BusinessMirror April 16, 2023

PHL, US troops to spice up yearly ‘Balikatan’ exercise with live-fire drill, sinking of BRP Pangasinan

BLAST THAT SHIP: READY, AIM, FIRE!

By Rex Anthony Naval

FOR the first time in their 38-year history, Filipino and American forces participating in this year’s “Balikatan” (literally means shoulder-toshoulder) exercise will be using all their available weapons to bombard and sink a decommissioned World War II-era corvette this coming April 26.

Th is was confirmed by Col. Michael Logico, Executive Agent of Balikatan 2023 Philippines, shortly after the opening ceremonies of the annual Philippines and US military exercise held at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on Monday April 11, 2023.

L ogico said the decision to undertake a “sinking exercise,” also known as “Sinkex” in military parlance, was done in line with the goal of “doing something different” every year.

Every year, we have to do something different, so in the previous Balikatans we would [undertake] exercises [with] the Army and the Air Force through a live-fire: what we [had] never done before is to exercise all three components, Army, Navy, Air Force. We cannot [hold the] exercise [for] the Navy in Crow Valley [in Tarlac] or Fort Magsaysay [in Nueva Ecija] because

[both provinces are] landlocked area[s] so we really have to go to the littoral areas,” he added.

A nd to ensure that these services will not just fire their weapons at the waters sans any particular target, Logico said they decided to simulate a threat coming from the sea. “

They [Balikatan participants] have to fire at a target, closer to what we would expect in actual threat, which is an intrusion coming from an adversary by sea. How will they do that? They will do it through a Navy ship so we will provide the target, and the target to sink is PS-31 [ex-BRP Pangasinan], which was decommissioned in March 2021. It is a very old Philippine Navy ship,” Logico explained.

The BRP Pangasinan is a former US Navy patrol craft escort constructed in 1943 and donated to the Philippines in 1948. It served

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“Every weapons system of the AFP and the United States will be [utilized, including] their HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket System]. My only hope is it [ex-BRP Pangasinan] does not sink until we utilize all our weapons systems,” Logico added.

L ogico said the Sinkex would show that the AFP is “capable” of conducting combined arms operations with its services and its allies.

“It demonstrates that we are competent in employing combined arms and joint capabilities, we are demonstrating that we are combat ready, we have that capacity to deliver fires on a target, from the land, from the air and from the sea,” he stressed.

PBBM gets Sinkex briefing

LOGICO also said that he also briefed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. about the April 26 Sinkex along with an invite to witness the event first hand.

He added that the Chief Ex-

ecutive seems “excited” about the Sinkex and expressed willingness to come to watch the exercise.

“I briefed the President myself, he said, yes, he’ll be coming,” Logico said.

A nd when asked if China was discussed in his briefing or its activities in disputed waters, the military official said they did not. I don’t recall discussing China with him, we did not discuss China,” Logico said.

A lso, he said that the exercise merely intends to demonstrate the combat readiness of the AFP and not anything else.

Any exercise that we do is a demonstration of combat readiness, that interpretation may mean different things depending on who you ask, to us it is a demonstration of confidence that we can actually perform and execute our mandate,” Logico explained.

He hastened to add, however, that the training might be construed differently from the point of view of possible adversaries.

If you are the adversary, it is a deterrence but we are just performing this exercise for the value of the training it provides, which is an opportunity for us to operate and to exercise together with our friends and allies,” Logico stressed.

‘Balikatan’ not related to Taiwan issue

BALIKATAN Philippine Exercise Director Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine said the annual exercise, which runs from April 11 to 28, is in no way related to the ongoing tension in Taiwan or the simmering maritime territorial dispute in the South China Sea with Beijing.

The Balikatan exercise will not in any way affect the tensions going on around us, particularly Taiwan or in the South China Sea because the Balikatan is a [yearly] activity of the US and the AFP as part of the Mutual Defense Board and the Security Engagement Board, and the MDT [Mutual Defense Treaty],” he pointed out.

THE World War II-era BRP Pangasinan (PS-31) at CARAT Philippines 2011. US NAVY

A US trooper shows a Carl Gustaf recoilless anti-tank rifle to a Filipino soldier. AP/AARON FAVILA

US soldiers carry a Javelin shoulder-launched antitank missile past a US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint military exercise called “Balikatan,” at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Thursday, April 13, 2023. (Top photo) A Filipino soldier launches a Javelin shoulder-launched anti-tank missile. This year’s Balikatan exercises between the treaty allies are the largest since the two sides started joint military combat-readiness exercises in the early 1990s. AP/AARON FAVILA

the Philippine Navy for 73 years before it was decommissioned.

e Sinkex will take place on April 26, in an area some 12 nau

tical miles off San Antonio, Zam

bales, well within Philippine ter

ritorial waters.

L ogico said every available weapons system of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and participating US units will be brought to bear in this exercise.

Britain’s economy is stagnating after a winter of strikes

By Andrew Atkinson & Lucy White Bloomberg News

Gross domestic product was unchanged from January instead of eking out the 0.1-percent growth analysts had expected, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday. The figure for January was revised up to 0.4 percent.

Together, the readings further reduce the risk of a recession this year but leave the UK on track for an extended period of sluggishness. With inflation lingering in double digits well above the Bank of England’s (BOE) 2-percent target, consumers are tightening their belts to adapt to a cost-of-living squeeze.

Growth in the UK is stagnating and has fallen behind its developed market peers,” said George Lagarias, chief economist at accountancy firm Mazars, who read the report as “bad news” for the UK. “We expect the UK to continue to underperform the other G-7 economies for the time being.”

Th at contrasts with the upbeat assessment from Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, who said in a statement after the GDP report that the outlook is “looking brighter than expected.”

Hunt separately told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday in Washington that the UK would do “significantly better” than the International Monetary Fund had projected, potentially setting the stage Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to renew his mandate with voters next spring.

Not as it used to be EVEN so, the broader outlook is for growth well below what the UK has enjoyed in previous years. The central bank estimates the economy can grow just 0.7 percent without sparking inflation, reflecting worker shortages after at least 500,000 people dropped out of the labor market since the pandemic.

R eports due next week on inflation and wage growth are likely to have a decisive influence on the BOE’s next interest rate decision in May, when policy makers led by Governor Andrew Bailey will determine whether to continue their quickest monetary tightening in three decades.

I nvestors have bid up the likelihood for further rate hikes,

pricing in an 80-percent chance of a quarter-point increase next month to 4.5 percent and an almost certain further increase to 4.75 percent by September.

B ailey, speaking last night in Washington, voiced optimism that the banking system had survived the rescues of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse, leaving monetary policy makers a free hand to combat inflation.

What we shouldn’t be doing is saying, we’ve got such a problem with financial stability that we have to aim off a decision on monetary policy because of con -

ditions and financial stability,” Bailey said at the International Monetary Fund’s spring meeting.

Hunt also is optimistic about the UK’s prospects, with the latest readings bringing the UK into line with other Group of Seven nations with output back above pre-pandemic levels.

A ssuming no revisions, the economy probably grew 0.1 percent in the first quarter unless the figure for March shows a contraction of more than 0.2 percent, the ONS said.

‘Flat economy’

A CONTRACTION of 0.6 percent would be required for GDP to fall 0.1 percent on the quarter, as forecast by the BOE. That would be a bigger fall than in December, when consumer sentiment was weaker and the country suffered

the most days lost due to strikes since 2011.

While a flat economy is not usually grounds for celebration, there are some encouraging signs in today’s data,” said Kitty Ussher, chief economist at the Institute of Directors. “Were it not for the industrial action that took place in the public sector, the economy overall would have grown.”

Th ere were a number of one-time factors dragging down the latest reading. February figures reflect the impact of widespread industrial action during the month. Services output fell 0.1 percent, hit by walkouts by teachers and civil servants. Manufacturing, which economists had thought would deliver small growth, also showed no change in the month.

Strikes intensified during the

month, with teachers in England staging a national walkout on February 1 in their dispute over pay and regional strikes on other days. Other action involved rail workers, university staff, nurses, paramedics and civil servants. February also was unusually warm, reducing output from utilities.

E ducation output slumped 1.7 percent during the month, making it the largest contributor to the fall in services output. Public administration was the second largest contributor, falling by 1.1 percent. Th ese declines were partially offset by growth in six of the 14 services sub-sectors. The largest contributors to this were human health and social work activities and other service activities, which grew by 0.3 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

D espite the fall in the services sector, consumer-facing services grew by 0.4 percent in February, driven by retail which expanded at the fastest rate since October. However consumer-facing services are still 8.9 percent below their pre-pandemic level, while other services have clawed back losses to be up 2.2 percent.

S econd-quarter results may be dragged down by an extra bank holiday to mark the coronation of King Charles III. Further ahead, the fiscal loosening Hunt announced in his March budget will start to help the economy in the second half.

A combination of upward revisions in GDP data and an improvement in global economic conditions could help the UK economy avoid a recession this year,” said Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK. “While this will provide relief for policymakers, the outlook for growth in the medium-term remains relatively weak by historical standards.”

Blast that ship: Ready, aim, fire!

Licudine also stressed that the exercise is just meant to strengthen the interoperability of both the Philippine and US militaries.

“ The [objective of the] exercise is just [to strengthen] our interoperability and our cooperation at the military level so it doesn’t in anyway affect the tensions and it should be seen separately between allied nations,” he added.

In the same vein, Balikatan US Exercise Director representative Marine Maj. Gen. Eric Austin said Filipino and American troops have been doing the bilateral exercise for 38 years and this year, as in previous ones, is not related to any tensions.

I would just reinforce, I would just say that we have been doing this for 38 years every April and it’s tremendously important for us to train together as allies and partners but it is in no way tied to any ongoing tensions,” he added.

Meanwhile, Licudine also emphasized the importance of the Balikatan to the two militaries.

It builds interoperability, enhances capabilities, and demonstrates mutual defense of the Philippine sovereign territory,” he added.

Austin also said Balikatan is an important opportunity to train shoulder-to-shoulder and build trust and confidence that will allow Philippine and US forces to respond to crises and contingencies as a team.

AFP modernization AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Andres Centino, for his part, said Balikatan will allow the Filipino military to use its most modern weapons systems and newly developed doctrines in projecting its credible defense posture.

“For the AFP, in particular, this year’s Balikatan exercise is most timely, as we fast-track the

enhancement of our capabilities for maritime security and domain awareness, as well as our employment concept of newly acquired equipment and weapons systems under our modernization program and application of newly developed doctrines—with the end in view of projecting a credible defense posture,” he said.

A FP assets to be used in this year’s Balikatan may include the newly acquired ATMOS 155mm self-propelled howitzers, 105mm howitzers, S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, Embraer A-29 Super Tucano attack planes, FA-50 jet fighters, T-129 Atak helicopters, SF-260 light bombers, AW-109 and MD520MG light attack helicopters, fast frigate patrol ships, and landing docks.

The annual exercise aims to optimize the use of the AFP joint training areas under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, as well as strengthen interagency collaboration.

Centino said these are all part of the “exercise goals” that they believed would make for a dynamic and relevant iteration of this year’s Balikatan.

“ The annual Philippines-United States Balikatan exercise is one of the long-standing activities between our two countries that has paved the way for an enhanced defense cooperation, military-tomilitary collaboration, and mutual commitments, which are all aimed at promoting our shared goals of a more secure global community,” he pointed out.

Centino noted that gains made in the 2022 exercise reflect the two nations’ determination and commitment, as both were able to enforce full implementation of the Balikatan exercise after a two- year hiatus due to the pandemic.

“Given the success and lessons from the 2022 Balikatan exercise, there were enough reasons to put a framework together for this year’s

exercise that would build on all that had been previously achieved,” Centino said.

Largest in Balikatan history

ALSO, the AFP chief noted with gladness that this year’s iteration of Balikatan is the largest ever in history with a total of 17,680 Filipino, American and Australian participants.

The 38th Philippines-US Balikatan iteration will have a total of 17,680 participants, making it the largest-ever exercise of the AFP and the US Armed Forces, as well as our counterparts from the Australian Defense Force,” Centino said.

The AFP also expanded this year’s exercise by inviting military observers from partners in the region and other nations under the International Observers Program. “ We believe that Balikatan is also an opportunity to deepen our collaborations that would enable appropriate and timely actions whenever and wherever needed.

On this note, let me welcome our exercise observers from our Asean neighbors, friends, allies and partners. Your presence today makes this event a collaboration that goes beyond borders,” Centino said.

He called Balikatan 2023 another defining moment, saying the magnitude of this year’s exercise is a testament to the “deepening alliance between and among our countries.”

Centino said major events planned for this year’s exercises include the command post exercise, cyber defense exercise, field training exercise, and the humanitarian civic assistance.

All these major events are intended to ensure the achievement of the end state of our Balikatan 2023 Exercises: to further develop mutual defense capability; to enhance cyber defense operations; and strengthen the country’s maritime security and domain awareness, among others,” he said.

THE UK economy stalled unexpectedly in February when strikes crippled the public services, leaving little hope for a significant improvement in the lead-up to the next general election.

STRIKING teachers attend a rally during strike action in London, in February. BLOOMBERG

Continued from A1

US, Ukraine say many war secrets safe from intel leaks

By Ellen Knickmeyer & Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press

China’s SenseTime unfurls new challenger to ChatGPT

SENSETIME Group Inc. showed off a suite of new artificial intelligence services developed with the company’s access to vast troves of data and deep computing power, including the latest Chinese challenger to AI phenom ChatGPT.

Ukrainian and US officials said this week that only Ukrainians know some battle plans and other operational information, not the Americans, their most important ally. That means the leak of secret military documents, including some assessing Ukraine’s battlefield strengths and weaknesses against Russia, may not have been enough—so far—to change the course of the war.

“If military operations are planned, then only a very narrow circle of people know about the planning of the special operation,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday on Ukrainian television. “The risk of leaks is very minimal” for the most important war matters.

Still, the US sees the leaks as grave. The documents include previously unreported sensitive disclosures about Ukraine, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and others. Senior Biden administration officials are working to stop the flow of classified information onto social media and websites and head off any

lasting damage to relationships with allies and strategic partners.

And more damaging material could still surface. Leaked documents are continuing to appear online, and future revelations may be more detrimental to Ukraine than the ones that have been publicized so far.

Meanwhile, Russia is making clear that it is avidly studying each spilled secret. “Quite interesting,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the leaks.

Still, online Russian-language discussions groups showed Russian military bloggers arguing over whether the leaks themselves are US disinformation, intended to mislead Russia by creating an impression that Ukraine’s military is vulnerable.

Ukrainian officials and ordinary Ukrainians have made clear they could afford no open split over the leaks with the United States, which has given Ukraine more than $100 billion in military and civilian support.

“It is a pity that such things happen,” said one woman, Na -

taliia Maltseva, in Kyiv, where many people said their thoughts were on matters other than the US intelligence breach.

But “I trust Joe Biden, I know that he is an experienced person who loves Ukraine. I am sure that everything will only get better,” Maltseva said Wednesday.

Secrecy in one vital area, Ukraine’s plans for any upcoming offenses to repel Russian forces, remains unbreached, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Washington on Tuesday after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart.

“They have a great plan... but only President Zelenskyy and his leadership really know the full details of that plan,” the US defense chief said.

Ukrainian civilian and military chiefs—speaking in European and North American capitals on their continual tours to round up the Western arms and cash to keep Ukraine’s fight going—responded to questions about whether the leaks would harm relations with the United States by saying that unity among allies was one of Ukraine’s most vital war needs.

The details disclosed “are not pleasant to hear,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told reporters in Madrid on Wednesday.

“There is a lot of information that is not true,” Reznikov added, without elaborating. “And the true information has already lost its relevance.”

He called the leaks a purposeful information operation, benefiting Russia, with an aim “to lower the level of trust between the allies.”

Concerns over the impact of the US intelligence leaks came up “everywhere” in meetings with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on Wednesday, said Sen. Joe Manchin. The West Virginia Democrat was accom -

panied by Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska as well as country music singer Brad Paisley on a one-day official visit that included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials. The leaks include photographs of paper documents creased by folding. US defense officials say information on some of the papers has been altered.

The documents show realtime details from February and March of Ukraine’s and Russia’s battlefield positions and precise numbers of battlefield gear lost and newly flowing into Ukraine from its allies.

They also reveal just how close Ukraine’s vital air defense systems are to running out of missiles—with stocks expected to be exhausted as soon as late this month or May, absent significant resupply. That would open Ukraine’s skies to more of the Russian air and artillery strikes that already have devastated cities and infrastructure.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, speaking to reporters in Toronto before arriving for talks with Austin in Washington on Wednesday, played down the danger, expressing optimism that Ukraine would get the new stocks of the Soviet-era air defense missiles it needs.

“Our air defense will be very effective,” Shmyhal told Canada’s CTV. “We will have all the equipment.” Although the leaked information was more detailed, Ukraine and its allies have been warning publicly about the desperate resupply needs of Ukraine’s air defense system.

John Sipher, a former senior CIA official and expert on Russia, said while the leak of classified information is

“despicable,” he doesn’t think it really hurts Ukraine’s war effort. The intelligence community’s most protected and sensitive secrets typically don’t wind up on the kind of Defense Department summaries that the documents appear to be, he said.

And since much of the information from Russia appears to come from signal intelligence—electronic monitoring of communication and weapons systems—“it is really hard for Russia to change its procedures and equipment on the fly during a war,” Sipher said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak described the leaks regarding the war assessments as free of actual operational information, and partly fake. Ukraine’s strategy and tactics are developed by the military command and that work was not directly damaged, he told The Associated Press.

“Operations scenarios are still in development because the front line is flexible and changes are made every day,” he said.

Ever since Russia invaded in February 2022, US officials are reported to have commented on how close Ukrainian leaders kept their war secrets. One common complaint was that the Americans knew more about Russia’s war status than they did about Ukraine’s.

On the streets of Kyiv, another Ukrainian, Serhii Bos, expressed hope that “our American partners” were learning from the breach, but he said it would have no impact on Ukrainians’ morale.

“Nothing changes,” he said. “Everything remains as it is. We need to reclaim our lands.”

A rhirova contributed from Kyiv. Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, Ciaran Giles in Madrid and Samya Kullab in Kyiv contributed.

Suspect in leak investigation talks about God, guns and war secrets

By Nomaan Merchant The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—The suspect was relatively easy to find.

In a social media world that produces traceable digital fingerprints, it didn’t take long for federal authorities and journalists adept at sifting through data to land on the name of Jack Teixeira.

Teixeira, 21, who served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested Thursday in connection with the far-reaching leak of classified documents that have shaken capitals from Washington to Kyiv to Seoul with revelations of US spying on allies and foes alike and the disclosure of sensitive military intelligence about the war in Ukraine.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira would be charged with the unauthorized removal of classified national defense information.

There were clues in messages posted in a chatroom on Discord, a social media platform where Teixeira is believed to have posted for years about guns, games and his favorite memes—and, according to some others chatting with him, closely guarded US secrets.

The investigative website Bellingcat and The New York

Times first publicly identified Teixeira, minutes before federal officials confirmed he was a subject of interest in the investigation. They reported tracking profiles on other more obscure sites linked to Teixeira.

The suspect, as part of his duties, reportedly had access to highly classified information. The case underscores the challenges the US and other governments have in keeping secrets in an era of omnipresent data and an ever-growing army of savvy users who know how to exploit it.

When asked how such a young service member could have had access to highly sensitive documents, the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, said it was the nature of the military to trust its very young service members with high and sometimes grave levels of responsibility, including high levels of security clearance.

Soldiers fresh out of high school went to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones for a generation, often using top-secret intelligence and programs to target adversaries. “We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age. Think about a young combat platoon sergeant, and the responsibility

and trust that we put into those individuals to lead troops into combat,” Ryder said.

In previous Associated Press stories, the leaker was identified as “the O.G.” by a member of an online chat group where Teixeira and others posted for years. The member of the chat group declined to give his name to the AP, citing concerns for his personal safety.

The chat group, called “Thug Shaker Central,” drew roughly two dozen enthusiasts who talked about their favorite types of guns and also shared memes and jokes, some of them racist. The group also included a running discussion on wars that included talk of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In that discussion, “the O.G.” would for months post material that he said was classified—originally typing it out with his own notations, then a few months ago switching to posting images of foldedup papers because he felt his writings weren’t being taken seriously, the person said.

A different participant in the group shared some of the files several weeks ago in a different chat group—and from there they appear to have spread across the Internet.

The person who spoke to the AP said he had not communicated with Teixeira on Thursday

but had stayed in touch earlier in the week. Teixeira had said he knew the FBI was looking for him, the person said.

Teixeira was an airman first class detailed to an Air Force intelligence unit, according to Facebook posts from the 102nd Intelligence Wing based at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts.

Teixeira’s specialty in the Air National Guard was as a “cyber transport systems specialist,” essentially an IT specialist responsible for military communications networks, including their cabling and hubs. In that role Teixeira would have had a higher level of security clearance because he would have also been tasked with responsibility to access and ensure protection for the network, a defense official told the AP.

The National Guard issued a statement saying it was aware of the investigation and “takes this issue very seriously.”

“National security is our foremost priority and any attempt to undermine it compromises our values and degrades trust among our members, the public, allies and partners,” the statement said.

Local police on Thursday had blocked off the street in front of a home listed as belonging

Chief Executive Officer Xu Li took the stage to demonstrate the large AI model SenseNova and a user-facing chatbot called SenseChat. Xu, with help from staff, introduced how SenseChat could tell a story about a cat catching fish, with multiple rounds of questions and responses. Then he demonstrated how the bot could help with writing computer code, taking in layman-level questions in English or Chinese and translating them into a workable product.

“With SenseNova, we can provide a supermarket of AI big models” for clients, Xu said. “We welcome our partners to connect to the big model and upgrade it with us.” Xu said that now human programmers do about 80 percent of the work in AI development, but in the future it will be reversed so that AI can handle 80 percent of the effort while humans take on 20 percent of the work to direct and polish. The AI model can also help double-check, translate and revise code, he said.

Xu also unveiled an image processing tool called Miaohua, or “draw in seconds.” A fourth demo about a product called Ruying, or “like a shadow,” can model the moves of a human to animate a digital being in a video. It also unveiled a service for modeling structures that use AI rendering to generate 3D buildings.

Shanghai-based SenseTime, best known as a leader in computer vision, is joining a global race to develop generative AI since OpenAI’s ChatGPT captured the popular imagination. Microsoft Corp. pledged a $10 billion investment toward the US startup, while rivals from Google to Baidu Inc. unveiled AI services that can similarly create original content from poetry to art just with simple user prompts.

SenseTime, which in March telegraphed Monday’s event by disclosing progress in training text-to-image large generative models, is also backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Like every other major tech firm, the Chinese online commerce leader founded by Jack Ma is working on integrating generative AI across its various services, and began inviting corporate cloud customers to test drive the service last week.

T here are concerns however over whether Chinese companies can secure reliable access to the high-end chips and technology needed to develop large-scale AI models over the longer term. SenseTime itself is operating under US sanctions that inhibit its access to capital as well as crucial American components, and the Biden administration last year imposed restrictions on the sale of AI accelerator chips to Chinese customers—a critical component in the development of any large-scale generative model.

SenseTime, co-founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology alum Tang Xiao’ou, was one of the most highly anticipated debuts of 2021. Despite the uncertainty around the fallout from US sanctions, SenseTime surged as much as 23 percent on its debut, making Tang briefly one of the world’s wealthiest people. With assistance from Vlad Savov/ Bloomberg

to his family.

The person who spoke to the AP says “the O.G.”—who he acknowledged Thursday was Teixeira—was an observant Christian who often spoke of God and prayed with members of the chat group.

While he was enlisted, Teixeira opposed many of the priorities of the US government and denounced the military “since it was run by the elite politicians,” the person said, adding that he didn’t know why Teixeira had signed up in the first place.

“He expressed regret (about) joining a lot,” the person said. “He even said he’d kick my ass if I thought about joining.”

But the person has stressed that he didn’t believe Teixeira leaked documents to undermine the US government or for an ideological reason.

When The New York Times first published a story last week about the documents, the person said, members of the group were on a video call when “the O.G.” talked to them.

“Basically what he said was, ‘I’m sorry, guys, I prayed every single day that this wouldn’t happen,’” the person said. “’I prayed, and I prayed, and now it’s only up to God what happens next.’”

WASHINGTON—

Ukraine’s leaders say they don’t see a major US intelligence leak as gravely damaging future offensives. A key reason: They have long held back on sharing their most sensitive operational information, doubting Washington’s ability to keep their secrets safe.

Anya’s infinite experiences

Story & photos by Bernard L. Supetran

So when Roxaco Land Corp. selected a fitting name for the luxe mountain retreat they were carving in the pineapple plantations of Tagaytay, it can be no other than something which banks on the power of words. “Anya,” an ancient Sanskrit word which means infinite, inexhaustible, limitless and resurrection was chosen to embody their corporate mission of providing an infinite experience to its guests from the moment they set foot up to the time they leave.

Tucked in the hidden nooks of the highland resort city, this 7-hectare property is a masterful blend of modern Filipino-Spanish architecture with a dash of exotic Asian motifs.

“Anya operates on the philosophy of the 3R’s: Relax, rejuvenate and reward which we strive to extend to every guest we welcome and serve with the familiar warmth of Filipino hospitality,” says Anya Resort Tagaytay general manager Mikel Arriet.

The Spanish hotelier said they may not have the sought-after Taal Lake and Volcano view, but its opulent features and amenities, world-class cuisine, and consummate experience is more than enough for this lack.

To ensure that your stay would be filled with inexhaustible fond memories, it has put in place the Anya Experience Assistant who will keep tabs on recreational activities which you can customize even before arrival. There’s also Anya Experience Menu where you can select online your check-in time, room scent, type of pillows, and packing and unpacking assistance, and other support services.

These and more have earned the resort a coveted slot in Small Luxury Hotels of the World, an elite club of the world’s 500 crème de la creme opulent boutique properties.

Your infinite escape begins with the banging of a gong at Anya’s driveway, an age-old courtesy accorded to guests still practiced in Oriental cultures. After the routine orientation, you’ll be shuttled by a luxe Rolls Royce

electric car to your villa which also serves as your running tour of the resort’s rolling hills.

A low-density development, it has only 78 suites spread out in the vast greeneries to give premium to privacy and exclusivity. On top of the typical five-star room amenities, each unit boasts of spacious floor areas and has balconies or terraces so you can enjoy the cool crisp mountain air.

The 102-sq-m Anya Garden Suite is the top-of-the-line apartment-style suite adorned with earth-toned furniture for a supreme indulgence in a homey atmosphere.

Pamper yourself at the Niyama Wellness Center which has diversified from massages and treatments to include spa and wellness treatments, meditation activities, and fitness. The new services are all still anchored on the niyama or “positive observances” in Sanskrit. It has also crafted the hearty and healthy Soul Menu which is available at the Anila Restaurant.

As part of beefing up its services, Niyama has enlisted to its team Dr. Conrada “Radi” Veruasa-Apostol of European Wellness Retreat, a specialist on skin rejuvenation, acne management, wrinkle reduction, scalp treatment and hair restoration, and a wide array of non-invasive beauty enhancements.

At twilight time, sip your favorite spirit at the Anya Exclusive Club Lounge as you admire the kaleidoscopic sunset in the horizon. The intimate Lounge is also a relaxing watering hole for

an after-dinner night cap.

Dinner is tops at the Samira, a fine dining restaurant helmed by multi-awarded Jose Luis “Chele” Gonzalez, whose menu drew inspiration from well-loved global cuisines. Literally meaning

“wind” in Sanskrit, it is literally a whiff of fresh air in Tagaytay’s culinary scene where you can feast on gourmet dishes without long line, parking problems or road traffic.

As its name suggests, outdoor

dining is recommended for a romantic al fresco dinner for couples or relaxing meal time for families and small groups as the mountain wind caresses your skin and enhances the gustatory adventure.

Along with British-born execu -

tive chef Chris Leaning, Samira can whip up a surprise and exciting 6-course set menu for a multisensorial culinary journey worth repeating.

On a recent visit, we feast on the vaunted menu which consisted of Bites (foie gras and mango waffle, bacalao fritters, Jamon Iberico Takoyaki, and bulalo tacos), Beef Tartare with Mustard Ice Cream, Grilled Octopus with Ali-oli, Orange Salmon, Black Squid Risotto, Grilled US angus beef tenderloin, and capped with Tagaytay Pineapple Expressions.

Hang around at the Borderless Library which throws you back to the good old book-filled room to rekindle your nostalgia for the printed page. This quiet space is also ideal for remote work or meditation while poring over the Good Book.

Lest we forget, Anya has a heated multi-layered pool so you can soak even at night, and an archery corner where you can shoot for the bullseye.

With all these and everything in between, Anya undoubtedly lives up to its mission of offering infinite options for a consummate vacation.

EminE n t Jewish author and mystic Yehuda Berg once said that words have energy and power with the ability to help and to heal.

AnyA Resort’s multi-layered pool

Chef Chele Gonzalez of Samira

AnyA’S Rolls Royce shuttle service

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Improving how robots communicate could advance human-robot collaboration

Robots in rehab

ROBOTS  are machines that can sense the environment and use that information to perform an action. One can find them nearly everywhere in industrialized societies today.

There are household robots that vacuum floors and warehouse robots that pack and ship goods. Lab robots test hundreds of clinical samples a day. Education robots support teachers by acting as one-on-one tutors, assistants and discussion facilitators.

And medical robotics composed of prosthetic limbs can enable someone to grasp and pick up objects with their thoughts.

Figuring out how humans and robots can collaborate to effectively carry out tasks together is a rapidly growing area of interest to the scientists and engineers that design robots as well as the people who will use them.

For successful collaboration between humans and robots, communication is key.

How people communicate with robots ROBOTS were originally designed to undertake repetitive and mundane tasks and operate exclusively in robot-only zones like factories.

They have since advanced to work collaboratively with people with new ways to communicate with each other.

Cooperative control is one way to transmit information and messages between a robot and a person. It involves combining human abilities and decision making with robot speed, accuracy and strength to accomplish a task.

For example, robots in the agriculture industry can help farmers monitor and harvest crops.

A human can control a semiautonomous vineyard sprayer through a user interface, as opposed to manually spraying their crops or broadly spraying the entire field and risking pesticide overuse.

Robots can also support patients in physical therapy. Patients who had a stroke or spinal cord injury can use robots to practice hand grasping and assisted walking during rehabilitation.

Another form of communication, emotional intelligence perception involves developing robots that adapt their behaviors based on social interactions with humans.

In this approach, the robot detects a person’s emotions when collaborating on a task, assesses

their satisfaction, then modifies and improves its execution based on this feedback.

For example, if the robot detects that a physical therapy patient is dissatisfied with a specific rehabilitation activity, it could direct the patient to an alternate activity.

Facial expression and body gesture recognition ability are important design considerations for this approach. Recent advances in machine learning can help robots decipher emotional body language and better interact with and perceive humans.

FILIPINO GIRLS TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT IN ROBOTICS

FEMALE junior high-school students have proved that they are ready to break the long-standing gender biases of society and proudly waved the banner of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) when they joined the newly launched Tagisang Robotics Competition (TRC) 3.0: Girls & Gears, the first and only allfemale robotics competition in the country.

Aiming to bridge the wide gender gap in robotics education and to address issues of underrepresentation of women in STEM, the Department of Science and TechnologyScience Education Institute recently launched the TRC 3.0: Girls and Gears, a reboot of one of its successful and decade-long running programs, the TRC: Design, Build and Play, the DOST-SEI said in a news release.

DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette T. Biyo announced the launch last March 27 at the opening ceremony of the TRC 3.0: Girls & Gears’ Mobot Interfacing Using the Arduino Microcontroller. It was a five-day technical training and workshop meant to prepare the female students for the Competition Stage.

In her video message, Biyo praised the young girls for their burning passion to learn and take part in the field of robotics and promised to continue strengthening initiatives that aim to create a more diverse and more inclusive robotics community.

Biyo also expressed delight to celebrate the National Women’s Month with the start of the new TRC.

She challenged the female participants to make the most out of their learnings throughout the competition and use the new

knowledge they will gain to improve the state of Science and Technology in the country, DOST-SEI said.

In its maiden year, the TRC 3.0 featured groups of four female students, together with their coaches, from 20 science and technology (S&T)-oriented junior high schools battling out to win a trophy and P100,000 cash.

T he 20-participating school-teams in the competition’s pioneering batch are the following: Caloocan National S&T High School (HS), Las Piñas National HS, Makati Science HS, Malabon National HS, Manila Science HS, Marcelo H. Del Pilar National HS, Marikina Science HS, Muntinlupa Science HS, Parañaque Science HS, Pasay City West HS, Pasig City Science HS, Pitogo HS, Quezon City HS, Rizal HS, Rizal National Science HS, San Francisco HS, San Juan City Science HS, Sen. Renato

QUESTIONS like how to make robotic limbs feel more natural and capable of more complex functions like typing and playing musical instruments have yet to be answered.

I am an electrical engineer who studies how the brain controls and communicates with other parts of the body, and my lab investigates in particular how the brain and hand coordinate signals between each other.

Our goal is to design technologies like prosthetic and wearable robotic exoskeleton devices that could help improve function for individuals with stroke, spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.

One approach is through braincomputer interfaces, which use brain signals to communicate between robots and humans.

By accessing an individual’s brain signals and providing targeted feedback, this technology can potentially improve recovery time in stroke rehabilitation.

Brain-computer interfaces may also help restore some communication abilities and physical manipulation of the environment for patients with motor

neuron disorders.

The future of human-robot interaction

EFFECTIVE integration of robots into human life requires balancing responsibility between people and robots, and designating clear roles for both in different environments.

As robots are increasingly working hand in hand with people, the ethical questions and challenges they pose cannot be ignored.

Concerns surrounding privacy, bias and discrimination, security risks and robot morality need to be seriously investigated in order to create a more comfortable, safer and trustworthy world with robots for everyone.

Scientists and engineers studying the “dark side” of humanrobot interaction are developing guidelines to identify and prevent negative outcomes.

Human-robot interaction has the potential to affect every aspect of daily life. It is the collective responsibility of both the designers and the users to create a humanrobot ecosystem that is safe and satisfactory for all. Ramana Vinjamuri, University of Maryland, Baltimore County The Conversation (CC) via AP

A JUNIOR high school female student gets excited as she unboxed

and join the “60-Minute Gewe for Girls,” a workshop on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, led by an independent Gender and Development consultant Marita Pimentel.

D uring the program, Engr. Carlos Matti Opus, chairman of the Board of Judges, explained the mechanics, schedules and prizes of the game.

The DOST-SEI’s study, “ Women in Science Fact Sheet No. 4,” the 2021 publication which paved the way for the need to push for an all-female robotics competition, was also discussed.

Bern Irish Arguelles, a former scholar and a current statistician at DOST-SEI, provided an overview of the status of women in the S&T workforce, revealing their low representation in the fields of engineering, architecture and other related fields.

China to start building lunar base from moon soil in 5 yrs

CHINA plans to start building a lunar base in about five years, kicking off with bricks made of moon soil, according to scientists with ties to the project, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

Ding Lieyun, a top scientist at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, told local media that the first brick would be made from moon soil during the Chang’e 8 mission around 2028.

China has previously said its lunar base will likely be powered by nuclear energy, and will include a lander, hopper, orbiter and rover, all of which would be constructed by the Chang’e 6, 7 and 8 missions. It wasn’t immediately clear in the interview if the entire base will be built with lunar soil.

Cayetano Memorial S&T HS, Taguig City Science HS and Valenzuela School of Mathematics and Science.

The school-teams underwent a five-day technical training and workshop from March 27 to 31, 2023 at a hotel in Parañaque. It focused on learning the basics of robotic technologies, such as the microcontroller, electronics, sensors and automation processes.

The training sessions were facilitated by lecturers from ThinkLab, namely, Engr. Elgie Cabarubias, Kate Justin Flores, John Paul Caballeda, Veena Barnachea, Engr. Mark Jayson de Jesus and Engr. Josiah Sicad.

ThinkLab helped the female students program their mobots to perform specific tasks.

In celebration of the National Women’s Month, the students were also given the opportunity to unleash their girl power

Shumate Royo, a tech community enabler and former managing director of Devcon, urged the girls to hold hands in aiming to close the gender divides in S&T. She focused on expressing women’s involvement in various scientific pursuits to give the girls the confidence to continue waving the banner of women, not just in the field of robotics, but in all aspects of life.

She challenged the girls to become the STEM role models and to not forget to pay it forward.

After the five-day technical training and workshop, a series of practice games will be held to further test the teams’ skills in robotics.

T he in-person practice round and the final game are set to take place in July, the DOST-SEI said.

DOST aids in boosting community empowerment in Pangasinan

THE Department of Science and Technology

Regional Office 1 (DOST-I), through the Provincial Science and Technology Office (PSTO)-Pangasinan, held a blended planning activity for government and educational institutions in Pangasinan province under the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program.

The recent two-day event was participated in by representatives from the local government units from Bolinao and Dagupan, Technical Education And Skills Development Authority Pangasinan Provincial Office, Pangasinan State University, Universidad de Dagupan and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Provincial Fisheries Office-Pangasinan.

Engr. Arnold C. Santos, provincial S&T director, emphasized the importance of every stakeholder’s active participation in achieving the program’s goal of improving people’s lives through science and technology (S&T).

PARTICIPANTS discuss their plans during the DOST-I PSTO-Pangasinan planning under the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology program. DOST-I PHOTO

“I sincerely hope that through our combined efforts, we will be able to pinpoint workable initiatives and projects that will have an impact on those in our community, and that we genuinely achieve our main objective of

empowering them,” he said.

Results of the c ommunity needs assessment (CNA) in the five entry points of CEST were presented during the planning session for the group to craft a plan, define the

roles of stakeholders, and identify necessary interventions for the implementation.

They involve the following: Livelihood/ Economic and Enterprise Development, Health and Nutrition, Environmental Protection and Conservation, Human Resource Development, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, and Climate Change Adaptation,

Following the planning phase, the program’s stakeholders determined the appropriate trainings, activities, and S&T interventions based on the needs, issues and opportunities identified for implementation in the community.

D OST-I, in its thrust to provide solutions to community problems through S&T, expressed its commitment to provide S&T interventions to more disadvantaged and marginalized sectors to build empowered, progressive and resilient communities in the region. Monique C. Esguerra/S&T Media Service

“Eventually, building habitation beyond the Earth is essential not only for all humanity’s quest for space exploration, but also for China’s strategic needs as a space power,” Ding told the China Science Daily in a separate interview, according to the SCMP. The comments came as China held its first major conference in

Wuhan to discuss building a manned lunar base, the report said.

China has already sent probes to the moon, built its own space station and is also setting its sights on Mars, as it vies with the US in particular to be the first to gain access to minerals and other resources found away from Earth.

The moon is believed to contain a source of waste-free nuclear energy that could meet global energy demands for 250 years, but experts fear nations may clash over the extraction of potentially hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of resources.

Yu Dengyun, from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, provided an updated timeline for the next three Chang’e missions, the SCMP reported. Chang’e 6 will launch in 2025 to collect samples from the far side of the moon, Chang’e 7 will blast off the following year to search for water-ice, while Chang’e 8 should land some two years after that. Anurag Kotoky/Bloomberg News

S&T graduate studies programs, scholarships open for 2023-24

THE Philippines’ premiere science and technology (S&T) research and teaching institution, and the country’s premiere S&T scholarship program are once again accepting applicants.

The University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science’s Graduate Programs are now accepting applications, alongside the Department of Science and Technology’s Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (DOSTASTHRDP), a UPD-CS news release said.

Applicants to the UPD-CS’s Graduate Programs are also eligible to apply for the ASTHRDP scholarship.

To be eligible for DOST-ASTHRDP scholarship, applicants must be Filipino citizens; not more than 50 years old at the time of application; be in good health; pass the admission requirements for graduate studies at any National Science Consortiummember university; and pass any requisite interviews and other screening procedures.

Prospective DOST-ASTHRDP scholars are encouraged to undertake theses and dissertations in the following priority areas: Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness; Materials Science and Nanotechnology; and Natural Products and Drug Development.

Established in 1983, the UPD-CS’s main

mission is to contribute to the advancement of S&T in the Philippines through the education of high-caliber scientists, the acquisition of scientific and technological knowledge, and the provision of scientific and technical services.

The UPD-CS provides internationalquality graduate and undergraduate education in the natural and mathematical sciences; undertakes basic and applied scientific research that are of high standards and national relevance; and renders technical extension services in support of national scientific and technological development.

Meanwhile, the DOST-ASTHRDP aims to help improve the country’s global competitiveness and capability to innovate through S&T, and also seeks to accelerate the production of highlevel human resources needed for Research and Development (R&D) in S&T.

The deadline of applications for both UPD-CS Graduate Studies and the DOSTASTHRDP is June 30.

For more information on UPD-CS Graduate Programs and how to apply, please visit https://science.upd.edu.ph/graduatestudent-guide/

For more information on the DOSTASTHRDP and how to apply, please visit https://science.upd.edu.ph/dost-asthrdp/

THE Agapay Exoskeleton is a 3D-printed wearable robot that is biomimetically designed for the movements of the upper limbs for post-stroke and injured patients, with a cost-efficient and high performance rehabilitation system. A project of De la Salle University, Manila, it is funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology. AGAPAY PROJECT PHOTO

Pope to ‘keyboard warriors:’ Go out to proclaim the Gospel

the pope warned that it is possible to have “misdirected zeal” that is “doggedly persistent in the observance of purely human and obsolete norms for the Christian community.”

“We cannot ignore the solicitude with which some devote themselves to the wrong pursuits even within the Christian community itself; one can boast of a false evangelical zeal while actually pursuing vainglory or one’s own convictions,” he said.

As part of the pope’s cycle of catechesis on “passion for evangelization,” Francis offered a reflection on two lines from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: “Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.”

anniversary of the publication of St. John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris, calling the document a “true blessing” for the world when it was published in 1963 amid the tensions of the Cold War.

Pope Francis added that the encyclical remains relevant today, encouraging people to read Pacem in Terris.

“For example, this passage will suffice: ‘Relationships between political communities, like those between individual human beings, must be regulated not by resorting to the force of arms, but in the light of reason, that is, in truth, in justice, in active solidarity,’” he said, quoting paragraph 62 of the document.

“I pray that the heads of nations will let themselves be inspired by it in their plans and decisions,” the pope added.

Pope Francis also reminded the crowd that the Church will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday this week on April 16.

Bishop voices alarm over ‘escalating’ mining activities on Homonhon

BORONGAN CITY—Bishop Crispin

Varquez of the Diocese of Borongan

in Samar raised alarm over what he described as “escalated” mining operations in the historic island of Homonhon off Guiuan town in Eastern Samar province.

The bishop recently issued a statement, saying they are “very much disturbed” by what is happening on the island, where Christian faith first arrived in the Philippines 502 years ago.

The diocese said there are currently at least four mining companies operating on Homonhon, which is known for its vast deposits of nickel and chromite.

“Their immediate and negative effects on the communities and the natural environment are very alarming,” Varquez said.

He called on government leaders and concerned agencies to take action on the matter. CBCP News

Why do Jerusalem tensions fuel regionwide unrest?

Speaking in St. Peter’s Square on April 12, the pope urged Christians to go out and “get moving” to share the good news of the Gospel with the world.

“One does not proclaim the Gospel standing still, locked in an office, at one’s desk or at one’s com -

VATICAN CITY—Pope

Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday 2023, before giving the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing in the presence of around 100,000 people.

On a sunny and cool spring day in Rome, the pope recalled that Easter is “the most important and beautiful day of history,” the day Christ rose from the dead.

“Let the Church and the world rejoice, for today our hopes no longer come up against the wall of death, for the Lord has built us a bridge to life,” he said from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Following a 38-year custom, the sagrada of St. Peter’s Basilica was decorated with an array of over 35,000 flowers and plants from the Netherlands.

Pope Francis, who returned to the Vatican April 1 after three days in a Rome hospital for treatment for bronchitis, has presided over an intense week of liturgies at the Vatican and in Rome for Holy Week and Easter.

Because of the cold weather, he did not attend Good Friday’s Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum, but otherwise maintained the customary papal schedule.

Three hundred priests, 15 bishops, and 31 cardinals concelebrated Pope Francis’s Easter Sunday Mass on April 9. Cardinal Battista Re celebrated at the altar due to Francis’s difficulty walking and standing.

The Gospel reading, John 20:19, was proclaimed in Latin and Greek. The passage recounts the moment in which Mary Magdalene and the apostles Peter and John found the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection.

As is his custom, Francis did not give a homily after the Gospel, but stayed a few moments in silent prayer.

The pope also participated on April 9 in the “Resurrexit,” an

puter, engaging in polemics like ‘keyboard warriors’ and replacing the creativity of proclamation with copy-and-paste ideas taken from here and there,” Pope Francis said.

“The Gospel is proclaimed by moving, by walking, by going.”

In his Wednesday audience,

Pope Francis noted that St. Paul connects zeal for the Gospel with footwear “because one who goes to proclaim must move, must walk.”

“Evangelical zeal is the support on which proclamation is based, and heralds are somewhat like the feet of the body of Christ that is the Church,” he said.

At the end of the audience, Pope Francis marked the 60th

“The Lord never ceases to be merciful. Let us think of the mercy of God who always welcomes us, always accompanies us, never leaves us alone,” Francis said.

“I invite you to live this Easter season with your gaze turned to the risen Christ, who sacrificed himself for us and for our salvation,” he added. Courtney Mares/Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

with those that offer assistance and welcome to all fleeing from war and poverty.”

“Yes, brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said, “at Easter the destiny of the world was changed, and on this day, which also coincides with the most probable date of Christ’s resurrection, we can rejoice to celebrate, by pure grace, the most important and beautiful day of history.”

“‘Christ is risen; he is truly risen!’

JERUSALEM—It’s become something of a grim, springtime tradition in the Holy Land.

Israeli police fire tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians stockpiling rocks and fireworks inside one of the most bitterly disputed holy sites on Earth. The violence ripples across Israel and the occupied West Bank, and militants from as far as Gaza and Lebanon respond with rockets.

Similar tensions in 2021 boiled over into an 11-day Gaza war. Violence at the holy site in 2000 ignited a five-year Palestinian uprising and a fierce Israeli military crackdown across the occupied territories.

One of the first major outbreaks of JewishArab violence occurred in Jerusalem’s Old City in the spring of 1920, in what became known as the Nebi Musa riots.

What is it about Jerusalem? What is it about the hilltop compound in the heart of the Old City known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount?

Why is the Jerusalem holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews?

ancient rite honoring an icon of the Holy Savior.

The ritual sequence, sung in Latin, recalls how the apostle Peter, of whom the pope is the successor, was one of the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, after St. Mary Magdalene.

While the “Resurrexit” was sung, deacons opened the panels of the icon of the Holy Savior next to the altar.

After Mass, Pope Francis greeted the estimated 45,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square from the popemobile. He drove around the square and adjoining street for almost 15 minutes before returning to the basilica to give the “Urbi et Orbi” message and blessing at 12:00 p.m.

‘Urbi et Orbi’

URBI et Orbi” means “To the City [of Rome] and to the World.” It is a special apostolic blessing given by the pope every year on Easter Sunday, Christmas, and other special occasions.

“Today is Easter, the Pasch, a word that means ‘passage,’ for in Jesus the decisive passage of humanity has been made: the passage from death to life, from sin to grace, from fear to confidence, from desolation to communion in

him. In him, the Lord of time and history, I would like to say to everyone, with heartfelt joy, Happy Easter to all!” he said.

He wished that this Easter would be “a passage from affliction to consolation,” especially for the sick, the poor and the suffering.

“We are not alone: Jesus, the Living One, is with us, forever,” he said. “Let the Church and the world rejoice, for today our hopes no longer come up against the wall of death, for the Lord has built us a bridge to life.”

In his message, Pope Francis prayed for the people in countries suffering from war, conflict, or natural disaster, including Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Syria, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Haiti, Nicaragua and Myanmar.

He asked the Lord to help the African countries of South Sudan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tunisia, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ethiopia and Mozambique.

“Let us make haste to surmount our conflicts and divisions, and to open our hearts to those in greatest need,” he urged. “Let us hasten to pursue paths of peace and fraternity. Let us rejoice at the concrete signs of hope that reach us from so many countries, beginning

In this traditional proclamation of the Churches of the East: Christòs anesti! That word ‘truly’ reminds us that our hope is not an illusion, but the truth!” he said. “And that, in the wake of Easter, humanity’s journey, now marked by hope, advances all the more readily.”

Easter Vigil: ‘Rediscover the grace of God’s resurrection within you’

AT the Vatican’s Easter Vigil Mass, Pope Francis urged people to “roll away the stones of sin and fear” to experience the power of Christ’s resurrection.

In his homily, the pope issued an invitation to “rediscover the grace of God’s resurrection within you!”

“Today, brothers and sisters, the power of Easter summons you to roll away every stone of disappointment and mistrust. The Lord is an expert in rolling back the stones of sin and fear … return to Him,” he said in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Look with confidence to the future,” he said. “For Christ is risen and has changed the direction of history.”

The Easter Vigil, which takes place on Holy Saturday night, “is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities,” according to the Roman Missal.

The liturgy began in darkness with the blessing of the new fire and the preparation of the Paschal Candle. The candle symbolizes the light of Christ, which “shines in the darkness” that “has not overcome it” ( John 1:5 ).

THE Noble Sanctuary, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the iconic golden Dome of the Rock, is the third holiest site in Islam. It is also the holiest site for Jews because it was the location of biblical temples.

The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD, with only the Western Wall remaining. The mosques were built centuries later.

Neighboring Jordan serves as the custodian of the site, which is operated by an Islamic endowment known as the Waqf.

The site is open to tourists during certain times but only Muslims are allowed to pray there.

That’s according to informal rules established after the 1967 Mideast war in which Israel captured east Jerusalem where the shrine is located, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel, Jordan and Muslim religious authorities helped set the rules, known as the “status quo.”

The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews can pray.

What’s behind the violence at the Jerusalem holy site?

THE Palestinians view the holy site as the last remnant of their homeland that is not under full Israeli control, and they fear that Israel plans to one day take over the site or partition it.

Israeli officials say they have no intention of changing the status quo that has prevailed at the site since 1967.

But the country is currently governed by the most right-wing government in its history, with religious ultranationalists in senior positions.

In recent days, Palestinians have barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque with stones and firecrackers, demanding the right to pray there overnight, something Israel has in the past only allowed during the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Palestinians also say they are seeking to prevent religious Jews from carrying out ritual animal slaughter at the site.

Israel bars the ancient practice, but Jewish extremists have called for it to be revived, offering cash rewards to those who try to do so.

In recent years, groups of religious and nationalist Jews escorted by police have been visiting the compound in greater numbers and holding prayers in defiance of the longstanding rules.

The Palestinians view the frequent visits and attempted prayers by Jews as a provocation, and it often ignites scuffles or more serious violence.

This year, Ramadan and the Jewish high holiday of Passover overlap, with large numbers of Jews flocking to the site for visits that police typically facilitate in the early morning after forcibly driving the Palestinians out. Some Israelis say the site should be open to all worshippers. The Palestinians refuse, fearing that it would pave the way for Israel to take full control of it.

Why is Jerusalem important to Israelis and Palestinians?

ISRAEL views Jerusalem as its “unified, eternal” capital. East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, includes the Old City, with major sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza for their future state, with east Jerusalem serving as their eventual capital.

Israel recently annexed the eastern part of the city in a move not recognized internationally.

The fate of east Jerusalem and its holy sites has been one of the thorniest issues in the peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

Jews born in east Jerusalem are Israeli citizens, while Palestinians from east Jerusalem are granted a form of permanent residency that can be revoked if they live outside the city for an extended period.

Palestinians can apply for citizenship, but it’s a long and uncertain process and most choose not to because they don’t recognize Israeli control.

Israel has built Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem that are home to some 230,000 people. An estimated 360,000 Palestinians live in east Jerusalem.

Israel has also severely limited the growth of Palestinian neighborhoods, leading to overcrowding and the unauthorized construction of thousands of homes that are at risk of demolition.

Jewish settlers have also sought to evict dozens of Palestinian families from their homes in “sensitive” neighborhoods in and around the Old City.

A decades-long legal campaign to evict Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood culminated in nightly protests in 2021, contributing to the tensions that ignited that year’s Gaza war. Those evictions were later put on hold.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Israeli rights group B’Tselem have cited the discriminatory policies in east Jerusalem in reports arguing that Israel is guilty of the international crime of apartheid. Israel rejects those allegations, saying Jerusalem residents are treated equally. AP

VATICAN—Pope Francis told “keyboard warriors” to put aside online polemics and get out from behind their desks to proclaim the Gospel.

‘Easter is the most important, beautiful day of history’

PABLO ESPARZA/CNA

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

CAMPAIGN TO BECOME A PROTECTED AREA UNDER E-NIPAS ACT

Panaon Island, a rare, precious gem

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

AT the southern tip of Southern Leyte lies Panaon Island. Its surrounding waters are hosts to an excellent coral cover, while those in most parts of the country are already extinct.

What’s more, nothing short of spectacular is the breathtaking beauty of the island’s underwater environment.

Shared by municipalities of San Ricardo, Pintuyan, San Francisco and Liloan in Southern Leyte province, it is inhabited by close to 60,000 people, and its waters by a diverse species of mangroves, seagrasses and corals, including marine wildlife.

Threats to Panaon Island

ACCORDING to Oceana Philippines,

a nongovernment ocean conservation advocacy group, close to 20 marine sanctuaries that were established and managed by local governments in partnership with local communities on the island are threatened by natural and human-induced risks and hazards.

Located on the pathway of super typhoons and other extreme weather conditions associated with the worsening impact of climate change, Panaon Island is vulnerable to natural disasters.

Aggravating the situation is the intrusion of commercial fishing operators in the municipal waters of the island, and other destructive fishing activities that are weighing down the limited resources of local government units (LGUs).

Rich coastal and marine ecosystem

THE island’s coastal and marine ecosystem is rich in biodiversity.

Its coral reefs are among the three priority reefs in the Philippines, and of 50 reefs in the world.

They are funded, among others, by Bloomberg Philanthropies, because their strong and very good coral reefs are said to most likely survive the impacts of climate change and have a better chance to repopulate neighboring reefs over time.

Deonel Beto, a local businessman and farmer from Liloan, Southern Leyte, told the BusinessMirror in Filipino that the island’s “best-kept secret” lies beneath the surface of its crystal clear waters.

Unexplored, beautiful corals

PANAON Island is still unexplored. On the opposite side of the island are established dive sites, which are very [popular].  Unlike here [Panaon Island], where the corals are still intact and the walls of reefs are beautiful,” he said in a telephone interview on April 12.

Beto, 42, a dive master, is one of

the over 30 volunteers and conservation partners of Oceana who recently launched an underwater cleanup in the island’s waters, specifically to remove crown of thorns that have been infesting corals.

He said other fishermen are now encroaching in marine sanctuaries around the island, and “they should be stopped.”

Beto noted the slowly dwindling fish catch in Liloan and around the island. He said the island’s rich coastal and marine biodiversity is threatened by unsustainable fishing.

“We need to protect Panaon Island and we need to implement rules and regulations that will protect our resources,” he said.

He supported the initiative of Oceana and local government officials in the province to declare the island a protected area.

Campaign for marine protected area

IN October 2020, Oceana conducted a scientific expedition in the area and confirmed the rich biodiversity of Panaon Island’s surrounding coastal and marine ecosystem.

The findings brought about a valuable cache of data and evidence that led Oceana and local and national stakeholders to launch a campaign to declare the island a marine protected area under Republic Act 11038, or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-Nipas) Act.

Among the expedition’s findings revealed a high percentage of live corals with 62 genera of hard corals; high fish diversity with 427 species, including 155 commercially important and 23 reef fish indicators of health; high diversity of marine wildlife like sea turtles, whale sharks, dolphins and sharks.

Oceana noted that the area has 18 marine species listed as threatened or endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Lastly, there are a total of 19 mangrove species found around the island, including two species that are listed as threatened under the IUCN Red List.

Ecologically important MARIANNE P. SANIANO , Oceana’s Science and Conservation Manager, highlighted the importance of protecting biodiversity-rich areas like Panaon Island in an interview via Messenger with the BusinessMirror on April 12.

“Panaon Island is part of the 50 priority reefs identified by scientists that can highly likely withstand the devastating impacts of global climate change. The coral reefs of Panaon are still in good condition. Prioritizing these kinds of reefs can provide sources of refuge to the adjacent reefs and make these reefs recuperate,” she explained.

“In 2020, we went to all the marine sanctuaries of Panaon Island for the biophysical assessment. Each sanctuary has its own unique characteristics, its own beauty. In every dive, it gets better and better,” added Saniano, who stayed on the island for a month during the 2020 Panaon Island Expedition and public consultations with 84 barangays covered by the proposed protected area as part of the E-Nipas process.

“Every day, I’d get to meet and talk to fisherfolks and the community. I got to hear their apprehensions and their thirst for a better life,” she said.

Panaon Island, composed of fourth- and fifth-class municipalities, “will surely benefit both the people and provide sustainable management of the marine resources there” if it s protected under the E-Nipas Act, she said.

According to Saniano, each day of the expedition was an affirmation that protecting the waters of Panaon Island is a special place that needs attention and urgent protection not only for the people of Panaon but for the rest of the country.

“As what our battle cry says, ‘Panahon na ng Panaon,’” she said.

Enhanced protection

ATTY. Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, Oceana vice president in the Philippines, told the BusinessMirror that the best way to protect and conserve Panaon

Island is through enhanced protection under E-Nipas Act which requires legislation.

Declaring the island as a protected area will also benefit the Filipino people who need sustainable sources of fish resources for food, nutrition and livelihood security, she explained in the interview on April 11 via Zoom.

According to Ramos, an environmental lawyer, legislators from Southern Leyte have filed separate bills seeking to declare Panaon Island as a protected seascape to safeguard the island’s coral reefs and threatened and endangered species that inhabit the island’s coastal and marine environment.

Proposed legislative measures

ACCORDING to Ramos, Rep. Christopherson Yap (Southern Leyte Second District) filed House Bill 4095 and Rep. Luz Mercado (Southern Leyte First District) filed House Bill 3743 at the start of the 19th Congress in 2022 to declare the Panaon Island as a protected area under the category of a seascape.

Both bills have been consolidated in a committee report that was submitted to the Committee on Appropriations for the approval of provisions on appropriations.

Similarly, in the Senate, Sen. Cynthia Villar filed Senate Bill 1690 early this year titled, “Panaon Island Protected Seascape Act of 2023.”

Villar, the chairman of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, emphasized that despite the presence of extensive coral reefs and vibrant fish communities, the abundance and biomass of commercially important species show signs of overfishing and other anthropogenic threats.

The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority had already completed the mapping that will identify the areas to be covered by the proposed measures.

‘A rare and precious gem’

CITING the findings of scientists who conducted the scientific expedition in 2020, Ramos said Panaon is “a rare

and precious gem” not only for the country but for the world.

“The communities themselves realize the importance of having marine protected areas. They have 19 marine sanctuaries and they know how to protect them,” she said.

If Panaon Island is declared as a protected seascape under the E-Nipas, she said there will be stronger protection measures for the entire island.

She said with the E-Nipas Act, 45 actions against illegal fishing, including commercial fishing, will be strictly prohibited, on pain of heavy penalties.

“We hope the commercial fishing in this area will stop. This is a must!” she said.

Ramos pointed out that even LGUs support the declaration of Panaon Island as a protected island with all its four municipalities have passed a resolution supporting it.

The provincial government also entered into a memorandum of agreement with the DENR to have it declared as a protected area, she said.

At the same time, the academe, the Southern Leyte State University and the University of the Philippines, “helped conduct studies that support this initiative.”

According to Ramos, if Panaon Island is declared as a protected area, funding for the protection and conservation of the area will be made available, ensuring not only the sustainable development of the island but the implementation of various environmental and fisheries laws, as well.

‘A protected area is like a bank’

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Executive Director Theresa Mundita

S. Lim said that with the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target of protecting 30 percent of the world’s rich marine areas by 2030, and the Philippines joining the High Ambition Coalition, the proclamation of Panaon Island seascape as part of the national protected area system “would certainly be a welcome contribution towards achieving the said global aspiration.”

“The designation should also be complemented with resources that will ensure effective management and proper enforcement of protected area laws, including support to the communities who are frontliners in the protection of biodiversity in the area,” Lim told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on April 12. For his part, Prof. Rex Sadaba of the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas said there is a “need to increase our protected areas.”

“These areas are usually pristine. By protecting them, we are conserving for the future generation,” Sadaba told the BusinessMirror in Filipino in a telephone interview on April 13.

He added that once an area is declared a protected area, illegal and destructive fishing activities will be curbed, adding that even legal fishing that is harmful can be stopped, if not limited to the enforcement of laws, rules and regulations.

“A protected area is like a bank. You save fish stock and spend only that i nterest by repopulating other areas with fish from the area you protect,” he explained.

Sadaba, among the 2019 Distinguished Alumni awardee for Environmental Rehabilitation and Management at the 2019 UP Alumni Homecoming at UP Diliman, added that in the Visayas, the practice of declaring areas as marine sanctuaries is for the protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said that for local fishing communities, any initiative to conserve the country’s marine resources and fishing waters are always welcome.

However, the group said that there should be a thorough assessment of the potential impacts of such measures on the livelihood of municipal fisherfolk.

“Will the traditional and nondestructive fishing methods of small fishers be prohibited as part of regulating the fishing activities in the area?” asked Ronnel Arambulo, Pamalakaya national spokesman during the BusinessMirror interview via Messenger on April 13. He said these questions must be settled with the local fishing communities before placing the waters off Panaoan Island a protected seascape.

“Moreover, there should be a guarantee that this will not pave the way for the conversion and privatization of fishing communities,” Arambulo added.

“Small-scale fishers are always at the forefront of safeguarding their source of livelihood against any form of destructive activities, whether it be an outright threat to the marine environment or a conservation measure façade.” Arambulo pointed out.

First ecotourism travel mart features Asean’s natural heritage

ECOTOURISM experts, entre -

preneurs, travel professionals and environment protection advocates from 25 nations gathered at the five-day International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM) in Cavite. The IETM ran early this month at the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST). It was open to the public.

The Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), one of the major partners in the event, showcased the rich and unique natural heritage of the Asean through an interactive exhibit featuring the Asean Heritage Parks (AHPs).

AHPs are notable protected areas in the region recognised for their unique biological and ecological diversity that best represent the region. Eighty percent of the 55 AHPs are prime ecotourism destinations in the world; some of which are also declared as Unesco World Heritage Sites. The exhibit featured biodiver -

sity-based products produced by local communities in some AHPs.

They included eco-print tie-dye scarves by the women of Timbang Jaya village of Indonesia; traditional snacks; Lampung coffee; Jore coffee from Gunung Leuser National Park; stingless bee pure honey; and Bandek krimer, or ginger milk tea, from Sumatra, Indonesia.

The manufacturing of these products was supported by a joint sustainable livelihood initiative by the ACB and the German Development Bank called the ACB Small Grants Programme.

Biodiversity, tourism sectors unite

THE last two years of lockdowns and quarantine due to Covid-19 has forced people to re-examine their relationship with nature.

“It was like the universe pressed humanity’s pause button and gave

the earth a chance to breathe and heal itself. Most of us have witnessed in person or through social media, how wild animals have started to reappear and thrive in areas where they haven’t been seen for a long while,” said ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim.

“But then, it seems like this was centuries ago now. Vaccines and newer, less fatal Covid variants have rendered most of us immune and allowed us to physically interact once again, and increase our mobility. We are now experiencing the so-called ‘revenge travel,’” she added.

Lim explained that although this is the ideal time to promote ecotourism, people need to be more mindful of how we manage our tourism and tourism-related activities to prevent irreversibly harming the main attractions—our wildlife and their natural habitats.

“Blessed with natural wonders

and unique wildlife, the Asean countries can indeed work together to make ecotourism one of the region’s main drivers of growth,” she said.

If implemented properly, ecotourism can contribute toward reducing the rate of biodiversity loss and become one of the region’s demonstrable examples of nature-positive industries, contributing immensely to achieving other benefits such as climate resiliency, health and wellness, and food and water security, Lim added.

The ACB has been initiating efforts to mainstream biodiversity in regional tourism strategies. Its support to AHPs includes promoting biodiversity-based enterprises such as ecotourism, which not only generates livelihoods but enhances environmental awareness and contributes to management effectiveness, as well.

As reflected in this year’s Asean

theme, “Asean Matters: the epicentrum of growth,” the ACB stands ready to work with the tourism industry in the region in building a shared value that will transform Asean into a global hub for sustainable nature tourism,” Lim said.

With the intent of working closely with the tourism sector to promote sustainable and responsible ecotourism practices, the ACB supported the IETM.

Philippines’ Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco addressed the IETM opening ceremony with a call for sharing of best practices and continued learning to achieve tourism sustainability, while the country presents its ecotourism offerings to a world that seeks out responsible travel.

The IETM was organized by the ISST and was co-hosted by the municipality of Silang, Cavite, the ACB, the Departments of Tourism, and of

Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., Tourism Promotions Board, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. It had three major components: the Travel Mart, the Ecotourism Forum and the Marketplace. Travel Mart exhibitors were travel agencies and eco-friendly hotels and resorts. The Marketplace sold local and sustainable products that featured livelihood component of recycling efforts of participating companies. The DTI brought regional groups to present their best products in accordance with environmental programs. The Miss Earth 2022 queens joined the event and were the newest additions to the Asean’s voices of biodiversity as part of “We Are Asean Biodiversity” campaign.

A DIVER takes a peek at the spectacular view of corals in the waters of Panaon Island in Southern Leyte. DANNY OCAMPO, OCEANA PHOTO

A LIONFISH stalks small reef fishes among the lush Acropora corals found in the waters around Panaon Island in Southern Leyte. DANNY OCAMPO, OCEANA PHOTO

THE women’s professional

tennis tour will bring its events back to China later this year, announcing before the weekend the end of a boycott instituted in late 2021 over concerns about the safety of former player Peng Shuai after she accused a highranking government official there of sexual assault.

Women’s Tennis Association

(WTA) Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in an interview with The Associated Press that while what he sought was never delivered—a chance for someone from the tour to meet with Peng, along with a full and transparent investigation into the Grand Slam doubles champion’s accusations—the decision was made, with input from player and tournament representatives, to return to the country.

“ The stance that we took at the time was appropriate. And we stand by that. But 16 months into this, we’re convinced that our requests will not be met. And to continue with the same strategy doesn’t make sense,” Simon said from St. Petersburg, Florida, where the WTA is based.

“ So we needed to look at a different approach. With this, our members believe it’s time to resume the mission in China, where we believe we can continue to make a positive difference, as we have for the last 20 years, while at the same time making sure that Peng is not forgotten. By returning, hopefully more progress can be made.”

A lthough there have been no reports of Peng sightings in public since carefully orchestrated appearances during the Beijing Olympics in February 2022, Simon said the WTA has “received assurances from people who are close to her, that we’ve been in contact with, that she is safe and living with her family in Beijing.”

He added that the tour has been assured by the Chinese Tennis Association, the sport’s national governing body, that “there won’t be any issues with our athletes or our staff while they’re competing within the region.”

He called the change in course “an organizational decision” and

CHINA BOYCOTT ENDS

noted: “The great majority of the athletes were supportive and wanted to see a return...and felt it was time to go back.”

The tour’s schedule in China should be revealed in the next couple of weeks, Simon said. It will begin in September and include the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen and other stops similar to what was played in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic led to a round of cancellations.

Peng, now 37, won doubles tro phies at Wimbledon and the French Open and reached the No. 1 ranking in doubles; in singles, she was a US Open semifinalist and was ranked as high as No. 14. She dropped out of public view after saying in a social media post in November 2021 that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex. The post was quickly taken down by Chinese authorities.

The following month, Simon— with the backing of the WTA Board of Directors, players, tournaments and sponsors—said the tour would suspend play in China. That was the strongest public stand against China by a sports body and cost the WTA millions of dollars in revenue.

Peng later tried to recant, including in a controlled interview during last year’s Winter Games. After the Olympics, the global attention and outrage raised by her case—“Where is Peng Shuai? ” was a popular rallying cry, a T-shirt slogan seen at Grand Slam tournaments, a trending topic on social media— seems to have lessened.

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) men’s tennis tour and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which oversees the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup along with lower-level tournaments

Sports

for individual players, recently said they would resume operations in China after staying away because of Covid-19.

The ITF said Thursday it welcomed the WTA’s decision to resume play in China.

“ Regarding Peng Shuai, while she appears safe and well, we will continue to seek assurances about her ongoing safety and welcome all other organizations’ efforts to support her, both publicly and behind the scenes,” ITF President David Haggerty said.

B ack when he first delivered the news about leaving China, Simon told the AP: “...the one thing that we can’t do is walk away from this, because if we’re walking away from the key elements—which is obviously not only her wellbeing, but the investigation—then we’re telling the world that not addressing sexual assault with respect to the seriousness it requires is OK, because it’s too difficult. And it’s simply something that we can’t let happen.”

Chinese soccer finally returns after undergoing 3 troubled years

AFTER three Covid 19-affected seasons, corruption and financial issues, Saturday’s start of the Chinese Super League (CSL) marks a return to something approaching normal in the country’s soccer scene.

For the first time since the end of the 2019 season and the subsequent lockdowns, bio-secure bubbles in designated host cities and empty stadiums, fans will be able to watch their teams play at home and away.

S upporters will be present when defending champion Wuhan Three Towns plays against Shanghai Port on Saturday.

A sked whether Thursday’s move could be construed by some as backing down, Simon replied: “Well, everybody will have their own opinions on that, for sure. I can understand how someone might look at it that way, for sure. But we took a stand that no one else has. And, I think, from that, we did receive some things that we didn’t think we would get, as well,” citing the assurances about Peng’s safety and that of WTA players and staff upon return to China. AP

Longboard dance: Moves, music, risk elevate skateboarding hybrid

SANTA MONICA, California—

This winter’s been a hard one in Southern California. Highways flood and the rain keeps coming. Pedestrians pick their way across fallen cypress trees, around puddles on sidewalks roped off with caution tape. B etween fire, flood, and drought, sometimes it feels like the end of the world.

B ut there’s a break. Just east of the Santa Monica boardwalk, a dozen or so longboarders cruise in loping patterns along the empty stretch of South Lot 4, a mostly empty parking area.

Hannah Dooling glides down the pavement, earbuds hidden by long brown hair tucked beneath a baseball cap. She steps off her longboard, flips it in a semi-circle in the air while taking a few running steps, and hops back on the board, landing with a resounding thud.

That’s cool, right?” another woman asks.

It is, in fact, really cool. The trick is the half moon, named for the arc the board makes in the sky, and it’s one that Dooling, 30, has shown other women how to master.

They include Yun Huang, a 33-year-old tech worker, and Jane Kang and Christie Goodman, both 29, who work as a nanny and real estate agent, respectively.

T hey’re all here in wide-leg pants and zero-drop sneakers for the longboard session, bundled against the wind in hoodies, puffer coats or trucker jackets.

They get together most Saturday and Sunday afternoons if the weather’s good, at meetups supported by Dancing Foundation, a nonprofit started with a matching grant from Google by Achille Brighton, a 39-year-old software engineer.

L ongboard dance is still in its infancy, but Brighton says it has already spread—here, in Paris, in Seoul—anywhere with public squares or wide, open sidewalks where people can watch. You don’t need skate parks. You just need roads,” he says. “And because you do it in public, you’re out there, people see it. And they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cool.’”

O riginally designed for surfers entertaining themselves between sets, most longboards range from 3 to 4 feet in length, about a foot longer than traditional skateboards. The longer decks can be cumbersome, but also graceful.

T hey’re used for carving sidewalk turns and bombing hills, as well as longboard dancing, a skate/dance hybrid that fuses movement, music and danger.

When you’re doing longboard dancing, you’re listening to music, typically, and you’re moving your body to the beat,” Brighton says.

“There’s this effect where the rest of the world melts away. And I think that is like one of the things that gets you addicted.”

Dooling was an early adopter, learning how to skate in Seattle. If anyone wants to learn a trick, she

can probably show them how. She works remotely for Amazon and moved to LA with her partner in 2021 during “peak Covid,” not knowing anyone. Skating was a way to find community.

Huang, a native of Melbourne, Australia, started skating during the pandemic.

Some days, her board and her dog were the only things that would get her outdoors and moving.

“We were all kind of depressed from Covid,” she says. “I tried meditation before. That didn’t work for me, but I felt like I could really be in the zone with this.” At first, Huang just wanted to learn how to skate. Then she got sucked into “the longboard dancing hole of Instagram,” where a 30-second clip can be posted with music. That’s how Huang learned about Brighton and Longboard Dancing Los Angeles.

Says

Dooling:

“As a woman, skating can feel intimidating and not welcoming.” But during the pandemic, people were connecting through social media, finding their niche.

L ongboard dance was featured in a commercial for Facebook Groups during the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, showing skaters of different genders, races and nationalities finding each other online. You could watch reels and think, “I identify, or I see myself, or connect with the people that I’m seeing doing this,” Dooling says.

G oodman, flashing a “rock on” sign with her index and pinky finger, says, “I was like, Tony Hawk!” The women laugh, but Goodman is semi-serious. “Yeah! I was obsessed with him! And now I’m like, I can do some of those tricks!”

The four women jump in and out of

conversation, their speech overlapping. Kang is the most reticent, a former dancer attracted to the sport’s grace. Dooling is unassuming yet selfassured, a quietly rebellious “solo sporter” who grew up snowboarding and practicing Tae Kwan Do. Huang, also a snowboarder, sports a seagreen manicure and dark hair balayaged into blonde.

Goodman is animated, her long red hair moving with her as she gesticulates.

Don’t laugh at me, I’m fulfilling my 12-year-old dreams, OK?” she says.

Goodman first stepped on a skateboard in 2021.

Now she’s sponsored, as is Huang. Goodman does downhill, descending inclines at rapid speed. It’s dangerous; it’s exciting; “it brings up all the emotions,” she says.

T he thing that ties together longboarding and longboard dancing is danger, Brighton says. You might miss a step; you might fall; you might get hurt, he says. “And that’s the exciting bit.”

Brighton has ADHD and falls on the autism spectrum, he says. Longboarding attracts a neurodiverse community, says Goodman, who also has ADHD. “It’s, like, seeking that adrenaline,” she says.

O n a longboard, Brighton says, he doesn’t have to try to concentrate. It’s built into the movement. If you don’t pay attention, you’re going to get hurt, he says.

You’re on a board. Your brain now needs to learn not only where the body is, but also where the board is, and how the board is moving with relation to the ground,” he says. Longboarders “jump in and out of two different planes of movement…. You need to be able to keep track of those two states.”

W hen one of the women lands a new trick, “we fully celebrate,” Goodman says. They hang out after sessions, walking up to Samosa House on Main St., Jameson’s, or Venice Beach Bar, which you can skate down to. AP

The importance of this game is self-evident, and the team has been preparing for the new season well,” said Wuhan coach Pedro Morilla ahead of the season opener. “I am sure that the players will go all out tomorrow and play a wonderful game for the fans.”

Shanghai is, along with Wuhan, one of the few teams to be relatively unaffected by financial problems.

I know the expectations are running high,” Shanghai chief Javier Pereira said. “What I really want is to get a trophy. We need to get back to winning ways.”

It will be a relief if the talk stays on soccer through 2023. Three years of severe lockdowns, no fans at games, reduced sponsorship and broadcasting revenue and a countrywide economic slowdown left many clubs, some of which spent tens of millions on famous foreign players and coaches in the previous decade, struggling to stay solvent.

In March, eight teams in the top 3 tiers of Chinese soccer, including CSL club Guangzhou City, were disqualified by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) from competing due to financial problems.

In January Wuhan Yangtze folded after being unable to pay salaries, becoming the fourth top tier club to cease business in four seasons. Chinese soccer is also going through one of its periodical clean-ups of soccer officials.

There is still a long way to go to eradicate the existence of unhealthy practices such as football gambling and to strengthen the education and oversight of young officials,” the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Supervisory Commission said in December.

I n March, the sports ministry announced probes into Wang Xiaoping, director of the Chinese Football Association’s Disciplinary Committee, and Huang Song of the body’s competition department as they were both “suspected of serious violations” of law and discipline. A month earlier, CFA president Chen Xuyuan was reportedly arrested on corruption charges.

“ The soccer industry now has a number of problems, and it fails to live up to people’s expectations,” said Gao Zhidan, director of China’s General Administration of Sport in March. “Regarding the recent serious problems in the soccer sector, there’s a lot of soulsearching to do.… We must have systematic methods to tackle these problems bravely and fastidiously.”

It is a familiar story for fans but, after being starved of live soccer, will at least have something to take their minds off wider issues when the season begins. AP

PENG SHUAI says in a social media post in November 2021 that a top Chinese government official forced her to have sex. AP

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Y2Z

BOSS BABE

Karencitta returns, with a ‘BLOW!’ this time

By Patrick V. Miguel

HE COVID-19 pandemic was one of the stumbling blocks for Karencitta in releasing new songs, since her 2019 release of album “Cebuana Persuasion.” It was where she gained popularity as an artist, especially with the track “Cebuana” that gained her popularity

girls to really be inspired and empowered by this uplifting dance track,” she said.

She added, “BLOW!” is also about embracing her brand as Karencitta, which is “to empower young girls and be a boss babe.”

pandemic, Karencitta shared, “Being locked down during the pandemic… was really difficult to get that creative juice out of me, but the thing is you have to have discipline as an artist. You have to sit down and just try to write even just one verse per day.”

Aldwin

Karencitta explained that the title is inspired by “that internal feeling na I can’t wait to go out there and meet my fans and do what I usually do back in the day.”

“BLOW!” was foremost inspired by her Cebuana roots, particularly the Sinulog Festival she never missed out on in Cebu.

Karencitta reflects, “I guess that just really molded me today, like all the musical elements used by the live bands… is ingrained into the way I create [music], it’s part of my process. There’s a lot of bells, heavy drums.”

“Sinulog is also about having fun also… and everyone coming together, which encapsulates my brand also as Karencitta,” she added.

According to her, sitting down and just consistently working “at least one verse per day” is what differentiates a disciplined artist from an undisciplined artist.

Asked which one is she of the two, Karencitta proudly proclaims herself as a disciplined artist.

She said, “It’s all about work ethic, craft, and determination at the end of the day to survive in this volatile industry.”

local collaborations, and assures her listeners to hear “new styles from Karencitta.” She hints of a love song awaiting to be released. Asked about her message for fellow women, Karencitta imparts, “Thank you for all of the support that you have given me… maraming salamat. Due to the world changing so fast, it is important that we educate ourselves. Education is very essential to be able to survive in any industry at the end of the day. Don’t forget where you come from. Stick to your roots. Try to bridge the gap between your roots and what you do, whatever profession you choose. Enjoy the whole process.”

Building

Fax line: 813-7025

Advertising Sales: 893-2019; 817-1351,817-2807.

Circulation: 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. www.businessmirror.com.ph

Karencitta started writing the song around November 2022, in preparation for releasing it at the same time of Sinulog Festival, which is celebrated annually every third Sunday of January.

“BLOW!” was released last January 8, and a remix version featuring local artists Zae and Tiffany Lhei was released on March 24.

Still a boss babe

On her hiatus during the

She announces to release more music in the future, collaborating with fellow local artists. She enthused, “I’m so excited because ‘ yung mga ka-collaborate ko, mga ‘lodi’ ko talaga. I really respect these artists, I’ve been dreaming and dying to be collaborating with them.”

She shares their plan on releasing five new songs this year, with

“BLOW!” is available on all music-streaming platforms.

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Lourdes M. Fernandez

M. Tolosa

Jt Nisay

Edwin P. Sallan

Eduardo A. Davad

Niggel Figueroa

Anabelle O. Flores

Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Patrick Miguel

Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

by Tony M. Maghirang

Summer 2023: The Soundstrip Interviews Part 2

WE once more feature music acts playing at our Book Launch and gig happening on April 22, at TakeOver Lounge near Katipunan Ave. QC.

Hey Moonshine – Jamming About Peace and What’s Right

Who are the members of the band?

WE’VE got Gian Sison on vocals, Bryan Gatmaitan, chief composer on lead guitars, Carlo Ybanez on bass, Ton Gregorio on rhythm guitar. Shaun Hilario on drums, Athena Mae Sayaman on backing vocals and lead guitar, and Angela Rivera on backup vocals

When did you first get together and what pulled you guys together to start a band?

WE started back in 2016, A common friend encouraged Gian and Bryan to form a band. Gian auditioned for Bryan’s then defunct band but after the jam, Bryan decided to just form a new band with Gian who pulled his friends from other defunct bands and they started creating original songs right away.

What genre are you in and Why this particular gene? Any influences?

WE would like to consider our genre as rock. But each of our influences brings us all together into a sub genre what people would describe as Southern rock. We chose the genre mainly because something unique came out when we combined our individual influences in rock music from the 60’s to 90’s.

Do you align yourself with any particular cause or type of music?

WE consciously write songs about peace and standing up for what is right. We feel like this is one of the main purposes why we are here, doing what we do. We would like our songs to make a difference and send a message out to people.

What’s next step for the band?

AS of now, we are planning to release 3 songs this 2023, then hopefully release a full length album.

THE

VULTURES PROJECT – At The Crossroads of Blues and Rockabilly

Who are the members of the band? When did you first get together as a start a band?

WE came from different bands: JC Tayag from Hilera, Alvin Arevalo from Piranha Philippines, Ian Trinidad from The Breed, and Yvann Esteva from Ihawal, We were naturally drawn to each other seeing our respective bands play gigs and our getting together came naturally and surprisingly out of the blue, Our chemistry as a band must have been there even before our first rehearsal at Maestro Music Studio in Makati.

Your name seems to make people think you’re into some kind of heavy metal or rock music? What genre are you in? Any influences?

WE mostly play blues/rockabilly and as of now, we’re doing covers of our favorite songs, We are also busy writing our own songs.

How has it been since you first performed live? How has audience reception been since then?

WE’VE only formed last January and officially had our first rehearsal around the 3rd week of February. Surprisingly, we’ve had an overwhelmingly warm response from the community since our first gig. We certainly look forward to playing live more once we’ve polished our own materials.

Do you align yourself with any particular cause or type of music?

HONESTLY, we love discovering new music, so being lined up with different bands only broadens our understanding of music and appreciation for it.

What’s next for the band?

HOPEFULLY we’d record our originals and release them on streaming platforms, get our name out more via gigs and creative platforms, and maybe a podcast series, if possible.

THE MOTHERCAMPERS – FORWARD WITH THEIR OWN SOUND AND STYLE THE MotherCampers are songwriter Ayanstein ‘Ayan” Tolentino on guitars and

backing vocals. Nichol Baluyot on drums and percussions, Manfred Valentos on guitars, A.I. Garcia on bass and Jols Mendoza on vocals and harmonies. Their sound is an amalgam of a range of individual influences who include E-Heads, Rivermaya, APO Hiking, Juan dela Cruz, Nirvana Foo Fighters, Radiohead and Biffy Clyro.

Collectively though, they’d rather call their music “Original Pinoy Rakenrol.”

The band has released their latest singles on Spotify, which fans can look ahead to hearing during their upcoming campus tour in Metro Manila. A formal gig to launch their debut album titled Hindiependecia is also coming up soon to showcase their unique sound and style.

SoundSampler

HEY Moonshine

THE Mothercampers

THE-Vultures-Project

Are robot waiters the future? Some restaurants think so

By Dee-ann Durbin The Associated Press

MADiSON HEiGHTS,

But are robot waiters the future? It’s a question the restaurant industry is increasingly trying to answer.

Many think robot waiters are the solution to the industry’s labor shortages. Sales of them have been growing rapidly in recent years, with tens of thousands now gliding through dining rooms worldwide.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this is where the world is going,” said Dennis Reynolds, dean of the Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at the University of Houston. The school’s restaurant began using a robot in December, and Reynolds says it has eased the workload for human staff and made service more efficient.

A mere gimmick?

BU t others say robot waiters aren’t much more than a gimmick that have a long way to go before they can replace humans. They can’t take orders, and many restaurants have steps, outdoor patios and other physical challenges they can’t adapt to.

“Restaurants are pretty chaotic places, so it’s very hard to insert automation in a way that is really productive,” said Craig Le Clair, a vice president with the con-

sulting company Forrester who studies automation.

Still, the robots are proliferating. Redwood City, California-based Bear Robotics introduced its Servi robot in 2021 and expects to have 10,000 deployed by the end of this year in 44 US states and overseas. Shenzen, China-based Pudu Robotics, which was founded in 2016, has deployed more than 56,000 robots worldwide.

“Every restaurant chain is looking toward as much automation as possible,” said Phil Zheng of Richtech Robotics, an Austinbased maker of robot servers. “People are going to see these everywhere in the next year or two.”

Bane or boon…

LI ZH AI was having trouble finding staff for Noodle topia, his Madison Heights, Michigan, restaurant, in the summer of 2021, so he bought a BellaBot from Pudu Robotics. The robot was so successful he added two more; now, one robot leads diners to their seats while another delivers bowls of steaming noodles to tables. Employees pile dirty dishes onto a third robot to shuttle back to the kitchen.

Now, Zhai only needs three people to do the same volume of business that five or six

people used to handle. And they save him money. A robot costs around $15,000, he said, but a person costs $5,000 to $6,000 per month.

Zhai said the robots give human servers more time to mingle with customers, which increases tips. And customers often post videos of the robots on social media that entice others to visit.

“Besides saving labor, the robots generate business,” he said.

Interactions with human servers can vary. Betzy Giron Reynosa, who works with a BellaBot at The Sushi Factory in West Melbourne, Florida, said the robot can be a pain.

“You can’t really tell it to move or anything,” she said. She has also had customers who don’t want to interact with it.

But overall the robot is a plus, she said. It saves her trips back and forth to the kitchen and gives her more time with customers.

Accelerated adoption

L A BoR shortages accelerated the adoption of robots globally, Le Clair said. In the US, the restaurant industry employed 15 million people at the end of last year, but that was still 400,000 fewer than before the pandemic, according to the National

Restaurant Association. In a recent survey, 62 percent of restaurant operators told the association they don’t have enough employees to meet customer demand.

Pandemic-era concerns about hygiene and adoption of new technology like QR code menus also laid the ground for robots, said Karthik Namasivayam, director of The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business.

“once an operator begins to understand and work with one technology, other technologies become less daunting and will be much more readily accepted as we go forward,” he said.

Namasivayam notes that public acceptance of robot servers is already high in Asia. Pizza Hut has robot servers in 1,000 restaurants in China, for example.

The US was slower to adopt robots, but some chains are now testing them. Chickfil-A is trying them at multiple US locations, and says it’s found that the robots give human employees more time to refresh drinks, clear tables and greet guests.

But not all chains have had success with robots.

Chili’s introduced a robot server named Rita in 2020 and expanded the test to 61 US restaurants before abruptly halting it last August. The chain found that Rita moved too slowly and got in the way of human servers. And 58 percent of guests surveyed said Rita didn’t improve their overall experience.

Haidilao, a hot pot chain in China, began using robots a year ago to deliver food to diners’ tables. But managers at several outlets said the robots haven’t proved as reliable or cost-effective as human servers. Wang Long, the manager of a Beijing outlet, said his two robots have both have broken down.

“We only used them now and then,” Wang said. “It is a sort of concept thing and the machine can never replace humans.” n AP researcher Yu Bing contributed from Beijing.

No driver, no problem: Robotaxis on course for expansion

TWo trailblazing ride-hailing services are heading toward uncharted territory as they seek regulatory approval to transport passengers around the clock throughout one of the most densely populated US cities in vehicles that will have no one sitting in the driver’s seat.

If Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spinoff from Google, reach their goal before year’s end, San Francisco would become the first US city with two totally driverless services competing against Uber, Lyft and traditional taxis—all of which

depend on people to control the automobiles.

But Cruise and Waymo still must navigate around potential roadblocks, including complaints about their vehicles making unexpected, traffic-clogging stops that threaten to inconvenience other travelers and imperil public safety.

Cruise already has been charging people for driverless rides in less congested parts of San Francisco during night-time hours since last June. Waymo has been giving free driverless rides in a broader swath of the city while awaiting clearance to begin charging passengers in robotic vehicles that Google

secretly began working on 14 years ago.

The effort to unleash dueling driverless services throughout San Francisco is shaping up to be just the first step in a far more ambitious expansion centered in California—a state where more than 35 million vehicles driven by humans are currently registered.

Cruise recently applied for permission to begin testing its robotic vehicles throughout California at speeds of up to 88 kilometers per hour—40 kilometers per hour above the maximum speed for its robotaxis in San Francisco. Waymo is already testing its driv-

erless cars in Los Angeles, the second largest city in the US.

The California push comes on top of Cruise starting to test its robotaxis in Austin, texas, as well as Phoenix, where since 2020 Waymo’s driverless ride-hailing service has been carrying passengers on Arizona roads that are far less congested and challenging than the streets of San Francisco.

“We still have work to do, but it’s improving at a pretty rapid rate,” Cruise CEo Kyle Vogt told The Associated Press. “As it gets finetuned, it will get really elegant over time, but also the safety continues to improve.” AP

Mich.—You may have already seen them in restaurants: waisthigh machines that can greet guests, lead them to their tables, deliver food and drinks and ferry dirty dishes to the kitchen. Some have catlike faces and even purr when you scratch their heads.

Cover photo by Tara Winstead/pexels.com

A Bell ABoT robot at the Noodle Topia restaurant heads back to the kitchen after a table is cleared on Monday, March 20, 2023, in Madison Heights, Mich. Sales of robot servers have been growing rapidly in recent years, and tens of thousands of robots are now gliding through dining rooms worldwide. AP