor fish’s invasion of the Laguna de Bay has been reported, with these invasive species outcompeting even the tilapia, which was also considered an invasive alien species before it became accepted as edible by Filipinos.
In the case of the spread of the East Asian bullfrog in Davao, fishpond owners are under serious threat.
“There’s also an economic loss in invasive alien species. For example, in Davao, the concern for East Asian bullfrogs is that they feed on catfish fingerlings,” he said.
Prevention is better than cure
HE said the government should prevent the introduction of invasive alien species to new locations.
Instead, it should encourage the use of invasive alien species
that have economic benefits, citing as a good example the case of the Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) which has been allowed to be collected and exported now.
“Prevention is the key. Before allowing importation of certain organisms, they must be checked thoroughly for invasiveness,” Sy said.
But not all invasive alien frogs have no economic value. The East Asian bullfrog, for instance, is edible, and would most likely displace the native Philippine field frog (Fejervarya vittigera), or “palakang bukid”.
American bullfrogs were farmed before but there has been no record of its growing in the wild in the past few decades.
“Most likely it is no longer present in the wild if they indeed established wild populations before,” he said, adding that some reports of American bullfrog were likely misidentified East Asian bullfrog.
“What is important is we still have time to stop the spread of invasive alien frogs if we act now,” Sy said.
Biodiversity featured in paintings of artist with special needs
AS part of its efforts to promote appreciation for biodiversity, the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) partnered with Enderun Colleges, the Center for Possibilities Foundation, Inc., and A Child’s Dream Foundation in organising “Biodiversity in Full Colour’’ Art Exhibition last September 24. The artworks of a Swiss-Filipino artist, Samantha Kaspar, featured vibrant colors of different birds and fish species, corals, plants with intricate details, as well as landscapes.
Samantha, diagnosed with autism at a very young age, takes inspiration from nature to express herself by painting lush landscapes and various flora and fauna in great detail.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the paintings will go to the Centre for Possibilities Foundation, Inc. and A Child’s Dream Foundation.
According to her mother Mitzi, Samantha discovered painting when she was a child as a helpful way to process her emotions and experiences.
Her style evolved from playful Disney characters to creating colorful portrayals of the natural environment around her. She likes to use watercolor on paper and acrylic on canvas as her favorite mediums.
During her opening message at the event, ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim said that, “This evening is a recognition of the deep connection between art and nature. It is a testament to a fruitful collaboration, demonstrating how nature inspires art and how art can promote conservation of nature and encourage humanity to become better stewards of our environment.”
ACB’s support to the art exhibition, according to Lim, is part of the Centre’s 19th anniversary. She explained that “while at first we do not realise the re -
lationship between nature and these other fields, they have a valuable connection that is key to sustaining the benefits that people enjoy.
Benefits such as clean air, clean water, natural defence against extreme climatic events, and inspiration for creativity and invention, are all essential in ensuring our meaningful existence on this planet, the ACB director said.
Since 2005, the ACB has been working with various partners and like-minded organizations to mainstream biodiversity across sectors and disciplines such as tourism, agriculture, arts and education, business, and health, among others.
The exhibit gathered not only art enthusiasts but also diplomats, government officials, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and mental health advocates.
Some of the VIPs included Ambassador of Switzerland to the Philippines H.E. Dr. Nicolas Brühl, H.E. Ambassador of Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Sonexay Vannaxay, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed Obaid Alzaabi, former senator Atty. Leila De Lima, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., President and CEO of Magsaysay Group of Companies Doris MagsaysayHo, officials and representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Myanmar, and representatives from ACB’s sectoral dialogue partners from Brazil and Morocco.
“As we continue to raise awareness on the value and beauty of biodiversity, we invite everyone—nature lovers, art enthusiasts, or both—biodiversity and neurodiversity advocates, to join our efforts in safeguarding our region’s unique natural wealth, reflected here in all of Samantha’s incredible work,” added Lim.
Photos from Emerson Sy
(FROM left) Center for Possibilities founder Dolores Cheng, Filipina-Swiss artist Samantha Kaspar, her father Martin Kaspar, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Philippines H.E. Dr. Nicolas Brühl, ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, A Child’s Dream
and
GGG takes leading role to save Olympic boxing
LAUSANNE, Switzerland— Former world champion Gennady
Golovkin is taking a leading role in World Boxing, the group aiming to keep the sport on the Olympic program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
World Boxing said before the weekend that Golovkin would chair an “Olympic commission” tasked with persuading the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the breakaway organization founded last year is fit to run the competitions in Los Angeles.
“For me, personally, as well as for all the sports world, it is important to preserve boxing as an Olympic sport, and this will be my top priority,” Golovkin said in a statement. “I also intend to work closely with the IOC on issues of boxing’s commitment to the Olympic values of honesty, fairness and transparency.”
Golovkin, called GGG or Triple G in the pro boxing world, won an Olympic silver medal in 2004 and, after turning pro, was a longtime world middleweight champion who fought in some of the most lucrative bouts of all time, finishing with a 42-2-1 record. Since retirement, he has become president of Kazakhstan’s national Olympic committee.
Boxing’s Olympic status is uncertain and the IOC has set a deadline of early next year for a credible governing body to be in place after years of turmoil with the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IOC ran the last two Olympic tournaments on its own after first suspending and then banishing the IBA from the Games and has said it no longer wishes to organize the tournament in-house.
World Boxing lists 44 national governing bodies as members including the United States, Britain and India. It most recently added Japan and Algeria, whose federation is home to Paris Olympic gold medalist Imane Khalif. Kazakhstan’s national boxing federation isn’t a World Boxing member for now, but said on Thursday it applied for membership around the same time that Golovkin’s new role was announced. Kazakhstan is regularly among the top medal-winning nations in Olympic boxing and would be World Boxing’s 10th member in Asia.
Sta. Lucia’s 1st Olympic medalist hailed in rousing homecoming
AS the first St. Lucian to win an Olympic medal, sprinter Julien Alfred already has poems, paintings and even a calypso song dedicated to her.
Officials announced that Sept. 27 would be Julien Alfred Day, as the 23-year-old known as “JuJu” returned home to the eastern Caribbean island where she once ran barefoot as a child.
“I’m truly lost for words,” she told Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and other government officials who gathered to celebrate her before organizing a motorcade for thousands of impatient fans waiting outside, some of whom came from as far away as London.
The gold medal that Alfred won in the 100-meter sprint at the 2024 Paris
GOTYME Bank and Formula racer Bianca Bustamante has partnered for the campaign “Race To Inspire” as the young Filipina motorsports driver continues to hone on the global racing circuit.
“I’m really happy to have GoTyme Bank’s support for ‘Race To Inspire,’ our first-ever event in the Philippines,” said the 19-year-old Bustamante, a regular campaigner for ART Grand Prix of the F1 Academyand is part of the McLAren Driver Development Program.
“As title partner of the event, they played a big part in turning a vision we’ve had for a long time into a beautiful reality,” the GoTyme Bank ambassador said. “Through their involvement, we’re able to promote motorsport to the masses and I was able to witness firsthand that they are true to their mission of supporting young trailblazers.” Her first fan-meet in Manila was held recently at the Central Atrium of SM Mall of Asia.
GoTyme Bankhas more than four million users and is the bank of choice among young achievers, like Bustamante. For GoTyme Bank, Bustamante is not just a face, but someone who is writing her own beautiful story in the world of racing by simply being herself: a young, hardworking, high-achieving woman competing in international motorsport races around the world.
Olympics and the silver medal she earned in the 200-meter sprint hung around her neck.
She thanked her mother, the government, her coach and others, including “my village.”
“So many people have guided me along the way and helped me to get to this point,” she said as her voice broke.
“It didn’t come easy. It was truly a rocky road. Many days I just wanted to give up.”
Alfred quit running when she was around 12 years old after her father died. Her coach convinced her to run again and then she moved to Jamaica as a teenager to train. At the University of Texas she became a multiple NCAA champion.
Fire-breathing dancers greeted Alfred as she prepared to climb into a blue sports car to start the motorcade. Fans high-fived her and requested selfies, with one young girl handing her a tennis shoe for an autograph as she smiled shyly.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” yelled security as they tried to get Alfred into the car.
With a large St. Lucia flag draped on her back, Alfred waved and blew kisses to people lined up to greet her.
“Come on out, St. Lucia, let’s wave and join this celebratory moment!” said one woman who was narrating a live video of the motorcade as calypso music blared.
Gathered along the road were elderly people, young fathers holding babies and a group of schoolgirls in brown uniforms who chanted “JuJu! JuJu!” as they giggled and gathered around her for a hug as the motorcade slowed down.
Another woman shouted, “Love from Jamaica, my gyal!”
The hours-long motorcade wound its way through lush green mountains as the sky turned a soft pink. A group of motorcycle riders on the side of the road revved their engines for Alfred, while a fire station activated its siren as she rode past. Assistants provided Alfred with water and eye drops as she continued to greet people, rarely dropping her arms as fans crowded the motorcade, including one man waving a large palm frond.
Trinidad makes PHL proud in Paris, bags bronze in wakeboard worlds
RAPH TRINIDAD continued to make waves in the international wakeboarding scene following his bronze medal finish at the 2024 International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF). World Cable Wakeboard and Wakeskate Championships recently in Paris. Trinidad garnered 66.00 points to finish third in the men’s wakeboard open ruled by France’s Loic Deschaux with 78.33 points and Germany’s Florian Weiherer with 70.67 points in the competition held at the Le Kable, Choisy le Roi in the French capital. The event was a qualifier for The World Games 2025, which is set to
take place in Chengdu, China.
“I am over the moon to be on the podium for the third time in a row,” said the the 22-year-old wakeboarding prodigy, who in 2022 bagged a silver medal at the IWWF Wakeboard and Wakeskate Championships in Singhwa and also a silver in 2019 championships in Argentina.
“I am super happy to represent the Philippines once again and come home with a medal,” he said.
Trinidad said it’s never easy competing abroad.
“When I saw that all the competitors were giving it their best, I knew it was game time,” he said. “I took a deep breath in, looked at the course, and gave everything I got.”
He credits his podium finish to relentless training.
“In the weeks leading up to the
event, I was really trying to focus on consistency in all my tricks because I think this is what gives you the most advantage when it comes to competitions,” he said.
Wakeboarding, Trinidad said, is all about dedication while maintaining a balance between training and his personal life.
“Wakeboarding has helped me learn so much about life in terms of discipline, determination and never giving up,” he said. “I believe this is one of the reasons why I never felt like it was hard to balance personal time and training time out in the water.”
His inspiration?
“My family, my girlfriend, my love for wakeboarding, the Philippine wakeboarding community, and the entire wakeboarding community around the world,” he saud.
Murray, Jokic eager to scale new heights in coming NBA season
DENVER—A couple of things gleaned from last week’s media day for the Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic can grow a first-rate beard/goatee, Jamal Murray has aspirations to be an MMA fighter and Aaron Gordon held one impressive yard sale this summer as he cleaned out his closet.
Oh, and that not defending their crown sat well with absolutely no one. They’re eager to scale that National Basketball Association (NBA) mountaintop again only with a different look. Gone are Kentavious CaldwellPope and Reggie Jackson. Brought in are Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric.
Of course, there are the mainstays in Jokic, now a three-time NBA MVP, and Murray, who’s fresh off signing a 4-year, $208M max contract extension. The Nuggets are coming off a season in which they tied the franchise’s NBA record for wins (57) only to be eliminated in the second-round of the playoffs to Minnesota. Denver squandered a 20-point second-half lead in Game 7 at home.
“After a season where everybody says we failed, it’s my job to make sure that we don’t believe all that [expletive],” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who guided the team to their first NBA championship in 2022-2023. “We’re a good team. The last six years, no one in the West has come close to doing what we’ve done. Remind yourself of that, but also challenge yourself to not be satisfied. Push yourself and push your teammate to become even better.”
Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth estimated that Jokic has a 10-year prime contention window and they’re about halfway through it.
“You hit one of them it’s great,” Booth said. “It’s going to be incredibly
hard to win another one.”
On the docket for Booth, negotiating a contract extension with Gordon, which he can do starting Friday. Gordon is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in his do-a-little-bit-of-everything role.
“I really love this organization,” Gordon said. “I hope we get it done.”
Gordon switched his jersey to No. 32 this season to honor his brother, Drew, who died four months ago in car crash in Oregon. Aaron Gordon said his teammates helped him through it.
“These guys have been there for me every step of the way,” Gordon said.
“These guys have really developed into people that I would call my brothers.”
Gordon has long been a fan favorite.
That was evident when he opened up his wardrobe to fans this summer. His popup event was well received.
“Just a yard sale,” he cracked. “It just happened to get a little out of hand. It’s a great community. They’ve accepted me and I’m just grateful for it.”
Murray wasn’t exactly in an expansive mood during his time at the podium, but he did reveal his affection for mixed martial arts. He worked out with former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
“I might have a career there after this,” said Murray, who struggled for Team Canada over the summer at the Paris Games. “But I’m doing this right now.” AP
Runners get chance to define journeys
PUMA SEA will unveil its first running commercial video that shifts the spotlight from elite athletes and podium finishers to the diverse and passionate community of everyday runners.
The Southeast Asia-centric running commercial is aligned with the launch of the new Deviate Nitro™ 3 and reflects Puma’s commitment to empowering runners to define their own journeys regardless of pace or experience level.
The all-new Deviate Nitro™ 3 is designed for the needs of all runners— mind-cutting-edge combining PUMAGRIP for superior traction, PWRTAPE for targeted support, and nitrogen-infused Nitro™ foam for exceptional comfort and explosive propulsion.
Puma is also launching local initiatives, including the Puma Nitro Run Clubs in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines to strengthen community engagement and encourage runners of all levels.
“We created this short video to resonate with everyday runners, not just the elite,” said Eleanor Wang, Marketing Director of Puma Southeast Asia. “At Puma, we believe running is for everyone, and we’re committed to celebrating and supporting the diverse running community across Southeast Asia.
“By focusing on real everyday runners and their unique stories, we aim to inspire more people to embrace their own running journey as a joyful, inclusive, and judgment-free experience,” Wang added. The campaign “See The Run Like We Do,” Puma invites runners to celebrate their personal victories—whether it’s overcoming challenges, improving health, or building resilience.
GENNADY GOLOVKIN meets with his national Olympic committee president counterpart, Philippine Olympic Committee head Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, during the Paris Olympics.
RAPH TRINIDAD has consistently been making the podium on the global stage.
How modern disaster preparedness protects my tribe
“As typhoons grew stronger,” writes Analyn, a young Indigenous woman, “our tribe realized that tradition alone wasn’t enough to protect us”
An essay by a Plan International Pilipinas youth advocate
SEPTEMBE 29, 2024
FROM MANILA TO PARIS
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
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DO you ever find yourself in the middle of life’s transitions— caught between where you’ve been and where you’re going, trying to make sense of it all?
Muriel Gonzales, the rising artist known as Muri, knows this feeling well. In her debut extended play (EP) 11ème, she brings listeners along on her journey of self discovery and reflection on the challenges of adapting to a new life.
Through each track, Muri explored themes of growth, adaptation, and the emotional tug-of-war between the past and the present.
“I think again, it’s like the music is an outlet to get out of the negativity… the song becomes a record of that in time,” she shared with SoundStrip.
Muri’s journey to Paris began before the pandemic, when she set off to pursue a master’s degree in business. It might sound like an easy adventure, but the reality of spending years in a place away from home was far more complex.
Amidst uncertainty, Muri discovered refuge in making music. Writing songs became an avenue for her to process her experiences and emotions, and find a sense of belongingness in a city that felt foreign.
“Especially being abroad. Parang, okay, ano bang ginagawa ko dito? A Filipina in Paris… So I think music was like, okay. This is why I am here,” she said.
Finding individuality
PRIOR to becoming a solo artist, Muri was first part of the six-piece indie band The Ransom Collective (or more commonly known as Ransom) where she played the violin.
Ransom first gained public attention in 2014 when it won first place at the Wanderband, a competition organized by Karpos Multimedia. This victory allowed the band to perform at the renowned Wanderland Music Festival, marking the start of their popularity in the local scene.
Spending years performing with Ransom, Muri admitted that finding her own footing in the music industry became somehow hard as she transitioned from being a band member to a soloist.
“It was difficult because you’re learning everything on your own. Parang all the decisions are yours, you can’t hide behind anyone. You can’t consult people,” she said.
But at the same time, stepping into the world of solo artistry also helped
Muri shares a snapshot of her world in ‘11ème’
Muri unlock a sense of self discovery within her. She now gets to explore more the different musical paths that she could pursue.
“It was like listening to what I want to try and then actually let go of my process and journey. To take in new things and let go of some old things. Then find your voice again,” the Parisbased artist said.
For Muri, this reinvention wasn’t just about changing her sond—it was more of embracing who she truly is. She found a way to turn her experiences and even vulnerabilities into something beautiful.
“Swapping music is an extension of yourself. When you take something new, you change. You’re always discovering new sides of you,” she explained.
Today, Muri’s music leans towards being soulful and jazz as the baseline. Her tracks are often experimental— starting with a certain tone but taking unexpected turns as the song progresses.
A reflection of the introspection she experienced throughout the years.
Embracing Filipino roots
DESPITE being away from the Philippines, Muri shared that she actually felt more connected to her roots when she started to live overseas.
“I looked for my Filipinones in the people around me. Being abroad made me proud to show who I am in my music,” she said.
The artist also credited the strong Filipino community in Paris. According to her, their support has been her source of encouragement to pursue
music in a foreign land.
Muri has been performing in the City of Love for quite some time now. From the annual fete de la musique to indepence day shows, the Filipina artist is steadily making her mark on the European music scene.
Her homage to her roots is best captured in her standout track, Story, which explores how her connection to her identity deepened through memories of her ancestors.
“This all makes sense why I am here… It’s finding my own story as I go along. It’s owning my story and finding strength from the people before me,” she said.
No stopping
WITH her new found strength, Muri is determined to keep creating music and sharing her talent on a global level.
“I always like to push myself further and try new things. That always comes with consequences but I try to emerge out of that. I think something could always end up coming out of it,” she said.
Muri shared she aims to further explore her songwriting in Filipino, incorporate the violin into more of her tracks, and even delve into other music scenes like those in London.
“I think my next goal is London because I think it’s such a big creative scene. Language is also one thing and I think anyone will be embraced for their story there,” she said.
As she embarks on the next chapter of her career, Muri’s Filipino upbringing will always be a part of her—a reminder of what and where she once was.
Muri’s 11ème is now available on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Music.
MURI. Photos: Nicky Aureo
HOW PEPE SMITH MADE MONEY
But not from royalties
LAST week, I discussed the circumstances that led to Yano’s getting a 12-percent royalty rate from its self-titled debut album, released in 1994 on Alpha Records, which translated to P350,000 from first-quarter sales alone, on top of the P300,000 advance that Arthur “Judge Dredd” Pimentel and I, as the band’s managers, negotiated.
In just one year, Yano made lots more money from gigs than they could imagine. But things came to a head when egos clashed and I decided to quit, and Arthur followed suit.
We had another talent to handle, and this one was more complicated: Pepe Smith.
There were three major phases in Pepe’s music career — his stint with the band Eddie Reyes and D’ Downbeats in the 1960s, highlighted by a performance as one of the front acts at the Beatles’July 4, 1966 concert at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium; his years with Juan dela Cruz (JDLC), whose seminal albums defined Pinoy Rock in the ’70s; and his comeback as a solo artist after being freed from jail in 1994.
I got involved with Pepe when the owners of ’70s Bistro asked my help to find him for “Bistro sa Amoranto: Tugtugan Pamorningan,” a big concert they were mounting at the Amoranto Stadium.
As it turned out, Pepe had been languishing at the Quezon City Jail for 17 months on drug charges. When I visited him, he told me he had a good chance
to be acquitted, but then his lawyer unfortunately died, which meant his case could drag.
And that was when lawyer Wijohn Reyes of the ’70s Bistro group volunteered to take up his case, pro bono.
Pepe was still in jail when “Tugtugan Pamorningan” happened, but he would walk free a few months later.
At the promulgation of his case, the judge was annoyed when then Jingle Magazine graphic artist Romy Buen and I yelled and clapped in response to the “not guilty” verdict on Pepe.
Hours later, while celebrating his newfound freedom with Pancit Malabon at my sister’s restaurant, I told Pepe, who was then 47: “Piyaps, you’re an aging rock star, but I’ll help manage your career starting today.”
Low-hanging fruit
UPON checking Pepe’s JDLC album contracts with Vicor Records, I told Arthur the numbers weren’t good, something like “P1.50”for every album sold, presumably to be divided among the band’s three members including Wally Gonzalez and Mike Hanopol.
We didn’t want to renegotiate contracts, and would rather go for the low-hanging fruit: gigs.
Pepe’s first gig, with guitarist Jun Lopito, bassist Johnny Besa, and drummer Harley Alarcon at Club Dredd, grossed P35,000 — a princely sum in those days.
Managing Pepe was no walk in the park. With zero income and about six dependents including his then domestic partner Rose, their three kids, plus two more children from Rose’s previous marriage, Pepe depended on me.
Every week, he would send one of his daughters to get food from my sister’s eatery, charged to my account.
Motivating Pepe to write new songs was difficult. “Do it in blues style, Piyaps, kayang-
kaya mo yan,” I would tell him. I felt like teaching an old dog new tricks.
Let’s do a Pepe/JDLC tribute album, I told Arthur. Something like the Eraserheads covering “Titser’s Enemi No. 1,”Yano with “Divisoria,” and so on. Pepe can also sing with the young artists. The Eheads, upon prodding by its then manager Ann Angala, submitted a demo. But the project didn’t take off.
‘Sabado Nights’
AN opportunity to earn cash came when San Miguel Beer (SMB) launched its“Sabado Nights”campaign, with Rizal Underground’s Stephen Lu singing the campaign jingle. On close listen, we noticed the first four bars of the jingle were similar to, if not directly lifted from, the intro to JDLC’s “Mamasyal sa Pilipinas,” which featured Pepe on vocals.
Stephen helped us get through SMB’s advertising agency. Pretty soon, an executive from McCannErickson talked to me, and the “Sabado Nights” producer, Rene Garcia (of Hotdog fame) came to see us with a plan: Pepe will record his own version of the commercial and get paid P40,000.
Pepe did a lousy job but got paid anyway.
ONE day, ABS-CBN called to book Pepe as a guest on “Palibhasa Lalake.” When we arrived on the set, Joey Marquez had an electric guitar and was playing the intro to the Doobie Brothers’“Long Train Runnin’”. Richard Gomez also brought his own guitar and played some notes for Pepe to hear.
Pepe got paid a small amount, but the TV exposure would pave the way for more guest stints, and, years later, his own show with his kids called “The Smiths” on TV5.
Bigger money came when Pepe’s former manager, Loloy Fuentebella, managed to swing a deal for a gig at Music Museum with cash sponsorship from his office that distributed Absolut Vodka. Pepe was paid P180,000.
The following day, I persuaded Pepe to open a bank account and deposit at least P100,000. The bank manager turned out to be a fan and took only minutes to facilitate everything.
But the following month or so, the money was gone, or shall we say, it partly “went up in smoke” since Pepe had not given up his vices.
Which was the reason I soon had to quit as manager, since I also fell into the sex-drugs-rock-’n’-roll hole that was prevalent in the scene.
Red Horse
BUT the thing about Pepe is, there were always people who would help him. One of them was Bryan Garcia, who took over as Pepe’s manager. Bryan succeeded where I failed: Sign Pepe to a lucrative endorsement deal with San Miguel’s Red Horse Beer.
For many years, Pepe made big bucks from that deal, which was said to be worth P3 million annually. It got to a point where it seemed San Miguel would keep him as an artist for life.
When the contract ended, and Bryan quit as manager, Pepe plodded on. But things got ugly. He suffered from successive strokes, which left him with a speech impediment.
When optometrist Nella Sarabia texted me to say Pepe might be going blind from cataract, I had to help him again. Ophthalmologist Noel Jusay Lacsamana treated him for free, and Pepe was like a child seeing the world with bright eyes. That was a few days before he turned 71 on December 25, 2018.
Just more than a month later, on January 28, 2019, Pepe was dead. Rose called me and recalled what happened. Pepe was strumming his guitar at about 5 a.m. on that day when he complained of difficulty in breathing. It was too late when he was rushed to the hospital.
There was one curious detail in Rose’s recollection: Pepe had gone missing and did not go home for several days before he died.
Did he party too hard in the days leading to his demise?
In any case, the good news is, he managed to record an all-originals album,“Idiosyncrasies,”with Lopito and Dondi Ledesma, released on Alpha, the same label of Yano. Pepe had complained of problems with Alpha regarding the album deal.
Nonetheless, it’s on Spotify.
PEPE Smith at Club Dredd Edsa with Yano guitarist Eric Gancio and drummer Nonong Timbalopez. Photo by Gil Nartea
PEPE Smith. Photo by Gil Nartea
ACQUITTED: Pepe Smith spends first night upon release from jail in 1994 at ‘70s Bistro with (from left) then Bistro Manager Renard Bartolome, Yano’s Dong Abay, and Pepe’s lawyer Wijohn Reyes. Photo by Gil Nartea
How modern disaster preparedness protects my tribe
“As
typhoons grew stronger,” writes Analyn, a young Indigenous woman, “our tribe realized that tradition alone wasn’t enough to protect us”
by Analyn, 25, Occidental mindoro Plan International Pilipinas youth advocate
(Editor’s note: The first of a two-part series, this essay is written by a young Indigenous woman who takes the lead in organizing disaster risk reduction activities to protect her tribe from storms. Analyn is a youth advocate of Plan International Pilipinas, an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and promotes equality for girls.)
my name is Analyn, 25 years old from the Alangan tribe in Occidental mindoro. I grew up in a remote part of the island, where we, Indigenous people (Ip), learned to live harmoniously with nature.
We relied on the land for food, the mountains for shelter, and the wisdom of our elders for guidance. But as I grew older, I realized that the world was changing fast, and we needed to adapt—especially when it came to disaster preparedness.
In my community, we have always relied on traditional early warning signs to predict when a typhoon is coming. Our elders taught us to observe the clouds and the wind. When the clouds move eastward, we know that a storm is approaching. To alert everyone, they strike bamboo sticks together, a sound that tells us it’s time to prepare, to leave our homes, and head to safer ground.
But it wasn’t always like this. I still remember when my people stayed in their homes even when storms approached. We thought we could weather the storms like we always had, but as typhoons grew stronger, we realized we needed more than just tradition to keep us safe. That’s when Plan International Pilipinas stepped in.
I started attending disaster risk reduction and management seminars organized by them. Through these seminars, I learned that preparedness wasn’t just about reacting when the rains fall—it was about knowing what to do long before a typhoon hit.
We were taught to prepare in advance, store food and essentials and have an evacuation plan in place. These gave us the knowledge we needed to survive.
As a member of our Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee, I now help spread the word in our community when a typhoon is coming. Combining the knowledge from the seminars with our traditional practices makes us stronger. For example, we clear out potential hazards, like trees that could be uprooted during heavy downpours. While we still listen to the elders and observe nature, we also monitor weather forecasts and make sure our families are prepared days before a storm arrives.
Aside from this, I contribute to my community’s resilience in other ways. I create balanan or bugyas, baskets made from rattan strips, which we use to carry essentials during evacuations. Crafting these baskets not only helps during disasters but also preserves our heritage. It’s important for me to keep our traditions alive, even as we adapt to the challenges of modern life.
I’m one of the first women from my tribe to attend college. I’m currently in my fourth year studying BS Tourism Management. It hasn’t been easy—my older sister and the
community support me by contributing to my school expenses, and I take turns with other students to cover the costs of our daily needs.
My journey hasn’t been a smooth path. I lost my parents when I was young—my mother passed away when I was seven, and my father while I was studying in Tarlac. But I pushed through, determined to make something of myself and give back to my community.
Being a young Indigenous woman has opened my eyes to the realities and inequalities of the world. In our tribe, boys were sent to school while girls were expected to stay at home, take care of
munity. Today, I’m determined to finish my studies and build a future where I can support my siblings and give them the life we’ve always dreamed of.
On this International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, I am inspired to make my dreams come true: to become a successful businesswoman and help my family. I want to give back to my siblings who sacrificed so much for me, and to help other girls realize that no dream is too big if you have the determination to achieve it. For my fellow young girls, I say: no college course is easy, but with perseverance and hard work, we can change our futures and the lives of our families.
Disaster preparedness, education, and culture—these are the things that shape my life. As a proud member of the Alangan tribe, I carry with me the traditions of my people, while also embracing the modern tools and knowledge that will help us survive and thrive in a changing world. I know that with every step I take, I’m paving the way for the next generation of Indigenous women, proving that we can do anything we set our minds to.
n Plan International Pilipinas celebrates the International Day of the Girl Child annually on October 11 to bring the world’s attention to the realities and lived experiences of girls and young women. This year, the organization’s campaign in the Philippines centers on the theme “Girls in Conflict and Crisis,” shedding light on the unique vulnerabilities of girls affected by conflicts and disasters. Analyn’s story is part of a broader initiative to launch the Girls in Crisis campaign in Luzon and Visayas. Next week, an essay from Sanira, who celebrates her Maranao cultural heritage as part of a local cultural dance group, following the Marawi siege in 2017 that displaced her family. Her story launches the Girls in Conflict campaign in Mindanao.
‘while we still listen to the elders and observe nature, we also monitor weather forecasts and make sure our families are prepared days before a storm arrives.’
the family, and help with farming. But, through the Plan International Pilipinas seminars I attended, I learned that men and women have equal potential. This realization was empowering, not just for me but for other women in my com -
n Analyn’s last name is withheld for security and privacy matters. She wrote this essay with Pauline Gutierrez, a contributor to BusinessMirror and a Campaigns and Youth Engagement Specialist for Plan International Pilipinas.
A senior Bs Tourism Management student, Analyn is one of the first women from the Alangan tribe in occidental Mindoro to attend college. As Plan international Pilipinas prepares to celebrate the annual international Day of the Girl on october 11, Analyn reaffirms her dream of becoming a successful businesswoman to be able to help her family. Cover and inside photos from plan international pilipinas
CURATED CULINARY DELIGHTS FOR YOUR DREAM WEDDING IN CEBU
By Nicole Paler
Celebrations, particularly weddings, debuts, and the like are memorable experiences we cherish.
and celebrations fair of NUSTAR Resort Cebu, Chef Martin Rebolledo, and Pastry Chef Rolando Macatangay recently provided brides and grooms-to-be a chance to elevate that piece of their happiness through a culinary showcase. Dubbed Cassiopeia's Feast, the course was a taste of luxurious ingredients and impeccable techniques. Each plate reflected NUSTAR's wedding packages—Stella, focused on international cuisine, Aurora on western, Celeste with a mix of Chinese, Thai, and Indian cuisine, plus Luna which showcased the Filipino Culinary Heritage. The desserts section was also really impressive and extensive, with items like Coffee Caramel Kahlua Pralines, Espresso Tiramisu Savoiardi, and more that looked really cute and were executed with great technique.
The arrangement of the hall was a promise of the great flavors that come out of NUSTAR Resort's kitchens, as headed by Chef Martin. Our plate was filled with a couple of bites of each dish in the wedding package. Cebuano culture is heavily related to food. They love to celebrate their roots and the history or nostalgia of traditional Filipino flavors that they find comfort in. Chef Martin translated this love into the Luna Package, heavily focused on Filipino Culinary Heritage.
When I got to taste his version of the beef kare-kare, a classic Filipino stew with a rich peanut sauce, it was elevated to new heights. It is hearty and indulgent, with peanut sauce that has more depth than the usual ones you can get at restaurants. Its flavor was balanced with the umami given by the bagoong (shrimp paste).
The Luna package also includes Pork
TMechado and Ginataang Sitaw and Kalabasa, a coconut-based dish with string beans, squash, and shrimp, offering a sweet and savory flavor.
Cebuanos are known for their love of coconut milk, often using it in vegetable dishes like Ginisang Munggo. Stella's menu is well-rounded, offering something for everyone. The Malaysian beef rendang is rich and savory, with tender beef in spiced coconut gravy, while the barbecued pork spareribs have a smoky, savory depth. There was also baked salmon Florentine on the menu, which paired delicate, flaky salmon with a creamy sauce on a bed of spinach, which brought a sense of indulgence to the dish. The stir-fried vegetables with mushrooms are fullbodied with savory flavors. Aurora's plate was focused on western
cuisine, with a refined twist. The herb-rubbed chicken was surprisingly fresh, with a zesty lemon citrus and thyme marinade that gave brightness to the whole menu of Aurora. It was light on the taste but absolutely filling, if ever were to have a full serving.
The Celeste package brings together the best of Chinese, Thai, and Indian cuisine, offering bold, vibrant flavors that are sure to excite the palate. Lamb Rogan Josh that was included in the plate and a staple of Indian cuisine, had a rich taste. That was due to the tender lamb being simmered in fragrant curry and infused with spices like cinnamon. The deep-fried mahi mahi was a nice surprise to the package as it was fresh too with its sweet mango chili sauce.
Chef Martin specializes in personalized menus, tailoring each dish to match the couple’s
tastes. In collaboration with Pastry Chef Rolando Macatangay, they offer curated menu packages that provide a glimpse of your special day, from appetizers to desserts.
Chef Martin's touch is not just evident with NUSTAR's events, but also within premiere restaurants in the resort. You have Fina, a place to dine with family for your favorite Cebuano and Filipino Dishes, with standout dishes like their Lechon Belly with an extra crispy skin and a sweet and slightly lemony taste, with the Inihaw na Pusit (Grilled Stuffed Squid) that was perfect with the meat being tender with a smoky taste among the umami from its stuffing.
And if you want to try out the luxurious Mott 32, one of the most awarded Chinese restaurant brands in the world, then your road will definitely lead to NUSTAR Resort. I had their sig-
nature Smoked Black Cod, and it was a feast for all the senses. The feast starts with your nose from the smoke of apple wood chips, that enveloped the black cod filets that were covered in a light batter and fried, then tossed over in a sauce with five spices among others. Another must-try in Mott 32 is the Braised Eggplant in minced pork. It was a heavenly balance of flavors, as the eggplant soaks up a savory, slightly sweet sauce, and the minced pork gives a hearty, umami-packed bite. The dish has a perfect balance of salty, sweet, and spicy flavors, with a nice contrast between the soft eggplant and the meaty pork. Big or small celebration, or if you just want to expand your tastes and horizon without going out of the country, you should definitely think about tasting some of the specialties in Cebu that are within NUSTAR Resort.
everyday dining experience with these
The Stella Plate from the Culinary Expo
Mott 32’s Braised Eggplant and Minced Pork Fina Lumpiang Shanghai Fina Seafoods Plate
Chef Rolando Macatangay, NUSTAR Resort Cebu Pastry Chef
Mott 32’s Smoked Black Cod
Mott 32’s Hot and Sour Soup
The Aurora Plate Fina Lechon Belly
Chef Martin Rebolledo, NUSTAR Resort Cebu Executive Chef
Wine Dine&
M Bakery’s first PHL café offers a taste of New York with a local twist
Text and photos by
John Eiron R.
Francisco
ORLD-FAMOUS M Bak-
Wery, known for its iconic cupcakes and indulgent desserts, has unveiled its first cafe concept in the Philippines that offers a menu specially crafted for Filipino tastes and locally inspired flavors. Stewart Ong, Managing Partner of Phil Jacobe Ventures, Inc., told BusinessMirror that desserts, including sweets and pastries, are a staple in Filipino dining, often
SEATTLE’S Best Coffee is thrilled to announce the launch of its latest Brownie Javakula collection, adding an irresistible twist to the fan-favorite Brownie Javakula. With the introduction of three delectable new creations, brownie lovers and coffee enthusiasts alike are in for a treat that promises to elevate their indulgence to a whole new level. The Classic Brownie Javakula, known for its rich and creamy blend of coffee-based mix, vanilla syrup, brownie bits, whipped cream, dark chocolate sauce, and more brownie bits, has long been a favorite among Seattle’s Best Coffee customers. Now, the brand is claiming brownie supremacy with the unveiling of three new enticing variations:
sought after for lunch, snacks, and dinner. He noted that bakeries hold a cherished spot in Filipino culture, as cakes are traditional centerpieces for celebrations like birthdays and other special occasions.
With its strategic location in the emerging business district of Bridgetowne at Opus Mall in Ortigas, their first-ever cafe concept offers an ideal space for professionals to unwind with coffee during the week, while also serving as a welcoming spot for families to gather on weekends.
Despite the competitive café market in the area, Ong is confi-
dent that their commitment to high quality premium ingredients will maintain their standards and distinguish them from others.
Some ingredients that cannot be sourced locally are imported from the US and Italy to ensure the highest quality.
“I think what sets us apart is a lot of the ingredients that we use are fresh,” he said.
“We don’t use flavorings or concentrates. We use real calamansi (small, round citrus fruit native to the Philippines) and natural ube (purple yam),” he added. With more people becoming health-conscious,
the bakery emphasizes that their products are made with all-natural, fresh ingredients and no preservatives. Moreover, to maintain the freshness and quality of their products, M Bakery chooses to bake in small batches rather than massproducing. This approach ensures a more personalized and premium experience, which aligns with their brand’s emphasis on excellence and craftsmanship.
Filipino Flair at M Bakery Café KIRAN Shetty, the M Bakery Café Corporate Chef, said that the café
introduces exclusive creations featuring beloved local ingredients like calamansi and ube, giving classic American desserts a distinct Filipino twist.
They have swapped key lime for calamansi, a change that Vice President for Franchise Operations Erick Larrios personally prefers due to its distinctive flavor.
Larrios mentioned that during the bakery’s development phase six years ago, they discovered the distinct appeal of calamansi. Although making halaya (boiled and mashed purple yam) is a labor-intensive process, with a dedicated staff
member ensuring the use of fresh ube and calamansi, it continues to be a key highlight of their Philippine offerings.
While they would like to bring this menu abroad, challenges related to sourcing and volume requirements make it difficult, leading them to decide not to export halaya to their New York locations. Additionally, the menu is intended to be exclusive to the Philippine market, as they want each international franchise to have its own unique identity in terms of offerings.
Tempting new treats M BAKERY Cafe expands their menu with exciting new additions like ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, desserts à la mode, and loaded dessert jars, complementing their well-loved bestsellers and fan favorites.
Patrons can enjoy a diverse selection of ice cream flavors such as vanilla bean, chocolate, and strawberry, specialty flavors like pistachio, banana hazelnut, and lychee sorbet, as well as unique choices like fruit and nut, ube with white chocolate, banana with chocolate hazelnut, and burnt butter. New signature flavors, including ruby chocolate and banana pudding, offer an extra touch of indulgence. For a decadent treat perfect for sharing, try the Loaded Jars, which are packed with flavor. Options include Ube White Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Lovers, Roasted Strawberry, Apple Pie, and Ruby Chocolate.
The café’s Coffee Series features an array of espresso-based drinks, such as Caramel Macchiato, Chocnut Latte, Campfire Latte, Cinnamon Oat Dolce Latte, Peppermint Latte, Tres Leches Latte, Tablea Espresso Latte, and Lotus Biscoff Latte. Non-espresso drinks like English Breakfast Tea Latte and Matcha Green Tea Latte, as well as the Babyccino for kids, are also available.
Exclusive to the M Bakery Café are signature offerings like the Coffee Affogato and a range of skillet desserts including Sea Salt Caramel Skillet, Chocolate Chunk Skillet, Double Fudge Skillet, and Apple Crumb Skillet.
By John Eiron R. Francisco
Cream Cheese Brownie Javakula: An iceblended drink made with a coffee-based mix, vanilla syrup, and brownie bits, topped with luscious cream cheese giving the perfect balance of sweetness and mild tanginess that’ll surely make your day more refreshing.
Walnut Brownie Javakula: An ice-blended delight featuring a coffee-based mix, brownie walnut syrup, and brownie bits, crowned with whipped cream for a nutty, creamy, and crunchy experience.
Blondie Javakula: This refreshing blend combines a coffee-based premix, vanilla syrup, and blondie bits, topped with whipped cream and garnished with even more blondie bits, offering a delightful twist on the classic brownie. The chewy and fudgy brownie bits per-
fectly blended with Seattle’s Best Coffee beans and flavorful syrups create a refreshing indulgence perfectly blended for the guests’ delight.
Seattle’s Best Coffee invites all coffee lovers to experience these exciting new creations and celebrate the joy of brownies in every sip. Whether you’re a fan of the classics or eager to try something new, the Brownie Javakula collection promises to satisfy your cravings and keep you coming back for more.
The new Brownie Javakula collection is available at all Seattle’s Best Coffee locations for a limited time only. Don’t miss out on the chance to indulge in these mouthwatering, coffee-infused treats that are sure to become your new favorites.
Philippines. Originally a modest wings joint, BWNT has expanded into a nationwide chain, renowned for its authentic signature flavors that are accessible to all Filipinos.
choices, including options for vegetarians,” Chef Max Lee, the Vice Chairperson of BWNT told the BusinessMirror.
The restaurant features its signature Champion Buffalo Wings, available in a variety of unique flavors. While many of the popular appetizers from the other 37 locations are also offered here, this branch introduces new items, including pasta dishes, sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers like popcorn shrimp and onion rings, with more items expected soon.
The management plans to introduce limited-time offers and quarterly specials. Breakfast options will be added in the near future.
Since its inception in 2009, BWNT has transformed from a small diner in Ortigas Home Depot into a cherished name for American comfort food throughout the
In a significant shift, the company transitioned to new ownership under G2G All Spice Eatery Group, Inc. last year. This restaurant group aims to enhance the Filipino dining experience by introducing a diverse range of exceptional concepts.
With a strong commitment to community, quality, and excellence, G2G All Spice Eatery Group is dedicated to raising the standards of the food and beverage industry.
To complement BWNT, they plan to introduce two new international brands to the Philippines: Dickey’s BBQ Pit, a franchise from Dallas, Texas, known as one of the most iconic barbecue restaurants in the U.S. since its establishment in 1941, and Rangoon Ruby, which will be introduced shortly.
“That will be a great starting point for these two new brands in 2025,” the restaurant chain president concluded.
Beyond the expanded menu, the bakery aims to deliver a perfect customer experience by replicating the sensory ambiance of a New York bakery. From the moment customers step in, they are greeted with the familiar aroma and visual appeal of a classic New York bakery.
Additionally, according to Mihn Quyen Ngo, the Director for Franchise Training, customer service is a priority, with staff extensively trained to deliver an exceptional service level.
She believes this training emphasizes not only technical knowledge and proficiency but also interpersonal skills, ensuring that every interaction is courteous, responsive, and tailored to individual customer needs.
Global sweet success M BAKERY’S expansion into the Philippines is part of a broader growth strategy that includes additional locations in the Middle East and Asia.
Larrios expressed gratitude for the global acclaim M Bakery has garnered since its inception in 1996 at a modest storefront on Bleecker Street in New York’s West Village. The bakery’s iconic desserts, beloved by loyal customers, have benefitted from significant pop culture exposure, including a notable feature in “Sex and the City,” which helped propel the brand to international fame.
In the Philippines, M Bakery opened its first store at One Bonifacio High Street in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in 2018. It now operates additional locations at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell Center, Makati; Mitsukoshi in BGC; and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. Plans are underway to open new stores in the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila to further expand their presence.
The counter at M Bakery Café at their newest store in Opus Mall Bridgetowne.
A showcase of M Bakery Café’s goodies.
Pudding
Skillets
Wine Dine&
French dining in Cubao, anyone?
By Rory Visco Contributor
IF you have ample time to spend on a lazy yet bright weekday afternoon, why not devote it to experience authentic yet affordable French dining bistro style right at the heart of Quezon City?
Yes, the Cubao area, in particular. Nestled at the 5th floor of the newly opened iBis Styles Hotel along General Roxas Avenue at the constantly redeveloping Araneta City, Le Bistro will definitely take your heart away and lets you forget your name for a moment as you partake of their incredible and delectable menu offering.
“There’s a utilitarian feel to it but the elegance remains because of the overall black finish; a truly modern bistro, with matching leather-like placemats and other table implements to complement the bistro’s black-and-white interior,” explains Gian Roldan, the Food and Beverage Manager at iBis Styles, who provided the BusinessMirror with a short tour of Le Bistro.
French street café vibe THERE is much to admire, both inside and out. There are also tables outside the restaurant to give that French street café vibe, even if you are on the 5th floor. There, diners get to enjoy the Cubao skyline while partaking of exquisite French cuisine, from croissants to Pâté
de Campagne, Escargots, Niçoise salad, Bouillabaisse, the crêpes aux champignons, and more. And what’s a bistro without coffee (locally sourced from Cavite and Benguet but all roasted in Laguna) and exceptional teas (Dilmah provided by a local distributor), plus a curated selection of wines from Italy and France, premium spirits, signature cocktails, and a whole lot more. When looking for light yet scrumptious lunch fare or a pleasing-to-the-palate multi-course dinner, Le Bistro certainly has it. So why choose to offer French cuisine at iBis Styles, plus in an area such as Cubao? “France has a really rich culture when it comes to food, and we wanted to showcase French culture here in the Philippines, which is really more into Spanish and Chinese,” Felicia Aye Chan Mon, Resident Manager at iBis Styles, pointed out. Roldan also emphasized that when iBis Styles was put up, the Araneta Group wanted to have the first French restaurant in the area to remain aligned with its “City of Firsts” tag. Aside from that, a star
element at Le Bistro is its Victoria Arduino Venus vertical coffee machine, with its glistening copper body, which reportedly costs a whopping P1.8 million. Apparently, although unconfirmed yet, this machine is perhaps only one of two machines present in the country, according to Roldan, and they have not yet heard of any other place that has the other one.
Dry-ageing cabinet HE IS also ecstatic about Le Bistro’s dry-aged striploin and the tenderloin steaks, where the dry-
ageing process happens at one of their dry-ageing cabinets found at strEATs, iBis Styles’s all-day dining ( buffet or a la carte) restaurant, about a few steps away from Le Bistro, also at the fifth floor. The meat is dry-aged for a minimum of 28 days, or even more sometimes, he said. Their steak comes with creamy mashed potato cooked Robuchon style, which is really more on butter, and glazed carrots.
“For dry ageing, all the seasonings are placed around the meat, and heat is constantly applied with-
out cooking it but just to preserve it so the flavors and the fats are retained. The yield may be a bit smaller but this is because it absorbs all the flavors from the seasoning so that it gives out a really nice and deep flavor and taste. And the best part is that ours are still very affordable” he explained.
And still, being in an area known as the “City of Firsts,” Le Bistro’s Soupe D’ Oignons (French Onion Soup) is perhaps the first onion soup of its kind that takes about six hours to cook. According to Chef Rhenner Alair, the onions are
caramelized very slowly, then beef broth is added to make it really savory, coupled with gruyere cheese, plus home-made focaccia bread.
It’s really hard to find genuine French food that’s not only delicious but also light on the wallet. Well, Le Bistro at iBis Styles Hotel gives them both. And it’s in Cubao, Quezon City, which is slowly but surely regaining its old glory as a lifestyle destination in the metro. Le Bistro is located on the 5th floor of iBis Styles Hotel along General
EMBARK ON A CULINARY JOURNEY AT THE 2ND DAVAO FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
By Brian K. Ong
WHILE the Philippines hosted the first UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific last June 26 to 27, 2024, in Cebu, the country is now all geared up for the Davao Food and Wine Festival 2024. Dubbed “a festival like no other,” it brings together local stakeholders, chefs, and establishments in the culinary and hospitality industry to showcase Davao and regional cuisines and ingredients to both local and foreign guests and tourists. Now in its second year, the festival will run from October 4 to 27, 2024, and will feature events, tasting experiences, and kitchen takeovers, such as the “Coffee & Cacao Experience” at Abreeza, the “SM Street Food Collective,” and a three-hands dinner, “Discovery Degustation,” at Discovery Samal, among others.
Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort Collaborates with Roots’ Siargao for Island Flavors, A Culinary Collective
Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation, located in Davao de Oro, will host the opening of the Davao Food and Wine Festival with “Nurturing Roots: A Journey Through Davao’s Biodiversity,” a collaboration with ROOTS from Siargao. The resort will feature a sevencourse meal with wine pairing to kick off the Davao Food and Wine Festival 2024. On October 4, 2024, the serene shores of Lubi Plantation’s Tamsi Ballroom will transform into a gastronomic hotspot, showcasing the exquisite flavors and innovative techniques that have made ROOTS a culinary beacon in Siargao.
The exceptional dining experience begins the moment the Roots team sets its sights on local ingredients, carefully immersing themselves in the culture and local
resources. The collaboration will be a “culmination of team expression in culinary artistry.”
Expect a menu that highlights the rich tapestry of Davao Region flavors, while also introducing innovative twists that will surprise and delight. The seven-course menu, priced at P3,000 nett, will feature: “Roots and Dip,” “Tartar, Duck Egg, Davao Wild herbs,” “Bread and Butter,” “Our Ceviche,” “Lazy Raviolone (Crab),” “Wagyu and Mole,” and finally, a dessert called “Cacao and Lubi.” Roots, celebrated for its inventive approach to traditional Filipino cuisine, is set to bring a fresh burst of island flavors to Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Chefs Filippo, Ines, Marina, and Ricardo, the creative force behind Roots, are renowned for their skillful fusion of local ingredients with global culinary trends. This exclusive kitchen collaboration promises to be a feast for the senses, blending the rustic charm of Siargao with the elegant
setting of Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Additionally, as part of the festivities, Dusit Thani Davao will host “Chef’s Table: Benjarong Master Class,” featuring a farm-to-fire cooking experience by Chef Piya Suthasiri on October 8, 2024, and “A Fusion of East Meets West” on October 24, 2024.
SULÀ Spirits
Another gem from the Philippines that the world should know about is SULÀ Spirits, an all-natural liqueur crafted from the finest cacao, coconut, and coffee beans of the Philippines, which are already renowned for their exceptional quality worldwide.”
SULÀ Spirit’s Mark Daniel Rivera shares that their vision is “to elevate Filipino craftsmanship to the global stage.” He explains that they “aim to showcase the worldclass talent of our local farmers through a liqueur that reflects the quality of their cacao, coconut, and coffee.”
“The distinct flavors of SULÀ are anchored through the ethical sourcing of the finest natural ingredients—the creamy coconuts of San Pablo, Laguna, the robust coffee beans from Batangas, Benguet, Cavite, Quezon Province, and the aromatic cacao from Malagos, Davao uniquely contribute to the brand’s blends,” he adds.
Rivera says that “SULÀ Spirits is more than just a drink; it’s a celebration of Philippine heritage and a testament to the skill and dedication of our farmers.”
Currently, they offer three liqueurs: Coconut Liqueur, Coffee Liqueur, and Dark Chocolate Liqueur, which uses Davao’s smooth velvety cacao. Soon, they will be offering more liqueurs highlighting other Filipino flavors and ingredients.
SULÀ is one of the sponsors of the Davao Food and Wine Festival, and you can also find them on October 4, 2024 at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort during the Davao
Food and Wine Festival opening night, as they will be serving their cocktails. You can also catch them at these following events:
“Cacao and Coffee Experience at Abreeza Coffee & Cacao” with Tasting and Demos by SULA on October 5 to 6, 2024 (Mall Hours) “Palettes and Pairings: Conversations in Art, Food, & Cocktails at Galerie Raphael” with Bonbons by SULA x Cacao Culture and Cocktails by Sula on October 5, 2024, 5:30 PM
“Pilgrim Goes Wild: Rugged, Rustic, Open-Fire Cooking” with Chef Andrew Malarky and Chef Jeramie Go at Pilgrim with Cocktails by SULA on October 6, 2024, 4:00 PM
Gastronomy Tourism During the 3rd World Tourism Industry Conference (WTIC) and Business Luncheon in Korea this year, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco underscored the “pivotal role of gastronomy in tourism development and as a catalyst for economic growth and cultural exchange in the Asia Pacific Region.” Frasco noted that “food remains the top driver for travelers, reflecting a deeper trend towards authentic cultural experiences and economic support for local communities,” while gastronomy remains a priority in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 20232028, approved by the government. The plan highlights “the integration of food and gastronomy within cultural experiences, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of its rich heritage.”
We saw it in Metro Manila and Iloilo City, and now in Davao. Where to next?
The author is the Head of Public Relations for Hotel101 Group, the hospitality arm of DoubleDragon Cor-
operating Hotel101-Manila,
“Our Ceviche” – One of the featured dishes for the opening night of Davao Food and Wine 2024.
Sula’s Dark Chocolate Liquer
Megaworld Hotels and Resorts celebrate Ilonggo cuisine with a Muslim twist
By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
WHEN I received a call during the last week of August from Nico Velasquez, the Group Public Relations Head of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts (MHR), inviting me to fly to Iloilo for a weekend for LaMeza de Kultura which would showcase the creations of the chefs of their different hotels and those of two Indonesian guest chefs, I said yes right away.
I always enjoyed going to Iloilo during my past life when I helped set up one of the hospitals there. It was the food, yes the food, and the warmth of my Ilonggo colleagues that always made my stay enjoyable. Then, I used to stay in the hotels at the Smallville Complex. This time round, I had the opportunity to stay at Richmonde Hotel Iloilo where general manager Natalie Lim welcomed me with open arms. The top guns of MHR, led by Managing Director Cleofe Albiso, were all there that weekend of September 7 to 8, 2024. I later learned that they, together with their 13 executive chefs, were there to attend the 3rd MHR Culinary Conference
which this year was hosted by Richmonde Hotel Iloilo.
Commitment to innovation, inclusivity
In her message to the culinary conference attendees, Albiso pointed out that in alignment to MHR’s commitment to innovation and inclusivity, the MHR team is focused on making their hotels more Muslim friendly.
“This initiative reflects our broader goal in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, to attract and welcome more Muslim travelers to the Philippines and have them stay across any of our properties,” she said. “Through-
out this conference, you will gain valuable insights from experts and practitioners who excel in creating delightful moments for this important market segment.”
In my interview with Art Boncato, MHR Group General Manager, he pointed out that what MHR is undertaking now “is in pursuit of what we agreed with.” He added that “when MHR declared that it was going to be Muslim friendly, there was instant interest from many external markets.”
Halal kitchen
With 13 properties in the National Capital Region, Tagaytay, Cebu, Iloilo and Boracay, Boncato said they decided that it is going to be strategic to have at least one halal kitchen in all of these properties in those destinations.
“So, for example, when a market from Indonesia will go to Boracay and if they stay in our hotels, there is going to be halal food from our own kitchen. Same thing in Cebu and Manila. We already have two halal kitchens. Kingsford Hotel Manila already has a halal kitchen since it opened and Grand Westside Hotel, our biggest hotel, is going to process its certification already. Recently, our certification for the Savoy hotel hala kitchen has already been released as well,” he related.
He added that the Cebu properties will be getting theirs in the next couple of months. At the moment, they are working on Iloilo’s
certification. Even before the end of the year, all destinations where MHR are will have a halal kitchen.
As for the menu, Boncato said it was emphasized among the chefs during the culinary conference that halal food is not exclusively Middle Eastern Food. It could be Filipino cuisine without the pork and alcohol and done in a halal kitchen.
“We have a partner, Archipelago Hotels, who heard about our effects to become Muslim friendly and they sent a team over to give us tips on how to attract Muslim tourists,” he said.
Ilonggo cuisine
To give guests a sample of Muslim dishes, Chefs AS Widoe and Risam Sukmawan of Archipelago Hotel, the 13 MHR executive chefs came together to present their innovative interpretation of Ilonggo culinary traditions under LaMeza de Kultura.
That evening, I was seated with a group of journalists from Indonesia and together we sampled the special seven course Muslimfriendly tasting menu.
We started dinner with LapusLapus, a modern tribute to the Lumpiang Ubod that was inspired by the district of Lapuz. It consists of an egg karathong which is filled with ubod mousse paired with smoked shrimp tartare, rock sugar caviar and crispy garlic chips. This was topped of with a touch of Badiangina aragula. It was an interest-
ing way to start a meal as we had to spread the shrimp mixture onto the very crunchy karathong. Perhaps my favorite dish of the evening was the Inasal Tacos, a playful twist of the classic Chicken Inasal, which is nestled in a crisp-rice like sinanglag taco shell with soy pearls, blistered leeks, pickled vegetables and flavored with inasal BBQ sauce and tangy calamansi aioli. It was super crunchy and went well with the various flavors that was mixed with it. It was paired with the Inasal na Takaway that looked like the isaw sold in the streets.
My second favorite dish of the evening was the Molo which was a house made fishball that was transformed into a dumpling that was mixed with a sweet and sour veil and a sprinkle of garlic chive powder. It was like a ball of surprise because you didn’t know what to expect but it was delicious and I wouldn’t mind having another serving of this.
Coconut beef broth
Now this is where things got more interesting. The other tables were served La Paz, an elevated interpretation of the La Paz Batchoy.
Our table was served Soto Betawi. It’s a full-bodied coconut beef broth infused with aromatic herbs and served with potato croquette and vegetables. The combination of different textures and tastes truly woke up my palate.
After cleansing our palates
with the Guimaras, which featured mangoes that was served together with dragon fruit jam, bignay, kasuy bits and calamansi rind, we were served roasted lamb with spinach gratin tender potatoes and rich gulai sauce.
To be honest, I was jealous of the other tables because they were served lechon. But the lamb was cooked well. It was tender and went well with the gulai sauce. We were down to our last two dishes and the next dish was the elevated version of Kansi-Nilaga, a hearty dish that offers both warmth and flavor. For Mandurriao, we were served short ribs that was cooked for 48 hours and was accompanied by bone marrow langka mousse. And then there was this banana that was grilled. The langka mousse and the grilled banana went well with the short ribs when eaten all in one bite.
There will always be room for dessert. Our table was served the klepon, the traditional sweet rice cake made of palm sugar-filled rice ball updated with the addition of coconut pavlova and biscotti. We also had a second dessert, biscocho ice candy paired with pinagsugbo jam and biscocho streusel. What a delightful way to end the evening. If this is a preview of what MHR can offer to our Muslim tourists, they are on the right track. The hotel group has taken another step forward in its bid to attract the Muslim market.
Lapus-Lapus
Soto Betawi
The managerial and executive group of MHR headed by Managing Director Cleofe Albiso.
Guimaras Wheel Lamb Rack Spinach Au Gratin
Inasal Tacos, Inasal na Takway’ Molo’s Fishball
Kansi-Linaga
Bicocho x Pinagsugbo
By Pablo A. Tariman
Edited by Jose F. Lacaba
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Jose Mari Chan nena del rosario VillanueVa
Gilopez Kabayao
2 Sunday, September 29, 2024
The 2024 NaTioNal arTisT NomiNees for music
by Pablo A. Tariman
Three months after nominations for the Order of National Artists (ONA) closed last June 30, 2024, a new batch of future National Artists emerged.
The greatest number of nominees are in the Music category. First in line and most widely endorsed by netizens is pianist Cecile Licad whose nomination was greeted with the common observation: “It’s long overdue.”
Among the other nominees in Music are violinist Gilopez Kabayao, the late pianist Nena del Rosario Villanueva, conductor-composer Chino Toledo, Jose Mari Chan (popular pop music singer and
composer who wrote the country’s most famous Christmas carol), plus several posthumous musical greats.
Let’s hear from the organizations and their nominees.
CECIL LICAD
The Club Bulakenyo through its chairman of the board Danny Jacinto has nominated pianist Licad as its choice for National Artist for Music.
On her mother side, Licad comes from the Buencamino musical clan of San Miguel, Bulacan, the hometown of composer Nicanor Abelardo and National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario.
Club Bulakenyo pointed out that Licad has made music history by becoming the first Filipino to receive the Leventritt Gold Medal in New York, the same award that went to iconic artists eugene Istomin, Alexis Weissenberg, Gary Graffman, Van Cliburn, John Browning, Malcolm Frager, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.
The organization also noted Licad is the first Filipino pianist to work with distinguished orchestras and legendary conductors around the world—the Philadelphia Orchestra under eugene Ormandy, the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Claudio Abbado and Sir Georg Solti, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New Japan Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa, the Russian State Academy Orchestra under People’s Artist of Russia Mark Gorenstein, London Symphony Orchestra under Kurt Masur, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Andre Previn.
Moreover, Licad also played an unprecedented 18 concerts with the great composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davis conducting the Schottische Philharmonic throughout the United States, among others.
Distinguished New York-based music lecturer David Dubal in his radio show “The Piano Matters” referred to Licad as “the great Filipina piano artist who has perhaps the largest technical equipment and musical imagination of any
living pianist.”
Club Bulakeno further noted Licad embodies the country’s highest ideals in the humanities when she became recipient of the Presidential Medal of Merit by President Corazon C. Aquino for excellence in the arts and the Pamana ng Lahi award from President Benigno Aquino III.
Apart from being recipient of the Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining in the field of Music, she is the only Filipino pianist with a big body of recordings both in solo recitals and with famous orchestras around the world. “We believe Licad epitomizes the Filipino artistic achievement at the highest level whose performances were reviewed by distinguished music critics in Manila and around the world.
Club Bulakeno noted that Licad has shared her talents in nation-wide in wellreceived outreach concerts since age 14 in Zamboanga City, Dumaguete City, Iloilo City, Legazpi City, Naga City, Davao City. Nueva ecija, Tuguegarao City, Baguio City, and Roxas City, among others. Licad is also the first Filipino soloist of the London Symphony under Andre Previn to win the Grand Prix Du Disque from Poland’s Chopin Society for their recording of Chopin’s Piano concerto No. 2. PPO music director Gregorz Novak said working with Licad was an exhilarating experience. “She’s a brilliant pianist with perfect technique and command of the instrument, as well as a passionate musician whose interpretations move the orchestra and the audience.
GILOPEZ KABAYAO
A NOMINee in the Music category nominated by the Dinagyang Foundation, Inc is violinist Gilopez Kabayao (born
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Gilopez Kabayao
BusinessMirror
December 23, 1929). He debuted at the Carnegie Hall in New York on March 18, 1950 at the age of 19.
Kabayao comes a family of gifted musicians known for its family quintet through which he was able to carry on his musical crusade of holding public concerts and lecture-recitals in far-flung schools and communities.
He performed the Shostakovich Violin Concerto as a soloist with the New Zealand National Orchestra in New Zealand.
His transcriptions of 24 Philippine folk songs and kundimans gave way to virtuosic gems for violin and piano, enriching the violin literature of Filipino music.
Kabayao received the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines award in 1961, the Presidential Award of Merit in 1968, the President Ramon Magsaysay Award for Outstanding Public Service in 1972 and the Gawad CCP for Music in 2008.
NENA DEL ROSARIO VILLANUEVA
A NOTHeR nominee in the field of Music is the late pianist Nena del Rosario Villanueva who passed away in 2021.
She was given a birthday tribute last September 22 with a lecture on her musical life and times by Dr. Alegria Ferrer from the UP College of Music.
Like Licad, Villanueva was first taught by her mother, Gertrudis Hautea del Rosario, a student of MSO founder Alexander Lippay and a graduate of the UP Conservatory of Music.
An intense love affair with the piano during the war years made her an easy choice to play during the first Independence Day celebration in 1946.
It also resulted in her orchestral debut with the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Herbert Zipper and with the Quezon City Philharmonic under Maestro Ramon Tapales.
It wasn’t long before she became the first Filipina soloist of the famous Seiji Ozawa on his first visit in the country with the NHK Symphony.
Like Licad, Villanueva headed for the USA where she was accepted at the famous Curtis Institute of Music at age 11 under the tutelage of the eminent Russian pedagogue Isabelle Vengerova. She attended masterclasses with no less than the legendary Vladimir Horowitz and Abrams Chasin.
The first highlight of her Curtis years was winning a piano competition sponsored by the New York Times. That was her Carnegie Hall debut at age 12!
At age 15, she became finalist in the season’s “Musical Talent in Our Schools” series and returned to Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Igor Buketoff.
Her last concerts in Manila in the first decade of the new millennium were at the Francisco Santiago Hall and many times at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
JOSE MARI CHAN
The only pop composer and performer in the batch is the Filipino-Chinese singer Jose Mari Chan, reportedly nominated by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese
Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FFCCCI).
The FFCCC spokesperson Wilson Lee Flores—who owns a bakery and writes a business column in one of the dailies—pointed out the “King of Philippine Christmas Carols” deserved to be National Artist.
According to Flores, the FFCCCI has been pushing for Chan to be nominated
since 2022 when Chan received the FFCCCII Lifetime Achievement Award from his bakery’s “Pandesal Forum.”
Flores added the 79-year-old Chan has sold millions of copies of his albums, and is one of the best-selling Filipino recording artists of all time.
Jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions, the Order of National Artists aims to recognize Filipino artists who have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country.
It also aims to recognize Filipino artistic accomplishment at its highest level. It is a tribute to Filipino artists who have dedicated their lives to their works to forge new paths and directions for future generations of Filipino artists.
The next batch of National Artists will be known in May 2025 and to be proclaimed by the President of the Philippines in June 2025.
NeNa Del RosaRio VillaNueVa
Jose MaRi ChaN
4 Sunday, September 29, 2024
SM’S HanS “CHiCo” Sy, Jr. inSpireS
iloilo StudentS at eCo-foruM
“We’re SM, We live by your love.”
The Iloilo City Government and SM City Iloilo successfully hosted the annual eco-Forum, “People, Parks, Pavements, and Palate,” on September 6, 2024, at the mall’s Cinema 3.
Over 250 stakeholders, including environmental planners, government officials, and students, gathered to discuss sustainable practices aligned with the city’s vision of becoming a top-tier urban center.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas opened the forum, followed by discussions on sustainable tourism led by Negros Occidental Heritage Council Chairman Neil Solomon Locsin, sustainable transport, green sidewalks, and active mobility presented by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Supervising Economic Development Specialist Roxanne Yap, and sustainable solutions
and circular economy in the food industry by Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo Hotel Manager Gian Carlo Luna.
SM’s commitment to sustainability
SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Corporate Compliance Group and Head of Sustainability and Resilience Engr. Liza Silerio, showcased SM’s commitment to Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, with a particular focus on resilience. SM invests at least 10% of its capital in developing infrastructure that is both environmentally friendly and resilient to natural calamities.
“Imagine cities built to optimize resource allocation, reduce traffic congestion, and improve disaster preparedness. Imagine communities designed with green infrastructure that promotes walk-
ability, reduces the urban heat island effect, and enhances biodiversity,” said Ms. Silerio. “This is the future we can build if we fully embrace the idea of sustainable infrastructure and development.”
(L-R): Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas and SM Engineering and Design Development President Hans “Chico” Sy, Jr.
SM Engineering and Design Development President Hans “Chico” Sy, Jr. (center) connects with students in Iloilo at the Eco-Forum titled “People, Parks, Pavements, and Palate,” held at the SM City Iloilo Cinema.
Collaboration is key
The highlight of the forum was SM engineering and Design Development President hans “Chico” Sy, Jr., who took part in a fireside chat, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in achieving sustainability goals.
Reflecting SM's core values and principles that guide everything they do, Mr.
Sy amplified the importance of treating others with respect, echoing the golden rule.
he shared, “One of the things we really believe in is: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Sustainability at SM was never a fad or a trend. It was simply because we needed to do it. It was never something we had to force ourselves to do. It's deeply embedded in
our DNA.”
Mr. Sy expressed his admiration for Iloilo City's progress, noting the positive feedback from the business community. SM's investments, including a new National University (NU) branch, demonstrate their confidence in Iloilo's future.
As advice to the students, Mr. Sy also underlined the importance of mastery in one's chosen field. he said, "Be good
at what you want to lead in. You need to really know what you know. And you also have to anticipate that you might not know everything. That hunger for constant learning and testing yourself is key to that ability."
Mr. Sy concluded by focusing on the importance of collaboration. "If everyone were to help each other, I think we could go a long way as a country.”
SM Engineering and Design Development President Hans “Chico” Sy, Jr., a champion of public-private partnerships, highlights the power of collaboration in driving sustainable initiatives during a fireside chat.
SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Corporate Compliance Group and Head of Sustainability and Resilience, Engr. Liza Silerio, underscores SM’s dedication to Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Resiliency.
(L-R): Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo Hotel Manager Gian Carlo Luna, Negros Occidental Heritage Council Chairman Neil Solomon Locsin, SM Engineering and Design Development President Hans “Chico” Sy Jr., National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Supervising Economic Development Specialist Roxanne Yap, SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Corporate Compliance Group and Head of Sustainability and Resilience Engr. Liza Silerio, Iloilo City Architect Regina Gregorio, and moderator Dr. Vic Salas
6 Sunday, September 29, 2024
NBDB aNNouNces the graNtees for the first cycle of its traNslatioN suBsiDy Program for foreigN PuBlishers
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) announced the list of grantees for the first cycle of the Translation Subsidy Program for Foreign Publishers, a vital component in the country’s preparations as Guest of honour (Goh) at the 77th Frankfurter Buchmesse (FBM) in 2025, which will be held in Frankfurt, Germany on October 15-19, 2025.
The Translation Subsidy Program is a separate program designed for Philippine publishers.
The program is enhanced with the PhlGoH2025, an interagency collaboration between the NBDB, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.
Through the Subsidy Program, the agencies aim to increase the number of Philippine-authored books translated into foreign languages.
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
T H e Program seeks to introduce a sig -
nificant number of Philippine books to publishing markets around the world and foster an intensive cultural exchange between the Philippines’ diaspora communities and their host countries.
Ultimately, it aims to make Philippine books globally competitive as the country positions itself as the emerging content capital in Southeast Asia.
The National Book Development Board, the agency dedicated to the development of the book publishing industry and the promotion of Filipino authorship, takes the lead in the implementation of the Translation Subsidy Program.
Three subsidy cycles will be initiated
this 2024 to provide more opportunities for foreign publishers to discover Philippine titles and introduce them to their local markets.
A PhlGoH2025 Advisory Council will prioritize eligible and complete applications based on the relevance and importance of the work to be translated, feasibility and production schedule, production scale and distribution, and the applicants’ experience in translation projects and rights negotiations.
LARGEST BOOK TRADE FAIR
THe Frankfurter Buchmesse (FBM) is touted as the world’s largest trade fair for books and regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of regular and trade visitors from hundreds of countries worldwide.
As the GoH at the 77th Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Philippines will only be the second Southeast Asian country accorded such an honor after Indonesia in 2015.
This distinction also offers immense strategic, economic, political, and cultural importance, and likewise provides the Philippines with the unique opportunity
to showcase its literary and intellectual talent and garner attention from the global creative arena.
FIRST CYCLE GRANTEES
T He following are the grantees for the first cycle of the Translation Subsidy Program for Foreign Publishers: Ombra GVG Publishing House, Ana Pol Publication House, Transit Buchverlag GmbH, Hohe Publisher, Alfred Kröner Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing, Schüren Verlag GmbH, el Maraya for Culture and Arts, editorial Pretextos, Sonambulos ediciones, Gadim Gala Publishing, Kathalaya Inc. Pvt. Ltd., BBM Global, everbest Media Sdn Bhd ( eBM), Praphansarn Publishing Co. Ltd., Bookonomics Asia Sdn. Bhd., Lakes Arts Festivals, NDSP Books, Dantes Verlag, Dutch Venture Publishing, Good Reads Lanka.
For more information about the PhlGoH2025 and the Translation Subsidy Program, plus details on eligibility, criteria, and selection process, click https://books.gov.ph/GOHtranslationguidelines/.
OFFICIAL LIST: The Finalists of the 42nd National Book Awards
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) are proud to announce the finalists of the 42nd National Book Awards (NBA).
An annual prize that honors the most outstanding book titles written, designed, and
published in the Philippines, the National Book Awards celebrates the enterprising creative labor involved in book publishing. The 42nd National Book Awards coincides with the two-year preparation of the Philippines as it makes history as the second Southeast Asian country to be chosen as
Guest of h onour in 2025 at the world’s biggest book fair, the Frankfurter Buchmesse.
For this cycle of the National Book Awards, a total of 326 titles were submitted across 31 categories consisting of four languages: e nglish, Filipino, Bikol, and Ilokano. Following the
awarding of winners during the 41st cycle last February 2024, the 42nd iteration of the awards is set to be held in November 2024. Below is the full list of finalists for the 42nd National Book Awards.
