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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

ITH the second wave of the pandemic coming into full play, connectivity via the Internet is crucial to keep life under the new normal going. No less than the country’s chief executive has emphasized the key role that the Internet will play during this “new normal,” even threatening telcos of a government takeover if they will not improve their services by December.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona), Duterte claimed that the two telcos have been providing sub-par services to their customers, even going to the lengths of saying that they are overcharging their customers by charging them for mediocre services.

Are his statements true? Partially, as while Internet coverage is

at now 95 percent of the total barangays and municipalities in the country—at least according to telcos—reliability still is an issue.

For Pierre Tito M. Galla, cofounder of consumer group Democracy.PH, Duterte’s tirades against the telcos during his Sona are “believable red herrings.”

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Populist President amplifies gripes over slow Internet in a crisis that’s forcing people to work—and study—from home, and for businesses to survive. Is the threat to take over them just a trick to empower perceived ‘cronies,’ or a serious shot at reform?

A WOMAN wearing a mask uses her phone at a checkpoint outside Manila on Tuesday, as the capital is placed on another lockdown in the hopes of controlling the surge of coronavirus cases. AP/AARON FAVILA

A shattered Beirut leaves Lebanese asking if they have a future

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By Lin Noueihed | Bloomberg News

VEN before the explosion ripped through his butcher’s shop on one of Beirut’s most fashionable streets, Tony Iyami was just about staying afloat.

A lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic had hit business, compounding a banking crisis that’s left most Lebanese unable to access their savings or borrow.

The government is bankrupt, in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout and barely functioning. Then came Tuesday’s cataclysmic blast that erupted out of the capital’s port area shattering all before it, killing at least 100 people and wounding thousands.

“We were already hobbling along, surviving step by step, but now we’ve been struck down,” Iyami said in between securing his property and sweeping up debris. “If our officials don’t wake up, we’re already

being destroyed, but if they don’t wake up to what’s happening now, this nation is finished.”

The explosion, fueled by a vast consignment of ammonium nitrate stored at the port despite repeated safety warnings, couldn’t have come at a worse time for Lebanon, which is enduring its deepest political and financial crisis since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990.

From warlords to rulers

AS fighting ebbed, former warlords became the nation’s rulers, borrowed up to the hilt and then pillaged state coffers for three decades until there was virtually nothing left. The result is often a state in name only.

Daily blackouts last hours,

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 49.0550

A LEBANESE woman whose son is missing after the explosion Tuesday that hit the seaport of Beirut cries as she waits outside the port to receive any information from the rescue teams, in Beirut, Lebanon, August 6, 2020. AP/HUSSEIN MALLA

while garbage is left uncollected on the streets. A collapse in the currency has pushed inflation above 50 percent, erasing life savings.

The blast has put the country’s leading port out of action and destroyed the main grain silos, ensuring prices will soar higher as supply chains are disrupted.

Weeks of protest that began in October against cronyism and corruption have fizzled into hopelessness as more Lebanese look to follow previous generations and emigrate.

Lebanon has appealed for international help as concerns mount over shortages in a nation that depends heavily on imports.

France, Germany and others have offered medical aid and assistance with rescue operations.

But decades of corruption and failure to prove that Lebanon’s political class is serious about reform means donors remain reluctant to provide the government with budget support. Any aid is likely to be humanitarian or targeted at specific sectors like health.

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n JAPAN 0.4650 n UK 64.4975 n HK 6.3296 n CHINA 7.0544 n SINGAPORE 35.8275 n AUSTRALIA 35.4717 n EU 58.2675 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.0852

Source: BSP (August 7, 2020)

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Takeover trick or threat?

Continued from A1

“Because not only is speed an issue for many constrained to work from home, or prepare for home-based online classes, but the main issue is reliability, as nobody wants to get cut off in the middle of a task,” he said.

Duterte’s claims are not totally unfounded. Some users still experience static when making simple calls in the metro area, while some get bad service when they move around. The issue here, according to telcos, is the lack of telco towers that help transmit signal from one device to another.

Globe Telecom Inc. President Ernest L. Cu has repeatedly said that his group is ready to spend billions of pesos to develop its network infrastructure, but permitting from both the national and local governments have hindered the company from maximizing its programs.

“Each year, we make massive investments in billions of pesos to make our network perform at par with other countries. However, we can only go as far as what our existing infrastructure can give.

If we want robust connectivity we really need to build more cell sites and roll out more fiber to homes.

The current permitting process and fee structures simply do not allow us to do these,” Cu said.

He added that telcos have to secure at least 28 permits that take up to eight months before being

approved for a single tower.

Endless ‘red tape’

ACCORDING to former Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio Jr., the lack of telco infrastructure was a result of the sudden popularity of mobile data.

In the early 2000s, he said, Filipinos were obsessed with texting, which did not require a lot of infrastructure to be sustained. But in 2012, mobile data became the new norm, and telcos scrambled to upgrade their infrastructure.

However, due to the bureaucratic “red tape,” telcos found it hard to quickly modernize their networks.

“We do not lack investments, as these are already available, not coming from government but from the private sector to fast track the installation of telecommunications infrastructure,” Rio said.

“The real problem is the red tape that only government can solve.”

To address this, various government agencies have signed a joint memorandum circular that will streamline requirements and reduce procedural delays in securing permits, licenses, clearances, certificates and other requirements for common towers.

The new policy was signed by officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Anti-Red Tape Authority, the Department of the

Interior and Local Government, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the Department of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration The policy essentially shortens the timeline for securing permits from 200 days to 16 days. It also removes five prerequisites for the construction of passive telecommunications tower infrastructure, such as those that are required by both the local and national governments.

Currently, the Philippines has 17,850 towers that serve over 100 million subscribers, or one tower per 4,000 subscribers—a far cry from the ideal tower density of one tower per 1,000 subscribers.

Obsession with towers

BUT for Galla, the public is so obsessed about towers that they are forgetting that there are alternatives to mobile data.

“This public fixation, even obsession, with towers is a reflection of how Internet access is mainly through cellular, or fixed wireless, when wired technologies provide more reliable Internet connectivity. Telcos are not the only providers of Internet connectivity,” he said, citing Internet service providers (ISPs) for instance.

“The best improvement that the telcos can make toward the ICT ecosystem would be for the telcos

group has already engaged six tower companies to build at least 181 towers for Smart.

“There are more tower companies that we are speaking to, not only for the balance years but also for the coming years. Our network is much more complex than Globe’s—our problem’s a bit more Technicolor,” he said. “We just have to hunker down, and improve our services by December. We have to be laser-focused in achieving this.”

Galla agreed, saying that the benchmark should take into account “reliability” as it “is the most important parameter, next to cost—at least during this period.”

Key policies A MAN wearing a mask uses his smartphone outside a store in Manila, August 3, 2020. AP/AARON FAVILA

to cut their prices of the wholesale bandwidth they sell to ISPs. In this manner, rural ISPs can offer better services at costs farm families can afford,” he explained.

Benchmark?

PRESIDENT Duterte’s remarks during his Sona are welcomed by telcos, even as they are challenged with logistics, permits and mobility during the community quarantines.

For PLDT Inc. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, his group will take on this challenge by the country’s Chief Executive, and promised to provide better quality services to subscribers.

He noted, however, that there has to be a benchmark by which telcos will

be judged, whether or not they have met the President’s demands.

“We’d like to agree with the regulator as to what standards we will be judged, the level of service that ought to be delivered to the people— download speed, upload speed, video experience, latency. At least that is something quantitative that we can be measured by,” he said.

Pangilinan’s group, which owns Smart Communications Inc., promised to extend coverage to 96 percent of the barangays and municipalities, as well as increase speeds to 30 Mbps.

“We should raise our ranking to something similar to Thailand and Vietnam,” he said.

Pangilinan added that his

BUT aside from hard infrastructure, what is equally needed are key policies that will enable a more robust ICT sector to thrive, especially since the new normal involves digitalizing most services.

“Due to the all-encompassing necessity of the Internet in our daily lives, we urge the government to adopt key policy reforms. We recommend four solutions: The Open Access in Data Transmission bill, an executive order to liberalize access to satellites as an alternative means of connectivity, especially for rural areas, a passive infrastructuresharing policy to support the rollout of broadband networks, and, lastly, support for Internet service providers in the countryside,” independent ICT researcher Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, said.

A shattered Beirut leaves Lebanese asking if they have a future

THIS satellite image taken on Wednesday shows the port of Beirut and the surrounding area in Lebanon following a massive explosion on Tuesday. PLANET LABS INC. VIA AP Continued from A1

Unable to generate foreign significant support, oversee an economic recovery or guarantee public safety, Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s administration, cobbled together in January after mass protests brought down the previous government, may not last.

Though Lebanon’s problems are an accumulation of nepotistic policies and public mismanagement over the decades, he’s facing criticism for doing too little to manage the country’s multiple crises.

“Large elements of the public no longer believe the government is able to manage,” Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East and North Africa research at Eurasia Group, said in a note. “The economic crisis will also deepen as the port is the main trade valve and base for many stored goods awaiting clearance.”

Stalled talks for funding

TALKS with the IMF had stalled as it became clear that politicians and bankers could not agree even on the magnitude of financial losses let alone who should pay for them.

The government has lost key advisers and officials and the foreign minister resigned this week, frustrated that political elites were too busy protecting their own interests to take the steps demanded by po-

tential lenders to save the economy from ruin.

Blame game again

THE areas behind the Port of Beirut were some of the trendiest in a politically turbulent city infamous for its nightlife. Packed with bars, restaurants and boutiques as well as residential apartment buildings, Gemmayze, Mar Mikhail and Saifi once throbbed with a mix of fashionable revelers and longtime residents. Beyond the port itself, where the 2,750 tons of hazardous ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse exploded on Tuesday, these old quarters were among the worst hit.

Dazed employees picked up broken sheets of metal and glass on Wednesday as volunteers armed with brooms descended on the neighborhood to help with the cleanup. Lebanese Food Bank volunteers handed out water and sandwiches while ambulances sped along streets to pick up wounded people still trapped.

“We’ve already been closed for four months by the government because of coronavirus. All they do is fine us. The state doesn’t care. I don’t think they can help us. I don’t think anyone will help,” said Saeed, who owns a bar in Gemmayze that had its windows and doors blown in and kitchen and bar equipment damaged.

The blame game has begun.

Diab, whose government was appointed in the aftermath of protests demanding the removal of a political elite that had taken Lebanon to the brink, has promised to investigate who was responsible for leaving the deadly chemical pile in storage for six years despite the danger. Critics have demanded an international inquiry into a tragedy they say will otherwise be hushed up.

Some port officials have been placed under house arrest pending investigations but the government has yet to say what, if anything, it will do to compensate home and business owners. That’s left some facing ruin.

Abbas Mattar works in a luxury kitchen showroom near the port that once kitted out high-end homes across Lebanon. Already laid low by the financial crisis, it faces a repair bill running into millions of dollars that may not be fully covered by insurance.

“You despair in the end,” he said. “From 1990 to today, all the ministers and MPs [members of parliament] need to be killed because you can’t get any dirtier than this. There are people who steal and leave but not to this extent. People are dead and you’re continuing? Still clinging to your chair, to power?”

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D.O.J. LEADS TASK FORCE IN PHILHEALTH FUND MESS PROBE AND PROSECUTION

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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res i d e n t Duter te ordered the creation of a task force on Friday to investigate and impose sanc tions against erring officials and personnel of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

In an online news briefing, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced the President has issued a memorandum ordering the Department of Justice (DOJ) to lead the newly created task force, which will be also vested with the power to “investigate, prosecute, punish” PhilHealth officials and personnel allegedly involved in anomalies.

The task force will also be vested with the power to recommend to the President the imposition of preventive suspensions.

Duter te made the new issuance amid an ongoing Senate hearing on PhilHealth, which uncovered more purported irregularities within t h e co nt rove r s i a l g ove rn m e nt - ow n e d a n d -controlled corporation (GOCC).

Citing the wording of the new memorandum, Roque said the President is already “exasperated” over the supposed continuing anomalies in PhilHealth.

Aside from DOJ, he said, the task force will also include the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, and

Office of the Special Assistant to the President Undersecretar y Jesus Melchor Quitain.

Last week, Malacañang announced it has instructed Quitain to also probe PhilHealth’s alleged overpriced purchase of P2 billion worth of information-technology (IT) items.

Roque said PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Morales and other officials and employees under him will be given the chance to explain their side to the task force.

However, he noted it’s already “moot and academic” for Morales to personally tr y to explain his side to the President following the creation of the task force.

“The President is now concerned in gathering information and probably t h e l e g a l r e m e d y d o n e [ b y P h i l H e a l t h ] .”

R o q u e s a i d .

To recall, Morales took over the leadership of PhilHealth after its previous head, Roy Ferrer, was asked by President Duter te to resign also because of supposed anomalies within the GOCC. Duter te ordered task force to submit its f i n d i n g s a n d re co m m e n d at i o n , i n c l u d i n g proposed legal action against liable PhilHealth o f f i c i a l s a n d e m p l o ye e s to t h e O f f i ce o f President after 30 days from its constitution on August 7, 2020.

PHL now has 100 test labs to detect, control Covid-19 spread, D.O.H. says

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

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s par t of the government’s continued efforts to increase the country’s capability to detec t and appropriately manage confirmed Covid-19 cases and stem the spread of the virus, the Department of Health (DOH) has announced that there are now a total of 100 licensed testing laboratories throughout the country.

As of Thursday, August 6, 2020, a total of 100 laboratories are now eligible to conduct RT-PCR testing for Covid-19 diagnosis.

The 100th laboratory facility is at Chong Hua Hospital. The addition of the Cebu-based hospital to the roster of licensed testing laboratories was seen as a milestone in terms of the country’s testing capacity.

Initially needing to send swab samples to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia for Covid-19 confirmation in February, the Philippines now boasts of the highest testing capacity among countries in the Southeast Asia region, surpassing even richer neighboring countries such as Japan and Singapore.

As of August 5, the country has conducted a total of 1,667,831 tests on 1,557,105 unique individuals and has recorded an average daily testing capacity of 27,800 within the last seven days.

The Philippines’s testing strategy is being enhanced in congruence with the other facets of the government’s national five-point response strategy to manage the Covid-19 situation in the country, namely, prevention, isolation, contact tracing and treatment.

With the revitalized response strategy that is now primarily being implemented through the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic

(CODE)—a more localized response initiative a i m e d at m i t i g at i n g t ra n s m i s s i o n at t h e community level—the continuously-improving testing capability will contribute greatly in ensuring the success of the depar tment’s enhanced disease surveillance strategies.

At a m e d i a f o r u m o n Fr i d a y, H e a l t h Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they will specifically go in areas with the most number of infections and clustering occurred recently as stated under CODE. There are 10 cities in Metro Manila included in the CODE strategy for the next two weeks.

These are: Pinagbuhatan, Pasig; Addition Hills, Mandaluyong; Sucat, Muntinlupa; Potrero, Malabon; Pembo, Makati; San Antonio, Parañaque; Barangay 12, Caloocan; Batasan Hills, Quezon City; CAA - BF International, Las Piñas and Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

“This will also be done across the country,” Vergeire said.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said that the Philippines’s national testing capacity is also expected to be further boosted with 87 laboratories undergoing the DOH’s licensing process and in the pipeline to be licensed within the next few months.

“We are overjoyed with this significant milestone in our country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

T aos-puso po ang aming pasasalamat sa mga nagbigay daan upang makamit ang tagumpay na ito—ang Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine [RITM], World Health Organization at ang pribadong sektor ,” Duque said.

“Kami rin po ay nagbibigay pugay sa ating mga Covid-19 labs na walang sawang nagbibigay serbisyo at tumutulong sa pag-sugpo ng Covid-19. Walang hanggang pasasalamat po ,” the health chief stated.

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Despite recession, rating downgrade ‘highly unlikely’ for PHL, says Diokno

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ECESSION in the country will not reverse the recent gains in its ascent toward the “A” credit rating, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) chief said on Friday.

In a statement sent to reporters on Friday, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said the risk that the Philippines will suffer a credit rating downgrade is “highly unlikely” despite the 16.5-percent decline in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of the year.

“The sharp fall in Q2 GDP does not pose a danger to the Philippines st rong macroeconom ic fundamentals: relatively low debtto-GDP ratio, one of the highest tax effort in the region, benign inflation and well managed inflation expectations, strong peso, hefty gross international reserves, well capitalized banking system

with low non-performing loans,” Diokno said.

In the first half of the year, the Philippines was spared—partly owing to what was described as its resilience—from widespread downgrades and outlook changes due to the negative economic effects of the global pandemic. Credit watchers have downgraded 82 sovereigns and revised to negative outlooks 104 sovereigns.

The most recent affirmation was from Moody’s Investors Service. In mid-July, the ratings agency affirmed the country’s Baa2 ratings and kept its outlook at “stable.” Their baseline forecast then was a 4.5-percent contraction in the Philippines’s GDP for 2020.

However, the country clocked in a double-digit GDP contraction in the second quarter and analysts believe overall economic activity in the country will remain subdued

as infected cases continue to rise in the Philippines.

Still, Diokno said economic managers in the country are confident that recovery is under way and that credit ratings will continue to outperform peer countries. “ T he economic managers view the economy’s plunge in the second quarter as temporar y, resulting from the strict and comprehensive lockdow n during the period owing to the coronavirus pandemic. But the recover y process is on its way and we expect a strong rebound of 6.5 to 7.5 percent in 2021,” Diokno said.

“We should look beyond the current crisis. We should craft a strong economic recovery program accompanied by more structural reforms that would allow the Philippines to rebuild better for the future,” he added.

Locsin and Pompeo hold talks on SCS, other ‘shared interests’

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By Recto Mercene

o r e i g n Affairs S ecretar y Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed on Thursday “shared interests,” a day after Beijing called for the resumption of talks on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Tweeting on US government Twitter account, Pompeo, shown with his photograph said, “Good call today with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs @teddyboylocsin to discuss our shared interests in the South China Sea. The US-Philippine Alliance is vital to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The t wo secretaries also discussed t h e “s t ro n g e c o n o m i c , s e c u r i t y, a n d people -to-people ties that bind the US and Philippines.”

Pompeo’s call came two days after Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during an exclusive inter view with Xinhua News Agency, accusing US of seeking to disrupt the negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the SCS. Xinhua is the official state-run news agency of the People’s Republic of China.

Accused of delaying the COC to prepare itself and strengthen its position in the contested waters, China now wants to expedite the resumption of the long-delayed talks with Asean member-countries.

“Under the current situation, China proposes that we remove all disturbances to restart as soon as possible the Code of Conduct consultation and agree as early as possible on a set of rules for maintaining long-term peace and stability in the region,” Wang said on Wednesday.

Once agreed upon, the COC will impose a limited course of activities in the resourcerich waters where some $3 trillion worth of products sail through.

Last J une, President D uter te said negotiations for a COC between the 10-member regional bloc and China were facing “real constraints in dealing with the deliverables” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the pandemic, however, Beijing continues to aggressively pursue moves in the strategic ocean by conducting military exercises in the Paracels. The UN military countered China’s moves, sending two aircraft carrier on two occasions in the SCS last month.

O n Wednesday, Wang hit what he described as “provocative actions” by the US in the global waterway. “[T]he US keeps increasing and showing off its military presence in the South China Sea. In the first half of this year alone, the US sent military aircraft there more than 2,000 times,” Wang pointed out.

The US conducts freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPS, in the 3.5 million square kilometer domain, claimed by six countries, although America said it has no claim on any part of the SCS. Military analysts said the US moves to engage China is the Trump administration’s way to divert its citizens attention at a time when US had to deal with 4,890,000 Covid-19 cases and 160,000 and rising.

The US Depar tment of State issued a strongly worded statement in J uly, suppor ting the Philippines and other Southeast Asian coastal states in protecting their exclusive economic zones in the contested waters and territory.

Wang said the US should adhere to its “long-standing commitment of not taking sides” in the dispute. Aside from the Philippines and China, Taiwan and Asean member-states Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei have competing claims in the resource-rich waters.

“The US is seeking to drive a wedge between China and Asean countries, and disrupt the consultation process of the Code of Conduct,” Wang charged.

“All regional countries should be vigilant, and prevent this region’s hard-won peace and development from being sabotaged by the US,” he said.

Wang reiterated that disputes should be settled through bilateral dialogue, a stance shared by the Duter te administration.

China also lauded President Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address last month where he pushed for an independent foreign policy and non-confrontational stance on the maritime dispute.

The President also directed Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Secretary Locsin not to allow any foreign bases in the country, choosing to remain neutral in the wake of the two sparring superpowers.

Last week, Pompeo issued a statement congratulating the Asean Secretariat on the 53rd anniversary of the founding of Asean on August 8.

He said Asean and Asean-led mechanisms are at the heart of the US vision for the IndoPacific and that of our allies and partners.

“The strategic par tnership between the United States and Asean contributes to our shared vision of a free and open IndoPacific,” he said.

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NEDA CHIEF SEES ‘NEAR TERM’ BENEFITS OF MECQ FOR METRO MANILA, NEARBY AREAS

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he country’s economic activities have been reduced to just half of usual capacity after the government imposed its new round of modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and its surrounding areas this week, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

In an online news briefing on Friday, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said that in the previous week, when the National Capital Region (NCR) was still under general community quarantine (GCQ), 75 percent of the national economy was already operational.

“With our situation now, this went back to 50 percent, now that Metro Manila is under MECQ and its surrounding provinces plus GCQ elsewhere. So the percentage of the economy, which open is now lower,” Chua said.

Economic benefits

The country’s chief economist, however, s a i d t h e M E CQ w i l l e ve nt u a l ly b e beneficial for the country’s economy in the “near term.”

He noted the government economic team agreed with the imposition of the MECQ since business confidence and productivity will not be fully restored if there are still concerns Covid-19 infections.

Under MECQ, some “nonessential” establishments such as barber shops and salons were once again not allowed to operate and public transportation were also suspended.

NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal were placed under MECQ from August 4 to 18, 2020, to allow overworked medical workers in the said areas to rest and give time for the government to intensify its testing, tracing, isolation, and treatment activities for Covid-19 patients in the said areas.

CODE teams

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said they plan to use the two-week MECQ to go after clusters of Covid-19 in the grassroots level under their Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE).

She said they already identified 10 barangays in NCR, where they will initiate CODE, which is similar to the Dharavi model used by the Indian government.

“We are adopting the Dharavi model in Mumbai, where [the government] went house to house to investigate and ask questions. It’s like they’re tracing people who have symptoms in the barangay, what they are doing when they have symptoms, and also checking, who were exposed [to the infected],”Vergeire said.

She noted the CODE teams of DOH will not only look for those with Covid symptoms, but also the people, who have close contact with them so they could be isolated.

The team will also conducted Covid-19 testing in the areas they will visit as part of government efforts to minimize Covid-19 infections. Samuel P. Medenilla

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Saturday, August 8, 2020

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Zuckerberg’s fortune surpasses $100 billion

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ark Zuckerberg’s net worth passed $100 billion for the first time Thursday after Facebook Inc. hit a record high on optimism about the release of its TikTok competitor Reels.

The 36-year-old joins fellow tech titans Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as the only people in the world who currently have centibillionaire status, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Zuckerberg’s fortune is largely derived from his 13-percent stake in Facebook.

T he founders of A mer ica’s largest technolog y companies have enjoyed a mind-boggling accumulation of wealth this year as the coronavirus pandemic drives more people online, despite the US economy contracting at its fastest pace on record. Zuckerberg has gained about $22 billion

Zuckerberg Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

this year, while Bezos is up more than $75 billion.

The staggering numbers have put Big Tech under increased scrutiny,

India hits 2-M coronavirus cases as deaths pass 41,000

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EW DELHI—India hit another grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, crossing 2 million cases of infection and more than 41,000 deaths.

India’s health ministry also reported recoveries as a share of total cases are also growing. India has the third-highest caseload in the world after the United States and Brazil. It has the fifth-most deaths and its fatality rate of about 2 percent is far lower than the other hardest-hit countries. The rate in the US is 3.3 percent, and in Brazil, it’s 3.4 percent, Johns Hopkins University figures showed.

The health ministry said Friday 62,538 cases were reported in the past 24 hours, raising the

nation’s total to 2,027,074. Also, 886 people died, for a total of 41,585.

The caseload in the world’s second-most populous country has quickly expanded since the government began lifting a months-long lockdown hoping to jumpstart a moribund economy. The Indian government is projecting negative economic growth in 2020.

As life cautiously returned to the streets of the capital of New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai, which appear to have passed their peaks, state and local governments elsewhere in India were reimposing lockdowns after sharp spikes in growth.

India had launched two of the world’s dozen and a half prospective vaccines into human trials,

with vaccine-maker Zydus Cadila announcing it had completed phase one trials of its DNA-based vaccine on Thursday.

The country will be vital to global vaccination efforts, regardless of whether its own attempts work. The world’s largest vaccine-maker, the Serum Institute in the central city of Pune, has ramped up capacity to manufacture as many as a billion doses of a vaccine in development by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which is in phase two trials in India and England, and phase three trials in Brazil and South Africa.

Researchers are hoping to launch the Oxford vaccine for emergency use by October. AP

with Zuckerberg, Bezos, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook and Alphabet Inc. head Sundar Pichai testifying before Congress

last month to defend allegations that their power and influence are out of control.

The five largest American tech companies—Apple, Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet, Facebook and Microsoft Corp.—currently have market valuations equivalent to about 30 percent of US gross domestic product, nearly double what they were at the end of 2018.

US Senator Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, plans to introduce legislation to tax what he called “obscene wealth gains” during the coronavirus crisis. The “Make Billionaires Pay Act” would tax 60 percent of the increase in the ultrawealthy’s net worth from March 18 through the end of the year and use the revenue to cover outof-pocket health-care expenses of

all Americans.

Zuckerberg, who founded the social-media giant from his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, has said he plans to give away 99 percent of his Facebook shares over his lifetime.

Even overseas, tech giants are among the top gainers this year.

Tencent Holdings Ltd. CEO Pony Ma has added $17 billion, taking his fortune to more than $55 billion, while the wealth of Pinduoduo Inc.’s Colin Huang has gained $13 billion to $32 billion. India’s Mukesh Ambani has become $22 billion richer as the digital unit of his Reliance Industries Ltd. got investments from firms including Facebook and Silver Lake.

He’s now worth $80.3 billion.

Bloomberg News

China’s exports jumped in July on stronger US, global demand

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hina’s exports rose in July as economic activity in the rest of the world recovered and shipments to the US jumped, while imports unexpectedly contracted due to falling commodity prices and the ongoing fragility of China’s own recovery.

Exports rose 7.2 percent in dollar terms in July from a year earlier, while imports fell 1.4 percent, the Customs administration said Friday. That widened the trade surplus to $62.33 billion in the month. Economists had forecast that exports would fall by 0.6 percent while imports would increase by 0.9 percent.

China-US rel at ions have soured further recently across a broad range of issues, with both sides shutting down consulates, the US pushing a ban on Chinese tech firms, including TikTok, and fights over Hong Kong and Taiwan. As rising geopolitical tensions kindle global fears of a new Cold War, companies are also

responding to pent-up demand following lengthy shutdowns in some parts of the world.

“The road ahead may be bumpy as new export orders remain weak and the recovery path will be uneven across economies,” said Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics in Hong Kong.

“Imports disappointed a bit,” but as commodity prices are still down substantially from a year ago, this implies that import volumes continued to expand, he said.

Ex por ts to the US rose 12.5 percent in July from a year ago, t he fa stest r i se si nce 2018 .

T he mag nitude of the jump is “probably due to front-loading activ it y ahead of a worsening US - C hina rel at ionship,” sa id Tommy X ie, an economist at Oversea Chinese Banking Cor p in Singapore. Imports from the US rose 3.6 percent.

President Xi Jinping is also accelerating his push for a more economically independent China with

Storm-hit New Yorkers confront working at home without power

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orking from home during a pandemic is hard enough. Now many across the Nor theast are being forced to do it without electricity.

More than 1.4 million homes and businesses from New York to Delaware are still without power after Tropical Storm Isaias battered the region. In one wealthy enclave of New York City, people are charging laptops in idling cars. On Long Island, Audis are lining up outside of a 7-Eleven in search of Wi-fi. And in New Jersey and Connecticut, families have decamped to hotels or friends’ houses.

“It couldn’t happen at a worse time,” said Bill McCormick, who sells sports equipment and wound up working out of a Starbucks parking lot in Delaware to finish an important proposal after losing power.

In New York, Consolidated Edison Inc. conceded Thursday that the storm, which ripped mature trees from the ground, was stronger than they expected. The utility initially called in 500 repair workers from other companies to help restore power. Once the extent of damage became clear, Con Edison called in 500 more.

It turned out to be Con Edison’s biggest stormrelated outage since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

In the Riverdale section of The Bronx, where more than 1,000 homes and businesses were still without power on Thursday, people sat in parked cars in the driveways of stately homes, charging phones and laptops. The smell of diesel hung in the air, thanks to private generators keeping the lights on in some homes.

There, the local Starbucks could provide no refuge. The chain’s Riverdale location, typically crowded with people taking advantage of free Wi-fi, removed all its tables shortly after the start of the pandemic, making it useless to telecommuters.

Wi-fi scavengers

On Long Island, Chadwick Forbes, an analyst who runs a Twitter page focused on professional football, has been tapping into the connectivity of a 7-Eleven store in Roslyn. He’s not the only one.

“People were pulling in the lot, honking. There’s probably 15 spots, and they were all full,” he said.

“You can tell everyone’s trying to do the same thing.”

Udo Tobben doesn’t have that option. A senior

program analyst in Plainview, New York, he needs his computer to test software, so he’s not getting any work done. Instead he’s cleaned the yard and has been keeping mobile phones charged by driving around the area.

The local utility, PSEG Long Island, has said the area will have service by Friday, “but we have no idea how reliable this is,” he said.

Steven Matteo, a New York City councilman from Staten Island, said Con Edison needs to do more to restore power to all customers and not let the blackouts drag into next week.

“They could’ve brought in more workers at first and this wouldn’t have happened,” Matteo said in an interview. “These delays are completely unnecessary. Bring in more crews.”

One challenge utilities face is that, because the storm impacted nearly every state along the East Coast, response crews have been forced to stay home to assess damage before heading out to neighboring states to help, said Scott Aaronson, vice president of security and preparedness for the Edison Electric Institute, a trade group. The pandemic has also slowed down the work.

“Utilities have reduced their own staff and are increasingly relying on neighbors,” said James Slevin, president of the Utility Workers Union of America. “This storm wasn’t nearly the size of Sandy and yet it’s had just as much impact on customers. That shows they aren’t keeping up with maintenance with their own crews.”

Ellen Rader Smith, an occupational therapist in Montville Township, New Jersey, has been told not to expect electricity until next Tuesday.

‘We’re refugees’

Smith initially tried working at the home of a friend who also was affected by the outage but had a generator. Yet there was no Wi-fi, so she couldn’t access some key files. On Thursday she was visiting another friend who wasn’t affected by the outage, and on Friday she may find somewhere else so she doesn’t wear out her welcome.

“We’re refugees,” said Smith. This year has already been difficult, adjusting to all the restrictions and uncertainty of Covid-19, “but even that sounds better than where we are now.” Bloomberg News

a new emphasis on a so-called dual circulation model, which tilts toward domestic markets, although it’s unclear what that will mean in practice.

What Bloomberg’s economists say...

“The recovery in exports should continue, as long as demand in major trading partners continues to revive.” Imports should get more support from the recovery in domestic demand, though “it will take considerable time for imports to get back to pre-pandemic levels.”

There are also increasing risks to trade, such as the worsening relations with the US, and fresh waves of Covid-19 outbreaks.—David Qu, Bloomberg Economics Chinese factory managers saw continued recovery momentum in July. However, a set of the earliest indicators for activity in the month show that the effects of stronger market sentiment was damped by muted consumer demand.

Bloomberg News

Beijing tells banks, wealth fund to cut pay as economy slumps

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hinese authorities are doubling down on pressure to get the nation’s biggest stateowned financial groups to reduce salaries in a bid to boost returns as the virus-hit economy faces its slowest expansion in four decades.

Plans for limiting pay have gone out to entities, including China’s massive sovereign wealth fund, its biggest bank and investment conglomerate, according to people familiar with the move who asked not to be named revealing private deliberations. The reductions will vary among firms based on a formula, but could reach an average of 30 percent at some companies, the people said.

Financial firms were first notified of the need to reduce pay last year and given details on how to make those cuts in early 2020, according to the people.

Implementation, however, hasn’t been uniform with some institution acting more quickly than others, the people said. More recently, the ministry has begun pushing laggards to act, they said.

The decision could mean more money in government coffers for stimulus and marks another step in forcing its $41-trillion banking system to support the economic recovery even as the pandemic eases. Lenders including Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. have earlier been asked to cap profit growth to single digits, forgoing 1.5 trillion yuan ($200 billion) in earnings this year by offering cheap loans and cutting fees. They have also been told to roll over and defer payments on trillions of yuan in troubled loans to small- and mediumsized businesses.

Among institutions being instructed to adjust salaries are China Investment Corp., the $940-billion sovereign wealth fund, China Development Bank, ICBC, China’s biggest bank, as well as Citic Group, which controls the biggest brokerage, Citic Securities Co., the people said.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World BusinessMirror

U.S. rescinds global ‘do not travel’ coronavirus warning

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EW YORK—The Trump administration on Thursday rescinded its warnings to Americans against all international travel because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying conditions no longer warrant a blanket worldwide alert.

The State Department lifted its level-four health advisory for the entire world in order to return to country-specific warnings. That move came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its Covid-19 travel advisory information.

The CDC lifted “do not travel” warnings for about 20 locations but advised staying away from the vast majority of the world.

“With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice in order to give travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions,” the State Department said in a news statement.

“This will also provide US citizens more detailed information about the current status in each country,” it said. “We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the

unpredictable nature of the pandemic.”

The State Department invoked the blanket warning against all international travel on March 19 as the pandemic spread. The revised country-specific travel advice is available at https://travel.state.gov.

However, Americans still face travel restrictions across the world because of the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus in the country.

Earlier Thursday, the CDC revised its travel guidance, saying the changes were driven by how the virus was spreading in different places and how well the public health and health-care systems were functioning in dealing with new cases.

Seven places, including Thailand, Fiji and New Zealand, are in a low-risk group, according to the CDC, although officials there advised that certain people, such as older adults and those with certain underlying medical conditions, talk to their doctors before making the trip. For more than a dozen other locations, it had no precautions. Taiwan, Greenland, and Laos are on that list.

But the CDC continues to advise against nonessential travel to more than 200 other international locations. AP

Ex-captain astonished that his ship delivered Beirut explosive

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OSCOW—When Boris Prokoshev, a former sea captain spending his retirement years in a Russian village, woke up and found an e-mail saying a ship he once commanded had carried the ammonium nitrate that blew up swathes of Beirut, he was astonished.

“I didn’t understand anything,” he told The Associated Press on Thursday from Verkhnee Buu, 1300 kilometers south of Moscow.

The e-mail was from a journalist, he said, and titled with the name of the MV Rhosus, which he had captained on a voyage that he was never paid for.

“I opened my inbox and saw a letter about the Rhosus ; I thought maybe they were sending me money, my salary,” he said.

The 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that blew up in Beirut’s port on Tuesday—killing 135 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing widespread destruction—wasn’t supposed to have been in Lebanon at all. When the Rhosus set sail from the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi, it was bound for the Mozambican port of Beira.

But it made an unscheduled detour to Beirut as the Russian shipowner was struggling with debts and hoped to earn some extra cash in Lebanon.

Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman residing in Cyprus, bought the cargo ship in 2012 from Cypriot businessman Charalambos Manoli. Grechushkin has been questioned by police on request of Interpol’s Lebanon office, said Cypriot police spokesman Christos Andreou, but he has not been detained.

Prokoshev, now 70, said he joined the ship in Turkey in 2013, after the previous crew quit over unpaid wages. Grechushkin, who resides in Cyprus, was paid $1 million to transport the dangerous cargo from Georgia to Mozambique, the former captain said.

The chemicals were to be delivered to Fábrica de Explosivos de Moçambique, a company majorityowned by the Portuguese explosives company Moura Silva e Filhos.

Importing ammonium nitrate is common in Mozambique, either to make fertilizer or for use as explosives in quarries and coal pits.

The ship made a stop in Beirut to try to earn extra money by taking on several pieces of heavy machinery.

But that additional cargo proved too heavy for the Rhosus and the crew refused to take it on. The Rhosus was soon impounded by the Lebanese authorities for failing to pay port fees, and never left the port again.

Prokoshev and three other crew members were forced to remain on board because of immigration restrictions. The former captain said they were stuck on the ship for 11 months, with food and other supplies running low. He said Grechushkin abandoned them without paying the wages or the debt he owed to the port.

He said the Beirut port supplied them with food out of pity.

At some point he sold some of the fuel and used the cash to hire lawyers, who got the crew released on compassionate grounds in 2014. The application to the court emphasized “the imminent danger the crew was facing given the ‘dangerous’ nature of the cargo,” the lawyers wrote in a 2015 article published by shiparrested.com, a web site providing information on ship arrests and releases.

The cargo was transferred to a port warehouse only after the crew disembarked and headed back to Ukraine in 2014, Prokoshev said. It remained there ever since—until it detonated on Tuesday.

According to the captain, the ship sank several years after they left. It had a hole in the hull, and the crew, while on it, had to regularly pump water out to keep it afloat. But Charalambos Manoli, the Cypriot businessman who owned the ship before Grechushkin bought it, claims the vessel remained docked in Beirut and was destroyed in the blast on Tuesday; he says he saw the wreckage in the photos of the destroyed port.

The blast has raised outrage in Lebanon against authorities who allowed the dangerous substance to be stored for years. Prokoshev sympathizes with them.

“It’s very bad that people died; they had nothing to do with it. And I realized that it’s the government of Lebanon that brought about this situation,”he said. AP

Malaysia’s former finance minister faces graft rap over tunnel project

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UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia’s former finance minister Lim Guan Eng was charged Friday with corruption over a $1.5-billion undersea tunnel project, with his party slamming the move as political persecution by the new government.

Lim, who was part of a reformist government ousted in a political coup in March, pleaded not guilty to a charge of soliciting 10 percent of potential profits in 2011 as a bribe for the contract. He was detained late Thursday by the anti-corruption agency after they summoned him for questioning over the project in northern Penang state.

The project was approved during Lim’s tenure as Penang chief minister from 2008-2018, before he became Malaysia’s finance minister. The 7.2-kilometer tunnel project from Penang island to peninsular Malaysia includes

several highways and is to be funded through a land swap of reclaimed prime land.

Lim, 59, faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine if convicted. The anti-corruption agency also said that Lim will face two other charges in a Penang court next week, one related to the tunnel project and another one on a different case. It didn’t give details. “ T his is pol itica l persecution. The project is implemented through open and transparent tenders. No payment has been made so far,” Lim’s Democratic Action Party tweeted.

Prime Minister Muhy iddin Yassin took power in March, after he pulled his party out of the ruling coalition and then-premier Mahathir Mohamad resigned in protest. His new Malay-centric gover nment is suppor ted by graft-tainted parties defeated in 2018 general election. AP

Saturday, August 8, 2020

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UN official reports big jump in cybercrime amid pandemic

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NITED NATIONS—A 350-percent increase in phishing web sites was reported in the first quarter of the year, many targeting hospitals and health-care systems and hindering their work responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN counterterrorism chief said Thursday.

Undersecretar y- General Vladimir Voronkov told the UN Security Council that the upsurge in phishing sites was part of “a significant rise in cybercrime in recent months” reported by speakers at last month’s first Virtual Counterterrorism Week at the United Nations.

He said the UN and global experts don’t yet fully understand “the impact and consequences of the pandemic on global peace and

security, and more specifically on organized crime and terrorism.”

“We know that terrorists are exploiting the significant disruption and economic hardships caused by Covid-19 to spread fear, hate and division and radicalize and recruit new followers,” Voronkov said. “The increase in Internet usage and cybercrime during the pandemic further compounds the problem.”

The weeklong meeting was attended by representatives from

134 countries, 88 civil society and private sector organizations, 47 international and regional organizations and 40 United Nations bodies, he said.

Voronkov said the discussions showed a shared understanding and concern that “terrorists are generating funds from illicit trafficking in drugs, goods, natural resources and antiquities, as well as kidnapping for ransom, extorting and committing other heinous crimes.”

He said UN member-nations “are rightly focused on tackling the health emergency and human crisis caused by Covid-19,” but he urged them not to forget the threat of terrorism.

In many parts of the world, Voronkov said, “terrorists are exploiting local grievances and poor governance to regroup and assert their control.”

“The pandemic has the potential to act as a catalyst in the spread of terrorism and violent extremism by

exacerbating inequalities, undermining social cohesion and fueling local conflicts,” Voronkov said. “We must continue our fight against terrorist groups and criminal networks to deny them the opportunity to exploit the Covid-19 crisis.”

Ghada Waly, executive director of the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime, told the council meeting on the linkage between counterterrorism and transnational organized crime that the links are “complex and multifaceted,” and “the Covid-19 crisis poses a host of new challenges to national authorities.”

“Organized criminal groups and terrorists may seek to capitalize on and exploit new vulnerabilities,” she said, “and transit patterns are shifting in view of travel restrictions and lockdown measures, adding further challenges for border security.”

Waly said: “Comprehensive and cooperative responses are needed more than ever.” AP

A6 Saturday, August 8, 2020

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

DTI-EMB guides exporters on how to avoid online fraud

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N a webinar hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) last July 20, experts from the cybercrime units of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) bared the tactics of online fraudsters and ways for exporters to defend themselves.

“Even before the pandemic, exporting has always been an online transaction between the exporter and the buyer. The criminals have also adapted the advancement in communication, targeting the less informed users of technology. And through this webinar, we hope to give you awareness to avoid the craftiness of these criminals,” said DTI Undersecretary for Trade Promotions Abdulgani M. Macatoman.

DICT Information System Analyst Alwell Muslid outlined some deceptive ways of online scammers.

Usually, they fool their victims by setting up fake online stores, or ecommerce web sites, using Search Engine Optimization techniques to the top result in search engines like Google.

Some hackers target socialmedia administrator accounts and business e-mails to takeover offi-

cial social-media accounts, or even steal identities. Muslid suggested for exporters to keep a team with a diverse skill set, including a cybersecurity expert, or team.

“We should include security in all our business operations, especially online. This way we can avoid being scammed,” said Muslid.

For practical tips, he said exporters should have a closer look at the web site, by checking if the location appears on Google Maps, paying close attention to the URL, and crossreferencing the about us, contact, and shipping information are not copied from another site by pasting them in any search engine and running a search.

Employers should also secure their digital assets by creating an inventory, or assigning IT personnel, to manage this task. He said that the employers should revoke all the digital privileges, like e-mail addresses and access to official social-media accounts, before dismissing any employee from the company.

Meanwhile, Atty. Kristtia Amores of the NBI Cybercrime Division said that cybercrime was on the rise and criminals target micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) usu-

Soccsksargen renews push to export pork, meat products

By Allen Estabillo Philippine News Agency

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ENERAL SANTOS CITY— Hog industry stakeholders in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) are targeting to finally enter the export market, with the ongoing development of additional international-standard abattoirs in the area.

Dr. Myrna Habacon, National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS)Region 12 director, said Tuesday that two companies based in South Cotabato province are currently building “triple-A” abattoirs, or slaughterhouses, aiming to export pork and other meat products from the region.

She said these facilities are being put up by Biotech Farms Inc. in Barangay San Vicente, Banga town, and by the Q-Pigs Livestock Corp. in Barangay Palkan, Polomolok.

The region currently has one accredited “triple-A” abattoir

operated by the Matutum Meat Packing Corp. in Barangay Glamang, Polomolok.

Habacon said the establishment of the additional modern abattoirs is “good for the region” as these mean more production of exportquality meat.

“I am hoping that we can finally take off with our hog export since we had long been pushing for it,” she said in a briefing.

She said the region had an opportunity to export pork to Singapore in 2008 but did not materialize for various reasons.

Matutum Meat Packing Corp. was cleared by Singapore’s AgriFood and Veterinary Authority to ship out pork but was aborted due to the emergence then of the Ebola Reston virus in a hog farm in Luzon.

Habacon said they are making another push for the pork exports despite the challenges posed by the African swine fever (ASF).

After being detected in late Janu-

ary in Davao Occidental, the disease has since spread to other parts of Davao region and was recently confirmed to have infected farms in Magpet, North Cotabato.

But the official said other areas in Region 12, including South Cotabato, remain free from ASF with tight control measures being implemented to prevent its spread.

Habacon said the region currently offers the cheapest prices for meat products in the entire country.

“The potential is there for us to supply our domestic requirements and enter the export market,” she said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the region’s production reached over 140,000 metric tons in 2019, with hogs accounting for around 118,000 MT. In 2018, the region posted a hog inventory of 3,216,127 and cattle with 796,925. This city and South Cotabato province are the area’s top hog and cattle producers.

ally through social media.

For those transacting in e-commerce platforms, she said that buyers should never agree to leave the platform to finish the transaction somewhere else.

“The perpetrators, they play with the emotions of their victim.

Minamadali sila sa transactions.

Dapat hindi tayo basta magpapadala,” said Amores.

Last, she encouraged victims of cybercrime not to be ashamed of being a victim and file their complaints with the NBI. Complainants can contact the NBI Cybercrime Division via e-mail at ccd@nbi.gov.ph or call 8523-8231 to 38 local 3454 or 3455. Likewise, the DICT Cybercrime Division can be reached at cert-ph@dict.gov.ph or 0921-494-2917.

This webinar is part of the Philippine Export Competitiveness Program (PEPC), a year-long program to educate exporters.

Upcoming PEPC webinar will be on New Market, New Normal: Bringing MSMEs to the International eCommerce Marketplace on August 5 and 19. For more details on DTI-EMB programs and services, e-mail exports@dti.gov.ph.

BOC order requires online filing of export documents

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XPORTERS have been advised to avail of the online submission of export documents, a measure the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is implementing to facilitate trade in goods during the quarantine period.

BOC, through Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 82-2020, is implementing for now the online submission of eight kinds of documents for export processing.

The order seeks to ensure the unhampered service of the bureau and provide stakeholders the option to submit their documents online amid travel and movement restrictions due to the quarantine imposed in response to the pandemic.

The CMO covers the processing of application for Certificate of Origin (CO) Form AANZ, application as approved exporter under the Philippines-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (PH-EFTA FTA), and application as registered exporter in the EU Registered Exporter (EU REX) system.

Also covered by the order is the processing of the Export Declaration, Product Evaluation Report, Certificate of Shipment, Certificate of Identification and Special Permit to Load.

The online submission of these documents for export processing may be availed of by BOC accred-

ited exporters, licensed custom brokers and declarants, according to the CMO. The order states that the online submission of documents for processing of the Export Declaration should be made within 48 hours from lodgment of the Export Single Administrative Document, or SAD, in the E2M Customs System, or the Automated Export Declaration System (AEDS).

The online submission of the other documents for processing should be uploaded to the Customs Care Portal System, or CCPS. The order clarifies that for the CO, only CO Form AANZ bound for Australia and New Zealand may be submitted and processed online.

Hard copies of the documents must be submitted once the declaration of community quarantine is lifted or within three days thereafter.

On the operational procedure, the applicant needs to register and log in to the CCPS at https://client.customs. gov.ph with his username and password and select “Open a Ticket.” The user then selects the applicable process—for example, filing of export declaration, special permit to load, or application as registered exporter—from the drop-down menu of the “Help” topic.

The detailed steps and guide for the online submission of documents are indicated in CMO 82-2020.

Philippine coconut fiber can tap export potential in Switzerland, envoy says

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HE Philippine coconut fiber has a potential market in Switzerland, Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines Alain Gaschen said on Monday.

In a virtual meeting with reporters, Gaschen said Switzerland is looking at importing more products from the Philippines, particularly agricultural products.

“And one I have been following is the coco fiber,” he noted.

The Swiss envoy mentioned that the University of Applied Science in Bern has developed a kind of organic plywood made from coconut husks. “[T]hey use them to develop a kind of plywood which is as good as any of the alternative for wood but with no chemicals, no glue, no chemicals. It’s purely organic,” said Gaschen.

Coconut is one of the Philippines’s top agricultural commodities.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the country’s area

planted to coconut is around 26 percent of the agricultural land or around 3.6 million hectares hosting about 339 million coconut trees and 3.4 million coconut farmers. Sixty-eight provinces in the country are also coconut-growing areas.

“Now we are in the process to tap in the potential. We sense that there is potential both ways for more export from the Philippines toward Switzerland and we have a study ongoing,” the Swiss ambassador here said.

Among the products that Switzerland is looking into sourcing from the Philippine are textile, food and processed food, and other sustainable products like the coconut husks.

Gaschen added that Switzerland, as a leader of innovation, can cooperate more with the Philippines in the field of medical technology, agritech, and biotech, among others.

With the Covid-19

pandemic, Gaschen said the Swiss embassy is strengthening its partnership with the Department of Health.

He mentioned that a Swiss pharmaceutical company is also eyeing to invest in the Philippines in the near future.

On the other hand, the Swiss envoy urged Filipino enterprises to utilize the Philippines-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) free trade deal in exporting to Switzerland.

Gaschen said trade between Bern and Manila increased around 9 percent in 2019, a year after the Philippines-EFTA free trade agreement (FTA) took effect.

The FTA between the Philippines and EFTA was signed in Bern, Switzerland in 2016 and became effective in June 2018.

The agreement provides dutyfree entry of local exports to EFTA countries, which include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. PNA

www.businessmirror.com.ph

OurTime BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, August 8, 2020

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Balik Scientist participant pins his hopes on young engineers

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By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

EROSPACE engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. National University alumnus and Balik Scientist participant Engineer Vicente DyReyes would have pursued aerospace engineering studies in the country, but the course was not offered when he enrolled in college.

How did he become an aerospace engineer? “It was an accident since during my college years here in Philippines there was no aerospace engineering courses offered,” he told the BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview.

DyReyes was destined to become an engineer because “I enjoy mathematics.

DYREYES

Pope Francis asks the youth to ‘send a hug’ to the elderly

POPE Francis greets pilgrims at his Angelus address on July 26, 2020. VATICAN MEDIA

By Courtney Mares Catholic News Agency

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ATICAN—Pope Francis asked young people recently to reach out to the elderly, especially those in nursing homes, to send a message of encouragement amid the loneliness of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the memory of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, I would like to invite young people to make a gesture of tenderness toward the elderly, especially the most lonely ones in homes and residences, those who have not seen their loved ones for many months,” Pope Francis said after the Angelus prayer on July 26.

“Dear young people, each of these elderly people are your grandparents. Do not leave them alone.... They are your roots,” the pope added.

Pope Francis suggested that young people can use the “inventiveness of love” to “send a hug” to an elderly person in their community by making a phone or video call, sending a card, or making a visit when safety measures allow.

The Roman Catholic Church commemorates Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary, on July 26. They have been a part of the Church’s liturgical calendar for many centuries.

The pope said that their memorial is an opportunity to give grandparents “a big round of applause.” Connection with one’s roots is important, he said, quoting the Argentine poet Francisco Luis Bernárdez, who wrote: “The blossom of a tree comes from what it has underground.”

Reflecting on Sunday’s Gospel, Pope Francis said that Jesus “proposes to involve us in the building of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

He pointed to the example of the merchant who finds the pearl of great price and the person who finds treasure buried in a field in Jesus’ parables in the Gospel of Matthew.

“Both the man and the merchant in these two parables sell everything they have, thus renouncing their material se-

curity,” he said. “From this it can be understood that the building of the Kingdom requires not only the grace of God, but also the active willingness of humanity.”

“Everything is done by grace, everything! We need only have the willingness to receive it, not to resist grace: grace does everything, but it takes my responsibility, my willingness,” he said.

Today people’s lives can become “mediocre and dull” when a person is content with “attractive but fleeting things” and does not go in search of real treasure, the pope said.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is the opposite of the superfluous things that the world offers, the opposite of a dull life: it is a treasure that renews life every day and leads it to extend towards wider horizons. Indeed, those who have found this treasure have a creative and inquisitive heart, which does not repeat but rather invents, tracing and setting out on new paths which lead us to love God, to love others, and to truly love ourselves,” Pope Francis said.

“We are called upon to assume the attitude of these two Gospel figures, so that we too may become healthily restless seekers of the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is a matter of abandoning the heavy burden of our worldly sureties that prevent us from searching and building up the Kingdom: the covetousness for possession, the thirst for profit and power, and thinking only of ourselves,” he said.

One sign that a person is on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven is “creativity,” the pope explained. “Creativity is what… gives life,” he said, “And it gives, and gives, and gives…it always looks for many other ways to give life.”

“Jesus, who is the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value, cannot but inspire joy, all the joy of the world: the joy of discovering a meaning in life, the joy of committing oneself to the adventure of holiness,” Pope Francis said.

After his Angelus prayer, Pope Francis said that he was praying that a new ceasefire agreement concerning the Donbass region “will finally be put into practice.”

There have been more than 20 ceasefires declared since 2014 in the ongoing conflict between Russian-backed separatist forces and the Ukrainian military, which has killed more than 10,000 people.

“While I thank you for this sign of goodwill aimed at restoring the much desired peace in that tormented region, I pray that what has been agreed will finally be put into practice, also through an effective process of disarmament and mine removal. This is the only way to build trust and to lay the foundations for the much needed and long awaited reconciliation by the population,” the pope said.

I always get high grades and besides my friends think that if you are good in math, people admire you.”

Then opportunity came knocking on his door. His US-based sister, a medical doctor, invited him to study in the US and stay with her husband, who is also a medical doctor.

When DyReyes was still an engineering student in the US, it was the height of the Cold War with the USSR. After graduation, he was hired at the Grumman Aerospace Corp. in New York. “It was there where I fully developed my skills in the field of aerospace,” he said.

He admitted that racial discrimination was already an issue at that time in the US. But he remained steadfast. He worked hard and was not bothered by discrimination in any form because he believes race should not be a factor in his performance.

“I truly believe that nobody knows my capability more than myself, unless I admit to you that you are better than me,” DyReyes said. He believes he succeeded at work because of his strong determination.

“I always like to challenge myself. I could always learn things. Learning just takes a matter of time,” DyReyes said.

Now, he is a proud parent of three children who were all born in the US, and all of his children are successful in their chosen fields. “Nobody followed my footsteps as an engineer. One of them is an entrepreneur, the youngest is in management,” he said.

Looking back, DyReyes said his other

motivation to study in the US was his desire to excel in academics and, like most Filipinos, to seek greener pastures.

He loves the idea of staying in the country for now because of his yearning for the closeness in Filipino families.

“In the US, the older you get, the more they ignore you, which is the opposite in the Philippines because of our culture— we have close family ties. In the US, whenever I invite my grandson to go shopping, he always complains that he has to study.”

BeingaBalikScientist,DyReyesiscontributing to the development of young Filipino engineers.“Ihavemyexperiencetosharewith the young engineers, that is why I love teaching here and that is always part of my job as a Balik Scientist—to help improve the quality of engineering schools here,” he added.

Finally, he commended the lofty goal of the Balik Scientist Program to help propel the country to become an industrial power in the world. He said he wanted to contribute to the improvement of the livelihood of Filipinos.

“I have been waiting for that day when a Filipino will become a winner in the Olympics of science and technology,” he said.

Pull the plug on life as usual

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH “ARE you on maintenance?”

This is one inevitable question that usually comes up when senior acquaintances and friends get to meet each other.

They refer to their medicines to keep blood pressure or blood sugar within normal range.

“On maintenance” fittingly describes some of my senior friends who are living a life on maintenance physically and figuratively. They silently convey a message found outside the door of a hotel room: Do not disturb.

Before the pandemic hit us, I used to check on some of my senior friends for updates, and the conversation would taper off after a few minutes because we really had nothing new to talk about. Many times, I had to cut them, “yes, yes I know, you told me that already.”

Many of them have socialmedia accounts but they are inert. Last postings date back to a year or two years ago. They have no new additions to their list of friends or followers. Often, friend requests are simply overlooked or ignored. They can’t even be bothered to read inspirational tidbits or think of thoughts to share with others.

The long lockdown has even given them another good excuse to stay put, worsening their state of inertia. When I message some of them, they just answer back in their laconic default way: “OK lang.” Unable or unwilling to go out, they practically live in their living room couches, prisoners of TV binge watching. They are like money sleeping in the bank, kept there as maintenance deposit.

Then there is the other thing about maintenance as a way of life. I refer to people who are obsessed on maintaining their youthful appearance, their social or financial status. They maintain two or three vehicles, several residential properties, and so on to keep up with the appearance of belonging to the privileged upper class.

My neighbor is already old but his wife doesn’t want him to retire from his job as a contrac-

tual seaman so they continue to live off his income and keep up their social status in our neighborhood. He spends six months away from home every year. Just to show off, the family maintains several cars even though they don’t need them all, one for his daughter, another for his son and a third serves as a family car. Meanwhile, his daughter has become pregnant and his son has two kids already by different partners. I just chuckle and shake my head at the absurdity of it all.

Then there is the maintenance of power. Our small subdivision has a set of officers who have managed to maintain the status quo for the longest time. They always get elected because they have passed a policy that excludes voters who are against them.

They got elected on a reformist agenda, accusing the previous officers of all sorts of anomalies.

Now that they’re in power, there is no proper reporting. Because of opposition and disaffection, monthly dues are not paid or collected and the village has been physically deteriorating.

Isn’t this a micro mirror of our local and national leadership?

Many senators, congressmen and local officials are bent on maintaining their hold on power and its concomitant privileges and entitlements.

Maybe this pandemic is the seismic event that should shock many of us from our comfort zones. It is a call to rise up from our lethargy.

The sudden surge of infections and the people of all ages who succumb to the disease, including acquaintances, should teach us that we could no longer afford to be lax and complacent about the way we carry on in our daily life. We need to be constantly deliberate about our movements inside and outside the home and should always be aware of potential danger in our surroundings. We must resist the temptation to allow the status quo to slide back in too quickly into our lives.

Together with this heightened awareness we should level up our appreciative mindfulness toward our daily blessings, the simple but tasty dish we just enjoyed, the fact that we are still alive, and so on.

Let us now look at familiar spaces, things we had taken for granted, and the people around us with a fresh set of eyes. Let’s reframe our relationships with our loved ones in a more loving light, and discover new ways of connecting with them while you are all at home.

With this new perspective and awakened consciousness, let us also take a fresh look at something you probably have neglected into dormancy. Yourself.

Spiritual mentors point out that our present world is now going through a kairos moment, the right, critical, or opportune moment—for seeing, learning and growing. Reflect on what renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow said about points of transition: “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again.” To learn and to grow we have to make that conscious effort to disturb, disrupt, stir our stagnant lives. We need to give up limiting and safe patterns that make us feel comfortable but would not yield a sense of meaning or fulfillment. To stand on the edge, make the leap and fly!

Let’s seize this moment to repurpose our lives and rediscover our individual “ikigai” a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being.” The word refers to having a direction or purpose in life, that which makes one’s life worthwhile. Many of us have the time and resources to volunteer, to mentor, and to contribute, goaded by the urge to make a difference. Take a look at your inner self and find your ikigai.

Recently, scientists have found dormant microbes in a 100-million-year-old sediment from deep beneath the ocean floor. When brought back to the lab and given oxygen, they came to life and started to multiply.

How amazing that microbes that

have been sitting in the sediment dormant for eons can suddenly come to life!

Perhaps, like these 100-million-year-old dormant living creatures, we can stage our own personal “resurrections” and discover parts of ourselves we had given up for dead but which are merely dormant and that old joys can reemerge, fresh and new and in a completely different form.

Like the moth or butterfly that cocoons itself for weeks, use this time to grow your mind through enriching reading and soaking up new experiences, absorbing art and talking with insightful persons even online.

Consider what someone said: “You can be anything you are passionate about!”

Then go for it with whole heart and single mind. For if we don’t pursue what we feel is a meaningful existence, life can become a repetition of trivial maintenance duties. You are safe within limits but life would be unrewarding.

Muhammad Ali was quoted as saying: “Any man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."

On the same note, any person who would view life the same as he did before this pandemic has wasted months of opportunities during the long lockdown. For you would have missed the chance to be a new version of yourself.

So pull the plug off the socket of a past life on maintenance. Be like the many who say they don’t want to go back to old normality. In college ROTC, our commander would often bark: “As you were.” That can no longer be. We cannot carry on like we did before. The crisis is an invitation for us to design a new future. Let’s not miss the chance.

So my hope is that when it will be safe to take off your facemask for good in a post-Covid new world, you will emerge as a different person, one with renewed purpose, no longer contented with just maintaining the old ways, but reinvigorated to tackle the many formidable challenges that will surely come your way.

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Saturday, August 8, 2020

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Google unveils budget Pixel phone as pandemic curbs spending SAN RAMON, California—Google has started selling a longdelayed budget smartphone boasting the same high-quality camera and several other features available in fancier Pixel models that cost hundreds of dollars more.

The Pixel 4a unveiled on Monday will be available on August 20 after months of delay caused by supply problems triggered by the pandemic.

It will cost $349, a $50 discount from a cheap Pixel released last year. It’s also a major markdown from other higher-end models in the existing product line-up that start at $799. The next versions of Google’s top-of-the-line Pixel phones will be released sometime this fall, Google said,

without revealing their price.

The budget-minded Pixel 4a is coming out four months after Apple released a discount iPhone, the SE, priced at $399. The low price helped spur iPhone sales at a time of soaring unemployment, as the economy plunged into a deep recession that is causing millions of households to curb their spending so they can pay rent and buy food.

The availability of a lower-priced model was one of the big reasons Apple’s iPhone shipments during the April-June period climbed 11 percent from the same time, according to research firm Internal Data Corp.

That was in stark contrast to the overall smartphone

market, which registered a 16 percent decline in shipments from last year during the same three months, the steepest drop in the industry’s history, IDC said.

Apple CEO Tim Cook also cited the iPhone SE’s popularity as a major factor in the company’s unexpectedly strong performance during the April-June period. The stellar results have helped Apple’s stock rise 13 percent to new highs since Apple announced the numbers last week.

It’s doubtful the Pixel 4a will reel in as many consumers as the iPhone SE, based on Google’s inability to make significant inroads as a device maker so far, despite generally positive reviews for the devices, especially their cameras.

Google so far has been selling fewer than 10 million Pixel phones a year since rolling out the product line in 2016, barely making a dent a market where more than 1 billion phones are shipped annually, according to IDC. The Pixel phones primarily serve as a showcase for Google’s Android operating system, which includes its search engine and other services, such as digital maps, that help sell the ads that generate most of the company’s revenue. Google gives away Android to other smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, which was expected to show off its next Galaxy phones in a virtual event scheduled on Wednesday. The new Galaxy phone is expected to cost around $1,000. AP

A promise of sustainability and social empowerment

BEAUTY For a Better Life is a program that helps women acquire skills in hairdressing and provides them with job and business opportunities

TRULY IMMERSIVE WIRELESS EXPERIENCE

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OPPO Enco W31 Wireless Headphones

GLOBAL smartphone brand OPPO (www.oppo.com/ph) has introduced top-of-the-line Enco W31 Wireless Headphones, offering a truly immersive audio experience, coupled with an outstanding and comfortable design, for consumers to level-up their daily routines. With a sleek design featuring a metal texture and geometric patterns, the headphones, now available at the brand’s concept and online stores, unleash the power of sound for all your needs, from helping you complete your tasks to giving your favorite modes of entertainment a much-needed boost.

To help you stay connected and work seamlessly in the new normal, the OPPO Enco W31 Headphones makes calling ultra-clear with its dual microphone Environment Noise Cancellation feature, so noisy surroundings can no longer compete with your busy schedule. With stable Bluetooth connection and performance for smooth pairing, the headphones also boast of an automatic play and pause feature using infrared optical sensors to detect when you’re wearing them, so you don’t need to take out your smartphone to take control.

So you can fully immerse yourself in music, the OPPO Enco W31 Headphones—which provides up to 15 hours of music playback and up to 12 hours of call time with its charging case—features a bass and balance mode which give you high-definition sound quality and a rhythmic bass for lifelike audio detail that conveys the full story.

Its smooth connection between headphones allows audio to be transmitted to both ears simultaneously for an undisrupted listening experience.

Once you have the headphones on, simply use intelligent touch controls and tap the designated earpiece to change the audio mode, skip to the next song and even activate the voice assistant.

Only needing up to 2.5 hours to fully charge, the OPPO Enco W31 Headphones is quipped with IP54 dust and water resistance, assuring users their earphones will be protected wherever they are.

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HESE days, editors, columnists and writers attend press conferences and product launches via Zoom, Microsoft Team and other videoconferencing platforms that serve such purposes. It is both personal and impersonal. You see the subjects up close on your computer or phone screen but you don’t really get to talk to them. You ask your questions on a chat box provided for that purpose. Doing everything online is not something I am averse to actually. It’s just unfamiliar for now.

One of the online events I recently attended was the L’Oreal Philippines announcement of its roadmap in contribution to the brand’s global sustainability targets. The focus areas for the Philippines are sustainable e-commerce, consumer empowerment and education through Green Beauty and social empowerment through the nationwide expansion of the beauty education program, Beauty for a Better Life.

The L’Oréal Group has recently

announced it will remove words like “whitening”, “brightening” and “fairness” in describing its products. For clarification, these lines will not be dropped. Only the labels will be changed.

L’Oreal brands include Kiehl’s, Maybelline New York, Kerastase, among many others.

The company said it was accelerating its transformation toward “a model respecting planetary boundaries and reinforcing its commitments across the following specific areas: fighting climate change, sustainable water management, respecting biodiversity and the preservation of natural resources” in the context of growing environmental and social challenges.

“Sustainability is a priority for the company. We also have a social commitment to help in improving the living conditions of L’Oreal’s business ecosystem.

Our commitments toward 2030 mark the beginning of a more radical transformation and embody our view as to what a company’s vision, purpose and responsibilities should be, to meet the challenges facing the world,” said Supriya Singh, country managingdirector of L’Oréal Philippines.

The company’s goal is that by 2025, all of the L’Oreal Group’s manufacturing, administrative and research sites will reach carbon neutrality by improving energy efficiency and using 100 percent renewable energy.

By 2030, 100 percent of the plastics used in L’Oréal’s product packaging will be either from recycled or bio-based sources.

L’Oréal has launched its Product Environmental and Social Impact Labelling endorsed by independent scientific experts, which rates products from A (world-class for sustainability) to E based on their environmental impact, for areas including carbon footprint and manufacturing processes. The first brand to implement the new methodology as of 2020 is Garnier for its hair care products. This labeling will be extended to other countries, L’Oréal’s brands and product categories.

Garnier products, which claim to “contain more than 90 percent natural origin ingredients, certified organic product ranges, and vegan formulas,” will launch the Green Parcel initiative. The means shifting to recycled or bio-based packaging.

Isabel Falco, Marketing Director of Garnier and L’Oreal Paris Philippines, said the goal is to eliminate the use of new plastic by 2025.

“Garnier aims to go further and commit to Green Beauty, an end-to-end approach to sustainability that is set to transform the brand, helping to reduce their environmental impact at every stage of its value chain. We are fueled by the vision to constantly innovate and reinvent the consumer experience, and to empower every consumer to make more informed, sustainable choices,” she said.

Last year L’Oreal turned 35 of its factories carbonneutral and reduced carbon emissions by 78 percent from the initial target of 60 percent.

The company is also testing out the refilling concept in the UK and France. Refilling stations worldwide for skin care and fragrance will be launched worldwide. The refilling concept will include L’Oreal skin care and fragrances.

The expansion of L’Oreal’s beauty education program, Beauty for a Better Life, is also part of the company’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that women in the most underprivileged circumstances have a means to gain employment or be selfemployed. Under this program, women are taught hairdressing skills and are provided with job and business opportunities to sustain their livelihood after completion of the program. ■

917Ventures, AC Health team up for new health-care app WITH the current pandemic, it’s not easy for Filipinos to take care of their health. There have been delays in seeking medical help due to fear of contracting the virus when they go out to visit a doctor’s clinic or a pharmacy.

Health-care providers, on the other hand, are also facing a challenge, as they have to handle a tremendous volume of patients while making sure that everyone receives the appropriate help at the right time.

917Ventures, the largest corporate incubator in the Philippines wholly-owned by Globe, is collaborating with AC Health to provide solutions to these problems. The collaboration resulted in HealthNow, an all-in-one health app that will help Filipinos get the health care they need anytime, anywhere.

With HealthNow, users will be able to consult a doctor through video, buy medicine for delivery, and book clinic and lab appointments. The mobile app will be powered by the assets of 917Ventures and AC Health, which include KonsultaMD, FamilyDOC, Healthway and Generika. The mobile app will be available for download in Google Play and App Store in August.

“When Covid-19 struck the country, there has been a massive shift in consumer behavior from passive to active participation in health, creating more demand for convenience and transparency,” said Issa Cabreira, 917Ventures Managing Partner. “Since it is our mission to solve the most prevalent problems plaguing the Philippines, we found it necessary to prioritize the delivery of health care to our fellow Filipinos who are in need of medical attention especially in this trying time.”

HealthNow was initially offered as a website that provided free video teleconsultation from volunteer doctors. Over 11,000 patient requests were received and more than 100 volunteer doctors were pooled from April to June this year. The pilot has since proved the need for patients and doctors to be digitally connected for better health care.

The contactless delivery of health services through telemedicine is advocated by the Department of Health as a way to relieve hospitals of non-critical cases and prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, especially among vulnerable members of society.

More information about HealthNow is available at www.healthnow.ph.

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Saturday, August 8, 2020

SUN Group of Cos. CEO Richard Lim remains bullish despite the current turmoil happening in the country.

SGC believes local market has great potential A MAN wearing a shirt promoting TikTok is seen at an Apple store in Beijing in July. TikTok is a popular Chinese-owned video app that has been a source of national security and censorship concerns. AP

TikTok saga continues with Microso�t talks. Now what?

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BY TALI ARBEL The Associated Press

EW YORK—The latest twist in the TikTok saga is an especially strange turn in a tale filled with strange turns. Suddenly, Microsoft—known primarily for work software like Windows and Office—is in talks to buy the popular Chinese-owned video app, which has raised national-security concerns for US officials.

The US government is effectively forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, to sell so it can salvage the app in the US, a huge and valuable market. President Donald Trump has threatened a “ban” on TikTok and other administration officials and US lawmakers of both parties have said the app’s Chinese ownership is a concern.

It’s unclear what shape such a ban would take or whether the sale will go through. TikTok’s users are posting videos saying they are upset and angry.

Here’s what’s at stake.

What is TikTok again?

The app is a home for fun, goofy videos that are easy to make and to watch. That’s made it immensely popular, particularly with young people, and US tech giants like Facebook and Snapchat see it as a competitive threat. TikTok says it has 100 million US users and hundreds of millions globally. It has its own influencer culture, allowing people to make a living from posting videos on the service, and hosts ads from major US companies.

ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese company, launched TikTok in 2017, then bought Musical.ly, a video service popular with teens in the US and Europe, and combined the two. A twin service, Douyin, is available for Chinese users.

What concerns US officials about the app?

TikTok, like most other social networks, collects data about its users and moderates what’s posted. It grabs people’s locations and messages they send one another, for example, and tracks what people watch in order to know what kinds of videos they like and how best to target ads to them.

Similar behavior has raised concerns about American social networks, but Chinese ownership adds an additional wrinkle, because the Chinese government can demand that companies help it gather intelligence. In the case of TikTok, this remains a hypothetical threat, said Samm Sacks, a researcher

at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center—but it could be happening.

TikTok has vowed that US user data is not stored in China and that it would not hand over user data to the government. But experts have said that if the Chinese government wants information, it will get it. The US government has also cracked down on Chinese telecom companies Huawei and ZTE because of this worry. The companies deny that they facilitate spying.

There are also concerns about TikTok censoring videos critical of China, which TikTok denies, or pushing propaganda. Advocates in the US also say the company is violating children’s privacy laws.

Is the threat from TikTok unique?

No. China’s economic espionage is a well-known threat, and similar user data concerns were raised about Huawei, the telecom equipment maker. The Chinese military or groups with ties to it are accused of massive hacks of sensitive information from credit bureau Equifax and the federal Office of Personnel Management.

But several experts say that the US government is lashing out at Chinese tech companies without taking significant steps to protect Americans’ privacy with federal legislation and while working to undermine encryption, which allows secure communications that can’t be easily read by outsiders.

“We’re trying to solve the issue of how you manage all the security risk that comes from massive data collection in an unregulated space, and we’re trying to solve it by playing whack-a-mole with different Chinese companies that we see as threats,” Sacks said. “We get into dangerous territory where the US government is controlling what Americans can and can’t do.... This is technonationalism.”

Trump may also have reason to personally dislike TikTok, which has started to join the US political conversation. In June, young people carried out a campaign on TikTok and other apps to troll the president by artificially boosting expected turnout for a Trump rally in Oklahoma. Sarah Cooper, a comedian who lip-syncs Trump’s statements in videos that make him look ridiculous, is a TikTok star.

Would a purchase by Microsoft address the administration’s concerns?

“I think the security concern frankly has come down to the parent company being Chinese and that’s what US lawmakers have a problem with,” Sacks said.

If that’s the issue, a Microsoft deal would solve the

problem. In remarks to reporters Monday, Trump said he supported such an arrangement. He said, “We’ll close down [TikTok] on September 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it.” He said such a deal would require that the US government “gets a lot of money” because it’s enabling the deal to happen.

But not everyone in the White House may be in agreement; presidential trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Fox News Monday that the deal was a problem because of Microsoft’s operations in China.

So, Microsoft might buy TikTok? Really?

Really. Other potential Big Tech buyers, especially Facebook and Google, would likely face antitrust concerns if they tried to buy TikTok. Microsoft does already own the professional and job-hunting site LinkedIn, and it is the No. 4 digital ad company in the US, after Google, Facebook and Amazon. But TikTok would be a sharp change in direction away from workplace services for Microsoft.

What happens next?

Microsoft is in talks with ByteDance and plans to complete those by September 15. Any deal may involve other American investors, as well.

Microsoft’s plan would be to own and operate TikTok in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

That might complicate things if the service has different owners in different parts of the world.

How would a ban of TikTok work anyway?

That’s also not clear. TikTok could have been put on a Commerce Department list, like Huawei is, that cuts it off from business with US companies. That could mean it wouldn’t work on the Apple and Google app stores. But it’s an unprecedented situation for a consumer app. “Never in our history since we’ve had app stores on smartphones have I been able to find an example where an app was actually banned by the US government,” said Theresa Payton, the former White House chief information officer and CEO of a cybersecurity consultancy.

What are the political consequences for a ban on TikTok? Tensions between China and the US have been increasing over trade policy, diplomatic relations and cybersecurity concerns. The US has pressed allies to crack down on Huawei and imposed sanctions.

Trump has also misleadingly blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, calling it the “China virus.” ■

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES ALTHOUGH it is a price-sensitive market, the Sun Group of Cos. (SGC) believes the Philippines has strong market potential despite of Covid-19 “I realized that this is a good market to tap.

Filipinos are known to spend their hard-earned money on things that they find sulit. Filipinos are born frugal. It has become a norm that before they purchase something, they will check first if they will get their money’s worth or even more,” Richard Lim, chief executive officer of SGC, said.

Aside from making sure that SGC offers products that the market needs, Lim also pointed out that it wants to ensure the price is within the spending capacity of Filipinos.

To build brand awareness, Lim said SGC partnered with different influencers and media outlets targeting different kinds of audiences. It also made sure to build their online presence through their social media handles. “And through our offline presence in stores, we make sure that our brand stands out against our competitors. This way, we are sure that we are reaching everyone from different walks of life,” he said.

Lim believes in combining youth and experience in marketing as it brings balance to the campaign execution and decision-making. He added that experienced team members provide the right amount of expertise while fresh graduates bring new and fresh ideas or insights.

To expand its market presence, SGC has put its products online where customers within Metro Manila can enjoy free shipping. It has also partnered with Lazada and Shopee so it can cater to those who want to purchase Xtreme products in other parts of the country. “No pandemic can stop us in providing quality and affordable appliances to every Filipino.

This has been our goal from the beginning,” Lim explained.

Lim said SGC single-mindedly sought to establish its own identity and stand out, adding that establishing a presence through the stores, talking directly to clients and knowing the competitors helped push the brand.

“We took the time to be physically present so we could understand the market and we separated ourselves from what our competitors were doing,” Lim underscored.

SGC is set to officially launch its brand and products this year after the country’s battle against the pandemic. For the occasion, Lim said the company will introduce their newest products to beef-up the current offerings.

Established 15 years ago, SGC has ventured in various industries ranging from hospitality to technology distribution. It employs some 1,200 employees.

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Budget gadgets: Xiaomi Redmi 9 series

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OR our regular readers, you might have noticed that I mostly review flagship and midrange devices, but because I’ve been getting e-mails asking for affordable alternatives, I’ve decided to do a regular series that will feature the best bang for your buck devices, as well.

That is why for this week our topic is 9-9-9, not the mall, but the new Xiaomi Redmi 9 trio of entrylevel smartphones—Redmi 9, Redmi 9A and Redmi 9C—all priced below P8,000. Both the Redmi 9A and Redmi 9 are now available via Xiaomi’s store on Lazada and Shopee, plus the brick-and-mortar Mi stores, while the Redmi 9C is expected to launch in the next few weeks.

The Redmi series has always represented Xiaomi’s mission to make exceptional smartphone experiences accessible to everyone, but which among the three is best suited for your needs?

COVERING THE BASICS: REDMI 9A

WE begin with the most affordable of the three, the Redmi 9A. Priced at P4,590, its two standout features are its large 6.53’’ Dot Drop display and long lasting 5000mAh battery. The Redmi 9A meets all the Department of Education’s minimum specifications for smartphones that could be used for distance learning and this one’s really worth considering.

I’ve been using it for the past week and although I was really skeptical at first, it turned out to be quite capable for much of my basic tasks.

The Redmi 9A we have is Graphite gray, and while it doesn’t have that “glasstic” shiny finish, the textured lines on its back give it a more upmarket look. It’s not a fingerprint or smudge magnet, but if you have sweaty hands like I do, I would suggest you get a case as it doesn’t come with such freebie.

As mentioned earlier, the Redmi 9A has a 6.53inch HD+ Dot Drop IPS LCD screen with 720 x 1600 resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio and TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification. I don’t mind the Dot Drop notch as it serves its purpose of separating the notifications when swiping down on the left and shortcuts on the right. The phone doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner but it does have a pretty quick AI face unlock feature, though I’d still go for the good old passcode to keep your phone secure.

I don’t think we’ll be seeing a hole punch on entry-

level phones anytime soon so I’ll take the dot drop notch over a forehead and chin like that other budget 2020 phone. Its display is bright enough and the text and icons are crisp and sharp, and the colors are accurate so I don’t have any complaints. Same goes for its single downward-firing speaker as sound quality is loud and enough for any phone at this price point.

It only has a single 13MP rear camera which gives it a slight disadvantage. The resulting photos, however, aren’t disappointing. Photos taken outdoor and well-lit areas are good as long as you give it an extra second to process, but indoor shots lack detail and end up quite soft. The 5MP front camera also takes good selfies and the portrait mode was a pleasant surprise. The Redmi 9A can shoot up to 1080p at 30fps, but the results are average at best.

The Redmi 9A uses the latest MediaTek Helio G25 chip with a PowerVR8320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. As an entry-level phone, it does the job quite well but there is a bit of delay at times, which is understandable for a phone with limited power.

The Redmi 9A wasn’t designed for gaming, but it can still run some of those graphic-heavy games such as Mobile Legends, PUBG Lite, Asphalt 9, etc. Just don’t expect the smoothest experience.

As for the battery, the large 5,000mAh capacity can last you an entire day of serious work, so even if it doesn’t have fast-charging support, you won’t really need to plug it in often.

What I liked most about the Redmi 9A is that it already runs Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 12. This latest update gives the Redmi 9A a clean, streamlined look like its more expensive siblings, and gives you tons of options to customize your phone’s settings.

The Redmi 9A is arguably the best phone you could get for P4,590. It’s a great first smartphone for your child to use for his home schooling and has Google Play so you don’t have to worry about finding the apps you need.

QUAD CAMERA BUDGET CHAMP: REDMI 9

THE Redmi 9 might be the most expensive of the three—the 3GB+32GB is priced at P6,990 while the 4GB+64GB variant retails for P7,490—but the upgrades you get, like the quad cameras, faster processor, bigger battery and fast charging make it worth every additional peso.

The Redmi 9 features a stunning smartphone design highlighted by a trendy circle accent that houses the vertical quad cameras. Our unit came in a chic gradient colorway called Ocean Green but it’s also available in Carbon Grey and Sunset Purple. It not only looks gorgeous but it’s also quite solid and wellbuilt, and feels premium in the hand.

The Redmi 9 has a 6.53-inch Full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and its 2,340 x 1,080 resolution isn’t something you’ll find in other phones of this price range. Moreover, it also supports Widevine L1 DRM, which means if you love watching Netflix, you get to

enjoy full-HD shows and movies on the Redmi 9. The display isn’t the brightest or the most vibrant we’ve seen, but the color reproduction and viewing angles are quite good and again for its price, there is very little to complain about.

Another thing that you don’t usually get in this price range is a quad-camera setup, and that gives the Redmi 9 an instant advantage over the competition.

It has a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture; an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor with a 118-degree field of view and f/2.2 aperture; a 5-megapixel macro lens with f/2.4 aperture; and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Camera modes include the standard Photo, Portrait, Video, Macro, and Pro, Slow Motion and Short Video. A couple of fun modes under Short Video is Slow/Fast

motion and Kaleidoscope which can definitely make your social media posts unique.

You also get an 8-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture housed in its dot drop notch.

The Redmi 9 produces its best photos outdoors and with great lighting, producing sharp, detailed photos with pretty nice colors. Quality dips a bit in less-thanideal lighting, and when shooting indoors it’s best to give the phone a second to process the image before moving the camera to avoid blurry shots. A night mode would have made this a bigger win, but you can make adjustments using the Pro mode. For videos, it can record up to 1080p at 30fps, and I suggest you use a tripod or gimbal when shooting videos as it doesn’t come with stabilization.

On the performance front, Redmi 9 sports an optimized MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, delivering a 107 percent improved performance over its predecessor.

Paired with a 5020mAh large capacity battery, Redmi 9 packs the power you need for everyday work and play. This performance beast even supports 18W fast charging technology.

COMING SOON: REDMI C

COMPLETING the lineup is the yet-to-be released Redmi 9C. But from what we know, it will have an AI triple camera, the same 6.53’’ Dot Drop display and 5000mAh high-capacity battery. It features MediaTek Helio G35, an octa-core gaming chipset which can go up to 2.3GHz. It will be available in Midnight Gray and Twilight Blue, but I’m really excited about its rare Sunrise Orange colorway. Estimated price using direct conversion of its announced Euro price tag is around P6,900 for the 2GB+32GB variant and P8,000 for the 3GB+64GB variant, although I’m sure the price will be lower than the Redmi 9. We’ll have more details once it becomes available. ■

Korean actress Son Ye-jin is new face of Smart Signature AFTER capturing the hearts of Filipinos with her hit K-dramas, South Korean superstar Son Ye-jin is making her mark as the new face of Smart Signature, the postpaid brand of mobile services provider Smart Communications Inc. The big announcement came two months after PLDT’s wireless subsidiary launched its “Simple, Smart Ako” campaign, which set off a strong clamor for Smart to bring Son Ye-jin under its fold and closer to her Filipino fans.

“Son Ye-jin’s appeal is undeniable among Filipinos who have been swept by the Korean wave, and we are thrilled to fulfill their wish. This is one way of supporting the Hallyu passion of our customers, who put their trust in our network so they can binge-watch the latest K-dramas, stream K-pop hits, and stay updated on their K-idols online,” says Jane J. Basas, senior vice president and head of Consumer

Wireless Business at Smart.

“More than this, we know Son Ye-jin embodies the Smart Signature brand as it simplifies the postpaid experience so customers can make their mark in their career or passion,” she adds.

“As an actress, I am always grateful for having a platform to entertain and touch the lives of others through my craft. I thank Smart for giving me a way to specifically reach out to my Filipino fans and inspire them to make a mark in whatever path that they have chosen. I wish to see you all soon,” says Son Ye-jin, who earned the title “Queen of Melodramas” in South Korea for her string of hit series and movies.

In Smart’s latest TV ad, Son Ye-jin confidently rides a motorcycle and navigates the city through the fast lane, alluding to the prioritized, worryfree, and elevated lifestyle that Smart Signature provides its customers, powered by what has been touted

as the country’s fastest mobile data network. “‘Simple, Smart Ako’ gave us a clear guiding principle when it comes to serving our customers—that is, to make amazing experiences and cutting-edge technology simple and accessible to every Filipino. We are embracing this same approach as we commit to simplifying the postpaid experience so our customers can enjoy a Signature lifestyle,” says Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart president and CEO and PLDT chief revenue officer.

With Smart Signature, subscribers are prioritized to get first dibs on new technology and mobile innovation as well as the latest digital content.

The recent launch of Smart 5G as a commercial service is proof of this as the initial phase covers provision for all Smart Signature customers, who can now enjoy blazing-fast data speeds on Smart 5G-certified devices at select Smart 5G spots in Metro Manila.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Teen in massive Twitter hack case pleads not guilty A 17-YEAR-OLD recent Florida high school graduate pleaded not guilty to charges that he hacked more than 100 high-profile Twitter accounts as part of a cryptocurrency scam by duping the social media company’s employees.

Graham Ivan Clark was charged last week with posting messages on behalf of notable businesspeople, celebrities and politicians, including former president Barack Obama, Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos and Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk, and luring additional victims into sending him Bitcoin donations of more than $100,000. Two others were charged with helping Clark by serving as brokers on the sale of compromised accounts.

Clark entered the plea to more than 30 charges filed against him on Tuesday morning in Florida state court in Tampa before Judge Christopher Nash, according to court records. He is scheduled to appear again on Wednesday for a hearing on his request to change the amount of his bail bond and the conditions of his release.

The defendants were allegedly part of an underground subculture of hackers dedicated to stealing, buying and selling online accounts with desirable user names. Clark is accused of gaining access to the accounts by convincing Twitter employees that he was a colleague who needed log-in credentials to access the company’s customer-service platform.

The July 15 hack, the highest-profile security breach in Twitter’s history, forced the company to temporarily limit access to its internal tools while it investigated the intrusion and acknowledge that employees were fooled into sharing sensitive information over the phone. BLOOMBERG NEWS

SAMSUNG, APPLE TO BOOST CELLPHONE MANUFACTURING IN INDIA NEW DELHI—Three contract manufacturers for Apple iPhones and South Korea’s Samsung have applied for large-scale electronics manufacturing rights in India under a $6.5 billion incentive scheme announced by the government, a minister said Saturday.

The scheme will extend cash incentives of 4 percent to 6 percent for five years on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India with 2019 to 2020 as the base year, Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.

The international cellphone manufacturing companies that have applied under the scheme are Samsung, Rising Star and three Apple contract manufacturers—Foxconn Hon Hai, Wistron and Pegatron.

Prasad said the scheme is expected to increase Apple’s and Samsung’s manufacturing base manifold in India.

Nearly two dozen Indian and international companies in the cellphone segment have applied for the scheme, which is expected to generate 300,000 direct jobs in the country, Prasad said. AP

Saturday, August 8, 2020 A11

Google missing?

No problem....

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BY GERARD S. RAMOS Lifestyle & Entertainment Editor

HE numbers should not be where one might have suspected them to be, given the prevailing conditions.

No, we are not talking about the desperate statistics regarding the coronavirus pandemic, which has globally wrought havoc on the economic numbers across all industries, including some of the most prominent players in IT, this as consumer spending contracts due not only to health concerns and job insecurity but also to the disruption in global supply chains.

A top tech news site, Gadgets Now (www.gadgetsnow. com), reported in May: “The global smartphone market saw its fastest ever decline during the first quarter of 2020, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply chain globally, taking a huge toll on sales.” The report also goes on to identify “the top 10 companies that are selling the most number of smartphones in the world,” with Samsung topping the list at a 20 percent market share in terms of global shipment, followed by Huawei at 17 percent and Apple at 14 percent.

Offhand, one could say the rankings hold little surprise, as they have been pretty much the case for several quarters now. It should be surprising, however, particularly given that in May 2019, amid a worsening trade war between the US and China, the US government added Huawei, a leading multinational technology company based in China, to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List, thus effectively banning US companies from dealing with Huawei and forcing Google to terminate (temporarily?) what has been a mutually beneficial partnership with the Chinese company.

As it has been widely reported, the ban is on account of what the US alleges as Huawei’s very close ties with the Chinese government that could result in Beijing leveraging the company’s widely used networking equipment for spying. Since the ban, Huawei has released a couple of flagship smartphones: the Mate 30 series and the P40 series— still based on the market-leading Android mobile operating system, sure, but without a shadow in sight of Google and its wildly popular services and applications including Search, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, YouTube and Play Store.

The absence of Google and everything else that comes with it—top apps like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, plus some of the bestselling games are all dependent on Google Services Framework, a platform which “provides core functionality like authentication to your Google services, synchronized contacts, access to all the latest user privacy settings, and higher quality, lower-powered location based services”— should have doomed these current flagships of Huawei’s. But on July 31, tech writer Sean Keane filed this report for C|Net: “Huawei shipped more phones worldwide than any other vendor for the first time in 2020’s second quarter, tech market analysts Canalys, Counterpoint and IDC reported. It’s the first time in nine years anyone other than Samsung or Apple has been market leader, Canalys said.” (cnet.co/30rDh6p) It is easy to see how Huawei’s latest flagship, the P40 Series consisting of the P40, the P40 Pro and the P40+, has helped the company stave off whatever negative impact the absence of Google may have had. Whichever P40 variant one goes for—be it the more pocket-friendly P40 at P36,990 in Lazada, the “mid-range” flagship P40 Pro at P50,990, or the ultrapremium P40 Pro+ at P69,990, all of them 5G-ready— Huawei’s top-of-the-line series is an exceptional piece of powerful technology packed into an impossibly compact and beautifully elegant glass or ceramic (as in the case of the P40 Pro+) body that is unbelievably “resistent” to fingerprints.

There are differences among the entries in the series, of course, but they are minor (size of display, number of cameras and a few more) and none are deal-breakers. Of the three, we have had the pleasure of taking for an extended spin the Huawei P40 Pro+, the 512GB storage variant of which will be basis of this review.

Boasting of the latest powerful octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G chipset, 8GB RAM and Android 10, the Huawei P40 Pro+ measures 158.2 x 72.6 x 9mm and

THE Huawei P40 Pro+, the company’s latest ultra-premium flagship that shines even with the absence of Google.

weighs 209g, slightly heavier than its immediate flagship predecessors, yes, but the added weight is likely due to the penta-camera setup and the ceramic back, and it does make the phone feel more ergonomic in the hand. And the fingerprints we mentioned earlier? They are there if you look closely enough, but Huawei has given the ceramic material such a finish that they are barely noticeable. Moreover, according to reports, the ceremic material has been baked to such toughness that it is reportedly almost comparable to a sapphire or diamond. That should make the P40 Pro+ take on the wear and tear of everyday usage with ease.

At 6.58 inches with a 2640 x 1200-pixel resolution and 90Hz refresh rate, the phone’s OLED screen has been dubbed by Huawei as “Quad-Curve Overflow Display”, curving as it does on all four edges for a bezel-free affair, and the screen—under which lies a lightning-fast fingerprint scanner—is absolutely breathtaking with the vibrancy, sharpness and clarity of the images it yields, making for a supremely satisfying visual experience. No doubt there will be consumers who will quibble about the elliptical cutout on the display for the excellent 32MP selfie camera but the superb quality of the panel will quickly make you forget about the cutout.

Speaking of the camera: as with previous flagships, Huawei has again partnered with legendary imaging specialist Leica for the penta-camera setup as the main rear system, with a 50MP Ultra Vision sensor as the primary shooter, a 40MP SuperSensing Cine Camera, an 8MP SuperZoom Camera with 10x longrange optical zoom, 20X hybrid zoom and 100X digital zoom; an 8MP Telephoto Camera, and a ToF Camera.

As fans have come to expect from the Huawei-Leica partnership, the camera strengths of the P40 Pro+ are second to none in terms of both capturing photos and video. Not surprisingly, that imaging muscle has earned the P40 Pro+ the top spot in the rankings of DXOMARK, the leading source of independent audio and image quality measurements and ratings for standalone cameras, lenses and mobile devices. (As an aside, Huawei has three entries in DXOMARK’s top 10 smartphone camera rankings.)

Supplementing the P40 Pro+’s solid internals is the 4,200mAh battery that not only powers the phone for a day and then some with moderate-to-heavy usage, but also supports 40W fast charging—and such charger is already included in the box. Also of note is that the phone handles heat well even under heavy use: as we continue to work from home on account of Covid-19, we found ourself one weekend going through extended gaming sessions and the P40

Pro+ never overheated; nor did we see a graphically demanding game quit unexpectedly from whatever heat it generated.

Of course, the top-of-mind question not a few consumers most likely have about the P40 Pro+ is: Without Google, is there any point to getting the phone? Off the bat, we will say the fantastic camera system alone is a solid-enough reason to make the jump. But if one really can’t live without Gmail or YouTube or Hangouts, there are several excellent tutorials online that will walk consumers through sideloading all that Google goodness—and if they studiously follow the easy-to-understand instructions, the walk is, well...as easy as a walk in the park. Needless to say, neither Google nor Huawei encourages or supports such “tinkering,” if you will.

To those wary of such effort, the good news is that Huawei has a thriving AppGallery, already the third most popular appstore on the planet which hosts not a few top apps and games, from Facebook, Viber, TikTok and Snapchat, to Lords Mobile, Rise of Empires and Asphalt 9: Legends, plus banking apps from Unionbank, Metrobank and BDO, among many other useful apps, the number of which on the AppGallery continue to rise. Meanwhile, the phone’s built-in application for email can be easily configured for Gmail access, while Maps.me makes for a suitable replacement for Google’s Maps app.

Moreover, the latest update to Huawei’s frontfacing layer on top of Android, EMUI, also brings another useful new feature: the Huawei Petal Search Widget. In a statement, the company says the app “specializes in finding apps, news, images, and more right from your phone’s home screen. Petal Search’s integration with the AppGallery lets it find, download and install apps straight from the widget interface, as well as explore reputable third party sources for harder-to-find apps or games. Hundreds of new apps are added to AppGallery everyday, so there’s always something new and exciting to discover everytime you tap on Petal Search. This app can be downloaded from the AppGallery and installed on the home screen as a widget with EMUI version 10.1.0.131.”

It remains uncertain whether a rapprochement would come between the US and China any time soon, with the Covid-19 pandemic even heightening an already fraught situation. What is certain is that Huawei will continue to make exciting smartphones like the P40 Pro+ as it further accelerates the growth of its app ecosystem.

■ More information about the Huawei P40 Pro+ is available at consumer.huawei.com/ph.

Sports BusinessMirror

A12 Saturday, August 8, 2020 | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

Tiger in position for major chase at PGA

By Tim Dahlberg

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The Associated Press

Y the time Tiger Woods made the turn Thursday, the sun had come out at Harding Park and the pandemic gaiter that hung around his neck on his front nine was now in the bag.

A par save on the previous hole had Woods feeling good about his new putter, and his back was feeling good, too. Better yet, he wasn’t spending a lot of time hacking shots out of the deep, wet rough.

Yes, it was quiet, way quieter than any of the 78 previous major championships Woods had ever played in. But it turns out the greatest player of his time can play without crowds too.

And with Woods in contention after an opening round 68, the strangest Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship ever suddenly doesn’t seem so strange after all.

Not to the fans cheering Woods on at home. More important, perhaps, not to Woods himself.

“It’s just different,” Woods said. “That’s probably the only way to say it; this is what we’re going to have to get used to in the near future and for probably for a while.”

On what looked like a fine San Francisco summer day, Woods put together the kind of opening round that would normally have thousands shouting his name as he moved from tee to green. He made five birdies against three bogeys and was never in danger of making a number that might shoot him out of the tournament before it hardly even began.

He beat the other two guys in his threesome, not a bad accomplishment considering one is a former No. 1 player in the world and the other is the current No. 1. The only surprise for Woods when his day was done was the number of players off early who had gone even lower.

Still, Woods was just three shots off the early pace as he resumed his chase—delayed by a pandemic—for his first win since his historic Masters victory last year. He’s looking—and feeling—comfortable in an area where he has

played some of his best golf.

The record he wants most—18 majors won

by Jack Nicklaus—is still in play, at least for another day.

“I felt like I kept the round going most of the day,” Woods said. “I let a couple go here and there but, for the better part of the day, it was a very solid round.”

Just what Woods expected in only his second competitive tournament since the pandemic began is hard to say. He talked about playing decently at the Memorial last month and practicing well at home in Florida but it’s the majors that ultimately test just where his game is.

Pretty good, it seems, even if his 2-under score came in conditions that weren’t quite as treacherous as they will be as the week goes on.

“It was there for the taking today,” said playing partner Rory McIlroy, who shot even par.

If it’s at all possible, Woods came into the PGA a little bit under the radar. Oddsmakers had faded his chances and there were other compelling story lines with new No. 1 Justin

Thomas, huge hitting Bryson DeChambeau and, of course, Brooks Koepka going for a third straight Wanamaker trophy.

But Woods can still win majors, as he showed at the Masters by breaking an 11-year drought in golf’s biggest tournaments. That brought him to 15 major titles, and seemed to rekindle the fire to chase the record held by Nicklaus and establish himself as arguably the greatest golfer of all time.

At the age of 44 , though, he’s running out of time, especially with a fused back that prompted him to go to a slightly longer putter this week. Older players have had success—and plenty of it—but history shows that winning majors gets tougher the older a golfer gets.

Only six players older than Woods have won majors, and none more than one after getting to that age. Woods needs three to catch Nicklaus and, unlike during his prime when he was winning them by the handful, he’s competing now against players who are younger, stronger and don’t seem to suffer a lot of nerves.

Still, it was the kind of day that had to give

Woods hope that his is not an impossible goal.

And his 68 was a better opening round score than he posted in eight of his 15 major wins.

That Woods wasn’t looking too far into the future after signing his scorecard was predictable. He understands more than anyone that patience is the key on tough golf courses in difficult conditions and this PGA will demand just that before it is over.

But the start was about as good as Woods could hope for. He drove the ball well, managed his game well, and made putts when he needed them most.

And if Woods wasn’t exactly celebrating, a lot of his fans watching at home surely were.

A PAR save on the previous hole has Tiger Woods feeling good about his new putter, and his back was feeling good, too. AP

DAY, KOEPKA IN HOT START S

AN FRANCISCO—By now, it is becoming all too familiar.

The starter stepped to the microphone and kept to the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship tradition afforded its champions. One player gets the longest introduction. “Now on the tee, the 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 PGA Champion...Tiger Woods.”

And then silence.

It’s the eerie product of golf amid a pandemic, and even after two months of no spectators, the quiet can be jarring.

Also familiar—Brooks Koepka bringing his best to the majors.

Jason Day and Brendon Todd wound up in a share of the lead Thursday after an opening round packed with action, just not cheers.

Each posted a five-under 65 at Harding Park, where fog gave way to the sun and the wind eased just enough to make the public course accessible to reasonable scoring.

The one constant appears to be Koepka.

Just two weeks after he missed a cut and was so frustrated he said he heaved a club 70 yards during practice, he powered his way to six birdies for a 66 that left him in a large group one shot behind.

“It’s only 18 holes right now,” Koepka said.

“I feel good. I feel confident. I’m excited for the next three days. I think I can definitely play a lot better. Just need to tidy a few things up, and we’ll be there come Sunday on the back nine.”

Day, trying to emerge from a slump that has kept him from winning since 2018 and contending in majors since 2016, hit an approach to 6 feet for birdie on No. 9, the second-toughest hole on the course at 518 yards for a par 4 at sea level.

Todd’s round was equally impressive.

Playing in the afternoon, as the wind strengthened, Todd made seven birdies and finished with a 10-foot par putt.

Koepka is the two-time defending champion, presented the opportunity this

while picking up his tee.

He was able to replace it and challenged the lead—he was four under through 10— until he slid back to a 68.

Instead of the wind and chill and the thick marine layer, it was pleasant enough to make this feel like a casual round of golf.

It sounded like that, too.

Woods is used to tournament golf in the Covid-19 era. Spectators have not been allowed at any tournament since the PGA Tour returned two months ago.

It’s not less strange.

week to become only the seventh player in the 160-year history of major championship golf to win the same major three years in a row. It was last done 64 years ago.

He’s still a little annoyed that he missed a similar chance last year down the Pacific coast at Pebble Beach, when he finished runner-up in his bid for a third straight US Open.

Koepka hasn’t won in more than a year.

His left knee has been bothering him since last August. No matter. After a slow start, he quickly moved his way up the leaderboard and stayed there with a series of key putts for par—and one 12-footer for bogey—that gave him an ideal start to this major.

He was at 66 with eight other players, a list that included former major winners Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Zach Johnson, rising star Xander Schauffele and tour rookie Scottie Scheffler.

Woods ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch toward the end of his round that offset a few mistakes. He opened with a 68, a solid start for a 15-time major champion who has played just one tournament in the last six months.

Woods put a new putter into play—this one is a little longer, which he says helps him practice longer without straining his surgically repaired back—and it came in handy. He made a 30-foot birdie early. He was most pleased with a 20-foot par putt on No. 18 as he made the turn. And he was thrilled with the weather.

“I thought anything today in the red was going to be good,” Woods said.

In this case, there was a lot of good to go around. Just under one-third of the field—47 players—broke par. That included Bryson DeChambeau, who broke his driver on the seventh hole after another vicious swing. Oddly enough, it finally gave way when he leaned on it ever so slightly

“It still funny,” Rory McIlroy said. “You know, ‘99, 2000, 2006, 2007 PGA champion, Tiger Woods. And then there’s nothing. That’s pretty interesting. That’s definitely different.”

McIlroy, Woods and Justin Thomas, the No. 1 player in the world, each started with a birdie on No. 10 to no applause. They still had the largest following in two months, some 60 people—reporters, photographers, camera crews, a few park rangers. And there were fans along the road beyond the fence on the 12th hole shouting for Woods.

McIlroy overcame three straight bogeys early in his round for an even-par 70. Thomas was going along fine until a pair of double bogeys, one on the seventh hole when his ball never came down from a Monterey Cypress tree. He shot 71. AP

JASON DAY finds himself sharing the lead after an opening round packed with action, just not cheers. AP

Harden, Rockets rout James-less Lakers; Suns win

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Hamilton uneasy negotiating new F1 deal during pandemic

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ILVERSTONE, England—Lewis Hamilton feels uncomfortable negotiating with Mercedes over a lucrative new deal as the world struggles during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Formula One world champion’s contract is up for renewal in five months’ time.

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel like the right time to sit down and talk about it,” said Hamilton, who heads into the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday with a 30-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas in the championship.

“When you think about so many people in the world who have lost their jobs and people who are now unemployed, to sit down and negotiate a big contract doesn’t feel like the most important thing that I need to apply time to at this second. I don’t feel comfortable about it so I am going to wait a little bit longer.”

There are two consecutive weekends of racing at Silverstone as F1 tries to pack in

THE Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton’s contract is up for renewal in five months’ time. AP

races following the pandemic-delayed start to the season. This Sunday’s event is being called the 70th Anniversary GP to mark the sport’s landmark year.

Mercedes announced Thursday that Bottas will be retained for a fifth season.

Given Mercedes’ imperious dominance, the Finn is providing the sole challenge to Hamilton.

Hamilton is on course to match Michael Schumacher’s record haul of seven world championships this season.

“I do want to continue with this team and it is not a big effort for us to sit down and get it done,” the 35-year-old Hamilton said. “I am not talking to anyone else. I am looking forward to continuing, particularly as we have just started a new chapter of how we educate ourselves and how we understand what we are going to do in terms of being more diverse and more inclusive. I am super excited with what is possible with Mercedes and this team moving forward. It will get done at some stage, so I am not stressed.” AP

AKE BUENA VISTA, Florida—James Harden had 39 points and 12 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 113-97 victory on Thursday night over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were playing without LeBron James.

The Lakers, who clinched the top seed in the Western Conference on Monday, didn’t have James because of a sore right groin.

The Rockets were also short-handed, missing Russell Westbrook because of a bruised right quadriceps. But the combination of Harden’s big game and Houston’s longrange shooting were enough to take care of the Lakers. The Rockets made 21 of 57 three’s while Los Angeles hit just 2 of 19.

The Lakers scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 94-89 with about eight minutes to go. Houston had three turnovers and didn’t score in the fourth until a layup by Harden with just more than seven minutes remaining to allow Los Angeles to make it close.

Houston Coach Mike D’Antoni raved about the way Harden has been playing since the season restarted as the Rockets have gone 3-1.

“His commitment on defense is number one,” he said. “He stays locked in and is trying to win whatever it takes, accepting the double teams and trying to bust it through to other guys. So there’s a lot of good things to marvel about.”

Harden’s layup jump-started Houston’s offense and was the start of an 11-0 run that pushed the lead to 105-89 with five minutes remaining. Harden, Austin Rivers and Robert Covington each made a 3-pointer in that span.

“We’re playing pretty good,” Harden said.

“There’s a lot of things especially defensively that we can correct but I think our energy... and pace has been good.”

Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 21 points and Anthony Davis added 17 points with 12 rebounds.

“We did some things poorly at times, we did some things well at times,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “You learn from the tape

and put it in the game plan for the next time you play these guys.”

A shot by Quinn Cook got the Lakers within 10 with midway through the third quarter. Houston scored the next seven points, with a three by Harden, to extend the lead to 86-69 about a minute later.

The Rockets used a 5-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from PJ Tucker to make it 91-73 later in the third quarter. Los Angeles wrapped up the third with a 6-3 spurt to cut the deficit to 94-79 entering the fourth.

Harden said the Rockets are focused on improving on defense as the playoffs approach.

“Our energy, our effort and our aggressiveness defensively is something that we have to hang our hats on,” he said.

Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns continued their improbable run in also on Thursday, beating the Indiana Pacers, 114-99, for their fourth straight win.

The Suns have now climbed out of the basement in the West among the teams in Orlando, while keeping their postseason hopes alive.

Devin Booker added 20 points and 10 assists and Cameron Johnson had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Suns pulled away with a 21-0 run that bridged the end of the the third quarter and the start of the fourth.

“The sky is the limit right now,” said Dario Saric, who was instrumental in the big run.

Malcolm Brogdon had 25 points, six assists and six rebounds to lead the Pacers, who fell to 3-1 in Orlando.

Trailing 75-72 with 2:10 left in the third quarter, Saric scored nine of Phoenix’s 14 points and Cameron Payne added the other five as the Suns finished the quarter on a 14-0 tear. Saric also had four rebounds during the stretch.

The Suns did most of their damage with Booker on the bench with five fouls.

Saric finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Payne chipped in with 15 points. AP