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Sunday, January 14, 2024 Vol. 19 No. 91

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Ready to face the dry spell As summer season approaches, govt, stakeholders ramp up preps to face El Niño threat

ANGAT Dam, the reservoir that supplies about 90 percent of raw water requirements for Metro Manila. BERNARD TESTA

S

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

INCE January 2023, the government has been preparing for the expected water supply shortage with the onset of El Niño this year to ensure Metro Manila would no longer suffer the nightmare wrought by the 2019 episode of the perennial water shortage every time the long drought season deprives Angat Dam of the much-needed water supply from rain.

Carlos Primo David, Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said every water service provider, including water districts, is required to submit its respective El Niño Intervention Plan.

“All of them have their problems. Some require water tanks, some need new deep wells and some even ask for power generators,” he said.

‘Sufficient’ supply from source

AS far as Metro Manila is concerned, however, the head of the Water Resource Management Office (WRMO) of the DENR is highly confident there will be “sufficient” water supply throughout the rest of the summer season.

“We’ve been closely coordinating with other water agencies.

So far, with the water level at Angat reaching 114 meters above sea level, it is safe to say that it will last until the onset of the rainy season,”

“We’ve been closely coordinating with other water agencies. So far, with the water level at Angat reaching 114 meters above sea level, it is safe to say that it will last until the onset of the rainy season.”—Carlos Primo David, Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

IN this July 11, 2023, file photo, residents of Manila can be seen lining up with empty water containers, anticipating a water supply interruption in parts of Navotas, Malabon and Caloocan ROY DOMINGO

he told the BusinessMirror.

David said if worse comes to worst, if the long season of drought extends beyond what is forecasted by the country’s weather bureau, the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS) and its water concessionaires have put in place contingency plans to ensure Metro Manila residents will not experience waterless days.

David also expects the same with other water districts in various parts of the country, where El Niño is expected to be equally severe and punishing.

The WRMO has oversight functions over other water agencies like the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), MWSS (Corporate and Regulatory Offices), Local Water Utilities Administration’s network of local water districts; and the Laguna Lake Development Authority.

Projection

“[PER] the latest El Niño outlook, El Niño will persist around April.

When it reaches the second quarter, it will exist but go to neutral conditions. In case there will be a water supply shortage, we need to anticipate,” says David.

He added that water in reservoirs must be adequate to ensure the sustainable operation of hydropower plants because if water fails to produce electricity, it will have a domino effect on the water supply.

“Some water utilities extract water from deep wells, and it needs electricity, that is why we need to be cautious,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

In case the entire water supply system depends on electricity, pumps as well as treatment plants may also be affected.

“We don’t want drought conditions to happen,” said David.

In Metro Manila, two water concessionaires are sharing water from Angat as approved by the NWRB. Maynilad Water Services Inc. is getting 60 percent of the approved allocation, while Manila

Water Corp. is getting a 40-percent share. The approved water allocation for Metro Manila is 46 cubic meters per second (CMS) or 4,000 million liters per day (MLD).

This is being reduced from time to time in case the water level at Angat falls below the normal operating level, which is 212 meters above sea level (masl), while the critical level for drinking water is 160 masl.

Angat Dam also supplies irrigation to 20,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and 2,000 hectares in Candaba, Pampanga.

In the East Zone concession area with a 1,400-square-kilometer area covering 23 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila and Rizal, which includes Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, and parts of Quezon City, and Manila, Manila Water is on top of the situation.

To date, the company has a customer base of 7.6 million.

Alternative sources

ASIDE from the water supplied by Angat Dam, where around 90 percent of the water requirement for Metro Manila and other nearby towns and cities in Bulacan and Rizal provinces is drawn, Manila Water gets its raw water from Laguna de Bay. Through its Cardona Treatment Plant in Rizal, which can treat up to 110 million liters per day, it can supply clean and potable water to several towns in Rizal, according to Raymond Andrew C. Maymay, Manila Water’s corporate communications manager.

The company also taps other auxiliary sources, such as the Marikina River through the 15 to 20-MLD Marikina Water Portable

Treatment Plant and the 20-MLD Wawa-Calawis Water Supply System in Antipolo.

At Laguna Lake, the East Bay Water Supply System Project Phase 1 is expected to contribute 50 MLD for the municipalities of Baras, Binangonan, Cardona, Jalajala and Morong in Rizal.

Early this month, Manila Water inaugurated the NovalichesBalara Aqueduct 4 in Quezon City (NBAQ 4), which will convey 1,000 MLD from the La Mesa reservoir.

This will allow for the rehabilitation of the three existing aqueducts, which may already be incurring raw water losses.

Meanwhile, a backwash recovery program in the two water treatment plants in Balara, Quezon City, is being implemented and is capable of treating 24.7 MLD. This is a 13-MLD increase from last year’s 11.6 MLD. “Deep wells are also ready to provide additional sources when needed. A maximum of 100 MLD from deep wells can be drawn from more than 50 deep wells already rehabilitated and constructed at various sites within the concession area,” Maymay said.

“Aside from augmenting the water supply sources, we keep the non-revenue water (NRW) under manageable levels—one of the lowest in Asia and on par with developed countries,” he added.

Maynilad: We’re ready

MEANWHILE, Maynilad Water Services Inc. the water services provider for the West Zone of the Greater Metro Manila area and the largest water concessionaire in terms of customer base in the Philippines, is confident of meeting the Continued on A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.1160 n JAPAN 0.3862 n UK 71.6209 n HK 7.1782 n CHINA 7.8298 n SINGAPORE 42.1703 n AUSTRALIA 37.5248 n EU 61.5817 n KOREA 0.0427 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9639 Source: BSP (January 12, 2024)

NewsSunday China is fast losing its place as must-have in global portfolios BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, January 14, 2024

By Abhishek Vishnoi, Amy Bainbridge & Eliyahu Kamisher

Y

Bloomberg News

EARS of harrowing losses have left Chinese stocks with a diminished standing in global portfolios, a trend that’s likely to accelerate as some of the world’s biggest funds distance themselves from the risk-ridden market.

An analysis of filings by 14 US pension funds with investments in Chinese stocks show most of them have reduced their holdings since 2020. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System and New York State Common Retirement Fund, among the nation’s biggest pension investors, cut their exposure for a third straight year.

What started out as a performance-driven exodus now risks becoming a structural shift due to a toxic combination of doubts over Beijing’s long-term economic agenda, a prolonged property crisis and strategic competition with the US. Money managers at some of the biggest pensions in the US and Australia said in interviews that

the prevailing playbook for China is one of caution.

“Foreign investors no longer fear leaving China out of their investment universe,” said Gary Dugan, chief investment officer at Dalma Capital Management Ltd. “We sense that international investors are just giving up trying to read China and will revert to a world-ex-China opportunity set, hence resetting the benchmarks to MSCI World ex-China.”

Some are exiting entirely.

‘Divestments’

MISSOURI State Employees’ Retirement System in December told its staff to “divest from all of its current global public equity in-

vestment in China.” That came a month after the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board said it would exclude investments in Hong Kong, in addition to mainland China, from its $68 billion international fund. It cited Washington’s increasing investment restrictions on China as a key reason for the decision.

“China is a recurring discussion among US and global CIOs (chief investment officers),” Chris Ailman, chief investor officer of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, said in an interview. “Some have cut their index weight in half to reduce their exposure and a few have dropped China from their emerging market index.” Calstrs’s decision is to “not be overweight nor underweight but index weight,” he said.

His comments come as China’s share in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index dropped to 23.77 percent as of end-December, the lowest since mainland stocks were added to the gauge in 2018. In the Asia Pacific Index, China now accounts for about 15 percent, down from 24 percent in 2020.

A 2023 survey of 100 pension and sovereign wealth managers by London-based think-tank Official

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In a landmark shift, assets held by the iShares ETF for EM ex-China surged to about $8.8 billion from just $164 million at the end of 2020, exceeding that of a China ETF.

$9-T market to reckon with

Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum found none of them have a positive outlook on China, or see higher relative returns.

Fading allure?

IT’S a far cry from the late 2010s when the country’s economic ascent and manufacturing prowess made overseas investors eager for a slice of the booming market. If MSCI’s addition of A-shares showcased China’s global acceptance, its falling status speaks to that allure fast fading.

Bloomberg analyzed 13F filings by 271 American pension funds with assets over $500 million.

Among them, 14 had investments in US-listed Chinese stocks.

Underscoring how Chinese markets are dropping off radars, their low valuations aren’t helping. The MSCI China Index has never been this cheap versus the S&P 500 when looking at forward earnings estimates, trading at a 56 percent discount. The estimated price-to-earnings ratio is below its five-year average.

Australia’s second-largest pension fund, the A$260 billion ($174 billion) Australian Retirement Trust, is wary of raising its China holdings beyond what’s needed to stay in line with performance benchmarks.

“In public equities, we are just

trying to make sure that we have a benchmark exposure and we do it in a way that doesn’t tie up liquidity unnecessarily,” said ART’s Chief Investment Officer Ian Patrick. “It’s a big economy where valuations are challenged and so there’s definitely opportunity there.” He added the bigger question was how the global order plays out between China and the US, and other countries.

As long-term investors shun China, the market risks becoming even more dominated by local traders—heightening volatility and scaring away global funds. The MSCI China Index has extended declines after capping a third annual loss. Money managers deem tensions with the US and Europe, the state’s grip over the private sector, and the economy’s downward trend as having permanently undermined its attraction.

As China flops, investments excluding the country have prospered. The number of new EM equity-focused funds with no China exposure reached 19 in 2023, up from 15 in 2022 and just one in 2020, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Wall Street titans, including Goldman Sachs Asset Management and BlackRock Inc., have launched new EM ex-China funds earlier last year, while Robeco and Vontobel Holding AG have more recently joined the wave.

THAT’S not to say the whole world has turned its back on China. Its $9-trillion market—the secondlargest after the US—offers a trove of undiscovered firms that may deliver hefty gains. As HSBC Holdings PLC strategists noted earlier this month, there has been increasing interest from investors based in the Middle East, offsetting the outflows from the US. Other Australian pension funds are taking a wait-and-see stance. AMP Investments, which currently has a slight underweight exposure, may change that in the coming years as China recovers, according to the fund’s Chief Investment Officer Anna Shelley.

Yet the pivot away from China may accelerate as positive catalysts are missing at a time when the Federal Reserve shifts toward monetary easing, raising the odds of higher returns in emerging markets that are sensitive to the global economic cycle.

South Korea, Taiwan and India have so far seen a total inflow of more than $750 billion this year. Meantime, foreign investors have continued to sell China via stock connect links in the New Year.

“Although much of the pessimism around China seem currently reflected in valuations, investors seem reluctant to step in,” said Romina Graiver, a portfolio specialist at William Blair International Ltd., one of the early entrants into EM ex-China strategies. “Over the past years China has become more difficult to navigate due to an unpredictable regulatory environment and government’s prioritization of politics over economics in the wake of Covid.”

Ready to face the dry spell Continued from A1

increased demand of its customers come summer season.

Maynilad’s concession area covers a total of 540 square kilometers. It includes the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon, all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.

As of the third quarter of 2023, Maynilad’s customer base has expanded to 1,530,295 billed service connections or about 10 million people.

Maynilad’s approved allocation from Angat Dam is 50 cubic meters per second for January. For now, such allocation is enough, the company said, since it still gets runoffs from the watersheds that keep the water elevation of Ipo Dam at a high level.

“This, in turn, ensures that adequate raw water volumes arrive at the Novaliches/La Mesa Portal and, eventually, enter our La Mesa Treatment Plants in Quezon City.

Currently, Maynilad sources 90 percent of its raw water requirements from Angat Dam; the remaining 10 percent is sourced from

Laguna Lake for the southern part of its concession,” Madelaine Zaide, head of Maynilad’s Media Relations, Corporate Communications, Corporate Affairs Division, said.

Maynilad draws water from Laguna de Bay, to augment its supply from Angat, which represents about 90 percent of its total water supply needs for its huge customer base.

Aside from this, Maynilad has been developing other alternative sources to augment the available supply and reduce reliance on Angat Dam. Maynilad recently commissioned a new treatment plant in Poblacion, Muntinlupa, which is its third facility to draw water from Laguna Lake. It is currently producing an initial 50 MLD, though its total capacity will be 150 MLD once completely operational by the first half of this year.

Once all three facilities in the south are fully utilized, Maynilad’s mix of raw water sources would be 84 percent from Angat Dam, 15 percent from Laguna Lake, and 1 percent from other sources (i.e., deep wells, cross-border supply, Cavite rivers, and New Water).

In preparation for El Niño, which happens every year, Maynilad said it is developing alternative water sources and is facilitating water loss recovery through inten-

sified leak repairs and pipe replacements.

Striking the balance

BOTH measures will essentially generate additional water supply for distribution to customers should allocations from Angat Dam be reduced.

Depending on how drastic the reduction will be, the additional supply will supplement the shortfall or, at the very least, mitigate its impact on service levels.

In case of a worst-case scenario, Zaide said the company will work with all Angat Dam stakeholders to strike a balance between the need to preserve the supply and the need to get the appropriate allocations for its concession area.

Meanwhile, Maynilad’s various supply augmentation projects, such as reactivating deep wells, commissioning modular treatment plants, recovering water loss, and tapping cross-border points, would be fully utilized to meet the water requirements of its customers despite any reduction in the allocations from Angat Dam. “Assuming a worst-case scenario, we will manage pressure across the pipe network, make available our stationary water tanks, and deploy our mobile water tankers to deliver potable water to severely affected areas,” she said.

TheWorld

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

Sunday, January 14, 2024

A3

Xi, Biden and the $10 trillion price tag of war over Taiwan

By Jennifer Welch, Jenny Leonard, Maeva Cousin, Gerard DiPippo & Tom Orlik

W

AR over Taiwan would have a cost in blood and treasure so vast that even those unhappiest with the status quo have reason not to risk it. Bloomberg Economics estimate the price tag at around $10 trillion, equal to about 10 percent of global GDP—dwarfing the blow from the war in Ukraine, Covid pandemic and Global Financial Crisis. China’s rising economic and military heft, Taiwan’s burgeoning sense of national identity, and fractious relations between Beijing and Washington mean the conditions for crises are in place.

Few put a high probability on an imminent Chinese invasion.

The People’s Liberation Army isn’t massing troops on the coast.

Reports of corruption in China’s military cast doubts on President Xi Jinping’s ability to wage a successful campaign.

U S of f ic i a l s s ay t e n s ion s eased somewhat at the November summit between President Joe Biden and Xi, who pledged “ heart-warming” measures to woo foreign investors.

Still, the outbreak of war in

Ukraine and Gaza are reminders of how long-simmering tensions can erupt into conflict. Everyone from Wall Street investors to military planners and the swathe of businesses that rely on Taiwan’s semiconductors are already moving to hedge against the risk.

Experts gaming out scenarios

NATIONAL security experts in the Pentagon, think tanks in the US and Japan, and global consulting firms are gaming out scenarios from a Chinese maritime “quarantine” of Taiwan, to the seizure of Taiwan’s outlying islands, and a full-scale Chinese invasion.

Jude Blanchette, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says interest in a Taiwan crisis from multinational firms he advises has “exploded” since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The subject comes up in 95 percent of conversations, he said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the semiconductor shortage as the world reopened from Covid lockdowns provide a small glimpse of what’s at stake for the global economy. The impact of war in the Taiwan Strait would be far bigger.

Taiwan makes most of the world’s advanced logic semiconductors, and a lot of lagging edge chips as well. Globally, 5.6 per-

ANTI-LANDING barriers on the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen, across from Xiamen in mainland China. AN RONG XU/BLOOMBERG

cent of total value added comes from sectors using chips as direct inputs—nearly $6 trillion. Total market cap for the top 20 customers of chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is around $7.4 trillion. The Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Modeling the cost of a crisis

BLOOMBERG Economics has modeled two scenarios: a Chinese invasion drawing the US into a local conflict, and a blockade cutting Taiwan off from trade with the rest of the world. A suite of models is used to estimate the impact on GDP, taking account of the blow to semiconductor supply, disrup-

tion to shipping in the region, trade sanctions and tariffs, and the impact on financial markets.

For the main protagonists, other major economies, and the world as a whole, the biggest hit comes from the missing semiconductors.

Factory lines producing laptops, tablets and smartphones—where Taiwan’s high-end chips are the irreplaceable “golden screw”— would stall. Autos and other sectors that use lower-end chips would also take a significant hit.

Barriers to trade and a significant risk-off shock in financial markets add to the costs.

In the case of a war: Taiwan’s economy would be decimated. Based on comparable recent conflicts,

Bloomberg Economics estimates a 40 percent blow to GDP. A population and industrial base concentrated on the coast would add to the human and economic cost.

With relations to major trade partners turned off and no access to advanced semiconductors, China’s GDP would suffer a 16.7 percent blow.

For the US, further from the center of the action but still with a lot at stake—through the reliance of Apple on the Asian electronics supply chain, for example—GDP would be down 6.7 percent.

For the world as a whole, GDP would be down 10.2 percent, with South Korea, Japan and other East Asian economies most impacted.

A key assumption in this scenario is that the US would succeed in enlisting allies in concerted and severe economic sanctions against China. US officials say that the Chinese reaction to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August 2022 helped convince other Group of Seven countries that the risk of conflict is real. Beijing saw it as a shift in the status quo that made Xi appear weak, particularly after domestic commentators suggested that China would be able to stop her from landing in Taipei.

The fallout from the Pelosi visit, which saw China conduct

l a rge -sc a le nava l d r i l ls seen as practice runs for a blockade, helped bui ld d iplomatic muscle memory for concerted reactions, the US officials said.

“China’s rhetoric and the People’s Liberation Army response to Pelosi’s visit triggered a wave of quiet corporate contingency and scenario planning,” said Rick Waters, managing director of the China practice at Eurasia Group and formerly the top China policy official at the State Department.

Bloomberg Economics a lso modeled what a yearlong blockade of Taiwan by mainland China would mean for the global economy: For Taiwan, a small, open economy that has thrived through trade, GDP in the first year would be down 12.2 percent.

For China, the US, and the world as a whole, GDP in the first year would be down 8.9 percent, 3.3 percent and 5 percent respectively.

The reason for the smaller impact relative to the war scenario is that while the global economy still loses access to all of Taiwan’s chips, other shocks—including tariffs between the US and its allies and China, the disruption to Asian shipping and financial market fallout—are scaled down. The Continued on A4

A4

TheWorld BusinessMirror

Sunday, January 14, 2024

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South Africa says Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide. What can the UN do about it?

By Mike Corder

The court will then enter a lengthy process of considering the full case.

Israel could challenge the jurisdiction and seek to have the case thrown out before lawyers start arguing. Other countries that have signed the genocide convention could also apply to make submissions.

The Associated Press

T

HE HAGUE, Netherlands—Israel will defend itself in the United Nations’ highest court starting Thursday against allegations that its military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide.

South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to consider Israel’s actions in light of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, drawn up in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.

The convention defines genocide as acts such as killings “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

The case will likely drag on for years.

Here are some details on the case and its ramifications.

What is South Africa’s argument?

SOUTH Africa’s 84-page filing says Israel’s actions “are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part” of the Palestinians in Gaza.

It asks the ICJ for a series of legally binding rulings. It wants the court to declare that Israel “has breached and continues to breach its obligations under the Genocide Convention,” and to order Israel to cease hostilities in Gaza that could amount to breaches of the convention, to offer reparations, and to provide for reconstruction of what it has destroyed in Gaza.

The filing argues that genocidal acts include killing Palestinians, causing serious mental and bodily harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions meant to “bring about their physical destruction as a group.” And it says Israeli officials have expressed genocidal intent.

South Africa argues that the court has jurisdiction because

both countries are signatories of the genocide convention, whose ninth article says such disputes can be submitted to the International Court of Justice.

Many South Africans, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, compare Israel’s policies regarding Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with South Africa’s past apartheid regime of racial segregation. Israel rejects such allegations.

What was Israel’s response?

ISR AEL’S government swiftly denounced the genocide claim. The Foreign Ministry said South Africa’s case lacked a legal foundation and constitutes a “despicable and contemptuous exploitation” of the court.

Eylon Levy, an official in the Israeli prime minister’s office, accused South Africa of “giving political and legal cover” to the October 7 attack by Hamas that triggered Israel’s campaign, and said Israel would send a legal team to the Hague “to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel.”

An Israeli official said the country, which has a history of ignoring international tribunals, decided to defend itself for several reasons.

Among them are Israel’s role in promoting the original genocide convention after the Holocaust and the nation’s belief that it has “a strong case.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing behind-the-scenes deliberations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with the war until

Is the court hearing similar cases?

VIEW of the Peace Palace that houses World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on September 19, 2023. South Africa has launched a case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks.

South Africa’s submission filed on December 29, 2023 at the International Court of Justice alleges that “acts and omissions by Israel...are genocidal in character.” AP/PETER DEJONG

Hamas is crushed and the more than 100 hostages still held by the militant group in Gaza are freed.

He’s said that could take several more months.

How did Israel react to earlier court proceedings?

ISR AEL did not attend hearings in 2004 when the ICJ discussed an advisory opinion requested by the UN into the legality of Israel’s barrier wall. The court ruled in a non-binding opinion that the wall was “contrary to international law.” Israel sent a written statement to the court before the ruling saying it did not consider it to have jurisdiction and should not respond to the UN request for the advisory opinion.

Israel also has in the past refused to cooperate with an investigation after the 2008-2009 Gaza war, a UN investigation into the 2014 Gaza war, and the ongoing Human Rights Council investigation into alleged abuses against Palestinians.

Israel is not a member of another Hague-based court, the International Criminal Court.

Other countries that are not ICC members include major global powers the United States, China and Russia.

What happens next?

SOUTH Africa’s filing includes a request for the court to urgently issue legally binding interim orders for

Israel to “immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza.”

Such orders, known as provisional measures, would remain while the case progresses. They’re legally binding but not always followed. In 2022, in a genocide case filed by Ukraine against Russia, the court ordered Moscow to immediately suspend its invasion, but the order was ignored.

The court is the highest judicial body of the United Nations but it does not have a police force to implement its rulings. If a nation believes another member has failed to comply with an ICJ order, it can report that to the Security Council.

T he 15 -member counci l is the UN’s most powerful body, charged with maintaining international peace and security. Its tools range from sanctions to authorizing military action, but all actions require support from at least nine council nations and no veto by a permanent member— the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.

The court is holding public hearings Thursday and Friday, and lawyers representing South Africa and Israel can make arguments.

A panel of 15 judges drawn from around the world, and one each nominated by Israel and South Africa, could take days or weeks to issue a decision on preliminary measures.

TWO other genocide cases are on the court’s docket. The case filed by Ukraine shortly after Russia’s invasion accuses Moscow of launching the military operation based on trumped-up claims of genocide and accuses Russia of planning acts of genocide in Ukraine.

Another involves Gambia, on behalf of Muslim nations, accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

In a past case brought by Bosnia, the court in 2007 ruled that Serbia “violated the obligation to prevent genocide…in respect of the genocide that occurred in Srebrenica in July 1995.” The court declined to order Serbia to pay compensation. Croatia also sued Serbia in 2015, but the world court ruled that Serbia didn’t breach the convention in that case.

ICJ or ICC?

THE Hague calls itself the international city of peace and justice.

It is home not only to the ICJ, but also the International Criminal Court, just a few miles away, near the North Sea coastline.

The two courts have different mandates.

The ICJ, which first sat in 1946 as the world emerged from the carnage of WWII, adjudicates cases between nations. They’re often land and maritime border disputes, as well as disagreements over the interpretation of international treaties.

The ICC is much younger. It started work in 2002 with the lofty goal of ending global impunity for atrocities. Unlike the ICJ, it seeks to hold individuals criminally re-

sponsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC has an ongoing investigation into the Israel-Palestinian conflict, dating back to the last war in Gaza. So far, it has not issued any arrest warrants.

Israel says the ICC has no jurisdiction because Palestinians do not belong to an independent sovereign state.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said last month that an investigation into possible crimes by Hamas militants and Israeli forces “is a priority for my office.”

During a visit to The Hague in October, Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Palestinian Authority would not interfere with an ICC investigation into Hamas’ October 7 attacks. “We cannot say ‘Investigate here, don’t investigate there,’” alMaliki said.

The ICC was established to prosecute senior figures accused of involvement in crimes. That means it could charge Israeli political and military leaders.

The ICC last year issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing him of personal responsibility for abductions of children from Ukraine.

What about past UN cases?

TWO now-defunct UN tribunals also held landmark genocide trials.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted a series of high-ranking Bosnian Serbs, including former President Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic, for their roles in the July 1995 massacre of more than 8,000 men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.

Karadzic and Mladic were given life sentences.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicted a string of leaders involved in the African nation’s 1994 genocide when some 800,000 people, mainly ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered.

The Associated Press writer Josef Federman contributed from Jerusalem.

Xi, Biden and the $10 trillion price tag of war over Taiwan Continued from A3

Bloomberg Economics exercise is—as far as we are aware—unique in bringing together geopolitical and economic modeling expertise. Still, the results are significantly driven by the scenario assumptions, and the band of uncertainty is wide. A war or blockade of shorter duration, and with less significant disruptions to semiconductor supply and trade, would have a smaller impact.

A consequential election

EVEN if the outcome of Taiwan’s election doesn’t trigger an immediate crisis, it will define the direction of cross-Strait relations.

Lai Ching-te—currently serving as vice president in the Democratic Progressive Party administration—has been at pains to present himself as a continuity candidate, with no plans to disturb relations with Beijing.

In the past, though, he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence.” For Beijing, which views the island as part of its territory, any formal push for independence would cross a red line. At his meeting with Biden, Xi expressed deep concern about the possibility of a Lai win, according to a senior administration official.

The DPP counterpoint, which aligns with the assessment in Washington, is that Beijing’s belligerence is the problem—

not Taiwan’s desire for continued autonomy.

Lai’s opponents—Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Par ty—are both promising pragmatic steps to improve relations with Taiwan’s giant neighbor, without sacrificing the island’s de facto independence.

US officials say China may be planning a multipronged reaction to the election, with military incursions, economic sanctions and grey zone tactics like cyber-attacks.

Officials in Washington and Taipei say the period from the election in January to inauguration of the new president in May is a danger zone for Chinese actions aimed at hemming in Taiwan’s next president.

Straitened circumstances

WHOEVER wins will have to deal with a changed, and challenging, set of crossStrait realities. In 1979, when the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, US GDP was 10 times that of China, China’s military was in the early stages of modernization, and Taiwan was still under single-party rule. Fast forward to today and China’s GDP has closed much of the gap with the US, its military boasts near-peer status—especially close to home—and Taiwan’s liberal democracy is a visible contrast to China’s authoritarian system.

Statements by leaders in Beijing and Washington have added to the tension.

Xi has said more than once that Taiwan

is not an issue that can be “passed down generation after generation.” Along with his efforts to modernize the military, those statements have spurred speculation he wants to deliver unification on his watch, with 2027 cited as a danger year by US intelligence and military officials. At his meeting with Biden, Xi vented frustration with the view that China’s forces are aiming at readiness for an invasion by 2027, which he said was mistaken, according to a senior US official.

For his part, Biden has said the US would come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of a Chinese invasion. That bluntness eroded layers of carefully crafted ambiguity about the US position, stoking anger in China and concerns the US is emboldening pro-independence boisterousness.

Investors preparing for the worst

BLOOMBERG Economics’ Taiwan stress index—based on warning words used

by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and military incursions in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone—shows the temperature over the last year and a half elevated.

Investors and businesses are already preparing for the worst. Kirk Yang, chairman of equity investment fund Kirkland Capital and an expert on Asia technology firms, says the fund’s position in Taiwan is now close to zero. Geopolitical tensions have “added incentive to scale back investments at a

faster pace” he said. He’s in good company.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett sold down his stake in TSMC in the first quarter of 2023, citing geopolitical risk as the reason.

Businesses and governments are also making preparations. Greenfield investment in electronics and electrical equipment rocketed to $181 billion in 2022 from $48 billion in 2020 as governments in the US, Japan and Germany opened their wallets to diversify sources of semiconductor supply.

If there’s an upside from the Bloomberg Economics analysis, perhaps it’s this: The $10 trillion cost of a crisis would be so high for all players that the incentive to avoid it is strong. The status quo might be no one’s ideal outcome, but for Taipei, Beijing and Washington, the alternatives are worse. That’s a reason Taiwan’s ambiguous autonomy might remain an equilibrium outcome, even as the conditions that make it so shift.

Methodology

FOR the war and blockade scenarios, Bloomberg Economics use a suite of models to assess the impact of disruptions to semiconductor supply, trade barriers, and financial market shocks. Supply chain disruptions are assessed using OECD Trade in Value Added data for 2018. OECD inputoutput data are used to estimate the direct disruptions to sectors using semiconductors as an input (computer, electronics and

optical products; electrical equipment; machinery and equipment; motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; other transport equipment), and to assess the spillover impact onto other sectors—for example the impact on metal output if production of automobiles slows.

Trade shocks are assessed using the WTO Global Trade Model (GTM) (Aguiar et al, 2019). The GTM is a recursive computational general equilibrium model based on the GTAP model (version 7) (Corong et al, 2017).

Also assessed were shock tariffs and nontariff measures, including as a proxy for sanctions and export controls.

US allies are defined based on trade shares, treaty relationships, and Bloomberg Economics’ judgement. Australia, Canada, the European Free Trade Association, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the UK are defined as US allies.

Financial shock impacts are estimated following a structural approach based on the Bayesian Global VAR model (Bock, Feldkircher and Huber, 2020). The model is amended slightly by adding log real equity prices for each country as in Mohaddes and Raissi (2020). Uncertainty in the financial markets is modeled as a global shock to the VIX. A key uncertainty in the analysis is the extent to which missing semiconductor output from Taiwan could be replaced by output in other locations, worked around by manufacturing firms, or backstopped

from inventories.

The Bloomberg Economics scenarios a s s u m e t h at a l l p ro d u c t i o n u s i n g semiconductors as inputs has to be reduced in line with the reduction in semiconductors availability: For advanced electronics such as smartphones using cutting-edge logic chips, this translates into a 60 percent reduction in production in the blockade scenario, rising to 85 percent in the war scenario when access to South Korean production is also severely curtailed.

For sectors using lagging-edge logic chips, like those used in autos and home electronics, that means 35 percent in the blockade scenario when Taiwan’s output goes offline, and 62 percent in the war scenario when output from China, Japan, and South Korea is also lost.

Reality could end up being better. For example, other countries could amp up chip production, or auto firms and other manufacturers might find work arounds for missing inputs. It could also be worse.

For example, if Taiwan’s chips are not replaceable and use of them is distributed widely across products. If production for all sectors using leading and lagging edge chips goes to zero, the blow to global GDP in the war scenario increases from 10.2 percent to 14 percent. With assistance from

Betty Hou, Eleonora Mavroeidi, Jennifer Creery, Bhargavi Sakthivel, Sam Dodge and Nick Hallmark/Bloomberg

Science Sunday

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

BusinessMirror

Sunday, January 14, 2024

A5

Record 2,114 Filipino STEM champs honored

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HE number of medals that the Philippines had won from various international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competitions has once again skyrocketed in 2023, setting a new mark in the country’s history of Youth Excellence in Science (YES) Awards.

A total of 2,114 young Filipino geniuses from various regions in the country were conferred the award—surpassing the previous mark of 1,802 awardees in 2022, having an impressive increment of 17.31 percent from the latter year’s already historic number.

This was the first time in the recognition program’s history that the number of YES awardees reached over 2000.

When the Department of Science and Technology’s Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) started recognizing the victories of young Filipino students who

engaged and bagged medals in various international science and math competitions, there were only less than 100 awardees.

Sixteen years later, the DOSTSEI continues this healthy tradition of lauding another batch of YES medalists who set a whole new record of excellence in the international STEM scene.

The following are the numbers of awardees per region: National Capital Region—1,012 awardees; Calabarzon—203; Central Luzon—147; Bicol Region—110; Ilocos Region—86; Western Visayas—79;

Eastern Visayas—78; Northern Mindanao—73; Zamboanga Peninsula—68; Central Visayas— 58; Davao Region—47; Cagayan Valley—41; Caraga—38; Soccsksargen— 29; Cordillera Administrative Region—24; and Mimaropa—21.

The students were given YES med a ls, a DOST inst itut ional award for their exemplar y achievement in international STEM competitions.

It is a medal of distinction awarded by the DOST Secretary or the DOST Regional Director to deserving Filipino students, which signifies DOST’s high regard for excellence and competitiveness in the fields of STEM. The 2023 YES Awards ceremony was held as part of the 2023 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week, on November 22, 2023, at the Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City.

The event gathered the outstanding young Filipino talents in the Western Visayas region whose commitment, dedication, and hard work continuously push the frontiers of excellence, unceasingly challenging possibilities and

overcoming barriers on the international stage.

Joining the celebration were the awardees’ parents and guardians, members of the science community and the academe, and the Institute’s valued partners from local STEM competitions.

Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. congratulated and thanked the awardees for representing the Filipinos well in the international stage, and for being the pride of the country in various STEM competitions.

He urged them to carry on the DOST’s shared aspirations and to continue the pursuit of STEM knowledge as exemplars of honor and excellence.

“In whatever you do, do not forget that the real essence of excellence is not based on recognition and merits alone; but rather on what you make use of it. May your successes always lead you to the path of compassion and empower you to uplift the lives of the Filipino people by taking the helm of research and development,” Solidum said.

DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette T. Biyo also thanked the students

for bringing honor and inspiration to the youth.

She expressed hope that their medals further motivate them to dream big but at the same time humble them to strive to serve the country and become the nation’s future great scientists and mathematicians.

“May this day encourage you to become like the veterans in science that you idolize—willing to share their gift of knowledge and open to train and shape the next generations for a more innovative and technologically-advanced future,” Biyo said.

DOST VI Regional Director Rowen Gelonga also graced the event and expressed hope that the YES awardees will carry on the drive they have acquired during their competitions and use it as key to become the future advocates for STEM in their region.

“You are the future of your community, your region, and your country. May the medals given to you fuel your thirst and hunger to conquer your fears and strive for even greater heights,” Gelonga said.

Sharing the things she has

learned throughout her journey as a kid who loves joining competitions, Reysheil Anne B. Doromal, one of the 2023 YES awardees, addressed her fellow medalists by encouraging them to continue to be passionate in the things they are engaged in, no matter how difficult it is to balance life.

“It’s a hard that, despite us choosing it, makes us prone to burnout. For this, I can say: know yourself and know your priorities..., I mean not just rearranging your schedule, but taking the time to sit down and think about what truly matters to you. Think about why you do the things that you do,” Doromal said.

She also highlighted that true passion means willingness to learn from the mistakes people make, while also recognizing the need to appreciate the small wins and enjoy the process in its entirety rather than the end goal alone.

“Trust me, if you love something, the stress is worth it,” said the YES awardee from the Philippine Science High School – Western Visayas Campus, who is also passionate in academics, sports, and leadership activities.

Mapua takes the spotlight though RDI M

AKING it to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings in 2023, research, development and innovation (RDI) is rightfully at the center of the Yuchengco-led Mapúa University’s academic brilliance and efforts.

As it marches on to further excellence and global recognition, Mapúa is setting its sights on strengthening and enriching its RDI culture, cultivating the curiosity and pursuit of knowledge among its students and faculty members as well, Mapua said.

As it is said, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Earlier on, Mapúa University has been beefing up its RDI capabilities with the establishment of its International Linkages for Research and Development (ILRAD) office in 2012.

ILRAD’s primary objective is to encourage more researchers and funders to come together, and innovate and create new knowledge to develop new services, processes, device, instruments, and products with economic values that could be used for the development of the nation.

The university also established the Yuchengco Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art research facility in 2014.

Making its talents known globally, Mapúa has produced three James Dyson Award (JDA) winners—Carvey Maigue for his invention of AuREUS, or Aurora Renewable Energy and UV Sequestration. It was made of crop waste that absorbs stray ultraviolet rays from the sun and turns them into renewable energy.

Mark Kennedy Bantugon won for his Pili Seal, a two-component aircraft parts sealant made from waste material from pili tree resin; and Jeremy de Leon, who bagged the prize for his Make-roscope, an easy-to-use microscope the size of a keychain.

Realizing its vision, Mapúa University made it to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023 as the fourthranked Philippine institution.

The THE universities are judged based on teaching , research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.

It should be noted that Mapúa is second in the Philippines with the highest research roll out.

RDI impact and benefits

MAPÚA faculty members and

exemplary researchers, Dr. Delia B. Senoro, Mapúa professor and director of ILRAD, and Dr. Ma. Janice J. Gumasing, associate professor of Mapúa’s School of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, said the RDI culture at the university and its impacts not only inspire the students and the academe but also the society.

“Research in academic institutions is very important, and conducting it is a norm in the academe.

The academe is expected to generate new knowledge from RDIs and share the new knowledge with students,” Senoro said.

Senoro has an extensive body of work but considers her work on the development of health vulnerability reduction system in select local government units (LGUs) as one of the most impactful.

Likewise, Gumasing possesses an impressive list of research.

She takes pride in her work on the ergonomic design of beds for post-stroke patients and healthcare staff.

“The main purpose of investing in RDI is to remain competitive on a global scale. Conducting research, especially the high-impact ones, and innovations will really give Mapúa a competitive advantage,” Gumasing said.

Both esteemed professors have high regard for the impact that RDI culture inspires, especially among the students.

“It has a big impact. If we are going to start on perceived impact, students develop inquisitive minds and start to ask more questions. They tend to do more work and investigation of a topic or look for solutions to problems,” Senoro explained.

In gaug ing t he qu a l it y of Mapua’s graduates with respect to RDI, Senoro said one measure could be the result of the James Dyson Awards.

“For three consecutive years, we have had three winners coming from Mapúa. This is an excellent indicator and measurement of embedded research ecosystem in the university. Winning the JDA is truly an outcome of embedded research culture to students. You cannot have the JDA if you do not have the RDI culture ... in yourself,” she pointed out.

Gumasing, who is among the faculty members with a substantial number of Scopus-indexed research, added that one can also quantify the impact of RDI through the number of research outputs made by students, faculty, and staff.

These include papers published to reputable and high-impact journals and papers presented in international conferences, as well as on innovations in creative works recognized by private and government institutions.

These are also evident in the number of awards and recognitions received by students on RDI, as well as on students who received grants or funding from private or government institutions.

Shaping Mapúa’s RDI culture

MAPÚA nurtures its RDI culture from within the system starting with faculty members and students. It incentivizes the teachers’ scientific outputs in various research projects and undertakings.

I n ret u r n , t h i s mot iv ates and inspires them to conduct research and publish scientific papers to journals, and present

their research results to international conferences with proceedings indexed in Scopus.

Students get perks with their research projects, too. Part of their graduation requirements is to have global experience.

They join international exchange programs, sandwich programs, summer camps, or conferences to acquire global experience.

If they will present their paper at an international conference, Mapúa pays the registration fee, provided that the proceedings will be indexed in Scopus.

The paper is reviewed by experts for quality, significance, and relevance before it is recommended if it should be accepted for pre s e nt at ion , Gu m a s i n g shared.

Moreover, Mapúa’s Yuchengco Innovation Center, where most externally funded research projects are housed, is equipped with the latest technologies for in-house researchers and students.

The university’s schools and departments have their own stateof-the-art laboratories that cater to the needs of students and faculties, one of the reasons why RDI can and is flourishing from within the community.

At ILRAD, among the strategies being developed to strengthen RDI is sending students to countries with high-tech, massive, and mature national research system like Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and Canada.

ILRAD is currently processing the requirements of Mapúa students who will have a research engagement in India.

“Mapúa students’ inquisitive trait is an advantage as a future human resource of the country and the world. The quality of graduates Mapúa produced would translate into the quality of human resource who would later contribute to national and global developments,” Senoro pointed out.

For her part, Gumasing is hoping that students’ appreciation for RDI translates even while they are outside the walls of the campus.

“Through research endeavors, students get to apply what they have learned from the classroom to real-world scenarios and would help them comprehend the significance and importance of academic topics. This is beneficial when they work in industries and be able to apply their knowledge and skills,” she said.

DOST-STII Director Richard P. Burgos (left) confers the Media Loyalty Award to science journalists (from second from left) NET25’s Eat Connect Host Annabelle Surara, BusinessMirror’s Science Editor Lyn Resurreccion and BSC Multimedia Services’s Syensya na, Tekno Pa Host Hermelina Tenorio. With them are Allan Taule (second from right), chief of DOST-STII’s Information Resources and Analysis Division, and Rodolfo de Guzman, OIC, DOST-STII Communication Resources and Production Division. Not in photo is awardee Rainier Allan Ronda of Philippine Star. REINE ALBERTO

REPRESENTATIVES of DOST Calabarzon and of DOST Mimaropa receive their respective office’s recognition from DOST-STII officials Director Richard P. Burgos (left), Allan Taule (second from right), and Rodolfo de Guzman. The DOST honored its two regional offices for having promoted scientific knowledge and principles through mass media DOST-STII PHOTO

BusinessMirror editor, 3 journalists receive DOST Media Loyalty Award

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

F

OUR journalists who have been covering the Department of Science and Technology for many years now capped the last days of 2023 on a high note when each of them received a Media Loyalty Award from the DOST. BusinessMirror’s Science Editor Lyn Resurreccion, BSC Multimedia Services’s Syensya na, Tekno Pa Host Hermelina Tenorio, NET25’s Eat Connect Host Annabelle Surara, and Philippine Star Science Reporter Rainier Allan Ronda were bestowed the Media Loyalty Award for their dedication to science communication through their respective platforms.

The DOST’s Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) gave the awards during its Year-in-Review and Media Thanksgiving celebration at a hotel in Quezon City on December 12, 2023.

DOST-STII recognized its loyal media partners who have been covering the science and technology beat for more than 10 years, spreading the word about how the Science department’s researches, products and services can contribute to the progress of the people and the country.

Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr,. in his speech honoring the members of the

press, said: “When I see Melly Tenorio, Lyn Resurreccion, Belle Surara, Rainier Ronda, and most of our media partners who continue to contribute day in and day out… no Christmas season nor holidays can stop them from bringing the DOST news to their faithful followers and to the public.”

“Tonight, I honor and give thanks to you, our loyal media friends, who have unceasingly followed our programs and brought the good news to the public through your chosen platforms,” the Science chief added.

Solidum likewise recognized the new crop of science journalists covering the DOST beat, seeing it as a “welcome development because it means our efforts in creating science awareness is making an impact on the new breed of media practitioners,” he said.

The Science department also gave appreciation to its regional offices—DOST Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and DOST Region IV-B (Mimaropa)---which have promoted a culture based on scientific knowledge and principles shared through mass media.

“On behalf of my colleagues in DOST Executive Committee and service offices, we sincerely thank you [the media] for your never-ending service to deliver science, technology, and innovation to the marginalized and to every corner of the country, “ Soidum pointed out in Filipino.

A6 Sunday, January 14, 2024

Faith

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

Report: Over 130 Catholic priests, religious arrested, kidnapped or murdered in 2023

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HROUGHOUT 2023, more than 130 Catholic priests and religious were either arrested, kidnapped, or murdered, according to a new report on Catholic persecution published by Aid to the Church in Need.

The report published by the Catholic charity found at least 132 instances of arrests, kidnappings, and/or murders, which is slightly higher than the report from the previous year, which found 124.

The uptick was mostly driven by arrests from authoritarian governments, which went up from 55 in 2022 to 86 in 2023.

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown on political dissent among members of the clergy was a primary driver of persecution throughout the year.

The report found that the regime held 46 clergy in custody in 2023, including two bishops and four seminarians. This included

19 clerics arrested in December, including Bishop Isidoro de Carmen Mora Ortega of Siuna.

According to the report, many of the priests in Nicaragua who were arrested before December were either released or expelled from the country and refused reentry.

The government also released two of the priests arrested in December, but the other 17 are still in custody.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was arrested in August 2022 and sentenced to 26 years in prison after refusing to leave the country, is also still in custody.

Ortega’s administration also

NICARAGUAN Bishop Rolando Álvarez. FACEBOOK DIOCESE MEDIA–TV MERCED

expelled religious sisters such as the Missionaries of Charity and shut down Catholic schools and media organizations.

The report found that 20 members of the Catholic clergy were under arrest at some point in China throughout the year.

However, the report also noted that “confirming the information is almost impossible” and some of the persecuted members of the clergy “remain unaccounted for after many years.”

The number could be slightly

higher or lower, according to the report.

At least five Catholic clergy and one woman religious were arrested in India in 2023 under the anti-conversion laws, which the report noted “impede the work of the Church.”

All of them have been released but could still face charges and even prison time.

There have also been arrests in two European countries. The report found that 10 members of Catholic clergy were arrested in

Belarus, three of whom are still imprisoned.

Two Greek Catholic priests were also arrested by Russian forces in Ukraine, neither of whom have been released.

The kidnapping of clergy and religious sisters went down in 2023, according to the report, but the problem “remains significant.”

The total number of kidnapped clergy and religious was 33 in 2023, which is down from 54 in 2022.

All but five of the kidnappings took place in Nigeria, where religious and ethnic conflicts have made the country dangerous for Christians.

The 28 kidnappings in the country included three religious women.

T here were a l so t wo k idnappings in Ha it i. One pr iest wa s k id napped in Ma l i, a nd a not her in Bu rk ina Fa so. One relig ious woman was abducted in Et h iopi a.

Murders of Catholic priests and other members of the clergy slightly decreased, from 18 in the previous year to 14 in 2023. This includes 11 priests, one bishop, one religious brother, and one

seminarian.

However, half of these murders were unrelated to persecution or have unclear motives.

Of the seven murders that are clearly tied to persecution, three were in Nigeria. This includes Father Isaac Achi and a seminarian named Na’aman Danlami, both of whom died in their residences when they were burned down during attacks.

It also includes Godwin Eze, a Benedictine brother, who was killed by kidnappers.

Other murders linked to persecution included that of Father Pamphili Nada in Tanzania, who was killed by a mentally unstable man; Father Javier García Villafaña, who was shot dead in Mexico; and Father Leopold Feyen, who was stabbed to death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Many Christians,” the report noted, “and especially clergy and religious, paid a heavy price for their commitment to common good, human rights, and religious freedom in the communities and nations they serve.” Tyler Arnold/

Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Pope Francis’ prayer Palawan bishop: Reject latest ‘people’s initiative’ campaign intentions for 2024 W

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AT IC A N—Eac h mont h Pope Fra nc is sha res a prayer intention as part of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The monthly prayer intentions express the Holy Father’s concerns for humanity and the mission of the Catholic Church.

Here are this year’s monthly prayer intentions: January: For the gift of diversity in the Church—Pope Francis has asked the faithful to pray for the gift of diversity in the Church.

He emphasized recognizing “the gift of different charisms within the Christian community.”

February: For the terminally ill—The prayer intention is that the sick, “who are in the final stages of life, and their families receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.”

March: For new martyrs—Pope Francis urges the faithful to pray for “those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world.”

April: For the dignity of women—Catholics are asked to pray that “the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture.” The prayer intention includes praying for an end to the discrimination many women face in different parts of the world.

May: For the formation of men and women religious and seminarians—May’s prayer intention is for the formation of men and women religious and seminarians, that they may “grow in their vocational journeys through human, pastoral, spiritual, and community formation.”

June: For those fleeing their own countries—Pope Francis asks the faithful to pray for “migrants fleeing from war or hunger” and that they “may find welcome and new living opportunities in their host countries.”

July: For the pastoral care of the sick—The pope asks that the sacrament of the anointing of the sick bestows “the Lord’s strength

POPE Francis leads the prayer for peace inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on October 27, 2023. ROY LAGARDE/CBCP NEWS

to those who receive it and to their loved ones.”

August: For political leaders— Catholics are asked to pray that political leaders “be at the service of their own people” and also that they work for the common good, integral human development, and take care of those who have lost their jobs.

September: For the cry of the earth—“That each of us listens with our hearts to the cry of the earth” is the prayer intention for the month of September. Catholics are also asked to pray this month for victims of environmental disasters and the climate crisis.

October: For a shared mission— When bishops and laypeople meet for the second part of the Synod on Synodality in October, the faithful are asked to pray that “the Church continues to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way.”

November: For those who have lost a child—The prayer intention is for “all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter.”

December: For pilgr ims of hope—In anticipation of the Church’s next jubilee, the faithful are asked to pray that “the coming Church Jubilee Year 2025 strengthens us in our faith, helping us to recognize the risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.”

Francesca Pollio Fenton/Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

ITHOU T mincing words, a Catholic bishop called on his flock to reject a signature campaign for Charter change through people’s initiative.

Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay in northern Palawan province made the appeal amid allegations of payouts in exchange for signatures.

“Tell people not to sign! This is not an initiative of the people but of some politicians,” Pabillo said in a statement released on Thursday.

He is the first bishop to openly speak against the current attempts to amend the nation’s Constitution.

Its proponents in the House of Representatives claimed that the amendments would only focus on the economic provisions of the

BISHOP Broderick Pabillo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay in Palawan.

Constitution, which restricts the flow of foreign capital into the country.

Charter change can be done through Congress, a constitutional convention, or through a people’s

initiative upon a petition of at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters.

Each legislative district must be represented by at least 3 percent of registered voters.

There are currently over 67 million registered voters in the Philippines.

Amassing enough signatures would basically force the 24-member Senate to vote jointly with the 315-member Lower House.

“It will overpower the senate,” Pabillo said.

The prelate also cautioned against leveraging the urgent call for a barangay assembly to push for constitutional reform.

In the past, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines repeatedly emphasized that any moves for Charter change must be in the best interest of the people and the nation.”

The bishops had also long preferred the use of a constitutional convention over other methods, such as Congress acting as constituent assembly. CBCP News

Eyebrows raising over Vatican doctrine chief’s 1998 book that graphically describes orgasms

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OME—The Vatican’s new doctrine chief who is already under fire from entire bishops conferences for his approval of blessings for same-sex couples, is now raising eyebrows over a book he wrote as a young priest describing orgasms in graphic terms.

The out-of-print, Spanish-language book penned by now-Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, titled “The Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality,” is similar in tone to another Fernandez book that sparked scandal soon after he was appointed, “Heal Me With Your Mouth. The Art of Kissing.”

Neither title was included in the list of publications the Vatican provided when Pope Francis named Fernandez as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and gave him marching orders to radically change the office’s course.

The Argentine theologian had been known as Francis’ theological ghostwriter and has already shaken up the Catholic Church with a flurry of official decrees on hot-button issues—such as allowing transgender people to serve as godparents.

“The Mystical Passion,” published in Mexico in 1998, is a short expose about mystical-sensual experiences with God. In its final chapters, Fernandez delves into orgasms, including graphic descriptions of male and female sexual anatomy and his commentary about sexual desire, pornography, sexual satisfaction and

domination, and the role of pleasure in God’s mystical plan.

Its explicitness, bordering on caricature at times, suggests at least familiarity with sex and orgasm that would seem uncommon for a celibate priest.

At one point, describing the female orgasm, he concluded that women are “often insatiable” and “may crave more,” purportedly because of ample blood flow during a climax.

Fernandez has refused several requests for comment from The Associated Press, and didn’t respond when asked Monday for clarification about “The Mystical Passion.”

In comments to some Catholic media, he said he wrote the book when he was a young priest, would never write such a thing now and had ordered its publication halted soon after it first came out after he realized it could be misunderstood.

In comments to Crux, an online Catholic website, Fernandez said he had written “The Mystical Passion” after having conversations with young couples who wanted to better understand their relationships. It was a similar comment he gave in explaining why he wrote “Heal Me With Your Mouth.”

“The Mystical Passion,” which was unearthed by traditionalist Catholic blogs in Italy and Argentina, “Messa in Latino” and “Caminante Wanderer,” respectively, resurfaced on Monday as conservative and traditionalist Catholics have heightened their criticism of Fernandez following

the publication of a declaration from his office approving blessings for same-sex couples.

The declaration, which was approved

by Francis on December 18 and published a day later, sparked a remarkable backlash among bishops around the world, with some national bishops conferences in Africa, Poland and elsewhere flatly saying they wouldn’t implement it.

The pushback prompted Fernandez to issue an explanatory note last Thursday insisting that the declaration wasn’t heretical but acknowledging that its provisions may not be applicable at least immediately in parts of the world.

He allowed that further “pastoral reflection” may be necessary.

While LGBTQ+ Catholics have hailed Fernandez’s openness to making the Catholic Church a more welcoming place, conservatives have been vocal in their outrage.

Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, the retired head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, was the latest high-ranking prelate to denounce the declaration known as Fiducia Supplicans, saying it was the work of the devil and insisting on previous church teaching declaring homosexual acts to be “intrinsically disordered.”

Sarah praised those bishops conferences in Africa that have rejected the declaration and said he joined in their ranks.

“In doing so, we are not opposing Pope Francis, but we are firmly and radically opposing a heresy that seriously undermines

the church, the body of Christ, because it is contrary to the Catholic faith and tradition,” he wrote in an essay published by Vatican columnist Sandro Magister.

To date, the reaction to “The Mystical Passion” has been fiercest among traditionalist and conservative Catholic commentators on social media.

Coupled with recent comments from one of the Vatican’s most respected canon lawyers, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, saying the church should open discussion on allowing priests to marry, many on the Catholic right sense the ground is shifting.

The Wanderer, a conservative Catholic newspaper in the United States, said the revelations about Fernandez’s book were cause for alarm and confirmed the direction of Francis’ 10-year pontificate.

“If this is not grounds for immediate removal of Cardinal Fernandez from his post at the Doctrine of the Faith and the repeal of the the document Fiducia Supplicans—this pontificate, along with our church, will be heading further into the abyss,” wrote Joseph Matt, the newspaper president, in an online editorial.

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, didn’t respond when asked if Francis still had confidence in Fernandez to lead the doctrine office, whether he knew about “The Mystical Passion” and why it wasn’t included in the list of publications provided by the Vatican when Fernandez was appointed on July 1. Nicole Winfield/ Associated Press

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, January 14, 2024 A7

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

DOG lovers look into halfbreed dogs from Batangas for sale at Bagong Palengke in Taytay, Rizal. BERNARD TESTA

A MAN is walking his Siberian huskies on the streets of Taytay, Rizal. BERNARD TESTA

Protecting man’s best friend

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

D

OGS are known as man’s best friend. With the dogs’ loyalty and his owners’ care, they have developed close ties.

Consider Hachiko, the popular Japanese dog who, in the 1920s, would wait every day for his owner at Shibuya train station.

However, his owner did not return from work, having died of cerebral hemorrhage in 1925. But Hachiko would still return to the same spot to wait for his owner every day for the next more than nine years until his death in 1935.

Hachiko became a symbol of loyalty that earned him a statue at Shibuya Station for his memory.

There are many who are like Hachiko that besides being loyal, provide benefits to their owners—as health companion, guide, protector against aggressors, and many others.

In recent years, more dogs have become part of their owners’ lives, considered as “children” or member of the family. They are no longer the ordinary “bantay,” or guard dogs with neck collar, caged and detached from their owners.

But many of these man’s best friend still suffer from abuse and violence— neglect, beaten, wounded, and worse, slaughtered for their meat.

The rise of animal rights movements have resulted in the banning of the killing, trading and eating of dog meat in several countries--such as in Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

On January 9, South Korea was included on the list, when its parliament passed a landmark bill that will ban slaughtering, breeding, and selling of dog meat for human consumption starting 2027. After which, violation will be punishable by two to three years in prison.

The Associated Press (AP) quoted the legislation as saying that “it is aimed at contributing to realizing the values of animal rights, which pursue respect for life and a harmonious co-existence between humans and animals.”

It also aims to protect South Korea’s international image. The country’s

dog meat industry has drawn attention because of the country’s reputation as a cultural and economic power.

South Korea is the only nation with industrial-scale dog farms—from about 500 dogs, to one with about 7,000, AP said.

In South Korea, eating dog meat is neither explicitly legal nor illegal.

Traditional source of protein MAKING the bill controversial is that dog meat consumption is a centuriesold practice on the Korean Peninsula. In some Asian countries, including some parts of the Philippines, dog meat is a traditional source of protein.

The dog meat trade is most widespread in other Asian countries, such as China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and in northern India.

While the AP reported that recent surveys show more than half of South Koreans want dog meat banned and a majority no longer eat it, one in every three South Koreans still oppose a ban even though they are not consuming dog meat.

Once signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose government supports the ban, the measure will become a law.

Some reports say Yoon has six dogs.

Conflicting views INTER NAT IONA L anima l r ights groups, such as the Humane Society International, called the South Korean legislation’s passage “history in the making.”

However, this early, the measure did not sit well with some dog farmers who vowed to oppose it and appeal to the government, calling it “state violence.”

The news report said there is no reliable official data on the size of the dog meat industry in South Korea, while the measure is not clear on how the dog-farm owners and others who will be affected by the law will be supported by the government.

Domesticated animal IN the wild, dogs and their bigger cousins, such as the wolves, are among the fiercest predators.

Scientists say the dog is a domesticated descendant of the wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog’s nearest

living relative.

The dog was the first species to be domesticated by humans. Early humans work with dogs in hunting, tracking, watching, protecting and guarding their tribe or community against threats.

Modern-day humans have learned to train dogs to help in the farm.

Working dogs are used as herders and guardians of sheep, goats, and cattle.

Some are trained to do chores no other animal on the farm can perform, like pulling the cart to carry milk, firewood, hay, or harvested crops.

Today, dogs are trained for multiple purposes—such as sniffing for drugs, bombs, guns, and ammunition.

In health care, they are used to provide company for human’s emotional stability when they are sick, sad or lonely.This benefits humans by helping reduce the risk of schizophrenia and improve cardiovascular health, according to the Big Think website.

Breeding dogs THE huge demand for animal companions that are cute, smart, funny and loyal saw the birth of dog breeders, who find their hobby financially rewarding in most cases.

A pitbull, for instance, which is sometimes used as fighting dog, is sold from P30,000 to P50,000. An American bulldog, which is more bulky than the pitbull, commands an equal, if not higher price.

Other big dogs are also in demand, like the German shepherd, Belgian malinois, Siberian Husky, Wolf dog, Rottweiler and Doberman.

Family member DOG lovers today consider their pets as children, or fur-babies, while dog lovers call themselves fur-parents, thus levelling up the man-dog relationship into a family.

Small dogs or toy dogs may not be as pricy as the bigger ones but they are getting so much attention from their fur parents who bring them to malls in a cart, buy them clothes, and make them wear undies.

Many fur parents even bring their small dogs to dog nail and hair salons regularly, that also led to the boom of these pet establishments, same with

ANIMAL rights activists hold a rally supporting the government-led dog meat banning bill at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on January 9. AP/AHN YOUNG-JOON

veterinary clinics and dog clothes and accessories stores.

Philippine groups support Sokor move WHILE there are dog lovers, there are also abusers who put them down for being noisy, letting them go astray, or worse, slaughtering them to escape the responsibility, or for their meat.

Animal rights groups in the Philippines expressed approval of the move of the South Korean parliament in passing the dog-meat ban measure.

Jana Sevilla, senior campaigner at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said on January 10 that the development in South Korea is a significant step forward for animal protection.

“PETA hopes that the three-year grace period [for the South Korean law] can be shortened to promptly implement the comprehensive protection for dogs,” Sevilla told the BusinessMirror via email.

Philippine 2 laws vs dog meat ACCORDING to Sevilla, in the Philippines, despite the ban on dog meat under 2007 Republic Act (R A) 9482, or the Anti-rabies Act, illicit dog meat traders persist and are being apprehended.

“While PETA appreciates these efforts, it’s crucial to recognize that all animals in the food industry are suffering. PETA encourages those who love cats and dogs to extend their compassion to include chickens, pigs and cows. Embracing a vegan lifestyle is the most compassionate way to live,” she said, as she also pointed out PETA’s call for a no-meat diet.

As for the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), it said the passage of the ban on dog meat trade in South Korea is a “welcome development.”

The group said the Philippines already bans the dog meat trade, through the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, or RA 8485. It was signed into law on February 11, 1998.

Unfortunately, enforcement of the law remains wanting, said Sharon Bengzon-Yap, Education and Campaigns Officer at PAWS. “We already have the Animal Welfare Act. The problem is the implementation.

A STRAY dog looks at a fast-food store in Taytay, Rizal. BERNARD TESTA It is more focused on education and information because there are still a lot of violators. Sadly, the Act is not being seriously implemented,” Bengzon-Yap told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview on January 10.

“When you report animal cruelty to the police or the barangays, they don’t do anything about it,” she said.

PAWS has been pushing for the strict enforcement of the law to stop animal cruelty in the country.

Rampant violation FOR her part, Anna Cabrera, PAWS executive director, noted that dog meat is still being sold at grocery stores in South Korea as the bill is not yet a law, unlike in the Philippines where it is already a law.

PAWS was one of the staunch advocates that led to the passage of the Animal Welfare Act in the Philippines.

The dog-meat trade is already illegal in the Philippines, Cabera said, and it is a matter of enforcing the law strictly.

Pointing out the presence of the law in the country, she said: “In the Philippines, if you consume dog meat, you’ll be violating the law. In South Korea, it is not yet illegal [until it becomes law and implemented in 2027],” she said.

331 pawikan hatchlings released into the sea in Batangas

A

TOTAL of 331 pawikan, or Olive ridley sea turtle, hatchlings were released into the sea in San Juan, Batangas, last December 2023 and in the early days of January, Aboitiz Land announced recently.

The activity was part of the initiative of Aboitiz Land, the real estate arm of the Aboitiz group, to conserve Olive ridley sea turtles in its seaside development.

The pawikan have experienced a troubling decline in recent years, rendering them endangered in the Philippines. Despite their long life span, a significant number of hatchlings fail to reach adulthood.

Recognizing the issue, the company, since October 2023, has rigorously documented 956 pawikan eggs within its Pawikan Sanctuary at Seafront Residences, as an integral component of its ongoing pawikan

conservation initiative that started in 2018.

“In our ongoing commitment to marine conservation, we are thrilled at the potential for more pawikan releases in the upcoming weeks, contributing to the continued success of Seafront Residences’ Pawikan Sanctuary,” said Atty. Irene Mischele Sta. Ana, Aboitiz Land’s senior assistant vice president of Legal and Corporate Affairs.

The initiative was carried out through a collaboration involving the Aboitiz Foundation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the University of the Philippines Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology.

The activity also featured the Seafront Residences vecinos or homeowners, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Municipal Environment

and Natural Resources Office, Bantay Dagat, and the Council of Barangay Calubcub II. Seafront Residences along the San Juan, Batangas, coastline, is home to the Pawikan Sanctuary. The long-term project, which started in 2018, is dedicated to the conservation and protection of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles and their nesting habitat.

The endeavor aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 14 and 15, Life Below Water and Life on Land.

“Emphasizing the collaborative spirit essential for nurturing both human lives and delicate hatchlings, I applaud the collective efforts of our team members, partners, and the community in safeguarding local biodiversity here in Batangas,” shared Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, Aboitiz Equity Ventures’

Chief Reputation and Sustainability officer and Aboitiz Foundation president.

“Witnessing this has deeply inspired me, reaffirming the crucial importance of synergy in preser ving nature for the benefit of future generations,” Hontiveros-Malvar added.

Seafront Residences, with its exclusive beachside development, stands as a beacon of conservation efforts.

Aboitiz Land has renewed its five-year commitment to marine life, such as the Pawikan Night Patrol and coastal cleanup efforts conducted in partnership with Planet CORA and the Aboitiz Foundation.

The Pawikan Sanctuary is a multifaceted project is geared towards safeguarding turtle habitats and preserving the shores of San Juan, Batangas.

PAWIKAN hatchlings are released in six batches into the sea in San Juan, Batangas, from December 2023 to January 2024. ABOITIZ LAND

According to Cabrera, like any other law, the Animal Welfare Act is being violated, likening it to jaywalking, which is rampantly being violated by pedestrians.

A century behind HOWEVER, she said the fact that there is a law, it somehow helps fight animal cruelty in the Philippines.

Still, the Philippines is a century behind other countries, which have passed animal welfare Acts or similar laws that protect the rights of animals since the 1800s, like the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Well, we have taken out dog meat from our plate but it doesn’t mean we are already [animal friendly],” Cabrera said.

“There are many forms of animal cruelty,” she said, citing the way animals like chicken, swine and cattle are being slaughtered for their meat, thus, she also called for veganism, or strictly no-meat diet.

According to Cabrera, the Bureau of Animal Industry should be more strict in enforcing the dog-meat ban in the Philippines, particularly in some areas in Northern Luzon, where dogs are still being slaughtered for their meat, albeit discreetly, making the law against animal cruelty in vain.

Sports

Silver: In-Season would ‘no doubt’ return next year

BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, January 14, 2024 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

P

Woodland: You can overcome tough, scary decisions in life H ONOLULU—Gary Woodland arrived at the Sony Open and had a good night of sleep, meaning he didn’t jump out of bed and grab the side of the mattress to make sure he wasn’t falling out of the sky to his death.

He flew to Hawaii without worrying the overhead bin would crash down and kill him.

Fear and anxiety were unfamiliar terms to this rock-chalk solid, threesport star from Kansas, a former US Open champion whose only fear was not living up to his high standards.

All that changed the last week in April, when Woodland was at the Mexico Open and began to experience symptoms such as being jolted awake by unfounded fears, tremors in his hands, chills and low energy.

When he asked his doctor for something to calm the anxiety, that led to an MRI ordered to rule out Parkinson’s disease. Instead, it revealed a lesion on his brain on a tract that caused fear.

“That was the one that scared me the most,” Woodland said of his symptoms. “I’m a very optimistic person. I believe good things will happen. I was very fear-driven every day, mostly around death.”

Woodland played 10 tournaments with the symptoms, eight times on medication, seven times after the

diagnosis. Remarkably, he made eight out of 10 cuts. But a summer of fear and medication gave way to the inevitable.

He had brain surgery on September 18. Doctors cut a hole in the side of his skull the size of a baseball, big enough that it required 30 staples to close.

They didn’t get all of it—there was a risk of losing sight in his left side and the use of the left side of his body—but it was deemed successful on other counts. The tumor was benign and the feelings of fear were gone.

“The support from the tour, from people outside the golf world, has been tremendous for me and my family,” Woodland said. “When I woke up and realized I was OK, I was filled with thankfulness and love.

That replaced the fear.

“It was very emotional because I had gone four-and-a-half months of every day really thinking I was going to die,” he said. “The doctors kept telling me I was OK, but this thing pushing on my brain...didn’t matter if I was driving a car, on an airplane, I thought everything was going to kill me. You can imagine leading up to surgery how I felt going into having my head cut open and operated on.

The fear going into that was awful.”

The Sony Open, which is being played at Waialae Country Club, begins the long road back. Woodland spent two days in the hospital and

insisted in on walking out.

His wife, Gabby, gave the green light to Woodland to convert the dining room into a putting green in their Florida home. He was putting two days after surgery, no more than an hour a day because that was all the energy he had.

Woodland started swinging a club after five weeks—his father was in town to drive him to the course, just like when he was a teenager and playing high-level baseball, basketball and golf.

And then his doctor cleared him to travel and the first call was to Butch Harmon in Las Vegas.

“It’s so great, first off that he came through surgery and everything,” Harmon said. “Forget about playing golf—we didn’t know if he could make it. To come through it and get back to golf is a joy. He got a mulligan in life, a mulligan in his career.

“He’s come back and he’s worked hard,” Harmon said. “He has every opportunity to be a better player than he’s ever been. I’m still not sure about his stamina. This will be a great week.”

Waialae, located along the shores just around the bend from Diamond Head, is among the flattest courses on the Professional Golfers Association Tour. Woodland expects this week to provide an indication how well his brain will hold up over six days of focus and the usual stress golf brings.

Harmon said he knew Woodland

was back to being his old self during one recent phone call after Woodland had another doctor’s visit.

“I asked him, ‘How did the consultation go?’ He said, ‘The doctor said it was the biggest brain he’d ever seen,’” Harmon said. “He was back to talking [smack] again.”

Harmon was in the dark as anyone about Woodland’s travails, only that he would play well only to have a big number or an inexplicable bad stretch of golf.

Woodland said there were times he would be over a shot and forget which club he was hitting, or he would line up a putt and feel he was taking too long and then just whack it.

“Didn’t have the focus or energy,” he said.

How he fares in the first full-field tournament of the year will give him a reasonable expectation of where he is and how far he has to go. But he’s back playing.

Fear has been replaced by sheer gratitude, and understanding the value of support.

“I just want to prove you can do hard things,” Woodland said. “I want to prove to my kids nobody is going to tell you you can’t do anything. You can overcome tough, scary decisions in your life. Not everything is easy.

“This came out of nowhere for me, but I’m not going to let it stop me.” AP

GARY WOODLAND poses with his US Open champion’s trophy on June 16, 2019, in Pebble Beach, California. AP

IIHF bars Israel from competing over security concerns

Z

BLAKE WHEELER feels good talking about his bout with mental health. AP

Mental health initiative helps hockey players learn more, see warning signs

W

HENEVER Blake Wheeler endured mental health challenges in his hockey career, he felt better when he talked about them and sought help.

When the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) introduced a pilot program to teach the basics of mental health, Wheeler was on board to give it a try.

Recently, the union unveiled its First Line program, an initiative with Mental Health Commission of Canada that is now available to players who want to learn more about the topic.

“We’re opening a door that hasn’t been opened before and giving guys just a little bit of a feel that, if something pops up in your life, if you need a little bit of support, you have a few guys who have been trained a little bit,” said Wheeler, who is in his 16th season and first with the New York Rangers.

“Hopefully in the future this is just commonplace in our league.”

A handful of players in recent months have opened up about mental health struggles, including Arizona’s Connor Ingram, Florida’s Spencer Knight and Colorado›s Samuel Girard.

They received care from the NHL/ NHLPA player assistance program, a joint venture of the league and union.

First Line is separate from that and is designed to be a preventive measure, offering players the tools

to understand mental health and recognize potential warning signs in themselves, teammates and family members. “[It] is not therapy or counseling,” NHLPA director of player health and safety Maria Dennis told The Associated Press. “It’s a class. It’s to educate players and arm them with the knowledge and skills so that they could take the first step.”

Wheeler and Calgary captain Mikael Backlund were among the roughly 20 players who took the pilot class with Jay Harrison, a retired defenseman who’s now the PA’s consulting psychologist.

Harrison said the idea came from player feedback, especially from the pandemic when there was more focus put on mental health concerns.

Shane Silver, VP of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Opening Minds division that focuses on mental health education, said there has been sharp growth in interest from organizations since the pandemic.

Director Mike Pietrus said the programs can be adapted to specific needs—in this case, that of NHL players, who play in a sport that prides itself on secrecy when it comes to injuries and other details.

“You’re dealing with Type-A personalities who basically embody who they are and what they want

URICH—The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has barred Israel from competing in its world championship events citing security concerns.

The IIHF said in a statement issued Wednesday that its ruling council “has decided to restrict the Israeli National Team from participating in IIHF Championships until the safety and well-being of all participants [including Israeli participants] can be assured.”

“The IIHF Council took this decision after careful consideration and based on a risk assessment, discussions with the participating countries and discussions with the hosts.”

The statement did not say if any

to be and everything, their goal is set to becoming the best possible athlete,” Pietrus said. “They become so obsessed with that that they forget about so many other things. And then later on in life when they, for example, get married and have kids, their perspective changes quite a bit.”

Backlund took the course after getting the “C” as Flames captain, seeing it as a way to help him become a better leader.

“There were some simple little things that can help us big time,” Backlund said. “I want to keep working on this and improve my skills as a leader on the team as the captain and learn how I can be mentally stronger and healthier and also how I can see signs of maybe my teammates are struggling or not feeling as well and how I can help them.”

Calgary teammate Oliver Kylington missed all last season to focus on his mental health, a now-familiar step after other examples around sports, like NBA star Kevin Love, gymnast Simone Biles and former swimmer Michael Phelps acknowledging their own struggles.

“Everybody who comes out, it adds to just knocking down that barrier and the stigma,” Dennis said. “The more athletes that come out and talk about their own experiences, the better it is.”

Harrison, who played parts of nine NHL seasons from 2006-15, said he believes the culture is shifting in hockey, a sport where mental and physical toughness is stressed from a young age. AP

other country had objected to playing against Israel and made no mention of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel will remain excluded “for the time being,” the IIHF said.

The IIHF has previously used similar language around safety and security to support its decision last year to suspend Russia and Belarus from competition following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The IIHF world championships are structured into a series of tiers and Israel’s national teams typically play in lower-division events with sparse crowds and little media exposure.

The Israeli men’s national team was due to play a Division II-A world championship tournament in Serbia in April against teams including Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The Israel women’s national team was scheduled for a Division III-B world championship event in Estonia in March against opponents including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia.

A former France basketball player serving as an ambassador for the Paris 2024 Olympics has been forced to quit her role because of a controversy linked to a social media post related to the situation in Gaza.

Following an urgent meeting of the Paris 2024’s board and general assembly, Emilie Gomis submitted her resignation, Paris Olympics organizers said.

Days after the attacks perpetrated

by Hamas in Israel on October 7, Gomis briefly published a message on her Instagram account showing maps of France from 1947, 1967 and 2023. The tricolor flag covering French territory was gradually replaced by the Israeli flag, with this question: “What would you do in this situation?”

Paris organizers said in a statement late Wednesday that Gomis was given the opportunity to clarify her position during the meeting.

“The members of the Board of Directors and the General Meeting were able to note that Emilie Gomis condemned the October 7 attacks in Israel, as well as all forms of antiSemitism and discrimination, which are contrary to her values,” the said.

“Emilie Gomis also shared her regrets concerning her publication and apologized.” AP

ARIS—National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver says the In-Season Tournament will “no doubt” be back next season with some unspecified tweaks.

So, most likely, will another regular-season trip to Paris—perhaps this time with multiple games for the teams selected.

Silver touched on both of those possibilities for the 2024-25 schedule on Thursday before the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers played the NBA’s third regular-season game in Paris.

The In-Season Tournament, like the play-in that’s used to determine the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds for each conference in the playoffs, began with a one-year trial so the league could evaluate it before deciding whether to bring it back.

The tournament wrapped up last month with the Los Angeles Lakers beating the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas for the championship. It was mostly well-received by teams and fans. Silver said team presidents recently met and discussed potential modifications, including how how to break ties, the appearance of the courts and perhaps the name of the event.

“We are pleased with the success after the first season and no doubt it will be back next year, probably with just a couple of tweaks,” Silver said. “Then beyond that, as we’re talking to television partners, maybe figuring out exactly when the best time of year is to do it, maybe it will make sense to make some other modifications to the format, those are things we’ll look at.”

Silver is also looking at returning to Paris, first for the Olympics and then next winter for more NBA games.

With No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama leading France’s biggest presence on NBA rosters, and with Paris set to host the Olympics, the French market has become more important to the league.

It staged its first regular-season game in the French capital in 2020 and seems headed back next season.

Silver said he recently ran into former French star Tony Parker, and the ex-longtime San Antonio Spurs player told the commissioner he’d never been busier.

“He’s gone from event to event over the last several days and I said, ‘You’re going to be even busier in the Olympics and wait until we’re back next year,’” Silver said. “That hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’re very likely to be back next year and and we’re very excited about that.”

Wembanyama, who had his first NBA triple-double on Wednesday in Detroit, leads a record 14 French players on NBA rosters this season.

The Nets and Cavs are playing just a single game after traveling to France following a game on Sunday.

Silver said the next event could feature multiple games.

“In terms of the efficiency, given the scope of the operation bringing two teams over here, we’ve had conversations with teams that, once they’re here, would they potentially play a second game against each other before returning to the States?” Silver said. “And that’s something we’re looking at, potentially even for next season.”

Silver added that there was no update on the league’s TV negotiations. He said there have been discussions and there will be an exclusive negotiating period with the current partners that hasn’t yet begun, before the deals expire after next season. AP

THE ice hockey federation airs its concerns while Emilie Gomis is no longer an ambassador for the Paris Olympics. AP

BusinessMirror

How wedding planners are adjusting for Gen Z nuptials

January 14, 2024

2

BusinessMirror JANUARY 14, 2024

YOUR MUSI

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

W

HEN the Indonesian rock band Reality Club came to the Philippines, their fans echoed it was “a dream come true.”

Faiz Novascotia Saripudin, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, replied to them, “It’s a dream come true for me that I’m here!”

The band---formed in 2016 in Jakarta consisting of Fathia Izzati on vocals and keys, Era Patigo on drums, Nugi Wicaksono on bass, and Faiz---just wrapped up the “Reality Club Presents… the Asia Tour,” which included Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, and in the Philippines as the last stop on December 2, 2023.

“It’s very amazing. We didn’t really think that we have Filipino fans,” said Nugi, together with the whole band, in an online interview with SoundStrip.

Fathia agreed, adding neither of them had been to the Philippines before, not even for a vacation.

“Knowing that we have a Filipino fanbase here, it’s something that we can’t comprehend until we actually came here and see them face to face,” she said.

The band was overwhelmed with their Filipino fans’ energy during their recent show at 123 Block in Mandaluyong noting how they sang along and chanted “Oy! Oy! Oy!” to their songs.

ReflectingontheirAsiantour,wherevisitingevery country is a surprise all the time, the band said it’s “so surreal.” Fathia added, “We’re just very happy to know that there are actual fans out there in Southeast Asian countries that are really crazy about us. It’s an amazing feeling that they can connect to our music.”

ALL ABOUT LOVE|

Getting real with Reality Club

Indonesian band Reality Club talks about their recent show in the Philippines and their new music in Reality Club Presents...

Publisher : T. Anthony C. Cabangon Editor-In-Chief : Lourdes M. Fernandez Concept : Aldwin M. Tolosa Y2Z Editor : Jt Nisay SoundStrip Editor : Edwin P. Sallan Group Creative Director : Eduardo A. Davad Graphic Designers : Niggel Figueroa Anabelle O. Flores Contributing Writers

Photographers

: Tony M. Maghirang Rick Olivares Patrick Miguel Jill Tan Radovan Reine Juvierre S. Alberto John Eiron R. Francisco Pocholo Concepcion Francine Y. Medina Rory Visco : Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

Y2Z & SOUNDSTRIP are published and distributed free every Sunday by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing Inc. as a project of the

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New album, new sound

IN the band’s third and latest album Reality Club Presents..., they veered away from all the labels given to them such as being an indie rock or pop rock band.

“We really tried to play around with different genres in the album,” Fathia said.

Going beyond their usual and exploring through their curiosity, the band even have cowboy music, “Desire” and “Dancing in the Breeze Alone,” which Nugi noted, “something so far from what they’ve done so far.”

Although all the songs in their full-length album are about romance, they paint a picture through music of the different shades of romance. There are songs about falling in and out of love, being betrayed by someone you love, and other stories in romance.

When asked what drives them to write songs about romance, main songwriter Faiz elaborated, “We feel that romance is the one thing that no matter what you do or who you are, it’s always going to be around you.”

“It can ruin your day or make your day better.

There’s so much complexity, beauty, and also, there are so much different forms of love and what it can do to somebody. That’s why we’re so inspired to make an album about all the different stories of love because everyone has their own story.”

Their song “Love Epiphany” was meant to be the last song in the album to leave a message to their listeners to not be afraid of love, Fathia added.

“Even though people might be pessimistic about love because they’re so used to heartbreak or failure, there is still a chance of them finding love. The main message of this whole album is

Reality Club Presents... album cover ‘Hey, don’t be so afraid of love,’” she said.

Cinematic universe

IN creating music videos to construct their “cinematic universe,” the band said it came very naturally because they’re inspired by movies in general. “We want all our songs to have a music video because we want to create this club cinema or cinematic universe for our listeners.”

“Sometimes, when we write a song, we already have a visual idea of how we want the music video to be,” Fathia noted.

‘True authentic selves’

REALITY Club grew up listening to The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and other rock bands. As Nugi pointed out, it is “inevitable” that the sound and style of their musical influences be emulated through their own music for it comes up naturally

when they’re making music because their lives are “kind of intertwined with their music.”

Now, all grown up, the band paves their way by creating their “own type of music” that “feels honest and right for them,” added Fathia.

“I think it comes down to being true to ourselves when we’re making music so we can be our true authentic selves,” Nugi quipped.

Fathia added: “We can never really force a hidden agenda. We’re just trying to be as honest as possible with our music.”

As a band from Jakarta, Indonesia, Faiz said many Indonesians think they’re not an Indonesian band because their songs are in English language.

“It’s kind of a compliment because some people say there’s an international quality in our music but there’s no hidden agenda, it just came naturally with our sound being that way,” he noted.

Fathia cleared that they are not hiding the fact that they are Indonesian, adding that they reference Indonesia through their songs.

Going international

THE “international quality” of Reality Club’s music made their music be heard on a global scale and opened more opportunities to share their music.

After their successes in winning the Best AlternativeAlbumandBestAlternativeGroupattheAnugerah Musik Indonesia in 2023 and their recent Asian tour, the band will tour around the United States of America for “Reality Club Presents…North American Tour.”

Reality Club will play shows in Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Toronto, and Brooklyn in March, 2024.

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soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | JANUARY 14, 2024

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BUSINESS

THE BEAT GOES ON

WAIIAN’s take on the dynamic nature of hip-hop “WAIIAN, where are you at?” which is his way of reintroducing himself to the world after a three-year sabbatical in music.

Musical authenticity

WHEN asked about potential apprehensions regarding audience reception, he confidently stated, “I create the music I would love to listen to.” This commitment to personal authenticity shines through in the album that promises a unique listening experience for fans.

Addressing his inf luences, he is immersed in Yacht Rock and enjoys the Daytime Gang’s tunes during nighttime.

He mentions a 90 percent focus on hiphop, with a sprinkle of 10 percent yacht rock, jazz, and some low-fi beats.

Despite this, WAIIAN’s eclectic taste shines through, he reveals a diverse palette, with a predominant love for hip-hop, citing Pablo de Pistola, Kendrick Lamar, and Isai Rashad as major inspirations. Surprisingly, Filipino music takes a backseat in his preferences, with a preference for those who truly know him.

WAIIAN, an emerging Filipino rapper, took the stage to perform his most recent track, “Pablo,” on December 11, 2023, at the Balcony Music House.

Text and Photos

By John Eiron R. Francisco

W

I T H r a w e n e r g y, unfiltered expression, and a beat that connects with the heartbeat of the streets, hip-hop is once again making its presence in the music landscape.

However, how is the current state of the hip-hop genre? Has there been a shift in how it is performed, or has it been influenced by the modern era?

From the perspective of an emerging Filipino rapper, WAIIAN, told SoundStrip that the hip-hop genre is “ever changing.”

“Every year, there’s always new artists to push the limit of whatever the last guy did and it’s always challenging. It’s always colorful and always has stories here and there. I think it’s beautiful,” he said.

WAIIAN also urged caution about the impact of messages in hip-hop, particularly considering the majority of listeners are young. He emphasized the importance of being mindful, stating that promoting stereotypes like drug use, objectifying women, or glorifying violence isn’t ideal.

While he acknowledged the diversity in expressions within hip-hop, “It’s not that bad because everybody got to express. That’s their life, that’s their story, and that’s what they put

in their music.” However, WAII AN positioned himself as an observer, and not conforming to certain stereotypes in his own musical expression.

The weight of expectations

FOR artists signed by major music labels, success often goes hand in hand with expectations and pressures.

WAIIAN, signed under Sony Music Entertainment, peels back the curtain on the challenges that accompany the spotlight.

At 26 years old, WAIIAN acknowledges the palpable pressure that comes with being part of such a major label.

He candidly shares, “There’s a little pressure because you have to come up with something.” The expectation to create an album that resonates not only with personal experiences but also with a global audience adds a layer of complexity to the creative process.

The responsibility of crafting music that becomes a universal experience is not lost on WAIIAN. “Because you’re being asked to make an album that you’re listening to, to the world,” he explains.

In the intricate dance between artistic expression and audience expectations, WAIIAN shares his approach. “I try my best to think about it,” he says, referring to the listeners.

However, he emphasizes that this consideration doesn’t infiltrate the creative

process. The artist’s focus on the audience intensifies post-creation, asking the pivotal question, “Will this song work?”

One of WAIIAN’s unique philosophies comes from his conscious effort to detach from the outcome of his music. “But I try my best not to hold an attachment to the outcome of the music because it’s going to affect the quality of the song,” he asserts.

A Glimpse into WAIIAN’s World

RECENTLY, WAIIAN and his music label management unveiled his new music video titled “Pablo” (WAIIAN’s real name) that captures a day in the life of him, where he finds happiness and contentment in the simplest of things.

What sets WAIIAN’s latest music, “Pablo,” apart is its refreshing and wholesome vibe, a departure from the prevailing dark and gritty trends in the industry.

“The hardships, the pain, the grief. The grieving I’ve done for three years. It hits me with a very deep heart,” he said.

It was written by WAIIAN himself and produced by Tatz Maven, the laid-back tune serves as the focus track of his third studio album, WEYAAT?, which was released on December 1, 2023.

The nine-track album is theoretically diverse but distinctly shaped by his keen sense of self-awareness. Led by the last track of the same name and new single “Pablo,” “WEYAAT?” is a slang for

Unknown future in music and beyond

IN a contemplative moment, WAIIAN reflects on the trajectory of his music career acknowledging the transient nature of the industry and the advice from an old hip-hop sage.

He said that he grapples with the idea of transition and the need to leverage social influence into potential future ventures.

While recognizing the counsel that a music career doesn’t last forever, WAIIAN maintains a steadfast belief in the present, expressing uncertainty about what lies beyond the current rap journey.

“But right now, I have a couple more albums in my body or whatever to put out to the world before I retire and look for something else to do,” he said.

From being a fingerboarder to a skateboarder and now a rapper, WAIIAN embraces the evolving chapters of his life.

The future holds unknown possibilities, and the artist remains open to whatever may come next, even if it leads him to become a gardener or another unexpected path.

“I’m just appreciating everything that’s in my capacity to give to people,” he remarked.

With a sense of appreciation for the opportunities at hand, WAIIAN emphasizes living in the moment and delivering the best of his creative offerings.

The answer to the question of future goals or milestones is one of fluidity and adaptability—an artist navigating the present while keeping the door open for whatever the future may unfold.

How wedding planners are adjusting for Gen Z nuptials

By Dee-Ann Durbin

T

The Associated Press

im Chi, the CEO of The Knot Worldwide, attended eight weddings in the year leading up to his own 2005 nuptials. After seeing all that stress and emotion firsthand, he started thinking about ways to make wedding planning easier.

“I felt very strongly that the wedding industry needed something user-generated that really helped good vendors stamp their reputation and gave consumers more information to make better buying decisions,” Chi said.

So, Chi and three friends created WeddingWire, a marketplace for couples to research photographers, bakers and other vendors. In 2018, WeddingWire merged with its rival, The Knot, to form The Knot Worldwide.

The company now connects more than 4 million couples to 850,000 wedding vendors each year. It operates in 16 countries and also runs The Bump website for new parents and The Bash for party planning.

In 2022, it reported record revenue of $400 million.

Chi spoke with The Associated Press about how weddings are—and aren’t— changing. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.

“Gen Z is starting to get married. We don’t know definitively a lot about how they’re going to behave as they get married, but we know a lot about them as a generation,” says Tim Chi, the CEO of The Knot Worldwide. Photo by Leah Kelley on Pexels.com Q. How have weddings changed since you’ve been in the business?

A. In some ways, so many things haven’t changed. Weddings are a local celebration at the end of the day, and you all come together and you need food and you need entertainment. There’s just a baseline practicality and pragmatism about it that has not changed for as long as people have been getting married. Where the most change has been is how couples go about making those selections or finding vendors. It wasn’t that long ago when we were all just using binders and clipbooks.

So, the “how” has changed considerably, the digital transformation in all of our lives. But you strip that all away and you’re still throwing an awesome party at the end of the day.

Q. How do you ensure couples will keep coming to The Knot when they

have other places to look for inspiration, like TikTok? A. I think it’s that Wayne Gretzky quote: “Skate to where the puck is going.”

This year-ish Gen Z is starting to get married. We don’t know definitively a lot about how they’re going to behave as they get married, but we know a lot about them as a generation. And, so, we’re trying to play that forward a little bit. We find them more optimistic rather than realistic; they’re thinking more about generation “we” than generation “me.” They need to be convinced of value before they invest versus just bigspending vanity. So, we tell our vendor community, “You should start getting ready because this is the next 10 years of how you need to adapt your business.”

Q. The Knot relies on vendor advertising for its revenue. But the more vendors there are, the more they have

to compete with each other for business, and couples can get overwhelmed with choices. How do you balance those needs?

A. We tend to talk a lot about balancing supply and demand, which ultimately you want to be in harmony together. The vendors themselves often are very bespoke and unique and differentiated. We’re not in the business of, like, you check a couple of boxes and we match you to a couple things and it’s a perfect fit. There’s so much subjectivity and personal stuff that goes into the decision making. So, we do need depth and breadth. Number 2—and this is very unique to our industry as well—the United States has about 2 million weddings that happen every year. When do you think most of those 2 million weddings happen?

It’s on weekends. So, we have this other added layer of supply and demand. It’s not just about number of vendors but it’s about the number of dates that are available. Ultimately, though, when we talk with our vendors, we just really focus on building a strong partnership with them. If you’re going to advertise with us, did you feel like you got a good return on your investment?

If you did, you’re going to renew.

Q. What advice would you give others about going through a merger?

A. They’re never easy, right? So, your best bet is to find a point of view. Make decisions quickly and then just do it all really quickly and not let it drag out for very long.

Because uncertainty is the thing that sort of kills all deals and grinds everyone down.

It’s better to just run fast and then course correct if you miss along the way rather than agonize for a long time. So, speed, obviously, and care. We don’t manufacture widgets or anything; we’re a company of people. Care for your team members by providing them clarity and speed.

Cover photo by MAG Photography on Pexels.com

AI love story? Why human-machine relationships could go mainstream

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any researchers have voiced ethical concerns about the potential effects of machine companionship. They are concerned that the more that people turn to machine companions, the more they’ll lose touch with other humans—yet another shift toward an existence of being “alone together,” to use sociologist Sherry Turkle’s term.

Despite this apprehension, there is surprisingly little research that examines the effects of machine partners. We know quite a bit about how technology, in general, affects people in relationships,

such as the benefits and harms of sexting among young adults, and the ways in which online dating platforms influence the long-term success of relationships.

Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of AI partners is a bit more complicated.

We are now in an age of what sociologist Elyakim Kislev calls “relationships 5.0” in which we are “moving from technologies used as tools controlling human surroundings and work to technologies that are our ecosystem in and of themselves.”

As we have seen with dating apps,

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technological advancements in the context of relationships initially face skepticism and disagreement. However, there’s no question that people seem capable of forming deep attachments with AI systems.

Take the app Replika. It’s been marketed as the “AI companion who cares”— a virtual boyfriend or girlfriend that promises to engage users in deeply personal conversations, including sexting and dirty talk.

Early last year, the Italian Data Protection Authority ordered that the app stop processing Italian users’ data. As a

January 14, 2024

result, the developers changed how Replika interacts with its users—and some of these users went on to express feelings of grief, loss and heartbreak, not unlike the emotions felt after a breakup with a human partner.

Legislators are still figuring out how to regulate sex and love with machines.

But if we have learned anything about the ways in which technology has already become integrated into our relationships, it is likely that sexual and romantic relationships with AI-equipped systems and robots will become more common in the not-so-distant future. The Conversation