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Saturday, December 14, 2019 Vol. 15 No. 65

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China ramps up pressure ahead of Taiwan’s January 11 presidential polls

ANDREW YANG, secretary-general of Taiwan’s private think tank Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies

CHEN MING-CHI, deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council

By Rene Acosta

HINA has stepped up its pressure on Taiwan in the run-up to Taipei’s presidential elections next month where President Tsai Ing-wen is running for her second and last term on a strong anti-Beijing stance, a campaign platform that first catapulted her to office in 2016.

While Beijing constantly flexes its muscles on its tiny islandneighbor that it considers a “renegade province,” Taipei, under Tsai’s leadership, has however, learned to shake it off by reinforcing her nation’s political, economic and security fundamentals.

Provocations, attacks, fake news

CHINA’S pressure—as Taipei sees it—comes in many forms. Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chen Ming-chi and other Taiwanese officials, said these in-

clude provocations, cyber attacks and even the deliberate feeding of information, or fake news, to Taiwan residents. “Despite [the fact] that we have worked very hard to continue our moderate stance towards China, China has become more provocative these days,” Chen told journalists who visited Taiwan last week. “But Taiwan will not be kowtowing [to China] and [its] Communist Party.” Chen, whose office is tasked with the planning, development and implementation of Taipei’s

policies toward Beijing, said the island values democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and rule of law. And these very same principles, he said, are what differentiate it from China. “We want to maintain our democratic way of living,” Chen said.

One country, two systems

TAIWANESE officials see Beijing’s increased pressure as part of the communist party’s effort to influence the results of the presidential elections against Tsai, and in favor of the other candidate who will toe and

advance China’s line of reunification. China regards Taiwan as a wayward province that should be reunited—even by using force— with the mainland. Tsai, who is running for reelection under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is favored by more than 50 percent of Taiwanese voters against other candidates, including from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who barely have to breach even a 10-percent acceptance, if Taiwan’s latest survey were to be believed. Continued on a2

Meet the scholar who diagnosed ‘surveillance capitalism’

By Frank Bajak | AP Technology Writer

YEAR ago, Shoshana Zuboff dropped an intellectual bomb on the technology industry. She hasn’t stood still since. In a 700-page book, the Harvard scholar skewered tech giants like Facebook and Google with a damning phrase: “surveillance capitalism.” The unflattering term evokes how these companies vacuum up the details of our lives, make billions from that data and use what they’ve learned to glue our attention more firmly to their platforms. A best seller in Canada and Britain, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism was published in the US in January, is being translated into 17 languages and has inspired two small theater productions. Zuboff, meanwhile, has been counseling politicians, criss-crossing the Atlantic for public forums from Los Angeles to Rome and hitting the podcast circuit. She offered input on several pending US privacy bills and

wrote a 34-page policy paper for the House Judiciary Committee, whose antitrust panel is studying Big Tech’s potential abuse of its market dominance. Zuboff has “put the language of economics around the experience that we all know we’re having,” says Beeban Kidron, a film director and UK House of Lords member who spearheaded childprotection rules limiting how apps gather data and tempt kids to linger online. “She’s a rock star.” Early on, Zuboff realized researchers had missed the importance of the ambient data that digital services collect—where we use them, for how long, what we like, what we linger on and with whom we associate. They were calling it “digital exhaust.” But Zuboff saw that this data

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.7330

IN this March 27, 2019 photo, author Shoshana Zuboff speaks to a reporter in her home in Maine. Zuboff is the author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, a book about how tech companies collect and use personal data. AP/ROBERT F. BUKATY

wasn’t just an unexpected byproduct, says Chris Hoofnagle, a University of California-Berkeley privacy expert. “It is the product.” Tech industry allies denounce Zuboff’s thesis as conspiracyminded hyperbole. Consumers willingly trade their personal data for access to valuable services that don’t cost them a cent, they argue. Google and Facebook declined to discuss Zuboff or her book. But after more than a year of tech-related privacy scandals, malign election-interference and online platform-fueled extremism, investigations opened by state attorneys general and the US government’s first tentative steps toward reining in its technology titans, it’s become clear that Zuboff helped crystallize previously vague apprehensions about the tech industry. Zuboff’s indictment is straightforward: Tech companies suck up our data trails then use those insights to steer us toward commercial interactions, develop their next addictive apps and predict our future behavior—effectively molding individual behavior. Worse, she says, these invasive business practices are spreading. “By now this is a virus that has Continued on a2

n JAPAN 0.4641 n UK 66.8255 n HK 6.5018 n CHINA 7.2187 n SINGAPORE 37.4607 n AUSTRALIA 35.0464 n EU 56.4861 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5285

Source: BSP (December 13, 2019 )

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A2 Saturday, December 14, 2019

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‘SUSTAINED PRESSURE, SUSTAINED RESISTANCE’ Continued from a1

Taiwan’s President rejects the “one China” principle, or the “one country, two systems” that Beijing wanted for Taipei, and which is modeled after Macau and Hong Kong. The latter has for months been the scene of unceasing, occasionally violent protests sparked by claims of erosion in overall freedom. Taiwanese sentiments against China seemed to augur well for Tsai’s stance as an overwhelming number of voters reject the idea of a reunification with China, based on the results of a survey, this time conducted by the National Chengchi University. The survey, wherein Taiwanese prefers to maintain a status quo in its current relations with China and “decide later,” or even “indefinitely,” is propelling Tsai’s chance for a second term in the January 11 balloting that she earlier declared as an election for freedom and sovereignty. The idea of maintaining the current China-Taiwan relations leading to independence also ranked as the third highest preference for Taiwan’s residents, while the issue of a reunification with Beijing was the least acceptable. Ketty Chen, vice president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, said that while the island’s own brand of democracy may not be perfect as other Taiwanese would want it to be, it nonetheless remains as the most vibrant and one of the best in Asia.

In fact, she said that 80 percent of the population “does not want to live outside without Taiwanese democracy,” and its residents consider themselves Taiwanese and not Chinese, highlighting their nationality as an independent country. Chen said Taiwan’s democracy had to fend off pressure and challenges on a daily basis, with efforts to undermine it coming even from people who claimed to be Taiwanese at heart, but are being used as proxies for groups buts whose concerns run to the opposite direction. As China wants to control Taiwan, it views the forthcoming scheduled balloting as a great step toward this goal by working to affect Tsai’s chances of getting reelected despite her popularity among the Taiwanese voters fueled mainly by her current policy on Beijing. Dr. Wu Jun-deh of The Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) said China’s attacks on Taiwan via the cyberspace have increased and intensified as the country entered its election period. The attacks were, however, being detected and parried off. The INDSR expects the cyber activities to peak within two weeks from the January 7 presidential and legislative elections, still with the end goal of apparently affecting Tsai’s chances and influencing the voters. Wu said that attacks on Taiwan through cyberspace have increased just a year after Tsai was sworn into office in 2016, logging

a monthly average of 30 million, with more than half of the recorded activities coming from the Chinese government, or its sponsored groups. Taiwan’s official relations with China had taken a back seat as a result of Tsai’s position that is anchored on the non-negotiable issue of freedom and sovereignty for Taipei, although both sides still civilly worked with each other. Since 2008, Beijing and Taipei have been communicating, or even negotiating, on the issue of the one China, two systems model that China is pushing, but it took a negative turn when Tsai came into office in 2016 because of her hardline position.

Scapegoat

“THIS government will not succumb to pressure and [at the same time] will not provoke China,” said Andrew Yang, secretarygeneral of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, who described Tsai’s approach on the issue as “prudent.” Yang said that Tsai’s stance on sovereignty is being viewed by Beijing as unacceptable, and as such, it has created a mistrust over the Taiwanese government. Any talks with the current government would be counterproductive. It could even aggravate the prevailing misunderstanding. Taiwan sees the cross-straits relations as a scapegoat for China, which is currently in the middle of a trade tiff with the United States while being forced to con-

IN this May 4, 2019, file photo, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen waves to press during an offshore anti-terrorism drill outside the Taipei harbor in New Taipei City, Taiwan. AP/CHIANG YING-YING

tend with the spiraling political situation in Hong Kong. “Given the current tensions of the US-China trade war and the Hong Kong situation, Taiwan has become the scapegoat for the Chinese political leaders and the Chinese communist party to air their frustrations,” said Chen of the MAC. Taipei said China is exerting pressure on it politically, economically, diplomatically and even by way of military intimidation in its effort to win Taipei, but the Taiwanese government is resisting this effort by taking steps to also improve in all of these areas. Chen said Taiwan is building up politically, economically and militarily while not provoking China in order to deal with the pressure applied by Beijing. “With China’s rising sharp power on the global stage, its in-

tervention and infiltration tactics have raised red flags not only in the US, Australia, but also among other nations in the other region,” Chen said. “Taiwan, standing at the forefront of such political influence operations, has been working hard to strengthen our defense mechanism for democracy, starting with President Tsai’s announcement of the establishment of the threepart security network to safeguard our sovereignty and democratic system,” he added. Over the past weeks, Taiwanese officials have unearthed sustained and determined efforts by Chinese communist party officials to infiltrate and meddle with Taipei’s government through the recruitment of spies and “infiltrators,” both Taiwanese and Chinese, one of whom had already sought asylum in Australia.

Defense, diplomacy

IN the area of defense, Taiwan is acquiring more military assets and equipment, including the procurement of at least 66 brand-new F-16 fighter jets from the US as it increases its budget spending for next year to more than 2 percent of its gross domestic product. On diplomacy, while Taiwan is only left with 15 countries with which it has existing official diplomatic relations as a result of the one-China policy, it is building up this roster through engagements, mutual cooperation and even business-to-business activities. Yang said that while it takes time for the diplomatic effort to have tangible results, it is steering toward this direction, given Taipei’s strong economic position, its system of government and its strict adherence to universally accepted rights and freedom.

‘Surveillance capitalism’… Continued from a1

infected every economic sector,” Zuboff told a meeting of international parliamentarians in May. Zuboff traces the origin of surveillance capitalism to 2001 as Google, then little more than a search engine, considered going public. Faced with the need to generate revenue, its founders decided to mine the data Google amasses when people make searches. That helped Google improve search results but also informed it about users’ family lives, religious beliefs, ethnicity, political or sexual persuasion and more. Google fed those clues into a personalized advertising machine and became a global juggernaut. Following Google’s example, Facebook and other tech companies offered an irresistible bargain. People could connect to long-lost friends, search the world’s information and watch endless streams of video at no cost. Before long, smartphones launched an explosion of “free” apps with a hearty appetite for your data. Nowadays, your movements, conversations, facial expressions and more are snatched by smart TVs, thermostats, refrigerators, doorbell cameras and connected cars. Dossiers are compiled on each of us. Among the first women to earn tenure at Harvard Business School, Zuboff won plaudits for her early grasp of how digital tech-

uboff’s indictment is straightforward: Tech companies suck up our data trails then use those insights to steer us toward commercial interactions, develop their next addictive apps and predict our future behavior—effectively molding individual behavior. nology would transform the business world with her 1988 book, In the Age of the Smart Machine. Her next book, The Support Economy— co-written with her late husband James Maxmin—predicted that out-of-touch corporations would give way to rivals responsive to the feedback of technology-empowered consumers. To Zuboff, surveillance capitalism poses an existential threat whose hidden costs are intentionally obscured by its practitioners. It is an “antidemocratic and antiegalitarian juggernaut,” she writes. In the name of personalization, she says, “it defiles, ignores, overrides and displaces everything about you and me that is personal.” Not everyone agrees, to put it mildly. Vice President Carl Szabo of the e-commerce trade group Net Choice, whose members include

Facebook and Google, said her book “paints a typical dystopian picture of technology, dismissing the remarkable benefits of online platforms and data analysis.” In response, Zuboff cites consumer surveys that indicate increasing unease with the prevailing, invasive business model. She has no illusions about how difficult it will be to turn things around. Breaking up technology giants, says Zuboff, would do little to prevent their smaller progeny from continuing their work. She does think the EU’s yearold data protection rule and California’s new data privacy law, which takes effect in January, are a good start. And she’s heartened by a recent flurry of regulatory energy in Washington, D.C. “I think it’s the very early stages of a sea change.”

A4 Saturday, December 14, 2019

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

DTI sees 2% to 4% rise in exports in ’19

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects exports of goods and services to increase by 2 percent to 4 percent up to about $99 billion this year, with services leading the growth. “I think it’s now between zero to 1 [percent growth]; the way it appears, this is for goods only. Because services will still show about single-digit growth,” Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told reporters over the weekend. Lopez said they were hoping to hit a 2-percent rise in exports of goods this year, but the United States-China trade war has impacted supplychain activities. While the country’s exports to China and the US continue to grow, he said, demand for products which are exported to other countries and wherein the Philippines is part of the supply chain, is affected. “So kahit naggo-grow tayo ng export [even we grow our exports] to US and China, on the overall, other products are affected. So this is tempered because some el-

ements are affected by the trade war,” he added. Services exports, meanwhile, are mainly driven by information technology-business-process management (IT-BPM), as well as creative industries, such as graphic design, game development, and software development, which have been identified as service winners, Lopez said. Earnings from exports of goods and services reached $95 billion last year, he said. In 2020, Lopez sees the country’s exports of goods and services growing at higher 4 percent to 6 percent. “There is hope that there is settlement to this China-US [trade war] and there is base effect considering 2018 and 2019, somewhat slowed down. Hopefully, we can go back on track in terms of growth

rate,” he said. Lopez said the electronics sector is expected to bounce back as some elements of its supply chain are affected by the trade war. Affected are exports of sectors related to manufacturing, such as furniture, fixture and petroleum, he said.

“And, we can credit also in domestic demand that instead of export, these [products] are sold here because of that strong demand locally so somehow, there is that trade diversion effect. Since the question is the outlook for next year, then I think we can say positively that it can only be bet-

ter. Of course, that hinges on the better negotiation between the two major economies,” he added. Lopez said the country’s total exports are on track to hit the $122-billion goal by 2022. The exports revenue goal was set under the Philippine Export Development Plan. PNA

Quality mindset needed to build competitive industries–Lopez

DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez (center) with the winners of the Philippine Quality Awards.

RADE Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said that a mind-set of quality among Filipinos is necessary to build competitive industries and boost the competitiveness of products and services during the “21st Philippine Quality Awards” [PQA] awarding ceremonies last Monday, December 9, 2019. “We want to instill in everyone that hindi na talaga pwede ang pwede na, and that we all need to strive for excellence. Through

this award, we not only want to create a mindset of quality in every Filipino, we want to create a worldwide brand that benchmarks quality in every Filipino product and service,” said Lopez. The PQA, administered by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), recognized three organizations for exemplary organizational performance: Southville International School was awarded the Level 1 Recognition for the Com-

Govt lists creative sector as key driver for exports

mitment to Quality Management; the Department of Science and Technology Region 2 was awarded the Level 2 Proficiency in Quality Management; and the Philippine Heart Center won the Level 3 Mastery in Quality Management. The trade chief also urged more organizations to strive for the PQA by starting with self-assessment and using the PQA Framework to address gaps and vulnerabilities in their organizations.

The PQA, established in 1997, is the highest national recognition for organizational performance. The award measures organizations in seven categories, namely, leadership; strategy; customers; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; work force; operations; and results. The PQA’s goal, according to Lopez, is to create a quality image for Filipino products and services. He said that this will be symbolized

by the battle cry “Galing Pilipinas, Galing Kalidad.” Lopez stressed that achieving Galing Pilipinas takes a whole-ofnation approach. The trade chief encouraged big businesses to develop their inclusive business model and include local suppliers as part of their value chain. They should be a “big brother” to these small businesses to help them become more competitive, he said. “We want to ensure that nobody gets left behind in our economic growth story. This not only fulfills our goal of creating inclusive growth and shared prosperity for all. It also realizes the vision of President Duterte of a better quality of life for our countrymen.” The PQA Board of Judges was chaired by Mr. Francisco Eizmendi, including Civil Service Commission Chairman Alicia de la Rosa-Bala; SteelAsia Vice Chairman Adrian Cristobal Jr.; DOLE Asia Regional Human Resources Director Emma Valeros- Cruz; former Secretary of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Irene Isaac; PQA Foundation President Ruy Moreno; and Amkor Technology Philippines President and Country Manager Norberto Viera.

HE Department of Trade and Industry aims to boost Philippine exports in services through the creative industry. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez underscored the potential of the industry in strengthening the export sector and supporting the Duterte administration’s goal of creating more jobs and employment opportunities for Filipinos. “We need to look at creative industries that can bring in economic growth. Apart from making our creative talent pool more competitive and attractive in international markets, we are also pushing for more trade and intellectualproperty rights activities,” said Lopez during the “National Export Congress” on Friday, December 6, 2019. According to the trade chief, creative industry is a high-value adding sector and the Philippines has a natural competitive edge in this area considering the rich pool of Filipino talents. “In fact, when we conduct our trade and investment road shows abroad, we ensure that we bring our private and government partners from advertising, animation, film, game development and design, to attract investors, as well as encourage companies to expand and locate in the Philippines,” Lopez added. In 2018, the export services sector has reached $38.4 million. ITrelated services generated $22,666 million, accounting for 59 percent and non-IT services of $15,746 million representing 41 percent. The IT-related services are composed of telecommunications, computer and information services, other business services and audiovisual services. Under other business services, which include some creative industry sectors, such as animation, game and software development, garnered 73 percent or $16,448 million of the total exports of IT-related services. The country aims to be the top Creative Economy in Asean in terms of size and value by 2030. DTI has launched the Creative Economy Roadmap that has priority initiatives and subsectors where public- and private sectors collaborate to accelerate the economy. The priority initiatives include policies, industries, clusters, cities, tourism and education. Priority sectors include advertising, film, animation, game development, and graphic arts and design. Meanwhile, Lopez reiterated government’s support in the digital transformation of micro, small and medium enterprises, including exporters through funding. “We need to prepare for the wide range implementation of the digital transformation by focusing on innovation and embracing the rigors of digital era,” said Lopez.

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You can be an instant millionaire... when you are 101 years old! their advanced years, should be given the importance they rightfully deserve,” added Atienza, who had initiated programs for the elderly in his private capacity in the 70s. With Atienza’s bill, 101 years old citizens will receive P1 million with an additional P1 million every birthday, thereafter. The bill seeks to repeal relevant sections of Republic Act 7432, as amended by RA 9994, otherwise known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

BusinessMirror fFILE PHOTO

80 years old

REP. Atienza

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

ILIPINO culture is distinct in that it entails deep respect and care for our elderly. In the House of Representatives, lawmakers have filed several bills and measures anchored on this Filipino tradition of giving utmost respect to the elderly. Buhay Party-list Lito Atienza, for instance, has filed House Bill 1107, which seeks to grant recognition and importance to Filipino centenarians by giving them P1 million upon reaching the age of 101. According to Atienza, his proposal will give the families of our senior citizens the means to continue taking care of their beloved lolos and lolas, as well as to strengthen the traditional family values of caring of the elderly. “Where in other cultures, senior citizens are sent off to nursing homes instead of be-

ing cared for by their own families, we take care of our senior family members and give them the respect, love and attention they deserve,” Atienza told a recent BusinessMirror Coffee Club forum hosted by the ALC Media Group. He said Filipino senior citizens are remarkable for their industry, saying that they even continue to contribute to their family and community even in their old age. He also praised their resilience in the face of adversity. “We have a lot of a centenarians who, in

ON the other hand, Ako Bisaya Partylist Rep. Sonny Lagon said Filipinos who turn 80 should also enjoy some form of financial benefit. That’s why Lagon filed House Bill 907, seeking to grant P80,000 cash incentives to all Filipinos on their 80th birthday. He said his proposal seeks to provide the same financial benefits being given to centenarians under RA 10868. “Our intention in filing HB 907 is to make the cash gift more accessible to more Filipinos and enable them to enjoy it during the twilight years of their lives where medicines and other necessities are more urgent,” said Lagon. Under RA 10868, otherwise known as the Centenarians Act of 2016, Filipinos who reach the age of 100 years old whether residing in the Philippines or abroad are entitled to a cash reward of P100,000. Lagon lauded the passage of RA 10868, but pointed out that “very few Filipinos get to live long enough to enjoy these special benefits.” He cited a World Health Organization study in 2018, stating that the average life expectancy of Filipinos is 69.3 years old. “It should also be noted that many of those who are lucky enough to qualify for RA 10868 no longer have the mental faculties to appreciate and enjoy the cash gift,” said Lagon.

‘Vaccination is still the best form of prevention’

On top of vaccination, are there other ways to protect the elderly against the flu? Dr. Fortuno: Vaccination is still the best form of prevention. Other ways are building up the elderly patient’s immune status through proper nutrition and maintaining an acceptable body weight.

(Our Time editor interviews Dr. Edwin M. Fortuno, MD, President of the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine, a component society of the Philippine College of Physicians and a specialty society of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians)

What should senior citizens need to know about the flu, including symptoms? Dr. Edwin M. Fortuno: Senior citizens are defined as Filipinos who are 60 years old or more and this is mandated by our country’s senior citizens’ law. Flu is one of the diseases that without doubt causes a lot of problems to the senior citizens. This disease can lead to grave disability or even cause them to die. The condition frequently starts off as fever that may be as high as 38 degree-Centigrade and muscle aches. Joint pains are felt by the patient. Anorexia or a lack of appetite is a symptom that may not be as common to the general adult population but may be seen more often among elderly patients. Other symptoms would be sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, dry and persistent cough. By and large, the patient can mistake it for a cold or rhinitis. However, the course of influenza is more sudden and the patient will feel much worse to the point of being too weak to ambulate and perform daily activities. How serious is the flu to the elderly, and what are the complications? Dr. Fortuno: Flu is graver to the elderly patient because this may not be the only disease the elderly is stricken with. The disease may complicate long standing pulmonary disorders such as COPD and asthma or may even lead to myocardial infarction to those who already have heart disease. The anorexia that the elderly oftentimes experiences can cause their immune status to precipitously decline because of the nutritional deficiency due to the anorexia. Can you give some prevention tips/ advice? Dr. Fortuno: Simple handwashing, cessa-

FORTUNO

tion of smoking and alcohol intake are the easiest steps toward a healthy lifestyle. This also includes having regular exercise and consuming a well-balanced diet. Regular exercise for the elderly means engaging in an exercise program, such as walking, biking or swimming for 30 minutes or more, three to five times a week. Must all elderly citizens have the flu vaccine? Dr. Fortuno: Influenza vaccination in our country does not have to start at the age of 60. It is highly recommended that persons age 50 or more be given the vaccine. When should senior citizens get the flu vaccine? Dr. Fortuno: Vaccination has to be done annually since the virus changes its morphology every year. Physicians should inform their patients by the month of April because this marks the start of the flu season in our tropical country. Patient should also be reminded that the influenza vaccination has to be done annually. Some senior citizens don’t want to get flu vaccinations fearing side effects. Are there vaccine side effects? Dr. Fortuno: Education on the part of the physician is very important since it is the doctor’s responsibility to convey correct information to the patient. The foremost side effect that may be felt by the patient would be hypersensitivity to the vaccine. Other than that, there are no known major contraindications. Minor occurrences may be pain at the injection site, redness and fever albeit unusual.

If senior citizens have the flu, are they contagious? If so, how long are they contagious? Dr. Fortuno: Flu is spread through the respiratory route and is highly contagious. A family member in one household has the potential to spread the disease easily. The persons in the family who are highly vulnerable would be those who have the weakest immune mechanisms, namely the very young and the very old. The patient is no longer contagious once the fever and the other symptoms initially felt by the patient disappear with a noticeable improvement in his well-being. Is the flu a serious problem among senior citizens in the country? Dr. Fortuno: Yes, it absolutely is. Aside from the lost productivity hours, this can also be a cause of mortality to the elderly patient who has had other diseases prior to the start of the illness. Moribund elderly patients are most at risk of dying from influenza. What advice can you give to our senior citizens to protect themselves not only from flu but also from other diseases? Dr. Fortuno: There are three preventable diseases that commonly have dire consequences among the elderly population. These are flu, invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and tetanus. Fortunately, there are already vaccines that have been developed to avert these diseases. It should be emphasized, however, that vaccination will not ensure full protection from the disease. Vaccines are capable of shortening the hospital stays of the sick elderly patient or prevent the patient from dying from the disease or through its complications.

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, December 14, 2019 A5

Mind over matter: Anti-stress tips for antiaging By Angel R. Calso

HE authors of Stopping the Clock said numerous studies have shown that your health is greatly affected by how you react to stressful events in life—setbacks or deadlines at work, conflicts and losses at home. By the same token, they said changing your reactions, learning to meditate or do other relaxation techniques, and generally committing to a positive, open attitude toward life can help make you younger. What is stress? More than half a century ago, the authors said Dr. Hans Selye recognized the mind-body connection involved with stress, as all of his patients had similar physiological and psychological characteristics. Two of which were loss of appetite and increased blood pressure. Further studies with laboratory animals found that these same physical responses existed with the animals when they were put under stress. Selye came to the conclusion that stress is “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand placed upon it.” However, Selye added it is not stress that harms us, but distress. Distress occurs when we prolong emotional stress and don’t deal with it in a positive manner. Selye referred to our body’s response to stress—or distress—as the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). This consists of three different stages: alarm, resistance and exhaustion. The alarm stage is comparable to the well-known “fight or flight” response, during which the body releases the hormone cortisol and prepares to either battle whatever is threatening it or retreat. The authors said that since many modernday stressors are not physical things we can run from and escape immediately, the alarm stage is lengthened, leading up to the next phase— resistance. This stage, they added, allows us to adjust our body to counteract the physiologic changes in response to the stress. However, if the stress factor does not disappear, the third stage occurs—exhaustion. It is during exhaustion that the body creates a situation of distress, and responses can range from extreme fatigue to disease and possibly death. Stress and aging Dr. Ronald Klatz and Dr. Robert Goldman said stress in itself is not necessarily a negative thing. “The term stress simply refers to any situation—physical, emotional or both—that requires any bodily response more active than equilibrium. A slight change in temperature is experienced by the body as stress, i.e., a demand from nature to mobilize the body’s resources and raise or lower body temperature. A new love affair is stressful even while it is blissful, as it evokes your intense attention to a new person and creates powerful emotions that demand a new kind of attention to yourself. Playing tennis, negotiating a big deal, planning a birthday party for your child, even reading an exciting mystery novel, are all sources of stress in that they demand physical or emotional responses from you, pleasurable

TRIPLE DIGITS though these activities may be.” Where stress becomes negative is in our responses to it, the authors said. “If your reaction to negotiating a big deal is not pleasurable suspense but a killing anxiety, then your body will probably respond with a headache or stomachache, and your immune system may become weaker, as well. If the daily drive to work is the occasion for a hundred little explosions of temper, you’re creating a level of negative stress that will affect your body quite differently than if you enjoy the challenge of driving skillfully through crowded city streets.” They explained that this type of negative stress creates a number of ailments, from mental frustration, anxiety and depression to headaches, allergies, ulcers and heart disease. In the long run, negative responses to stress can wear down the immune system, potentially leading to cancer and other diseases traditionally associated with aging. The authors added: “Many studies have beed done on the physical stress response in the elderly, and it was found that when placed under stress, elderly people experienced loss of appetite, weight loss, a lowered lymphocyte count—which impairs immune function—and an increase in psychological distress and serum cholesterol levels. Moreover, negative stress increases your body’s production of free radicals.” Cortisol may be a particularly dangerous catabolic hormone as far as aging is concerned. High cortisol levels, generated by negative responses to stress, interfere with your immune system. Cortisol does not only interrupts your body’s production of antibodies, it may actually destroy antibodies already in circulation. Although stress-induced cortisol levels affect people of all ages, the loss of cortisol receptors in the brain—a sign of aging—may be responsible for the generally higher levels of cortisol among the elderly, and consequently their heightened vulnerability to diseases. Furthermore, laboratory studies have shown that the duration of the stress reaction is longer in older animals, possibly explaining the decreased rate of cortisol elimination with age. The authors cited a number of ways you can combat the destructive effects of a negative response to stress. They said diet and exercise play a large part in your responses. The B vitamins, in particular, help your mind and body cope with stress, while regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, enables you to meet life’s challenges with more relaxed and healthy attitude—and fewer symptoms of negative physical stress. They added that one effective way of coping with stress is meditation. Daily meditation seems to have the long-term benefit of lowering anxiety, improving mental functioning and, in the long run, helps you fight aging. Finally, they said that “the best way to stay young and live long is to love your life, filling it with a wide variety of challenges and joys that nourish your mind, body and spirit.”

Social pension for Soccsksargen seniors reach ₧700 million By Allen Estabillo | Philippine News Agency

ENERAL SANTOS CITY—The government has released over P700 million in cash grants in the past 11 months to indigent senior citizens in Region 12 (Soccsksargen). Cezario Joel Espejo, director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12, said on Friday they already covered a total of 155,819 senior citizens, or 78 percent of the total 199,856, in the entire region who are qualified to receive the social pension. Espejo said released grants already covered the second semester benefits, set at P500 a month, of the eligible senior citizens. The agency has been releasing the social pension every three months, or quarterly basis, at P1,500

each. Espejo said the distributed grants have so far reached a total of P708.7 million. In coordination with the local government units, he said they have fast-tracked the releases of the cash grants for the other senior citizens. “We are working to finish the distribution of the pension for the remaining 22 percent before the year ends,” he said in a statement. Labinia Banes, DSWD-12 focal person for the social pension program, acknowledged that the distribution of the grants was delayed to due to cleansing of the list of beneficiaries nationwide. Banes advised recipients, who have not yet received their social pensions, to coordinate with the local Office of Senior Citizens Affairs for the schedule of the releases.

BusinessMi

Saturday, December 14, 2019 | Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

UCI opens Freestyle Park training facility in Aigle

INTERNATIONAL Cycling Union President David Lappartient says it is essential to provide a high-quality training facility for national federations.

HE International Cycling Union (UCI) World Cycling Centre opened its training facility for cycling’s fifth and newest Olympic discipline—BMX Freestyle Park. The grounds of the UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, now boast a state-of the-art park in addition to its existing Supercross track for BMX Racing and its adjacent BMX pump track. BMX Freestyle Park entered the Olympic arena last year at the

Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Argentina, and will make its debut at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2020. Wednesday’s official inauguration brought together members of the UCI Management Committee, the UCI WCC Executive Committee and Foundation Board, local authorities, the Olympic family and UCI WCC partners and supporters. UCI President David Lappartient explained that it was essential

to provide a high-quality training facility for National Federations. “It was impossible for us to have BMX Freestyle Park join the Olympics without providing our National Federations with an opportunity to train their athletes in the discipline,” he said. “Our Olympic family is growing, and we want athletes from the world over to have the same opportunities and access to facilities of the highest level so they can reach their objectives.” Lara Lessmann, part of the German team that shared gold with Argentina at last year’s YOGs was in Aigle this week to try out the new facility. Fourth at the last two editions of the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships and currently ranked second in the world, 19-year-old Lessmann was enthusiastic about the UCI WCC’s new park: “It’s perfect! I wish we could ride this every day,” said the Berlin-based athlete who trains on a smaller, less-professional facility. The UCI WCC Park, constructed by UCI Partner Hurricane Parks, includes two padded resi sections where athletes can attempt new tricks and be assured of a soft reception on landing. “We don’t have this in Germany, it’s really amazing,” marveled the World No. 2, who is now aiming for Tokyo 2020. Same reaction from her YOG teammate Evan Brandes: “My first impression is very, very good. The res...the quality is fantastic.” The two Germans tested the new UCI WCC Park alongside Argentina’s Agustina Roth—who shared YOG gold with them last year—and rising French star Florent Kastner. All expressed their desire to return to the new UCI WCC facility, which they judged ideal for training and learning new tricks. Guests at the official opening were also treated to a demonstration of BMX Freestyle Flatland given by Alex Jumelin (France), multiple winner of the International Festival of Extreme Sports (Festival International des Sports Extrêmes, or FISE). Flatland was integrated into the UCI in 2018, and this year featured at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships for the first time. UCI News

Contador: It will be tough for Spain to repeat this decade’s achievements

OLLOWING a year of uneven results for Spanish cycling, Alberto Contador says he believes the sport will return to its former top level in his country, but that it will by no means be straightforward. “Cycling in Spain was one of the dominating forces at world level and now it’s lost power, everybody can see that,” Contador told Cyclingnews in an exclusive interview. “But that kind of cycle happens in all countries: some years are good, others less so and Spain has some young or youngish riders with great potential like Enric Mas, Marc Soler or Ivan García Cortina. Let’s see what they can do, but to repeat what was achieved in the last decade by Spain is going to be complicated.” Spain’s only WorldTour team, Movistar, celebrated its 40th year in the sport in 2019–a notable achievement in the economically volatile world of professional cycling—and also claimed its first Grand Tour victory since 2016. It was not with a Spanish rider, however, as it was Richard Carapaz of Ecuador who secured his country’s first-ever Grand Tour, and in the process he outshone and outperformed one of Spain’s main stage racing hopes, Movistar teammate Mikel Landa. Movistar’s overall win in the team classification notwithstanding, Spain was largely consigned to observer

status in the 2019 Tour de France, with no stage wins or days in the overall lead, and Landa was the country’s best GC finisher in sixth place. At the Vuelta a España, veteran Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) subsequently saved the day for the host nation with a notable runner’s-up spot overall and a stage win. Across the UCI WorldTour calendar, Spain’s only outright victories were in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, through Ion Izagirre (Astana); and in Tour of Guangxi, through Enric Mas (Deceuninck-Quick Step). Spain’s other top 3 results came in the UAE Tour, where Valverde placed second overall; and the GP de Montréal, where García Cortina finished third. “I think Enric has to be aiming for big targets next year. He was second in the Vuelta a España two years ago, and he’s a rider who’s very ambitious. I’m sure he won’t just settle for doing anything good,” Contador said. Contador seemed less certain about Mikel Landa, who moves to Bahrain McLaren for 2020. The Basque produces flashes of brilliance, but is an erratic performer with crashes and injuries hampering his 2019 season. “Landa is a rider who has enormous qualities when he’s going well, and in Grand Tours he’s able to do amazing rides, but it takes a lot for him to actually turn

RUSSIAN cyclists “will need to prove their integrity.”

TRACK CY THE DIFFE T

RACK cycling is a tough, challenging cycling discipline, requiring a combination of power, stamina and tactical acumen. Unlike road cycling, where the majority of the race flows along at submaximal power output, track events continually push the riders’ aerobic and anaerobic capacity to the max. As such, track training differs markedly to road training. Professional road racers will spend most of their training time on the road, racking up the miles to build endurance for one-day events that can swallow up seven hours and three-week tours that touch 90 hours. By contrast the longest single event on the track is the men’s 200-lap Madison (50 kms); the shortest is the 200-m time trial to seed riders for the sprint final, which can clock in at under 10 seconds.

HIT THE GYM

STRENGTH training is far more important for track cyclists than road cyclists. The latter might spend

time in the gym during the winter, but tail off during the season. Track cyclists, on the other hand, generally hit the gym all year round. Sprint track cyclists are likely to be in the gym three or four times a week for strength work. That’s down to wanting to achieve two key objectives: generate enough torque to move the fixed-gear bike from a standing start, and crank up to 2000 watts of power to hit top speeds of 70 km/hr. Track cyclists supplement this with further gym work that focuses on conditioning exercises for injury prevention. Understandably, gym programs focus on the lower body and include squats, deadlifts, lunges and plyometric drills (jump exercises to exert maximal force in a short period of time). The likes of Great Britain’s Jason Kenny and Germany’s Robert Förstemann pack in these exercises, with the squat arguably the most important exercise in the session. “Your quadriceps are integral to a powerful pedal stroke,” says sports scientist and cycling

ALBERTO CONTADOR speaks about his country’s future in cycling.

that into a victory,” Contador reflected. Contador, himself, contributed in no small part to Spanish cycling’s success in the last decade, taking the Vuelta in 2012 and 2014, winning the Giro d’Italia in 2015 and forging a reputation as one of Team Sky’s most unpredictable and tenacious rivals. Other standout achievements for Spain over the past decade in men’s road racing included Valverde’s 2018 world title, victories in Milano-San Remo (Oscar Freire in 2010), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Valverde in 2015 and 2017) and the Il Lombardia (Joaquim Rodriguez in 2012 and 2013), as well as several podium finishes in all three Grand Tours. Continental squad Kometa-Xstra, which is run under the auspices of the Alberto Contador Foundation, is helping to pave the way for the next generation of riders, both from Spain and further afield. Managed by Contador’s brother Fran, Kometa-Xstra has seen some notable success in kick-starting riders’ careers, but Contador worries that sponsors are still notable by their absence in his country’s cycling scene, particularly in the upper echelons. “This year, four of our riders have gone to WorldTour teams, one to Ineos with Carlos Rodriguez. Juanpe Lopez and [Luxembourg’s] Michel Ries are going to Trek-Segafredo, and [Italian] Stefano Oldani to Lotto-Soudal,” Contador says. “These riders should be part of the future of cycling, so we’re working well on the base. But there’s a definite lack of major teams in Spain, just Movistar for now, and we need more.” Cyclingnews

‘It will be difficult for Froome to return to his best level’

EAM Ineos Sports Director Nicolas Portal says that although it will be difficult for the team’s leader, Chris Froome, to return to his best level following his crash at this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, the British rider has set his sights on winning a fifth Tour de France in 2020. Speaking during a wide-ranging interview with French web site Cyclism’Actu this week, Portal said that he’s happy to be part of a harmonious team, all pulling in the same direction, even though it may look from the outside as though Team Ineos is packed with a number of chiefs and not that many Indians, with a raft of up-and-coming young riders, too.

STRENGTH training is far more important for track cyclists than road cyclists.

One of those young riders—Egan Bernal—won the Tour de France in the summer, finishing ahead of 2018 champion Geraint Thomas and giving Ineos an illustrious 1-2 at the world’s biggest bike race, while four-time winner Froome was forced to watch on from home. “It was such bad luck for ‘Froomey,’ with that massive crash at the Dauphiné,” Portal told Cyclism’Actu. “But knowing Chris, he’ll give himself a goal, which will be to compete at the 2020 Tour.” “The best way to be able to recover as quickly as possible is to do it right. He has this Tour objective: he really wants to

win a fifth Tour to make history. I think he’s got time on his side, but it’s true that it’ll be difficult.” “I do think he’ll recover, but recovering completely – back to 100 percent as an athlete—is going to be tough,” Portal continued. “We hope that he can, of course, and support him 100 percent, but what happened to him was very serious, and even having got back on his bike as he has been for the past few weeks is already a massive achievement.”

PACKED WITH GRAND TOUR WINNERS

THE off-season signing of 2019 Giro d’Italia winner Richard

irror CYCLING

Saturday, December 14, 2019

U.C.I. KEEPS CLOSE WATCH ON WADA BAN ON RUSSIA

FTER the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) Executive Committee approved plans to institute a four-year global ban on Russia, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said it is “closely following” the case. Russia could appeal the sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “The Union Cycliste Internationale [UCI] has taken note of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to exclude Russia from the international sporting movement for a period of four years. As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code, the UCI is closely following the proceedings for noncompliance and will implement this decision for the sport of cycling once it is final,” a UCI spokesman said. Any Russian cyclists would be prevented from competing for their national team in the Olympic Games and “major events,” which the UCI specified includes the various World Championships, but could be allowed to compete under a neutral flag under the Wada decision. “Russian cyclists who want to participate in the Games and the UCI World Championships will need to prove their integrity on an individual basis,” the UCI said. “For this, the UCI will set up a case-by-case eligibility procedure. Our federation

YCLING: ERENCE Coach Josu Larrazabal. “That’s why squats are so useful. But form must be good. When you’re standing with the bar on your shoulders, first the cyclist needs to fix the position to give balance to the body or they can’t do the movement. That then engages smaller muscles. That’s cycling-specific, where every movement requires some muscles to fix the position, while others focus on generating power.” Squats have also been known to generate more muscle-building testosterone than any other exercise, which might explain the size of Forstemann’s powerful thighs, which have a circumference of 74 cms. The German explained to writer Daniel Davis the importance of squats and how his program varies through the calendar year, depending on whether he is seeking strength or power. “In preparation for the season I undertake a lot of repetitions, so typically 60 percent to 90 percent

Carapaz adds yet another proven Grand Tour winner to the already stodgy Team Ineos mix, but Portal sees having capable leaders as an advantage, rather than a difficulty. “We have to think about the future, and Richard wanted to join the team; it wasn’t like we were forcing him to come,” Portal said. “We have proven winners in Froomey and Geraint, and we have Egan, who will continue to win—or, at least, we hope he will. But we also have to look to the future, to riders like Pavel [Sivakov]

OF course, the velodrome is also home from home for track cyclists, too, where strength and power continues to be built, especially focusing on the gluteus maximus and vastus lateralis muscles that combine to generate over 55 percent of a sprinter’s power. That’s why force intervals are core to a sprinter’s training program. These involve low-cadence and high-torque work where the sprinter will ride at around 60 revolutions per minute (rpm). Another key session is high-cadence work. Top track cyclists have the ability to shift cadences effortlessly, which really pays off in a game of cat-and-mouse like the men’s and women’s sprint. It’s also important because track riders only have one fixed gear to pedal, and is why track riders train their limbs to reach a cadence of 130 rpm or more. A fast cadence involves firing up the neuromuscular system, so riders will undertake superspin workouts, where they might do five to seven 30-second efforts of 130 spm with a oneminute recovery between each set. Endurance track cyclists would undertake longer efforts. Those who participate in the 4,000-m individual and team pursuits, for example, would look at a session like 10x4,000 m at a variety of prescribed speeds with minimal rest in-between. The difference in session breakdown comes from the different energy systems the track stars are looking to hit and train. Research by noted Prof. Asker Jeukendrup showed that 95 percent of a top track sprinter’s energy comes from anaerobic (without oxygen) sources, whereas a 4-km track rider taps into 25 percent anaerobic energy and 75 percent aerobic. Track riders will also venture onto the road, although often no more than once a week. This is good for physical condition and the mindset of those training at an indoor velodrome: the fresh air and wide, open views offer a welcome alternative to riding the boards. and Carapaz. We don’t know how long Froomey and ‘G’ will be able to stay at the top level like that, but, however long it is, we have to be ready. “The other teams around us are also getting stronger,” he continued. “When we see that JumboVisma, in the space of just a few months, have gone from a very good team to an extremely strong one for 2020, we have to be ready. “It’s the same at teams like Movistar, and others, so we need to strengthen our squad and think about the future,” he said. Cyclingnews

CAS APPEAL

MEANWHILE, the AFP reported that the head of Rusada says it is unlikely that the CAS would overturn the ban, which comes as a result of the country violating the terms of its reinstatement by tampering with data it was required to provide from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory. “There is no chance of winning this case in court,” Rusada Head Yury Ganu told the AFP. “This is a tragedy. Clean athletes are seeing their rights limited.” The Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the AFP it was “impossible to deny” that doping had taken place, but that those involved were already punished. Of the new sanction, Medvedev said, “This is the continuation of this anti-Russian hysteria that has already become chronic.” Russia’s Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov called the decision political and supported appealing to the CAS. “I believe it would be right to turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” Kolobkov said, adding that he thought the chances of overturning the ban were “quite good.” An appeal to CAS could be a delay tactic that could prevent the ban from taking effect until after the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.

BURDEN ON ATHLETES

SHOULD the ban go into effect, the burden will fall upon the athletes to prove they were not involved in the doping scheme in order to be allowed to compete. Wada’s forensic analysts were able to obtain the names of athletes suspected of doping from the Moscow laboratory information management system (LIMS) data from 2012 to 2015 despite the tampering, including 145 athletes on its most suspicious list, according to InsidetheGames.biz. Günter Younger, Wada’s intelligence and investigations director, said about one-third of these athletes were still active in competition. Jonathan Taylor, chairman of Wada’s Compliance Review Committee (CRC) said athletes would have to prove they were not involved in the scheme in order to compete. “If an athlete from Russia can prove that they were not involved in the institutionalized doping program, that their data were not part of the manipulation, that they were subject to adequate testing prior to the event in question and that they fulfill any other strict conditions to be determined, they will be allowed to compete,” Taylor said. “While I understand the calls for a blanket ban on all Russian athletes whether or not they are implicated by the data, it was the unanimous view of the CRC, which includes

an athlete, that in this case, those who could prove their innocence should not be punished.”

FIRST TEST OF BAN

IF Russia chooses not to appeal the sanction, the first test for cycling could be as soon as the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in early February. Russia has one active athlete in the sport, Daria Fomina, who could race in the U23 women’s category. More likely the Russian track athletes will be obliged to prove their innocence before the UCI Track World Championships start in Berlin on February 26. Russia’s sprinters are ranked fifth and sixth in the men’s team sprint and individual sprint, respectively; and third in the women’s individual sprint, women’s keirin and first in the women’s team sprint. Daria Shmeleva is the reigning world champion in the 500-m time trial, and world champion with her team sprint partner Anastasiia Voinova. The pair won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. The Russian endurance team took a hit in 2016 when three of the individual pursuiters, Dmitry Sokolov, Kirill Sveshnikov and Dmitry Strakhov, were excluded from the Olympic Games for being named in the McLaren report on Russian doping. Cyclingnews

Perkins: It comes down to my ethics

ORMER Australian track sprinter hopes to compete at Olympics under neutral flag if necessary. Track sprinter Shane Perkins, who competes for Russia after switching sporting allegiance from Australia in 2017, says that he hopes to be able to take part in the Tokyo Olympic Games next year under a neutral flag if the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) decision to ban the nation from international competition is upheld. Perkins, who became Keirin world champion in 2011, gained Russian citizenship in 2017— and became Russian Keirin champion the same year—after having missed out on selection for Australia for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He was part of the Australian team at the 2012 Games in London, winning bronze in the individual sprint. The 32-year-old’s aim now is to compete on the track in Tokyo next summer—for Russia or as a neutral.

workout with 50 percent to 70 percent of my maximum weight,” Forstemann explained. “As the season progresses, and the closer I get to the peak of the season, the repetition numbers decrease and the loads increase to the maximum doing one to three repetitions for four to six sets.” For reference, Forstemann’s maximum weight is an impressive 280 pounds.

CADENCE WORK

is closely following developments linked to this decision.”

“We knew there was a possibility of something like this happening,” Perkins told Australian newspaper The Advertiser this week. “I can’t control it; it’s out of my hands, and there are some athletes who have inherited this situation to a certain extent,” he said. “It’s a matter of looking at our options and, in my case, one of those options is to race under a neutral flag.” According to The Sports Integrity Initiative, the supervisory board of Russian anti-doping body Rusada will meet on December 19 to discuss whether they’ll appeal Wada’s decision through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In the meantime, Perkins will continue with his goal of qualifying for the Olympics at the Track World Cup in Brisbane, Australia, which starts on Friday (December 12), at the World Cup in Milton, Canada, in January, and

SHANE PERKINS gains Russian citizenship in 2017 after having missed out on selection for Australia for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

at the Track World Championships in Berlin, Germany, in February. “Sport can be fickle and political. We put a lot of time and effort into a very small moment of our lives like an Olympic Games, and it would be a shame to miss out through no fault of our own,” Perkins told The Advertiser. “At the same time, I have had their support the whole time, and without it I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing,” he said of the Russian cycling federation, telling the newspaper that he was happy to continue representing the nation, replying, “No,” when asked if he’d never seen anything “untoward.” “I believe in my team,” Perkins said. “If I didn’t, I never would have come on board, and I’ve not seen anything that has made me question any of that. “I am removed from the environment in some sense because I am living in Australia and training by myself,” he added, “but at the end of the day, it comes down to my ethics, who I am as a person and what I believe in.” Cyclingnews

High-flying Lessmann makes a name in BMX freestyle Y OUTH Olympic Games gold medalist in 2018, ranked No. 2 Elite Woman in the world this year and a regular on international podiums. Germany’s Lara Lessmann is one of “the” names of BMX Freestyle Park. The 19-year-old was recently invited to give a demonstration of her sport at the official inauguration of the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) BMX Freestyle Park in Aigle, Switzerland. UCI News caught up with the high-flying rider, who nevertheless has her feet firmly on the ground and seems almost surprised that only UCI World Champion Hannah Roberts (US) is above her in the world rankings. “I don’t really think about that or realize until I get invited to events like this!” says Lessmann, who has been riding over half her life. In 2009 she was just the “little sister” down at the local skate park where everyone messed about together on skateboards, inline roller blades and bikes. It was fun, it was social and it was male-dominated. “I went with my big brother and I always rode with boys because there were not many girls. Then when I was about 12 my local skate park organized a big German competition and I won. Yeah, I beat the boys.” “Then I started winning other German competitions and when I was 15, I rode in a FISE competition in Croatia and I won there too.” It was obvious that the little sister had something special, and at 17 years of age she moved to Berlin to study in a sports school. “It was hard because there was no BMX—only cycling, and it was hard to get respect,” she said. But with her international results came the respect she deserved, and a whirlwind life of training, travel and competition.

TRAINING: A MIXTURE OF REPETITION AND ADRENALINE

WHEN at home, she divides her training between riding and, on bad weather days, the gym. One day a week is spent at a foam pit to try new tricks. “Every day you try to get better. Every day I’m scared. But if there is a day when you are really scared, if you aren’t ‘feeling it,’ then you shouldn’t do it. I’m a safe and confident rider, so I will only do a trick if I know I will land it,” she said. New tricks are perfected on a small ramp, before moving to a bigger ramp, then an even bigger one: “Every day you do that same trick, over and over again, to be sure you get it 100 percent.”

COMPETITIONS WORLDWIDE

SINCE graduating from school, Lessmann has dedicated her life to her sport, which has meant overcoming her fear of flying to compete worldwide. As much as the competition itself, she is proud to demonstrate her sport to new audiences: “Everyone knows soccer, but BMX Freestyle is different. I love showing it to people in China, Japan, Argentina...they really like it!” “The good thing about our sport is that everyone is different, and everyone has their own style. That’s what makes it so cool. It’s also hard because it is judged. In cycling, the fastest wins. It’s easy to pick the winner....” With victory at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, a silver medal and two fourth places at the last three UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Chengdu, China, the young athlete is already a seasoned international athlete. “But I still get very nervous. On the morning of a competition I can’t eat, I’m so nervous. But I think it’s a good sign to feel like that,” Lessmann said. “Just before my run, when I’m on the top of the ramp—the feeling goes away, and the show starts!”

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS

THE show will continue at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where BMX Freestyle will make its debut. Lessmann’s qualification should be a mere formality, and the young rider will make it her main goal for next year. The announcement that her sport would join the Olympics has attracted new athletes and raised the level of competition: “If you look at videos of the World Championships in 2017 and now, you see a big progression. Not just me, but with all the women. “Yes, the Olympics will be my main goal next year, but I want to keep BMX fun and do other competitions too, like the X Games.”. But for now, after nonstop travel and competition from April to November, she is looking forward to a bit of rest. She will spend time with her family—“I get homesick, and really want to spend some time with them,” work out next year’s schedule and relax. “And try some new tricks,” she adds. UCI News

LARA LESSMANN: I want to keep BMX fun.

By Jake Seiner

The Associated Press

AN DIEGO—Baseballs weren’t juiced during a record-setting 2019 regular season, according to a study commissioned by Major League Baseball (MLB). They were just flying farther. A four-person committee of scientists concluded baseballs this year had less drag on average than in previous seasons, contributing to a power surge that resulted in a record number of home runs. Their report released Wednesday blamed the spike on inconsistencies in the seam height of the baseballs, as well as “changes in player behavior.” Batters connected 6,776 times in the regular season, smashing the record of 6,105 set in 2017. The committee says it did not find evidence that MLB intentionally altered baseballs and believes inconsistencies were due to “manufacturing variability.”The balls are handsewn by workers at Rawlings’s factory in Costa Rica. “We have never been asked to juice or de-juice a baseball,” Rawlings President and CEO Michael Zlaket said. “And we’ve never done anything of the sort. Never would.” The 27-page report was authored by physics Prof. Alan Nathan, statistics Prof. Jim Albert, mechanical engineering and mathematics Prof. Peko Hosoi, and mechanical engineering Prof. Lloyd Smith. The committee concluded 60 percent of the home run surge across 2018-19 could be attributed to an increase in carry, with 40 percent due to players attempting to hit more fly balls. Scientists recommended MLB consider installing humidors at all 30 ballparks “to reduce the variability in storage conditions” and install atmospheric tracking systems in each stadium. They believe Rawlings should begin tracking dates that baseballs are manufactured and shipped, and they also suggested a study with a larger sample size to explore the possibility carry is influenced by the rubbing mud applied to bright, white baseballs before they are used in games. MLB plans to accept those recommendations. Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league does not want to abandon the handmade balls from the Costa Rica factory in favor of an automated manufacturing process with synthetic materials. “I think we understand the variability in the baseball better today than we did at any point in the history of the game,” Manfred said. “The fact that we understand the variability, I don’t really see as a motivator to do something drastic in terms of changing the way the game is played.” The committee confirmed suspicions by players and coaches that the “juiced” ball was carrying less during the 2019 postseason. Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt said during the NL Championship Series that Saint Louis’ analytics team believed fly balls were traveling 4 1/2 feet less on average. That backed a study published by data scientist Rob Arthur at Baseball Prospectus showing the balls suddenly had less drag. The scientists could not determine why the October balls weren’t flying as far. MLB has said the postseason balls were pulled from the same batch as the regular-season ones, and Nathan said there was no discernible difference in the seam height among the samples studied. The aerodynamics of baseballs were found to be notably different within each season. Even during a given game, there could be significant disparity in ball flight caused by

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Sports BusinessMirror

Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

BASEBALLS AIN’T JUICED

A BASEBALL lies on packed dirt after for a short batting practice during a tour of the under construction baseball field at the new Texas Rangers Stadium in Arlington, Texas. AP

shifts of just .001 inches in seam height. The committee cited “ball-to-ball variation in the baseball drag that is large compared to the year-to-year change in the average drag.” Triple-A used Rawlings balls from the Costa Rica factory for the first time this season, and hitters at that level also blew past the Triple-A home run record. Zlaket said that was

because the balls from Costa Rica were closer to specifications because they were of a higher quality. Not juiced balls, but spruced balls. “The ball we make for Major League Baseball is much more precise,” Zlaket said. MLB owns a minority stake in Rawlings, and Peter

Seidler, the San Diego Padres general partner, has chief oversight of the equity firm that owns a majority share. The study was conducted using laboratory testing of baseballs dating to 2013, as well as data pulled from MLB’s Statcast tracking system. The group said it “significantly modified” its lab tests from a previous

Naga bets stamp class in age-group tennis tilt

Paralympics marathon to remain in Tokyo

OKYO—The Paralympic marathons are staying in Tokyo, unlike the marathons for the Olympics, which have been moved north to the cooler city of Sapporo. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons confirmed the move on Thursday as Tokyo Olympic organizers wrapped up planning meetings with the IPC. Parsons said data shows the heat and humidity should not be a problem. The Paralympics open August 25, several weeks after the Olympics close on August 9. Parsons emphasized the athletes did not want to leave Tokyo. “When we spoke to athletes likely to compete in the Tokyo 2020 marathon events, the overwhelming response was that they want to remain in Tokyo,” he said. “With many marathon athletes also competing in track events during the games, a move would be logistically difficult for them to accommodate.” Parsons added: “The health and well-being of our athletes is a top priority for us at all times. And before taking a final decision to keep the Paralympic marathon events in Tokyo, it was vital for us to analyze all the relevant data and speak to the athletes themselves.” The Paralympic marathons take place on September 6, the last day for the Paralympics. Parsons hopes the races can kindle a street party to celebrate Tokyo’s seven years of preparing both the Olympics and Paralympics. “With the Paralympic marathon events now confirmed, we want to work with Tokyo 2020 and Tokyo Metropolitan Government to ensure the final Sunday of the Paralympics is a huge celebration and a street party which the whole city can enjoy.” Five marathons take place on the final day with the first starting at 6:30 a.m. local time. The triathlons were also moved up an hour from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on August 29 and August 30. The decision to keep the marathons in the Japanese capital should please Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who bitterly opposed moving the Olympic marathons but was overruled by the International Olympic Committee. AP

study released in 2018, which also found that drag in the baseball was decreasing but did not confirm that seam height inconsistencies were the strongest factor. Changes to the roundness of the ball, surface roughness and the thickness of the laces were found to be “relatively consistent.”

THE Philippine volleyball program shows its potential in the 30th SEA Games.

Volleyball squads make mark in SEA Games

FTER years of lackluster finishes in the Southeast Asian Games, the Rebisco-backed Philippine volleyball program showed resurgence this year with strong performances and podium finishes all throughout against the region’s powerhouse teams.

The men’s indoor volleyball team, led by captain John Vic de Guzman, booked a silver-medal finish, breaking a drought of almost 15 years. The men’s team last earned the bronze in the 2005 Manila SEA Games, making the achievement more impressive. The beach volleyball teams—Jude Garcia and Jaron

Senators commend Casugay

FILIPINO surfer in La Union might have lost his aspiration to win a gold during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, but won the country’s heart when he saved an Indonesian rival from drowning last December 6. As a result, the Senate on Monday adopted Senate Resolution 230, taking into consideration Senate Resolution 258, to honor Roger Casugay for risking his life to save Indonesian Arip Nurhidayat. The resolutions were introduced by Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Sen. Nancy Binay, respectively. According to the resolution, Nurhidayat was swept from his surfboard and tossed by the rolling waves in the

middle of the men’s longboard surfing competition in San Juan, La Union, when Casugay rescued him. “Casugay rescued his competitor, showcasing the true heart of a champion by setting aside his goal of capturing a gold medal and saved the life of a competitor without hesitation,” Go said. “His quick response in the face of danger should be commended and honored for he has shown greatness, not by garnering medals but by displaying an act of heroism and courage. This clearly shows that humanity transcends way beyond any form of commendation, distinction and medal,” he added.

Requinton in the men’s division, and the Sisi RondinaBernadeth Pons and Dzi Gervacio-Dij Rodriguez in the women’s side—clinched breakthrough bronze medals. The women’s indoor volleyball team fell short of a podium finish but the athletes’ hard work and heart did not go unnoticed. Go said Indonesian President Joko Widodo thanked Casugay, saying that “while winning the competition and upholding sportsmanship is important, display of humanity is above all.” Go assured Casugay that he will be conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu by President Duterte whether or not he wins in the competition. He observed the humility of the 25-year-old La Union native, who told him that saving Nurhidayat was a normal thing among the surfers. He said Casugay’s statement gives us a glimpse of the spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie that exists within the surfing community. For her part, Binay said the accomplishment and heroism displayed by Casugay has once again displayed the selflessness and excellence of Filipinos which bring immense pride and honor to the country.

NRANKED but talented stars from Naga City, Cebu, took four of the nine boys’ singles titles disputed as they dominated the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Pera Express Padala (PPS-PEPP) Mayor Junard Chan national age-group tennis tournament at the Lapu-Lapu City and Consolacion courts in Cebu recently. Vincent Cañete bucked the odds to claim the boys’ 12-and-under crown, capping his remarkable romp with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over No. 4 Gio Manito before Mitch Largo, Eric Longakit and Venz Alforque trampled their respective rivals to share the spotlight in the Group I tournament presented by Dunlop. Largo actually foiled fellow unseeded Cañete’s two-title bid, hacking out a 6-4, 6-4 decision for the 14-U diadem; Longakit also frustrated No. 3 Largo, 6-4, 4-6, 10-4, for the 16-U title; while Alforque overwhelmed top seed Cedrix Bravo, 6-1, 6-2, to rule the premier 18-U side of the event which served as part of the country’s biggest talent search put up by PPS-PEPP. No. 2 David Sepulveda from Pardo, Cebu, trounced third seed Christian Laguna, 4-2, 4-2, to pocket the 10-unisex plum, while second ranked Faith Banico from Siquijor outplayed No. 1 Shaira Paliwag, 6-4, 6-2, to snare the girls’ 12-U crown and share MVP honors with Canete. The Naga City bets’ victories, likewise, lined them up for a big campaign when the circuit moves to their turf from December 14 to 21 for the PPS-PEPP Dagitab Festival, which features the men’s Open singles and doubles along with the Group I junior play. Also on tap are the Legends singles for 40-and-above, and doubles for 30s, 40s and 50s. For details, contact PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development Director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464. Local bet Claire Nocos, on the other hand, drew inspiration from the crowd as she thwarted Banico, 6-3, 6-0, while Butuan City’s Joshea Malazarte, also an unranked campaigner, held off Nichole de la Rita, 6-0, 7-5, and Cabatuan, Isabela’s Paula Uy scored a 4-1(ret.) win over Malazarte to capture the girls’ 18-U trophy in the tournament sanctioned by Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-MEG.

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

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SMART, TNT UNVEIL FREE INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK PREPAID PROMOS

TEAM Miraculum Gaming (from left) Albert “Hechibert” Navalta, Jubet “zFoggyDew” Gonzales, Jaime “Burninggg” Gonzales and Philip “OGPhillip” dela Cruz will represent the Philippines in the “Asia Pacific Predator League 2020.

PREDATOR General Manager Sue Ong-Lim

PHL teams all set for ‘Asia Pacific Predator League 2020’ PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

AMING tournaments are always exciting. There is always an energy that is so infectious and youthful. One Sunday recently, I braved the traffic going to SM City North Edsa for the Predator League 2020 Philippine Finals. This isn’t the first time gaming PC brand Predator hosted such an event. But this was special because the “Asia Pacific Predator League 2020” will be held in Manila early next year. Predator League is the most anticipated professional gaming tournament, and the largest brand-initiated tournament in the AsiaPacific. Predator, the brand with the most complete gaming devices, gathered the top gamers to determine who will represent the country in the Asia Pacific Predator League 2020 on February 22 and 23, in Manila. The Philippine teams will compete against gamers from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand, in Predator League 2020. At the end of the two-day finals, Neon Esports and Team Miraculum Gaming beat the competition

FACEBOOK CEO Mark Zuckerberg listens to a question as he testifies before a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, in April 2018. AP

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in respective tournaments and bagged the Philippine championships title at the Predator League 2020 Philippine Finals. “Predator has always been proud of supporting eSports athletes by coming up with innovative products to cater to their everchanging eSports needs. We hope that the Apac finals will also help foster

camaraderie among the participants and elevate the eSports industry not only in the Philippines, but in the Asia-Pacific, as well,” said Sue Ong-Lim, Predator general manager. Miraculum Gaming competed against 14 other teams. The team had back-to-back wins (Rounds 8 and 9) to catch up with Angel Alliance and get to the top spot by a point. Neon Esports took home P150,000 and a slot at the Apac finals where they will complete TNC Predator for Dota 2; and first runner-up Lowkey Esports, which also took home a P50,000 cash prize. SG Dragons placed second runner-up with a cash prize of P35,000, while Cignal Ultra placed third with P15,000. Team Miraculum Gaming won the PUBG tournament with P150,000 cash prize and an Apac finals slot, alongside ArkAngel Predator. Angel Alliance got the first runner-up spot with P50,000 cash prize. Gamer’s Lounge placed second with P35,000, while Excommunicados placed third with P15,000 cash prize. The first-ever Asia Pacific Predator League was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The second edition was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in a tournament that lasted for three days at Nimibutr Stadium, in February. Over 10,0000 fans watched the battles in real time—and in real-life. It had 4.3 million views online and peak concurrent viewership of over 60,000. The Philippines will play host for next year’s finals. Predator is a Southeast Asian Games Prestige partner for the eSports tournament. This is the first time that eSports is included in the SEAG. More information is available at www.predatorleague.com. ■

Facebook rebuffs US AG over access to encrypted messages BY MATT O’BRIEN The Associated Press FACEBOOK is rebuffing efforts by US Atty. General William Barr to give authorities a way to read encrypted messages. The heads of Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Messenger services told Barr and his UK and Australian counterparts that Facebook is moving forward with plans to enable end-to-end encryption on all of its messaging services. End-toend encryption locks up messages so that not even Facebook can read their contents. WhatsApp already uses end-to-end encryption. Facebook plans to extend that protection to Messenger and Instagram Direct. Barr and other officials had asked the company in October to hold off. In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, they insisted that precluding access by law enforcement could hinder efforts to prevent or investigate crimes. The letter repeatedly emphasized the dangers of child sexual exploitation to justify their stance. Barr reiterated his concerns in a speech on Tuesday, calling the encryption fight “one of our highest priorities” and describing “an increasing number of horror stories about how people are dying, or being molested or whatever, but we cannot get in.” Law enforcement has long sought a way to read encrypted messages that’s analogous to wiretaps for phone calls. Security experts, however, say that giving police such access makes messaging insecure for everyone by creating vulnerabilities that others can exploit. In Facebook’s response Monday to Barr and other

authorities, Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, and Stan Chudnovsky, head of Messenger, said creating such a “backdoor” for law enforcement “would be a gift to criminals, hackers and repressive regimes, creating a way for them to enter our systems and leaving every person on our platforms more vulnerable to real-life harm.” Facebook has said that people have the right to private conversations online and that companies are already able to respond to government agencies when they receive valid legal requests. Facebook’s letter emphasized the many tools the company has built to try to detect criminal and other problematic activities using signals from unencrypted information. Barr said at a Wall Street Journal event on Tuesday that there are benefits to encryption, such as to secure communications with a bank. But he said the growth of consumer apps with end-to-end encryption, like WhatsApp and Signal, have aided “terrorist organizations, drug cartels, child molesting rings and kiddie porn type rings.” His comments came on the same day that executives from Facebook and Apple were testifying about encryption at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Apple’s director of user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, told senators in prepared remarks Tuesday that encryption not only protects an iPhone user’s sensitive data, but is an important way of safeguarding financial and health data in an “increasingly interconnected future.” “We do not know of a way to deploy encryption that provides access only for the good guys without making it easier for the bad guys to break in,” he said. Apple resisted the government’s efforts to gain access to an iPhone belonging to a perpetrator of a

2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, which killed 14 people. The company went to court to block an FBI demand for Apple to disable security measures that complicated efforts to guess the phone’s passcode. The FBI eventually relented after it found another way of getting into the phone, but a longstanding fight between the tech industry and Justice department over finding work-arounds has flared up again under Barr.

IN line with its push to empower Filipinos with easy access to their favorite social-media apps, PLDT mobile subsidiary Smart Communications is treating Smart Prepaid and TNT subscribers with free 1GB access to Instagram and Facebook with every registration to select promos. With free IG+FB For All, Smart Prepaid and TNT users may enjoy worry-free access to Instagram and Facebook to post their latest travels and OOTDs, keep up with the posts of their favorite celebrities and content creators, share trending memes, and bond with friends and loved ones over the latest online buzz. Even better, subscribers may enjoy their open access data allocation for their other online activities, such as reading blogs and news sites, watching vlogs and series, streaming music, playing mobile games, and accessing productivity apps, among others. “Smart has always provided more Filipinos with access to digital platforms—from video streaming and now connecting to top social-media apps. This is because we understand that access to these platforms enable them to enrich and celebrate their passions, and we want to make this experience as worryfree as possible for our subscribers,” said Oscar A. Reyes, Jr., SVP and head of Consumer Business-Individual Group. Upon successful registration to the promo, subscribers shall be instantly notified of their free 1GB of Instagram and Facebook, valid throughout the duration of the promo they have chosen. Smart and TNT subscribers can browse social-media updates seamlessly, upload and share their favorite content in a flash, and send messages in real-time via the country’s undisputed fastest LTE network, as recognized by world-renowned network analytics firms, such as Ookla, Opensignal, Tutela and P3.

The boosted vlog guide for content creator newbies THE continuing popularity of social media has encouraged Gen Z to share their lives online. These days, the preferred platform is video, with more young Filipinos starting vlogs. Debuting a channel is easy, but an aspiring vlogger must keep a few things in mind if they want to grow their following and reach people. Below are three simple tips to help first-time content creators: 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC. While it’s tempting to vlog about anything under the sun, it would be better to concentrate on a specific niche. They can focus on fashion, travel, or food, but it’s important to stick to just one. This way, it’s easier to build a following and find potential viewers for the channel. 2. BE AUTHENTIC. Another crucial thing to do is to start with what they know and to keep it real. The vlogger can lead with authority if he/she speaks on a subject he/she is passionate about. This is also where “branding” comes in. The more versed the vlogger is about his/her content, the more inspiring and enjoyable it will be for his/her followers. 3. USE THE RIGHT DEVICE. An excellent gadget can assist the vlogger with his/her videos. Thankfully, Samsung offers a number of smartphones built with high-quality cameras that can replace heavy equipment. Samsung designed the A-series with features to help users go live. The Galaxy A50s boosts the user’s life with an advanced multi-camera setup consisting of a 48MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide lens with a 123-degree field of vision and Super Steady Feature, and 5MP Live Focus. It is also equipped with a 32MP front camera with Selfie Focus and Smart Beauty features. The Galaxy A30s, on the other hand, features a triple-rear camera setup with a 25MP main camera, 5MP Live Focus shooter, and 8MP ultra-wide lens. The device also sports a 16MP front camera with Selfie Focus. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A20s and A10s help users so they can do more with their elevated features at an affordable price. The Galaxy A20s comes with a triple camera that includes a 13MP (F1.8) main camera, 8MP wide-angle camera, 5MP Live Focus lens, and 8MP selfie camera. The Galaxy A10s is equipped with a dual-camera setup consisting of a 13MP (F1.8) main camera, 2MP (F2.4) Live Focus lens, and 8MP (F2.0) front camera. The new A-series smartphones are powered by a 4,000 mAh battery so vloggers can stay connected and vlog all day. Besides compelling price points, amazing treats and freebies await consumers via the Samsung Members app, a one-stop app for a total galaxy of experiences. More information about the Galaxy A-series smartphones is available at www.samsung.com/ph.

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DFNN cited by British publication for its innovative solutions BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY firm DFNN Inc. was cited by the UK-based International Finance Publications Ltd. (IFP) when it received the International Finance Technology Awards for the Most Innovative IT Solutions Provider for 2019. IFP’s magazine, International Finance Magazine, covers stories on banking, asset management, hedge funds, wealth management, pension funds, currencies, sovereign wealth funds, real estate and fintech, as well as niche funding and investment opportunities. “DFNN has a lot of room for expansion in the fields

A YOUTUBE logo on a t-shirt worn by a person near a YouTube office building in San Bruno, California. YouTube is taking another step to curb hateful and violent speech on its site. AP

HOUSE of Marley’s newest release, the Liberate Air Truly Wireless Earphones, is conscious of its ecological impact without compromising its performance.

of blockchain technology, fintech and e-casinos. Luck plays a minor part, but it’s the team you’ve got to give credit to for bringing the company to its top position in the industry,” DFNN President and CEO Calvin Lim said in a press statement. Every year, IFP awards the best companies in the financial world for their commitment, dedication, perseverance and innovation at work. The magazine said technology has introduced major changes on how business is done across the globe, and the financial services industry is a prime example. It cited fintech as vibrant proof of how financial services have transcended barriers effortlessly— with technology making the entire experience of

transacting, trading and dealing seem so easy. IFP’s International Finance Technology Awards recognize exemplary contributions in the fintech sphere that have incrementally enhanced the quality of financial services. This year’s awardees come from 18 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. It is a milestone for DFNN as the only PSE-listed company among the recipients of the International Finance Technology Awards. In 2018, it was also named by the Financial Times of London as one of the fastest-growing firms in the Asia-Pacific region through the first-ever “FT 1000 High-Growth Companies” list.

YouTube cracks down on racist, sexist and similar insults

BY RACHEL LERMAN The Associated Press

AN FRANCISCO—YouTube is taking another step to curb hateful and violent speech on its site. The video streaming company said it will now take down videos that lob insults at people based on race, gender expression, sexual orientation or other “protected attributes.” The Google-owned company will also prohibit veiled threats of violence, taking a step further into moderating what people can say on the videos they create and upload. YouTube has been slapped with criticism from politicians, viewers and video creators for the material it allows on—and bans from—the site. The site has been accused of allowing, and fostering, hate speech and extremism, and creating spaces for harassment to linger online, along with other digital sites that allow people to upload their own material, such as Facebook and Twitter. YouTube has been reviewing its policies and guidelines for about two years, Matt Halprin, the company’s vice president of trust and safety, said in an interview. He said the company tries to find a balance between allowing freedom of expression and keeping hateful speech to a minimum. YouTube has long prohibited outright threats of violence. In June, it updated its hate speech policies to ban videos with white supremacist and Neo-Nazi viewpoints. But the company also received significant pushback that month after it allowed a video to remain on the site from conservative commentator Steven Crowder. In the video, Crowder used homophobic slurs aimed at Vox reporter Carlos Maza. Maza publicly criticized YouTube for its decision— but the company said it didn’t violate any antiharassment policies. That will change today. YouTube confirmed that Crowder’s videos about Maza now violate its new policies and will be removed. YouTube also announced it would take action against channels that have been found to repeatedly

MICROSOFT SHAREHOLDERS DEFEAT 2 ACTIVIST PROPOSALS MICROSOFT’S shareholders have defeated two proposals by activist-investors calling for the company to add a rank-andfile employee on its board of directors and report on gender disparities in company salaries. The company said on Wednesday that neither proposal got enough support, according to preliminary vote tallies. Boston-based investment firm NorthStar Asset Management pushed for getting a nonmanagement employee on the board. It cited internal dissent over Microsoft’s immigration and military contracts as a reason for more employee representation. Microsoft asked investors to defeat the proposal, arguing that all board candidates should be evaluated using the same criteria. The company said preliminary vote results showed NorthStar’s proposal getting less than 5-percent support. A separate proposal to require the company to address pay disparity concerns received more votes, but not enough to pass. The company’s preliminary tally showed less than 30-percent support. Microsoft announced the tallies at its annual shareholder meeting, an online event with no shareholders in attendance physically. AP

CREATIVE CHRISTMAS PHOTO IDEAS FOR YOUR SOCIAL-MEDIA FEED

harass people in videos. In many cases, it will “demonetize” the channel, YouTube said, by turning off any ad revenue those videos would normally generate for their creators. YouTube already demonetized Crowder’s channel. The new anti-harassment and violence policies also apply to public officials, though videos will still

remain on the site if they are parts of news stories, documentaries or other educational material. YouTube is also rolling out a comment review tool to video owners that will, by default, hold back comments the company’s algorithms have flagged as potentially inappropriate until creators have reviewed them. Video creators can turn off that setting if they want. ■

Sustainable tech: Trend that makes a change CARING for the environment comes with a prize—and that’s not a misspell. Digital lifestyle innovator Power Mac Center introduces to the Philippine market House of Marley’s Liberate Air Truly Wireless Earphones, an eco-friendly pair carefully crafted from sustainable materials, such as bamboo, recycled silicone and fabric. Liberate Air was welcomed into PMC’s comprehensive list of audio tech offerings through

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“Sounds Good! Coastal Cleanup,” a 100-percent sustainable program done in partnership with HOM and nonprofit organization CORA (Communities Organized for Resource Allocation) Philippines, held recently at the Las PiñasParañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. This is in line with a report by UN Environment Programme revealing that the global tech industry produces 50 million tons of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste), with only 20 percent of it formally recycled. Famed for its sustainability efforts, HOM changes the norm in an industry that usually faces a challenge in sourcing materials that are both good for the planet and able to get the job done. The audio brand proposes better-for-the-planet alternatives that prove quality audio doesn’t have to come at the expense of the environment. HOM and PMC urge everyone to finally make the switch and be conscious of the ecological impact of the products they consume. “PMC introduces House of Marley’s Liberate Air Truly Wireless Earphones, a premium quality wireless pair that doesn’t compromise its ecological impact. With the recent ‘Sounds Good!’ coastal cleanup, our goal is to not only support HOM and its strong commitment to its advocacy, but also give back for the protection of the environment. We at Power Mac Center are conscious of our ecological footprint, and therefore are taking bigger leaps towards environmental sustainability,” said PMC Director of Product Management, Marketing and Space Planning Joey Alvarez. Liberate Air was engineered with audio systems that

deliver HOM’s “signature sound” that highlights the energy, emotion and detail of every recording, providing more meaningful audio experiences and ultimately leading to positive change. Resistant to sweat and water droplets with a sensoractivated touch control technology feature for easy use, its product quality and style were designed for active lifestyles and make a perfect companion for any activity—whether running in the park, doing cardio exercises at the gym or going hiking out in the mountains. The wireless pair has a two-hour charging time that offers a nine-hour onboard battery life, and an additional 32-hour playtime stored in its case for another two hours of charging. It uses Bluetooth 5.0 that easily pairs with any device with Bluetooth connectivity within a 10-meter range. “House of Marley prides itself with fusing quality and sustainability as the core foundation of the brand. We strive to reduce our environmental impact by using materials, such as nontoxic silicone, wood-fiber composite resin and ground plastic. From sustainably harvested materials to upcycled fabrics, our products are eco-friendly, including the packaging. Ultimately, we promote a lifestyle that supports products that are beneficial for the environment and, at the same time, able to deliver optimal audio quality,” said Sunil Karamchandani, COO of Innovee Trading, the exclusive distributor of House of Marley in the Philippines. Liberate Air Truly Wireless Earphones are exclusively available at Power Mac Center.

CHRISTMAS is the time of the year when so many places just come alive with color and textures, calling to be “Instacaptured.” To help you capture all the inspiring vibrance this season has to offer, Xiaomi gathered its Elite 8—a group of Mi fans who are passionate about photography—to share tips on how you can shoot with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the pioneer of the Philippines’s 64MP quad-camera system, which delivers insanely rich and high-resolution photos. ■ TIP 1: GO SMALL TO MAKE A BIG IMPACT. Marivic “Ice-Ice” Aguilar’s (Once Upon a Shot) and Leomer Artillaga’s (Leom3r) photos have shown that you can set yourself apart simply by zooming in, and capturing angles and details others may miss. This is easy courtesy of the 64MP camera of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, which enables you to take ultra-high resolution photos even of items that are small or at a far distance. ■ TIP 2: OPEN UP TO THE BEAUTY OF MOTHER NATURE. While we often celebrate Mother Nature’s majestic and breathtaking landscapes, we often miss her quiet and subtle moments, which can be just as beautiful. Arjhay de Leon (RGee de Leon) has shown us how the Redmi Note 8 Pro’s ultra-high resolution 64MP camera system can help us immortalize these, making it the ideal smartphone to take along our vacations and trips this Christmas break. ■ TIP 3: GET BRIGHT EVEN AT NIGHT. While shooting at night can be hit-or-miss with other phone cameras, Joshua Romero shows us how dark nights can become breathtaking backdrops for unique colors when captured with the Redmi Note 8 Pro’s 4-in-1 Super Pixel technology. Your Simbang Gabi (Christmas Mass) photos will never be the same again. ■ TIP 4: WAIT FOR MAGICAL MOMENTS. If you find yourself having a Christmas party at a rooftop bar or restaurant, pay attention to how the sky changes and shifts the mood of your surroundings. As de Leon has shown, the Redmi Note 8 Pro can play with whatever light is available to help you capture the magic. Aside from its powerful cameras, the Redmi Note 8 Pro has a big 4,500 mAh battery and fast-charge support so it will last all day and night. It is also powered by Helio G90T with LiquidCool Technology for a smooth smartphone performance, and features an immersive 6.53” FHD+ Dot Drop display for a better viewing experience.

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Social media failing to stop manipulation

BY KELVIN CHAN The Associated Press

ONDON—Social-media companies are failing to stop manipulated activity, according to a report on Friday by North Atlantic Treaty Organization-affiliated researchers who said they were easily able to buy tens of thousands of likes, comments and views on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Most of the phony accounts and the activity they engaged in remained online weeks later, even after researchers at the Nato Strategic Command Centre of Excellence flagged them up as fake. The center, an independent group based in Latvia that advises the military alliance, said the findings contrast with statements from tech companies that say they’ve been working harder on stamping out manipulation. “Overall social-media companies are experiencing significant challenges in countering the malicious use of their platforms,” the report said. Online manipulation emerged as a major issue for tech companies after the 2016 US election, when Russian influence efforts came to light. The researchers found that most fake social-media activity is bought for commercial, not political, reasons. It can include Instagram influencers trying to pump up their profiles to make more money from their brand contracts. Fake accounts are still used for political means, though it’s a minor slice of the industry and aimed at “non-western” pages, the researchers said, noting they were used to buy engagement on hundreds of political pages and dozens of government pages. To carry out the study, the researchers turned to the “manipulation service provider” industry, which is expanding to feed the growing demand for phony clicks and likes. They used 16 companies, most based in Russia, to buy fake online engagement for 105 posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. They spent just €300 ($330) to purchase 3,530 comments, 25,750 likes, 20,000 views and 5,100 followers. To avoid influencing real conversations, they only bought clicks for posts that were at least six months old and carried neutral and nonpolitical messages, such as “Hello!” and “Thank you!” on New Year’s greetings from European Union commissioners. Four weeks later, 80 percent of the fake activity remained online, the researchers found, as they sought to gauge whether the sites were independently detecting misuse. They then reported 100 of the

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iGYM levels playing field for disabled, ablebodied children BY MIKE HOUSEHOLDER The Associated Press

accounts as fake, but found about 95 remained active three weeks later. Some companies were better than others, the report said. YouTube was the easiest site on which to create fake accounts but the best at countering artificial likes and video views. Manipulating Instagram is easy and cheap because the site is was largely unable to detect and stop it, while Twitter was best at detecting and removing manipulation. Facebook was best at stopping fake accounts, but any that got through were more successful because they faced little further scrutiny, and their comments and views weren’t removed. Facebook says it disabled 2.2 billion fake accounts

in the first quarter of this year. “Fake engagement tactics remain a challenge facing the entire industry,” Facebook, which also owns Instagram, said in a statement. “We’re making massive investments to find and remove fake accounts and engagement every day.” YouTube said it takes any abuse of its systems seriously and has invested in technology to prevent the artificial inflation of video view counts. “While no anti-spam system will ever be perfect, our teams work very hard to manage spam views to less than 1 percent of all views,” it said in a statement. Twitter said it has “invested significant technical resources to this issue and are committed to improvement.” ■

ANN ARBOR, Michigan—One Kreps brother uses a wheelchair and the other doesn’t, yet they are able to play sports together on a level playing field thanks to an augmented reality system developed at the University of Michigan. The technology, called iGYM, allows people with mobility disabilities and their nondisabled peers to exercise together in a fun environment. The system carries several games. “This is something that’s kind of neat, where they can both play,” said father Erik Kreps, who brought 10-year-old Darren and 9-year-old Bryan to Ann Arbor, on a recent Sunday to use the iGYM system. Bryan, who has a neuromuscular disorder, uses a wheelchair and a walker to help him get around. Both mobility aids are welcome on the court that iGYM projects onto the floor. In one game—a cross between soccer and air hockey—as players enter the court, a virtual circle appears around them and that circle moves with them as they traverse the arena. In this game, they expand the circle to strike a virtual ball into their opponent’s goal. The playing field is leveled thus: While Darren is able to run around the court, kicking to expand his circle and strike the virtual ball, Bryan presses a kick-button to widen the ring surrounding his wheelchair. “It is fun to hit a ball around,” said Darren, who smiled widely throughout several games with his brother. The technology is a one-of-a-kind, said iGYM creator Roland Graf, a professor at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design and a media artist, designer and inventor. “We have done pretty extensive research on this. Currently, there is nothing else like iGYM, as most other accessible gaming technologies either limit it to small screens or are developed for people with cognitive disabilities,” Graf said. iGYM exists only as a research prototype, and Graf and his team are looking for partners to help bring their project to the market. “Our vision with the system is to make it as simple and affordable as possible, so it can be installed and switched on like any video projector or light fixture in a school gym or community center,” Graf said.

This Christmas, give the gift of health and wellness THE holiday season is a wonderful time filled with family reunions, dinners with neighbors, and parties with friends, but it can also be the time when we most neglect our overall health and wellness— whether it’s dropping all forms of exercise, binging on unhealthy food, or failing to get the right amount of sleep. With Christmas just a little over a week away, what better way to celebrate (and survive) the holiday season than with the gift of health and wellness? If you’re looking for a stylish but thoughtful gift option, you can’t do much better than surprising your loved ones with a new smartwatch or fitness tracker. This Christmas, Fitbit has a range of innovative products, catered to all budgets and lifestyle needs, and at special discounted prices until December 27, at leading retailers including Digital Walker and on Lazada. From the new premium Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch, to the friendly fitness tracker for everyday—Fitbit Inspire HR and the advanced health and fitness tracker, Fitbit Charge 3—the brand has something for everyone. Furthermore, with the newest OS4.1 software update, you can expect an even more enhanced Fitbit experience, from the always-on display mode of the Versa 2 to new innovative tools like Smart Wake, and even a new-and-improved heart rate tracking algorithm. Here is a guide to help make your holiday shopping just a little bit easier: ■ FITBIT VERSA 2—PREMIUM SMARTWATCH FOR ALL YOUR FITNESS AND HEALTH TRACKING NEEDS. Spread the magic of Christmas with this all-in-one premium

health and fitness smartwatch. In addition to a stylish AMOLED screen and always-on display mode, Fitbit’s newest OS 4.1 update makes this the most effective Fitbit smartwatch, yet. A new feature, called Smart Wake, will gently begin to wake you with subtle vibrations during the optimal part of your sleep cycle within a 30-minute window prior to your preset alarm, letting you start your days more refreshed. The OS update also brings with it a new-and-improved algorithm for Fitbit’s proprietary 24/7 PurePulse heart rate tracking technology—now using machine learning to recognize the unique signature of heart rate in the optical sensor. With new and advanced features, this smartwatch is designed to help you live your best life.

■ FITBIT INSPIRE HR—AFFORDABLE FITNESS TRACKER FOR EVERYDAY USE. The new Fitbit Inspire HR is an easy-to-use, sleek fitness tracker that provides 15-plus goal-based exercise modes, such as running, cycling and yoga, to help you spice up your workouts each day. Reaching your fitness goals has never been easier. With 24/7 heart rate tracking you can see your heart rate zones, sleep stages and better track your calorie burn. Need a break from work? Guided breathing sessions help you find moments of calm throughout your day with personalized guided breathing sessions based on your heart rate. Need some inspiration to work out? The Fitbit Inspire HR has a useful feature called Reminders to Move, encouraging you to stretch your legs and take 250 steps every hour.

■ FITBIT CHARGE 3—ADVANCED FITNESS TRACKER FOR ATHLETES AND TECHNOPHILES. For highly active, fitnessfocused individuals who refuse to settle for anything less, the Fitbit Charge 3 automatically recognizes different exercises, such as runs and swims, making for a more intuitive fitness tracking experience. Charge 3 is also swim-proof, meaning that you can track your time in the pool (up to 50 meters) or wear it in the shower. If you’re like most people and can’t live without your phone, Charge 3 ensures that you’re constantly connected throughout the day with smartphone notifications like call alerts, text messages and quick replies. The Charge 3’s seven days of battery life is also a godsend for people who want insights and inspiration throughout the day.

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water purchase. Well, not anymore. The Hydrapak stash is a flexible water bottle that you can collapse and store easily when its empty. Its available in several sizes and features a TPU carry handle and grip ring so you can just clip it on the side of your bag. It also doesn’t taste like plastic or rubber like those cheaper ones you can find on the market. Its also great for running or going to the gym.

FOR THE MUSIC LOVERS

Y the time you read this, it will only be 11 days before Christmas! Have you completed your list and checked it twice? As December 25 draws closer and the Christmas shopping buzz grows louder, gift ideas somehow become more elusive with each trip to the store (online or not). Sometimes you also realize that a lot of items you’ve stacked on your cart don’t seem like good ideas anymore, and you’d rather buy things that you could give anyone (without making them feel like an afterthought). Everyone wants to give something to make the receiver feel special, and if you envy those gifting pros who always manage to give amazing gifts, let me tell you a little secret: the thought doesn’t always count! Now, I’m not much of a food, fashion or style expert, but having tried and tested a lot of gadgets and lifestyle accessories this year, I do have several suggestions that are sure to make your loved ones feel merry and bright.

FOR THE WANDERING ADVENTURERS

1. PACSAFE BAGS. I’ve featured Pacsafe in several of my previous columns and I have been using the same Pacsafe Sling Bag since 2013, which just goes to show how durable and safe it makes me feel whenever I travel. I even have a Pacsafe wallet (complete with strap), which I only used for travels before, but has now become my everyday wallet, especially when I have to commute. This year I got two Pacsafe bags from Urbanize: a Vibe 20L backpack which survived my snow adventure in Japan and, more recently, a Pacsafe Vibe Econyl Anti-Theft Sling Pack. Besides all the Pacsafe anti-theft technology—lockable zips, cut-resistant materials and RFID blocking pockets—I love this bag because it’s deceptively spacious. It can fit a 10-inch tablet, several smartphones (I usually bring three), travel essentials and more (cables, powerbanks, mini tripod, sanitizer, plus some snacks). It is also eco-friendly because its made of regenerated nylon fiber from fishing nets and other discarded nylon. The new collection also includes a couple of their best-selling lines, such as Venturesafe EXP45 and Metrosafe LS350, and recreates them utilizing recycled waste so there’s definitely a style that will suit your needs. Not only will this gift give them some peace of mind when traveling, but you also get to show your support to Save Philippine Seas and World Wide Fund Philippines. 2. HYDRAPAK STASH. “Bring a water bottle” is one of the most often overlooked travel tips, because who wants to carry around a big heavy empty tumbler? I have accumulated all sorts of tumblers from attending events, but never have I once brought them on trips. Instead I’d buy a plastic water bottle from the airport and reuse it until my next mineral

1. MARSHALL SPEAKERS. Besides being one of the best-sounding speaker brands, Marshall also has the rock and roll looks that will make it a great addition to any home or office. What’s even better is that you can save from P2,000 to P5,000 at the ongoing Grand Marshall Sale at Digital Walker and Beyond the Box. If you’re getting one for yourself, the Stanmore II Voice with Google Assistant is my pick as it is the most versatile speaker in the Marshall lineup. The Stanmore II Voice is perfect for any room size and produces clean and precise audio, even at the highest levels. Another good choice is the Acton II Voice if you want a smaller speaker. It has three dedicated class D amplifiers that power its dual tweeters and subwoofer, for a sound that is nothing short of large. Now, if you want a 2-for-1 deal there’s the Marshall Stockwell II which comes with a free Major III Bluetooth worth P7,890. The Stockwell II offers 20-plus hours of portable playtime on a single charge. It utilizes Blumlein Stereo Sound construction for a multidirectional experience that will immerse you in your music indoors or out. 2. JOYROOM JR-T04S. True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds are becoming more popular these days especially for those who don’t want the hassle of untangling messy wires, or have migrated to smartphones which have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack. However, these things can be quite expensive, so if you are looking for something more affordable, then the Joyroom JR-T04S TWS might just be the one you are looking for. At first glance you might even mistake it for the Apple AirPods, as it comes in similar looking white case that’s made of plastic and has a glossy finish. But once you take it out of the case, you’ll see the difference as the Joyroom earbuds are more flat with buttons on the side and charging ports at the bottom. What I like about them is that they are very easy to set-up. Just take the earbuds from the case and they automatically switch on and pair with one another right away. Then you just need to connect them to your smartphone to start listening to your favorite tunes. 3. JBL TUNE 120TWS. I’ve been using the JBL Tune 120 for almost half a year now and I’m so satisfied with it that I often forget I have a lot of other earphones. This is perfect for those who want a simple no-nonsense true wireless earphones and don’t need all those other features. The audio experience is solid, especially if you love listening to music with heavy bass thanks to its 5.8mm driver featuring JBL Pure Bass sound. It comes with several silicone eartips and fits quite snugly and comfortably. You get about four hours of battery life per full charge, plus 16 extra hours using the nicelooking charging case. You can even use it to enjoy stereo hands-free calls or connect to Siri or Google Assistant with just a push of a button. 4. HUAWEI FREEBUDS 3. Now this is the one that retires my JBL Tune. I’ve been quite excited to try this out ever since it was first announced. The Huawei FreeBuds 3 is the world’s first earphones with active noise cancellation (ANC) and comes with Huawei’s Kirin A1 chip. This intelligent chipset

can eliminate background noise during calls and enhance your voice simultaneously so calls will sound like face-to-face conversations. It is also very lightweight and the Dolphin Bionic Design brings not only maximum comfort but stability while delivering focused sound deeply in your ears. Battery life is rated at four hours of playback, with its super nice rounded charging case adding another 16 hours. Part 2 next week.

HUAWEI LAUNCHES BUDGET-FRIENDLY Y6S

IF you are looking to get a second phone with a big storage, good cameras and an even more attractive price, you might want to check out the just released Huawei Y6s. The Huawei Y6s features a 6.09” Dewdrop display with 87 percent screen-to-body providing a nice view for gaming, browsing and reading. It has a 13 MP rear camera and 8 MP front beauty camera featuring a wide f/1.8 aperture lens, with up to 50 percent more light for better day and night shots. Clarity in your brilliant shots will be enhanced no matter the time day or night. The Huawei Y6s is powered by a MediaTek MT6765 2.3GHz octa-core CPU and comes with a 3GB RAM plus 64GB storage which is expandable via microSD of up to 512GB. Huawei Y6s comes with two nature-inspired colors: Orchid Blue, which has a similar finish to the most recent colorways of the P30 Pro with an upper glossy part and lower matte part that effectively resists fingerprints; and Starry Black, which shimmers with hidden reflective particles in the light. For security, the Huawei Y6s provides a rear fingerprint sensor and face unlock. This phone can be unlocked in a flash and protects your personal information perfectly. Last, the Huawei Y6s has a 3020 battery with intelligent battery optimization, to keep your phone going all day long. The Huawei Y6s is priced at P6,990.

ANGKAS MEETS SOPHIA, THE WORLD’S FIRST ROBOT CITIZEN

ITS shaping up to be a very interesting Corporate Governance Conference (CGCON) 2020 as global thought leader and acclaimed American roboticist Dr. David Hanson brings his AI creation, Sophia, the world’s first robot citizen and the first robot Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme. Hanson will be delivering a keynote, titled “Revolutionizing Boardroom Dynamics”, which will touch on how artificial intelligence and robotics are changing the way information impacts the boardroom. Sophia, on the other hand, will be talking alongside Angkas CEO Angeline Tham on the topic “The Future is Here.” Guests will also have the chance of interacting with Sophia as they can have selfies taken with her after the talk. Other topics that will be discussed in the conference are: how IoT is enhancing the workplace environment, transparency and efficiency; the ethical implications of technological advancement to the business ecosystem; and why T.R.A.F.F.I.C. (short for Transparency, Responsibility, Accountability, Fairness, Foresight, Innovation, Culture) is important, and how it creates value for investors and stakeholders respectively. The CGCON, which will be held in March 2020 at the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City was organized by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and will have the theme “How T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Creates Sustainable Businesses.” ■

GOOGLE and Facebook Inc. will come under greater scrutiny from Australia’s competition regulator as the government seeks to rein in the market dominance of the digital giants. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a special unit will be set up within the competition watchdog to monitor digital platforms, with an immediate focus on online advertising. The government will also review privacy laws to better protect consumers. Morrison pledged to tackle the “power imbalance” between tech companies and traditional media, and will force them to negotiate over revenue sharing and the use of news content. The announcement on Thursday was Morrison’s response to a sweeping report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this year that raised concerns about the use and storage of personal data and the erosion of the mainstream media. The government supported, in varying degrees, most of the watchdog’s 23 recommendations but said more time was needed to consider such complex issues. “I want us to be the model jurisdiction in the world for how we are dealing with digital platforms,” Morrison told reporters. “We have regulation and restrictions that were written for an analog economy. If it’s wrong in the real world, it’s wrong in the digital world.” Tech platforms will have to work with news companies to develop a voluntary code to govern their relationship by November 2020, or else the government will consider a mandatory code.

SOME REJECTIONS MORRISON rejected the ACCC’s call for new rules to force content to be taken off digital platforms in the event of copyright infringement. He also rejected changing tax rules to encourage philanthropic support for journalism. Australia’s government is “kicking the issues down the road a little bit,” said Rob Nicholls, a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales Business School in Sydney. While the need for further consultation is understandable, delays in acting “essentially mean that competition and consumers are left in the status quo that the ACCC has already identified as being unacceptable.” Regulators worldwide have been trying to loosen the tech giants’ grip on everything from advertising and search engines, to news, data and elections.

BROADER HURDLES FACEBOOK, the world’s largest social media company, is grappling with a mushrooming list of challenges, including antitrust investigations, criticism of its handling of personal information, and dissatisfaction with its treatment of political content. In July, Facebook agreed to pay $5 billion to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission—the largest privacy fine in the agency’s history—to resolve the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Google was also fined by the FTC to settle claims it violated children’s privacy on its YouTube platform. Google said on Thursday it would continue to engage with the ACCC and the Australian government on areas “such as privacy, ad tech and our work with publishers.” Facebook said it was an opportune time for the government and industry to work on new regulation “that affords choice and opportunities for millions of Australians that use our services.” The company remains focused on “achieving economy-wide privacy protection.”

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In the ad material of Notice of filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on October 30, 2019, the Position of Messrs. Che A Duong, Tu Cam Hao, Oon Chee Keong, Lim Kah Hau and Tran Kha Van under AUFREE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS INC. should have been read as Mandarin Account Staff and not as published. If you have any information / objection to the above mentioned application/s, please communicate with the Regional Director thru Employment Promotion and Workers Welfare (EPWW) Division with Telephone No. 400-6011.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR