BusinessMirror February 09, 2020

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Sunday, February 9, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 122

RENEWED GOVT-BUSINESS SECTOR EFFORT PUSHED TO RESTORE VIABILITY OF PHL’S HORTICULTURE AND FLORICULTURE INDUSTRY

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P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 16 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK A TWITTER-INSPIRED flower-arrangement float displayed at the Panagbenga Flower Festival in Baguio City, February 24, 2013. JULIUS DACKIAS | DREAMSTIME.COM

‘LET A MILLION FLOWERS BLOOM’

NCE dubbed the “sunshine industry” of the Philippines, the blooming horticulture and floriculture sector, with its potential multibillion-peso market value, could regain its full-blown viability if both the government and the business community work together to turn it around anew from its moribund state, according to a New York-based events and floral designer.

TWITTER.COM/JERRYSIBAL

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By Roderick L. Abad | Contributor

JERRY SIBAL: ““There is always a possibility for growth. We only have to think big and ask ourselves how we are going to do it.”

“We have this great opportunity to create a new sustainable and socially conscious industry to uplift floriculture, horticulture, business and tourism here,” said Jerry Sibal, who visited Manila recently to officially kick off the pioneering

Philippine International Flower Show (PIFS).

A booming flower production in the country, he said, could help propel economic activities, support small-scale businesses, create more jobs and increase export revenues.

These are enough reasons for the government, as well as the private sector, to now take a second and more serious look at this emerging industry, Sibal said.

“There is always a possibility for growth. We only have to think big and ask ourselves how we are going to do it,” he added.

Flower lovers

FLOWERS are essential for Filipinos, being present mostly throughout their lives, from birth to death, from womb to tomb. In fact,

blooms are a staple in their cultural rites, religious occasions, and even political affairs.

And of course, they go gaga over flowers for Valentine’s, which is just around the corner.

“Filipinos appreciate flowers in the same way they appreciate art, or music,” said Sibal, who personally relates it to his childhood experience in Manila where he was born.

“It’s always such a joy to be around flowers. You cannot quantify the joy that flowers can give you. It’s always a spiritual, mystic experience. I am sure many Filipinos feel the same,” he added.

Even if gladiolas, roses, birds of paradise and orchids were the only flowers he knew during his youthful years, little did he know that his childhood fondness for these orna-

mental plants would spring out to his budding career now as he learns so much about all the species.

Beyond being the main medium of events design, or a backyard livelihood, for many small and medium entrepreneurs, flowers for him could also be a key to stir greater economic activity and revitalize other sectors of society.

Tracing roots of PHL flower sector

THE Philippine floral industry, like other sectors, has had its ups and downs in the past 30 years.

Data show that the yearly total cut-flower production nationwide reached 8,120 metric tons (MT) in 1990. It then grew by more than double to 22,671 MT produced on 1,586 hectares in 2003.

Continued on A2

Stranded on virus-hit ships, passengers play with balloons

By Isabel Reynolds, Emi Nobuhiro & K. Oanh Ha

A

Bloomberg News

FTER a 15-day cruise that took them to ports in Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam, Kent Frasure and his wife were looking forward to another week of travel in Japan. But instead of leaving the ship as planned in Yokohama on Tuesday, they were held for screenings after health officials wearing masks boarded the ship to check for coronavirus.

Then on Wednesday morning, passengers were told by loudspeaker to stay in their cabins.

Their ship, Carnival Corp.’s Diamond Princess, would be quarantined for two weeks.

“We’ve been in our cabins ever since,” said Frasure, 42, an Intel Corp. technician from Forest Grove, Oregon, who had saved up

for the trip for more than a year and spoke by phone using WhatsApp. “It’s beginning to feel isolating—a little bit of cabin fever. There’s been no sign of them letting us out.”

The quarantines of two luxury liners hit by coronavirus off Japan and Hong Kong have turned vacations into confinement for more than 7,000 passengers and crew.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.7800

VESSELS sail past the Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3,000 people as it sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4, 2020, a day after it arrived with passengers feeling ill. BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Japan’s health ministry Thursday said it’s found another 10 people on the Diamond Princess have been infected with coronavirus, bringing the total to 20. The ship with about 3,700 crew and passengers aboard was placed under quarantine earlier this week. It returned to Yokohama on Thursday to get new supplies and then head off the Japanese coast.

Dream Cruises Management Ltd. runs the ship held off Hong Kong. Health authorities said 32 of 33 crew members who had selfreported symptoms were tested and found not to be infected, adding one result is still pending, according to a government statement. The ship was quarantined after three travelers who disembarked in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Frasure says he and his wife have been frustrated by a lack of information and have been glued to their devices to monitor news online. His biggest concern is whether they were exposed to the 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)

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, February 9, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘LET A MILLION FLOWERS BLOOM’ Continued from A1

The average of export earnings from fresh cut flowers and flower buds stood at $371,281 annually from 1991 to 2000.

Years have passed, though, and production fell short of the rising local demand, particularly during Valentine’s Day, Christmas, All Saints’ Day and school graduations, when flowers sell like hotcakes as a perfect present to someone as an expression of love and affection, to celebrate a victory, or even console the sick and weary.

Eventually, the decline in supply forced the country to import flowers like orchids and chrysanthemums.

Meanwhile, there’s another challenge: the concern of most Filipino farmers and horticulturists on the need to put up more greenhouses that require big investments.

What’s more, flower production also requires technologies and agricultural chemicals that are usually sourced overseas.

“If we can bring the right technology here, we can definitely help flower farmers learn more and grow more,” said Sibal.

Best practice

AS a form of horticulture practice, floriculture concentrates on the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and commercial purposes.

Today’s advanced plant biotechnology is a major factor bolstering the global floriculture market, which is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of over 7 percent during the forecast

period between 2019 and 2026.

Since embracing the latest techniques leads to increased crop yield and profitability of farmers engaged in floriculture, local players must learn and apply the right ways of producing flowers not only fit for local use but also of high export.

Citing, for instance, the Netherlands as the biggest exporter of cut flowers worldwide in 2017, Sibal said floriculturists should adopt the best practices in this European country.

He noted that even small farms in this prime tulip-exporting nation have their own greenhouses which control the temperature and determine the most conducive conditions for the flowers to bloom.

Distribution networks and infrastructure are, likewise, established in order for their produce to be easily transported from the farm to various hubs.

“If we want to export, we have to have international standards,” Sibal said.

Currently, flower farms in the country may be found in Bukidnon, which exports flowers to Japan; Benguet province, which usually attracts tourists; and Batangas and Tagaytay, where many use greenhouses.

“The horticulture and flower industry in Batangas and Cavite provinces is a good concern for the sustainable development. After the Taal Volcano eruption, the industry is expected to bounce back and we need thinkers and privategovernment initiative to work on this sunshine industry,” said Dindo A. Danao, marketing and public relations specialist.

Active promotion

TO help create awareness among the people about the industry and boost confidence that there remains a big future for it, promotional activities are very important.

“The flower show is an instrument to educate farmers and endusers to go into this kind of business,” Sibal said.

This, he realized when he was attending a flower show in the Netherlands. Back then, Sibal first began to think of all these as “one big, interrelated concept.”

Such an idea was reinforced when he was engaged by Steve Wynn to be the floral director of the Wynn Palace in Macau, which imported flowers from many Asian countries that are geographically close to the Philippines.

“So I asked myself: ‘Why not the Philippines?’” he said, while citing this as the reason for him to return to his native land to help the local industry. “I cannot tell people what to do exactly because I am not an expert outside of design, but I can help bring in these experts and decision-makers so they can begin to have a conversation.”

With this in mind, Sibal will be spearheading the PIFS from October 15 to 18, 2020, at the Philippine International Convention Center to promote awareness on the local flower industry and bring together representatives from various groups and stakeholders— from farmers, agriculturists and florists to end-users like hotels and corporates, government representatives, private investors and technology providers.

A FLOWER shop at the Market Market mall in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. JUNPINZON | DREAMSTIME.COM

Stranded on virus-hit ships, passengers play with balloons Continued from A1

passengers who came down with coronavirus.

“What does the future hold?

It’s frustrating to not know what to expect,” he said.

Cruise companies have stepped up their safety measures since the outbreak, altering routes and increasing health checks.

Even so, the quarantines escalate a threat to the industry in the middle of what is normally the busiest period for bookings. January through March is known as “wave season,” when the companies entice travelers with early booking incentives.

“Cruise lines appear more at risk from illness because so many people live in close proximity, and adverse publicity may lead to some potential customers postponing booking a cruise” or choosing another type of vacation, Jamie Rollo, a Morgan Stanley analyst who follows Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said in a note to clients. “How this plays out depends on how long the epidemic lasts, and whether the operators have to discount to stimulate demand.”

Cruise operators up to now have indicated that the impact of the coronavirus has been limited, even after people were temporarily kept aboard a different Carnival ship near Rome last month when a passenger was suspected of having the virus. Tests showed that was a false alarm.

Long season

THE industry has some protection, with a relatively long booking window of about six months, and customers may be reluctant to cancel existing reservations and lose their deposits, Rollo said.

On Tuesday, Royal Caribbean chief executive officer Richard Fain said few potential cruisers were asking about the coronavirus, suggesting most consumers were taking the threat in stride. Outside the affected area, the company was seeing little impact, he said. China accounts for about 5 percent of the industry’s global revenue, Morgan Stanley said.

Shares of Carnival and Royal Caribbean, the world’s largest operators, have dropped more than

11 percent in the past month, exceeding the 7-percent decline in the broader Bloomberg Americas Leisure Time Index.

“Cruise lines are highly susceptible to disruptive headlines,” said Alex Brignall, an analyst at Redburn who follows Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and TUI AG. “The big risk is if there is a case in the US or Europe.”

Checks were conducted on the Diamond Princess after a passenger from Hong Kong who had been on the ship last month tested positive for coronavirus.

Testing positive

THE 20 confirmed infections come from a batch of 102 people whose test results have come back, according to Japan’s Health Ministry Thursday. The 10 new people confirmed with infections will be taken to hospital in Kanagawa prefecture, where Yokohama is located.

The mayor of the major Japanese city of Fukuoka, Soichiro Takashima, said the central government has denied his request to block cruise vessels from the Chinese mainland from docking in the city’s port for the time being.

Among those infected include two Australians, seven Japanese, three from Hong Kong, three from the US, two from Canada, one from Taiwan, one from New Zealand and one Filipino crew member.

“Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship’s crew is working to keep all guests comfortable,” the cruise company said.

Princess Cruises canceled the February 4 and February 12 Diamond Princess cruises scheduled to depart Yokohama.

“Checking the health of the passengers and crew is our priority, while we will also do all possible to prevent any spread of the infection,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament.

“The remaining passengers and crew will not be allowed to come ashore for the time being.”

Hong Kong

A SIMILAR number of people are

under quarantine aboard the World Dream after three people infected with coronavirus were found to have been passengers, Hong Kong authorities said. The first emerged in China’s Hubei province weeks ago, and more than 28,000 cases globally have been reported.

Chan Ping, 70, is on the cruise in Japan with her husband, Lau Chi Keung. She said the situation at the moment isn’t so bad. Passengers were fed a tasty chicken dinner, can watch TV and have Wi-Fi.

“It’s not too boring. I spend my time twisting balloons, singing, walking around the room, and we chat with each other,” Chan said by phone via WeChat. “It’s tough for the staff, so we’re really appreciative of them.”

A male Twitter user in his 30s who says he is aboard the Diamond Princess has been posting photos and videos purported to be from the inside. They include an image of health authorities in protective gear walking gold-carpeted hallways.

No zumba

“IT’S so ironic that the schedule is packed with events until the evening,” he said in a tweet Tuesday night, posting a photo of what would have been the agenda for the next day. A Zumba dance class had been set for 9:30 a.m., along with Japanese language class at 1:45 p.m., bingo at 4 p.m., and ballroom dancing at 8:45 p.m.

Frasure spent the day canceling the next leg of the couple’s trip—a full week’s travel in Japan, including a stay at Tokyo Disneyland. He explained their quarantine situation to the resort staff, but couldn’t get a refund on the nonrefundable stay. He figures he will be out about $1,000 from cancellations—and hopes the cruise operator might refund that.

The rooms haven’t been cleaned or sanitized in two days, as staff have been rushing to feed passengers during meal times, Frasure said. After days of dining on lobsters and steak, passengers have been fed sandwiches since the quarantine. Dinner Wednesday was a step up: chicken and vegetables with rice.

The World BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Sunday, February 9, 2020

A3

China lashes out at countries restricting travel over virus

By Iain Marlow

A logo sits on a Huawei 5G antenna. Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

US attorney general warns vs Chinese ‘dominance’ in wireless 5G networks

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ASHINGTON—Attorney General William Barr waded into ongoing diplomatic tensions between the United States and China on Thursday, decrying what he said was Beijing’s determination to establish “dominance” in the market of next-generation, high-speed wireless networks.

Barr spoke as the Trump administration has accelerated efforts to warn other countries to be wary of Chinese investment and influence. His comments echoed those of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who on a trip to Europe last month lobbied allies to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from involvement in the new fifth-generation, or 5G, networks because of cybersecurity concerns.

“If China establishes sole dominance over 5G, it will be able to dominate the opportunities arising from a stunning range of emerging technologies that will be dependent on, and interwoven with, the 5G platform,” Barr said.

The 5G cellular networks are desig ned to deliver u ltrafast download speeds and transform how information and data are shared across a global economy.

Huawei is the top maker of telecom infrastructure equipment, but US officials have sought to prevent its involvement out of concern that it might share data with the Chinese government or be compelled to help with electronic eavesdropping. Huawei denies those claims.

“Much of the discussion on the dangers of allowing China to establish dominance in 5G has been focused on the immediate security concern of using communications networks that China can monitor and surveil. That is, in fact, a monumental danger,” Barr said. “And for that reason alone, we should mobilize to surmount China’s drive to dominate 5G.” Beyond that, though, is concern that Chinese dominance of the market could generate trillions of dollars in economic opportunities.

As it stands, Barr said, China has captured 40 percent of the global 5G infrastructure market.

“For the first time in history, the United States is not leading the next technological era,” Barr said.

US efforts to exclude Huawei faced a recent setback when Britain decided to let it have a limited role supplying new high-speed network equipment to wireless carriers.

Barr spoke at a conference centered on concerns about Chinese economic espionage and intellectual-property theft.

At the event, officials unveiled Justice Department figures showing a sharp rise in the number of China-related arrests, corresponding with what the US government sees as an urgent threat to American economic prosperity and intellectual property, federal law-enforcement officials said.

There were 24 China-related arrests in the last fiscal year, up from 15 five years earlier, and there have been 19 to date in the current fiscal year, the Justice Department said.

Officials described law enforcement and intelligence efforts to counter China’s targeting of corporate trade secrets and academic research, including defense information, software for wind turbines and high-end medical technology.

In recent years, US officials say, China has relied not only on hacking to steal information but also on recruitment of scientists and other individuals. “ T he long-term existential threat to the security of our nation is real,” said Bill Evanina, the US government’s top counterintelligence executive.

An e-mail sent to the Chinese Embassy seeking comment was not returned on Thursday.

The US officials highlighted a series of prosecutions over the last year that they say underscore the threat, including the recent arrest of a hospital researcher in Boston accused of attempting to smuggle biological material from a laboratory to China.

Last week, the Justice Department announced charges against the chairman of Harvard University’s chemistry department, accusing him of misleading US authorities about funding he received from China and about his participation in a talent recruitment program tied to the Chinese government.

That case prompted constern at ion on col le ge c a mpu ses about whether it was illegal for researchers to collaborate with cou nter pa r ts i n ot her cou ntries, said US Attorney Andrew Lelling, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, whose office brought the case.

The answer is no, Lelling said, but it is against the law to lie to the US about that collaboration.

“The upshot here is that on university campuses, what we have seen is that cases like this have generated a need for better guidelines for academia,” Lelling said.

The Justice Department in 2018 created what it calls the China Initiative to focus attention on the espionage threat, though officials stressed Thursday that the scrutiny was aimed not at individual Chinese citizens but rather at those suspected of stealing from America on Beijing’s behalf.

Not all the targets, including the arrested Har vard professor, are Chinese, either, the officials said.

“To be clear, this is not about the Chinese people as a whole, and it sure as heck isn’t about Chinese Americans as a group,” FBI Director Chris Wray said. “But it is about the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.”

Eric tucker/Associated Press

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Bloomberg News

eijing is growing increasingly angry at countries imposing harsh travel restrictions on visitors from China as the world tries to contain the spread of a deadly coronavirus.

Authorities have registered “strong objections” with countries who have cut f lights to C h i n a du r i n g t he out bre a k , foreig n m i n i st r y spokesm a n Hua Chunying said on Thursday. She said countries were ignoring recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Civil Aviation Organization (IC AO), which have advised against canceling f light routes and limiting travel to affected nations.

“We deplore and oppose those countries who went against WHO’s professional recommendations and ICAO’s bulletins,” Hua said.

“Their actions, which sowed panic among the public, will not help prevent and control the epidemic.

They have gravely disrupted normal personnel exchanges, international cooperation, and order of the international market for air transportation.”

Her comments are some of

China’s harshest words yet for cou nt r ies, inc lud ing t he US, Australia and Singapore, which are barring nonresident visitors from mainland China, restricting f lights and canceling already-issued visas.

Even Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has closed border crossings and said it will soon implement a 14day quarantine for anyone entering the city from the mainland.

China has already criticized the US for its travel restrictions. Conversely, it has lavishly praised some of its traditional and more f inancia l ly depend e nt a l l ie s, i nc lud i n g Pa k i stan—which canceled f lights but quickly reversed course and started them again.

Long-serving Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose country has received billions in Chinese investment in recent years, has been one of China’s staunchest allies

Passengers have their temperatures checked at a civilian screening point after disembarking from buses, including those traveling from the Shenzhen Bay border crossing in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday. Hong Kong reported a death from the coronavirus, confirming the second fatality outside mainland China, where almost 20,500 cases have been reported. Paul Yeung/Bloomberg

and is even visiting the country this week.

“Cambodia has shown that a friend in need is a friend indeed,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement, as the Cambodian leader met Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Prime Minister Hun Sen not only has spoken up for China on multiple occasions, but also is visiting China today. All this is testament to the unbreakable friendship and deep trust between the two countries.”

Refusing to evacuate his citizens, the prime minister has said Cambodians in mainland China “have to remain there and join the Chinese people to fight this disease.” That’s even as many have criticized local Chinese officials for hiding the scale and severity of the outbreak, allowing it to spread globally.

“At a time when China’s handling of the epidemic is being criticized around the world, Beijing is seeking—and getting—support from its tried and true friends like Hun Sen,” said Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “With many Western countries ending flights to China and encouraging their citizens to evacuate, China undoubtedly feels isolated and wants to show its people that they still have friends.”

The outbreak of the deadly new coronavirus, which is thought to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has prompted Chinese authorities to order an unprecedented lock down of around 50 million people in Hubei province as China struggles to halt the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus scare empties malls on world’s priciest shopping strip

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n an almost deserted mall, the few shoppers hurry past wearing face masks. In the luxury stores, sales assistants, also in masks, outnumber customers—if they have any at all. To pass the time, staff chat with each other or play with their phones.

This isn’t a scene from some dystopian movie. Instead, it’s Tuesday afternoon in Hong Kong’s usually bustling Times Square, a 17-floor mega-mall in the heart of Causeway Bay, home to the world’s mostexpensive retail strip.

The stylish displays of Gucci and Louis Vuitton advertisements usually compete for the attention of wealthy Chinese tourists, who until early last year swarmed the city for quick shopping expeditions.

Now, no more.

Already reeling from months of anti-government protests that at times broke into pitched street battles between demonstrators and police—scaring off tourists—the outbreak of coronavirus has dealt a second, crippling blow to retailers.

Mainland Chinese visitors, who used to come to Hong Kong to buy

A woman wears surgical mask while crossing an empty crossroad at the Time Square in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday. Ivan Abreu/Bloomberg

everything from luxury watches to discount cosmetics, plunged 53 percent in December from a year earlier.

That’s set to fall even further after the government said it will start to quarantine people arriving from across the border.

On top of that, local residents are now reluctant to go out amid fears of catching the deadly virus. The number of confirmed cases in the city climbed to 22 as of Thursday evening, with some of those likely to have been infected locally.

“Many retailers are saying it’s a disaster,” said Nicholas Bradstreet, managing director of leasing at Savills Plc. “In the last 10 days, their sales have been down 70 percent to 80 percent week-on-week. There’s very little traffic into the shops” particularly in key retail districts like Central, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, he added.

La Perla, Burberry

Times Square fronts Russell Street, where at $28,713 per-square-meter a year, retail rents top salubrious addresses like New York’s Upper 5th Avenue ($23,549) and the Champs

Elysee ($15,473), according to Cushman & Wakefield Plc. The strip is usually thronged by thousands of shoppers hitting upmarket stores like Burberry, La Perla and Audemars Piguet. Not this day though. Two employees at an Omega boutique stare into space as pedestrians walk by without a glance at the watches on display.

Further down the street sits an empty Prada store. The high-end Italian fashion retailer quit its HK$9 million ($1.2 million) per month lease at the site four months early, according to the Hong Kong Economic Journal.

“Causeway Bay is very quiet now.

It used to have a lot of traffic,” said Wong, a salesperson at a fashion boutique in a mall near Lockhart Road who declined to give her first name because she isn’t allowed to talk to the media. “With the scarcity of face masks, people would rather not go out at all.”

Retail sales plunged 19 percent in December, the 11th straight monthly decline. The slump in consumer spending has helped drive the economy into recession for the first time in a decade.

The retail downturn is also putting the squeeze on landlords.

Rents in Causeway Bay dropped 8.5 percent in the fourth quarter versus the previous three months, resulting in a full-year decline of 14 percent, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Mall owners, including Times Square’s Wharf Real Estate Investment Co. will face pressure to offer rent concessions, according to Phillip Zhong, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar Investment Management Asia. Wharf ’s rental income will fall about 2 percent this year, Zhong estimates.

Link REIT, Hysan

The property company’s shares have slumped 14.6 percent since January 20, 2020, when the virus began to spread more broadly.

Shares of other mall owners have also suffered. Link REIT, the city’s biggest mall owner, is down 6.1 percent while Hysan Development Co., which owns retail and office space throughout Causeway Bay, has dropped 5.2 percent.

Singapore-based Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust, whose Festival Walk mall was trashed during protests last year, has fallen about 5 percent.

The only retailers in demand at the moment are drug stores. On Lockhart Road, just a 10-minute walk from Times Square, shoppers queue to snap up face masks and hand sanitizer, which are now in short supply across the city.

Sky Fan, who runs a neighboring electronics-gadget store, can only look on in envy. The coronavirus outbreak has taken a bigger toll on spending than the protests did, he said, with sales after Lunar New Year down about 50 percent.

“You can see that many people outside are just hunting for masks and cleaning products,” Fan said.

Bloomberg News

A4

The World BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 9, 2020

China ‘sacrifices’ Hubei province to save the world from 2019-nCoV C

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Virus shatters China’s dream of overtaking Hollywood in ‘20

M

usician Zhang Yaru’s grandmother died on Monday after slipping into a coma. She was repeatedly turned away from the hospital.

John Chen, a college graduate, is desperately seeking help for his mom. She has a high fever, but isn’t strong enough to stand in line for hours to be tested for the virus raging through their city.

On the front line, a 30-year-old respiratory doctor has slept only a few hours in two weeks.

Scenes of chaos and despair are emerging daily from China’s Hubei province, the landlocked region of 60 million people where t he new coronav ir us dubbed 2019-nCoV was first identified in December, and where it has since cut a wide, deadly swathe.

While cases have spread around the globe, the virus’ impact has been most keenly felt in Hubei, which has seen a staggering 97 percent of all deaths from the illness, and 67 percent of all patients.

The toll, which grows larger every day, reflects a local health system overwhelmed by the fastmoving, alien pathogen, making even the most basic care impossible. It’s also an ongoing illustration of the human cost extracted by the world ’s largest-known quarantine, with China effectively locking down the region from January 23, 2020, to contain the virus’ spread to the rest of the country, and the world.

But Hubei—known for its car factories and bustling capital Wuhan—is paying the price, with the mortality rate for coronavirus patients there 3.1percent, versus 0.16 percent for the rest of China. “ I f t he p ro v i nc e w a s not sealed off, some people would have gone all around the countr y to tr y to get medical help, a nd wou ld h ave t u r ne d t he whole nation into an epidemicstricken area,” said Yang Gonghuan, former deputy director general of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The quarantine brought a lot of hardship to Hubei and Wuhan, but it was the right thing to do.”

“It’s like f ighting a war— some things are hard, but must be done.”

Wuhan, home to 11 million people, is a “second-tier” Chinese city, meaning it’s relatively developed but still a step below China’s major metropolises of Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. It has well-regarded hospitals, but resources lag behind those of more prominent cities.

In the early days of the virus’ spread, prevarication and delay by local officials also allowed the pathogen to circulate more widely among an unsuspecting public.

W hile doctors first noticed the virus—thought to have been passed from an animal to humans at a Wuhan food market—in early December, and signs it was being transmitted among people were

seen at the beginning of January, authorities still allowed largescale public events to take place.

The scale of the crisis only became fully apparent to the wider public in the days leading up to the start of China’s annual Lunar New Year holiday on January 24, 2020, as cases emerged elsewhere.

Caught out

It came “like a sudden downpour that caught Wuhan off guard,” said Zeng Yan, a professor at the school of medicine at Wuhan University of Science and Technology.

The 110 intensive care unit beds in the city designated for virus patients had already been filled many times over when China announced on Januar y 23, 2020, that it would take the unprecedented step of sealing off Wuhan, preventing possible pathogen carriers from traveling out, but also preventing most people from coming in. The quarantine soon widened to encompass nearly the entire province.

In the chaotic, conf used d ays t hat fol lowed, wh ic h co incided w it h China’s week long nat iona l hol id ay, t he qu a ra nt ine rest r ict ions coupled w it h a n a l ready over whel med c it y inf rast r uct u re mea nt t hat suppl ies of essent i a l med ica l equ ipment i nc lud i ng m a sk s, protect ive su its and highg rade d isinfect a nt were slow to get to Wu ha n’s hospit a ls.

“We were advised to use masks, gloves and protective clothing in a thrifty manner, and avoid drinking water so we would not have to go to the bathroom, which would require a change of protective clothing,” said one frontline doctor working at the Third People’s Hospital of Hubei province, who declined to give her name for fear of reprisal.

Supplies stymied

Ding Ze, whose family owns an eyewear company located in another part of China, said that their delivery of medical goggles to Wuhan was delayed by 10 days.

“We sent the supply on Januar y 25 and they arrived at hospitals on Februar y 2,” he said.

“A ll deliveries from outside to the province were slowed by the strict quarantine procedures.”

While China’s government activated eight cargo carriers on February 2, 2020, to ship in 58 tons of supplies to Wuhan, and donations are starting to flow in from all over the world, the shortages in those crucial days—combined with the virus’ rapid spread as the surge in patients saw hospitals turn people away for lack of space—had devastating consequences.

Between January 23 and February 4, 2020, the number of officially recorded deaths from the coronavirus in Hubei grew by over 25 times, to nearly 500. Scores more likely went unrecorded because they weren’t admitted to hospital in time to be diagnosed.

Zhang Yaru’s grandmother was turned away from hospital at the end of January because her symptoms were mild. She slipped into a coma shortly after and died without being diagnosed.

“She didn’t manage to say a word to us before she died, she probably had no idea what happened,” said Zhang, a native of E’Zhou, a smaller city adjacent to Wuhan that’s also being quarantined.

“Our family is now driven into a corner, desperate, all my family members are potentially infected and my grandfather is showing the same symptoms.”

While virus cases within Hubei province are still growing by the thousands every day, infections are slowing in the rest of China— an early sign that the aggressive containment may have worked to limit the coronavirus’ spread nationally and globally.

The quarantine was the right thing to do for the good of the wider population, said the doctor at the Third People’s Hospital. “Some may say Hubei was sacrificed, but it did effectively stem the spread to elsewhere.”

The quarantine in Hubei dwarfs previous efforts in other parts of the world. In Liberia in 2014, an impoverished neighborhood of about 70,000 people was shut off during an Ebola outbreak, triggering violent riots. As the lockdown continues with no end in sight, it’s raising ethical and legal questions.

“The lockdown may be necessary to contain the spread of the virus, but you have to ensure there’s enough medical resources to meet the demand for care in those cities,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University Law School. “The lockdown shouldn’t mean the city gets deserted and people are left to survive or die on their own.”

Top priority

Reports of potentially preventable deaths in Hubei exacerbated by the quarantine restrictions

Cleaners wash the street with a high-pressure water gun on February 3, 2020, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. The number of those who have died from the Wuhan coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, in China climbed to 361 and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. Photo by Getty Images

have been coursing through China, said Yanzhong Huang, director of the Center for Global Health Studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, and a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Comparing the “draconian measures” in Hubei to the mass surveillance prevalent in China that would seem intolerable to many in the west, he said: “If you ask Chinese people, 8 out of 9 will say they can live with that.”

In the days after the quarantine order, China’s government sent medical assistance into the province, while maintaining restrictions on people leaving.

“I feel like I’m playing a game.

It’s like ‘Resident Evil.’ Today and every day I need to do a mission.”

More t h a n 8 ,0 0 0 med ic a l workers from across the country have gone into Hubei, mostly to the 27 hospitals in Wuhan designated for treating coronavirus patients. The rest have fanned out to smaller cities nearby. Two new hospitals, with 2,600 beds in total, were completed in 10 days, built by more than 2,000 migrant workers, while stadiums, offices and hotels are being converted into isolation units.

But hospitals in Hubei are still short of supplies, said a doctor working in the testing department at the Wuhan Tongji hospital. He also declined to give his name on concern he’d face backlash.

“Things are improving, but we are really overloaded and running diagnostic tests 24-7, and still struggle to complete them,” the doctor said on Tuesday. “I think we have not reached the peak of infections yet.”

No blame

For those seeking help and medical care in Hubei, resignation has set in—there has been markedly little unrest in the province despite the circumstances. The idea of sacrificing one’s self for a greater, national goal is deeply embedded in Chinese culture, and is invoked by the country’s leaders in times of hardship.

People are queuing for eight hours just to get tested for the coronavirus, said the college graduate, John Chen, who’s 23. His feverish mother is yet to be tested.

“At first I was upset that the hospitals and officials I called for help weren’t willing to do their job, but later I realized that it’s not that they are unwilling to help, but that everywhere is way too short of resources,” he said.

“I don’t blame anyone, because if you grow up in China, you learn that’s how the system works.”

Bloomberg News

hina is no longer on track to dethrone the US as the world’s No. 1 movie market this year.

Th e c o ro n a v i r u s h a s c l o b b e re d t h e b u rg e o n i n g H o l l y wo o d r i v a l, v i r t u a l l y wiping out ticket sales during the recent seven-day Lunar New Year holiday—a week that ’s been historically the busiest for box-office collections. Theaters across the countr y have remained shut since Januar y 24, while the fear of infection has prompted people to avoid crowded places.

Losses from the collapse of ticket sales mounted to $1 billion during the festive period, according to estimates by Rance Pow, chief executive officer of cinema industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway. That number is about 10 percent of the anticipated revenue in 2020, and is set to rise as uncertainty over the outbreak persists.

Th e i m p a c t o f a v i r u s t h at ’s k i l l e d more than 600 people and slammed the loc al movie market is likely to spread to Holly wood, which is increasingly relying on Chinese audiences for growth as domestic ticket sales decline. Walt Disney Co. said this week that the epidemic is a headwind for its studio.

“The loss will do significant financial damage to both theaters and production companies in China, and if theaters remain closed for several more weeks, the financial harm will expand,” said Lindsay Conner, par tner and leader of the enter tainment consultancy of Los Angeles-based Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. “With Chinese theaters closed due to the outbreak, Hollywood’s plans for distributing new films in China are also uncer tain.”

Shares of Wanda Film Holding Co., a cinema operator controlled by billionaire Wang J ianlin, have plunged 27 percent since January 17, 2020. Imax China Holding Inc., which operates giant screens, has tumbled 22 percent, while B e i j i n g En l i g ht M e d i a Co. Ltd. , o n e o f China’s largest studios, slid 18 percent.

China has already over taken the US in terms of numbers of cinema screens following a building boom that helped box-office sales climb sixfold since 2010.

Analysts were predic ting the market to surpass the US in terms of revenue this year.

M o v i e t i c k e t s a l e s i n t h e c o u n t r y, excluding booking fees, rose 4.1 percent last year to 58.9 billion yuan ($8.5 billion), compared with 9.7 billion yuan in 2010. Impor ted films accounted for about 36 percent of box- office sales last year in China, the largest overseas market for US films.

Exhibitors have said they have set no date for reopening cinemas. That means potential delays in China for big-ticket films from Holly wood such as D isney ’s Mulan —based on a legendar y Chinese f e m a l e w a r r i o r — a n d P i x a r ’s O n w a rd , which are set for March debuts in the US, according to Pow. For companies such as Disney, the hit is not just on the movie business. Its theme park in Shanghai has closed as well, along with Disneyland in Hong Kong, which had already been hit by the city’s political unrest.

Executives at the Burbank, California-based entertainment giant said Tuesday the theme park shutdowns would pare about $175million off revenue in the current quar ter.

Lo c a l l a n g u a g e m ov i e s s e t to o p e n during the Lunar New Year holiday then canceled included Detective Chinatown 3, the third installment of one of China’s most commercially successful comedies, Leap, based on the true stor y of the Chinese women’s volleyball team, and Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification.

“Even if the virus ended today, the backlog of films to release—all Chinese— is pretty large,” said Chris Fenton, a film producer and US-Asia Institute trustee. A delay in the China release of Mulan, would also raise the question of whether Disney would postpone the US release, he said.

Bloomberg News

New virus cases in U.K., Germany, Italy put Europe total now at 31

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ONDON—Britain, Germany and Italy announced more cases of the new virus from China on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Europe to 31.

In Germany, all but two cases are related to auto par ts supplier Webasto, whose h e a d q u a r te r s n e a r M u n i c h wa s v i s i te d by a Chinese colleague. Germany ’s 13th confirmed case of the new coronavirus, announced by Bavaria’s health ministr y, was the wife of an employee previously diagnosed with virus.

Two of their children are among those infected. Neither they nor their mother are showing any symptoms.

G e r m a n y ’s t w o o t h e r c a s e s t e s t e d positive after arriving on an evacuation flight from China last weekend.

British authorities confirmed the countr y ’s third c ase, saying the patient did not contrac t the virus in the UK . They did not elaborate. The t wo other c ases are a Chinese student studying at York Universit y in England and a relative of that student.

Italy announced the first case of an Italian citizen confirmed to have the virus.

A government health institute official, Giovanni Rezza, said the 34-year-old man contracted the virus in Wuhan, where he was living. The man was one of 56 Italians who arrived in Italy on Monday via an Italian air force plane that evacuated them from Wuhan.

All the evacuees were put in quarantine at a military facility near Rome, but the man was moved to Rome’s Spallanzani infectious disease hospital after test results Thursday indicated “a suspected case” of the virus.

That is the same hospital where a Chinese couple in their 60s were admitted last week with confirmed virus cases. They are in intensive care with pneumonia.

I n G e n e v a , t h e h e a d o f t h e Wo r l d Health Organization said it is convening an international research conference next week to identify promising drug and vaccine candidates to be fast-tracked for development against the new virus.

At a news conference, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agenc y

will be inviting scientists from around the world, both in person and vir tually, next Tuesday and Wednesday to identify research priorities and coordinate the effor t to find effective drugs and vaccines.

On the travel front, Air France announced it was prolonging by more than a month its suspension of flights to mainland China, which won’t now restar t before March 16 at the earliest because of the new virus.

The company’s current suspension of all flights to Shanghai and Beijing was meant to last until this Sunday. Air France and par tner airline KLM plan to gradually resume ser vices to China on March 16, together offering one daily flight to both Shanghai and Beijing, either on Air France from Paris or on KLM from Amsterdam.

Air France says all of its flights to mainland China should resume beginning on March 29, including to Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic.

Spain’s national airline Iberia says it has extended its suspension of flights between Madrid and Shanghai until the end of April.

Spain’s tourism depar tment says there has been a significant slowdown in Chinese to u r i s t s v i s i t i n g S p a i n a n d i n S p a n i s h travelers going to China.

Virgin Atlantic said Thursday it was suspending its London-Shanghai flights until March 28 because of the outbreak.

British Air ways has also halted all flights to China, apar t from Hong Kong.

In London, China’s ambassador to the UK said his countr y was “fully confident in beating the virus,” and urged other nations not to overreact. “ I t i s o f h o p e t h at g ove r n m e nt s o f all countries, including the UK , should understand and support China’s efforts, avoid overreaction, avoid creating panic, and ensure normal cooperation and exchanges between countries,” he told reporters.

A s o f F r i d a y, C h i n a h a d 6 3 6 v i r u s deaths and 31,161 confirmed cases on the mainland. Two other deaths occurred in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Besides Germany, Britain and Italy, other European nations with cases of the virus include France, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Spain. AP

Science

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Sunday

Sunday, February 9, 2020 A5

Copernicus was used during the height of the recent Taal Volcano eruption

Copernicus space program to boost Earth observation projects in PHL

By Stephanie Tumampos

Special to the BusinessMirror

Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña (left) leads the inauguration of the two water sensor network systems in the towns of Pavia and San Miguel in Iloilo province on January 27. Enrico Belga Jr./S&T Media Service

Two Iloilo towns get real-time water sensor network systems

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wo water sensor-network systems in the towns of Pavia and San Miguel in Iloilo province in Visayas were inaugurated on January 27 that was led by Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña.

The Groundwater Management Plan Project aims to install telemetry sensors to monitor water quality and water levels in 22 wells.

It was spearheaded by the Ateneo de Manila University, in collaboration, and funded, by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCIEERD), that was classified under the Climate Change Infrastructure Program of the latter.

Th e g ro u n d wate r re s e r vo i r s o f t h e Philippines provide more than 50 percent of the potable water, and 85 percent of the piped water supplies in the country.

It is strategically, and economically, impor tant for current and future water resources. It is the principal source during dry seasons, and is often used for potable supply.

H o we ve r, c e r t a i n c h a l l e n g e s, l i ke , increasing urban population and climate change affect the groundwater supply.

According to a study on Philippine water resource management by the Japan International Cooperation Agency Philippines and NWRB in 1998, Metro Manila, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo City, and Zamboanga City were identified as water-critical areas.

The installation of these systems allows for the remote management of groundwater re s o u rce s to i m p rove t h e m a n a g e m e nt capabilities of the NWRB.

The projec ts aim to establish and setup a cost- effec tive, real-time automated monitoring system for NWRB groundwater monitoring wells in Metro Manila, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo City and Zamboanga Cit y.

Another project is the Philippine Groundwater Outlook, a three-year collaborative project under the Philippines-United Kingdom Newton Agham Joint S&T Cooperation Program on Understanding the Impacts of Hydrometeorological Hazards in the Philippines.

The project is lead by Andrew Barkwith, PhD from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and Ma. Aileen Leah G. Guzman, PhD. “ This initiative ser ves as the first step to e f fe c t i ve l y asess, conser ve, manage, and monitor our groundwater reser voirs,” d e l a Pe ñ a s a i d.

According to the copuntry’s Science chief, the project also supports the National Science and Technology Plan 2002-2020 for climate change and mitigation and adaptation, and disaster risk reduction, which emphasizes, among others, water resources assessment management for water security.

DOST-PCIEERD Executive Direc tor Dr. Enrico C. Paringit said not too many scientists take on the challenge of monitoring groundwater resources.

He also emphasized that “groundwater should be protected and managed efficiently.”

DOST Region 6 Regional Direc tor Engr.

Rowen Gelonga was also present during the inauguration of the two water monitoring stations at Pavia National High School and at Pagsanga-an Elementar y School.

S&T Media Service

4 win 2019 MWF Prize for Engineering Excellence

The winners in the 2019 MWF Prize for Engineering Excellence were Dr. Ruel M. Mojica (second from right), vice president for Research and Extension of the Cavite State University in Indang, Cavite; Dr. Francis Aldriene A. Uy (right), dean of the School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering, Mapua University in Manila; Engr. Rey A. Ramos (third from left), Civil Engineering faculty at Carlos Hilado Memorial State College-Talisay Campus in Negros Occidental; and Engr. Alexis T. Belonio (center), senior research fellow from the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija.

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he Manila Water Foundation (MWF) awarded four winners in its search for the 2019 Prize for Engineering Excellence.

The winners were Dr. Ruel M. Mojica, vice president for Research and Extension of the Cavite State University in Indang, Cavite; Dr. Francis Aldriene A. Uy, dean of the School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering, Mapua University in Manila; Engr.

Rey A. Ramos, Civil Engineering faculty at Carlos Hilado Memorial State College-Talisay Campus in Negros Occidental from the academe; and Engr. Alexis T. Belonio, senior research fellow from the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija.

They were honored during the recent awarding ceremonies.

Th e P r i ze, i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h t h e D epar tment of S cience and Technology (DOST) and Philippine Technological Council (PTC), is a nationwide search for engineers who manifest excellence in engineering competence, inspiring passion to make a difference, and outstanding commitment to the development of communities resulting in projects that champion water, sanitation, environment and sustainability.

The awardees of the Prize undergo a thorough and intensive selection process.

Mojic a, an agric ultural engineer by profession, was recognized for his invention of a computerized coffee-roasting machine, c a l l e d B rav u ra . Th e m a c h i n e h a s b e e n commercialized and dubbed as the cheapest among its kind worldwide.

The innovation help increase farmers’ income and uplift their livelihood o p p o r t u n i t i e s w h i l e s t re n g t h e n i n g t h e local coffee industry.

Meanwhile, Uy, came up with the Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System, an earthquake preventive measure that can assess the health and safety of buildings.

Belonio created a rice husk gasifier that can convert agricultural waste to a cheaper source of clean gaseous fuel. It can also mitigate greenhouse gases and carbon-dioxide emissions.

Likewise, Ramos invented the BottleNet Life Jacket, a low-cost floatation device made from fishing nets and recycled plastic wastes. It aims to provide livelihood to marginalized communities.

Through the Prize, MWF and its partners, PTC and DOST, hope to inspire and empower all Filipino engineers to serve the country better through engineering solutions resulting in positive social impacts. Antonio G. Papa

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he European Delegation in the Philippines firmed up its partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the use of its freely available space data—through Copernicus, EU’s flagship space program—in order to assist the country especially in disaster risk reduction, climate-change monitoring and adaptation and environmental protection.

In a news conference during the second national conference on Copernicus in Manila on Thursday, Philippe Brunet, of the European Commission Directorate for Cooperation and Development (EC DG Devco), told reporters that the EU, through the Copernicus program, and the DOST has forged a partnership that will boost not only the exchange of data but also the skills and technology transfer through pilot projects which are now in the pipeline.

Pilot projects

Dr. Peter Zeil, of the EU-DOST Copernicus Project, identified the three pilot projects. They are the reduction of emissions through deforestation and degradation; vulnerability assessment for risk reduction procedures of natural disasters and also for climate-change adaptation which will include new methodologies; and marine spatial planning that are being built on existing activities in the country.

DOST Undersecretary Renato Solidum, during the news conference, highlighted that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other agencies, such as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and Advanced Science and Technology Institute (Asti) will be involved in the projects.

“DOST, DENR and other organizations within the DOST will have specific activities. Asti will be involved in many activities especially on the facilitation of data and also the training,” Solidum, Phivolcs OIC, explained.

“For Phivolcs, we will be [engaged] in risk hazards and risk assessment and vulnerability assessment, and integrate this with the geo-risk Philippine initiative. The DENR will deal with environment planning and climate-change,” he added.

Dr. Peter Zeil (left) of the EU-DOST Copernicus Project and Dr. Renato Solidum, DOST undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation, at the second national conference, dubbed “Copernicus: A Strategic Partner for Earth Observation and Sustainable Development.” Enrico Belga/Office of the DOST Secretary

Brunet noted that the Philippines is already “mature” enough to proceed with the pilot projects given that there is manpower and Earth observation and geo-information skills already in place in the country.

Three-year partnership

The partnership has provided a €10- million funding for a 36-month duration from the European Union in order for the Philippines to implement the pilot projects.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña explained the partnership. “ The Copernicus program is a European Union initiative that offers opportunities to develop Earth obser vation applications, particularly in the disaster-risk reduction and management, and also for environmental protection and likewise for sustainable development,” de la Peña said.

“We see opportunities here [in the Philippines. Actually, we have entered into an agreement for the implementation of a specific project for disaster risk reduction and climate-change adaptation. So this is really more of an Earth observation data, and they are funding this project with €10 million,” he added.

Zeil also noted that the €10-million budget might increase. “We as basically the formulation team, we have given this [budget] as a kind of benchmark. In the discussions, we see the option that this budget might be increased.”

T he budget inc ludes not only f und ing for the project implementation but also for the transfer of sk ills, technolog y transfer a nd e ve n k now le d ge t r a n s fe r through exchange of ex per ts in Europe and the Phi lippines, and

academic oppor tunities.

Zeil identified a possibility of providing grants for two doctoral studies and nine masteral studies for Filipinos to chosen European institutions.

De la Peña added that their meetings with the EU counterpart, a possibility of having facilities of the Copernicus program in the Southeast Asian region was also discussed. The facility will be a mirror site of the Copernicus satellite data which will be the access hub of the Asean region.

The science chief added that he has already involved the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the discussions to have ease of access to the raw data from Europe by establishing better data connectivity in Hong Kong.

He noted that the DICT is already expanding data connectivity and that “it will already happen within the year.”

“I requested the DICT to get involved in the discussion. The DICT informed us they have already projects in expanding the connectivity to Hong Kong. When you have the connection to Hong Kong, it’s now easy to connect to Europe,” he added.

Access to free raw imagery data for the benefit of PHL

The Copernicus system is a family of six Sentinel space satellites that have specific applications, including land, marine, atmosphere, emergency management and climate-change.

The Sentinels provide free and accessible analysis-ready image to anyone around the world. Analysis-ready data are pre-processed images that can be readily used for research and other further analysis.

In the case of the EU-DOST partnership, Copernicus will provide raw data to the DOST to match with the ground observations in the Philippines. “[We provide] free access to all raw data of our satellites. The reason why we are opening the raw data is that the specific situation of certain country is not similar to that of Europe,” Brunet explained.

“Instead of doing the product for the Philippines, we have taken another road which is to give our own data for the Philippines so that they could do customized processing methods,” he added.

In the recent eruption of Taal Volcano, Solidum said that the country has already used the products of the Copernicus satellite system.

Phivolcs used Sentinel-2 satellite images to monitor the processes of volcanoes and faults around Taal.

“We used this [satellite images] to monitor the processes of volcanoes and faults and many other things.

In particular for the volcano, we have combined space images with ground-based observation to firm up and have a conceptual framework of what’s happening below the volcano,” Solidum shared during the discussion in the conference.

According to Solidum: “We knew during the [Taal Volcano] eruptions that new magma was coming from below, and based on satellite images, we knew that it’s coming from southwest and also confirmed by our earthquake monitoring. You can actually see with better satellite images but of course, we knew that with our ground-based observation.”

He explained that Phivolcs’s conceptual framework has been firmed up by the combination of groundbased observation and different satellite images, including that of the Sentinel-2.

“And once you have a good conceptual model, you have a very good way of anticipating what can happen and to explain what’s happening to the public and the government,” Solidum said.

He added that EU’s Copernicus system is not only providing them raw data after a disaster but the whole data before and after.

“With the partnership, besides the raw data, is not only given for free after a disaster but it’s all the data, that’s the difference. In this case, it is all available. The rapidity of interpreting things will be much facilitated because of this scope,” Solidum said.

Volcano monitoring equipment stolen; Mayon on alert level 2

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w o solar panels of the Philippine I n s t i t u te o f Vo l c a n o l o g y a n d S e i s m o l o g y o f t h e D e p a r t m e nt o f Science and Technology (Phivolcs-DOST ) were stolen from the science agency’s Mayon Resthouse (VMRH) station.

The solar panels, 150 watts each, were stolen from the VMRH station that hosts instruments for ear thquake monitoring, Global Positioning System (GPS) and tiltmeter, Phivolcs-DOST said in a news release.

The loss was discovered by Mayon Volcano Observatory personnel during their routine inspec tion and preventive maintenance service on February 5.

With the loss of power supply, no data will be transmitted from the station and consequently will affect the monitoring of Mayon Volcano, Phivolcs-DOST said.

It should be noted that Republic Ac t 1 0 3 4 4 , o r t h e R i s k R e d u c t i o n a n d Preparedness Equipment Protec tion Ac t of 2012, penalizes “the unauthorized taking, stealing, keeping or tampering of government risk reduction and preparedness equipment, accessories and similar facilities.”

Hence, Phivolcs-DOST strongly encourage the public to help in taking care of monitoring instruments and to promptly repor t any untoward incidents.

Mayon Volcano in 2013

Wikimedia Commons

In a statement, Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr., DOST Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services and OIC of Phivolcs, is seeking “the help of the people to protect the monitoring instruments placed not just in Mayon Volcano’s proximity but also in other volcanoes in the Philippines.”

He also encouraged the public to “keep guard of all the monitoring instruments” of both the DOST-Phivolcs and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Ser vices Administration “which are ver y crucial in monitoring natural calamities.”

This came as it was reported that Mayon Volcano is acting up as seen from the faint crater glow exhibited on Wednesday.

However, Paul Alanis, Phivolcs resident volcanologist, dismissed the report. He said in an interview, that the glow was from remnants of the molten rocks on top of the crater emitted during the 2017 eruption.

He also said two 150-watt solar panels were discovered missing during a maintenance inspection. These, he said, provide power to seismograph and tilt data meter instruments that were installed at the

upper slopes of Mayon Volcano.

Alanis said data gathered from the instruments provide scientists precise data on the seismograph instruments which detect ear thquakes and rock movements inside the volcano’s vent while tilt meter instruments measure ground deformations on the volcano’s edifice.

“With the loss of the panels, there would be a gap in reading the data or signals provided by the instrument,” he lamented. “ B u l a g t ayo [ We’re b l i n d e d ] to g e t readings and signals in that location where the panels were lost,” he said, adding that this would in some way affect the processing and reading of data deriving from the instruments.

Alanis said several solar panels and instruments were also lost in the past. He urged villagers to be vigilant in protecting these vital instruments set up in slopes around the volcano.

A Phivolcs bulletin said the alert status over Mayon Volcano remains at Level 2, meaning the volcano is still in moderate unrest.

The public is warned, however, not to enter the six permanent danger zones, including the 7-kilometer extended danger zone at the south flank of the volcano.

With PNA

Faith A6 Sunday, February 9, 2020

Sunday

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion •www.businessmirror.com.ph

Why we ‘knock on wood’

This file photo shows various lay organizations in a “walk for life” at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, on February 16, 2019.

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ver said something like, “I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket”—and then quickly, for luck, rapped your knuckles on a wooden table or doorframe?

Americans accompany this action by saying, “knock on wood.”

In Great Br itain, it’s “ Touch wood.” They knock on wood in Turkey, too.

As a teacher of folklore—the study of “the expressive culture of everyday life,” as my favorite short definition puts it—I’m often asked why people knock on wood.

The answer is complicated

Lay Catholic groups stand firm vs divorce C ongress must take action to strengthen families and not weaken them, an association of various lay Catholic organizations said.

Amid moves to legalize divorce in the country, the Council of the Laity of the Philippines, or Laiko, said that marriage and family is a “gift” that should be protected.

“The Council of the Laity of the Philippines is strongly against the introduction of the divorce law as an easier way for the dissolution of marriage in the Philippines,” said Laiko President Rouquel Ponte.

“It is our hope, therefore, that the Philippines shall forever stand as a beacon of hope for the family and society,” he said.

The Philippines is the last country in the world—besides the Vatican, a city state in Italy which is the center of Catholicism—where divorce is illegal.

Ponte said that because the Philippines remains without di-

vorce “doesn’t mean we should also allow it.”

Instead, he urged divorce advocates to learn from the experience of other countries where divorce is legal, “where families have not been strengthened.”

“And as a result, [divorce is] causing a lot of problems to the deserted spouse and their children,” said Ponte, who is also the Couples for Christ’s Pastoral Formation director.

The House of Representatives committee on population and family relations on Wednesday approved a bill seeking to legalize absolute divorce in the country.

Under the House Bill 100, or the Absolute Divorce Bill of

2019, aims to ensure the affordable and efficient proceedings in granting divorce.

Saying that they are mindful of the plight of Filipinos suffering from failing marriages, the Laiko head called on family life organizations “to seek them out and accompany them with helpful interventions.”

He said these could be done “through education, formation and accompaniment of this generation, along with the values of life-long commitment and steadfast love.”

“The Council of the Laity of the Philippines pledges its full support to you and together we push for this advocacy,” Ponte said. CBCP News

Parañaque diocese opens sainthood cause for Italian Rogationist priest

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he Diocese of Parañaque has formally opened last week the sainthood cause for an Italian Rogationist priest known for his life of prayer and spiritual gifts.

It was a jam-packed Mass at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians to start the cause for Fr. Joseph Aveni, who spent the last 30 years of his life in the Philippines.

The opening of the cause means Aveni can now be referred to with the title “Servant of God,” and that the diocese will open a formal inquiry into his life and works.

Aveni was born in Tripi, Messina, in Sicily, Italy, on December 5, 1918, to a “pious family” whose home shared a wall with the altar of Saint Blaise’s Church.

Learning catechism at an early age, he grew up into a prayerful young boy. After finishing elementary school, he confided

that he wanted to be a priest.

At the age of 13, he began religious formation at the Apostolic School of the Rogationist Congregation in the Avignone Quarter of Messina.

On July 15, 1945, he officially became Fr. Giuseppe Aveni.

Before turning 30, he became Novice Master in Trani, in southern Italy, where he developed a reputation as a “true master of the spirit,” stewarding the formation of generations of young Rogationists.

Nine years later, he was called to Rome to be the Director of the Theology Students.

In 1959, he assumed the office of Novice Master in Florence, and in Zagarolo, until 1972, he was assigned as Spiritual Father at Christ the King Seminary in Messina.

In 1974, Aveni was elected Vicar General of the Congregation.

Aveni’s staunch adherence to the will of God found concrete expression in his obedience to the wishes of his superiors.

After his term ended in 1980, he was assigned to the mission in the Philippines, where he assumed the post as Novice Master at the age of 62.

While carrying out his mission, he also dedicated himself to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and spiritual direction of seminarians and nuns from different congregations in the diocese.

He fell in love with the Philippines and never wanted to leave.

After stepping down as Novice Master in 1991, Aveni continued dispensing spiritual direction and leading a life of fervent prayer.

Later in the decade, after falling mortally ill, “he offered his sickness for

the intentions of the Holy Church, for the glory of God, for the salvation of souls, for the conversion of sinners, and especially for the increase of vocations in the whole Church,” the congregation said.

“In complete obedience to the will of the Almighty, he submitted himself to the care of his doctors, and to the loving embrace of those around him, just as he had done all his life,” it added.

Aveni died at the Rogationist Seminary in Parañaque City, in 2010. He was buried at the Manila Memorial Park.

Founded by Saint Hannibal Mar y di Francia in 1896, the Rogationists began its mission in the Philippines in November 1976.

To d a t e , t h e p r o v i n c e h a s 1 9 communities in the Philippines, and in other parts of Asia-Oceania. CBCP News

The common explanation for knocking on wood claims the ritual is a holdover from Europe’s pagan days, an appeal to tree-dwelling spirits to ward off bad luck, or an expression of gratitude for good fortune.

According to Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, “traditionally, certain trees, such as the oak, ash, hazel, hawthorn and willow, had a sacred significance and, thus, protective powers.”

Furthermore, the theory goes, Christian reformers in Europe may have deliberately transformed this heathenish belief into a more acceptable Christian one by introducing the idea that the wood in knock on wood referred to the wood of the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion.

However, no tangible evidence supports these origin stories.

The Oxford English Dictionary

traces the phrase touch wood only back to the early 19th century, locating its origins in a British children’s tag game called “TiggyTouchwood,” in which children could make themselves “exempt… from capture [by] touching wood.”

Of course, much folklore is learned informally, by word of mouth or customary behavior. So it’s possible—even likely—that the phrase and the ritual predate its first appearance in print.

So why do we still knock on wood?

I’d wager few, if any, people today think—after saying something that might bring bad luck— “I’d better ask the tree spirits for help!”

Still they knock, to avoid negative consequences.

That puts knocking on wood in a category with other “conversion rituals” like throwing salt over one’s shoulder: actions people perform, almost automatically, to “undo” any bad luck just created.

The anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski has a theory about such actions, called the “anxietyritual theory.”

It states that the anxiety created by uncertainty leads people to turn to magic and ritual to gain a sense of control.

Knocking on wood may seem trivial, but it is one small way people quell their fears in a life full of anxieties. Rosemary V. Hathaway/The

Conversation (CC)

Fr. Roy Vasquez, rector of Seminario de San Jose in the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa. AVPP

Priests a dire need in Palawan

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UERTO PRINCESA CIT Y, Palawan—After years of a declining number of ordination of priests, a church official noted the need to increase the number of men entering the vocation to replace the number of retiring priests.

Fr. Roy Vasquez, rector of Seminario de San Jose in the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, said they are now facing a situation where entering the vocation to the priesthood is a dire need. “ We rea l ly l ac k pr iests in te r m s of nu mb e r s, we ne e d more workers in the vineyards,” Vasquez said dur ing a Mass at t he I m m a c u l at e C once pt ion Cathedra l last week.

He cited that many priests are already in their “senior years” and the local church needs potential

replacement from young people.

According to him, they expect the next ordination of a would-be priest in the next three or even more years. The vicariate has around 37 diocesan priests and about 22 religious priests, who are serving in 29 parishes.

In his pastoral visits to parishes, Bishop Socrates Mesiona has been appealing to the faithful to pray for more men to enter the vocation to priethood.

“Maybe because we are not praying to the Lord to send to us more workers, so we pray everyday for more [to enter the priestly] vocation,” he said.

The Seminario de San Jose is the only seminary in Palawan that caters to students from the Vicariate of Puerto Princesa and Taytay.

Katya A. Santos/CBCP News

Pope slaps IMF, big finance chiefs on debt of struggling countries P

ope Francis staged a surprise visit to admonish the International Monetar y Fund (IMF) chief and several finance ministers to help alleviate the debt burden of struggling countries, calling for “a new financial architecture” to ensure social justice.

In what came across as a political ambush, Francis attended a Vatican conference on the global economy last Wednesday whose par ticipants included IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Finance Ministers Bruno Le Maire of France and Martin Guzman of Argentina.

“ We h a v e t o h e l p d e v e l o p i n g countries to achieve debt sustainability, through coordinated policies which should finance debt and reschedule debt, in order to find a solution for the ver y indebted countries and to a l l e v i ate t h e s u f f e r i n g o f p e o p l e,” Francis said. “You have to remember your responsibility to aid the poorest countries.”

The pope also urged the officials in the audience to tackle climate change “because we shouldn’t destroy the roots of our common house.“ Francis has made countering global

i n e q u a l i t y a n d c l i m at e c h a n g e a s cornerstones of his papacy.

He told a Vatican conference of business chiefs from leading oil and gas companies and global investors in June to tackle “a radical energy transition to save our common home.”

Speaking before the pope’s remarks, Argentina’s Guzman told Bloomberg News that his country will seek more time to repay the record $56-billion credit line it obtained from the IMF. Guzman said he was cooperating with Georgieva to resolve the country’s debt crisis.

I n h e r s p e e c h a t We d n e s d a y ’s conference, Georgieva called for countries to act on global warming, saying the “best way forward is to put a price on carbon.”

The IMF is pushing harder to address climate risk to the global economy by assisting with research efforts and offering policy advice.

Georgieva’s comments echo the fund’s call in October that climate change demands government action, and that countries must immediately adopt carbon pricing to keep global warming under 2 degrees Celsius.

Georgieva said that Chile Colombia,

and South Africa recently implemented carbon taxes, and China is about to launch an emissions trading system.

“These initiatives will encourage households and firms to use less energy, and shift to cleaner fuels,” she said.

Many governments are reluc tant when it comes to environmental taxes, fearing backlash from voters, such as French President Emmanuel Macron experienced with the Yellow Vests.

However, a study by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development economists published last week suggested that while carbon taxes can be

disruptive, the net effect on employment isn’t necessarily negative.

Georgieva said while greater investment in coastal protection and more resilient infrastructure and agriculture are welcome, much more is needed to directly cut emissions.

“The good news is that green bonds, impact investing, and many other forms of sustainable finance are growing fast,” she said. “But this is not nearly enough. The private sector can do more, and I believe it will in the days ahead. Why? Because the price of inaction is too high.”

Bloomberg News

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Sunday, February 9, 2020 A7

Travel Plans and Travel Bans: The China Trip We Never Had

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Story & photos by Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero

et’s face it, China is one of the few countries that truly has a lot of things to boast—their unique culture stands out, their landscapes are unparalleled, and their history does not fail to impress.

The first time I was on the mainland was in 2014 when I was in Shanghai for a two-week assignment. I also managed then to explore the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. These two millenarian cities are so captivating that there is in fact an old Chinese saying ascribed to them, “In heaven there is paradise, on Earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou.”

Suzhou, a city on water, kept me fascinated with its classical Chinese gardens, the oldest there are in the world. Hangzhou, on the other hand, made me fall in love with its West Lake, “the world’s most beautiful” according to Marco Polo. I had nothing but memorable experiences, and I have long been looking forward to going back. That return was supposed to take place this year, this month.

I booked for an 11-day trip to Southern China last October, where the idea was we would spend my mom’s 61st birthday in that oftenoverlooked region of the country.

Yes, there is no Great Wall there, but my carefully crafted itinerary was no less than top-notch—we arrive in Xiamen, journey into the deeper parts of the province to see the enigmatic Fujian tolous, and even spend a single night in one of the old round mudbuildings, cross the waters to see the multicultural island of Kulangsu back in the city, fly to Guilin to take the picturesque Li river cruise down to Yangshuo, where we were to stay for a few days enjoying the most beautiful karst landscape in the world, transfer

to Guangzhou to see its cultural sites and sample genuine Cantonese food, drive down to Kaiping to explore its exquisite tower-houses called “diaolous” and even stay in one, and then exit via Macau. The finer details were also far from being mediocre.

Everything had been settled from hotel bookings, to ground transportation and flight arrangements, ferry and boat reservations, to special dinner schedules. In the first two weeks of January, we only wished that time flew faster, so that it would already be February 2, the day we would commence the trip. Then, suddenly, the novel coronavirus happened. It could not be contained, and it was spreading to other parts of China faster than expected.

Initially, the outbreak was only observed in Wuhan, a city hundreds of miles from where we were going. We thought that following simple precautionary steps would be enough, and that we would still be safe throughout the trip. However, a week into our travel, the Chinese government took more containment measures as the virus was steadily spreading to more areas, even abroad. I reached out to my Filipino friends working north of Guilin and they said that while going around was still permitted, they, nevertheless, had to be extra careful. One of them even cried out his frustration over the extent of fake news circulation, saying that, “It is not helping, it is making our families panic more.”

Lion Grove Garden, one of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou.

The West Lake Scenic Area, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

An evening tea stand and its seller on the streets of Southern China.

A typical local market scene in Mainland China.

My contacts in our hotels also reassured that the areas we were going to were, at that time, still not affected.

My mom and I went through several discussions, day after day, whether we should push through or not. And every time we did, we always agreed that we would still proceed. We did not want to be careless and susceptible, however, so we doubled our intake of vitamin C and purchased enough N95 masks to last throughout the trip—at P150 per piece, the price was ridiculous. We even sought to get flu vaccines for added protection, but to my frustration, there was no drugstore in my province that had it, and even the major hospitals did not have one available. After three

days of searching, we luckily found one barangay DOH clinic that had some vials. Our preparations only made me realize how we Filipinos are, overall, not prepared.

Just when we thought we were already better equipped to enter China, I received an e-mail six hours later from our hotel accommodation regretfully relaying that he had to cancel our booking and that we might want to reconsider pushing through with the trip. I again emailed the other hotels and asked how the situation was and they said that most tourist destinations were already being closed, and that streets were becoming empty. My contact in Guangzhou even said that even if we

went ahead, there would no longer be anything to do and the chances of being trapped eventually was high.

It did not take me long then to process the information and interpreted them as the sign I was waiting for.

For the longest time, cancelling the trip was unthinkable, then the next minute we firmly decided against proceeding. It was not just about contracting the virus that had become scary. It was also what could happen while we were there, being unable to come back home and possibly being caught in a situation that could become far worse than imagined. True enough, the day after, more flights were canceled, and more travel bans were imposed. Quarantines

being put in place, though necessary, do not look so convenient either. It has become not only a health issue, but also a logistical one.

If there was any consolation, however, Cebu Pacific and Xiamen Airlines gladly refunded our tickets, and so did the hotels we booked. The process was easier than I thought, having had experienced being denied of refunds in the past. While we still incurred some loss from other reservations made, it was a small price to pay for our safety and peace of mind.

After all, prevention is still a lot better than cure. Meanwhile, I can only dream again of going back to China on a better occasion and hope that this crisis will soon be over.

El Nido Resorts’ Pangulasian Island offers One with Nature Adventures New ‘Lite Ferry’ to boost

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igh-end travelers, who set world trends, returned to El Nido Resorts’ Pangulasian Island following renovations to further enhance the guest experience.

Javi Hernandez, president of Ten Knots Development Corp., owner and developer of El Nido Resorts, relates that guests revisit Pangulasian because they feel they can be left to themselves there to enjoy nature. The resort, which has been cited by travel authority Condé Nast Traveler a number of times, was master planned to allow guests privacy beginning with villas set some distance from each other and further surrounded by greeneries.

Pangulasian is the top-end property of El Nido Resorts’ four-island getaways in Northern Palawan. The three others are Lagen, Miniloc and Apulit, with each one appealing to a special group of travelers.

Pangulasian guests who enjoy their privacy further have a 1-kilometer stretch of ivory beach to themselves.

Colorful clown fish share the reef with moray eels, groupers and marine invertebrates.

The waves that hit the beach tend to be gentle owing to the location of the resort in the bay, and provide a soothing rhythm to an island holiday.

Moreover, the resort has its own house reef teeming with abundant coral life just steps away from the beach.

Moray eels, groupers and anemone fish are just some of the attractions found there owing to the marine currents in the area that carry nutrients, and food, for these fish and marine

invertebrates. And where rich marine life is found, predators, like the blacktip reef sharks, will follow. The latter feast on squid, crustaceans and small fish, and don’t bother snorkelers who keep a respectful distance from them.

Renovated common areas, like the Amianan restaurant and a new beach bar lounge area, have also been positioned to maximize views of the limestone cliffs of neighboring islets that dramatically change with the light.

The blacktip reef shark is a frequent visitor of the Pangulasian house reef, and is known to ignore snorkelers who keep a respectful distance from them.

Hernandez explains that densities were kept deliberately low to allow guests to lose themselves to the natural surroundings and unhampered views.

Joey Bernardino, Ten Knots marketing director, relates that the beach bar is what revisiting guests will mainly notice as an improvement. “It will allow guests a new area wherein they can soak in all the nature around them.”

The rest of the changes included the refurbishment of the cogon roof at each other guest villas, furniture restoration, upgrading of the guest TV sets to 50 inches with new Bluetooth speakers and boosting the sewage treatment plant to ensure that marine life will continue to feel welcome there.

The new treatment plant ensures that guests who frequent the house reef will remain amazed by the outstanding biodiversity of the area for a long time to come. Keeping natural attractions unchanged over time does take a lot of planning and work, comments Bernardino.

Pangulasian’s marine currents carry nutrients and food for the wide range of marine life that inhabit the reef.

inter-island travel

In photo; Liloan Mayor Christina Frasco (from left), Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Lite Shipping Corp. President & CEO Lucio Lim Jr., Dipolog City Mayor Darel Dexter Uy and Oslob Municipal Mayor Jose Tumulak Jr.

I

nter-Island travel in Visayas and Mindanao will get a major boost after Lite Shipping Corp., one of Cebu’s leading shipping firms launched its latest vessel, the M/V Lite Ferry Five.

As part of Lite’s fleet expansion, the vessel is a brand-new China-made 75-meter roll-on, roll-off (Roro) passenger coastwise ship with a GRT of 2,895 tons and classed by the prestigious Registro Italiano Navale of Italy. It has wide passenger deck passageways and a spacious cargo deck that can accommodate 540 passengers and 23 10-wheeler trucks. It has a service speed of 13 to 14 knots, and can run to a maximum of 15 knots.

M/V Lite Ferry Five was granted Pioneering Status Protection by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), and will sail from Oslob to Dipolog City once the dredging of its port has been completed. The route is a four-hour voyage linking Southern Cebu closer to Northern Mindanao, which is expected to boost tourism in the two areas.

Oslob is known for the whaleshark, Sumilon

Island marine sanctuary and Tumalog Falls, while Dipolog is the provincial capital city of Zamboanga del Norte, and the gateway to the tourist spots in the province, most notably Rizal Shrine, Dakak Beach Park and the river cruise in neighboring Dapitan City.

Lite Ferries will also acquire this year its second brand-new vessel, a 70-meter China-built coastwise RoRo ferry, with a GRT of 2,107 tons and classed by the Bureau Veritas of France.

Set for deployment on a pioneering status by the Marina to the Jagna, Bohol, to Cagayan de Oro City route in early 2020, it can house 400 passengers and 17 10-wheeler trucks, and has a service speed of 12 knots.

With seven brand new vessels, including its flagship vessel M/V Lite Ferry 88, plus six vessels which were all below 20 years old upon acquisition, the firm operates one of the country’s youngest fleets.

With the thrust of “Sailing Bigger, Faster and Better,” Lite Ferries is a leading member of the Philippine Coastwise Shipping Association, the country’s largest shipping group.

A8

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Ahmad Sorush, 22 (left); Nizaruddin Alizada, 20; Karim Faizi, 24; and Mohammad Farzad, 20; members of the Afghanistan Snowboarding Federation, pose for photograph during a practice session on the outskirts of Kabul. AP

Golf rulers say increased distance must be slowed

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SNOWBOARDING IN AFGHANISTAN

By Tameem Akhgar The Associated Press

K

ABUL, Afghanistan—Aspen!

Zermatt! Kabul?

While Afghanistan’s capital may seem an unlikely destination for snowboarders, a group of young Afghans is looking to put the city on the winter sports map and change perceptions about their war-weary nation.

Kabul is better known for its hulking concrete blast walls and tense security checkpoints. But it also sits in a valley in the Hindu Kush mountains at an elevation of around 1,800 meters (5,900 feet). The rugged terrain has inspired young Afghans to take to the surrounding mountains in search of fun.

Ahmad Romal Hayat, 22, who founded the Afghanistan Snowboarding Federation, said that even a country plagued by war and sectarian conflict can have room for sports.

“We started doing it [snowboarding] to show this new face to the world,” Hayat said.

As a teenager, he started out on a skateboard. Later, he bought a snowboard in neighboring Iran and taught himself how to ride it. Hayat said he’s the first person to bring a snowboard into Afghanistan, and the first to try it there.

These days, he and handful of federation members hit the slopes outside Kabul each weekend, usually with around a dozen male and female students and plenty of spectators.

They come for the free training on a snowy hillside west of the capital, often shrouded in pale gray mist.

The mountain, known as Kohe Koregh, was used by the Afghan mujaheddin, or holy warriors, to rain artillery and rockets down on Kabul during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s.

Now, it’s a place for laughing kids who sled on plastic bags, while Hayat’s team members work on improving their snowboarding skills on about 60 centimeters (2 feet) of snow.

They still have to share snowboards, and the hill has no lift facility. That means they’ve got to hike back up to the top after each run—a tiring process.

While climbing back up the hill, Karim Faizi described his path to becoming a snowboarding instructor. He fled Afghanistan in 2016 to escape the almost two-decade-old war between the US and Taliban militants.

He ended up seeking asylum in Germany where he fell in love with snowboarding. In 2018, he returned to Afghanistan, saying he did so without awaiting a final decision on his asylum case.

Now he is worried about the future.

“If the Taliban come back, it’ll be impossible to keep snowboarding, because the Taliban are not sports-friendly people.

They want neither peace nor sports,” he said.

A few sports, like soccer and wrestling, were allowed during the Taliban’s harsh religious rule from 1996 to 2001.

Fighting between the Taliban on one

side and the United States and its Afghan government allies on the other has continued to rage, even as the US works to hammer out a peace agreement with the insurgent group. The US and the Taliban are negotiating a reduction in hostilities or a cease-fire to allow the signing of a peace agreement.

That deal would open the way to a broader postwar agreement for Afghans, and allow for the withdrawal of most, if not all, US and coalition forces.

The country’s postwar future and the role of the Taliban remain unclear. The Taliban currently control or hold sway over around half the country.

Right now, the only places with enough security to offer winter sports activities are in Kabul and the central province of Bamiyan.

Hayat said skiers and snowboarders haven’t been able to explore mountains with great potential in Ghazni and Wardak provinces southwest of the capital because the Taliban hold those areas.

Bamiyan province is infamous for once being home to two massive 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a mountain, which the Taliban blew up in 2001.

But Bamiyan also hosts a skiing competition each year, and the country’s small snowboarding community is set to travel there for an indoor competition on Saturday.

They’re also heading east to neighboring Pakistan’s picturesque Swat valley later this month to take part in an outdoor competition.

Hayat has registered the Afghan chapter with the International Snowboard Federation, although the Afghan government offers no financial support. Faizi said he dreams of returning to train in Germany, and to one day represent Afghanistan in the Winter Olympics.

But back on the slopes of Kohe Koregh, some young Afghans were excited to simply get their first taste of snowboarding.

Zahra Hakimi, 16, is a member of the minority Hazara ethnic group. She came with friends to watch the snowboarders. She and another friend eventually decided to give it a shot.

At first, Hakimi struggled to keep her balance, but eventually managed to go 10 meters at a time without falling.

“When I see how crazy people are for this sport—girls and boys trying, falling down again and again but still keep doing it—I really believe it has a bright future,” she said.

EBBLE BEACH, California—Golfers at all levels keep hitting the ball farther, and the game’s governing bodies plan to do something about it by going after the one area they can control—equipment.

The USGA and the R&A recently released their “Distance Insights Project,” which revealed a steady increase in distance for more than 100 years—with average gains of about 30 yards

by Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour players in the last 25 years—and golf courses that keep expanding.

“We believe this continuing cycle of courses increasing in length is a cycle we want to break,” said Mike Davis, chief executive of the USGA. The report attributes the distance gains to modern clubs and golf balls, improved athleticism and training, swing techniques geared toward hitting it longer and course conditions with tightly mowed fairways that allow for extra roll.

But the report made clear the governing bodies are targeting equipment as it seeks solutions.

“We also recognize that this assessment should not focus on player-related factors that contribute to increased distance, such as improved athleticism and swing techniques, for the desire to improve is integral to the game and is to be encouraged,” the report summary said. “Accordingly, we expect the main topic for research and assessment to be potential changes in the equipment rules.”

Among the possibilities is using specific golf balls or clubs that result in players not hitting it as far.

The report said equipment committees for the USGA and R&A would look into the option of a local rule “that would specify use of clubs and/or balls intended to result in shorter hitting distances.”

That suggests the possibility of tour players using different equipment than recreational players under the guise of a local rule, though the report said any golfer can choose to play with equipment that goes shorter.

“We’re still committed to a single set of rules,” said Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s senior managing director of governance.

The governing bodies also plan to review equipment testing standards to make sure they are effective in limiting distance.

“The intended purpose of this review is to consider whether any existing specifications should be adjusted or any new specifications should be created to help mitigate the continuing distance increases,” the report said. “It is not currently intended to consider revising the overall specifications in a way that would produce substantial reductions in hitting distances at all levels of the game.”

Less clear is when any changes can be expected. AP

Brooks Koepka hits the ball from the 17th tee during the third round of the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club at the Red Sea Resort of King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia recently. AP

From Me to We When it comes to settling down, the generation known to pursue their choices do what they do best

Illustration: Louisa Cannell

From Me to We

When it comes to settling down, the generation known to pursue their choices do what they do best

Rae, 27, is a public relations manager for a local television network, while Bryle, 23, works as a Culture and Arts Officer at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The soon-to-be married millennial couple are taking things at their own pace.

By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez

‘F

urniture, mostly,” wrote Bryle, 23. “We just moved in to this new loft and we’re furnishing it. Most of our Christmas bonuses went to the home. [We’re] very domesticated in that sense.”

I could almost picture him typing on his phone on one hand, while holding a cup of black coffee on the other.

In between sips, I see him puffing on a cigarette that is perched on a vintage Sanyo recorder he is so fond of.

Bryle and I met when he was still writing for a Lifestyle magazine. And even on that initial meeting—at the airport, for an assignment we now both can’t remember which—he talked about eventually settling down with his partner of four years, Rae, 27. They are now engaged to be married.

“We met in some coffee shop in Maginhawa. It’s closed now last time we visited. We were both just casually dating and fooling around, and, I guess, when we met, it just made sense,” he recalled. “Four years in, we’ve pulled through. Then, one night, when we were lying in bed watching one of our shows, I said, ‘We’re getting married.’”

“She’s the great joy of my life,” Bryle added. “And I guess when we started turning this itty-bitty space into something that’s really ours, I reckon that’s kind of what marriage is about, among other things.”

One of which, as the couple is starting to find out, is accounting. Bryle and Rae make budgeting a couple’s

task, figuring out together how much money would go to bills and utilities for their new place and, of course, quirky décors (they own a huge collection of ashtrays and self-portraits they painted themselves, for some cute reason). All the accounting goes to a little denim notebook where they list a summary of their earnings and expenses for the year.

Rae is a public relations manager for a local television network, while Bryle now works as a Culture and Arts Officer at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. What’s interesting about the young couple, between getting married and saving up for a house, is that they both belong to the millennial generation which, despite being billed as the strongest sector of the job market and the world’s most powerful consumers, are very much wary of homeownership and starting a family.

“This may be a tired statement, but it’s one that has some truth to it,” wrote Hillary Hoffower of the Business Insider.

According to findings of nonprofit research organization of the Urban Institute through The Balance, “just 37 percent of millennials between the ages of 25 and 34 own homes, compared to 45 percent of Baby Boomers at the same age.

Experts posit that there are several factors in play, ranging from rising student loan debt, delays in marriage and having children, and a slower rate of building wealth. Another is a generally heavier workload for millennials.

“They want to have children someday, but they simply don’t see how they could make it work,” professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Stewart Friedman said in a study. He pointed out that millennial students were steeling themselves to enter

2 BusinessMirror

jobs where a full-time commitment means working 72 hours a week.

In 1980, the average age of a first marriage was 22 for women and 25 for men. In 2017, it was 27 and 29, respectively.

Business Insider reported that the adjusted time frame is due to the millennials’ fear of getting divorced after marrying at such a young age. Instead, they take their time and focus on getting to know their partner first, as well as accumulating assets toward financial stability, before deciding on when, or if, to tie the knot.

Research by payments company Afterpay Touch Group Ltd. show that the reason millennials settle down relatively late is not because they spend money poorly. Rather, they just have a different take on spending.

According to the study, 30 percent of millennials are more likely to save regularly than their parents did. Furthermore, more than 80 percent of millennials budget, compared to twothirds of older generations. They are also cutting back on alcohol and tobacco, and are spending more on other expenses, such as private health insurance.

A private survey among friends supports the claim. More and more of them are putting their bonuses on health insurance policies, as well as low-level investments in the stock market.

Fewer millennials also own a credit card, versus two-thirds of older generations. Millennials that do have only incur about half the debt of older generations.

This financial behavior reflects the noted generational trait of millennials of being values-oriented and wanting to be in control of their life decisions. The same characteristics are being exhibited by Bryle and Rae as they start a new life together.

“We’re a quirky couple and we want

February 9, 2020

to have a place that can be as weird as it can be, something that’s inherently us; where our books, paintings, music, and films can come alive and just mingle,” Bryle said. “In short, somewhere we can just vibe.”

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YOUR MUSIC OUR BUSINESS

AJ Mitchell

BEAUTY IN VULNERABILITY

AJ MITCHELL'S SLOW DANCE TO THE TOP

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By Stephanie Joy Ching

HEEKY and charismatic, AJ Mitchell is a rising star in the pop music scene. The Illinois’ born singer is coming out with his first album-Skyview under Sony Music. As the Philippines is one of the biggest markets for his music, Mitchell held three mall shows last January 17 and 18 at Uptown Bonifacio, Venice Grand Canal Mall and Eastwood City. Dressed comfortably in a gray hoodie, the teen star held a panel interview a few hours before his 3pm show last January 18.

Growing up, music has always been a part of who he was, having started writing songs since he was six years old. However, he was “a shy kid” and had massive stage fright before performances.

“When it came to performing, I was so nervous to the point that I didn’t even want to go on stage. I had my parents there to always help push me I mean, literally push me.” he joked.

Nonetheless, the more he performed, particularly when he started performing his own songs, he found himself metamorphosing.

When he first heard his fans sing back to him, the moment hit him hard.

“It’s one of the best things in the world. Once that started happening, it

made me realize that I’m not that shy kid anymore.” he said.

In terms of his songwritingprocess, Mitchell likes to draw inspiration from the things happening in his life, particularly things he’s learned as he matured. Being eighteen years old, his songs capture the raw moments of growing up, such as feeling left out by your friends or drifting apart from someone. At the same time, he also creates “fun songs” when the mood strikes him. This makes his songs polarizing in terms of themes, yet the cool R&B track that ties it all together creates a vivid, almost vulnerable portrait of what it’s like growing up in the digital age that garnered him attention on Youtube.

“When I first started posting videos online,I wasn’t just posting

covers, I was also posting original music that I was writing. I wasn’t just some kid just singing songs, I was writing my own songs” he said.

This wide open, highly personal touch to his music was also carried into his album, which derived its title from a drive-in theater in his hometown.

“I like to be as open as I can with my fans, because we are all human and I go through things, and they do as well. So I feel like sharing can help

them.” he said.

Having garnered over 100 million streams on Spotify and his latest hit “Slow Dance”with Ava Max climbing up the charts, one wonders what’s in store for a promising fresh talent.

Other than hoping for a Grammy and a #1 song, Mitchell’s got something else up his sleeves.

“I really want to start working on producing.” he said “I know some of the groundwork, but I really want to get good at it too.”

AJ Mitchell

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Sound BusinessMirror

FEBRUARY 9 , 2020 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

EYE OPENERS

YOUR MUS

Barred on The Twilight Zone, Gerry Alanguilan and their debut LP

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By Rick Olivares

AN Pablo City hardcore band Barred opened the local music scene’s vinyl record account for 2020 with the release of Bloodstained Existence (through Still Ill Records) this past week.

Bloodstained Existence follows Barred’s appearance in the Pilipinas Hardcore EP along with acts like Veils, Badmouth, and xxFortessxx that was released also

by Still Ill in 2018.

The band is San Pablo City, Laguna’s latest export (the local hardcore punk music scene is alive and moshing). The city has produced among others, the famed and late comic book illustrator, Gerry

Alanguilan, of whom the members of Barred professed to be fans of.

“We are a fan of his work especially Timawa (that was released by local publishing company, Alamat back in the 1990s). “We also know him as an inker for many Marvel Comics titles as well as a friend and former colleague of Filipino-American comic book artist Whilce Portacio,” said Barred vocalist Regin Tenorio.

Alanguilan illustrated the cover

to San Pablo City band, Mellow del Prado’s debut album.

“We’re very happy and proud of the outcome ng Pilipinas Hardcore,” observed a pleased Tolentino. “It feels good to hear and see people singing along to our song, “Resistance”, that was included in the EP.” Bloodstained Existence, four years in the making, continues thematically as Barred rails against society’s ills. The band – drummer Friedrich Esguerra, bassist Janry Garcia, guitarists Carl Cedric Garcia and Peter Cervancia, and Tenorio – recorded their initial demo in May of 2016 and completed the rest of the repertoire that would eventually comprise Bloodstained Existence a few months later. “We needed time for mixing and vocal tracking and (before we knew it), it was mid-2019.”

The band also cited work and family time for getting in the way.

The album nevertheless; is finally out. And Tenorio found a way to weave into the music some of his childhood fascinations including his love for the famed television fantasy/science fiction/ supernatural series, The Twilight Zone, that was created by the late American producer and playwright, Rod Serling.

“We got the intro of ‘Trapped’ (the lead-off song from the album) from the 1959 episode of The Twilight Zone titled, ‘No Time Like the Past’, he elucidated. In that particular

episode, a scientist uses a time machine to return to the past to try and change key moments in world history that led to what the world is today. Unfortunately, he fails and understands that he can only live for tomorrow."

“Bloodstained Existence is a message and an eye opener for everyone,” added Tenorio. “We want everyone to feel what life is like on the other side. There are terrors seen and unseen and there’s injustice, sorrow, famine, disease, death, abuse, pain, and suffering.”

Although Barred’s barbed and pointed social commentary continues for the entire album, the band does leave room for hope, “It’s never too late. We need to fight as one (against the social injustices).

It’s a force that guides.”

The album cover (is also different from the test press version) is inspired by 19th century French painters, Gustave Dore, Eugene Delacroix, and Theodore Gericault and the contrapposto style utilized

by Baroque and Mannerist artists, and depicts the war in Heaven. The powerful imagery was also used by many of the band’s mid-1990s metalcore influences such as Arkangel, Congress, Liar, Sentence, Integrity, and All Out War. For those interested in purchasing a copy of Barred’s Bloodstained Existence and Pilipinas Hardcore, you may reach out to Still Ill Records on Facebook or through their bandcamp page.

d trip

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | FEBRUARY 9 , 2020

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SIC OUR BUSINESS

WINNER’S NIGHT

It wasn’t just about the ‘Tala’ dance challenge

By Carla Mortel-Baricaua Photos by Ernestine Marie Cunanan

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O doubt about it, Winner’s version of the ‘Tala’ dance routine captured the hearts of its Filipino fans, Inner Circles (ICs), and the public as its video clip garnered over a million views in a matter of hours right after the conclusion of the Cross Tour concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on January 25.

Winner members are due to start their military service this year.

It was Sandara Park of the former 2NE1 group who suggested the dance challenge to be the group’s surprise fan service performance.

According to Park’s Instagram post, she passed on a dance video to the group’s main dancer, Hoony, who mastered the dance routine and taught his team as well.

With smooth and effortless moves, Hoony covered the Tala dance perfectly and, to add his own flair, he came up with a few steps of his own. Right after, members Yoon, Mino and Jinu joined Hoony for a repeat of the Tala dance routine that surely recruited a new batch of baby ICs thanks to the video that went viral. The feat, however, is just a sliver of the sensation the Winner stars created that night as they crossed paths with ICs. Sans the dance cover, Winner’s concert is a banger in itself. With so much confidence compared than the last concert, each of

Jinu, Mino, Yoon, and Hoony open the show with “Really Really.”

K-pop group Winner delivers some emotional tracks including their debut hit, “Empty.”

the performances was lit as they delivered their hit tracks such as “Empty,” “Everyday,” “Love Me Love Me,” “Island,” and “Really Really” to name a few.

Each of the Winner members shined on stage as their individual charms and presence easily commanded the stage. Hoony was oozing with sexiness with every move as he performed his single, “Flamenco” from the Cross album, in his fitted black outfit with flaming red embellishments.

Before he sang his unreleased cut, “Serenade” he addressed the audience as, “Mahal ko” so everyone just lost it with screams.

The group’s prince of charms, Jinu, performed his very first solo single “Call Anytime” that was just so sweet, the kind that pulls you and drops you in heaven. Yoon, whose next door boy type appeal can easily win the crowd with his smile, turned naughty and sang a

Winner members wave to the crowd after their solo stages.

couple of lines of Jinu’s song, before he belted his own solo track from the Cross album. Strutting his guitar, Yoon displayed his powerful voice range and left the audience astounded with his song, “Wind.” To finish off the solo set, Mino started rapping from an elevated ramp as he segue to “Trigger” in full swag mode. The overly crowd then was enthralled with his rendition of his solo monster hit, “Fiance,” the lead track from his solo album, XX, complete with backup dancers and full stage set up similar to one of the scenes of its music video.

Speaking of stages, the concert production got some serious upgrades with added set design and lights, moving ramps, huge video walls, and most importantly, a live band, a first for a Winner tour. The live accompaniment did wonders to pump up the intensity of Winner’s performances to which audience responded with the same vigor and

excitement, filling up the halls of the Arena with a party vibe.

Since the Chinese New Year coincided with the concert date, Winner greeted their fans wearing the traditional handbook while Inner Circles took the occasion to belatedly greet, Yoon for his birthday. Surprised and he jokingly replied, “It’s the 25th, guys! It’s not my birthday!” Nevertheless, he enjoyed the attention.

Inner circles were also treated to a freestyle rap as Mino played around with words that rhymed with Manila.

As subtle messages of good byes, Hoony sang impromptu the words “wag nyo kaming kalimutan,” similar to Jinu’s farewell bid, since he’s due to start his mandatory military service this year, that came with a promise of the group’s comeback.

Update: The Winner Cross Tour concert in Singapore was recently cancelled due to the nCoV health risk.

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FEBRUARY 9 , 2020| soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

Sound trip BusinessMirror

YOUR MUSIC OUR BUSINESS

SOUNDSAMPLER

by Tony M. Maghirang

Adventures in new sounds better point of reference in musical inspiration.

Sound Architects probably did not want to repeat themselves on their second outing. Let’s call Regenesis a short stop to more rousing music ahead.

their true strength—a pop-punkish attitude that should endear them even to mainstream music listeners.

SOUND ARCHITECTS Regenesis Sophomore slump. That’s the only way to put the highly-regarded Sound Architects’ newest recording in perspective. Their 2017 debut “In Time of Ned” was a stunning display of virtuosity in just about aspect of their OPM take on post-rock.

Unfortunately, Regenesis luxuriates in too much keyboard-driven atmospherics such that there’s a disconnect between the rich extended soundscapes and its agenda to be an instrumental wake-up call on greed, corruption and violence.

The track list follows a kind of story arc beginning with a reference to a countdown to a rocket launch, then some religious and political observations and by the final three tracks, an allusion to Christian passion, death and resurrection. Sound-wise, the titles suggest promising themes worthy of post-rock’s loud-softlouder emotional tug.

This time, though, the band seemed to have been bitten by the new age-y side of progressive rock. Only the opening track, “Ignition Sequence,” lives up to its title, exciting the senses to action.

Elsewhere, the overly dramatic production of “Syndicates” could have taken a few cues from the electrifying “Icarus” off the first album. Closing track “Regenesis” lacks the verve and vitality to suggest a renewal and the animated build-up of “Seismos” from “In Time Need” might have been a

ZERISE Listening Party EP The members of five-piece indie band Zerise got together to create a unified sound distilled from individual influences in various genres from alt-rock to EDM. Produced by Mally Paraguya of P.O.T. fame, their 5-song debut EP is built around the voice of Cerise Limueco whose range and timbre comes close to that of the original vocalist of Moonstar88 circa “Torete.”

The four guys behind Cerise supply a musical muscle that calls to mind the pop rockers of the last OPM boy band era (e.g. Cueshe, Hale). As Ms. Limeuco draws out the emotional pull of her compositions, the others provide the right instrumentation to put the message across. Their collaboration works best particularly in the almost pop-punkish ebullience of “High” and the Spongecola recoil of the Aw shucks! despondency of “Ayan Tuloy” where guitarist John Bondoc also shows off his mastery of hair metal guitar histrionics.

With “Bangon,” the band’s attempt at mixing EDM with hip hop and rap lacks the energy that would have turned the song into a grand musical and lyrical statement. The chops are a bit thin while Cerise has yet to acquire the vocal heft and dexterity to deliver a rallying call to her generation.

The final track, “Diyan Ka Na,” brings Zerise back to

GARY CLARK JR. This Land Gary Clark Jr. puts traditional blues at the crossroads of pop, soul and rock and comes up a big winner. The recent Grammys has just honored him with the best contemporary blues album award.

Contemporary is the key word in that citation and it’s a huge one. Where other present-day bluesmen rock the blues or give it a shiny R&B spin, Gary Clark Jr. adds reggae, funk, really great hooks and a massive dose of soul that’s never been heard of since the heyday of Prince and the Revolution.

Crossover blues doesn’t begin to describe what’s Clark Jr’ has cooked up. It’s a potent potion that ageing folks might shun as pretentious or even brand as a sham.

But, damn if This Land won’t make an angel barter her pristine soul for a taste of devilish sonic ecstasy.

And there’s enough blues-derived gorgeousness on the singer songwriter’s new album starting with the reggaefied title track, the cry in your beer lonesomeness of “Don’t Wait Till Tomorrow” and the Prince-ly bluster of “Pearl Cadillac.” In the “This Land” track, Clark Jr. audaciously sends a terse message to the White House’s latest occupant: “F.ck you, I’m America’s son/This is where I come from/ This land is mine.”

The blues is also Gary’s heritage. With This Land, he’s claiming his unbroken bond with his forefathers and f..k anyone who thinks otherwise.

YOLA Walk Through Fire The album’s title is a euphemism for overcoming tough problems like a recurring sickness. British singer/songwriter Yola celebrates her own release from fiery troubles with a record filled with songs of relief, contentment, and the onset of happiness. She taps into the wellsprings of the golden age of pop (referencing Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwicke) so her compositions can really run rings around contemporary tunesmiths. In a number of songs (i.e. “It Ain’t Easier”, “Blue Dream”), her back up band effortlessly appropriates the country rock of early Eagles and Poco.

Yola actually goes back to the original concept of singers as poets telling stories and tales about their lives and loves. It follows there’s a retro warmth and aching sentimentality to the tracks but it shouldn’t stop young open minds from appreciating echoes of good music from another time. “Rock Me Gently” and “Lonely The Night,” with their sections of soaring choruses, will most probably appeal to today’s listeners who love Adele, Whitney Houston and other belters.

For the most part, Yola sings from the heart and the sincerity of her delivery makes you want to listen till the end of the album. Surprisingly, a pop rocker or two perks up the attention and turns Walk Through Fire into an enjoyable adventure.

Rakrakan Festival 2020 reveal full line-up

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FTER almost a month of band and artist announcements on their official Facebook page, Rakrakan Festival 2020 finally gets down to their 120th performer who will be gracing us with solid tunes on February 29, 2020 at the CCP Open Grounds.

Just like last year, Rakrakan Festival 2020 will be having six main stages, namely: Aklas Move Stage, Lakas Mosh Stage, Tm Center Stage, Slam Stage, Peace Stage, and introducing one that’s never been on the lineup before, Lahi Stage.

Starting off with the Aklas Move Stage, We Have Mayonnaise, Gloc9, Kjwan, Spongecola, Typecast, Rocksteddy, Happy Three Friends, Razorback, Written By The Stars, Woopis, Brwn, Maryzark, Join The Club, Tanya Markova, Soapdish,

and The Red Horse Pambansang Muziklaban Aklas Finalists.

Moving on to the Lakas Mosh Stage, we have Slapshock, Wilabaliw, Greyhoundz, Chicosci, Teeth, Coln, Even, Saydie, Philia, Valley Of Chrome, Lilith, Skychurch, Arcadia, Badburn, and The Red Horse Pambansang Muziklaban Lakas Finalists.

On the Tm Center Stage, we will be having Ron Henley, Kiyo & Alisson Shore, Shanti Dope, Up Dharma Down, Because, Iv Of Spades, Juan Karlos, Clr, Al James, Allmo$T Music, Silent Sanctuary, I Belong To The Zoo, Callalily, Kjah & Rye, Mojofly, Mike Swift, Pricetagg, St. Wolf, and Sandiwa.

Heading over to the Slam Stage, get your heads banging to Subkulture, Republikats, Rebord, Mr. Bones & The Boneyard Circus, Jejaview, Faintlight, Ultimate Ube,

Shotgun Combo, Powerspoonz, Giniling Festival, The Chongkeys, Vjosh Tribe, and Talata.

Chill out on the Peace Stage with fine tunes from Gracenote, Imago, 6cyclemind, Orange & Lemons, Franco, Sud, Chocolate Factory, Unique, Pedicab, Banda Ni Kleggy, We Got, The Vowels They Orbit, Better Days, Brisom, Music Hero, Engkanto, Lion & The Scouts, and Magnus Haven.

Lastly, vibe with everyone at the Lahi Stage! We have Dong Abay, Munimuni, Grindepartment, The Wuds, Philippine Violators, Pawikan, Kurei, Bayang Barrios, Sagip Adik Foundation, Syd Hartha, Barbie Almalbis, The Bloomfields, Kadangyan, Mayor Tv, Bita And The Botflies, and Color It Red*!

Have you scored your tickets already? If not, better run to your

nearest SM Ticket outlets and grab ‘em before they’re gone! Ticket prices are as follows: Regular Pre-Sale: P500 Regular Door: P600 Vip Pre-Sale: P1500 Vip Door: P2000 “Rakrakan Festival 2020: Peace, Love, and Music” is presented

by Rakista Radio and Red Horse Beer Muziklaban; co-presented

by Macbeth Philippines and TM; with Official Venue Partner, The Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Visit www.rakrakanfestival.com for more details. *Please take note that the stage assignment of the bands and artists are still subject to change.

Head over to Rakrakan Festival 2020’s official Facebook page to tune in for updates.

‘Instant shorthand’: Couples who met at camp look back

By Melissa Kossler Dutton

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The Associated Press

on Gammell first noticed Mary Turk on the bus en route to camp.

“She had a pretty smile,” he said of the young woman who would later become his wife.

It was the summer of 1963 and the two were headed to Cheley Colorado Camps in Estes Park Valley to work. Ron was going to be on the transportation crew and Mary was to serve as a social counselor. A few weeks later, he asked her out. After a memorable first date on which the car he borrowed blew out a tire and he had to change it in the rain, they started going steady.

They dated long distance while attending college in different states, reconnecting for two more summers at camp. In August of 1965, Mary told him: “You’re either in or you’re out.” He proposed, and they married a year later.

Meeting at the family-run camp had an impact on their courtship, the couple said now. They both understood that the Cheley family was selective about hiring, and carefully screened would-be staffers. “Being counselors at the camp that had such Christian ideals, I knew he had the same values,” she said. “We learned a lot from everyone—even the kids. It groomed you to have a good marriage.”

For Janet and Adam Guy, attending the same camp as kids helped jump-start their romance when they reconnected more than a decade after they’d met at Eagle’s Nest Camp in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina.

“We had this instant shorthand,” Janet said. As they talked, it was apparent they had similar life philosophies. They both prioritized kindness and caring for others—values that were a focus of their camp experience. “Camp impacted how I try to live my life and how I move through the world, and I saw that Adam has similar views.”

It’s not surprising that romance can bloom at camp—especially among counselors—because so many camps are strategic about hiring young people with similar values, said Eric Ikari, who met his wife, Jennifer, while they worked as counselors at Tom Sawyer Camps in Pasadena, California.

“Camp helped us focus our attitudes and values— maybe even more than we knew,” he said.

Although camps certainly don’t encourage dating, campers and counselors who embrace the core messages may find themselves attracted to each other, said

Summer camp is passed down over generations in some families

A heart Adam Guy made in 2005 for his wife, Janet, when they met at Eagle’s Nest Camp in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, in 1986. This photo was taken at the couples wedding and the heart had been placed on a pedestal on the stage during the ceremony. For Janet and Adam, attending the same camp as kids helped jump-start their romance when they reconnected more than a decade after they’d met at Eagle’s Nest Camp. Adam Guy via AP

Ikari, who is now a director for Tom Sawyer camps and is active with the American Camp Association, the national professional association for camps.

As a director, he cautions counselors who are dating to avoid public displays of affection and reminds them that the kids are the priority. Often, couples think they are hiding their romance and are surprised when their bosses initiate such a conversation. They’re shocked when we say, “We can totally tell you’re dating,” Ikari said.

“We were pretty discreet,” said Mary Gammell, who remembers going to the lodge in the mornings in her curlers to visit with Ron, who was tasked with sweeping the floor.

Carving out time to date as camp employees is difficult, said Jim Fuller, who met his wife, Susie, on the job.

“You have to try and coordinate the one day a week and the one night a week that you have off and try not to be so obvious about it that the other people know about it,” he said from his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Fullers, who married six months after meeting at Cheley, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in December.

Janet Guy never dreamed she would end up dating, let alone marrying Adam, who was four years her junior, even though she always kept a memento from him on her bedside table. One summer, 11-year-old Adam drew 15-year-old Janet’s name for the annual camp-wide gift exchange. He spent the summer following her around, trying to determine what handmade gift she would ap-

Janet (from left) and Adam Guy with their friend Margot Wallston, standing together at Eagle’s Nest Camp in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. The three were attending Eagle’s Nest Camp’s 90th anniversary celebration.

preciate. He ultimately gave her a tie-dyed t-shirt and wooden heart with her name painted on it that he made in woodshop.

“It was one of my treasured camp memories,” she said, explaining why the heart was always on display in her bedroom. “I was just touched that he put so much work into it. It was a real labor of love.”

Years later, when 28-year-old Adam, who was living in Atlanta, sent her an e-mail, the couple began a regular correspondence that escalated to hours on the phone talking. Months later, when he visited her in New York City, sparks flew.

“The first thing he did when he got off of the plane was kiss me,” she said. “I was dazzled.”

They will celebrate their 15th anniversary this year.

“Camp was a special place,” Adam said. “It helped shape my values. Janet feels the same way. Our personalities just meshed.”

hen Sarah Wagoner’s first child was born, the doctor announced during delivery, “It’s a girl. Do you know what to do with a girl?”

Without hesitation, Wagoner responded: “We’re going to send her to Clearwater Camp!”

For many families, summer camp is a thing passed down from generation to generation.

Wagoner, who lives in Chicago, spent many happy summers as a camper and counselor at Clearwater Camp for Girls in Minocqua, Wisconsin. She hopes her daughter, Abigail, now 2, will someday embrace camp life and the important lessons it has to offer.

“Camp gave me so much confidence and taught me how to make good decisions,” she said. “I want her to experience that.”

Returning to the same camp over generations is an ideal way to enhance family connections, said Dimitris Xygalatas, a professor in the departments of anthropology and psychological sciences at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Family traditions “provide a feeling of continuity, and this is very important for our sense of collective identity and unity,” he said.

“When we do things the way our ancestors have done them, we feel that we are continuing their heritage.”

Clearwater, which opened in 1933, has many campers whose mothers or grandmothers attended, said Liz Baker, great-granddaughter of the founder.

Traditions are a big part of the camp experience, she said, and grandparents and grandkids can enjoy talking about Tuesday Muffin Nights, say, “or recall what it’s like to sit around the council fire and say the Clearwater pledge or sing the council fire song.”

“There’s something timeless about camp,’’ she said. “A lot of people like knowing that they can walk on the premises of Clearwater Camp and feel like it hasn’t changed a bit.” AP

Small home living: Not ‘downsizing’ but ‘rightsizing’

By Katherine Roth The Associated Press

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ith the current trend toward decluttering and downsizing, there are plenty of books about how to winnow down possessions to the few that are truly necessary and loved. This book shows how you can live well once that’s done.

In Downsize: Living Large in a Small House, author Sheri Koones focuses on practical ways to live well at home once you’ve streamlined your belongings and are living more compactly.

“It scares people to think of moving into a smaller space, but every single person I interviewed who has made the transition says they are so happy they did,” Koones says. “Time and again, people used the word ‘liberated’ to describe their move to a smaller space, with homes requiring far less time and money to maintain.”

Koones, who recently relocated from a sprawling

6,800-square-foot house in Greenwich, Connecticut, to a 1,400-square-foot home closer to town, has experienced the transition herself.

“It’s not just empty nesters anymore,” she adds. “Younger people too are in couples where they’re both working, they’re having children later, they want to be active and they don’t want to be doing maintenance on the weekends. They don’t want to be tied down to mowing lawns and doing all the other chores that come with living in a big house.”

Living more sustainably and saving on energy costs is also part of the attraction of downsizing, Koones says.

So is aging in place. There are people of all ages looking for features like a master bedroom on the main floor, or barrier-free showers.

“Yes, older people with disabilities need them, but even younger people break a leg skiing, or have situations where they want a barrier-free shower,” she says.

The book features photos and illustrations of 33 welldesigned small homes in urban and rural settings in the US

7 BusinessMirror

A home in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, featured in the book Downsize: Living Large in a Small House,

by Sheri Koones. AP and Canada. It examines the features that make each home a success, with advice aimed at those building, renovating or even just organizing their homes.

Some of the features that Koones says can make a small home feel more spacious: n Raised ceilings, well-positioned windows and light wall colors; n Multifunctional furniture, like tiny kitchen tables that

February 9, 2020

can expand to accommodate dinner guests; n Flexible rooms that can serve as office, bedroom and hobby room, for example. One house featured in the book has a garage with light fixtures and doors that open in front and back so that it doubles as an entertaining space; n Creative storage ideas, like chairs that can hang on wall pegs, hooks for bicycles, and making the best use of alcoves or space under stairs; and n Fewer hallways, which allows for more livable space.

Koones details specific types of roofs (like standing-seam metal roofs), flooring (concrete) and heating systems that are more energy-efficient and low maintenance.

“The key is to have a home that is efficiently designed, both in terms of energy use and in terms of space,” she says.

“I refer to it as ‘downsizing,’ but a better word for it might be ‘rightsizing.’ For most of history, houses were more modestly proportioned, and we lived quite comfortably in those smaller homes. Over time houses got too big. Now the trend is heading toward smaller again.”

Turn Valentine’s Day into a romantic weekend at one of these lovely hotels

By Nikki Ekstein

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Bloomberg

f you haven’t yet lifted a finger for your significant other this Valentine’s Day, there’s still time. The holiday falls on a Friday this year, which means it’s perfect for booking a long weekend away.

To help you, here are the most romantic new hotels and resorts for a quick escape— places where weeks of stress can melt away in minutes, or destinations that are easy to explore in just a few days.

And please, hold the flowers and chocolates. For each of these getaways, we’ve found sweet, easy-to-schedule excursions or amenities that are much more original. No matter where in the world you’re starting out from, at least one will be close by; their romantic appeal, on the other hand, is universal.

IF YOU’RE IN ASIA

Aman Kyoto

Few cities can mimic Kyoto’s blend of quiet contemplation and cutting-edge dining. And within Kyoto, few hotels capture both sides of that coin like the just-opened Aman. Its latticed-wood rooms resemble the carefully crafted boxes locals use for precious gifts; inside they have tatami sitting areas and Hinoki soaking tubs. And since each of them is scattered around an ancient-feeling forest, it’s, perhaps, no surprise that the property’s chefs can source most of their ingredients within a 10-minute walk from their kitchen.

The romantic gesture: The moss-covered grounds make Aman Kyoto’s gardens feel like a lush, movie-like setting for a picnic. But if it’s too cold for that, book a personalized tour to Kamishichiken, the oldest of the “flower towns” that have long served the city’s geishas. Getting guided access to these districts is the best way to understand the training and culture behind Japan’s most romanticized profession, whether you visit an ancient ochaya (tea house) or watch an actual performance.

Lelewatu Sumba, Indonesia

A puddle hop away from Bali is this comparatively undiscovered and underdeveloped gem of an island, where it’s easy to feel like you’re simply at the end of the Earth. And if the Earth were to end here, under the white canopy beds of Lelewatu’s soaring thatched-roof pavilions, with the sounds of the Indian Ocean lapping just outside, that might be a totally fine way to go.

The romantic gesture: Drink coconut water out of a coconut. Sit on your patio and listen for chirping birds in the nearby jungle. Here, the move is simply to let time sit still.

Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa, New Zealand

With the fires still raging in Australia, it’s comforting to know that a slice of Eden is thriving just across the Tasman Sea. Take it in from Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa: The property is a cluster of villas within a pinot noir vineyard, all with access to the legendary biking trails of Kawarau Gorge and a “vinotherapy” spa.

The romantic gesture: The local pours are elegant and nuanced, so take that as your cue and book a private, candlelit dinner in the property’s wine caves.

IF YOU’RE ON THE EAST COAST Shou Sugi Ban House, Hamptons

A midwinter trip to the Hamptons may seem backward. But there’s no more romantic way to stroll a beach than in total quiet, wrapped in a blanket with your loved one. Afterward, retreat to the Japanese oasis that is Shou Sugi Ban House, where you can grab a cup of matcha from an onyx-colored bar and sit around an outdoor fireplace set in a Zen garden. There are wooden soaking tubs in the rooms and flax linen robes for lounging. What else could you need?

The romantic gesture: The hotel’s expansive spa has hot and cold hydrotherapy plunge pools, a solarium and roof deck, chromatherapy showers, and apt wintertime treatments, like the “Deep Within” hot stone massage, to soften chapped skin and relieve tight joints. (It’s paired with pre- and post-treatment soaks and tonics to extend the “me time” magic.)

Royalton Antigua

There aren’t many places to get overwater bungalows without flying to the Maldives or Tahiti. But one exception is just a quick hop from most East Coast hubs: the Royalton Antigua. Its thatched-roof pavilions set a new standard for oceanside luxury in the Caribbean when they opened last summer.

The setup means you never need to leave your room: Butlers can deliver your meals, and your room includes snorkeling gear and direct access to the water, making it perfectly reasonable to indulge in total privacy.

The romantic gesture: As long as you book a day ahead, a personal bartender can set up shop on your terrace and stir you endless G&T’s as the sun dips into the horizon.

IF YOU’RE ON THE WEST COAST 8 BusinessMirror

Four Seasons Lanai at Koele, a Sensei Retreat

The new prince of Hawaiian pampering is this wellness-oriented offshoot of Larry Ellison’s island estate. Of course you can dive around tropical reefs and zip line across Kaiholena Gulch, but that’s not why you’re here. All-inclusive stays (minimum three nights) cover art and mindfulness workshops, Nobucreated meals with ingredients from the property’s farm, tons of fitness classes, and high-tech spa treatments such as massages that use thermal mapping to pinpoint your tight spots.

The romantic gesture: Most people associate Hawaii’s lush interior landscapes with beautiful hiking trails, but in Lanai, you can explore the state’s old ranching country and wooded valleys on horseback.

the luxury equivalent of an igloo. Or maybe you want to spot polar bears north of the Arctic Circle. All those boxes can be checked at Niehku, the fabulous 14-room bolt-hole that straddles Norway and Sweden—even if you’re around for only a three-day stint (the property’s minimum stay).

The romantic gesture: Pray to the weather gods for a showing of midnight lights, go dog sledding in untouched terrain occupied primarily by reindeer, or hunker down in the wine cellar, where only top-notch bottles are allowed. There’s no wrong choice.

IF YOU’RE IN SOUTH AMERICA

Cannúa, Colombia

Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Los Cabos, Mexico

The butlers at this exceptional new resort are called Tosoanis, or dream keepers—and it’s a fitting description.

They’ll pick up on your interests and leave you thoughtful, customized surprises in your room, whether a rose petal-strewn bath or fresh-baked Mexican pastries. That’s the level of service needed to pull your attention away from the Sea of Cortez views, which are hard to ignore when an entire corner’s worth of walls in your room opens onto a private deck and plunge pool hugging the water’s edge.

The romantic gesture: What’s written in the stars for your relationship? That’s a good question for the property’s naturalists, who can help you navigate the night sky with a powerful telescope that offers upclose views of Venus and Polaris. Shooting stars aren’t an uncommon sight, either.

IF YOU’RE IN EUROPE São Lourenço do Barrocal, Portugal

Two hours from Lisbon in the Alentejo countryside is this off-the-grid estate, once the nucleus of a small farming village. It’s been in the same family for 200 years but operational as a hotel for much less time.

Holdovers from its agricultural heyday include 220 cows, 600,000 square meters of olive groves, and a 2.5-acre vegetable garden to supply the restaurant; more recent additions include barn cottages and a winery.

The romantic gesture: Head out on a hotair balloon ride. The skies in this region are famously clear and sunny, and the staff will pack you a picnic with one of the estate’s sparkling wines.

Niehku Mountain Villa, Sweden

Maybe you want to heli-ski and never see another soul. Maybe you want to hole up in February 9, 2020

An hour and a half from Medellín is Cannúa, the first resort ambitious enough to put Colombia’s full biodiversity on display—from the double-height windows in the rooms to the guided birdwatching hikes and the culinary focus on the country’s kaleidoscopic bounty.

The romantic gesture: The area around the resort lays claim to Colombia’s two most famous (legal) exports: coffee and flowers.

Visit local farmers and sample their very best; this is the stuff that the best dates are made of.

IF YOU’RE IN AFRICA OR THE MIDDLE EAST

Oberoi Marrakech

Marrakech already lays claim to some of the world’s most over-the-top resorts—nearly one from every luxury brand—and yet the city’s newcomer manages to stand apart. The Oberoi’s architecture, inspired by the 14th century Medersa Ben Youssef, is a showcase for Moroccan craft traditions, ranging from zellige tiles and ornamental plasterwork to magnificent courtyards with petal-strewn fountains. But it differs from the historic theological monument in its unwavering embrace of opulence; here, the central water feature isn’t a shallow reflecting pond but a veritable “grand canal,” which runs the entire length of the resort. And the sleeping chambers aren’t humble student quarters, they’re palatial apartments with their own gardens and pools.

The romantic gesture: If you’ve already shopped your way through the city’s epic souks, let the resort take you on a next-level exploration: an aerial survey of the Sahara via private helicopter, culminating in a butlerserviced lunch at a nomadic desert camp.