BusinessMirror January 25, 2020

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Saturday, January 25, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 107

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UNTYING METRO MANILA’S

TRAFFIC GORDIAN KNOT

ROLAND NAGY | DREAMSTIME.COM

BBB COMMITTEE LISTS P383B WORTH OF INFRA PROJECTS TO EASE CITY TRAFFIC, NOTABLY AT EDSA, FOR COMPLETION WITHIN PRESIDENT DUTERTE’S TERM

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

E

DSA has become a source of frustration for many drivers, commuters and passengers within its entire stretch—a length of 23.8 kilometers running between the cities of Pasay and Caloocan—turning into a huge parking lot not only during critical rush hours but also during supposed off-peak periods.

BUILD, Build, Build Committee chairman Anna Mae Y. Lamentillo NONIE REYES

When it was constructed and extended between the 1930s and 1960s, plying the Edsa route would only take about half an hour. But now, on good days, the whole stretch may be traversed in just over an hour, but during bad days, end-to-end travel time by public transport could reach as much as three hours, or almost half an average working day in the Philippines.

This too long a ride not only consumes a huge amount of time for an average Filipino worker, but also poses health risks. Traffic and transport experts have told the BusinessMirror previously that the traffic congestion on Edsa during the holiday rush has “inevita-

bly” become the “new normal.”

The root

NEGLECT, the experts have said, is the root cause of the monstrous bottlenecks in Metro Manila’s main and secondary highways.

This was exacerbated by the fact that more and more Filipinos have more spending power to own a car.

Today, Edsa is 39-percent overcapacitated, according to Build, Build, Build (BBB) Committee chairman Anna Mae Y. Lamentillo, with over 402,000 vehicles using the road daily. Edsa has a maximum capacity of 288,000 vehicles per day.

“Edsa’s maximum capacity

when it was built was at 288,000 vehicles per day, but the actual figures reach 402,000 vehicles daily. Edsa has already exceeded its capacity by 39 percent, and we want to bring it back to its original capacity,” Lamentillo said in a mix of Filipino and English at a recent BusinessMirror Coffee Club Forum, where she fielded questions from journalists from the ALC Media Group.

This means that the government intends to significantly cut the current travel time on Edsa and bring it back to its glory days, when one only needs 30 minutes to complete the whole route.

Continued on a2

A waste-free economy catches on at Davos

By Jill Ward and Suzy Waite

W

and re-manufactured. In practical terms, for a company such as Apple Inc., that means making new iPhones with parts from older models.

Bloomberg News

HEN British yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur was promoting the idea of the circular economy on the sidelines of Davos in 2012, the big attraction was curiosity about what she was up to after her sailing career.

Eight years on, MacArthur’s vision is taking hold at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual gathering, and firms such as Adidas and Unilever, as well as asset management giant BlackRock Inc., are embracing it.

“We had our own event in one of the hotels, and to be honest most people came because they were intrigued about what I might

be doing,” said MacArthur, who once held the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe. “Things have changed enormously since then.”

Her foundation is pushing an economic system where product lifespans are extended and components used repeatedly. Waste is eliminated by designing products that can be reclaimed, re-used

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.9630

Circular business

ELLEN MCARTHUR speaks on stage during #BoFVOICES on November 30, 2017, in Oxfordshire, England. SAMIR HUSSEIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE BUSINESS OF FASHION

THE idea is about replacing the “linear” model of growth—extraction, production and disposal —and reducing the strain on the planet’s limited resources.

“We need to move to a circular business,” Marc Engel, chief supply chain officer at Unilever, told a Bloomberg Live panel in Davos. “We’ve got a long way to go, but I’m very positive we’ll get there. If we set our minds to it we will achieve it.”

BlackRock started a fund focused on the circular economy in October alongside the Ellen Mac­ Arthur Foundation. At $23 million, it’s a drop in the ocean for the $7.4-trillion asset manager, though still a meaningful development as chief executive officer Continued on a2

n JAPAN 0.4654 n UK 66.8736 n HK 6.5579 n CHINA 7.3767 n SINGAPORE 37.7057 n AUSTRALIA 34.8689 n EU 56.3549 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5861

Source: BSP (January 24, 2020)

News

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A2 Saturday, January 25, 2020

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Untying Metro Manila’s traffic Gordian knot Continued from a1

Lamentillo said the government’s masterplan for the decongestion of Edsa does not actually include expanding the main highway. Instead, secondary highways and bridges will be built and developed to serve as alternatives to Edsa.

“Before touching Edsa, you should solve alternative routes for commuters,” she said. “We call it the Edsa Decongestion Program.”

With a stiff timeline of just a little over three years, the program is a P383-billion initiative composed of 23 projects that involve the construction and development of roads, expressways and bridges. These projects will be funded through a mix of private funds, general appropriations, and foreign aid.

Adding road capacities

FOR roads, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) included in the program the development of Samar Street, the Laguna Lake Highway, the Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road, and the Radial Road 10, or R-10.

Now both completed, Samar Street serves as an alternative to the stretch of Mother Ignacia and Timog in Quezon City, while the Laguna Lake Highway will serve as a secondary road for those traveling to the eastern corridors of Metro Manila.

The Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road, or more commonly known as Lawton Avenue, will be widened to six lanes from three lanes to accommodate more vehi-

cles. This project is expected to be completed within the year.

R-10, which is also already finished, is a “critical portion” for Manila’s port area, and will be complementary to the expressway development for the decongestion of Edsa.

For expressways, the government has tapped both Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to extend and expand their expressways to certain parts of the metropolis to lessen the vehicles on Edsa.

Skyway Stage 3, for instance, will run for about 18.3 kilometers between Buendia in Makati and Balintawak, Quezon City. Expected to be fully completed within the first half of this year, this section of the elevated thoroughfare will be linked to the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (Nlex/Slex) Connector Road.

The Connector Road, part of the Nlex concession, will be an eight-kilometer expressway that extends Nlex from the end of Circumferential Road 3 (C3) in Caloocan City to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Santa Mesa, Manila. This will provide port trucks with a 24/7 alternative to major highways. This project will be completed by May 2021.

Nlex has also extended its expressway to the port area through its Harbor Link initiative, which aims to further stretch the thoroughfare from C-3 Road to Radial 10 (R-10). It has also started the construction of Segment 8.2, which runs between Mindanao Avenue and Commonwealth in Quezon City, and is gearing toward fin-

eastern corridor of Metro Manila —Pasig, Antipolo and Marikina.

Under the Pasig River and Manggahan Floodway Bridge Construction Project, the government will develop the North and South Harbor Bridge, the PalancaVillegas Bridge, and the EastbankWestbank Bridge through 2023.

On the other hand, the Marikina River Bridges Construction Project involves the construction of three bridges with a combined 3,187.3-lineal meters. These bridges are the Marikina Vista Real Bridge, the JP Rizal-Lopez Jaena Bridge, and the JP Rizal-Saint Mary Bridge.

Feeling the effect?

ESTRELLA-Pantaleon Bridge

NONIE REYES

ishing Segment 2C, an extension road for Mindanao Avenue.

Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. has also opened the first section of the C5 Southlink Expressway, which in totality will connect the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway to C5 Road.

The last two on the list are the already-completed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Expressway and the ongoing civil works for the first phase of the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, which will cut travel time between Taguig and Batasan, Quezon

City, to 26 minutes from an hour and 50 minutes.

Bridging cities

FOR bridges, the government aims to finish the Bonifacio Global CityOrtigas Link Program, composed of the Santa Monica-Lawton Bridge, and the Lawton Avenue-Global City Viaduct, within the year.

It is also making strides in completing the China grant-funded Binondo-Intramuros Bridge that will connect the walled city to the heart of Manila’s Chinatown. This is expected to be completed by 2021.

Another China-grant bridge

included in the Edsa Decongestion Program is the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, which links Makati City and Mandaluyong. By February next year, this should be open to motorists, and will serve as an entry point to secondary arteries between the north and south of Metro Manila.

The government is also developing the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, which will be a 32.15-kilometer, four-lane facility that will start in Mariveles, Bataan, crossing Manila Bay to Naic, Cavite. Construction works are set for next year.

Lastly, the DPWH will construct a total of six bridges in the

LAMENTILLO said her group will be working double time to finish these projects within the term of President Duterte, who during his campaign promised to alleviate the traffic congestion in major cities, especially Metro Manila.

“We are hopeful that these will all be completed before the end of the President’s term in 2022. The year 2020 will be a big year, and our motorists will really feel the effect of these projects,” she said.

The goal is not only to reduce the economic losses from traffic congestion, which currently amount to a whopping P3.5 billion per day, but to alleviate the daily suffering of motorists due to congestion.

“Our goal is to have Edsa return to its original capacity through the alternative roads and bridges we are building,” Lamentillo said. “We’re making sure that these projects will not stay as plans but will actually materialize that the Filipino people will actually use.”

A waste-free economy catches on at Davos Continued from a1

Larry Fink puts environmental concerns at the center of the firm’s investment process.

Wide-scale adoption of the concept would not only cut costs and bolster productivity, advocates say, but climate change and pollution would be tempered. It represents a $4.5-trillion opportunity globally by 2030, according to Peter Lacy, author of The Circular Economy Handbook.

But some academics argue that it doesn’t address what they see as the fundamental problem of pursuing limitless growth.

Still, retailers are taking steps.

H&M, criticized for its part in socalled “fast fashion,” is trialling a rental clothing service in one of its Stockholm branches as well as an in-store repair service. British start-up Hurr offers clothing rental, as does Rent the Runway Inc. in New York.

Advocacy support

MANY businesses represented in Davos have signed up to the vision too. Adidas—one of the companies in the new Blackrock fund—wants to almost double the number of shoes produced from recycled plastic this year to 20 million. Unilever and Nestlé have set targets to slash packaging, while Google has begun advising companies on how to harness data to better manage resources.

The global economy now needs 100 billion tons of materials a year, according to the not-for-profit organization Circle Economy, a figure set to more than double by 2050.

Historically, for every 1 percent increase in gross domestic product, resource usage has risen on average 0.4 percent.

The flow of materials accounts for more than half of emissions in Overseas Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Reducing that insatiable demand could therefore go a long

BALES of crushed plastic waste sit stacked on a truck trailer at the Petstar PET plastic recycling plant in Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico, January 24, 2019. Petstar recycles 3,100 million plastic bottles annually and produces 51,049 tons of food-grade recycled PET resin.

ALEJANDRO CEGARRA/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES

way in achieving the global target of limiting temperature increases in the atmosphere to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Planetary boundaries

“WHAT we’re looking at is, how can we actually decouple some of the trends we’ve seen in terms of increasing consumption, increasing pollution and emissions, from growth prospects,” said Helen Mountford, vice president for climate and economics at the World Resources Institute. “We’re already exceeding, or rapidly approaching a number of planetary boundaries.”

BlackRock isn’t the first money manager to embrace the circular economy. Some smaller firms have been running funds focused on it for a number of years.

Geneva-based Decalia Asset Management, which oversees 3.7 billion Swiss francs ($3.8 billion) in total, launched such a fund in 2018. It gained nearly 23 percent in 2019.

Circularity Capital in Edinburgh has a £60-million private equity fund that’s invested in businesses such as Winnow, a food waste reduction company, and ZigZag, which reduces retailers’ product return waste.

The key challenge is getting more governments and companies on board. The European Commission has a circular economy action plan, which includes transforming the way plastic products are produced and recycled. It’s also part of China’s five-year plan. The government there has stopped importing waste, something that’s forcing other countries to adapt.

“When you set off on one of those long journeys, the resources you have with you are the absolute minimum you can survive with, to be as light as possible to stand any chance of breaking a record or winning a race,” MacArthur said. “I realized the global economy was the same—we have finite resources, and yet we’re using them up.”

A4 Saturday, January 25, 2020

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

Exporters told to build own profitable market niche, focus on indirect sales

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mall and medium enterprises (SMEs) owners, and managers, in the export industry need to find new profitable market niches where competition is still low, or consider indirect exporting to penetrate more overseas markets.

A research paper series, titled “Obstacles of Philippine SMEs’ Participation in Global Value Chains,” published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) cited data from a survey and related literature indicating that Philippine SMEs are not well connected to GVCs. In terms of GVC connectivity per sector, most indicators suggest that industry SMEs are more linked to GVCs than services SMEs. The paper

said Philippine SMEs are having difficulty competing with companies from other Asean and East Asian countries. “ The lower cost of labor and the big ger government support that SMEs enjoy in competitor countries compared to the Philippines are making it harder for Philippine SMEs to compete in international mark e t s. Give n t h at t he s e c i rc u m s t a n c e s a r e b e y o n d P h i l i p p i n e S M E s ’ c o nt r o l , wh at t he y c a n do i s to t a rget

t he r ig ht m a rket where t he y c a n e s t a bl i s h e a r l y mo v e r adv a nt a ge s,” it s a id .

The paper also underscored the difficulties of many SMEs i n reac h i ng i nter n at ion a l markets due to t heir lac k of access to infor mation about foreign markets, coupled w it h t heir inabi lit y to massproduce t hat wou ld ma ke e xpor ting prof itable.

“One way to address these obstacles in connecting to GVCs is through indirect exporting.

This may be done through consolidators—a third party that buys export quality products from local producers that they could sell in countries where demand for these products exists,” it said.

The paper further said indirect exporting may also be done by providing inputs to firms that export, such as foreign companies or large businesses. These inputs may be in the form of supplies or services through outsourcing or subcontracting arrangements.

Abaca shoes

To help SMEs overcome the challenges in connecting to GVCs, it said it is imperative for policy-makers to provide more incentives to exporters of higher-value products, implement programs that promote linkages between SMEs and foreign or large firms, improve credit terms of SME loans, and enhance the efficiency of port and Customs operations.

The paper said most Philippine SME exporters operate at the low end of the value chain, such that they export raw materials rather than processed, and high-value products.

It, thus, underscored the importance of providing incentives on the purchase of equipment that processes raw materials into higher-value products. “ T his could be in the form of ta x breaks for the purchase of equipment, or equipment f i n a nc i ng. In add it ion, for big industries consisting of multiple SME ex porters, org a n i z i ng con sor t iu m s m ay be facilitated. T hrough these

consor tiums, members may pool funds to purchase machines they can use jointly,” the paper added.

It further cited an earlier Asian Development Bank paper, noting that SMEs can connect to GVCs not only through exporting but also through the provision of supplies, or services to firms, that are already connected to the value chain.

“Given that only a sma ll share of SMEs are connected to large or foreign firms through t h i s k i nd of a r r a nge me nt , pol ic y-m a kers m ay e x plore the establishment of an information exchange platform, where large and foreign firms can post their outsourcing and subcontracting requirements, wh i le SMEs c a n post t heir qu a l i f ic at ion s, c apabi l it ies and services offered,” it said.

Moreover, simplifying processes and reducing the incentives for corruption through automation would help ease exporting and importing, it added.

A stall owner arranges her inventory of shoes and sandals made of leather and abaca fiber for the domestic export markets at a shoe store in Manila. Products made from homegrown abaca fiber remain a consistent export product of the Philippines.

Incoterms 2020 training for exporters, importers slated in Manila and Cebu

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NCOTERMS refer to international commercial terminologies used by traders, importers, exporters, customs brokers, logistics companies, nonlife insurers, bankers in the shipment of goods via land, air, and sea. Embedded in these terminologies are the trade rules that clearly define the seller’s and buyer’s obligations as part of a contract.

The new set of Incoterms took effect worldwide on January 1, 2020. These changes will have a tremendous impact on the trade documentation, and will have critical implications on your businesses. Understanding these new rules, and incorporating their use in sales contracts eliminate the uncertainties, errors and costly mistakes in the interpretations created in trade transactions.

To educate the different stakeholders on these changes, the Center for Global Best Practices (CGBP), in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce, is hosting a training program entitled Incoterms 2020: Revised International Rules in the Interpretation of Trade Terms, to be held on the following dates in the Philippines: Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City; and Friday, January 31, 2020, at the Seda Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City. This program will highlight the amendments made, and how these changes will affect the relationship between the buyer and the seller.

This special program will feature Singapore-based expert, Victor Tan, who is a certified trainer of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He is an authority in the field of trading and banking with 15 years of banking experience covering areas of international trade finance, remittances, guarantees, import and export. He has worked with various international banks since 1977, starting with Standard Chartered Bank, AmsterdamRotterdam Bank, Bangkok Bank, Royal Trust Merchant Bank and, last, Barclays Bank, where he was deputy head for trade finance. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Strathclyde, UK, and is a qualified life associate member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London. He will teach participants with everything on how to apply Incoterms for business advantage.

Both programs are Continuing Professional Development accredited. Accountants attending these programs will earn points.

CGBP is also an accredited training provider of the Civil Service Commission. Attendees from the government can earn points for their career advancement and are exempted from the P2,000 limit, when attending training conducted by the private sector based on DBM Circular 563 dated April 22, 2016.

Registration is open to the general public.

Check www.cgbp.org for details and a complete list of other international trade training programs, such Mastering the Basics of Letters of Credits, Business Guide to Preparing and Handling Transfer Pricing Audits, and more!

You may also call landlines in Manila (+632) 8842-7148/ 59 or (+632) 8556-8968/ 69, and Cebu (+6332) 512-3106 or 07. Interested participants are encouraged to preregister to ensure seat availability.

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Senators bat for early monetary incentives for octogenarians, nonagenarians

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ENIOR citizens need not wait to reach 100 years old to get cash incentives from the government.

According to a proposal from Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., senior citizens 80 years old and above shall be granted a cash gift and a letter of felicitation by the government.

Senate Bill 1212 and 295, introduced

by Zubiri and Revilla, respectively, seeks to expand the coverage of the Centenarians Act of 2016 by amending Section 2 of Republic Act 10868.

Under Zubiri’s proposal, octogenarians shall be granted P30,000 while an additional P30,000 shall be granted to nonagenarians. Finally, a person will receive P50,000 when he or she reaches 100 years of age or becomes a centenar-

ZUBIRI

ian. These amounts make up a total of P110,000 given in staggered amounts.

On the other hand, Revilla proposed the granting of P25,000 to senior citizens who reach 80 years old, an additional

P25,000 to those reaching 90 years old and P50,000 to those who live to be 100 years old.

“It is unfortunate to note that not so many Filipinos live up to 100 years old and thus, only a few get to enjoy the benefits under the current law,” Zubiri said.

To further motivate senior citizens to live longer, Zubiri said SB 1212 seeks to expand the coverage of Republic Act 10868 by granting them additional benefits before they turn 100 years old. “The money could be used to buy medicines and other needs that would ease the financial burden largely shouldered by their families.”

“Most of our senior citizens find it difficult to buy basic necessities, and even forego expensive medications and procedures,” Revilla explained.

“Through this bill, it is hoped that our elderly would be able to enjoy such entitlements and assist them to further prolong their lives beyond a century,” Revilla added.

Poverty rate for elderly Japanese women seen rising

A

T first glance, things seem to be getting better for Japanese women.

In an economy that’s historically lagged other developed nations when it comes to female work force participation, a record 71 percent are now employed, an 11-point leap over a decade ago.

The Japanese government boasts one of the most generous parental leave laws in the world and recently created a “limited fulltime worker” category aimed primarily at mothers looking to balance job and family. And one of the most important needs for working families—child day care—is slowly being expanded.

But even with these advantages, Japanese women—whether single or married, full time or part time—face a difficult financial future. A confluence of factors that include an aging population, falling birth rates and anachronistic gender dynamics are conspiring to damage their prospects for a comfortable retirement. According to Seiichi Inagaki, a professor at the International University of Health and Welfare, the poverty rate for older Japanese women will more than double over the next 40 years, to 25 percent.

For single, elderly women, he estimated, the poverty rate could reach 50 percent.

In Japan, people live longer than almost anywhere else and birth rates are at their lowest since records began. As a result, the nation’s working-age population is projected to have declined by 40 percent come 2055.

With entitlement costs skyrocketing, the government has responded by scaling back benefits while proposing to raise the retirement age. Some Japanese responded by moving money out of low-interest bank accounts and into 401(k)-style retirement plans, hoping investment gains might soften the blow. But such a strategy requires savings, and women in Japan are less likely to have any.

Japan’s gender pay gap is one of the widest among advanced economies. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Japanese women make only 73 percent as much as men. Japan’s demographic crisis is making matters worse: Retired couples who are living longer need an additional $185,000 to survive projected shortfalls in the public pension system, according to

a recent government report.

A separate study did the math for Japanese women: They will run out of money 20 years before they die.

Dire pension calculations published by Japan’s Financial Services Agency in June 2019 caused such an outcry that the government quickly rejected the paper, saying it needlessly worried people.

But economic observers said the report was dead-on: Japan’s pension system is ranked 31st out of 37 nations due in part to underfunding, according to the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index.

Takashi Oshio, a professor at the Institute of Economic Research at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, said private pensions and market-based retirement investments are now much more important than they once were. Machiko Osawa, a professor at Japan Women’s University, was more blunt: The days of being “totally dependent on a public pension” are over.

But there are additional obstacles for Japanese women. Although 3.5 million of them have entered the workforce since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in 2012, twothirds are working only part time.

Japanese men generally see their compensation rise until they reach 60. For women, average compensation stays largely the same from their late 20s to their 60s, a fact attributable to pauses in employment tied to having children or part-time, rather than fulltime, work. Since the mid-2000s, part-time employment rates have fallen for women in more than half the countries that make up the OECD. But in Japan, the trend is reversed, with part-time work among women rising over the past 15 years.

One of Abe’s stated goals is to encourage more women to keep working after giving birth, part of his so-called Womenomics initiative. But according to a recent government study, almost 40 percent of women who had full-time jobs when they became pregnant subsequently switched to parttime work or left the work force.

Machiko Nakajima’s employment trajectory is typical of this state of affairs.

Nakajima, who used to work full time at a tourism company, left her position at age 31 when she became pregnant.

“I had no desire to work while taking

care of my kid,” she said in an interview. Instead, Nakajima spent a decade raising two children before returning to work. Now 46, the mother of two works as a part-time receptionist at a Tokyo tennis center. Though her husband, who also is 46, has a full-time job, Nakajima said she fears for her future, given the faltering pension system.

“It makes me wonder how I’m going to live the rest of my life,” she said.

“It’s not easy to save for retirement as a part-time worker.”

According to government data, the monthly cost of living for a Japanese household with more than two people is ¥287,315 ($2,650). Some 15.7 percent of Japanese households live below the poverty line, which is about $937 per month.

More than 40 percent of part-time working women earn ¥1 million ($9,100) or less a year, according to Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. The lack of benefits, job security and opportunity for advancement—hallmarks of full-time employment in Japan—make such women financially vulnerable, particularly if they don’t have a partner to share expenses with.

Yanfei Zhou, a researcher at the Japan Institute for Labor Policy & Training and author of a book on the subject, “Japan’s Married Stay-at-Home Mothers in Poverty,” contends there’s a gap of ¥200 million ($1.82 million) in lifetime income between women who work full time and women who switch from full time to part time at the age of 40.

“It’s not easy to save for retirement as a part-time worker,” she said. Single mothers need to make at least ¥3 million annually, or about $27,600—numbers you can’t hit “if you work part time.”

In Japan, public pensions account for 61 percent of income among elderly households. The system provides basic benefits to all citizens and is funded by workers from age 20 to age 59—and by government subsidies. Many retirees get additional income from company pension plans.

While widows can claim some portion of a deceased spouse’s pension, the number of unmarried Japanese is steadily rising, having more than tripled since 1980. The latest survey showed the rate for women is 14 percent versus 23 percent for men. Bloomberg News

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, January 25, 2020 A5

Songs that mentored me

By Nick Tayag

I

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

F someone were to ask me: What were the biggest influences in my 60 plus years?

Of course, my parents would be one of those. But that’s expected.

Aside from that, my answer would include some favorite songs I listened to in my youth, which I still play even now. Instantly I can say that I got part of my basic education from listening to pop music, especially rock music.

The world of pop music is the most unlikely place to find lessons in life. That’s because in our youth, we were severely reprimanded and admonished by elders when they caught us listening to rock music. When we asked why, their answer was that they were just concerned for our souls. It was the devil’s music, they said, satanic.

But certain pop songs, especially those written by gifted songwriters, have the ability to communicate the widest of human experiences and the breadth of truth. While we never stop debating which are the top songs of all time, one thing was clear to me, there was something about these songs that made them great and we could learn something from them.

Many young men and women lack good mentors to initiate them into adulthood and nurture their souls. But many somehow find inspiration, encouragement and support in music. There is an interplay between our internal lives and the music we listen to. Bruce Springsteen calls it “the magic, the mystery and the ministry of rock ‘n’ roll.”

I have read about many adults who attest to the healing ways in which rock music artists impact the life of young people in a positive way. But it can only happen if you care to stop and listen more closely and introspectively.

Take a song like “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens. It speaks more movingly than any homily or sociological treatise about the miscommunication and misunderstanding that create a chasm between children and their parents. The father is saying to his son: this is the way it’s going to be. The son is not speaking back.

The words of that song consoled me when I, too, was feeling rebellious and resentful when I was restrained by my elders from doing things I wanted to do. But as I grew up, I began to appreciate the part where the father says:

But take your time, think a lot

Why, think of everything you’ve got

For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not It is a song that young parents should play from time to time because of the wisdom found there in dealing with one’s children.

My elder brother Caloy introduced me to the songs of Simon & Garfunkel, and I am profoundly grateful he did, God bless his soul. As a budding writer then, I focused more on their lyrics which I consider poetry on their own. The beautiful words create thought-provoking, inspiring and enlightening songs.

My favorite tells the story of two people who have lost their connection to each other.

Apparently, there is an issue that is left hanging but neither person is willing to talk about it, and so it becomes “the dangling conversation” that is now keeping them apart.

And I only kiss your shadow

I cannot feel your hand You’re a stranger now unto me.”

That song became a cautionary tale for me with regards to my relationships through the years. Never obfuscate, never beat around the bush. If there is a problem, talk directly to the aggrieved person. Be honest with the one you love or care about.

But, more important, cherish the person you love. Don’t stop expressing and showing how much you love her.

It’s a song that still speaks to us in this age of the mobile gadget where we barely can sustain a conversation anymore. Observe how families sitting in front of a table in a restaurant don’t talk to each other. Instead they are glued to their mobile gadgets. Because we prefer to look at our gadgets than talk to each other, issues are left dangling.

If we feel the need to talk, we do it indirectly through SMS or Messenger.

Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start The Fire” is a great way to learn some history in the 20th century. Joel’s concept for this song was to review the major events that had happened during his own lifetime, from his birth in 1949 through the release of the song in 1989. The song is a list of the headlines over a span of 40 years, then, summing up events in the late 20th Century.

This song has enhanced my appetite for history books and biographies of prominent people mentioned in the lyrics, such as Stalin, Charles de Gaulle, as well as the burning issues of the day like Starkweather homicide, children of Charles Thalidomide and other news events mentioned in the song.

“What’s Going On” is a song by Marvin Gaye, the great soul singer.

Brother, brother, brother/

there’s too many of you dying

you know we’ve got to find a way

to bring some loving today.”

It was a song written in 1969 (during martial law days) and while it was referring to the social unrest happening then in American ghettos, it struck a responsive chord in me and captured my feelings about what was going on in our country at that time. I was never an activist by inclination but that song jolted me into becoming socially conscious.

The right combination of catchy tunes and inspiring lyrics can give you a kick in the backside; provide a quick pick me up to motivate you to accomplish your goals or that little lift just when you need it.

The awesome thing about a great song is that it is written for the moment in time, but somehow is able to send the same message or evoke the same emotion across generations.

There were other songs that greatly influenced me, written or sung by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Herbert Bartolome, Mike Hanopol and many others. Listening to them on the radio, in my room, in the car, and the office, they have whispered messages that were inspiring, consoling, uplifting and truthful to me.

Their songs have been my mentor and guide. And even now, the songs still live on in my head. Outdated? Passe? No. These songs are for the ages, and for all people of any age who want their mentoring of timeless life’s truths to be given gently.

Hospital bankruptcies leave sick and vulnerable citizens nowhere to go

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QUIET crisis is unfolding for US hospitals, with bankruptcies and closures threatening to leave some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens without care.

As a gauge of distress in the health-care sector has soared, at least 30 hospitals entered bankruptcy in 2019, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. They range from Hahnemann University Hospital in downtown Philadelphia to De Queen Medical Center in rural Sevier County, Arkansas, and Americore Health Llc., a company built on

preserving rural hospitals.

There’s more distress to come.

Already this week, the bankrupt owner of St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles said it plans to shut the facility after a failed sale attempt.

The pressures on the sector are as tangled as the health-care system itself.

Americans are fleeing rural areas in favor of urban centers, reducing the demand for hospital services in already struggling communities. In both cities and towns, many hospitals that care for impoverished citi-

zens often rely heavily on government payments that reimburse less than private insurers and may fail to cover rising costs.

The American Hospital Association, an industr y group, calculated that payments from Medicare and Medicaid, the federal programs for the elderly and poor, lagged costs by $76.6 billion in 2018. Hospitals are also losing key income as more profitable procedures move to lower-cost outpatient centers.

If that weren’t enough, with both Republicans and Democrats mak-

ing a political football out of health care ahead of the 2020 presidential election, significant policy change could be near.

“How are you supposed to craft a business plan if you don’t know if you’re going to have an America with Medicare for all, or a complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or a million options in the middle?” said Sam Maizel, a partner with the Dentons US LLP. law firm who focuses on health-care restructuring. “If you knew Elizabeth Warren was going to get elected, you’d be writing a very different

business plan.”

Even before the election, the current system is being challenged, according to Georgetown University health-care policy Prof.

Edwin Park. The Trump administration is trying to tighten eligibility rules for Medicaid, while a rule proposed late last year could also cut billions of dollars in supplemental payments to hospitals, he said. In a closely watched case, a district judge in Fort Worth, Texas, is weighing whether Obamacare can survive after an appeals court ruled that its broad mandate

requiring people to have health insurance was unconstitutional.

The usual playbook for managing distress doesn’t readily apply.

Shutting down a hospital isn’t the same as boarding up a storefront.

Hospitals are not only major employers, their closures often leave the most vulnerable patients bereft. Bankruptcy judges tend to push back on approving hospital closings in ways they wouldn’t for a retailer, said Andrew Sherman, head of restructuring at law firm Sills Cummis & Gross PC.

Bloomberg News

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BusinessMi

Saturday, January 25, 2020 | Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

UCI GEND

LIKE all sectors, cycling is not immune from the continuing shift toward digitalization and new technologies.

INNOVATION, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES BOOST CYCLING CULTURE

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ICYCLES communicating with vehicles as automation rolls out across the road.

Smart cities building insights on traffic flows to plan better cycling infrastructure.

Information in the hands—and on the handlebars—of cyclists to enable faster and safer journeys.

These scenarios are part of the vision for the future of road transport and some are already becoming a reality today.

Like all sectors, cycling is not immune from the continuing shift toward digitalization and new technologies. A smart approach to using new tech could help create a better experience for riders, while aiding the creation of safer and more attractive urban spaces for two-wheeled transport.

By gathering data to build up a bird’s eye view of bicycle traffic and trips, planners can better anticipate cyclists’ needs and steer the shape of the urban landscape in favor of the bike. Be it through traffic counters—artificial intelligence (AI) tools counting bicycle numbers through traffic cameras—or the use of anonymized data generated from ride-tracking companies such as Strava, cities are already crunching the data for smarter cycling. For instance, PeopleForBikes have developed the innovative data-driven Bicycle Network Analysis tool, which takes Open Street Map data and information on bicycle infrastructure, rating the quality of the network by assessing whether people can comfortably use it to get to places they need to be such as school, work or the grocery store.

in many respects, cycling has been a standard bearer for this transition towards a more distributed and shared model for transportation.

Bicycle share systems have proven a hit with the public across the world, and their deployment continues with over 1,000 cities worldwide offering a program. In Europe, bike share is expected to rise from 3-5 vehicles per 1,000 residents in major cities to 10-20 vehicles per 1,000 residents in the next five years.

Increasingly, a journey begins by opening a mobile phone app where different modes (car, rail, cycling, walking, public transport, etc), including estimated journey time and cost, are offered to the user. Having cycling embedded as a digital offering alongside other transport modes is a key goal for cycling advocates. From summer 2019, Google Maps—having also integrated real-time information from rail, public transport and car-sharing modes—began offering data on bike-share dock locations and the

numbers of bikes available.

DANISH GREEN WAVE

DENMARK—which has a well-established cycling culture—has looked toward technological solutions to augment cycling plans and improve the riding experience. Cities across the country have rolled out “green wave” projects, that enable cyclists to adapt their speed so they can pass through a green wave of traffic lights with no stopping. Various examples of such projects exist; including “lane lights” in the city of Odense, that give the rider visual cues on the speeds needed to make the next green light at an intersection on time. In addition, pilot projects have been introduced to prioritize cyclists at intersections during rainy weather, while Copenhagen’s real-time traffic control platform monitors the number of cyclists on the road. If there are high levels of cycling, or slow journey times for cyclists, the system adapts traffic signals to prioritize bicycles. For more examples from Denmark, visit CyclingDanish Solutions.

As rates of cycling—

particularly in major cities—increase, the wider technology and business sector is paying more attention. Deeper use of technology can help to accelerate work, and cycling advocates, including Cycling Industries Europe, are moving to build stronger links with the technology sector.

Alongside creating a knowledge hub to gather data on bike sharing, the CIE’s Expert Group on Bike Share (BSEG), has a stated objective of “working toward a single European data standard” for the sector.

Moreover, in its 2020 Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions report published at the start of January, consultancy firm Deloitte went as far as including “Cycling’s Digital Transformation“ as one of its six major predications for the year.

UCI News

FOR the International Cycling Union, the theme of gender equality is a priority.

Froome confirms to start racin C HRIS FROOME (Team Ineos) has confirmed that he will start his 2020 season at the UAE Tour next month.

The four-time Tour de France winner has been out of competition since crashing out of the Critérium du Dauphiné last June. He suffered a string of injuries and underwent several operations but has his sights firmly on returning to the Tour de France this year, where he will be aiming for a record-equaling fifth title.

CHRIS FROOME has been out of competition since crashing out of the Critérium du Dauphiné last June.

TWO-WHEELED MAAS

WHILE Mobility as a Service (MaaS) remains one of the hottest topics in the transport sector,

Froome will face stiff competition at the Tour, even within his own team, after Dave Brailsford confirmed earlier in January that Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas—the last two Tour de France winners—would be given leadership status at Team Ineos.

In a video message posted, Froome confirmed his participation in the weeklong UAE Tour, which begins on February 23.

“Hey everyone,” Froome said in a recorded video message. “Training has been going really

Thomas, Bernal named Ineos’ leaders for Tour G

ERAINT THOMAS and Egan Bernal have been confirmed as Team Ineos’ coleaders of the 2020 Tour de France.

Team Ineos boss Dave Brailsford outlined a preliminary race program that highlighted the team’s Grand Tours leaders in a video posted on the team’s social-media account on Thursday.

“You pencil in your plans at this time of year, but you always know that things can change in the sport,” Brailsford said. “As it stands at this moment in time, we are looking at Richard [Carapaz] going to race the Giro and try and retain his title there, and then for Geraint [Thomas] and Egan [Bernal] to take on the challenge of, and focus on, the Tour.”

Bernal won the 2019 Tour de France with Thomas placing second overall. Thomas, who won the 2018 edition of the Tour, had previously stated his ambition to target the race again this July, preferably over the Giro d’Italia.

Thomas’s 2020 race plans have started to take shape as he is set to race Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse before the Tour de France in July.

Chris Froome, who has won the Tour on four previous occasions (2013 and 2015-2017), did not compete in the race last year after a horrific crash in training at the Critérium du Dauphiné ended his season early. The accident left him with fractures to his femur, hip, elbow, vertebrae and sternum.

After a lengthy recovery process, Froome is back to training full-time at a camp in Gran Canaria. He has indicated that he would like to be at his best during the Tour de France, to try for a fifth title.

“And of course, Chris [Froome] coming back, he’s still really craving that big fifth win and he’s working very, very hard to get back to the level required to be competitive,” Brailsford said. “That’s what we are working on and that’s where we are at now. It’s a good position to be in.”

Brailsford revealed that time trial world champion Rohan Dennis will compete in the Giro d’Italia with Carapaz, while also focusing on his preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“We have other riders like Rohan Dennis joining the team, who will also ride the Giro this year, but he has goals for the Olympics as well and that fits in nicely,” Brailsford said.

Team Ineos have a range of young talent that includes Tao Geoghegan Hart, Jhonathan Narvaez, Pavel Sivakov and Ivan Sosa, who could also be positioned among the Grand Tour rosters this season.

“And we have some of the younger riders who are developing, and we are going to try and merge some of them into the Tour team and some of the others into the Giro to get experience,” Brailsford said.

Brailsford said that he believes the Grand Tours, in general, have changed in terms of the amount of time trialing and climbing over the years. He said he felt that, more recently, rival teams and GC riders have improved and challenged Team Ineos, and he expects that there will be a challenge in the Grand Tours again in 2020.

“We can identify areas where we can improve and get better and figure out the puzzle of how we are going to win this year,” he said. “Given the Tour and how exciting that was.

I think that this year, the Grand Tours are set to be great fun, a great spectacle, and tough to win, as always.”

Team Ineos united at a team training camp in Mallorca in December and the season is about to kick off at the Santos Tour Down Under in January, where Dennis and Sivakov will be on the start line. Bernal and Carapaz will lead an all-Latin American roster for Team Ineos at Tour Colombia 2.1 in February.

“I think it’s a season full of opportunities and excitement, and everybody is raring to go,” Brailsford said. “There’s a real energy about the group and they want to get at it, they really do. They want to get racing.

“We want to go and race with flare and panache and try and win, and opt for the courageous option and not the comfort option, and all those different things. Try and make great things happen for them [fans], for us, and for the whole sport.” Insidethegames

GERAINT THOMAS and Egan Bernal will take on the challenge and focus on the Tour de France.

irror CYCLING

Saturday, January 25, 2020

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DER-EQUALITYT CERTIFIED HE International Cycling Union (UCI) has secured the first level of professional gender-equality certification as part of its strategy to introduce a related equality policy internally and to develop women’s cycling.

The sport’s governing body underwent an independent audit through FloCert to certify it against the internationally renowned EDGE Certification standards in September and was awarded the Level One Assess award on October 23.

“As the first woman director general of the UCI, I am very proud that our federation has obtained EDGE certification,” Director General Amina Lanaya said. “We are committed to an ambitious project to make the UCI an exemplary international sports body in terms of internal governance. In this context, the theme of gender equality is a priority, and we will continue to be committed to this goal in order to put in place, by 2021, a policy ensuring the well-being, equality and promotion of all our employees.”

EDGE Certification is a globally recognized tool used to help close the gender gap inside organizations and companies. Its certification in professional gender equality offers three levels: Assess, Move and Lead. According to its web site, the certifications levels are based on an independent audit review, which looks at objective and measurable evidence of a current status within an organization; its established global standard of excellence; and its ability to create change based on transparency, accountability and recurring processes.

The UCI chose the third-party FloCert among the certification organizations suggested by EDGE. It was assessed in three areas: statistical data that included gender, age, origins, work flexibility, along with regulations and then a questionnaire sent to employees. The certification process measures the organization’s gender balance, insignificant unexplained gender pay gap showing equal pay for equivalent work, policies and practices that show equitable career flow for both men and women, and an inclusive culture.

ing at UAE Tour well. I’m here in Gran Canaria and I’m really happy to announce that I’ll be starting my season at the UAE Tour, next month, starting in Dubai.

“It’s a race I missed out on last year, so it’s a great place for me to start my season this time around.”

The seven-stage race features four expected opportunities for sprinters, along with two punchy finishes at Hatta Dam and Rafisa Dam, and the decisive summit finish at Jebel Hafeet.

Froome and Team Ineos toyed with the idea of starting the season at various races throughout the

The UCI is currently the only sports international federation with the EDGE Certification Assess award. However, it’s only able to stay at Level One for six years before it must progress to Level Two: Move, or lose its status entirely. The UCI has stated that it aims to move up to the next level within two years, and has already begun that process.

To achieve the Move award, the UCI will implement an internal policy at the organization that encompasses work flexibility, equal pay for men and women, prevention of all forms of harassment in the workplace, and promotion of diversity and integration.

“This certification is the latest in a suite of measures to ensure gender parity in our sport,” UCI President David Lappartient said. “This is true at the level of our athletes, particularly with the introduction of a minimum wage from this season in women’s professional road cycling and in the better protection of the riders, but also at management level within our governing bodies, where women need to be better represented in management positions.”

THERE’S STILL WORK TO BE DONE

CYCLINGNEWS’S Laura Weislo took an in-depth look at the UCI calendar, rankings and other

CALEB EWAN swigs champagne on the podium of the Brussels Cycling Classic.

first few months of the season but his recovery was thrown into doubt, not least when he reportedly left a December training camp early, with a Team Ineos director saying: “He is not well.”

In another video released by his team earlier this month, Froome confirmed that the Tour de France was his main focus.

“The only appointment I’ve set myself is Tour de France, and until then every week I’m just going to keep chipping away, keep trying to make the most of every camp, every race, building up to July and hope that, come that start line in Nice in July, I’ll be ready to go,” Froome said. Insidethegames

PARIS embraces cycling for all.

Paris: City of Lights becomes city of bikes

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IMBERLEY CONTE—race director of the Women’s Tour Down Under—said that the decision to still take stages of both the women’s and men’s events through areas of south Australia that have been affected by the recent bushfires will help to show visitors that they’re still open for business—and so help them rebuild.

Conte said that the race continued on its planned route as things stood, but that the safety of everyone involved with working on, and watching, the race was the priority.

“These areas that we’re riding through, particularly on Stage 2 [Murray Bridge-Birdwood] and Stage 3 [Nairne-Stirling], are some areas that have been hit by the fires. Our teams have done a fantastic job of making sure that the routes are safe, and the councils, particularly, have asked us for our help,” Conte said.

“We can show our support, and we can show people that these areas are, as they say, open for business, and they want to make sure that the visitors continue to come, so for us it’s a real honor to try to play a small part and come back to these areas that have been

affected,” she added.

“Going through some of these areas, it’s quite heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching, to see so many families that have lost homes, and people that have lost their livelihoods and livestock, and that the wildlife has taken such a hit,” Conte said. “But despite these terrible circumstances, we’ve seen some of the best of Australia as we’ve seen so many people come together here in the Adelaide Hills, and those areas that have been impacted. We’ve seen the best of the Australian people.”

“With regards to smoke,” Conte added, which has in recent weeks drifted across the state from fires on Kangaroo Island, off the west coast of Adelaide, “we’re working really closely with the Bureau of Meteorology, and being really careful with what we expose our athletes and the general public to.

“We’re thankful that we have great teams from Sapol [South Australia Police] and the SATC [South Australian Tourism Commission] to assist us, but it’s been really hard to see Australia go through what it’s been going through the last couple of weeks.” Insidethegames

NO ALCOHOL FOR THIS TEAM

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RACE Director Kimberley Conte says the races will help them rebuild.

Bushfire-affected areas ‘still open for business’

stats to show what the state of road racing has been over the last decade. The data showed that the total number of UCI race days across all five categories: elite men, elite women, U23 men, and junior men and women, hadn’t changed across 10 years but were redistributed.

The data found that there were almost 1,500 days of UCI racing worldwide in both years but in 2010, the elite men’s races took up 80.3 percent percent of the entire calendar. By 2019, that was down to just under 73.2 percent, but it is still the massive mark above women’s elite racing.

Women’s elite racing was 8.2 percent of the total UCI race days at the start of the decade, and grew to 15 percent by last year.

The data shows that there is still a long way to go to equality within the sport, and much work to be done to close the gaps.

The data found that within its own category, the elite women’s race calendar has became stronger over the course of the decade. It gained one-day races, going from 34 UCI-sanctioned events to 90 over 10 years. Stage races were up from 89 racing days in 2010 to 143 in 2019—a 60.67-percent increase.

Although the data also showed that stage races are getting shorter overall for women, in terms of the number of days. UCI News

OR centuries, Paris has been a global leader in the arts, business, culture and cuisine.

Today, the French capital is increasingly making a name for itself in active mobility—as the city of lights becomes a city of bikes.

The Paris City Hall has bold plans to drive up levels of cycling and transform the capital into a more livable city, prioritizing space for people.

While progress has been made in recent years, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is seen as an opportunity to continue promoting cycling as a sport and daily activity.

In recognition of initiatives already achieved and bold ambitions in place, Paris was awarded the International Cycling Union Bike City Label during the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships last September. Fittingly, the 2019 UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum was also hosted in Paris on November 12 and 13.

“Through its 2015-2020 Cycling Plan, and an unprecedented investment of €150 million, the City of Paris is resolutely committed to promoting a nonpolluting, economical, user-friendly and healthy mode of travel—cycling. The choice was made to better share public space for the benefit of cyclists and pedestrians,” Christophe Najdovski, deputy mayor of Paris for Transport, Roads and Public Space said.

“Since then, Paris has transformed to become a cycling city. Rue de Rivoli, Georges Pompidou Road, Quai d’Austerlitz, Avenue de Flandre, Avenue des Champs-Elysées... everywhere in Paris, there are more and more facilities to make traveling easier, safer and more comfortable. Our action continues for a 100 percent cycling city,” Najdovski said.

“The City of Paris was pleased to host the UCI Bike City Forum at Paris City Hall on November 12 and 13, 2019. The UCI Bike City Label also

confirms our desire to transform Paris for the benefit of bicycle trips,” he added.

PLAN VÉLO

AT the heart of the city’s ambitions is the Plan Vélo 2015-2020 strategy. Investing €150 million in bicycle infrastructure, the plan had the goal of tripling the share of trips by bike from 5 percent in 2015 to 15 percent by 2020. At the start of the plan, there were 700 km of cycling lanes in Paris, and the city continues to expand the network as it nears the 2020 goal of 1,400 km. In addition, traffic speeds are being lowered with the introduction of 30-km/h zones, and the safety of cyclists is a priority in the design of urban roads.

A 61-km Bicycle Express Network (REVe) is under construction, consisting of wide, two-way protected bicycle tracks, facilitating safe travel through the city center and supporting a secondary network connecting the wider Paris territory and outlining municipalities. During the 2019 UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum, participants had the chance to test some of the bicycle infrastructure as part of a bike tour led by the city.

In order to best understand how the cycling projects are serving demand—and plan for the future—36 automated bicycle counters are currently installed to gather data and, eventually, 100 will be in place to map out cycle usage levels.

PARIS 2024

OLYMPIC Games are always an opportunity to inspire greater grassroots and everyday participation in sport, and the city plans to seize the opportunities afforded by hosting the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Not only has Paris 2024 embraced environmental sustainability as a core ambition, with the goal of becoming the first carbonneutral Olympic Games, the Games aim to create

sustainable solutions for cities and urban places.

In fact, through the development of necessary infrastructure, Paris wants to “act as a lab to invent the city of tomorrow, a city designed for the people who live there.”

Alongside pledges to power the Games using renewable energy and embrace the circular economy, public transport and environmentfriendly means of transport for spectators are part of the plan for sustainable Games.

The continued transformation of Paris into a bicycle capital leaves the city well prepared to deliver on the bold plans for sustainable transport around the Games. On a national level, the French government launched a strategy in 2018 with the aim of raising the modal share of cycling across France from 3 percent to 9 percent by the start of the Paris Games.

A SHARING SUCCESS

DISCUSSIONS about Paris and cycling are not complete without mentioning the bicycle share scheme, Vélib’. First appearing on the streets of Paris in 2007, the successful deployment of the bike share system in this global metropolitan capital demonstrated to the world the potential of bike share systems. Vélib’ counts 1,359 stations in the city with a fleet of some 20,000 bikes, of which more than 30 percent are e-bikes.

Alongside the upgrades in infrastructure and services, communication campaigns and the closing of streets to motor traffic also help encourage cycling among residents. Once a year in September, over 650 km of roads are closed to cars and opened up to cyclists and pedestrians.

On the first Sunday of each month, the iconic Champs-Élysées are closed to motorized traffic, becoming an area for cycling and walking.

UCI News

HERE will be no postrace hotel drinks for any of the Lotto Soudal staff in 2020 as the Belgian team took the unusual measure of banning alcohol from the top to the bottom of the organization.

Victories and birthdays will still be allowed to be toasted with a glass of champagne but, otherwise, the whole team is on dry January and beyond while representing the team at training camps and races.

Alcohol was already out of reach of riders, but now the mechanics, soigneurs, directors and other team staff will have to abide by the same rules.

“This measure applies in many companies. It is part of the way of living together. The majority of staff also thought this was a good idea,” Lotto Soudal CEO John Lelangue told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

“We remain a friendly team, but without alcohol. Drinking coffee together is also nice,” he added.

On the eve of last year’s Vuelta a España, Team Coach Kevin de Weert was sent home and suspended for a month after what was rumored to be an alcohol-related incident.

Lelangue, however, denied that was relevant to the alcohol ban.

“It has absolutely nothing to do with that incident. We already had a code of conduct, and I have now adjusted it a bit for safety reasons,” he said.

“Almost every staff member has to drive a car at certain times of the day. Then it seems better to ban alcohol. Every staff member wears clothing from the team with our sponsors during the races. We are all Lotto Soudal ambassadors.”

Champagne is a common sight at the hotel dinner table if a rider has just won a race, or if it’s someone’s birthday, and that tradition will be allowed the continue.

According to Lelangue, exceptions to the new code of conduct will be made for “victories, birthdays and special events,” and it’s up to the lead director on each race “to judge when there is a special event.”

If someone falls foul of the rules, it would not lead to an automatic dismissal, according to Nieuwsblad, but would affect their chances of a contract for the following year.

“The punishment is also black and white in the code of conduct, which everyone signed, but remains internal,” Lelangue said.

Insidethegames

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By Brett Martel The Associated Press

EW ORLEANS—Zion Williamson’s sublime 17-point surge in a span of barely more than three minutes could very well become part of New Orleans’ pro sports lore—even if the final score won’t.

For the Pelicans, a narrow loss to a well-coached, savvy San Antonio Spurs team carried far less weight than the burgeoning form of a young superstar in the making.

“The way he came out was very poised,” veteran Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday said of Williamson. “The way he played...bringing energy, especially down the stretch, was something that I guess you don’t really see from somebody so young. But even on top of that, we are almost in February and he hadn’t played a game, yet, so

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

for him to be able to come out here and do that his first game is pretty elite.”

Extraordinary hype, fueled by social media, has followed the affable, 6-foot-6, 285-pound Williamson since his high-school days in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It only increased during his one stellar season at Duke, making him the consensus No. 1 overall National Basketball Association (NBA) draft pick well before the Pelicans won the draft lottery and the right to select him.

Pro basketball fans had to wait an extra three months to see how Williamson’s rare combination of size and skill would translate in an meaningful NBA game because of the cautious and comprehensive approach the Pelicans took to their prized rookie’s rehabilitation from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

But it took only one game for Williamson to do something extraordinary.

He made all four threes he attempted in the fourth quarter Wednesday, stirring the Smoothie King Center crowd into a jubilant frenzy. In between, he laid in an

alley-oop lob and put back an offensive rebound with a reverse lay-up.

“It was nice to experience those emotions,” Williamson said. “I was happy to be out there and be able to run out there again, but what was going through my mind was just, ‘Be calm.’”

Williamson’s final statistical line was 22 points on eight-of-11 shooting to go with seven rebounds and three assists in 18:08 on the court.

“The way he plays, that’s something he can do every day,” Holiday said. “Adding Zion is a big part to what we want to do here and our success.”

Fans wanted to see more, but Coach Alvin Gentry said he couldn’t heed their chants of “We want Zion!,” during the final five minutes of a 121-117 loss.

“The medical people said that was it,” Gentry said, alluding to precautionary restrictions placed on Williamson’s playing time in the early days of his return to action.

“Me, personally, I don’t want any restrictions,” Williamson said. “But I’m not a doctor or a trainer, so I’ve just got to listen to them.”

The Pelicans are back in action twice in four days, hosting Denver on Friday and Boston on Sunday. If Williamson’s 19-year-old body responds well to his early action, his playing time is expected to lengthen.

“What you saw there is a taste of once we really get settled in and he gets settled in, you can see that there’s a lot of things we can do with him,” Gentry said. “There’s a

lot of potential there. It was good to see him do that, but you know I think there’s a really, really high ceiling that he can reach.”

Everything about Williamson’s debut exuded a big-event vibe. The game was sold out and hundreds of fans were waiting to pour into the arena when the gates opened about an hour before tip-off.

“The energy was there from warm-ups,” Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball said. “That is the most people I have seen coming out before the game even started.”

Tip-off was pushed back 90 minutes to accommodate national TV and Pelicans media relations staff said they’d issued about 165 credentials, more than five times the typical number for a midweek game in January.

For a little more than three quarters, when Williamson had five points and four turnovers, it looked like his first game would disappoint the lively, capacity crowd that came to see him. Then, suddenly, Williamson had the place on its feet and in a state of near delirium.

Holiday noted that Williamson had been rocking arenas since high school, adding rhetorically, “As exciting as it was, is it really that much of a surprise?”

Perhaps, not. But it was memorable.

2 years, 4 surgeries later, Bellis back on Slam stage

Abe: Tokyo 2020 will mark new era for Japan

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ESTHER VERGEER returns the ball during her gol- medal match with Aniek van Koot at the 2012 Paralympics. AP

BusinessMirror

Saturday, January 25, 2020

PELICANS’ HOPE HINGES ON ZION

EXTRAORDINARY hype, fueled by social media, has followed the affable, 6-foot-6, 285-pound Zion Williamson since his high-school days in Spartanburg, South Carolina. AP

APANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo will mark a new era for the host nation.

Abe made the claim during his policy speech at the start of the regular session of the National Diet in Tokyo.

He began by recalling the last time Tokyo hosted the Olympics in 1964, seen as marking Japan’s return to the global stage after its defeat in World War II. “The first-ever live broadcast of an Olympics,” Abe was reported as saying by The Straits Times. “As the entire world watched, the final runner entered the National Stadium, Olympic Torch in hand.”

Abe furthered: “It was a 19-year-old youth from Hiroshima, born on the day the atomic bomb fell, and his dynamic running showed that our nation had fully recovered from being flattened by bombings and, full of confidence and pride, proclaimed to the world Japan was embarking on an era of rapid growth.”

Referring repeatedly to the Olympics, Abe sought to link the event to his policy ambitions.

He also said Tokyo 2020 will bring all the people of Japan together to walk forward together into a “new age” after more than two decades of economic stagnation.

The Torch Relay for the Olympics will begin in Fukushima, struck by one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit Japan when an earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster in March 19, 2011.

Around 16,000 people lost their lives, and Tokyo 2020 organizers and the International Olympic Committee are trying to use the Games to aid the recovery of the region. Abe labeled Tokyo 2020, scheduled from July 24 to August 9, as the “Recovery Olympics.”

“We are going to make dramatic reforms on the matters that affect the shape of our country, including social security,” Abe told The Japan Times. “A new Reiwa era has begun. The Olympics and Paralympics are ahead of us.” Insidethegames

Sports

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ELBOURNE, Australia—As one final backhand off her seeded Australian Open opponent’s racket sailed long, CiCi Bellis looked like someone who couldn’t contain her excitement, jumping and yelling.

When she headed to the locker room moments later, the 20-year-old American shook her left fist, then put her hand to her ear to ask for louder cheering.

And rightly so. This was a big deal for Bellis: Two full years and four right

arm operations have come and gone since she was last healthy enough to participate in a Grand Slam tournament.

And now she is into the third round at Melbourne Park after beating No. 20 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4, on Thursday.

Bellis was something of a teen prodigy. In her very first tour-level match, at age 15 at the 2014 US Open, she stunned 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, an Australian Open runner-up, to become the youngest American to win a match at Flushing Meadows in 28 years.

She reached No. 35 in the rankings at 17, when she won Women’s Tennis Association Newcomer of the Year honors.

Then came the series of health problems, including for torn tendons in her wrist, to shorten a bone in her arm and for bone spurs in her elbow. All the time away from the tour has her at No. 600 in the rankings currently, but she was able to get into the draw in Australia via the protected ranking rule.

BARKING, MOCKING TO 3RD ROUND LOVE him or hate him—and make no mistake, there are plenty in each camp—Nick Kyrgios never allows for a dull moment when he’s on a tennis court, whether it’s shot selection, showmanship, momentum swings, barking at his entourage or mocking another player not even involved in the match at hand.

All of the above happened during his ever-eventful 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Gilles Simon in the Australian Open’s second round Thursday night.

That included a moment when Kyrgios poked fun at the man he might meet in the fourth round, Rafael Nadal. After being warned for taking more than the allotted 25 seconds

between serves, Kyrgios mimicked the way Nadal fidgets before a point, as if to remind the chair umpire that there are folks who more egregiously waste time.

About the only boring segment of the proceedings came during the post-match interview, when an allusion was made to later rounds and Kyrgios, an Australian seeded 23rd, told the Melbourne Arena crowd, “I’m not thinking ahead.... I’m just taking it one match at a time at the moment.”

Zzzzzzzz.

When Kyrgios wrapped up, the No. 1-seeded Nadal was early in the second set of his match over at Rod Laver Arena against Federico Delbonis.

Those results were going to be the most intriguing aspects of Day Four of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, especially given the distaste Kyrgios and Nadal have for each other in a raucous rivalry that provided one of the highlights of Wimbledon in 2019.

Never too early to begin pondering a meeting with a quarterfinal berth at stake during Week 2 in Melbourne, with the popular Nadal facing the home-backed Kyrgios. AP

CICI BELLIS looks like someone who couldn’t contain her excitement, so what about Nick Kyrgios? AP

Wheelchair net star Vergeer has cancer

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HE HAGUE, Netherlands—Esther Vergeer, the retired Dutch wheelchair tennis star who had a winning streak of 470 matches during her record-breaking career, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Vergeer announced the diagnosis in a tweet Wednesday, saying her “full focus will be on the treatment and healing of the cancer. Full of

hemorrhaging around her spinal cord left her paraplegic.

She took up wheelchair tennis and strung together a list of titles that led Richard Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion, to call her “perhaps, the most successful sportsperson of all time.”

Her winning streak lasted from 2003 to 2012.

During that time, she won 25 Grand

positive energy and with the support of my family, friends and colleagues, I will go for it. I am sure I will get through this!”

The 38-year-old Vergeer has used a wheelchair since she was eight, when an operation to correct

Slam titles, four Paralympic singles gold medals and three doubles golds.

Vergeer is the leader of the Dutch team for the Tokyo Paralympics Games, which open on August 25. AP

BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, January 25, 2020 A9

Trends, Jadine and why young people are still on Twitter PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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NE of the first things I do when I wake up is reach for my phone and check Twitter. I say “one of the first things” with my fingers crossed behind my back because it is, most of the time, the first thing I do.

Like many people around the world, I reach for my phone and check Twitter for news and trending topics. My trends list is set for the Philippines. I’m not one of those cool people whose settings allow them to see trends in countries like Sweden or India.

At press time, volleyball player Mika Reyes was trending because she signed up with Sta. Lucia Realtors, a team in the Philippine Superliga.

This is a good thing. I’ve always admired Mika for her beauty and athletic prowess, and I’m glad her career is going strong.

The day before that, the top trending topics included Jadine, Nadine, James and Issa. If you’re Filipino with even just a mild interest in show business, you’d know who these people are. Jadine is the loveteam of James Reid and Nadine Lustre.

They had just announced their break-up via a joint statement the night before and that morning, every other Twitter user had their own take about it.

James and Nadine became a real-life couple after a number of years as screen partners. Their relationship became the ideal for young millennials and Gen Z, largely because both stars are highly attractive, popular, talented, opinionated and politically correct.

Netizens speculated, based on a few blurry

videos and images, that James cheated on Nadine with influencer Issa Pressman.

I seriously couldn’t see anything in the videos and images. I also didn’t hear anything from my media circle of friends except this piece of news late last year: that Jadine had already broken up in November. I am not a big Jadine fan but I watched their phenomenally successful drama On the Wings of Love and wished that their love would last forever.

Anyway, Issa, the younger sister of actress Yassi Pressman, is someone I have interviewed a couple of times and she was also my daughter’s batchmate in college. I do like her and think she is a smart and sensible girl. I don’t know her so I won’t speculate based on the videos and images circulating online.

Before Jadine, Chen of the Korean boy band EXO was still trending. It will be recalled that Chen wrote a letter to his fans stating that he was getting married and that a “blessing” came. Some fans were trending anti-Chen hashtags and actually organized a protest to seek his ouster from EXO and SM Entertainment. Less than 20 people showed up for the protest in front of SM’s offices and by that count, I am being kind to them.

Of course, Chen supporters and EXO fans trended their own hashtags and this, for me, is one of the best things about Twitter. Yes, it can be a platform with a tendency for people to become abusive, but it is also a platform that encourages people to air their opinions and beliefs.

There is a joke that people have different faces and personas for different social-media platforms. Young people are more politically correct on Facebook and Instagram because many of their older relatives follow them there. On Twitter, they’re freer to express their thoughts and opinions.

Many of my older friends are surprised that there are still people on Twitter and the platform has survived. It’s actually fans who have kept Twitter alive. It’s the fans and people who need a place where they can air what’s in their minds, something that’s difficult to do on Facebook where your mother follows you. ■

Honor 20 Lite hits markets nationwide HONOR starts the year with exciting news as it expands the circulation of the midrange powerhouse Honor 20 Lite. Successor of the smartphone blockbuster 10 Lite, the latest gadget from Honor has been in the radar of tech enthusiasts since early last year.

“There have been much anticipation surrounding the arrival of this smartphone and now that it is here, we invite everyone to test out the premium quality offered by Honor 20 Lite,” said Kevin Wu, country manager of Honor Mobile Philippines.

Honor 20 Lite zooms in on delivering effortless beauty with its “32MP Selfie Master” camera. It boasts of AI support to capture photos in outstanding detail and clarity at any time of day, through features like Ultra-Wide Photography, Super Night Shot, and 32MP Beauty Selfie.

Following its online release in December, Honor 20 Lite enters the circulation of Honor stores and kiosks nationwide. The device remains well within the budget at P9,990.

Capture the best of 2020 using the Honor 20 Lite.

The stores carrying this midrange powerhouse can be found at bit.ly/2TOt8hf. More information about the device is available at www.hihonor.com/ph.

Google reaches 10-year deal on cloud, travel with Sabre

BY MARK BERGEN Bloomberg News GOOGLE signed a 10-year deal with travel-software provider Sabre Corp., a key win for the search giant in the competitive cloud-computing market.

Sabre will pay Google to handle parts of its information-technology system and for data-analytics tools.

Additionally, the companies agreed to collaborate on online travel services, a sign of Google leaning on its massive consumer business to lure enterprise clients.

Sabre and Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced the partnership on Tuesday as a “significant” one, but declined to share financial terms.

The contract validates Google’s recent focus on selling directly to particular industries, such as health and hospitality, Thomas Kurian, the chief executive officer of Google’s cloud unit, said in an interview. The cloud market, where a handful of technology giants rent computing space over the Internet, is locked in a pricing war.

But Kurian described the Sabre deal as an example of Google pitching its data prowess to companies hunting for operational efficiency.

“Historically, when people look at cloud, they see it purely as about cost efficiency,” he said. “It’s also about giving people better insights for their business.”

Investors are eager for Kurian,

an Oracle Corp. veteran who joined Google in 2018, to show progress.

Since Google jumped seriously into the cloud business, rivals Amazon. com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have maintained a steady lead, according to external analysts. Synergy Research Group estimated Google’s cloud share at 9 percent in the third quarter, about half of Microsoft’s size and a quarter of Amazon’s.

Sabre uses other large cloud providers, but will now place a “very large part” of its IT spending with Google, said Sean Menke, Sabre’s president and CEO. The Texas firm sells data and commerce software to hotels and travel firms. Airline companies use Sabre software to

determine pricing and scheduling, for example.

With the new deal, Sabre will tack on services for such clients co-created using “expertise for the consumer side of the business,” according to Kurian. In recent years, Google has used its prime online search real estate to provide its own travel and hotel booking services, angering rivals in the industry. A large portion of Google’s search advertising business comes from travel companies, as well.

Menke said the jointly made tools wouldn’t involve Google’s search or ads business. “This could be an operations side of the equation,” he said. He and Kurian didn’t say what those tools would be or when they would arrive.

New low-cost iPhone to enter mass production in February APPLE Inc. suppliers plan to begin assembling a new low-cost iPhone in February, people familiar with the plan said, as the company looks to address a wider swath of the global smartphone market ahead of its 5G handsets later this year.

The Cupertino, California-based company is expected to officially unveil the new phone as early as March, one person familiar with its road map said.

The assembly work for the new handset will be split among Hon Hai Precision Industry, Pegatron Corp. and Wistron Corp., the people added.

This will be the first lower-cost iPhone model since the iPhone SE. It will look similar to the iPhone 8 from 2017 and include a 4.7-inch screen, Bloomberg News has previously reported. The iPhone 8 is still on the market, currently selling for $449, whereas Apple sold the iPhone SE for $399 when that handset launched in 2016.

The new phone is expected to have Touch ID built into the home button, reusing established Apple technology instead of opting for an in-display fingerprint sensor like most modern Android rivals. It will not have Apple’s Face ID biometric authentication, but it will feature the same processor as Apple’s current flagship device, the iPhone 11.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Apple’s more affordable iPhones have proven popular with consumers, including the latest iPhone 11, whose starting price was $50 lower than Apple’s typical pricing. Strong demand for iPhones has prompted Apple to ask Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make more chips in the current quarter, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Shares in Japan Display Inc., which supplies LCD screens for Apple’s lower-tier iPhones, closed 1.35

percent higher on Wednesday.

Apple is planning a slew of new high-end iPhones for release later in 2020 that include 5G connectivity, faster processors, and new 3D cameras on the back, Bloomberg News has reported.

A cheaper offering may help Apple better compete in the most price-competitive and fast-growing emerging phone markets, particularly India. iPhones are still a hard sell in the country, which is overrun by aggressively priced Android rivals coming in at less than $200. Still, Apple has shown a will to carve out a niche for itself and is eyeing locations for Apple stores within its borders.

The US tech juggernaut is hoping its handset shipments will return to growth this year, having set itself the goal of shipping more than 200 million units in 2020. The successor to the iPhone SE will play a significant role in that task. BLOOMBERG NEWS

FACEBOOK’S Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks during a press conference in London on January 21. AP

FACEBOOK TO ADD 1,000 U.K. JOBS, INCLUDING TECH, CONTENT ROLES LONDON—Facebook said on Tuesday it plans to hire 1,000 more staff in Britain, mainly for its technology and harmful content teams.

The US tech company said Tuesday that it will add the new roles by the end of the year, bringing its UK work force to more than 4,000.

More than half of the new jobs will be in technology-focused roles such as software engineering.

There will also be a “large number” of jobs working on building tools to detect and remove harmful content from Facebook and its other platforms, which include WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. The company did not give an exact number.

Facebook is devoting more effort to keeping harmful content such as spam and abusive material off its sites as authorities put more pressure on the big tech companies to better police their platforms. AP

A10 Saturday, January 25, 2020

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MARIAN NIXON poses for a photo at her home in Chicago.

Nixon finds it easier for her prints, clothes and sketch books to be seen on Amazon rather than on her own web site.

But selling online presents challenges that can be hard, even impossible to overcome. AP

BusinessMirror

Want to sell on Amazon?

Businesses must weigh pros, cons

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BY JOYCE M. ROSENBERG The Associated Press

EW YORK—While many small manufacturers and retailers believe Amazon is the place to be, Lyris Autran is forgoing the opportunity.

Autran wants to keep the prices on her leashes, bowls and other products for dogs competitive. It costs money to sell on Amazon.com—a 15-percent fee on each sale and additional charges for shipping—and that would force her to raise prices. So she sells solely on her web site, Dylan & Rainey.

“Our margins are smaller, which makes selling on Amazon cost prohibitive,” says Autran, whose company is based in Gastonia, North Carolina. She also includes dog treats and handwritten notes in her shipments, a personal touch not available on packages Amazon handles.

Small business owners selling online must weigh the pros and cons of listing their products on Amazon. For many, there’s no question—the company provides small businesses instant access to hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide. Companies without shipping departments can turn over packing and mailing to Amazon. And selling on Amazon can help a company place high in Google and other online search results. But the costs can be hard for small companies to absorb. Another downside for some business owners is they don’t have direct access with customers who buy through Amazon.

The research firm eMarketer estimates Amazon’s share of the online US retail market at nearly 38 percent, a statistic that influenced Paul Cunningham’s decision to become an Amazon seller.

“It’s sort of necessary to have a presence there for legitimacy,” says Cunningham, owner of Leather Head Sports, a Glen Rock, New Jersey-based manufacturer of custom-made baseballs, footballs and other balls.

“It is where people first look when they want to shop.”

But Cunningham has learned that listing a product doesn’t automatically generate strong sales—he needs to advertise on Amazon to help his products be more visible. While many companies want Amazon to help them get established, older businesses want to increase sales. Lisa Levin, who sells soap, shampoo and other products found in hotel bathrooms, began selling them on Amazon a year ago because her company, Pharmacopia, didn’t have facilities to ship directly to consumers.

“We felt it would be the fastest way to get our products out,” says Levin, whose company is based in Mill Valley, California.

Levin sees another plus. She’s able to determine from Amazon’s data collection and analysis that her customers come to Amazon specifically for her products. She also is pleased with the rating system that helps drive more sales.

But Amazon isn’t always the best way for businesses to reach customers, particularly if they sell very specific merchandise. They may find a greater number of customers on online marketplaces that focus on just one retail category—for example, Reverb for guitars and other musical instruments and accessories, or Newegg for electronics and components. Similarly, Etsy attracts buyers looking for crafts, vintage items, clothing and home furnishings. Lucy Kelly sells handmade jewelry on Etsy and Amazon under the label Bel Monili and her

own web site. Kelly, who lives in Pittsburgh, says Etsy and Amazon are well-established marketplaces that consumers trust, a benefit to a seller. But she finds that Amazon, which places a premium on fast delivery, may not be the best place for some of her work.

“Many Amazon buyers do not understand the nature of handmade businesses and longer turnaround times on handmade items,” she says.

Amazon may not be the right sales channel for many small businesses, says Will Haire, CEO of BellaVix, a consulting firm that helps companies develop online selling strategies. First, Amazon may not accept the products being sold. And if they’re very low priced items, a small business isn’t likely to make much money.

“Your margins should be 50 percent to 100 percent compared to your price,” Haire says. Companies should be prepared to advertise on Amazon to help themselves stand out, he says.

Companies must also be ready to comply with the rules on any marketplace, not just Amazon. For example, not contacting customers to advertise or market a seller’s merchandise. That can be frustrating for sellers who want to follow up on a sale in hopes of getting repeat business. When business owners make sales on their own web site, they have buyers’ e-mail addresses—not so with online marketplaces that want their cut of a transaction.

It’s a trade-off. Erica Swallow gets customers who search on Amazon for her Entrepreneur Kids book series but, “we have no idea who our customers/readers are, because they are Amazon’s customers.”

The hope for many owners is that consumers

shopping on Amazon will do a broader online search and find sellers’ own web sites. Selling books on Amazon makes Swallow’s merchandise easier to find elsewhere. “These listings push us higher in Google search result rankings and introduce us to new customers,” says Swallow, who’s located in Springfield, Massachusetts.

While many owners understandably want sales from their own web site, where they’re not paying fees, they’re not losing sales to Amazon, Haire says.

Many shoppers, especially younger ones, prefer sites like Amazon.

“They’re less like to go to somebody’s web site and more likely to go to the marketplace,” he says.

Artist Marian Nixon of Chicago finds its easier for her prints, clothes and sketch books to be seen on Amazon rather than on her own web site. But selling online presents challenges that can be hard, even impossible to overcome. She gets good reviews for her designs, but she’s had bad reviews when something has gone wrong with shipping, which is out of her control. “Customers don’t care who packaged your product—they blame you if it arrives damaged or late,” says Nixon.

Nixon finds that counterfeiters are quick to find designs and sell them as their own creations—a problem throughout the retail business, and not just with luxury brands. She’s had designs stolen on Amazon and Etsy.

On one occasion, she listed t-shirts that had a unique design.

“The next day, a copy was up—with almost the same font,” she says. ■

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Top things you can do faster with free speed boost LIVING in the fast lane has become the norm. The value of digital technology for improving the quality of life has become limitless—from breaking geographical boundaries, improving home security, expanding access to education, enriching home entertainment through the multitude of online content, and so much more.

Now with PLDT Home Fibr’s free speedboost upgrades (www.pldt.com.ph/speedboost), you can enjoy a better online experience and live a full life at full speed. PLDT Home Fibr subscribers can enjoy a free speedboost of up to twice their current speeds. Here’s a glimpse of what you could do with this free upgrade: ACCOMPLISH DAILY TASKS FASTER. Whether it’s reading about your favorite things online or doing research for school or work, faster Internet means you get to surf and load more web sites and browse thousand of pages faster. The Internet has not only transformed our daily lives, but also our workplace in so many ways. Instead of going through outrageous traffic to a meeting, the Internet has enabled possibilities for efficient online collaboration and working with many files with no problem. Team members wherever they are can work on the same project simultaneously through a cloud storage solution that can be accessed online. All these benefits help us to become productive on a daily basis and enable us to catapult our career and pursue our personal passions through online education, working efficiently and faster so we can spend more time with our family.

BUFFER-FREE STREAMING AND DOWNLOADING. From videotapes to CDs and DVDs, consumers have also switched to 4K and high-definition video content and Smart TVs. The wealth of online content and improved video quality have contributed to the growth of video-on-demand, online streaming and HD channels subscriptions, such as Cignal, Netflix and YouTube. Now with a more robust Internet, you can stream, download, and watch HD videos on any device at home—on your smartphone, PC, or TV—without worrying about buffering.

LAG-FREE GAMING. Technology has taken the gaming industry to the next level. Both eSports athletes and enthusiasts, regardless of age or generation, now have growing choices for online games. Have you ever had to deal with latency and really laggy online gameplay because of the multiple devices connected to your Internet at home?

With the free speedboost, you can conveniently share your fast Internet connection with the whole family while simultaneously streaming your online games and enjoying better gameplay.

FUTURE-PROOFING YOUR HOME. Filipino households and workplaces are gradually adapting to the Smart Home technology, a suite of smart devices that provide intelligent home security, connectivity and entertainment. A mesh technology, such as Google Wifi that covers the home with strong Wi-Fi connection makes this smart home system powerful and future-ready. A speedboost means all these smart devices can hook up to your Internet and do what they do simultaneously.

vOffice helps start-ups, new entreps build office address

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES STARTING a business is not a walk in the park.

Furthermore, one of the challenges of starting a business is establishing a business address.

Nevertheless, the emergence of the Internet in the early 1990s enabled fledgling entrepreneurs and startups to create an unusual business address: vOffice.

Melbourne, Australia-based vOffice saw the opportunity in the Philippines 10 years ago to fill in the gap for office spaces. Though its subsidiary vOffice Philippines Inc., fledgling entrepreneurs have been given a good head start to start their business by having their own virtual office, also known as vOffice. vOffice pertains to a business firm that does not have a fixed location but serves as a unit to provide goods and services to customers. Moreover, the Internet serves as its tool for document exchange, videoconferencing for meetings and cell phones so employees can keep in touch. vOffice is an instant

office and business solutions provider with over 35 branches across the globe. “Our company’s mission and vision is to turn Manila into the biggest, if not the focus, Southeast Asian hub on entrepreneurship. vOffice Philippines has been providing Filipinos a one-time free consultation on business registration in order to educate the public,” Albert Goh, the Malaysian CEO, explained in a press statement.

“One of the many challenges facing a start-up or any other business in the Philippines is logistics and the ease of registration,” added Goh. In 2019, Goh said that vOffice Philippines has helped over 3,000 business to establish a presence in Metro Manila. Among those companies is the Australian Fitness giant, F45.

“When we cite ‘logistics’ as a problem, a lot of Filipinos do not know that one of the requirements to register is to have a business address” Goh said.

Aldrin Enrile, general manager of vOffice Philippines, told BUSINESSMIRROR that vOffice

Philippines has given start-ups and other businesses in the country an avenue to establish their presence through the power of the Internet.

“A virtual office is having your own physical office through a shared cost setting of an actual office space,” Enrile said. vOffice has four types of plans which any entrepreneurs may subscribe to depending on their needs, such as a plan with meeting and conference room hours or even your very own dedicated landline number. “The basics of a virtual office is to provide our clients the business address that is recognized by our government agencies and provide our clients a prestigious working space on demand,” Enrile pointed out. The advantages of having a vOffice include employees becoming more engaged in productivity because of lesser stress in the workplace, flexible working time, access to worldwide talent, lower overhead cost, and less hassle on the workers in commuting to and from the home to the office.

The importance of vOffice has become more relevant during these times, especially for Metro Manila-based workers who would otherwise have to brave the hellish conditions of the daily commute.

According to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Philippines will lose to traffic P5.4 billion daily in terms of productivity by 2035 if no relevant measures are made to address this continuing nightmare. Jica estimated that the Philippines loses P3.5 billion daily due to traffic congestion. “Aside from investments in infrastructure building, Jica is supporting the Philippines toward easing traffic congestion to help make urban areas like Metro Manila and surrounding areas more livable, and we encourage investments into the Philippines,” Yoshio Wada, Jica’s chief representative to the Philippines, said in a press statement.

“Transportation, among other things, is an element that can help the Philippines sustain its growth and economic gains,” he added.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, January 25, 2020 A11

Google CEO calls for regulation of artificial intelligence

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BY KELVIN CHAN The Associated Press

ONDON—Google’s chief executive called on Monday for a balanced approach to regulating artificial intelligence, telling a European audience that the technology brings benefits but also “negative consequences.”

Sundar Pichai’s comments come as lawmakers and governments seriously consider putting limits on how artificial intelligence is used.

“There is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. The question is how best to approach this,” Pichai said, according to a transcript of his speech at a Brussel-based think tank.

He noted that there’s an important role for governments to play, and that as the European Union and the US start drawing up their own approaches to regulation, “international alignment” of any eventual rules will be critical. He did not provide specific proposals.

Pichai spoke on the same day he was scheduled to meet the EU’s powerful competition regulator, Margrethe Vestager. She’s also due to meet Microsoft President Brad Smith separately on Monday.

Vestager has in previous years hit the Silicon Valley giant with multibillion-dollar fines for allegedly abusing its market dominance to choke off competition. After being reappointed for a second term last autumn with expanded powers over digital technology policies, Vestager has now set her sights on artificial intelligence, and is drawing up rules on its ethical use.

Pichai’s comments suggest the company may be hoping to head off a broad-based crackdown by the EU on the technology. Vestager and the EU have been the among the more aggressive regulators of big tech firms, an approach US authorities have picked up with investigations into the dominance of companies, like Google, Facebook and Amazon.

“Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms with social opportunities,” he said, adding that it could incorporate existing standards like Europe’s tough General Data Protection Regulation rather than starting from scratch.

While it promises big benefits, he raised concerns

GLOBE AT HOME PREPAID DEVICES NOW MORE AFFORDABLE THAN EVER

GOOGLE’S chief executive Sundar Pichai addresses the audience during an event on artificial intelligence at the Square in Brussels on January 20. AP

about potential downsides of artificial intelligence, citing as one example its role in facial recognition technology, which can be used to find missing people but also for “nefarious reasons” which he didn’t specify.

In 2018, Google pledged not to use artificial intelligence in applications related to weapons, surveillance that violates international norms or that

works in ways that go against human rights.

Pichai was also due on Monday to meet Frans Timmermans, the EU commissioner overseeing the European Green Deal, the bloc’s plan to fight climate change by making the continent carbon neutral by 2050, including through technology. He’s then scheduled to head to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week. ■

European carmakers build out charging network for electrics

BY DAVID MCHUGH The Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany—European automakers’ network of highway charging stations for battery-powered vehicles is taking shape ahead of an expected surge in electric car sales as manufacturers strive to meet new emission limits.

Ionity, the joint venture created among automakers to build the network, said Thursday it has completed more than 200 stations and expects to have 400 operating by the end of the year. Each station has four to

six charging columns.

The highway network is seen as a key step in convincing car buyers they can switch to electrics, and still take long highway trips without worrying about running out of juice during a family vacation.

Ionity CEO Michael Hajesch gave the progress update as the company unveiled the price for electricity at its high-speed stations in 20—soon to be 24—countries. Munich-based Ionity is a joint effort among BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen Group, which also includes Audi and Porsche.

Last year, battery-powered cars

accounted for only 2 percent of the market in Europe, but manufacturers need to sell more to meet tougher European Union limits on greenhousegas emissions coming into effect from 2021. Carmakers that don’t meet the limits face fines of thousands of euros per vehicle.

The network is also a response to California-based electric carmaker Tesla, which has its own charging network. The Ionity network will be open to Tesla owners.

Hajesch said Ionity would charge 79 euro cents per kilowatt hour for customers who don’t have a contract

with a mobility service provider for a different rate. That replaces the previous price of €8 ($8.80) per charging session.

The new price to charge up quickly on the highway and be on one’s way is higher than what car owners typically pay to charge overnight at home, where charging might cost around 30 euro cents per kilowatt hour but takes hours.

Ionity’s 350-kilowatt stations mean charging could be completed in as little as 10 to 15 minutes for cars that can take full advantage; other models will charge more slowly.

Waze feature helps relief operations in Taal

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor MOBILE navigation platform Waze has been helping in national efforts to provide relief aid to the affected people since the Taal Volcano erupted two weeks ago, as well as those who provide assistance to them.

The community-driven navigation app works closely with the Department of Transportation, CNN Philippines and DZMM (630 AM) Radyo Patrol on the various activities meant to extend services to the afflicted communities.

Thousands of people have been displaced by the phreatic explosion of one of the world’s smallest volcano that has been generating up to a 15-kilometer ash column since January 12.

The affected regions include Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Metro Manila and parts of Southern Luzon.

To bring communities in these areas together on

and off the road, the Crisis Response team of Waze has, so far, been assisting 308 different segments of road closures, 102 emergency shelters and donation centers. Local users of the app affected by the crisis received both push notifications on the day of the eruption and during relief activities.

They get updates on the map whenever there is an increase in the number of new road closures because of volcanic activity.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council declared as a danger zone the 14-kilometer radius from the volcano.

To reflect the news, the team set up the area as an evacuation zone in the map, with an evacuation zone notification warning showing up in the app whenever a user navigates within this destination.

Such feature will be activated when the team has verification of an evacuation zone and donation drop off centers from an official source.

To search for donation hubs, Wazers should type

in “Donate” in the destination search bar, wherein the nearest site will appear, and then select from the list generated by the search where they would want to bring the relief items.

To date, users of the app can choose from the following donation centers: 8001 Camia, Makati; Padre Faura Street, Manila; 55 CP Garcia Avenue, Quezon City; Samonte Park Rotonda, Cavite City, Cavite; City Work Spaces Second Floor, DCR Building, Aguinaldo Highway, Imus, Cavite; 8 Juan Luna, San Pedro, Laguna; NCST Building, Aguinaldo Highway, Dasmariñas, Cavite; Unit 1, Contemprato Building, Sugar Road, Carmona, Cavite; Pedro R. Sandoval Avenue, Los Baños, Laguna; Governor Pack Road, Baguio; and selected McDonald’s stores.

Waze’s Crisis Response team has been supporting various international efforts, such as the evacuation zones for the fires in California (Cave Fire, Kincade Fire, Getty Fire, Simi Valley Wildfire, Maria Fire) and the bushfires in Australia.

TO connect more Filipino homes to high-speed and affordable Internet, Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi devices are now at much lower prices.

Globe at Home Prepaid WiFi gets a whole new price cut from P1,999 to just P999. Consumers can now get their hands on the reloadable device that is two times faster, with two times stronger signal and two times wider coverage than your usual pocket Wi-Fi for the whole family. Now, everyone in the family can enjoy high-speed home Internet for their school research, online negosyo, messaging and video calls abroad, and video streaming.

You can also score the world’s first all-in-one device, Globe Streamwatch Xtreme Prepaid for only P1,999, from the original P4,999. At over half of its original price, you can level up your home with highquality Internet, Google Assistant voice command feature, built-in karaoke, free local TV channels and Internet TV with 1 million videos, shows and movies.

“These promos are part of our efforts in preparing our product offerings and technologies for the higher data demands of Filipino families, especially content streaming,” shared Winsley Bangit, vice president for Globe At Home Prepaid. “By giving more value to our device prices and data packages, we aim to connect and empower more Filipino homes with high-quality Internet in an ever increasingly digital world.”

Every purchase of Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi and Streamwatch Xtreme Prepaid devices come with free 10GB of data valid for seven days. For additional data, customers can avail themselves of these affordable promos, like the new HomeWATCH. For HomeWATCH199, you can get 34GB with free 4GB of videos daily to stream your favorite content via YouTube, iWant, Netflix, iFlix, HOOQ, TikTok and even NBA. Managing and monitoring data usage of your Globe At Home Prepaid devices is also hasslefree. Just download the free Globe At Home app via the App Store or Google Play Store, set up your app profile, and easily activate freebies or load more data for uninterrupted connectivity.

Experience a whole new level of home Internet with a more affordable Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi and Streamwatch Xtreme Prepaid. Get yours now for the whole family to enjoy via the Globe official online store (shop.globe.com.ph), e-commerce sites Lazada, Shopee, Home Credit and Akulaku, or by visiting Globe stores nationwide.

More information about these promos, and other Globe At Home Prepaid products and services is available at www.facebook.com/GlobeAtHome.

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

BusinessMirror

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SOME of the snaps taken on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro paradox: Perfectly imperfect TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

S

EVENTY-TWO days without GMS (Google Mobile Services), and I feel fine.

As I mentioned in part one of this review, I’ve opted to use the Huawei Mate 30 Pro without GMS. I admit going cold turkey, without Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and a lot of other apps, was frustrating at the start, and there were times that I wanted to sideload GMS just like most of the other tech guys but, eventually, I’ve gotten used to it.

Yes, there are a lot of adjustments to be made, and “workaround” has become my favorite word—even my partner says she finds it sexy whenever she hears me saying workaround, but I digress. Moreover, having to find solutions to problems that shouldn’t exist isn’t really sexy.

Huawei may already have the software and apps needed to replace much of the missing Google suite—from the AppGallery (Play Store) and Email client (Gmail) to the Huawei Browser (Chrome).

It even has its own fitness app and cloud storage service. But these are the apps that you once ignored, deleted and called bloatware. Unless you’ve been a Huawei user for quite some time, seeing a totally different bunch of apps rather than the usual ones that comes preinstalled in other Android phones can be disorienting. And while all of these apps work fine, they still need tweaking and improvements to make them more enticing to use.

The truth is even without Google, the Huawei Mate 30 is a great phone. That’s why its still getting a lot of “great, but don’t buy it” reviews out there and, sadly, the main reason the phone is hard to recommend isn’t even its own fault.

The Huawei Mate 30 series is the first victim in the US-China trade war to be stripped of GMS. Although it is still posting very solid sales numbers according to Huawei, with a total of 12 million units shipped in December, we can only assume that a lot of these were buoyed by “patriotic buying” in China, since it isn’t available in a lot of other markets.

BEAUTY AND A BEAST IT was three “Mates” ago, when the Mate 10 truly showcased how Huawei can develop its own design

identity. The Mate 30 Pro furthers that design evolution with a sleek, curvy and, most important, original build that truly stands out from the rest of the competition. Compared to Samsung’s Note 10 and the rest of the other Android flagships, the Mate 30 Pro, in my opinion, is the best looking phone of 2019.

There are two design elements that make this phone stand out. The first is the giant center-placed circular camera module that was made to resemble a traditional camera. Compared to the Mate 20 which had a square housing, the Mate 30 now has four cameras, so the flash has been relocated to the left side of the back of the phone.

Sure, the big circular camera placement on the back isn’t the first out of the gate, and there are people who said it reminded them of a washing machine, though I have yet to see a washing machine that looks as elegant as the “Halo” design of the Mate 30 Pro. The other is its 6.53-inch OLED Horizon Display, an edge-to-edge screen with curved “waterfall” sides, meaning there’s no edge bezel. The screen has a 2,400 x 1,176 resolution (409ppi), 18.5:9 aspect ratio, optical under-display fingerprint reader and speaker. The resolution is great for watching movies and playing games or browsing the Internet, and there is very little to complain about. Turn on Always On Display, as there are lots of options to choose from, so you don’t have to turn on the screen just to look at the time, and the default clock changes based on the time of day.

What I don’t like is the removal of the volume buttons to give way to that curved screen. If they could still place the power button on very border, why not retain the volume rocker, as well? Now to change the volume you have to double tap the edge of the display to make the slider appear, which means you cannot adjust it when the screen is locked, or if it is inside your pocket. It all sounds high tech and futuristic, but it can be a pain to locate the slider at times. Say you’re in a cinema and you forgot to turn on Silent Mode: good luck trying to quiet it down discreetly. Oh, and when you go to Camera Mode, a small “bar” will appear on top of the screen which you can also use as a shutter (just like the volume button before).

Like the P30 Pro, the Mate 30 Pro’s screen doubles as a speaker using Huawei’s acoustic display technology, unlike the Mate 20 Pro which hid its speaker in the notch. Again, futuristic, but I still prefer the actual speaker as it’s not as good for playing music because you only have the bottom-firing speaker.

Speaking of the notch, the Mate 30 Pro has a very wide (but still hideable) notch. This is because it houses the front camera and its 3D Face Unlock technology, plus a new gesture sensor. But with a notch that big, couldn’t they have just put the speaker in there, too?

The Mate 30 Pro’s front and rear are Gorilla Glass 6

coated and has a bit of fingerprint resistance, although I still suggest you get a case because smudges should be the least of your worries. It has a nice grip, but it is still a big phone and accidents will happen. As for using a tempered glass, I have yet to find one that fits and covers the entire screen.

As Huawei’s newest flagship, the Mate 30 Pro comes with the latest Kirin’s 990 processor, and whether it’s in benchmarks or daily performance, it is ultra powerful, and you have nothing to worry about.

Everything is smooth and works like a breeze, and you won’t have any problems with lags or slowdown even with several apps opened simultaneously.

SUPERSENSING CINE CAMERA LENS I KNOW it’s a mouthful to say, but the Mate 30 Pro’s SuperSensing Cine Camera lens is the reason why it continues to be the best smartphone camera, based on the DXOMark rankings with a score of 121. The Mate 30 Pro 5G version is on top of the rankings with an overall score of 123. I’ve tried a lot of the other flagship camera phones, like the Samsung Note 10 and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and while there are some cases where I prefer using my iPhone 11 (for wider-angle shots), I still like the Huawei Mate 30 Pro better.

The Mate 30 Pro revolutionary quad camera system is composed of a 40MP Cine Camera, 40MP SuperSensing Camera, an 8MP Telephoto Camera and a 3D Depth Sensing Camera.

The SuperSensing Cine Camera is a dual-main camera system capable of taking stunning photos that rival high-end cameras. The Cine Camera features a large 1/1.54-inch sensor size with a high maximum Video ISO of 51200 to capture videos with an extended dynamic range at 4K/60fps, as well as ultra slowmotion at the highest 7680 fps. It also supports 4K low-light ultra-wide time-lapse video.

This unique Cine Lens uses a 3:2 aspect ratio to resemble 35mm film cameras. This gives the lens a more epic cinematic feel, but the downside is that it isn’t as wide when compared to say the iPhone 11’s wide angle lens. It is worth noting though that while “Cine Lens” can’t capture as much scene, photos are significantly sharper compared to other cameras, and unlike most phones where there is a noticeable difference in image quality between the main and wide lens, shots on the Mate 30 Pro are very close in quality. The 8MP Telephoto Camera offers 3x optical zoom, 5x Hybrid Zoom and up to 30x Digital Zoom. Some of you might be wondering why it doesn’t have the P30 Pro’s jaw-dropping Periscope camera and 50x zoom, and Huawei said they decided to remove it due to the design of the new camera module.

Still not many phone cameras can do 30x zoom well like the Mate 30 Pro. As you’d expect from a Huawei flagship camera,

photos are excellent even in the darkest of scenes and there are only a handful of other phones that can even compare to its camera capabilities. However, photo preference can still be subjective but to keep it simple, if you want a more atmospheric, Instagram-worthy shot even without editing, go for the Mate 30 Pro. It also has an improved front camera resulting in better portrait shots with convincing bokeh effects.

But if I was given the choice, I’d rather go for a wide angle front lens camera, as well, because I don’t have long arms and, most of the time, my face is covering one-third of the entire frame when taking groufies.

Many will also argue that the iPhone has a better front camera because selfies look natural, and I do agree, but if you don’t have Korean glass skin, I’d rather have the option to “beautify” my photo even just a bit to remove blemishes.

In my previous Huawei reviews, I’d often mention that video has always been the weakest point of Huawei’s cameras, and I’m quite happy to report that the Mate 30 Pro is a major improvement.

Stabilization is excellent both during day and at night, and audio quality is also much better. If you love taking slow-motion videos, the Mate 30 Pro even has a new trick and can capture moments slowed up to 256x which is so slow its almost like watching paint dry. If you get the chance, try it at the experience areas and you’d be amazed.

A great phone you’d want to use all the time needs a lot of juice, and the Mate 30 Pro has a 4,500 mAh battery that is almost enough for two days of use. I use mine to take a lot of photos with mobile data turned on the entire day and I come home with around 50 percent battery left, and that is quite amazing.

Final ord: The Mate 30 Pro is a fantastic smartphone. The design is premium and sexy. The camera is brilliant and the battery would probably last longer that your patience. Its just unfortunate that its biggest flaw isn’t even Huawei’s fault.

But to be honest, and I repeat, it isn’t for everyone.

Like I mentioned in my previous column, the Mate 30 Pro is the equivalent of getting into a relationship with someone from another religion or culture/race.

You definitely have to make adjustments and there is definitely some work to be done.

For its price, you’d obviously want a phone that will allow you to do just about everything an Android phone can do out of the box—without the hassle of having to install GMS. The Mate 30 series marks a turning point for Huawei, and may just be the catalyst that could jump-start Huawei’s vision of the future, using its innovative spirit into rethinking the way technology can be used. But for that to happen, they need to think way beyond their Chinese users and they better do it fast. ■

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

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

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Saturday, January 25, 2020

B1

HEART OF CHINATOWN:

Mayor Isko Moreno lays down plan to restore Binondo’s glory

J

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

This was made possible by the visionary man behind this P20-million project, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, whose bold efforts to bring back the old glory of the nation’s capital city has been gaining praises not only in his own backyard, but also in

other parts of the country and even abroad.

Formerly the Puente de España (Bridge of Spain), the bridge now serves as the gateway to his other development plans for Binondo, one of the oldest and biggest Continued on B2

BERNARD TESTA

ONES Bridge, otherwise known as the “Queen of the Bridges” in Manila, was recently brought back to her pedestal.

The whole nation witnessed its dramatic restoration during its “inaugural” in November 2019 with its near-original design back and Intagrammable well-lit and ornamented walkways on both sides.

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

B2

Saturday, January 25, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

HEART OF CHINATOWN:

Mayor Isko Moreno lays down plan to restore Binondo’s glory Continued from B1

Chinatowns in the world.

Domagoso’s initiatives to revive the former luster and vigor of the Filipino-Chinese community are just a parcel of his ambitious yet working Urban Renewal Program for the City of Manila.

“We wanted in our own little way to revive the vibrancy of the city. We were left behind by our neighboring cities in Metro Manila. It’s true with regards to development. But God has mercy that someday, somehow we can recover,” he told the BusinessMirror in mixed Filipino and English during an interview in his office at the Manila City Hall.

Initially, his administration introduced basic or elementary governance, making Manila more clean, safe and secure while trying to protect whatever is left with regards to its historical relevance.

“If there’s a chance that if we can revive areas of concern, so be it because Manila, we are being left behind,” the local chief executive said. “If there’s one thing good about Manila, it’s character. So we have more to sell or to offer. In this case, let’s just say one area—Binondo.”

First CBD

KNOWN as the Philippines’ first central business district (CBD), this is where trade and finance activities in the country sprang, creating jobs to the people and commerce in respective industries.

“So that’s why we’re putting order in the area to make it cleaner, more passable, and more environment-friendly with regards to business,” Domagoso said.

Fulfilling his campaign promises ALTHOUGH he is already a known public figure, an actor to be exact, prior to throwing his hat into politics in 1998, Isko Moreno, as he is known in showbiz, shot to fame anew during his first week in office as mayor in July 2019.

Among the many brave yet encouraging unprecedented acts he did that either drew applause or raised eyebrows was when he got his hands dirty leading the demolition of an illegally constructed barangay hall adjacent to a heritage spot along Ongpin Street in Binondo.

This structure-turnedbarracks obstructed the view of the monument of Roman

“

If we can do it sooner, the better. It doesn’t matter whether a few months from now, or a year from now, but it has to be done”

Ongpin, who was known to finance the revolution waged by the Katipuneros against the Spaniards. Just next to the barangay hall was the illegally parked firetruck of the Chinese Binondo Fire Prevention Association, which the mayor had towed as it also blocked the road.

Salvaging legacy landmarks, likewise, has been included in his agenda to help revive the old charm of the ancient Chinese settlement area in this side of Manila.

“We’re encouraging also the private sectors to clean up their buildings, most especially the heritage ones, as well as protect, renovate and rehabilitate them,” Isko Moreno said, while citing that the iconic buildings of Philtrust, Chinabank, and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. are already being developed by their respective owners.

To encourage more people to follow their initiatives, a 10year property tax holiday will be given to building owners in Binondo who will renovate or rebuild. The rationale behind this is to grow gross leasable areas that will add rental Continued on B4

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Saturday, January 25, 2020

B3

SEIZE EVERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY

Feng Shui expert Marites Allen shares her thoughts on the Year of the Metal Rat

I

By Leony R. Garcia

T’S an exciting year for 2020, considered as the start of a new decade according to the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used in the world.

As far as the famed Feng Shui expert Marites Allen is concerned, a new decade is the perfect starting point to seize every good opportunity that comes our way.

Despite the year being a promising one, not everyone will be as lucky as others, Allen cautions. That’s because man’s life is determined by three things: heaven’s luck, mankind’s luck (destiny) and earth’s luck (feng shui), all comprising 33

percent each.

“So if one is generally lucky being born rich that’s heaven’s luck and God-given. If he or she succeeds because of hard work, that’s mankind ’s luck and good destiny working for him. For the earth ’s luck, that’s where we can work on to improve our lives with the aid of feng shui,” Allen explained.

Allen is the only Filipina to be awarded the title of “Master of Feng Shui” by the International

Feng Shui Association. Guesting at a recent event in Chinatown Museum, Allen encouraged everyone to take advantage of the new decade and the positivity it brings.

For the Chinese, the main zodiac element of 2020 is metal, and the animal sign is Rat, and

hence, 2020 will be the Year of the Metal Rat. Ranking the first in the Chinese zodiac, rat represents wisdom. So 2020 will be a year of new beginnings, new opportunities for finding true love and for earning more money.

The metal element creates

the wonderful water element, which means a flow of wealth and productivity for the metal industries. These include the production of cars and machinery,

IT, high tech products, jewellery, marine and water-related industries, among others.

The Chinese year will last from January 25, 2020 to February 11, 2021. The Years of the Rat include 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 and 2032.

Personality traits for the people born in the year of the R at are intelligent, charming, quick-witted, practical, ambitious, and good at economizing as well as social activities. Unfortunately, R at people wouldn’t be as lucky as the Ox, Rooster, Tiger, Dog, and Boar (the top five lucky animal signs) this year, according to Allen.

Perhaps, the Rat’s weaknesses can be overpowering: they tend to be timid, stubborn, wordy, greedy, devious, too eager for power and they love to gossip.

The Rat and the rest of Continued on B9

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

B4

Saturday, January 25, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

HEART OF CHINATOWN:

Mayor Isko Moreno lays down plan to restore Binondo’s glory Continued from B2

capacity in the area.

What’s more, vertical parking towers will be put up in city-owned properties along with pedestrian lanes to connect Binondo and Escolta.

Prompting people to walk will help reduce congestion of public utility vehicles on the road.

Business-friendly environment

SINCE Binondo was once a financial hub, leading with good governance and embracing change are among his tactics to spur its business activities, regain investors’ confidence and, eventually, bolster the city’s economy, according to him.

As public servants, Domagoso said that they are focused on how they can help achieve the goal of the national government as regards the implementation of the AntiRed Tape Act and Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery.

In line with this, the city mayor promised to end the “era of corruption” against the private

sector in the area. Since it provides jobs for the people, he noted that his administration is “fighting” against doubledealing as they try to build “a good environment for the business community.”

Another way to encourage existing and potential investors to transact with his government is by innovation. The mayor said: “Later on, we’re going to adopt technologies to make it more efficient for our taxpayers and business community [to apply for business permits or settle their tax obligations to the city].”

He noted, for instance, that before his term, applying for a new business would take 11 steps, eight windows, and “x” number of days.

“It’s uncertain when you can really get your permit,” Domagoso said. “Today, as we speak, those 11 steps, we can [do it in only] three steps. Those eight windows is [now just] one window, and one day you will get your new business permit.”

W hile Binondo today is not as modern and f lourishing as other CBDs in the country, he sttressed that it remains a “very siginificant” contributor

The newly refurbished Jones Bridge in Binondo, restored to its near-original design. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

to the city coffers.

“Actually, this is one of those that give life to Manila” he said, while citing its undisclosed big share to their P2.72-billion tax collection from 31,358 taxpayers from January 2 to 20, 2020 alone, based on their latest Business Tax Comparative Report.

Data from this study also show that the efficient system now in place under his leadership is so effective for the city government to

increase its tax collection with over P1.37 billion, or an increase of 101.6 percent. This is more than double what his predecessor had accomplished during the same period last year with P1.35 billion as settled by 19,101 taxpayers.

“So why would you cut the neck of the chicken that lays the golden egg? We have to protect them in such a way that you treat them fairly but, at the same time, while we don’t allow abuse on our part, we don’t allow also abuse on

the part of constituency,” the local chief executive stressed.

Reviving Manila’s pomp and greatness is no easy task and, definitely, no overnight work, he conceded. As previously presented by his camp, his big-ticket infrastructure and beautification plans are expected to be completed in a decade, something that would require his three consecutive terms for nine years. For Binondo’s rehabilitation, though, he wishes “for a better and faster”

completion of his initiatives.

“If we can do it sooner, the better. It doesn’t matter whether a few months from now, or a year from now, but it has to be done,” Domagoso said of the billions of pesos worth of projects in the pipeline, which he hopes the city government can realize even if it doesn’t really have the capacity to finance them fully.

“We do one day at a time, one portion at a time. We have to be very patient. But at least there is direction.

Globe encourages consumers to reduce environmental impact by using mobile services

G

LOBE Telecom encourages consumers to take steps in reducing their environmental impact by using their mobile devices to access health, financial, educational, entertainment, retail, food, and other services to minimize travel.

Petroleum-fed vehicles are one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in many cities around the world.

Every time a person rides a bus, car, motorcycle, ship, airplane or similar modes of transportation that does not use green energy contributes to greenhouse gas production.

“Mobile technology has given consumers the power to accomplish a lot of things literally at their fingertips.

Through mobile phones, we can pay our bills, visit the doctor, go to the bank, buy food, go to school, shop for clothes, among other things.

By going digital, we could lessen our contribution to greenhouse gas emission

and assist in healing our planet,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

One of the services that many Filipinos have yet to try but which can help save a lot of time, effort, and money is telehealth. KonsultaMD, for instance, gives the public immediate access to a team of skilled and licensed Filipino doctors anytime they need it, whenever they may be.

By calling KonsultaMD’s 24/7 hotline (02-7798 8000), anyone may seek medical information through the phone for primary conditions (such as cough, fever, cold, f lu, pink eye/sore eyes, sinus

infections, urinary tract infections, bronchitis, rashes, allergies, asthma), maternity, pediatrics, among others;

telephone triage to determine urgency of the situation; reading of, and information on, lab and diagnostic results;

health coaching and nutrition counseling; and prescription for over-the-counter medication.

On the other hand, the public may also benefit from the ease of use of mobile money. W hile digital finance was intended primarily to promote financial inclusion especially among those who are unbanked, it has started to grow in the Philippines and is fast becoming part of the Filipino lifestyle.

Online financial platforms like GCash allow people to send money to another GCash user, buy load, transfer money to a bank and vice versa, pay bills, pay for goods and services, get a loan, invest, save money and even help rebuild the Philippine forests without travelling since everything can be done through the app.

“Mobile operators around the world are doing their best to reduce the impact of climate change through various innovations. We at Globe continue to look for ways to reduce our own carbon footprint while helping consumers, businesses, and industries do the same by using mobile technologies,” Crisanto said.

Globe actively supports 10 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and combines innovation with the power of collaboration to achieve inclusive and sustainable development for all.

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE

CHIN

B6

Saturday, January 25, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

WALKING WITH HISTORY

MANILA CHINATOWN ACCOMMODATES HERITAGE

I

By Leony R. Garcia

F you like moving around and walking under the heat of the sun and you enjoy being in a big crowd and the noise it creates, the Chinese New Year celebration in Binondo Chinatown is for you.

Yes, you don't have to go far to have a taste of an authentic CNY 2020. It's just right there in the heart of Manila. And be ready because it can go crazy and chaotic with various food, goodies, tikoy and lucky charms on sale plus firecrackers and lion-dragon dances all over.

Various groups and individuals do the round of guided tours of the area all-yearround but most especially on

Chinese New Year.

One of them, WalkwithChan (aka blogger and FilipinoChinese historian Rence Chan), is known for conducting the most in-depth and detailed tour of Chinatown. Chan has made his tour, WalkwithChan, his advocacy to promote this place he once called home. A hobby he developed at 13 in high school, Chan has toured many groups especially students who

are writing theses about food and culinary and historical places of Manila.

Chan’s father is a pure Chinese born in the Philippines during the war and his mother is a Filipina from Samar. He knows a bit of both Cantonese and Mandarin language. To this day, his mother’s family still keep a textile business in the area.

A WalkwithChan tour is normally done in partnership with Ralph Soriano’s group, the Binondo fireworks Firecrackers Lovers Organization Inc., and the PHLPost’s Royal Postal Heritage Tour where Chan is also a member. The tour group is also behind various public and private guided tours in the historical destinations in Manila such as Fort Santiago-Intramuros, and an operational tour in the Manila Central Post Office.

This writer was privileged to enjoy Chan’s solo one-day, guided tour along with a birthday lunch treat by Chan himself who

NONIE REYES

also celebrated his birthday on January 15. The tour happened five days before his muchawaited private and small group tour on CNY day, February 25.

Proposed Chinatown tour itineraries

HERE are the proposed itineraries (subject to change, depending on availability) of the CNY 2020 tour. The first stop is Plaza Santa Cruz where the attendees usually converged as early as 6:00 a.m. The plaza is convenient to all as it is very near the LRT Carriedo Station.

It would be followed by a walk to Ongpin Street and a stopover at LaiLai Hotel for breakfast buffet.

Not necessarily in this order, the group would then head to Ongpin Estero, Salazar Bakery, Filipino-Chinese Merchant Stores along Ongpin and Carvajal streets, Chinese temples, Binondo Church and Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto, Juan Luna Ancestral House marker, Santo Cristo, Chamsamco Hardware, Santo Cristo St., Dona Teodora Alonzo Ancestral House marker, IlangIlang restaurant (one of the oldest restaurants in Chinatown established in 1908), and the Ambos Mundos (also one of the oldest restaurants in Manila established in 1888).

There’s also a visit to the Taoist Temple along Zacateros corner Teodora Alonso Street; Eng Bee Tin Hopia and Grocery; Holland Bakery; Polland Bakery, fortune-telling within Juan Luna St., lunch at New Toho Food Center (the oldest restaurant in Chinatown established as Antigua Toho Restaurant in 1866 which to this day, still serves the favorite Rizalian meal and where past Philippine presidents and government officials had dined with visiting dignitaries).

Optional tour itineraries also include Plaza Cervantes with side tour in Juan Luna St., Lucky Chinatown Mall and Narra temple in Tondo.

Chinatown is such a big place, it’s not just Binondo

FOUNDED in 1594, the Chinatown in Manila over the centuries became the center

of commercial and trade operations between Filipinos and the Chinese due to its strategic location.

Manila Chinatown is the largest and oldest of its kind in the world. It was established to separate the Catholic Chinese from the non-Catholic from mainland China. The current Chinatown covers a big portion of several districts of Binondo, San Nicolas, parts of Santa Cruz, parts of Tondo and even parts of Quiapo. Today, it remains a commercial hub and home to establishments of all age and sizes, such as shopping mall Lucky Chinatown, owned and managed by the Andew Tan-led Megaworld Corporation, and various buildings for residential and business purposes.

Chan, who also serves as tour guide for the many tours in the area said that his group holds the tour during Chinese New Year festivities so that the attendees could go beyond the usual heritage spots in Binondo.

“Chinatown is such a big place, not just Binondo. It also includes Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and even small parts of Tondo, so we focus on those areas that are not frequently visited by commercial tour operators,” Chan pointed out.

Depending on how long one can walk, then he can only see much for the day tour. A day isn’t really enough to see the places of interest and learn the history of Manila Chinatown.

Good thing, my knee injury last July of 2019 had completely healed. I believed so as I was able to walk all throughout the tour from and back to the LRT station. My exclusive tour started at Plaza Sta. Cruz where the Church is located.

The nearby fountain is being cleaned by Manila's Engineering Department workers and is set to reopen to the public in time for the CNY 2020 celebration.

We traversed Burke St. on our way to our first stop at the New Toho Food Center at Pinpin St. near Dasmar iñas St. to have a taste of Dr. Jose R iza l 's favor ites: lumpiang Shanghai, pancit canton g uisado, and yang chao fr ied r ice. My host a lso ordered the resto's famed pork asado which

had a smoky flavor, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno's favorite, the Chinese kikiam (or que-kim).

Unlike the usual kikiam that we know which is made of flour, Toho's kikiam is made of minced ground pork (giniling na baboy), diced carrots, shrimps ,finely chopped red onion, minced garlic, chopped green onions or chives, minced Chinese mushroom, diced water chestnuts and wrapped in soybean (tao peh). Its special sauce (spicy and non-spicy) are also to crave for.

Pork asado is a must-try at New Toho. It is always out of stock and it must be pre-ordered days or even weeks in advance, especially on special events and occasions. It has a smoky flavor and right texture similar to the favorite ham dish.

From New Toho, we went had brief stops to various places to take photos of Juan Luna Ancestral House marker, Chamsamco Hardware, Santo Cristo St., Dona Teodora Alonzo Ancestral House marker, IlangIlang Restaurant, and Jaboneros St., among others, passing by other establishments and many new Chinese restaurants coming from various regions of China.

It’s a long, tiring walk actually.

Together with Soriano, we passed by the Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto along San Fernando St. The panciteria is Manila’s oldest pancit house which served the then famed pancit lang-lang. The place mentioned in Chapter 25 of Rizal’s El Filibusterismo, Chan said.

The old panciteria building is in its dilapidated and most sorry state and is said to be currently owned by a Filipino-Chinese businessman who plans to demolish the house and convert it into a building.

After that, we traversed Reina Regente St., a good five to 10-minute walk to our final stop, the Chinatown Museum housed at the imposing Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila.

On January 25, FilipinoChinese not only within the Philippines but the rest of the world will be celebrating the Year of the Metal Rat with a Big Bang, lion-dragon dances and fireworks display.

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

E RAT

NESE NEW YEAR

E TOURS THIS CHINESE NEW YEAR

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Saturday, January 25, 2020 B7

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

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Saturday, January 25, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

THE PLAYFUL RAT AT SM ACCESSORIES KIDS, TOY KINGDOM AND MINISO

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CCORDING to Chinese philosophy, the Rat is a symbol of prudence: an inquisitive, brisk animal that rarely finds itself in a desperate situation. The child of the Rat Year fully enjoys these positive qualities of this animal: curiosity, restraint, hard work, insight, a sharp mind, and a strong intuition.

Children of the Rat may appear to be modest and shy, but are actually calm kids with bright leadership qualities and strong initiatives. The Rat girl is sweet and charming; while the Rat boy is a born leader who can translate the boldest ideas into reality.

SM Accessories Kids, Toy Kingdom and Miniso welcome Chinese New Year by celebrating the child in each of us with adorable plush toys.

SM Accessories Kids has a collection of cute, lovable, and huggable plush toys and novelty items that will make New Year playtime lots of fun.

At Toy Kingdom, Disney’s wellloved Mickey Mouse leads the way along with pretty pastel colored rat plushies in soft tulle skirts.

Miniso, on the other hand, has cuddly and fluffy hamster inspired plush toys to more love and luck this Chinese New Year.

Bring home warm hugs, joy, charm and lots of luck with these cute and adorable little rats available at SM Accessories Kids department of The SM Store, Toy Kingdom and Miniso stores located in most SM Supermalls nationwide.

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Huggable and fluffy hamster inspired plush toys to keep you company this Year of the Rat. Available at Miniso.

Pastel colored rat plush toy from Toy Kingdom for more charm and luck.

Endearing strawberry rat plush toy from SM Accessories Kids.

Cuddle this Kiwi rat plush toy from SM Accessories Kids this Chinese New Year.

Keep the luck all - round with this pink rat plush toy from Toy Kingdom.

The cutest rat colony from SM Accessories Kids. Available in SM Accessories Kids department of The SM Store.

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A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Saturday, January 25, 2020

SEIZE EVERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY

Feng Shui expert Marites Allen shares her thoughts on the Year of the Metal Rat Continued from B3

unlucky animal sign should befriend people born under the lucky zodiac signs and surround themselves with good vibes and the right feng shui, Allen said.

Overall, 2020 is a lucky year. People aspiring for success follow their goals with confidence and determination. They should be relentless to accomplish their objectives and never be discouraged by failure or difficulties that may come in between. They may even need to push us out of their comfort zones.

Sharing her own personal testimony, Allen said she was born as the 10th in the brood of 14. Life was hard and she needed to work double time. Moving on, she found another chance for love after being a single mom to three kids.

She wanted to keep the sweet second chance which was predicted not to last long like her first. Learning

about feng shui, she decided to master it and ‘cure’ the ailment in her love department. Now, happily married for over 20 years and kids grown up with their own respective careers, Allen is resolute more than ever to help others succeed in all aspects of their life through feng shui.

Allen’s books, charts and related information are downloadable from her website, www. maritessallen.com.

In conclusion, the Year of the Metal Rat may bring beneficial circumstances, golden opportunities, meetings with special people and overall good luck. But people need to seize them as soon as they knock on their door. The Chinese say it this way: “Nothing scares away the luck more than you doubting it. In turn, those who show enthusiasm and act quickly will ensure their success.”

A BLESSED START AT MARCO POLO ORTIGAS MANILA M ASTER Hanz Cua, acknowledged fengshui master in the Chinese community, said that the Year of White Metal Rat is a great year to launch new business ventures or find a new job.

He said that long-term projects that have been carefully planned will have greater chances of being satisfied in the future. “Initiatives will only be successful if they are carefully planned.”

On New Year’s eve, he reminded the Filipinos to display 12 kinds of fruits.

“Pineapple is the most important fruit of all. You may include apples, banana, mango, orange, grapes, chico, pears, melon, guyabano, mangosteen, watermelon and atis.”

At 12 midnight of January 24, splash come coins, kiat-kiat and small amount of rice from your main door toward the living room.

“Try to open all the windows during New Year revelry. Play some music, repair all leaks before the New Year and de-clutter,” Cua added.

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila recently hosted the media event for Cua leading to CNY 2020, serving the lucky food for the new year comprising mostly of fish dishes at Lung Hin restaurant.

The hotel ushered in this auspicious season with special events and promotions for guests to enjoy.

Glutinous rice cakes, or nian gao, are traditionally shared among loved ones and friends to wish each other good tidings and prosperity for the year ahead. Lung Hin offers Nian Gao variants. The Double Gold Bar Nian Gao is available in Brown Sugar flavour for PHP 1,888 per box,

while the Single Round Nian Gao in Red Dates Sugar flavour may be enjoyed at PHP 798 per box. The classic Large Round Nian Gao is available in two flavours: Pandan and Coconut, and Red Dates Sugar. Each variant in this size may be purchased for PHP 1,388 per box.

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s award-winning authentic Cantonese restaurant also showcases flavours that are mastered by its team, led by Executive Chef Ken Leung.

Available until 3 February 2020, gourmands may look forward to special set menus that fit dining parties of five or 10 persons.

The Good Wealth set menu features Lung Hin’s signature Sauteed Tiger Prawns with Homemade Chili Sauce, Steamed Fresh Garoupa with Superior Soya Sauce, and Crispy Roasted Baby Duck.

On the other hand, the Good Fortune set menu includes Baked Slipper Lobster in Supreme Stock, Braised South African Abalone with Japanese Oysters and Vegetables, and Signature Salt-Baked Chicken. Reservations may be made through (632) 7720 7720 or restaurant.mnl@marcopolohotels.com.

To officially usher in the Year of the Metal Rat, a special blessing ceremony will be held at the Ground Floor Lobby on the first day of the Lunar New Year (25 January 2020, Saturday). This ritual will be led by Cua at 11 AM. Guests may also look forward to the traditional lion and dragon dance after the blessing ceremony.

Log-on to marcopolohotels. com for more details on the Hotel’s ongoing promotions.

Leony R. Garcia

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A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

B10 Saturday, January 25, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

BEGINNINGS OF REFORM:

The Chinatown Development Authority

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One of the major components of Atienza’s “Buhayin ang Maynila” urban redevelopment (1998-2007) was reviving historical landmarks including parks. The Chinatown area in Binondo was a key focus.

He “rediscovered” a centuries-old fountain in what is now known as the Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz in front of Binondo Church. This forgotten structure was restored, lit up and became the centerpiece of the plaza.

This plaza became not only a beautiful and relaxing place for residents to take a stroll anytime of the day, but it also became the venue for celebrating various significant events in Chinese culture such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mooncake Festival and Chinese New Year.

Atienza’s CDA program also eliminated the decades-old problem of corruption that had bled Chinatown dry with regular tong collection

ATIENZA

by unscrupulous officials. This encouraged businessmen to invest more and pay proper taxes which in return had the full support of City Hall.

As the former mayor's associates recalled, Chinatown once again became the place where Manilans could enjoy traditional Chinese food, medicines, feng-shui readings, shopping and even entertainment.

With the beautification and lighting up of streets, the problems that had plagued Chinatown for the past several years such as traffic, illegal vendors, petty crimes, garbage and flooding were addressed.

Atienza not only restored in-

RENCE CHAN

NE year after taking office, then Manila Mayor Lito Atienza tapped the local businessmen and business groups as well as the community and the barangays in organizing the Chinatown Development Authority (CDA) in 1999. The CDA helped Atienza achieve his vision of restoring the area to its genuine character as a Chinese enclave, where a unified Filipino-Chinese community would have a harmonized development program.

vestors’ confidence in the newly redeveloped Chinatown, but he also gave importance to and promoted the colorful and vibrant culture that the Filipino-Chinese community share.

During Atienza’s third term as

mayor (2004-2007), Manila and Beijing initiated the fostering of warmer relations and closer economic and cultural ties through the signing of a historic, first-ever Sister-City Agreement in 2005 with then-Mayor Wang Qishan, now the Vice President of the

People’s Republic of China.

Fortuitously, the disrupted reforms in Chinatown, after the Atienza mayorship, are now getting the much-needed attention from the city’s indefatigable chief executive elected in 2019, Mayor Isko Moreno.

Simple Feng Shui tips for a prosperous Chinese New Year

By Stephanie Joy Ching

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APPY Lunar New Year! As we welcome the Year of the Metal Rat, you might be wondering how you can hone in your good fortune this year.

Whether it be honing your luck in terms of your health or finding romance, you might consider using the ancient art of Feng Shui to bring that in. This almost four thousand year practice involves placing certain objects or furniture a certain way to bring good “chi”, or energy, into the space. It is often determined by what direction the room is facing and the elements associated to it. This 2020, take a look at these tips to achieve a more productive and prosperous office space.

Declutter

THE first step to a more prosperous and productive workspace is to get rid of the clutter. Feng Shui is all about allowing positive energies to flow across your space, so it is best to get rid of that giant pile of junk to help it move around. Utilize shelves and drawers to keep your desk clean and only keep things you use daily on the desk. In clearing your desk, you also clear your mind for the work ahead.

Water and wood

WITH your desk spotless, it’s time to invite prosperity into your work space with decor. Keep in mind two elements before you decorate: wood and water.

Both of these elements are tied to wealth-so invoke them with

the use of green or blue accents in your space. Give life to your walls with paintings of koi fish or running water. Fish, being aquatic creatures, invite wealth and prosperity. You can also put a small air filtering plant on your desk, for growth. If you do not want a living plant on your desk, an artificial tree decked with amethyst stones will do. Amethyst stones facilitate energies between leaders and coworkers, creating a harmonious work environment and may even help you get promoted.

Maneki-Neko

YOU will commonly see this beckoning cat at East Asian restaurants. Though the Maneki-neko is Japanese in origin, it nevertheless assimilated into Chinese culture. The cat first appeared in the Edo period, though the origins of the cat vary. The most famous story involves the cat beckoning to a samurai resting under a tree. The samurai follows the cat to a temple, and the tree he was resting under was suddenly struck by lightning. The grateful samurai then became a benefactor to the temple, and erected a statue of the cat in its honor.

The Maneki-Neko comes in a variety of colors and accessories, each with a specific purpose.

Gold and white cats are especially common, symbolizing wealth and happiness respectively. The cat maybe holding a fish, a wallet or an ancient coin, all meant to attract wealth. Even the cat’s

paws have symbolisms. For example, if you want to attract more customers, get a cat with its left paw raised. A cat with a right raised paw, meanwhile, invites good fortune and money.

Occasionally, a cat can have both paws raised, which stands for protection.

Jin-chan

JIN-CHAN (Chinese: 金蟾, literally “money frog”) is a three legged amphibian with bright red eyes. It is often depicted with either a coin in its mouth or sitting on a pile of coins. Legend states that the creature appears near businesses or homes that are about to receive good news.

This makes it a popular symbol of prosperity, and is commonly placed in the north for career advancements or the southwest area to activate wealth. Other times, it can be seen near the main entrance of a business.

However, this frog demands respect. It should never be placed on the floor and the area around it must always be clean.

It is recommended to put the Jin-chan on a low cabinet or desk, preferably against the wall or near where you keep your financial papers. It should not be placed in a bedroom or a kitchen, as it brings bad fortune to these areas instead.

There you have it, auspicious objects and colors that will help you attract wealth this coming Year of the Rat. You can find these objects and other luck talismans anywhere in Binondo, or even online. Have a good year!

A BusinessMirror Special Feature

YEAR OF THE RAT CHINESE NEW YEAR

B12 Saturday, January 25, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

FENGSHUI-WISE, ‘DIFFICULT’ YEAR OF THE METAL RAT, BUT ANALYSTS SEE ‘SILVER LININGS’ FOR BUSINESS

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By VG Cabuag

ITH the onset of a new Chinese lunar year, many are wary of what the Year of the Metal Rat will bring to the Philippines.

It is said that the metal rat would be a strong, prosperous and lucky year for almost all of the Chinese zodiac signs.

However, Lynn Yap, a fengshui expert based in Singapore, cautioned that this year may be a “difficult” year with happenings on the three main areas like natural disasters, fraud and financial matters.

And as if on cue, on the first trade of the New Year, the prices stock market fell, and this month, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index dipped to the 7,400-point level.

On the other hand, the big local story of the year so far is the eruption of Taal Volcano,

which has devastated families and livelihood in Batangas and Cavite areas. There are also negative events happening overseas such as resurgent Middle East tensions and the ongoing impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump.

Justino B. Calaycay Jr., research head at broker Philstocks Financials Inc., said the rat for the Filipinos is known to gnaw at things, and is thus viewed as a destructive animal.

“The backdrop is not good as it looks like,” Calaycay said, referring to what is happening so far this year. Animals in the Chinese zodiac appear in rotation every 12 years. Rat is the first in

the 12-year cycle.

According to Calaycay, whose team at Philstocks traced the activity of the stock market for the Chinese New Year, 1996, the Year of the Fire Rat. It was a good year for the market, but the market crashed the next year, sending many countries in East and Southeast Asia reeling, in what was called the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.

Then came 2008, the Year of the Earth Rat, when the market also crashed as a result of the Global Financial Crisis. It was very hard for the Philippines to get back on its feet after the two colossal devastations, coupled with several changes in government with the ouster of President Estrada and the assumption to power of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“We view the rat [as ready] to gnaw at things. And it may continue to do so this year,” Calaycay said.

Regulatory risk

“THIS year, what will gnaw at the Philippine economy is the regulatory risk,” he said.

Calaycay explained that

the regulatory risks include: the Duterte administration’s move to review the contract of concessionaires Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc., the pressure exerted on the nonrenewal of the television franchise of Lopez crown jewel ABS-CBN Corp., and now the move to review the land deals of previous administrations with Ayala Land Inc.—the first target being its deal involving the rental for UP Technohub in Quezon City. “All of these are contributing to negative investor sentiments,” he said.

Silver linings

STILL, there are silver linings, most analysts believe. Many predict the benchmark index will reach up to 8,900 points by the end of the year, a very tough prediction as the main index struggled to get past the 8,000 points for several months now.

First Metro Investments Corp. (FMIC), the investment bank of the Ty group, said there may be six initial public offerings (IPO) this year, compared with just four last year.

Ramon Monzon, president

and chief executive oficer of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), said the IPOs will depend on how good the market is. “If the market (PSEi) really is in the high 7,000, or 8,000, many would be enticed to do an IPO,” he said.

“Right now, we still have Del Monte that is waiting in the wings. AirAsia was one of them . . . but [it deferred plans] because of Boracay’s closure.

Cal-Comp is there also. There are three backdoor potentials. Also, a backdoor listing of a holding company, and then of course we have Okada. But we need more IPOs,” he said.

“Market developments such as the emergence of REITs (real estate investment trust), the introduction of short selling and the implementation of the proposed 25-percent increase in the minimum public float would spur trading activity,” FMIC said.

The guidelines of shortselling has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), while the revised rules for REITs were recently released after revisions by the SEC and Bureau of Internal Revenue were completed. These

two now become new product offerings at the PSE.

Cristina Ulang, FMIC research head, however, said questions still linger on whether the short selling can drive volume to the entire equities market but the REITs may provide some volume since there are already companies that signified their intent to raise funds through the REITs.

Ayala Land was the first company to publicly signify its intent to launch its own REIT, but that may change with the review of the land deals entered into by the government.

Christopher Mangun, research head at AAA Securities Inc., said there are also good stocks that are worth investing in this year.

“In the banking sector, we like MBT (Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co.) as the central bank continues with accommodative policies. It is also undervalued compared to its peers. For consumer, we like FRUIT (Fruitas Holdings Inc.) as it expands from its recent initial public offering.

Consumer spending has started to pick up as inflation remains manageable,” he said.

Lucky Chinatown Rings in the Year of the Metal Rat with Grand Countdown M

EGAWORLD Lifestyle Malls and Lucky Chinatown welcomed the Year of the Metal Rat with the country’s biggest and grandest celebration right at the heart of the world’s oldest and the country’s premier Chinatown in Binondo, Manila.

A two-week-long revelry from January 13 to 26, featuring lucky rituals, astounding cultural presentations, electrifying live performances from the country’s top OPM performers, a grand fireworks display, plus fantastic shopping and dining deals, marked the biggest and most spectacular festival of the Chinese-Filipino community.

The celebration soared to higher ground at Lucky Chinatown’s Grand Chinese New Year Countdown to 2020 on January 24, where some of the country’s rising artists gave revelers a spectacular welcome to the Year of the Metal Rat.

Opening the grand new year countdown were acoustic duo Leanne & Naara, fourpiece band IV of Spades, and pop-alternative rock band the Itchyworms. OPM icon Ely Buendia spearheaded the countdown to the new Lunar Year, which was marked at 12 midnight with a grand fireworks display.

Greeting thousands of revelers, the fireworks display was followed by the traditional Lion and Dragon Dance and lighting of the first incense.

“It has always been our tradition to join the Chinese-

Filipino community in celebrating the Chinese New Year and we always make sure that we welcome each year in the grandest way possible. As we welcome a new decade and the Year of the Metal Rat, our goal is to spread happiness and inspire everyone to fly high to new beginnings,” said Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Head Graham Coates.

Capping off the last day of Chinese New Year Celebrations at Lucky Chinatown on Jan 26, was a partnership with the Philippine Lapine Club for an adorable Guinea Pigs Cavy Fashion Show at 11:00 AM and

a live performance by Unique Salonga at 6:00 PM.

The Meisic Street Food Market continues to provides an array of mouthwatering Chinese cuisine and street food until February 2. Those looking to attract luck while satisfying their tummies can also visit any of Lucky Chinatown’s esteemed Chinese restaurants and feast on delicious lucky dishes to celebrate the New Lunar Year.

For more information, parking details and restaurant reservations, call the Lucky Chinatown Concierge at 7576-8139 or visit www.

LuckyChinatownCNY2020.com.