BusinessMirror March 24, 2024

Barrivals.

For the entire region, the report said a total of 38,137 tourists are projected to arrive this Holy Week, with 37,288 local and 850 foreign tourists. Not surprising:

the entire region of Caraga is home to several tourist destinations located in the different provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Island.

For March a total of 42,505 tourists are expected to arrive,

while the tourism office projects more as the summer months start to pick up more vacation travelers.

“For

SUGBA LAGOON. Boats carrying tourists cruise across the turquoise waters of Sugba Lagoon, a cove situated in the island barangay of Caub in the town of Del Carmen, Siargao, Surigao del Norte. Sugba Lagoon is the only tourist destination in Siargao that closes for a month every year to take a break from tourism and let the area heal from the interference of visitors. ERWIN M. MASCARIÑAS

WORLD-CLASS BEACH. Tourists enjoy the clear white sand beach and crystal clear blue waters of Kawhagan Island, in Del Carmen town, Siargao Island. ERWIN M. MASCARIÑAS

SIARGAO’S NAKED ISLAND. Tourist boats gather across the beach of Naked Island, one of the three popular island-hopping destinations in General Luna, Siargao Island. ERWIN M. MASCARIÑAS

PARADISE BRACES FOR ‘INVASION’

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and April; from that number we expect 100,894 will be local tourists while 5,485 from foreign visitors. This is a huge jump from what we had in 2023, which was 88,649 for both March and April,” said Dumadag.

Dumadag pointed out that DOT Caraga has recorded an increase in the local tourists’ arrival on Siargao Island in 2023 compared to the previous year with a 323.56-percent increase in growth for its tourist arrivals compared to its previous year, a jump from 125,088 tourists in 2022 to 529,822 tourist arrivals in 2023.

“While the popularity of Siargao has risen over the past few years, a huge factor for the increase is the better accessibility of the island from the rest of the regions and provinces in Mindanao. We now have more flights of between 12 and 14 to Sayak Airport in Del Carmen depending on the day of the week, coming from Manila, Cebu, Clark and Davao. We also now have no less than nine boat trips in a day from Surigao City to Dapa and Del Carmen port and from Claver to Socorro, which is also a part of Siargao,” said Dumadag.

Dumadag revealed that they have coordinated with several government agencies for preparations for the expected arrival of people at the bus terminals and ports throughout the region.

“We had a meeting with the city and provincial tourism officers last March 15 to discuss local preparations. We also coordinated with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to better plan our actions with our local sea and airport authorities to enhance airport security measures to manage the influx of tourists and refine tourist screening process to organize queues and streamline sea and airport procedures, thereby preventing extensive waiting lines,” she added.

Dumadag pointed out that the DOT regional satellite office in General Luna is monitoring the booking of tourist arrivals from the 149 accredited accommodation establishments. Hundreds of tourists will likely stay at other homestay establishments as the date draws closer.

Tourist boats for island hopping to the top three destinations

in General Luna have also been augmented to accommodate the number of tourists visiting the beaches on popular island destinations like Daku, Naked and Guyam.

Other towns in Siargao, such as Pilar, Del Carmen, San Benito, Burgos and Bukas Grande in Socorro are also making preparations as tourists are expected to have them on their itinerary.

Sustainable ecotourism

WHILE the majority of the tourist establishments are located in the town of General Luna, which hosts the famous Cloud 9 surfing spot, the local government in the town of Del Carmen hopes to strictly implement their environmental safeguards even if it will have to limit the number of tourists in the town.

“For this Holy Week celebration, we are expecting as many as 1,500 visitors starting on Monday towards Maundy Thursday, but we estimate it will peak on Good Friday and Black Saturday with around 2,000 to 3,000 tourists visiting, yet even if we will have a much larger revenue from the tourist boat rentals going to our tourism sites, we will still implement strict environmental compliance,” said Leilani Lipio, municipal tourism officer of Del Carmen.

Del Carmen is considered Caraga Region’s top ecotourism destination, with its 4,871 hectares of mangrove forest described as the largest continuous mangrove stand in the Philippines. The town’s drive is to promote environmental conservation consciousness while adhering to ecotourism.

Their premier ecotourism destination is a natural cove known as Sugba Lagoon, known for its clear turquoise waters surrounded by natural limestone hills covered with vegetation and exotic native tree and plant species.

Amid the massive tourism growth, the town started the first natural rehabilitation of a tourism site. Since 2016, the LGU has allowed a monthlong reprieve for Sugba Lagoon from human disturbance.

“It’s the time we give for the lagoon to breathe, to heal, for one month every year; we allow nature to recover on itself. It’s more like a vacation leave, a time for the waters and its flora and fauna to heal as the lagoon is different compared to a beach, as it does not have a di-

rect flow of water coming from the open sea,” said Del Carmen Vice Mayor Alfredo Matugas Coro II.

“The sudden influx of visiting guests enjoying the clear turquoise waters of the lagoon has skyrocketed. When we rehabilitated the lagoon years ago, our initial estimate was around 300 to 400, today, especially during peak seasons, it has tripled our previous estimates,” said Coro.

Lipio pointed out that they will still limit the number of tourists allowed to stay in Sugba Lagoon to 200-300 within a two- to three-hour trip; then the boats will either return to the tourism center or proceed to the two other island destinations with extra cost.

Lipio explained that the number of tourists visiting the lagoon has grown exponentially over the past few years, prompting the LGU to regulate the boats’ operations and limit to three hours the time tourists can stay in the lagoon area with each boat, to allow the next batch of tourists to experience the area.

According to Lipio, boat operators are instructed to limit guests’ time at Sugba Lagoon to accommodate other visitors. Visitors are prohibited from bringing single-use plastics or food to Sugba Lagoon. They can opt for an additional boat fee to explore and enjoy the worldclass white-sand beach on Kawhagan Island, as well as Pamomoan, where they can have their meals.

“We now have 130 boats for trips towards Sugba and our other tourist destinations; this is an increase from the 115 boats operating in Del Carmen in 2023. We regulate the number of boats, with proper training, and handheld radio communication equipment, to properly monitor each trip and if they have exceeded the amount of time they are allowed to stay in Sugba Lagoon.”

Del Carmen was scheduled to open its 1.8-kilometer Mangrove Boardwalk on Saturday, offering tourists an option to explore while waiting for the boats to cycle in for the next batch. The local government aims to provide tourists with an appreciation of the expansive mangrove area and its diverse biodiversity.

A boat trip to Sugba Lagoon will cost P2,150, with an additional P900 if the tourist visits both the island beach destinations.

DAKU ISLAND. The largest of the three popular island-hopping destinations in General Luna, Siargao Island. ERWIN M. MASCARIÑAS

Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World

Fentanyl crisis takes center stage in 2024 US presidential election as voters demand action

By Riley Griffin, Tanaz Meghjani & Katia Dmitrieva

TO understand the 2024 US presidential election, it is essential to understand the politics of fentanyl.

Americans have been traumatized by a years-long wave of overdose deaths caused by the synthetic opioid. Once rarely used outside hospitals, fentanyl has become a ubiquitous street drug made by criminal gangs, often in Mexico, from cheap chemicals typically manufactured in China. It frequently is a hidden ingredient in other illicit drugs and can have fatal consequences for unsuspecting users.

Ending the scourge, voters indicate, is a high priority.

About 8 in 10 voters in seven swing states say fentanyl misuse is a “very important” or “somewhat important” issue when deciding who to vote for in November—more than the number who cite abortion, climate change, labor and unions, or the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, according to a recent Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll of almost 5,000 registered voters.

Fentanyl has come up repeatedly in a campaign unfolding after an especially deadly phase in the US opioid epidemic. From just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in November 2019 to October 2023, about 270,000 people died of an overdose from a synthetic opioid, according to the most recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those fatalities account for the vast majority of overall opioid overdose deaths, which have climbed to about 80,000 a year.

The crisis has received increasing attention on cable news, is the target of scores of bills in Congress and has become a rallying cry from statehouses to school board meetings across the country. And while ideas range from ramping up treatment options to waging war on cartels, voters appear united by a desire to break fentanyl’s grip on American society. Presidential candidates are seizing on the issue to firm up support from party faithful and woo voters whose allegiances may have shifted due to the crisis. For President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, fentanyl is also a way to talk

about everything from immigration and border security to China and crime.

Early in his term, Biden made addressing the epidemic the first pillar of his “Unity Agenda” intended to bring Democrats and Republicans together. Yet during this year’s State of the Union address, a gap was on display, as Biden chastised GOP lawmakers for not taking a harder stance.

“Strengthen penalties on fentanyl trafficking—you don’t want to do that, huh?” he said.

For his part, Trump has blamed Biden’s immigration policies for the rise in overdoses. He has called for deploying the US military to Mexico and for using the death penalty as a punishment for drug smugglers.

“Our country is being poisoned from within by the drugs and by all of the other crime that’s taking place,” he has said. A Republican National Committee spokesperson said Trump would “make America safe again” if reelected.

Registered voters were most likely to hold US drug users and Mexican cartels responsible for the epidemic, according to the Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll. Voters from both parties

agree the US should work with Mexico and Canada to combat drug trafficking.

Drug-overdose deaths broadly are a problem across the US, with recent surges in places like Alaska, Washington state and Alabama. More than 4 in 10 Americans personally know someone who has died from a drug overdose, according to a study by the nonprofit Rand Corp.

Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl, equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose. Traffickers tend to distribute it by the kilogram, which is enough to kill 500,000 people, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug’s street value varies — one pill can cost less than a dollar, while a pound of powder can cost well more than $10,000.

Since Biden took office, the US has seized more than 100 million pounds of fentanyl and 150 million fentanyl-laced pills, according to data from the DEA and the Department of Homeland Security. The White House said it has denied drug traffickers billions of dollars in profits.

In Arizona—a swing state along the Mexico border that has seen a recent rise in synthetic opioid

overdose deaths—fentanyl’s intersection with US political divisions is plain to see. Emergency medical services in Tempe, home to Arizona State University, receive roughly two calls a day, on average, related to opioids. Wastewater surveillance shows pervasive fentanyl use in the city of roughly 186,000 people just east of Phoenix. Last year, local law enforcement said they helped seize 4.5 million fentanyl-laced pills and 140 pounds of fentanyl powder that federal officials said was being distributed by the Sinaloa drug cartel.

“We used to deal with traditional drugs and traditional crises,” said Sergeant Rob Ferraro, a Tempe police officer that helped set up a program that trains cops on administering overdose antidote naloxone. In the past four years, city police have saved 330 lives with the therapy, and helped get half into treatment through a partnership with a local health organization, according to Ferraro. Yet the success of such efforts hasn’t always resonated with voters, he said.

“There are different beliefs about how fentanyl is getting here. People blame Trump, they blame

Biden,” Ferraro said. “It’s no different from anything else in our country: It’s very polarizing, very binary.”

About one-third of swingstate voters trust neither Biden nor Trump to handle the crisis, according to the Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, which has a margin of error of one percentage point. Some people who have been directly affected by the crisis say that neither candidate did enough to get fentanyl under control during their time in the White House.

“It’s becoming an issue in the election because it’s been ignored by both administrations,” said Jim Rauh of Akron, Ohio, who lost his 37-year-old son to fentanyl in 2015 and now runs an advocacy group called Families Against Fentanyl.

“The Trump administration ignored it, the Biden administration is now turning a blind eye,” said Rauh. “They’ve both evaded their duties.”

The Biden reelection campaign said the two administrations have taken drastically different approaches to navigating the epidemic.

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The World

In India’s Hindi heartland, farmer distress is not holding back Modi

By Pratik Parija & Clara Ferreira Marques

SITTING cr oss-legged in a starched white kurta, Dayaram Raikwarmoves the bellows on his harmonium with dexterity, chantingabout subsidized toilets, clean water, debt relief for farmers, emancipation for women, the rule of law.

Raikwar, a farmer and devotional singer, is one of thousands of door-to-door volunteers who’ve beenexpanding the reach of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party well beyond its traditional urban base. With national elections less than a month away, campaigning has dialed up here in the Hindi-speaking heartland. His small troupe find eager listeners for their political speeches and musical performances in and around southernUttar Pradesh, thecountry’s most populous state and one of its poorest.

Raikwar’sact also represents a paradox at the heart ofthe world’s largest democracy. Rural India, home to most of the country’s population, has been instrumental to the BJP’s rise over the last decade. ButwhileIndia remains thefastest-growing majoreconomy—a place where Apple is making more of its iPhones and global investors are parking money once bound for China—outside of its metropolises, investment is still weak, infrastructure remains spotty and economic prospects for its citizens are far less rosy.

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi earns a third term in office,as polls suggest he will, it will be in spite of the state of the rural and farming economy—not because of it. A recent trip through the vast agrarian states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh found villagers struggling to find work, while promises of running water hadtranslated only into metal pipes sticking up from the ground, dry.Though the government has built more than 100millionhousehold lavatories, for many herethey remaina

distant prospect. Even asRaikwar spoke on his porch, a rainstorm rapidly turned the main access path to the village into an almost impassablestream of mud.

Crossing some of India’s most destitute districts, it’s apparent that the reasons for Modi’s success are varied.Many appreciate the ruling party’s income support schemes—made possible by a vast biometric identification system that predates the BJP’s time in office—plus hopes of latrines and subsidized dwellings. Those who have yet to see benefits like roads and electricity say they trust Modi’s “guarantee”—as he’s repeatedly mentioned on the campaign trail. It helps, of course, that there’s also little evidence of alternatives to counter the BJP’s door-to-door campaigning and fluttering saffron flags, even though the main opposition Congress party has promised similar benefits and minimum selling prices for farmers.

Raikwar, 50, who joined the BJP in 2019, has calm rebuttals for voters’concerns, citing a long list of government programs and party pledgesthat those in an ascendant India are eager to believe in—even if the returns are still years away.

“Some people bring up inflation. We tell them the government is distributing free food to the needy—and that’s expensive for the state,” he said. Those receiving free grain and farmers benefitting from income support were happy enough, he added,pointing to a handout schemefor growers that amounts to a little over $70 annually.

The BJP hasn’t traditionally been the party of farmers or the lower castes. And yet itstightening grip on politics over the past decade has been possible only because of millions of rural voters,agricultural workers and the bottom rungsof India’s social ladder.

Numbers tell the story. In 2009, the BJP won 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, or 13 percent of the total. By 2014, when Modi

emerged as a candidate for prime minister on a wave of anti-incumbent feeling, the party won 71 out of 80 seats in the state. In 2019, the BJP and allies won by a landslide win even after policy disasters like a shock cash ban— theytook more than 350 seats out of 543 in the lower house of Parliament—and largely because of continued success in states like Uttar Pradesh, home to some 240 million people.

“The BJP has become the party of the rural poor,” said Nalin Mehta, a political analyst and the author of a book on the party’s transformation. “The BJP is winning because of the rural vote.”

The question now is whether the party can use that grip on the rural heartlands to make even deeper inroads when nearly a billion Indians head to the polls next month—and how sustainable that dominance will be, absent significant improvements.

Urbanites don’t have to look far for signs of anguish. Since mid-February, farmers have been massing outside New Delhi under rubber bullets and tear gas, reprising protests that first paralyzed the capital in 2020 and 2021 and marked the biggest challenge to Modi’s popularity to date. Their demands—guaranteed crop prices and debt waivers—are a reminder of the acutely unprofitable nature of farming in India, and of the distress that persists across swathes of the countryside.

The BJP didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Take spending. The gap between rural and urban consumption has narrowed and smartphones have reached India’s smallest villages. The latest consumption figures show spending on food fell to just below half of household incomes. But monthly spending in cities is still more than 70 percent higher than in rural areas, even after the gap narrowed. Youth unemployment weighs. Farm plots are shrinking, water is scarce and yields lag global rivals.

And yet more people are dependent on the sector—not less.

“India is going through what we call a stunted structural transformation. The value generated by agriculture is now about 14 percent, but the population dependent on agriculture is still close to 50 percent,” said Thiagu Ranganathanat the Centre for Development Studies in southern India, who works on theagricultural economy.Not enough jobs have been created in areas like manufacturing, he said, while the early benefits of the green revolution and its reliance on chemicals are beginning to wane.

Almost all of the farmers and other laborers interviewedacross Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh reported incomes squeezed by rising costs, paltry work opportunities and high debts.

One of Modi’s splashiest promises in 2016 was to double farming incomes by 2022. But that’s been quietly dropped. Between 2015 and 2019, the latest year with available data, incomes have only risen from a base ofroughly 8,000 rupees a month to a little more than 10,000 rupees in nominal terms.

“If we look at the last 10 years, there hasn’t been much development in this area,” says Raja Bhaiya, who runs the aid group Vidya Dham Samiti, in the Banda district of southern Uttar Pradesh.

“Some people are still not getting pensions, social protection schemes are not reaching villages, safe drinking water is not accessible, medical facilities are not working properly.”

In the town of Atarra, the strain was visible among a crowd of men in thin, grimy jackets. On a cool morning, theygathered along the state highway waiting to be picked up for work. All of them hoped for construction jobs, which can pay 400 rupees (just under $5) a day—almost double what most would earn working on farms. Rampal, a 47-year-old landless laborer and father of four, was among those huddling in the chill. He manages to find workabout 15 days a month, he said.

Despite the sporadic opportunities, Rampal, who goes by one name, and most of those gathered support the BJP.

“Nothing has happened yet, but I will vote for the BJP again as I hope they’ll provide a house and a good road near our village,” he said.

Back in Rampal’s village a few kilometers away, Khamhaura, infrastructure is scarce. Women wash clothes and clean cooking utensils at a water pump, using silt to scrub aluminum bowls. There’sno running water beyond that, though localssay pipes were installed two years ago, raising at

least the promise of household connections.

There’s limitedevidence here of Modi’s national sanitation drive and efforts to end open defecation, widely perceived as a success.One home hasa hole dug into the ground. The owner said he hoped cash from the government would arrive to finish building the toilet. It hasn’t yet.

“There’s been no improvement in our lives in the last 10 years,” said Usha, who uses only one name and makes 100 or 200 rupees a day (just over $1 to $2) toiling on farms. “Our house is covered with plastic sheets to protect us from the rain. The free food from the government lasts about 10 days. Then we are left to eat boiled potatoes and tomatoes, the cheapest, and whatever grain we can buy at market prices.”

The story isn’t different for farmers who own land.

In nearby Khanpur, Shiv Baran Singh, 67, grows rice and wheat on 10 acres and sells higher-end varietiesto private traders. He has some of the trappings of rural middle class life: a second-hand tractor, a grain separator, a television, a handful of cows, even private primary school for his grandniece to avoid the chronic absenteeism of state alternatives. There is water,an electricity connection and a motorbike.

Still, sitting under a tree outside the brick building that doubles as the family’ssleeping area and grain store, he explained that costs are rising too fast—far outpacing yields. Fertilizers are virtually impossible to obtain at governmentcontrolled prices.

“If you ask me about what I have gained in the last 10 years, can only say a debt of nearly 500,000 rupees,” he says, clutching a wooden cane. Farmers protesting near New Delhi are right, he said. Prices are simply too low.

“We can manage our expenses but there are no savings,” he said. “We would not have such a huge debt if we made enough money from the farm.”

Even with those hurdles, he has no plans to vote against the incumbent. He knows the local BJP representative, and is grateful for a graded road leading close to his house, and for farmer income support.

“We voted for the BJP in 2014 and 2019. will vote for the BJP again,” he said with a shrug.

Modi’s decade in power has still seen some major changes outside cities— among them, the widespread adoption of smartphones and e-commerce. Now, roughly a third of India’s middle class lives in rural areas. They’re oftenhouseholds with steady incomes from government or company jobs.

Real estate pain is showing up in obscure investment product

India’s south has fared particularly well, even under a party rooted inthe Hindi-speaking north. Less populous and rural, southern states outperform when it comes to economic opportunities, and are home to many of the country’s most profitablestart-ups.

Even in the north, though, we found a handful of upwardly mobile farmers, cultivating bigger plots and selling to large corporations.

But very few corners of rural India are untouched by the consequences of uneven growth.

In the bustling town of Naraini, Rajnaryan Guptaruns a saree and cloth shop with his wife and son. The small space, neatly lined with folded fabric, should be packedduring India’s wedding season, when extravagant spending is expected even among the poorest. But Gupta’s shop is empty and business is slow. The 52-yearold’s son dropped out of college, because they couldn’t pay the fees.

“Our business depends on demand from farmers in villages. When farmers are not doing well how do you expect us to make money and flourish?” he asked. “It’s wedding season now but people who used to buy as many as five sarees are buying only two sarees.”

Gupta said he’ll still vote for the BJP because of concerns about law and orderand of the party’s Hindu nationalist agenda. He cited January’s opening of the Ram temple, builtduring Modi’s tenure on the site of an ancient mosque razed by Hindu extremists.

“Does anything else matter to Hindusbeyond the Lord Ram temple?” he asked.

Back at Raikwar’s house, under the dim light of a single bulb, the singer leaves his harmonium to drink sweet tea and speak to a colleague on the phone. The campaign is keeping him busy, he says.

As a BJP “panna pramukh,” a title that translates as “page chief,” he’s charged with wooing 30 or so voters listed on one sheet of the local electoral roll. Tens of thousands of foot-soldiers like him have already beendeployed to get voters out—Uttar Pradesh alone has some 160,000 polling stations—and not just from the party’straditional nationalist base.

A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, a Hindu group with close ties to Modi and strong grassroots programs, Raikwar brushes aside questions of religious fault lines. He’s popular in Muslim villages, too, he says.

Voters have different priorities, but everyone, Raikwar adds with a smile, wants a pension, cash benefits and free food. With assistance from Swati Gupta/Bloomberg

two- to three-year extensions, in exchange for which borrowers typically are required to inject more capital.

Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Yet industry observers say few products are more exposed than CRE CLOs.

Some say the pain could eventually spread to those invested in less risky portions, too.

“The CRE CLO market is the first shoe to drop in terms of defaults in the CRE debt markets,” said Mark Neely, director of alternative investments at GenTrust, a money manager. “The loans inside CRE CLOs tend to be for transitional properties, so the borrowers are counting on reselling them before the loan matures. But today many borrowers can’t sell properties for anywhere near where they bought them.”

To be sure, the highest rated debt issued by CRE CLOs benefit from ample protection built into the structure of the securities, and analysts across the board expect those bonds to be just fine. At the bottom of the capital stack, however, it’s a different story. Issuers have been buying time by extending maturities, letting developers pay interest with additional debt, and making other changes to loans to encourage borrowers to keep current.

Modifications often take the form of

That’s because they’re primarily stuffed full of short-term, floating-rate loans for properties undergoing renovations or expansions, the type of risky debt that banks or CMBS often don’t want to hold. With rising interest rates eroding resale prices for refurbished multifamily dwellings and demand for office space still tepid, many borrowers are starting to struggle to meet their obligations. That’s left a number of CRE CLO issuers—which finance the riskiest part of the structures themselves and sell off the safer pieces—already absorbing losses.

Increasingly, CRE CLO issuers are also buying out delinquent loans via cash reserves, allowing them to avoid tripping asset-coverage tests which causes cash-flow streams to certain investors to get turned off—a mechanism designed to protect those who purchase less risky portions of the structures.

Firms bought back a record $1.3 billion of delinquent loans last year, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimates.

“Increased stress in this market has forced managers to take unprecedented steps to protect the integrity of their CRE CLO structures,” strategists led by Chong Sin wrote in a report last month.

Market watchers say that may partly explain why the share of loans in CRE CLOs with payments more than 30 days overdue fell to 7.4 percent last month, based on data from analytics firm CRED iQ, after peaking at more than 8.5 percent in January. Another measure of CRE CLO loan stress from Citigroup Inc. that uses different criteria touched 4.8 percent in January, the highest in data going back to 2014.

“Incentives in these structures are substantially aligned with bondholders, and there’s a strong motivation for sponsors to buy troubled loans out of the trusts,” said Liza Crawford, co-head of global securitized at TCW Group Inc. Still, she added, “I don’t think everyone is going to have enough money or financing to do that. It’s a ticking clock.”

The origins of CRE CLOs date back

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From parking lots to golf courses: Solar farms are being installed in unconventional locations

By Jessica Nix

Sto expand faster than farms this year.

“It’s great to have [solar installations] in our communities,” says Bonnie Heiple, commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Energy. “Actually seeing where your power comes from gives people more of an impetus to make the types of changes in their daily lives we’re asking them to make.”

As solar gains momentum, its champions are getting more creative about where to place panels. There are solar arrays on top of big-box stores, solar arrays on yachts and solar farms that float. There are panels small enough to work on a balcony and even small enough to attach to a smartphone. To minimize clearing land, engineers are also working on incorporating the technology into existing infrastructure. From landfills to art installations, here are five unexpected places you

can find a solar farm—or at least some strategically placed panels.

Carports

PARKING lots and garages require plenty of space. Adding a solar canopy can provide shade, safety and seamless charging for EVs, says Ben Jones, vice president of design and engineering at New York-based DSD Renewables. DSD is behind a project to add solar canopies to 16 parking lots and garages at Rutgers University in New Jersey and has installed almost 200 megawatts of canopy projects across the US since it was founded in 2019.  It’s also the architect of a 6.5-megawatt canopy project at Caesars Entertainment Casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The project supplies about 6 percent of the energy used by the casino, while also providing shade for the top deck of the parking garage.

Jones says canopy projects both use land efficiently and “broaden the mind about where you can put solar.” For parking in particular, “most people avoid the top layer of a multistory parking garage because it’s a long way up and you’re going to be subject to the elements, so you might as well put that dead space to good use,” he says. These types of projects can also meaningfully contribute to a company or municipality’s renewable energy goals. “It’s quite a statement that blends in nicely, but also lowers their operating expenses,” Jones says.

Retired golf courses

SHUTTERED golf courses can be ideal locations for solar farms. There’s less work required to clear the land, and the terrain tends to be relatively flat. There’s also some poetic justice to installing renewable energy

at places that used to eat up water resources and compromise local biodiversity.

In Calverton, Long Island, the Calverton Links Golf Course is home to a nearly 23-megawatt solar project that opened in 2022, nine years after the course closed for business.

The project is owned by National Grid Ventures, the venture capital arm of National Grid, which operates power grids in the UK and US. Will Hazelip, president of National Grid Ventures Northeast, says the keys to finding a golf course that’s ideal for solar are a reasonable price tag and proximity to grid infrastructure.

“You’re close to the demand and it’s a large amount of space,” he says. “The challenge is finding that exact combination.”

Floating solar farms

TO dodge land constraints entirely, many countries are experimenting with solar farms that float. While the costs can be high—40 percent more than land farms, according to

BloombergNEF—big flat surfaces with constant access to sunlight are compelling.

Hundreds of floating projects have been erected on lakes and reservoirs around the world. Japan has dozens of smaller floating arrays, India has added major operations, and facilities have been built in countries that include Colombia, Israel and Ghana. Last year, the largest floating solar project in the US went online in New Jersey, where it generates enough energy to power 1,400 homes.

In China, a massive floating solar farm in Huainan in the eastern Anhui province boasts more than 500,000 panels—enough to generate power for over 100,000 homes. The flotilla of panels is the size of 400 soccer pitches and stretches across an artificial lake that sits on top of a former coal mine (more poetic justice).

Floating farms don’t necessarily generate more electricity than those on land, but a study published in Nature Sustainability found that more

than 6,000 local power systems around the world could be entirely self-sufficient with floating farms.

Landfills and decommissioned

fossil fuel sites

AS climate change drives a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, there are a growing number of opportunities to realize that shift directly: Decommissioned fossil fuel sites, which already have access to local power grids, are excellent candidates for solar farms, says Thomas Byrne, chief executive officer of New York-based renewables company CleanCapital.

“What a wonderful story it is to be able to say, ‘Everyone disregarded this piece of land, but now we’re utilizing it again to power the future,’” Byrne says. CleanCapital owns and operates 300 megawatts of solar capacity, including a solar farm on a former steel plant in Buffalo, New York.

In the US, the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022 includes incentives for companies to build solar projects on brownfields—landfills and decommissioned industrial plants whose opportunities for reuse are otherwise severely limited. Last year, the US Environmental Protection Agency introduced a program to promote and assist these kinds of transformations.

“It’s dead space and can’t be built on otherwise, you might as well build a solar farm,” says Jones at DSD, which opened a 4.3-megawatt solar farm on a landfill last year in Bethel, New York. More than half of the power generated supplies local residents and businesses. Massachusetts, which offers its own tax incentives for developers to install solar on brownfields, currently leads the US in such installa-

tions; the state has 92 solar farms on closed landfills, totaling 256 megawatts of capacity. In 2022, the solar landfills offset more than 62,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Massachusetts Department of Energy.

Solar art ARTIST Elizabeth Monoian and architect Robert Ferry are the husband-and-wife duo behind Land Art Generator, an organization that holds competitions for solar art designers and connects the winners to communities that provide public art grants. Started in 2008, Land Art Generator now has more than 1,500 artist ideas it shops to communities around the world.

In San Antonio, Land Art Generator worked with JT Brackenridge Elementary School to create a solar-panel mural that celebrates the community’s history. The art printed on the panels —a photo of the class of 1906 and the fifthgrade class of 2020—only shaves off 4 percent of the energy it would have generated otherwise.

Next year, Land Art Generator plans to unveil the 100-foot-tall “Arch of Time” in a Houston park.

Designed by Berlin-based artist and architect Riccardo Mariano, the project is made from black solar panels and will provide shade while generating enough energy to power 40 nearby homes. The installation also acts as a clock, projecting the sun’s rays in alternating colors.

“We’re at a point where solar is the least expensive way to make energy…no matter how you slice it, no matter where you are,” Ferry says. “There has become a breathing space for the industry to explore new ways of designing these infrastructures.” Bloomberg News

Fentanyl crisis takes center stage in 2024 US presidential election as voters demand action

‘Trump was all talk and no action on the opioid crisis, declaring an emergency and then failing to allocate additional resources or even to develop a national opioid strategy as required by law,”said spokesperson Lauren Hitt. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has focused on solutions that are popular among both Democrats and Republicans, she said.

Democrats were more likely than Republicans to want to see the US make overdose antidotes more available and provide treatment for opioid-use disorder.Republicans, meanwhile, wanted in greater numbers to increasesecurity at the US-Mexico border and limit migration, the Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll found. Harm-reduction strategies such as needle exchanges and efforts to decriminalize recreational fentanyl usewere broadly unpopular with voters overall.

Progressive cities like Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco have seen a backlash against relaxed drug laws. Oregon’s Democratic governor, Tina Kotek, has said she will sign a bill to makepossession of illicit drugs a crime again, while in San Francisco,voters backed a measure sponsored by Democratic Mayor London Breed that would make welfare recipients suspected of using drugs undergo screening and enroll in a treatment program.

Mentions of fentanyl on three major cable news networks began rising in 2021 and peaked in March 2023, when the networks referred to fentanyl in about 1,900 15-second clips, according to closedcaptioning data from the Internet Archive’s TV News archive. Fox News referred to fentanyl about three times as often as CNN in March 2023, and about 13 times more than MSNBC, according to the Internet Archive, a nonprofit that maintains a digital library of web pages, books, videos and software.

US Google search interest for the term fentanyl, meanwhile, hasgenerally surpassed interest for its broader class of drugs, opioids, since early 2022 and hit an all-time high in September of that year, according to data from Google Trends.

“It’s a bigger issue than you might think,” said Chris Ager, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, a few days before the state’s primary election in January. “Even though we’re thousands of miles away from the southern border, where it’s coming from, everybody in New Hampshire, believe, knows someone who’s been impacted by a fentanyl overdose.”

Congress has also been paying greater attention to fentanyl. Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced more than twice as many bills andresolutions that mentioned fentanyl in 2023 than a year earlier.

For much of the past decade, Congressional Democrats and Republicans proposed roughly the same number of fentanylrelated bills and resolutions,but in the past two years, Republicans introduced more than two-thirds of all legislation mentioning the drug.

State legislatures meanwhile introducedmore than 600 bills about fentanyl in 2023 and enacted at least 103 laws, according to a reportby the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Partisan wrangling over how to address fentanyl worries some drug-policy experts, as well as immigration advocates and local officials.

“When I started working on this issue, it wasn’t as politicized as it is today,” said Regina LaBelle, director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown University, who helped lead opioid strategy in the Biden and Obama administrations.It can be hard to get voters excited about public-health measures like prevention and treatment, she said.

“It’s simpler in a sound bite to say

‘China’s killing our people’ or ‘it’s immigrants coming across the border,’” she said.

Fatima Saidi, the national campaign director for We Are All America, which advocates for immigrant and refugee rights, said politicians are conflating criminals with people seeking safety. “When you’re angry, you need something to punch—and it’s the most vulnerable who are taking the punching,” she said. “Immigrants and refugees at the border should not be their punching bags.”

Seeing politicians use fentanyl to push border control isn’t surprising to Lane Santa Cruz, a Democrat on the Tucson, Arizona, City Council. “We see that time and time again with the war on drugs and the oversimplification of how drugs get to the US,” she said.

Cruz ran for officein partbecause after she lost her brother to a fentanyl overdose in 2016, she wanted to protect young people in her community. She considers casting fentanyl as a border issue a fear tactic. “Blaming things on the border doesn’t address the root cause of why demand for drugs exists,” she said.

In an interview steps from the White House’s West Wing, Rahul Gupta, the director of National Drug Control Policy, said Biden is focused equally on stopping traffickers and treating addiction. Those are “two sides of the same coin,” Gupta said.

The death toll from the opioid crisis has been slowing but remainsnear all-time highs. Reported opioid overdose fatalities were down about 2.3 percent in the 12 months throughOctober, according to provisional data from the CDC, and deaths from synthetic opioidslike fentanyl, a subset of opioid-related deaths,were down about 0.3 percent.

The administration continues to push to make naloxone more accessible, Gupta said, and has taken steps to ensure people with opioid-use disorder can continue to

get treatment from home, as they were throughout the pandemic. The opioid epidemic, Gupta said, “is like a large ship. We’ve been able to slow it down and stop it. We have to now turn it around.”

The US is targeting accountants, real-estate agents, wealth managers and lawyers that enable the drug trade, Gupta added. The administration also wants to ramp up searches of vehicles crossing into the US. Some 90 percent of all interdicted fentanyl is stopped at these ports of entry, primarily in vehicles driven by US citizens, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Gupta said it is difficult for officials to catch because fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin,is often moved in small quantities.

Biden has blamed Trump for encouraging conservative lawmakers to hold up a bipartisan border-security bill that would install 100 inspection machines at the Southwest border and strengthen US authority to sanction foreigners involved in fentanyl trafficking.

“This bill would save lives and bring order to the border,” Biden said in this year’s State of the Union speech.

Still, some voters in his own party are skeptical of Biden when it comes to handling the challenges posed by fentanyl. About six in 10 Democrats in swing states said they trusthim more than Trump to navigate the crisis, according to the Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll.

Among swing states surveyed, at least two—Nevada and Arizona—recorded an increase in overdoses from synthetic opioids in the 12-month period through October, according to the CDC, a sign that fentanyl is likely to remain a pivotal issue for voters until Election Day.

Eight in 10 voters in Arizona see fentanyl as a very important or somewhat important issue when deciding who to vote for later this year, according to the Bloomberg/Morning

Consult poll. They were more likely to blame US drug users and Mexican drug cartels for the crisis than any other entity.More said working with Mexico and Canada to combat drug trafficking or targeting foreign synthetic drug suppliers would be effective than said so about public-health measures.

Near the outset of the pandemic, Theresa Guerrero of Tucson, lost her 31-year-old son, Jacob, to a fentanyl overdose. At first, Guerrero didn’t want family or friends to know how he died. Soon, however, Guerrero said she realized that the problem was only getting

worse, and threw herself into raising awareness about fentanyl. She recently appeared in a video about the drug’s toll on families for Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who is seeking a US Senate seat by promising to bolsterborder security—an issue Guerrero said wasn’t important to her before Jacob died.

“We are a superhighway in Arizona, with a crazy amount of pills coming through,” she said.“Our kids are not overdosing. They’re being poisoned.” With assistance from Nancy Cook and Allan James Vestal/ Bloomberg

FLOATING panels at the Canoe Brook water treatment plant in Short Hills, New Jersey. BING GUAN/BLOOMBERG

Burkina Faso’s security forces

are killing

more civilians; survivors detailed 1 village’s massacre

By Sam Mednick & Michael Biesecker

The Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal—Women slain with babies wrapped against their bodies, lifeless children intertwined together, a 2-month-old face-up on the ground with puppies crawling on his tiny frame. The scenes were horrifying, but the 32-year-old farmer felt he had to document them, as proof of the carnage in his central Burkina Faso village.

More than a dozen relatives were killed November 5 when security forces attacked with mounted pickup trucks, guns and drones, he told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation. He said he hid for hours in a neighbor’s compound and took a series of photos before fleeing the next morning.

Dozens more were killed that day in Zaongo village, according to his account and that of two other survivors, as well as a UN report citing government figures. The images the man sent AP and the interviews with the three survivors are rare firsthand accounts amid a stark increase in civilian killings by Burkina Faso’s security forces as the junta struggles to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency and attacks citizens under the guise of counterterrorism.

Most attacks—including the slaying of children by soldiers at a military base last year, uncovered in an AP investigation—go unpunished and unreported in a nation run by a repressive leadership that silences perceived dissidents.

More than 20,000 people have been killed since jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group first hit the West African nation nine years ago, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a US-based nonprofit. The fighting has divided a once peaceful population, blockaded dozens of cities and led to two military coups.

Civilian deaths at the hands of security forces increased by 70 percent from 2022 to 2023—to 735 people killed from 430, ACLED figures show.

Burkina Faso’s government spokesman didn’t respond to requests for comment about the November 5 attack. Previously, officials have denied killing civilians and said jihadis often disguise themselves as soldiers.

The three survivors told AP they’re certain the men were security forces, not jihadis. They describe them wearing military uniforms, one with a Burkina Faso flag fastened to him as he tried to warn a group of civilians that anyone found alive would be killed. The farmer saw a helicopter flying toward the village in the attack’s aftermath—those are used solely by the military, not insurgents.

The United Nations urged the government to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the attack, hold those responsible accountable, and compensate victims and families, said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office.

Burkina Faso’s prosecutor’s office said it opened an investigation, but four months later, survivors said they’ve had no news.

“They massacred them”

IT was early morning when the farmer heard

gunshots in the distance. He was cultivating land a few miles from home with his father, he said, and they returned to the village to wait it out.

Violence in Namentenga province is frequent, locals said—it’s common to hear shootings and see soldiers on patrol.

But this Sunday was different.

About 3 p.m., the farmer said, hundreds of men—most in military fatigues—stormed through on motorbikes and trucks and started indiscriminately killing people.

He hid at the neighbor’s home, he said, and after hours of gunshots, the man with the Burkina Faso flag entered, warning people to stay out of sight.

“The soldier told us that his colleagues were in the other compound,” the farmer said. “He said he didn’t want to hurt us, but if the others realized we were still alive, they’d kill us.”

When the guns stopped that evening, he said, he left the compound and saw Zaongo littered with dead and injured men, women and children. Among them were his father, two brothers, a sister and her four children. His uncle’s body lay under a pile of several children. His 63-year-old father was by the door of their house.

“These people sought shelter in their huts, but they massacred them,” the farmer said.

The junta today

IT’S unclear what prompted the attack, but locals said most times, security forces think villagers are working with the extremists.

Since seizing power in the second coup in September 2022, the junta led by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré has threatened rights groups and journalists and carried out attacks against civilians—potential war crimes under international law.

Military drone strikes late last year claiming to target Islamic fighters killed at least 60 people at two markets and a funeral in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali, according to Human Rights Watch.

The junta is on a war footing as it tries to beat back the jihadis, who’ve overtaken more than half the country, according to conflict analysts and Sahel region experts. It’s using a new general mobilization law to expand its crackdown and force people into combat.

The junta is distancing itself from regional and Western nations that don’t agree with its approach. This year, it left the West African regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS and created an alliance with Mali and Niger, also run by military juntas battling jihadi insurgencies.

The junta severed military ties with former colonial ruler France. Officials have welcomed several dozen Russians tasked in part with keeping the junta in power, according to several conflict experts and a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter.

In November, days after the Zaongo massacre, 50 Russians arrived in Burkina Faso to protect the junta, influence public opinion and provide security services, said Lou Osborn with All Eyes on Wagner, a project focusing on the Russian mercenary group, which operates in a handful of African countries.

While the Wagner Group’s future has been uncertain since leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a suspicious plane crash last year, its presence in Burkina Faso is part of the group’s new and more visible phase of influence, Osborn said. A pro-Russian association called the Africa Initiative has been established and is staffed with former Prigozhin employees, she said.

Its goal, initiative president Soumaila Azenwo Ayo told AP, is promoting Russian and Burkina Faso culture and language, in part through its new radio program, “Russian Hour.”

Africa is key to Russia politically and economically as it seeks allies amid its war in Ukraine. But Wagner mercenaries have been accused by rights groups and civilians of committing human rights atrocities in the countries where it operates, including the killing of 300 people at a Mali village in 2022. An increased Burkina Faso presence would bring fear of even more civilian deaths.

The United States said it has cut and suspended assistance to Burkina Faso’s military but still supplies nonlethal equipment to civilian security forces such as the national police. In January, it delivered nearly 100 bikes and pickups.

In a statement, the State Department said it has provided $16 million in “counterterrorism capacity building assistance” to Burkina Faso since 2022.

“We are not aware of any diversion of misuse of recent equipment,” it said. “We take allegations seriously and will continue to monitor and evaluate use of our security assistance.”

Some analysts said continued US aid sends the wrong message.

“Other countries around the world are seeing and watching and saying to themselves, ‘I can also jail all of my opponents, kill civilians under the guise of counterterrorism efforts and also play friendship with Russia, China—and the

US will still give me all the toys I’ve asked for,’” said Aneliese Bernard, a former State Department official specializing in African affairs who runs a risk advisory group.

Civilians in the middle DURING the November 5 attack, men in military uniforms speaking French and local language Moore called for all men to leave their houses, a 45-year-old mother told AP.

Peering through the window of the home where she hid, she said, she saw relatives being killed—more than 15 in all. She said she was spotted by a soldier, who motioned for her to lie down and stay silent. The men dressed, looked and sounded like the soldiers who regularly pass through the village inspecting people’s documents, she said.

The third survivor who spoke to AP, a 55-year-old man from Zaongo, said villagers had been accused of working with the jihadis because they refused to join tens of thousands of volunteer fighters serving alongside Burkina Faso’s military.

Recruiting is part of the junta’s strategy, but residents said this has only contributed to civilian killings as volunteers round up anyone they suspect of ties to the extremists. It also provokes jihadis to attack communities with volunteers, they said.

Civilians are increasingly caught in the middle as violence intensifies. More than 2 million have been displaced and tens of thousands face severe hunger, according to the UN The insecurity makes it hard for aid groups to get assistance to those who need it.

At least 74 civilians were killed in connection with a weekslong convoy carrying food and aid in December, according to ACLED. They were killed by both the military and jihadis, two aid workers told AP on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak about the matter. One worker said the jihadis accused the civilians of providing information to the convoy’s armed escort.

An internal report for aid workers seen by AP said soldiers escorting the food supplies “fired on suspected accomplices” of jihadiaffiliated fighters.

“We’re frightened”

FOUR mon ths after the attack, survivors fear that bodies still lie on the ground rotting in Zaongo, now occupied by jihadis. Some relatives were able to return about a week after the deaths, but there were too many bodies and not enough time to bury them all, they said. They’ve been unable to get back since.

It’s still unclear how many people were killed—reports from survivors, the UN and aid groups vary, from 70 to more than 200.

Survivors are displaced in different parts of the country. They’re calling on the government to hold the killers accountable while living in fear that it could happen again.

“We never thought that so many people could be killed at once,” said the surviving woman who spoke to AP.

“When a door slams or a child shouts, we’re frightened. If we go back there, we’ll just die.”

Biesecker reported from Washington.

Real estate pain is showing up in obscure investment product

billion in 2019 to $45 billion in 2021, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. As much as 72 percent of the collateral inside CRE CLOs is backed by multifamily property, with another 13 percent tied to offices, according to figures from real estate data provider Trepp.

Then the problems began.

When the Federal Reserve started hiking rates, it raised the interest burden for developers that took out floating-rate loans hoping to “flip” properties. Making matters worse, the pandemic-driven surge in apartment demand soon turned into a supply glut that’s still weighing on rents and property prices.

Milei’s first 100 days: Argentines struggle to make ends meet as support for president remains high

By

Débora Rey The Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Sergio

Gómez, a storeowner in Buenos Aires, spends his days behind an empty counter, one nearly as empty as the large refrigerators in which he used to freeze meat. Above him, a blackboard displays outdated prices for the different cuts that he no longer sells.

The small grocery store he and his wife opened eight months ago is no longer viable. Sales plummeted at the beginning of the year as a sharp increase in grocery prices forced thousands of Argentines to modify their spending habits.

“First we decided to shut down part of the store and just sell meat and vegetables, but because of rising inflation and fewer people coming in, we had to shut down the butcher shop,” said the 51-year-old butcher. “Now we have to shut down altogether. We can’t go on. We don’t have the resources.”

Gómez and his wife are among a large group of Argentines who say their economic situation is worse now than a year ago as a consequence of a series of austerity and deregulation measures ordered by President Javier Milei in his first 100 days in office.

Milei, a far-right economist, has said the measures are needed to help Argentina dodge the hyperinflation caused by populist policies of his predecessor, the left-of-center Alberto Fernández.

The burden of this inheritance explains in part the unprecedented tolerance expressed by many Argentines, whose support for their president remains strong—despite the worsening of their living conditions in the short term.

“How are we to blame Milei?” asked Carla Cavallini, Gómez’s wife. “I voted for him, and I have peace of mind, because he has been doing everything he said he would do. We knew this was going to happen,” she said referring to the dire economic situation they’re experiencing.

A February survey by local pollster D’Alessio Irol/Berensztein found that 81 percent of 1,018 respondents nationwide say their economic situation is now worse off than a year ago. Still, Milei maintains an approval rating of 43 percent and, among his voters in the November runoff, support rises to 75 percent, according to the same poll.

A self-described anarcho-capitalist, Milei took office in December and almost immediately announced a series of shock measures, including a 50 percent devaluation of the nation’s currency, in hopes of eventually bringing the roaring inflation under control.

His government has also cut funding to provinces, eliminated some state subsidies to transportation and energy and ended a price control policy that was used by his predecessors as a tool to contain inflation.

But Milei’s measures brought about an increase in prices, particularly in food and medicine. Monthly inflation in December reached 25.5 percent, the highest in three decades. Poverty skyrocketed in January to more than 50 percent and consumption collapsed to levels comparable to 2001,

balance sheet.

‘Stress test’

The share of delinquent loans in CRE CLOs from Arbor Realty Trust Inc., one of the industry’s largest issuers, touched 9.2 percent in January before sliding back down to 8.1 percent in February, according to CRED iQ data. Its share price is down 16 percent yearto-date after rising 15 percent in 2023, while about 40 percent of its floating stock is currently sold short, according to data from analytics firm S3 Partners.

Arbor didn’t respond to requests seeking comment.

and flip.”

Issuance of CRE CLOs leaped from $19

“It was this kind of pig through a python dynamic,” said Neely. “All of this demand came through the system at once, and now we’re feeling the aftermath.”

Arbor Chief Executive Officer Ivan Kaufman said on the company’s most recent earnings call in mid-February that it is working closely with borrowers to recapitalize deals and is looking to make new loans to keep growing the company’s

At least two CRE CLOs from Ready Capital, another major issuer, have already breached safety triggers, while 15 percent of its loans have been transferred to workout specialists known special servicers, according to data from Barclays Plc. A spokesperson for Ready Capital declined to comment.

Just last week four CRE CLO bonds issued by Blackstone Mortgage Trust were downgraded by Morningstar DBRS because of higher expected losses on underlying loans, with the lowest-rated bond tranche cut to CCC. The downgraded bonds belong to a CLO that’s primarily backed by office properties rather than multifamily dwellings.

Short seller Carson Block in December said he was betting against the publicly traded real estate investment trust, predicting that even if the Fed lowers interest rates, losses on its loans could reach well into

when a social outbreak put an early end to the then government.

“I am fully aware of what is happening in Argentina,” Milei said in a recent interview.

“What happens is that correcting 100 years of disasters is not going to be free of charge, especially when it comes to the aberrations of the last 20 years,” he said referring to the policies implemented by Argentina’s center-left governments.

“Half of the population thinks that in the long term things will be fine. We have never seen this in any previous crisis,” said Fernando Moiguer, a consultant who has measured the social mood of Argentines every month for a quarter of a century.

Overall, he says, Argentines feel that what was done before failed. “What they want (now) is someone to come and dismantle everything so we can be like the countries around us that don’t have as many problems as we do.”

A March survey by Moiguer found that 56 percent of 1,300 respondents considered that Milei’s adjustment and deregulation measures are “adequate” to improve the country’s economic situation.

Milei, for his part, maintains that his measures are bearing fruit.

Inflation slowed to 13.2 percent in February, compared to 20.6 percent in January. The US dollar, long prominent in Argentina, has stabilized while the fiscal deficit decreased, something that was welcomed by investors and the International Monetary Fund, to which Argentina is tied by a $45 billion loan it contracted in 2018.

Yet, low-income Argentines are left to take drastic measures on their own to survive.

Ámbar Imoberdoff, a 72-year-old retiree, started singing boleros and tangos in one of the busiest corners of Buenos Aires, because her pension—of roughly $140 a month—is not enough to buy food, medicine and pay for taxes and public services.

“These last few months have been terrible,” she said as she took a break before turning on the speaker and grabbing the microphone. “I think not for myself, but for the grandparents, some of whom can’t walk or do anything. I can walk, I can sing.”

Thanks to her impromptu recitals, Imoberdoff, who is a widow and has no children, says she can earn up to $200 on a good night during the weekends. “God has given me a spirit of not giving in to things. Death is going to find me standing and singing,” she said.

Unlike her, 34-year-old Yohanna Torres wishes the weekends would end quickly. She does not measure time in hours but in the meals she and the four children she cares for skip. From Monday to Friday, she says, they eat at least once a day in a community kitchen in a suburb south of Buenos Aires.

“Saturdays and Sundays last an eternity because I don’t have bread to eat,” said Torres, who is unemployed and receives the equivalent of $200 per month in social assistance. Most of that money is used to care for her 2-year-old daughter Luján, who suffers from the respiratory consequences of Covid-19 that she contracted a few weeks after birth.

the billions, wiping out the trust’s equity.

In a Bloomberg TV interview Tuesday, Block said his firm has grown “more bearish” on Blackstone Mortgage Trust since late last year, citing troubles with multifamily properties.

“This kind of reminds me of 2007,” Block said.

A representative for Blackstone said via email that “the credit-rating downgrades reflect challenges in the office sector that are well understood by the market,” adding that all of Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s CLO bonds are performing and making payments to investors.

TCW’s Crawford sees continued stress for CRE CLO sponsors in this rate environment.

“What we’re seeing is a major stress test for a market that is relatively young,” said Crawford. Issuers “are really going to have to show their mettle.” With assistance from Neil Callanan, Rheaa Rao, Matthew Griffin and Sonali Basak/Bloomberg

BRUSSELS—In the shadow of a massive monument glorifying nuclear power, over 30 nations from around the world pledged to use the controversial energy source to help achieve a climate-neutral globe while providing countries with an added sense of strategic security.

The idea of a Nuclear Energy Summit would have been unthinkable a dozen years ago after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, but the tide has turned in recent years.

A warming planet has made it necessary to phase out fossil fuels, while the war in Ukraine has laid bare Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.

“We have to do everything possible to facilitate the contribution of nuclear energy,” said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. “It

is clear: Nuclear is there. It has an important role to play,” he said.

In a solemn pledge, 34 nations—including the United States, China, France, Britain and Saudi Arabia—committed “to work to fully unlock the potential of nuclear energy by taking measures, such as enabling conditions to support and competitively finance the lifetime extension of existing nuclear reactors, the construction of new nuclear power plants and the early deployment of advanced reactors.”

Security, climate change drive a return to nuke power; 30 nations sign pact

“We commit to support all countries, especially emerging nuclear ones, in their capacities and efforts to add nuclear energy to their energy mixes,” the statement said.

“Without the support of nuclear power, we have no chance to reach our climate targets on time. Renewables will play the major role in terms of electricity, especially solar supported by wind and hydropower,” Birol said. “But we also need nuclear power, especially in those countries where we don’t have major renewable potential.”

“We have to do whatever we can to increase the current nuclear capacity, which is currently only less than 10 percent of global electricity generation,” he said. In Europe, France is the leader in nuclear energy and accounts for about two-thirds of its overall provisions.

towards nuclear power and renewable energy.”

The devastating impact of a nuclear accident, like the one in 1986 in Chernobyl, Ukraine, was barely a talking point.

Outside the meeting, environmental groups sought to highlight the dangers of the technology and convince leaders that renewable energy sources like wind and solar were much more practical and worthwhile.

Building nuclear plants takes many years and projects are often marred by cost and deadline overruns, and environmentalists stressed that point with demonstrations outside the summit center.

TThe one-day meeting was held in Brussels next to the 1958 Atomium, the 102-meter-tall construction of the nine iron atoms, which sought to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the wake of the nuclear bomb explosions at the end of World War II and their use as a geopolitical deterrent ever since.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that “thanks to the nuclear model, France is one of the few countries that exports its electricity, which is an opportunity.”

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, tried to reinvigorate that peaceful mission.

2 PHL space tests performed by JAXA astronaut on ISS

The competition gathered over 245 submissions from 570 participants from countries in the Asia-Pacific region, PhilSA said. Furukawa performed a total of 14 experiments submitted by individuals and teams in the Asia-Pacific region during the 2023 ATZG.

Oloid’smovement in microgravity PAUL ANTON MAHINAY, a student from the Rizal Technological University, proposed observing the movement of an oloid in space for his ATZG physics experiment, PhilSA said Oloid, a geometrically shaped object, is characterized by a lemniscate or a rhythmically pulsating figure-eight movement. Its center of gravity stays at a constant distance to produce smooth movements. However, due to the conditions of microgravity or zero gravity, the movement of the oloid is proposed to be affected.

ASTRONAUT

To assess its movement in zero gravity, Furukawa repeatedly conducted tests involving throwing the oloid both with rotation and without rotation, observing its movements closely. The results of the experiment will be presented on the ATZG-2023 wrap-up session later this year. The oloid was manufactured through the collaboration of PhilSA and Department of Science and Technology’s Advanced Manufacturing Center (DOSTAMCen).

A 3D printing technique called optical stereolithography was used to fabricate the samples. A section of it was painted black with space-grade quality paint for tractability.

The oloid was launched by SpaceX CSR-29 to ISS on November 10, 2023.

Effectivity of elastic resistance band exercise

THE exercise involving elastic resistance

bands aims to target the back muscles, calf muscles, and quadriceps of astronauts who are prone to atrophy due to microgravity conditions in space.

To address this, Gabriel John Guila, Dianne Cristine Cabiedes, Sean Matthew Castañeda, Franz Joshua Corpuz, Jose Ernest Guila, Arniel Kurt Macalla, Lee Andrew Medina, Giorgione Parrera, and Ace Gabriel Pega, senior high-school students from Bataan National High School (BNHS), proposed the space exercise consisting of resistance band arm exercises and squats using a looped exercise band, PhilSA said. Mahinay and the team from BNHS will present their analysis and results during the ATZG wrap-up session later within the year.

As part of its education and outreach initiatives, PhilSA spearheaded the local call for ATZG experiment proposals..

Kibo-ABC program

THE Kibo-ABC program, or Asian Beneficial Collaboration through Kibo Utilization, was established by the Space Frontier Working Group of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum.

It aims to promote the utilization and share the value of the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo,” enhance the capacity of participating organizations, and foster collaborative projects between Japan and Kibo-ABC member countries. ATZG is one of the activities of the Kibo-ABC program that aims to expand the use of the Kibo module on the ISS by conducting selected experiments from the Asia Pacific region. Through its Kibo-ABC member organizations, JAXA invited the youth to participate in this activity.

DOST inks MS, PhD scholarship pacts with 2 Canadian universities

of S cience and Tech-

A“We should be much more concerned about, for example, CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions, which have a direct impact on you and me and on our health every day,” he said. “Our priority must be to get out of coal and gas and move

“Nuclear, all the evidence shows, is too slow to build. It’s too expensive. Much more expensive than renewables,” said Lorelei Limousin of Greenpeace.

“The government must focus on developing renewable energy, energy savings, the real solutions that work for people like home insulation, public transport— not nuclear energy fairy tales,” she said.

AN eco-friendly furniture will soon be used by pupils at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Day Care Center (DDCC) in Bicutan, Taguig City.

The DOST- Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) turned over 12 sets of its “Silyang Pinoy”—a school furniture primarily crafted from engineered bamboo.

Developed by DOST-FPRDI, Silyang Pinoy is a multi-functional piece of furniture—a combination of a chair and table— that can also be transformed into a bed easily, during emergencies when public schools are converted into evacuation centers.

in schools in disaster-prone areas, including Mandaragat Elementary and Secondary Schools in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Sto. Ñino Integrated School in Catarman, Camiguin; and Consuelo Elementary and Secondary Schools in Sta. Marcela, Apayao.

Funded by DOST-PCAARRD, the Silyang Pinoy project aimed to enhance bamboo usage, as mandated by Executive Order 879, series of 2010.

The directive says that at least 25 percent of furnitures in public elementary and secondary schools in the country will be made from bamboo.

The agreement creates a mechanism for doctoral students from the Philippines to study and conduct research at USask with support provided jointly through DOST-SEI scholarships and USask. The DOST-SEI-USask GSP will provide up to 10 scholarships per year to eligible students at USask. Through the partnership, USask will provide discounted rates (local Canadian rate for Filipino students) and research funding for their dissertation.

Meanwhile, the second agreement is a renewal contract, signed on March 13, which aims to promote long-term collaboration and exchange in graduate education through the continued implementation of

(DOST) delegation signed agreements with two Canadian universities for Filipino scholarships in the North American country. Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. led a DOST delegation to Canada from March 11 to 14 that enabled the science agency to sign agreements with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and University of Alberta (UAlberta) to provide more scholarship opportunities for Filipinos in Canada. The first agreement was the Implementing Agreement with the USask that aims to promote long-term collaboration and exchange in graduate education between the DOST and USask through the DOST-Science Education Institute (SEI), USask Graduate Scholarship Program (DOST-SEI-USask GSP).

the DOST-UAlberta Graduate Scholarship Program. The scholarship program will create mechanisms for doctoral and master’s students from the Philippines to study and conduct research at UAlberta with support provided jointly through DOST-SEI scholarships and UAlberta.

“Economic prosperity is linked to the industries employing highly educated individuals like science workers,” Solidum said.

“The signed agreements on scholarship programs with the two universities will set the pace of our flourishing engagement with academic members here in Canada. Through these initiatives, we hope to augment the STI human resources in the country and increase the quality of career opportunities for scientists and engineers,”

the DOST Chief pointed out. Solidum also led an orientation session on opportunities for the Filipino community in Saskatchewan and Edmonton, Canada. The event for Saskatchewan was hosted by The Filipino-Canadian Association of Saskatchewan Inc., in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary. The event for Edmonton was hosted by the Philippine Business Society of Alberta and the Edmonton Philippine International Centre in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary. Discussed during the orientation sessions were the programs and priorities of the DOST, with emphasis on the Balik Scientist Program’s background, its milestones, foundational impacts, eligibility requirements, application procedures, and incentives.

“The Silyang Pinoy is an important innovation and is in line with DOST’s commitment to develop and support technologies in disaster preparedness, rehabilitation, and recovery. Not only does it showcase modern and aesthetic design; it also highlights the versatility and potential of sustainable forest products such as bamboo,” said Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr.

Prototypes of the school furniture underwent strength and durability testing at the Institute’s Furniture Testing Center, adhering to the PNS ISO 7173:2006 standard.

Subsequently, these were distributed and tested for acceptance

“This is an important milestone in the Institute’s effort to showcase and strengthen the promotion of Silyang Pinoy among schools in the country,” explained DOST-FPRDI OIC Director Rico J. Cabangon.

“We hope that by showing the versatility of bamboo as a raw material for school furniture, we can help the local bamboo industry by enhancing the demand for bamboo poles,” Cabangon added.

The turn-over ceremony was held during the Kick-Off of DOST’s National Women’s Month Celebration March 1, led by Solidum, Cabangon and DOST Assistant Secretary Diane L. Ignacio. Apple Jean C. Martin-de Leon and Precious Lynne Payuan/S&T Media Services

TPope: Holy Week is ‘not a spectacle, but a proclamation of our salvation’

do not strictly observe religious obligations, become active in participating in some ceremonies.

The week starts with the blessing of palm fronds on Palm Sunday; “pabasa,” processions, pilgrimages and dramatizations of the Passion of Jesus Christ on Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday; the nailing on the cross and death of Jesus on Good Friday; the Easter Vigil on Black Saturday; and Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Palm Sunday

WITH parishioners waving palm fronds— currently mostly made of woven coconut leaves—Palm Sunday observes Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

The leaves are blessed by the priest before or after the Mass. The parishioners take the fronds home, place them on top of the main door of the house or tie on \window grills. This is based on the belief that the palms will protect the household from danger.

The dried palm leaves are brought to the church or chapel before the following Ash Wednesday, where it is burned. The ash is used on Ash Wednesday with the priest putting a shape of a cross on the faithfuls’ forehead

our hearts” and our communities, Pope Francis pointed out.

Philippine tradition IN the Philippines, observance of the Holy Week, popularly known as “Mahal na Araw” and “Semana Santa,” is highly anticipated. The colorful celebration is influenced by Spanish and pre-colonial rituals that manifest the country’s cultural traditions, although some are not sanctioned by the Church, such as the nailing on the cross. It is the time of the year when people, who

Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

VARIOUS ac tivities are held by the faithful that depict the Passion of Jesus Christ in the first days of Holy Week—from Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday. Parishes hold recollection after the Mass. Many also offer retreats. The faithful also chant the “Pabasa,” or “Pabasa ng Pasyon,” of the story of the Passion of Christ in parishes, chapels or in private residences.

This Filipino tradition takes place for 24

hours in front of a statue representing Jesus’ Passion, the Catholics and Cultures.org said.

Thepabasa can be held any time of the week but concludes on Good Friday before 3 p.m.

A“Senakulo”—a stage or street play about the Passion of Jesus—takes place in many communities, including in Matro Manila, but especially in Bulacan, Rizal and Pampanga provinces.

With the performers in colorful costumes, a person plays the role of Jesus carrying the cross that emphasizes the violence and brutality of Jesus’ persecutors.

Processions are also held throughout Holy Week, with different variations.

Praying at Stations of the Cross are held inside churches, on church grounds, or on streets, like that being held by the Santisima Trinidad Parish in Malate, Manila.

The 14 stations traces the trial up to the crucifixion, death and burial of Christ.

Actually it is called the “Way of the Cross,” so people journey with Jesus to the cross, said Fr. James Ferguson, rector of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide, Australia.

The faithful also go on pilgrimage to different religious and holy sites, including heritage churches, in the country and abroad.

Holy Thursday

THE day’s ceremonies starts with theChrism Mass early in the morning, where the parishioners join the priest for morning Mass.

The celebration have the clergy renew their priestlyvows. During the Mass presided by the bishop of the diocese, theChrism,oil of catechumensand theoil for the sickare consecrate

Priests then bring portions of the oils to their respective parishes for future use.

TheMass of the “Lord’s Supper” in the early evening includes a re-enactment of the“Washing of the Feetof the12 Apostles.”

Priests also kiss the feet after washing them, as Jesus did to his apostles.

The Mass ends with a procession of theBlessed Sacrament that is brought to the church’s“Altar of Repose,” where people venerate the Blessed Sacrament.

Also a popular practice on this day is theVisita Iglesia(church visit). People visit visit and pray in at least seven churches.

Worshipers can also pray the14 Stations of the Crossinside or outside the church.

Good Friday

GOOD F riday(“Biyernes Santo”) is considered the most solemn day of the year. In the morning, penitents start performing their vows. Many roam the streets flagillating themselves or carrying huge wooden crosses. The flagellants slash their backs before whipping themselves to draw blood.

Others have themselves nailed on the cross, with Cutud, Pampanga, as the wellknown place.

Although not sanctioned by the Church, devotees claim them as personal expressions of penance, in fulfilment of a vow or in thanksgiving for a prayer granted.

San Fernando City, Pampanga, local government officials say the reenactments are regarded as part of the province’s and the city’s cultural heritage.

At 12 noon, sermons and prayers meditating on Jesus’“Siete Palabras” (Seven Last Words) are held in churches until 3 p.m., the time when Jesus died.

Television and radio stations also broadcast their Siete Palabras programs from large churches in Manila.

After the Seven Last Words at 3 p.m., the faithful remain at or troop to churches. There is no regular Mass during this day, but theMass of the Presanctified is held. It isa Christian liturgy traditionally

celebrated on Good Friday in which the consecration is not performed. Instead, the Blessed Sacrament that was consecrated or sanctified at an earlier Mass, on Maundy Thursday, is distributed at the Communion.

The Mass of the Presanctified is said at the altar with no linens and decorations.

At the end of the Mass, no blessing is made. The faithful are instead invited to the Veneration of Cross.

Good Friday procession

AFTERWARDS, proc essions are held. The highlight of Good Friday procession is the“Santo Entierro”(Holy Burial), which is both the name of the rite itself and of the statue of the dead Christ.

The image of theSanto Entierro is laid in an ornate, flower-deckedbier. Among the other images in the procession include the saints connected to the Passion, such asPeter,Mary Magdalene, andJohn the Evangelist.

The image of the Virgin Mary, dressed in black and gold as the mourningMater Dolorosa is always the last of the retinue.

Fasting and abstinence by those between the age of 18 and 59 are observed on Good Friday, not only on food, but also on some activities, such as watching TV, using gadgets, and others.

A couple of hours after the Santo Entierro, a second procession follows. Called the“Soledad,”it commemorates the solitude of the Sorrowful Mother after the burial of her beloved Son.

Black Saturday and Easter Vigil

BLACK Saturday (Holy Saturday or Sábado de Gloria) is termed “Black” in mourning for Jesus’ death, as black is associated with mourning.

The celebration of theEaster Vigilservice on Holy Saturday to commemorate the

Resurrection of Jesus Christ starts in the evening.

It starts with the church filled with darkness. The priest enters the church bringing the Paschal candle that lights the candles of the parishioners.

After the long readings recounting the history of salvation, all the lights in the church are turned on, symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The altar table are likewise covered with linens and decked with flowers.

Another highlight of the Easter Vigil is baptism, when adults are baptized. It is significant because that’s the day Jesus Christ returned to life. “Baptism is the start of a person’s new life in Christ,” explained Amy Baumgardner, pastoral assistant for adult faith formation at Holy Family Catholic Church.

Easter Sunday

THE highlight of the Eastercelebration is the pre-dawn event called“Salubong,” the meeting of Mary and her risen son, Jesus. In some parishes, the rite is held immediately after the longEaster Vigilproper, retaining the same format.

Their statues are in two separate processions that converge at a designated area near the church.

An “angel” (a small girl in costume) stands at an elevated site and removes the veil from the image of the Virgin, signalling the abrupt end to her grieving and the period of mourning, This transforms the sorrowing Virgin into“Nuestra Señora de Alegria”(Our Lady of Joy).

The angels then throw flower petals at the icons of the Christ and the Virgin. The moment is marked with the pealing of churchbellspealing, brass bands playing, andfireworks.

The faithful then gather inside the church for the first Mass of Easter. Lyn Resurreccion

DURING Palm Sunday (“Linggo ng Palaspas”), palm or coconut leaves are waved in churches that symbolize that people are welcoming the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The image was taken in Cainta, Rizal. PHOTOS BY BERNARD TESTA AND LYN RESURRECCION

“SENAKULO,” or the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ. The photos, taken in Cainta, Rizal, show Christ’s arrest, crowning with thorns, carrying a cross, and with Mary when He was put down from the cross.

FR. Carmelo “Jek” Arada Jr., parish priest of Santisima Trinidad in Malate, Manila, kisses the foot of an “apostle” after washing her foot.

THE Pascal Candle (big candle) lights the parishioners’ candles during the Easter Vigil at Santisima Trinidad Parish in Malate, Manila.

FR. Carmelo Arada Jr. baptizes a teenaged girl during the Easter Vigil in Santisima Parish in Malate, Manila.

THE faithful pray at the 14 Stations of the Cross that trace the Passion of Christ.

NEIGHBORS and relatives of the De Guzman clan in Barangay Sto. Domingo in Cainta, Rizal, hold their yearly “Pabasa of Pasyong Mahal” and “Rosario Cantada” (chanted praying of the rosary).

VENERATION of the Cross during Good Friday at Santisima Trinidad Parish.

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

‘IF you love nature, nature will love you back.”

Thus, reads a hand-painted statement on an old surfboard that forms part of a wooden fence at a marine turtle hatchery in Purok Dafila, Bgy. Dahican, Mati City, Davao Oriental. The statement is the motto of Amihan sa Dahican-Balod sa Paglaom Inc., which runs the marine turtle hatchery put up by likeminded individuals back in 2004 with a small community.

Humble beginnings

AMIHAN is Filipino for the Northeast monsoon winds, which influences life in the Philippines in November and December to May and June each year.

The winds create powerful waves on the southern coast of Mindanao, which is perfect for surfing and skimboarding.

At the same time, the setting of Amihan signals the time when nesting marine turtles return to their birthplace to lay their eggs. With a threefold purpose: to conserve marine wildlife species in the bay, take care of young kids, and share surfing and skimboarding skills with visitors, Amihan sa Dahican-Balod sa Paglaom was formed.

Balod, which means waves, and paglaom, which means hope—or waves of hope—became part of the group’s name as the waves inspire hope in that part of Dahican Bay.

Marine wildlife conservation

THE group has been the protector of marine wildlife and their habitat in that part of Mindanao. It includes the Dahican Bay and the nesting marine turtles, an endangered species threatened by

numerous factors, including hunting for food and body parts, accidental bycatch, pollution, climate change and illegal wildlife trade.

Winston Plaza, one of the group’s elders and its current treasurer, told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview on March 12 that Dahican Bay, or the beach in Bgy. Dahican, and the waters of Mati City are teeming with marine wildlife.

There are whale sharks, dugongs, and dolphins, making it a perfect tourist spot for those with passion for amazing creatures of the sea.

“We patrol the beaches at night to protect turtle eggs from poachers and predators,” Plaza said.

Over the years, the marine turtle hatchery was slowly constructed from salvaged materials brought by the waves—from driftwood to broken surfboard, coconut trunk, nipa leaves and even fish nets.

Beautiful beach, perfect waves

DAHICAN Bay is a great venue to find peace and serenity, and to escape from a stressful life.

It has stunning white beaches that face the waves of sparkling turquoise water, alluring countless surfers and skimboarders having fun in the water, making it perfect for water sports activities.

Because of its pristine water and relatively intact marine ecosystem, it is frequented by large marine wildlife that makes the place more stunningly awesome.

Scholarship program

THE group has an ongoing scholarship program for volunteers. However, its current financial situation is tight.

With low tourist arrivals, the scholarship is also affected, as the only source of income of the group is tourism.

Tand the German government, through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, have concluded a 14-year partnership during a three-day closing forumfrom March 19 to 21.

With the theme, “From Vision to Action: Celebrating 14 years of cooperation for Asean Biodiversity,’’ the forum highlighted the gains from the longstanding cooperation between ACB and GIZ, which started in 2010 with the Biodiversity and Climate Change Project.

The project was followed by the Biodiversity-based Products (BBP) as an Economic Source for the Improvement of Livelihoods and Biodiversity Protection Project, and the Institutional Strengthening of the Biodiversity (ISB) Sector in Asean I and II.

From 2010 to 2024, Germany has provided a total of €18 millionfor the four

The number of its scholars is down to 10, including one taking up law, four in college, one in elementary, and the rest are in high school.

Elder members of the group who are skillful in skimboarding and surfing are the group’s breadwinners like coaching newbies in the water sports. Others help local tourists, including cooking and serving as tour guides.

Marine turtle protectors

EVERYDAY, while some attend to tourists, who require assistance in skimboarding and surfing, other volunteers, as young as 12 years old, scout the beach in their spare time during the day in search of nests.

At night, they help watch the bay, waiting for marine turtles to show up to lay eggs on the beach, the nesting ground of marine turtles.

Once the volunteers find or spot a nest, they wait for trained members of the group to collect the eggs and bring them to the hatchery, where they are protected from natural predators, including those who collect the eggs for consumption or commerce, until they hatch to become those cute little turtles that crawl out of the nest

Back to the wild

ON March 19, the group released around 100 newly hatched Olive Ridley turtles.

Plaza said that in the past two months, the marine turtle hatchery has released hatchlings two to three times a week. There are only two hatcheries where eggs are kept— each hatchery measuring 4 meters by 6 meters.

Eggs come and hatchlings go during the Amihan, making the hatchery very busy this time of the year.

Three species of marine turtles nest at Dahican beach—the Green,

Saving marine turtles: ‘If you love nature, nature will love you back’

Hawksbill and the Olive Olive Ridley, Plaza said.

From October 15, 2023, to February 13, 2024, a total of 1,141 hatchlings were released by the group. During the same period, a total of 190 eggs were recorded as unhatched.

He noted that the number of hatchlings this season is still low compared to the previous years.

Unsustainable tourism practice

SPEAKING in Filipino, Plaza said unsustainable tourism promotion is threatening the Dahican Bay as a marine turtle sanctuary.

“Some people take videos of nesting turtles and some are touching the tail of the turtle,” he said.

“Disturbing the turtles, such as touching the egg or parts of the turtle as they lay eggs, prompts the turtles to stop laying eggs,” he said.

Another wrong practice, he said, is collecting the eggs from the nests without proper training.

It was learned that locals are now very eager to find a nest for the P500 reward from another group that operates a hatchery without proper training from experts.

“These mishandled eggs will not hatch and will be wasted,” he said.

Climate change

JOAQUIN LUIS RINEHART, a member of the board of directors of Amihan sa Dahican, said the declining hatchling production is notable also because of climate change.

“Amihan [weather condition] came in late that’s why the nesting turtles also came late to nest,” said Rinehart, a fourth-year environmental science student and one of the scholars of Amihan sa Dahican told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview on March 20.

He said climate change can also be the reason why fewer eggs hatch

ACB, German govt end 14-year partnership for biodiversity in Asean

projects, €4 million of which was dedicated to the recently-concluded ISB II Project. The ISB II Project significantly contributed to the regional institutional strengthening efforts at conserving natural resources by strengthening the organisational management of the ACB, the development of the Operations Manual of the Asean Heritage Parks (AHPs) Programme, flagship programme of the Asean on protected area management, facilitating joint Asean positions in international environment agreements, and mainstreaming biodiversity in the development sector.

“With a more strengthened ACB, you can all be assured that we will sustain the gains of this project, and will continue to scale up regional efforts for sustainable development.

In the last three years, the ACB has mobilised more than $24 million from various sources— development and dialogue partners, private sector and multilateral funding entities, to support current and future regional level

biodiversity projects,” ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said in her speech.

She noted that such strategies borne out of the ACB-Germany cooperation translate into actions to effectively address climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, improve livelihoods, and engage stakeholders in various sectors through cross-pillar and multisectoral collaborations.

Germany’s Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke said in his welcome remarks that in the Asean region, Germany is currently supporting bilateral projects on biodiversity in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and regional projects together with the Asean Secretariat.

“In the Philippines alone, the German government supports projectson climate change and biodiversity conservation with over €50 millionfunding,” the ambassador said.

“Germany is committed to multilateral

solutions to ensure the resilience of ecosystems and societies, and stability of the whole global order. Preserving biodiversity in Asean, therefore, is in all our global interests from economic, social, ecological, and moral perspectives,” he said in his speech at the ISB II closing forum.

Interviewed by the BusinessMirror, Pfaffernoschke said after 14 years, he is confident that ACB would be able to sustain the gains of the partnerships.

Through the projects that we are conducting here, “we are able to install the ACB, which has become the center of excellence in the whole region, and provided a lot of support to our Asean partners.”

“Beyond the end of this project, the ACB will stay and will continue its valuable work and this is a pride of the heiratge we are leaving behind,” the ambassador said.

“The partnership with ACB,” he said, comes to an end. “Now it will live on its own.It doesn’t mean that we are leaving,

as the incubation is affected by the temperature or prevailing weather conditions.

Unprotected area WHILE Amihan sa Dahican is an important nesting ground in the region, it remains unprotected by law, national or local.   Dahican Bay is neither a Protected Area nor a critical habitat.

There is no proposed measure to declare it and its waters a marine protected area by the local government unit (LGU) of Mati or Davao Oriental.

Dahican Bay and other equally important nesting grounds in the country is important to help save the endangered marine turtle species and save them from extinction.

Ideal nesting ground

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said the Philippines and its Asean neighbors harbor beaches that can be considered important and ideal nesting grounds of marine turtle species because of the climate and beaches that are perfect for their laying eggs.

She said protecting marine turtle nests that produce the hatchlings should be protected and conserved.

“Asean has 173,000 km of coastline, longer than the United States’ 153,646 km coastal area. Marine turtles lay their eggs along suitable beach ecosystems, with the warm, dry sand allowing them to incubate and hatch in about 60 days to 70 days,” Lim said.

Saving a nesting ground, saving an entire population

LIM said the hatchlings grow into adults, the females of which will return to the same beach where they emerged and imprinted, to

especially here in the Philippines.We have a huge portfolio for climate change and biodivesity here.”

“On a scale of 10, of course, give it [ACB] a 10,” he said, confident that the milestone in protecting biodiversity will continue, saying that all the project goals were achieved during the 14-year partnership with ACB. For her part, Lim said the coming days will not signal the end of a successful partnership but will only mark the beginning of more collaborative efforts for Asean biodiversity.

“Let this series of events allow us to reflect on how far we have achieved together, and explore how we can further scale up our cooperation for sustainability, building on the gains from this project’, Lim said. She added that the ACB-GIZ partnership led to the current more robust and responsive organizational structure of the center, through ISB II’s support for its Comprehensive Institutional Review. Under the new structure, the ACB’s priority program areas—namely, biodiversity conservation; knowledge management;

deposit the next generation of marine turtles.

“The loss, therefore, of nesting beaches, means the potential loss of entire future populations of sea turtles,” Lim said.

According to Lim, only healthy coastal ecosystems can support the incubation and hatching of turtle eggs, thus, development projects must take into account the presence of turtle nests and breeding grounds in their project sites.

High tourism value

LIM added that like other charismatic animals, marine turtles are important to ecotourism.

She said the value of each marine turtle for nature tourism is equivalent to P3.9 million per year, citing a study commissioned by the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2021.

“Ensuring that the communities are involved in the protection of the marine turtle nesting grounds will help aid in the monitoring and preservation of eggs and hatchlings; help raise awareness on marine turtle conservation; ensure the best external conditions to protect hatchlings from predators and human disturbance; and serve as learning hubs on marine turtle conservation for scientific studies and research,” she said.

To boost the conservation of marine turtles, Lim explained that capacity building is vital for volunteers so that they are properly oriented and updated on the correct, science-based measures for protecting and managing sea turtle nesting areas.

She noted that there is a need to have the volunteers familiarized with current laws and policies relevant to conserving the turtles and their habitats.

capacity development; mainstreaming biodiversity; partnerships; communication, education, and public awareness—have been our primary approaches in meeting the new global biodiversity targets under the Biodiversity Plan and other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Director Ky-Anh Nguyen of the Sustainable Development Directorate of the Asean Secretariat expressed hopes the ACBGermany partnership will continue to evolve and will build a broader list of partners from the government, private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders in Asean. championing biodiversity conservation and addressing the multifaceted global challenges, including climate change.

“We at the Asean Secretariat, commit to steadfast support for the work of the ACB and its partners, such as the government of Germany, and will continue to amplify the importance of well-balanced ecosystems and their proper management for sustainable economic development in the Asean region,” Nguyen said. Jonathan L. Mayuga

By Ciarán Fahey The Associated

BThe new deal extends to 2034 and ends Germany’s long-standing relationship with Adidas, which goes back some 70 years and had appeared unshakeable.

Germany’s men’s team is using Adidas’ headquarters in Herzogenaurach, near Nuremberg, as its team base for the European Championship, which Germany is hosting this summer.

Adidas appeared to be surprised by the DFB’s decision to switch to its biggest rival, only confirming in a brief statement: “We were informed by the DFB today that the association will have a new supplier from 2027.”

German teams wore Adidas gear for all four of the men’s World Cup titles, their three European titles, and the women’s two World Cup and eight European titles. The DFB later defended its switch to the American kit supplier.

“We understand every emotion. It’s also a drastic event for us as an association when it becomes clear that a partnership that was and is characterized by many special moments is coming to an end after more than 70 years. That doesn’t leave us cold,” the DFB wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

It said its first priority is football and its development in Germany, where it is responsible for more than 24,000 clubs and 2.2 million active players. It said it invests money in member clubs and its amateur base so football remains a sport for the people.

“The DFB has to make economic decisions against this background. Nike made by far the best financial offer in the transparent and nondiscriminatory tender process,” the DFB wrote.

German football ends partnership with Adidas, switches to Nike

LAUSANNE, Switzerland—

The International Olympic Committee believes its president Thomas Bach fell prey to a prank telephone call amid rising tensions with Russia over restrictions on its athletes competing at the Paris Games.

The IOC on Thursday detailed a call from people claiming to be from the African Union—a similar trick to one played by Russian callers on Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in September.

In Meloni’s call, she acknowledged “fatigue” with the war in Ukraine believing she was talking with officials of the African Union.

The IOC said it had calls with “a person pretending to be the chair of the African Union Commission” wanting to discuss a statement on

Earlier, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said, “We’re looking forward to working with Nike and the trust they’ve placed in us. The future partnership will enable the DFB to continue to carry out key tasks in the coming decade with regard to the comprehensive development of soccer in Germany.”

Neuendorf pointed out that Adidas will remain the DFB’s supplier until December 2026 and “we will do everything we can to achieve shared success with our long-standing and current partner Adidas, to whom German soccer has owed a lot for more than seven decades.”

Adi Dassler, the founder of the German sportswear brand, sat on the bench beside West Germany coach Sepp Herberger when the German men’s team won the World Cup for the first time in 1954, wearing his company’s screw-in stud boots.

Dassler did not invent the boots with changeable studs, as many believe. They were invented some years before by German shoemaker Alexander Salot, who registered his invention with the German patent office on August 30, 1949.

NBut they certainly helped the Germans beat Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final. Dassler’s company has been supplying German soccer with its gear ever since, and only last week it presented the new jerseys for Euro 2024, which Germany will host between June 14 and July 14.

Germany’s under-21 coach Antonio Di Salvo said the decision to change kit supplier was “very surprising for everyone...especially now when the new jersey for the European Championship was presented. I did not expect that.”

The switch was driven by financial and other concerns.

“Nike made by far the best economic offer and also impressed with its substantive vision, which includes a clear commitment to the promotion of amateur and grassroots sports as well as the sustainable development of women’s soccer in Germany,” DFB chief executive Holger Blask said.

DFB treasurer Stephan Grunwald also pointed to a rosier future for German soccer as a result of the new deal.

“We are grateful to be able to look forward to an economically stable future as an association thanks to Nike’s commitment,” Grunwald said, without providing details of what the American company will pay. It’s clearly more than Adidas was prepared to invest to extend its existing deal. But the DFB’s decision has not met universal approval at home. “I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes,” German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said. “Adidas and blackred-gold always belonged together for me, a piece of German identity. I would have liked a bit more local patriotism.”

Netflix’s forays into live sports not expected to make waves soon

Evolving hoops landscape forces NBA to shut down G League Ignite program

By Joe Reedy The Associated Press

Tuesday. For three weeks, last year’s “Quarterback” series was among Netflix’s top 10 series globally.

EW YORK—The G League Ignite will not play after this season. The league made the announcement on Thursday, saying it was shutting down the Henderson, Nevada-based Ignite because of “the changing basketball landscape, including the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness [NIL] policy and the advent of collectives and the transfer portal” as its primary reasons.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suggested this could happen last month at the All-Star Game, saying then that the league was “reassessing” the Ignite program. It was started by the NBA to give players who aren’t yet eligible for the draft—but who didn’t want to go to college—a chance to essentially play professional basketball and prepare for the draft as part of a developmental but still competitive program.

“Four years ago, we started Ignite to fill a void in the basketball landscape, and I’m proud of the contributions we were able to make to that ecosystem,” G League President Shareef AbdurRahim said. “With the changing environment across youth and collegiate basketball, now is the right time to take this step.”

The changes in college basketball, particularly those allowing athletes to cash in through NIL deals, made the college experience more attractive to the types of players that the Ignite originally targeted.

AFTER being on the sidelines, Netflix has started dipping into live sports.

Over the past few months, the streaming giant has aired exhibition events in golf and tennis. It is also slated to air the July 20 bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Beginning next year, Netflix will start carrying World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship show, “Raw.”

So there’s been speculation about whether Netflix’s recent forays into live sports are a precursor to becoming a major player for live sports rights. While having another competitor for rights would certainly be welcomed, it is unlikely to happen soon.

“The discipline that they have shown about what they’re either creating or acquiring and not deviating from that has been fascinating to watch so far,” said Tag Garson, president of Excelsior Sports and Entertainment, a consulting and marketing company.

Netflix is also working on a project with the Boston Red Sox and developed multiple series devoted to the recent FIFA men’s and women’s world cups.

Netflix’s and Apple’s strategies with live sports are similar. Both are willing to bid if it means rights beyond the United States.

The WWE deal gives Netflix the rights to carry Raw in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom and Latin America, with additional countries to be added as contracts expire. The bigger component, though, is that Netflix becomes the carrier of all WWE shows and specials outside the US and the company’s premium live events, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam.

Netflix has said in recent announcements about programming that it has 260 million paid memberships in over 190 countries.

That’s why Netflix would be unlikely to explore bidding on a piece of the NBA package when negotiations open in a couple months, or UFC when ESPN’s rights come up for renewal in a year, unless it contains additional countries.

This season’s Ignite roster has projected top NBA Draft picks Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland. There are nine Ignite veterans currently on NBA rosters, including Scoot Henderson, Jalen Green, Dyson Daniels and Jonathan Kuminga.

The Ignite will play its final game on March 28 against the Ontario Clippers. AP

“Some of those same players that didn’t want to be one-and-done players because they felt it was unfair and they wanted the ability to not just earn a living playing basketball but to do commercial deals that weren’t available to them in college…now all those same abilities have become available to them,” Silver said last month.

Bach tricked by prank callers amid tension ahead of Paris Games, says IOC

Last November’s Netflix Cup, where Formula 1 drivers were paired with PGA golfers in a match-play format, and the March 3 Netflix Slam exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz had one thing in common—they paired seamlessly with documentaries the company was already offering.

The Netflix Cup brought together famous figures from “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing,” and the Netflix Slam for “Point Break.” Even though “Point Break” is ending after two seasons, Netflix is producing a documentary series about Alcaraz that will air next year.

For those wondering where boxing fits in, Netflix’s third season of “Untold” did its first episode on Jake Paul’s rise in boxing and the controversies that nearly derailed his career.

Like many who follow boxing and combat sports, Jim Lampley is waiting to see whether the Paul-Tyson bout means more events on Netflix or if it’s just a one-off event.

The IO internati Septemb

the politicization of sport. The IOC and Bach have publicly criticized the Russian state including over plans to organize an international multi-sports event in September, weeks after the Paris Olympics close.

Russia to compet th of boats o th

Russian athletes who pass vetting to compete in Paris also will not take part in the opening ceremony parade of boats on the River Seine, the IOC decided this week.

“Ther a n Russia defam the In Comm the Olym

“There appears to have been a new incident in the Russian disinformation and defamation campaign against the International Olympic Committee and its president,” the Olympic body said in a statement.

“Fake calls purporting to be from the African Union Commission appear to have been made by the very same group that has already attacked a number of global political leaders and other high-ranking personalities in the same way,” the IOC said. Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, known as Vovan and Lexus, also tricked the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, in November 2022.

Duda believed he was talking to France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

Russia is on track to have about 35 athletes qualify for the Paris Olympics—about 10 percent of its usual team for a Summer Games. AP

In Netflix’s case, live sports serve as shoulder and support programming for the documentaries and series, which is the opposite of what usually happens.

“Everything that they’re doing has compelling storylines. It doesn’t matter what genre we’re talking about within sports and entertainment,” Garson said. “The way that they’re going about it is also putting a very high production value into what is being distributed across Netflix.”

Gabe Spitzer, Netflix vice president of nonfiction sports, has said in recent interviews that they have talked to every league and team but have mainly discussed series and documentaries.

Netflix has also proved it can create programs featuring the top sports leagues without carrying games. A new NFL series called “Receiver,” which followed five wide receivers throughout the last season, was announced

“If they commit to the sport, care about the fighters and every match they’re doing, understand what the human values are, want to promote and relate to it, yeah, it can be good,” said Lampley, a boxing announcer who called fights on ABC and HBO for over 30 years and currently does work for PPV.com. “If they are looking to make quick, incidental money based on cultivating a few big names and creating events that look like they might be meaningful events, but mostly aren’t, then it’s not good. It’s just noise.”

Lampley’s early opinion is that it is the latter.

“I’ve got nothing against Jake Paul. Mike is a dear friend. I wish him well in everything that he does. But a 57-year-old Mike Tyson against somebody I know only as a social media figure, there’s nothing that we can expect to be legitimate about that,” he said.

Irwin Kishner, the co-chair of the sports law group with the New York law firm Herrick, Feinstein LLP, is not as skeptical about the fight but also thinks Netflix expands its reach. “They’ve been totally around the edges [with live sports], but I still think this is going to get a lot of eyeballs,” he said. “I think it’s just a matter of time before they become much heavier players in this space.”

Remembering the donkey in the story of Palm Sunday

NIGHT OF THE SWIFTIES

Watch party relives Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour all too well

By Bea Rollo

“If you have children someday when they point to the pictures, please tell them my name [Taylor Swift].”

IT was indeed an enchanting night for all Swifties and we were born ready for it. As the street lights start to gloom, a Taylor Swift medley is loudly played over an echoing distance. A watch party for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) via Disney+ at The Vibe in Quezon City. There is something about the Friday night air that screams ‘This is a core memory’ to cherish.

Swifties graced the venue in their best Taylor Swift-inspired outfits from their favorite Taylor’s musical eras. Everyone had copped up the best seats in the venue giving it a picnic vibe. Well, it is not a movie party without popcorn in buckets.

In Swifties Style

HIGHLIGHTING one of Swifties’ traditions, attendees were given friendship bracelet kits. Beads and charms of all colors, shapes, and sizes are inside the loot bags. Overflowing with creative

juices, of the right mix and match to make the perfect bracelet is the way to start the event for sure.

Seeing everybody’s smiles while making and exchanging personalized friendship bracelets is a very welcoming experience—a unique way that says this is a Swifties’ party.

More than the love for music, exclusive merch such as sweaters, tote bags, and posters from the tour were also given away as prizes.

Reliving the Moment

TRAVELING through all 10 of Taylor Swift’s musical eras in one show was made possible through Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. For some, they may need to wait longer; for others, it’s as if a dream turned into reality.

Lui, a Swiftie shared she had fallen in love with Taylor when she first heard “White Horse” on the radio when she was 11 described seeing Taylor in person and rewatching the tour through the movie feels surreal.

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T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Aldwin M. Tolosa

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Edwin P. Sallan

Eduardo A. Davad

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Anabelle O. Flores

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Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

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“Attending Taylor’s concert in Singapore on The Eras Tour was a dream come true. It felt surreal and unlike any other concert, I had been to. I had always wanted to see her live but couldn’t afford tickets before. Now, I am able to make it happen and it was so worth it!” Lui says.

For some, it has already been a fulfilled wish to see Taylor live; for others, it may need a little more patience to get there. But, it is not a sad tale to slump over as Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is now documented in film and much better exclusively with Taylor’s version.

“After the Eras Tour concert, I have been avoiding Taylor’s music because it makes me sad that the event I have been looking forward to for months is over. I believe [the watch party] is a wonderful experience and a chance to reconnect with what I love—listening to Taylor’s songs,” Lui added.

Surprise Swifties

IF there is a battle of the most loved Era in Taylor’s music career, any answer is the perfect one. Whether your favorite is Taylor Swift, Speak Now, Fearless, 1989, Red, Lover, Reputation, Evermore, Folklore, or Midnights—any Swiftie would not help but sing along the whole time watching.

With the darkened room only lit by the small flashes of light, Swifties sway and sing the night away hand in hand. A surprise also came as encore

bonuses with five acoustic tracks of “Cardigan” from Folklore, “I Can See You” from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), “Maroon” from Midnights, “No Body, No Crime” from Evermore and “You Are In Love” from 1989

The night concluded with a high spirit of love and friendship—as PHL Swifties can say “I Was There I Remember it All Too Well”. Taylor Swift is an icon and this is her legacy—LONG LIVE.

we finished an album,” Dumayas said to their fans at the listening party.

Continued from B

Nevertheless, King encouraged their listeners to dance to it despite the sad story behind it.

Self-titled album

Lola Amour is also set to release their self-titled debut album coming out on April 10 after making their promise in 2019.

“It took a while for us to make an album but we’re happy to tell you guys that after five years,

Teasing their fans with 1-minute excerpts of all the songs in the new album, Lola Amour has grown with maturity—turning their navigations in their teenage years to adulthood into music.

With topics ranging from love, loss, and being away from home to mental health, the 9-track album has wrapped the band’s signature funk rock sound with catchy lyricism that is sure to make a mark.

Lola Amour is set for a two-stop album launch in April, with the first stop happening at Circuit Event Grounds on April 13, followed by a trip to Draft Punk in Cebu on April 27.

WHEN IT RAINS...

Lola Amour pours the music on

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

WHO can forget the chokehold that “Raining in Manila” has over everyone?

When the funky song with catchy lyrics was suddenly released at the same time when streets were flooded because of the heavy rain, everyone was just singing, vibing, and reminiscing about that “used to be” special someone— Mahirap bang mag-isang nanginginig?

“Raining in Manila” is without a doubt the 8-piece Filipino popfunk band Lola Amour’s biggest hit song to date. With over 121 million streams on Spotify and more than 72 million views on YouTube as of writing since its release in June last year, the single is a contender to the band’s friendzone anthem, “Fallen.”

The band is composed of Pio Dumayas on lead vocals, Raymond King on bass, David Yuhico on keyboards, Zoe Gonzales on lead guitar, Angelo Mesina on trumpets, Jeff Abueg on saxophone, and Raffy Perez on drums.

Formed in 2016 at the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School after the merger of two rival bands Sinigang na Baboy and Decaf, the boys were actually friends with one another.

From bonding over lunchtime at the cafeteria to making music together, Lola Amour has come a long way—from staging shows in the country to sharing the stage with British rock band Coldplay.

Setting the bar for the band’s success is when they performed at the country’s largest arena for Coldplay’s soldout concert in Manila last January 19. The band played together with Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin in front of 55,000 fans.

“It doesn’t feel real because these are people that we only see on social media, on TV, or listen to in music,” Dumayas shared.

Although there wasn’t much time for Lola Amour to mingle backstage with Coldplay, Dumayas said Chris Martin was a nice and warm person with no awkwardness at all.

Following the success of “Raining in Manila,” Lola Amour admitted there was pressure to release a song as good as it is or maybe even better.

‘As good as ‘Raining in Manila’’ “Initially, there was pressure. There was a time [that] everything we wrote, everything we pitched, it was like, “Ugh, it’s not ‘Raining in Manila,’” Dumayas replied to  SoundStrip’s question at a listening party on March 15.

For Lola Amour, they only felt the tension to produce a song as equally good as “Raining in Manila” for only a short period of time.

“Sometimes you have these highlights in your career, but, you know, you just keep going or else there won’t be any other highlight,” Dumayas pondered.

Saxophonist Abueg said there was a lot of pressure at the start but eventually, “We all just decided, ‘Oh, let’s just create something that we enjoy doing.’ So we ended up going with that.”

King, the band’s bassist and background vocalist, shared that the pressure is coming from himself and not much of external pressure.

“I want to make something that I can be proud of. And of course, ‘Raining in Manila’ is something we’re proud of. It was hard to come up with something that says, ‘Okay, I’m happy with this,’” King added.

Meanwhile, Yuhico said he didn’t feel any pressure about it because it was just a song for him.

“You don’t know what people will like and what they won’t like... Hopefully, you’ll like some other things. But I don’t know if you will,” he reflected because Yuhico said he just enjoys making new songs.

With the pressures falling, Lola Amour braved the rain and cold.

As the season changed, the band shone even brighter with their new single—and an upcoming album!—this time around.

‘Namimiss Ko Na’

Lola Amour recently dropped a new single titled “Namimiss Ko Na,” which was supposed to be a track in response to “Raining in Manila.”

However, King explained that “Namimiss Ko Na” is not just about missing someone but how he reacted and came to terms with his grandmother’s bout with Alzheimer’s disease.

“When you’re in the late stage of Alzheimer’s, ‹pag tingin mo sa mata, parang wala na yung tao [when you look at them in the eyes, it’s as if there’s no person left]. So that’s what I miss,” King shared.

See “When It Rains,” B

Remembering the donkey in the story of Palm Sunday

By Joanne M. Pierce College of the Holy Cross

FOR the Catholic Church and many other Christian denominations, the Sunday before Easter marks the beginning of the most important week of the year, Holy Week.

Th i s i s t he pe riod w hen C hri st i ans refl ect on cent r al myste ries of t he ir fa it h , f rom C hri st’s Last Suppe r to t he c ruc ifi x ion and res urrect ion f rom t he dead. Palm Su nday commemor ates t he stor y of Jes u s’ t riu mph al ent r y i nto Je ru salem s hor tly before t he Jew i s h hol iday of Passove r Accord i ng to t he C hri st i an Gospels, people l i ned t he st reets to g reet hi m, wav i ng palm br anc hes and s hout i ng words of pr a i se.

As a special ist in Cat hol ic l it urgy and rit u al, I t hink it’s clea r t hat t he deeper meaning of t his Sunday is rooted in humi lity, rat her t han worldly venerat ion.

Humble ser v ice to ot hers is a t heme t hat runs t hrough t he New Testament. As t he apostle Pau l stressed, C hrist ians bel ieve t hat Jesus, t he son of a ca r penter, was also t he son of God, who “empt ied himself” of his d iv inity to become f u lly human. Jesus’ teac hings in t he Gospels pra ise “t he meek, for t hey w i ll inherit t he ea r t h,” and he procla ims t hat “whoever w ishes to be g reat among you must be your ser vant.”

Moder n Cat hol ic teac hings describe humi l ity as g rounded in an understand ing of one’s true relat ionship w it h God, one’s own g ifts, and an openness to appreciat ing t he talents of ot hers.

Double symbols

EACH of t he four Gospels, t he bibl ical books about Jesus’ l ife, describe him entering Jerusalem to prepa re to celebrate Passover days before being betrayed, a rrested, tried and sentenced to a criminal’s deat h by crucifi x ion. Eac h one expl icitly says t hat he rode into t he city on a donkey or a colt. Th roughout t he Bible, however, t he word meaning “colt” is used almost exclusively for young donkeys, not horses.

Th is image brings to mind a l ine f rom t he Book of Zec ha ria h in t he Jew ish script ures: The prophet describes a v ictorious k ing who enters Jerusalem “lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, t he foal of a donkey.”

In Juda ism, t his passage f rom Zec haria h is taken to refer to t he Messia h, a spirit u al k ing who wou ld peacef u lly redeem Is-

rael. The donkey itself is also inter preted as a sign of humi l ity.

In C hrist ianity, t his animal becomes almost a symbol of C hrist himself, g iven how it pat iently suffers and bea rs ot hers’ burdens. Horses, meanwhi le, tend to be associated w it h royalty, power and wa r

On t he ot her hand, t he palm branc h had been associated w it h triumph and v ictor y for hund reds of yea rs before C hrist. Win-

ma rk ing t he place bel ieved to be Jesus’

tomb, for evening prayer Among t he crowd were c hi ld ren wav ing palms and ol ive branc hes.

Lasting symbols

CENTURIES of t heolog ical and a r t ist ic reflect ion have shaped today’s Cat hol ic approac h to Holy Week specifically, and to t he concept of hol iness in general.

‘In Christianity, [the donkey] becomes almost a symbol of Christ himself, given how it patiently suffers and bears others’ burdens.’

ners of at h let ic contests, v ictorious generals and triumphant k ings wou ld be awa rded or welcomed w it h wav ing palm branc hes, a sign of jubi lat ion.

These Gospel na rrat ives left C hrist ians t hroughout t he cent uries w it h two important images for Palm Sunday, t he procession w it h palm branc hes and t he donkey: one associated w it h triumphant v ictor y, and t he ot her w it h quiet humi l ity.

Historical development

THE ea rl iest ev idence for a Palm Sunday procession comes f rom a late four t h-cent ur y rel ig ious woman named Egeria, who recorded her experiences on a pi lg rimage to t he Holy Land for her community in Spa in.

W hi le in Jerusalem, she describes assembly for prayer on t he Mount of Ol ives in t he ea rly after noon of Palm Sunday. Th is is a significant locat ion just outside t he city, where C hrist ians bel ieve t hat Jesus taught d isciples, prayed in t he ga rden of Get hsemane at its base, and ascended into heaven.

After wa rd, t he g roup processed down to t he Anastasis, t he c hurc h in Jerusalem

Med ieval C hrist ian worship books f rom t he 10t h and 11t h cent uries show t hat a rit u al procession outside c hurc hes became a standa rd feat ure of Palm Sunday celebrat ions in Wester n C hrist ianity. In many pa r ts of Europe, ot her spring flowers or budd ing branc hes might be used alongside palm or ol ive branc hes, and t he Sunday cou ld also be referred to as Flower or Wi llow Sunday.

C hrist cou ld be represented in t he procession in numerous ways, suc h as t he presence of t he bishop or sa ints’ rel ics. In some a reas, a ca r ved fig ure of C hrist seated on a donkey, called a Palmesel or “palm donkey,” cou ld be pu lled in f ront of t he crowd.

D uri ng t he mass afte r t he process ion, cle r gy wou ld read a Gospel accou nt of C hri st’s c ruc ifi x ion and deat h , t r ad it ionally f rom t he Book of Matt hew; today, Cat hol ics u se ve r s ions f rom ot he r gospels as well. The read i ng wou ld u s u ally be c h anted, w it h d iff e rent voices tak i ng t he pa r ts of t he na rr ator, C hri st, and ot he r speake r s, espec i ally t he c rowd of people desc ri bed as w itness i ng hi s t ri al, w it h t he cong regat ion st i ll hold i ng t he ir palm br anc hes.

Even today, in t he contempora r y Cat hol ic calenda r, t he f u ll t itle of t his first Sunday of Holy Week is Palm Sunday of t he Lord’s Passion.

The image of t he quiet, pat ient, and unassuming donkey has communicated humi l ity in a r t and in pract ice. No animals a re ment ioned in t he descript ions of t he bir t h of Jesus in t he canonical gospels officially included in t he Bible. However, ot her ea rly C hrist ian texts refer to a donkey at t he manger or Ma r y seated on a donkey as she travels w it h Joseph Med ieval a r t ists also depicted t he nat iv ity scene w it h bot h an ox and an ass in attendance, and Ma r y rid ing on a donkey.

T h e palm also came to be a w i de r symbol. Ea r ly sa i nts w h o h ad d i ed as ma r ty r s—t h at i s, w h o d i ed r at h e r t h an r eno u nce t h e ir C hri st i an fa i t h —came to be p i ct ur ed stand i ng by a palm t r ee. Mo r e commonly, t h ey we r e s h own h oldi ng a palm b r anc h , s i gn i fy i ng t h e ir v i cto r y ove r deat h : Hav i ng g i ven u p t h e ir ea r t h ly l i ves to follow C hri st, t h ey we r e now u n i ted w i t h hi m i n P a r ad i se. Ma rty r s a r e also f r e qu ently dep i cted w i t h t h e i nst ru ments of t h e ir to r t ur e, h elpi ng wo r s hi ppe r s to i dent i fy and vene rate t h em.

All of t hese i mages a re rooted i n t he na rr at i ve of Palm Su nday, w it h its i mage of Jes u s, t he ca r pente r ’s son, rid i ng on an ord i na r y donkey, yet accla i med for a moment as t hou g h he we re a worldly k i ng. A s i m i la r pa r adox i s at t he hea r t of C hri st i an teac hi ngs: t h at alt hou g h Jes u s C hri st w i ll i ngly d ied on a c ri m i nal’s c ross, doi ng so was a v ictor y ove r s i n and deat h The Conversation

Cover photo by Chris F on Pexels.com

www.businessmirror.com.ph |

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

C1 Sunday, March 24, 2024

Eating My Way Through Tokyo, Japan

By Brian K. Ong @briankingong

FOR many Filipinos, Japan is a top pick for a quick getaway—whether it’s to bask in the chill of winter, experience the picturesque snow scenes, or to catch the spring in full bloom with the sakura or cherry blossoms painting the town pink.

Tokyo, a city where tradition meets futuristic innovation, never ceases to astonish, whether it’s your first visit or you’re coming back for more. Newcomers should not miss the tranquility of Meiji Shrine, the lively pulse of Shibuya Crossing, and the breathtaking city views from Tokyo Tower. Return visitors will find delight in exploring deeper into Tokyo’s soul: the historic charm of Yanaka, Akihabara’s tech and anime scene, and the peaceful riverside parks along Sumida River. Each visit to Tokyo unveils hidden treasures, making every trip unforgettable and filled with new experiences waiting to be discovered.

My purpose for this trip however, besides celebrating my birthday, is to finally go to a Disneyland, and visit the newly opened Warner Brothers Studio—The Making of Harry Potter. Everything else was cherry on top of the itinerary.

As a foodie,

makes you do a double take? That’s exactly what happened to me scrolling through my Instagram explore section and finding Shodai’s white curry udon (¥1,320), which has once been called “the most insta-worthy Udon noodle.”

Tucked away in Ebisu Minami in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (just a quick fiveminute hop from Ebisu Station on the Yamanote Line), this restaurant’s serving up something you won’t find just anywhere: white curry udon. And trust me, it’s not what you would expect at first glance. At first look, you might think, “Dessert?” because yes, it looks like it is topped with a big dollop of whipped cream. But hold that thought, as it actually is a creamy, smooth potato mousse that’s more like a cozy hug of potage. If you sneak a taste of this white wonder by itself, you won’t find the taste of curry there.

The magic happens when you mix it all up. The chef behind this masterpiece suggests giving it a good stir to get every bit of flavor married together perfectly. The curry itself? It’s mild on the spice but doesn’t hold back on flavor, thanks to the dashi giving it a nice lift. The udon noodles have that satisfying chew to them, and they’re swimming in a curry and potato soup that’s just out of this world. Oh, and let’s not forget about the super tender meat tucked in the soup that just melt in your mouth!

Yakiniku Like

TOKYO boasts of so many yakiniku places, where diners cook their meat at a built-in table grill. These variety of places

barista who has won Japan’s best latte art four times.

Kaisendokoro Mukai

coffee museum with first-class drinkable art,” Latte Art Mania Tokyo offers Black Latte (¥850) which uses bamboo charcoal to highlight the contrast with the milk and to enhance the design.

The owner, Mr. Kenta Baba, who is from Fukuoka, is a talented

KAISHENDOKORO MUKAI is a popular lunch-only seafood bowl specialty restaurant in Shibuya— one of the best, hands down, if I may add. This is one restaurant that does not take reservations, and says that you need to go to the store and wait to be served. The recommended dish is a seafood bowl with fresh seafood, rare parts of tuna, and plenty of sea urchin I got the Kaihodon Deluxe (¥1,600) and added raw egg and

more seaweed

You can select from various options to customize your bowl, such as mixed grain rice or white rice, red vinegar or white vinegar, and enjoy it like a hand-rolled sushi with the sheets of seaweed.

I liked that you could also finish off your meal by mixing the homemade soup with any leftover rice in your bowl, akin to an Ochazuke. Definitely a must try, as it offers high-quality seafood bowls at a reasonable price in a calm Japanese-style room that opens to a Japanese garden—truly Zen!

Menya Musashi

THIS was my first and last meal in Tokyo, and probably one of the best tsukemen I have tried! Tsukemen is a style of ramen where the noodles are served separately from the rich, concentrated broth. The name “tsukemen” translates to “dipping noodles,” and that’s precisely how you enjoy it.

At Menya Musashi, you’ll receive a bowl of thick, chewy noodles, chunks of melt-in-your-mouth pork, alongside a steaming bowl of intensely flavored broth. To eat, dip the noodles into the broth, allowing them to soak up the savory goodness.

Named after the legendary samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, who was famed for his distinctive “double sword style”, the award winning Menya Musashi has gained quite a cult following among ramen fans in Japan and abroad since making its debut in Tokyo in 1996.

Credited as the pioneer of a new ramen culture in Japan, Menya Musashi offers multiple concepts and tastes that can be adapted to suit the locality of the store, which they now have in Singapore and the USA, but all with the same unique style that has become synonymous with the brand.

As my culinary journey through Tokyo ends, I’m reminded of the city’s unparalleled ability to surprise and delight at every turn. From the unexpected food finds, and many other discoveries, Tokyo has once again proven why it’s a mustvisit destination for food lovers everywhere.

As I reflect on this adventure, I realize that Tokyo’s true magic lies not just in its food, but in the stories and memories that are created with every bite. Here’s to many more returns, each promising new flavors to discover and more tales to tell.

Until then, Tokyo, you’ve been an absolute delight. What are your favorite restaurants in Tokyo? Do drop me a message on Instagram @briankingong or e-mail me at briankingong@gmail.com . Happy eating, and safe travels!

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Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

By Rory Visco Contributor

ONE fun fact is that UCC has been in the Ortigas business district area for more than a decade, starting in the early 2000s.

This year, the UCC brand, one of the pioneer coffee brands in the country, added another store, its 34th, to its burgeoning list of highquality coffee and all-day dining branches around the country. It is looking forward to opening 50 percent more this year with Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, Davao, and Bataan as target areas. The 75-seater UCC Mentoré Coffee+Bar at the East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall (Midlevel 2/3) marks a first for UCC with its hotel lobby setup, making it a cozier place to chill for Shangri-La Plaza Mall shoppers. According to April Faith Alquiroz, Junior Marketing Manager from The Mugen Group, the company that brought the UCC coffee experience to the Philippines along with Coco Ichibanya, Tendon Kohaku, Shaburi & Kintan, Mos Burger, Yamato Cafe, and Mitsuyado Seimen, the new café promises to redefine coffee-loving Filipinos’ coffee experience as it provides a delightful retreat to those seeking a cozy ambiance nestled in the heart of the metro.

The new store still stays true to UCC’s core with its design that exudes Japanese minimalism. It blends in through its wide and functional spaces, with an abundance of bold and deep colors for that soothingly muted café mood. It has a coffee bar with highly recognizable cool coffee equipment like the sleek Marco Friias and the

SUMMER is now upon us. This brings excitement to those drooling over basking under the sun in beaches, or salivating for cool, icy desserts.  What better way to beat the heat this season than with the all-time Filipino favorite Halo-Halo. And the best place to have it is none other than Chowking. The quick service restaurant’s (QSR) Halo-Halo Supreme is fully loaded with an assortment of Sangkap—from luscious leche flan to rich ube halaya, delightful red sago, pandan jelly, and the richest ube ice cream, alongside other delightful additions.

Chowking offers an improved

ultra-luxe Eagle Tempo espresso machines for a premium Japanese coffee experience.

A n e xci t i n g m e nu for a n ew s tore WELL, what’s UCC without good food? UCC Mentoré Coffee+Bar’s exciting menu such as the Wagyu Salisbury Steak made with UCC’s special wagyu burger, and the Blue Cheese and Shrimp Risotto with a creamy blue cheese twist, the Spinach and Mushroom Benedict, Beef Tapa, Naked Longganisa, Crispy Shrooms, Mixed Berries Salad, Street Toast, Shrimp ala Vodka Spaghetti, Shepherd’s Pie, and the Roasted Aubergine soup that features a rich blend of cream and roasted eggplant. Plus, there’s the signature Ube Oatmeal with banana brûlée and

salted coconut chips. But aside from good food, what’s a UCC without its signature coffee drinks? There is UCC’s renowned coffees like the Syphon Method Sumiyaki and Blue Mountain #1, along with the popular Kori Kohi and Original Japanese Cheesecake, Avocado Coffee, Ube Latte and the Brendo (iceblended drink with coffee or cream milk base) like the Choco Chip Bits, Coffee, and Hoji Cha that are likewise flavorful and excellent choices.

Alquiroz said that Mugen, which means “infinite” and “limitless,” invested in state-ofthe-art machines and equipment to ensure the quality of its products and services, utilizing cutting-edge technology like the Tempo Eagle, SP9, and Friia. These machines

version of it in a new Salo-Salo Size. It boasts of a generous serving shareable among four to six people when dining in at Chowking’s branches. So it’s the perfect chance to bond with friends and loved ones. With its rich flavors from the ingredients, as well as the refreshing and cooling effect of the ice, Chowking’s Halo-Halo Supreme is absolutely the right dessert to finish any meal.

What’s in store

THERE are more reasons why Chowking is always the top-of-mind of Filipino foodies looking forward to the summer season.

This time of the year, they can

enable UCC to consistently create high-quality coffee and beverages for guests to enjoy.

“The UCC family is continuously growing, and UCC Mentoré is just one of the many branches that we will unveil in the Philippines this year. With its soft opening, we are giving the public a sneak peek into what we are offering. We are grateful to our loyal customers for their support and clamor to bring the UCC dining service closer to them,” said Hubert Young, CEO of UCC Ueshima Coffee Philippines, Inc. “Our goal is to provide our customers with delicious food and drinks and serve these to them efficiently, ensuring that everyone who visits UCC Mentoré enjoys a seamless and satisfying dining experience,” Young said.

To sample an eye-popping, hearty serving of Halo-Halo while enjoying fun-filled activities with families and pals, visit SM City Seaside Cebu on March 16 and 17; SM City Pampanga, April 6 and 7; SM City Bacoor, April 20 and 21; SM MOA, May 4 and 5; and SM City Davao, May 18 and 19. Established in 1985, Chowking is the leading Chinese QSR in the Philippines. In 2000, the Jollibee Group, one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world, acquired Chowking and placed it under its Fresh N’ Famous Foods subsidiary.

For more details, log on to  www. facebook.com/ChowkingPH (Facebook) and @ChowkingPH (Instagram). Roderick L. Abad

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

WHOPPER lovers rejoice!  Burger King (BK) is bringing back the truffle-licious variant of this fan favorite offering—this time made even better.

First introduced in 2022, Truffle Whopper returns due to popular demand with its signature flame-grilled patty, complemented well by the rich flavor of truffle and topped with crunchy onions for an extra crisp.

This year, the Home of the Whopper has elevated customers’ experience of this mouthwatering burger since the truffle mayo has been upgraded with an even richer truffle taste that shouldn’t be missed.

Triple truffle DINING at BK, eating out or at even at home is thrice the fun with its Truffle Bundle, an iconic combination of Truffle Whopper, Ultimate Sidekick Thick-cut Fries with Truffle Dip, and Rootbeer

Float.

Available at the fastfood chain’s stores nationwide, the Truffle Whopper and the Truffle Trio bundle are set to level-up the BK experience anywhere.

These new offerings are perfect for any occasion, celebrating special moments with families and loved ones. From casual snacking to fine dining, the magic of truffle knows no bounds.

Hurry up! These delectable treats are only available until supplies last. Don’t miss the opportunity to savor the irresistible combo of savory truffle goodness and the classic flame-grilled perfection.

Burger King Truffle Whopper and the Truffle Bundle are available in all BK outlets and via dine-in, take-out, drivethru, or delivery via Burger King app,  order.burgerking. com.ph , Grabfood, and

Simmer down the fiery waves of summer with Gerry’s icy coo

TROUBLED by the hot weather, coupled with the uncomfortable feeling brought about by humidity, homegrown restaurant Gerry’s brings a creamy-licious relief with its Milky Ice Desserts. These highy-craved for confections have become a regular fixture of the summer season, with customers eagerly awaiting for their arrival over or off the counter.

Fab five concoctions

SOME patrons of the Ube Macapuno Delight regard it as the summit of their dessert journey simply because this delectable, purple-colored offering is concocted from sweet yam and coconut.

Those loyal to the classic HaloHalo don’t want to miss this most favored Pinoy dessert for its intricately mix of shaved ice, beans, gelatins, fruits, and other sweets.

Not to be ignored, of course, is the Mais Con Hielo, which is refreshingly irresistible with its corn kernels and milk.

The creamy yet light Buko Pandan Delight is no doubt the pièce de résistance among Gerry’s lineup of coolers—thanks to its tender coconut and fragrant pandan leaves. Known for its sublime flavor and rejuvenating consistency, it best exemplifies what a culinary craftsmanship should be.

Last, but not the least, is the Banana Con Leche, a simple yet satiating dessert featuring sliced bananas immersed in milk. Such confection enjoys a huge following among younger customers, mainly due to its delightful fusion of sweetness and creaminess.

Dessert destination of choice WHATEVER the choice of the sweet tooth is, Gerry’s is undeniably the go-to place for its Milky Ice Desserts during the dry and fiery months of the year. This bistro never fails to entice a throng of locals and tourists alike, all salivating for delectable, chilled confections.

Gerry’s Milky Ice Desserts are available across all its branches nationwide. So drop by at any of its outlets to relish such refreshing sweet and creamy concoctions. Roderick L. Abad

CNewcoast, the 150-hectare mixed-use township developed by Megaworld Corporation and envisioned to be “the grandest tourism destination in the island.”

Just a stone’s throw away from Boracay Newcoast’s Belmont and Savoy hotels, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Grill is designed using elements of stone, wood, and leather set against a mesmerizing view of powder white sand and crystal blue waters.

Already dubbed as “the best steakhouse in Manila,” Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Boracay Newcoast promises to elevate the steakhouse dining experience with an expanded and more diverse menu featuring grill specialties and exclusive seafood fare that enhances the coastal charm of its beachfront location.

Diners, especially the more adventurous types will love the Peruvian-inspired Ceviche Sampler that includes sea scallops, yellowfin tuna, and red snapper as well as the Parihuela, a traditional seafood soup. Also worth sampling first on the menu are the Beach Tacos, Burrata Salad, and Grilled Barbecue Short Ribs.

Beach Club

EQUALLY worth checking out is the Beach Club which offers an impressive wine collection, extensive

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

Beyond the steakhouse

Cbar menu, and meticulously crafted cocktails that pair perfectly with each dish including the tropical Guava Caipirinha and refreshing Lilikoi Margarita.

The real star of Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, however, is of course, its signature USDA Prime Black Angus steaks.

These steaks, available in popular cuts (i.e. Porterhouse, Tomahawk, Rib Eye) and grill variants (i.e. Steak Salpicao, Charbroiled Flank Steak), are dry-aged to enhance tenderness and flavor in Wolfgang’s own proprietary designed aging room under a controlled temperature and humidity environment for around 28 days. During the process, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to more tender beef. At the same time, moisture is evaporated from the muscle, creating a greater concentration of beef flavor and taste. “With the addition of the grill, we have the exciting opportunity to expand our menu and introduce a variety of dishes featuring different cuts of beef. While we embrace these new dishes, we are also committed to preserving the authentic essence of Wolfgang’s Steakhouse,” Zweiner

further pointed out.

Wider selection

“AS a result, we will prepare these dishes in ways that maintain the soul and character that our restaurant is known for. This expansion allows us to present a wider selection of value-driven plates, catering to those seeking more intriguing and flavorful options, offering them a taste journey like no other.”

Founded by Wolfgang Zwiener, a trailblazer in the steak business with over four decades of expertise, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse first opened in Manhattan, New York in 2004 and has since garnered acclaim across 34 locations spanning 20 cities worldwide.

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Boracay Newcoast is its first restaurant outside Metro Manila.

Whether feasting on succulent steak or just savoring a signature cocktail by the beach, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Grill in Boracay Newcoast is an ideal dining destination when in Boracay. For reservations and inquiries, please contact Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Grill at Boracay Newcoast 09157572867; e-mail: reservation. boracay@wolfgangssteakhouse.ph.

Newest European Pub Opens Its Doors In Parqal, Aseana

a problem with the mall’s basement parking that’s also currently given for free to all Parqal visitors.

“We are very excited to bring the real European pub experience closer to Manila with our hearty and homey dishes curated especially for Filipinos. As we open our doors in Parqal, we want our guests to be able to have an amazing relaxed time and get to try the complete Cierto experience every time they come by,” said Andrew Masigan, President of Advent Manila Hospitality Group that owns and operates Cierto.

Cierto is now open at the ground floor of Parqal, Aseana and open from Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 9 pm. Like and follow Cierto on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with

WOLFGANG’S Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich LOMO Saltado TACO Sampler

USDA Prime Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steak

IN the photo are, from left, Harold Geronimo APR Vice President and Head of Public Relations and Media Affairs (Megaworld Corp), Lorence Aurelio VP-Leasing for Key Accounts (Megaworld), Vanessa Vicente, AVP/Cluster General Manager (Megaworld), Leina Bolinas Managing Partner (Wolfgang’s Steakhouse PH), Raymund Magdaluyo

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Jthe group tasked to develop and manage the

launched an initiative called “SMHCC Road to Zero.”

The initiative is about SMHCC’s sustainability efforts that center around various Environmental, Social, Governance, or ESG, practices and

all directed to help achieve

Washing, and

ero Biases. Included in the initiative was what Leah Magallanes, SMHCC Vice President for Quality and Sustainability, dubbed as “Plate for the Planet,” which is part of the company’s “Sustainable Diner” program. The program showcases SMHCC’s commitment to the socalled “circular economy” when it comestoitsoperations,likefromfood wastes to compost for gardening and farming, to producing vegetables, herbs, and fruits. The program is aimed at expanding healthy and environment-friendly dining options, directed towards reducing dining wastes and mitigating GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions in the food service industry. With regards to the “Plate for the Planet,” culinary experts from Taal Vista Hotel carefully curated the menu that featured locally sourced and hotel harvested ingredients, a sample of which was served to members of the media who attended the launch. Part of the menu was Arancini made with Glutinous

SM hotel group pushes for zero waste in food preparation

Rice, Tagaytay mushrooms and Laguna kesong puti with malunggay pesto; Pancit Buco with cabbage, lettuce, carrots, and jicama; Poached Maliputo with Roasted Squash Puree, and Pavlova with Calamansi curd, Chantilly, and Pineapple Calamansi compote.

Handling consumption of resources

MAGALLANES said one of the strategies in moving towards

Net Z ero, which she defined as conducting business operations in a responsible and more efficient way with less impact on the environment, revolves around handling the consumption of resources, like food. “Scientifically, food waste has one of the highest emissions because if you put it in a landfill, it becomes methane and may contribute to global warming.”

She said another source of emission

in terms of food is when people start buying things that are imported since it has to travel via transportation that consumes fuel. “In terms of sustainable diner, first is you control the source. The shorter the distance from the farm to the kitchen, the better because there’s less carbon footprint. Related to that is buying local so you’re talking about MSMEs (micro, small and medium sized enterprises). When you support that, that means shorter distance

to the kitchen because MSMEs are just around you. Then, when the goods are in the kitchen, you talk about their proper use by the chefs,” Magallanes tells BusinessMirror.

Wrong cuts BEING a chef herself, Magallanes knows how much waste goes into the preparation of food like wastage due to wrong cuts or measurements. She said to achieve this would involve a change in mindset and

culture because the cooks need to be told of the importance of doing their job properly, like in measuring the amount of food that should be cooked.

“That’s a skill where we train them through lessons on Food Management or Kitchen Management. There is a science or algorithm to it. For example, a normal person in a buffet can eat as much as 300 grams in a plate, so that’s one third of a kilo, which is quite a lot already. If there are bones in the dish, the allocation will go up say, 400 or 500 grams, and then the number of people, you multiply that, that’s the only amount they’re going to prepare so it involves a lot of kitchen management also,” Magallanes explained.

When asked if sourcing items used in the kitchen from local sources and minimizing food wastage is becoming a trend, Magallanes averred that she would like to think that it is not a trend but should be a mindset already, one that can also keep food prices down because ingredients are sourced locally.

To date, the Sustainable Diner program is being implemented in SMHCC properties such as Taal Vista Hotel, Pico De Loro, plus the Park Inn by Radisson in Bacolod and Iloilo.

Gustatory wonders from Spain at the 125th anniversary of La Camara

TCamara and supported by The Spanish Embassy in the Philippines, Cooperacion Espanola, and the Philippines Spanish Business Council, was also the perfect opportunity for guests in attendance, composed of high-profile business leaders, politicians and personalities, to network and mingle.

Feast for the senses

DEFINITELY, with the glitz and glamor that accompanied the

event, it also showcased a feast for the senses that included the excellent food from Extremadura, a western Spanish region, featuring a diverse mix of cheeses, Iberian products, alcoholic beverages, including musical shows from the region.

But aside from being a glorious merriment that celebrated culture and cuisine, La Fiesta also was the perfect event to explore the rich assortment of Spanish culture,

food, and drinks, where renowned chefs Chele Gonzalez and Carlos Villaflor from Gallery by Chele crafted an array of authentic Spanish culinary experience infused with Filipino influences.

Dishes that rolled out of the kitchen included Pulpo a la Gallega Salad, the Iberico Chuleta with Extra Virgin Oil, Mashed Potato, Mustard, Apple, and Grilled Purple Cabbage. For Dessert, it was a Manchego and

Basque Cheesecake with Orange Chantilly.

There was no doubt that both masters of the kitchen delighted guests’ palates with an impeccable menu that conjoins delightful flavors and innovative culinary techniques composed of alluring appetizers and exquisite desserts, where each dish was the perfect representation of unmatched mastery in gastronomic excellence. Rory Visco

ARANCINI made with Glutinous Rice, Tagaytay mushrooms and Laguna kesong puti with malunggay pesto

PANCIT Buko with cabbage, lettuce, carrots, and jicamaPOACHED Maliputo with Roasted Squash PureePAVLOVA with Calamansi curd, Chantilly, and Pineapple Calamansi compote

TABLE setting made out of sustainable materials naturally found in Pico de Loro, curated by the creative hands of the Housekeeping Team. The grasshopper, fish, and bird décor are made out of coconut leaves, while the table napkin rings are made out of coconut shells. Driftwood and coconut husks are also materials commonly found in the cove.

LEAH MAGALLANES, VP - Sustainability and Quality, SMHCC, shares SMHCC’s Roadmap to achieving Net Zero by 2040

Figs Burnt

EMMANUEL DE GHELLINCK, Executive Director of La Camara.

IBERICO Chuleta with Extra Virgin Oil, Mashed Potato, Mustard, Apple and Grilled Purple Cabbage MANCHEGO and Figs Burnt Basque Cheesecake with Orange Chantilly PULPO a la Gallega Salad