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Sunday, July 18, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 277

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Government starts the rehabilitation of banana plantations in volatile Maguindanao, provides jobs for ex-Moro combatants

By Manuel T. Cayon

AVAO CITY—Rehabilitating the banana farms in the south central Mindanao province of Maguindanao is like resuscitating the fragile peace on the island, or buoying up hopes for a better alternative to war and conflict.

AERIAL view of La Fruttera plantation MINDA

STAKEHOLDERS of La Fruttera plantation MINDA

This could be the impetus for government intervention, to bring back to productive life one of the most productive banana plantations in central Mindanao, a place where the major banana export industry players are salivating to expand or transfer their operations to because of its fertile lands. In the last two years, banana production has stopped at the La Fruttera, already a globally known plantation brand of the Paglas family, due to financial difficulty, and any flickering hope to revive soon was further dampened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The standstill of plantation

work since 2019 also brought to an abrupt halt the only means of livelihood of former Moro guerrilla combatants who have already adapted to civilian productive life and have imbibed the plantation, and Paglas family’s motto of “Bawal ang Tamad.” The motto has been painted and printed on tarpaulin banners in conspicuous places in the sprawling 1,500-hectare plantation, and across town named after the family’s forebear, Datu Paglas.

Rush to rehabilitate

NO less than Malacañang has asked the Mindanao Development

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.2790

Authority (MinDA), the government’s socioeconomic planning unit for Mindanao, to rush over to Datu Paglas town to see how it could tweak and settle the problems that led to the closure of two huge banana farms, mainly La Fruttera, in the province, and have them revived back to production. MinDA chief, former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, reported shortly that an agreement was reached last week with a government bank, the owners of the land, and the corporation, which used to operate the plantation. “Last week, I and the MinDA staff joined officials of the Development Bank of the Philippines [DBP] led by Director Rogelio Garcia and Southern Mindanao Vice President Annie Veloso in meeting with members of the Paglas family, which owns 500 hectares of the plantation, and Unifrutti Presi-

dent Alberto Bacani in the plantation site,” Piñol said. He bared the following consensus: the Paglas family, which owns 500 hectares of the plantation, would take over the operation of its area under the Paglas Corp. and acquire the assets of UGP Corp. owned by FilipinoAmerican John Perrine. Unifrutti Philippines agreed to provide technical and management assistance to Paglas Corp. in rehabilitating the plantation and make it productive in one year. Both UGP Corp. and Unifrutti have stakes in the plantation. Piñol said the DBP agreed to finance the rehabilitation and operation of the plantation and the total loan amount to be based on the assets of the corporation and for Unifrutti to provide Paglas Corp. a marketing agreement that would ensure the repayment of the

loan acquired from the DBP. The agreement may signal the likely start of the operation of the plantation, and another lease on life to the livelihood of plantation workers.

Coordination

ALTHOUGH the area to be reopened—the 500 hectares owned by the Paglas family—is only a third of the original area, MinDA has recommended to Paglas Corp. a work rotation schedule so that all the 2,000 workers, many of them former Moro guerrilla fighters, could be accommodated and earn for their families. He said the MinDA would work out an assistance plan with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Office of Civil Defense for the displaced workers until work has restarted. The Office of the Presiden-

tial Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has warned that the continued economic difficulties faced by the displaced workers may have serious implications on the peace and security of Maguindanao province. “The banana plantations, owned by Filipino-American John Perrine, are the Al Sahar and La Fruttera banana farms in Talayan and Datu Paglas towns, respectively, and all considered critical areas because of the presence of ISIS-inspired armed groups,” Piñol said, Only in May this year, units of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters launched an attack against military outposts and the civilian population in Datu Paglas town. The BIFF used to be a unit of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but broke away in 2008 to protest the government’s rejection of an agreement on ancestral domain. It has closed its doors to any return to the MILF, which agreed to a final peace agreement in 2014. The BIFF has since affiliated itself with the Islamic State. Part of President Duterte’s instruction to Piñol was to coordinate with other agencies, such as the DSWD, “to ensure that the displaced farm workers are given food assistance until they are back to work,” Piñol said.

Back on their feet

PIÑOL said food has been distributed to the former combatants while awaiting news of their return to plantation work. Meanwhile, the MinDA disclosed that it has identified a new investor to take over the two plantations from the Perrine Group. Initial meetings have been scheduled with the new investor and other stakeholders “to finally resolve the minor issues,” according to Piñol. He said MinDA will later submit a final report and recommendation to the Office of the President.

n JAPAN 0.4578 n UK 69.5258 n HK 6.4728 n CHINA 7.7813 n SINGAPORE 37.1200 n AUSTRALIA 37.3221 n EU 59.4046 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4056

Source: BSP (July 16, 2021)

NewsSunday A2 Sunday, July 18, 2021

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Authoritarianism advances as world battles the pandemic

By Jill Lawless | The Associated Press

ONDON—Here’s some of what happened while the world was distracted by the coronavirus: Hungary banned the public depiction of homosexuality. China shut Hong Kong’s last prodemocracy newspaper. Brazil’s government extolled dictatorship. And Belarus hijacked a passenger plane to arrest a journalist.

Covid-19 has absorbed the world’s energies and isolated countries from one another, which may have accelerated the creep of authoritarianism and extremism across the globe, some researchers and activists believe. “Covid is a dictator’s dream opportunity,” said Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American humanrights lawyer who has been indicted on charges including treason in the ostensibly democratic southeast Asian nation, where Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power for more than three decades. Human Rights Watch accuses Cambodia’s government of using the pandemic as cover to imprison political opponents without due process. Scores have been indicted and face mass trials. When it comes to government opposition, “the fear of Covid, on its own and as a political weapon, has substantially restricted mobility for a gathering or movement to take shape,” Seng said.

The biggest global public health emergency in a century has handed power to government authorities and restricted life for billions of people. Luke Cooper, a London School of Economics researcher and author of the book Authoritarian Contagion, said the vast economic, health and social resources poured into fighting the pandemic mean “the state is back as a force to manage society and to deliver public goods.” Restrictions on civil liberties or political opponents have been stepped up during the pandemic on several continents. For a decade in Hungary, conservative nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has curtailed media and judicial freedom, criticized multiculturalism and attacked Muslim migrants as a threat to Europe’s Christian identity. During the pandemic, Orban’s government brought in an emergency powers bill allowing it to im-

IN this November 30, 2020, file photo, a man protests the policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during Orban’s talks with Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw, Poland. AP

plement resolutions without parliamentary approval—effectively a license to rule by decree. In June, it passed a law prohibiting the sharing of content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment with anyone under 18. The government claims the purpose is to protect children from pedophiles, but it effectively outlawed discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools and the media. Poland’s conservative government has chipped away at the rights of women and gay people. A ruling last year by a government-

controlled court that imposed a near-total ban on abortion triggered a wave of protests that defied a ban on mass gatherings during the virus outbreak. In India, the world’s biggest democracy, populist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of trying to silence voices critical of his administration’s response to a brutal pandemic wave that tore through the country in April and May. His government has arrested journalists and ordered Twitter to remove posts that criticized its handling of the outbreak after introducing sweeping regulations that give it more power to police online content. Even before the pandemic, Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party was accused by opponents of squashing dissent and introducing policies aimed at refashioning a multi-faith democracy into a Hindu nation that discriminates against Muslims and other minorities. In Russia, the government of President Vladimir Putin has used the pandemic as its latest excuse to arrest opposition figures. Associates of jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny have been subjected to house arrest and charges that the mass protests against his arrest violated regulations on mass gatherings. In neighboring Belarus, authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko extended his quartercentury iron grip on power by winning an August 2020 election that the opposition—and many Western countries—said was rigged. The huge protests that erupted were met with tear gas, rubber bullets and mass arrests. Then, in May, a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land in the Belarusian capital of Minsk after the crew was told of an alleged threat. Opposition journalist Raman Pratasevic, a passenger, was taken off the plane along with his girlfriend and arrested. Western nations called the forced diversion a brazen hijacking and slapped sanctions on Belarus, but those seem unlikely to induce Lukashenko to change his ways and underscore the weakness of democracies in confronting hardline regimes. Hungary’s acts have drawn sharp words from fellow European Union leaders, but the 27-nation bloc has no unified response to restrictive regimes like those in Hungary or Poland. Even before Covid-19 came along, extremism was on the march.

‘Replication’

“OVER the last 15 years, authoritarian politics has replicated all over the world,” Cooper said. “Democracy feels very fragile. Democracy doesn’t have a clear vision for what it’s trying to do in the 21st century.” The 2008 global financial crisis, which saw governments pump billions into teetering banks, shook confidence in the Western world order. And the years of re-

cession and government austerity that followed boosted populism in Europe and North America. In China, authorities saw the 2008 economic crash as evidence that they, and not the world’s democracies, were on the right path. Historian Rana Mitter, director of the University of Oxford China Center, said the crisis persuaded China’s communist government that “the West no longer had lessons to teach them.” Since then, Beijing has increasingly flexed China’s economic muscle abroad while cracking down on opposition inside its borders. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uyghurs have been confined in re-education camps in China’s western Xinjiang region, where activists and former detainees accuse authorities of imposing forced labor, systematic forced birth control and torture. Beijing instead characterizes the camps as vocational training centers. Beijing also has tightened control on Hong Kong, stifling dissent in the former British colony. Protesters, publishers and journalists critical of Beijing have been jailed and the last remaining prodemocracy newspaper, Apple Daily, stopped publishing in June after the arrest of its top editors and executives. When the coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, authorities responded firmly—though far from transparently—with draconian lockdowns that got the virus in check. Mitter said the pandemic has cemented a view—among many ordinary Chinese, as well as the country’s leaders—“that something had gone very wrong in terms of the way in which the democratic world had dealt with the virus, and something had gone right in China.” “That is now being used very much as a lesson, not just about the pandemic, but about the virtues of China’s system as opposed to the systems of liberal countries,” he said. Last year, curfews and travel restrictions also became commonplace across Europe. People in France needed to show a signed declaration to travel more than 1 kilometer from home. And Britons were banned by law from going on vacation abroad, while some attendees at a London vigil for a murdered woman were arrested for gathering illegally. British lawmakers have expressed concern about the scope of the Conservative government’s emergency powers, many passed without debate in Parliament. “Since March 2020, the government has introduced a large volume of new legislation, much of it transforming everyday life and introducing unprecedented restrictions on ordinary activities,” said Ann Taylor, an opposition Labour Party politician who chairs the House of Lords Constitution Committee. “Yet parliamentary oversight of these significant policy decisions has been extremely limited.” Politicians and intelligence agencies in the West also have warned of the threat from coro-

navirus conspiracy theories that dovetail with existing extremist narratives. Many countries have seen large anti-lockdown, antimask, anti-vaccine protests attended by a mix of the far right, the far left and assorted conspiracists. The British government has warned of “extremists exploiting the crisis to sow division and undermine the social fabric of our country,” with different hate groups variously blaming Muslims, Jews and 5G phone technology for the pandemic.

Fighting back

BUT there are signs of fighting back. The pandemic also has boosted trust in scientists and spurred demands for more accountable political leadership. In Hungary, which has one of the world’s highest per-capita coronavirus death rates, there is growing opposition both to the government’s pandemic policies and to its wider authoritarian thrust, and thousands have taken to the streets in support of academic freedom and LGBT rights. With an election due in 2022, a six-party opposition coalition has united to try to unseat Orban’s Fidesz party. Both extremism and resistance can be seen in Brazil, where the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has expressed nostalgia for the country’s two-decade military dictatorship and last year attended protests against the country’s courts and Congress. He dismissed the virus as a “little flu,” cast doubt on the effectiveness of vaccines and opposed social and economic restrictions. Renato Meirelles, director of Brazilian polling company Locomotive Institute, said authoritarianism had advanced through “a strategy of fake news and attacks on factual truth.” “The next step will be questioning the electronic vote and, as such, the result of the next election,” he said. Bolsonaro has so far been held in check by Brazil’s institutions, especially the Supreme Court, which stopped him from preventing states and cities from implementing restrictions to curb Covid-19 and has ordered an inquiry into the government’s pandemic response. And protests have finally spilled out onto the streets. Twice over the past month, demonstrators marched in dozens of cities across the country. “I’m here to fight for the rights of those in need, for the rights of my children, for my right to live, to have vaccines for all,” said Claudia Maria, a protester in Rio de Janeiro. In the United States, President Joe Biden has veered away from the populism of Donald Trump, but a Republican Party radicalized by the former president’s supporters has every chance of winning power again. Cooper, of the LSE, said the authoritarian tide was unlikely to recede soon. “This is a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism that’s going to last decades,” he said.

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

The World BusinessMirror

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Shipping chaos here to stay with unvaccinated seafarers

By K. Oanh Ha, Ann Koh & Claire Jiao

lobal vaccinations of seafarers are going too slowly to prevent outbreaks on ships from causing more trade disruptions, endangering maritime workers and potentially slowing economies trying to pull out of pandemic slowdowns.

Infections on vessels could further harm already strained global supply chains, just as the US and Europe recover and companies start stocking up for Christmas. The shipping industry is sounding the alarm as infections increase and some ports continue to restrict access to seafarers from developing countries that supply the majority of maritime workers but can’t vaccinate them. “It’s a perfect storm,” says Esben Poulsson, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping that represents ship owners. “With this new Delta strain, there’s no doubt it’s setting us back and the situation is getting worse. Demand for products isn’t letting up, crew changes aren’t happening fast enough and governments continue to stick their heads in the sand.”

All signs now point to a worsening crisis on the oceans, just as the industry seemed to be emerging from months of port restrictions that hurt the ability of shipping firms to swap out crews and left hundreds of thousands stuck at sea for months. The risks were brought into focus by two recent events that interrupted essential ports and shipping routes. In May, a sailor died and dozens of hospital workers in Indonesia were sickened with the Delta variant of Covid-19 after a ship with an infected Filipino crew docked. About the same time, global shipping was thrown into chaos after one of China’s busiest ports was shuttered for weeks because at least one dock worker was infected as part of a broader outbreak in Shenzhen. Gard P&I, the biggest marine

insurer among the industr y’s more t h a n dozen mut u a l l iability associations, has seen a spike in claims for Covid-19 infections. There were more than 100 outbreaks monthly in April and May that struck vessels and offshore mobile units such as drilling platforms involving multiple sick seafarers in each case, according to Alice Amundsen, vice president of people claims. During the peak of the pandemic in July-August 2020, Gard saw almost 80 outbreaks on vessels and offshore units that infected some 160 people, she said. “It’s a little bit like a fire that is glowing and it could quickly turn into a firestorm again,” said Rene Piil Pedersen, managing director of A P MollerMaersk A /S in Singapore. Even as more people get vaccinated, Covid will be around for years and there will still be outbreaks in ports and on ships, he said last month, calling on governments and industr y to work together to protect seafarers and dock workers as essential employees supporting critical supply chains all over the world.

Limited vaccinations

Despite efforts in the US and elsewhere to inoculate seafarers in ports, most are still largely dependent on their home countries for vaccinations, and more than half of the 1.6 million seafarers globally come from developing

nations such as India, the Philippines or Indonesia, which are well behind most developed economies in vaccinations. The lack of international coordination can be seen in the fact that there’s no estimate of how many seafarers have actually been vaccinated. That’s because there’s no one organization or company keeping track of the situation for all workers across various companies, ships and ports. The International Chamber of Shipping estimates only 35,00040,000 seafarers—or just 2.5 percent of the global pool—are vaccinated. However, more than 23,000 seafarers had been jabbed in the US with the help of various charities, and China’s Cosco Shipping Holdings Co. said last month that all seafarers who are onshore and are fit for vaccinations have been inoculated. India has kicked off inoculation programs for its more than 200,000 seafarers, but Poulsson and ship managers, including Wilhelmsen Ship Management, say the drive needs momentum. As of May, roughly 14 percent of India’s seafarers had received a single dose of the vaccine, and 1 percent had received both doses, according to the Hindu Business Line, citing an industry estimate. Many seafarers are having trouble procuring their second dose of vaccines since that is often left to the discretion of local clinics, according to Chirag Bahri, director

of regions at International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network in India. “The governments put something on paper to say they’ve made seafarers essential workers, but they are not being prioritized for vaccinations,” Bahri said. “Without a second dose, they really can’t get on a ship.”

Shippers buy vaccines

In the Philippines, several firms including Maersk have said they’re working with the government to procure shots for their workers. While seafarers get priority access, vaccines are in short supply, with several cities around the capital region of Manila halting vaccination programs in recent days as supplies ran out. Even if shots were available at home, they’re no good for workers already aboard ships, some of whom may not finish contracts until next year. About 99 percent of Filipino seafarers are unvaccinated, said Gerardo Bor romeo, t he Ma ni l a-based vice chair of the ICS, who estimates it will take a year to inoculate them all. That’s bad news for the shipping industry—the Philippines supplies some 460,000 seafarers, or 25 percent of the global maritime work force, according to the government. And until more seafarers from all over the world are vaccinated, infections will continue to spike.

The easiest solution would be for ever y port to have a clinic and offer vaccinations to all seafarers coming through, according to Ben Cowling, head of the University of Hong Kong’s depa r t ment of epidem iolog y and biostatistics. So far, that’s not happening in many places, with only a handful of countries following the US lead in offering vaccinations to seafarers who come into ports, regardless of their nationality. “For parts of the world where they are aiming to eliminate Covid, loopholes including maritime workers at container ports are opportunities for the virus to break through,” said Cowling. “They have to eliminate the risk coming off container ships.” And if the risk to seafarers isn’t eliminated, then further port shutdowns or outbreaks on ships taking them out of services will make it even harder and more expensive to get Christmas shopping done. “We will run out of the available crew,” said Columbia Shipmanagement Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Mark O’Neil, whose company oversees a crew pool of 18,000 people. “ They would either have Covid, or they will be part of a Covid-infected crew, or they will not be vaccinated and therefore will not be allowed into a port. The number of vessels operating will be reduced.” Bloomberg News

Journey

»life on the go

BusinessMirror

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Editor: Tet Andolong

Culinary journey in the country’s food capital

Aching Lilian Borromeo at her Kusinang Matua

Hues Restaurant of Park Inn by Radisson Clark

Hamanda Hotel at Souq

Story & photos by Bernard L. Supetran

ention Pampanga and mouth-watering food instantly comes into mind. It is dubbed the country’s “culinary capital” with its plethora of delectable dishes cooked with the old-fashioned flair handed down across generations. As a proof of its rich culinary heritage, each town has a unique specialty to showcase. The province tried to change its nomenclature to being the “food capital” to somehow demystify its cuisine and make it less intimidating to the man on the street. Regardless of how they may finally call it, Pampanga remains a top-of-mind culture and cuisine destination. Here are some must-visit food outlets which give an overview not just of the Kapampangan’s love affair with cooking, but also its genteel way of life. Don’t ever miss the quintessential sisig, the signature sizzling delicacy of minced grilled pork’s cheeks, ears and snout which the late food celebrity Anthony Bourdain flew here to taste.

Apag Marangle. Literally meaning “farm table,” it transports you to a rural experience which makes

dining a more pleasurable journey. Originally situated in Bacolor with its organic gardens, nipa huts on stilts and bamboo rafts as dining areas, it had to consolidate during the pandemic and relocate to a roadside spot in Guagua. The new location has a new addition, Cuisina Manuela, which sells an assortment of baked goodies and desserts, most specially its best-selling premium leche flan and empanada which has some of Pampango dishes as filling. Apag Marangle still serves its all-time favorites ginisang camaro, an exotic appetizer of field crickets; betute tugak or dressed frog; sizzling balut; begukan babi, a local variant of the binagoongang baboy, and pork humba to name a few. These are best paired with nasing marangle or flavored rice teeming with vegetable and meat

Armando’s Pizza of Camalig Restaurant

ingredients. For those still wary of eating outside, there are Kapampangan Specials frozen packed ready-toeat food which can be partaken at home.

Kusinang Matua. Food trippers and culture vultures would brave driving through the congested town of Mexico if only to taste the fabled cooking of octogenarian Lillian Borromeo in her centenarian ancestral house. Dubbed as the “Gatekeeper to Kapampangan Cuisine,” she operates a by-appointment only specialty kitchen-slash-restaurant, which looks like a museum with the antiques on display. On top her delectable sisig, biringhe, heirloom dishes and her trademark San Nicolas or sanikulas cookies, it is also a soulful journey with her insights on local food history. Countless prominent celebri-

Pampango dishes at Apag Marangle

ties and political personalities have feasted at this humble kitchen, most notably former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has organized a culinary tourism program for food trippers.

Armando’s Pizza. Deep in the heart of Angeles City’s old poblacion is Historic Camalig Restaurant, a reincarnation of a circa 1840 Antillan storehouse, and a mainstay in the local food landscape. The four decades-old dining haunt is home to Armando’s Pizza, a homegrown brand which served as the resto’s core product. Named after its founder Armando Nepomuceno, it prides itself as the “Pambansang Pizza” with an assortment of unique flavors, namely, Armando’s Best, Doy’s Kapampangan, and Sisig, topped with local ingredients such as salted eggs, anchovies

Sarangani MTV shines at NY film fest

Sarangani Bay dive site by Bretch Garcinez.

SARANGANI Bay

tour ism music v ideo featuring Sarangani province’s top tourist attractions was recently awarded a special recognition at a prestigious international film festival in New York City. Titled “Sarangani: Nature, Adventure, Culture,” the two-minute promotional video was conferred the Gold Excellence Award at the 11th International Film Festival in Manhattan (IFFM) spring edition last May. Produced by the Sarangani provincial government, the video was submitted under the corporate category, and was among the 15 Philippine entries which made the cut in the nine-country competition. “It showcases Sarangani’s natural resources and destinations, landscapes, white-sand beaches, inland bodies of water and eth-

Whitewater tubing in Maitum

nic diversity, showcasing the preserved and honored indigenous cultures. It boasts of the people’s efforts to keep Sarangani environ-

mentally and socially sustainable,” said Sarangani Provincial Tourism Council Chairman Michelle Lopez-Solon, who also directed

the video. She added that the video advertisement features snippets of experiences visitors can enjoy, such as its vibrant beach parties, municipal festivals, water sports, white water rafting, scuba diving, paragliding, sightseeing and cultural immersions, to name a few. Solon concluded that the province joined the film fest to show the world that somewhere down in southern Philippines is a consummate place worth visiting and exploring very soon. Previous IFFM editions showcased selected videos and films in Manhattan, but the annual competition shifted into online mode this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Released in 2019, the tourism video which used footages from local videographers, is edited by Champ Biala.

and chorizo. Camalig is a veritable showroom of antiques from a bygone era—old furniture, classic electric fans, dining sets, vintage beverage bottles, household implements and what-have-yous taken from a treasure chest of history. It recently opened an al fresco dining area for grilled food, live band and also doubles as space for visual artists. To reach out to a more diverse crowd, it opened a stall at the Comercio Central’s Mangan Tamu, a weekend open-air food colony at the Clark Parade Grounds.

Hues Restaurant. A hotel isn’t among the typical places to look for authentic cuisine, but there’s always an exception to the rule. This dining outlet of Park Inn by Radisson Clark can whip up an exciting feast of Filipino and international favorites, fusion fare

and regional delicacies, which taste like your mother’s cooking. This chic all-day dining outlet also serves internationally themed buffet breakfast, while observing health and safety protocols. It is open to walk-in travelers or tourists who want to peek into the province’s food culture in a hotel setting. The hotel has also concocted freshly baked goodies such as banana cakes and muffins, granola bars, and chocolate chip cookies and sold at its Dash grab and go snack corner.

Hamanda Hotel. This intimate lodging in San Fernando City, is a designer hideaway where one can hit the sack after a filling food crawl across the province. Situated away from the madding crowd, it has six industrial aestheticallydesigned rooms with distinct Filipino interiors and artistic touches. This Instagrammable boutique hotel has its own swimming pool, gaming and reading lounge, swimming pool, veranda dining area, pocket garden, furniture showroom and a lobby with an Old World feel with its bric-abrac design. Guests can feast on a unique fare at the adjacent Souq restaurant, a melting pot of gastronomy, art and inspiration, which approximates the feel of an Arabic market with its Mediterranean ambiance and Filipino and fusion delights.

RCM receives awards for its projects

Rotary International (RI) District 3810 Governor Oddie Tarriela (right) presented prestigious awards to Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) Transformational President Robert “Bobby” Lim Joseph, Jr. during the District Awards Night recently.

HE Rotary Club of Manila was recently awarded by the Rotary International for its projects. Governor Oddie Tarriela of Rotary International presented the awards to Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) Transformational President Robert “Bobby” Lim Joseph. Joseph himself was awarded “Most Outstanding Club President— Overall” and RCM was recognized as the “Most Outstanding Club Overall” out of the 117 Clubs in District 3810. These awards were in recognition of the many Club projects implemented during Rotary Year 2020-2021. Among the awards received by RCM were Best in Livelihood Project, Best in Promoting Peace Project, Best in Fighting Disease Project, Best in

Providing Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project, Best in Saving Mothers and Children Project, Best in Growing Local Economies Project, Best in Protecting Environment Project, Best in Medical and Dental Mission, Best Earlyact Program, Best Interact Program, Participation in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Best in Twin Club Project (Local and Foreign Sister Clubs), Best in Polio Plus, Highest in The Rotary Foundation Contribution (Absolute), Highest in Membership Increase (Absolute), Best in Global Grant Project, Best Club Bulletin, Best Rotary in Humanity in Motion, Best Rotary Club in Media Coverage, and Outstanding in Humanitarian Service Award (Covid-related project).

Science

BusinessMirror

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

Sunday

Sunday, July 18, 2021

R&D takes spotlight as Fauci lauds PHL scientists’ works T

Air quality monitors to be deployed in areas affected by Taal eruption

he first Filipino-made air quality monitors—which can measure particulate matter in the air using mass concentration measurement—are set to be deployed in Agoncillo, Batangas, and Tagaytay City and Alfonso municipality in Cavite, by researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman. The Robust Optical Aerosol Monitor (ROAM) Air Quality Monitor units from Project ROAM was designed to look for ways to reduce the effects of air pollution in communities and workplaces. ROAM, initially developed to provide information for policy creation and programs for environmental protection, will help residents of the areas affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano. The technology was developed in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD). Project ROAM, headed by Dr. Len Herald V. Lim, developed high-quality but low-cost aerosol monitors compared to its commercial counterparts. According to Levi Guillermo L. Geganzo of Project ROAM, the group is

currently discussing the plan to deploy the monitors with the local government units (LGUs) of the areas. The researchers are also in talks with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to help with its monitoring. ROA M is cur rent ly ex plor ing the creation of a spin-off company through DOST-PCIEERD’s Funding Assistance for Spinoff and Translation of Research in Advancing Commercialization (Fastrac) Program to help advance the commercialization of its technology. Geganzo said the team is asking more organizations to use ROAM for free for a year in line with the requirement of the Fastrac grant. DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit lauded the move of the group and encouraged LGUs to partner with ROAM in putting up air-quality monitors in their areas. “We thank [the] Project ROAM team for making innovations work for the people. As a leader and partner in enabling innovations in the Philippines, we [DOST-PCIEERD] enjoin our LGUs to collaborate with our researchers in making our air cleaner using this technology,” he said.

By Edwin P. Galvez

he country’s growing investments in research and development (R&D)—led by the research-driven Department of Science and Technology (DOST)—took the spotlight as the US’s leading expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, recently lauded the valuable contributions of Filipino scientists, particularly in biomedical research. The Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOSTPCIEERD) thanked Fauci for his support “to putting investments in R&D” in the country. In a statement, DOST-PCIEERD took the opportunity to call on the Philippines' lawmakers to "heed his [Fauci's] call" as the country prepares the budget for 2022. The DOST agency plans to fund 127 projects worth a total of P1.8 billion. The projects will be implemented by 57 research and development institutes and higher education institutions in various regions in the country. Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in his speech commended the “collaborative research between the Philippines and NIAIDfunded programs on HIV and tuberculosis co-infections” and the role of Philippine institutions—particularly the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine—in “infectious diseases research in dengue, malaria and other infectious pathogens.” Fauci gave his keynote address at the opening of the DOST-National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines’ (DOST-NAST PHL) 43rd Annual Scientific Meetitng (ASM) held online on July 13.

Robust R&D system needed

Fauci emphasized in his message the “importance of sustained local support for scientists and scientific institutions in the Philippines and elsewhere.” “This support is the necessary

Top US epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci and Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña speak at the online 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the DOST-National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines on July 13. Screenshot foundation to attract funding from outside the country. It is also an essential element for economic vitality and growth,” he said. The DOST-PCIEERD urged for support for the technologies that the agency churns out. It also called “on the industry to take a look at [our] valuable R&D products to license, adopt or commercialize, and see how it can improve their systems and processes.” It said: “There is a need for a robust R&D system that can withstand disruptions and be resilient in challenging times,” as the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted. The Council likewise called on the Filipinos to “continue supporting our researchers who continuously make innovations work for the people.” Meanwhile, in his opening message at the ASM, Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña recalled that “upon assuming [his] post, one of our strategies is contract research and adopting a 'demand-pul' strategy for R&D.” “Through this, R&D institutes develop technologies based on the needs of the sector they serve,” he said. De la Peña said the Science Department is now implementing “high-end and big-ticket programs and projects.” “Today’s emergency health crisis put to the fore the capabilities and ingenuity of Filipino scientists and researchers to come up with immediate and innovative responses to

Covid-19 and mitigate its impacts,” he said.

Strategies against future pandemics

The ASM is the premier gathering of the Philippine science community where representatives from both public and private institutions formulate science-based recommendations for the President and Cabinet members. Guided by this year’s theme, “Covid-19 Pandemic: Learning from the Past, Coping with the Present, Moving to the Next,” the DOST-NAST PHL aimed to identify the existing gaps and problems in healthcare delivery and health infrastructure, which are critical in the development and implementation of strategic programs to confront the pandemic. De la Peña said the theme was “very timely and relevant as nations around the world not only continue the battle against Covid-19, but also embark on strategies to prevent future pandemics from happening again and creating long-term or perhaps even irreversible damage to people, our society and the world.”

Foresight Project; Future Earth Program

He also expressed his appreciation to the NAST PHL for completing early this year the country’s science-technology-innovation (STI) Foresight document “Pagtanaw 2050.”

“Allow me to acknowledge the NAST members who tirelessly spent days and nights to come up with a Philippine STI Foresight Project,” he said. This is a prime example, he said, that the Philippines has been using science for the improvement of the lives of people. “I am glad that the Academy stood up to my challenge to spearhead the formulation of the said document, which presents significant drivers of change and provides insights and reflections on plausible STI development paths that will impact on the aspirations of the Filipino people by 2050,” he said. T he foresight, he said, is “ f ir mly g rou nded on a sh a red v ision of a Un ited a nd Inc lu sive, P rosper ou s, a nd Su st a i n able M a r it i me A rc h ipe l ag ic Nat ion.” “ This nation’s aspirations are within the context of the country’s natural and physical endowments— an archipelago with abundant marine resources—as well as our shared Filipino values and skills, and other potentials as embodied in our Constitution and other national documents,” de la Peña said. The completion of the foresight study is expected to jumpstart the formulation of the successor plan of the Science and Technology Master Plan 2000-2022, according the country's Science chief. De la Peña also cited the DOSTfunded Future Earth Philippines (FEP) program that was initiated by National Scientist Lourdes J. Cruz. It aims to boost the country's capacity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and "Ambisyon" 2040. Various capacity building workshops for researchers, government agencies and civil society groups have been organized under the FEP program since 2018 to assist the stakeholders in generating Knowledge-to-Action Programs and other sustainability initiatives. The program also links the country with regional and global sustainability initiatives.

Halal lipstick, shampoo, soap or toothpaste, anyone?

Bignay wine is gathered from DOST-FPRDI-developed mahogany wine barrel during the pilot-testing. DOST-FPRDI photo

Researchers study safety of wines aged in PHL-made wine barrels

esearchers are looking into the safety of fruit wines aged in barrels made in the Philippines. The Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) said the project is an off-shoot of the Institute’s efforts at pilot-testing its own wine barrels made from tree plantation species (TPS). They include wine barrels made from big-leafed mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), mangium (Acacia mangium) and river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), and a fruit tree—santol (Sandoricum koijape). T he w i ne b a r re l s w e re d e ve loped to f i nd subst it utes to white oa k (Quercus a lba), k now n worldw ide a s t he best m ater i a l for agei ng w i nes. “We want to assure our future technology adopters and the public of the quality of the wines produced using our [Philippine-made] barrels,” Project Leader Kim Wilmer M. Balagot explained.

“ To do this, we will test the toxicity and antioxidant activity of bignay and mango fruit wines fermented for three months. We will also check if our wine barrels contain compounds that can enrich the wines’ aroma and f lavor.” “Most local fruit wine makers use plastic and glass to age their wines,” DOST-FPRDI’s Engr. Caezar A. Cuaresma said. “With our wine barrel technology, they have a quality yet affordable option. It’s almost like they’re using imported barrels, but about three times cheaper.” The Institute is partnering with the Laguna-based Angeles Woodworks Co. for the fabrication of the wine barrels, and with Dielle’s Apiary and Meadery Inc. for the fruit wines. Funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), the project began in June and will end in February 2022. Apple Jean C. Martin- de

Leon/Rizalina K. Araral, S&T Media Services

ur Muslim brothers and sisters may soon enjoy not just halal-produced foods but also Philippine-made halal cosmetics and toiletries. The Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) signed a memorandum of agreement with the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman for the project, “Benchscale Production, Safety Assessment and Market Research of Halal Cosmetics and Toiletries.” The engagement began on May 17 and will end on October 31, according to Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña in his weekly online program, DOST Report. Under the project, the DOST-ITDI Halal Cosmetics and Toiletries Research and Development (R&D) Team will provide 50 sets of halal-compliant products, such as moisturizing lipstick and lip balm, shampoo with hairgrowth promoting properties, whitening and moisturizing bath soap, and whitening herbal toothpaste.

The products were developed from the completed project, “Establishment of Halal-Compliant Standardized Process and Assurance System for Cosmetics and Toiletries,” a component of the DOST Halal S&T program. The project was funded by the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development. On the other hand, UP Diliman will conduct market research on the developed halal-compliant products. UP Diliman researchers will determine demand potential among consumers—market size, segmentation, potential positioning of Halal cosmetics, price sensitivity, placement points—and identify likely manufacturers, including cost-sensitivity and product competitiveness. De la Peña said the partnership aims to promote the DOST-ITDI-developed technologies and determine the consumers’ priority needs in terms of sensory attributes and specifications to improve the standardized formulated halal-compliant products.

An earlier news report in BusinessMirror said that demand for halal cosmetics is expected to soar in the following years. It cited verification, testing and certification company SGS which said that global demand for halal cosmetics is surging, and the market is expected to exceed $53.81 billion by 2025 from an estimated $16.32 billion in 2015. The Asia-Pacific region dominates the market, representing roughly three-fourths of the market’s overall revenue in 2015. The Middle East and Africa region follows with 17 percent of total revenue. While these markets are predicted to grow significantly in the next few years, all markets are expected to grow with online sales estimated to grow by 18.2 percent by 2022, SGS said. And while Muslims make up an estimated 23 percent of the world population, it is not only Muslims who buy halal cosmetics, but an increasing number of non-Muslims, as well. “With a growing interest in ecoethical conscious products affecting

markets all around the world, terms such as ‘vegan’ and ‘organic’ are increasingly adding a premium price to a product,” SGS said. “‘Halal’ is seen by many as a comparable term because it offers an assurance that the product is safe to consume and use and has been manufactured to high and specific quality standards.” Part of the attraction of halal cosmetics is the rigorous regulations for their production, many of which mirror non-Muslim regulations and consumer demand. In addition to the obligations under Sharia law, halal cosmetics must also refrain from using ingredients listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Halal products must not contain human parts, animals forbidden for Muslims to consume (e.g., pork and boar), animals not slaughtered according to Sharia law, Najiis or filth (e.g., fluids and objects discharged from human or animal bodies, such as urine, blood, vomit), harmful foods, and alcoholic drinks and intoxicants.

DOST-TAPI sets webinar on IP valuation

he Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI) will spearhead a knowledge-sharing webinar on the capabilities developed by the Department on intellectual property (IP) valuation. Titled, “The SPECIALIST: Strategic Insights on Emerging Methods on IP Valuation,” will be held on July 26. The webinar will open the "Weeklong Accomplishments and Culminating Activities of Special Projects" (WACAS) from July 26 to 30. It will

present the highlights of the completed special projects of DOST-TAPI. Topics on IP rights, freedom-tooperate, IP valuation, and valuation methods will be discussed by the esteemed DOST-TAPI resource speakers, including: Caezar Angelito R. Arceo, registered patent agent (chemical and nonchemical fields) and certified patent valuation analyst (CPVA); Atty. Marion D. Decena, certified public accountant, lawyer and CPVA; and Glenda Rima, IP expert and economist. Interested participants may preregister via https://bit.ly/2UuDPaY.

Registration to the webinar is free and open to the public. Participants will receive a certificate of attendance. To know more about IP valuation, interested parties may attend the WACAS from July 26 to 30 via the DOST-TAPI Facebook Page at www. facebook.com/DOST.TAPI. For more information, please visit www.techtrans.gov.ph and www.tapi. dost.gov.ph, contact 8837 2071 local 2157 and 2167, or email info@tapi.dost. gov.ph. Christine Marie Lim Magpile/S&T

Media Service

The banner of “The SPECIALIST: Strategic Insights on Emerging Methods on IP Valuation.” DOST-TAPI Facebook Page

Faith A6 Sunday, July 18, 2021

Sunday

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

Christian attitudes on abortion have a more nuanced history

pponents and supporters of legal abortion in the US will be watching when the Supreme Court hears Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization during its upcoming term.

In this lawsuit, a Mississippi women’s health center has challenged the constitutionality of a 2018 state law banning abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. In the Supreme Court’s hands, the case has the potential to affect provisions of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that legalized abortion in the US, and further limit women’s access to abortion in many states. Such challenges to abortion in the US are often fueled by the belief of many Christians that abortion and Christianity are incompatible. For example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an authoritative guide to the beliefs and practices of Roman Catholic Christians, states: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.” However, this statement tells only one part of the story. It is true that Christian leaders, virtually all male, have largely condemned abortion. Nonetheless, as a scholar of premodern Christianities, I am also aware of the messier realities that this statement conceals.

Celebrating women’s celibacy The earliest Christian writings— the letters of the Apostle Paul—discouraged marriage and reproduction. Later Christian texts supported these teachings. In a second-century text known as the Acts of Paul and Thekla, a Christian author in Asia Minor praised Thekla for rejecting her suitors and avoiding marriage in favor of spreading Christian teachings instead. In the third century, Thekla’s story inspired a Roman noblewoman called Eugenia. According to the Christian text titled the Acts and Martyrdom of Eugenia, Eugenia rejected marriage and led a male monastery for a time. A f ter ward, she d iscouraged A lexandrian women from hav ing

children, but this adv ice angered their husbands. These men conv inced the emperor Gallienus that Eugenia’s teachings about women’s reproduct ive c hoice end a ngered Rome’s militar y power by reducing the “supply” of future soldiers. Eugenia was executed in 258 A .D. Even as the Roman Empire became increasingly Christian, women still received praise for avoiding marriage. For example, the bishop Gregorios of Nyssa, an ancient city near Harmandalı, Turkey, wrote the beautiful text Life of Makrina to celebrate his beloved sister and teacher, who died in 379 A.D. In this text, Gregorios admires Makrina for wittily rejecting suitors by claiming that she owed faithfulness to her dead fiancé. To sum up, while early Christian texts did not exactly encourage women to explore sexual experiences, neither did they encourage marriage, reproduction and family life.

Choices beyond celibacy Premodern Christian women had options beside celibacy as well, although the state, the church and mediocre medicine limited their reproductive choices. In 211 A.D., the Roman emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla made abortion illegal. Tellingly, though, Roman laws surrounding abortion were centrally concerned with the father’s right to an heir, not with women or fetuses in their own right. Later Roman Christian legislators left that largely unchanged. Conversely, Christian bishops sometimes condemned the injustice of laws regulating sex and reproduction. For example, the bishop Gregorios of Nazianzos, who died in 390 A.D., accused legislators of self-serving hypocrisy for being lenient on men and tough on women. Similarly, the bishop of Constantinople, Ioannes Chrysostomos, who died

“Own guilty debt: A so-called and supposed Jungfraw [in Bernese Alps] bloodleader.” A warning against unwanted pregnancy and abortion; Nuremberg, 1650 Wikimedia Commons in 407 A.D., blamed men for putting women in difficult situations that led to abortions. Christian leaders often gathered at meetings called “synods” to discuss religious beliefs and practices. Two of the most important synods concerning abortion were held in Ankyra, currently Ankara, Turkey, in 314 A.D. and in Chalkedon, today’s Kadiköy, Turkey, in 451 A.D. Notably, these two synods drastically reduced the penalties for abortion relative to earlier centuries. But over time, these legal and religious opinions did not seem appreciably to affect women’s reproductive choices. Rather, pregnancy prevention and termination methods thrived in premodern Christian societies, especially in the medieval Roman Empire. For example, the historian Prokopios of Kaisareia claims that the Roman Empress Theodora nearly perfected contraception and abortion during her time as a sex worker, and yet this charge had no impact on Theodora’s canonization as a saint. Some evidence even indicates that premodern Christians actively developed reproductive options for women. For instance, Christian physicians, like Aetios of Amida in the sixth century and Paulos of Aigina in the seventh, provided detailed instructions for performing abortions and making contraceptives. Their texts deliberately changed and improved on the medical work of Soranos of Ephesos, who lived in the second century. Many manuscripts contain their work, which indicates these texts circulated openly. Further Christian texts about holy

figures suggest complex Christian perspectives on the acceptable termination of fetal development and even newborn lives. Consider a sixth-century text, the Egyptian Life of Dorotheos. In this account, the sister of Dorotheos, an Egyptian hermit from Thebes, becomes pregnant while possessed by a demon. But when Dorotheos successfully prays for his sister to miscarry, the text treats the unusual termination of the pregnancy as a miracle, not a moral outrage. Around 1,100 years later, a similar event happens in the Ethiopian Life of Walatta Petros. According to this text, Walatta Petros, a noblewoman later canonized as a saint, married a general and became pregnant three times. However, every time she conceived, she prayed for her fetus to die promptly if it would “not please God in life.” The narrator tells us that all three of her children died days after birth, since “God heard her prayer.” Certainly, Christians have a history of opposing methods for preventing and terminating pregnancies. But these premodern texts, spanning some 1,500 years, indicate that Christians also have a history of providing these services, and making them safer for women. This tense and inconclusive relationship to abortion may be poorly known or perhaps overlooked for political convenience. But that does not change the fact, as I see it, that Christians who support women’s reproductive rights are also following the historical precedent of their religious tradition. Luis Josué Salés, Scripps College/

The Conversation (CC)

Why was Pope Francis reported as resigning ‘in the next few hours?’

ATIC A N—Rumors started to fly around social media Monday claiming that Pope Francis was “likely” to resign from the papacy “in the next few hours.” The pope is currently hospitalized after undergoing a surgery July 4 to remove part of his colon, fueling reports that health reasons could have prompted Francis to take this step. In fact, there is no sign that Pope Francis intends to resign soon. And the confusing reports are probably explained by a mistranslation of Italian into English. The initial social media reports of a pend i ng papa l resig n at ion cited a July 12 post by the popular Italian Catholic news aggregator Il Sismografo. In the post, the website’s editors commented on a video showing Pope Francis being pushed in a wheelchair in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, July 11, as he greeted medical workers and patients. Some social media commentators quoted an out-of-context and poor English translation of the last sentence of the article. The final sentence of the post, which was published at 9:22 a.m. Rome time, said, “meanwhile, rumors are coming from Gemelli about the likely discharge of the Pope in the

Pope Francis leads the Angelus from a balcony of Gemelli Hospital in Rome on July 11, his first public appearance since undergoing colon surgery last week. VATICAN MEDIA next few hours.” The Italian sentence used the word “dimissione,” which in context meant “discharge” or “release” from hospital. The confusing part is that the same Italian word can also be translated to mean “resignation” in English. Online A.I. translators like Google Translate do not have context for translations and are likely to give the most frequently or commonly used meaning of a word. Thus translating “dimissione” as “resignation.” On July 5, the Vatican spokesman said that, barring unexpected complications, Pope Francis was expected to spend around seven days in hospital

following his surgery, which would make his release to return home on Monday, July 12, a plausible rumor. But shortly after noon Rome time, and a few hours after the Il Sismografo article was posted, Matteo Bruni said that the pope would be spending “a few more days” in hospital to continue his recovery. There are several signs that Pope Francis is probably not thinking about resigning, not only in the coming hours, but in the coming days and months. On Sunday, he was well enough to give his regular Angelus address from a balcony on the 10th floor of Gemelli

Hospital, and though he spoke for a little less time than usual, he was able to stand, smile, and wave at the people gathered below. Francis is also planning several trips in the coming months: first to Hungary and Slovakia in September and then Scotland in November. While it is unlikely a papal resignation is imminent, that does not mean it is not possible in the future. Pope Francis has before hinted at the possibility that he might resign, saying in 2015 that the Catholic Church should not have “leaders for life,” and noting in 2014 that Pope Benedict XVI’s 2013 resignation “cleared a path” for future papal resignations. In a homily during one of his morning Masses in 2018, he asked Catholics to pray for priests, bishops, and the pope, who he said, must learn to leave their posts when it becomes necessary. Francis noted that St. Paul, who was “compelled by the Holy Spirit” to leave Ephesus and journey to Jerusalem, “shows us the pathway for every bishop when it’s time to take his leave and step down.” “When I read this, I think about myself,” Pope Francis said, “because I am a bishop and I must take my leave and step down.” Hannah Brockhaus/Catholic

News Agency

Diocese opposes plan to reclaim Dumaguete

UMAGUETE CITY—A Catholic diocese is opposing a 174-hectare reclamation project because of the environmental impact it could have in the central Philippine city of Dumaguete. I n a n op e n let te r, t he d io cese r a i se d conce r n t h at t he P 23 - bi l l ion projec t cou ld h a r m t he c it y ’s re m a i n i ng m a r i ne e cos y ste m s. Sig ned by Bishop Ju lito Cor tes and other of f icia ls of the d iocese, a copy of the letter was sent to the project ’s developer E. M. Cuer po Inc. on Ju ly 12. W hile they are not against economic, social and political development, they said that such a massive project “must consider the scientific and environmental implications, not to mention its impacts on the cultural and moral life of the people in the local community.” T he rec l a m at ion projec t w i l l repor ted ly pave the way for the constr uction of a “Smar t Cit y.” The church leaders have earlier made the same appeal to Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo. On March 24, the diocese organized a forum “against reclamation” and consulted experts on the effects

of the project at the city’s historical boulevard. Cortes has also asked for the tolling of bells of St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral at 3 p.m., praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and Pope Francis’ “A Prayer for our Earth.” Other sectors, including the academe, are also against the proposed project. Among the first to publicly oppose the project were National Scientist Dr. Angel Alcala, Silliman University President Dr. Betty McCann and former SU president Dr. Ben Malayang III, who is also an environmentalist. In their position letter, they argued that the project will “destroy” and “bury” the few remaining marine ecosystems that support small-scale fishing in Dumaguete. The proposed smart city island will include a coastal wastewater treatment facility, shoreline slope, wave protection, esplanade, a marina, a modern ferry port, and an open area for sports facilities, a hospital, and a city administration hub. After numerous appeals from various sectors, the signing of the joint venture agreement between Remollo and the developer was postponed indefinitely. Ryan Sorote/CBCP News

The statue of St. Joseph enshrined in the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City, Cebu. COURTESY OF NSSJ

PHL’s oldest St. Joseph image to be granted episcopal coronation

ebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma has approved the episcopal coronation of the “oldest venerated image of St. Joseph in the Philippines.” The announcement was made on July 12 by the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City, where the 17th-century image is enshrined. The crowning, it said, is “a manifestation and thanksgiving for all the wonders that our Spiritual Father, the Patrocinio de San Jose de Mandaue, has interceded for us throughout the years”. T he event w i l l be held on Aug ust 8 at a Mass to be led by A rchbishop Palma and Auxiliar y Bishop

Midy phi l Bi l lones, who is a lso the nationa l shr ine’s rector. The episcopal coronation will be held as the Church marks the Year of St. Joseph and the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines. In the archdiocese, the occasion will also highlight this year’s 20th anniversary of the national shrine. T he Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Phi lippines elevated the church as a nationa l shr ine on Aug ust 6, 2001, the f irst in the Visayas reg ion. In May, the shrine also served as the center of celebration for the National Consecration to St. Joseph. Kendrick

Ivan B. Panganiban/CBCP News

Tokyo prelate to Olympic athletes: Don’t visit churches during Games

he Catholic archbishop of Tok yo h a s a sked v isit ing Olympic athletes and coaches to refrain from attending local Catholic churches to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi said on July 12 that the Tokyo archdiocese had made a “commitment that we will not be infected nor will we allow others to be infected.” As a part of this commitment, the archbishop has asked that all those coming to the Tokyo metropolitan area during the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games this summer “refrain from visiting churches.” “ T he Tok yo a rc hd io ce s e h ad originally been considering preparations so that each parish may be able to address the spiritual needs of the many people who would come to Japan for this international event,” Kikuchi said. “However, we have decided to cancel all plans and thus, will not take any special involvement in the Olympics and Paralympics.” The city of Tokyo has already enforced a state of emergency two weeks ahead of the Olympic Games, which are scheduled to begin on

July 23. Spectators have also been banned from the Olympic sporting events to curb the spread of Covid-19. Under the city’s fourth state of emergency since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Tokyo archdiocese is restricting the number of people who can be inside a church at one time while maintaining social distance and has asked Catholics to only attend their local parishes. “The parish will keep a record of those who participated in the Holy Mass in order to respond to the request of the public health department in the event of a confirmed case of Covid-19 infection,” according to the measures posted on the archdiocese’s web site. A dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Masses is still in place in the Tokyo archdiocese, which serves around 100,000 Catholics out of a total population of almost 20 million. As of July 13, the local government reports that there are 1,986 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which has a population of over 36 million people.

Courtney Mares/Catholic News Agency

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Stronger environment law enforcement needed to combat illegal wildlife trade

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

he fourth National Environment Law Enforcement (NELE) Summit kicked off on July 14 to discuss ways to strengthen the country’s environmental law enforcement.

Wit h t he t heme, “Sust a in ing inter-agency collaborations for intensified ELE toward a better environment amid pandemic,” the threeday event tackled the multifaceted problems faced by law enforcement agencies in implementing environmental laws and the extent of the so-called environmental crimes.

Revisiting policies

In a statement, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said that amid the current public health emergency, holding the NELE was an opportune time to revisit the environmental law enforcement components and make sure they are updated, timely and relevant. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) chief considered as a big challenge the apprehending of environmental law violators who take advantage of the immobility and lesser resources during the pandemic. According to Cimatu, the event was also especially significant due to a number of factors. First, he said most environment and natural resources laws are already 20 years old, if not older. Second, the agency is gearing up for the creation of an Enforcement Bureau at the DENR. He added the NELE action plan had expired in 2020, which calls for a new Action Plan and strengthening the collaborative effort of various law enforcement agencies to combat environmental crimes.

Illegal wildlife trade

Putting the spotlight on the illegal wildlife trade as one of the more serious challenges faced by environmental law enforcers, the DENR held a virtual meeting on July 7 to discuss the extent of illegal wildlife trade amid the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Estimated to be worth $10 billion

to $23 billion per year worldwide, the illegal wildlife trade is the fourthmost lucrative illegal business after narcotics, human trafficking and arms. In the Philippines, the value of illegal wildlife trade is estimated at P50 billion a year, which includes the market value of wildlife and its resources, their ecological role and value, damage to habitats incurred during poaching and loss in potential ecotourism revenues, according to the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB).

Wildlife crime hotspots

The Phi lippine Operations Group on Ivor y and Il lega l Wild life Trade and DENR-BMB had identified the i l lega l w i ld l i fe t rade hot spot s i n t he Ph i l ippi nes. Based on confiscation data and information between 2010 -2018, the main entry point of wildlife from Indonesia is Balut Island in Davao Occidental province. On the other hand, the primary transhipment points and confiscation sites of wild animals from Indonesia are General Santos City and Glan in Sarangani province; Lipata in Surigao del Norte; and Metro Manila. Tanza, Rosario and Bacoor municipalities in Cavite; Balayan and Calatagan in Batangas; Lucena Port, Quezon; San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; Matnog, Sorsogon; Allen Port, Samar; Medellin, Cebu; Liloan Port, Southern Leyte; Mati, Davao Oriental; and Dingalan, Aurora, were also identified as transhipment points of wildlife. On the other hand, the known major confiscation sites of wild fauna are Metro Manila, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Palawan, Cebu City, Surigao City, Cagayan de Oro, Pagadian City, Zamboanga City, Davao City and Bulacan.

A 2018 photo of dead pangolins and marine turtles seized by authorities in Palawan. DENR-SCIS Hawksbill turtles are being targeted by illegal wildlife traders for their meat, shell, oil and parts. DANNY OCAMPO Most of the illegally traded animals that were confiscated by authorities were captured from the wild in Palawan, Aurora, Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Mapun Island, Turtle Islands and Pampanga.

Epicenter of wildlife crime

DENR Undersecretar y Ed i lber to DC Leonardo said in his opening message that the Philippines is the epicenter of illegal wildlife trade, currently the fourth-most lucrative criminal activity in the world. In the last 10 years, he said, the value of confiscated wildlife reached P248 million, including live specimen, parts and derivatives, from 523 suspected environmental criminals arrested during joint operations of various law enforcement agencies. “However, what is concerning is that it is estimated that only 10 percent of illegal wildlife trade is detected,” Leonardo, also the concurrent DENR-BMB director, said. This means that the amount of wildlife specimen being trafficked in the country could be as high as P2.5 billion in the last decade. “This is not surprising as globally, rising demand for wildlife, their byproducts and derivatives, sold as pets, status items, curios and medicinal ingredients, has exploded the trade into a multibillion-dollar industry, estimated to be worth between $10 billion to $23 billion per year, making it the fourthmost lucrative global crime after drugs, arms and human trafficking,” he said.

Strengthening Wildlife Act

In his welcome remarks, Undersecretary

Benny D. Antiporda, for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns, said the DENR is pinning its hope in amending Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Protection and Conservation Act of 2001. “One of the important amendatory provisions in strengthening the 2001 Wildlife Act is the enhancement of the roles of national government agencies and local government units. Once it becomes a law, the LGUs will become close partners of various NGAs in preventing illegal wildlife trade,” he said in Filipino. Currently, a substitute House Bill, titled “An Act Providing for the Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources and their Habitats, and Appropriating Funds, Therefore, Repealing for this Purpose Republic Act No. 9147,” or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, sponsored by Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato and 15 others passed the House Committee on Appropriations on May 26. On the other hand, Senate Bills 2078 and 2079, authored by Senators Cynthia Villar and Juan Miguel Zubiri, respectively, were recently tackled in a public hearing presided by the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, with the Committee on Finance and Committee on Sustainable Development Goa ls, Innovations and Futures Thinking.

Increased criminal activities DENR Undersecretar y for Enf o rc e m e nt B e n it o d e L e o n a d m it ted t h at i l lega l w i ld l i fe t rade i n t he Ph i l ippi nes is a g row i ng

ACB welcomes draft of post-2020 global biodiversity framework

he Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has welcomed the release of the first draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), its news release said. ACB said the upcoming negotiations to finalize the framework at the global level are opportunities for the Asean region to make its collective voice heard. “The CBD released the first official draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework after several months of negotiations, in which Asean member states (AMS) as parties have actively participated,” ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said at the Asean Seminar on Multilateralism held online on July 13. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, the current chairman of the 10-member regional bloc, hosted the virtual seminar. Lim said the draft—which considered more than 2,000 comments

The façade of the ACB headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. ACB photo from the science community, policy leaders, indigenous peoples and civil society—is a product of robust multilateralism across the world. She said the framework is crucial to the Asean and the world as it w ill ser ve as the blueprint to bring about a transformation in society’s relationship w ith biodiversity and

ensure that by 2050 the shared v ision of liv ing in harmony w ith nature is achieved. “There will be tough and drawn-out discussions leading up to the framework’s finalization and adoption at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, later this year or next year,” Lim said.

She added, “These are opportunities for the region to harness multilateralism and let its collective voice be heard to influence the outcome of the framework in a manner that promotes the common interests of the region.” The AMS actively participated in several meetings and discussions as part of the preparation of the first draft, including the recent Third Asean Conference on Biodiversity held virtually, where officials and representatives of the AMS shared their perspectives on the framework. Some AMS expressed hope for an ambitious but realistic framework that can be translated into concrete actions, especially in facing difficult challenges from the pandemic recovery, highlighting the importance of integrating biodiversity into key development sectors and naturebased solutions as part of strategic planning processes. The draft framework, which builds on the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, comprises 21 targets and 10 milestones proposed for 2030.

problem t hat is ta k ing new for ms. “From the start of the pandemic, we also noted an increase in illegal wildlife trade activities online. Covid-19 and the lockdown did not deter criminal activities. In fact, the Internet gave unprecedented access to new markets,” he said. According to de Leon, the wildlife law enforcement community also noted increasing incidents of apprehensions of illegally-caught wildlife in large quantities with international connection. “Globally, illegal wildlife trade is one of the biggest driving forces of species extinction, second only to habitat loss. In the Philippines, illegal wildlife trade is integrated in overexploitation, which is one of four other drivers of biodiversity loss,” he said. The other drivers of biodiversity loss are climate change, pollution and invasive alien species, he said.

Modernizing legal framework De Leon said the country’s biodiversity is likewise in danger due to international criminal activities, citing as urgent the need to modernize and upgrade the country’s legal framework in order for authorities to more effectively respond to this growing problem. T his can be done, he said, t hrough t he proposed measures under Senate Bills 2078 and 2079 and a similar measure that is currently being finalized at the House of Representatives. “We need to address the growing scale and sophistication of wildlife crimes and develop a more stringent legal framework to improve enforcement mechanisms and strengthen inter-agency cooperation against

illegal wildlife trade,” he said. According to de Leon, once enacted into law, the strengthened Wildlife Act will vest authority in the DENR, Department of Agriculture, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development and Bangsamoro government to create permanent positions for Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers, or to designate their existing permanent employees as Enforcement Officers.

Stiffer penalty, bigger fines Theresa M. Tenazas, officer in charge of the Wildlife Resource Division of the DENR-BMB, said the Wildlife Act needs to be amended to effectively address wildlife trafficking or cross-border illegal wildlife trade, including imposing higher or stiffer penalties and fines. Under the current law, the penalty for killing wildlife is jail term of six months to six years and P100,000 to P1 million in fine, she said. According to Tenazas, who is a lawyer, this is a slap on the wrist of offenders of wildlife crime. With a guilty plea, wildlife crime offenders may even get away by paying the fine for their crimes. Under the proposed measure, Tenazas said offenders may end up serving a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to P3 million. The proposed amendment also d e f i n e s “ w i l d l i f e t r a f f i c k i n g ,” “w ild life launder ing” and “organized syndicated crime” as distinct and separate offenses. “Sophisticated crimes need a sophisticated and robust response. Strengthening the Wildlife Act is a necessary step to protect and conserve the country’s wildlife resources and their habitats,” Leonardo said.

PHL team wins in tech-design hackathon to save the seas

eam Salom from Agusan del Norte won this year’s Haquathon 2.0, a regional hackathon for tech-based solutions aimed at saving the seas. Save Philippine Seas (SPS) and the US Embassy in the Philippines said in a news release that Team Salom bested other teams of innovators from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The participants designed technological responses to marine environmental challenges, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; sustainable consumption and production; climate change; and citizen engagement. H aq u at hon 2 .0 w i n ne r s a nd r u n ners -up (f ive tea ms) received seed f u nd i ng g ra nts of up to P10 0,0 0 0 ($2,0 0 0) to i mplement t hei r solut ions. Between March and June this year, 15 teams joined the workshop series, and spoke with experts from the Asean region on innovative approaches to sustainable development. They also discussed regional cooperation on environmental protection.

“The issues of our ocean are complex, and we can’t solve them without innovation and technology. All the groups that participated in Haquathon 2.0 show us that crisis inspires creativity and ingenuity,” said SPS Executive Director Anna Oposa. Team Salom member Alexis Sebote said, “With the support of SPS and the US Embassy, we will realize our vision to build a generation of responsible citizens who have the heart for marine life.” The US Embassy in the Philippines is committed to supporting environmental sustainability in the Asean region. “As we mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and the Philippines this year, we are also looking ahead to the next 75 years of the relationship and collaborating with partners like SPS to develop a sustainable, healthy environment,” US Embassy Public Engagement Officer Pauline Anderson said. Haquathon 2.0 teams will reconvene in 2022 with updates on their projects.

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, July 18, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Osaka’s docuseries takes intimate look at tennis sensation

OS ANGELES—Those looking for definitive answers about Naomi Osaka and how she copes with the demands of her career and fame shouldn’t expect to find them in a new Netflix docuseries about the four-time Grand Slam champion. It’s the tennis star’s unresolved questions that are the heart of “Naomi Osaka,” director-producer Garrett Bradley said of the series that was taped over a two-year period starting with the 2019 US Open. Production concluded in early 2021 before Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open. The three-part series debuting Friday is a contemplative, intimate look at a young athlete finding her way. Film of major tournaments, wins and losses, is interwoven with scenes of Osaka’s time with family and her boyfriend, the rapper Cordae; her training and business demands; Osaka’s reflections on her career, multiracial identity and the death of mentor Kobe Bryant, and her decision to protest police killings of Black men and women. “It was really important for me to not go into the project with an agenda or really even with an opinion,” Bradley, a 2021 Oscar nominee for the documentary “Time,” said. “I really tried to open myself up to her world and where she was at, and tried to understand the sort of essence of who she was.” As filming progressed, she said, it became clear that the series’ foundation would be the conundrums faced not only by Osaka but society at large. Those inquiries are “connected to value systems and self-definition, and how one can create a more holistic understanding of themselves in any given environment that they find themselves in,” said Bradley, whose fellow producers include LeBron James, under the umbrella of his SpringHill production company. Osaka, 23, who was not made available for an interview, withdrew from the French Open last May, citing “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking to the media and revealing that she has suffered long bouts of depression. She also skipped the just-ended Wimbledon, with her agent saying she wanted personal time, but is expected to compete in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics for her native Japan. Osaka was just a few years old when she, her sister and their Japanese mother and Haitian father moved to the United States. In a Time magazine essay published July 8, Osaka wrote that, “Believe it or not, I am naturally introverted and do not court the spotlight. I always try to push myself to speak up for what I believe to be right, but that often comes at a cost of great anxiety.” “I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s OK to not be OK, and it’s OK to talk about it. There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel,” she said, thanking Michelle Obama, Michael Phelps and other public figures for offering support. The Netflix docuseries includes footage of Osaka and her sister, Mari, on the court as youngsters, with the tennis star recalling spending at least eight hours a day at practice, adding, “I was just tired.” Mari Osaka, 25, also played professional tennis but said in a social-media post in March that she was retiring from the sport because it was “a journey which I didn’t enjoy ultimately.” The docuseries sketches a portrait of Naomi Osaka as thoughtful and driven to succeed but struggling to cope with her sport’s demands and her future. At one moment of selfreflection she says, “So what am I, if not a good tennis player?” Filmmaker Bradley cautions that the series should not be seen as definitive, but rather a snapshot of a brief period in a life that continues to “evolve and grow.” AP

THE US’s Michael Phelps celebrates his gold medal in the men’s 200-meter butterfly with his mother Debbie, fiance Nicole Johnson and baby Boomer at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016. AP

ICHAEL PHELPS reached for his mother’s hand through a chainlink fence near the pool. The 19-yearold swimmer had just won his first Olympic medal—gold, of course—at the 2004 Athens Games, and he wanted to share it with the woman who raised him on her own. That kind of moment between loved ones won’t be happening at the pandemicdelayed Tokyo Olympics. No spectators—local or foreign—will be allowed at the vast majority of venues, where athletes will hang medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. No handshakes or hugs on the podium, either. “I like to feed off of the crowd,” defending all-around champion gymnast Simone Biles said, “so I’m a little bit worried about how I’ll do under those circumstances.” Catching sight of familiar faces during competition can bolster an athlete on a big stage. It helped Matthew Centrowitz at the US track trials, where fans were allowed. “Seeing my family in the crowd and hearing them gave me a little sense of comfort, and what I needed to hear and see to calm my nerves a little bit,” said Centrowitz, the defending Olympic 1,500-meter champion. The youngest athlete on the US team in Tokyo calls it “weird” that her family won’t be in the stands. “They’re usually at all my meets,” said Katie Grimes, a 15-year-old swimmer from Las Vegas. Katie Hoff was the same age as Grimes when she was the youngest member of the US team in Athens. Nerves got to her in her first event, and Hoff hyperventilated and vomited on the pool deck. “I hope us older swimmers can show them the ropes a little bit and create that family environment,” three-time Olympian Katie Ledecky said. “We will make sure we stay in touch with our families and keep them connected to

THE three-part series debuting Friday is a contemplative, intimate look at Naomi Osaka finding her way. AP

ATHLETES ON THEIR OWN IN OLYMPICS what we’re doing.” The decision to prohibit fans was made for health and safety concerns. The Games will be held during a state of emergency in Tokyo, with rising coronavirus infections in a country where 16.8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Variant strains of the coronavirus are emerging around the world, too. Those reaction shots of excited, shocked or crying family members in the stands? Forget it. Singing, chanting and cheering among flagwaving fans at the venues? TV producers will have to look elsewhere. Phelps’s son, Boomer, who was 3 months old at the time, became an adorable sight at the Olympic pool in 2016. No kids allowed this time. The people who raised them, comforted them, financed them, and encouraged them through injury and defeat will have to be content to keep up with their athletes through calls, texts and video chats, when they’re not watching the competition on various devices. “She said, ‘On TV, I can see it better anyway,’” Dutch swimmer Kira Toussaint said of her mother, Jolanda de Rover, a gold medalist swimmer at the 1984 Olympics. Building support and camaraderie among athletes who usually compete individually has taken

on new importance for coaches during the pandemic. They’re turning to veterans to inform and reassure younger firsttimers. “We’re going to have to rely on each other a lot more than we would have to if our loved ones were able to come to Tokyo to watch,” said Lindsay Mintenko, national team director for the American swimmers. “The bond might be stronger because we don’t have that outlet.” American high jumper Vashti Cunningham will have her coach, Randall Cunningham, who is also her father, on hand. But she’ll be missing the rest of the family. “It just feels good to go and eat with them, for them to be at the Bible studies with me, just everything, going to the stores,” she said. “But it doesn’t really matter to me if there are fans or not. I’m just really excited to go out there and jump. I do wish that our families could come and watch, though.” American discus thrower Mason Finley is prepared to hunker down at the athletes village with his Nintendo Switch for endless gaming while his pregnant wife and two dogs wait at home. “I’m just going to kind of nest in there and stay entertained,” he said. Some athletes’ families will host watch parties back home. Biles’s mother, Nellie, won’t attend. “I will be home watching

Israeli club calls off match with Barcelona over Jerusalem

gymnastics by myself,” she said. “I just get too nervous.” The family of swimmer Chad le Clos is flying to the United States to watch on TV because the competition will air at 3 a.m. in their native South Africa. “It must be terrible to watch me at 3 in the morning,” Le Clos said. “Then what do you do afterwards?” Caeleb Dressel, the world’s dominant male swimmer, barely gets to see, let alone spend time with his wife and family at major meets. “It’s not something I’m dependent on,” he said. “I know they will be back home and you can feel that energy, and I can text or FaceTime whenever I need to.” Nellie Biles and her husband run a gymnastics training center in Spring, Texas, so she knows about Covid-19 protocols and restrictions. Still, she thinks having spectators in the 12,000-seat venue in Tokyo would have worked. “We could social distance and not see each other. That’s how huge their complex is, their venues are,” she said. “It’s hard for me to understand that they cannot make accommodations. Of course, that’s just me being selfish. This will be one gymnastics event that I will never forget because I will not be present.” AP

ERUSALEM—The owner of Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem soccer club said Thursday that he called off a friendly match with international powerhouse Barcelona over its refusal to hold the event in contested Jerusalem. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war, annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, and considers the entire city its capital. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the city’s status is one of the thorniest issues in the decades-long conflict. Beitar Jerusalem owner Moshe Hogeg said he was forced to cancel the planned August 4 match “with great sadness” because he refused to give in to what he said was a “political” demand. “After I received the contract to sign and discovered the unequivocal demand that the game not take place in the capital city, Jerusalem, and several other demands that I didn’t like, I slept with a heavy heart, thought a lot and decided that above all else I am a proud Jew and Israeli,” Hogeg wrote on Facebook. “I cannot betray Jerusalem.” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion expressed support for the decision, saying teams that intend to “boycott” Jerusalem should be barred from Israel altogether. “Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel and the decision to boycott it is not a professional, sporting or educational decision,” he said in a statement. Barcelona said it never officially announced the match would take place. Beitar Jerusalem is the only major Israeli soccer club to have never signed an Arab player, and its hard-core fans have a history of racist chants. During the team’s 2013 season, a move to bring in two Muslim players from Chechnya badly misfired. Beitar’s fan group known as La Familia led a boycott that famously left the stadium empty during a home match, and several fans were charged with torching the team’s offices while the club was nearly relegated to the second division as its season fell apart. Hogeg, who purchased the team in 2018, has vowed to combat racism and sideline the club’s antiArab fans. Earlier this month the Palestinian Football Association sent a letter of protest to Barcelona over the planned game in Jerusalem. Sami Abou Shehadeh, a Balad party lawmaker in the Israeli parliament, had also petitioned Barcelona to cancel the game, saying Beitar “represents the most extremist, racist and fascist segments of Israeli society.” Palestinian soccer clubs had also written to Barcelona urging it not to play in Jerusalem. Argentina canceled a World Cup warmup match with Israel in 2018 following pro-Palestinian protests. Some Israeli officials accused Lionel Messi and his teammates of caving to terrorism. The international soccer federation later imposed a year-long ban on Jibril Rajoub, the head of Palestinian soccer, for allegedly inciting fans against Argentina. Rajoub called the ban biased and “absurd.” Fifa said Rajoub had “incited hatred and violence” by calling on soccer fans to target the Argentinian Football Association and burn jerseys and pictures of Lionel Messi. Argentina Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said at the time players felt “totally attacked, violated” after images emerged of the team’s white and sky-blue striped jerseys stained with red paint resembling blood. AP

BEITAR Jerusalem owner Moshe Hogeg says he is forced to cancel the planned August 4 match “with great sadness” because he refused to give in to what he said was a “political” demand. AP

BusinessMirror

July 18, 2021

How do you start your own company?

BusinessMirror JULY 18, 2021 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

YOUR MUSI

THE BAND WE KNOW

The Itchyworms kick off their 25th year with animated short film

THE Itchyworms (Photos by Bernard Testa/BM)

Publisher

: T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Editor-In-Chief

: Lourdes M. Fernandez

Concept

: Aldwin M. Tolosa

Y2Z Editor

: Jt Nisay

SoundStrip Editor

: Edwin P. Sallan

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

Columnists

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

Photographers

: Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

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

The Philippine Business Mirror Publishing, Inc., with offices on the 3rd Floor of Dominga Building III 2113 Chino Roces Avenue corner Dela Rosa Street, Makati City, Philippines. Tel. Nos. (Editorial) 817-9467; 813-0725. Fax line: 813-7025 Advertising Sales: 893-2019; 817-1351,817-2807. Circulation: 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. www.businessmirror.com.ph

By Stephanie Joy Ching

S part of their 25th anniversary celebrations, pop-rock band The Itchyworms released the music video for “The Life I Know” from their fifth studio album, “Waiting for the End to Start.” Helmed by award winning filmmaker and close friend of the band, Marie Jamora and her husband Jason McLagan of Indie Pop Films and animated by Apartment D, the music video is a stunning short stop motion film that shows a uniquely Filipino perspective on childhood. According to Jamora, the project happened when she was contacted by the band to create a music video for them. “Knowing the Itchyworms since college, and having a band with Jazz and Kelvin in the past, I’m very close with them. So when the album came out last year, Jazz private messaged me. He said: “Would you be interested in making a video for us?” and I said sure. I’m very lucky to say this, but Jazz said, ‘You could choose the song you want.’” she said. In an instant, Jamora knew she wanted to use “The Life I Know” due to its “infinite ideas.” ‘It was my absolute favorite song on the album,” she explained, “Something about it really haunted me. I just knew that song was special,” With the song chosen, it

was time for her to choose the concept. Eventually, she settled on exploring the themes of childhood and the safest spaces for a child, which was heavily informed by her own experience as a mother of a two year old girl. “Being a new mother myself and remembering the experience of having a baby in my own womb, I always wondered what was going on inside, whether there was a different universe that my baby lived in. This all inspired and informed me for our video. I don’t think I would have ever thought of this concept if I didn’t go through this experience.” The short film follows Awit, a toddler who has to grapple with the fact that she is about to get a sibling who she views as a threat to her safespace. With its lush texture inspired by T’boli weavings, the

film is able to create a beautifully Filipino portrayal of how a child thinks and feels in a way that only stop motion could do. “We ended up doing stop motion since we focused on feelings of childhood and introspection and a lot of interior thoughts and feelings. Stop motion really works well since it’s so textural, and like when you’re a kid you’re touching everything. So it really does evoke childhood,” explained Director of animation Cami Kwan. “It’s a privilege to be able to tell stories that don’t often get told. And a little Filipino girl, it’s just her story and her experience and her feelings and it’s so beautiful and valuable to be bringing that into the world, now and forever,” she added. “The Life I Know” short film and other Itchyworms’ 25th anniversary media is now on YouTube and is also now available for streaming on WeTV in partnership with Sony Music Philippines. The 25th anniversary story of the Itchyworms continues on WeTV in August with the release of the special feature on their new album, aptly called Sala Set: Waiting For The End To Start, followed by a documentary on the band’s journey – all of which will be premiering on WeTV. Rounding out this musical celebration will be the release of the band’s anniversary single Eto Na, followed by the music video of the album’s title track Waiting For The End To Start. Coming soon will be an Itchyworms mockumentary, and their podcast Worms Upon A Time.

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | JULY 18, 2021

BUSINESS

SoundSampler by Tony M. Maghirang

THE LADIES CAST THEIR SPELL A

REESE LANSANGAN Time Well Spent

NDIE folkie is a tag that has stuck with Reese Lansangan ever since her big break-out in the local indie music scene. There’s a particular audience to her kind of indie individuality who may not be thrilled, however, with the new direction Reese has taken with her latest recording. Her new album titled “Time Well Spent” sees Reese unlocking a “changing me” which, at the very start, she can’t put a name to. Succeeding tracks like the gorgeously executed “Orbiting” and the equally exquisite “Slow Mornings” pin it down to the personal insecurities about starting and sustaining a relationship. Further along the album, the singer-songwriter brings up new lyrical perspectives to the usual thematic arc of falling in love. It’s a way of transcending the apparent sameness of Reese’s heart concerns threaded sweetly by her velvety vocals. That said, the hour spent with the album breezes by in contented bliss.

ANA ROXANNE Because of a Flower

MBIENT musician Ana Roxanne grew up in a vibrant Filipino community in California. Her second album for experimental label Kranky interlaces her Catholic upbringing, her love for choral music and her jazz training. Then there’s her coming out as an intersex person. The title “Because of A Flower” gives the initial impression of a love ballad collection and by the second track “A Study in Vastness,” the album unveils its overarching agenda — a convergence of classical, jazz, new age and postpunk principally shoegaze. Then there’s an abundance of massed choral voices that sends most tracks on a celestial spiral. A quirky bass run pops up every now and then, a heavy beat stalks the organ-fueled “Camille and watery sloshes foreground “Venus,” Ana Roxanne intelligently mixes the subtlety of human voices with the boldness of electronics in a brilliant new release.

H.E.R. Back of My Mind

KA Gabriela Sarmiento Wilson, rising R n B sensation H.E,R, was born in California to a Filipna mother and an African American father. This year, she bagged the Grammy Award for Song of the Year with “I Can’t Breathe” and Academy Award for Best Original Song. H.E.R. further underscored her emerging superstar status with the release of her solo debut titled “Back of My Mind.” On the whole, her new album updates the musicality of Alicia Keys by way of Ne-Yo, trafficking in poignancy over love, life, conflict and destiny.

Opener “We Made It’ hits the right spots in a kind of downtempo urban contemporary. The following titular track ups the heat a notch though it appears to draw inspiration from the first track. The third cut also feels a slighter version of the previous ones, and on down the line making the 21-track “Back of My Mind” a case of diminishing returns. A major pruning would have showcased an eclectic talent.

N their third and finest album by far, the 2017 Mercury prize winning foursome named Wolf Alice clinches the promise of their awesome debut. They did it not by sticking to a tried-and-trued formula but by willfully showing off their strengths in various genres. “Lipstick On the Glass” is a pumped-up prog-rock ballad. “Long Way from Home” suggests trippy dream pop while “Play The Greatest Hits” should get you slam dancing by your lonesome. Abba meeting The Beach Boys is writ large all over “Safe From Heartbreak.” Don’t take my colorful blah for it. Listen to “Blue Weekend” and treat yourself to a super Sunday.

LIZ PHAIR Soberish

HE first surprise here is that Liz Phair is still making music and the second surprise comes from the fact that the ‘90s alt-rock icon now laces her lyrical swagger in polished pop-rock. Take “Bad Kitty” off her new album, for instance. Over a simple acoustic treatment, Liz sings, “My pussy is a big dumb cat / It lies around lazy and fat / But when it gets a taste for a man / It goes out hunting for him anyway it can.” She reprises pairing sharp lines with catchy melodies in “Hey Lou,” a tribute to Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, and in “Spanish Doors,” where the flood of memories is buoyed by sharp hooks. You could say Liz Phair still packs great guns in her cougar phase.

WOLF ALICE Blue Weekend

GARBAGE No Gods, No Masters

ARBAGE fronted by wily tarttongued Shirley Manson finds rejuvenation in today’s pandemic-infected world. On their first album in a decade, the band revives industrial rock in all its permutations to spew lyrical fire on humanity’s foremost issues such as gender inequality, corporate rapacity, mass exploitation and false gods. Standout tracks include the robo-funk agitation of “The Men Who Ruled The World,” the early Cure-quoting Goth punk of “Wolves,” the “Milk”-milking slow burn of “Waiting for God” and the bass-driven industrial disco of “Godhead.” It’s easy to say Garbage is regurgitating music from their youth to open old wounds. Let’s rather say they’re revisiting the past to allow us to reimagine a bolder future for the music and a better fate for humankind.

How do you start your own company? 4

By Darryl Scriven Clarkson University

& Robyn Hannigan Clarkson University

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@ theconversation.com. How do you start your own company?— Noah H., Conway, South Carolina

ave you ever heard the expression “No guts, no glory”? Making your own business starts with guts. If you’re someone who likes to take risks and has great ideas, starting your own company could be for you. Between the two of us, we’ve started mobile gaming companies, owned franchises and created biotechnology companies from patented inventions. Even though the companies we started are very different, both of us are what are called entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are those who start a company, identify needs and bring together the people, materials and money required

Setup. Next, you’ll set up your company. There are many resources available to help you do this. The first thing you will do as a start-up is become a legal entity, or a business on paper. This step may require an attorney, because there are many structures your business could take, and you will need to choose the right one. Then off to the bank to set up an account so you can start receiving money and paying your bills. Market. Lastly, you will need to market your product. Whether you find your own customers or hire someone to do it, you’ll need to let people know that you have a product or service that is worth paying for. You can have the best company in the world that makes the best products, but your potential customers have to know about it in order for you to be successful. With all of this information in mind, you’ll write a business plan that provides the details of your product or service as well as your plan for funding and growth. The plan answers all of the questions of who, what, where, why and how. The more detailed this information is, the more likely someone will want to invest in your ideas and help grow your company. Before we dreamed of being entrepreneurs or starting companies, we were kids who were curious, asked lots of questions and wanted to make the world a better place. Starting a company is a great way to do that. The company you start may literally change the world. So don’t delay; the world is waiting for you. The Conversation

to meet that need. Everything you buy is to meet a need you have, and somewhere, some entrepreneur started a company to meet your needs. Whether you’re going solo or have a team, you can be an entrepreneur and start your own company. Here are five basic steps to starting your own business: Need. The first step is identifying the want or need you intend to meet. What do you hear people saying that they love? What do they complain about? What do you always say would make life easier? Once you figure out what people are yearning for and who exactly your target customers are through some market research, then you’re ready for the next step in starting your company.

Idea. The second step in starting a company is coming up with an idea that meets the want or need you identified. Is it an invention that takes out the garbage? Is it a better hamburger? A great idea that meets a want or a need can be complex, like a smartphone, or it can be simple, like bottled water. Product. The third step is figuring out how you will provide the product or service. Will you create and sell a new kind of hamburger, or will you offer an existing kind of hamburger where it isn’t currently available? If you plan to create and sell something all on your own, you will found a startup. If you plan to offer something that already exists in a new area, you would buy into a franchise.

‘It started with a fried chicken recipe’

Former tricycle driver named youth micro-entrepreneur champion By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez

oymar Olarte, 29, gets up early in the morning to buy bulks of chicken in his hometown of Urdaneta, Pangasinan. He then sorts out the parts and marinates them in a special mixture of buttermilk and spices. By noon, he’s ready to sell his products in six of his J & J Tasty Fried Chicken stores. Four years ago, Olarte was a tricycle driver and merchandiser with a start-up capital of just P2,300. Now, he sells as much as 320 kilograms of fried chicken a day. More recently, he was also chosen as one of the ten honorees at the 18th Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA). Funded by the Citi Foundation, the CMA program was launched in 2002 and has since provided incentives to entrepreneurs to improve and expand their businesses. The awards is organized annually by Citi Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines Inc.

J&J Tasty Fried Chicken business started in 2017 after Olarte’s friend, Inggo Baya, closed his fried chicken business because of the bird flu outbreak and shared his recipe with him. “Noong time po na iyon, binigay niya po sa sa akin yung recipe bago siya umuwi ng Isabela. May inabot lang po siya na dalawang pahina ng papel kung paano iluto ‘yung manok,” Olarte told Y2Z. He and Baya have since lost contact, but Olarte, heeding his wife’s advice, bought 20 kilograms of fresh chicken from his earnings and started selling fried chicken in front of their house. “Noong natapos ang bird flu, sabi po ng asawa ko, subukan namin,” Olarte said. “Noong first day namin ng pagtitinda, naubos po ‘yung manok ng bandang alas-singko ng hapon. Expected po namin na hindi siya mabebenta, kaya ang ginawa po namin sa napagbentahan namin, ibinili namin ulit ng manok at ibinenta namin kinabukasan. Hanggang sa nagtuluy-tuloy na.” In 2019, he decided to quit his job and

4 BusinessMirror

Joymar Olarte, the 29-year-old founder of J & J Tasty Fried Chicken

focus on his growing business. The following year, he took a loan from Tulay Sa Pag-unlad Inc. (TSPI) and used the money to open a sixth branch and buy vehicles they could use for the business. However, things took a turn when the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to close shop. “May mga buwan po na hindi namin nababayaran yung pera na hiniram namin pandagdag puhunan. ‘Yun po yung mga buwan na walang wala kami talaga,” says Olarte. Luckily, they were able to bounce back as the local economy began to open up. High demand for food delivery tripled Olarte’s sales, which prompted him to set up tricycle food

July 18, 2021

carts around their community, go into marinated chicken delivery in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija, and take in resellers. Olarte also plans to venture into the buyand-sell business for eggs and aims to have five more fried chicken outlets. During the CMA virtual awarding, where he was named Youth Microentrepreneur of the Year, Olarte confessed that he couldn’t believe that he was considered for nomination, much less win the award. “Hindi ko po sukat akalain na mananalo kami,” Olarte said. “Kung babalikan ko po yung nakaraan, kung ikukumpara ko po sa buhay ko ngayon, malaking-malaki po yung pagkakaiba po. Kaya po nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord kasi yung lahat ng hinihiling ko sa kanya, binibigay po niya sa akin.” He also has a message to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Minsan po, nadadapa po ako. Marami pong dumadating na pagsubok, pero ‘yun ‘yung nagpatibay po sa akin para ituloy ko yung ginagawa ko. Kaya kung nadapa man, kailangan bumangon.”