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PHL renews industrialization bid with $4-B steel mill project in Mindanao

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By Manuel T. Cayon

AVAO CITY—The elusive decades-old dream of an industrialized Philippines may slowly but surely turn into reality, assuming it won’t be derailed for the nth time.

The renewed bid to industrialize will, however, take its roots not in developed congested urban areas like Metro Manila, Cebu, or even Davao City. Rather, it would likely start in the countryside, specifically in a relatively remote

underdeveloped part of Northern Mindanao.

Industrialists participating in the first industrialization summit in Cagayan de Oro City last year underscored the existing and important stakes that were already

put in place and which only need to be brought in line on the road to industrialization.

These include various and disparate policies, like the Palace’s Administrative Order (AO) 18, which ordered the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) to deny further application of economic zones in the National Capital Region to accelerate economic activities in the countryside, and the robust economic zones scattered across the country.

“Work on research and development and human resource development is already in progress,” said summit organizer, Franklin M. Quijano, administrator and chief executive officer of the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corp. (Phividec) Industrial Author-

“THIS southern Philippine island has always been an attractive place to investors. This is due to its natural resource potential, suitable geographical location, favorable climate, among others.”—Quijano

ity in Misamis Oriental.

Quijano said the project’s initial work also needs to be supported by developing the institutional setup among industries, government and academe, especially in Northern Mindanao.

Decentralized industrial activities will be the main feature of this vision, hued close to AO 18 that was signed in June last year.

In this AO, President Duterte specified the point he made during his presidential campaign, that revving up the rural economy was not only meant to democratize the opportunities for work and economic development of the countryside; it was the only way out for a congested Metro Manila.

He directed the Peza to deny further accepting, processing and

evaluating applications for new economic zones in Metro Manila to complement the government’s work to vitalize rural economy.

Mindanao hub

MINDANAO will play a supporting cog to the industrial wheel in this southern part of the country where largely undeveloped agricultural areas have also forced many residents to migrate to the proverbial greener pastures of Metro Manila, Cebu and the cities of Davao and Cagayan de Oro also in Mindanao.

But a planned development for Mindanao would level the playing field for investments, Quijano said.

“This southern Philippine island has always been an attractive place to investors. This is due Continued on a2

ArcelorMittal sees rosier steel outlook and limited virus impact

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By Elena Mazneva and Krystal Chia Bloomberg News

RCELORMITTAL said it’s more optimistic on the outlook for steel demand this year and expects the effect of the coronavirus outbreak in China will only be felt in the short term.

The steel industry was hard hit in 2019 by slumping demand from automakers, trade wars and sluggish economies in Europe. While prices edged higher in the past two months, there’s concern the deadly virus will hurt consumption and throttle the industry’s nascent recovery.

“ArcelorMittal believes that there are signs that the real demand slowdown is beginning to stabilize,” the company said in its

annual results statement. For now, “we believe the effect of the coronavirus will likely have a short-term negative demand impact in China and to a lesser degree elsewhere.”

Overall, ArcelorMittal expects global steel demand—a barometer of economic growth—to grow by 1 percent to 2 percent this year after expanding 1.1 percent in 2019.

“The supportive inventory environment means that we are more optimistic on the apparent de-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.7800

LIQUID metal is poured from crucible during the steel-making process at ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Ostrava, Czech Republic, October 19, 2018. BLOOMBERG

mand outlook for 2020,” the company said.

Most of the impact on firstquarter demand from the coronavirus is expected to be recovered throughout the remainder of the year, ArcelorMittal said. Still, demand from China is seen weaker this year, between flat and 1 percent higher, from estimated growth of 3.2 percent.

Though ArcelorMittal has minimal exposure to China, it follows the country closely as demand there affects global steel sales and prices. The company was bearish on China’s demand a year ago and improved its forecasts three times during 2019, while cutting estimates for the US and Europe.

“Our perspective on the fundamentals of the Chinese steel market remains unchanged,” the company said Thursday.

ArcelorMittal, which responded to weaker demand last year by curbing production in the European Union and planning the sale Continued on a2

n JAPAN 0.4617 n UK 65.6687 n HK 6.5401 n CHINA 7.2834 n SINGAPORE 36.6510 n AUSTRALIA 34.1749 n EU 55.7615 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5363

Source: BSP (February 7, 2020)

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DREAM FORGED IN FIRE to its natural resource potential, suitable geographical location, favorable climate, among others,” he added.

In fact, he emphasized, “Iligan City was once called in the 1970s1990s as the Industrialized City of the South until the global crisis struck our economy in the late mid-’90s.” In the heart of the city was the once-booming National Steel Corp., the backbone of the steel industry in the country, and along its corridor going to Cagayan de Oro City are about three cement factories, a chemical company, a flour mill and other industrial complexes.

Comeback

ONE of the major prospects for Mindanao for this year is the entry of an integrated steel mill, which is expected to be established on the initial 305-hectare area of Phividec Industrial Estate Misamis Oriental-Special Economic Zone (PIEMO-SEZ), Northern Mindanao, he said.

The Cagayan de Oro Citybased Mindanao Daily said the local partner of the steel mill, Simple Homes Development Corp., disclosed the mill’s initial operation

by March this year.

The steel mill is formed by China’s three leading companies—Huili Fund, Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd. (China Baowu) and China Metallurgical Group Corp.’s subsidiary, CISDI Group Co. Ltd. (CISDI), the report said, quot-

ing Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (Oro Chamber) President Robertino E. Pizarro. The latter is also the president and chief executive officer of Simple Homes Development Corp.

Pizarro said the Huili Integrated Steel Mill would generate 10,000 jobs in the first three years of its operation. The steel mill is worth $4 billion.

Just how big this operation is may be gleaned from its incorporators. China Baowu, for instance, currently ranks first in China and second in the world as the largest steel producer in the world measured by crude steel output, the Mindanao Daily said.

It said China Baowu was expected to apply its state-of-the-art, green and intelligent technology in this steel project.

The Mindanao Daily also disclosed that Malacañang has already warned local politicians “not to meddle in the construction of the $4-billion integrated steel facility,” citing a 2008 incident involving Hanjin Heavy Industries, a Korean shipbuilding conglomerate which the local newspaper said “has started building its $2-billion shipyard facility at the same site only to pack up later because of widespread corruption allegedly committed by local officials.”

The newspaper said: “The Crusade for Clean Government (CCG), a volunteer watchdog against corruption in government, has issued the same vigilance call of Malacañang to rid off irregularities in all transactions involving the mega project….”

CCG lead convener Ruffy Magbanua said there was a need to establish safety nets to ward off corrupt local officials messing up the fat investments of the country’s largest integrated steel mill ever to be built in Mindanao.

“For transparency, CCG will work in alliance with the Oro Chamber and other well-meaning business organizations to see to it that corruption is completely out in all transactions as the pet project of the President takes shape very soon,” the newspaper said, quoting Magbanua.

Open space, significant talks

THE First Philippine Industrial Summit in Mindanao in November last year generated a list of highlights and important points from the Open Space discussions and the Significant Talks portion.

The Open Space discussion was able to draw 20 topics that were deliberated and expounded on by the delegates:

n Multiply the geese that lay the golden eggs

n Distinctiveness eliminates competition

n How to attract more foreign direct investments to the Philippines

n Pursuing sustainable tourism initiatives in the Philippines

n Philippines participating in the global Fourth Industrial Revolution

n How customs brokers in the Philippines are being treated in the practice of their profession

n Inclusion of mental health

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(well-being) wellness in the public and private sector

n Investment opportunities

n Is the countryside ready for industrialization?

n How to establish global future collaboration for research

n Resilient power system and affordable power rates for Philippine industrial development

n Economic boom in Mindanao

n Agriculture is not yet fully developed; is it the right time to industrialize?

n Industry-academe partnership and collaboration

n How to be competitive vis-àvis neighboring countries

n Institutionalizing open space technology; the establishment of the innovation eco space

n Economic zone for rural development

n Philippine harbor pilotage services

n Skills training and enhancement through distance and online mode of delivery The second part, Quijano said, constituted the Significant Talks, and tackled the following topics by various speakers:

n Industrialization in the countryside and Administrative Order 18 by Steel Asia chairman and CEO Benjamin O. Yao

n Toward a globally competitive industrial sector by Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Sergio P. Ortiz-Luis

n Build Build Build Program

by San Miguel vice president Rodney Ralph D. Holmes

n Long-term plans: industry-

related communications and physical infrastructure by League of Municipalities of the Philippines President Mayor Luis Singson and

by Department of Information and Communications Technology-Mindanao Cluster assistant regional director Frederick Amores

n Green Buildings & Green Settlements by Italpinas Development Corp. chairman and CEO Architect Romulo V. Nati

n Building Archipelagic Access by Philippine Ports Authority assistant general manager Hector Miole

n Opportunities in Special Economic Zones by Ecozone Management Department Manager Emmanuel Cordero Quijano said all these points were being processed and considered “urgent vis-à-vis the catch-up mode of the country toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Go digital or go obsolete

THE presence of the industrialists in the summit may not reflect the entire community of tycoons, he said, “but somehow everyone would agree that the only thing forward is to go digital, otherwise go obsolete.”

“This would refocus their direction toward digital transformation of the industrialization,” he added.

“Of course, among the important roles of the government in this endeavor include the promulgation of enabling laws and policies that will promote technological advancement in all aspect of produc-

tion activities,” he said.

Citizens’ participation should be encouraged as well in the scientific development, he added.

He said government programs and subsidies on research and development to state colleges and universities, science and technology society, relevant government agencies must be pursued and heightened to support the human resource and technological development.

To rev up development, the government must strengthen economic zones and establish more economic zones in the countryside.

For Mindanao, Quijano suggested widespread preparation, saying, “every location in Mindanao could be a prospective venue where industrialization can prosper.”

“Respective peculiarities of the areas can be the source of stimulation that will bring industrial growth,” he said, and pointed out that “giving opportunity to the Phividec Industrial Estate Misamis Oriental-Special Economic Zone to be a venue, this zone may pilot a smart industrial estate.”

At present, Quijano said the “international trend and the national leadership are creating a conducive environment for aggressive investments and economic undertakings in the country.”

“It is just a matter of time when the glorious days for industries in Mindanao will again flourish,” he said.

ArcelorMittal sees rosier steel outlook and limited virus impact Continued from a1

of up to $2 billion of assets, said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization about halved in 2019, to $5.2 billion.

Virus alarm

THE world’s largest steelmaker, however, has sounded the alarm about the outlook as the coronavirus crisis rips through Asia’s top economy, with China’s premier industry grouping warning of transport snarls, weaker demand, and a situation this quarter that “does not look optimistic.”

“Companies are facing restrictions in logistics and transport, trades have been muted, prices of raw materials and steel have slid, which is causing the market’s value to decline,” the China Iron & Steel Association said. The group, which represents the biggest suppliers, gave a green light for lower production, while flagging potential for stimulus-aided demand later in the year.

Commodities have been rocked

by China’s health crisis, which has killed hundreds, sickened thou-

sands, and hurt the outlook for raw material demand as company activities are suspended and transport barred. The country is the top buyer of iron ore from shippers including BHP Group, Rio Tinto Group and Vale SA. Conditions in China’s steel industry—which accounts for more than half global output—set the tone for producers and users around the world.

The virus’s impact on the steel industry will be concentrated in the first quarter, the association said in a statement. “Steelmakers should appropriately adjust production schedules based on orders, finances, ability to transport materials,” it said. The sector should “avoid malignant competition, manage traders, and strictly not sell at low prices and disrupt the market.”

Iron ore has slumped this year amid the health crisis, which has escalated during an annual, nationwide vacation when mills and steel users scale back operations. Given the outbreak, most of China’s provinces—including areas where steel production is concentrated—have extended the break.

Iron ore has sagged 15 percent in Singapore in 2020, and last traded at $78.62 a ton as most-active futures pared an intraday loss following a statement from China’s central government that it planned to halve tariffs on some US imports. Steel prices are also lower this year.

The steel association urged producers to analyze trends rationally, and flagged the possibility of an improving outlook in the second quarter on stimulus, according to the statement. The steel sector’s performance this year would still improve compared with last year, it said.

In 2019, China’s mills churned out almost 1 billion tons of steel, and they accounted for about 70 percent of global seaborne iron ore demand.

A few hours after the statement from the China mills’ grouping, Luxembourg-based producer ArcelorMittal struck an upbeat tone as it reported earnings. “We believe the effect of the coronavirus will likely have a short-term negative demand impact in China and to a lesser degree elsewhere,” it said.

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

INTRAMUROS VISITORS PROJECTED TO REACH 4.2 MILLION IN 2020

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

Special to the BusinessMirror

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HE Intramuros Administration (IA) is projecting close to 4.2 million visitors to the Walled City in 2020, up 10 percent from the 3.78 million who visited in 2019.

IA Administrator lawyer Guiller B. Asido expects a boost in arrivals this year, especially with the availability of Experience Philippines, an augmented reality (AR) application available on the iOS and Android platforms. The app houses a treasure chest of visuals and information about the famed Walled City of Manila.

“Culture buffs will enjoy Intramuros more with this app as they will be able to see how Fort Santiago and other historical sites looked like before,” he said.

This innovative tourism application is a joint project of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and iACADEMY, a school that offers specialized courses on computing, business and design. Both parties signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2019 for iACADEMY students to produce materials to boost the government agency’s tourism efforts.

This developed as IA was allocated more funds this year, especially for its conservation program and its promotions pegged on the #WeAreIntramuros branding campaign, which began in 2017. Under the National Expenditure Program for 2020, IA has a budget of P81.83 million, up 22.31 percent from last year.

Of its total budget for 2020, P15.21 million will go to IA’s property and conservation development program and some P3.9 million are allocated for tourism promotions.

In 2019, arrivals in Intramuros jumped by 32 percent; Asido attributed this to the “increase in number of events and programs.” IA, a unit of the DOT, also generated an income of P100.95 million last year, up 7.1 percent from 2018.

Meanwhile, for Experience Philippines, the AR feature currently works only on the DOT logo and certain sites in Intramuros. These include the Gallery of Presidents, the Fort Santiago Gate, the Ayuntamiento, the Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, and the Churches of Our Lady of Lourdes, of San Ignacio, of San Francisco, and of Recollects.

To activate, simply tap on the “ARTech” button and point at the tourist site.

In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said, “With the Experience Philippines app, tourists can relive the past of Intramuros city with just a tap on their mobile phone screens.”

She added, “We hope to be able to expand this cutting-edge technology to other tourist sites around the country with the help of iACADEMY.” Tourist sites the DOT is eyeing for AR development include the Banaue Rice Terraces, Corregidor, Mt. Samat, Puerto Princesa, Pampanga and Mt. Pinatubo.

For its par t, iACADEMY asser ted that technology can be used to promote sustainable tourism. “We saw the opportunity to give back and share our expertise on tech and design to provide cutting-edge materials that can help boost our tourism efforts,” said iACADEMY Chief Operating Officer Raquel Wong. “Production of short films and augmented reality content to showcase the Philippines not only makes it more accessible and experiential but it’s also sustainable because it doesn’t require mass print production,” she added.

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Flying out from virus epicenter: DFA preps OFWs in China for repatriation

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HE repatriation team of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is now in Wuhan finalizing preparations to bring home this weekend overseas Filipinos from Hubei, China.

“Today we already have our DFA team inside Wuhan City for the repatriation of our OFWs. They are on the ground and they’re taking the risk,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido Dulay

said in a briefing on Thursday.

Personnel of the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai held a consu lt at ion meet ing with members of the Filipino community in Wuhan, as well as the Foreign Affairs Office

in Hubei prov ince to discuss details of the repatriation.

A s of T hu rsd ay, a tot a l of 45 Fi l ipinos a re conf ir med for repat r i at ion.

“They have signified their intention to join the repatriation.

There are two aspects to this which we have to fix, one is the exit permits of our OFWs which we are working on now, of the group, there are four with problem on their immigration status,” Dulay said.

The OFWs would be checked for any symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respirator y disease (2019-nCoV ARD) before leaving China.

“If they’re found with a fever or

any symptom of the nCoV, they will be taken by the Chinese authorities to their hospitals, their facilities for their treatment and they will not be boarded,” Dulay said.

He added that the repatriation process is “not solely a Filipino dictated procedure and it must be coordinated with the Chinese authorities.”

The team is working on a February 8, 2020, departure from China.

“That means an early morning February 9 arrival, however, that is not a fixed date because of the compliance to the rules of the Chinese authorities on the ground....

If the Chinese government won’t be able to give their papers, they

will be on the next batch if there is any, and if their immigration status has no problem and is updated, they will be brought to the plane,” he said.

Upon arrival in the Philippines, the OFWs will be brought to the Athlete’s Village in New C l a rk C it y i n C apa s, Ta rl ac, where they will be subjected to 14-day mandator y quarantine.

On January 28, 2020, the DFA initiated the call to repatriate workers from Hubei—the epicenter of the 2019-nCoV. Filipinos in China were given until Februar y 5 to take advantage of the government-provided ser vice. PNA

Japan finds 41 more cases on cruise ship as virus alarm doctor dies

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EIJING—Japan on Friday reported 41 new cases of a virus on a cruise ship that’s been quarantined in Yokohama harbor while the death toll in mainland China rose to 636, including a doctor who got in trouble with authorities in the communist country for sounding an early warning about the disease threat.

Two docked cruise ships with thousands of passengers and crew members remained under 14-day quarantines in Hong Kong and Japan.

Before Friday’s 41 confirmed cases, 20 passengers who were found infected with the virus were escorted off the Diamond Princess at Yokohama near Tokyo. About 3,700 people have been confined aboard the ship.

Jap a ne s e P r i me M i n i s te r Shinzo Abe announced Thursday that Japan will deny entry of foreign passengers on another cruise ship heading to Japan—Holland America’s cruise ship Westerdam, on its way to Okinawa from Hong Kong—because of suspected virus patients found on the ship.

The new immigration policy takes effect Friday to ensure border control to prevent the disease from entering and spreading further into Japan, Abe said.

Meanwhile, a newborn discovered infected 36 hours after birth has become the youngest known patient. The number of people infected globally has risen to more

than 31,000.

Dr. Li Wenliang, 34, had worked at a hospital in the epicenter of the outbreak in the central city of Wuhan. He was reprimanded by local police for “spreading rumors” about the illness in late December, according to news reports.

The outbreak has spread to some two dozen countries, triggering travel restrictions and quarantines around the world and a crisis inside the country of 1.4 billion.

The World Health Organization tweeted: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Li Wenliang.

We all need to celebrate work that he did” on the virus.

Within a half-hour of announcing earlier Friday that Li was in critical condition, the hospital received nearly 500,000 comments on its social-media post, many of them from people hoping Li would pull through. One wrote: “We are not going to bed. We are here waiting for a miracle.”

Li was among a number of medical professionals in Wuhan who tried to warn colleagues and others when the government did not, The New York Times reported earlier this week. It said that after the mystery illness had stricken seven patients at a hospital, Li said of them in an online chat group December 30: “Quarantined in the emergency department.”

Another participant in the

MASKED passengers are seen on the deck of the cruise ship Diamond Princess docked at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo on Friday. Japan on Friday reported 41 new cases of a virus on the cruise ship that’s been quarantined. About 3,700 people have been confined aboard the ship. AP

chat responded by wondering, “ Is SA R S com i ng aga i n? ”—a reference to the 2002- 03 viral outbreak that killed hundreds, the newspaper said.

Wuhan health officials summoned Li in the middle of the night to demand he explain why he shared the information, and

DA confirms ASF case in Davao City AVAO City—The Department of Agriculture in Davao region (DA 11) has confirmed on Thursday that this city is no longer free from African swine fever (ASF) after two barangays in Calinan District tested positive of the disease.

Engr. R icardo Oñate Jr., regional director of DA 11, said in a news briefing that the blood samples of pigs from barangay Lamanan and Dominga which was collected and submitted to the Bureau of Animal Industr y (BAI) on Januar y 31 and Februar y 3 tested positive of ASF.“Just like what happened in Don Marcwelino, we will also use the same protocols and we will be giving the P5,000 indemnification per swine to the affected hog raisers,” he said.

Oñate also said that they will impose the 1-7-10 protocol like what they did in Don Marcelino town in Davao Occidental where the first case of ASF in Mindanao occurred.

Saturday, February 8, 2020

It means that in a 1-kilometer radius from the site of infection or ground zero, hogs will be prohibited from entering or leaving the area, and the site is to eventually be depopulated.Within a 7-kilometer radius, hogs would also be under surveillance with rest r ic te d move me nt s, a nd blood testing would be done. For areas within the 10-kilometer radius from ground zero, mandatory monitoring and reporting of swine disease occurrences shall be implemented.

Dr. Cerelyn Pinili, chief of the City Veterinarians Office (CVO), said six blood samples coming from barangay Lamanan were submitted to BAI on January 31, three of which tested positive, while two blood samples submitted from Barangay Dominga also tested positive.

Earlier this year, Pinili said that their livestock technician reported that at least 16 pigs died in Barangay Dominga, prompting them to submit the blood

samples to BAI. As to the population of live pigs, she said that about 1,400 heads of pigs in Barangay Lamanan and 600 in Barangay Dominga are subjected to culling.

Pinili also added that they have already placed the two barangays on lockdown to further prevent the spread of ASF. Police authorities, she added, sill be tapped to implement the lockdown.

“We will impose strict biosecurity on checkpoints. The live pigs, meat and other meat products cooked or fresh coming from these barangays will no longer be transported outside,” she added.

Pinili assured that affected hog raisers in Calinan, specifically the villages of Dominga and Lamanan, will get assistance from the city government.

A side f rom t he assist a nce f rom DA 11, Pini l i sa id t hat t he cit y gover nment w i l l a lso buy a l l pigs in t he t wo ba ra ngays, including the suck lings, to help t he hog ra isers cope

w it h t heir losses.

“We will buy the pigs at P5,000 per head including the sucklings plus an additional amount for the per kilo live weight of the culled pig,” she said.

However, Pinili clarified that the ASF case in the said barangays will not affect the demand for pork meat since there are several commercial piggeries supplying the city.

“For the consumers, to make sure that the meat is safe, look or demand to see the meat inspection certificate,” she added.

Pinili said that they will intensify their surveillance and monitoring, especially in the neighboring villages to avoid the spread of the disease. She also reminded the farmers to adhere to good animal husbandry practices for disease prevention.

She also reiterated their call to avoid swill feeding which may contain infected animal product which will be transferred to their swine. PNA with Manuel T. Cayon

police later forced him to sign a statement admitting to “illegal behavior,” the Times said.

“If the officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier,” Li said in an inter view in the Times via text messages, “I think it would have been a lot better. There should be more

openness and transparency.”

A baby last Saturday in Wu h a n a nd con f i r med posit ive just 36 hou rs a f ter bir t h beca me t he you ngest k now n person infected w ith the v ir us, aut hor it ies sa id. But prec isely how t he c hi ld beca me infected was u nc lea r. AP

BSP gov signals midyear rate cut

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HILIPPINE Central Bank Governor Benjamin Diokno said he anticipates the nex t interest-rate cut will probably come “sometime in the middle of the year.”

The bank will remain data-dependent, but has additional room to ease even after lowering interest rates Thursday for the fourth time in a year, Diokno said on Friday in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Haidi Lun. “With another rate cut yesterday [Thursday], we still have a lot of monetary space,” he said.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points Thursday to 3.75 percent, becoming the latest Southeast Asian central bank to ease as the coronavirus outbreak in China adds to risks to global economic growth. The move came a day after the Bank of Thailand lowered interest rates by 25 basis points and Singapore’s central bank indicated there was room for further easing in the currency.

Diokno had indicated last year he foresaw 50 basis points of rate cuts in 2020, after the central bank raised rates by 175 basis points in 2018 and then lowered them by 75 basis points last year.

“The coronavirus maybe just provided us an opportunity to do it much earlier than later,” he said Friday.

The peso was little changed at 50.81 per dollar as of 9:58 a.m. in Manila. The Philippine benchmark stock index was down 0.9 percent.

Growth hit

THE virus could shave about 0.2-percentagepoint off growth in the first quarter of the year and 0.4 percentage point in the second quarter, Diokno said, mainly through the impact on tourism and overseas Filipino workers. Still, a combination of fiscal and monetary support can help the economy reach its 6.5-percent to 7.5-percent growth target this year, he said.

He said the Central Bank is in no rush to further lower banks’ reserve requirement ratio—a step to push money into the economy—after previous cuts were only partially reflected in bank lending. He noted that the Central Bank is allowed by law to float its own financial instruments.

“That’s an additional policy tool if necessary,“ he said, “but right now there’s no desire to do that.”

The virus could have a cooling effect on inflation by tamping down oil prices, Diokno said. Consumer prices rose 2.9 percent in January and the Central Bank expects them to stay within a 2-percent to 4-percent range over the next few years.

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Exporters told: Register in REX system to avail of EU GSP+ beginning July 1, ’20

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HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is reminding exporters that by July 1, 2020, the European Union will no longer accept the Certificate of Origin Form A as basis for origin certification under the EU Generalized System of Preferences + (EU GSP+).

Agnes R. Legaspi, assistant director of the DTI’s Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), in a presentation on January 24, 2020, said that to avail of the preferential tariff under the GSP+, an exporter needs to issue a Statement on Origin bearing his or her unique Registered Exporter System (REX) number.

The EU REX is a system of self-certification of origin by exporters, with the statement on origin replacing Certificate of Origin Form A. Under REX, export-

ers, to be entitled to apply to the system, must be registered in a database by their competent authorities.

There is no change to the rules for determining origin, said Legaspi. To become a registered an exporter should provide the following documentary requirements—latest income tax return, Unique Reference Number (URN) as Philippine Economic Zone Authority locators, and Client Profile Registration System for non-Peza locators, business permit, list of products applied for

authorization to make the invoice declaration, product evaluation report.

The registration procedure calls for the exporter to fill in an application and submit it to his or her competent authorities. If the application is complete, the competent authorities encode it in the REX system, and assign a REX number, a registration date, and a validity date. The competent authorities will inform the exporter of his or her registration or non-registration.

Exporters who have been informed of their registration shall be assigned a REX number within seven working days of receipt of the complete set of documentary requirements.

For traders, Legaspi said: “Those applying in REX who are not manufacturers or producers must have knowledge on how the goods were manufactured or produced and how these comply with the origin rules...”

The web site on the REX system can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/calculation-customs-duties/

rules-origin/general-aspects-preferential-origin/arrangements-list/generalised-systempreferences/the_register_exporter_system_en.

Further, the Bureau of Customs recently released the guidelines on the implementation of the REX system for exporters under the EU GSP. Customs Memorandum Order 50-2019 can be accessed at http://customs. gov.ph/customs-memorandum-order-cmo/.

The EU GSP+ is granted to low and lower-middle income countries, including the Philippines on a unilateral basis as a special incentive arrangement in the form of zero duties, with the aim of promoting sustainable development and good governance in the beneficiary countries.

It also seeks to assist in the export-led growth, and development of developing and least developed countries through export revenue increase, export diversification and job generation. For the Philippines, the GSP+ means that over 6,000 categories of goods are eligible for export to the EU without tariffs.

Nigeria eyes increased Virus to delay US ‘export boom’ trade and investment from China deal, Kudlow says ties with Philippines

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IGERIA’S ambassador to the Philippines Adekunbi SonaikeAyodeji has called for more bilateral trade and investment between her country and the Philippines.

Sonaike-Ayodeji said Nigeria is among the six African countries which were recognized among the fastest-growing economies in the world, thus, offering tremendous opportunities for international trade.

“In the context of Nigeria, the market opportunities are numerous.

We also trade among ourselves but, at the same time, we trade with all the African countries. We trade with the international community,” she said.

The ambassador also seeks investors from the Philippines as she pushes collaboration in various sectors, such as digital financial services, energy, agriculture, housing, mining, tourism and construction.

Sonaike-Ayodeji said Filipino entrepreneurs can provide innovative solutions to businesses, noting the interconnectivity of the information-technology system offers benefits in terms of collaboration.

“Fintech [financial technology] is one of the top 3 industries for international investors.... The industry will continue to remain one the most lucrative business and investment opportunities to work in 2020,” she added. In the area of energy, Sonaike-Ayodeji said Nigeria offers a platform for renewable-energy solutions, particularly solar.

She said solar power has become one of the most lucrative business opportunities in Nigeria and Africa over the last five years.

The demand for retail solar solutions is massive, she added. SonaikeAyodeji further said another area is agriculture just like in the Philippines, noting Africa has shown the capacity to become the new frontier for agro-based business.

She said providing affordable housing through public-private partnership is also an area of interest as more Nigerian are moving to the urban areas which increases the demand for shelter.“There is a need for collaboration, collaboration especially with the PPP,” the envoy added.

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HE “export boom” from the United State’s trade deal with China will be delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak, but the economic impact “is going to be minimal,” White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow said.

“It’s not a catastrophe, it’s not a disaster—we’ve been through this before. I think the impact is going to be minimal,” Kudlow said on Fox Business last Tuesday. “It’s going to be much tougher for China.”

More than 20,600 cases have now been reported, an increase from about 17,000 the previous day, with economists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., UBS Group AG and Macquarie Group Ltd. among those cutting their forecasts for Chinese economic growth in both the first quarter and the full year, while others expect material shocks to gross domestic product.

Last week, Kudlow said the US hasn’t seen any major

effects on its economy from the coronavirus epidemic, and will refrain from using it as leverage in the second phase of China trade talks.

The US and China on January 15, 2020, sealed the first phase of a trade agreement that’s supposed to take effect in mid-February. In the first year of the deal, China committed to buy an extra $76.7 billion of American goods beyond what it did in 2017, and an additional $123.3 billion in the second year. Purchases of agricultural products are particularly important for the livelihoods of American farmers who’ve been hurt in an escalating tariff war with China over the past two years, and are a key base of support for Trump.

President Donald J. Trump’s administration isn’t going to “fine tune” the economy with tax cuts because of the outbreak, he said, adding that Trump will announce “tax cut 2.0” proposals during his reelection campaign.

Bloomberg News

PHL, Germany to kick off JEC meeting later this year–Lopez “For example, Knauf Gips produces gypsum boards while Zama Corp.—a subsidiary of Stihl AG—manufactures carburetors. In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in registrations of Regional Operating Headquarters from German companies in the field of maritime, construction and engineering services.”

—Lopez

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HE Philippines and Germany will kick off the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) this year as they seek to strengthen economic ties, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said.

In a forum of German businessmen last Tuesday, Lopez said the first JEC meeting with Germany will happen in Manila, in the latter part of this year.

In August 2019, the Philippines and Germany formalized the establishment of a JEC in Berlin. The JEC is a platform for the two countries to strengthen economic engagement.

Lopez said Germany is the Philippines’s eighth top trading partner, and its largest export market in Europe.

Top Philippine exports to Germany include electronic components and semiconductors, as well as agricultural products, like tuna and coconut.

Moreover, business conf idence of German businesses in the Philippines remains strong, the trade chief said.

Citing the report of 2019 AHK World Business Outlook, more than 70 percent of the respondents considered the business situation in the Philippines as good, with more than two-thirds of the respondents expecting their businesses here to grow in the next 12 months.

“With that in mind, trade and investment engagements between the Philippines and Germany can only grow stronger in the coming decade if we take advantage of these opportunities. This is because Germany has been one of our important trading partners in Europe over the years and continues to be our top source of investments,” Lopez said.

He said approved investments from Germany in the first nine months of 2019 amounted to $33.1 million from $7.5 million in the same period in 2018.

Lopez said German small and medium enterprises also realized their potential in the Philippine market by setting up manufacturing operations.

“For example, Knauf Gips produces gypsum boards while Zama Corp.­—a subsidiary of Stihl AG—manufactures carburetors. In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in registrations of Regional Operating Headquarters from German companies in the field of maritime, construction and engineering services,” he added. PNA

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www.businessmirror.com.ph

Bacolod City boosts pneumonia, flu protection for senior citizens

SENIOR citizens get free pneumonia and flu shots administered by barangay health workers during the “Bakunado si Lolo at Lola, Iwas Pulmonya” campaign at the BAYS Center in Bacolod City on Thursday (January 24, 2020). Some 1,000 senior citizens and persons with disabilities were immunized during the activity. ERWIN P. NICAVERA

By Erwin Nicavera | Philippine News Agency

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ACOLOD CITY­—Some 1,000 senior citizens here have received vaccination against pneumonia and flu as part of the city government’s efforts to protect them from respiratory infections.

Pneumonia is among the top leading causes of deaths among the aging residents.

Dr. Jovy Vergara, assistant city health officer, said pneumonia ranks second and

third in terms of morbidity and mortality, respectively, among those 60 years old and above.

The disease could be lethal or life-threatening for senior citizens, Vergara said during the immunization activity held at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports Center on Thursday.

“Among the elderly, especially those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], pneumonia is more dangerous as

their immune system is weaker,” he added.

The health official said most elderly patients seek treatment only during the last stage of the disease.

Pneumonia causes inflammation of the air sacs in one or both lungs. It can be caused by a variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Symptoms may include breathing difficulty, coughing, fever and weakness.

Aside from the weakened immune system, elderly patients with pneumonia are more prone to severe complications, hospitalization, and death also due to preexisting health conditions and illnesses, such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, and kidney or heart conditions, among others.

In the Philippines, pneumonia accounted for over 57,000 deaths among Filipinos annually in the past decade.

In 2010 alone, 57,809 deaths due to pneumonia were recorded, making it the top 5 leading causes of death in the country.

Vergara said pneumonia is a vaccinepreventable disease, noting that the government is putting a premium on various programs like free vaccination especially among the elderly.

Persons with disabilities aged 50 years old and above also availed themselves of free pneumonia and flu vaccination during the activity dubbed “Bakunado si Lolo at Lola, Iwas Pulmonya” with the Department of Health-Western Visayas, which provided the vaccines. PNA

Bulakenyos pay tribute to Gat Blas Ople

By Manny Balbin | Philippine News Agency

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ITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan­—Provincial officials and thousands of Bulakenyos on February 3 paid tribute to one of the province’s most illustrious sons and statesmen, the late Gat Blas F. Ople, during the commemoration of his 93rd birth anniversary held in front of the Livelihood Training Center in this city.

Gov. Daniel Fernando led the annual celebration with this year’s theme, “Pagtugon sa Tawag ng Tungkulin Tungo sa Dakilang Mithiin.”

“Gat Blas F. Ople is Bulacan’s gift to the world. Every year, we will never stop remembering you, what you have contributed to our country. And for the generations to come and be a leader one day, we will tell them.

What you have done in Bulacan cannot be destroyed and forgotten,” Fernando said.

Also present were Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, City of Malolos Mayor Gilbert Gatchalian, Guiguinto Mayor Ambrosio Cruz Jr., Board Members Erlene Luz de la Cruz, Allan Andan, and Alex Castro, volunteer workers, senior citizens, Boy Scouts of the Philippines members, and employees of the provincial government.

Former Board Member Felix V. Ople, son of Ka Blas­—as the late statesman was fond-

BULACAN Gov. Daniel Fernando (third from left); former board member Felix V. Ople (second from right), son of the late statesman Blas F. Ople; and Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina of Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (center) pose for a photo after the wreath-laying ceremony before Ka Blas’s monument to mark his 93rd birthday at the Gat Blas F. Ople Sentro ng Kabataan, Kaalaman at Hanapbuhay, City of Malolos, Bulacan, on Monday (February 3, 2020). Also in photo (from left) are Provincial Administrator Eugenio Payongayong, board members Allan Andan and Erlene de la Cruz, and Provincial History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office head Eliseo de la Cruz. MANNY BALBIN

ly called—spoke on behalf of their family and paid tribute to his father’s dedication to serving the public.

“Until the very end, he always offered his life on behalf of our people and up to his last breath, he was serving for all of us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Carolina, who was the guest

of honor, encouraged young Bulakenyos to serve with integrity and to help promote welfare in the country.

“Although his heroism is read or heard in celebrations like this, I encourage young people to be honest and to serve our country as Blas Ople and to help support the welfare of the people,” he said.

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

History class with the accent on story

By Nick Tayag

I

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

STILL remember very vividly the person who made me fall in love with history as a subject in high school. His name: Mr. Jose Tomacruz. Before that, I hated history class because I had to memorize so many names of events, persons and dates. I was never good at memorization so I dreaded the periodical tests.

Then Mr. Tomacruz came along donning dark glasses. He was around 50 years old but he was spritely the way he moved and talked.

But what made him stood out among the teachers was he was a spellbinding storyteller. His subject was Philippine history but the way he taught it made the characters come alive! He painted scenes in our minds, with occasional side trips into interesting and juicy trivia. He connected dots. He piqued our imagination. Maybe he exaggerated, but we vividly saw the scenes played in our minds as he narrated the stories of personalities and past events with gusto.

Mr. Tomacruz, wherever he may be now, deserves my undying thanks for making me fall in love with history and sparking an earnest interest in creating stories that I have transformed into a career.

For quite a while now, I and my wife have been bingeing on historical documentaries available on YouTube. I am eclectic in my selections. One day it’s about the Caesars of Rome. Next day the private lives of monarch, such as Louis IV of France, Henry VIII of England. Or documentaries on WWII, the samurais and shoguns of Japan, or the everyday life of people during the Middle Ages, the development of painting, and so on. As far as the menu is concerned, the sky is the limit literally because there are even documentaries about evolution of the space race. Oh, I have never had so much pleasure.

To me, these should be mandatory materials in the classroom. Not only classes in history but also in science, humanities, and other classroom subjects. Even math, my kryptonite, for crying out loud. They are full of exciting and interesting stories that captivate the mind and spark the imagination, thus making the lessons easier to take and absorb.

Of course, the teacher should be there to do the selecting, to elaborate and elucidate and, at times, embellish with flourish just to keep the eyes and mind open throughout the time allotted for the subject.

This means he or she becomes a performing on a stage, making use of facial expressions, employing vocal power, hand gestures, changing the volume of his or her voice when needed. He or she in effect transforms into an actor who can inhabit characters in history. Never forgetting the arc of the story in his telling of incidents in history.

To me the secret is good old fashioned storytelling. Remember the old radio program of our childhood, “Kwento ni Lola Basyang?”

That was nothing but inculcating moral lessons wrapped in good stories. It was a powerful way to get the lesson home.

Remember the film Heneral Luna? That film, I’m glad to note, provoked discussion and reflection on the quality of our country’s education. I was then hoping it would snowball into a sustained debate and make us take a long hard look at the way our students are taught in the classroom and, conversely, the way our teachers perform in the classroom.

As a film lover and occasional scriptwriter, I have always held that film or cinema is the most powerful medium of communication, and because it is so, it must be an essential tool in our youth’s education, especially in such subjects as history, literature, arts, and any lessons related to social/cultural matters.

Film or video, for that matter, is by its nature an effective teacher because it engages the heart and mind at the same time. It informs, shows, and demonstrates through the combination of image, sound and motion.

This inherent power of film or video is able to give any topic or subject matter far greater communicability than any other medium of communication. As most educators would readily confirm, something that is brought in front of as many senses as possible would have greater chances of being understood or learned. In a word, presence, which is from the Latin words prae (before or in front) and sensa (senses). It echoes the old Chinese adage: I see it, I remember; I see it and I hear it, then I understand.

So a film that is employed in mentoring helps the teacher become more effective.

It does not only capture the attention and interest of the student, more importantly, it emotionally involves the student. In addition, if it is well crafted as Mike de Leon’s Bayaning 3rd World, it sparks a debate in the mind of the individual student and leads him to look for answers to questions he would be wrestling with after seeing the film. Questions like: Is this really true? Did it really happen this way? Why did it happen? And so on. The film, therefore, whets his appetite for more information and sharpens his critical thinking skills. With the film doing the heavy lifting of teaching, the physical classroom teacher becomes more of an annotator, facilitator or even a thought provocateur.

But even if there is no film to show in the classroom, the teacher, as I said, must strive to duplicate or echo the film’s power by way of compelling storytelling, dramatization with the use of role playing, improvised props no matter how crude, or by way of her acting skills. In other words, she must become a performer on the stage of the classroom.

So let’s harness the power of storytelling to make lessons in history, literature, and other subjects more lively and engaging to learn for our students. Let’s show such films as Heneral Luna or Bayaning 3rd World in Philippine schools. In fact, I would even go as far as giving the teacher the leeway to bring the class to the movie house from time to time and take the boredom out of learning.

The mission for 100-year-old veterans: Super Bowl coin flip

By Tim Dahlberg AP Sports Writer

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IAMI—Charles McGee flew 136 combat missions in World War II as part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, attacking targets in Italy and supporting the rescue of 1,000 prisoners of war in Romania. He went on to become a colonel and fly in wars in Korea and Vietnam.

At the age of 100, his latest mission was to handle the opening coin flip on Sunday in the Super Bowl.

“I’ll try not to make any mistakes,” McGee said. “I don’t have the special coin so I haven’t practiced.”

McGee will be joined by three other centenarian World War II veterans for a coin flip that is far from ceremonial. In addition to deciding which team gets the ball first, the result of the flip will be closely watched by gamblers across the nation who

have money on Super Bowl proposition bets.

They were asked by the NFL to participate to honor both their military heritage and the 100th anniversary of the NFL as a professional football league.

“It was quite a thrill to be asked,” McGee said. “I couldn’t say no.’’

The NFL didn’t have to look far for just the right veteran to handle the toss. McGee is cool under pressure, as anyone who survived combat missions over Italy and parts of Europe would be.

He’s still sharp and clear-headed, carrying on a phone conversation on Friday like he was half his age.

“I just hope for a good game, and good refereeing,’’ he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the coin and then seeing the game.”

McGee was home on holiday in Chicago celebrating his 22nd birthday when Japanese planes bombed

Pearl Harbor in 1941, sending the nation into war. He remembers vividly being in the car with others in his glee club driving to perform at a South Chicago church when President Franklin Roosevelt came on the radio to announce the bombing.

A few years into the war he would join the only African-American pilot squadron training in segregated Tuskegee, Alabama. He’s one of the last surviving airmen of the 996 pilots—84 of whom lost their lives in the war—who trained in Alabama.

“The Army policy at the time was we didn’t have the brainpower and moral fiber to become pilots,” he said. “We dispelled that notion.”

The other 100-year-old veterans who will join McGee for the coin flip are:

Odon Cardenas—Cardenas fought in France and Germany as part of the Third Army under the command of Gen. George Patton.

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IN this December 6, 2019, file photo, retired US Air Force Col. Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman and a decorated veteran of three wars, flies a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet with assistance from pilot Boni Caldeira during a roundtrip flight from Frederick, Maryland, to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. McGee, 100, who flew 136 combat missions in World War II as part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, flipped the coin to open the Super Bowl on Sunday, with help from three other centenarians from the war. AP PHOTO/DAVID TULIS

He was captured in the late stages of

the war in Germany, serving briefly

as a prisoner of war before being liberated.

Samuel Lombardo—Lombardo served as a rifle platoon leader and company executive officer, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and other major campaigns in the final months of the war.

Sidney Walton—Walton fought in the China, Burma and India theater after enlisting before the war with the stated desire of taking down Adolf Hitler. He and his son, Paul, have been on a tour visiting every state to raise awareness of the diminishing number of WWII veterans and the sacrifices they made.

“By honoring these four veterans at the championship game, the league is preserving the national memory of the Greatest Generation and World War II,’’ said Holly Rotondi, executive director of the Friends of the National World War II Memorial.

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BusinessMi

Saturday, February 8, 2020 | Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

EGAN BERNAL: It was a big crash but I should be happy because it was only some skin.

Bernal avoids serious injury in Colombian Nationals crash

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GAN BERNAL avoided serious injury in a crash at the Colombian National Championships on Sunday, insisting he was ready for the upcoming Tour Colombia 2.1 stage race despite suffering significant road rash.

The 2019 Tour de France winner slid out on a sweeping descent during the final hour of the road race in the Tunja region of Colombia, with roadside fans capturing the moment and posting a video on social media.

Bernal seemed to lose control of his bike and slid along the road toward the curb. He sustained visible wounds to his hip, lower back and left arm but he managed to eventually get back on his bike and rejoin the chase group.

Despite the pain, Bernal managed to fight for a spot on the podium and won the sprint for second place behind winner Sergio Higuita (EF Pro Cycling). Higuita’s teammate Daniel Martínez finished third, just days after he won the time trial title.

“It was painful. It was a big crash but I should be happy because it was only some skin—I’ve no fractures or anything like this,” Bernal explained.

“I could continue racing—but after the crash I told Sosa that he should be the new leader in the race. Initially after the crash I didn’t know if I could finish the race. During the lap I was helping him and I did a big effort for him, then he attacked.”

Bernal has sustained a number of injuries in crashes during his short career. He was unable to ride the 2019 Giro d’Italia after fracturing his collarbone in training, and also underwent nose

and jaw surgery after crashing face-first at the 2018 Clásica de San Sebastián.

He started his 2020 season at the Colombian National Championships, finishing third in the individual time trial held on Friday. Bernal teamed up with Ineos teammates Iván Sosa and Sebastian Henao for the road race but Sosa also crashed hard after Bernal’s spill, forcing a late change in Team Ineos’s tactics.

“He [Sosa] went to the front with Higuita and we knew we had a good rider up there at the front of the race. Then it was about trying to control the group behind,” Bernal explained.

“We were comfortable, and then on the last lap we just could see Higuita. We didn’t know then what had happened with Sosa, so Seb [Henao] started to pull really hard to try to close the gap.

We tried for the silver medal. In the final, I wasn’t feeling super because of the crash, but I could sprint and I was able to take second place.”

“I’m happy because I got a silver medal after a crash. I think the team did a really good job, so I would have liked us to be able to fight more for the win. But we did a good job and I was able to continue fighting and get on the podium. It’s a good thing for me and I did it for the Colombian fans and my teammates. Two races, two podiums—we are ready for the Tour of Colombia.”

The six-day Tour Colombia 2.1 begins on February 11, with Bernal set to lead Team Ineos.

He won the race in 2018 and finished fourth in 2019 behind Miguel Ángel López (Astana).

Cyclingnews

Lance Armstrong’s former manager sets up sports management company

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OHAN BRUYNEEL—the former team manager of US Postal, Astana and RadioShack, who helped guide Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France titles before they were struck from the record books for doping—has launched a new sports management company.

The Belgian, who is banned from direct involvement in pro cycling and all other World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) sports for life, has named his new venture 7evenPlusTwo. The company aims to work with athletes in a number of ways, including brand management, contract negotiations and life planning, as well as offering event organization and promotion services.

The company name 7evenPlusTwo refers to the number of Tours de France Bruyneel won as team manager, including the seven vacated titles which were won thanks to “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen” in the words of US Anti-Doping Agency.

On the company web site, 7evenPlusTwo is posited as an “international sports marketing and strategy agency.”

“We manage sporting assets from large scale

sporting events and their associated brands to life plans for individual athletes,” the web site reads.

“Our work with teams in all sorts of sports focuses on developing winning strategies, helping to turn good teams into great teams.

Our strategies help individual athletes become sporting legends.

“Sport is big business, so we work with sponsors, rights owners, governments and international sporting organizations to create profitable world-class sporting spectacles.

It is as yet unclear whether the new company has any clients, though 7evenPlusTwo appears to be pitched at athletes, event organizers, as well as sports team owners, current and prospective.

In 2014, the American Arbitration Association banned Bruyneel from any involvement in professional cycling for a 10-year period. A failed appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2018 resulted in his ban being extended to a lifetime ban, upon which Bruyneel remarked that: “We were all children of our era, facing the pitfalls and temptations that were part of the culture at the time. We didn’t always make the best choices.

“In spite of the CAS decision, it is still my goal and my wish to contribute, to help grow my

sport and make it better in the years ahead.”

News of Bruyneel’s new venture raises questions about his eligibility to run a company of this nature, and presumably work directly with current athletes, considering his lifetime ban.

The current Wada Code and UCI Anti-Doping Rules (Articles 10.12) state that: “No athlete or other person who has been declared ineligible may, during the period of ineligibility, participate in any capacity in a competition or activity authorized or organized by any signatory, signatory’s member-organization, or a club or other member-organization, or in competitions authorized or organized by any professional league, or any international- or national-level event organization or any elite- or national-level sporting activity funded by a government agency.”

In recent years, similar questions were raised when Bruyneel’s former team leader Lance Armstrong hosted a podcast at the Tour de France, and appeared on NBC Sports’ television coverage of the race. The UCI told Cyclingnews that his work at the race did not violate the terms of his own lifetime ban.

As of last October, the US government was still

PETER SAGAN says he feels like he has changed and he is m

SAGAN:

ONE RE JOHAN BRUYNEEL, banned from pro cycling for life, launches 7evenPlusTwo.

waiting for Bruyneel to pay $1.2 million as part of Floyd Landis whistle-blower lawsuit under the False Claims Act. The Belgian was adjudged to have been “unjustly enriched by his fraud” during his time as manager of US Postal Service team.

Armstrong, meanwhile, was last in the news offering a five-day cycling holiday in Mallorca in late September. The trip, cohosted by former teammate George Hincapie, is set to cost up to 12 guests $30,000 each. Cyclingnews

Anti-doping body confirms Fuglsang report but decides against disciplinary proceedings

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HE Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) has reacted to reports that Astana riders Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko were investigated for possible links to banned doping doctor Michele Ferrari, confirming that it hired intelligence provider Sportradar to conduct additional research for a secret dossier after it “received information in relation to alleged potential anti-doping rule violations.”

However, the cycling’s anti-doping body added that “after careful review of the elements available, it has not submitted the report to the UCI for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the individuals or team in question.”

The CADF has now launched an investigation after its report was leaked to the press.

On Sunday three news outlets—Politiken, along with Danish state television DR and Norwegian daily VG— reported that they had obtained the 24-page document commissioned by CADF, which reportedly linked Fuglsang with Ferrari.

Politiken published segments and statements from the CADF document that allege Fuglsang could be under a doping program designed by Ferrari. It also points to Lutsenko being present at a meeting between Fuglsang and Ferrari.

Fuglsang contested that he had met with Ferrari, claiming he had no case to answer. He has been training at altitude on Mount Teide, and is expected to make his season debut with Astana at the Vuelta a Andalucía in midFebruary.

“CADF intelligence indicates that Astana Pro Team cyclist Jakob Fuglsang is under Michele Ferrari’s doping program, and that teammate Alexey Lutsenko was present during at least one meeting between the two in Nice/Monaco,” the CADF report says, according to Politiken.

Fuglsang joined Astana in 2013, and had one of his

most successful seasons last year, having won the Vuelta a Andalucía, a stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, Liège-BastogneLiège, the Critérium du Dauphiné, and a stage of the Vuelta a España. He was considered an overall contender for the Tour de France, but crashed hard on Stage 1 and eventually quit the race on stage 16.

Ferrari was banned for life by the United States AntiDoping Agency for doping Lance Armstrong, and other riders from the US Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams during Armstrong’s seven-year reign at the Tour de France.

As part of that life-time ban, Ferrari is not permitted to act as a consultant to athletes. Ferrari has always denied any wrongdoing.

“Once again I unfortunately find myself compelled to deny the latest media hoax that concerns me,” read Ferrari’s statement on his web site, 53x12.com, going on to state that he hasn’t worked with Astana in a decade and hasn’t been at a bike race in over two decades.

The CADF said it deeply regrets the leaking of the report, and announced that an inquiry is being conducted to understand how the file was made public and prevent this from happening again.

“International cooperation being key to effective anti-doping investigations, Sportradar’s subsequent report was shared in strict confidentiality, and in a secured manner, with a selection of relevant antidoping bodies and law enforcement agencies,” CADF’s statement said.

“The CADF treated the information contained in the report with extreme care. At no point did it share the findings with any other third party, including media representatives.”

The CADF concluded by saying it will make no further comment on the matter.

Cyclingnews

JAKOB FUGLSANG says he has no case to answer.

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ETER SAGAN turned 30 two Sundays ago— also his first day back at work and his fourth year with Bora-Hansgrohe.

Thoughts on entering his fourth decade?

“Nothing changed for me,” he says, and, in at least one respect, he’s right. He is sitting in a conference room at the Del Bono hotel in San Juan, facing questions from a group of reporters about the year ahead. Same as it ever was.

His winter was, too. The off-season may have brought him as far afield as Colombia for the Sagan Fondo in Barranquilla, but by late November, he was, once again, facing into the nuts and bolts of his existence: a ritual purge of base miles as he steeled himself for his return to racing at the Vuelta a San Juan this week.

“Well, it was OK,” Sagan says. “More or less, it’s all the same. You have to build your base in the winter and now we have to work on intensity. I didn’t do Australia, and I prepared myself in Monaco. This is the first race for me, and then I’ll continue with an altitude training camp. Just different places, but the training is the same on the bike.”

The first two stages of the Vuelta a San Juan concluded with bunch finishes, won by Rudy Barbier and Fernando Gaviria. Sagan was dutifully on hand to contest the sprint on each occasion, though, perhaps,

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Saturday, February 8, 2020

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Valverde: I’ll retire at the end of 2021

AN Olympic medal is missing in Alejandro Valverde’s résumé.

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more interested in the important races than the small races.

: I’M ON MY BIKE FOR ONLY

EASON—I WANT TO WIN without the same intensity as some of his younger rivals.

He placed sixth on Stage 1, fifth the following day and was sure to go closer as the week draws on in Argentina, but the desire to risk everything for an early bouquet has diminished since his professional career began 10 years ago.

“I feel also like I changed, I am more interested in the important races than the small races,” Sagan says. “It’s not possible to keep going from January until November at the same level. It’s better to stop and prepare yourself for the important races.

That comes, I think, with age.”

Sagan has won 113 times over the years, but he has reached a point where quality is prioritized over quantity. Or, as Sean Kelly once put it when commenting on his own career— “Those last number of years, you want to chalk up a big palmarès.”

The Slovak can already look back in satisfaction at the headline achievements on his roll of honor—three world titles, seven green jerseys, two monuments—but that doesn’t mean he isn’t keen on adding to that running tally.

“I’m very happy that I did what I did and won what I won,” Sagan said. “But I’m continuing. If I’m on the bike, it’s only for one reason—I want to win.”

TARGETING CLASSICS AND OLYMPICS

THE Classics campaign will again see Sagan measure himself against the ancien régime of Deceuninck-Quick-Step, as well as the men seemingly revolutionizing the Classics, cyclo-cross stars Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

The style of racing, Sagan points out, has changed in installments since the pave was a fiefdom ruled primarily by Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara.

“If you compare cycling with 10 years ago, when I started, it’s much different,” Sagan says.

“The style of racing is more aggressive, you know.

It was not like before, when every team has a leader for GC, sprints or Classics, like Boonen and Cancellara. Now it’s like a big anarchy.”

Sagan is neither in favor of said anarchy nor against it. It exists, and he has had to adapt. No more or no less. “It depends, it’s much harder to control,” he says. “Well it is like it is, we have to live with that.”

Sagan’s seasons have traditionally been divided into three sections, based around the Classics, the Tour de France and the World Championships. This year’s calendar is rather more congested, with a Giro d’Italia debut and the Tokyo Olympics added to the schedule.

Despite the arduous course, he should be competitive in Japan, though he dismisses the idea that he erred in skipping the road race in Rio in 2016, in favor of the mountain bike event.

“Never,” he says. “It was a different period, I had much more time. I did some races for fun in Austria and the Czech Republic to take some points, and it was also a fun thing for me. But with the schedule I have for this year, it would have been almost impossible to go and take some points to qualify me for the Olympic Games.”

FEBRUARY IN COLOMBIA

IN keeping with a routine that began four years ago, Sagan will again eschew racing this February, and will instead embark on an extended altitude training camp, this time in Medellin, Colombia.

It means he will have a gap of five weeks between the end of the Vuelta a San Juan and his next race, Strade Bianche, at a time when his rivals are building race rhythm or picking up morale-boosting wins. Sagan, however, is now accustomed to this lonely method of building form.

“It depends on the rider, because everybody is different and reacts differently to altitude. Some

Vinokourov picks holes in report of alleged Astana connection with Michele Ferrari

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STANA team manager Alexander Vinokourov has picked holes in reports of alleged links between Jakob Fuglsang, Alexey Lutsenko and banned doctor Michele Ferrari, telling L’Equipe that “the story doesn’t stand up” and that it is “based on absurd rumors.”

Vinokourov is a former Ferrari client but always claimed he was only coached by the Italian doctor. He served a two-year ban for blood doping after being caught at the 2007 Tour de France, and then returned to win the 2010 Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the London 2012 Olympics road race, before becoming general manager of the Astana team.

According to a detailed 2014 report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian police in Padova discovered links between a number of Astana riders and Ferrari but these were denied by Ferrari and the team continued to secure a WorldTour licence.

The latest accusations against Ferrari and Astana emerged on Sunday evening, when Danish news outlet Politiken, Danish television channel DR and Norwegian newspaper VG, published reports on alleged links between

Fuglsang, Lutsenko and Ferrari. The allegations arose from an investigation commissioned by the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) last year.

CADF’s report cites intelligence that Ferrari was present at the 2019 Volta a Catalunya with Astana, and met with both Fuglsang and Lutsenko during the year. A further eyewitness account cited

by Politiken states that Ferrari had motor-paced Fuglsang in Monaco.

These allegations, if proven to be true, would fall foul of the Wada Code, specifically Article 2.10, which prohibits athletes from associating (which includes obtaining training or other advice) with any “athlete support person” currently serving a period of ineligibility.

On Monday, the Astana team said they do not “collaborate with any suspicious doctor, such as Dr. Michele Ferrari” and highlighted that “the licence of Astana Pro Team has been renewed for the year 2020, confirming the full compliance by the team with all its obligations, including in terms of the fight against doping in cycling.”

Fuglsang and Lutsenko also denied any connection to Ferrari.

“I contest that I have met with Dr. Ferrari,” Fuglsang wrote on Instagram. “I am not aware of any report and I can confirm no procedure has even been opened by competent anti-doping authorities against me. Accordingly, I have no case to answer. I am extremely concerned that such rumors could be spread out in the press.”

Lutsenko posted an identical statement on his own Instagram account.

Vinokourov picked holes in the reports

by Politiken, VG and DR. “This story doesn’t stand up,” Vinokourov told L’Equipe.

“How can anyone imagine that Michele Ferrari would pass unobserved if he came to the Volta a Catalunya? Everyone in the peloton would recognize him straight away, we all stay in the same hotels.

“Also, why would he come to that race if neither Jakob or Alexey weren’t there? Everything is based on absurd rumours. We haven’t been contacted by the CADF, and we’re obviously ready to work with them and with the UCI to find out the whole truth.” Cyclingnews

people need it more, others less. But now is the period of cycling where everybody is doing altitude, and everybody is spending a lot of time at altitude, and, well, it should help,” Sagan says, dismissing the idea that he was the first Classics rider to train at altitude so close to the great rendezvous in April.

“There was also Sky before, but that season went bad for them. A year later, I tried, and it was OK.” Sagan notes that altitude training is itself another way in which cycling has changed since his debut with Liquigas back in 2010. The years, he confesses, have gone by quickly, but then it’s all a matter of perspective.

“It’s normal,” he says. “It’s like you are standing on the start of a long race and you are going to stay on the bike for six hours, and maybe it’s raining and you’re cold. It seems like a never-ending story and one hour passes like five, but then after when you’ve finished and you’re at the line, you say, ‘It went by fast’.”

OMNIUM CHAMP Jan-Willem van Schip of the Netherlands wins gold in Men’s Omnium in the International Cycling Union Track Cycling World Cup at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Canada.

LEJANDRO VALVERDE has confirmed that he will call time on his career at the end of the 2021 season, by which time he’ll have turned 41 years of age.

Speaking ahead of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, which starts on Wednesday, the Movistar veteran added that he plans to stay with the team after he stops racing.

In the past, Valverde has hinted that he would stop after the Tokyo Olympics later this year, though last year he said that “in principle” he’d retire in 2021. Last June, he extended his contract to the end of next season, and his latest comments seem to confirm his future plans.

“That and no more,” he told AS when asked about 2021. “I want to do two seasons at the highest level and leave. Entering the Movistar organization after hanging up the bike also makes me very excited. I want to contribute to this family from any position.”

Valverde has three race days under his belt so far this season, taking in the first three days of Challenge Mallorca. He took second place behind Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) at the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and will be aiming for his first win of 2020 in Valencia, a race he’s won three times in the past, taking four stages along the way.

Last season, though, saw the 39-year-old take only five wins, down from 14 the previous year. A Vuelta a España stage on the steep slopes of Mas de la Costa and the Spanish national road race title were highlights, though there are signs of a slowdown as he nears the end of his career.

“This season [age] affects me a little, but in the end it’s just a number because the dream of cycling remains intact,” he said. “Of course, I must also be realistic and know that time is passing, that I accumulate a lot of wear and tear because of age and always fighting in races. If I didn’t feel at my best with the option of competing and aiming for more victories I would have stopped by now.

“It will be very hard,” he said about the prospect of not being able to fight for wins in future. “Although it’s a law of life and normal to be beaten by people of 35 or 25, it’s hard to accept it and adapt to being beaten in competitions where you usually perform well because of your condition. But what can we do?”

Despite the prospect of a natural decline in ability as the years wear on, Valverde is hoping for at least one more big victory before hanging up his Canyon. During his 18-year career, temporarily halted by a two-year doping ban in 2010, he has won almost every major event on the calendar.

In 2018 he added the rainbow stripes to a palmarès that includes the 2009 Vuelta, nine Ardennes classics including four Liège-BastogneLiège wins, six World Tour stage races and 18 Grand Tour stages, among others. The Olympic Games, where his best placing has been 12th in Beijing 2008, is his final challenge.

“I’m missing that medal on my résumé.

I’ve got stages and podiums at the three Grand Tours, the Classics, the World Championships. It would be the cherry on top of my fifth Olympics participation.”

With the road race coming just a week after the end of the Tour de France (in Rio it was two weeks), there’s a balance to be struck.

Some riders, including Vincenzo Nibali and Simon Yates, have opted for the Giro d’Italia over the Tour, but Valverde is committed to France, even if he doesn’t know whether he’ll ride on until Paris—he has previously said that abandoning early is the plan.

“Once there, it will be hard to decide. The Tour is the Tour—it must be honored. If I intend to perform close to 100 percent in Tokyo then surely it would be best to withdraw early, rest a bit, train and acclimatize. God will say you don’t go to the Tour anyway.”

This year’s Tour will be Valverde’s 13th participation in the race. There, he’ll play something of a co-mentor, as well co-leader role to his younger teammates Marc Soler and Enric Mas, who have a combined three Tour starts under their belt.

With Mas new to the team and Soler stepping up to a leadership role, it’s all change at the squad this season, with 14 new faces incoming as Nairo Quintana, Richard Carapaz and Mikel Landa left.

“Movistar had to make changes after a couple of years in which we achieved good results, although sometimes we didn’t work as well as we wanted to,” Valverde said. “Fourteen riders joined us; they bring us innovations.

Patxi Vila joined the technical staff. When you make transitions like this, you have to take it on naturally and with good predisposition.

“I feel happy, wanting to help Enric and Marc grow. They’re two young boys with room for improvement who have shown beautiful things. I am still among those who takes responsibility and makes demands of myself, which motivates me.

“They too will be asked to take a little step forward, and I won’t mind sacrificing myself for the good of the group. In the end, I’ve enjoyed a fairly good record, and it’s all about Movistar winning.”

The frictions that sometimes rose to the surface when Valverde led alongside Quintana and Landa might be gone then, but Valverde said that the dynamic was natural in such a high-pressure environment. Though whether the tensions will return among the new leadership group is yet to be seen.

“Who doesn’t argue in a coexistence when you’re looking to win and are involved in competitive tension? We were several captains—of course we got angry and we got over it.

“For my part, I’m grateful to share the jersey with two excellent cyclists; I hope they do well.

But not so much if their goals coincide with mine,” Valverde concluded, jokingly.

Cyclingnews

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By Stephen Wade The Associated Press

OKYO—Sumo is coming—well, almost coming—to the Tokyo Olympics.

Knowing it may have the world’s attention, the Japan Sumo Association and local Olympic organizers are planning a sumo tournament on August 12 and 13, just days after the Olympics end.

The event was announced on Tuesday and is designed to bring more attention to the Japanese sport. It will be part of a local cultural festival and will take place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, sumo’s spiritual home in east Tokyo.

Event organizers say the tournament will give visitors from overseas an opportunity to watch the sport. The venue is the same one in Tokyo attended by US President Donald J. Trump last year.

The roots of sumo can be traced back to the Shinto ritual for a good harvest in the eighth century. It later was used as martial arts training for samurais before becoming entertainment for ordinary people during the Edo period, 1603 to 1868.

The Edo period brought the introduction of stylized rules, including the art of entering the ring, the use of loin cloths, topknots and kimonos, as well as fighting regulations.

Sumo rituals are some of the most traditional in Japan, and the sport is highly cloistered and mostly closed to outsiders.

The yokozuna—the grand champion rank of rikishi, or wrestler—has a special place in the customs.

Unlike other athletes, rikishi are considered living performers of a cultural tradition and are expected to be role models. This is especially true of the yokozuna.

Only men can become professional rikishi. Under sumo’s Shinto tradition, women are considered unclean and are not allowed to enter the elevated dirt ring, or dohyo.

In 2018, a sumo referee blocked women who went up to the dohyo to provide first aid for a mayor who collapsed in the ring while making a speech at a sumo event in Kyoto. It triggered criticism that sumo officials were prioritizing their gender-biased tradition over someone’s life.

Based on Shinto belief, the dohyo is considered sacred. Before every tournament, Shinto priests perform rituals to pacify the gods by pouring rice, sake and other offerings into a little hole in the center of the ring.

Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizers, meanwhile, again tried on Thursday to allay fears that the 2020 Games could be postponed or canceled by the fast-spreading virus from China.

Tokyo Olympic CEO Toshiro Muto, who on Wednesday said he was “seriously worried” the virus could disrupt the Olympic and Paralympics, backtracked a day later and was more cautious in a news conference with officials from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

“In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I would like to say that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held as scheduled,” Muto said, adding people need to remain “cool headed.”

Craig Spence, the spokesman for the IPC, was even more direct with the Olympics opening in just under six months—and the Paralympics in just under seven.

“One thing I am noticing at the moment is fear is spreading quicker than the virus, and it is important that we quell that fear,” Spence said.

On Thursday, Japan confirmed 45 cases of the virus but no deaths have been reported. Tokyo Olympic officials said they have established a task force to focus on the virus and have been repeating for a week that the games will go ahead as planned.

Despite the assurances, questions keep coming with organizers saying they are deferring to the World Health Organization for advice.

“We need to put things into perspective, and until

TWO-AND-A-HALF seasons later, though, Barcelona is still waiting for Dembele to meet all those expectations. AP

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Sports BusinessMirror

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

SUMO COMING TO TOKYO 2020

the World Health Organization tells us otherwise, we will proceed with business as usual,” Spence said.

The Olympics open on July 24, and the Paralympics follow on August 25. Both events are experiencing record ticket demand, which could begin to shift the longer the virus threat spawns uncertainty. It’s a similar story with hotel demand.

Toshiaki Endo, a vice president of the organizing committee, earlier in the week said organizers “are facing all sorts of problems, including coronavirus infections, cyber security and transportation systems.”

Some Olympic and Paralympic qualifying events around the globe have been canceled or postponed by the virus outbreak. Travel restrictions also complicate matters, particularly for China’s large Olympic and Paralympic delegations.

There is also the question of housing 11,000 Olympic athletes safely in the Athletes’ Village. The number is smaller for the Paralympics, but still in the thousands.

The Olympics have been canceled during wartime, and faced boycotts in 1980 and 1984. The event has grown rapidly in the decades since, driven by multibillion-dollar television contracts and billions more from sponsors.

SUMO grand champion Hakuho of Mongolia performs his ring entry form at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo in January 2018. AP

22 MONTHS FOR DOPING

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ONDON —American tennis player Abigail Spears was handed a 22-month doping ban on Wednesday after a positive test from last year’s US Open.

The 38-year-old Spears has won 21 women’s doubles titles during her career and won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open in 2017.

Her urine sample was found to have contained two prohibited substances, prasterone and testosterone, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said.

Spears was charged and provisionally suspended on November 7. The ITF accepted her explanation that her use of the substances was unconnected to sports performance, but said “her fault was deemed to be high.”

The ban was backdated to start on the day Spears was provisionally suspended. It ends at midnight on September 6, 2021. AP

THE 26-year-old Dominic Thiem has to accept being runner-up again after a four-hour final. AP

So near, so far: Thiem feeling empty after Aussie Open final M

ELBOURNE, Australia—Emptiness. Exhaustion.

All-too-familiar feelings for Dominic Thiem after a Grand Slam final.

He has lost three on the biggest stage at the majors, adding a five-set loss to Novak Djokovic on the hard courts at Melbourne Park on Sunday to his two against Rafael Nadal on the red clay at Roland Garros.

Each time he’s come up against the greatest-of-alltime at that particular venue.

He had to beat top-seeded Nadal in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, then a fellow up-and-comer, Alexander Zverev, in the semifinals.

Just to get a shot at Djokovic, who had won all seven previous times he’d reached the Australian final, Thiem had spent almost 18 1/2 hours on court and beaten four seeded players through six rounds. Djokovic had spent almost six fewer hours in action, and had only dropped

one set in the tournament.

“I’ve rarely felt physically [so] tired, especially now after all the tension’s gone,” Thiem said after losing 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena.

After recovering a break in the first set, Thiem surrendered it with a double-fault—his first. He rebounded and, from 4-4 in the second, won six straight games and took the next two sets, with his hard, flat ground strokes troubling Djokovic.

And then, after being one set from a breakthrough major title, the 26-year-old Austrian had to accept being runner-up again after a four-hour final. Even Djokovic admitted just one or two shots made the difference.

“I just feel a lot of emptiness right now. But, yeah, that’s it. I know the feeling,” Thiem said. “I did after the last two in Paris. But, yeah, also already now I feel little

bit of motivation to come back for the next Grand Slam.”

That’ll be in Paris, in May. He reckons it’s just the fine details he needs to work on, and a bit of reshaping after honing his game specifically for the hard surface.

What made him most proud of his run in Australia, he said, was “the way I kept my level, the way I kept my tension over all the two weeks.

“I didn’t have easy matches, especially from the quarters on. Beating Rafa in over four hours, then two days later going back out again against Sascha.

Unbelievably intense, close match. Then two days later going out again against Novak, who won the most titles here and again played on a very high level.”

That gives him a brighter picture for the future.

“I’m very aware and sure now that I can play on a very

Marred by injuries, Dembele fails to live up to expectations

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ADRID—More than 17,000 fans were at the Camp Nou when Ousmane Dembele was officially introduced by Barcelona in 2017.

The expectations were high at the time.

The then-20-year-old French forward had been touted as a possible replacement for Neymar, who had just left for Paris Saint-Germain in a record transfer.

Barcelona paid €105 million (then $125 million) to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund, with add-ons that could have

reached €147 million ($175 million) and made him the second-highest transfer in soccer history at the time.

Two-and-a-half seasons later, though, Barcelona is still waiting for Dembele to meet all those expectations.

Dembele’s stint with Barcelona has been marked by his numerous injuries, not his goals. Wearing the No. 11 shirt that Neymar used to wear, Dembele has been injured nine different times since arriving, being sidelined for several months and missing more than 60 matches. In the nearly 50 matches Dembele did play, he scored 19 goals.

Dembele’s latest setback is a right-thigh hamstring tear that is likely to keep him out of action for the rest of the

season. The injury came in training on Monday as he entered the final stages of his recovery from an injury that had already kept him sidelined since November.

He was almost certain to have a place in the starting lineup once he was back, as striker Luis Suárez is also out injured and is not expected to be fit again until later in the season. Young forward Carles Pérez, who also competed for a spot in the attack, signed with Roma in last month’s transfer window. His main competition would have come from Ansu Fati, who is only 17 years old.

“I was confident that Dembele was going to be very helpful for us,” Barcelona coach Quique Setién said

high level for a full Grand Slam,” Thiem said. “Didn’t have any drops—it makes me very confident for the next big tournaments which are coming up.”

Djokovic is among the experts who predict big things for Thiem.

“Congratulations to Dominic for an amazing tournament. It wasn’t meant to be tonight,” Djokovic said as he accepted the trophy. “It was a tough match. You were very close to winning it. You definitely have a lot more time in your career and I’m sure you’ll get one of the Grand Slam trophies.... More than one.”

Thiem would like that to be sooner than later, obviously, and certainly while Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are still contenders.

“I really hope also that I win my maiden Slam when they’re still around,” he said, “because it just counts more, yeah.” AP Wednesday. “It was unfortunate. It’s sad to see him like that.

He is a great kid, I saw how he had been working hard.”

The 22-year-old Dembele had his first major injury shortly after he debuted with Barcelona. It was another hamstring injury, in the left leg, and it kept him out for four months.

Most of his injuries have been muscle problems, with a few ankle issues thrown in.

Dembele’s most recent injury will likely force Barcelona to try to sign another forward, though it will have to look for the player in the Spanish market as the international window ended last month.

The club’s only signing in attack was young Portuguese forward Francisco Trincão, but he will only join the squad after the end of the season. AP

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

SUPPLY CHAIN SIMPLIFIED: IS IT TIME TO TURN THE ‘MOBILE MODE’ ON? THERE is no denying the Philippines has now become a mobile nation. In fact, Filipinos spend the longest hours on the Internet and social-media sites, says creative agency We Are Social and social-media management platform Hootsuite.

The report revealed that Filipinos spend an average of 10 hours, two minutes on the Internet via any device. They also spend over four hours on social media every day.

As these trends arise, leading solutions integrator Genie Technologies Inc. (GenieTech, www.gti.com.ph) says that local enterprises should turn their mobile mode on and seize new opportunities brought about by the increasing mobile penetration in the country.

“Most enterprises nowadays utilize digital technologies to gain insights into in-house activities that help not just in boosting their customers’ experience but also in gaining more productivity.

While these tools are usually provided by organizations to enable employees in accessing workrelated software, they also need to embrace better ‘Bring Your Own Device’ [BYOD] strategies,” said Rommel Pajarin, sales manager of GenieTech.

In recent years, enterprises have been using BYOD practice. With its proven advantages in boosting productivity and cost-efficiency, among others, Pajarin noted that BYOD can be one of the factors that may disrupt and define modern enterprises, especially in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) business and supply constraint sectors, such as perishables and farm produce.

Among the BYOD strategies that enterprises can leverage is the use of mobile apps and solutions that can help address the needs of field sales, warehouse, as well as delivery processes of supply constraint sectors. One of these mobility solutions has been added by GenieTech in its array of global business solutions.

Known for its easy-to-use, intuitive mobility solutions, Simplr provides a mobile-friendly platform that can help enable sales force, provide complete visibility across a supply chain to the management, and run businesses better. This solution footprint covers the direct sales force, as well as distributors and stockists to drive increased sales and improved inventory management.

Simplr’s solutions are delivered through SaaS (Software as a Service) methods and run across multiple platforms, such as Windows, iOS, Android, as well as on multiple devices (PC, rugged devices, tablets and smartphones). Simplr’s apps have been proven in the market across small, medium and enterprise customers. Over a hundred large, medium and small enterprises use Simplr solutions today across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

“GenieTech is bringing the capabilities of Simplr here in the Philippines to help enterprises in tackling their supply chain needs. As a systems integrator and a tech company, we aim to bring global business solutions like Simplr closer and available for local organizations,” Pajarin added.

Saturday, February 8, 2020 A9

It’s a victory for shoppers as supermarket chain launches SALLY PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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HESE days, people of all ages have one thing in common—they are very busy and they have no time. Thus, many convenient ondemand services have been created to fill this niche in the market.

One of the things people have difficulty in finding time for is getting groceries. It’s understandable. They need to go through traffic to get to the store. Once there, they would have to walk around the aisles to get the stuff they need. After that, they would have to line up at the cashier to pay for their purchases.

Puregold Price Club Inc., which operates a chain of supermarkets in the Philippines, recently launched the Puregold Mobile app, which aims to be the “Shopping Ally,” or SALLY, of shoppers and consumers.

SALLY is a shopping app that offers cart-less grocery shopping. Shoppers can simply scan the bar code of the items to be purchased. Consumers can scan bar codes of items they have at home. Once

PUREGOLD President Vincent Co and Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu jointly launch SALLY

they have done this, they will receive a confirmation summarizing the purchases.

Another feature of the app, which was developed for Puregold by Globe Telecom, is the reordering of products from the Order History. This is recommended for all negosyantes or SMEs (small-tomedium enterprise) who need to restock or replenish.

Through the ASK SALLY in-app chat, users can receive real-time responses about their order status

and other pertinent questions.

Puregold President Vincent Co and Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu jointly launched SALLY, a mashup of Shopping Ally, with Puregold trade partners and members of the media at the Globe Tower recently.

“What we’re doing is to make sure that Puregold does not get left behind. We want to make sure this progresses to even more things,” said Cu. SALLY was designed by Puregold and Globe Telecom to adapt to consumer’s evolving needs and to keep pace with the technology in offering a better way to shop.

“SALLY is a virtual assistant inside the app. It means Shopping Ally or even shopping alalay. You can chat with SALLY in English and Tagalog,” said Jenny Jacintos, Puregold senior manager for merchandising and marketing.

Shoppers can choose to pay cash at the store or input their credit/debit card details. Payment via GCash is also accepted. Members of Puregold Tindahan ni Aling Puring and PERKS can link their card details to the app to view their points.

Puregold Mobile, which is initially available in 10 stores, targets a broad market that includes young moms, young professionals and SMEs who are looking for ways to do their groceries in a more efficient manner.

The minimum order requirement is P1,000. There is no limit to the amount of groceries you can order.

Puregold Mobile is available for download from Google Play or App Store. ■

Keepr Storage PH declutter solutions THE start of a new year—or, in this case, a new decade—may stir one’s inner Marie Kondo into decluttering the home, determining what to keep and what to give away. And, according to Keepr Storage PH founder Anna Moncupa, the early months of the new year “is the perfect time to declutter. Going into the new year free of clutter sets a very good tone for the rest of the year. I spread it out in 30 days so it’s not overwhelming and very attainable despite one’s busy schedule.”

This year, keep the things you love most while clearing space in your home with Keepr

Storage PH. The storage solution provider services families and individuals in Metro Manila by providing them with a host of solutions available on their mobile devices. Available on both Android and IOS, Keepr offers 24-hour services seven days a week, customizable inventory management, and round-the-clock security to ensure that your things are secure and constantly within reach. And when you need something back from storage, simply schedule a pick-up at your convenience.

YOUTUBE: NO ‘BIRTHER’ CONSPIRACY VIDEOS FOR 2020 ELECTION MOUNTAIN VIEW, California—YouTube is making clear there will be no “birtherism” on its platform during this year’s US presidential election.

Also banned: Election-related “deepfake” videos and anything that aims to mislead viewers about voting procedures, and how to participate in the 2020 census.

The Google-owned video service clarified its rules ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday. The company is mostly reiterating content guidelines that

is has been putting in place since the last presidential election in 2016.

Google said that it will remove any videos that advance false claims about whether political candidates and elected officials are eligible to serve in office.

The company’s announcement comes about nine years after celebrity businessman Donald J. Trump began to get notice for claiming that Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American president, was not born in the United States.

Trump repeatedly voiced citizenship doubts even after Obama produced his long-form birth certificate. Trump only fully backed off from the idea in the final stages of his 2016 presidential campaign.

YouTube said it will also crack down on any attempts to artificially increase the number of views, likes and comments on videos. It changed its systems for recommending what videos users watch last year in a push to curb harmful misinformation. AP

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A MAN uses the dating app Tinder in New Delhi. A House subcommittee is investigating popular dating services such as Tinder and Bumble for allegedly allowing minors and sex offenders to use their services. AP

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Dating apps face US inquiry over underage use, sex offenders

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BY BARBARA O�TUTAY The Associated Press

AN FRANCISCO—A House subcommittee is investigating popular dating services such as Tinder and Bumble for allegedly allowing minors and sex offenders to use their services.

Bumble, Grindr, The Meet Group and the Match Group, which owns such popular services as Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid, are the current targets of the investigation by the US House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy.

In separate letters Thursday to the companies, the subcommittee is seeking information on users’ ages, procedures for verifying ages, and any complaints about assaults, rape or the use of the services by minors. It is also asking for the services’ privacy policies and details on what users see when they review and agree to the policies. It also seeks information on what data is collected on people, including sexual orientation, drug use and political views.

Although the minimum age for using Internet services is typically 13 in the US, dating services generally require users to be at least 18 because of concerns about sexual predators.

“Our concern about the underage use of dating apps is heightened by reports that many popular free dating apps permit registered sex offenders to use them, while the paid versions of these same apps screen out registered sex offenders,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Illinois Democrat who heads the subcommittee, said in a statement. “Protection from sexual predators should not be a luxury confined to paying customers.”

Match Group said it uses “every tool possible” to keep minors and bad actors off its services and continues to invest in technology to keep users safe. In an e-mailed statement, the company said the problem was broader and requires other parties, including app stores that know who their users are, “to do their part as well.”

Match added that the national sex offender registry needs to be updated so that perpetrators’

ANDREA DELA CASA, senior manager of technology and transformation, Robert Walters

DIGITALIZATION TO SHAPE HIRING REQUIREMENTS IN 2020

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES

digital footprints can be tracked and blocked by social media and dating services.

Grindr and The Meet Group did not respond to messages for comment on Thursday. Bumble had no immediate comment.

Besides safety issues, the investigation also seeks to address concerns about data the services request to make matches. Such information may include sexual orientation, gender identity, political views, and drug, alcohol and tobacco use.

The subcommittee cited a report by a Norwegian consumer group this month that found that dating

apps including Grindr, OkCupid and Tinder leak personal information to advertising tech companies in possible violation of European data privacy laws.

The Norwegian Consumer Council said it found “serious privacy infringements” in its analysis of how shadowy online ad companies track and profile smartphone users.

In response to that report, Match had said that it shares information with third parties only when it is “deemed necessary to operate its platform” with thirdparty apps. The company said it considers the practice in line with all European and US regulations. ■

Lenovo reaches out to Cebuano gamers IT’S shaping up to be an exciting year for gamers in the Queen City of the South as Lenovo (www.lenovo. com), the world’s leading PC maker, opens its Legion concept store in SM City Cebu.

Legion is Lenovo’s dedicated gaming brand which offers a wide range of products designed to provide a complete and immersive experience. Launched in 2017, the Legion line has established a significant foothold in the Philippines and was even recognized by global market research company GFK as one of the fastest-growing PC gaming brands.

Legion Store SM Cebu is located at the mall’s Cyberzone area and showcases Lenovo’s top-of-theline gaming devices, such as monitors, towers, laptops and peripherals and accessories.

Mallgoers can come visit to try out Legion devices and see how they handle the latest PC games.

According to Lenovo, they will be organizing monthly gaming tournaments in the store.

Legion Store SM Cebu is the first exclusive Legion concept store in Visayas and second in the Philippines after Legion Store SM City North Edsa.

This expansion is part of Lenovo’s thrust to make its products even more accessible to the gaming community outside Metro Manila.

“Putting up a Legion store in one of the Philippines’s major cities is a significant stride for Lenovo. We work very hard in developing the bestperforming devices and part of the goal is to make these products accessible. You can expect to see more Lenovo and Legion stores across the market and more of our presence in local events. In fact, we have something special for our gamers based in the north shortly so stay tuned,” said Michael Ngan, general manager of Lenovo Philippines.

Ngan led the grand opening of Legion Store SM Cebu held last January 31. As part of the opening celebration, Lenovo hosted gaming tournaments which saw players battle it out on Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat X and Left 4 Dead 2. Winners of the tournaments were given exclusive Lenovo and Legion merchandise and accessories.

THE newly opened Lenovo Legion Concept Store located at Cyberzone SM City Cebu.

TECHNOLOGY and digitalization will continue to shape hiring and requirement trends across the Philippines and Southeast Asia, with hybrid skills, “glocal” talent, potential and transferable skills expected to be in stronger demand as more companies embrace digitalization, according to a major professional recruitment consultancies company.

These are the key findings in the Salary Survey 2020 by Robert Walters, a global recruitment specialist group headquartered in England and with regional offices in Southeast Asia.

According to the survey, professionals looking to stay in their current roles can expect salary increments of up to 10 percent while those moving jobs can expect to receive a 20-percent to 40-percent salary increase depending on their seniority level and skill set.

“Professionals with a commercial mindset who can leverage their industry expertise with available data and new technology platforms to make effective business decisions will be in greater demand,” Andrea dela Casa, senior manager of technology and transformation of Robert Walters, told BUSINESSMIRRO� in a recent interview held in Makati City.

Dela Casa said Robert Walters observed that there was a dramatic shift in the technology sector last year as it recruited more talent for their digital transformation program. “These companies either are in the first or second stage of their transformation campaign,” she said.

She said hiring managers are projected to seek mid-level and senior managers who can lead a team in navigating change and adopting new technologies.

Experienced technology professionals with hybrid skill sets have the competencies companies would need. Cyber-security experts will also boost the demand as they will play an essential role in helping companies and organizations address the evolving regulatory requirements and guidelines across the region brought by the growth of digital banking, fintech and online payment solutions.

Glocal talent, or professionals with expertise in both local and international culture, mindset and market, will also be in greater demand as more companies embrace internationalization.

Furthermore, she said companies would also be searching for talents to handle user interface and user experience of customers. Dela Casa pointed out engineers would usually be the prime candidates for the job that will require taking the front end of the application.

As far as advanced analytics is concerned, dela Casa said the country right now does not have a sufficient number of people in this field because it has just been introduced in the country. “Analytics is a science that is emerging in the country, and it is a challenge to find the talents here,” she said.

Fujitsu PHL feted by MEC-Ruckus

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY (IT) solutions and services provider Fujitsu Philippines Inc. has been recognized as the most outstanding partner-reseller of MEC Networks Corp. and Ruckus Networks in 2019.

During the annual MEC-Ruckus Partners’ Appreciation Night held recently at Revel at The Palace, Uptown Bonifacio, in Taguig City, it received the Top Dog 2019 award.

Fujitsu was feted for its significant contribution to the realization of many business projects and the use of Ruckus products and solutions across industries. What’s more, it was bestowed with other awards, such as Product Manager of the Year, Sales Pup Star 2019 and the Technical Pup Star 2019. These accolades served as recognitions for those who have played pivotal roles in pushing excellent customer service in the creation and execution of projects.

“As a tech company, we recognize

the value of collaboration. We consider this citation as an inspiration in strengthening further our business ties with MEC-Ruckus for the years ahead,” said Raul “Cricket” Santiago, president and chief executive officer of Fujitsu Philippines.

MEC and Ruckus hold the appreciation night yearly to celebrate the successes and milestones shared with their most valuable partners.

This yearly event also seeks to give honor to top partners for their remarkable contribution and

unwavering support.

Fujitsu Philippines has been a strong partner of MEC-Ruckus for years now, providing cutting-edge IT solutions and services for businesses all over the country.

The firm also has made Japanese IT design and technology available via its server, storage, and scanning hardware and solutions.

It also offers cloud technology that gives relevant and cost-effective IT solutions to all organizations of various sizes and needs.

BusinessMirror

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Huawei races to replace Google apps for next smartphone

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Three important lessons we learn from heartwarming PLDT Home video CAN you imagine going somewhere far today without any Internet? Would you stay at a place that doesn’t have Wi-Fi? Many people might scoff at the idea of staying offline for as long as a weekend, but there are connections you might miss out on if you don’t live in the moment.

This is the story that unfolds in PLDT Home’s new digital short, about a young boy who goes with his family to the province to visit his grandparents for the weekend—without any Wi-Fi. The boy, and his family, eventually learn to make stronger connections during and even after the trip. Here are three important things we learn from the touching video.

■ NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE FAMILY. The boy initially seems hesitant to go on a trip, and to a place where there is no Wi-Fi. It’s typical of what we see among children nowadays— hooked on and engrossed in their gadgets. As it turned out, the young boy had the time of his life bonding with his grandparents. They were able to reconnect and share moments that would strengthen their relationship as a family.

■ PERSONAL OR “OFFLINE” BONDING MATTERS A LOT. Our main characters learn this as they spend the weekend at their grandparents’ house—the boy gets to discover the wonderful night sky he doesn’t see in the city, and his ate experiences the most beautiful display of fireflies she’s ever seen. Offline activities—the things that take you some time off your gadgets—can bring surprises and enjoyable experiences, too.

■ DIGITAL CONNECTIONS CAN HELP BRIDGE THE DISTANCE. Fortunately, as we witness, the young family in the video manages to find a way to bridge the distance between them and the grandparents.

The boy’s mother gifts her parents PLDT Home WiFi Prepaid, which allowed all of them to enhance their bonding and strengthen their connections.

Of course, this newfound connection stays strong after they come home from the trip, as the boy is now able to converse with his grandparents anytime via video call.

One of the best things about modern technology, especially the Internet, is how it connects people despite the distance. Thanks to innovations like instant messaging, video calls and other apps, loved ones who may be miles away feel like they’re right in front of you—and when you’re with them, technology unlocks whole new connections that enrich your relationship.

The PLDT Home WiFi Prepaid is the perfect Internet connection for your family. It’s more affordable than ever at only P995, and you get more out of your Wi-Fi with double the data allocation from FamLoad packages. More information is available at www.pldthome.com/homewifi.

BY JOE MCDONALD The Associated Press

EIJING—If you can make smartphone apps, Chinese tech giant Huawei wants you.

The No. 2 global smartphone brand is struggling to hold onto its market after Washington accused Huawei of being a security risk, and blocked access to US components and technology.

That includes YouTube and other popular Google “core apps” customers expect on new phones. They will be missing from the global rollout of Huawei’s next model, the P40, due out in March, replaced by its own music, payment and other apps.

Huawei Technologies Ltd., along with every other smartphone brand except Apple Inc., relies on Google’s Android operating system. So it’s scouring the world for replacements. At events for developers from New Delhi to Warsaw to São Paulo, Huawei is promising cash rewards if they meet a deadline Friday to get apps onto its online store.

The company says it will invest $1.5 billion in app development. It faces an expensive, uphill struggle to create alternatives to the Google-centered world of music, navigation and other apps, according to industry experts. Others, including Nokia and Microsoft, have tried and failed to create their own mobile ecosystems.

Creating “diverse apps” is a “really challenging task to Huawei,” said chairman Guo Ping in videotaped comments released by the company.

Huawei, also the world’s biggest maker of switching gear for phone networks, rejects US accusations it might facilitate Chinese spying.

Chinese officials accuse Washington of using phony security claims to hurt a commercial rival.

The Trump administration also is pressing European and other allies to exclude Huawei switching gear from next-generation telecom networks. The conflict has fed fears technology industries might split into Chinese, US and other spheres with incompatible products.

Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, has said it wants to stay in a unified global industry, and work with Google and other US partners.

The Android system is open-source, meaning phone brands use it for free, but most also pay Google for core apps and the software to support them.

Huawei can keep using Android, but is blocked from buying those core apps for preinstallation.

That threatens to cripple Huawei’s ability to compete with market leader Samsung and other Androidbased phones.

Consumers expect “well-known apps that their peers are using,” such as Google Maps, said Thomas Husson, a principal analyst for Forrester, in an e-mail.

“It would require massive investment to convince developers to develop for a new ecosystem, and a lot of marketing efforts.”

Huawei already sells phones without Google core apps in China, where the ruling Communist Party’s Internet filters block access to YouTube, the Google search engine and thousands of other foreign web sites. Instead, Huawei phones come with Chinese search engine Baidu.com, video service Youku.com and other local apps. But Huawei competes on a level playing field in China with competitors that face the same restrictions. In other foreign markets the others have the popular Google package. For the P40, Huawei has signed an agreement for developers to use maps from a Dutch provider, TomTom. Details of other services have yet to be announced.

In response to questions, Huawei said executives would talk to reporters next month at the Mobile World Congress, the industry’s biggest annual event.

The chief executive of Huawei’s consumer unit, Richard Yu, told reporters in December the P40 would be launched in Paris in late March, using Android instead of Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system, which it unveiled last year.

HarmonyOS is based on code developed for other Huawei devices, and could replace Android if needed. But the company wants to keep working with Google, which has spent more than a decade improving Android with input from Huawei and other companies. Replacing Google apps is “a massive undertaking for any company,” said Dermot Daly, chief executive of Tapadoo, an Irish app developer that isn’t working for Huawei.

Huawei Mobile Services offers some 45,000 apps.

But that is barely 1.5 percent of the 3 million titles on Google Play Store, where most Android users get apps.

Huawei needs to replace Google code that supports video and other features, said Daly. Then it needs to persuade developers to adapt apps to run on Huawei’s new code.

“They’re not building from scratch, but they face a big technical hurdle,” said Daly. “Becoming a worldclass software maker is a massive challenge.”

Nokia Corp. took a similar approach with its first smartphone a decade ago but failed to attract enough apps for its system, said Daly. He said Microsoft Corp. tried again after acquiring Nokia’s mobile phone unit in 2013 but faced similar lack of developer interest.

Such difficulties highlight the dominance of US app providers, and the very gradual emergence of global alternatives.

For music, Sweden’s Spotify or France’s Deezer may come preloaded on phones, depending on deals with local phone carriers, said Forrester’s Husson.

Other options include China’s TikTok for video, Russia’s Yandex for search and e-mail or OsmAnd and MapQuest for navigation, though none is as highly developed as Google or Apple services.

The search goes on: At an event in New Delhi, Huawei promised $20,000 per app for development costs, according to the newspaper Economic Times.

Starting the year with smarts, freebies THERE are very few things that feel as great as a fresh start, especially as a new year has started.

While there are a lot of people who are raring to improve their lifestyles or tick off items on their list of resolutions, some simply want to share better quality time with their loved ones, especially at home. Upgrading to a big-sized smart TV can enhance the family’s home entertainment experience with the access to more varied content from popular streaming services, like Netflix and YouTube.

Anyone can watch not only their favorite local

TV and cable channels, but also enjoy online content, such as photos, videos, music and even games. Smart TVs also come with screen mirroring features to enable content stored in compatible devices—smartphones, tablets and laptops.

With all the perks that can be enjoyed with owning a smart TV, Samsung Philippines is also giving everyone the best reasons to upgrade to a bigger-sized screen with higher resolution, with its 2020 Smart Start for the New Year promo.

From now to February 29, the 49-inch

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CHINESE tech giant Huawei is racing to develop replacements for Google apps. US sanctions imposed on security grounds block Huawei from using YouTube and other popular Google “core apps.” AP

smart FHD TV model can be purchased for only P20,999. Other big Samsung UHD TVs are also available with amazing discounts.

Moreover, buyers of participating QLED and super big-sized UHD TV models will also get a free Samsung premium products, such as the Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Note10+, Side by Side Refrigerators, Samsung Dolby Atmos Soundbar, Galaxy Tab or Galaxy A20 smartphone, delivered right at their doorstep by registering their TV purchase at bit.ly/380yvOx. Redemption period for free items is until April 30.

In London, the web site Telecom.com said developers were promised a £20,000 ($26,000) reward if they met a January 31 deadline. A video released by Huawei said the company has set aside $10 million to subsidize app writers in Poland.

Huawei says its 2019 sales rose 18 percent to $122 billion. But it warned the smartphone business, which shipped 240 million handsets last year in 170 countries, could suffer.

The Trump administration has postponed full enforcement of sanctions after US processor chip makers and other vendors warned they would lose billions of dollars in sales. But Ren, the company founder, has said Huawei expects them to go ahead.

Huawei has one of the world’s biggest research and development budgets, and ramped up spending on developing its own chips and other technology long before running afoul of Washington.

It spent more than $15 billion last year—more than Apple or Microsoft—and a total of 485 billion yuan ($65 billion) over the decade before that. Industry analysts say the company is increasingly selfsufficient in chips and other components.

Huawei has yet to confirm details of the P40, but news reports suggest it will run on the company’s Kirin 990 chip instead of one from Qualcomm or Intel. That reduces risks of supply disruptions.

“We will become more open and work with our partners around the world to develop secure, sustainable and thriving ecosystems,” said Guo. At the same time, Huawei is trying to persuade Canada to release its chief financial officer. She is being held in Vancouver on US charges related to possible violation of trade sanctions on Iran.

Ren, who founded Huawei in 1987, expresses confidence it can withstand US pressure.

“The United States might further escalate their campaign against Huawei, but I feel the impact on Huawei’s business won’t be very significant,” Ren said during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. “I think we are more confident that we can survive further attacks.” ■

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

BusinessMirror

A case of LSS: ‘Awesome screen, awesome camera, long-lasting battery life…’

TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

I

WOKE up in the middle of the night from a bad dream (too much Hotel del Luna, I guess) and as I sat on the bed to take some deep breaths, the first thing that came to mind was: “Awesome screen, awesome camera, long-lasting battery life.”

Black Pink was definitely in my area.

I had been to two consecutive Samsung events: the first was for the launch of the Galaxy A71 and Galaxy Note 10 Lite, and the next was the “Awesome Concert” with Liza Soberano and Ben&Ben the day after, and “#DanceAwesome” was on loop the whole time, so I kind of expected LSS. Besides, the song’s eight-word lyrics and melody, plus the very TikTok-ish video, were catchy as hell. #DanceAwesome is the theme of the Galaxy A series and is the closest thing “Blinks” have while waiting for the next Black Pink album.

I’m pretty sure almost everyone of us have experienced LSS, last song syndrome, aka Earworm; stuck song syndrome; sticky music; or involuntary musical imagery—that sensation of hearing one song repeatedly and, all of a sudden, we catch ourselves humming the melody of a song, and it gets stuck in our heads for hours.

But what makes some songs “catchier” than others?

According to research, songs that have a more upbeat pace, tempo, or rhythm that people could move to are more likely to get stuck in your head.

As for the melody, those with simple structures but have rhythmic patterns are likely to get stuck. A few samples of LSS-inducing beats are “Wannabe,” “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” “Macarena,” “Moves Like Jagger,” “Pretty Woman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and, of course, “Tala,” etc., as well as a lot of K-pop songs we don’t even know the lyrics to.

About 90 percent of us experience LSS at least once a week, with some having them more than others.

It normally happens at times when the brain is not

doing much, such as being in the shower, walking, or doing chores.

How do we get rid of LSS? A 2015 study in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology claims that chewing gum can provide a simple solution. After conducting a series of experiments, the researchers hypothesize that since our vocal apparatus is involved in singing, when our jaws are otherwise engaged, our ability to imagine music is impaired.

In the case of #DanceAwesome, however, I’m going to use it as the key points of my upcoming review of the Galaxy A71. Is it going to be as catchy as Black Pink’s dance moves?

DISCOVER AWESOME AND CELEBRATE LIVE

ONE of the most read articles I wrote last year was “The As Team,” which featured Samsung’s revamped midrange lineup—the A50s, A30s, A20s and A10s.

This 2020, Samsung adds another member to the A family, the more premium A71.

Built for the “Era of Live,” the A series encourages Gen Z’s love of producing content and sharing their most authentic selves online, redefining the meaning of self-expression with the launch of the A71 that will help users discover their “A-wesome.”

■ AWESOME SCREEN: The A71 boasts of a huge 6.7” Infinity-O display equipped with Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology. The brand has always been known for its great displays, and the A71 brings real-life hues and colors. It has a center punch-hole camera design at the top of the display which makes it standout from other phones with drop notches. The Galaxy A71 measures 163.6 x 76 x 7.7mm and weighs 179g a bit big but still comfortable to hold.

■ AWESOME CAMERA: The Galaxy A71 is powered by a Quad Rear Camera setup consisting of 64MP main camera, 12MP Ultra Wide, 5MP Macro, and 5MP Depth lenses. It is also equipped with a 32MP front camera for picture-perfect selfies. In addition, it is equipped with a Super Steady video mode that lets content creators shoot smooth and flawless videos.

■ LONG BATTERY LIFE: These features are matched by the smartphone’s supreme performance, with an advanced 8nm octa-core processor for a smooth and lag-free experience, and a 4,500mAh battery with 25W Super Fast-Charging technology that could easily last you a day of usage.

The Galaxy A71 is priced at P22,990, and will be available for preorder until February 14. Those who preorder will receive a free JBL Clip 3 speaker and two

months of ad-free YouTube Premium, and YouTube Music worth P4,000. The Galaxy A71 will be officially on shelves starting February 15, in Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush Blue and Prism Crush Silver.

We’ll have a full review in the next few weeks.

THE POWER OF S PEN

THE other big announcement of Samsung was the arrival of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite. I know a lot of you were planning on getting a Note 10 if it wasn’t for the steep price tag. Well, if you still want to experience the S Pen, this Lite version may just be the one you are looking for.

The Note 10 Lite is for the working millennials who need a device that can help them keep up with their multifaceted lifestyle. These digital natives want a powerful smartphone so that they can tick off all the items on their to-do list and stay updated on the latest news and trends. But a phone like that can cost an arm and a leg—and might not be easily accessible to the everyday, young professional.

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite has flagship-grade specs at a price that’s within reach. Similar to its predecessor, this innovative handheld comes with the powerful Bluetooth-enabled S Pen that gives users the power to do more with every click. It is designed to inspire creativity by allowing users to effortlessly write, doodle, sketch, and even transform handwritten notes into digital text instantly.

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite offers a cinematic viewing experience with its large 6.7” Infinity-O display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 and an onscreen fingerprint scanner. It measures 163.7 x 76.1 x 8.7 mm and weighs 199g. It is powered by Samsung’s Octa-Core Exynos 9810 ( 2.7GHz + 1.7GHz) processor, and comes with an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage expandable to 1TB via microSD. Upgrade your mobile photography to a whole new level with a professional multi-camera system that takes stunning photos using the 12MP Ultra Wide, 12MP wide-angle, and 12MP telephoto cameras with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Last, the smartphone is supported by a whopping 4,500mAh battery for power that lasts all day.

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite will be available starting February 14 at any Samsungauthorized store nationwide for a suggested retail price of P29,990 and will come in Aura Red, Aura Glow and Aura Black. Customers who purchase the new device from February 14 to 16 can get a free JBL Go 2 worth P2,299. ■

Saturday, February 8, 2020 A12

SONY BRINGS MUSIC STREAMING TO THE NEW WALKMAN SERIES

GLOBAL consumer electronics brand Sony has announced the availability of the NW-A100 Series Walkman in select Sony Centers and Sony Authorized Dealers nationwide.

Fashion lovers are in their element with two new color combinations teamed with high-quality sound.

Moreover, there’s the 40th anniversary limited-edition, NW-A100TPS Walkman, which has a printed anniversary logo on the rear panel and comes with a specially designed soft case and package that is inspired by and pays homage to Sony’s first portable cassette player: TPS-L2 Walkman.

Launched on July 1, 1979, it revolutionized the way that people listened to music on the go, giving them the freedom to enjoy their favorite music wherever they went.

Of course, not everything was better back then, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds with the heritage design of the Walkman, while having cutting-edge technology at your fingertips. The A100 series Walkman also features a special cassette tape user interface and screen saver that takes inspiration from classic Walkman models.

A100 series Walkman is compatible with highresolution audio, upscales your existing music to near high-resolution quality, and works even when you are streaming music. Additionally, the A100 series supports wireless high-resolution audio by LDAC. So now you can enjoy high-resolution audio quality in both wired and wireless connection.

Supported by Android with Wi-Fi, the A100 series Walkman grants you access to millions of songs at your fingertips. Stream the latest songs from your preferred provider to experience up and coming artists in their full glory. Plus, you can also access download services directly from the Walkman and store your favorite tracks on your device’s built-in or expandable memory, perfect for journeys with no Wi-Fi connection.

Along with being splashed with color, the A100 series Walkman is compact with a 3.6 inch HD display for a premium feel and features USB Type-C for easy connectivity. The A100 series Walkman also has a battery life of up to 26 hours.

More information is available at bit.ly/2H0ngd3.

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Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE NCR Regional Office located at 967 Maligaya St., Malate, Manila, within 30 days after its publication.

Please inform DOLE NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

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FORTUITOUS@14 A

S it marked its 14th year in October 2019, the country’s premier national business daily continued to draw appreciation for its broader look at today’s business.

In October 2019, the business broadsheet was recognized as the “Business News Source of the Year” by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap), the country’s premier organization of business reporters, editors and wire agencies. It was a back-to-back feat for BM, having gotten the same honors in 2018.

In the 2019 awards, BM tied with the Philippine Daily Inquirer for the top honors.

And, as in the past Ejap awards, it also swept half of the individual categories, with its seasoned reporters adjudged as best in their respective coverages: Bianca Cuaresma for Banking; Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas for Agriculture; Elijah Rosales for Trade and Industry; and Lorenz Marasigan for the ICT sector.

Earlier in 2019, the BusinessMirror was named “Business Newspaper of the Year” for 2018-2019 at the Rotary Club of Manila’s Centennial Journalism Awards. It was the fifth time the Rotary Club of Manila recognized the BusinessMirror in its short—13 years at the time—of existence.

In 2006, on its first year as a business daily, BM was adjudged “National Newspaper of the Year,” an honor it would receive again in 2011.

In 2013 and 2017, the RCM named the BusinessMirror the “Business Newspaper of the Year.”

Also in the last quarter of 2019, the BusinessMirror reaped top awards in the Brightleaf Journalism Awards for Agriculture and the Philippine Agricultural Journalists-San Miguel Corp. (PAJ-SMC) Binhi Awards, also for the best in agriculture journalism. Its Agriculture and Commodities page, edited by BM’s Associate Editor Jennifer A. Ng, was also adjudged by PAJ-SMC as the best agriculture page, an honor it has won for the fourth consecutive year.

In November 2019, the BusinessMirror was again adjudged the leading daily in biotechnology journalism, getting the institutional award at the 13th Jose G. Burgos Jr. Biotechnology Journalism Awards. Two of the BusinessMirror’s reporters also won awards for Best News and Best Feature.

The “broader look” mantra earlier also drew recognition from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which named the BusinessMirror, at its first awards rites in 2018, as the inaugural “Data Champion,” with reporter Jasper Arcalas bagging the individual category award for “Best Data Reporting.”

In the first “Bantog Science for the People” awards for media from the Department of Science and Technology, the BusinessMirror got the top award for the Institution category for Print; and Science Photojournalist Stephanie Tumampos captured the grand prize in the individual category.

Also in 2018, Environment Reporter Jonathan Mayuga received the Luntiang Aligato award from the Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit organization founded

by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore.

Seven prestigious award-giving bodies, unanimous in their choices…

“Fortuitous@14,” the BusinessMirror not only gives a broader look at today’s business: It provides the best in business journalism.

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business