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LET THE TALLEST GRASS GROW The iconic ‘Bahay Kubo’ is more than just shelter and being the subject of a children’s song: Experts now report how bamboo, with its capacity for carbon sequestration, can help fight climate change.

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

ASE Bahay Foundation, a not-for-profit organization promoting the use of bamboo as construction material for socialized housing projects, believes the Philippines can help fight climate change by planting bamboo and making use of this flexible construction material.

VECTORMINE | DREAMSTIME.COM

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

The Philippines, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is in fact promoting the cultivation of bamboo in rural areas and has utilized several species of this resilient, easy-to-grow member of the grass species, in the implementation of the Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP). Bamboo is being planted on the banks of major rivers undergoing massive rehabilitation by the DENR, including the “mighty” Cagayan River, the country’s largest river. So far, DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu reported in his agency’s 2021 year-end report that the agency-led Task Force Build Back Better that he cochairs with former Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar has 585 hectares of bamboo plantations along the Cagayan River. Together with other indigenous construction materials that can be adequately found in their surroundings, indigenous cultural communities in the Philippines have been known to make use of bamboo in building their traditional houses. The bahay kubo or nipa hut, for one, is 50 percent to 80 percent made of bamboo materials.

Why bamboo?

BAMBOO, a giant grass species, has proven itself to be one of the best tools in mitigating climate change, noted Pablo Jorillo, general manager of Base Bahay Foundation, in his message at the International Conference on Project Management last year. During the conference which focused on the theme “Project Management Towards Resiliency and Recovery,” Jorillo discussed the Management of Carbon Sequestration and Emission Reduction Along the Bamboo Value Chain, as Base Bahay’s research and work advocates for the use of bamboo to build more affordable housing communities across the Philippines. In an earlier interview, Jorillo

“BAMBOO is able to take carbon out of the atmosphere faster than almost any other plant.”—Pablo Jorillo, general manager of Base Bahay Foundation BASE-BUILDS.COM

said bamboo, with the application of the right processing technology, could last up to 25 years, reinforcing walls of socialized housing projects. Using bamboo can also cut the cost of construction materials by up to 30 percent to 35 percent, adding that the more bamboo materials are used, the greater the savings. He said bamboo can also be used in interior design and decoration, and some countries have even perfected its use and application in building construction.

Carbon sequestration capacity

BAMBOO, Jorillo said, has a huge capacity to sequester carbon instead of being released into the atmosphere. “With the amount of carbon dioxide increasing in our atmosphere because of human activities— mainly the burning of fossil fuels—and therefore amplifying the warming effect of trapped greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration has become one of the most effective ways to reduce the levels of carbon in our atmosphere,” he said. Jorillo explained that carbon sequestration is recognized by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol as one of the most practical ways to combat climate change—and bamboo is a natural and renewable resource that is able to rapidly sequester

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.2670

BAMBOO house of a Mandaya tribe in Davao Oriental. DGMATE | DREAMSTIME.COM

carbon in biomass and soil. “Bamboo is able to take carbon out of the atmosphere faster than almost any other plant,” Jorillo said.

Bamboo in housing

“THE housing sector and construction industry at large can therefore play a great role in reducing our carbon emissions if they are able to use bamboo as a mainstream building material,” Jorillo said. Bamboo naturally sequesters carbon in the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and naturally stores it in its culms. When it is harvested, treated, and eventually used as building material, Jorillo says the sequestered carbon still stays in the bamboo biomass. This presents bamboo as a tru-

ly sustainable construction material, as opposed to steel, cement and glass, the manufacturing of which represents 11 percent of carbondioxide emissions in 2018, according to the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2019. The same report states that the buildings and construction sector accounted for 36 percent of final energy use, and 39 percent of energy- and process-related carbon-dioxide emissions in 2018.

Creating carbon pool

USING bamboo, on the other hand, has a completely opposite effect. A carbon pool is created when you use harvested wood like bamboo. Bamboo products such as houses, furniture, boards, or engineered bamboo are durable and can store

carbon for a long time, hence becoming a carbon pool or carbon reservoir. Carbon storage in harvested biomass is more significant in bamboo than in trees because of the former’s fast growth and renewability. The more you use bamboo, the more you store carbon, says Jorillo. As a non-profit that advocates for and implements the use of Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology in affordable housing, Base Bahay Foundation is leading the charge in research and innovation surrounding the use of bamboo for the affordable housing sector, and, eventually, the construction industry at large. Initiated by the Hilti Foundation in 2014 to provide alternative

and affordable housing solutions to people in the Asia Pacific that are exposed to natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, Base Bahay’s Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology is certified by the Accreditation of Innovative Technologies for Housing (AITECH) by the National Housing Authority.

Mainstreaming

ULTIMATELY, what Base Bahay aims to achieve is to incorporate the mainstream use of bamboo in the National Building Code, so as to standardize its use across all kinds of structures. “Our vision is to be the global reference for bamboo and sustainable construction, in order to help countries find alternative construction methods,” Jorillo said.

n JAPAN 0.4420 n UK 69.5078 n HK 6.5770 n CHINA 8.0702 n SINGAPORE 38.1337 n AUSTRALIA 36.7328 n EU 58.5879 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6654

Source: BSP (February 11, 2022)

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Hindu nationalism pushed in voting test for Modi’s politics By Krutika Pathi

The Associated Press

YODHYA, India —Under gray skies, construction cranes towered over laborers building a mega three-story temple demanded by millions of Hindus for over 100 years. The shrine is dedicated to their most revered god, Ram, and is being built on a plot of land where a 16th-century mosque stood, before a Hindu mob tore it down in 1992.

It’s one of several frenetic constructions—massive roads, hotels and a swanky new railway station—underway in Ayodhya, a dusty, holy city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking reelection by touting Hindu-first politics coupled with economic prosperity. This was the first sign of progress Manish Yadav, a 25-year-old student, had seen in this oncesleepy city. Modi’s BJP has won emphatically twice on the national

stage. But the state polls in Uttar Pradesh—India’s most populous with over 230 million people—are crucial, a barometer of the party’s popularity ahead of general elections in 2024. Over 150 million people will vote in the state across seven phases starting Thursday before results are declared in March. Four other states will also vote in February and March—the BJP is fighting to retain power in all but one. “We need Ayodhya to be a success. We need companies to come and invest, we need factories, technical colleges, institutes and jobs

UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath prays at a temple in the morning before filing his nomination papers for the state assembly elections in Gorakhpur, India, on February 5, 2022. AP

here so people don’t leave,” said Yadav. He said he voted for the BJP in 2019 because it promised to build the temple, and “now we need more.”

Monk turned politician

UTTAR PRADESH is currently governed by the BJP’s Yogi Adityanath, a polarizing Hindu monk turned politician. Yadav said the government has failed to provide him—and millions like him—jobs. Still, he will vote for them again. The BJP’s answer appears to be infrastructure, including mammoth expressways and airports to boost connectivity and tourism. But analysts are doubtful whether huge public spending on such projects is enough to kickstart growth in Uttar Pradesh, a largely poor and agrarian state where joblessness is rising. Under Adityanath, youth unemployment has increased fivefold, according to economist Santosh Mehrotra, who analyzed national labor data. The BJP, however, has made grand promises. It says it will attract investment, provide free electricity for farmers and generate jobs for 20 million people, but has provided few details. It is also wooing voters with welfare measures, doubling free rations for the poor and a tough stance on crime. But the party’s core Hindu nationalist agenda is unmissable. In December, Modi took a dip in the Ganges River before thousands after he inaugurated a $45-million corridor that connects two iconic religious sites in the state. Such events, analysts say, have turned temple inaugurations into political spectacles that drive focus away from pressing issues. “There is a limit to how much employment and development you can create around a temple,” Mehrohtra said.

Odd mix

THE big-ticket projects, which deftly mix religion and infrastructure, are aimed at pleasing the BJP’s Hindu base amid reports of discontent among key voters. The party won in the state last time by consolidating Hindu votes across castes. But multiple defections to the opposition Samajwadi Party, whose secular appeal has swayed voters from a wide range of castes as well as the Muslim community,

have raised uncertainties. Farmers, an influential voting bloc, are still furious at Modi for pushing agriculture laws that triggered a year-long protest before he bowed to the pressure and revoked them in November. The BJP is also facing allegations of Covid-19 mismanagement in the state after a calamitous surge in infections last year saw numerous corpses floating in the Ganges. The polls are a referendum on the saffron-robed Adityanath, a poster figure for the Hindu rightwing, who some analysts believe is vying to be the next prime minister. In 2017, he was appointed the chief minister—the top state official—after the BJP won. “It is an electoral test on his brand as a leader because he incarnates a more radical form of Hindu nationalism and is overly more communal than others in the BJP,” said Gilles Verniers, a political science professor at Ashoka University. The head of an influential Hindu temple, Adityanath’s rise has been marked by an increase in violence against Muslims, with numerous reports of lynching and other attacks. Recently, Adityanath declared the forthcoming election as a “80 percent versus 20 percent” contest, which roughly match Uttar Pradesh’s Hindu and Muslim demographics. He later clarified the figures in an interview with local media as a majority that want development and safety over a minority that opposed it. “The BJP has built houses and toilets for the poor without differentiating between their caste and religion. No one can claim the benefits of government schemes have reached only Hindus and not Muslims,” said Vijay Bahadur Pathak, the BJP state vice president.

Big divide

BUT the meaning wasn’t lost on Mohammed Noor, an auto-rickshaw driver in Lucknow, the state capital. “Until the Yogi government came, nobody pointed out a Hindu from a Muslim here. But ever since the BJP has risen, they’ve created a feeling of divide, of difference— this has only grown,” he said. “The Muslim community have just given up—we have no hope, we have stopped reacting,” said Shabbar Siddique, an 18-year-old in Lucknow. Even the construction of the temple in Ayodhya has been met

with resignation from the city’s Muslims. “What can we say? Since the judgment has come from the highest court, we’ll have to abide by it,” said Syed Zia Haider Rizvi, a watch store owner. “As a businessman, I should gain.” The Supreme Court in 2019 ruled in favor of the temple, ending one of India’s most protracted land disputes, and ordered alternative land to be given for a mosque. Many Hindus, who believe Ram was born at the site, rejoiced at the verdict, while a key Muslim body deplored it. The mosque’s destruction in 1992 set off riots in which 2,000 people across India were killed, mostly Muslims. There’s a feeling among many Muslims in Uttar Pradesh of rising fear and uncertainty, although Hindu and Muslim residents in Ayodhya itself say there have been no religious tensions since the mosque unrest. The BJP spun the court verdict, which came after the 2019 national elections, as their success. Observers said the fervor behind the ruling likely boosted Modi’s electoral sweep. But now analysts believe the party has squeezed all it can from the temple. “They certainly take the cake for keeping Hindu passions alive in the name of the temple for decades and decades,” said Lucknow-based political analyst Sharat Pradhan. “But electorally, I think it has outlived its potential.” BJP leaders are already invoking another holy city in Uttar Pradesh. In December, Adityanath first mentioned Mathura, believed to be the birthplace of Krishna, a major Hindu deity. A recent court case filed by Hindu priests over a 17th-century mosque there could rekindle tensions. Mathura, like Ayodhya, will also get a temple—work for it was already “in progress,” Adityanath was quoted as saying by local media. “Now that they have won Ayodhya, they will need another battle—which site are they going to fix their eyes on next?” said Verniers, the political science professor. “The moment they inaugurate the Ram temple, they will have to find something else.”

The World

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

The only Goldman banker standing trial for 1MDB By Patricia Hurtado & Sridhar Natarajan

ay after day, the scene has replayed: Roger Ng, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker, left his Manhattan apartment and, with an electronic monitor strapped to his ankle, headed downtown to build the case that might save him from prison. It’s been nearly three years since Ng landed in the US from Southeast Asia to face federal charges over his role in a scheme to loot billions from the Malaysian fund known as 1MDB. In that time Malaysia’s former prime minister has been convicted of crimes while Goldman has paid $5 billion in fines and apologized for breaking the law, one of the biggest black marks in its 153-year history. Now, at long last, Ng is about to get his day in court – as the only person in all of Goldman Sachs to stand trial in the US for a scandal that stretched from Singapore to Hollywood to Wall Street and beyond. He has pleaded not guilty. Free on a $20 million bond, Ng, 49, has been confined to his apartment except for runs on Manhattan’s West Side, trips to the grocery store and his lawyer’s office. He has spent his days at that office poring over millions of documents in the sprawling case. He sits at a desk that was previously occupied by “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, who was sentenced to prison for securities fraud in 2018, in another high-profile legal drama. Ng’s trial, delayed for two years because of the pandemic, is finally set to begin with jury selection Monday and is expected to last at least five weeks. Ng faces as many as 30 years in prison. “No one expected him to be here for three years,” his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said at a recent hearing. Ng and Agnifilo declined to comment for this story. While his defense team has cast Ng as a deputy to star Goldman banker Tim Leissner and the first to warn compliance about Malaysian financier Jho Low, prosecutors say Ng played a critical role in a bribe-paying and money-laundering scheme. By now the broad outlines of the 1MDB scandal, or at least its most salacious details, are well known on Wall Street. There is the gob-smacking dollar figure: $2.7 billion supposedly plundered, the scheme greased by bribes to various officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. Some of the money went to a $200 million superyacht. Some went to paintings by Monet, van Gogh and Basquiat. Still more went to finance a movie based on other real-life market mayhem: “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

The US says the “brazen” scheme couldn’t have been pulled off without help of bankers at Goldman Sachs. Ng, the former head of investment banking in Malaysia, is charged with helping Low and Leissner launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB. He’s also charged with violating US anti-bribery laws. Low, the alleged mastermind of the fraud, has denied wrongdoing and remains at large. Leissner secretly pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiring to violate US anti-bribery laws, as well as to engaging in a money laundering conspiracy. Leissner agreed to cooperate with the US and is expected to be a star witness at Ng’s trial. Ng has said he was the first to inform Goldman Sachs compliance about Low, sending “red flag warnings” not to do business with him. Agnifilo, Ng’s lawyer, has also said Leissner cooperated with the US and implicated Ng to save himself. Agnifilo contends that Ng played no role in the fraud. “Roger is a relatively insignificant figure caught between the Department of Justice and the government of Malaysia in a case of overwhelming significance,” Agnifilo said in a 2019 interview. “He’s really the yo-yo between these two countries.” The case against Ng focuses on Goldman’s fundraising work in 2012 and 2013 for 1MDB that raised about $6.5 billion in three transactions. The first was “Project Magnolia,” a $1.75 billion debtfinancing deal to purchase a Malaysian energy company. While assuring superiors Low wasn’t involved, Ng and Leissner allegedly agreed to pay bribes to officials to facilitate the bond deal, of which $577 million was diverted to pay officials like Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, prosecutors said. Low and others collected $295 million, while about $60 million was diverted to a company co-founded by Najib’s stepson and helped finance “The Wolf of Wall Street,” according to the US. Ng ultimately received about $35 million diverted from 1MDB into an account “managed and controlled” by his wife, prosecutors say. Ng’s wife hasn’t been charged with wrongdoing. Leissner, who agreed to forfeit $43.7 million and awaits sentencing later this year, could face as long as 25 years in prison. His lawyer Henry Mazurek didn’t return a call seeking comment. Ng was arrested in Malaysia in late 2018 and agreed to come to the US the next year. Even if he prevails in the US, his legal battle won’t end there: He still faces separate trial in Malaysia. Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Lithium: Small market ready to stage seismic expansion

By Mark Burton

ithium’s vital role in electricvehicle batteries means automakers, miners and investors are racing to figure out how much supply the world will need in the coming years—and also how much it’s going to get. The problem is the predictions vary wildly. The metal’s price has surged fivefold in the past year, reflecting mounting worries about availability. For years, batteries and EVs have become cheaper to make as the technology improved and production stepped up. But now there’s a risk that rising costs of raw materials—and lithium in particular— could hobble the transition just as momentum picks up. The stakes are high for carmakers that are spending billions of dollars betting on a battery-powered future. Mining companies and governments are responding with ambitious plans to boost production. But demand is growing at such a breathtaking pace that it’s not clear whether it will be enough. In a survey of six leading lithium forecasters, estimates for how the market will look in 2025 range from a deficit equal to 13 percentof demand to a 17 percentsurplus. Projections for the market’s size diverge sharply too, with demand forecasts ranging from as little as 502,000 tons to as much as 1.25 million tons. The gulf between forecasts reflects lithium’s status as a small

market on the cusp of seismic expansion, with the average of the six estimates suggesting annual growth of more than 20 percentfor both supply and demand between 2021 and 2025. That compares with typical growth rates of 2 percent-4 percentin larger and mature markets like copper, where surpluses and deficits usually equal a fraction of demand. The forecasts matter because banks use them for everything from gauging future car sales to valuing loans in mining projects. Vague market projections leave more room for sharp price swings when supply panic kicks in. That could be particularly unnerving for the car sector, which has placed lithium at the center of its electrification plans. It has spent years experimenting with different chemical compounds to minimize use of other battery metals like cobalt—which is sometimes mined in unethical conditions—while boosting usage of abundant elements like iron. With lithium at the core of virtually every battery technology in commercial use and development, higher prices could quickly start to bite. For example, if lithium spot

prices remain at levels currently seen in China, that could add up to $1,000 to the cost of a new EV, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Benchmark is among those forecasting supply to fall short of demand, even as it predicts output to roughly double from 2021 levels by 2025. Top lithium miners including Chile’s SQM reported annual demand growth of close to 50 percentlast year. “There’s a complete over optimism about the responsiveness of supply in the lithium market,” said Andrew Miller, chief operating officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. “It’s very hard to see how it’s going to accelerate at the speed that the battery market and electric vehicles are accelerating.” So far, the auto industry has been relatively relaxed about lithium supplies, mainly because they occur in high concentrations in miningfriendly countries including Chile, Australia and Canada. If anything, worries that large spikes in supply could quickly swamp the market is partly why some of the biggest miners have shunned developing lithium assets. Rio Tinto Group is the only mega-cap miner who’s so far been tempted to move into the metal—a market that’s still tiny compared with commodities like iron ore and copper. History shows that even current heavyweight lithium miners like Ganfeng Lithium Co., Albemarle Corp., SQM and Livent Corp. should be cautious. A spike in prices a few years ago quickly unraveled as producers flooded the market. Some analysts warn it could happen again. “We have some pretty opene nd e d s up pl y o p p or t u n it ie s opening up,” said Tom Price, an

analyst at Liberum who started cover ing commodities in the early 1990s. “There are really no constraints on resource upgrades and additions for new supply.” On the other hand, there are also good reasons why supply could lag. The mining industry has a reputation for failing to deliver on targets, and McKinsey & Co. estimates that more than 80 percentof projects come in late and over budget. Many assets being studied are owned by junior miners who don’t have as much experience or existing revenue streams to fall back on as the majors.

Environmental hurdles

Even the biggest miners face obstacles to bringing on new supply because of environmental concerns, despite lithium being a key material for a greener world. Serbia last month put a stop to Rio Tinto’s plans for a $2.4 billion mine after a nationwide backlash over the potential environmental risks. In Chile, home to the world’s largest lithium reserves, the mining industry is also running into stiff political headwinds. But as compelling as the supply risks are, it’s the potential for huge demand growth that’s really behind the difference in opinions on whether lithium will be over or undersupplied. While Bank of America Corp. is among the most optimistic on supply, it’s forecasting deep deficits once consumption is factored in. “There’s an awful lot of tons that producers need to bring into the market,” said Michael Widmer, head of metals research at the bank in London. “We have a disconnect where on the demand side we’re pushing very hard, but on the supply side, miners are only just starting to commit.” Bloomberg News

Yellen says ‘no plans to leave’, too much unfinished business By Christopher Condon

anet Yellen, President Joe Biden’s surprise pick as Treasury secretary in the wake of his 2020 election victory, says there’s too much unfinished business to think about departing the role after just over a year on the job. The biggest win of her tenure— a historic global agreement on corporate taxes that Yellen engineered through careful international diplomacy—remains incomplete, with the US Congress yet to endorse it. The administration’s “Build Back Better” package of social investments is also in legislative limbo. Meantime, high inflation is marring assessments of the $1.9 trillion aid bill enacted last March. “We still have a huge amount of important work to do,” Yellen, 75, said last week in a statement to Bloomberg News following a wideranging interview marking her first year in office. “I have no plans to leave Treasury anytime soon.” After more than 15 years at the Federal Reserve—culminating in her chairmanship that ended in 2018— Yellen brought an authoritative voice to the Biden team’s early call to “go big” with fiscal stimulus. Assuring Democrats that low interest rates gave them more room for extended federal spending, she provided an economic rationale to the White House’s negotiations on Capitol Hill. “We were trying to make sure that we took care of people so they could make it through the pandemic,” she

said in the interview Wednesday. “I have to say, I’m very pleased with the results.” By many measures the American Rescue Plan, which delivered $1.9 trillion to households, businesses and states, was a success. Millions have returned to employment, the economy bounced back strongly and wage gains surged as employers scrambled to attract workers. Yellen highlighted that poverty measures have fallen, evictions are below pre-pandemic levels and the massive lines seen at food banks a year ago have disappeared. “This is an extraordinary achievement,” she said. Another key data point, however, has gone in an unwelcome direction. After Yellen forecast in June that inflation would slow in the second half to around 3 percent, it zoomed to a four-decade high of 7 percent by December, overwhelming wage gains. It’s expected to climb even higher in the January data. Republicans— none of whom voted for Biden’s relief bill—blame it for the cost-of-living surge. And they’re not alone in criticizing the size of the package.

‘Over-sized’

“The American Rescue Plan was well intentioned but over-sized,” said Jason Furman, who served as chair of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers and now has posts at Harvard University and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “They erred on the side of too much.”

risks to the financial system from climate change. Build Back Better, the administration’s more ambitious plan to spend roughly $2 trillion over a decade and to raise taxes on the wealthy and on companies, hasn’t gone as well. West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin rejected the plan in December, leaving Democrats short of the 50 votes they need to pass it in the Senate. Yellen, who last month described the proposals as “modern supply-side economics,” said she’s “really enthusiastic” about reviving a number of the package’s elements.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on December 1, 2021. Bloomberg photo

Yellen disagrees. The ARP probably contributed “a little bit” to inflation, but Covidinduced supply chain constraints were the bigger culprit, she argued. Regardless, “you have to decide what’s the biggest risk that you face and address it effectively, and I think the American Rescue Plan was sized to do that,” she said. “I often think maybe Americans take it for granted. It’s like a dog that didn’t bark. You tend not to appreciate how different things could have been” with the assistance provided, Yellen said. What the labor economist does concede is that “transitory,” a term she used through much of 2021, wasn’t the best choice to describe inflation. “I think people heard ‘transitory,’

and to them it meant a couple of months,” she said. “Maybe a better word could have been chosen.” The bipartisan infrastructure package that Biden signed in November was a clearer success. At $550 billion in net new spending beyond the previous trajectory, it was the biggest such package in decades. It will provide “the modern infrastructure of a modern economy,” Yellen said—with funds not only for roads, bridges, water and ports, but also for the power grid, electric car-charging stations and broadband Internet. Other marks of Yellen’s tenure include Biden’s reappointment of Jerome Powell as Fed chair—for which she had advocated against the voices of some progressives—and a new focus on examining potential

‘Historic’ contributions

“The truth is that, in a way, almost each one of them, if they got done, would be historic in making a huge contribution on its own,” she said. She called the climate-related components “critical” and said adding two years of early childhood education would be a “massive accomplishment.” She believes Manchin might support both. “This is year one of a four-year term, and Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she quipped. The days of Democratic political control in Washington may be limited, however. Analysts see high chances for the Republicans to seize a majority of at least the House in November’s midterm elections. And that brings urgency to nailing down what observers say is Yellen’s biggest victory: reviving what had been a years-long, moribund

project to reform and modernize the taxation of multinational companies across the globe. Yellen personally led efforts that resulted in a deal backed by 140 countries. It takes on two major problems: How to halt the flight of big corporations to tax havens like Ireland and the Cayman Islands, and how to tax the profits from cross-border digital commerce—a dispute that had been on the verge of sparking trade wars. The deal addresses these through a 15 percent global minimum tax and an agreement that will see countries where profits are booked share some taxes with countries where revenue is generated.

Calling India

Among Yellen’s efforts: calling her Indian counterpart twice at crucial points to bring, and then keep, the emerging-market giant behind the agreement, according to a person familiar with the matter. She also was key in bringing around Ireland, one of three European Union members that initially refused to sign on. Assuming Democrats find a legislative vehicle, lawmakers are expected to approve the minimum tax portion, known as Pillar Two, which had been wrapped into the Build Back Better bill. But the other central element, Pillar One, is still tied up in technical talks. With many Republicans opposed and elections that may flip Congress looming in November, the clock is not on Yellen’s side. Bloomberg News

Sunday, February 13, 2022

The World BusinessMirror

States get go-ahead to build electric car charging stations

ASHINGTON—States are getting the go-ahead to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations that would place new or upgraded ones every 50 miles (80 kilometers) along interstate highways as part of the Biden administration’s plan to spur widespread adoption of the zeroemission cars.

The administration on Thursday announced the availability of $5 billion in federal money to states over five years under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law, sketching out a vision of seamless climate-friendly car travel from coast to coast. Under Transportation Department requirements, states must submit plans to the federal government and can begin construction by this fall if they focus first on highway routes, rather than neighborhoods and shopping centers, that can allow people to take their electric vehicles long distances. Each station would need to have at least four fast-charger ports, which enable drivers to fully recharge their vehicles in about an hour. Many technical details are to be worked out, and the administration acknowledges it will take work to persuade drivers accustomed to gas-powered cars, particularly in rural areas. The money is far less than the $15 billion that Biden had envisioned to fulfill a campaign promise of 500,000 charging stations by 2030, and it may take substantial private investment to make the plan work. “A century ago, America ushered in the modern automotive era; now America must lead the electric vehicle revolution,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who will have final signoff over most aspects of the funding. Buttigieg made the announcement in front of the Transportation Department along with White House officials, flanked by a pair of black Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs in the federal government’s growing electric fleet that he and Energy Secretary

Jennifer Granholm drive. The vehicle’s retail price starts around $44,000 and climbs to $60,000plus including options, and they are currently made in Mexico. Buttigieg made a special appeal to rural drivers, suggesting that big wide open spaces of the US no longer need to be a “valley of death” for EV drivers. “Many might think of them as a luxury item,” he said. “The reality is nobody benefits more from EVs in principle than those who drive the longest distances, often our rural Americans.” The law provides an additional $2.5 billion for local grants, planned for later this year, to fill remaining gaps in the charging network in rural areas and in disadvantaged communities, which currently are less likely to own the higher-priced electric vehicles. States failing to meet all the federal requirements risk delays in getting approval from the Federal Highway Administration or not getting money at all. Biden also has set a goal of 50 percent electric vehicle sales by 2030, part of a broader effort to become zero emissions economywide by 2050. Electric vehicles amounted to less than 3 percent of US new auto sales last year, but forecasters expect big increases in the next decade. Consumers bought about 400,000 fully electric vehicles. According to a Consumer Reports survey, anxiety about limited range and the availability of charging stations were among the top concerns consumers had about owning an EV. Biden hopes to do even more to promote electric vehicles, including a provision in his stalled

Chargers for electric cars are displayed at an opening ceremony for a Revel electric vehicle charging hub in the Brooklyn borough of New York, on June 29, 2021. The Biden administration is launching its long-awaited plan February 10, to build out a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, pledging $5 billion to states that focus first on stops along interstate highways that could spur a new era of zero-emission travel coast to coast. AP/Seth Wenig

social and environmental bill for a $7,500 tax credit for people who buy electric vehicles. “It’s going to help ensure that America leads the world on electric vehicles,” Biden said this week about American companies expanding EV infrastructure. “China has been leading the race up to now, but this is about to change,” he said. “Because America is building convenient, reliable, equitable national public charging networks. So wherever you live, charging an electric vehicle will be quick and easy.” Granholm described the initial $5 billion investment as creating “the spine” of the national network. Alluding to surging gasoline prices, Granholm said the aim of the new stations is to build “the necessary infrastructure for drivers across America to save money and go the distance.” T he e nv i ron me nt a l g roup Nat ura l Resources Defense Council praised the administration’s quick start but said much work remains to be done. It said states, utilities and private companies will need to step up and fill gaps in funding to ensure a full public charging system by 2035, estimated to cost as much as $39 billion. “We have no time to lose,” the group said in a statement. Currently, electric vehicle owners charge their vehicles at home 80 percent of the time, making the need for EV charging stations at colleges, apartment building parking lots or even public streets less urgent. But that is likely to change

as more people who don’t have a garage to house a charging station buy EVs. Under the Transportation Department plan, states would be eligible to build out EV stations in neighborhoods and cities once FHWA and Buttigieg certify they have done their part to fulfill commitments to the highway EV charging network, known as alternative fuel corridors. Direct-current fast chargers, which can charge a car up to 80 percent of its battery capacity in 20 to 45 minutes, are quite expensive, costing $40,000 to $100,000, limiting the number that can be built, but they enable drivers to quickly get back on a road such as a highway. Jessika Trancik, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies EV charging, called the administration’s approach a good first step. She said a successful strategy to spur wider EV use will require charging stations in a host of different locations, including faster charging along highways and slower charging near homes and workplaces. Even with limited resources, she said, federal money could be distributed to accelerate private investment, with greater government incentives for areas that might otherwise be underserved by the private sector. “It’s not about government going out and installing every one of these chargers themselves,” she said. “It’s also about nudging private sector investment.” AP

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Senators: CIA has secret program that collects American information

A S H I N G T O N —T h e CIA has a secret, undisclosed data repository that includes information collected about Americans, two Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday. While neither the agency nor lawmakers would disclose specifics about the data, the senators alleged the CIA had long hidden details about the program from the public and Congress. Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico sent a letter to top intelligence officials calling for more details about the program to be declassified. Large parts of the letter, which was sent in April 2021 and declassified Thursday, and documents released by the CIA were blacked out. Wyden and Heinrich said the program operated “outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection.” There have long been concerns about what information the intelligence community collects domestically, driven in part by previous violations of Americans’ civil liberties. The CIA and National Security Agency have a foreign mission and are generally barred from investigating Americans or US businesses. But the spy agencies’ sprawling collection of foreign communications often snares Americans’ messages and data incidentally. Intelligence agencies are required to take steps to protect US information, including redacting the names of any Americans from reports unless they are deemed relevant to an investigation. The process of removing redactions is known as “unmasking.” “CIA recognizes and takes very seriously our obligation to respect the privacy and civil liberties of US persons in the conduct of our vital national security mission,” Kristi Scott, the agency’s privacy and civil liberties officer, said in a statement. “CIA is committed to transparency consistent with our obligation to protect intelligence sources and methods.” The CIA released a series of redacted recommendations about the program issued by an oversight panel known as the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. According to the document, a pop-up box warns CIA analysts using the program that seeking any information about US citizens or others covered by privacy laws requires a foreign intelligence purpose. “However, analysts are not required to memorialize the justification for their queries,” the board said. Both senators have long pushed for more transparency from the intelligence agencies. Nearly a decade ago, a question Wyden posed to the nation’s spy chief presaged critical

revelations about the NSA’s masssurveillance programs. In 2013, Wyden asked thenDirector of National Intelligence James Clapper if the NSA collected “any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans.” Clapper initially responded, “No.” He later said, “Not wittingly.” Former systems administrator Edward Snowden later that year revealed the NSA’s access to bulk data through US Internet companies and hundreds of millions of call records from telecommunications providers. Those revelations sparked worldwide controversy and new legislation in Congress. Clapper would later apologize in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling his response to Wyden “clearly erroneous.” According to Wyden and Heinrich’s letter, the CIA’s bulk collection program operates outside of laws passed and reformed by Congress, but under the authority of Executive Order 12333, the document that broadly governs intelligence community activity and was first signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. “It is critical that Congress not legislate without awareness of a ... CIA program, and that the American public not be misled into believe that the reforms in any reauthorization legislation fully cover the IC’s collection of their records,” the senators wrote in their letter. There was a redaction in the letter before “CIA program.” Additional documents released by the CIA Thursday also revealed limited details about a program to collect financial data against the Islamic State. That program also has incidentally snared some records held by Americans. Intelligence agencies are subject to guidelines on the handling and destruction of Americans’ data. Those guidelines and laws governing intelligence activity have evolved over time in response to previous revelations about domestic spying. The FBI spied on the US civil rights movement and secretly recorded the conversations of Dr. Martin Luther King. The CIA, in what was called Operation Chaos, investigated whether the movement opposing the Vietnam War had links to foreign countries. “These reports raise serious questions about the kinds of information the CIA is vacuuming up in bulk and how the agency exploits that information to spy on Americans,” Patrick Toomey, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. “The CIA conducts these sweeping surveillance activities without any court approval, and with few, if any, safeguards imposed by Congress.” AP

Kim Jong Un keeps aiming his missiles at the ‘most hated rock’

By Jeong-Ho Lee

s Kim Jong Un unleashed his biggest-ever barrage of missile tests last month, one place suffered the most: a barren pile of rocks whose name means “No Man’s Land.” Alsom Island, located 18 kilometers (11 miles) off North Korea’s northeastern coast, has been targeted in more than 25 missile strikes since 2019. It was the destination of eight rockets in January alone, as

Kim carried out the most launches since he took power in a signal of defiance against a US-led sanctions regime intended to punish Pyongyang for developing such weapons. The South Korean military has closely watched the outcropping’s bombardment, especially after North Korea built a 10-meter wide domed structure there in August 2020, according to opposition lawmaker Yoon Ju-kyeong. Such a structure could be used to test bunkerbuster bombs, her office said, while others have speculated it might serve as a stand-in for a government building in Seoul. So much firepower directed at a single spot has prompted jokes that Kim must have a grudge, with weapons expert Joseph Dempsey quipping on Twitter that Alsom was North Korea’s “most hated rock.” Dempsey, a research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, told Bloomberg News the island provided a useful

proving ground for a new generation of short-range weapons systems, such as its KN-23, that can strike all of South Korea. “This relatively small and well-defined target presents a good way to demonstrate the apparent increased accuracy of these systems, particularly for propaganda purposes,” Dempsey said. In recent weeks, Kim has honed his newest short-range ballistic missiles on Alsom, some of which have slammed into the rocky outcrop at speeds possibly in excess of 3,000 kilometers (kms) per hour. North Korea also used the site to prove the accuracy and maneuverability of long-range cruise missiles that it said flew in patterns for 1,800 kms before hitting their targets on Jan. 25. It released photos of the impact. T he isl and is sit u ated far enough off the coast to provide a buffer for errant rockets and close enough to expect only North Korean vessels would be in the area. At about 850 meters (2,800 feet) in length, it’s small enough to show

the US and its allies that Kim can hit what he aims at. Kim has sought to modernize his military arsenal, which had previously relied on Scud variants of questionable accuracy. The new solid-fuel, short-range ballistic missiles that have been rolled out since 2019 are designed to fly about 250-500 kms. But some have been test-fired to more than 600 kms— long enough to reach a few parts of Japan’s western coast. As North Korea steps up launches, Alsom has provided a fiery backdrop for its domestically focused propaganda campaigns. State media have repeatedly published images of missiles fired at the island in recent days, including dramatic overhead drone shots. North Korea has fired its new missiles from various locations as it tries out new capabilities, such as a January test of ballistic missiles fired from train cars. Still, Alsom is too close to make a viable target if Kim makes good on his threat to

resume tests of larger, intercontinental ballistic missiles. Those must be fired hundreds of kilometers into space and fall farther from the country’s shores. Kim could use a national holiday on Feb. 16 marking what would’ve been the 80th birthday of his late father, Kim Jong Il, to show off his newest weaponry. The DongA newspaper reported satellite imagery showed signs of preparations for a military parade in Pyongyang, an event where it often unveils its advances. So far, there is no indication the Biden administration—or the American public—is particularly alarmed by Kim’s missile tests. Unlike Trump, Biden has avoided threats or other rhetorical escalations and says relatively little about the North Korean leader. “North Korea has been doing missile tests, dozens of them, in prior administrations,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a news briefing last week. “And obvi-

ously we’ve spoken to it each time that that has happened. The door to diplomacy remains open and we have conveyed that clearly.” For now, the bombardment of Alsom looks set to continue. North Korea has already fired more nuclear-capable missiles in 2022 than in all of last year. And holidays on Feb. 16 and April 15 marking the respective birthdays of Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, have in the past provided occasions for military displays. “By hitting the same target from different origins of aggression, North Korea could test and improve its striking capability aimed at the ROK,” said Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary at South Korea’s presidential Blue House, referring to South Korea by its formal name. “Pyongyang is testing to see whether its striking options are working in reality,” he said. Bloomberg News

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Biotech can slow down climate change in 5 ways By Clement Dionglay

Marvin Agustin (right), a celebrity chef and entrepreneur, and a farmer are holding some sweetpotatoes. Agustin is a partner of DOST-PCAARRD in its „Flavors of Science“ campaign. DOST-PCAARRD photo

‘Kamote’ is ‘sweetpotato,’ it is not ‘sweet potato’

‘K

amote” is commonly known in English as “sweet potato,” one of the world’s most important and popular food crops. So why should it be spelled as “sweetpotato”? The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) is supporting the change in spelling to “sweetpotato” to promote its uniqueness—the very reason why the initiative was proposed and adopted in 1989, its news release said. The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission said on its web site that it endorsed and adopted the singleword spelling of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) to differentiate it from the equally unique and distinctive potato (Solanum tubersosum) or the yam (Dioscorea sp.).

Sweetpotato is a root crop, not a tuber

The initiative was subsequently adopted by the US National Sweetpotato Collaborators in 1989. This was reaffirmed by the Centro Internationale de la Papa or International Potato Center (CIP) based in Peru. According to CIP, “Using the single-word term helps differentiate the sweetpotato from the white or Irish potato, which is a tuber, not a root... Differentiation also matters when it comes to separating sweetpotato from yams, another vegetable with which it is commonly confused.” Potatoes and yams are both tubers, while sweetpotato is a root. The differentiation also rectifies the confusion and mistreatment of sweetpotato being classified as a type of potato (Irish potato, red potato, white potato, baking potato etc.). Thus, it should be propagated, grown, harvested, cured, graded, marketed, consumed and promoted as a unique commodity, the DOST-PCAARD said.

Support from research institutions

Besides the DOST-PCAARRD, the one-word spelling is also supported by other academic and research institutions and groups working on sweetpotato research and development. Among them are the International Society for Horticultural Science, the Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center at the Visayas State University, Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center at Benguet State University, and others, the DOST-PCAARRD news release said. So while the use of the two-word spelling may still be prevalent when someone googles the word, spelling it as sweetpotato would help highlight the

uniqueness and importance of the once known as a poor man’s crop.

‘Flavors of Science’ campaign

This topic on sweetpotato was part of the discussions on DOST-PCAARRD’s “Flavors of Science” campaign. It aims to honor the hard work and synergy of farmers, fisherfolk, scientists, researchers and research managers who are constantly working in the background to attain food security. The campaign was launched on February 11 through an online news conference livestreamed via DOSTPCAARRD’s Facebook page.

Marvin Agustin is campaign partner

DOST-PCAARRD partnered with no less than celebrity chef and entrepreneur Marvin Agustin to help the Council in communicating the science behind food production. Agustin, who attended the online launching, will be releasing a series of videos in his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/ MarvinAgustinbaYUMMYhan). His videos, which will feature recipes using native food ingredients, will encourage Filipinos to patronize products produced and developed in the country and not those sourced abroad. Agustin has previously mentioned the advantage of using native pig in lechon, particularly the Markaduke native pig breed from Marinduque. Markaduke is one of the native pig breeds improved and developed by DOST-PCAARRD and Marinduque State College. The Flavors of Science campaign will feature the accomplishments of the council in developing sweetpotato production; the product of purification of native chicken, native duck, and native pig in different regions of the country, and efforts in conserving and growing tawilis, among others. Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said during the event: “Unknown to many, there are various breeds of native pig in the Philippines which DOST-PCAARRD [has been developing] to improve their quality. They are Q-Black from Tiaong, Quezon; Benguet native pig from Benguet; Sinirangan from Eastern Samar; ISUbela from Isabela; Yookah from Kalinga and Markaduke from Marinduque.” Developing the breeds of the native pigs could be considered a success of the DOST, de la Peña said. “ We a r e e x p e c t i n g t h a t t h e videos of Marvin [Agustin] will help broaden the public knowledge on the accomplishments of our agency,” de la Peña said in Filipino. Rose Anne M.

Aya/S&T Media Services

Special to the BusinessMirror

s the world’s population grows, the demands for agriculture keep increasing. Agriculture is the primary source of the world’s food supply, and every country depends on it not only for food but also for feed, fiber and fuel.

However, modern agriculture, including food and feed production and distribution, contribute enormously to greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, which leads to climate change.

Urgent challenge to global food production Climate change is an urgent global challenge. A study in 2019, led by the University of Minnesota with researchers from the Universit y of Oxford and the University of Copenhagen, reports that climate change is already affecting global food production. The study found that climate change has caused significant yield decreases in the world’s top 10 crops, while half of all food-insecure countries are experiencing a reduction in crop production. The accelerating pace of climate change, coupled with the growing global population and diminishing natural resources, threatens global food security.

Biotech crops slow down the effects of climate change Biotechnology offers a solution to reduce greenhouse gases and slow down climate change. These crops, for the last 25 years of commercialization, have contributed to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and allowed farmers to use environment-friendly energy, less fertilizer and chemical pesticides, and practice soil carbon sequestration. Here are five solutions that biotechnolog y of fers to slow dow n climate change.

1 . Herbicide tolerant biotech crops Herbicide tolerant (HT) biotech crops are vital to farmers’ fight against weeds. HT crops tolerate exposure to broad-spectrum herbicides, such as glyphosate and glufosinate. These crops are compatible with no-till methods, which help preserve the topsoil. HT biotech crops facilitate zero or no-till farming, which significantly reduces the loss of carbon from the soil (carbon sequestration), CO2 emissions and fuel use, and prevents soil erosion. A study conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, in 2021 reports that HT biotech crops increase soil carbon sequestration, keeping CO2 in the ground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

HT biotech crops help farmers and the environment as they require less labor and fewer resources for fossil fuel for tractors that plow the soil. Since their introduction, herbicide tolerance technology has helped millions of farmers who plant HT biotech crops. In 2019, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) reported that herbicide-tolerance trait was the second most dominant trait deployed in soybeans, maize, canola, cotton, sugar beets, and alfalfa, occupying 81.5 million hectares.

2. Insect resistant biotech crops Insect pests cause significant damage to crops, reducing yields and prompting farmers to continually spray their plants with pesticides. Excessive use of the pesticides is harmful to humans and the environment so scientists developed insectresistant (IR) biotech crops using a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Insect resistant biotech crops, first introduced in corn and cotton in the mid-1990s, require fewer pesticide sprays, which results in savings of tractor/fossil fuel and, thus, less CO2 is released into the atmosphere. According to the 2018 PG Economics study by Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot, planting IR biotech crops has helped save 776 million kg. a.i. of pesticides in 1996-2018, and by 51.7 million kg in 2018 alone from being released into the environment. In 2019, ISAAA reported that IR biotech crops were planted in 23.6 million hectares in India, Brazil, China, Pakistan, USA, Myanmar, South Africa, Sudan, Malawi, Nigeria, Spain, Portugal, Bangladesh, Eswatini, and Ethiopia. Brookes and Barfoot report that globally in 2018, the farm-level impact of using IR biotech cotton was $4.38 billion and $3.37 billion for IR biotech maize.

3. Salinity tolerant crops Biotech salt-tolerant crops have been developed in countries, such as the USA, China and Australia, and some are currently undergoing field trials. In Australia, field trials of 1,161 lines of genetically modified (GM) wheat and 1,179 lines of GM barley modified to contain one of 35 genes obtained from wheat, barley, corn, thale cress, moss, or yeasts were conducted from 2010 to 2015.

A Filipino farmer dries harvested biotech corn kernels in General Santos City. Biotech corn has been grown in the Philippines since 2003. About 875,000 hectares are planted to biotech stacked insect-resistant/herbicide-tolerant corn by more than 673,000 farmers ISAAA photo Some of the genes are expected to enhance tolerance to drought, cold, salinity and low phosphorous. Sugarcane that contains a transcription factor (OsDrebia) also completed field trial in 2015. Genes influencing salt tolerance have been found in various plants. In 2019, scientists at the University of Western Australia discovered two enzymes that explain wheat’s sensitivity to salty soils. In 2020, scientists from China National Rice Research Institute identified a gene in rice that influences sugar metabolism as well as the plant’s response to salinity stress. Similarly, a team from the US and South Korea has engineered thale cress to behave like a succulent with improved water-use efficiency and salinity tolerance by overexpressing a gene involved in berry development in wine grapes.

4. Drought resistant crops Agriculture is the largest consumer of water in the world, and in many developing countries, the use of water for agriculture can exceed 90 percent of consumption. The scarcity of water presents a major disaster worldwide, and droughts have caused significant yield losses in recent years. Drought-tolerant biotech crops carrying genes for water-stress management have been developed by scientists as a solution to yield losses due to drought. Drought tolerant sugarcane was planted in 2,000 hectares in Indonesia in 2019. Sugarcane is sensitive to drought and biotech sugarcane was developed to address local demand in the face of climate change. Soybean var ieties car r y ing the drought-tolerant HB4 trait were introduced in Argentina in 2019. HB4 soybeans deliver two layers of value for farmers as they are both drought- and herbicide-tolerant. Its technology reduces yield loss when the crop is challenged by drought. The US approval for HB4 soybeans followed in the same year, with the approval in Canada granted in 2021. In 2020, Argentina became the first country in the world to approve HB4 drought tolerant wheat for growth and consumption. The HB4 trait increases wheat yields by up to 20 percent and is currently the only drought-tolerance technology for wheat and soybean crops in the world. In November 2021, Brazil approved HB4 wheat flour for animal

and human consumption.

5. Cold tolerant crops Using genetic and molecular approaches, several genes for cold tolerance have been identified in rice, sugarcane, sorghum and potatoes. Cold tolerant GM crops are being developed, such as GM eucalypti, which is currently being field-tested in the US by Arborgen LLC since 2010. Thale cress has been improved to contain the DaIRIP4 from Deschapsia antarctica, a hairgrass that thrives in frosts down to negative 30 degress Celsius, and sugarcane is being introgressed with genes from cold tolerant wild varieties.

Biotech in PHL; other benefits Biotech crops are planted and adopted globally because of their enormous benefits to the environment, animal and human health, and to the improvement of global food security, sustainability and climate change mitigation. In the Philippines, 875,000 hectares of biotech stacked insect resistant/ herbicide tolerant corn was planted by more than 673,000 farmers as of 2019. Biotech corn has been grown in the country since 2003. In July 2021, commercial planting of genetically engineered Golden Rice was approved by the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry, while Bt eggplant was approved for direct use as food, feed or for processing. Biotech crops in the pipeline in the country include biotech delayed ripening and ringspot resistant papaya and Bt cotton. Biotech increased crop productivity worldwide by 822 million tons valued at $224.9 billion from 1996 to 2018; and 86.9 million tons valued at $18.9 billion in 2018 alone. These crops also help conserve biodiversity and provide a better environment by saving on pesticide use and reducing CO2 emissions in 2018 by 23 billion kg that is equivalent to taking 15.3 million cars off the road for one year. Lastly, biotech crops help alleviate poverty by uplifting the economic situation of 17 million small farmers and their families totaling more than 65 million people, who are some of the poorest people in the world. Clement Dionglay is with International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications Southeast Asia Center’s Global Knowledge on Crop Biotechnology.

Bataan SU to offer railway engineering course

The artist’s perspective of the Automated Guideway Transit as laboratory facility of BPSU’s Railway Engineering. BPSU photo

he Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) is set to offer Railway Engineering as an additional program in its College of Engineering and Architecture. It should be noted that BPSU’s plan to offer the new engineering program was inspired by the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT), an alternative mass transportation technology that was designed and developed by the Department of Science and Technology’s

Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC). The AGT will be installed at BPSU. The Railway Engineering program will be offered to students by August 2023. T he D O S T, D O S T- Ph i l ip pi ne Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development, and the BPSU recently signed, in a virtual ceremony a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the

installation of the AGT at the BPSU. During the MOA signing, DOSTMIRDC expressed its full support to the project to promote innovations in railway technology. The MOA specified the timeline of the project—the construction of rail track, electrical room and coach storage, testing and module development that will be completed by December 2022. The AGT laboratory facility will

be launched also in December 2022. DOST-MIRDC Executive Director Roberto O. Dizon expressed the center’s full support to the project. “I am proud to say that I am from Balanga, [Bataan]. I am really proud that we will have here a railway engineering [program] using the AGT [technology],” Dizon said. He shared the hope that eventually the real AGT will be plying around Balanga. Zalda R. Gayahan/ S&T Media Services

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Vatican: Global synodal process faces challenges

ATICAN—The Vatican acknowledged recently that the Church’s effort to listen to the 1.34 billion Catholics worldwide through a synodal process is facing challenges. “Many of the faithful perceive the synodal process as a crucial moment in the Church’s life, as a learning process, as well as an opportunity for conversion and renewal of ecclesial life,” said a February 7 statement following a meeting of the ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops on January 26. “At the same time, various difficulties have also emerged. In fact, fears and reticence are reported among some groups of the faithful and among the clergy. There is also a certain mistrust among the laity who doubt that their contribution will really be taken into consideration.” The statement cited the pandemic as a further obstacle to gathering in person for communal discernment, underlining again that the local synodal process leading up to the 2023 Synod on Synodality “cannot be reduced to a mere questionnaire.” But the organizers reported that, despite the challenges, participation among Catholic bishops’ conferences worldwide has been high and efforts have been made to translate the synod documents

into many local languages. According to the council, “close to 98 percent of the Episcopal Conferences and Synods of Eastern Churches worldwide have appointed a person or an entire team to implement the synodal process.” “The synodal process has been particularly welcomed with joy and enthusiasm in several African, Latin American and Asian countries,” it said. The statement outlined five “recurring challenges” facing the current diocesan phase of the synod: 1) Formation “in listening and discernment” is needed to ensure that the synod remains a spiritual process. 2) There is a temptation to be “self-referential” in group meetings rather than being open to others. 3) Getting young people to participate is a challenge. 4) Reaching out to and involving “those who live on the margins of ecclesial institutions” can be difficult. 5) Some clergy are reluctant to participate. “ There is growing awareness that the synodal conversion to

Pope Francis takes part in a moment of reflection for the opening of the synodal path at the Vatican’s New Synod Hall on October 9, 2021. VATICAN MEDIA

which all the baptized are called is a lengthy process that will prolong itself well beyond 2023,” the Vatican statement said. “The desire all over the world is this synodal journey, which has begun at the local level, continue this journey well beyond Synod 2021-2023 so that tangible signs of synodality might increasingly be manifest as constitutive of the Church.” The statement also announced that the Vatican would send a note to dioceses and bishops’ conferences with further details on how to format reports on the local consultation, which will be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. “The note proposes the idea that the drafting of the report is itself an act of discernment, i.e. the fruit of

a spiritual process and teamwork,” it said. The synodal process is a global, two-year event featuring “listening and dialogue” that Pope Francis formally launched in October 2021. The first stage is a diocesan phase expected to last until August 15. The Vatican has asked all dioceses to participate, hold consultations, and collect feedback on specific questions laid out in synod documents. At the end of the current process, an assembly of the Synod of Bishops is scheduled to take place in Rome in October 2023 to produce a final document to advise the pope. The Synod of Bishops’ statement invited Catholics to read its weekly newsletter, as well as visit its web site for prayers for the synod and synod resources page. Courtney Mares/ Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Catholic schools reject bets engaged in martial law historical revisionism

n et wor k of C at hol i c schools in the country the other day chided political candidates who use disinformation on social media in an attempt to win the May elections. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) did not identify any politician by name but it criticized the “brazen” efforts to portray the martial law years as the country’s “glory days.” “We vehemently reject the candidates who run under this platform of lies and historical distortion,” CEAP said. “We value truth, and, thus, we deplore the massive disinformation that is deceiving our people, especially our youth, in a way that is unparalleled in our history,” it said. CEAP made the pronouncement in a statement titled, “A call to moral courage in the 2022 elections.” It was signed by the association’s board of trustees led by its president, Sr. Marissa Viri, RVM. Similarly, the Catholic educators will also reject bets that back

The headquarters of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines in Quezon City. CBCP News photo

the “unjust” actions of President Duterte’s administration. These, it said, include the government’s ruthless war on drugs “and the blatant lack of remorse and accountability from the country’s

leadership.” CEAP also rejected candidates who supported the Duterte government’s seeming inaction toward China’s incursions within the Philippine territory.

On the other hand, the Catholic schools said they will support candidates that have no record of corruption, and have proven competence in participatory governance, transparency and accountability in public service. CEAP said they value integrity and they also support candidates who have love for the poor and their empower ment, abilit y to sacrifice for the sake of the common good, and readiness to fight for values of truth, social justice, and democracy. “We support leaders who wield power as social responsibility and not self entitlement, and who can connect to the spiritual in their lives, through their conscience, discernment, and faith in God,” it added. “Our society is now languishing in the darkness of lies, injustice, authoritarianism, and dysfunctional leadership and governance. The May elections is the opportunity that will break this darkness,” CEAP said. CBCP News

India bars hijab-wearing Muslim students from class

E W DEL HI—W hen t he students were barred last month from entering their classrooms and told not to wear hijab, a headscarf used by Muslim women, they began camping outside the all-girls high school. The story cascaded across the Internet, drawing news crews to the front of the government-run school in Udupi district, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Battle lines were swiftly drawn. The students began protesting outside the school gate and sat huddled in a group, reading their lessons. The school staff, who said the students were defying uniform rules, remained unmoved. A month on, more schools have

beg un implementing a simi lar ban on hijabs, forcing the state’s top court to step in. It will hear petitions filed by the protesting students on Tuesday and rule on whether to overturn the ban. But the uneasy standoff has raised fears among the state’s Muslim students who say they are being deprived of their religious rights. Early last week, hundreds of them, including their parents, took to the streets against the restrictions, demanding that students should be allowed to attend classes even if they are wearing hijab. “What we are witnessing is a form of religious apartheid. The decree is discriminatory and it disproportionately affects Mus-

lim women,” said A. H. Almas, an 18-year-old student who has been part of the weeks-long protests. So far several meetings between the staff, government representatives and the protesting students have failed to resolve the issue. The state’s education minister, B. C. Nagesh, has also refused to lift the ban. He told reporters that “those unwilling to follow uniform dress code can explore other options.” For many Muslim women, the hijab is part of their Islamic faith. It has for decades been a source of controversy in some western countries, particularly in France, which in 2004 banned it from being worn in public schools. But in India, where Muslims

make up almost 14 percent of the country’s near 1.4 billion people, it is neither banned nor is its use restricted in public places. In fact, women wearing hijab are a common sight in India, and for many of them, it symbolizes religious identity and is a matter of personal choice. Because the debate involves alleged bias over a religious item worn to cover hair and maintain modesty, some rights activ ists have voiced concerns that the decree risks raising Islamophobia. Violence and hate speech against Muslims have increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, which also governs the Karnataka state. AP

German archbishop backs loosening Catholic celibacy rules

ERLIN—A prominent German archbishop advocated loosening celibacy rules for Catholic priests in comments published recently before a meeting of a German reform assembly. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich, told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that “it would be better for everyone to create the possibility of celibate and married priests.” His comments come as his diocese has been shaken by an independent report on the church‘s handling of sexual abuse cases over decades, which faulted Marx and predecessors, including retired Pope Benedict XVI. Marx, a prominent reformist ally of Pope Francis, said last week that the church needs deep reform to overcome the “disaster” of sexual abuse. “For some priests, it would be better if they were married—not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their life and they wouldn’t be lonely,” he said in the newspaper interview. “We must hold this discussion.” He insisted that celibacy won’t be scrapped altogether, but said he sees a “question mark” over “whether it

Thich Nhat Hanh (center, praying) in Vietnam, 2007

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP

should be taken as a basic precondition for every priest.” In 2019, Marx expressed support for a call by bishops in the Amazon region for the ordination of married men as priests to address a clergy shortage there, but stopped short of calling for a global recognition of married priests. The “Synodal Path,” which brings together Catholic church and lay representatives, has sparked fierce resistance inside the church, primarily from conservatives opposed to opening any debate on issues such as priestly celibacy, women’s role in the church and homosexuality.

Wikimedia Commons

What is walking meditation?

or Thich Nhat Hanh, the late Vietnamese monk who popularized mindfulness in the West, walking was not simply a way to get from one place to another, or an activity to be reserved for a perfect forest path. It could be a profound contemplative practice putting people in touch with their breath, their bodies, the Earth—and an awareness of what he called “interbeing.” Thich Nhat Hanh, who was one of the most influential Buddhist leaders in the world when he died on January 22, created the term to describe “our deep interconnection with everything else.” “Ever ything relies on ever ything else in the cosmos in order to manifest—whether a star, a cloud, a flower, a tree, or you and me,” he explained. As a scholar of contemporary Buddhism, I have studied how the monk’s teachings combine personal practices like mindfulness with social change—a movement called which Thich Nhat Hanh developed t hrough his peacef u l activ ism against the Vietnam War. But one of his best-loved teachings is walking meditation, a key part of every visit to the 11 Plum Village monasteries he founded around the world. Thich Nhat Hanh believed that the Earth is sacred, so wherever someone walks, they can be reminded of this spiritual connection while also uniting their mind with their body. He taught that people’s true homes are located in the present moment, through awareness of their steps on the Earth, their bodies and

their minds. Wa l k i ng me d it at ion br i ng s practitioners back to this solid grounding. Here are the steps of walking meditation as it is done in the Plum Village tradition: 1) Take a moment to breathe and center your body in the space you are about to walk. At Plum Village practice centers, monks and nuns lead participants in singing a few mindfulness songs before starting. In “We’re All Moving,” for example, the group sings, “We’re all moving on a journey to nowhere, taking it easy, taking it slow. No more worries, no need to hurry, nothing to carry, let it all go.” 2) While walking, be mindful of your breath and your footsteps. Walk in a slow, relaxed way, preferably with a light smile. Think about the miracle of being alive and being able to step on Mother Earth, repeating these phrases:“Breathing in, I know Mother Earth is in me. Breathing out, I know I am in Mother Earth.” 3) Take one breath per step, focusing on your foot touching the Earth. You can also notice how many steps you take while breathing in and then breathing out, naturally. The point is to find a connection between your breathing and your steps. Instead of sitting meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh’s practices emphasize adding mindfulness to daily life anytime, anywhere. By incorporating walking meditation into a daily or weekly schedule, every step can be part of a deeper practice of interbeing. Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College/The Conversation

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Beekeeping saves the day for farmers

rancis and Crispy Perez have been working like clockwork for years in their small coconut farm in the distant village of Hiwacloy in the town of Goa, Camarines Sur.

As farmers, it’s all hard work and teamwork for the couple to make ends meet, while they take turns in attending to their four young children. A decade ago, the couple felt the difficulty of raising their growing children while their income from coconut farming was becoming insufficient. Finally, they got the idea of venturing into beekeeping, or bee farming, to produce honey which can bring them the extra income to fill their “budget gap.”

Effective pollinators

But more than bringing in the extra cash, bees can also help save the world. Take it from Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) who said the importance of bees cannot be overemphasized. An international biodiversity expert, Lim said as pollinators, bees help propagate flowers and vegetation naturally, and contribute to the genetic diversity of plants. “They are also prey to birds and other predators, so we need to keep them in good numbers and in good health to ensure a safe and sustainable food supply for those who depend on them,” Lim said. She added: “Of course, they produce honeycombs and honey, which

can be a source of nourishment for humans, who process these for livelihoods and industries, and for other animals.”

Human inspiration

For humans, the character and behavior of bees and bee colonies inspire innovation and technologies biomimicry, Lim pointed out. “Bee stings have potential pharmaceutical benefits, as well as [biotechnology],” she said. Asked about bee farming, Lim said it is “good” if one uses native species and allows them to collect nectar in the natural surroundings. “[Besides] contributing to the propagation of natural vegetation, including flowering native trees, the ‘farming’ itself, if there is community involvement, discourages the use of pesticides because there is the economic value that is attached to the survival of a healthy population of bees,” she explained. However, she said the use of exotic bee species that may escape to the surrounding environment may affect the country’s local bee populations and may not necessarily be effective in propagating native plant species. “Other negative impacts arise if invasive exotic species of plants are introduced as a source of nectar, or if native bees are collected and placed in an enclosed space

Ghostly monkey, succulent bamboo among new species in Mekong

ANGKOK—A monkey with ghostly white circles around its eyes is among 224 new species listed in the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) latest update on the greater Mekong region. The conservation group’s report, released recently, highlights the need to protect the rich biodiversity and habitats in the region, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. The species listed were found in 2020 but last year’s report was delayed. The monkey is called the Popa langur, for it lives on the steep hillsides of the extinct Mt. Popa volcano in Myanmar. It was the only new mammal. There are also dozens of newly identified reptiles, frogs and newts, fish and 155 plant species, including the only known succulent bamboo species, found in Laos. The Mekong region is a biodiversity hotspot and home to tigers, Asian elephants, saola—an extremely rare animal also called the Asian unicorn, or spindlehorn—and thousands of other species. Including this latest list, scientists have identified more than 3,000 new species in the region since 1997, the WWF said. Scientists used measurements and samples from museum collections to compare and identify key differences with features of the newly discovered animals and plants, the report said. Studying such differences can help determine the range of species and threats to their survival, Thomas Ziegler, a curator at the University of Cologne’s Institute of Zoology, said in introducing the report. Identifying new species is tricky, though, and sometimes can only be determined using a variety of methods, such as frog calls and genetic data used to distinguish the Cardamom leaf little frog, found high up in the Cardamom mountains in a wildlife refuge.

as easy as it looks, Mang Kikoy, as Francis is popularly known, told DAR employees who learned beekeeping from him. Mang K ikoy recalled being stung by wild bees when he was just starting in engaging in it a decade ago. However, he said beekeeping is not new to him. As a teenager, he learned the skill from his elder brother, who is also a farmer. Only a few people from their town are into wild beekeeping because it was never the main source of their income. But for Mang Kikoy and his wife, they nurtured their bees with enthusiasm.

Some species are found in more than one country, including the bright orange twin slug snake, which consumes slugs. The Popa langur was identified based on genetic matching of recently gathered bones with specimens from Britain’s Natural History Museum collected more than a century ago, the report said. Two main distinguishing characteristics were the broad white rings around its eyes and its front-pointing whiskers. The WWF, working with Fauna and Flora International, caught images of the monkeys using camera traps in 2018. FFI reported the discovery late last year. The monkey is a candidate to be listed as a critically endangered species on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the report said, since only 200 to 250 are thought to survive in the wild, in a handful of places. Underscoring the urgency of such work, more than 38,000 of the 138,000 species the IUCN tracks are threatened with extinction. A new type of begonia with reddish flowers and a berry-like fruit also was found in the uplands of Myanmar, where illegal mining and logging have become an increasingly dire threat in the country, which is in the midst of political turmoil following a military takeover a year ago. Despite human encroachments on tropical forests and other wild zones, much of the Greater Mekong is still little explored and each year dozens of new species are found—a glimmer of hope as so many species go extinct. Not all new species are found deep in jungles. One of the new plant species is a ginger plant called “stink bug» for its pungent odor similar to big beetles Thais use to make a kind of chili dipping paste served with rice, the report said. It was found in northeastern Thailand, in a plant shop. AP

Francis Perez shows a honeycomb and his bee colony in this photo collage from his bee farm in Barangay Hiwacloy, Goa, Camarines Sur. Photo from DAR Bicol

with the artificial environment, including feeding them with sugar syrup which may cause indigestion, and have limited ecological benefits” she warned.

A unique venture

Two years ago, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) introduced the environment-friendly venture the farmers could pursue for additional income, said Carla Verdejo, Agrarian Reform Program officer said. Five other farmers in the town also engaged in bee farming, Verdejo told the BusinessMirror via telephone interview on February 5. She said recognizing the potential of beekeeping to help improve the farmers’ source of livelihood, the DAR started helping the Perez couple in enhancing product packaging and marketing. “There is really a high demand for wild bee honey. When we first discovered this venture in 2020,

we immediately provided help [to the farmers],” she said. This March, she said the Philippine Coconut Authority will provide the farmers training, kits and, possibly, additional bee colonies.

Good for coconut, fruit-bearing trees

Beekeeping, Verdejo said, is good for coconut farmers, as well as those who venture into farming fruitbearing trees. However, she said bees avoid chemicals as they are very sensitive to agrochemical fertilizers and pesticides. This means those into beekeeping should avoid using chemicals near their bee colonies. “Fortunately, Goa is surrounded by trees and farmers are not using pesticides so it is ideal for beekeeping,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Not easy as it looks

Rearing “exotic wild bees,” also known as “ligwan,” however, is not

From 3 to 33

The Perez couple started with just a set of three hives which later grew to 33 colonies. “We realized that we could still grow all of our other crops while keeping the bees among them. We could earn more money without needing additional land or capital,” Mang Kikoy explained. Unfortunately, a succession of typhoons devastated the Bicol region in recent years which destroyed half of the couple’s beehives. Only 17 colonies out of 33 bee colonies were left. However, they are starting to multiply again.

An early morning activity

“In my experience, the best time to gather honey is early in the morning because the bees are not very aggressive during that time of the day,” he said. “We have done all the hard work, so when the harvest comes, we expect to earn enough money for our family’s needs,” he said. The couple would often gather up to 20 bottles of 350 ml of pure

honey every third or fourth week of the month, and would sell them at P300 each through private transactions in their community or at farmers’ markets in Goa.

Hunting queen bees

Though he hasn’t attended any training on beekeeping, Mang Kikoy perfectly executed an extraordinarily refined technique of hunting beehives hanging on the high mountains of Barangay Hiwacloy. Spotting the queen bee could be very hard, he said. Actually, many beekeepers are still struggling to develop this skill even after several years of beekeeping, he noted. Getting the queen bee is risky. One may be swarmed by bees and get stung repeatedly. He added that even a minor slip may cause a fall to hundreds of feet down the mountain. “By the time I spot the queen, I place it in a new wooden box, and a big chunk of bees will follow her. They will begin building combs. And those left behind will create a new queen,” he said.

Fascination for bees

“I’ve always been fascinated with bees. It’s a very enjoyable hobby, even though it comes with its fair share of pain,” Mang Kikoy said. “To see them progress in the hive and grow is very rewarding.” Mang Kikoy tends his bees like they were his family, and he takes care of them like his children. “To be able to communicate with bees, you need to have the personal strength to approach them, patience to learn how to tame them, which all require not force but wisdom,” Mang Kikoy said.

Bringing back second-hand items back into circularity By RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor

IRCULAR economy startup, Humble Sustainability, has tied up with cloud logistics platform provider, Locad, to support the warehousing, fulfillment and shipping requirements of its online shop called Thrift. With its passion for thrifting and sustainable second-hand shopping, and a mission that includes changing the mindset of habitual buying of new things and just throw them away later, Humble Sustainability advocates picking up and sorting things from “thrifters,” or people, who discard items that are no longer in use, to restore them in several ways, as well as large-scale enterprises getting rid of their appliances or communities removing their old furniture,

its news release said. Luckily, cofounders Josef Werker and Niña Mirabueno Opida found a reliable, innovative logistics partner, who could keep up with the pace of time and be open to the novelty of the products they deliver. “[Besides] Locad’s efficiency, speed and reliability, we are thankful that they are essentially bringing our items back into circularity. The items we collect from businesses, they help us collect things and bring it to end-users,” Werker said. According to him, their restoration involves various processes. “We could resell things, upscale them into something quirky and artistic, recycle them, or break them down into usable raw materials,” he explained. Locad’s expertise come into play by streamlining Humble’s operations and

deliveries. Its distributed fulfillment network in the Asia-Pacific and regional experience have also made it familiar with the requirements of groundbreaking companies like its social-enterprise partner and address them with agility. “Anything that we decide to sell on Thrift is sent to Locad,. When someone orders, we do not have to worry about the product. It gets delivered and we see a real-time, updated report,” Werker said of Locad’s immediate dashboard and fulfillment options. In the near future, the Humble cofounders plan to use tech to measure quantifiable impacts like carbon footprint reduction from recycling or upcycling secondhand items. Opida underscored that Locad will continue to be a “valuable part” of their journey, ensuring that thrifters are satisfied with their

experience as preloved goods are brought back into the market, the news release said. “What we are trying to achieve in Humble resonates with both of us. We are essentially helping people put their items back in circularity. In the process, we also want to involve people who may not have opportunities in this new ecosystem we are trying to connect,” she said. Together, both parties will create “a platform that can help a community of people learn, interact and engage with each other about living mindfully and sustainably,” Werker added. “Locad and Humble are purely acting as the catalyst hopefully inspiring people to take their first steps. This is how sustainability can be achieved in a mass wave. Small steps from everyone working together count as one,” he pointed out.

USAID, Nestlé PHL partner to support LGUs in solid waste and climate concerns

he United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program, and Nestlé Philippines Inc. marked the Philippines’s Zero Waste Month in January through a partnership to help local government units (LGUs) and community leaders better understand the link between climate change and solid waste management. Tetra Tech’s Rene Acosta, CCBO Asia Regional Director, and Nestlé Philippines Senior Vice President Arlene Bantoto signed the memorandum of understanding during the recent event, a USAID news release said. USAID and Nestlé Philippines committed to share practical tips about improving local solid waste management, increase communities’ access to solid waste management education, and implement Nestlé Philippines’s Climate Change and Solid Waste Management Education Program. “Combatting ocean plastics pollution is a challenge that requires strong partnerships,” said

(Right) Rene Acosta, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean Program Asia regional director, and Arlene Bantoto, Nestlé Philippines senior vice president and head of Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, sign the memorandum of understanding to help improve local solid waste management in the country. USAID photo USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn. “USAID is pleased to partner with Nestlé Philippines in supporting local governments to reduce waste-linked contributions to ocean plastics and the climate crisis,” Washburn added. The Philippines generates an estimated 2.7 million tons of plastic waste annually, of which 20 percent is estimated to end up in the ocean. While the country has legislation on solid waste management, LGUs sometimes struggle to implement and enforce regulations.

By extending Nestlé Philippines’ Climate Change and Solid Waste Management Education Program to USAID CCBO engagement sites in Metro Manila and Iloilo, USAID and Nestlé Philippines will support local government efforts to enhance their solid waste management systems and develop resilience to climate change. “As a food and beverage manufacturer with a major presence in the country, we are called upon to be at the forefront in helping tackle the urgent issues of climate change and plastic

waste,” said Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki. “As Nestlé Philippines sustains plastic neutrality, and other pioneering initiatives for the environment, it is important for us to help capacitate people at the grassroots level,” Marzouki said. “We welcome this partnership with USAID Philippines and look forward to working with other partners as we accelerate our journey toward a waste-free future.” USAID launched CCBO in August 2019 as its flagship program to respond to the ocean plastics pollution crisis. The five-year (2019 to 2024), $48-million (P2.5-billion) program works at the global level and in specific countries like the Philippines to address ocean plastics directly at their source. By strengthening waste management systems and building circular economies city by city, the program builds sustainable solutions that reduce ocean plastics while empowering vulnerable populations and mitigating pollution that affects human health and the climate, the news release said.

Sports BusinessMirror

Rams, Bengals have enough stars to keep attention on Super Bowl

A8 | S

unday, February 13, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

OS ANGELES—Three-time Associated Press National Football League (NFL) Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. Three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. with his pass-catching flair. And the NFL’s best receiver this year in Cooper Kupp. Those are only some of the big names on the Los Angeles Rams. Then there’s Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow. Young, confident to the point of brashness and with a fashion sense and style off the field reminiscent of another young QB named Joe who once made waves on the big stage in Joe Namath. Yes, there will be more than enough star power on the field Sunday at the Super Bowl to match the celebrities in the stands at SoFi Stadium. “I think if you look cool in the dictionary, there’s a picture of him in some Cartier shades,” Beckham said of Burrow. “This guy is smooth and truly, as...he’s going to be one of the greats, I feel like. And I truly believe that Joe Burrow yes, is definitely cool, for sure.” Burrow has earned plenty of attention leading the Bengals far beyond worst to first in just his second NFL season. With Cincinnati’s first Super Bowl berth since the 1988 season, Burrow is the toast of Ohio. LeBron James has reached out to him and rapper Kid Cudi direct messaged Burrow on social media. It’s why Burrow is staying off social media. “I haven’t checked in a while,” Burrow said. “My phone hasn’t been blowing up as much, so that’s been nice. Just trying to eliminate those distractions. But yeah, the social part of the position that I’m in, it’s crazier than the football part to me.” Burrow showed off his fashion sense at the AFC title game. First with a big coat on his way into Arrowhead Stadium, then with a gold and diamond necklace over his classic black turtleneck postgame. Cincinnati rookie kicker Evan McPherson says Burrow’s style is pushing him to up his own game for the Super Bowl. “I probably learned a thing or two from him...,” McPherson said. “My favorite one is probably the jacket from this past [game] in my opinion. It’s definitely special and definitely unique.” The Rams live in Los Angeles— Hollywood, you know—so style comes naturally. No outfit can come close to matching the sheer star power on the roster for a team that seemingly can’t collect enough big names. They traded for Matthew Stafford, upgrading significantly at quarterback. During this season, they traded for linebacker Von Miller, the NFL’s active sacks leader and Super Bowl 50 MVP; signed Beckham in November after he was released by Cleveland; and lured safety Eric Weddle out of retirement for the postseason. “We got a lot of stars over here,” Ramsey said. “We oozing with confidence as well. So don’t forget about who we really are over here. We’ve been playing some great ball in this postseason. And you know obviously we got individual guys who have been great and doing great things in this league for years and years and years.” Kupp turned in the best performance by a receiver in the NFL with 145 catches for 1,947 yards. He credits Coach Sean McVay with not shying away from letting his best players work against each other. “I get to line up against Jalen Ramsey and compete against Jalen Ramsey every single week,” Kupp said. “Now, that is a huge advantage for me, and so thankful that coach allows us to be in those positions to compete against each other to sharpen each other.” AP

DENMARK goalkeeper Frederik Dichow (1) reaches to clear the puck away from Russian Olympic Committee’s Vadim Shipachyov (87) during a preliminary round men’s hockey game before the weekend. AP

BLACK IS GRACEFUL

EIJING—Before her own Olympic career began, Canadian figure skater Vanessa James had seen Black Girl Magic on the ice. It was on display at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, when French skater Surya Bonaly leapt into the air, kicked into a backflip and landed on one leg. The thrilling move has neither been widely attempted since nor accepted by judges for international competitions, such as the Olympic Games, and thus “the Bonaly flip” has never became a big thing. Yet despite the move being controversial at the time, Bonaly’s tenacity in attempting it has inspired many who have followed her. “I wanted to do a backflip, but I was always really too scared to try it,” says James, who is skating in Beijing in her fourth Winter Games after representing France in Vancouver and Pyeongchang. The Salchow, the Biellmann, the Charlotte spiral—these figure skating standards are named after white people from the 20th century. And in a centuryold sport that was largely European until just a few decades ago, some wonder: How can more Black athletes make the same lasting imprint on it? “If you don’t see yourself in the sport, how can you believe that you belong, how can you believe that you can be the best, how do you know that you can be creative or that you’ll be accepted for your uniqueness?” says James, who in 2010 was one half of the first Black French pairs skating duo with Yannick Bonheur. There are no Black athletes competing in figure skating for the Americans this year, though the US team includes five Asian American skaters, an openly LGBTQ skater and the first gender-nonbinary skater. Mexico’s figure skating team consists of Donovan Carrillo, the lone representative from Latin America. Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan came to define Asian American representation at the Olympics in the 1990s, while China, Japan and South Korea became more prominent in the early 2000s. And with Nathan Chen headed for a gold medal, and Alysa Liu and Karen Chen on the American team, the pipeline of figure skaters has yet to show signs of slowing. James, who skates in the pairs event with teammate Eric Radford, is the only Black figure skater competing for any nation in Beijing. She carries not just the hopes of Canadian and French skaters, but also Black girls and women, boys and men

across the world who strain to see themselves represented on the ice and slopes during the Winter Games. Part of the reason, says Elladj Baldé, a Black and Russian professional figure skater from Canada, is that “Black skaters weren’t allowed to be in figure skating clubs [or] in figure skating competitions” during the sport’s early years. Whether it was Europe’s blondehaired, blue-eyed and petite figure skating standard or a period of racial segregation at rinks in the US,

Black skaters who broke barriers in the sport did so with metaphorical weights chained to their skates. “That doesn’t leave a lot of room and a lot of time for Black skaters to innovate,” Baldé says, “especially if a sport is confining everyone to a certain style.” Baldé’s unconventional, hiphop-inflected dancing style has gone viral on social media in recent years, allowing him to leverage the notoriety to push for both change and diversity. The Stake Global

Foundation, which he cofounded last year, works to build or rehabilitate ice rinks and exposes Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) in Canada to figure skating. For consecutive Winter Olympics, the Canadian and French Olympic teams have included Black skaters, which some say is a reflection of Bonaly’s influence. But the American team has struggled to establish a strong pipeline of Black talent. Historians trace the problem to the stories of Black American skaters

Super Bowl 56 rallies for ‘Park’ for kids program

NGLEWOOD, California—National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell, joined by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Chargers owner Dean Spanos, promoted a new campaign Thursday to give children access to more parks and athletic equipment, featuring what was described as the sports version of an ice cream truck. Goodell and the owners were among those who dedicated the Park on the Move campaign at Jefferson Elementary School in Inglewood, home to SoFi Stadium. The dedication was part of a larger event aimed at marking $2 million in

grants the NFL is providing 56 community organizations through its Super Bowl Legacy Grant program. Park on the Move will feature oversized vans equipped with a skate park, basketball hoops and soccer nets, along with other sporting equipment. They will travel to areas where park space is limited. A staff of coaches and mentors will travel along. There are just 0.2 acres of park land per 1,000 people in the Lennox community where Jefferson is located. Norma Garcia, the director of LA County department of parks and recreations, called this a low mark relative to other metropolitan areas. “The big game is this weekend, but this is about leaving a legacy in the community that means so much to us,” Goodell said. “This is a big day for us to make that lasting legacy to this community.” The league has drawn criticism for having the $5-billion SoFi Stadium, host of Sunday’s Super Bowl, built in an area that’s long struggled with poverty and concerns about gentrification. Spanos, whose family has owned the Chargers since 1984, said it was his father Alex’s dream to give back to the community. AP

Adiwang, Miado fight in all-Filipino showdown in SG

VANESSA JAMES, who skates in the pairs event with teammate Eric Radford, is the only Black figure skater competing for any nation in Beijing.

such as Joseph Vanterpool, a World War II veteran from New York City who took up professional skating after seeing an ice show in England but was rarely featured outside of allBlack showcases. Mabel Fairbanks, a pioneer whose Olympic dreams were dashed by racist exclusion from US Figure Skating in the 1930s, was by far the most successful of the sport’s Black trailblazers. Fairbanks later opened doors that were closed to her for generations, including one of her mentees, Debi Thomas. In the 1988 Calgary Games, Thomas became the first Black American to medal at the Winter Olympics. But few others have come close to appearing in Olympic competition after her. “How did somebody like Debi Thomas have the success that she had, break down the barriers that she did, but yet didn’t that lead to further influx of BIPOC skaters following in her footsteps?” wonders Ramsey Baker, the executive director of US Figure Skating. It’s a question the governing body had wrestled with for years, in addition to the socioeconomic barriers associated with elite competition. Then, diversity in figure skating became an even bigger focus following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by American police, amplifying the Black Lives Matter movement’s calls for racial justice and equity. As protests over police brutality erupted across the world, the figure skating associations in Canada and the US responded with pledges to answer protesters’ cries and make changes from within. However, both also have faced some criticism from Black athletes who felt the pledges were a ploy for media attention. AP

OP Filipino strawweights Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang and Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado are set to collide in the Circle at One X on March 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in front of a capacity crowd for the very first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. One X is One Championship’s highly anticipated 10-year anniversary event, celebrating more than a decade of world-class martial arts action. Adiwang and Miado are in similar junctures in their young careers. The 28-year-old “Thunder Kid” of the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City found himself twice in the top 5 at strawweight, only to be met with resistance, as he suffered heartbreaking losses to Hiroba Minowa, and most recently, Jarred Brooks. Adiwang, however, won four of his last six and remains one of the most dangerous and explosive fighters in the division. Miado, on the other hand, is coming off two scintillating knockout victories over China’s Miao Li Tao. “The Jaguar” showcased his much improved striking and overall game in his most recent outing, which he owes to having moved his training camp to Marrok Force in Bangkok. Adiwang is 13-4 with seven knockouts and four submissions, while Miado is 10-4 with five knockouts and one submission—that makes this fight relatively even on paper, and it could come down to who strikes the hardest first. The Adiwang-Miado bout is a rare all-Filipino showdown, but it isn’t the first. There have been other all-Filipino fights under the One Championship banner, most notably 2019’s Joshua Pacio-Rene Catalan strawweight world title bout and 2013’s Honorio Banario-Eric Kelly featherweight world title showdown.

BusinessMirror

February 13, 2022

Love and logins: Who gets custody of passwords in a breakup?

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YOUR MUSI

LONDON LONELINESS Holly Humberstone on her latest single

By Stephanie Ching

ROWING up in the countryside amongst a tightly knit community, Holly Humberstone always drew artistic inspiration from the world around her. However, when she moved to London to pursue her music career, she found herself alone in an ocean of strange people and even stranger sights.

Publisher

: T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Editor-In-Chief

: Lourdes M. Fernandez

Concept

: Aldwin M. Tolosa

Y2Z Editor

: Jt Nisay

SoundStrip Editor

: Edwin P. Sallan

Group Creative Director : Eduardo A. Davad Graphic Designers Contributing Writers

Columnists

: Niggel Figueroa Anabelle O. Flores : Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Darwin Fernandez, Leony Garcia, Stephanie Joy Ching Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez

“There weren’t a lot of people I could reach out to for support,” recalled the 22-year old British singer-songwriter. “And I moved into a really small apartment with a bunch of people I didn’t know. It can feel really isolating if you aren’t used to it and you don’t really know how to integrate yourself in society.” “On train journeys I had loads of time to confront how I was feeling because I had nothing else to distract me from it,” she added. With her hangovers preventing her from being able to filter her thoughts, Holly began to write ideas in the Notes app on her phone and record little voice memos that would form her second EP, The Walls Are Way Too Thin. From this feeling of isolation came her newest single, “London is Lonely.” Though written just

: Kaye VillagomezLosorata Annie S. Alejo

Photographers

: Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

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HOLLY Humberstone

before the pandemic, Holly’s lyrics evoking isolation and the subtly pounding piano indicating the march of time is eerily fitting. Combined with her Lorde-like vocals, the song is a snapshot of Holly’s emotions as she navigates and learns to love the bustling city. “I love the chaos of it,” she says about London. “And then there are days when people just kind of just want to go to their destination and not really make eye contact with you, but the more time I spend away on tour, I’m slowly coming to terms to living here.” Holly first fell in love with music because of her parents’ huge cd collection. She recounts how she as a child would browse through the collection and pick out whichever she found interesting.

“They were really encouraging my sisters and I to be creative. I just remember coming home from school and all i really wanted to do is write little songs,” she stated. In addition to her parents’ encouragement, Holly also cites being inspired by her “spooky” childhood home. Though it is old, “freaky” and almost falling apart, she shares that she feels that the house has “a soul” and in some way, it also raised her. “I have a real spiritual connection with the house, “It’s like a seventh family member. It’s part of me,” she said. Formally educated at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Holly was already a violinist for the Lincolnshire Youth Symphony Orchestra when she was discovered by a manager while performing on the radio show, BBC Introducing Inspired by artists who “overshare” such as Phoebe Bridgers and Adrianne Lenker, Holly is an artist who unravels the “chaos in her head” and spins it into relatable songs. “My songs are quite selfexposing. I don’t really leave much to the imagination because I am writing so much for my own mental well-being,” Holly concluded. “London is Lonely” is now available on all major streaming platforms.

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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SoundSampler by Tony M. Maghirang

New from korn, Goldfishie, Rolo Tomassi, Polar Lows and Black Country, New Road Lows inject poppy hooks in the shoegaze-y haze. A female vocalist even softens the edge in the gloriously imploding chaos. There’s more gold to mine in the distortion pedal yet.

GOLDFISHIE Only 10PM

OLDFISHIE’S third album explores nighttime spent alone but her impressive voice and the gorgeous melodies stand out right at the opening buzz. The lyrical content comes next owing to intriguing song titles such as the titular track. It’s a three-song effort and despite the over reliance on electronic pop, the artist quickly finds a signature sorrowful tone that’s emotionally satisfying pitched between sadness and delight in that sadness. There’s also the thrill in a dark song that involves an anonymous phone caller. Only 15-minutes long and you’re hooked to play the cool thing all over again.

ROLO TOMASSI Where Myth Becomes Memory

RIT prog-rock band Rolo Tomassi’s 2018 album “Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It” must be one of the loveliest album titles of the 2010s. Their latest “Where Myth Becomes Memory” may sound a bit more trad and fey in comparison. However, their latest release is much better album primarily because the UK five-piece have effortlessly refined their post-hardcore roots into onepart gentler, kinder songs and another part, harder, grungy anthems. You get the tinnitusinducing “Choked” and “Almost Always” as well as the hopeful twinkle of “Closer” and “Drip.” It’s already being hailed in some circles as an emerging classic.

OZZGA / POLAR LOWS Ozzga / Polar Lows Split

INTAGE shoegaze gets a multi-hued makeover that pays handsome dividends in this split release. Ozzga starts the proceedings with knotty almost sludgy sonic waves split in two sections by a minute of silence. In contrast, Polar

BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD Ants From Up There

ITH two previous albums delving into math rock and jazzy riffage, UK septet Black Country, New Road led the class of experimental rockers at the start of this decade. The release of their latest album “Ants From Up There” marks the departure of frontman Isaac Wood citing mental issues. Their new album also sees the band keeping their inventive inclination in check, giving vocalist Wood a wide berth instead to deliver what may as well be his valediction. He has transformed himself into a serious aching balladeer, singing about life and death, girls, the Atkins diet and pandemic-induced isolation. The rest of his crew colors his worldview with shifting shades of pop and rock. A new road opens up for these hardy sound explorers.

KORN Requiem

AP-CORE pioneers Korn unleashes their 14th album to the whoop and thunder of metal, with the sharp screeches of rap backbeat occasionally borrowed from the backburner. The result is a musical backdrop that turns to heavy just as quirkily as to melancholic across an album ominously titled Requiem. In an interview, Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis said he wanted to illustrate his own journey to manage violent tendencies. What Korn’s latest album

shows is his constant struggle between peace and anxiety. In fact, Jonathan admits to being ‘the stranger’ for whom “hell sent its best to come for me (“Let The Devil Do The Rest”). Thirty years on, Korn still finds a fresh outlet to vent the frustrations of their younger selves.

VARIOUS ARTISTS Know Your Enemy Vol. II

ORE than sixty bands and artists of the punk community around the country participated in this initiative to show continuing resistance to the AntiTerrorism Act of 2020. In one aspect, the compilation becomes a loud voice, actually a chorus of voices, against the intimidation tactic of the current administration. In another, the verbal clamor comes wrapped in fusillades of the angriest music made last year. Bad Omen sings, “Isa-isang mga akusado na hinatulan ng dugo sa mga kamay mo” while Anti-Suck System rues, “Panginoon, ganid sa lupa/ Panginoon, may bahid ng dugo.” Beast Jesus, Betrayed and Catpuke send out some of the most powerful music off their new album. The foregoing music reviewed is available for listening and purchase at most digital music platforms, especially bandcamp.

Love and logins: Who gets custody of passwords in a breakup? By Leanne Italie The Associated Press

EW YORK—Emily Taffel didn’t pull the password plug when she divorced her first husband, and she didn’t cut off the boyfriend who followed. Now remarried with four stepchildren, she continues as a model of civility when it comes to exes and logins. The 41-year-old in Coral Springs, Florida, and her first husband didn’t have kids, much money or own a house when they divorced. What they did have were subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu. “We each paid for one of them and share. That was literally our divorce agreement,” Taffel said. “It was written right in there. We’re still doing it.” When boyfriend Sam came along but the romance ended three years later, they maintained close ties and joint custody of additional services, sharing logins and the cost to this day among themselves and Taffel’s ex-husband. Taffel and her current husband have added more and shared down the line over a decade after her first marriage ended. “I know it seems crazy,” she said. “The ex-boyfriend and the ex-husband aren’t friends, but through me everybody is very amicable.” In this era of cybersecurity concerns

The logos for streaming services Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Sling TV are pictured on a remote control on August 13, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. Harold Li of the encryption service ExpressVPN says nearly 8 in 10 Americans who are in a relationship share passwords across nearly every digital platform. AP and calls for multifactor lockdown of all things digital, that approach points to a thorny issue when love goes wrong: What to do about the logins? Nearly 8 in 10 Americans who are in a relationship share passwords across nearly every digital platform, ranging from social media to e-mail and cell phone to mobile wallets, said Harold Li, vice president of the encryption service ExpressVPN. “In the digital era, sharing passwords is a sign of trust and affection akin to the gift of a letterman jacket or an exchange of school locker combinations,” he said. “However, while it may seem like a romantic gesture at the moment, it poses serious risks to your personal privacy, which even the closest of relationships need.” Nick Leighton of the etiquette podcast “Were You Raised by Wolves” equates the changing of shared passwords after a breakup to returning the sweater left behind by the ex. “Be mindful of the fact that when a person discovers their login no longer works, it’ll be a clear reminder that the relationship is indeed over, which may cause hurt

feelings,” he said. “In a relationship, asking someone for their password can make some people uncomfortable, so it’s often better to wait until they volunteer to share rather than putting them on the spot. It should also be noted that sharing passwords might possibly violate the terms of service.” Things don’t always go swimmingly when logins aren’t cut off post-breakup. “Change the password. In the age of perpetual watch histories being widely available, nobody wants to know that their ex just watched The Notebook on Netflix. It stirs up all sorts of emotions,” said John Capo, an assistant professor of communications at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. “Were they thinking about me when they watched it? Who did they watch it with? Why were they awake at midnight, anyway? Remember when we used to watch The Notebook?” Hari Ravichandran, founder and CEO of the digital safety provider Aura, noted the prevalence of password sharing among some, but warned against it. “It’s no secret that password-sharing is

a way for consumers to get around the cost of paying for multiple services,” he said in a statement. “What consumers aren’t considering is that these behaviors make them vulnerable to digital crime when people outside your household—even ones you trust—have your passwords on their devices.” Researchers have found a variety of reasons people maintain streaming ties after a breakup—convenience, finances and post-breakup friendships among them. A downside: When a vindictive ex deliberately wreaks havoc with algorithms to mess up ads and suggested viewing, or creates a profile to rile up a current love interest. One sharer said the parents of an ex stayed logged into one of his sites for two years after they broke up and sent him a gift card out of the blue as thanks. Chandler Sterling in Los Angeles shows up as a generic “guest” profile on the Netflix and Hulu accounts of a former long-term girlfriend. He also uses his parents’ cable TV subscription with his Apple TV for access to pretty much anything, including sports. “Yes, I’m 34, and yes, I make over six figures at my job, but I won’t pay for something if I don’t have to,” he said. “My ex has never directly confronted me about the guest profile on Hulu. On Netflix, she changed the guest account’s profile picture to the guy from the show Lucifer, so I think she’s sending me a message about how she feels. ...I have zero guilt for all this cloak and dagger mooching.” Penny said he wasn’t sure if or when he would remove his ex. “Our relationship didn’t end well at all,” he said. “I think a part of me leaves it alone so she leaves me alone. The peace of mind is worth it.” ON THE COVER: Photo by Atul Vinayak on Unsplash

When love cost a thing: Almost 1 in 2 in SEA lost money because of love scams online

ove is in the air and cybercriminals can smell it, too. As the world celebrates another Valentine’s Day, Kaspersky explores the risks wrapped in finding relationships online, the possible toll it can incur monetarily, and how users can keep their hearts and finances safe from romance scammers on the Internet. A Kaspersky research, titled “Mapping a secure path for the future of digital payments in APAC,” revealed that almost one in two (45 percent) in Southeast Asia (SEA) lost money because of love scams online. Most of the incidents here only cost less than 100 USD (22 percent). However, it is worth noting that the victim’s age and the possible cost of a romance scam seem to be overlapping. With losses amounting to less than 100 USD, the two oldest generations (Baby

Boomer and Silent Generation) logged the highest percentage, both at 33 percent. The most senior age group, on the other hand, lost the most with nearly two in five of them admitting to losing 5,000-10,000 USD from love scams online. Lastly, a small portion (8 percent) of Gen Z said cybercriminals have incurred more than 10,000 USD from romance-related threats. “When we were younger, we tend to be more curious and a bit more reckless. When we become older, we have a lot of time in our hands and, usually, retirement funds in our bank accounts,” says Chris Connell, managing director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky. “Cybercriminals know these realities as well as our human tendencies to be lonely and crave for a company when forced to be alone inside our houses.” Connell adds, “Because nothing is more

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painful than having a fake lover and an empty wallet, we urge everyone from all ages to remain vigilant and be better in discerning the authenticity of the relationships we are building online and offline.” Regardless of platform or app, warning signs of online dating scams include: n Demonstration of strong emotions in a very short time. n A quick move from dating sites or apps into private channels. n The scammer asks you a lot of questions about yourself. This is because the more they know about you, the easier you will be to manipulate. n No video calls or face-to-face meeting. People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is that they don’t look like the person in their profile picture.

February 13, 2022

They also want to avoid being identified to prevent being tracked down afterward.

How to avoid online dating scams Avoiding romance scams means carefully scrutinizing any online relationship that develops too fast. Here are some more ways to keep your heart and wallet safe: n When using social-media sites, don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know. n Avoid revealing too much personal information in a dating profile or to someone you’ve chatted with only online. n Take things slowly. Ask your potential partner questions and watch out for inconsistencies that might reveal an impostor. To view the full report, visit https:// kas.pr/b6w8.