BusinessMirror August 19, 2023

FLASHPOINT!

By Rex Anthony Naval

IN the aftermath of the August 5 Ayungin Shoal incident in the West Philippines Sea (WPS) which highlighted Chinese efforts anew to prevent the resupply of a detachment sheltering in the BRP Sierra Madre (LST57), the question that struck the minds of most Filipinos is whether the US, its longtime ally, will commit itself to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) should matters go from bad to worse.

Judging from the statement issued by the US Department of Defense (DOD) following the August 8 telephone conversation between Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III with Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., it appears that the Americans have the Philippines’ back.

A statement coming from the US DOD had Austin condemning the China Coast Guard (CCG) for blasting its water cannons and other dangerous maneuvers that took place on August 5 that compromised the safety of the Filipino supply boats and crews.

At that time, CCG and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels blocked and water-cannoned the Filipino supply boats conducting a regular rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.

The blocking and water cannoning incident lasted for over an hour.

A lso, Austin said the CCG’s “unsafe operational activities” strongly undermine “the status quo and directly threaten regional peace and stability.”

In the same phone call, the US defense chief also affirmed that the MDT extends to Philippine public vessels, aircraft and armed forc-

es—to include those of its Coast Guard—in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea (SCS).

The MDT between the US and the Philippines was signed on August 30, 1951.

Article IV of the MDT states that “each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.”

The Secretaries reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order, including supporting the Philippines’ right to conduct lawful maritime activities, consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Ruling, which is final and binding on all parties,” last week’s US DOD statement read.

Both defense chiefs also discussed US-Philippines alliance cooperation and affirmed its “ironclad nature.”

A lso tackled were initiatives to “redouble efforts to strengthen bilateral training, interoperability, and support for the modernization of the Philippine Armed Forces,” the US DOD statement added.

Austin and Teodoro also committed to find a near-term opportunity to meet in person and restated their commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder as allies to bring security, prosperity and stability to the Indo-Pacific Region and beyond.

‘Statement of support’

WITH this development, Teodoro lauded the “strong statement of support” coming from Austin regarding the latest Chinese harassment.

“ Welcoming the strong statement of support of the US over a recent incident involving the harassment and disruption of Philippine vessels conducting a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), Secretary Teo -

doro firmly restated that no country has the right to question the Philippines’ capability build-up to address its immediate and evolving security concerns,” DND spokesman Arsenio “Popong” Andolong, said. Teodoro also commended the United States’ unwavering support in preserving the rules-based international order, the DND spokesman added.

“On defense relations, Secretary Austin reaffirmed the US commitment to provide intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance support. Moving forward, both officials pledged to fast-track pending defense initiatives, such as the conclusion of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) and the implementation of the Enhanced

Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites. Moreover, Secretary Austin highlighted the importance of GSOMIA for the transfer of technology in support of the modernization program of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),” Andolong stressed.

Not the first time

THIS is not the first time this year that the US had pledged to stand by the country following encounters between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and resupply vessels with CCG and CMM in the WPS.

On February 6, a CCG vessel, with bow number 5205, tried to block the BRP Malapascua (MRRV4403) while the ship was on regular “rotation and resupply” mission in Ayungin Shoal.

Shortly after, the Chinese ship aimed a “green laser,” which the PCG said was of the “military grade” type and caused its bridge crew to suffer from “temporary blindness.”

Shortly after this incident, Austin, following a phone call with then DND officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr., reiterated that any armed attack on Philippine ships and aircraft in the SCS will result in the invocation of the MDT.

“Austin reiterated that the US commitment to the alliance remains ironclad, and that an armed attack on Philippine Armed Forces, aircraft and public vessels, including the Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea, would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the MDT,” Andolong said following this first incident.

A nd on July 7 of this year, Austin again expressed the US concern over what it called China’s “coercive and risky operational behavior” in the SCS, including the Ayungin Shoal.

Th is was conveyed again in

FLASHPOINT!

Continued from A1

a phone call between the US defense chief and Teodoro.

In the call, Austin reiterated US commitment to the defense of Filipino public vessels in the vital sea lane.

Secretary Austin noted with concern the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] recent coercive and risky operational behavior directed against Philippine vessels operating safely and lawfully in the South China Sea, including around Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin),” the US DOD stressed.

The PCG earlier reported that some CCG vessels had “constantly followed, harassed and obstructed” its ships when it undertook a naval operation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command on June 30 off Ayungin Shoal.

In the report, it said two People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels were also sighted near the shoal.

US planes on the shoal?

MEANWHILE, the Chinese Embassy in Manila claimed that the US deployed military planes and warships during the August 5 incident in Ayungin Shoal.

C hinese Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong made this public in a news forum at Kamuning Pandesal Bakery in

Quezon City early this week.

Z hou echoed Beijing’s attacks on Washington, D.C., and cited the latter’s “unglorified role” in the water cannoning incident near Ayungin Shoal, which it calls Ren’ai Reef.

In the recent incident, the US took a hands-on approach to deeply engage in the whole process. It was the US who egged on and supported the Philippines to overhaul and reinforce the ‘grounded’ ship in Ren’ai Reef and even dispatched military aircraft and vessels in support of the Philippine side,” the Chinese diplomat said. S ought for comment, US Embassy in Manila spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay said, “I’m not going to comment on military operations, except to say that all of our military activities in the Philippines are conducted in full coordination with our Philippine allies.”

Joint resupply mission eyed

AS this developed, legal and security experts urged the Philippine government to undertake a joint patrol with like-minded allies in its next resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre

Former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the Philippines can follow the examples of Malaysia and Indonesia, which continued their survey and naval drills in their exclusive

economic zone (EEZ) in the SCS, together with the US and Australia, despite warnings from the CCG.

We can have joint patrols with the US at the same time [in the next resupply mission to the Ayungin Shoal]. We can calibrate it. Remember, Malaysia and Indonesia were able to survey and drill despite warnings from the Chinese Coast Guard that the area falls within the nine-dash line. They sent their Navy together with the survey ship and the drilling ship, and, at the same time, the US and Australia conducted naval drills in the same area, that’s for Malaysia. For Indonesia, the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan happened to pass by,” Carpio explained. He made the statement in a forum on August 10 organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace.

The Americans are there. They did the favor to the Malaysians and Indonesians without a defense treaty. And the Australians also did the same to Malaysia. Why are they doing this? Because they want to preserve freedom of navigation.... We can do all these things. It’s up to us if we have the political will,” Carpio stressed.

Maximizing sea patrols

THE former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice said the Ayungin Shoal, where the Sierra Madre is aground in the WPS, is one of the “flashpoints” in the PhilippinesChina relationship.

Ayungin Shoal is about 20 nautical miles from Mischief Reef. The Arbitration Tribunal ruled that Mischief Reef is a low-tide feature forming part of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines. Despite this, China illegally reclaimed Mischief Reef and converted it into the largest air and naval base of China in the Spratlys. Because of Ayungin Shoal’s proximity to Mischief Reef, China wants to seize Ayungin Shoal from the Philippines,” Carpio said.

Similarly, Stratbase President Professor Dindo Manhit urged the Philippine government to maximize joint patrols and have like-minded allies shepherd Philippine vessels in its next resupply mission.

“As our military outpost, we should not be deterred from sending supplies, from improving that facility [BRP Sierra Madre]. What’s

happening now [is that], they’re [China] stopping us from moving forward. Our supply ships should really push through.... This is where we can maximize joint patrols and be shepherded by allies and friends during the resupply. Not to cause war but simply to exercise our own rights based on international law. Our military facility is within our EEZ,” he noted.

M anhit added: “The stronger statement by our President is really welcome and now we hope it turns into stronger actions and generates enough support and alliance from partners. I’ve always believed that to ensure stability, you need to bring people together to define and protect what is our Philippine EEZ.”

Moreover, former United States Air Force official and security expert Col. Raymond Powell said that one leverage the Philippines can use in dealing with an “extremely large and aggressive country like China” is its partnerships with like-minded allies.

Powell, also a fellow at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, said the Ayungin Shoal, including the BRP Sierra Madre, is the most vulnerable outpost in the entire SCS and needs to be reinforced.

“It’s vulnerable not just because of how few people are there and their inability to defend themselves but the fact that their outpost is deteriorating and will ultimately succumb to time and the weather and the elements. That will happen unless the Philippines, with its US allies, are able to come up with some other solution to repairing or replacing, somehow lifting, circumventing and defeating the ongoing Chinese blockade,” Powell explained.

‘False’ claim CARPIO, in a statement posted by the Stratbase ADR Institute in its Facebook post August 16, disputed Zhou’s claims that the Potsdam Declaration and the Cairo Declaration stated that “all territories Japan has seized from the Chinese, including those of Nansha Islands and Xisha Islands, shall be restored to China.”

W hat the 1943 Cairo Declaration stated, Carpio said, is that “all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, including Manchuria, Formosa and the Pesca-

dores, shall be restored to the Republic of China,” and that “Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed.”

The Cairo Declaration “never mentioned the ‘Nansha Islands’ [Spratlys] or the ‘Xisha Islands’ [Paracels]. The Spratlys and the Paracels fell under the phrase ‘Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed,’ which phrase never identified to what country these other territories would be restored,” Carpio stressed.

He also noted that the 1945 Potsdam Declaration stated that the “terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine.”

Carpio stressed that the Potsdam Declaration merely reiterated the Cairo Declaration and never mentioned the Nansha Islands or the Xisha Islands.

What is definitive is what transpired in the 1951 San Francisco Peace Conference that formally ended the Pacific War. The motion of the USSR to award the Spratlys and the Paracels to China was defeated by a vote of 46 to 3, with one abstention. Thus, the San Francisco Peace Treaty merely states: ‘Japan renounces all right, title and claim to the Spratly Islands and to the Paracel Islands.’ There is no mention to what country the Spratlys or the Paracels would be awarded,” Carpio pointed out.

A lso, he said that the 1952 Treaty of Taipei between Japan and the Republic of China merely recognized the San Francisco Peace Treaty.

Thus, the Treaty of Taipei states: ‘It is recognized that under Article 2 of the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco in the United States of America on September 8, 1951 (hereinafter referred to as the San Francisco Treaty), Japan has renounced all right, title and claim to Taiwan (Formosa) and Penghu (the Pescadores) as well as the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands.’ There is no award of the Spratlys or the Paracels to China because the Treaty of Taipei obviously could not deviate from the San Francisco Treaty to which Japan was a party,” Carpio pointed out.

SECRETARY of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana attend an honor cordon, September 10, 2021, at the Pentagon in Washington. AP/JACQUELYN MARTIN

• Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug A3

Australian PM sets Sept visit to Philippines

By Samuel P. Medenilla

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony

Albanese is set to visit the country next month to seek closer cooperation with the Philippines on economic and defense affairs.

In a news statement released on Friday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) confirmed Albanese would be in the country on September 7 and 8 for an official visit.

He is scheduled to meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the second day of his visit to discuss possible cooperation on defense and security, trade, economic development and maritime affairs.

“It follo ws a series of high-level en -

gagements earlier this year between the Philippines and Australia, underscoring the shared commitment by both nations to advance the trajectory of their multifaceted partnership,” PCO said.

Last Ma y, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Marcos met in Malacañang, where they talked about possible partnerships to help in the country’s security and economic transformation.

PCO noted Albanese’s visit is a significant milestone since it is the first visit in the country by an Australian Prime Minister since 2023.

T he President first met with Albanese d uring the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) last year.

GSIS posts ₧61-B net income, 20-fold increase for H1 2023

THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) reported a net income of P61 billion for the first half of the year, a 20-fold increase from the P3 billion in the same period the previous year.

The marked growth in profitability from January to June 2023 was driven by strong revenues and an improvement in the revenue-to-operating expense ratio at 2 percent from the 5 percent ratio last year.

Administrative and operational expenses grew by 10 percent, largely due to the increase in claims and benefits.

“Although these expenses have grown, the rate of increase was slower,” GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso noted. “A key factor in keeping expenses under control has been the careful management of operational costs.”

In the first half of the year, administrative and operational expenses were recorded at 2.6 percent, down from 4.9 percent in the same period last year, well below the legal threshold of 12 percent.

Veloso also announced that the fund life of the pension fund was now at 2058 or 35 years, which was achieved through enhanced data analytics and sustained

By Patrick V. Miguel

MEMBERS of church group devotees of the Black Nazarene filed charges against drag performer Pura Luka Vega for the latter’s recent “controversial” acts. In a joint affidavit-complaint filed at the City Prosecutor Office of Manila, members of the Hijos Del Nazareno (HDN) accused Vega of violating the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

HDN cited violations of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and R.A. 10175, Section 6 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012).

The petitioners claimed that Vega committed acts that “offend any race of religion,” with regards to Article 201 of the RPC that prohibits “immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows.”

HDN added that Vega also transgressed “with the use of information and communications technologies,” under the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

“Anyone can file against the drag performer on the basis of existing laws that may have been violated,” Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano told the B usiness M irror

In a text message, Fr. Secillano added that although CBCP is “not a party” to the petition, they still recognize the right of the petitioners to do so.

Vega allegedly committed other kinds of “blasphemy,” other than the viral video impersonating the Black Nazarene, said HDN technical adviser Alex Irasga.

“Madamikamingnakitanapagpapatunay na mataas ang antas ng paglapastangan.

investment returns.

“A lengthier actuarial life allows us to meet our obligation of providing timely benefits to our members and pensioners. As a financial institution, we focus on growing our members’ contributions through strategic investment opportunities,” Veloso explained.

GSIS is showcasing its commitment to the nation’s growth story by investing in vital sectors, such as real estate, infrastructure, food, energy and mining. Total investment in the domestic sectors has reached P1.2 trillion for the first half of the year. Global investments also rose 8 percent to P204 billion.

As of end-June 2023, the total assets of the GSIS stood at P1.6 trillion, posting an 8 percent increase from last year.

Veloso outlined the GSIS’s future strategies, highlighting an investment approach focused on the 4Ps—Pabahay (housing), Power (energy), Pagkain (food), and Pagamot (healthcare).

“These sectors are at the heart of the government’s socioeconomic agenda, and investing in them is an investment in the Filipino people,” Veloso said.

Umabot nga siya sa pag-produce ng mga panyo. May nakita na kami na mukha niya nakalagay sa halip na ng Nazareno,” said Irasga.

(We saw a lot proving a higher degree of blasphemy. It reached to a point that they were producing handkerchiefs with his face imprinted instead of the Nazarene).

In addition, in some of Vega’s social media posts, the performer impersonated Jesus Christ through photos and videos, the complainants said.

In the affidavit, HDN wrote, “As a Catholic congregation and devotees of the Black Nazarene, Pura Luka Vega’s acts and actuations constitute a direct attack on our Lourd, our God and savior, Jesus Christ.”

Asked why they filed the case in the first place, Irasga said,“Nagtampokamisakanyang paglapastangansaatingpanginoonatsaating mahal señor Hesus Nazareno.”

(We resented the blasphemy towards our God and our beloved señor Jesus Nazarene.)

However, Irasga said they are ready to forgive Vega should the latter execute a formal apology.

He added that they are willing to retract the case against Vega if an apology is made for the alleged “blasphemous acts.”

“Kayakaminagsampangkaso[kasi]ayaw namin maging precedent at maging normal nakalakaranitosahinaraharap,” he said.

(We filed a case because we don’t want this to be precedent and normal to the society.)

As of this writing, Vega has been declared “persona non grata” in Cebu, Dinagat Islands, Occidental Mindoro, Laguna, Bukidnon, General Santos City, Floridablanca in Pampanga, Toboso in Negros Occidental, and in the city of Manila.

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

HE

T

Land Transportation Office (LTO) said

of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 215 in issuing a

on the award of

By Cai U. Ordinario

DESPITE the economy’s recent lackluster performance in the second quarter and the hawkish pause of the Monetary Board (MB) on Thursday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) believes there is still room to hike interest rates.

In a television interview on Friday, BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. said there will be some recovery in GDP performance in the third quarter on the back of improved government spending.

It can be noted that Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) contracted 7.1 percent in the second quarter, the lowest since the first quarter of 2011 when it contracted 15 percent.

“I think we have room to hike without contracting the economy. Something we call the neutral or the natural rate of interest is closer to 4 percent in real terms and if our projections are right, we will be at 3.25 percent in real terms for the neutral interest rates. So we have room to hike,” Remolona said.

Q2 GDP

and MB pause, BSP chief sees room to hike interest rates

Remolona said the recent pause on monetary tightening was “the prudent thing to do” for the MB, considering that the data was “going in different directions.”

He stressed that the monetary authorities’ decisions on whether to keep, cut or raise key policy rates are data-dependent.

This also means that the decision of the United States Federal Reserve is of lesser concern to the BSP relative to market expectations.

“It’s not as important as people think. What we find is that sometimes we do intervene, but what we find is more effective than intervention is forward guidance. So we give the market a better idea of what we’re thinking about down the road and that’s what seems to be more effective, that’s what seems to be more effective in stabilizing the peso,” Remolona said.

On the peso, Remolona said, “there is more than usual” volatility in the Philippine peso at the moment. But he said this is mainly due to a strong dollar rather than a weak peso. He said the Thai Baht and the Malaysian

Ringgit have already weakened against the greenback along with the Philippine peso in the past few days.

“I think there’s some amount of risk aversion going on in the currency markets partly because of the Fitch downgrade of the US and partly because of the minutes of the FOMC [Federal Open Market Committee]. The minutes, as you know, are more hawkish than the actual decision of the FOMC,” Remolona said.

Local supply chain

MEANWHILE , local supply chain issues are also part of the data that the Monetary Board are considering during this time. Sticky inflation has plagued the country and peaked in January 2023 when inflation hit 8.7 percent.

However, the increase in commodity prices has slowed to 4.7 percent in July, giving the BSP confidence that it is now on track to attain the inflation target range of 2 to 4 percent by the fourth quarter—or earlier, according to BSP Deputy Governor

Zubiri to economic team: In viewing wage hike, focus on labor drain, not just inflation

By Butch Fernandez

AMID warnings by economic managers that a legislated wage hike would be inflationary, Senate President Miguel Zubiri advised them to take the long view and consider the more alarming problem of the country losing its best workers to overseas jobs because of substandard pay and benefit packages locally.

“Wala na tayong workers. Most of our skilled workers [have gone] abroad. Most of our best welders and electricians are all in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East,” Zubiri reminded members of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) at a recent budget briefing they conducted for senators.

He renewed his call for a P150 increase in the minimum wage that he said can help retain skilled workers in the country. The legislated wage hike, which will come on the heels of the Metro Manila wage board order mandating a daily hike of P40 effective July 16, 2023, will have national application if approved, and will be the first time Congress enacts such a law since passing the measure creating the regional

Chiong

tripartite and productivity wage boards two decades ago.

Zubiri was responding to a statement made by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, indicating that a shortage of skilled workers in the country compels the government to hire Chinese workers.

“And why, your Honors, [is there a shortage]? Because to be honest, they don’t feel that they can survive with the salaries that we have here in the Philippines,” the Senate President said.

“I know you came out already publicly stating that you guys are against legislative wage hikes, but I’ll be honest with you, Secretary, kawawang-kawawa po ang ating mgakababayan,” he added.

The wage board recently approved an increase of P40 in the minimum wage of workers in Metro Manila, bringing the total to P610 a day. For the rest of the country, the minimum wage rates stayed the same.

“Angmasamapa,‘yungP40 wage hike ay sa Metro Manila lang.SaaminsaMindanao, it has not moved. Do you know what the daily wage earner in her (Budget Secretary Aminah Pangandaman) province earns?

P340. What can you buy with P340 for a family of five?,” asked Zubiri.

“The cost of rice is the same. The cost of energy is even more expensive in Lanao del Sur. Yung Jollibee, McDonald’s, pareho ang presyoniladoonatditosaManila. My point is, I think we also need to look into the possibility that we increase the wages of our people a bit,” he continued.

While Zubiri acknowledged Diokno’s concern that raising minimum wages will have an adverse effect on inflation, this can be addressed by focusing efforts on reducing energy and food costs.

“What we need to focus on is our energy sector, which is the most expensive. Isatayosa pinakamahal. Kayalahatnginvestors,unangunaangtanongnila,bakitangmahalngkuryente mo? Yan ang kailangan nating pababain, ang food cost and electricity cost,” he said.

The lawmaker from Bukidnon said that large conglomerates that have registered huge net incomes such as JG Summit (P9.5 billion, first half of 2023); Ayala Corp., up by 55 percent; Philippine Airlines, P13.6 billion record net income; and Megaworld, surging by 71 percent in the first half of

Francisco Dakila Jr.

Remolona said, nonetheless, that the BSP is already “within striking distance” of the inflation target this year and will certainly hit it in 2024 and 2025.

“The supply shocks can have effects on expectations. So we try to moderate those shocks by working on the demand side for the same commodities and for a broader range of commodities. So it’s a balancing act,” Remolona said.

“We try to figure out how strong the lagged effects are, how expectations are evolving. So the trick is to avoid the second round effects that work through expectations,” he added.

On Thursday, the MB decided to again maintain its key policy rates, the third pause since May 2023, in the hopes that the third time could work as a charm to boost the economy and allow inflation to further moderate.

The MB decided to keep the interest rate on the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase facility at 6.25 percent. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also retained at 5.75 percent and 6.75 percent, respectively.

Remolona said the decision of the MB took into consideration weaker GDP growth in the second quarter.

2023, can all afford to pay an increase in minimum wage.

“I hope that you can agree that maybe we can find a number that is acceptable because I’ve spoken to Frederick Go, I’ve spoken to Megaworld Kevin Tan, I’ve spoken to a lot of the Taipans and they’ve said kaya nila.Pwede,pwede,”Zubiri stated.

“Pero ang ating mga workers, Mr. Secretary, are in the rut. Can we give them a bit of a fighting chance? I truly believe if you put in the effort to help our workers, we will have more productivity and maybe we can entice more of them (skilled workers abroad) to come home,” Zubiri said.

The Senate President also said that in his discussions with American companies who wanted to invest in the Philippines, he bared they were appalled to learn about the wage rates in the country and that they want to come here and pay Filipinos decent wages.

With the present minimum wage rates, he told Diokno that they will really find it difficult to find skilled workers for infrastructure projects of the government because “they’re comfortably located abroad.”

“The lack of quality jobs is also because of the lack of quality skilled workers that we have. They are all leaving. The diaspora that we’re seeing now is because of the low wages, and I’m not talking about minimum wage. Dapat pati yung middle income dagdagan din sila,” he continued.

in fight vs airport reforms’ opposers, lists accomplishments as MIAA chief

THE camp of former Manila International Airport Authority general manager Cesar Chiong on Friday vowed to “fight all the way” to clear his name, and push for muchneeded reforms at the airport to give the public a better flying experience and trigger economic growth, especially through tourism.

Chiong became the subject of an anonymous complaint after implementing a plan to reassign 285 personnel to enhance airport services and efficiency.

T he complaint does not involve any corruption issue and not one of the affected employees was terminated and majority or 201 of the re-assignments came from the airport police department whose reassignments were done pursuant to the security requirements in the four passenger airport terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and

were all recommended by the Airport Police Department chief and the assistant general manager for Security and Emergency Services.

The Ombudsman initially suspended him and his co-accused, OIC-assistant general for Finance and Administration Irene Montalbo, but dismissed them from the service early this week.

Chiong’s camp, in a statement said, it is worth noting that Chiong’s predecessors reassigned even larger numbers of personnel without facing any legal repercussions.

Former M/Gen. Jose Angel Honrado (Ret.) reassigned 646 employees, while Eddie Monreal reassigned 397 personnel during comparable periods, Chiong said in his petition with the Court of Appeals filed long before the dismissal decision of the Ombudsman.

Furthermore, nearly 800 airport personnel have rallied behind Chiong and Montalbo by

signing a manifesto, saying “only now have they experienced transparent and honest management in the agency.”

Early into his stint last year, Chiong made significant changes to enhance the airport experience for the public. He removed X-ray machines obstructing terminal entrances and eliminated security guards flagging vehicles before accessing the ramp. These unnecessary measures incurred extensive costs amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos annually, while exacerbating the public’s frustrations.

Additionally, Chiong and Montalbo successfully collected outstanding receivables totaling billions of pesos, paving the way for the financial stability of the authority. MIAA’s cash balance, which stood at P5 billion in July 2022, has now surged to approximately P15 billion, and the authority is now debt-free.

DFA confirms death of Fil-Am elderly in Maui, Hawaii wildfires

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed the death of a FilipinoAmerican senior citizen in the Maui, Hawaii wildfires.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega identified the Fil-Am casualty as Alfredo Galinato, 79 years old from Ilocos Norte.

Authorities in Hawaii said 111 people died from the wildfires that raced across Maui.

the license card supply contract.

H owever, it is bent on having this project moving and will exhaust legal remedies to get the supplies coming as soon as possible.

Certainly, this is a major setback on our goal of addressing the backlog on the physical driver’s license which we target to complete by September this year. T he backlog is around 1.7 million as of this month—and mounting everyday

Only five of the casualties were identified so far:

1. Buddy Jantoc, 79

2. Melva Benjamin, 71

3. Virginia Dofa, 90

4. Robert Dyckman, 74; and

5. Alfredo Galinato, 79.

G alinato is a naturalized US citizen.

Consul General Emil Fernandez said Hawaii

considering the number of applications we are receiving for new, and the renewal of driver’s license on a daily basis,” the LTO said.

Allcard Inc., the bidder that failed the postqualification process for the said deal, sought the issuance of a stay order against the deal, citing “grave abuse of discretion regulating in lack or excess of jurisdiction to post disqualify petitioner Allcard, despite being the lowest calculated bidder and consequently to question the award of the contract to respondent Banner

authorities are not releasing the ethnicity of the casualties.

They were able to confirm Galinato’s Philippine roots from Consular records.

De Vega said the Philippine Consulate in Honolulu is assisting the family who are all based in Hawaii.

The Consulate has dispatched a four-person team to Maui on August 15 and 16 to render

Plasticard Inc.”

B anner Plasticard Inc. won the auction in June.

To recall, Allcard was disqualified during the post-qualification process of its bid after the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Central Bids and Awards Committee (CBAC) found that it had “incurred delays in its ongoing contracts with the government.”

Particularly, the Allcard supposedly failed to deliver on its obligations to the

Furthermore, MIAA reported an impressive income of P1.9 billion in 2022, a striking turnaround from the combined losses of P3.6 billion suffered in 2020 and 2021. Notably, passenger numbers have surged from 7.8 million in 2021 to around 31 million in 2022, with Naia expecting to handle close to 47 million passengers by the end of this year. Chiong, in his petition with the Court of Appeals, questioned the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman.

He said the anonymous complainants were supposed to have exhausted administrative remedies first and filed with the Civil Service Commission instead of with the Ombudsman. H e also said as general manager, he had the authority to re-assign personnel, which he did without any diminution in their status, pay and rank.

emergency Consular services to affected Filipinos.

Fernandez said 66 Filipinos applied for the replacement of their lost Philippine passports.

Consul General Fernandez also met with three newly arrived Filipino teachers who were based in Lahaina. They are part of a group of 30 assigned in the island of Maui. All are safe and accounted for.

Fernandez also met with community leaders and local officials, including the office of the Maui County mayor. Malou Talosig-Bartolome

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Social Security System (SSS), and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank). H owever, in its petition to the court, Allcard alleged these were “merely taken on face value and were never verified.”

In his ruling, Quezon City RTC Branch 215 Presiding Judge Rafael G. Hipolito said the court issued the stay order, as Allcard

See “License card,” A4

Despite poor

data

court’s TRO major setback in resolving license card crisis’

‘Gibo’ raises concern on House substitute bill for MUP reforms

DEPARTMENT of National Defense

(DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Thursday expressed his concerns on proposals calling for a blanket mandatory contribution for military personnel, especially long-serving ones. This proposal is one of the items under the substitute bill approved by the House of Representatives-Ad Hoc Committee eyeing to reform the Military and Uniformed Personnel Pension (MUP) System.

“First, I do not subscribe to the proposed blanket mandatory contributions for military personnel, especially for those who have already completed at least 20 years of active service,” the DND chief stressed.

Teodoro also said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. envisioned a carefully transitioned introduction of any pension reform plan so that

those in active service will be impacted in the least possible way.

“The imposition of mandatory monthly contributions without a transition phase will definitely have an impact on our soldiers,” he noted.

And as DND chief, Teodoro said it is his duty to look after the welfare of military pensioners.

“It has been my position that their pensions and entitlements, including 100 percent automatic indexation, shall remain unchanged. Ensuring the non-diminution of their retirement benefits is the least we can do in recognition of their sacrifices to the country,” he pointed out.

Teodoro said that what sets the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) apart from the other uniformed branches is its mandate

of protecting the country’s sovereignty and territory,

“Finally, allow me to stress the substantial distinction of the AFP from all other uniformed personnel. The AFP performs a sui generis mandate emanating from the 1987 Constitution: to secure the sovereignty of the Philippines and the integrity of our national territory,” he added.

And despite similarity in uniforms and ranks with other uniformed branches, Teodoro said there is no “uniformity in terms of the nature of their duties and responsibilities.”

“The risks they (AFP) face and the multifarious roles they play in nationbuilding and in times of crisis are well known. Furthermore, they receive no additional financial support from local government units, unlike some of the other services. They are

governed by strict rules of military law from the moment they first train until the last day of their service,” Teodoro pointed out.

Other important provisions include guaranteed 3 percent salary increase annually of all MUP, two separate pension management systems, one for AFP and one for civilian uniformed personnel; 50 percent indexation for MUP; and creation of a window in the pension fund system for disadvantaged pensioners.

Another agreed-upon provision is the “phased in contribution” of five percent for the first three years, seven percent for the next three years, and nine percent thereafter for active personnel; while new entrants will contribute nine percent of their base and longevity pay for their pension.

There also will be a larger government counterpart contribution to complete the 21

License card. . .

Continued from A3

percent contribution.

This means that the government will contribute 16 percent for the pension of those in active service during the first three years, 14 percent during the fourth to sixth year, and 12 percent for the seventh year and onwards.

Government contribution for new entrants will be at 12 percent.

“The AFP continues to obtain the highest approval, satisfaction, and trust ratings. Adding to their burdens will only serve to distract them from focusing on their crucial mission,” he added.

Teodoro earlier said that efforts are now underway to create the“structure”that will handle the retirement trust funds of military personnel.

But he also admitted that creating such a system from the ground up is a difficult task.

Rex Anthony Naval

Senate bill pitches protection of BPO workers’ rights, welfare

By Butch Fernandez

ASSERTING it is time to protect the rights and welfare of workers in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, Senator Lito Lapid is asking Congress to frontload passage of Senate Bill No. 2235, or BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act of 2023, to address working conditions of some 1.3 million BPO workers employed by 1,000 companies.

In filing the long awaited remedial legislation, Lapid reminded since its establishment in the country, the laws governing the BPO industry have not adequately adapted to meet its increasing demands, leading to various challenges.”

As a result, the lawmaker lamented that BPO employees find themselves at the mercy of a results-oriented industry.

Citing negative feedbacks reaching his office, Lapid noted reports that “this situation exposed them to high levels of stress due to heavy workloads and stringent performance standards,” adding that “they also face insufficient breaks and sudden changes in shift schedules.”

He was also informed that “in an intensely competitive work environment, the health and safety of BPO employees have been compromised due to unrealistic expectations.”

At the same time, the senator observed that the BPO industry in the country has expanded and recorded great growth in the past two decades.

The Philippines, he noted, appears to be the global leader in the BPO sector because “Filipinos are known to be good at work, friendly and have lower wages compared to developed countries abroad.”

Moreover, the senator added that Filipinos have been “recognized around the world for their high English proficiency level, so they are preferred by BPO companies for their voicebased services, such as customer support and telemarketing.”

“Even though there was an outbreak of Covid-19 around the world, the BPO industry has been a great help in providing jobs and promoting the country’s economy,” Lapid noted.

He, however, said that “despite this, the rights of BPO workers are still not given protection,” especially as demand continue

to increase and they are stuck in the resultsoriented industry.

“We need to ensure that there are proper standards for workers in the BPO sector, including humane treatment as well as ensuring that there are adequate benefits, privileges and comfortable working conditions in companies,” he said.

As provided in the Lapid bill, BPO companies shall be mandated to uphold the rights and benefits of their workers under the Labor Code.

“Abusive language, physical violence or any act which debases the dignity of a person shall not be used against the employee,” the bill stated.

The measure will prohibit understaffing or overloading by ensuring that the “ratio of BPO worker to client quota or quantitative targets shall be such as to reasonably effect a sustained quality of service at all times without overworking the workers.”

Moreover, the Lapid bill also mandates the regularization of BPO workers and upholds their rights to “self-organization and participate in democratic exercises,” among others.

established that it had the lowest calculated bid for the deal and that it passed the legal, financial, and technical specifications of the subject project.

F urthermore, Hipolito said the LTO

“failed to fully disclose to petitioner the context of the latter’s alleged delays in performing its contracts with the BSP amounting to at least 10 percent of the contract price, effectively depriving it to file meaningful protest, by refusing to share with petitioner the BSP letters.”

H e likewise questioned the urgency on the part of the LTO to deny the request for consideration of Allcard, having the request denied in just a day—far from the “sevenday period given by law.”

“ Considering the substantial amount involved in the assailed procurement contract, and the financial as well as reputational prejudice that the petitioner stands to suffer and the extreme urgency considering the procurement project timeline involved in this case, petitioner’s Application for the issuance of Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) is hereby granted,” Hipolito said.

T he LTO “assures its commitment in adhering to the legal process.”

“Right now, we are consulting and coordinating with the Department of Transportation, particularly on the aspect of cushioning the impact of the court’s decision to our clients,” the LTO said.

“We hope that this issue would be addressed in the soonest possible time because it is the Filipino people who would certainly suffer from a prolonged legal battle.”

T he Philippines is in the midst of what government officials describe as a “card crisis,” after the previous administrators of the LTO failed to procure the supply of plastic cards for driver’s licenses for 2022.

The DOTr stepped in help the LTO procure the plastic cards, fast-tracking the process as the shortage mounted to hundreds of thousands in the first few months of the issue.

B anner was supposedly required to supply the LTO with a total of 5.2 million cards. Within the first 60 days, Banner has to deliver 1 million cards and 1.5 million each every 60 days.

Our

Time

Tuguegarao seniors, PWDs learn disaster awareness and response

Indigent seniors in Davao get pension ‘in advance’

By Che Palicte

DAVAO CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Davao Region (DSWD-11) is distributing in advance to 66,702 indigent senior citizens here their social pension for six months, from July to December 2023.

By Villamor Visaya Jr.

TUGUEGARAO CITY—Se-

nior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) were trained to increase their awareness and readiness when volcano, earthquake, and tsunami hazards strike and how to properly mitigate the impacts during the Disaster Resilience Forum at a mall here over the weekend.

Senior citizens and PWDs are some of the most vulnerable sectors in disasters as they mostly lack knowledge and experience, aside from being generally immobilized by geologic and hydrometeorological hazards, according to Charmaine Villamil, Disaster Risk Reduction Communications Specialist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Villamil urged participants to obtain information only from verified sources to become disasterready and informed.

“Through this forum, you are better prepared for unforeseen events,” she told the 700 elderly and PWD participants. Dr. Ted Esguerra, a rescue and survival expert, shared essential and practical survival tips tailored to the needs of senior citizens and PWDs.

The participants were taught how to drop and take cover during earthquakes, follow outdoor safety protocols and take shelter in safe places, and follow flooding and evacuation protocols during typhoons.

The forum was a joint effort of the Office of Civil Defense, Department of Science and Technology, Phivolcs and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The forum was supposed to be held in July to mark National Disaster Resilience Month but was reset due to the onslaught of Typhoon Egay. PNA

In an interview with Philippine News Agency on Wednesday, DSWD11 social marketing unit information officer Ezri Coda Jr. said the ongoing August 7 to 18 payout targets the senior ciitizens in the city’s three districts. The number of beneficiaries per district are as follows: 17,579 (District 1), 21,682 (District 2), and 27,441 (District 3).

“It is P500 per month, and they

will receive P3,000 for six months,” Coda said. Under Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, eligible senior citizens will receive P500 social pension per month distributed quarterly.

However, based on the Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 17, series of 2022, the release of the social pension was changed to twice a year instead of every quarter.

Coda said the semestral social pension payout will help ensure that vulnerable seniors receive essential aid, contributing to their well-being and quality of life.

“As the distribution period commences, eligible senior citizens are encouraged to visit the designated payout centers to claim their financial support,” he said. PNA

700 Pasay pensioners receive ‘ayuda’ via LandBank card

PASAY CITY—Over 700 senior citizens from this city received financial aid from the national government through cash cards distributed by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) on July 29, 2023 at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Social Pension Program under the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) Program each received P3,600 worth of cash assistance credited to their LandBank Cash Cards.

Pensioners who are also beneficiaries of DSWD’s Targeted Cash Transfer (TCT) Program received an additional P2,000 each, for a total of P5,600 worth of cash assistance.

“In partnership with DSWD, LandBank continues to ramp up

The power of the five senses

crease your risk for ear infections, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

By Nick Tayag

my sixty-zen’s WORtH

IHAVE been watching crime investigation documentaries lately and I find some of them engrossing because it keeps my mind working. It’s just like putting together 100 tiny pieces of a big picture puzzle. But what I have noted is that when investigators would talk to people near the crime scene, the common response is: I didn’t see anything unusual or I didn’t hear anything out of the normal.

What I also find dismaying is when they have varying versions of how the suspect looked like or what he was wearing. Some witnesses can’t even point to the suspect when he stands among other men in a police lineup. One witness says he heard screams but he couldn’t tell where the screams were coming from or whether they’re shrieks of frolicking teen-agers or screams for help from a woman in dire danger, and so he didn’t bother calling the police.

If we were witnesses to a crime, most of us probably would be unreliable. Why? Because of our poor sense of sight and hearing.

This is true in my case. I don’t wear glasses but now I’ve noticed

that my sight is weaker than before. Is this due to aging? Or abuse? Maybe it’s time for me to see the eye doctor.

Lately I have been having problems with my sense of hearing. In particular, my left ear is not picking up sounds and voices as sharply as it should be. Most of the time, the sounds I get from my left ear are muted or muffled. Sometimes I have trouble understanding spoken words.

Why am I talking about my problematic senses? It’s because I’m afraid we are not using them fully and properly. Remember the mantra about muscles: use them or lose them?

We take them for granted most of the time and abuse them many times. The world in which we live in and the way we live contribute to the gradual de-construction of our senses.

Excessive screen time is harming the eyes of young people. Unlimited or excessive amount of screen time causes side effects like eye irritation, fatigue, blurred vision, and more. Wearing headphones or ear pods all day can in-

Because people are eating too fast and too much their sense of taste has been so dulled they find all dishes tasting flat. Their solution: sauces and condiments, lots of it, and the spicier the better.

They say that 75 percent of knowledge comes to us visually, 13 percent comes through hearing and 12 percent comes through smell, taste and touch. While most would probably say that sight is the most important sense and next is hearing, we should not forget about our other senses too quickly. Each one of our five senses is important.

For instance, consider the skin, which contains the receptors for touch. Do you realize that this is the largest sensory organ of the human body, accounting for more than a tenth of the body’s weight? Taste is perhaps the most under-used of all our senses; we have about 10,000 taste-bud receptors on our tongue.

It seems Western societies are more highly focused on vision than other senses. You will note that the English vocabulary is more detailed in describing visual impressions than the vocabulary to describe impressions from the other senses.

But other cultures give more importance to the other senses. We Filipinos have various ways of describing taste: mapait, matamis, mapakla, ma-anghang, maasim, maalat and

the disbursement of cash aid to vulnerable sectors. We will ensure the efficient and timely distribution of financial assistance in support of the government’s inclusive development agenda,” said LandBank President

so on. Turkish and Farsi cultures are particularly good at expressing differences in taste, and languages such as Dogul Dom spoken in Mali are particularly good at expressing differences in touch.

Instead of arguing which sense is more important, why not treat each one properly and with care? Beyond that, why not develop them to the fullness of their capacity? Just like

and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz.

Beneficiaries can conveniently withdraw their “ayuda” from any of the 2,951 LandBank ATMs and 2,632 ATMs of 7-Eleven convenience stores in selected areas in the country.

the dishes looked. I think this also affected my enthusiasm to do anything throughout the episode. In the native parlance, “walang kaganagana” (lacks enthusiasm). My inner drive came back only when those two senses became almost normal again. After that, I never took my senses for granted.

Social pensioners can likewise use their LandBank Cash Cards to make cashless purchases via Pointof-Sale (POS) terminals in participating stores, such as drugstores and groceries, as well as transact with the Bank’s Agent Banking Partners (ABPs) located in remote areas. As the main distribution arm of financial assistance of the national government, LandBank has disbursed a total of P35.4 billion worth of cash grants to DSWD beneficiaries for the first half of the year. LandBank is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month, representing six decades of uplifting lives, empowering communities, and serving the nation—all in pursuit of an inclusive and sustainable economy.

to live fuller, richer lives—and, ultimately, how to move through the world with more vitality and the sense of surprise and wonder. One more thing, none of our senses is an island. Each one of them works better in coordination and cooperation with others. Make them work together in synergy.

the fact that we used only 10 percent of our brain capacity, we barely use the power that is respectively innate in our five senses.

Enhancing the ability of all our five senses can help us find and release our hidden enthusiasm and drive. Sometime ago when the Covid-19 pandemic was raging, our immediate family was mildly infected. In my case, my sense of smell and taste were impaired. I couldn’t enjoy our meals no matter how delicious

This is what author Gretchen Rubin has also discovered. One day, after a visit to her eye doctor, she realized that she’d been overlooking a key element of happiness: her five senses. She’d spent so much time stuck in her head that she’d allowed the vital sensations of life to slip away, unnoticed. This epiphany lifted her from a state of foggy preoccupation into a world rediscovered by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. So she has written a book entitled “Live life in 5 senses.” It is an open invitation to start living a life of more energy, creativity, and joy by tuning in to the five senses.

If we get the author’s point, we can start to appreciate the richness and diversity of our sensory abilities in a new way. We can be grateful that we have all of our senses and that they give us the power to perceive life in diverse ways.

It is up to each of us to discover and find ways to heighten our senses and use our powers of perception

Every moment is an opportunity to cultivate your senses. When you are in conversations, be more mindful of the words and pauses. What is said or unsaid may mean more. When you eat new dishes, be more acutely discerning of the array of rich tastes that your tongue and your nose are discovering for you. Do it with the mindfulness of a wine connoisseur or sommelier who can often identify the quality of a wine by smelling it, tasting it and feeling the texture with his seasoned tongue. So next time you say “this is delish and scrumptious” you really mean it.

With your heightened senses, you will see people beginning to benefit from your presence. They will be drawn to you because they will sense the vitality, zest, and cheeriness oozing out of your inner self. They will be fascinated by your discovery of aspects of living they’re missing because of their poorly developed senses.

The truism “seeing is believing” may no longer be enough for you if you wield the power of sharpened senses. It now makes more sense if you can also hear, touch, smell and taste it. There’s nothing like five senses working together as one!

Guests and participants in the Disaster Resilience Forum show their emergency bags containing a flashlight, foldable knife and a disaster manual distributed after the event at sM City tuguegarao on August 5, 2023. A total of 700 senior citizens and persons with disabilities were trained in disaster and calamity awareness and response. PNA Photo by Vill Amor VisAyA Jr.

InDIGent senior citizens in Barangay salapawan, Paquibato District in Davao City, show their social pension aid of P3,000 for the July to December 2023 period during the payout on August 9, 2023. the ongoing payout started on August 7 and will end on August 18 targeting around 66,702 seniors in the city’s three districts. Photo courtesy of DsWD-11

LAnDBAnK distributes cash cards loaded with financial assistance to over 700 beneficiaries of the DsWD at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

La Salle GH students victorious in 2023 Intl History Olympiad

World Championships, which covered all world history topics.

“Competing at the International History Olympiad was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m so happy all the effort paid off! The endorsement of the IAC gives you an idea of the prestige involved,” commented Beltran.

Mike Policarpio

US, Phil. HEIs to offer exchange programs on disaster resilience

Jose Iñigo Beltran and Carlos Sebastian Santos made a commitment to lead the world with the breadth and depth of their vast knowledge of history. That just happened at the 2023 International History Olympiad in Rome from July 23 to 30.

Proving that the Philippines can compete at the highest level, the dynamic duo took on 39 students in the Varsity Division, who were among 259 participants from leading schools and academies in 33 cities around the world. Both came away with a slew of medals that would make them leading contenders on the global stage.

KodeGo

KODEGO, Globe’s 917Ventures’ innovative online tech boot camp, is c harting a new course for Filipino women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by providing o pportunities addressing gender disparity in local employment.

T he country currently exhibits a 22-percent gender-based disparity in the STEM labor force—the largest in Southeast Asia, based on a study by professional n etworking platform LinkedIn. Although women make up 58.8 percent of employees in non-STEM fields, this figure dramatically falls to a mere 36.3 percent within t he STEM sectors.

KodeGo’s mission of democratizing education for all is proving to be instrumental in the said context, as it equalizes opportunities for women in these r apidly evolving and highly sought-after disciplines.

The online boot camp has a curriculum patterned after in-demand tech skills and soft skills sought by companies. Shortterm tech-related courses include “FullStack Web Development,” “UX Design,” and “WordPress Development.”

Seeing an ever-increasing number of women enrolling in its programs, KodeGo has hiked the quantity of boot camps it offers. Currently, women make up 26 percent of KodeGo’s student population, with a total of 572 as of June 2023. It is a testament to the growing female interest in traditionally male-dominated fields b ecause of KodeGo’s dedication to offering accessible, gender-neutral education.

KodeGo is deeply committed to addressing the glaring STEM gender-employment gaps in the country,” said Cristina Gervasio, KodeGo entrepreneur-inre sidence. “By providing quality training, we aim to empower Filipinos—no matter what their gender may be—so that they could be more competitive in the IT industry. We [see] a future where the tech w orld sees equal representation of genders, fostering innovation, diversity, and re silience.”

Recognizing that the most significant drop in female representation in the STEM labor force occurs between graduation and employment, KodeGo is boosting efforts to provide seamless transition for i ts graduates. By partnering with top-tier companies, it ensures graduates receive first-rate education and gain hands-on experience in real-world projects.

As an initiative under 917Ventures, KodeGo signifies the Globe Group’s ongoing commitment to improving the c aliber of Filipino software engineers and promoting gender equality in the tech sector. For more details about them and ways they are empowering women in STEM fields, visit www.kodego.ph and www.917ventures.com.

Their respective individual achievements included gold medals in “Roman History” and the “Knockout Varsity” event; silvers in “East Asian History,” “African & Middle Eastern History” and “Catholic History;” as well as bronzes in “Italian Military History” and “Popular Music History.”

As a tandem, Beltran and Santos finished third at the “Hextathlon” event, which consisted of six different types of quizzes. At the close of the tournament, the former won individual sixth place in the headline event: the “Varsity Division of the International History Bee”

EDUCATORS SPEAK

He added that for him, the big prize was the Roman History Bee, but with Sebastian, “it’s been fantastic to walk away with so many medals. It was also an incredible opportunity to make so many new friends among this amazing community from across the world. We felt we represented the Philippines well!”

For Sebastian, it was an overall “fun and fulfilling experience,” as he was “happy to have competed with the best history students from around the world. It’s also nice being able to make new friends who share the same interest.”

The fate of math education in PHL

By Dr. Herman M. Lagon

MATHEMATICS education in the Philippines has been a cause for concern among educators and the nation.

As a math and physics professor, I aim to make these subjects engaging and enjoyable. But like many other teachers of the former subject, I face ongoing challenges. Traditional teaching methods and digital innovations struggle to captivate students, and the pandemic has further complicated the situation. Throughout the years, learners’ lack of foundational skills from Kindergarten to college has decreased their interest in math-related courses.

It is disheartening that the country ranks lowest in math performance, according to the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study or TIMSS 2019, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment or OECD-PISA 2018 assessments. To address this urgent issue, the Philippine educational system must implement comprehensive reforms in math education.

First and foremost, reducing the teacher-student ratio is crucial. Teachers can provide more individual attention by having fewer students in each class, enabling students to develop a deeper understanding of math concepts. Moreover, investing in teacher

training and offering competitive salaries will attract highly qualified educators who are passionate about improving math education. Equipping teachers with innovative teaching methods and providing necessary support is vital.

Another essential aspect is addressing infrastructure gaps in schools. Creating additional classrooms and well-equipped laboratories will allow students to have practical, hands-on experiences that ignite their interest in math. Building an environment that fosters active participation in learning is a significant investment in the future of math education.

To spark students’ interest in math, emphasizing real-world applications of mathematical concepts is vital. Making math relatable by connecting it to everyday life experiences cultivates curiosity and problem-solving skills. Integrating project-based learning and interactive activities helps students understand the practical significance of math. As such, vontinuous teacher training is also essential.

Strong administration and governance in educational institutions are equally important. Effective leadership plays a crucial role in shaping the success of math education. Administrators should prioritize math as a core subject, allocate resources wisely, and implement policies encouraging collaboration among teachers, students,

and parents.

Lastly, fostering partnerships between educational institutions and the private sector can drive transformative change. The business community can contribute through sponsorship programs, mentorship initiatives, and scholarships, providing students and teachers with additional resources and opportunities to enhance their mathematical abilities.

Improving math education in the country requires the collective effort of all stakeholders. Our shared responsibility is to ensure that future generations are equipped with the mathematical skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex world. With the recommendations, we can pave the way for a brighter future in math education.

Let’s embrace this challenge together and empower the next generation with the knowledge and passion for math that will shape our nation’s future success.

Dr. Lagon fondly describes himself as a “student of, and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and “why-driven” world that is grounded in social justice. He is a physics and math professor of Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology; an educational leadership student of University of St. La Salle; a retired principal of Ateneo; and an alumnus of the University of the Philippines, University of Iloilo, and Western Visayas State University.

TWO universities from the United States and the Philippines have tied-up to create innovative virtual-student exchanges on disaster resilience in local communities.

On July 28, visiting Santa Fe College president Dr. Paul Broadie and Urdaneta City University president Dr. Amihan April Alcazar signed the partnership agreement at the conclusion of a symposium on technical-vocational (tech-voc) education held from July 25 to 28 in Makati City.

The linkage will enable the two higher education institutions’ (HEIs) students to exchange knowledge and propose solutions that address urgent disaster-related challenges faced by their respective communities, such as hurricanes and typhoons. One such is “STEMTank 2023,” which will train Filipino students to design resilient community essentials like disaster-response shelters using 3-D printers.

The partnership agreement signing stemmed from the US

government-funded “Community College Administrator Program (CCAP):” a five-week program that enabled 21 Philippine tech-voc education delegates to discuss best practices and experiences in communitycollege operations and labor force development with US community college officials, legislative leaders, and senior policymakers in Florida last month.

“The CCAP is an exemplar of the evolving collaboration between US community colleges and Philippine post-secondary education sectors, which include both [HEIs and tech-voc] institutions,” Dr. Alcazar said.

“This year, we are celebrating 75 years of the Fulbright program, [as well as the incredible legacy of US-Philippine academic and professional exchanges. We are proud to be part of the success of CCAP, and look] forward to increased academic exchanges between our countries in the future,” Public Engagement Officer Pauline Anderson of the US Embassy said.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand

R. Marcos Jr. recently identified IT-BPM, or information technology-business processing management, as a key industry that makes the Philippines a “service export powerhouse,” and called for support to continue nurturing the sector’s growth.

To enable such, GoIT—Europe’s leading company for educational technology or “edtech”—is offering a new Quality Assurance (QA) testing course, which is perfect for beginners in the IT industry.

front-end development.”

Filipinos looking to maximize their opportunities and enter the IT industry can take the new QA testing course of GoIT. It is fully online with synchronous classes held every evening, led by a team of highly qualified local mentors who are established Filipino professionals working for major IT companies in the country and in the world.

AUGUST 14, 2023 was historic in the annals of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), as it launched its first-ever undergraduate program in its 55 years of existence.

Known for providing postgraduate degrees with an Asian focus since 1968, AIM has forayed into the undergraduate realm with a groundbreaking transnational double-degree program in Data Science, Business Administration and Management Information Systems with the Univ. of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business.

The introduction of the revolutionary first-of-its-kind program to the region was made possible through the invaluable support of the Commission on Higher Education’s commissioner Dr. Prospero E. De Vera towards the vision of AIM president and dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang; C.T. Bauer dean Dr. Paul Pavlou; and AIM’s Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship—all of whom addressed

the new students during the convocation on the said date.

The program features a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Business Administration or BSDSBA from AIM, and a Bachelor of Business Administration Major in Management Information Systems or BBAMIS from the Univ. of Houston.

Data Science and Business Administration, coupled with a Management Information Systems degree, is the “ultimate solution to address future requirements for commerce and enterprise, as well as set the foundations

upon which the institute pursues its mission to lead, inspire, and transform Asian businesses and societies,” according to a statement from AIM. As such, the institute continues to be at the forefront of quality education and celebrates its introduction of undergraduate programs with the debut of this course. AIM welcomed the first undergraduate cohort of 50 brilliant students who graduated with exemplary honors and awards. Its discerning requirements for the program saw the acceptance of the final class of students who achieved top-level academics, received distinctions for special awards and competitions, and were part of their schools’ honor rolls.

Donna Faith Go and Fianna Velasco represented the incoming class during the event. They will rally their classmates and highlight their roles as pioneers of this trailblazing program.

There remains plenty of opportunity in the sector, even for those who have zero background in coding and programming, according to GoIT group’s head of growth Khrystyna Gankevych.

For one, QA analysts do not require advanced knowledge in mathematics and web development, but are vital to any IT firm. They have the crucial task of checking software, ensuring they are working correctly, and finding possible issues.

A QA analyst can also fetch competitive salaries...that reach up to P35,000 every month, according to recent numbers from JobStreet.com.

“Being a QA analyst is the fastest way to get into IT without having advanced knowledge in programming or mathematics,” Gankevych explained. “As [one], you get the chance to work with big IT companies, and even make the transition to bigger roles in the future, such as in Web development or

Students will learn not only the basics of testing, but also the levels and types of the ones encountered in the line of work. The course will also help develop some of the soft skills expected of a QA analyst such as teamwork, time management, and communication acumen.

Since its launch earlier this year, GoIT has been training newly minted IT professionals in the Philippines through its Fullstack course. So far, more than 3,000 people have attended GoIT’s webinars—with the first batch of Fullstack course completers introduced to the IT industry back in June.

“The Filipino talent is unique, and has been instrumental in the IT industry all around the world,” said Gankevych, who hopes to encourage more Filipinos to explore a fulfilling career in IT.

“We are here to equip Filipinos with the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in IT, and the goal is that our Filipino students will make significant contributions to their country’s IT sector.”

FOR two young schoolboys from La Salle Green Hills (LSGH), planning for the future meant learning from the past…

JOSE IÑIGO BELTRAN (left) and Carlos Sebastian Santos with their medals and plaques from the 2023 International History Olympiad in Rome, Italy where they bested 259 participants from 33 cities worldwide.

AIM president and dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang (standing) greets freshmen of the institute’s newest double-degree program.

Tourism Editor: Edwin P. Sallan

SOJOURN IN KRAKOW

DIScOveRINg the hIDDeN gemS Of POlAND’S fORmeR

cAPItAl

After exploring the Baltic countries, I found myself back in Poland for the next leg of my trip. I started in Warsaw, but now I was eager to reach my next destination, Krakow, the country’s official capital until 1596. I made a rough mental list of the places I’ll visit. Like in other circumstances in new cities I planned to visit, I kept an open mind. I checked both my paper and e-ticket for the time and train I needed to board. As the train stopped and opened its doors, I boarded and was on my way.

Wandering in the Old Town

As in many European cities, Krakow has a charming old town showcasing its history, culture, and architecture. As you walk towards market square, the Cloth Hall and s t . Mary’s Basilica will grab your attention. The Cloth Hall has a history that spans six centuries when it teemed with traders. Today, it’s home to many shops, a vestige of its former self during ancient times. s t . Mary’s Basilica’s fetching

FRESH BEGINNINGS

interiors consist of stained-glass windows and a detailed altarpiece.

T he Wawel Castle complex provides visitors with an impression of the royal court’s lives. This 16th century relic is now a museum where tourists can visit the Royal Private Apartments and s t ate Rooms just to name a few. Inside the rooms I found elaborate décor, detailed tapestries, and paintings. I walked into the Wawel Cathe -

dral, which was also within the castle grounds. The cathedral dates to the 11th century. It underwent many renovations over the centuries; its current Gothic-inspired appearance dates to the 1710s. Many of Poland’s heroes, royalty, and prominent people are buried in the cathedral’s crypts.

Schindler’s List

I s AW t he movie Schindler’s List some years ago. When I found out that the factory Oskar s c hindler used to save more than a thousand Jews was now a museum, I decided to visit. The complex isn’t just about Schindler’s List , but also historical events revolving around Krakow’s German occupation and World War II. The museum contains recreated exhibits (even sounds) of those times. In one of the rooms, I saw the desk used during the filming of the movie and a cube filled with products made in the factory.

Makati Shangri-La reopens its doors

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

While many businesses were closed permanently because of the pandemic, this “popular landmark” remained standing right smack within the hustle and bustle of Manila’s business district, Makati City—prompting not a few to wonder if re-opening was only a matter of time.

On August 8, 2023, at precisely 8:08AM and around two years after its last guests have checked out and diners have settled their bills, Makati Shangri- l a r e-opened its doors and welcomed back its guests with the promise of its familiar luxurious accommodations, superior service, and trademark warm hospitality.

“When you come back to the hotel, in Makati Shangri- l a there are elements of familiarity,” hotel manager Udo Wittich told B usiness M irror

Guests and diners will be familiarized with the award-winning hotel’s known heartfelt service yet anticipate a new and elevated stay experience.

“We will cherish the moments we’ve had in the past by creating new memories and moving to the future,” Wittich enthused.

A strong comeback

The hotel’s reopening is a symbol of its fresh beginnings, said Wittich, and since its temporary closure as a result of the pandemic’s devastating impact to the economy, things have since gradually improved for the better not just for the

hospitality and tourism industries but for businesses as a whole.

As the Shangri- l a b rand in general and Makati Shangri- l a i n particular have always been regarded as iconic brands, it’s no surprise that there has always been a popular clamor for its re-opening. Many believed that a strong comeback is not just a question of if, it was a matter of when.

Now that it’s back, the more things change, the more they also stayed the same. From the moment you enter Makati Shangri- l a ’s driveway to stepping onto the lobby lounge, Wittich said they added and restored the landscape to provide a fresh look for the hotel. i n the reception area, guests will be cordially greeted the old-fashioned way even as they can now opt for an online check-in process for a fast and seamless transaction.

Aside from these small but significant changes to the hotel, Makati Shangri- l a now also boasts of adjusted offerings for the guests, spanning accommodations and amenities, dining destinations, entertainment, and incorporating sustainability.

Strategically located in Manila’s premier financial and commercial district, Makati Shangri- l a o ffers the h o rizon Club Business Room, the first-of-its-kind in the Philippines, to provide business travelers and staycationists a place to work away from their office or home.

i n every luxurious h o rizon Club Business Room, relaxation meets productivity.

Remembering a Dark Past

I’v E o nly heard and read about Auschwitz-Birkenau when I was still a student. s i nce I was in Krakow, I finally had the chance to visit and see the concentration camp in person. I booked a guided tour to get in-depth explanations and anecdotes about the memorial and museum. The trip was an emotionally heavy experience. I felt similar feelings when I visited the Killing Fields and Tuol s l eng in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was a mind-boggling experience to hear about the deception and murder the Nazis systematically implemented on the Jews. Our group moved from one section of the concentration camp to another. Other than tour groups, the eerie and empty roads and buildings made thinking about the atrocities more harrowing. We went to exhibits of clothes, furniture, household

items, and shoes the victims left behind. The Nazis also cut the hair of victims they planned to profit from. Our guide took us to living quarters and illustrated the squalid condition of those imprisoned in Auschwitz. We also went to the gas chambers and walls where escaping prisoners were shot. The entire museum wanted to make a point, learn from the past and never forget.

Exploring Wieliczka

I COMBINE d a day trip to AuschwitzBirkenau with the Wieliczka s a lt Mine. I was looking forward to visiting the salt mine after a heave experience of learning more about the victims of the Nazis in Poland. The salt mine is a UNE s C O World Heritage s i te and was a major source of income during ancient times. Our group had to walk down several flights of stairs and go through passageways to explore the

different chambers. The latter contained recreated tools and machines that enabled workers to move salt from the mine to the surface. What I found striking was the sculptures and murals made of salt. The details in works of (salt) art such as the Last s u pper, Pope John Paul II, biblical scenes, crucifixes, chapels, and depictions of royalty were eye-catching. Krakow is a noteworthy destination that I was glad I included in my itinerary when I traveled around Central and Eastern Europe. This Polish city retained its old-world charm with its renovation of its cultural and historic landmarks and monuments. The architectural gems such as the s t . Mary’s Basilica, the old town, Wawel Castle and Cathedral, as well as the Wieliczka s a lt Mine and even Auschwitz, are vestiges of the country’s storied past and the reasons tourists visit.

an ergonomic chair. But what makes this remote work-friendly nook are its modern electronics, such as dual-screen 4K monitors to connect devices, a wireless mouse, keyboard, speakerphone, mobile stands, and fast-charging cable adaptors to complete tasks efficiently. This conducive setup is every working person’s dream.

“We are trying to touch on the business needs of international travelers and local businessmen to make the best of the time of their stay,” said Wittich.

To achieve that sought-after “work-life balance,” the hotel’s amenities await.

i n the h o rizon Club l o unge, a view of Makati and nearby cities’ skyline and greeneries will enchant its guests after a day of work, or even continue working from there while having some snacks.

i n Makati Shangri- l a ’s h e alth Club, guests can let off steam by exercising using the hotel’s state-of-the-art weight training and cardiovascular training systems. Tensions from working can also be released through personal relaxation in the jacuzzi and cold plunge. Need more time to spend outside and breathe some fresh air? Fret not because the outdoor pool, children’s pool, and tennis courts are also ready for those who want to try outdoor activities.

The Spa at the Shangri- l a , meanwhile, will provide the ultimate relaxation experience in the first quarter of 2024.

Gastronomic indulgence

M A KAT i S hangri- l a ’s acclaimed dining outlets have also reopened, reintroduced

a range of Asian and Western cuisine, and updated the menu’s food offerings.

Guests can expect the usual excellent dining and service, completing the gastronomical experience. The hotel’s iconic l o bby l o unge, which was the first to reopen, offers light snacks and refreshments while feasting their eyes with the relaxing green sceneries of the revamped hotel gardens, giving that familiar feel to the guests.

To accompany the afternoon tea sessions in the lounge, an orchestra will provide live entertainment from Friday to Sunday, said Wittich.

For the business community who wants to conduct a productive and distraction-free meeting at the lounge, a three-piece orchestra will give a more relaxed and quiet feel to the atmosphere

from Monday to Thursday. Wittich said they will have a pianist and a three-piece band in the evening.

Shang Palace, the hotel’s Cantonese dining staple, is headed by a new Chinese executive chef with more than 17 years of experience in Chinese fine dining cuisine.

i t f eatures a brand-new menu with eight new signature dishes highlighting the very best of Cantonese cuisine.

Meanwhile, Sage, the hotel’s signature grill restaurant, returns with an elegant look and an updated menu curated by an Argentinian chef with a culinary approach that prioritizes repurposing and sustainably sourcing quality ingredients.

For starters, guests can enjoy signature beverages such as the handcrafted Sage Martini using the hotel’s blend of vermouth and sherry infused with sage.

To perfectly cap off the dinner, the “digestive” Sage Negroni can be savored as well. Also, the hotel’s events and banqueting spaces reopened to make events and banquets significant and more memorable. At the same time, the Circles e v ent Cafe and Sage Bar are also slated to reopen in the upcoming months.

l a stly, in a move toward sustainability, Makati Shangri- l a for instance, foregone single-use toiletries and now uses dispensers, and shifted to wooden key cards and pens made of bamboo to reduce single-use plastic usage in the hotel. They will also embrace a garden-totable approach to produce by using the garden at the patio to cultivate herbs and vegetables to be used in such food and beverage offerings.

With report from Edwin P. Sallan

Story & photos by Joshua Berida

Shangri-La, Manila exterior shot at dusk

Manila, Grand Lobby

Amazon to roll out generative AI feature summarizing product reviews

By Haleluya Hadero Associated Press

AMAZON is rolling out a new generative AI feature that summarizes product reviews for customers.

The feature, which the company began testing earlier this year, is designed to help shoppers determine at a glance what other customers said about a product before they spend time reading through individual reviews. It will pick out common themes and summarize them in a short paragraph on the product detail page.

The company wrote in a blog post published Monday that the AI-generated reviews are now available to a subset of mobile shoppers in the U.S. across a “broad” selection of products. And it may be expanded to more shoppers and additional categories of products in the “coming months” based on customer feedback, said Vaughn Schermerhorn, Amazon’s director of community shopping.

The Seattle-based company has been looking for ways to integrate more artificial intelligence into its product offerings as the generative AI race heats up among tech companies. Amazon hasn’t released its own high-profile AI chatbot or imaging tool. Instead, it’s been focusing on services that will allow developers to build their own generative AI tools on its cloud infrastructure AWS.

Earlier this year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in his letter to shareholders that generative AI will be a “big deal” for the company. He also said during an earnings call with investors last week that “every single one” of Amazon’s businesses currently has multiple generative AI initiatives underway, including its devices unit, which works on products like the voice assistant Alexa.

In addition to the AI generated review, the company said Monday it will also offer a product insights feature that allows customers to surface common themes in reviews.

Strengths and weaknesses of video streaming platforms

documentaries on Netflix, but they think they were pretty much covered that department for now. If there’s anything I dislike about that Netflix, it’s their new policy on password sharing. I only share my password with one other person who is a family member. I would love to have the option of sharing with others.

Viu

AS a fan of films, it’s sad for me to see half-empty cinemas. Before the pandemic, I would watch (and pay for) an average of two movies a month. I love the feeling of buying tickets and snacks before the screening time. Things started to change even before the pandemic when streaming platforms became mainstream. I remember that my first Netflix “subscription” was courtesy of my former employer’s plan, and it was with US Netflix so I had to use a VPN. Now I have several subscriptions, just like most people do. So I am going to try to break them down and share what I like, and dislike about each platform.

Netflix

THERE is no doubt Netflix is user-friendly. Its interface is simple and pleasing to the eye. Netflix has a massive library of movies, TV shows and documentaries, but I mostly watch Korean dramas and anything related to food. When it comes to Korean dramas, they’re very updated so if only for that, I think my subscription is worth it. I would love to see more food shows and

Zero-party data gaining ground in PHL

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

THERE is a significant shift in the mindset of marketers in the Philippines regarding the phasing out of third-party cookies, according to cloud communications company Twilio.

The San Francisco-based company noted 94 percent of marketers are now more open to this impending shift, receiving the opportunity to strengthen trust among customers through the use of other data sources, particularly zero and firstparty data.

In the new consumer data revolution, it is critical that businesses rethink their approach to data to drive more impactful customer engagement,” said Nicholas Kontopoulos, vice president of

marketing, Asia Pacific and Japan, Twilio. “Trust is now the underpinning factor for success with the Filipino consumer, so brands need to be more transparent in communicating how they collect and use data to unlock meaningful value.”

According to the report “When Consumers Control Data: How to Build Trust and Succeed in the New Digital Era,” Filipino marketers possess a basic understanding of the positive value of first-party data, or those that are directly and voluntarily shared by customers. Among which include targeting the right customers (68 percent), providing more accuracy, flexibility, and control (68 percent), and better compliance with local data privacy laws (53 percent).

The study also observed that third-party

VIU was my second streaming platform subscription. It is very updated with Korean titles. There are people who complain that Viu’s interface isn’t very userfriendly, which I sort of agree with. However, I keep my subscription because I love their shows. They’ve also put out some original content, and, as a viewer, I appreciate that. Viu doesn’t update simultaneously with South Korea as Netflix does but a few hours’ delay is okay.

Disney+

OF course, we love Disney+ for the classic Disney animation movies. Let me tell you that I can watch Mulan over and over again. Disney+ also has Korean content, including documentaries about the lives of K-pop idols. I really love those. Is Disney+ worth subscribing to? If you’re the type who has FOMO and has no patience or inclination to watch content via nefarious means, then certainly yes.

Prime Video

PRIME Video is one of my most viewed platforms because it has many of my favorite American crime shows, including Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. In terms of depth, Prime Video has, from my perspective, the most watchable content. I could spend hours on Prime Video if only I didn’t need to work.

HBO Go

I STARTED my HBO Go subscription because I wanted to watch Euphoria and I ended up watching so many other shows and movies. I like HBO Go because its content is really premium. It’s the only streaming platform with shows like Game of Thrones, Succession, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon , and And Just Like That

iQIYI

THIS streaming platform has Korean and Chinese content. I am seldom on here but iQIYI has some really good shows such as Exclusive Fairy Tale, Mr Bad, Love you seven times, and Resilience. If you’re a big fan of Chinese dramas and you want a platform where you can easily watch them, then iQIYI is for you.

YouTube Premium

OF all my subscriptions, this is my favorite and most used. My husband is on YouTube most of the time so watching without any ads is something he really enjoys. I know that the platform needs to make money to pay content creators, among other things, but I really have no patience.

For video quality, Netflix and YouTube Premium are the best. But every platform has something unique to offer and I love that even if a part of me wishes that people would still continue to watch movies in cinemas. Unlike the live entertainment scene, the movie industry has not yet recovered from the pandemic. I wish it would, especially the Filipino movie industry, which is very vibrant and exciting.

cookies have fueled skepticism in recent years as high-profile breaches shed light on data privacy concerns. Amid mounting regulatory and consumer pressure for better control and transparency around data sharing, major web browsers have phased out support for third-party cookies, with Google following suit by 2024.

While this created an initial panic in an advertising industry that has become cookiereliant, marketers in the Philippines now recognize the potential of zero-party data to build stronger consumer trust.

Zero-party data allows brands to customize marketing efforts based on each consumer’s preferences and motivations; improve services through consumer feedback on issues; and strengthen

relationships by creating a better sense of trust.

Majority of marketers in the Philippines (94 percent) are already collecting zero-party data through social media polls (73 percent), surveys (67 percent), and online registrations (67 percent), and this is a step in the right direction, given increased consumer expectations around consent and transparency.

While 55 percent of organizations in the Philippines feel more prepared to ride off to the third-party cookie sunset than they were in 2021, the challenges remain in consolidating zero and first-party data from various systems and platforms and overcoming consumer reluctance to share personal data. These challenges necessitate a more refined approach to the overall customer experience with a brand’s touchpoints.

PHOTO by cottonbro studio on Pexels

Should you make the switch to an eSIM?

carriers and activate new plans.

The Apple Watch Series 3, released in 2017, marked a significant milestone as the first mainstream device to incorporate eSIM technology. This advancement allowed users to connect their smartwatches to cellular networks without the requirement of a physical SIM card. Apple’s adoption of eSIM technology not only signaled a shift in the mobile landscape, but also set the stage for the wider adoption of eSIMs across various devices.

WHILE the iPhone might not always be the first to introduce new features and technologies compared to their Android counterparts, Apple has undoubtedly taken the lead in pioneering the art of subtraction. From the removal of the beloved headphone jack and excluding the wall charger, we may soon bid goodbye to the SIM card slot next.

Apple excels in making the once-familiar vanish from our tech landscape, but introducing the eSIM (embedded SIM) actually brings with it a host of benefits and could reshape how we connect and communicate.

SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards were first introduced in the early 1990s. These tiny chips held the key to mobile access, storing user information and network details. They ushered in an era of wireless communication, liberating us from the confines of landlines and enabling connectivity on the go.

The eSIM represents a natural progression in the world of mobile communication. Unlike traditional SIM cards, eSIMs are directly integrated into devices. This eliminates the need for physical card insertion and removal, making it a seamless experience for users to switch between

Save big with foodpanda’s Spectacular Grocery Sale

GET ready for the most anticipated event of the year as online food and grocery platform foodpanda unveils Groceries Day, an extraordinary three-day shopping extravaganza ongoing until tomorrow, August 20.

Whether you’re an existing foodpanda app user or a fresh face in the foodpanda family, Groceries Day is your ticket to indulge in an unmatched experience of incredible deals and discounts on a wide range of grocery items, exclusively available on the foodpanda app.

We are thrilled to announce Groceries Day, the biggest grocery sale of the season. This event is our way of giving back to our valued customers, offering them unparalleled savings and convenience in their grocery shopping experience,” says Danielle Eleazar, head of marketing at foodpanda Philippines. Groceries Day offers customers incredible deals and discounts across an assortment of grocery items on the foodpanda app. This fantastic opportunity also allows customers to revel in big savings, with discounts of up to 70 percent and an additional P300 discount using the code: GROCERDAY.

In a unique offering, a bunch of your favorite brands have come together to make Groceries Day an unforgettable experience. Some of these are Selecta and PepsiCo, serving up treats like Selecta’s Supreme Best Seller ice creams, Ruffles, Cheetos, FritoLay, Lay’s Truffle, and Quaker Oats. Par of this exciting lineup as well are Nature Spring, URC, Colgate and Palmolive.

For more information about Groceries Day, visit www.foodpanda.ph. Like and follow foodpanda’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok and Youtube.

One of the most compelling advantages of eSIM technology is its effortless activation. Activating an eSIM is as simple as scanning a QR code. Soon, users won’t even need to visit a store or handle physical cards to activate their mobile services. This streamlined process saves time and effort. With no physical card to lose or damage, eSIMs offer an added layer of security for users’ mobile identities and data.

Just like the Apple Watch, eSIM technology is not limited to smartphones. It’s a crucial enabler for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machineto-Machine (M2M) communication, allowing various devices to connect and communicate seamlessly.

The switch would also have a positive impact on the environment. By eliminating the need for physical SIM cards, eSIMs contribute to a reduction in electronic waste, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Now it seems that eSIMs are going to be even more mainstream as Smart Communications, Inc introduced the Philippines’ first prepaid eSIM.

The digital version of the physical SIM card, the eSIM allows for a quick and hassle-free way for mobile users to enjoy local data, call, and text. Users only have to simply scan the Smart Prepaid eSIM, which comes in the form of a unique QR code containing a Smart Prepaid account number, to connect to data, call, and text services.

Initially, the prepaid eSIM comes in the form of a printed card. But soon, subscribers will also have the option to receive their eSIM in digital form, such as via email or voucher. Because there’s no physical SIM card, eSIM users don’t have to worry about the lack of a SIM slot in their device as well as losing or damaging their main physical SIM.

The Smart Prepaid eSIM is perfect for mobile users who want to experience Smart’s fastest speeds and widest coverage without taking up a SIM slot in their handset. These include Apple device users who can now finally enjoy the convenience being able to switch between two or more accounts or SIM profiles in just one device.

The Smart Prepaid eSIM also holds tremendous value for both tourists and returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Travelers can bid farewell to the hassle of hunting for local SIM cards upon arrival. With the eSIM, they can activate local mobile services, promptly allowing them to stay connected, make calls, and send messages seamlessly, all while benefiting from affordable local rates.

Moreover, unlike roaming services that only cover mobile internet, the Smart Prepaid eSIM enables tourists to make calls and send text messages. Having a local eSIM also gives them access to local rates that are significantly more

affordable than roaming rates.

The Smart Prepaid eSIM is compatible with eSIM-capable devices, such as the latest flagship handsets of Apple, Google, Huawei, and Samsung, tablets, and smartwatches.

Just like the regular Smart Prepaid SIM, the eSIM version also comes with up to 21 GB free data, which subscribers can claim by first, activating and registering their eSIM; and second, by downloading the Smart GigaLife App to conveniently manage their prepaid account.

Subscribers who successfully activate and register their eSIM will get 5 GB free data, and those who download the GigaLife App shall enjoy additional 16 GB free data. The Smart Prepaid eSIM is available for only P99 in major airports, Smart Stores nationwide, accredited retailers, the Smart Online Store, and Smart flagship stores on Lazada and Shopee. All subscribers are required to register their Smart Prepaid eSIM at www.smart.com.ph/simreg.

Affordable unlimited prepaid internet

AS the new school year approaches and the cost of living continues to rise, finding cost-effective solutions becomes crucial for Filipino families. In today’s digital age, a reliable internet connection is more essential than ever, especially for educational purposes. Whether it’s staying connected for remote learning, accessing educational resources, or simply staying in touch, having a fast and dependable internet connection is a necessity.

This is why the new Smart Bro Home WiFi stands out as an option providing unlimited connectivity, making it an attractive choice for families seeking an affordable yet robust internet solution.

Smart Bro Home WiFi, ensures families can enjoy an uninterrupted internet experience without stretching their budget. For just P995, you can get the complete Smart Bro Home WiFi kit along with unlimited WiFi for an entire month—a substantial upgrade from the mere 50GB of data valid for 7 days offered by other prepaid WiFi services. This translates to more data over an extended period at a superior price point. Installation is hassle-free; simply plug it in and you’re good to go.

Registered Smart Bro Home WiFi users gain access to exclusive load offers via the Giga Life App. The new Famload All Access and Famload All Access+ packages offer ample data allocations for daily usage. For instance, Famload All Access 199 provides 1GB of all-access data daily, plus an extra 25GB for 7 days.

Famload All Access 299 offers 1GB all access every day + 50GB for 7 days, while Famload All Access 999 delivers 1GB all access every day + 100GB for 30 days.

Moreover, the New Famload All Access+ packages present an even more generous offering: Famload All Access+ 349 provides 2GB all access every day + 25GB for 7 days; Famload All Access+ 449 offers 2GB all access every day + 50GB for 7 days; and finally, Famload All Access+ 1149 extends 2GB all access every day + 100GB for 30 days.

These packages are thoughtfully designed to cater to families seeking to stay connected across multiple devices. Notably, the new Famload offers surpass the previous Famload Video and Famload Video Plus options and are exclusively available to registered Smart Bro Home WiFi subscribers via the Giga Life App.

The Smart Bro Home WiFi is available through the Smart Online Store, Lazada, Shopee, PLDTSmart stores, and telco tiangges. However, be aware that this limited-time offer is available only until September 30, 2023, and supplies are limited.

Whether you’re considering a backup internet connection or seeking a personal one, Smart Bro Home WiFi proves to be the intelligent choice for families wishing to remain connected and make the most of their digital lifestyle.

SAN FRANCISCO—Almost a week after the Apple faithful collectively gasped at the first evidence that the iPhone’s red “end call” button might soon be vacating its center position to take up residence one column to the right, it looks like it might have been mostly a false alarm.

The initial shock followed the release of last week’s test, or beta, version of iOS 17, the next major update of the iPhone’s operating software. That’s where users first saw the end-call button, which has traditionally lived in splendid isolation centered well below function buttons such as “mute,” “keypad” and “speaker,” instead joining its peers and taking a more assimilated position in the lower righthand corner of a six-button block.

Now, though, images of the latest iOS 17 beta shared by multiple media sites shows the red button right back in the center of the phone dialpad, pretty close to where it’s long staked out its territory. But it’s still not alone; now it’s in the second row, center seat of that six-button block, where it appears to be daring you to try hanging up without also opening the keypad or accidentally adding another participant to your call.

To be fair, it’s always difficult to draw firm conclusions from beta software releases, which are intended both to help engineers hunt down bugs and to gauge user reaction to changes large and small. So they’re a bit experimental by nature, and some experiments fare better than others. AP

‘Phew:’ The iPhone ‘hang up’ button might not be moving much after all

The World

China’s state developers warn of major losses as crisis spreads

heavier provisions to write down asset values stemming from the housing woes. New-home prices fell for a second month in July, government figures showed this week, and Bloomberg reported the situation is even worse than the official data show.

Companies seeing losses include some of the biggest developers owned by the central government.

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

BEIJING—China’s yuan dipped briefly to a 16-year low against the dollar Thursday, raising questions about whether Beijing might weaken its currency to help struggling exporters and reverse a deepening economic slump.

The yuan is allowed to fluctuate up or down 2 percent from its government-set starting price each day in tightly controlled trading. That prevents wide daily swings, but down days can add up to a big change over time.

Eighteen out of 38 state-owned enterprise (SOE) builders listed in Hong Kong and the mainland reported preliminary losses in the six months ended June 30, up from 11 that warned of full-year losses in 2022, according to a Bloomberg tally based on corporate filings. Two years ago, only four firms with controlling or major state shareholdings posted losses.

The warnings signal state builders are no longer immune from the two-year housing slump that has weakened the economy and triggered dozens of defaults by private peers, with

speculation that Country Garden Holdings Co. may be next. It also dims the ability of SOEs to support the market by taking over incomplete projects to ensure they are delivered to homebuyers.

“China’s property slowdown is already hurting all developers, including the large governmentlinked ones,” said Zerlina Zeng, senior credit analyst at CreditSights Singapore. “We do not expect the situation to materially improve in the second half.”

In their warnings, some of the state-owned developers cited declining gross profit margins and

Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town Co. warned of a loss of as much as 1.7 billion yuan ($233 million), partly due to a marketing strategy to speed up home sales. That followed a loss in the second half of last year, which was its first since its 1997 listing.

Players in economically stronger cities are also suffering. Everbright Jiabao Co., operated by a local state asset manager in Shanghai’s Jiading district, said it expects its first ever half-year loss since its listing.

Still, the loss warnings aren’t necessarily all doom and gloom for state developers, according to Bloomberg Intelligence credit

analyst Andrew Chan, who says it’s natural that they would write down their inventories to reflect the slump in values.

“SOEs could be kitchen-sinking their results for better years ahead,” Chan said. “The key is whether they can still receive liquidity support from banks. For smaller SOE developers, it will be a case-by-case situation.”

But losses will reduce their scope to take on unfinished projects left by defaulted private-sector firms, further denting homebuyer sentiment. Chinese regulators see asset sales as a key step to easing the debt crisis, as President Xi Jinping’s government largely steers clear of direct bailouts.

“Sector consolidation anyhow takes time,” CreditSights’ Zeng said. “Especially in a property downturn when acquirers, such as SOEs and asset management firms, are demanding better valuations and sellers are not willing to dispose at a deep discount.” Bloomberg News

As glaciers melt, study seeks protection of ecosystems that emerge in their place

GENEVA—A new scientific study published Thursday suggests the world should start preparing to protect the ecosystems that emerge from under the disappearing ice, as a warming planet is inevitably causing glaciers to melt. If nothing is done to stop global warming, the world could lose glaciers totaling the size of Finland by 2100. Even a best-case scenario— if the targets of the Paris Agreement to stop climate change are met—foresees glacier shrinkage the size of Nepal, according to the study published in the scientific journal Nature. The analysis from Swiss and French scientists adds to worries about glacier melt and a growing

call to step up efforts to protect the planet from climate change. In their research, the scientists say humans have grown to live with glaciers for millennia, and the worrying retreat of the ice cover—currently amounting to 10 percent of the Earth’s land surface—will require both action to stop it and adaptation for its impact.

Glaciers play a key role on the planet, by reflecting sunlight or providing fresh water for irrigation, power generation and consumption, says study co-author Jean-Baptiste Bosson, a FrenchSwiss glacier expert with the National Council for the Protection of Nature in Annecy, France.

He said work is being done to

slow down the retreat of glaciers, though it won’t be “decisive” in saving them.

“But after the glaciers (melt) not everything is lost,” Bosson said in an interview. “We especially need to protect the nature that will follow the glaciers: we need to protect the forests of tomorrow, the great lakes of tomorrow, the great fjords of tomorrow.”

The areas where glaciers once were will be “degraded” when the ice melts, Bosson said, adding that nature should be left to do its work: “There is a chance for ecosystems to rebound if we leave them space and time...nature itself will find solutions: It will capture carbon, purify fresh water, create habitats for biodiversity.”

Glacier retreat hit unprecedented high levels in Europe last year, especially in Switzerland.

The team behind the Nature study analyzed some 210,000 glaciers on Earth, not including the gigantic Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and found that glaciers covered some 665,000 square kilometers (257,000 square miles), about the size of Afghanistan, in 2020.

Depending on the different scenarios, which the experts slice up from worst-case to best-case, the world could lose between roughly 149,000 square kilometers (58,000 square miles) to some 339,000 square kilometers (131,000 square miles), by 2100. The team accounts for possible

The yuan slid to 7.32 to the dollar before recovering to 7.26 following what financial analysts said appeared to be buying by Chinese banks to support the currency. That made one yuan worth about 13.8 cents.

A weaker yuan helps exporters by making their goods cheaper abroad, but Beijing has promised to avoid “competitive devaluation.” Complaints that China gets an unfair trade advantage by keeping its yuan weak is an irritant in relations with Washington and other governments.

“Will we just continue to see a sort of gradual weakening of the currency?” said Thomas Mathews of Capital Economics. “That might be one of the key channels through which they could actually support the economy.”

However, letting the yuan slide too far might cause companies and investors to question whether Beijing is changing its currency policy, Mathews said.

“They’ve had problems with this sort of thing in the past,” he said. “They’ll be pretty nervous about it.”

Economic growth declined to 0.8 percent over the previous quarter in the three months ending in June, down from 2.2 percent in January to March. That is the equivalent of 3.2 percent annual growth, which would be among China’s weakest in decades.

statistical variance. The loss could be much larger.

“Melting glaciers have become icons of climate change. People are mostly worried about the impact glacier melt will have on sea-level rise, seasonal water availability, and geohazards,” said Prof. Ben Marzeion, of the Institute of Geography at Germany’s University of Bremen.

“This study shows that there is more we need to be prepared for. It also shows that we are still in the process of uncovering the multitude of impacts climate change will have,” said Marzeion, who was not involved in the research.

Twila Moon, deputy lead scientist at the US National Snow and Ice Center, laid out the challenges that policymakers will face as landscapes change with glacier retreat.

“There is no question that ice loss around the world is a serious issue, from influencing water availability to raising our sea lev -

The People’s Bank of China gave no indication whether it might try to stop the latest decline.

Last year, banks were ordered to “maintain the basic stability” of the currency after it slid to below 7.2 to the dollar. The yuan fell to 7.30 to the dollar last October. It last traded below 7.32 in 2007.

The yuan sank in 2019 during trade tension with then-President Donald Trump. That prompted suggestions Beijing was trying to reduce the impact of US tariff hikes, but there was no official confirmation. The currency later strengthened. The central bank cut its interest rate Tuesday on a one-week loan to banks to 1.8 percent from 1.9 percent. The change was modest, but it added to moves by Chinese rates in the opposite direction from US rates, which are at a two-decade high.

The Federal Reserve made the dollar look even more attractive as an investment by suggesting this week it might be open to considering another rate hike to cool inflation.

Chinese consumer and business activity weakened further in July, official data showed this week.

Customs data earlier showed exports fell 14.5 percent compared with a year ago after US and European rate hikes cooled consumer demand.

els,” Moon, who wasn’t involved in the study, said in an email.

“This research highlights another impact—the uncovering of new land as glaciers shrink.”

“Glacier retreat can cause increasing hazards, like the outburst flood that destroyed homes in Juneau earlier this summer, or change water availability for drinking and crops,” Moon wrote. “We must plan ahead while also work hard to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions and limit future damage.”

Bosson says that record high temperatures reached this year in the northern hemisphere are producing worrisome outcomes that could have an even greater impact in the future—though not all data is in yet.

“We try to tell the story of the future of the surfaces today occupied by glaciers on Earth,” he said in a video call from the French Alpine town of Annecy. “Then we ask: Will tomorrow still see big glaciers, or smaller glaciers depending on the climate scenarios?” AP

Pig kidney works in a donated body for over a month, a step toward animal-human transplants

NEW YORK—Surgeons

transplanted a pig’s kidney into a braindead man and for over a month it’s worked normally—a critical step toward an operation the New York team hopes to eventually try in living patients.

Scientists around the country are racing to learn how to use animal organs to save human lives, and bodies donated for research offer a remarkable rehearsal.

The latest experiment announced Wednesday by NYU Langone Health marks the longest a pig kidney has functioned in a person, albeit a deceased one—and it’s not over. Researchers are set to track the kidney’s performance for a second month.

“Is this organ really going to work like a human organ? So far it’s looking like it is,” Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone’s transplant institute, told The Associated Press.

“It looks even better than a human kidney,” Montgomery said on July 14 as he replaced a deceased man’s own kidneys with a single kidney from a genetically modified pig—and

watched it immediately start producing urine.

The possibility that pig kidneys might one day help ease a dire shortage of transplantable organs persuaded the family of Maurice “Mo” Miller from upstate New York to donate his body for the experiment. He’d died suddenly at 57 with a previously undiagnosed brain cancer, ruling out routine organ donation.

“I struggled with it,” his sister, Mary Miller-Duffy, told the AP about her decision. But he liked helping others and “I think this is what my brother would want. So I offered my brother to them.”

“He’s going to be in the medical books, and he will live on forever,” she added.

Attempts at animal-tohuman transplants, or xenotransplantation, have failed for decades as people’s immune systems attacked the foreign tissue. Now researchers are using pigs genetically modified so their organs better match human bodies.

Last year with special permission from regulators, University of Maryland surgeons

transplanted a gene-edited pig heart into a dying man who was out of other options. He survived only two months before the organ failed for reasons that aren’t fully understood but that offer lessons for future attempts.

Next, rather than last-ditch

efforts, the Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to allow some small but rigorous studies of pig heart or kidney transplants in volunteer patients.

The NYU experiment is one of a string of developments aimed

at speeding the start of such clinical trials. Also Wednesday, the University of Alabama at Birmingham reported another important success—a pair of pig kidneys worked normally inside another donated body for seven days.

Kidneys don’t just make urine—they provide a wide range of jobs in the body. In the journal JAMA Surgery, UAB transplant surgeon Dr. Jayme Locke reported lab tests documenting the gene-modified pig organs’ performance. She said the weeklong experiment demonstrates they can “provide lifesustaining kidney function.”

These kinds of experiments are critical to answer remaining questions “in a setting where we’re not putting someone’s life in jeopardy,” said Montgomery, the NYU kidney transplant surgeon who also received his own heart transplant—and is acutely aware of the need for a new source of organs.

More than 100,000 patients are on the nation’s transplant list and thousands die each year waiting.

Maryland’s Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin cautions that it’s not clear how closely a deceased body will mimic a live patient’s reactions to a pig organ. But he said the research educates the public about xenotransplantation so “people will not be shocked” when it’s time to try again in the living. AP

CHINA’S state-owned property developers are warning of widespread losses, fueling concerns that the housing crisis is expanding from the private sector to companies with government backing.

Yuan falls vs US dollar, raising questions about weaker currency to boost exports

DR . Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone’s transplant institute, prepares a pig kidney for transplant into a brain-dead man in New York on July 14, 2023. Researchers around the country are racing to learn how to use animal organs to save human lives. AP

The World

China’s defense minister vows to boost cooperation with Russian ally Belarus

Shangfu met with strongman President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk and said “the purpose of my visit to Belarus is precisely the implementation of important agreements at the level of heads of state and the further strengthening of bilateral military cooperation.”

Neither side gave details of what the cooperation will entail, but the two countries have agreed to hold joint military exercises next year.

Li visited Russia just before going to Belarus.

Russian troops that were deployed in Belarus were part of Russia’s invading force in Ukraine and Russian troops and weapons remain there.

Belarusian forces have not taken part in the Ukraine war and Lukashenko on Thursday said China’s military assistance would not be directed against third countries. Lukashenko has previously said Belarus has taken delivery of Russian nuclear weapons and on Thursday he said they could only be used by Belarus if

China appears to be building an airstrip on a disputed SCS island

BEIJING—China appears to be constructing an airstrip on a disputed South China Sea (SCS) island that is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, according to satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press. The work on Triton island in the Paracel group mirrors construction on seven human-made islands in the Spratly group to the east which have been equipped with airstrips, docks and military systems, although it currently appears to be somewhat more modest in scale.

China claims virtually the entire SCS as its own, denying the

claims of others and defying an international ruling invalidating its assertion.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by the AP show construction on the airstrip first visible in early August. News website The Drive first reported on the satellite images Tuesday. The runway, as currently laid out, would be more than 2,000 feet in length, long enough to accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, but not fighter jets or bombers.

Also visible are large numbers of vehicle tracks running across much of the island, along with

what appear to be containers and construction equipment.

Triton is one of the major islands in the Paracels, which is roughly equidistant from the coast of Vietnam and China’s island province of Hainan.

The US takes no stance on the sovereignty claims, but regularly sends Navy ships on “freedom of navigation operations” near the Chinese-held islands. Triton was the focus of one of those missions in 2018.

China has had a small harbor and buildings on the island for years, along with a helipad and radar arrays. Two large fields on

the island sport a star from the Chinese flag and a hammer and sickle representing the ruling Communist Party.

China has refused to provide details of its island construction work other than to say it is aimed at helping global navigation safety. It has rejected accusations that it is militarizing the crucial waterway, through which an estimated $5 trillion in trade passes annually, and says it has the right to do as it wishes in its sovereign territory.

China seized full control of the Paracels from Vietnam in a brief 1974 naval conflict. AP

Hawaii gov urges rebuilding as fire victims seek shelter

HAWAII’S governor conceded it would be tough to stop outsiders from buying up land on Maui, despite his concerns that thousands could be permanently displaced following last week’s devastating fires.

Governor Josh Green, a Democrat, and Attorney General Anne Lopez, are exploring a moratorium on people outside the state trying to buy Lahaina properties. But Green said that will be difficult.

“The governor is not allowed to simply say a resident of Hawaii can buy this house, a resident from California can’t buy this house,” Green said Thursday in an online discussion hosted by news source Honolulu Civil Beat. “This is a very tricky legal question, and as much

as we’d like to snap our fingers and just do it for local people, it’s hard.”

Green said rebuilding Lahaina after last week’s fire—which killed at least 111 people and displaced thousands—will require breaking through stalemates over new construction and water use that created a housing crisis on Maui long before the blaze.

“We can’t just stop building again,” Green told Civil Beat senior reporter Stewart Yerton. “Maui’s going to have to build back in some way.”

Green plans to address residents Friday evening, outlining a path forward from the state’s deadliest known natural disaster.

He said Thursday the state owns a 400 acre site outside Lahaina

that could be used to build housing for the displaced relatively quickly and cheaply, while the county owns another lot nearby. Modular or prefab houses could be another way to lower construction costs, he said.

Some 950 survivors from the August 8 fire have been placed in hotel rooms vacated by tourists, while another 500 people have moved into Airbnb rentals. But neither is a long-term solution. And rebuilding in the decimated town can’t start until federal workers clear the land of toxins such as asbestos and heavy metals, a process that could take several months and $500 million to $750 million, Green said.

Green said he was wrong to have

opposed some housing projects during his years as a state legislator and said moving forward after the fire will require the state to have an honest discussion of its future needs, including new construction. About 14,000 Hawaii residents move away each year, he said, driven out by housing costs.

“Rich people will always be able to find a way to buy a one-off house or a condo,” he said. “People like us won’t.”

Also Thursday, Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya, resigned, citing health reasons. Andaya this week defended not using the state’s public warning sirens to alert Lahaina residents to the fire.

Bloomberg News

the country was under threat.

“Nuclear weapons, which are in Belarus, will not be used if there is no aggression against us,” Lukashenko said, adding that Belarus would not enter into hostilities against Ukraine as long as its border was not violated.

China claims to be neutral in the conflict in Ukraine, but accuses the United States and its allies of provoking Russia and maintains strong economic, diplomatic and trade ties with Moscow.

Belarusian analyst Valery

Karbalevich said the visit of the Chinese defense minister is “an important signal not only to the EU and the US, but also to Ukraine.”

“With this visit, China marks the scope of its military interests and shows that it is interested in building up ties with Minsk and Moscow, including military cooperation, despite the dissatisfaction of Western countries,” he told The Associated Press.

“This is also a signal to Ukraine that the prolongation of the war can force China to take one side.” AP

US okays delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine–Dutch defense minister

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, the Dutch defense minister said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv even though the fighter jets won’t have an immediate impact on the almost 18-month war

“I welcome the US decision to clear the way for delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine. It allows us to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We remain in close contact with European partners to decide on the next steps.”

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Apart from delivering the warplanes, Ukraine’s allies also need to train its pilots. Washington says the F-16s, like the advance US Abrams tanks, will be crucial in the long term as Kyiv faces down Russia.

The Netherlands is part of a Western coalition that also includes Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom that in July pledged to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

Washington must give its blessing because the planes are made in the United States.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a message on X that US clearance to send F-16s to Ukraine “marks a major milestone” in Ukraine’s defense.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s could be delivered to Ukraine.

As well as the Netherlands, Denmark said in

June that training Ukrainian pilots had started and the country was considering delivering jets to Kyiv, but that pilots would need six to eight months of training before a possible donation of aircraft can become a reality.

In a statement to Danish media, Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said that the government has several times said that a donation was “a natural step after the training.”

Meanwhile, Russian air defenses stopped drone attacks on central Moscow and on the country’s ships in the Black Sea, officials said Friday, blaming the attempted strikes on Ukraine.

Defense systems shot down a Ukrainian drone over central Moscow early Friday and some fragments fell on an exhibition center, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It said the drone was shot down about 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) and there were no injuries or fire caused by the fragments.

However, flights were briefly suspended at all four major Moscow airports.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some of the fragments fell on the grounds of the Expocentre, an exhibition complex adjacent to the Moscow City commercial and office complex that was hit twice by drones in the past month.

The area is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) west of the Kremlin. The defense ministry called the latest incident “another terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime.”

Naval forces also destroyed a Ukrainian sea drone that attempted an attack on Russian ships late Thursday in the Black Sea, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Sevastopol, the ministry said

The drone was taken out by fire from a patrol boat and a corvette, it said. It was not possible to verify the claims. AP

UK military must adapt as land bakes, oceans heat up–study

THE UK military’s troops and machines need to adapt quickly to a rapidly warming world, according to a House of Commons report, that also spotlighted how a melting Arctic will open new maritime routes and potential battlegrounds.

This year is on course to be the hottest ever in human history and as the planet warms, extreme weather events are set to become more frequent and intense. Britain for the first time on record experienced temperatures surpassing 40C last year.

The conditions fueled wildfires across its capital city, making July 19 London Fire Brigade’s busiest day since the Second World War.

Flood risks are also rising, with the report saying as many as 3.3 million Britons are expected to live in high-risk areas by 2050, up from 1.8 million now.

“In recent years, the military has stepped in during national emergencies, from flooding, to

Covid, to strikes,” said Tobias Ellwood, a member of parliament and chair of the defense committee that authored this report. “We cannot expect Service personnel to become the ‘responder of the first resort’ when dealing with environmental crises,” he said, adding climate crises were “a part of our future.”

As climate change melts polar ice at an unprecedented rate, more areas around the Arctic will open up, leading to increased traffic, trade and even mining in Siberia by Russia. This, as well as other climate emergencies, create a key challenge of ensuring military assets can function in more extreme environments.

The report found evidence of how military vehicles, usually designed for temperatures up to 45C, had to operate in Iraq and Afghanistan at over 50C. Warships, which have traditionally have relied on the cooling effect of the seas, discovered that warming oceans were “eroding the efficacy of existing

naval engines,”  it said.

Besides preparing for future emergencies, the UK’s defense

forces can also do “much more” to reduce its carbon footprint and bolster their ability to reach

the net zero target by 2050, the report said. The military, which  accounts for around half of the

UK government’s emissions, should focus on fitting low carbon technologies into existing military bases and infrastructure, it suggested.

Broader decarbonization efforts are also needed for assets that will be deployed soon, including armored vehicles and Royal Navy ships that will be fossil fuel powered but remain in service after the 2050 net zero target, the report said.

Other challenges to the military include the cost of retrofitting the UK’s existing fleet of warships to handle Arctic ice if the region opens up for passage. Other nations, such as Russia, China and Canada were “hardening some of their ships’ hulls” for these voyages, the report said.

“The Armed Forces can expect to have to operate in more demanding environments at more extreme temperatures,” Ellwood said. “Adaptability will prove key to our Armed Forces’ success.” Bloomberg News

TALLINN, Estonia— Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu on Thursday visited Belarus and said his country would increase military cooperation with Russia’s neighbor and ally, where Moscow is deploying tactical nuclear weapons.

Perez believes Gilas capable of pulling off major upsets in World Cup

By Josef Ramos

CJ PEREZ, just like everybody

else in the pool, wants to pull off one upset after another in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup that starts in exactly one week with the Philippines taking on the Dominican Republic in an exclusive opening-day game at the Philippine Arena in Bocuae.

Utah Jazz star, Perez said, made that goal achievable.

With the help of Jordan Clarkson, the chance of winning in the World Cup has become possible,” Perez of San Miguel Beer told BusinessMirror on Friday. “His presence is huge and we’re not cramming in training, everybody is on the same page.”

The 16-member Gilas Pilipinas pool was finally complete under two weeks before the World Cup with Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson returning from injury bay, Clarkson flying in under the FIBA national team window and Kai Sotto finally showing up in his towering 7-foot-2 presence.

The team played Ivory Coast on Friday night, one of three remaining tune-up games that head coach Chot Reyes said would determine the final 12. The others are against Montenegro on Sunday and Mexico on Monday all behind closed doors at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The Dominican Republic will be parading Minnesota Timberwolves

7-foot center Karl Anthony-Towns who, Perez said, would be a difficult matchup but Gilas’s big men would be up to the task.

We have our boys like Japeth [Aguilar], June Mar [Fajardo] and Kai [Sotto] to take care of the frontline,” he said. “Everybody’s working hard and so motivated.”

He admitted he’s ready to accept his fate if he won’t be in the final 12.

What important is we’re always here to do our best,” he said.

A lso in the pool are Dwight Ramos, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., AJ Edu, Thirdy and Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando, Roger Pogoy, Chris Newsome and Calvin Oftana.

SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Sonny Barrios (center right) addresses members of Gilas Pilipinas during team practice at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Thursday night.

WORLD CHESS GETS STRICT ON TRANS

GENEVA—The world chess federation has ruled that transgender women cannot compete in its official events for women until its officials make an assessment of gender change.

The decision by the Switzerlandbased federation FIDE, published on Monday, has drawn criticism from advocacy groups and supporters of transgender rights.

FIDE said it and its member federations increasingly have received recognition requests from players who identify as transgender, and that the participation of transgender women would depend on an analysis of individual cases that could take up to two years.

Change of gender is a change that has a significant impact on a player’s status and future eligibility to tournaments, therefore it can only be made if there is a relevant proof of the change provided,” the federation said.

In the event that the gender was changed from a male to a female the player has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women until further FIDE’s decision is made,” it said.

Holders of women’s titles who change their genders to male would see those titles “abolished,” the federation said, while holding out the possibility of a reinstatement “if the person changes the gender back to a woman.”

If a player has changed the

gender from a man into a woman, all the previous titles remain eligible,” the federation said.

It acknowledged that such questions regarding transgender players were an “evolving issue for chess” and that “further policy may need to be evolved in the future in line with research evidence.”

Cathy Renna, communications director for the National LGBTQ Task Force in the United States, lashed out at what she said appeared to be “a case of ‘trans panic’ with no justification, not grounded in reality and once again marginalizing trans people.”

The new ‘guidelines’ on trans competitors in chess are infuriating, confusing, contradictory and a sign that the anti-trans movement, particularly those who are promoting exclusion in sports, is spreading into other areas of competitive sport and is a very disturbing development,” Renna said in an e-mail.

I n a written response to The Associated Press, seeking an explanation about the decision, the federation’s press office said: “Allow us to clarify that the new regulations are aimed at clearly defining the procedure on how a person who has officially changed their gender may register the fact on FIDE Directory.”

T he lack of such regulations caused “ambiguity,” it said, “and therefore an established order was needed to provide the right of the transgender players being properly

Marcial could now focus full-time on Olympic gold dream–Tolentino

EUMIR FELIX MARCIAL will now focus full-time on his Olympic gold medal dream following the cancelation of his fifth professional fight set later this month, according to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Friday.

Eumir will be coming home from the US as soon as possible and to join the national boxing team and work on his Australian visa,” said Tolentino, referring to Marcial joining the national team training camp starting on September 1 in Canberra.

Marcial’s fight this August was canceled and moved to September, which runs conflict with the Hangzhou Asian Games that start September 23 and end on October 8.

Tolentino brokered Marcial’s availability for the Asian Games—a Paris Olympics qualifier—with his promotion MP Promotions, whose president, Sean Gibbons, agreed to write off the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist’s training expenses for his supposed fifth pro fight in the US.

P rofessional boxers are charged training expenses which are almost always deducted from their guaranteed fight purse.

Watch, support games–Bachmann

PHILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann called on basketball loving Filipinos to watch the FIBA World Cup games, especially Gilas Pilipinas’ matches.

As the games return to our home soil, this historic event will forever be etched in the chronicles of our basketball history,” Bachmann said.

“So I invite our kababayans to watch the games, may it be live or online.”

Bachmann also thanked Malacañang for its Memorandum

Circular No. 27 suspending work in government offices and classes in public schools at all levels in Metro Manila and Bulacan on Friday, when the Philippines faces the Dominican

Republic at the Philippine Arena.

The PSC came out with this appeal to the Office of the Executive Secretary a few weeks back,” Bachmann said. “We’re thankful that this was granted immediately to ensure the safe, orderly and successful conduct of the opening ceremony.”

Bachmann was operations head of the Local Organizing Committee for the World Cup prior to his appointment as PSC chief.  “ We are optimistic that with the immense support from our national government and the PSC, many of our Filipino basketball fans will fill up the seats in every game and be part of history,” Bachmann said.

represented on the official register of FIDE.”

It said any transgender player was allowed to participate in the “open” section of its chess tournaments.

“ Two years is a scope of sight that seemed reasonable for the thorough analyses of such developments,” the federation said. “It is to set a certain deadline for a new reiteration of these policies, without rushing it.”

Word of the decision comes as the federation is hosting a World Cup event in Azerbaijan where top players, including No. 1-ranked Grand Master Magnus Carlsen of Norway, are attending.

The federation has open competitions that allow all players to take part, as well as specialized categories, such as for women, young players and even computers.

Many sports involving intense physical activity—which chess does not—have been grappling with how to formulate policies toward transgender athletes in recent years.

The International Cycling Union has joined the governing bodies of track and field and swimming as top-tier Olympic sports addressing the issue of transgender athletes and fairness in women’s events.

L ast month, the cycling federation ruled that female transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women’s races.

Sean [Gibbons] readily agreed that Marcial focuses on Hangzhou and go after his Olympic dream,” Tolentino said. It will however be a tough campaign for Marcial in Hangzhou. F irst, he’ll be fighting at 81 kgs (light heavyweight) because the 71-kg class (middleweight) where he clinched bronze in Tokyo was scratched from the Hangzhou program. A nd second, he needs to reach the final after it was decreed that only the boxing finalists in Hangzhou will qualify for Paris—no longer the traditional semifinals cut off. Marcial is aware of the challenge and vowed to go all out for his Olympic dream “It’s now or never,” said the 27-yearold boxer from Zamboanga City, who’s unbeaten in four pro fights.

Ungco, Suzuki resume chase for JPGT honors in Sta. Elena

ROMAN UNGCO and Ryuji

Suzuki try to produce the same winning result in a different format and venue as Round 4 of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) 2023 Series in the drive, chip and putt skills challenge setup gets going Sunday at the Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club in Laguna.

Parents of the competing junior golfers, meanwhile, lauded the staging of the JPGT while emboldening their co-parents and players alike to participate in the series staged to help discover and develop players from the ranks and expand the base of golfing talents in the country.

“ We’re so happy to get involved in this tournament. It’s well-organized and managed,” said Arnold Sarines, father of boys’ 9-10 age-group campaigner Vito, Mona and girls’ 11-12 stalwarts Lisa and Mona. “The ratio of the players and the staff is very, very ideal to the point that everything is going well.”

“ For all the players and parents out there, we encourage you to join the JPGT series. We’re hoping we’ll be able to grow the sport to the next generation of golfers,” he added.

For her part, Trina Bernardino,

PHL archers break 6 junior records in Asean tilt

JONATHAN REAPORT and Ada Lagrada led a record-breaking spree for local archers at the start of the First Asean Archery Youth Championships at the Dynamic Herb Sports Complex in Cebu City on Thursday.

Veterans of the  world youth meet held last July in Limerick, Ireland, Reaport and Lagrada shot 639 and 613 points, respectively, in setting two of the six new national junior marks to rule the men’s and women’s Under-21 70-meter recurve qualifiers  in the meet organized by World Archery Philippines (WAP).

Both carrying the colors of Olympus Archery Club, Reaport broke his previous record of 632 set at the world youth tourney while Lagrada surpassed her own mark of 582 in a tournament held last January at the STI Gold Toe

NIVERSITY of Iloilo’s (UI)

whose daughters Kelsey and Tiffany are competing in the 9-10 and 11-12 age categories, said they expect to vie in more JPGT tournaments, which she described as “fun and exceptionally organized.” We’re looking forward to joining more tournaments like this so that our children can gain more friends and learn in golf,” said Bernardino.  Ungco and Suzuki topped their respective age-group divisions in boys’ play in the 18-hole stroke play tournament at Valley Golf Club last month with the duo expecting a stiffer challenge from their band of rivals coming off a break in the 11-12 and 9-10 categories. Jacob Gomez and Aenzo Sulaik, who finished second and third, respectively, in Antipolo, are also back in the hunt, along with Stefano Bautista, Matthias Espina and William Sulit, the top three players in the drive, chip and putt contest the last time out at Mount Malarayat. C ompleting the 11-12 roster in the one-day event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. are Lujo Gomez, Matteo Gallardo, Enzo Corpus, Lucas Garcia and Joseph Bernos.

archery range in Marikina.

More important, Reaport’s score was just one point short of the minimum Olympic qualifying standard of 640 while Lagrada exceeded the minimum Olympic qualifying standard of 610 in the competition backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cebu City Sports Commission. Cebu Archery Club’s Aldener Igot Jr. gave fellow Cebuanos also something to cheer for in topping the men’s under-18 recurve qualifying round in a new mark in shooting 646 points, shattering the old mark of 631 by Lawrence Enecio in the same Marikina tourney last January.   Salt and Arrow Archery Academy’s Naina Tagle also joined recordbreaking club in topping the women’s recurve under-18 qualifying round with a tally of 639 point in the competition also backed by FR Sevilla Industrial Corp.  owned by WAP chairman Felizardo Sevilla Jr.

twins 1-2 in ROTC kickboxing U

Javen Pareja beat twin brother Jansen in the men’s 57 kgs of kickboxing of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Games Visayas Leg at the SM Iloilo on Thursday.

Twins at home but adversaries in the ring, Javen won via unanimous decision to top the Army bracket of the tournament organized by Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino, Philippine Sports Commission, Commission on Higher Education, Department

Pareja

of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

I’m proud of my brother because our fight turned out well, although we were hesistant at first to fight each other,” Javen said. “But we needed to do our best and what’s important is we’re in one piece after the fight.”

K lier Abueva of Bohol Northern Star College beat UI’s Ross Marc

Serra for the men’s 63-kg gold medal in Army, while Roberto Pedriques of Abuyog Community College (57 kgs), James Ayalin of Western Visayas State University (60 kgs) and University of Negros Occidental’s Nelson Alcon (63.5 kgs) ruled their respective categories. In boxing, Army cadet Romeo Calupos beat Rowen Espartero via unanimous decision in the 48-51 kgs final. JAVEN PAREJA (left) poses with his gold medal with silver medalist twin brother Jansen.

TOLENTINO MARCIAL

THE decision has drawn criticism from advocacy groups and supporters of transgender rights. AP