A BIG MESS
By Butch Fernandez
AFEW days ago, TV news reported the case of a young Chinese actor who was lured into going to Thailand for a casting session and was abducted by thugs working for a syndicate of cyber scammers based in Myanmar. For months, he was forced to work in horrible conditions, his good looks and voice used to hook innocent victims.
Hard to imagine what his fate would have been had he not been able to send one urgent “SOS” text to his girlfriend, who promptly alerted Thai police. The cops worked for months to find him, and he was finally rescued in Myanmar. The footage showed a handsome, wholesome-looking young man when he was known as an actor in China; and later, when he was rescued—his head shaved, his face considerably aged from an ordeal that no one deserves.
His case jolts Filipinos’ memory of the nightmare that they all must continue to deal with, nearly two weeks after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s blanket ban on Pogo (Philippine Online Gaming Operators) enterprises took effect at the end of 2024.
The ban takes effect nearly five years since the Pogo sector started peaking in the country. During the presidency of Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the doors to Pogos suddenly opened wide, allowing in a surge of foreign, mostly Chinese-funded, operations. Among those whose role in funding the Pogo networks is being investigated by the state agencies tasked to sort out the Pogo mess is Duterte’s former special economic adviser, the Davaobased businessman Michael Yang. He was the same Michael Yang who appeared twice online, and then, repeatedly snubbed subsequent hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, then chaired by Sen. Richard J. Gordon. The senator, in all, led over two dozen hearings into the case of Pharmally, the low-
capital trading firm into which the discredited Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM-PS) funneled nearly P12 billion of the P40-billion Department of Health budget for pandemic supplies and services.
Gordon insisted Michael Yang was among Pharmally’s enablers. Yang’s name recently resurfaced in the Pogo mess cleanup after his brother Tony, described as the “operator” in the family, was arrested by authorities for fraud, misrepresenting himself as a Filipino with fake identity documents. Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who had actively grilled witnesses during the Gordon-led Pharmally hearings, sought to link the illegal Pogo activities to Pharmally, describing the shadowy business operations as “we are one happy Pharmally.”
The Yang brothers’ capers are but a part of the humongous mess exposed in the aftermath of the Pogo cleanup, however.
During the nearly three years of investigations in the Senate— and parallel actions by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, the National Bureau of Investigation, and other units under the Department of Justice— the full extent of the harm caused by the poorly regulated Pogo activities is only now being redressed. Many of the details unearthed— how Pogo entities have been used for cover for human trafficking, cyber scams, money laundering, and even drugs, if some probers are correct—would have stayed
if the presidential ban
announced in July 2024 had not lifted the lid on the vast network of enablers in and out of government. Cleaning up the mess continues:
1) The Commission on Elections is seeking reforms to allow it to fill the gaps in the election system that allowed an Alice Guo, a Chinese national whose “Filipino” birth certificate was cancelled by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), to become mayor of Bamban, Tarlac;
2) The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is investigating how Philippine banks could have turned an apparent blind eye to the flow of billions of pesos lodged by foreign “investors” with the help of Filipino partners, notably the P6 billion that was poured into the huge, 38-building enclave for Pogo operations in Bamban.
3) The AMLC, the DOJ, the NBI, with the help of some local authorities, are chasing after the as-
sets used for illegal Pogo activities. Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Hontiveros, and Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III want government to use part of the seized assets to compensate the victims of Pogo-related crimes, especially those who were trafficked and suffered illegal detention, torture, sexual and other forms of abuse.
4) The Philippine Statistics Authority is still reeling from the Pogo scandal, which showed hundreds of foreign nationals able to secure birth certificates from some local registries, and then used these to secure vital Philippine documents like passports and the National ID.
5) The DOJ, through the Bureau of Immigration, is tracking down over 10,000 aliens who worked with Pogo entities but failed to report to authorities, as directed, after the Pogo ban was imposed.
Dozens of court cases are now
pending in various courts, lodged by the government agencies tasked to run after all those who used the Pogo networks to carry out illicit activities, including human trafficking and cyber scams that are apparently victimizing not just Filipinos, but other nationalities as well in Asia, as the case of the Chinese actor rescued in Myanmar shows.
L aw-enforcement agencies, meanwhile, are also tracking illegal Pogo operations that have simply gone underground—as the state regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) had warned—and are now taking over underutilized, cash-hungry real estate outside Metro Manila.
Beyond the criminal aspects of the Pogo mess, there’s the economic fallout. The property sector, which accounts for a sizeable chunk of the equities trading market, is also dealing with the impact of thousands of Pogo-related workers and executives who rented or bought
condo units, entire compounds or buildings, and which were unable to transition to other operations. Then, there’s the fallout from the loss of an estimated 40,000 jobs. That was the second major concern of President Marcos, as seen in his directive to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), during his July 23 State of the Nation Address, to ensure that Filipino workers displaced by the ban are assisted in finding new jobs or transitioning to other IT-enabled enterprises. To be sure, the initiative to clean up after the Pogo mess will take years. As did the years-long investigations conducted both in and out of Congress. Repairing damaged institutions; reforming and overhauling systems and procedures to make them fraud-proof; making the guilty accountable, all these will take time. But the most important decisions have been made, and, obviously, there’s no turning back.
A POLICE barrier tape marks the site of a raided Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga.
June 5, 2024, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, conducted an ocular inspection of the compound, which includes 46 buildings, six entry and exit gates, a KTV bar, dormitories, and other facilities, housing nearly 2,000 employees. ROY DOMINGO
ON December 5, 2024, 187 Chinese nationals were deported after being arrested for multiple immigration violations while working in Pogo hubs across Pasay, Cebu, Clark and Tarlac. NONIE REYES
SENATOR Risa Hontiveros speaks at a press conference on May 8, 2024, following the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality hearing on the recent raid of a Pogo facility in Bamban, Tarlac. The hearing also uncovered alleged hacking and surveillance activities within the compound. ROY DOMINGO
Vietnam’s communists join Musk and Milei in slashing government
By Francesca Stevens, Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen & Nguyen Xuan Quynh Bloomberg
AS Elon Musk and Argentina’s Javier Milei champion ambitious plans to dramatically slash the size of government, a similar effort is getting underway across the globe from political leaders with a completely different ideology: Vietnam’s Communist Party.
In what amounts to the biggest overhaul of the state since adopting pro-market reforms in the 1980s, Vietnamese officials are targeting a roughly 20% reduction in the size of ministries, government agencies, and civil service workforce. It’s being pitched as essential medicine to remedy a bloated bureaucracy, reduce red tape and cut unnecessary costs from local governments on up.
The plans would see five ministries abolished and the merger of ministries such as finance and planning and investment. Four government agencies, including the State Capital Management Committee, will be eliminated. Five state television channels, 10 newspapers and 19 magazines will be scrapped.
The Southeast Asian country’s attack on bureaucracy follows similar plans in Argentina and the US. Argentina’s President Javier Milei moved to shrink spending immediately upon taking office, cutting government ministries in a bid to eliminate deficits. President-elect Donald Trump is promising dramatic cuts under the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency co-headed by Elon Musk. There is a surprising convergence there—both the Vietnamese government and Musk want control—that’s the common denominator that they both understand and can negotiate on,” said Huong
Le Thu, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Crisis Group. Musk’s efforts, though, are expected to face fierce political backlash. Vietnam’s one-party government has a much freer hand to execute policies unpopular with some segments of society.
“ This is Vietnam’s most ambitious administrative overhaul since Doi Moi,” Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said. “Hanoi is trying to streamline a bureaucracy that’s increasingly seen as an impediment to growth.”
‘Urgent’ cuts
COMMUNIST Party chief To Lam’s push to overhaul the government comes ahead of next year’s leadership reshuffle at the twice-in-adecade National Party Congress. Lam, who took over the nation’s top political position in August following the death of long-time leader Nguyen Phu Trong, is putting his stamp on the system amid jockeying to win a full term as party general secretary. While details of the reorganization could still change, Lam is determined to reshape the government before the 14th Congress in early 2026.
This is a very urgent issue which must be done,” Lam said in a speech posted on the Communist Party’s website in December. “Sometimes we have to take bitter medicine, endure pain and cut out tumors in order to have a healthy and strong body,” he said.
The first details of Vietnam’s reorganization plan began to trickle out in November, with a formal blueprint unveiled early in December, giving bureaucrats only until the end of the month to submit
restructuring reports. They will be put forward for approval at extraordinary meetings of the Central Committee and the National Assembly in February.
It’s not yet clear how many jobs will go, but civil servants are clearly stressed—one deputy prime minister said 100,000 jobs would be affected, another former parliament official said hundreds of thousands of party members and public employees will be worried.
Businesses cautiously welcome what many see as long overdue and necessary reforms but fret policy decisions could be put on hold, leading to months-long logjams.
“The restructuring process may cause things to slow or get delayed for some months,” said Le Dang Doanh, an economist and former government adviser in Hanoi. “However it will ease the cost burden for the state budget and hopefully will boost the efficiency of the state apparatus,” Doanh added.
L am said in October that roughly 70% of the state budget is spent on employee salaries and regular state expenses, which doesn’t leave enough to spend on investment projects. “If we just use the money to feed each other, there is no money left to develop” critical infrastructure, Lam added.
Vietnam faces a widening budget deficit after tax reductions and exemptions took a significant chunk out of state revenue. The government has set a budget deficit target of 3.8% of GDP for 2025, and has pledged to prioritize spending on big-ticket transport networks. In November, it approved a $67-billion North-South high-speed railway and is pushing to speed up the development of three cross-border
railway lines linking Vietnam and China.
Possible overload
The ministries that look set to stay include: defense, public security, justice, foreign affairs and industry and trade. The Government Office, Government Inspectorate and State Bank of Vietnam will also remain intact, albeit all will be subject to internal streamlining.
Th e Ministry of Home Affairs said about 130 trillion dong ($5.1 billion) would be needed for redundancy payments to help ease the impact of job losses, Tuoi Tre reported.
“This is not an easy or quick thing to do and it is likely that many state officials will have to take on multiple tasks which require some expertise they may not have,” said Nguyen Tri Hieu, a Hanoi-based economist. “The streamlining could cause overload at first.”
The belt-tightening comes alongside a worsening global backdrop as Trump threatens to roil international trade with widespread tariffs. Vietnam, which relies heavily on foreign investment to fuel export-driven growth, was a major beneficiary from the USChina trade war in Trump’s first term—although officials in Hanoi are bracing for possible disruption this time around.
The government overhaul could also have implications for Vietnam’s ambitious goals of boosting growth to at least 8% this year. Public infrastructure investment, critical to support rapid growth, has been slow, with state spending for projects in 2024 just 77.5% of what had been planned.
The bureaucratic shakeup follows the Party’s years-long corruption crackdown that’s led to highprofile political resignations, a death sentence for one of the country’s richest women, and the arrest and detention of hundreds of party officials and business leaders.
“ With the anti-corruption campaign having weakened provincial power bases and cleared out resistant officials, the leadership now has both the political capital and urgency to push through reforms they believe are necessary to achieve their goal of high-income status by 2045,” ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Giang said. With
• Editor: Angel R. Calso
Record heat pushed 2024 above global warming threshold of 1.5°C
By Eric Roston
ARTH’S warming exceeded
E1.5C on an annual basis for the first time in 2024, according to two major climate science agencies.
It’s the most potent evidence yet that countries are failing to meet a Paris Agreement goal of limiting global heating to that level as a decadeslong average.
The amount of time left to avoid eclipsing the goal “is now wafer thin,” said Colin Morice, a UK Met Office scientist, in a statement.
Scientists sounded the alarm long before last year ended that 2024 would become the hottest year on record and almost certainly the first to surpass the 1.5 C limit. Now both of those milestones have been confirmed in official statistical releases from two independent scientific agencies.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Service measured the 2024 global average temperature to be 1.6 °C above the pre-industrial average, and the UK Met Office to be 1.53 C above it.
The clear acceleration in rising temperatures has puzzled scientists, even as the evidence of the fastwarming atmosphere became impossible to miss.
The hottest day ever recorded happened on July 21, 2024—a record that held until July 22. The planetary heat spike was made 2.5 times more likely by greenhouse gases, according to researchers. Typhoon Gaemi in Asia and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the US, similarly juiced by climate change, killed hundreds of people and caused colossal damage. There was flooding across Africa’s Sahel and in southeastern Spain; drought in southern Italy and the Amazon River basin; wildfires in central Chile; and landslides in northern India.
Hottest-year status puts 2024 in rarefied company. The warmest year up to now, by a substantial margin? 2023.
But while the heat is clear, scientists are struggling to account for the speed of this recent jump. Something’s pushing up temperatures faster than expected, and the climate detectives have yet to agree on what. After months of research and debate, they have collected suspects—and already let a few go—in what’s become the greatest climate mystery in 15 years.
“The science tells us that we should expect surprises like this,” said Sofia Menemenlis, a Ph.D. candidate in atmospheric and oceanic sciences at Princeton University. “This is not something that should be completely unexpected in the future, knowing what we know about global warming.”
The landmark status for 2024 can be partly explained by the first five months coinciding with El Niño, a natural warm phase that supercharges global weather. But the planet is heating up so fast that even years with cooling trends, known as La Niña, are counted among the hottest of all time. The Met Office expects 2025 to be the third hottest, behind 2024 and 2023. In fact, the last 10 years are all ranked in the hottest on record, and all but one of the two dozen hottest years happened since 2000.
There’s a simple rule of thumb that greenhouse gases combined with El Niño makes for an exceptionally hot year. But scientists doubt those two factors are enough to account for the recent runup in warming. And they’re debating whether this is a spiky blip in the record or the start of a more lasting acceleration.
The ‘anti-hiatus’ FOR many experts, the mystery calls to mind the hotly debated “hiatus” in global temperatures from about 1998 to 2013, when temperatures seemed to plateau for a time. This prompted a deluge of studies in climate journals as well as public policy debates. But it was ultimately misleading: Postmortems concluded that natural variability, including a string of La Niña years, and incomplete Arctic data buoyed
an illusion.
When temperatures began climbing upwards again in the mid-2010s, and once scientists updated their data sets, the hiatus dissolved into thin air.
“That isn’t going to be the case here,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who published an influential article in March that articulated his and colleagues’ concerns.
With the current conundrum— call it the ‘anti-hiatus’—scientists can point to physical reasons that are likely contributing to the fastrising heat. They just don’t know yet which reasons are most important, or how long the trend will continue.
“We have a lot more physically grounded reasons to think an acceleration is happening than we did to think the slowdown was happening during the hiatus years,” said Zeke Hausfather, a climate researcher affiliated with Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit that maintains one of the major temperature datasets.
The global average temperature in 2023 reached 1.48 C higher than the preindustrial average, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Greenhouse gas pollution and El Niño go a long way to explain that heat—about 1.23 ° C of it in 2023, some experts estimate—but there’s more to account for. The sun entered the brighter part of its 11-year cycle, adding less than 0.03 ° C. And a January 2022 volcanic eruption in the southern Pacific shot enough of the ocean skyward to raise the stratosphere’s heat-trapping water-vapor level by a record 10 percent. Initially considered a warming factor, the volcano gave off heat-reflecting sulfur aerosols that accorded the plume a slight net cooling event. In other words: a red herring. That leaves 0.2 C still unexplained.
Sulfur’s cooling effect wanes
SULFUR aerosols released by power plants and vehicles have a cooling effect on the atmosphere, canceling out as much as a third of humanity’s heat-trapping emissions historically. When environmental rules cut sulfur—as acid-rain restrictions have done since the early 1990s—it comes with the perverse tradeoff of letting more heat break through to the planet’s surface.
Since international shipping regulations requiring low-sulfur fuels went into effect in 2020, scientists have seen a 74 percent drop in related sulfur aerosol emissions. That benefits human health, even at the short-term cost of temporarily higher temperatures. Similarly, 70 percent cuts to China’s sulfur pollution since its 2006 peak are reducing the overall atmospheric load—and for a time putting upward pressure on the temperature.
Scant clouds, more heat
LONG-SOUGHT declines in sulfur aerosols may be contributing to more heat in an indirect way, too. These tiny specks encourage water vapor to condense into clouds. Since there are fewer of them in the air, that could be worsening conditions for cloud formation. That means less cloud cover, and that’s a real problem.
Low-lying clouds reflect light back out to space, the way white polar ice caps do. They’re a part of the Earth’s albedo, or surface brightness. Sparser low clouds mean more heat hitting us where we live, and that’s what’s been happening in the last 20 years, especially the last several.
Helge Goessling, a climate scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, started looking at changes in the North Atlantic, when ocean temperatures spiked there in early 2023, and noticed an unusual increase in the amount of solar energy reaching the surface. “We thought, ‘Oh, this is really quite something’,” Goessling said.
The planet’s albedo declined to a record low in 2023, Goessling and
other scientists concluded in a paper published in December. It’s a possible consequence of the falling aerosols. The satellite temperature record is only several decades old, which means experts technically can’t rule out similar naturally occurring patterns in prior eras.
But the amount of warming the paper
attributed to the lowered albedo is very close to the unattributed heat: 0.2 C.
“Usually we do our small pieces of puzzles here and there, having small contributions to the big conversation,” Goessling said. “This one is only a small piece of a big puzzle, but still, it is one that fitted so neatly.”
Those same researchers expressed concern that “the 2023 extra heat may be here to stay.”
The atmosphere may be more sensitive to greenhouse gases than previously thought, and “we may thus be closer to the temperature targets defined in the Paris Agreement” than was imagined, they wrote.
T he warming beyond 1.5 C seen last year doesn’t mean the Paris Agreement is breached. Diplomats and scientists would not consider the 1.5 ° C limit exceeded until temperatures had topped it for 20 years or more.
If global w arming itself is melting reflective clouds from the sky, “that would sort of be the worst of the options,” Hausfather said.
See “Heat,” A4
January 12,
Nation bids farewell to Jimmy Carter: A humble leader’s legacy celebrated in dual ceremonies
By Bill Barrow & Chris Megerian
WThe Associated Press
ASHINGTON—Jimmy Carter was celebrated Thursday for his personal humility and public service before, during and after his presidency in a funeral at Washington National Cathedral featuring the kind of pageantry the 39th US president typically eschewed. It was followed by an intimate hometown funeral near where he was born a century ago.
All of Carter’s living successors attended in Washington, with President Joe Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse his 1976 run for the White House, eulogizing his longtime friend. Biden and others took turns in the morning praising Carter’s record—which many historians have appraised more favorably since he lost his bid for a second term in 1980—and extolling his character.
The dual ceremonies in Washington and Plains, Georgia, provided a moment of national comity in a notably partisan era and offered a striking portrait of a president who was once judged a political failure, only for his life ultimately to be recognized as having lasting national and global impact.
“He built houses for people who needed homes,” said Joshua Carter, a grandson who recalled how Carter regularly taught Sunday school in Plains after leaving the White House. “He eliminated diseases in forgotten places. He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a
chance. He loved people.” Jason Carter, another grandson, wryly noted his grandparents’ frugality, such as washing and reusing Ziploc bags, and his grandfather’s struggles with his cellphone.
“They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from, no matter what happened in their lives,” said Jason, who chairs the Carter Center, a global humanitarian operation founded by Jimmy and his late wife, Rosalynn Carter.
At the national service, former President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump, who have mocked each other for years going back to Trump fanning conspiracy theories about Obama’s citizenship, sat next to each other and talked for several minutes, even sharing a laugh.
As Trump went to his seat, he shook hands with Mike Pence in a rare interaction with his former vice president. The two split over Pence’s refusal to help Trump overturn his election defeat to Biden four years ago. Karen Pence, the former second lady, did not rise from her chair when her husband did so to greet Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November, entered afterward and was not seen interacting with him. Former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend.
All politics were not left outside the cathedral, though. Biden, who leaves office in 11 days, repeated several times that “character” was Carter’s chief attribute. Biden said Carter taught him that “everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.”
“We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor,” Biden said, also noting the importance of standing up to “abuse in power.” Those comments echoed Biden’s typical criticisms of Trump.
In Plains, Carter’s personal pastor, Tony Lowden, touched on the political as well, saying Carter was “still teaching us a lesson” with the timing of his death as a new Congress begins its work and Trump prepares for a second administration. Lowden, who did not name Trump or others, urged the nation to follow Carter’s example: “not self, but country.”
“Don’t let his legacy die. Don’t let this nation die,” Lowden said. “Let faith and hope be our guardrails.”
Carter died Dec. 29 at age 100, living so long that two of Thursday’s eulogies were written by people who died before him—his vice president, Walter Mondale, and his presidential predecessor, Gerald Ford.
“By fate of a brief season, Jimmy Carter and I were rivals,” Ford said in his eulogy, which was read by his son Steven. “But for the many wonderful years that followed, friendship bonded us as no two presidents since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.”
Carter defeated Ford in 1976, but the presidents and their wives became close friends, and Carter eulogized Ford at his own funeral.
Days of formal ceremonies and remembrances from political leaders, business titans and rank-and-file citizens have honored Carter for his decency and using a prodigious work ethic to do more than
Meta eliminates fact-checking in latest bow to Donald Trump
obtain political power.
Proceedings began Thursday morning as military service members carried Carter’s flag-draped casket down the east steps of the US Capitol, where the former president had been lying in state since Tuesday. There was also a 21-gun salute.
At the cathedral, the Armed Forces Chorus sang the hymn “Be Still My Soul” before Carter’s casket was brought inside.
Mourners also heard from 92-year-old Andrew Young, a former Atlanta mayor, congressman and UN ambassador during the Carter administration. Carter outlived much of his Cabinet and inner circle but remained especially close to Young—a friendship that brought together a white Georgian and Black Georgian who grew up in the era of Jim Crow segregation.
“Jimmy Carter was a blessing that helped create a great United States of America,” Young said.
“Hail to the Chief” was performed by military bands multiple times as Carter’s casket arrived and departed various points. Carter once tried to stop the traditional standard from being played for him when he was president, seeing it as an unnecessary flourish.
Thursday concluded six days of national rites that began in Plains, where Carter, a former Naval officer, engineer and peanut farmer, was born in 1924, lived most of his life and died after 22 months in hospice care.
After the morning service, Carter’s remains, his four children and extended family returned to Georgia on a Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One when the sitting president is aboard.
An outspoken Baptist who campaigned as a born-again Christian, Carter received his second service at Maranatha Baptist Church, the small edifice where he taught Sunday school for decades. His casket sat beneath a wooden cross he fashioned in his own woodshop.
Following a final ride through his hometown, past the old train depot that served as his 1976 campaign headquarters, Carter was interred on family land in a plot next to Rosalynn, who died in 2023.
Carter, who won the presidency promising good government and honest talk for an electorate disillusioned by the Vietnam War and Watergate, signed significant legislation and negotiated a landmark peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. But he also presided over inflation, rising interest rates and international crises—most notably the Iran hostage situation, in which Americans were held in Tehran for more than a year. Carter lost in a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Former White House aide Stu Eizenstat used his eulogy to reframe the Carter presidency as more successful than voters appreciated at the time.
He noted that Carter deregulated US transportation industries, streamlined energy research and created the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He emphasized that Carter’s administration secured the release of the hostages in Iran, though they were not freed until after Reagan took office.
“He may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore,” Eizenstat said. “But he belongs in the foothills.”
The Associated Press writers Charlotte Kramon in Plains, Georgia; and Jeff Amy and Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report.
By Kelvin Chan, Barbara Ortutay & Nicholas Riccardi
MThe Associated Press
ETA chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday announced changes to content moderation on Facebook and Instagram long sought by conservatives. Incoming President Donald Trump said the new approach was “probably” due to threats he made against the technology mogul.
The move to replace third-party factchecking with user-written “community notes” similar to those on Trump backer Elon Musk’s social platform X is the latest example of a media company moving to accommodate the incoming administration. It comes on the four-year anniversary of Zuckerberg banning Trump from his platforms after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Zuckerberg has been a target of Trump and his allies since he donated $400 million to help local officials run the 2020 election during the coronavirus pandemic. Those donations became part of a false narrative that the 2020 election was rigged against Trump, although there has never been any evidence of widespread fraud or problems that would have changed that result. Nonetheless, Republican-controlled states have banned future donations to local elections offices and Trump himself threatened to imprison Zuckerberg in a book published in September, during the peak of the presidential campaign.
Zuckerberg released a video Tuesday using some of the language that conservatives have long used to criticize his platforms, saying it was time to prioritize “free expression” and that fact-checkers had become “politically biased.” Zuckerberg said he is moving Meta’s content moderation team from California, a blue state, to red state Texas, and lifting restrictions on some immigration and gender discussions. Meta had no immediate comment on how many people might be relocated.
At a press conference hours later, Trump praised the changes.
“I think they’ve come a long way, Meta,” Trump said. When asked if he believed Zuckerberg made the changes in response to threats the incoming president has made, Trump responded: “Probably.”
Meta is among several tech companies apparently working to get in Trump’s good graces before he takes office later this month. Meta and Amazon each donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund in December, and Zuckerberg had dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Zuckerberg this week also appointed a key Trump ally, Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White, to Meta’s board. Amazon announced a documentary on incoming first lady Melania Trump. ABC News, which is owned by Disney, last month settled a libel suit filed by Trump with a $15 million payment to Trump’s presidential library foundation.
Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College, called the Meta changes part of “a pattern of powerful people and institutions kowtowing to the president in a way that suggests they’re fearful of being targeted.”
Nyhan said that’s a grave risk to the country.
“We have in many ways an economy that’s the envy of the world and people come here to start businesses because they don’t have to be aligned with the governing regime like they do in the rest of the world,” Nyhan said. “That’s being called into question.”
Except for YouTube, Meta’s Facebook is by far the most used social media platform in the US. According to the Pew Research Center, about 68 percent of American adults use Facebook, a number that has largely held steady since 2016. Teenagers, however, have fled Facebook over the past decade, with just 32 percent reporting they used it in a 2024 survey.
Meta began fact checks in December 2016, after Trump was elected to his first term, in response to criticism that “fake news” was spreading on its platforms. For years, the tech giant boasted it was working with more than 100 organizations in over 60 languages to combat misinformation.
The Associated Press ended its participation in Meta’s fact-checking program a year ago. Media experts and those who study social media were aghast at Meta’s policy shift.
“Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end Meta’s fact-checking program not only removes a valuable resource for users, but it also provides an air of legitimacy to a popular disinformation narrative: That factchecking is politically biased. Fact-checkers provide a valuable service by adding important context to the viral claims that mislead and misinform millions of users on Meta,” said Dan Evon, lead writer for RumorGuard, the News Literacy Project’s digital tool that curates fact checks and teaches people to spot viral misinformation.
Business analysts saw it as an openly political gambit.
“Meta is repositioning the company for the incoming Trump administration,” said Emarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg. “The move will elate conservatives, who’ve often criticized Meta for censoring speech, but it will spook many liberals and advertisers, showing just how far Zuckerberg is willing to go to win Trump’s approval.”
X’s approach to content moderation has led to the loss of some advertisers, but Enberg said Meta’s “massive size and powerhouse ad platform insulate it somewhat from an X-like user and advertiser exodus.” Even so, she said, any major drop in user engagement could hurt Meta’s ad business.
Meta’s quasi-independent Oversight Board, which acts as a referee of controversial content decisions, said it welcomes the changes and looks forward to working with the company “to understand the changes in greater detail, ensuring its new approach can be as effective and speech-friendly as possible.”
Ateneo studies ‘bangus’ skin for burn treatment
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
WHEN a person suffers severe skin damage, doctors usually apply artificial skin to protect the injured area. But what if the skin of milkfish, a common byproduct of the Philippine fishing industry, is used, could it offer an effective and affordable medical solution?
Researchers from Ateneo de Manila University have discovered that the skin of the milkfish (Chanos chanos), locally known as bangus, could provide a lowcost option for treating patients with major burns and other serious injuries.
With bangus being widely farmed across the country, the team, led by Janice Alano Ragaza and Bianca Patrice Go from the Ateneo Department of Biology’s
Aquatic and Fisheries Resources Laboratory, expressed a belief that the skin could be used as a sustainable, locally sourced alternative for wound care.
The method, they said, not only reduces dependency on imported materials but also minimizes waste by utilizing fish skin that would otherwise be discarded.
“Among the economically significant fish species in the Philippines, bangus is one of the most
DOST-Phivolcs launches Ilokano earthquake sourcebook
TBy Jonathan L. Mayuga
HE Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs) announced on Thursday its Ilokano Sourcebook that is designed to improve disaster preparedness in the Philippines.
The DANAS Project, short for Disaster Narratives for Experiential Knowledgebased Science Communication, is a collaborative initiative of the DOST-Phivolcs, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-La Union, and the University of the Philippines Visayas.
To be launched at a hotel in the City of San Fernando, La Union, on January 14, the Ilokano Sourcebook will focus on disaster awareness promotion using the local language that is integral to conveying geohazard information in culturally relevant ways.
This sourcebook with video package is based on personal narratives and experiences shared by local c ommunities who have lived through earthquake and tsunami events in Northern and Central Luzon, DOST-Phivolcs said in a statement.
“By centering on the Ilokano language, the project ensures that these communities
receive disaster information and preparedness tools that resonate with their unique cultural context and language,” DOSTPhivolcs said.
The launching included an introduction to the sourcebook, a presentation of the video package, and discussions about the project’s goals and impact.
Last year, the DANAS Project introduced earthquake, tsunami, and volcano sourcebooks with video packages in Cebuano (Mindanao and Visayas), Hiligaynon, Tagalog, and Kapampangan.
The sourcebooks will serve as valuable resources for disaster risk reduction and management officers, educators, and local media, helping them deliver disaster messages that are both scientifically accurate and culturally sensitive.
The DANAS Project seeks to elevate the role of local languages and experiences in disaster risk reduction and management, aligning with DOST-Phivolcs’ ongoing efforts to make scientific knowledge accessible and actionable across diverse communities.
The project also aims to help improve disaster resilience by using communitydriven narratives through spoken language to shape public communication and capacity-building efforts.
STII unveils FOI Hub for S&T information
TBy Bless Aubrey Ogerio
HE Science and Technology Informa -
tion Institute (STII), a service arm of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), has recently launched its Freedom of Information (FOI) Hub, designed to give access to science and technology-related information. The FOI Hub complies with Executive Order 2, or the Freedom of Information Program, that empowers people to obtain information on government transactions and operations that are of public interest.
Alan Taule, DOST-STII chief science research specialist, credited the success of the initiative to the support of the agency’s executive committee and reiterated the importance of the hub in fostering openness and honesty. “Transparency fosters trust, and by opening this pathway, we are ensuring that the values of integrity and openness are upheld in everything we do and everything we stand for,” Taule said in his remarks. Located at the entrance of the Filipiniana Unit within the DOST-STII Library in Taguig City, the FOI Hub provides a desktop computer for accessing the FOI portal and processing information requests. Visitors can also find essential resources, such as the FOI manual, related issuances and certifications in the FOI corner. Recently, DOST was honored as the FOI Champion in the
widely cultivated. However, limited research has been conducted on the suitability of milkfish skin for wound care,” the researchers noted in their paper.
“Given its abundance and potential collagen content, milkfish skin presents a valuable opportunity to expand the donor pool for fish skin grafting,” they added.
In comparison
WHILE fish skin is not a new concept in wound care, this is the first time that bangus skin has been explored locally for this purpose. Previous studies have mainly focused on tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin for similar applications.
The researchers compared “fresh, impurity-free” bangus and tilapia skin samples collected from Cubao Farmers Market.
After rinsing the skin with saline solution to remove blood and contaminants, they cut the skin into 3 cm by 2 cm strips. A total of 24 strips were prepared, with some being treated with a solution of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) for sterilization, while others were left untreated for control purposes.
Based on the results, untreated bangus fish skin strips showed an overwhelming number of microbial colonies on nutrient agar, making them difficult to count.
However, the AgNP-treated bangus skin strips demonstrated complete inhibition of microbial
growth, with no colonies present.
A similar outcome was observed with tilapia fish skin strips, which also exhibited too many microbial colonies when untreated. AgNP-treated tilapia skin strips, on the other hand, prevented any microbial growth across all tests.
Prior applications
THE use of fish skin for wound care dates back to the early 2010s. Kerecis, an Icelandic biotechnology company, introduced fish skin-based xenograft products in 2013 for treating complex wounds like diabetic ulcers, burns, and traumatic injuries.
By 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Kerecis Omega3 Wound, a fish skin product, for chronic and acute wounds.
Still, the research from Ateneo emphasized the importance of their research by demonstrating how milkfish skin can be sterilized and used in the same way as tilapia skin.
“This finding has the potential to transform wound care in underserved areas, improving patient outcomes in regions with limited access to advanced medical facilities,” the paper concluded. Their paper, titled “Determining the Applicability of Milkfish (Chanos chanos) for Skin Grafting through Microbiological and Histological Evaluations,” was published in BIO Web of Conferences in November 2024.
Usher Technologies, 22 PHL techs join electronics show in Las Vegas
USHER Technologies, together with 22 other Philippine technologies and inventions, participated in the world’s largest technology trade show, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from January 7 to 10. CES serves as a global platform for cutting-edge innovations.
Brought to CES 2025 by its President and CEO Dr. Francis Aldin Uy, Usher Technologies (short for Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) featured its flagship product, the Usher ERI Max, known as the “present and future” in providing accurate Filipino-made infrastructure structural health monitoring system for seismic data on earthquakes, condition base maintenance, and disaster risk reduction, the company said in a news release.
The technology is used monitoring bridges, buildings and other structures.
Going beyond guidelines and global standards recommended by the Department of Public works and Highways, Usher offers an advanced accelerograph and web portal system.
It is recognized in the country and abroad for its innovative features and ability to address critical challenges that has set new industry standards. This multiawarded technology is already being used in buildings, bridges and other structure across the country.
Usher Technologies also unveiled its latest product, the Usherette, a compact, palm-sized and enhanced version of the ERI Max.
Launched during Usher Technology’s fifth anniversary in September 2024,
Usherette is designed with improved functionality, greater user-friendliness, and cutting-edge capabilities to meet the evolving demands of industries while delivering exceptional value and efficiency.
The cost-effective miniaturized version of the original ERI Max version is designed for residential buildings and smaller structures, said an Usher information sheet sent to B usiness M irror . As such, it can be discreetly mounted on walls, ceilings or structural elements.
It is built with a modular system, and with an accelerometer and a gyroscope that enables it to spin at different angles to monitor structural integrity. Moreover, its data sampling rate is bigger than Usher ERI Max at 1000 Hz and adjustable, and is rechargeable.
Opportunities for partnerships, commercialization
THE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) showcased at CES 2025 in Las Vegas 23 Philippine innovations to forge partnerships and to bring technological advancements to the Philippines, the DOST said in a news release.
The CES, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, provided a platform for technology leaders to connect, collaborate, and propel consumer technology forward.
T he event attracted global industry leaders, investors, and media to showcase the latest innovations.
The participation of Filipino startups, innovators, and key DOST officials in the event was seen as a strategic move to elevate the Philippines’ position on the
global innovation map.
One of the primary objectives of the DOST participation in the event is to have a platform for launching new products and technologies developed by Filipino researchers and startups. T his aligns with the department’s theme for this international opportunity “Propelling Philippine Progress through Science, Technology, and Innovation.”
The DOST also aims to increase the products’ visibility among investors, collaborators, and industry professionals, and opportunities for partnerships and commercialization.
DOST-Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI), the DOST’s lead agency for marketing and promotion, has introduced the country’s official branding, #PhilippiNow, which stands for Philippines’ New Opportunities, Worldwide.
The following technologies and inventions are the DOST delegates at CES 2025.
Agriculture, aquatic and natural resources technology zone:
GUL.AI : AI- and IoT-assisted Small-scale Plant-growing System, from DOST-ASTI; Robot for Optimized and Autonomous Mission Enhancement Responses (Roamer), DOST-ASTI; and iPOND- A LoRaWAN based pond water quality control and monitoring system for shrimps’ farms, DOST-MIRDC.
Health technology zone:
NANOCOMPOSITE Filaments for 3D Printed Prosthetics (Additive Manufacturing), DOST-ITDI; and APRO by Agapay, assisted by DOST-PCHRD.
Industry, energy and emerging technology zone
CARBON Quantum Dot Sensor for Food Packaging, DOST-ITDI; Intelligent Data Analysis System (IDAS) Software version 1.0, DOST-ITDI; IOT -Based Monitoring for Improved Machine Shop Operation, DOST-MIRDC; DIMER, DOST-ASTI; and Pili Seal-Adhesive & Sealant for Aviation and Construction Industries, DOST-TAPI. Climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster resilience zone
iOT-Based OL TRAP Community Dengue Early Warning System, DOST-Region II; Usher by Usher Technologies Inc., startup assisted by DOST-PCIEERD and DOST-TAPI; MASID Stations, DOST ASTI; arQ (Advanced Remote Data-Acquisition Unit ), DOST-ASTI; and QBX-SMA by Tekton GeoMetric Inc., startup assisted by DOST-TAPI. Smart and sustainable communities technology zone HOME Energy Storage System (HESS), DOST Region III; HIMO (Hiraya Intelligent Modular Optimization) by Hiraya Technology Solutions Inc., startup assisted by DOSTTAPI; Resilient Education Information Infrastructure for the New Normal
SKIN samples from tilapia (top) and bangus (bottom) immersed in silver nanoparticle solution for sterilization in the laboratory. PHOTO CREDIT TO BIANCA PATRICE GO
A6 Sunday, January 12, 2025
Unwavering faith: Devotees’ journey with Jesus Nazareno
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
THE streets of Manila transformed into a sea of maroon and yellow on Thursday as an estimated 8.1 million devotees gathered for the annual Traslación of Jesus Nazareno.
This cumulative estimate includes those who joined the procession, as well as those who stayed at the Quirino Grandstand for the “pahalik” (kiss of Jesus’ image) and at Quiapo Church, the popular name of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, for the hourly Masses.
The faithful brought towels, handkerchiefs, or miniature replicas of the Nazarene, each hoping to draw closer to their beloved Poong Nazareno.
Cries of “Viva Señor Nazareno!” rang out as the “andas,” the carriage carrying the 400-year-old image, began its 5.8-kilometer journey from the Quirino Grandstand back to Quiapo Church.
However, the Traslación (transfer), which took 20 hours and 45 minutes to complete, was not without its challenges.
The procession began at 4:41 a.m., but it faced a major obstacle shortly after reaching Finance Road on its way to Ayala Boulevard when the first of two ropes used to pull the andas snapped.
Despite this early setback, devotees continued their journey. Later in the evening, during the “Dungaw” (look out) at Plaza del Carmen near San Sebastian Church, the second rope also gave way.
The dungaw occurs when the andas of the Nazareno arrived
in front of the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian with the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel de San Sebastian at the church’s balcony, symbolizing the Mother and the Son showing respect and reverence for each other.
With no ropes left to assist them, devotees relied solely on determination–pushing the andas through the narrow streets of Quiapo.
Their perseverance paid off as the Nazarene was finally returned to the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno at 1:26 a.m.
While the Traslación may seem chaotic and exhausting to some, but for the millions who took part, it was an act of faith, sacrifice, and gratitude.
Continuing a legacy AMONG this year’s participants was Christopher, 25, who viewed his devotion to Jesus Nazareno as a way to honor his late father.
He fondly recalled how his father used to bring him to the Traslación when he was younger. Back then, Christopher would watch his father climb the andas while he remained on the ground.
This year, Christopher prayed to pass his board exams and fulfill
his dream of becoming a seafarer.
For the first time, he also planned to climb the andas himself—following in his father’s footsteps.
“Malaki po talaga yung tiwala ko sa Poong Nazareno. Ilang beses niya na kaming natulungan ni Papa noon. Alam kong tutulungan Niya rin ako ngayon,” he said.
Though aware that climbing the andas is now discouraged by Quiapo Church, Christopher believed that this act would bring even more blessings and make his late father proud.
“Isang beses lang ‘to sa isang taon. Siyempre all out na dapat,” he added. Gratitude, lifelong devotion
FOR Myrna, a 53-year-old laundrywoman, her devotion began eight years ago when a prayer was answered.
“Dati walang trabaho ang asawa ko. Nagdasal ako dito, humingi ng tulong tapos nagka-trabaho na siya,” she recalled tearfully.
Myrna spoke of how difficult life had been before they became devoted to the Nazarene.
Her husband, once reliant on odd jobs, now holds stable work in construction, easing the financial burden on their family.
Since then, Myrna has joined the Traslación every year, continuing to pray for her family’s health and well-being.
“Ngayong taon, hinihiling ko na sana maging maayos ang kalusugan namin at sana maging mas tahimik ang 2025 para sa amin,” she said.
Source of strength, praying for others MEANWHILE , 84-year-old Rosalinda could no longer join the procession due to her age.
Despite this, she ensured she attended the feast day celebrations at the Quirino Grandstand.
She stayed at the Grandstand for over 24 hours, undeterred by the long wait just to see the Nazarene.
“Ang Poong Nazareno ang tumulong sa akin na mapagtapos yung lima kong anak… ako lang mag-isa, paiba-iba ako ng trabaho,” she said.
Widowed at a young age, Rosalinda credits her devotion to the Nazarene for giving her the strength to raise her children alone.
“Ngayon, ang dasal ko na lang ay sana mas madami pa siyang matulungan. Okay na ako, madami na akong nagawa… Sana sa iba rin,” she added.
Why devotion endures FOR many Filipinos, the Traslación
Pope named the first woman to head a major Vatican office
ROME—Pope Francis on January 6 named the first woman to head a major Vatican office, appointing an Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church’s religious orders.
The appointment marks a major step in Francis’ aim to give women more leadership roles in governing the church. While women have been named to No. 2 spots in some Vatican offices, never before has a woman been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation of the Holy See Curia, the central governing organ of the Catholic Church.
The historic nature of Brambilla’s appointment was confirmed by Vatican Media, which headlined its report “Sister Simona Brambilla is the first woman prefect in the Vatican.”
The office is one of the most important in the Vatican. Known officially as the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, it is responsible for every religious order, from the Jesuits and Franciscans to the Mercy nuns and smaller newer movements.
The appointment means that a woman is now responsible for the women who do much of the church’s work—the world’s 600,000 Catholic nuns—as well as the 129,000 Catholic priests who belong to religious orders.
“It should be a woman. Long ago it should have been, but thank God,” said Thomas Groome, a senior professor of theology and religious education at Boston College who has long called for the ordination of women priests.
“It’s a small step along the way but symbolically, it shows an openness and a new horizon or possibility,” Groome added. Groome noted that nothing theologically would now prevent Francis from naming Brambilla a cardinal, since cardinals don’t technically have to be ordained priests.
Naming as a cardinal “would be automatic for the head of a dicastery if she was a man,” he said. But in an indication of the novelty of the appointment and that perhaps Francis was not ready to go that far, the pope simultaneously named as a co-leader, or “pro-prefect,” a cardinal: Ángel Fernández Artime, a Salesian. The appointment, announced in the Vatican daily bulletin, lists Brambilla first as “prefect” and Fernández second as her co-leader. Theologically, it appears Francis believed the second appointment was necessary since the
head of the office must be able to celebrate Mass and perform other sacramental functions that currently can only be done by men.
Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the religion and philosophy department at Manhattan University, was initially excited by Brambilla’s appointment, only to learn that Francis had named a male co-prefect.
“One day, I pray, the church will see women for the capable leaders they already are,” she said. “It’s ridiculous to think she needs help running a Vatican dicastery. Moreover, for as long as men have been in charge of this division of Vatican governance, they have governed men’s and women’s religious communities.”
Brambilla, 59, is a member of the Consolata Missionaries religious order and had served as the No. 2 in the religious orders department since 2023. She takes over from the retiring Cardinal
Joao Braz de Aviz, 77. Francis made Brambilla’s appointment possible with his 2022 reform of the Holy See’s founding constitution, which allowed laypeople, including women, to head a dicastery and become prefects.
Brambilla, a nurse, worked as a missionary in Mozambique and led her Consolata order as superior from 2011 to 2023, when Francis made her secretary of the religious orders department.
One major challenge she will face is the plummeting number of nuns worldwide. It has fallen by around 10,000 a year for the past several years, from around 750,000 in 2010 to 600,000 last year, according to Vatican statistics.
Brambilla’s appointment is the latest move by Francis to show by example how women can take leadership roles within the Catholic hierarchy, albeit without allowing them to be ordained as priests.
Catholic women have long complained of second-class status in an institution that reserves the priesthood for men.
Francis has upheld the ban on female priests and tamped down hopes that women could be ordained as deacons.
But there has been a marked increase in the percentage of women working in the Vatican during his papacy, including in leadership positions, from 19.3 percent in 2013 to 23.4 percent today, according to statistics reported by Vatican News.
In the Curia alone, the percentage of women is 26 percent. Nicole Winfield/Associated Press
is much more than just a religious event; it is a powerful display of faith, sacrifice, and hope.
The image of Jesus Nazareno, brought to the Philippines in 1606, is revered as a powerful intercessor.
The image of suffering Christ carrying the cross resonates deeply with devotees as it reflects their own struggles and triumphs.
A recent study by the National Academy of Psychology found that participation in group activities like the Traslación strengthens hope, solidarity, and a sense of belonging.
This collective experience inspires and unites devotees in their shared faith.
“The Traslación is a gathering of people with various problems in life. By joining the Traslación, devotees see it as an opportunity to feel good about themselves and be inspired by people supporting each other to have a more positive attitude toward life,” the study noted. As the andas slowly made its way back to Quiapo, the devotion of Christopher, Myrna, and Rosalinda echoed the prayers and hopes of millions.
For them, Jesus Nazareno is not just a symbol of faith but a source of strength. Through resilience and unwavering belief, they see miracles as always possible, no matter how small.
Brazilian nun is world’s oldest living person at nearly 117
MIAMI—A soccer-loving nun from Brazil is believed to have become the world’s oldest living person at nearly 117 following the recent death of a woman from Japan.
Sister Inah Canabarro was so skinny growing up that many didn’t think she would survive childhood, Cleber Canabarro, her 84-year-old nephew, told The Associated Press.
LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians around the globe, released a statement on Saturday declaring the wheelchair-bound nun the world’s oldest person validated by early life records.
In a video shot by the organization last February, the smiling Canabarro can be seen cracking jokes, sharing miniature paintings she used to make of wild flowers and reciting the “Hail Mary” prayer. The secret to longevity? Her Catholic faith, she says.
“I’m young, pretty and friendly—all very good, positive qualities that you have too,” the Teresian nun tells the visitors to her retirement home in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.
Her nephew spends time with her every Saturday and sends her voice messages between visits to keep her spirits up following two hospitalizations that left her weak, with difficulty talking.
“The other sisters say she gets a jolt when she hears my voice,” he says. “She gets excited.”
Canabarro was born on June 8, 1908, to a large family in southern
Brazil, according to LongeviQuest researchers. But her nephew said her birth was registered two weeks late and she was actually born on May 27.
Her great-grandfather was a famed Brazilian general who took up arms during the turbulent period following Brazil’s independence from Portugal in the 19th century. She took up religious work still a teenager and spent two years in Montevideo, Uruguay, before moving to Rio de Janeiro and eventually settling in her home state of Rio Grande do Sul.
A lifelong teacher, among her former students was Gen. Joao Figueiredo, the last of the military dictators who governed Brazil between 1964 and 1985. She was also the beloved creator of two marching bands at schools in sister cities straddling the border between Uruguay and Brazil.
For her 110th birthday, she was honored by Pope Francis. She is the second oldest nun ever documented, after Lucile Randon, who was the world’s oldest person until her death in 2023 at the age of 118.
Local soccer club Inter—which was founded after Canabarro’s birth—celebrates the birthday of its oldest fan every year. Her room is decorated with gifts in the team’s red and white colors, says her nephew.
“White or black, rich or poor, whoever you are, Inter is the team of the people,” she says in one video posted on social media celebrating her 116th birthday with the club’s president. AP
DEVOTEES jostled against each other to be able to touch the “andas” if not the end of the cross of Jesus Nazareno, despite pleas from Quiapo Church officials against climbing the carriage. Such persistence of the devotees could be similar to the story of the bleeding woman who believed that she would be healed if she touch Jesus’s clothing. She touched the clothes of Jesus; and she was healed. JUSTINE XYRAH GARCIA
POPE Francis greets Sister Simona Brambilla, superior general of the Consolata Missionary Sisters, on June 5, 2017, in Clementine Hall at the Vatican. L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
Biodiversity Sunday
New PHL peso bills showcase biodiversity, but…
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
THE First Philippine Poly -
mer Banknote Series which showcases the country’s rich biodiversity and cultural heritage were launched last December. It was the first time that the images of the country’s heroes were replaced with iconic animals.
The new banknotes composed of the P1,000, P500, P100 and P50 bills feature images of iconic wildlife alongside protected areas or famous spots that harbor some of the country’s rich biodiversity.
The polymer banknotes build on the success of the P1,000 polymer note introduced in April of 2022 and aligns with the global best practice of updating currency features every 10 years, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. acknowledged in a statement.
“Polymer banknotes are designed to keep up with the demands of everyday life. Unlike paper bills, which wear out after about a year or a year and a half, polymer banknotes can last up to seven and a half years, five times longer. And that means that we no longer need to replace them as often, saving money, cutting down on waste, and making a meaningful contribution to protecting the environment,” he explained.
While some sectors were quick in painting a political color in replacing the Philippine heroes on the banknotes with wildlife, the move gained the support of environmental and wildlife conservation advocates. At the same time, they expressed hope that it would not only promote awareness on the conservation of iconic Philippine wildlife but would also heighten interest in protecting and conserving their habitats and boost the campaign for increased budget allocation in Congress.
Highlighting biodiversity
THE polymer series raises awareness of the country’s threatened species, serves as a symbol of Filipino identity, and fosters national pride,” said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr.
The P1,000 polymer banknote features the country’s national bird, the endemic and critically endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), which symbolizes the Filipino’s strength and passion for freedom.
It also showcases the national flower, the sampaguita (Jasminum sambac), which symbolizes purity, simplicity, humility, and resilience.
The P500 banknote features the endemic and critically endangered Visayan spotted deer (Rusa alfredi), which is found in the lush rainforests of Panay and Negros islands.
Known for keen senses, The Visayan spotted deer symbolizes clarity and sharpness. Also showcased is
the Acanthephippium mantinianum, an endemic orchid with red-striped, yellow flowers, found across the islands of Luzon, Mindoro, Panay, Negros and Leyte.
The P100 banknote features the endemic and endangered Palawan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis), or tandikan. Representing strength, beauty, and grace, it is a strong flier with iridescent tail feathers.
It also shows the Ceratocentron fesselii, an endemic and critically endangered orchid with beautiful orange blooms found in Luzon and Negros.
The P50 banknote highlights the endemic subspecies and vulnerable Visayan leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis rabori), found on the islands of Panay, Negros, and Cebu.
The elusive cat embodies strength, agility, curiosity, self-reliance, and independence. The banknote also features Vidal’s lanutan (Hibiscus campylosiphon), a large endemic flower with a red center, found across the country.
Status of Philippine biodiversity
ACCORDING to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Philippines is one of 18 mega-biodiverse countries of the world, containing twothirds of the earth’s biodiversity and between 70 percent and 80 percent of the world’s plant and animal species.
It ranks fifth in the number of plant species and maintains 5 percent of the world’s flora.
The Philippines is very high in species endemism, covering at least 25 genera of plants and 49 percent of terrestrial wildlife, while the country ranks fourth in bird endemism.
However, the Philippines is also one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots with at least 700 threatened species, thus, making it one of the top global conservation areas.
Threats to biodiversity
SEVERAL factors are seriously threatening the country’s rich biodiversity, including habitat loss as a result of destructive human activities like agriculture, logging, mining and quarrying, overexploitation of resources, illegal wildlife trade, pollution, and human encroachment of animal habitats.
While there are a good number of laws that are meant to protect and conserve the country’s endangered species and their habitats, conflicting policies and the lack of political will to enforce environmental laws allow criminals to perpetuate environmental crimes.
Another serious problem identified by experts is poor budget allocation.
The Philippines has an 80 percent financing gap for biodiversity. It spends only P5 billion a year on biodiversity but needs P24 billion annually to effectively implement the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2028.
The country relies heavily on protected area management as a way of protecting and conserving the country’s endangered wildlife and lacks the police power to enforce environmental laws.
None of the featured endangered animals in the new polymer series is covered by a program specifically for the protection and conservation of the species and their habitats, except for the Philippine eagle.
The protection and conservation of the Philippine eagle, known as the world’s largest bird of prey, is being implemented by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, a not-for-profit organization backed by the private sector.
Welcome gesture
ANSON TAGTAG , Wildlife Resources Division chief at the country’s Environment department’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), said the gesture of the BSP to showcase Philippine biodiversity in the country’s peso bills is a welcome development and is aligned with the shared responsibility for conservation.
“As the government agency mandated to protect the country’s wildlife, the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] Biodiversity Management Bureau warmly welcomes and fully supports the showcasing of Philippine wildlife in the new polymer banknote series released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. This initiative aligns with our shared responsibility to conserve the nation’s biodiversity,” Tagtag told the BusinessMirror on January 7.
“In the light of the alarming number of plants and wild animals at risk of extinction, this effort serves as a vital step toward broadly raising awareness about species often overlooked and threatened by illegal collection and habitat loss,” he added.
By featuring the native flora and fauna on banknotes—items that people use daily—“we ensure that our citizens gain a deeper appreciation of the Philippines’ precious and diverse wildlife,” he said.
The initiative reminds the people
that the survival of these species “is closely tied to our own, as they play critical roles in maintaining ecological balance and supporting human livelihoods.”
“Through initiatives like this, we hope to inspire collective action to protect and sustain wild flora and fauna that define our nation’s natural wealth,” he pointed out.
Biodiversity is life
ENVIRONMENTAL lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos, vice president of Oceana, an ocean conservation advocacy nongovernment organization (NGO), told the BusinessMirror that while it was not in any way demeaning the accomplishments of the country’s heroes, the BSP’s move “is another strategy to remind all that we are interconnected with nature and to instil respect in nature, to remember that biodiversity is life and that we owe our existence to our natural world.”
“I hope through that, being the center of the center of marine biodiversity, the country’s corals, mangroves, and our marine wildlife are featured as well,” Ramos said via Messenger on January 6.
For her part, Jazz Torres Ong, a herpetologist and conservation advocate, said: “While we do not want to forget and want to continue to honor our heroes, it’s only right and it is about time that we put our true riches—our natural resources in the spotlight.” With the new bank notes out, both Filipinos and foreigners will catch a glimpse of endemic wildlife they may have not known existed like the Visayan spotted deer, Visayan leopard cat, and Palawan peacock-pheasant,
Ong told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on January 5.
“Some have argued that this change is politically motivated but regardless of the intent, shifting the focus from individuals to biodiversity helps eliminate political bias and reminds us of the natural heritage that belongs to all Filipinos,” Ong, founder of Wildlife Matters, an NGO, added.
A meaningful gesture but… MEANWHILE , international biodiversity expert and conservation advocate Theresa Mundita S. Lim agreed that with some of the country’s endangered wildlife having been featured in the banknote series, she hopes it will lead to an ever-heightened awareness and pride among Filipinos of the country’s native animals.
“Thus, more people will be calling for additional resources and action for protecting biodiversity in the Philippines,” Lim added.
“From what I have heard, it is now a budget priority for the DENR [in wildlife conservation]. Hopefully, in the future, it can be a budget priority for the entire government,” the former head of the Asean Center for Biodiversity said.
Lim said that “putting the images of our native species on peso bills should encourage other sectors—financial and business, not just the environment-related organizations— to invest in biodiversity through their projects and programs.”
Environmentalist and wildlife conservation advocate Anna Varona agreed that “while we do not want to forget and want to continue to honor our heroes, it’s only right and it is about time that we put our true riches, our natural resources, in the spotlight.”
“Featuring our flora and fauna on Philippine bills is a meaningful gesture. But its true value comes from real, lasting action—stricter laws to protect habitats, more funding for conservation, and initiatives that encourage responsible consumer behavior,” Varona, former COO of Haribon Foundation, told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on January 6.
“Symbolism alone won’t protect our biodiversity,” she pointed out.
“At the same time, we must acknowledge the contributions of our past heroes. Rather than erasing them [images of heroes from peso bills], a more balanced approach would honor both our history and our environment. Doing so would reflect integrity, maturity, and a deeper commitment to our national heritage and identity which both have given us,” she explained.
“We don’t need it [promotion of protecting biodiversity] on paper bills. We need it in bills passed by [Congress and enacted into laws],” Varona said.
Greenland, a remote but resource-rich island, is key in a warming world
REMOTE , icy and mostly pristine, Greenland plays an outsized role in the daily weather experienced by billions of people and in the climate changes taking shape all over the planet.
Greenland is where climate change, scarce resources, tense geopolitics and new trade patterns all intersect, said Ohio University security and environment professor Geoff Dabelko.
The world’s largest island is now “central to the geopolitical, geoeconomic competition in many ways,” partly because of climate change, Dabelko said.
Since his first term in office, Presidentelect Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime US ally and a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is also home to a large US military base.
Why is Greenland coveted?
THINK of Greenland as an open refrigerator
door or thermostat for a warming world, and it’s in a region that is warming four times faster than the rest of the globe, said New York University climate scientist David Holland. Locked inside are valuable rare earth minerals needed for telecommunications, as well as uranium, billions of untapped barrels of oil and a vast supply of natural gas that used to be inaccessible but is becoming less so.
Many of the same minerals are currently being supplied mostly by China, so other countries such as the United States are interested, Dabelko said.
Three years ago, the Denmark government suspended oil development offshore from the territory of 57,000 people.
But more than the oil, gas or minerals, there’s ice—a “ridiculous” amount, said climate scientist Eric Rignot of the University of California, Irvine.
If that ice melts, it would reshape coastlines across the globe and potentially
shift weather patterns in such a dramatic manner that the threat was the basis of a Hollywood disaster movie.
Greenland holds enough ice that if it all melts, the world’s seas would rise by 24 feet (7.4 meters). Nearly a foot of that is so-called zombie ice, already doomed to melt no matter what happens, a 2022 study found.
Since 1992, Greenland has lost about 182 billion tons (169 billion metric tons) of ice each year, with losses hitting 489 billion tons a year (444 billion metric tons) in 2019.
Greenland will be “a key focus point” through the 21st century because of the effect its melting ice sheet will have on sea levels, said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. “It will likely become a bigger contributor in the future.”
That impact is “perhaps unstoppable,” NYU’s Holland said.
Are other climate factors at play?
GREENLAND also serves as the engine and
on/off switch for a key ocean current that influences Earth’s climate in many ways, including hurricane and winter storm activity.
It’s called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and it’s slowing down because more fresh water is being dumped into the ocean by melting ice in Greenland, Serreze said.
A shutdown of the AMOC conveyor belt is a much-feared climate tipping point that could plunge Europe and parts of North America into prolonged freezes, a scenario depicted in the 2004 movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”
“If this global current system were to slow substantially or even collapse altogether—as we know it has done in the past—normal temperature and precipitation patterns around the globe would change drastically,” said climate scientist Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center.
“Agriculture would be derailed, ecosystems would crash, and ‘normal’ weather
would be a thing of the past,” Francis added.
Greenland is also changing color as it melts from the white of ice, which reflects sunlight, heat and energy away from the planet, to the blue and green of the ocean and land, which absorb much more energy, Holland said.
Greenland plays a role in the dramatic freeze that two-thirds of the United States is currently experiencing.
And back in 2012, weather patterns over Greenland helped steer Superstorm Sandy into New York and New Jersey, according to winter weather expert Judah Cohen of the private firm Atmospheric and Environmental Research.
Because of Greenland’s mountains of ice, it also changes patterns in the jet stream, which brings storms across the globe and dictates daily weather.
Often, especially in winter, a blocking system of high pressure off Greenland causes Arctic air to plunge to the west and east, smacking North America and Europe,
Cohen said.
Why is Greenland’s location so important?
BECAUSE it straddles the Arctic circle between the United States, Russia and Europe, Greenland is a geopolitical prize that the US and others have eyed for more than 150 years.
It’s even more valuable as the Arctic opens up more to shipping and trade.
None of that takes into consideration the unique look of the ice-covered island that has some of the Earth’s oldest rocks.
“I see it as insanely beautiful. It’s eyewatering to be there,” said Holland, who has conducted research on the ice more than 30 times since 2007.
“Pieces of ice the size of the Empire State Building are just crumbling off cliffs and crashing into the ocean. And also, the beautiful wildlife, all the seals and the killer whales. It’s just breathtaking,” he said. Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer
In the sports world, Including in the last Olympics, dervout Athletes have often faced extra hurdles on and off the field in finding accommodations for religious practices.
MAPLE GROVE, Minnesota—Ice crystals clung to the eyelashes, parka hood, beanie hat and headscarf of Ruqayah Nasser as she took a break after her first-ever snow tubing runs in a Minnesota park on a subzero (-18 Celsius) January morning.
S he had joined two dozen other members of a group founded by a Somali-American mother in Minneapolis to promote all-seasons activities among Muslim women, who might otherwise feel singled out in the great outdoors, especially when wearing hijabs.
They understand my lifestyle. I don’t have to explain myself,” said Nasser, who recently moved to the Twin Cities from Chicago and whose family hails from Yemen. “My religion is everything. It’s my survival kit.”
A s one of the most visible signs of the Muslim faith, hijabs often attract controversy. Within Islam, some women want to wear the headscarves for piety and modesty, while others oppose them as a symbol of oppression. In the sports world, including in the last Olympics, devout athletes have often faced extra hurdles on and off the field in finding accommodations for religious practices.
C oncerned about safety as a woman—particularly one wearing a head covering—but determined to get outdoors to beat seasonal depression, Nasrieen Habib put out a social media post about creating a hiking group three years ago.
From the nine women who responded, her Amanah Rec Project has grown to more than 700 members. There’s a core group for Muslim women only—for “more sisterhood and modesty,” Habib says—as well as a group for families.
I n addition to weekly outings, they organize longer trips and education on everything from appropriate winter clothing—a challenge for many migrant communities—to health and environmental sustainability from the perspective of Islam.
It’s a way to live your whole life according to a set of beliefs and rules. And part of those beliefs and rules is taking care of creation,” Habib said as her 4-year-old son took a break from tubing in a toasty chalet at Elm Creek Park Reserve near Minneapolis. “How can we be more sustainable in a time where we see the impact of climate change, especially impacting people who look like us in the Global South?”
Two sisters, Ruun Mahamud and Nawal Hirsi, moved to the United
Scarves over headscarves: Hijabs attract controversy
and some
the
States from Somalia as children about two decades ago. They found a safe haven in Minnesota where, since the late 1990s, growing numbers of East African refugees have created an increasingly vocal Muslim community. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was the first lawmaker to wear a hijab while on the US House floor, and Minneapolis was the first large city in the United States to allow the Islamic call to prayer to be broadcast publicly by its two dozen mosques.
Even though she feels “safe and accepted” in her hijab, Hirsi joined the group for extra support.
“I love being outdoors and joining this group has made me more comfortable to participate,” she said on the tubing hill, where she had convinced Mahamud to come along for the first time.
Oh my gosh, it’s the most amazing
Habib first Lebanese player in Open era to play in majors
MELBOURNE, Australia— Hady Habib isn’t likely to find anything too daunting at the Australian Open now that he’s become the first Lebanese player in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam men’s singles draw.
He advanced through three rounds of the qualifying at Melbourne Park, winning his third match in a tiebreaker, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8), over Clement Chidekh of France on Thursday to secure a place in the main draw of the tournament that starts Sunday.
It continued a rapid rise for Habib, who made his Olympic debut last year in Paris, running into eventual silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time major winner, in the first round. It was two sets he’ll long remember. L ate last year, he made history at Temuco, Chile by becoming the first Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour champion from Lebanon
The 26-year-old Habib was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Lebanon as a young child, learning how to play there. He returned to the US to pursue a pro career and feels now like he’s representing of the spirit of Lebanese people.
thing I’ve ever done,” Mahamud gushed after speeding downhill on a tube attached to her sister’s as their daughters recorded the adventure on their phones.
The sisters said it’s important to include love for the outdoors and physical activity in their children’s religious upbringing.
Taking care of one’s health is part of our faith,” Hirsi said.
Muslim women who wear hijabs can face multiple barriers to sports participation, said Umer Hussain, a Wilkes University professor who studies religion and sports. They range from activities where genders mix or head coverings pose logistical hurdles to conservative families who might frown on it.
Groups like Habib’s tackle empowering women in their communities as well as raising
awareness about religious accommodations like single-sex spaces or locations for prayer.
The biggest barrier, for women specifically, is having access to spaces that allow us to practice our religion while keeping our modesty and abiding by the Islamic laws that tell us we are not supposed to be in mixed spaces without covering up,” Habib said. She appears to have tapped into a great demand.
When she told me she was going to start a hiking group to get sisters out in nature…it was like actually something I’ve been looking for for a very long time,” Makiya Amin said as she climbed up the tubing hill in a long white skirt, bright-red headscarf, and heavy winter coat. “I didn’t really have those type of people who were outdoorsy already around me.” AP
Messi, Neymar, Suárez reunion at Inter Miami—will it happen?
AREUNION of Barcelona’s famed trio of Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi and Neymar at Inter Miami would certainly be welcome—if it happens.
Suárez addressed rumors that Neymar could be headed to Major League Soccer on Thursday at the league’s media day in Miami.
Everyone knows what Neymar can offer, and what we achieved together in that special period. Now we are in a different period and older, but the team will certainly feel grateful to have a player like him with us,” he said. “As always, anything is possible in football, but turning these expectations into reality is difficult and complicated.”
he starts his time as head coach of Indonesia.
The majority of players on the men’s national team were born or raised in the Netherlands, where Kluivert made his name as a successful striker.
T he rapid naturalization of players from overseas who are eligible to represent Indonesia through a parent or grandparent, is the key to why the former Barcelona and Ajax star was appointed Indonesia’s soccer federation, the PSSI.
I ndonesia and Netherlands have ties dating back centuries. Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945.
“ I know it’s just a sport, but I feel like representing Lebanon and sacrificing all the things I had to do to get here, it kind of resembles how our nation has fought back,” Habib told Australia’s SBS News this week. H is personal success has come at a difficult time during the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A fragile ceasefire deal was struck on Nov.ember27 following nearly 14 months of war.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023—the day after Hamas launched a deadly attack into Israel that ignited the ongoing war in Gaza. Subsequent Israeli air and ground assaults have killed more than
4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians. At the height of the war, more than 1 million Lebanese people were displaced.
“ Every morning, I was waking up during that challenging time, I was contacting all my family members, my friends, making sure they’re okay,” Habib told SBS News. “My heart’s just shattered to see what’s happening to our country and people.
It was a hard time mentally for me, knowing that you can’t do anything to help, but I’m glad things are calming down now. Hopefully we’ll find some peace.”
The 219th-ranked Habib’s firstround opponent was determined Friday—it will be 65th-ranked Bu Yunchaokete of China.
Gauff works on serve, forehand IT was a meaningless hit-and-giggle session, a mixed doubles exhibition
at Rod Laver Arena just for fun and charity in front of fans a few days ahead of the Australian Open, so Coco Gauff was calling out how fast she would try to hit some serves. Her guesses, and her deliveries, kept getting closer to 200 kph (125 mph) on Thursday evening, and when the 2023 US Open champion and her partner, Andrey Rublev, had taken that game, one of their opponents, Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt, acknowledged, “Great serving.” Gauff’s response? “Thanks. I’ve been working on it.” Yes, she has—on her serving and her forehand—and the strides made in both of those areas are among the reasons Gauff is considered one of the few women ready to challenge two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title at Melbourne Park when the year›s first Grand Slam tournament begins Sunday (Saturday EST). AP
Ne ymar, who currently plays for Saudi club Al Hilal, fueled the rumors with comments to CNN Sport earlier this week.
“Obviously, playing again with Messi and Suárez would be incredible,” Neymar said. “They are my friends. We still speak to each other. It would be interesting to revive this trio. I’m happy at Al Hilal, I’m happy in Saudi Arabia, but who knows. Football is full of surprises.”
He also posted a selfie on Instagram stories with his son, who was wearing an Inter Miami jersey. In October, Neymar bought a waterfront home in Miami’s Bal Harbour for $26 million.
Ne ymar, Messi and Suárez played together at Barcelona for three memorable seasons from 2014-17. Known as MSN, the trio combined for 364 goals and had 173 assists.
Ne ymar is under contract with Al Hilal through this season.
Indonesia hires ex-Barcelona star as coach
T he 48-year-old Kluivert was confirmed as the new head coach recently to replace Shin Tae-yong, the South Korean coach who was contentiously dismissed two days earlier.
Since Shin started in Jakarta in 2020, Indonesia has achieved unprecedented results and is in the running to reach the 2026 World Cup for the first time since 1938—when it appeared as Dutch East Indies.
W ith four games remaining in the third round of Asian qualification, Indonesia is third in its six-team group, just one point behind secondplace Australia. The top two in each group qualify automatically for the 2026 tournament, while third- and fourth-place teams advance to the next stage in Asia.
Such progress, which also included a first ever place in the knockout stages of the Asian Cup last January, made Shin a popular figure in Indonesia.
Joko Widodo was president of Indonesia throughout most of the
NASRIEEN HABIN (green coat)
of
members of the outdoors group she founded for Muslim women pose for a photo at the bottom of a snow tubing hill at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minnesota. AP
LIONEL MESSI (center) celebrates with Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez (right) and Neymar during their Champions League match against Celtic at the Camp Nou Stadium on September 13, 2016. AP
HADY HABIB walks by Carlos Alcaraz during the men’s singles competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 27, 2024, as Coco Gauff tries to correct the two most obvious shortcomings in her game. AP
Quitting vaping this 2025?
Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies
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‘COMBO ON THE RUN’
The Eraserheads’ new documentary to premiere in cinemas this March
By John Eiron R. Francisco
EVERY Filipino who grew up in the ‘90s has at least one Eraserheads song etched into their memory. Be it the nostalgia of “Ligaya,” the bittersweet strains of “With a Smile,” or the anthemic roar of “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” the band’s music defined a generation.
These iconic tracks, still loved today, capture the joy, heartbreak, and memories of youth, which somehow leave a lasting imprint on the Filipino culture.
Now, in 2025, the iconic band is bringing its story to the big screen with “Eraserheads: Combo On The Run,”an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary set to premiere in cinemas nationwide from March 21 to 23.
The film promises an intimate look into the band’s journey—from their painful breakup to the emotional reunion that defined their historic Huling El Bimbo concert in 2022.
Directed and produced by Maria Diane Ventura, the film is said to peel back the layers of myths surrounding the band’s larger-than-life image. The Eraserheads, known for their bold personalities and timeless anthems, have come to symbolize Filipino culture. Yet, much of their story has remained untold—until now.
Through rare footage and exclusive interviews, Ventura said that it will take viewers behind the scenes, revealing the highs and the lows that shaped the band’s journey.
The ‘untold story’ MEANHWILE, Ventura shared her thoughts on the experience, describing the band as notoriously private and “guarded” throughout the years. She expressed how privileged she felt to have witnessed the band members open up in ways that the public had never seen before.
“Their honesty and openness were a gift,” she recalled. “It wasn’t just cathartic for them; it was transformative for me as a filmmaker and as an audience member. It gave me permission to reflect on my own truths, and I hope it encourages others to do the same.”
The process of creating “Eraserheads: Combo On The Run” was no easy feat, according to Ventura. She admitted that the journey was both physically and emotionally taxing.
revealing more
constantly required us to rethink and deepen the narrative,” she said.
As an award-winning director, Ventura acknowledged the unpredictability of documentary filmmaking.
“Documentaries are a different animal, and I have tremendous respect for documentary filmmakers. It’s such a wild ride, as it can go in a million different directions,” she explained.
With over 30 reshoots and 58 versions over two years, the film’s production was considered the true test of perseverance, aided by the efforts of four dedicated editors.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to receive guidance from great friends, filmmakers, and the band,”Ventura added.
“Without the support of people like Ely Buendia, Francis Lumen, and organizations like Warner, WEU, Voyage Studios, and Offshore, I don’t think I could have completed this project.”
For Ventura, “Eraserheads: Combo On The Run” holds special significance as it may be her first and last documentary. “This was my way of thanking them by upholding their legacy,” she said, emphasizing that the Eraserheads and their music played a crucial role in shaping her career.
“Eraserheads are, in my opinion, the greatest Filipino artists, and Ely Buendia is the best songwriter of all time.”
As the band’s journey is finally revealed in this highly anticipated documentary, fans old and new can look forward to a deeper understanding of the iconic group that shaped the soundtrack of Filipino youth for decades.
ERASERHEADS from their Huling El Bimbo concert. Contributed photos.
JEEPNEY ROCK
When a boring ride to work or school turns into a rocking road trip
NOT everyone likes the term Yacht Rock, probably due to its elitist connotation.
In HBO’s Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, Steve Lukather of Toto fame said, with a hint of sarcasm, “Where’s my yacht?”
On Facebook, Filipino filmmaker Chuck Escasa, who was part of the original owners of fabled ’90s alternative music club Red Rocks, posted: “Kung may Yacht Rock, eto naman ang Jeepney Rock.” Below it was a list of albums to define it:
Foghat Live, Grand Funk Railroad’s Caught in the Act, Black Sabbath Vol. 4, Savoy Brown’s Street Corner Talking, Led Zeppelin’s Song Remains the Same, Deep Purple’s Machine Head, Uriah Heep’s Look at Yourself, The Guess Who’s Friends of Mine, Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, BTO’s Not Fragile, Kiss Alive, Van Halen’s selftitled debut, Cheap Trick’s Live at Budokan, Boston’s self-titled debut, Bad Company’s Run with the Pack.
DJ and Betrayed drummer Manny
Pagsuyuin commented that Chuck forgot Nazareth’s Greatest Hits.
SoundStrip editor Edwin Sallan chimed in: Rod Stewart’s Foot Loose & Fancy Free. Pwede rin yung Blondes Have More Fun. Narinig ko rin sa jeepney yun. Borderline Jeepney Rock: Foreigner’s Double Vision, yung may “Hot Blooded,” “Blue Morning, Blue Day,” at yung title track.
Jeepney Rock is the type of music heard blasting from public utility jeeps (PUJs) plying Metro Manila in the 1970s and ’80s. The PUJs of those years sported funky, sometimes garish designs on their bodies. Inside, there were loudspeakers under the seats and, in front of the driver was a music player with a stack of tapes called the 8-track cartridge.
Slow Rock
THE music, popularly dubbed in the streets as Slow Rock, consisted mostly of ballads or mid-tempo tunes by hard rock/heavy metal bands. But the slow songs gave way to the faster ones, or the other way around, since the tapes playing were full-length albums.
For instance, three tracks from Deep Purple’s Machine Head would be heard: The fast and furious “Highway Star,” the mid-tempo “Lazy,” and the rather easygoing “Smoke on the Water.” But all heavy sounding with guitar power, just the same.
Imagine flagging down a PUJ to go to work or to school early in the morning as Led Zep’s “Rock and Roll,” “Moby Dick” and Whole Lotta Love” play, and your cute seatmate’s cologne
wafts into your nose and her still-wet hair slightly touches your face.
Not an inconvenience for the jeproks of those times. What was usually a boring ride turned into an exciting road trip.
And then, on a good night, you might hear the following tracks: Eric Clapton’s version of “I Shot the Sheriff,” Derek and the Dominos’ “Bell Bottom Blues,” the Allman Brothers Band’s “Jessica,” Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” and so on.
Otherwise, the typical driver’s favorites were the Scorpions’ “Still Loving You” and “When the Smoke is Going Down,” Nazareth’s “Dream On, “Where Are You Now,” and its version of “Love Hurts” (a country song first recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960 and recently covered by Keith Richards and Norah Jones), Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind,” you get the drift. OPM staples were the Juan de la Cruz Band’s “Himig Natin,” “No Touch,” “Panahon,” the very apt “Beep, Beep,” Mike Hanopol’s “Laki sa Layaw,” Wally Gonzalez’s “Wally’s Blues, and, once in a while, Pepe Smith’s “Summer Wind.”
Incidentally, Anak Bayan recorded a song called “Jeepney Rock,” the last track on its self-titled album in 1977. Its jazzy rhythm melded with drummer-vocalist Edmund Fortuno’s R&B inflections on taking a ride in the heyday of the king of the road.
But dig this surprise I stumbled into while scrolling on Spotify: A 2015 playlist called “Ultimate Jeepney Rock Espesyal” by Tirso Ripoll, yes, the cool guitar dude of Razorback.
Loaded with 155 songs clocking in at 12 hours and 21 minutes, this is a hot damn good start for anyone who wants to understand what I’m talking about.
There are, of course, a lot of personal choices from Tirso which the average jeepney driver may not be aware of — like, for example, five tracks (“I Got the Blues,” “Sister Morphine,” “Wild Horses,” “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” “Ventilator Blues”) from the Rolling Stones’ 1971 Sticky Fingers album.
Unless Tirso himself owns the jeepney and he orders his driver to play those tracks.
But judging from songs of The Eagles, Queen, Santana, Moody Blues, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, The Who, Bad Company, and so on and so forth, this is, more or less, what Jeepney Rock sounds like.
STACKS of classic rock cassettes (Photo by Jonathan Cooper via Pexels)
INSIDE a jeepney (Photo by Nothing Ahead via Pexels)
Quitting vaping this 2025?
Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies
By jamie Hartmann-Boyce (uMass amherst) and ailsa r Butler & nicola Lindson (university of Oxford) The Conversation
On January 8, 2025, a team of specialists on tobacco use and health policy published a report that draws together the available scientific evidence on how best to support people to quit vaping nicotine.
The Conversatio n asked health policy professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from UMass Amherst and tobacco control researchers Ailsa Butler and Nicola Lindson from the University of Oxford—who all authored the report—to explain its key takeaways.
“Cochrane reviews,” like this one, are often considered the gold standard in evidence. They bring together all the available studies in a certain area and assess their results and how trustworthy they are. They are used by clinicians and policymakers worldwide.
Our report focuses on strategies for helping people stay vape-free for six months or longer.
We found that text message-based interventions may help young people to stop vaping nicotine. These programs typically provide encouragement, support and practical advice on quitting, delivered directly to people’s cellphones.
All the evidence on these programs came from one text message-based program in particular, called This Is Quitting. People can sign up to this program, which will then send them daily automated, interactive text messages supporting them in quitting.
The length of the program depends on the individual. So far, studies have tested this intervention only in adolescents and young adults. More evidence is needed to see whether these programs work in older adults and whether other text-messaging programs work as well.
Another promising approach for quitting vaping that we identified through the study is the drug varenicline, marked as Chantix in the US and some other countries. This is a pill that is available only with a prescription and that numerous studies have shown is effective for quitting smoking. Varenicline works by blocking the “rewarding” effects of nicotine. More evidence is needed to understand how effective the drug is for quitting vaping and whether it has any serious side effects when used for this purpose.
Varenicline appeared to double the chances of successfully quitting, compared with people receiving no medi -
cation for quitting. The text-message intervention appeared to increase the chances of successfully quitting vaping by about 30 percent.
These were the only two strategies for which there is sufficient evidence that they can help people quit for six months or more, but more studies are underway.
h ow harmful is vaping?
For people who smoke, evidence shows that switching to nicotine vaping can improve their health and help them stay smoke-free. However, though less harmful than smoking, nicotine vaping is likely to cause more harm than not vaping or smoking.
People who’ve used vaping to quit smoking are advised to ultimately quit vaping, too. There are also lots of people who vape nicotine who’ve never smoked—for them, vaping nicotine may be harmful.
Many people who want to quit vaping also want to save money and be addiction-free.
When it comes to pinning down the health harms of vaping nicotine, it’s impossible to make sweeping statements. The risks of vaping vary a lot, depending on the device type and on what the liquid within the vape contains.
People who vape should make sure they are using products that have been regulated and tested—in the U.S., for example, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized marketing of some nicotine vaping products as appropriate for the protection of public health.
Vaping liquids with substances other than nicotine, such as cannabis or opioids, comes with very different risks than vaping nicotine.
a re t here clear recommendations from the report?
I T ’ S hard to make firm recommendations on how to quit vaping nicotine because researchers like us don’t yet have enough evidence. The evidence researchers do have is most promising for the text-message program, specifically when used by younger people, and for
stop-smoking adviser. The same may be the case for quitting vaping. If you want to quit, reaching out to your health care provider or a stop-smoking or stop-vaping service is likely to be a good place to start.
h ow do quitting strategies differ for those who vape versus smoke?
Mo S T of the interventions that have been tested to help people quit vaping are the same as those that researchers know work to help people quit smoking. There isn’t yet enough evidence to say for sure whether the interventions that help people stop smoking work for vaping, and whether they have any potential harms. It could be that vaping-specific interventions, like changing the characteristics of your e-cigarette—such as by reducing the amount of nicotine in it — could help people quit vaping. But more research is needed.
Those who started vaping to help quit smoking need to make sure that quitting vaping is not going to cause them to go back to smoking.
Smoking cigarettes is more harmful than vaping regulated, nicotinecontaining vapes, because the diseases caused by smoking are caused by the burning of tobacco. Vaping does not involve burning anything. Therefore, cigarettes should never be used to help people stop vaping.
There are stories of people doing this,
‘With smoking, people often have to try to quit many times before succeeding. therefore, if you want to quit vaping nicotine, and have tried before but it hasn’t worked, don’t be discouraged.’
the drug varenicline, which people can get a prescription for from their health care providers.
There is some evidence that the drug cytisine might help, too, but it’s not yet available in the U.S. Like varenicline, cytisine works by blocking the rewarding effects of nicotine.
With smoking, people often have to try to quit many times before succeeding. Therefore, if you want to quit vaping nicotine, and have tried before but it hasn’t worked, don’t be discouraged.
We researchers know that people are most likely to succeed in quitting smoking if they use a combination of medications and behavioral support—for example, from a health care provider or a
but no one has ever tested this in a study because it would be immoral to do so. Cigarettes kill 1 in 2 users who don’t quit and harm others nearby through secondhand smoke. Their harms far outweigh any perceived benefits.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a free helpline for those looking to quit tobacco use—as part of this, they provide stop-vaping support. (In the Philippines, there’s the Department of Health Quitline and mCessation. These support services assist those who are ready to quit smoking. Service delivery is through toll-free number 1558 and mReady2Quit FB page. —Ed)
Cover photo by Olena Bohovyk on Pexels.com
Photo by Vinh Chè on Pexels.C o m