BusinessMirror April 30, 2023.pdf

GREAT PLACES TO WORK IN

By Rizal Raoul Reyes

WORKPLACE platform top gun Great Place to Work (GPTW) recently honored companies in its annual Best Workplaces in the Philippines at the Hilton Hotel in Pasay City.

Remarkably, it produced the biggest number of awardees this year compared to four years ago, according to Antoinette Mendoza-Talosig, managing partner at GPTW.

More and more Philippine companies and business leaders are committing to creating better workplace experiences for all Filipinos. We see companies from various industries coming together as a community to learn from each other on how to do it right by their people and remain steadfast and purpose-driven during these times of perennial change,” she explained in an email interview with the BusinessMirror She pointed out that 2023 was a breakout year, as they certified over 150 Great Place To Work companies and 35 Best Workplaces in the Philippines, divided into three categories.

’More than a social workplace’

TWO remarkable developments emerged in the GPTW Trust Index surveys conducted last year, Mendoza-Talosig observed.

“Number one, compared to previous years, we observe that employees need more than a social workplace,” she said.

“ There is an increasing need for a psychologically and emotionally healthy workplace, especially as employees continue to adapt to changes such as returning to the office or shifting to a hybrid work setup,” she added.

S he also commended the Best Workplaces team for an excellent job, with 92 percent of

their employees saying they have established psychologically and emotionally healthy workplaces versus 79 percent of employees in typical organizations that are not list-makers.

She said the efforts of the Best Workplaces to have credible and caring leaders who prioritize their employees’ mental health results in higher productivity, with nine in every 10 employees willing to go the extra mile to get the job done, wanting to stay in the company for a long time, and saying they strongly endorse their company to family and friends as a great place to work.

How to be GPTW-certified

FOR a company to qualify for GPTW certification, it must conduct a Trust Index survey carrying 60 statements measuring the quality of relationships across the five dimensions of a great workplace: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.

Moreover, Mendoza-Talosig said companies will be given two weeks to anonymously answer the survey through Emprising, Great Place to Work’s proprietary survey platform and referred to globally as the world’s best employee satisfaction software.

If the company makes the global threshold, it is given a certification badge which the company may use to promote its award-winning culture, boost the employer brand, and attract high-caliber talent, Mendoza-Talosig said.

There is leadership effectiveness, where values are not just

clearly articulated but lived by, and where trust anchors the organization’s culture. When these are all present, companies are then able to maximize their employees’ full potential and experience financial growth,” Mendoza-Talosig said.

The winners

IN the Small category, or companies with less than 100 employees, Siegen HR Solutions Inc., a local business-process outsourcing recruitment hub, emerged as the top winner. At second and third, respectively, are ECo Global Consulting Inc. and the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines Inc. (IBPAP).

Meanwhile in the Medium category, which consists of organizations with less than 1,000 employees, DHL Express (Philippines) Corp. bagged the top spot

on the list. Cisco Philippines and Atlassian placed second and third, respectively.

L astly, in the Large category, or those with 1,000 or more employees, Synchrony Global Services Philippines Inc., a subsidiary company that manages Synchrony’s call-center operations and select back-office support, has emerged as the top winner. This year Accenture Inc. (Philippines) ranked second, while PSG Global Solutions Inc. came in third.

Responses from top placers

IRIZ ANN MONTEBON, president and CEO of Siegen Solutions, said the “award reaffirms our commitment to building a positive and inclusive work environment. We are grateful to our team members for their trust, support and contributions in making Siegen Solutions successful.”

Montebon said the award will serve as a catalyst for further enhancing their workplace policies, programs and practices to ensure that their employees feel valued, fulfilled and empowered in their roles. “We aim to build on this achievement and strive to make Siegen Solutions an even better place to work for all our team members.”

She said the company is fortunate to have a strong and supportive board of directors who share the vision and are fully committed to its employee-centric approach.

“We believe that our current board is aligned with our values and goals, and we have no immediate plans to invite more investors to the company,” she said.

Montebon said Siegen Solutions will leverage its feat to attract and retain top talent and further

build its reputation as a great place to work. Their present and future successes, she added, are closely tied to the satisfaction and engagement of their employees, and the company is committed to their growth and development.

She said their journey as a company has been marked by many challenges and near-death experiences, particularly during the pandemic. “As a small company, we had to make tough decisions to weather the storm and ensure the continuity of our operations,” Montebon said.

However, one thing that has remained constant throughout our journey is our commitment to putting our people first. We recognized early on that our employees are our most valuable asset, and we made sure to prioritize their wellbeing and job security, even during difficult times,” Montebon added.

L ogistics company DHL Philippines said the award meant a lot to the company because it “gives us confidence that we are definitely on the right track.

“

The company is quite aware that the success of our business starts with a motivated workforce. It also credited their passion, cando attitude, and mindset of doing things right the first time that have made the company even better,” a company statement said.

DHL Philippines started operations more than 50 years ago when it paved the way for the international express industry in the Philippines. It has operated even during challenging times, such as delivering vaccines for Filipinos during the pandemic.

“Most of our employees were considered essential frontliners, responsible for delivering necessary medical and personal protection equipment and supplies during the pandemic. With this, we had to be agile enough to adjust our operations and ensure that we continue to observe and comply with the health requirements set forth by the Philippine government.”

Some of this year’s awardees in the search for the Best Workplaces in the Philippines share insights on what it takes to attain that status.

Food prices fall on world markets but not on kitchen tables

By Paul Wiseman & Evelyne Musambi The Associated Press

A round the world, food prices are persistently, painfully high. Puzzlingly, too.

On global markets, the prices of grains, vegetable oil, dairy and other agricultural commodities have fallen steadily from record highs. But the relief hasn’t made it to the real world of shopkeepers, street vendors and families trying to make ends meet.

We cannot afford to eat lunch and dinner on most days because we still have rent and school fees to pay,” said Linnah Meuni, a Kenyan mother of four.

She says a 2-kilogram (4.4-pound) packet of corn flour costs twice what she earns a day selling vegetables at a kiosk.

End of price shock?

FOOD prices were already running high when Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, disrupting

trade in grain and fertilizer and sending prices up even more. But on a global scale, that price shock ended long ago.

The United Nations says food prices have fallen for 12 straight months, helped by decent harvests in places like Brazil and Russia and a fragile wartime agreement to allow grain shipments out of the Black Sea.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index is lower than it was when Russian troops entered Ukraine.

Yet, somehow exorbitant food prices that people have little choice but to pay are still climbing, contributing disproportionately to painfully high inflation from the United States and Europe to the struggling countries of the developing world.

Food markets are so interconnected that “wherever you are

JÓZSEF VARGA , owner of a grocery in Budapest's Grand Market Hall, sells vegetables on Saturday, April 8, 2023. Varga says his wholesale costs have risen by 20 percent to 30 percent. All his customers have noticed the price spikes—some more than others. AP

in the world, you feel the effect if global prices go up,” said Ian Mitchell, an economist and Londonbased co-director of the Europe program at the Center for Global Development.

W hy is food price inflation so intractable, if not in world commodity markets, then where it counts—in bazaars and grocery stores and kitchen tables around the world?

Joseph Glauber, former chief economist at the US Department

Who’s to blame?

of Agriculture, notes that the price of specific agricultural products— oranges, wheat, livestock—are just the beginning.

Core inflation factor

IN the United States, where food prices were up 8.5 percent last month from a year earlier, he says that “75 percent of the costs are coming after it leaves the farm. It’s energy costs. It’s all the processing costs. All the transportation costs. All the labor costs.’’

A nd many of those costs are embedded in so-called core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices and has proven stubbornly hard to wring out of the world economy.

Food prices soared 19.5 percent in the European Union last month from a year earlier and 19.2 percent in the UK, the biggest increase in nearly 46 years.

Food inflation, Glauber says, “will come down, but it’s going to come down slowly, largely because these other factors are still running pretty high.”

Others, including US President Joe Biden, see another culprit: a wave of mergers that have, over the years, reduced competition in the food industry.

The White House last year complained that just four meatpacking companies control 85 percent of the US beef market. Likewise, just four firms control 70 percent of the pork market and 54 percent of the poultry market. Those companies, critics say, can and do use their market power to raise prices.

GLAUBER, now a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, isn’t convinced that consolidation in agribusiness is to blame for persistently high food prices.

Sure, he says, big agribusinesses can rake in profits when prices rise. But things usually even out over time, and their profits diminish in lean times.

There’s a lot of market factors right now, fundamentals, that can explain why we have such inflation,” he says. “I couldn’t point my finger at the fact that we just have a handful of meat producers.”

Outside the United States, he says, a strong dollar is to blame for keeping prices high. In other recent food-price crunches, like in 20072008, the dollar wasn’t especially strong. “ This time around, we’ve had a strong dollar and an appreciating dollar,” Glauber said. “Prices for corn and wheat are quoted in dollars per ton. You put that in local currency terms, and because of the strong dollar, that means they haven’t seen” the price drops that show up in commodity markets and the UN food price index.

In Kenya, drought added to food shortages and high prices arising from the impact of war in Ukraine, and costs have stayed stubbornly high ever since.

Corn flour, a staple in Kenyan households that is used to make corn meal known as ugali, has doubled in price over the last year. After the 2022 elections, President William Ruto ended subsidies meant to cush-

ion consumers from higher prices. Nonetheless, he has promised to bring down corn flour prices.

Kenyan millers bought wheat when global prices were high last year; they also have been contending with high production costs arising from bigger fuel bills.

In response, small Kenyan restaurants like Mark Kioko’s have had to raise prices and sometimes cut back on portions.

We had to reduce the size of our chapatis because even after we increased the price, we were suffering because cooking oil prices have also remained high,” Kioko says.

In Hungary, people are increasingly unable to cope with the biggest spike in food prices in the EU, reaching 45 percent in March.

To keep up with rising ingredient costs, Cafe Csiga in central Budapest has raised prices by around 30 percent.

“Our chef closely follows prices on a daily basis, so the procurement of kitchen ingredients is tightly controlled,” said the restaurant’s general manager, Andras Kelemen. The café even dropped burgers and French fries from the menu.

Meatless option JOSZEF VARGA , a fruit and vegetable seller in Budapest’s historic Grand Market Hall, says his wholesale costs have risen by 20 percent to 30 percent. All his customers have noticed the price spikes— some more than others. “Those with more money in their wallets buy more, and those with less buy less,” he said. “You can feel it significantly in people, they complain that everything is more expensive.”

In Pakistan, shop owner Mohammad Ali says some customers are going meatless, sticking to vegetables and beans instead. Even the price of vegetables, beans, rice and wheat is up as much as 50 percent.

Sitting at her mud-brick home outside the capital of Islamabad, 45-year-old widow Zubaida Bibi says: “Our life was never easy, but now the price of everything has increased so much that it has become difficult to live.”

Th is month, she stood in a long line to get free wheat from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Bibi works as a maid, earning just 8,000 Pakistani rupees ($30) a month. “ We need many other things, but we don’t have enough money to buy food for our children,” she said. She gets money from her younger brother Sher Khan to stay afloat. But he’s vulnerable, too: Rising fuel costs may force him to close his roadside tea stall.

Increasing inflation has ruined my budget,” he said. “I earn less and spend more.”

Great places to work in

Continued from A1

As a major international express service provider, the company said it is responsible for setting an example in the industry as a sustainability leader, as it works towards reducing its carbon footprint, and setting the highest social and governance standards. Further, DHL Philippines has become the first logistics company to commit to a net-zero emissions target by 2050 by deploying 21 electric vehicles to support its operations.

For Synchrony Global Services Philippines Inc., the triumph “provided a strong sense of validation that we are doing something right and making a difference in the lives of our employees.”

Liwayway Langit, senior vice president and business leader for the Philippines of Synchrony Global Services Philippines Inc., said the company has also put a premium on employee satisfaction, which is a major component of its employee relations programs.

“Our business imperative has

always been employee satisfaction, which is a component of all of our employee relations programs. Whatever the outcome is just reinforcement of our engagement groups,” she said.

This recognition by Great Place To Work provided a strong sense of validation that we are doing something right and making a difference in the lives of our employees. We value our employees because we believe that great people make great workplaces,” she said.

L angit said the pandemic was a challenging time for the company, as it was for many businesses. “However, we made a commitment early on to prioritize the well-being and job security of our employees, no matter what.”

According to Langit, one of the key adjustments the company made was to slash budgets that did not affect the employees’ job security, such as office rentals, onsite software, and equipment. “We also made the difficult decision to

stop compensating our shareholders and infused more money into the company to ensure that our employees and clients would still be with us when the pandemic was over,” she said.

In just two months, the company underwent a complete digital transformation, thanks to the tech background of its founders. This ensured that the company’s operations would not be affected, and could continue providing exceptional service to its clients and job applicants.

Overall, our ability to navigate through the pandemic was a testament to our resilience, agility, and commitment to our employees and clients. We were able to adjust quickly to the changing circumstances and make tough decisions to ensure that we could continue operating and providing exceptional service. While the pandemic posed many challenges, we emerged from it stronger and more prepared for whatever the future may bring,” Langit explained.

ARESTAURANT on the outskirts of Nairobi skimps on the size of its chapatis—a flaky, chewy Kenyan flatbread—to save on cooking oil. Cashstrapped Pakistanis reluctantly go vegetarian, dropping beef and chicken from their diets because they can no longer afford meat. In Hungary, a café pulls burgers and fries off the menu, trying to dodge the high cost of oil and beef.

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World BusinessMirror

Cities are reviving downtowns by converting offices to housing

By Mae Anderson, Ashraf Khalil & Michael Casey

The Associated Press

NEW YORK—On the 31st floor of what

was once a towering office building in downtown Manhattan, construction workers lay down steel bracing for what will soon anchor a host of residential amenities: a catering station, lounge, fire pit and gas grills.

The building, empty since 2021, is being converted to 588 market-rate rental apartments that will house about 1,000 people. “We’re taking a vacant building and pouring life not only into this building, but this entire neighborhood,” said Joey Chilelli, managing director of real estate firm Vanbarton Group, which is doing the conversion.

Across the country, office-to-housing conversions are being pursued as a potential lifeline for struggling downtown business districts that emptied out during the pandemic and may never fully recover. The conversion push is marked by an emphasis on affordability. Multiple cities are offering serious tax breaks for developers to incentivize office-to-housing conversions—provided that a certain percentage of apartments are offered at affordable below-market prices.

In January, Pittsburgh announced it was accepting proposals to produce more

affordable housing through the “conversion of fallow and underutilized office space.”

Boston released a plan in October aimed at revitalizing downtown that included a push for more housing, some of which would come from office conversions. And Seattle launched a competition in April for downtown building owners and design firms to come up with conversion ideas.

In the nation’s capital, Mayor Muriel Bowser has made office-to-housing conversions a cornerstone of her plan to repopulate and revitalize the district’s downtown. Her “comeback plan” for the capital city, announced earlier this year, seeks to add 15,000 new residents to the downtown area, adding to the approximately 25,000 who already live here.

Bowser’s administration says about 1 million square feet of downtown real estate is already transitioning from commercial to residential. But the city needs another 6 million square feet converted to meet her goal of 15,000 new downtown residents.

“We’re not going to have as many workers downtown as we had before the pandemic,” Bowser said earlier this year. “Our job is to make sure that we are getting more people downtown.”

But the conversion push has some skeptics. Housing advocates worry that the affordable housing requirements could get watered down. And even advocates of the conversion model say giving tax breaks to

wealthy developers isn’t the best tool to achieve the goal.

“Developers who feel it’s going to benefit their bottom line will do it without an incentive,” said Erica Williams, director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. “This is a very costly proposal for an unproven program.”

And, as increasing numbers of employers turn to hybrid work models, there’s the question of whether people will want to move to downtown areas if they’re not required to be there every day.

“You have to make downtown a neighborhood—somewhere that’s living and playful and active,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey told a panel at the United States Conference of Mayors meetings in Washington last January. “How do you make it a neighborhood that has a vibe where young people want to be?”

Jordan Woods, a 33-year-old federal government contractor, moved to an apartment in downtown Washington in 2019, attracted in part by the appeal of being able to walk to work. He said he was able to find dependable stores and restaurants that stayed open at night, but then the pandemic came and downtown became “like a moonscape” for more than a year.

“And even before the pandemic it was still missing basic stuff like playgrounds and dog parks and a normal non-Whole Foods grocery store that I could walk to,” Woods said. “I wouldn’t say I regret it, but if I was

considering the same move right now, I’m not sure I would do it.”

Chuck D’Aprix, principal at Downtown Economics, a development consulting firm, said attracting new residents to a former downtown business district holds specific chicken-and-egg issues. The businesses that residents need are different from those of daytime office workers. They include mid-size affordable grocery stores and day-care centers, pet supply shops, hardware stores and auto repair garages. And those places need to stay open past office hours.

“A lot of those services simply aren’t available right now in small city downtowns or mid-sized city downtowns, you know, they close up at night,” D’Aprix said.

But with vacancy rates at downtown office buildings continuing to rise, from 12.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 17.8 percent in the first quarter of 2023, according to the real estate firm CBRE, there’s an urgency to do something. Some of the hardest hit places include San Francisco with a preliminary vacancy rate of 29.4 percent, Houston 23.6 percent, Philadelphia at 21.7 percent and Washington at 20.3 percent.

In New York City, where the vacancy rate is 15.5 percent, Mayor Eric Adams announced in January a plan to bring 500,000 new homes to the city including what he calls rent-restricted units.

A key piece of that plan is to rezone parts of Midtown Manhattan which currently only allow office and manufacturing spaces. Along with the rezoning, the mayor’s office is pushing bills in the legislature to approve tax breaks that would entice developers to invest in conversions that include affordable units as well as changes in the state’s multiple dwellings law that would allow buildings built through 1990 access to more flexible regulations that make conversions easier.

“The ability to really take our outdated

office stock in the city is a true win-win because we not only shore up the office market, given the vacancy rates that we are seeing, but we also help reactivate our business districts, which really suffered right during the pandemic,” Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer said.

K halil reported from Washington and Casey from Boston. Associated Press writer Manuel Valdes in Seattle contributed to this report.

The World Guardsman in leak case wanted to kill a ‘ton of people’, US prosecutors say

By Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker & Tara Copp The Associated Press

WORCESTER, Mass.—

The Massachusetts Air National guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents kept an a rsenal of guns and said on social media that he would like to kill a “ton of people,” prosecutors said in arguing Thursday that 21-year-old Jack Teixeira should remain in jail for his trial.

But the judge at Teixeira’s detention hearing put off an immediate d ecision on whether he should be kept in custody until his trial or released to home confinement or under other conditions. Teixeira was led away from the court in handcuffs, black rosary beads around his n eck, pending that ruling.

The court filings raise new questions about why Teixeira had such a h igh security clearance and access to some of the nation’s most classified secrets. They said he may still h ave material that hasn’t been released, which could be of “tremendous value to hostile nation states t hat could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States.”

In Teixeira’s detention hearing, Magistrate Judge David Hennessy expressed skepticism of defense arguments that the government hasn’t alleged Teixeira intended leaked information to be widely disseminated.

“Somebody under the age of

30 has no idea that when they put something on the Internet that it could end up anywhere in this world?” the judge asked. “Seriously?”

Teixeira entered his hearing in Worcester in orange prison garb, smiling at his father in the front row. His handcuffs were removed before he sat down and put back on when he was taken out.

The judge could order Teixeira to be confined at his father’s home or conditionally released while awaiting trial, if not held in jail. “ You have a young man before you who didn’t flee, has nowhere to flee,” said Brendan Kelley, the defendant’s lawyer. “He will answer the charges, he will be judged by his fellow citizens.”

But Nadine Pellegrini from the Massachusetts US attorney’s office told the judge the information p rosecutors submitted to the court about the defendant’s threatening words and behavior “is not speculation, it is not hyperbole, nor is it t he creation of a caricature. It is ... directly based upon the words and actions of this defendant.”

The defense asserted Teixeira no longer has access to any top-secret information and had accused prosecutors of providing “little more than speculation that a foreign adversary will seduce Mr. Teixeira and orchestrate his clandestine escape from the United States.”

The prosecution’s filing reviews what it says are Teixeira social media posts, stating in November that h e would “kill a [expletive] ton of people” if he had his way, because it

would be “culling the weak minded.”

Court papers urging a federal judge to keep Teixeira in custody detailed a troubling history going back to high school, where he w as suspended when a classmate overheard him discussing Molotov cocktails and other weapons as well as racial threats. More recently, prosecutors said, he used his government computer to research past m ass shootings and standoffs with federal agents.

He remains a grave threat to national security and a flight risk, prosecutors wrote. Investigators are still trying to determine whether he kept any physical or digital c opies of classified information that hasn’t surfaced yet.

“There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the Defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or p ossession,” prosecutors wrote. “The damage the Defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense. The damage the Defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary.”

Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest this month on charges stemming from the most consequential i ntelligence leak in years.

Teixeira has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He has not yet entered a p lea.

His lawyers argued in court papers that appropriate conditions c an be set for his release even if the

court finds him to be a flight risk— such as confinement at his father’s home and location monitoring.

“The government’s allegations... offer no support that Mr. Teixeira currently, or ever, intended any information purportedly to the private social media server to be widely d isseminated,” they wrote. “Thus, its argument that Mr. Teixeira will continue to release information or destroy evidence if not detained rings hollow.”

Prosecutors wrote that he kept his gun locker within reach of his bed and in it were handguns, boltaction rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon and a gas mask. Ammunition and tactical pouches were found on his dresser, they said.

He is accused of distributing highly classified documents about top national security issues in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers. The leak stunned m ilitary officials, sparked an international uproar and raised fresh questions about America’s ability to safeguard its secrets.

The leaked documents appear to detail US and Nato aid to Ukraine and US intelligence assessments regarding US allies that could strain t ies with those nations. Some show real-time 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.

Prosecutors wrote that Teixeira repeatedly had “detailed and trou -

bling discussions about violence

a nd murder” on the platform where authorities say he shared the documents. In February, he told another p erson that he was tempted to make a minivan into an “assassination van,” prosecutors wrote.

In 2018, they allege, Teixeira was suspended after a classmate “overheard him make remarks about w eapons, including Molotov cocktails, guns at the school, and racial t hreats.” His initial application for a firearms identification card that same year was denied due to police concerns over those remarks.

The Justice Department said it also learned through its investigation that Teixeira used his government computer in July to look up m ass shootings and government standoffs, including the terms

“Ruby Ridge,” “Las Vegas shooting,” “Mandalay Bay shooting,” “Uvalde” and “Buffalo tops shooting”—an apparent reference to the 2022 racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.

Those searches should have triggered the computer to generate a n immediate referral to security, which could have then led to a more in-depth review of Teixeira’s file, according to Dan Meyer, a lawyer who s pecializes in security clearance issues. The Air Force’s investigation w ill probably discover whether a referral was generated—and whether s ecurity officers did anything with the information.

The Air Force has suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron where Teixeira worked and an

administrative commander until further investigation.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder wouldn’t discuss the specifics of Teixeira’s case. We do want to allow the investigation to run its course,” Ryder said. Teixeira’s lawyers said he has no criminal history. The incident at his high school was “thoroughly investigated” and he was allowed to come back after a few days and a psychological evaluation, they wrote. That investigation was “fully known and vetted “ by the Air National Guard before he enlisted and w hen he obtained his top-secret security clearance, they said.

Months later, after news outlets began reporting on the documents leak, Teixeira took steps to destroy evidence. Authorities who searched a dumpster at his home found a smashed laptop, tablet and Xbox gaming console, they said. Authorities have not alleged a motive. Members of the Discord group have described Teixeira as someone who wanted to show off rather than inform the public about military operations or influence US policy.

Billing records the FBI obtained from Discord helped lead authorities to Teixeira, who enlisted in the A ir National Guard in September 2019. A Discord user told the FBI that a username linked to Teixeira began posting what appeared to be classified information roughly in December.

Tucker and Copp reported from Washington.

FOR BETTER RESPONSE TO NATURAL DISASTERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

PHL, EU partner in €10-M Copernicus space program

By Rizal Raoul Reyes

THE Philippines is in an unenviable status of being a disaster-prone country and in a problematic environmental situation as highlighted by being the world’s third largest plastics polluter. There is no doubt the country needs all the help that it can get to address these challenging issues.

Fortunately, the country is now on the road to level-up its space program to be able to help address these current challenges.

Officials from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the European Union (EU) launched the Copernicus Capacity Support Action Programme for the Philippines (CopPhil) at a hotel in Pasay City on April 24.

Worth approximately P610 million, or €10 million, the first space cooperation program in Southeast Asia is expected to help Philippine authorities develop national systems to make use of EU’s earth observation’s satellites data in the country’s disaster mitigation, climate change adaptation and food security strategies.

Copernicus, the EU’s earth observation flagship program, provides free environment and climate obtained data from a constellation of satellites called Sentinels, which monitor the Earth and its several ecosystems on a 24-hour daily basis.

Moreover, the free information

aims to assist the government, the private sector and the international organizations manage climate change impacts and build a sustainable future for all.

During the launch, Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. welcomed Copernicus and the Copernicus program in the Philippines as “a long-awaited cooperation on an innovative system that will provide the [country’s] new opportunities to develop earth observation applications for disaster risk reduction and management, environmental protection and climate change adaptation”.

PhilSA Director General Joel Marciano Jr. said, “The agency welcomes this partnership with the European Union, saying that it will strengthen the domestic space value chain, particularly the ability to process and use satellite images and space-borne data to better manage, and protect our environment and natural resources, and be better prepared in the face of disasters and climate change”.

European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Véron said the Philippines is an obvious candidate for the program because of its various experiences in climate change mitigation.

“The Copernicus program for the Philippines is a pioneer initiative in Asia and Asia Pacific and a starting point for a larger program on Digital Connectivity. The program will enhance capacities for a stronger and more shock-resilient Filipino

economy and society,” Veron said.

“In the long term the European Union is exploring the possibility to create a network of Copernicus partners in the Asean region aside from other parts of the world,” Veron explained.

“The uptake of innovative technologies, such as Copernicus, will trigger growth, jobs and modernization of digital infrastructures that can be used in many sectors in the Philippines,” he added.

Dr. Benjamin Koetz, head of sustainable initiatives office of the European Space Agency, said the Philippines will benefit from CopPhil as Copernicus is the largest producer of earth observation data in the world.

Through its Sentinel satellites,

Copernicus produces 25 terabytes of data production daily, Koetz said.

“It will enhance the capabilities of the DOST and the PhilSA in responding to the challenges of climate change and disaster risk and recovery management,” he said.

“Copernicus will also provide connectivity between the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Nations to study climate change and other issues,” Koetz added.

Copernicus’s satellite images have already helped the Philippines monitor the situation of remote communities in the aftermath of typhoons, such as “Odette” in December 2021, or accidents like an oil spill to help authorities plan their disaster preparedness plans and mitigation programmes.

Study: Hypertension among Filipinos down

DESPITE the increase in the prevalence of hypertension among Filipino adults 20 years old and above from years 2013 to 2015, its prevalence significantly declined in 2018-2019.

This is based on the study, “Prevalence and Factors Associated with Hypertension among Filipino Adults in Different Survey Periods,” from data from the 2013 National Nutrition Survey, 2015 Updating of the Nutritional Status of Filipino Children and Other Population Groups, and the 2018–2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI).

The research is important in understanding the downward trend and in identifying the factors associated with hypertension that can help further reduce its prevalence by 33 percent between 2010 and 2030, which is one of the global targets for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The percentage of controlled hypertension, that is, having a blood pressure of less than 140 mmHg (systolic) and less than

90 mmHg (diastolic) and taking antihypertensive medication among persons with hypertension, improved from 20.7 percent in 2015 to 29.4 percent in 2018-2019.

Alongside the improvement in controlled hypertension, data shows that the use of anti-hypertensive medications also increased in 2018–2019.

The reduction and control of high blood pressure to target levels in individuals with hypertension is important to minimize the risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, or all-cause mortality.

Adults, aged 60 years old and above, had the highest percentage of controlled hypertension in 2013, 2015, and 2018–2019, and it was observed that the rate increased with age.

It was also observed that controlled hypertension is more common among females. This can be explained by their higher level of attention to healthcare and adherence to prescribed medications.

Further, female hearts have the ability to adapt to blood pressure due to thicker blood vessel walls that can withstand sudden

increases in blood pressure.

The DOST-FNRI study finds that adults with higher educational attainment had higher rate of controlled hypertension than those with lower educational status.

A similar finding was reported in a related 2014 research which finds that adults with higher educational status tend to have increased awareness, better income, and better access to anti-hypertensive medications compared to those with lower educational attainment.

Other findings show that hypertension is more common among males and among adults with higher educational attainment and wealth status.

The socio-demographic and economic factors that are significantly associated with hypertension are older age and higher wealth status, whereas NCD risk factors that have positive associations with hypertension are obesity, high waist circumference and high waist-hip ratio, alcohol drinking and binge drinking.

The prevalence of hypertension was also highest among pensioners (a person who

receives or lives on a pension) in 2013 and 2015 surveys, whereas in 2018–2019, the prevalence was highest among adults with no occupation. Hypertension is known to be a silent killer because most people show no early symptoms or its signs and symptoms are misunderstood.

Raised blood pressure develops slowly over time and can be related to many causes. It is highly associated with other NCDs due to constricted blood flow, which can damage the arteries, leading to heart diseases.

Persistent elevation of blood pressure results in an increased risk for heart disease, heart failure and stroke, and is considered a major cause of premature death worldwide.

Chona F. Patalen, one of the researchers, said that their research team recommends that programs and policies should be intensified focusing on mandatory and regular BP monitoring, adherence to healthy lifestyle advice, particularly on decreasing sedentary activities and engaging in aerobic physical activities, patient-centered treatment plan, and systematic follow-up. Geraldine BulaonDucusin/S&T Media Service

DOST-STII, BPI Foundation partner for students’, teachers’ financial literacy

FROM being a platform for sharing content, Starbooks, short for Science and Technology Academic and ResearchBased Openly Operated KioskS, has now evolved as a platform for sharing advocacies.

Director Richard P. Burgos of the Department of Science and TechnologyScience and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) described this recent advancement as the agency partners with BPI Foundation Inc. in its efforts to bring science, technology, and innovation (STI) information to learners in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

Since its inception as the first science library-in-a-box in 2011, Starbooks now has thousands of digital resources on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that are easily retrievable both in its offline and online platforms, as well as various advocacies of its partner institutions, the latest of which is the addition from the BPI Foundation.

FinEd Unboxed is a customized financial education program that seeks to improve the financial capability of the country’s everyday heroes, such as the Department of Education (DepEd) teaching and non-teaching personnel, and migrant domestic workers and their families. Through the program, it is hoped to

empower its audiences to become financially responsible by unpacking and simplifying lessons on personal money matters, such as saving, budgeting, investing, insurance, retirement planning and managing credit.

In a ceremony held at DOST-STII early this month, BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen L. Cammayo said they are grateful for the opportunity to share with DOST-STII the advocacy for financial literacy and wellness.

“We are here today because we see the value and we believe that education is a viable tool for financial wealthness,” he said, adding that the modules are perfect for students, teachers, and even non-teaching personnel.

BPI Foundation is also currently developing financial education materials for young learners which will not only enrich the learning experience of the students but also equip them with the financial knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the future.

With this, Cammayo also encouraged everyone to not just promote STEM but also help encourage financial wellness as well.

In her message, DOST Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services Maridon Sahagun acknowledging that furthering science and technology causes in the country would go hand-in-hand with the foundation’s advocacy of teaching financial literacy.

“We believe that financial literacy is an

important foundation in entrepreneurial skills and that this is truly a promising opportunity as it is important that we arm our learners with financial literacy,” she said.

Moreover, Education Undersecretary for Administration Michael Kristian R. Ablan, in his message, congratulated DOST-STII and BPI Foundation for the collaboration, and wishes that more partnerships will arise with DOST-STII and other DOST agencies to further promote equity and equality in education in the country. “Equality is where we provide information to all. Everybody can go to Starbooks Kiosks, at

Solidum acknowledged the need for such “one-of-a-kind” technology, as the Philippines has been constantly confronted with climate and disaster risks, which create natural, environmental and biological hazards.

Being frequently exposed and vulnerable to the impact of these risks, he said the country has implemented a resilience and adaptation agenda to handle these challenges.

At the same time, the DOST chief pointed out that space technology could be harnessed to future-proof the country’s economic and development gains.

“CopPhil will develop and leverage our own space and science technology applications to strengthen the nation’s resilience to disasters, climate change and manage our environment better,” he said.

Solidum said the administration of President Marcos Jr has given its all-out support and generosity to the partnership with the European Union for the development of space and technology in the country by providing sufficient funds to undertake research and development in activities to manage and mitigate the risks that threaten the country.

“We are one with him [Marcos] in appreciating and recognizing this partnership with the European Union which will help and continue to help us in developing and applying space innovations to enhance the country’s resilience,” the DOST leader said..

“This high-level statement from

our president reaffirms the Philippines and European Union’s strong bilateral cooperation not only in the field of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation but also with other countries’ desire through enhanced cooperation and international stability in order to  attain social and economic development,” Solidum pointed out.

PhilSA’s Marciano said value creation is one of the main tasks of the organization as it will help play a huge role in mapping the potential wealth that can be extracted from the country’s natural resources.

“[Besides] saving lives, science will also help in creating wealth for the country,” Marciano said.

Space capabilities are recognized in the Philippine Development Plan from 2022 to 2028, Marciano pointed out.

He added that PhilSA can share the information to government departments like in agriculture, and environment and natural resources.

Meanwhile, Solidum recognized that CopPhil will boost the country’s hazard assessment and information capabilities to monitor certain places in the country.

He said the partnership with the EU can help assess the country’s food security by helping monitor the production of crops and monitor the hazards during typhoons, floods, strong winds and El Niño.

“We can also see now the important relationship between the economy and the environment,” Solidum pointed out.

Teachers learning GeoGebra basics as tool in teaching math

PANGLAO, Bohol—Teachers need to level up their teaching techniques, especially in mathematics.

Rosete, meanwhile, led the discussion on using and modifying the number, angle, and integer sliders to construct dynamic objects.

all can access the materials. Second is equity, to reach people with no access, such as GIDAs. Nobody should be left behind,” Ablan said, highlighting the mantra of DepEd that no learner should be left behind.

He also congratulated DOST-STII’s Starbooks for filling the gap until such time that Internet connection can be accessed all throughout the country, and BPI Foundation’s advocacy which he said can help teachers to learn and be able to overcome their financial challenges.

BPI Foundation also sponsored P700,000 worth of Starbooks-enabled computer sets, printer and wifi routers to be donated to 10 selected schools and communities in GIDAs.

First to receive was the Doña Paz Sumulong Tanjuatco Elementary School in Tanay, Rizal. Nieva Tongohan, school head of the elementary school with about 185 pupils, expressed her gratitude for the donation, saying their pupils and teachers no longer need to download materials.

The rest of the beneficiaries were Lagnas Elementary School, Uguis Integrated School, Legua Integrated School, Magsayap Integrated School, Kinablangan Elementary School, Kitub-bao High School, IP Community of Barangay Tabon, Busay National High School, and Solangon Elementary School. Rosemarie C. Señora/S&T Media

To train the teachers, the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), in partnership with the University of the Philippines-National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP Nismed), held its third face-to-face training for science teachers this year in Panglao, Bohol, focusing on the basics of GeoGebra, an interactive geometry, algebra, statistics and calculus application used for teaching

Mathematics

Fifty mathematics teachers from the Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Bohol participated in the three-day training, “Learning the Basics of GeoGebra as a Tool in Teaching Mathematics.”

They were mentored by Dr. Allan M. Canonigo, Haidee P. Rosete, and Abigail B. Gonzales from the UP Nismed.

The training session was composed of three modules designed to enhance the proficiency of the teachers in using GeoGebra.

Canonigo gave an overview of the GeoGebra software and demonstrated its basic functions and interface.

He later discussed how to construct geometric figures using point, line, line segment, and circle tools.

The teachers also investigated the properties of geometric objects using distance, angle and slope tools, and modified properties of mathematical objects using Setting and Style bars.

The teacher-participants were also able to use the input bar to plot points, graph circles, and perform calculations. They also discussed graphs in GeoGebra.

The teachers graphed different functions—from polynomial functions to piecewise functions. They used the previously discussed tools to format the color, size and style of the graphs and points. Applying the different tools, the teachers used sliders to investigate the effect of parameters of functions to its graphs.

After the lecture sessions, the participants developed their GeoGebra applet while the resource persons helped them enhance their applets before the group presentation.

All 10 groups presented their GeoGebra applets and from these, the experts identified three teams with the best GeoGebra applet.

The team with the best applet focused on Trigonometric Ratio while the second centered on visualizing Tangent and Secant Functions and the third applet covered the properties of Parallel Lines.

At the end of the training, the participants expressed their gratitude to the DOST-SEI and to the resource persons as this training gave them an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in using GeoGebra.

Deputy Director Engr. Albert G. Mariño expressed his hopes that the teachers will be able to translate their learnings and apply them to their respective classes.

THE DOST, PhilSA and the EU launched the Copernicus Capacity Support Action Programme for the Philippines (CopPhil) at a hotel in Pasay City on April 24. The event is lead (from left) by Peteris Ustubs, director general for Middle East, Asia and Pacific of the European Union Department for International Partnerships C; Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr.; EU Ambassador Luc Veron; PhilSA Director General Joel Marciano Jr..; and Dr. Benjamin Koetz, head of Sustainable Initiatives Office of the European Space Agency. THELMA GECOLEA, EU DELEGATION

BPI Foundation Inc. Executive Director Owen L. Cammayo talks about the foundation’s advocacy on financial education. DOST-STII PHOTO

AFTER VISITING MORE THAN 50 DIOCESES AND VICARIATES IN FOUR MONTHS

Saint Thérèse’s relics bid farewell to PHL devotees

Story & photos

by Lyn Resurreccion

THE visit to the Philippines of the pilgrim relics of Saith Thérèse of the Child Jesus ends after they have gone to more than 50 dioceses and apostolic vicariates, which each has jurisdiction over several parishes, after four months since they arrived in January 2.

The relics visited as far north as the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk in the Cordillera region and in the south in the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo in Sulu in Mindanao. An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established.

Saint Thérèse’s relics also visited Malacañan Palace, at Kalayaan Hall, where welcome prayers were recited and rose petals were showered on the relics.

At the relics’ every stop, thousands of faithful queued to venerate the well-loved saint, the patron saint of florists, foreign missions, loss of parents, priests and the sick, particularly those with tuberculosis.

Farewell Mass on April 30

A FAREWELL Mass, thanksgiving and send-off ceremonies for Saint Thérèse will be held at the Shrine of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus in Villamor, Pasay City, today at 6:30 p.m.

The Shrine of St. Thérèse, together with the National Organizing Committee for the relics’ visit, held the “Walk with us, dear Therese” free tribute-concert and celebration of the conclusion of the visit on April 29 at 8 p.m.

The concert also marked the launching of the “Thérèse” album by the Jesuit Music Ministry, featured the Bukas Palad

Music Ministry, Hangad Music Ministry, Darwin Lomentigar and “St. Thérèse Kaalagad, Kaibiga’t, Ka-Misyon” by Toto Sorioso. It was in cooperation with Jesuit Communications.

It was the fifth visit of the relics to the Philippines. The earlier visits were in 2000, 2008, 2013 and 2018.

The visit of Saint Thérèse’s relics to the Philippines coincided with her 150th birth anniversary on January 2, and the centennial of her beatification on April 29.

The Order of Discalced Carmelites, to which she belongs, is actually holding a three-year commemoration of Saint Thérèse until the centenary of her canonization on May 17, 2025.

Unesco recognition

THE saint’s 150th birth anniversary was also recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

Pope Francis has said that Unesco’s recognition of Saint Thérèse “opens new perspectives for the dissemination of her message of life, peace and love to ‘the most remote islands’ as Thérèse

of Lisieux expresses it itself, to the ‘outskirts.’”

For his part, Monsignor Francesco Follo, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to Unesco, said:

“Given the fame of Thérèse de Lisieux in the Catholic community [the city of Lisieux being the second place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes], the celebration of her birthday can be an opportunity to highlight the role of women in religions, in the fight against poverty and the promotion of inclusion. It can also reinforce Unesco’s message on the importance of culture [poems and written plays] in the promotion of universal values and as a vector of interreligious dialogue,” Mystic, Doctor of the Church SAINT Thérèse, a mystic, was a Carmelite nun and doctor of the Catholic Church.

Born as Marie-FrancoiseTherese Martin in Alençon, France, January 2, 1873, she was baptised two days later. She was the youngest of the nine children of Zelie and Louis Martin. The couple’s four children, however, died while very young.

Thérèse joined Carmel of

Lisieux at the young age of 15 years. She died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897, at age 24.  She is best known for her posthumous publications, including the book “Story of a Soul,” published in October 1898

She was canonized on May 17, 1925, and was declared a Doctor of the Church by then-Pope John Paul II in 1997, making her the second Carmelite nun to receive that distinction after St. Teresa of Avila, the Littleflower.org said.

Pope John Paul II stated: “Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the youngest of all the Doctors of the Church, but her ardent spiritual journey shows such maturity, and the insights of faith expressed in her writings are so vast and profound that they deserve a place among the great spiritual masters.”

‘Little flower,’ ‘little way’

THE saint is called Thérèse of Lisieux having grown up and had entered the Carmel of Lisieux. She is also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, her religious name. She chose this name owing to her

Pope allows women to vote at upcoming bishops’ meeting

VATICAN CITY—Pope

Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops—an historic reform that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church.

Francis approved changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops, a Vatican body that gathers the world’s bishops together for periodic meetings, following years of demands by women to have the right to vote.

The Vatican on Wednesday published the modifications he approved, which emphasize his vision for the lay faithful taking on a greater role in church affairs that have long been left to clerics, bishops and cardinals.

Catholic women’s groups that have long criticized the Vatican for treating women as second-class citizens immediately praised the move as historic in the 2,000-year life of the church.

“This is a significant crack in the stained glass ceiling, and the result of sustained advocacy, activism and the witness” of a campaign of Catholic women’s groups demanding the right to vote, said Kate McElwee of the Women’s Ordination Conference, which advocates for women priests.

Ever since the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church, popes have summoned the world’s bishops to Rome for a few weeks at a time to debate particular topics.

At the end of the meetings, the

bishops vote on specific proposals and put them to the pope, who then produces a document taking their views into account.

Until now, the only people who could vote were men. But under the new changes, five religious sisters will join five priests as voting representatives for religious orders.

In addition, Francis has decided to appoint 70 non-bishop members of the synod and has asked that half of them be women. They too will have a vote.

The aim is also to include young people among these 70 non-bishop members, who will be proposed by regional blocs, with Francis making a final decision.

“It’s an important change, it’s not a revolution,” said Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, a top organizer of the synod.

The next meeting, scheduled for October 4 to 29, is focused on the very topic of making the church more reflective of, and responsive to, the laity, a process known as “synodality” that Fran -

cis has championed for years.

The October meeting has been preceded by an unprecedented two-year canvassing of the lay Catholic faithful about their vision for the church and how it can better respond to the needs of Catholics today.

So far only one women is known to be a voting member of that October meeting, Sister Nathalie Becquart, a French nun who is undersecretary in the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops office.

When she was appointed to the position in 2021, she called Francis “brave” for having pushed the envelope on women’s participation.

By the end of next month, seven regional blocs will propose 20 names apiece of non-bishop members to Francis, who will select 10 names apiece to bring the total to 70.

Cardinal Mario Grech, who is in charge of the synod, stressed that with the changes, some 21 percent of the gathered represen -

tatives at the October meeting will be non-bishops, with half of that group women.

Acknowledging the unease within the hierarchy of Francis’x vision of inclusivity, he stressed that the synod itself would continue to have a majority of bishops calling the shots.

“Change is normal in life and history,” Hollerich told reporters. “Sometimes there are revolutions in history, but revolutions have victims. We don’t want to have victims,” he said, chuckling.

Catholic Women’s Ordination (CWO), a British-based group that says it’s devoted to fighting misogyny in the church, welcomed the reform but asked for more.

“CWO would want transparency, and lay people elected from dioceses rather than chosen by the hierarchy, but it is a start!” said the CWO’s Pat Brown.

Hollerich declined to say how the female members of the meeting would be called, given that members have long been known as “synodal fathers.” Asked if they would be known as “synodal mothers,” he responded that it would be up to the women to decide.

Francis has upheld the Catholic Church’s ban on ordaining women as priests, but has done more than any pope in recent time to give women greater say in decisionmaking roles in the church.

He has appointed several women to high-ranking Vatican positions, though no women head any of the major Vatican offices or departments, known as dicasteries. Nicole Winfield/Associated Press

great devotion to the Infant Jesus, and her spirituality of a childlike simplicity and trust in God’s love.

The tag “little flower” is also associated with the young saint because, besides liking flowers, she saw herself as the “little flower of Jesus” who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God’s garden, according to Society of Little Flower said in its website.

She believed that her life was just beginning for God, promising “to spend her heaven doing good on earth” and to a “shower of roses.”

Thérèse’s spirituality is simple and called it her “little way.” She believed that life presents enough challenges and opportunities for grace. She teaches that God is everywhere, in every situation and person, and in the ordinary, simple details of life, the Society of Little Flower said.

Among the famous quote of St. Therese is: “We have only this life to live by faith. It is true I am not always faithful, but I never lose courage. I leave myself in the Arms of Our Lord. We must abandon the future into the hands of God.”

Family of saints, nuns

THÉRÈSE’S own parents, Zelie and Louis Martin, were themselves canonized as saints by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015.

The pope said in his homily, “The holy spouses Louis Martin and Marie-Azelie Guerin practiced Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.”

They were the first married couple with children to be canonized in the same ceremony.

Besides Thérèse, all of her four sisters were also nuns—Marie, Pauline and Celine were also Carmelites, while Leonie entered the Visitation Convent.

The family could also have its fourth saint. Leonie, with the religious name, Sister Françoise-Thérèse, is also on the road to be declared a saint. She is now called “Servant of God,” the title given to a candidate for sainthood whose cause is still under investigation, prior to being declared Venerable.

Easter pilgrimage to Zambales

GREEN Faith Travels will bring its pilgrims to modern and heritage churches in Zambales for its annual Easter pilgrimage of faith and heritage on May 6 and 7.

On its ninth year of organizing spiritual journeys, Green Faith Travels will visit the Diocese of Iba to pray at the Cathedral of St. Augustine (Iba) and the diocesan shrines of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the former Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Subic town, and San Andres Apostol in Masinloc.

The pilgrims will also pray at the parish churches of St. James in Subic, St. Nicholas de Tolentino in Castillejos, St. William in San Marcelino, Holy Infant Jesus in San Antonio, St. Sebastian in San Narciso, San Roque in San Felipe, St. Rose of Lima in Cabangan, Sta. Monica in Botolan, and St. Michael the Archangel in Sta. Cruz.

They will also venerate the miraculous image of the patroness of Zambales, Ina Poonbato, at its shrine in Botolan, where the devotion is believed to have begun by the Aetas, who considered her original image their “miraculous lady” even before the arrival of the Spanish missionaries.

The devotees call the Mahal na Birhen ng Poonbato “Apu Apang,” inspired by the image’s

original title, Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje, or Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. “Apang” is the local term for peace.

Forty slots are available for a fee of P10,000 per pilgrim, which covers bus transport, overnight hotel accommodation, all meals and snacks, and a pilgrim’s kit.

Meanwhile, reservation to other pilgrimages of Green Faith Travels is now open. They are the following—Feast of San Isidro Labrador-Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon, on Monday, May 15, and Marian Pilgrimage to the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Rosary in Manaoag, Pangasinan, and churches of Baguio City on October 7 and 8.

Formed in 2012, Green Faith Travels, a nonprofit Catholic pilgrimage apostolate, has organized more than 25 major pilgrimages as its way of evangelizing the faithful, especially the inactive, passive or even “unchurched,” creating a community of pilgrims through its yearly Lenten, Easter and Marian journeys in various provinces in Luzon while promoting ecology, evangelization and heritage.

Interested parties may inquire with Bro. Edwin P. Galvez at 09951195998, greenfaithtravels@gmail.com, through greenfaithtravels@yahoo.com, or visit Green Faith Travels on Facebook.

THE Santisima Trinidad Parish in Malate, Manila, was among the churches the pilgrim relics of Saint Therese visited in the Diocese of Manila. The relics, encased in a reliquary, were displayed for the devotees to venerate.

Pope Francis leaves at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on April 26. AP/ALESSANDRA TARANTINO

PILGRIMS of Green Faith Travels will pray at churches in Zambales province for its Easter pilgrimage, particularly venerating the miraculous image of its diocesan patroness, Ina Poonbato, or “Apu Apang,” at its shrine in Botolan. DIOCESE OF IBA FACEBOOK PAGE PHOTOS

Biodiversity Sunday

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Pathway to 30x30: Size matters in land for wildlife

DRIVING north on state Highway 66 through the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in central Montana, it’s easy to miss a small herd of bison lounging just off the road behind an 8-foot fence.

Each winter, heavy snows drive bison out of Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park—the only place in the US where they have lived continuously since prehistoric times—and into Montana, where they are either killed or shipped off to tribal lands to avoid conflict with cattle ranchers.

In the winter of 2022-2023 alone, over 1,500 bison have been “removed,” about 25 percent of Yellowstone’s entire population.

The bison at Fort Belknap are refugees that have been trucked 300 miles to the reservation from past Yellowstone winter culls.

Although bison are the US national mammal, they exist in small and fragmented populations across the West. The federal government is working to restore healthy wild bison populations, relying heavily on sovereign tribal lands to house them.

Indeed, tribal lands are the great wildlife refuges of the prairie. Fort Belknap is the only place in Montana where bison, critically endangered black-footed ferrets and swift foxes, which occupy about 40 percent of their historic range, all have been restored.

But Indigenous communities can’t and shouldn’t be solely responsible for restoring wildlife.

As an ecologist who studies prairie ecosystems, I believe that conserving grassland wildlife in the US Great Plains and elsewhere will require public and private organizations to work together to create new, larger protected areas where these species can roam.

Rethinking how protected areas are made

AT a global scale, conservationists have done a remarkable job of conserving land, creating over 6,000 terrestrial protected areas per year over the past decade.

But small has become the norm. The average size of newly created protected areas over that time frame is 60 square kilometers, down from 308 square kilometers during the 1970s.

Creating large new protected areas is hard. As the human population grows, fewer and fewer places are available to be set aside for conservation.

But conserving large areas is important because it makes it possible to restore critical ecological processes like migration and to sustain populations of endangered wildlife like bison that need room to roam.

Creating an extensive protected area in the Great Plains is particularly difficult because this area was largely passed over when the US national park system was created. But it’s becoming clear that it is possible to create large protected areas through nontraditional methods.

Consider American Prairie, a nonprofit that is working to stitch together public and tribal lands to create a Connecticut-sized protected area for grassland wildlife in Montana.

Since 2004, American Prairie has made 37 land purchases and amassed a habitat base of about 720 square miles, or 1,865 square kilometers.

Similarly, in Australia, nonprofits are making staggering progress in conserving land while government agencies struggle with funding cuts and bureaucratic hurdles.

Today, Australia is second only to the US in its amount of land managed privately for conservation.

Big ideas make room for smaller actions

HAVING worked to conserve wildlife in this region for over 20 years, I have seen firsthand that by setting a sweeping goal of connecting 13,000 square kilometers, American Prairie has reframed the scale at which conservation success is measured in the Great Plains.

By raising the bar for land protection, they have made other conservation organizations seem more moderate and created new opportunities for those groups.

One leading beneficiary is The Nature Conservancy, which owns the 60,000-acre Matador Ranch within the American Prairie focal area.

When the conservancy first purchased the property, local ranchers were skeptical. But that skepticism has turned to support because the conservancy isn’t trying to create a protected area.

Instead, it uses the ranch as a grassbank—a place where ranchers can graze cattle at a low cost, and in return, pledge to follow wildlife-friendly practices on their own land, such as altering fences to allow migratory pronghorn to slip underneath.

Via the grassbank, ranchers are now using these wildlife conservation techniques on an additional 240,000 acres of private property.

Other moderate conservation organizations are also working with ranchers.

For example, this year the Bezos Earth Fund has contributed heavily to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s annual grants program, helping to make a record $16 million available to reward ranchers for taking wildlife-friendly actions.

A collective model for achieving a large-scale protected area in the region has taken shape. American Prairie provides the vision and acts to link large tracts of protected land for restoring wildlife.

Other organizations work with surrounding landowners to increase tolerance toward wildlife so those animals can move about more freely.

Instead of aiming to create a single polygon of protected land on a map, this new approach seeks to assemble a large protected area with diverse owners who all benefit from participating.

Rather than excluding people, it integrates local communities to achieve large-scale conservation.

A global pathway to 30x30

THIS Montana example is not unique. In a recent study, colleagues and found that when conservationists propose creating very large protected areas, they transform conservation discussions and draw in other organizations that together can achieve big results.

Many recent successes started with a single actor leading the charge.

Perhaps the most notable example is the recently created Cook Islands Marine Park, also known as Marae Moana, which covers 1.9 million square kilometers in the South Pacific.

The reserve’s origin can be traced back to Kevin Iro, an outspoken former professional rugby player and member of the islands’ tourism board.

While some individual conservation organizations have found that this strategy works, global, national and local policy-makers are not setting comparable large-scale targets as they discuss how to meet an ambitious worldwide goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet for wildlife by 2030.

The 30x30 target was adopted by 190 countries at an international conference in 2022 on saving biodiversity.

Critics argue that large protected areas are too complicated to create and too expensive to maintain, or that they exclude local communities. However, new models show that there is a sustainable and inclusive way to move forward.

In my view, 30x30 policy-makers should act boldly and include large protected area targets in current policies. Past experience shows that failing to do so will mean that future protected areas become smaller and smaller and ultimately fail to address Earth’s biodiversity crisis. David Jachowski,Clemson University/The Conversation (CC) via AP

Australia to provide ₧3.6B for PHL’s marine protection, including WPS

By Rizal Raoul Reyes

This was disclosed by Australian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Dr. Moya Collett at a forum billed, “Protecting the Seas: Preserving Biodiversity Through Marine Protection in the West Philippine Sea,” organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute.

“Australia’s relationship with the Philippines spans defense and security, development and education, trade and investment, and people to people links. One area that is going from strength to strength is our maritime cooperation. Given the importance of maritime security and marine environmental protection to Australia, we are investing P3.6 billion in regional maritime programs and the Philippines is a significant beneficiary.” Collett explained in a statement.

“The marine environment is under threat from pollution, climate change and over exploitation. And it is more important than ever that we work together to protect it. We are proud to support the Philippines in its efforts to preserve the marine environment and become more climate change and disaster resilient,” she added.

Among the maritime programs Australia is conducting in the country is the funding of a number of coral restoration projects throughout the Philippines, including in Pangasinan, Verde Islands, West Philippine Sea, Palawan and Zambales.

“Australia highly values its maritime partnership with the Philippines, and we will continue to work together to protect maritime biodiversity, which is so important to the health and prosperity of our two nations,” Collett said.

Stratbase ADR Institute President Victor Andres Manhit reiterated the need for continued multilateral cooperation among like-minded states, arguing that the conservation and preservation of marine life is a shared responsibility.

“In all these endeavors, the efforts of the national and international community to secure biodiversity and promote tourism must complement and respect the Philippines’ 2016 arbitral victory,” he said.

Manhit noted that the 2016 arbitral ruling found that China’s land reclamation and construction of artificial islands had caused “irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem,” and permanently destroyed the evidence of the natural conditions of various reefs.

“These unlawful practices are being carried out until the present and continue to cause severe damage to the marine life and ecosystems that make the West Philippine Sea a critical fishing area for the country’s food and economic security,” Manhit said.

In her presentation, De La Salle University-Manila Biology Professor Dr. Ma. Carmen Ablan-Lagman underscored the importance of cooperation

in ensuring the future of biodiversity in the West Philippine Sea.

“Engage with WPS stakeholders in resource monitoring and cooperation—simple things that scientists can do to put their science into the hands of the locals. And then we have to look also into the development of the community of researchers. Very glad that Australia is here because they have some of the most innovative changes,” Lagman said.

“We have to have spatially explicit plans that are open to all regarding the marine protection. We really need it. We do not want biodiversity to be out of the studies, but to have long-term buy-in and know that the benefits of these will take time because you’re talking about living organisms. We need to have very spatially explicit pri -

ority driven designs which we can see coming on for the long term,” she added.

Similarly, University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute Associate Professor Dr. Deo Florence Onda emphasized the need to invest more on science and research and development, especially in the West Philippine Sea.

“In order to protect the West Philippine Sea, we need to understand how it works and by understanding that we can come up with sustainable, long term, appropriate, management schemes and strategies to protect and intervene in its degradation,” Onda explained.

“There is a need for long-term marine scientific research and research and design framework and roadmap in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

THE health of planet Earth is everybody’s concern. Last Earth Day, that is yearly held on April 22, biodiversity and environment groups have initiated activities and programs to highlight the need to protect and conserve the Earth and it rich natural resources.

Asean Centre for Biodiversity Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim noted in a statement that biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and the interactions between living organisms and their environment.

“It includes not only the number of species but also their genetic and functional diversity,” Lim pointed out.

However, human activities—such as deforestation, habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution—have significantly impacted biodiversity, threatening the survival of many species and disrupting ecosystem services that support human life, she said.

In this year’s celebration of Earth Day with the theme “Invest in our Planet,” ACB highlighted biodiversity research and knowledge-sharing as critical investments for the planet’s sustainability and wellbeing.

According to Lim, understanding biodiversity and its functions is fundamental to developing effective conservation strategies.

“Biodiversity research can provide us with essential knowledge about the distribution,

abundance, and ecology of species and ecosystems, which is necessary to prioritize conservation efforts, formulate and implement relevant policies, identify critical habitats and species, and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation interventions,” she explained Moreover, studying the interactions between species and their environment can help us understand the ecological processes that maintain ecosystem function and services, such as nutrient cycling, water regulation, and climate regulation—all of which are critical to our survival, she added.

For its part, Greenpeace Philippines and its local volunteer groups in Iloilo celebrated Earth Day by joining activities commemorating the event in Iloilo City and in Capiz City, that highlighted the importance of participation and collaboration with local groups and communities in amplifying calls for climate action, it said in a news release.

Greenpeace volunteers from Iloilo participated in a clean-up and mangrove planting along Iloilo City’s esplanade. The event was organized by Sigma Rho Alumni Association, one of the many civil society organizations in the city with advocacies for the environment.

“Iloilo City couldn’t have been a more ideal place to start Greenpeace’s first official local

volunteer group,” said Greenpeace local group leader, Jarrah Brillantes.

“The social movement here is flourishing and there are a lot of local groups here that are advocating for the environment. They are continuously looking for a venue and a tangible approach for promoting environmental protection,” Brillantes added.

In Roxas City, Capiz, Greenpeace collaborated with The Tree Huggers Movement Inc. (TTHMI) for the event “Bagtas Kalikasan: Capiz Moving Forward for Mother Earth.”

The volunteers joined the march along with other groups. Greenpeace campaigners Oscar Gador and Rhea Jane Mallari also held a workshop on creating climate and urban justice-themed slogans and posters which the participants used during the unity walk for the environment, Greenpace said.

“We are grateful to The Tree Huggers Movement for inviting Greenpeace to this event,” Mallari said. “It is a privilege to share our experience in Greenpeace and encourage the Capiznon youth in expressing their call on the need for climate action in their cities.”

TTHMI was founded by volunteers united by their common vision of creating a greener and cleaner Philippines through education and community participation. The group is led by Atty. Emilyn Arboleda-Depon, who has been

recognized for her environmental initiatives, winning in East-West Center Earth Optimism Southeast Asia 2020 and an Eco-Business A-List Most Effective Sustainable Leader in the Asia Pacific Region in 2021.

Utility company, Manila Water, together with its partners, gathered once again in the La Mesa Nature Reserve in Quezon City, marking the second year of its “Lakbay Kalikasan: Hike and Bike for Nature.”

Over 120 participants joined the event, which gathered stakeholders from the government and private sectors, hiking and biking enthusiasts, and the public to take part in protecting the environment and the resources that sustain lives by adopting and maintaining trees inside the La Mesa Nature Reserve, Manila Water’s news release said.

The hiking featured a 4.5-to-6-kilometer trail, highlighting the biodiversity inside the La Mesa Nature Reserve, while biking took the cyclists to the scenic 9-kilometer trail of the watershed area.

This event was part of Manila Water’s move in integrating sustainability in its operations.

Manila Water’s 3-point Sustainability Agenda touches majority of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, adhering to calls for action to end environmental abuse and climate change.

THE Philippine Sea (right) in east and north of the Philippines, and the West Philippine Sea (left, formerly known as South China Sea) is the name used by the Philippines for parts of the area within its exclusive economic zone. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

THE Philippines is going to be a significant beneficiary of the Australian government’s P3.6billion maritime program investments in the Indo-Pacific region.

‘Biodiversity research, knowledge-sharing are critical investments for Earth’s wellbeing’

Hooded treepie (Crypsirina cucullata) is one of the endemic birds in Myanmar. It is considered as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List and BirdLife International. PHOTO BY AYE CHAN TUN Greenpeace’s mangrove planting along Iloilo City’s esplanade. PHOTO BY RHEA JANE PESCADOR

BIKING enthusiasts from the public and private sector joined the Lakbay Kalikasan: Hike and Bike Year 2 in La Mesa Nature Reserve, organized by Manila Water in celebration of Earth Day. MANILA WATER PHOTO

By John Marshall

The Associated Press

PHOENIX—Hope bounced around Brittney Griner like a buoy and an anchor. Hope of returning home, hope of a miracle, was all she had all those months in custody in Russia.

O n the days hopelessness crept in, days that grew as her detainment stretched into a second winter, optimism drowned in despair.

Photos of her family half a world away kept Griner afloat.

Just being able to see their faces, that did it for me,” Griner said Thursday in her first news conference since being released. “The moment where you kind of want to give up, you look at the photos and it kind of brings you back to what you’re waiting on. You’re waiting to be back with your families, with your loved ones in a safe place.”

Griner has been safe since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges ended with a prisoner swap in December.

Griner kept a low profile following her return to the US while adjusting to life back home, outside of appearances at the Super Bowl, the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour’s Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix.

She returned to the spotlight at a news conference on Thursday, an event attended by roughly 200 people inside the lobby of the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Phoenix Suns.

A rizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and members of the Mercury organization gave the Women’s NBA (WNBA) star a standing ovation as she appeared from behind a banner

MEXICO CITY—Major League Baseball (MLB) is heading south of the border again to play a regular season series.

A fter previous stops in Monterrey, Mexico City will be the host this time, and the timing seems perfect.

The San Diego Padres will play against the San Francisco Giants next weekend at the Alfredo Harp Helu (AHH) Stadium in the country’s capital, where fans are eager to watch more baseball after Mexico’s deep run at the World Baseball Classic.

B olstered by Cuban defector

Randy Arozarena and Mexicanborn big leaguers like Julio Urías and Jose Urquidy, Mexico made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Japan.

The journey included a stunning victory over the United States in Phoenix with tens of thousands of Team Mexico fans on hand.

Those two weeks of the World Baseball Classic [WBC] are probably the ones where everybody was talking about baseball across the country more than ever before,” said Horacio De la Vega, the president of the

BG: I’M NEVER PLAYING OVERSEAS AGAIN

and climbed onto the riser.

Different than a basketball press conference today,” said Griner, her eyes beaming and a huge smile across her face. “A LOT of media in here today.”

Griner gained international attention in February 2022, when she was arrested after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

A fter months of negotiations between Washington and Moscow, Griner was exchanged in the United Arab Emirates for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on December 8.

G riner kept her emotions in check during the news conference while thanking everyone who helped secure her release, including President Joe Biden, but had to take a moment to compose herself after being asked about her resiliency through the ordeal.

“ I’m no stranger to hard times,” Griner said, fighting back tears. “Just digging deep. You’re going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it.”

Griner faced an adjustment period once she returned to the US, one that’s still ongoing.

She spent some time in San Antonio, where she picked up a

basketball for the first time in nearly a year. Wearing low-stop shoes on an outdoor court, Griner put up a few shots, even trying to see if she can still dunk (yes, she can).

I thought I was like 16 again,” she said. “I mean, my ankles did not like it, but it was good.”

O nce back in Phoenix, Griner walked around town, taking in the scenery of her hometown with a newfound appreciation that comes with a freedom she didn’t have for nearly 10 months.

Walking around town was a little bit different, but it felt good being back to being on US soil, especially when you’re back here in the Valley,” Griner said. “It was really warming and nothing but love, being out and about, just trying to get back to just being normal.”

Normal will include a return to the Mercury.

Griner announced shortly after her release that she would play in the WNBA this season and re-signed with the Mercury on a one-year deal. The seven-time WNBA All-Star and twotime league defensive player of the year started slowly and has ramped up training in preparation for the Mercury’s opening game on May 19.

I feel like I’ve hit the corner and just loving it now, but at first there was a point where it was like, wow, dang, I really want to do this this fast right now?

“ But no, it was so worth it. So worth it.”

Griner is returning to the WNBA but won’t be playing abroad again, unless it’s with Team USA.

I’m never playing overseas again,” the two-time Olympic gold medalist said. “The only time I would want to would be to represent the USA.”

Griner’s new normal also will include working with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed in 2022 by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas.

G riner said her team has been in touch with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who’s being detained in Russia on espionage charges.

G riner and BOFH unveiled a mural outside the Footprint Center with the faces of Americans detained overseas and will work to bring as many of them home as possible. “ No one should be in any of the conditions that I went through or they’re going through,” she said. The Russian prison conditions at times spiraled Griner into hopelessness. The familiar faces of her family always brought her back, hope returning until she was finally able to reunite with them.

Mexico has giant appetite for baseball after WBC

unprecedented appetite for baseball.”

Th at interest in baseball was evident in the preseason but also last weekend when Liga Mexicana de Beisbol played the first series of the regular season.

I n the capital, fans flooded the gates of AHH Stadium for a threeday series featuring the local Diablos Rojos del México playing against the Tigres de Quintana Roo.

“ I’ve been a Diablos Rojos fan my whole life, so this is not a new passion for me, but I’ve known a lot of people that have been asking me recently about the sport and that they want to come and see if for themselves,” said Ramiro Aguirre, a 35-year-old accountant who was at the stadium for the opening series.

NEBRASKA’S goal was to set the NCAA volleyball attendance record when it announced the “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” outdoor event at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln this summer.

With almost 83,000 tickets sold for the August 30 doubleheader, Nebraska now hopes to set the overall one-day US women’s sports attendance record of more than 90,000.

The event starts with a Division II exhibition between Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney and will be followed by a regular-season match between the Cornhuskers and Omaha.

The athletic department announced Thursday that 82,900 tickets have been sold since sales started Tuesday. That number doesn’t include field-level seating or indoor club seating. Nebraska fans never cease to amaze me,” athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement. “We knew the interest in this match would be extremely high, but to sell out Memorial Stadium is truly remarkable.”

A n athletic department spokesman said a maximum capacity for the event hasn’t been determined. At least 4,000 field-level seats will go to students at Memorial Stadium, which has a capacity of about 85,000.

The NCAA volleyball record for any match is 18,755, set when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the 2021 national championship match indoors in Columbus, Ohio.

The regular-season record is 16,833, set when Wisconsin hosted Florida last September.

T he largest crowd to attend a women’s sporting event in the United States was 90,185 fans watching soccer for the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The world record is 91,553, set when Barcelona played Real Madrid in Spain in a UEFA Women’s Champions League match in 2022.

Volleyball is the most popular women’s sport in Nebraska. The Huskers have won five national titles and sold out an NCAA-record 303 consecutive regular-season matches. They averaged 8,190 fans per match at the Devaney Sports Center last season and have led the nation in attendance every year since 2013.

Of the 14 largest NCAA regularseason crowds, 13 have involved the Huskers. Wayne State and NebraskaKearney each rank in the top 10 in Division II attendance. AP

Madrid-Partizan basketball game called off after brawl

MADRID—A EuroLeague basketball game between Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade on Thursday was called off with less than two minutes left after a brawl left the teams without enough players to keep playing.

Madrid was losing 95-80 at home—and about to go down 2-0 in their playoff series—when a hard foul by Madrid guard Sergio Llull on American forward Kevin Punter upset Partizan Belgrade players and led to the benches being cleared.

P unches were thrown and a couple of players, one from each team, were tossed to the ground by opponents during the melee in the Spanish capital.

O fficials spent several minutes watching replays before deciding to call the game off with one minute and 40 seconds because “neither team had the requisite minimum of two players each required to finish the game” after all disqualifications were applied, the league said. The game was considered officially over with Partizan Belgrade as the winner.

T he league said its independent disciplinary judge “will issue a decision about the on-court incidents in accordance with the established proceedings within the following 24 hours.”

P artizan Belgrade coach Zeljko Obradovic said emotions took over the players, but “after the game they greeted each other” and it was all “finished and discussed between them.”

This is in the hands of the officials and in the hands of the EuroLeague,” he said. “I believe that what happened is not good for the image of basketball, not good for the image of Real Madrid nor for Partizan. This should never happen. The players have emotions and this has happened.”

O bradovic pledged to try to calm Partizan Belgrade fans ahead of the third game of the best-offive series, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Belgrade.

percent capacity,” added De la Vega in an interview with The Associated Press. “We have an

T he $150 million AHH stadium opened in March of 2019 and has a 20,000 seat capacity with six outdoor terraces and food courts alongside a trident spear-shaped roof made of steel. AP

“ Euroleague Basketball strongly condemns the events that happened at the end of the game,” the league said. “Such events do not represent the values of respect that the league and its clubs promote and that the sport of basketball embodies.”

When we go to Belgrade tomorrow, I’m going to talk about that,” he said. “I’m going to try to calm everybody so that we receive Real Madrid like the people here have received us. That they are going to support our team, yes, but that they are not going to do anything against Real Madrid.”

Partizan Belgrade won the first game in Madrid 89-87. AP

BRITTNEY GRINER is returning to the Women’s National Basketball Associations but won’t be playing abroad again, unless it’s with Team USA. AP

Mexican Baseball League. Clearly that outcome of the tournament is giving us a boost, we have packed stadiums in preseason

games, while in the past we used to have them at 10-20

MEXICO fans celebrate their country’s 5-4 win over Puerto Rico during the World Baseball Classic on March 17 in Miami. AP

UK blocKs Microsoft-Activision gAMing deAl, biggest in tech

SOMETHING NEW

Dia Maté goes out of the box with new single ‘I Wanna Make You Mine’

By Patrick V. Miguel

ALL her life, Dia Maté has always written her own music. Not until her label offered her a song written by another songwriter, Gab Tagadtad. After listening to it, Dia could not refuse despite originally planning on doing only songs of her own. She explains that the reason why she accepted the song is because she “resonated with it.”

“This song was very me,” she explained. “Even though I didn’t write it, it resonates with my current experiences and feelings and I felt that I could still make it my own.”

Dia added that she rewrote some parts of the song and was very participative in the production.

The final product: Dia proudly presents her new single “I Wanna Make You Mine.”

Asked on what the song is about, Dia shared, “It’s basically putting out into the world that you wanna make someone yours romantically and how sometimes when you’re falling into relationships, it kinda makes you become a different person.”

She added her own interpretation of the song: “The direction I want to promote is that ‘I Wanna Make You Mine’ is more on how you wanna make things yours this year, not just with romantic relationships but with your goals, your dreams and even people [...] and all that manifestations you’ve been wanting.”

For Dia, her new single is far different from her earlier releases. Her original songs typically evoke a “very melancholic, very melodic and less pop” vibe.

“I Wanna Make You Mine” is a pop song, much more “funky” than her other songs.

“When I was listening to it, I was smiling the whole time kasi… finally, I have the opportunity to sing a song or be part of a song or a project that’s far from the genre I usually sing,” she

recalled.

The 21 year old singer/songwriter added, “Pop has always been the genre I wanted to break into and I feel like this song was the perfect avenue for it… for me to be able to grow as an artist and do something new for myself.”

Dia shared that she was channeling the energy of her favorite artists Dua Lipa and Doja Cat in her new single. Reflecting on her new single, Dia expressed nothing but joy. She said, “It feels so amazing to finally have this type of music in my discography, to have something that’s a bit different as an artist because I feel like as an artist we don’t wanna be stuck in one box forever.”

She added, “I’ve never been in one box but it’s great to be able to venture out into new things and try new things for myself.”

Dia, however, will not stop releasing “melancholic” songs in the future. For now, she is just “trying to veer into the more positive outlook when it comes to music and life.”

In a way, asked if her “sad girl era” is over, she laughed and said, “Yeah, basically.”

“I love this era kasi it’s more like a happy pop and it’s also fun to perform live kasi it’s a different feeling talaga and especially with the audience, their reaction was so much more different compared to my old music,” she said.

“I Wanna Make You Mine” is available on major music-streaming platforms.

LIGHTING THE FUSE

Everything But The Girl’s remarkable comeback yields another new single

By Edwin P. Sallan

the fancy of Filipino fans with their 1985 release, Love Not Money with their jangle pop sound initially identified with new wave as reflected in tracks like “When All’s Well” and “The Ballad of The Times.”

Over the years, the duo kept developing its own signature sound, experimenting with jazz, guitar pop, orchestral wall-of-sound and drummachine soul.

them to return to the studio remained strong in the ensuing years, Everything But The Girl’s new track, “No One Knows We’re Dancing” and the new album Fuse is now available in major streaming platforms.

The new single is taken from the duo’s comeback 2023 studio album Fuse which has already produced three advance singles in “Run A Red Light,” “Caution To The Wind” and “Nothing Left To Lose,” all of which have been wellreceived by fans and music critics alike.

“Each new song from Everything But The Girl is something to be cherished,” Clash hailed while Pitchfork described the duo’s new music as something that has “real heft, as well as a kind of livedin ease.”

Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl are equally excited as well about the new release.

“I think we all missed the communality of nightlife and going out during the pandemic,” Tracey noted. The song is a eulogy to the heyday of packed Sunday clubs - the faces, the secret life, the clubs where Ben DJ’d in the early 2000s”

Describing the tempo as “deliberately dreamlike” Ben further noted that “No One Knows We’re Dancing” is “sloweddown disco, like a memory.”

“We asked producer-DJ Ewan Pearson to add some body to the groove and he sprinkles some delicious extra synth lines and thickens the Italoflavoured drums,” he pointed out.

Written and produced by Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn over the springsummer of 2022, the album Fuse is “a modern take on the lustrous electronic soul the band first pioneered in the mid-90s.”

Thorn’s affecting and richly-textured voice is once again up front in Watt’s glimmering landscape of sub-bass, sharp beats, half-lit synths and empty space, and as before, the result is the sound of a band comfortable with being both sonically contemporary, yet agelessly themselves.

Ben and Tracey recorded in secret at home and in a small riverside studio outside Bath with friend and engineer

Bruno Ellingham. For the first two months, the artist’s name on the album files was simply credited as TREN (Tracey and Ben).

Early takes focused on ambient sound montages and improvised spectral piano loops recorded by Ben on his iPhone at home during his enforced pandemic isolation - ideas which later blossomed into atmospheric tracks such as “When You Mess Up” and “Interior Space.”

Everything But The Girl broke through on the UK indie scene in 1982 with a stark jazz-folk cover of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.” It was, however, in 1985, when they first caught

After Watt’s near-death experience from a rare auto-immune condition in 1992, the pair returned unbowed with the million-selling ardent folktronica of Amplified Heart in 1994. It included their biggest hit, “Missing,” after New York DJ-producer Todd Terry’s remix unexpectedly made the leap from heavy club play to global radio success (Number 2 US Hot 100; Number 3 UK Top 40).

The sparkling Walking Wounded with its emotional songs brimming with ideas from the mid 90s electronic scene. This was followed in 1996 (Number 4 UK Album Chart). Spawning four UK Top 40 hits, the record became the band’s first platinum selling album. After their final show at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2000, the pair chose to quit Everything But The Girl on a high note. The clamor for

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HOT on the heels of what is shaping up to be an auspicious return to form, Everything But The Girl have recently released a new single “No One Knows We’re Dancing” and its accompanying lyric video.

UK blocks Microsoft-Activision gaming deal, biggest in tech

By Kelvin Chan The Associated Press

lONDON—British antitrust regulators on Wednesday blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard, thwarting the biggest tech deal in history over worries that it would stifle competition for popular titles like Call of Duty in the fastgrowing cloud gaming market.

The Competition and Markets Authority said in its final report that “the only effective remedy” to the substantial loss of competition “is to prohibit the Merger.” The companies have vowed to appeal.

The all-cash deal announced 15 months ago faced stiff opposition from rival Sony, which makes the PlayStation gaming system, and also was being scrutinized by regulators in the US and Europe over fears that it would give Microsoft and its Xbox console control of hit franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

A ‘surprise’

ThE UK watchdog’s decision “came as a surprise to most people” and heightens global uncertainty over the deal, said Liam Deane,

a game industry analyst for research firm Omdia.

“It’s a big enough market to throw a pretty serious spanner in the works from Microsoft and Activision’s perspective, but things will get a lot worse if they also get the wrong decision from the European Commission in a few weeks’ time,” he said.

The UK watchdog’s concerns centered on how the deal would affect cloud gaming, which streams to tablets, phones and other devices and frees players from buying expensive consoles and gaming computers. Gamers can keep playing major Activision titles, including mobile games like Candy Crush, on the platforms they typically use.

Cloud gaming has the potential to change the industry by giving people more choice over how and where they play, said Martin Colman, chair of the Competition and Markets Authority’s independent expert panel investigating the deal.

“This means that it is vital that we protect competition in this emerging and exciting market,” he said.

Role of a regulator

ThE decision underscores Europe’s reputation as the global leader in efforts to rein in the power of Big Tech companies. A day earlier, the UK government unveiled draft legislation that would give regulators more power to protect consumers from online scams and fake reviews and boost digital competition.

The UK decision further dashes Microsoft’s hopes that a favorable outcome could help it resolve a lawsuit brought by the US Federal Trade Commission. A trial before the FTC’s in-house judge is set to begin August 2. The European Union’s decision, meanwhile, is due May 22.

Activision lashed out, portraying the watchdog’s decision as a bad signal to international investors in the United Kingdom

at a time when the British economy faces severe challenges.

The California-based game maker said it would “work aggressively” with Microsoft to appeal, asserting that the move “contradicts the ambitions of the UK” to be an attractive place for tech companies.

“We will reassess our growth plans for the UK Global innovators large and small will take note that—despite all its rhetoric—the UK is clearly closed for business,” Activision said.

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft also signaled it wasn’t ready to give up.

“We remain fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal,” President Brad Smith said in a statement. The decision “rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns” and discourages tech innovation and investment in Britain, he said.

“We’re especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works,” Smith said.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a blog post that both companies have begun working on an appeal to the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal.

It’s not the first time British regulators have flexed their antitrust muscles on a Big Tech deal. They previously blocked Facebook parent Meta’s purchase of Giphy over fears it would limit innovation and competition. The social media giant appealed the decision to the tribunal but lost and was forced to sell off the GIF sharing platform.

n AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

Gaming region: 70% of Southeast Asia, Oceania online consumers are gamers

SAMSUnG Electronics Co. Ltd recently released findings from its Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO) Gaming Insight Study, which found that 7 in 10 online consumers in the region are gamers.

Conducted in partnership with OnE Esports, over 6,800 consumers aged 18 to 49 across seven markets (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) were surveyed in the last quarter of 2022, showing a widespread love for gaming whether at home or on-the-go.

Across the region, playing to de-stress and relax was cited as the top reason for gaming (74 percent), with an average of 7 hours a week spent on gaming. Most gamers (92 percent) preferred to engage in gameplay from the comfort of their home, and over half of gamers (58 percent) were found to spend an average of USD $30 monthly on gaming-related purchases such as exclusive

online content, esports tournament tickets, streamer subscription, skins, and merchandise collectibles.

The study identified four distinct gamer personalities among gaming fans in this region: hardcore Gamers, Gaming Enthusiasts, Casual Gamers and Spectators, as well as Casual Gamers, based on their total time spent playing games and watching gaming or esports content. In the Philippines, over 1,167 respondents joined the study where more than half of gamers surveyed (67 percent) indulge in this pastime at least a few times a week, consisting of hardcore Gamers and Gaming Enthusiasts.

Gaming Enthusiasts and hardcore Gamers are highly vested in their hobby, where their top gaming-related activities include watching gaming videos, discussing gaming with others, reading gaming updates and news, spending money on gaming-related

items and following gaming personalities on social media.

“Gaming today is much more than a hobby; it is a pastime that brings people together,” said Carl nordenberg, Regional head of Mobile Experience Business, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Ocea-

nia. “The Southeast Asia and Oceania region holds a huge community of gamers, and this study sheds new light on their distinct gaming needs and habits, both as players and as e-sports fans. With this understanding, we can continue empowering our Samsung users to enjoy their gaming passion to the fullest. Whether on our powerful Galaxy devices, QLED TVs or gaming monitors, Samsung provides the best gaming experience, for casual and hardcore gamers alike.”

PC and console gamers can choose from Samsung’s best performance monitors, the Odyssey Ark and Odyssey OLED, while those who want a truly immersive gaming experience on the big screen can look to the Samsung neo QLED Qn90 series. On the other hand, those who enjoy watching gaming content can consider devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Smart Monitor M8 and The Sero.

Cover photo by Ron Lach/pexels.com

The Activision Blizzard Booth during the electronic entertainment e xpo in Los Angeles, June 13, 2013. British regulators have blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion deal to buy videogame maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. AP

The new Galaxy Z Fold4’s 7.6-inch Main Screen with 120hz adaptive refresh rate provides an immersive mobile gaming experience.

Wine Dine&

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz | Sunday, April 30, 2023

SURF, DINE, WINE. REPEAT

ACKNOWLEDGED as the country’s surfing capital since the late 1990s, the charming island of Siargao is definitely more than the heart-pounding wave which is a must-try for every visitor.

In the past decade, it has reinvented itself as a getaway for beach and cove-hopping, trekking, platform diving, kayaking and standup paddleboarding, scuba diving, wakeboarding and a host of recreational activities that will keep you occupied every moment.

A nother exciting aspect of the island is its diverse restaurants, bars and hangout places where the action shifts when dusk sets in. It may not have the vast cuisine of the more established tourist habi-

tues, but the Siargao food scene has its unique side, being dominated by quintessential creations of local old guards and Filipino and foreign migrants who have made it their new home. Below are some of the diverse dining spots this writer sampled during a recent trip to the surfing mecca for the International Gamefishing Tournament.

Siargao Bleu Resort and Spa

IF FIRST impressions always leave a lasting impression, this should

be your first stop for a meal, a rejuvenating massage, stomping ground for recreational adventure, and a place to hit the sack. Just a few minutes away from the famed Cloud 9 surf spot, it has seen countless celebrities and big wigs coming in and out of its doors, which include Miss Universe hopefuls and several tourism secretaries.

Not only is it a must-visit for its Instagrammable layout, the resort also boasts of a wide array of delectable Filipino and international favorites at the al fresco Bleu Resto and the best spirits in town at its Beach Bar.

Its extensive menu can be dizzying, but if there’s one thing you must sink your teeth into, it has to be vaunted King Mud Crab. Dipped in Garlic Pepper and a coco curry sauce, it is perhaps the tastiest in the south and which perhaps comes closest to the famed Singaporean chili crab.

Small groups can request for a special for lunch or dinner Island Buffet consisting of fish kinilaw, beef steak, chicken inasal, creamy

seafood pasta, cajun shrimps, grilled eggplant, and lechon, with home-made chocolate cake and chilled fresh fruits for dessert.

Witness the kaleidoscopic sunset and chill out at the Beach Bar as you sip its own creation, Siargao Rum, which was concocted a few years back by its owner Melot Abejo to capture the island’s world-class tropical vibe. Available in Gold and Silver variants, the export-quality rum blends well in the good-old “rum and Coca Cola” as well as an assortment of fruit mixes.

On weekends, there’s the sought-after Sunset Friday Chill House Party with DJ music where the island’s working class converge to unwind.

Kanin Baboy

ITS NAME may sound a bit intimidating, but this new kid on the block has some of the most surprising pork dishes in the area. Its must-taste is the Kanin Baboy Special which is a masterful mix of spicy crispy lechon with green beans, pork barbecue, rice and its

own spice paste, which is inspired by the popular babi guling of Bali, Indonesia.

If you’re craving for lechon, it is offering a whole spicy roll so you can eat to your heart’s content. There’s also a long list of rice meals, vegetables, and small plates which make for a hearty meal.

Gusla

A PLEASANT surprise is this twostory native-style restaurant in Dapa, the port town and sea gateway to the island. Located at the beautifully landscaped boulevard, it serves all-time Filipino staples, with sizzling sisig, baked scallops and fish kinilaw as its bestsellers.

Enhancing the dining pleasure is the upper floor which has a panoramic view of the adjoining islands across the channel, as well as pumpboats and ships docking and leaving the port. At night, the view can be magical with the harbor lights illuminating the seafront while drinking at the mini bar at the ground floor.

Other must-tries

THE authentic Siargao experience would be incomplete without sampling the inexpensive food prepared by the micro-entrepreneurs and ambulant vendors which will bring you simple joys with the thought of you helping them.

You shouldn’t miss the ubiquitous pan de coco and pan de surf vendor at the Gen. Luna Church who sells her stuff for P5 per bread, which can serve as your snack and in-between meal finger food.

There’s also the crispy salvaro square flake with sugar syrup topping for only P20 which can be a good dessert.

W hen going on the island-hopping tour, you will definitely have the lunch boodle fight at Daku Island which has grilled pork, vegetable, chicken, fish, shrimps, mollusks, and fruits, among others. It’s piece the resistance though is the steamed rice which the cooks meticulously spread out in the banana leaves to spell the word “Siargao”, which made it a social media sensation.

Budget travelers can feast on the old guard eateries Bebie’s Barbecue which is known for its sweet sauce, and Ronaldo’s Inn and Restaurant.

A local creation we sampled is Isla Turon, a jazzed-up gourmet version of the lowly Pinoy afternoon merienda which can easily qualify as hotel food.

A back-to-basics food trip is to hang around at the Catangnan Bridge which teems with people towards dusk because of the breathtaking sunset to the west and the surging surf to the east. Indulge on tusok-tusok street food, balut, ice-cold beer, and feel the carefree character of tourists and locals alike who have the bridge an unpretentious go-to place.

A nd when it’s time to leave, be sure to bring home fresh tuna, liplipan and talakitok which are caught in the rich Pacific fishing grounds in Pilar town, the country’s international gamefishing mecca.

Text and photos by Bernard L Supetran

King Mud Crab of Siargao Bleu Resort

Daku Island Boodle Fight Lunch

Kanin Baboy Special

Siargao rum

Siargao International Gamefishing Tournament Founder former Governor Francisco Matugas

Isla Turon

C2

Sunday, April 30, 2023

| www.businessmirror.com.ph

With a new GM comes a new menu at Twin Lakes Hotel

By Patrick Miguel

AFEW

weeks ago, Rowena

“Owen” Samonte was appointed General Manager of Twin Lakes Hotel, one of the brands under Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, which located in Tagaytay City along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road. She brings with her 30 years of experience in the hotel industry, where she started as an Outlet Cashier, rose to become the Director of Sales and Marketing and now General Manager. As General Manager, Samote said her priority is to improve the customer journey by imposing proper training on all hotel staff. I am certain that if we combine all the wonderful things we can provide individually, once this is combined, we will be able to render much better customer service. This, in turn, will entice the staff to produce fresh and exciting activities for our guests to enjoy,” Samonte said.

Wide clientele range

TWIN Lakes Hotel is designed to cater to a wide range of clientele who want to get away from the bustling metropolis, whether for business or for pleasure. With an impressive castle architecture surrounded by nature, individual travelers, families and health and wellness enthusiasts are feted with

delicious dining options and relaxing amenities.

With spacious rooms providing a majestic view of the Taal Volcano, and modern facilities offering a roster of hospitality features, Twin Lakes Hotel boasts of a contemporary lifestyle and experience unique to the imposing property. The hotel is known for being a family and couple destination, a pet-friendly hotel, and is known

for dedicating and prioritizing consumer experience.

W hat sets Twin Lakes Hotel apart from the other hotels under Megaworld Hotels and Resorts is that it includes local dishes inspired by Batangas and Tagaytay.

In fact, Samonte said the hotel is scheduled to debut its new menu selections this April.

Our menu features a variety of dining options, but our sought-

after dishes include the savory Carnivore Pizza, the hearty Triple Decker Sandwich, the indulgent Creamy Mushroom Pasta, and the flavorful favorites like Pinakbet, Bulalo and Oxtail Kare-Kare. “You must come over and experience all these dishes,” Samonte said.

Themed buffets

WHILE weekdays call for pamper time, Twin Lakes offers variously

themed dinner buffets every Saturday. Additionally, the hotel also has monthly ala carte specials to spice things up.

At Twin Lakes Hotel, we provide our patrons with unparalleled relaxation, luxury, and service. We are highly motivated to provide and enhance our guests’ experience,” Samonte said.

This is why we are thrilled to announce the opening of our

newly built wine gallery, a delightful experience targeting wine enthusiasts and newcomers alike,” she added. A current work in process is the installation of the glass enclosure of the hotel’s Al Fresco deck. “ This exciting development will allow our guests to soak up the breathtaking views the lake has to offer, regardless of the weather,” Samonte said.

HAPPY ANDRADA MAKES THE LEAP FROM CATWALK TO KITCHEN WITH LAUNCH OF H&T WINE GALLERY

the couple’s heritage and how everything all began.

We began H&T as an online shop at the start of the pandemic and with great success. This has become a personal project for both of us, and we were very happy with how the business was received. Now, Happy and I are delighted to launch a brick-and-mortar space for everyone to enjoy our selections in-house,” says Tanguy, Co-Founder and General Manager, whom you will see clad in a long waiter’s vest and a funky mustache-shaped bowtie.

and Funko Pops, while the parallel area is a vibrant splash of hot pink, from the wall and decors down to the couches. This goes in chromatic contrast against a section whose furniture is dipped in yellow, an illusion of a 2D spotlight on a wall casting its light from above. It can look like a cacophony of ideas. Even the restroom has disco lights.

by Italian selections, including Chianti; an extensive lineup of Tempranillo and other Spanish wines; and a special area for Malbec made in the Old World. The white wine shelf is equally impressive, with the best selection from Bordeaux and Burgundy, Portuguese, and Spanish.

sortments of jamon from Spain (from Jamon Serrano Bodega to the finest Jamon Iberico de Cebo Campo), preserved truffles, and cheese from Europe.

FASHION designer Happy Andrada-Gras and former Sofitel and MGallery F&B executive Tanguy Gras have unveiled their latest creation in style. But unlike most of Happy’s couture work, this one is rather epicurean than vogue. Their marriage has conceived the fulfillment of a long-time dream: H&T Wine Gallery, a gourmet deli and wine bar in Kamuning, Quezon City. Located on the first level below Happy’s atelier, H&T

Wine Gallery is not your typical bar and retail store. With only a seating capacity of 18, this hole-in-the-wall is a dream world for Happy and Tanguy, transporting guests from barong to baguette within the confines of their quirky imaginations.

A bar with personalities

AT THE launch of H&T Wine Gallery, Happy brought in 15 new designs that showcase Filipino and French styles, paying homage to

“ We designed H&T as a gallery where each part of the space is unique. As a whole, H&T Wine Gallery gives you a tight and at-home feeling. This is a place where friends and family can enjoy their favorite wine and deli items after meals in a neighborhood that is not so busy. You can also reserve the space for private events,” says Happy, CoFounder and President.

Each part of the H&T space projects its own distinct personality. The counter sports a retro vibe complete with framed scenes of Manila and Nice (from where Tanguy hailed), neon light signages,

At H&T Wine Gallery, art and hospitality co-exist. Particularly, H&T Wine Gallery reflects Tanguy’s vision of hospitality. A French hotelier who bartended in London and waited tables in Monaco, Tanguy is bringing all his 15 years of professional hospitality and natural sommelier experience in this unpretentious bar in Quezon City.

Wines Selection INSIDE H&T, Tanguy likes to take guests on a tour of vineyards around the world.

The Old-World wine selections begin at Tanguy’s homeland. In the red wine section, Bordeaux and Burgundy wines banner the top shelf among other French wines and Rhone Valley labels, followed

The New World red and white wine selections include many representative varieties from key countries of origin, including Carmenere from Chile, Riesling from Columbia Valley (U.S.), Shiraz and Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and Cabernet Sauvignon from California and Australia, among others.

A mong the sparkling wine selections is Champagne Pol Roger, a personal favorite of Second World War hero Winston Churchill, and Cava from Spain. A fine list of rosés from Provence, Bordeaux, and Southwestern France are available, too.

Deli & Dine

ALL these bottles sit in shelves personally designed by Tanguy and Happy, displaying not just wines but also ciders, sangria, escargot, pate, olive oil, sardines, and other food items. In the chillers are as-

Guests can buy the items off the shelf or have them prepared. The menu includes a selection of charcuterie, sandwiches, cheese, hot tapas, and sweets, and guests wanting a taste of the best deli items can order any of the samplers available.

Every bottle and food item have been personally selected by Tanguy and Happy to be part of H&T Wine Gallery, and true to H&T Wine Gallery’s promise of personal service – chances are high you would be welcomed by Tanguy or Happy themselves.

H&T Wine Gallery is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on Mondays to Thursdays and until 9:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays (Closed on Sundays). Address: 24 K-D corner K-1st Kamuning, Quezon City. Book a table or for private events through 09171752779 or contact@htwinegallery.com. Deliveries are available in Metro Manila. To know, follow https://www.instagram.com/ht_winegallery/.

Ginebra San Miguel kicks off countdown to 190 years

GINEBRA San Miguel Inc. (GSMI), the maker of Ginebra San Miguel, officially kicked off the countdown to its flagship brand's 190 years in an event attended by stakeholders, partners, and supporters.

Gi nebra San Miguel, the world's largest-selling gin and the Philippines' oldest consumer brand still in the market today, turned 189 this month. GSMI Marketing and Sales Manager Allan Mercado officially led the ceremony at the 2023 National Sales Convention held at the Manila Hotel recently.

It is a perfect time for the company to kick off the celebration of our flagship brand's milestone year. Ginebra San Miguel is in such a good position right now. Last year, it delivered record-breaking sales that is highest in the brand's history," says Mercado.

Humble beginnings

THE story of Ginebra San Miguel began on March 10, 1834, from humble beginnings in a small distillery in Quiapo, Manila, to becoming one of the country's most respected and iconic brands.

Ginebra San Miguel has been a part of the Filipino story and tradition for the past 189 years, standing witness to two world wars, the birth of a Republic and 17 Philippine Presidents. The brand, already an award winner as early as the late 1800s, was originally a drink for the privileged—popular among both peninsulares and insulares. To this day, Ginebra San Miguel continues its legacy of excellence and is enjoyed by Filipinos from all walks of life and in more than ten countries. Its gin line has been a consistent Gold Quality Label awardee of the Monde Selection International Quality Institute.

Countdown starts

MUSIC, gin, and fun activities are lined up as Ginebra San Miguel starts its countdown to 190 years.

Gin and music lovers can look forward to evenings of great music and mixes as GSMI brings back on stage the highly popular and much anticipated "GINuman Fest," an event that gathers the country's top musical talents and bands.

Ginumanfest 2023 kicked off last January at Pozzurubio, Pangasinan, with performances from the national band, Siakol, and social media star, GinBilog. Just recently, the tour made its stop at Alaminos, Pangasinan (March 17) and Calapan, Mindoro, bringing in Silent Sanctuary, among others. In the next two months, the Ginumanfest concert tour continues at Cauayan, Isabela (April 14), San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. GSMI aims to bring

more smiles and celebrate the gin experience through these Ginumanfest events throughout the year. GSMI's gin booths will also be visible in over 50 fiestas nationwide. Followers and fans can catch them this next few months at the Bangus Festival (April 30) in Dagupan City, Pangasinan; Baggak Festival (May 16) in Bauang, La Union; Bacnotan Town Fiesta (May 3) in Bacnotan, La Union; and, Carabao Festival (May 18) in Pulilan, Bulacan.

A lso, GSMI will join the biggest gathering of gin enthusiasts this April at the Manila Gin Festival in BGC, showcasing its 1834 Premium Distilled Gin, the Philippine Gin the world has waited for. The Manila Gin Festival is a celebration of all things gin, bringing together the craft, creativity, diversity, and versatile spirit of gin culture. This

event provides a cool opportunity for gin lovers to sample and learn more about the different types of gin and allows gin enthusiasts to taste its versatility through unique gin-based cocktails.

G SMI is the producer of Ginebra San Miguel, the world's largest-selling gin, according to the leading global drinks journal Drinks International. GSMI's other quality distilled spirits include GSM Blue Light Gin, GSM Blue Mojito, GSM Blue Margarita, GSM Blue Gin Pomelo, GSM Premium Gin, 1834 Premium Distilled Gin, Antonov Vodka, Añejo Gold Rum, G & T Ultralight Spirit Drink (Gin & Tea), Primera Light Brandy, and the Philippines' no. 1 Chinese wine Vino Kulafu.

For more details, log on to www.ginebrasanmiguel.com or visit the official Ginebra San Miguel Facebook page:www.facebook.com/ BarangayGinebra.

Rowena “Owen” Samote, General Manager, Twin Lakes Hotel Twin Lakes’ Bulalo Twin Lakes offers a themed buffet dinner every Saturday.

The majestic looking Twin Lakes Hotel

This is how H&T Gallery looks inside.

Insects, or insect-based foods, are the food of the future

Empowering MSMEs

THE signing of the MOA is part and parcel of Informa’s preparations for “ProPak Asia 2023” and “Fi Asia 2023” (Food Ingredients Asia 2023) which will bring food technology and innovations practices closer to the farmers in Thailand. “ We want to empower MSMEs (micro, small and medium sized enterprises) to compete and become leaders in the global market as well as push Thailand to become a hub of new innovations in the production process,” Chitanuwat explained. She added that with the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions, this would be the opportune time to start raising awareness about their efforts to drum up interest not only in the food industry but in Thailand as a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) venue.

The food industry is not alone but we will help drive the country’s overall economy and its image as a soft power in food culture through MICE. As such, we must work together to strengthen the food industry from upstream to downstream. This could spark a complete ecosystem of the industry both in terms of processing and packaging,” Chitanuwat added.

Chareon Kaewsuksai, Chairman of the Food Processing Industry Club noted that in 2022, Thailand produced and exported roughly P2.5 trillion worth of food and beverages. Of the total amount, agricultural products covered 48 percent while ready-to-eat food products and beverages cornered 52 percent.

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – One way of contributing to efforts to lessen the carbon footprint is to abstain from eating meat one day a week. Studies have shown that the environmental impact of different foods varies considerably. The production of animal-based foods, for example, tends to be more harmful to the environment than that of plant-based foods.

If Thailand had its way, the country would be strongly advocating the consumption of a healthier protein alternative – insects or insect-based foods. That is just one of the many food products that will help transform this Southeast Asian country into a regional food hub.

According to Dr. Yuthana Phimolsiripol, insects are low in calories, high in protein and extremely nutritious. The insect that is good for consumption is the cricket. Crickets are a delicacy in the northeast of Thailand. They almost look like grasshoppers but taste very different. These fried insects are crunchy and have a unique taste like popcorn and nuts.

What we have done is we have ground crickets into powder form and this can be mixed into pasta

sauce. The other insect that we can develop is the bamboo worm which eats bamboo pulp. The taste and texture of these worms is like that of crunchy corn puff snack with a touch of salt,” Dr. Phimolsiripol said.

Novelty food

HOWEVER, Dr. Visit Limlucha, Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and President of the Thai Future Food Trade Association, admitted that it will take some time and a lot of patience before they can start sharing these insects as food with other countries.

“In countries like Europe, insects are considered novelty food which requires government approval. So, we have to create a lot of awareness about this before we can go full blast in exportation,” he

said, adding that this industry is a growing one in Thailand.

Insects, insect-based food, readyto-eat food, processed sweet corn, a variety of spices, and a fermented rice drink are just some of the food products that will help transform Thailand

into a food hub with the northern city of Chiang Mai playing a big role in realizing this goal.

To jumpstart this effort, Informa Markets Thailand, an international trade show business leader, invited 43 members of the media

from Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, and Cambodia to a three-day visit to the city. While there, media guests, including this writer and four other media representatives from the Philippines, were briefed about the BCG Economy Model that is currently driving the Thai economy and visited four food manufacturers.

National development strategy

THE Bio-Circular Green Economy (BCG) model was introduced by the Thai government as a strategy for national development and post-pandemic recovery. The BCG model places emphasis on applying science, technology, and innovation to turn Thailand’s comparative advantage in biological and cultural diversity into their competitive advantage.

The strategy focuses on four strategic sectors – agriculture and food; wellness and medicine; energy, materials and biochemicals; and tourism and the creative economy. It aims to promote sustainability of biological resources, strengthen communities and the grassroots economy, enhance sustainable competitiveness of Thai BCG industries, and build resilience to global change.

The first day of the three-day visit saw the members of the media attending a press conference and witnessing the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between Informa Markets Thailand led by Rungphech Chitanuwat, the Regional Portfolio Director-ASEAN, and Dr. Phimolsirpol at the Chiang Mai University.

Black soldier fly

ONE of the places that media guests visited after the MOA signing was the BSF or Black Solider Fly Pilot Plant. In this plant, the black soldier fly larvae are processed into fish feed. The eggs of the black solider flies’ hatch in four days and become pupae in 14. They are rich in protein, calcium, amino acids, and essential nutrients.

Not only do black solider flies create a more efficient livestock feed, but they are also able to reduce food waste as they are fed with organic waste from factories and other farms.

The second day was spent visiting two factories. The first factory that was visited was the CPRAM factory in Lamphun Province. The factory produces ready-to-eat-food like bread, cakes, Japanese snack items, dumplings among others.

Ove 900 stock keeping units or SKUs of products have been sold through sales channels such as convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and stores.

Spices,

meat alternatives

IN THE afternoon, the media visited Nithi Food which has been a producer of high-quality industrial spices for the past 19 years. Nithi Food Managing Director Smith Taweelerdniti said that they launched “Pocket Chef & East Kitchen” and “Let’s Plant Meat” brands to offer healthy non-meat alternatives.

The third and last day saw the media group visit Sunsweet which produces and sells processed sweet corn and other agricultural products under the brand “KC” or King of Corn. It is trying to expand its market locally as well as internationally.

The last stop was YoRice, which produces YoRice Amazake, a new rice-based product which is the non-alcoholic and sweet version of sake. YoRice gathers the broken rice of the Thai rice farmers and transforms them into YoRice Amazake, soaps and even pastries.

“ What we are doing here is to set the stage for Thailand to make a difference in food technology and innovation. Our farmers no longer need to go abroad just to learn about these innovations. We will bring them closer to technology and innovation through ProPak Asia 2023 and Fi Asia 2023. These are exciting times indeed,” said Chitanuwat.

With photos by Bernard Testa

A pack of KC Corn on cob, one of the products produced by Sunsweet.

The four flavors of YoRice Amazake Japanese Rice Milk.

The many products that are produced by the CPRAM factory.

Pharadon Phonamnuai, Director and Marketing Manager of YoRice Amazake Japanese Rice Milk, a sweet version of the Japanese sake.

At the press conference to discuss “Propak Asia” and “FI Asia” were Associate Prof. Dr. Warintorn Ruksiriwanich, Deputy Director of Food Innovation and Packaging Center; Charoen Kaowsuksai, Senior Vice President CPRAM Co., Ltd.; Rungphech Chitanuwat, Regional Portfolio Director-ASEAN, Informa Markets; Visit Limlurcha, President of the Thai Food Processors Association and Chairman of the Food Processing Industries Club; Associate Professor Dr. Yuthana Phimolsiripol, Director of the Food Innovation and Packaging Center; and Sayan Tanpanich, Conferre and representative of Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technology Research. Smith Taweelerdniti, Managing Director of Nithi Foods, is holding a pack of plant-based minced meat. In the background are the spices and sauces that the company also produces.

Wine Dine&

Saga Wagyu at Hotel Okura Manila’s Chef’s Dinner

"Strawberry Yeast". This particular Sake accentuated the sweetness of the fresh vegetables.

Chef Jerrymie also prepared the soup course, which was Consomme and Tororo Konbu Suimono with Sudachi. The dish featured concentrated clear stock and dried shaved kelp soup served with Japanese green citrus fruit.

The entrée course was prepared by Keiichiro Fujino, Yamazato’s Japanese Executive Chef, and featured Saga Wagyu Rib Eye Loin Salad Style with Sakura Feeling. The dish included Ikura, sea urchin, cherry blossom, half-boiled egg, colorful vegetables, potato paste, and shiso, and was paired with Shichida Junmai Daiginjo.

The main course, or the star of the show, was prepared by Chef Fujino and featured Rice Straw Smoked Saga-gyu Chuck Flap with Arima Pepper Red Wine Sauce. This dish consisted of smoked Wagyu chuck eye fumé à la minute with fragrant rice straw, served with Arima-sansho Japanese pepper and red wine sauce. It was paired with Shichida Junmai.

To end the meal on a sweet note, Vi Serrano, the pastry chef of Hotel Okura Manila, prepared Hinamatsuri Mochi. The dish consisted of mugwort rice cake, peach rice cake, and strawberry. The dessert was nothing short of a masterpiece. Its beauty was so exquisite that it almost felt like a loss eating it. However, the dish's stunning appearance was matched by its equally exceptional taste, making the experience ultimately worth savoring.

By Brian K. Ong

HAVE you ever wondered what distinguishes different types of wagyu from each other?

Wagyu is a term used to describe premium Japanese beef. While wagyu is synonymous with high-quality beef, there are several varieties, each with their unique characteristics.

Wagyu decoded

FOR instance, Kobe beef is perhaps the most famous variety, hailed for its tender texture, rich flavor, and intricate marbling, attributed to the unique feeding and care techniques used by Kobe beef farmers. However, there are several other types of wagyu, such as Matsusaka beef, Omi beef, and Saga beef, each with its own unique qualities and taste.

Matsusaka beef comes from the Mie prefecture in Japan, and like Kobe beef, it is famous for its high level of marbling and tenderness. However, Matsusaka beef is known for having an even richer flavor than Kobe beef due to its high concentration of oleic acid.

Omi beef comes from the Shiga prefecture in Japan and is known for its well-balanced flavor and marbling. Unlike Kobe beef, which is typically fed beer and massaged, Omi beef is raised on a specific diet that includes locally grown rice straw.

W hile all types of wagyu are renowned for their high-quality meat and unique flavors, the differences in their breeding, feeding, and care techniques give each variety its own distinct features.

One variety worth exploring is Saga wagyu, which hails from the Saga prefecture in Japan. This type

of beef is known for its exceptional marbling, texture, and rich flavor. Saga wagyu is often compared to Kobe beef due to its similar qualities, and it is one of the most prized varieties of Japanese beef.

Okura’s Chef Dinner Saga Edition

HOTEL Okura Manila recently held its Chef's Dinner The "Saga" Edition event, which showcased the masterful use of Saga Wagyu by Hotel Okura Manila’s chefs and Hiroki Samata, Chef, Master Butcher and Faculty Member of the Federal Meat Academy of Japan.

The event started with an amuse-bouche prepared by Jerrymie Tamayo, Yawaragi’s chef de cuisine, featuring Saga Wagyu Tartare Croutons and Mentaiko with Egg Yolk Flakes. The dish consisted of well-seasoned diced cut Saga Wagyu Rib eye and crispy croutons topped with Pollock roe and Japanese sea salt-cured egg yolk.

For the appetizer, Hiroki Samata prepared a dish called Sliced Saga-gyu Chuck Eye Log with Clam Jelly and Mustard Cream. The dish featured slow-cooked roast beef made with Chuck eye log, served with clam gelée, seasonal salad, Japanese mustard cream, and parsley oil. This dish was paired with Amabuki Junmai Ginjo "Sunflower Yeast".

The salad course, prepared by Jerrymie Tamayo, featured Rei Saga Wagyu Shabu Sarada. The dish consisted of lightly blanched thinly sliced Saga Wagyu with Japanese baby leaves, Kyoto carrots, Amera Tomato, and Kaiso seaweed salad. It was served with roasted sesame dressing and Yuzu Shoyu dressing, and was paired with Amabuki Junmai Ginjo

O verall, the Chef's Dinner at Hotel Okura Manila showcased the masterful use of Saga Wagyu by the hotel's talented chefs as well as the guest chef from Saga prefecture, resulting in a truly unforgettable culinary experience.

Hotel Okura Manila is a luxury hotel situated within the first integrated resort in the Philippines, the Newport World Resorts complex, in Pasay City. Epitomizing the essence of elegance and refined Japanese hospitality, combining Japanese omotenashi with Filipino warmth, the hotel offers 190 spacious rooms and suites, and a variety of dining options, including its signature Japanese finedining restaurant, Yamazato, and international restaurant Yawaragi. With its prime location, luxurious amenities, and exceptional dining options, Hotel Okura Manila is the perfect destination for both leisure and business travelers seeking an unforgettable experience in the heart of Manila.

Beat the heat with Gerry’s ‘creamilicious’ cooler treats

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

SUMMER is now upon us. T’is the season for the many to head on to the beach or simply indulge in some cooler treats to beat the heat.

Among the top favorite picks during this time of the year, of course, is an icy dessert to not only quench the thirst, but also simmer down the burning temperature at its peak. And the best place to turn to is Gerry’s.

Following its rebrand from Gerry’s Grill, this popular restaurant not only caters authentic Filipino cuisine today, but also offers an expansive menu that includes a wide range of desserts.

Using ice that’s milky and crushed with super fine texture that complements well with all the ingredients of any of its cold offerings, below are the five must-tries to complete the dining experience here. Go classic with the famous and wellloved Filipino icy dessert—the Halo-Halo. It boasts of the right mix of tropical fruits and other typical contents which, when mixed together, lend a cornucopia of sweetness, chewiness, crunchiness and stickiness. Completing its delectable presentation are the sinful scoop of an ice cream and the local custard called leche flan. Customers, for sure, will never go wrong with this mouthwatering dish layered with a rainbow of delicious ingredients.

Gerry’s Ube Macapuno Delight is definitely a hit. With the perfect combination of purple yam and soft translucent jelly-like flesh of coconut, plus the right texture and consistency, there’s nothing more to ask for this kind of a course that concludes a hearty meal.

Say hello to Mais Con Hielo! Feel the chill and goodness of this choice—thanks to the aroma of the corn, its milkiness and sweetness that brings a province atmosphere while enjoying every spoon of it. So there’s no need to actually go on a trip to the countryside just to relax, unwind and escape from the scorching heat of the city jungle.

A different variant of which, yet equally delicious, is the Banana Con Leche. Pairing the chunk of an elongated, edible type of a berry

and a slice of melt-in-your-mouth Filipino version of creme caramel is indeed a match made in heaven. This variant is not to be missed when at Gerry’s.

Finally, the Buko Pandan Delight is worth a try. Go nuts with the tropical vibe of this meaty giant nut. What makes it more palatable is the sweet floral fragrance of the aromatic plant, not to mention, its taste that's as grassy vanilla with a hint of coconut.

All these Five-Superstar Summer Cold Desserts are to die for and truly are value for money with their generous servings at reasonable price. More room for dessert? Dine in at any Gerry’s restaurant nationwide with a denouement of these refreshing summertime offerings, or grab some more for takeout orders.

Saga Wagyu Tartare Croutons and Mentaiko with Egg Yolk Flakes Rei Saga Wagyu Shabu Sarada Saga Wagyu Rib Eye Loin Salad Style with Sakura Feeling

Chef Hiroki Samata, the writer, Hotel Okura Manila’s Director of Sales and Marketing Addie Capinding, Chef Jerrymie Tamayo, Chef Vi Serrano and Chef Keiichiro Fujino. PHOTO BY RAMIL DELOS REYES

Hotel Okura Manila. PHOTO BY RAMIL DELOS REYES

Hinamatsuri Mochi

TREASURES AND VICTORIES ALONG

NORTHERN PHILIPPINE

REAL

ANCHORAGE of Paoay bridge bearing the scroll motif similar to those in the buttresses of Paoay Church.

THE Laguario of Laoag City along Bacarra Road. LEILANIE ADRIANO

THE remaining parapets of the Narvacan-Santa Viaduct as seen from the highway. ZOS MONTES

MASSIVE arches and walls of the Narvacan-Santa Viaduct, a National Cultural Treasure. BERNADETTE ESPEJO-NARTATEZ

Sta. Maria Bridge and the old Acacia tree canopy. ZOS MONTES

THE Laguario of Laoag City along Bacarra Road. LEILANIE ADRIANO

Treasures and Victories along the Northern Philippine Camino Real

By Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero

WITH the sudden widespread urge to modernize our road system through road widening and road restructuring, a dilemma exists in confronting heritage structures that have been standing along these corridors for as long as anyone alive can remember.

Oftentimes, these structures are taken for granted, and their importance, both artistic and historical, are deprived of recognition. Unlike heritage houses whose removal can easily be noticed, smaller ones such as a Via Crucis station can easily be demolished and scrapped without raising so much attention.

We have seen this in the case of Vintar in Ilocos Note as well as Magsingal in Ilocos Sur, two towns that used to have complete Via Crucis stations around their poblacions, similar to those in Sarrat and San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte that are now declared Important Cultural Properties of the Philippines), yet only a handful survive, if at all surviving. This lack of concern— of which the converse should ultimately be expressed in legal protection from the local level at least—is observed in many similar roadside heritage sites and monuments.

In 2020, the National Museum of the Philippines made a move to declare several highly threatened Spanish period structures sitting along the old Camino Real or the Spanish Royal Highway, a large section of which is now part of the heavily used MacArthur Highway that connects Manila to Aparri in Cagayan.

While these structures managed to survive for over 200 years, recent trends in road widening brings about the inevitable conclusion and nightmare that these patrimonies are most vulnerable to being removed and may not be spared for the benefit of the generations to follow.

In the Ilocos Region, there are two historic bridges, one viaduct,

and two leguarios that finally received recognition as nationally significant structures. A simple trip from Manila to Pagudpud guarantees the sighting of all of them.

Paoay and Sta. Maria Bridges

IN 2016, the stone bridge in Paoay, Ilocos Norte was damaged. A few were saddened by the incident, but fewer acted on it.

Two years later, another centuries-old bridge in Laoag City was being demolished to give way to road expansion.

At that time, locals were more vocal and involved, therefore raising calls to stop the assault.

The bridge in Paoay, though damaged, contains scroll motifs on its anchorage, showing an artistic connection with the Paoay church.

Paoay church is known for its massive buttresses with scrolls, supposedly a representation of the Ilocano sun-god Init-Tao.

The architecture of the bridge in Sta. Maria, on the other hand, demonstrates a clear resemblance to the side buttresses of nearby Sta. Maria church with its cubic and rocksolid configuration.

Both mentioned churches in Ilocos also have century-old Acacia and Narra trees beside them which arose from the practical need of the town folks then to have a natural canopy above the bridges.

The two still stand and are in use, and they unequivocally represent the best-preserved brick bridges from the Spanish period in their respective provinces.

Paoay and Sta. Maria bridges, through their aesthetic associations with their respective UNESCO World Heritage-listed baroque churches, are now considered to be intrinsic components of the churches’ declarations as National Cultural Treasures. There is another old bridge in Miag-ao in Iloilo named Taytay Boni that expresses the same artistic affinities as that of the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva church and was also declared as such.

Leguarios (milestones) of Laoag City and Pasuquin

WHILE leguarios, also called mojon, are no longer in use at present and have been replaced by the standard milestones of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the two have historic value as they illustrate

the stage in our history when the measurement of distances in the Philippines still originated from the wind vane on top of the dome of the Manila Cathedral; thus, the presence of its clear discrepancy with the location of modern milestones.

The difference might also stem from the fact that another unit of measurement was possibly used at that time: one league would be the equivalent of 5.55km in present-day terms. This, however, still needs to be validated. The rarity of these structures also attracts special attention given that there is no clear inventory as to how many of these are still intact today. Their location sitting right beside the highway and their absence of contemporary use make these highly susceptible to neglect and demolition.

There is also another leguario that exists in Tayum in Abra, perhaps the only one still preserved elsewhere. The three leguarios are now Important Cultural Properties of the Philippines.

Narvacan-Santa Viaduct

ONE of the highest raised roads in the country that are supported by sturdy arches still spans

nearly a kilometer between the towns of Narvacan and Santa in Ilocos Sur. One can say that this would be the older brother of the more popular Patapat Viaduct further up north.

Hardly visible and easily missed, a few traces of the original brick parapets of the viaduct can be seen on the road.

However, if one venture down and walk along the beach, a clearer view of its wall masonry and massive piers can be seen, leaving only admiration at how they have lasted that long and still serve a purpose to motorists to this day.

The remaining section of the Narvacan-Santa Viaduct starts at the heroine Gabriela Silang Memorial Shrine, of which an old stone marker also exists on the other side of the highway.

As an early engineering feat dating from the Spanish period, the pass clearly set the standard for roads straddling the Philippine Cordilleras and the Philippine Sea.

The viaduct is now tagged as a National Cultural Treasure, too.

The Duty to National Heritage

EVERY day we are losing heritage structures left and right in the name of development, largely due to ignorance.

The erasure of one is the erasure of a community’s past, the legacies of their forebears, and presumably even a treasure to the whole nation.

Many Filipinos have a penchant for labeling everything as “heritage” and conveniently branding sites as “cultural destinations.”

However, it is often the case that these two terms are hardly ever understood. The irony happens when we go straight toward the big banner statements without spending the time and attention on the actual groundwork: research, recognition, and protection.

We can all start by taking these actions seriously and thereby safeguard the locally important sites and monuments that are closest to us.

THE author and the Spanish bridge in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. CAIXIARA MA. E. GUERRERO

Benildeans reign supreme in Mapúa, UP filmfests

Story by Seymour Barros Sanchez

DE LA SALLE-COLLEGE of Saint Benilde inches its way closer to a grand slam of the country’s oldest existing student film competitions by dominating the annual interschool tilts by Mapúa University’s School of Media Studies and University of the Philippines Film Institute-based student organization UP Cinema.

This after student filmmakers from DLS-CSB ruled the 20th CineMapúa International Student Film Short Film Festival awards night at the Mapúa University Gymnasium in Intramuros last March 16 and UP Cinema’s Piling Obrang Vidyo (POV) XIX at UP Cine Adarna last March 24.

“Saan Aabot ang Dapithapon?” (Where Do Sunsets Go?) bagged the Cardinal Gold Film Award, Best Performance of an Actress for veteran singer-actress Celeste Legaspi, Best Production Design for Paurine Shibata, and Best Sound Design for Orion Flynn at CineMapúa 2023’s intercollegiate category.

Written and directed by Benildeans Trixie Vertera and Carissa Sierras, “Saan Aabot ang Dapithapon?” tells a story about life, death, and finding meaning to it. The grand prize winner revolves around a grandmother (Legaspi) and her granddaughter (Kat Galang), as they search for a missing spark plug in a garage filled with mementos to bring an old car back to life, and into the streets again.

Unique Lola Role for Celeste Legaspi

TALENT manager Girlie Rodis attended the CineMapúa awards night and read the acceptance speech on behalf of Legaspi. “Saan Aabot ang Dapithapon” was a surprise for me. I found myself delighted at the twists and turns of the story. Always the scenes in the film were challenging and engaging,” she said.

“I have lately been playing a string of lola roles. A series of unique lolas. A lola with dementia affecting the love life of her favorite apo. A lola so masungit and nasty because of losing her family in a tragic accident. A lola who helps her apo accept his desire to dress up as a girl. In “Saan Aabot ang Dapithapon,” I get to be a lola who reverts to the 70’s, jumps to the 80’s, and finally wins a beauty contest. So perhaps this lola is the most unique of

my Celeste lolas. I was able to work with young filmmakers whose ideas were fresh, unafraid, and exceptional. It was an honor for me. I think we all learned from each other,” Legaspi wrote as she thanked Vertera, Sierras, Shibata, and Galang, makeup artist Sam Cruz, production manager Jeanne Jessan Aguilar, and the rest of the production crew.

“And I thank the board of judges for choosing me for this award and CineMapúa for putting this festival up to encourage young filmmakers. These young filmmakers are the future of Philippine cinema.”

Strong Finish for Benilde Films

“PIG’S Game” written and directed by fellow Benildean CM Bautista made it a 1-2 finish for DLS-CSB at CineMapúa by bringing home the Cardinal Silver Film Award, Best Performance of an Actor for James Ramada, and Best Screenplay for Bautista and co-writer Tristan Aguilar. The second placer centers around a run-of-the-mill theater actor caught up in an audition for a government propaganda.

Meanwhile, “Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig” (The Gossips of Cicadidae) written and directed by Vahn Pascual, also from DLSCSB, garnered the Cardinal Audience Award and Best Original Music for Karl Arthur Javier and Benilde Film alumna Nik Rosacay.

In Pascual’s silent film, a boy who is forced by his father to become the next folk healer of their town, secretly despises his conventional boring life. This until he falls in love with a tikbalang, a Philippine mythological creature with the head and hooves of a horse.

More Benildeans as CineMapúa Finalists

OTHER short films also from DLS-CSB, namely “Makoko sa Baybay” (I am Going to the Beach) by Mike Cabarles and “Lilip” (Hem Stitch) by Diane Rochelle “Yanie” Cruz, also made it to the list of finalists which were all screened onsite at the newly constructed 150-seater Mapúa Cardinal Cinema, Cervantes Hall, and MPO508 at the Makati campus, and the audio-visual and seminar rooms at the Intramuros campus from March 13 to 18, and online at www.yfilms.ph from March 22 to April 5.

“Si Oddie” received the Cardinal Bronze Film Award and Best

Direction for Maria Kydylee Torato of UP Visayas. It focuses on a rider who embarks on a delivery to a customer who cannot be located. “That Night the Moon Shined” by Xzy Dumabok of UPFI got Best Cinematography for Moore Minglana, while “Pempem at ang Bomba Magasin” by Migs Ruallo of Far Eastern University won Best Editing for Gene Francis Sayson. “Siya na Iba Sainda” (She Who is Different from Them) by Joshua Doce of Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology nabbed People’s Choice awards for poster and teaser.

With the theme “Festivity of Global Cultures through Visual Storytelling,” CineMapúa, “the longest-running student film festival in the Philippines” received a total of 2,892 film entries from 108 countries. Fifty entries were selected as finalists, with 15 of them competing in the intercollegiate category, five in the high school division, 10 in the all-Mapúans group, and 20 in the World Film section.

Building a Winning Tradition

OVER at UP Diliman, Benildeans continued their win streak by topping POV, an interschool film contest established in 2004 by UP Cinema, as well as its corresponding Narrative and Documentary categories.

Last year, “Pig’s Game” brought home the POV Jury Prize, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance. This year, “Kokuryo: The Untold Story of Bb. Undas 2019” by Diokko Dionisio emerged victorious as it went on to bag POV XIX’s Best Film, Best Narrative, Best Screenplay, and Best Production Design. In the short film, two best friends scour through the town of Gapan in Nueva Ecija one midnight while searching for the house of a person they believe stole half of the prize they won in a gay beauty pageant.

In addition, “Balde at Brotsa,” which recounts the personal struggles of three artists with different forms of societal oppression, clinched Best Documentary for fellow Benildean filmmaker Josh Mutia. In the documentary, the artists must find purpose in what they make to understand what they need to do.

“Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig” extended its triumphant ways from Mapúa to UP by securing Best Direction for Pascual, Best Music/Original Score for Javier and Rosacay, and the Cinemasters’ Choice, an award given to the film selected by majority of the members of UP Cinema.

“ The Secret Band of Thebes” by Augustine, also from Benilde, earned a Special Citation for Animation. In the film, nude photos and videos of a man masturbating were leaked at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. How was he able to cope with the spread of these photos and videos?

Another Dominant Showing at POV

OTHER Benilde films such as the experimental work “People Fade as Colors Do” by Josef Edward Tafalla, and two other documentaries, “Elehiya para sa mga Memorya” by Ryan Miguel Capili and “Ang Paghahanap kay Dalagang Bukid” by Leia Amidala Santos, also made it to the chosen few of only 12 POV finalists, four films for each category, which were shown online at c inemata.org f rom March 14 to 23.

The FEU film “Pempem at ang Bomba Magazine” was also hailed Best Editing at POV after its victory at CineMapúa, aside from winning Best Performance for Dada Garcia and the Viewer’s Choice prize. Fellow FEU entry, “Mind Body” by Josh Van Ulric Campo, was awarded the Best Experimental Film prize.

“Itom Nga Bugas Kanaryo Nga Ugat” by Leonard Ian Billones of UP Visayas received the Jury Prize and Best Sound Design, while “Self-Portrait” by Daphnee Ferrer of UP Diliman won Best Cinematography.

It remains to be seen whether Benilde student filmmakers will also stand out in the interschool division of Sinepiyu XV, the annual film festival of FEU which runs from May 2 to 7. One thing is for sure, though. DLS-CSB is strongly making a case to be one of the best, if not the best film school in the country.