BusinessMirror March 26, 2023

READY FOR CHINA ‘BLITZ’

By Manuel T. Cayon

Right now, it is just waiting for the door to open to one of the world’s largest markets and see how the rest of the world reacts to its prickly presence and smelly aroma that patrons crave for and even new converts have come to love and savor.

Widely grown in Davao City and some parts of the Davao Region, the “heavenly” luscious taste of durian is poised to “invade” the China market soon, five years after then Mayor now Vice President Sara Z. Duterte started to explore trade ties through Beijing’s newly established consulate general in this city.

Ready to go

FREEZER vans have already been filled to the brim with the fruit at the farms in preparation for the final go signal for shipment. “The green light would come from China now,” said Abel James I. Monteagudo, director of the Davao Regional Office of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Export of durian to China was made a part of the trade agreement that President Ferdinand R. Mar-

cos Jr. signed with Beijing during his state visit there last year.

It was made possible as an addendum to the trade agreement after the Philippine side, specifically the Bureau of Plant Industry-National Plant Quarantine Services Division (BPI-NPQSD), “officially sent a request for market access of fresh durian to the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” the agency told the BusinessMirror

Technical information on fresh durian was submitted to initiate import risk analysis for the commodity, and on January 4th this year, the work plan for the export of fresh durian to China was signed by both countries during the visit of President Marcos, who concurrently heads the DA.

The BPI-NPQSD said the BPI currently has “five licensed exporters of fresh durian.” It said the companies were endorsed to the General Administration of Customs (GACC) of PRC, “but were not yet confirmed to be registered by China.”

But the process has been started to accredit or recognize the durian to enter the China market.

Monteagudo said local agriculture technicians and China’s phytosanitary technicians visited the durian farms here in December last year to January this year.

“What they require is that the fruits should not fall to the ground to avoid injury to the fruit or be the cause of carrying soil bacteria when exported,” he said. The durian trees should not also be intercropped to avoid becoming a host to other plant pests that might enter China.

Initially, the farms have gotten positive reviews from Chinese inspectors.

“They also want to get hold of the video of the inspection that their officials in China may also look at. We already submitted the video in the first week of March,” Monteagudo said. “If they saw any other crop other than durian, the farm would automatically fail.”

“They also require that the farms are Good Agricultural Practices-certified,” he said.

Monteagudo said 59 durian farms here were inspected.

Scent issue

WHILE the fruit holds the regal crown among Philippine fruits, its smell has been the main issue that is holding at bay the popularity of durian.

Yet, the fruit is widely grown also in other Asian neighbors, and its income contribution to the economy is not miniscule.

Thailand, for one, the largest durian grower and the main exporter to China, averages 875,000 tons a year of exports, giving a picture of how the fruit is turning its pungent smell into a good foreignexchange generator.

The Thai government said that between February 1 and November 24 last year, it exported 779,206 tons to China and generated 82.8 billion baht, equivalent to $2.429 billion or a whopping P131.976 billion.

That’s how “smelly” it gets with

the right market, and the Philippines is battling to get even just a slice of this huge market.

Exports UNKNOWN to many, the Philippines has recently tapped the international market for its durian, with 10 countries already receiving the iconic fruit from Davao.

From the Port of Davao City, durian is exported fresh and frozen to nine countries, and packaged as jam for the United Arab Emirates.

Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the US accept the fresh durian fruit export, with Japan (49.72 tons) and Hong Kong (30.642 tons) getting the big shipment last year.

The frozen fruits are exported also to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, with Thailand (334.826 tons) and South Korea (172.225 tons) being the biggest importers.

Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and the US also import the frozen durian meat, with Thailand (2,425 tons) and Hong Kong (106.53 tons) getting the bigger bulk of the shipment.

UAE imports the Philippine durian through the jam form at 0.00296 ton, while Indonesia is buying the Davao durian seedlings.

Some of the shipments to these countries were actually not all intended for the receiving country alone. Thailand, for example, is a third-country party to final destination markets like China, but because of the lack of a trade agreement, the Davao durian growers can only export in small volumes.

“But we are happy now that finally, the door has been opened to the world’s largest importer of our fruits, including banana and durian,” Monteagudo said. Imagine how a durian break into the China market could bring additional revenues, not only to our country, but to our farmers here.

The ‘king’ of PHL fruits—with all its thorny spikes and aromatic smell— is set to be exported to Beijing, and local producers are excited.

THE “KING” of Philippine fruits will not only be sporting the “majesty” of all its thorny spikes and disperse its pervasive scent, and all that it has been known for.

DURIAN on sale outside the Magsaysay Park in Davao City. MANUEL T. CAYON

Trump arrested? Putin jailed? Fake AI images spread online

By Arijeta Lajka & Philip Marcelo The Associated Press

NEW YORK—Former President

Donald Trump getting

gangtackled by riot-gear-clad New York City police officers. Russian President Vladimir Putin in prison grays behind the bars of a dimly lit concrete cell.

The highly detailed, sensational images have inundated Twitter and other platforms in recent days, amid news that Trump faces possible criminal charges and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.

But neither visual is remotely real.

The ’deceiving’ power of AI

THE images—and scores of variations littering social media—were produced using increasingly sophisticated and widely accessible image generators powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

Misinformation experts warn the images are harbingers of a new reality: waves of fake photos and videos flooding social media after

major news events and further muddying fact and fiction at crucial times for society.

“It does add noise during crisis events. It also increases the cynicism level,” said Jevin West, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle who focuses on the spread of misinformation.

“You start to lose trust in the system and the information that you are getting.”

While the ability to manipulate photos and create fake images isn’t new, AI image generator tools by Midjourney, DALL­E and others are easier to use. They can quickly generate realistic images—complete with detailed backgrounds—on a mass scale with little more than a simple text prompt from users.

Some of the recent images have been driven by this month’s release of a new version of Midjourney’s text­to ­image synthesis model, which can, among other things, now produce convincing images mimicking the style of news agency photos.

In one widely­ circulating Twitter thread, Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, a Netherlands­based investigative journalism collective, used the latest version of the tool to conjure up scores of dramatic images of Trump’s fictional arrest.

The visuals, which have been shared and liked tens of thousands of times, showed a crowd of uniformed officers grabbing the Republican billionaire and violently pulling him down onto the pavement.

Higgins, who was also behind a set of images of Putin being arrested, put on trial and then imprisoned, says he posted the images with no ill intent. He even stated clearly in his Twitter thread that the images were AI­ generated.

Still, the images were enough to get him locked out of the Midjourney server, according to Higgins. The San Francisco ­based independent research lab didn’t respond to emails seeking comment.

“The Trump arrest image was really just casually showing both how good and bad Midjourney was at rendering real scenes,” Higgins wrote in an email. “The images started to form a sort of narrative as I plugged in prompts to Midjourney, so I strung them along into a narrative, and decided to finish off the story.”

He pointed out the images are far from perfect: in some, Trump is seen, oddly, wearing a police utility belt. In others, faces and hands are clearly distorted.

But it’s not enough that users like Higgins clearly state in their posts that the images are AI­ generated and solely for entertainment, says Shirin Anlen, media technologist at Witness, a New York­based human­rights organization that focuses on visual evidence.

Share and see but not unsee TOO often, the visuals are quickly reshared by others without that crucial context, she said. Indeed, an Instagram post sharing some of Higgins’s images of Trump as if they were genuine garnered more than 79,000 likes.

“You’re just seeing an image,

Misinformation experts warn the images are harbingers of a new reality: waves of fake photos and videos flooding social media after major news events and further muddying fact and fiction at crucial times for society.

and once you see something, you cannot unsee it,” Anlen said.

In another recent example, social media users shared a synthetic image supposedly capturing Putin kneeling and kissing the hand of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The image, which circulated as the Russian president welcomed Xi to the Kremlin this week, quickly became a crude meme.

It’s not clear who created the image or what tool they used, but some clues gave the forgery away. The heads and shoes of the two leaders were slightly distorted, for example, and the room’s interior didn’t match the room where the actual meeting took place.

With synthetic images becoming increasingly difficult to discern from the real thing, the best way to combat visual misinformation is better public awareness and education, experts say.

“It’s just becoming so easy and it’s so cheap to make these images that we should do whatever we can to make the public aware of how good this technology has gotten,” West said.

Higgins suggests social media companies could focus on developing technology to detect AI­ generated images and integrate that into their platforms.

Twitter has a policy banning “synthetic, manipulated, or out­ ofcontext media” with the potential

to deceive or harm. Annotations from Community Notes, Twitter’s crowd­sourced fact checking project, were attached to some tweets to include the context that the Trump images were AI­ generated.

When reached for comment Thursday, the company emailed back only an automated response.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, declined to comment. Some of the fabricated Trump images were labeled as either “false” or “missing context” through its third­ party fact­ checking program, of which the AP is a participant.

Is the world ready for this?

ARTHUR HOLLAND MICHEL , a fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York who is focused on emerging technologies, said he worries the world isn’t ready for the impending deluge.

He wonders how deepfakes involving ordinary people—harmful fake pictures of an ex­ partner or a colleague, for example—will be regulated.

“From a policy perspective, I’m not sure we’re prepared to deal with this scale of disinformation at every level of society,” Michel wrote in an email. “My sense is that it’s going to take an as­yet­unimagined technical breakthrough to definitively put a stop to this.”

IMAGES created by Eliot Higgins with the use of artificial intelligence show a fictitious skirmish with Donald Trump and New York City police officers posted on Higgins’s Twitter account. AP

SALARKO DREAMSTIME.COM

Russia’s security chief blasts West, dangles nuclear threats

By Vladimir Isachenkov The Associated Press

‘On tour in hell’: Wounded Ukrainian soldiers evacuated

By Elena Becatoros

The Associated Press

DONETSK REGION, Ukraine—Their hands are blackened and grimy from the fight. Some are still wearing their combat boots, small flecks of black soil from the battlefield clinging to their torsos, bare under the emergency blanket.

With bandaged heads and splinted limbs, the wounded soldiers are stretchered into the waiting medical evacuation bus by members of the Hospitallers, a Ukrainian organization of volunteer paramedics who work on the front lines in the war in Ukraine.

The soldiers were all wounded recently in fierce fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have been pressing advances. The battle in Bakhmut, a city now encircled on three sides by Russian troops, has been particularly bloody, with soldiers describing endless days of combat, often at close quarters.

“We’ve been on tour in hell,” said Yura, who like all the soldiers would give only his first name for safety reasons. He lay on a bed in a specially equipped medical bus, with his arm and leg badly wounded.

Blood stained the heavy bandages around his right forearm, which metal rods held together to stabilize the shattered bone. His bicep bore a deepening purple bruise left by the tourniquet applied to staunch the blood and save his life. The time it was put on was scrawled in pen across his right cheek: 19:45.

“They tried to get me with grenades,” he said. Soldiers would give only his first name.

Unlike most of the wounded, Yura is not Ukrainian. He is Russian, but fought on the side of Ukraine in Bakhmut since November. The Moscow native said he moved to Ukraine before the war, as did a friend of his who is also fighting for Ukraine and had spent 2 1/2 years in prison in Russia for reposting a social media post saying Crimea—annexed by Russia in 2014—was Ukrainian.

It was his own countrymen who wounded him.

He was in Bakhmut for “eight days of almost uninterrupted combat.” But he and his unit managed to repel all the assaults on their position, he said.

“On the fifth day without sleep, I had thoughts that I would go crazy,” he said. “In fact, it’s impossible to sleep there. They shell it in such a way that the earth trembles.”

He showed a video on his mobile phone shot inside Bakhmut: the interior of a devastated building, holes punched through the walls by artillery, rubble strewn across the floor. Beyond the twisted metal remnants of a window, a glimpse of an urban hellscape of shattered buildings and splintered trees.

Yaroslav, 37, was also wounded in Bakhmut. The battle was so close that Russian and Ukrainian forces fought room to room inside

buildings, he said. Pale and with an almost imperceptible tremor, his lips nearly white, he propped himself up on an elbow as he waited to be carried on a stretcher from an ambulance onto the bus for the trip to a better-equipped hospital in a city further west.

An explosion had sent shrapnel through his leg, piercing it below the knee.

“I came to my senses and saw that there is nobody around me, and then I understood that there is blood oozing into my shoe, blood squelching in my shoe,” he said, quietly drawing on a cigarette. “It was totally dark.”

As his unit had attempted to move from its position, the Russian forces began shelling.

“When I left, everything was on fire,” he recalled. There were dead Russians lying on the ground, and dead Ukrainians, too. “People were running in the road and falling down, because mines were exploding, drones were flying.”

He finished his cigarette and lay back on the stretcher. His eyes fixed on some invisible point before him, and he slowly closed his eyelids. The Hospitallers lifted his stretcher and carried it to the waiting bus.

The medically equipped bus— named “Austrian,” the nickname of a Hospitaller paramedic who was killed in a crash of another medical evacuation bus—can carry six severely wounded patients on stretchers, and several more walking wounded.

“We’re doing evacuations as necessary. It could be twice or three times per day,” chief paramedic Kateryna Seliverstova said.

Bought with money from donations, the bus is better equipped medically than even some state hospitals, Seliverstova said. It is stocked with monitors, electrocardiographs, ventilators and oxygen tanks and can care for severely ill patients while they are transported to a major hospital.

“This project is really important, because it helps to economize resources,” Seliverstova said. “We can transport six injured people who are in serious or moderate condition,” whereas a normal ambulance can only transport one.

All six places were taken on the trip evacuating Yura and Yaroslav. Across the aisle from Yura, another soldier slipped in and out of consciousness, a brown bandage wrapped around his head. A paramedic checked his vital signs on a monitor, and helped him sip water from a syringe.

Behind him, a man coughed deeply. Only the blackened tip of his nose was visible from his heavily bandaged head. He had suffered extensive burns to his face.

Dmitry Medvedev, the 57-year-old deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin, said in video remarks to reporters that Russia’s relations with the West have hit an all-time bottom.

Asked whether the threat of a nuclear conflict has eased, Medvedev responded: “No, it hasn’t decreased, it has grown. Every day when they provide Ukraine with foreign weapons brings the nuclear apocalypse closer.”

Medvedev has issued a barrage of such strongly worded statements in the past, blasting the US and its Nato allies for what he described as their efforts to break up and destroy Russia.

In Thursday’s comments, Medvedev denounced the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of alleged involvement in abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine as legally null and void. He noted that the move added to a “colossal negative potential” in the already bitterly strained ties between Russia and the West.

“Our relations with the West are

already worse than they have ever been in history,” he said.

Medvedev specifically blasted German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who said last week that Putin would be arrested on the ICC’s warrant if he visits Germany.

“Let’s imagine ... the leader of a nuclear power visits the territory of Germany and is arrested,” Medvedev said, adding that it would amount to a declaration of war against Russia. “In this case, our assets will fly to hit the Bundestag, the chancellor’s office and so on.”

He noted that Russia’s nuclear forces have provided a strong deterrent amid the fighting in Ukraine, adding that “we would have been torn to pieces without them.”

Medvedev also challenged Ukraine’s sovereignty in comments that could reflect Moscow’s plans to extend its gains.

“Honestly speaking, Ukraine is part of Russia,” he said. “But due to geopolitical reasons and the course of history we had tolerated that we were living in separate quarters and had been forced to acknowledge those invented borders for a long time.”

The soft-spoken and mildmannered Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 when term limits forced Putin to shift into the prime minister’s post, was widely seen by Western officials as more liberal than his mentor. Many in the West expected Medvedev to win a second term and further soften the Kremlin’s policies, but he stepped down to allow Putin to reclaim the presidency in what Kremlin critics denounced as a cynical manipulation.

Since Putin sent troops into Ukraine more than a year ago, Medvedev has emerged as one of the most hawkish Russian officials, regularly issuing blustery remarks that include four-letter words and sound much tougher than those issued by the old-time Kremlin hardliners. Observers have interpreted Medvedev’s comments as an apparent attempt to curry favor with Putin.

Medvedev launched more antiWestern diatribes Thursday, declaring that “it’s useless to have talks” with the West and speaking with contempt about Western politicians, alleging a “cata -

strophic drop in competence and elementary literacy of European Union leaders.”

“I have no illusions that we could communicate with them again any time soon,” he said. “It makes no sense to negotiate with certain countries and blocs—they only understand the language of force.”

Medvedev, who heads a Security Council panel coordinating weapons production, derided Western statements alleging that Russia is running out of weapons and charged Russian weapons industries have increased output. He said that Russia will produce 1,500 battle tanks and boost production of other weapons to meet the army’s needs. His claims couldn’t be independently verified.

“The most important thing now is to make it all in necessary volumes, and we are launching new factories to do that,” Medvedev said.

He said that the Russian military already has good intelligence drones and loitering munitions, but acknowledged that it has yet to deploy long-range strike drones.

Putin’s mercenary Prigozhin shifts focus to Africa after Ukraine failure

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN , the powerful founder of mercenary group Wagner, is preparing to scale back his private army’s operations in Ukraine after Russian military chiefs succeeded in cutting key supplies of men and munitions, people familiar with the matter said.

Seen as an increasing threat by the security and political establishment, Prigozhin is struggling with manpower and ammunition shortage in Ukraine after he was barred from recruiting from prisons, his primary source of recruits, and deprived of supplies. Wagner troops so far have failed to take their main target – the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut – despite months of trying and staggering losses. Now, Prigozhin is planning to shift focus back to Africa, the people said.

The shift is a sudden turn in fortunes for Prigozhin, a longtime Putin ally who catapulted himself to prominence as the tough-guy alternative to Russia’s faltering military in Ukraine.

But as his fighters struggled to advance more than a few dozen kilometers in and around Bakhmut despite months of fighting, top commanders managed to sow doubts with Putin about Wagner’s vaunted military prowess, arguing that what results he got came from using waves of convict troops sent to their deaths, people close to the Kremlin and intelligence services said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that aren’t public.

with Putin, who still considers him useful in a certain way.”

After weeks of complaining publicly that the military wasn’t delivering vital shells and other supplies, Prigozhin admitted earlier this month that Wagner would have to “reset and cut down its size” after the battle for Bakhmut is over. He recently touted Wagner’s capture of a village in the area, but didn’t mention that its population was only two people according to the last census.

There’s no sign at present that Prigozhin will redeploy troops to Africa, but the people familiar with the situation said operations there are likely to get more of his attention in the future as the situation in Ukraine has become more difficult for his forces.

A recruitment announcement posted Monday invited applicants for mercenary vacancies for six months in Ukraine and 9-14 months in Africa, specifying that those who want to serve in African countries would be placed on reserve.

Northern and Western Africa, prompting an increase of migrant flows toward the European Union. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is extremely worried about a summer migration wave, according to a person familiar with her thinking. Her defense minister publicly blamed the mercenaries for fueling a surge in migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean. Prigozhin denied that.

Convict soldiers

SINCE the invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin shifted his major efforts there, winning Kremlin permission to recruit prisoners with promises of early release if they survived six months on the battlefield.

also came in for attacks.

The first outward sign that Prigozhin had gone too far came early this year, when Putin promoted Gerasimov to oversee the war in place of the Prigozhin ally.

Revelations of extreme brutality by Wagner including summary executions of exinmates who refused orders to fight that have emerged from defectors who fled to Europe damaged Prigozhin’s reputation in Putin’s eyes, one of the people with knowledge of the issue said.

Prigozhin’s shock troops remain useful from a military perspective, and if Bakhmut falls, Wagner may continue to play a role in further assaults in a bid to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held cities in the eastern Donbas region, said two people close to the Kremlin and intelligence services.

Yura spoke softly to one of the paramedics. Without his expression changing, tears began rolling down the side of his face. The paramedic leaned over and gently wiped them away.

The Russian leader ultimately stepped in to transfer prison recruiting to the Defense Ministry, cutting off the flow of recruits to Wagner. Munitions supplies from the military slowed. Prigozhin’s independence also rankled with the Kremlin.

A one-time catering entrepreneur who said he founded Wagner in the Kremlin’s first war in Ukraine in 2014, Prigozhin sent troops to help Russia shore up Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad. He also built a network in Africa stretching from Libya to Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic in support of the Kremlin’s geopolitical goals. Most recently, there have been reports Wagner is moving into Burkina Faso after the country ordered French troops to leave. The US and its allies have slapped sanctions on Prigozhin and Wagner.

Leaving on an African tour last month, French President Emmanuel Macron branded Wagner as “the life insurance of failing regimes and putschists,” calling it “a group of criminal mercenaries.”

Sent into combat with little preparation, about half of the 40,000 convicts who signed up have been killed or wounded in the fighting in Bakhmut and the capture earlier this year of the small salt-mining town of Soledar, according to UK intelligence estimates. Wagner in addition has some 10,000 professional contractors fighting in Ukraine that it has deployed more cautiously, the US says.

Prigozhin announced last week that he’d opened recruitment centers in sports centers and martial arts clubs in 42 Russian cities and said Sunday he hopes to sign up 30,000 new recruits, but it’s unclear how successful he’ll be in attracting volunteers.

His influence seemed to peak late last year as he publicly attacked Kremlin appointees in Russia and spooked insiders with calls for Stalin-style crackdowns on opponents. Sergei Surovikin, a top general with experience in Syria who was seen as an ally, was given command of the Ukraine invasion.

Political reach BUT he won’t be allowed any opportunity in state-controlled media to claim credit for taking Bakhmut, which would be the first significant advance for Russia since mid-2022, said one of them.

Prigozhin has also hinted that he’s not giving up political ambitions inside Russia, where he controls a powerful pro-Kremlin media company and enjoys lucrative state contracts. He said in a recent video message that Wagner will “transform itself from the best private army in the world into an army with ideology, and this ideology will be the struggle for justice.”

Ultimately, without the approval of the Russian leadership, that too could be denied him.

Vasilisa Stepanenko

“Prigozhin is getting in everyone’s way,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik political consultancy. “His only protection now is his personal relationship

Italian intelligence warned in a recent report that the increased activity of Russian private military companies could destabilize

Prigozhin saved the harshest treatment for top military commanders. In a video posted on social media in December, Wagner fighters used expletives to describe Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s top general, because of their shortage of ammunition. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

“Prigozhin became far too independent, which violated the balance between the elite clans,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Only Putin can decide what the limits are.”

MOSCOW—A top Russian security official warned Thursday about the rising threat of a nuclear war and blasted a German minister for threatening Russian President Vladimir Putin with arrest, saying that such action would amount to a declaration of war and trigger a Russian strike on Germany.

and Evgeniy Maloletka contributed from Donetsk region, Ukraine

An injured Ukrainian soldier lies on a bed inside a special medical bus during an evacuation by volunteers from the Hospitallers paramedic organization in Donetsk region, Ukraine on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. AP/EVGENIY MALOLETKA

Security Council Deputy Chairman and the head of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev speaks to the Russian media at the Gorki state residence, outside Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 23, 2023. EKATERINA SHTUKINA/SPUTNIK POOL PHOTO VIA AP

The World

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-Covid exit cost many lives

By Dake Kang The Associated Press

BEIJING—When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-Covid measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases. Hospitals turned away ambulances, crematoriums burned bodies around the clock, and relatives hauled dead loved ones to warehouses for lack of storage space.

Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive.” But in reality, China’s ruling Communist Party ignored repeated efforts by top medical experts to kickstart exit plans until it was too late, The Associated Press has found.

Instead, the reopening came suddenly at the onset of winter, when the virus spreads most easily. Many older people weren’t vaccinated, pharmacies lacked antivirals, and hospitals didn’t have adequate supplies or staff— leading to as many as hundreds of thousands of deaths that could have been avoided, according to academic modeling, more than 20 interviews with current and former China Center for Disease Control and Prevention employees, experts and government advisors, and internal reports and directives obtained by the AP.

“If they had a real plan to exit earlier, so many things could have been avoided,” said Zhang Zuo-Feng, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Many deaths could have been prevented.”

For two years, China stood out for its tough but successful controls against the virus, credited with saving millions of lives as other countries struggled with stop-and-start lockdowns. But with the emergence of the highly infectious Omicron variant last year, many of China’s top medical experts and officials worried zero-Covid was unsustainable.

In late 2021, China’s leaders began discussing how to lift restrictions. As early as March 2022, top medical experts submitted detailed proposals to prepare for a gradual exit to the State Council, China’s cabinet.

But discussions were silenced after an outbreak the same month in Shanghai, which prompted Chinese leader Xi Jinping to lock the city down.

Zero-Covid had become a point of national pride, and Beijing’s crackdown on dissent under Xi had made scientists reluctant to speak out against the party line.

By the time the Shanghai outbreak was under control, China was months away from the 20th Party Congress, the country’s most important political meeting in a decade, making reopening politically difficult. So the country stuck to mass testing and quarantining millions of people, even as Omicron evaded increasingly draconian controls.

Unrest began to simmer, with demonstrations, factory riots, and shuttered businesses. The pressure mounted until the authorities suddenly yielded, allowing the virus to sweep the country with no warning—and with deadly consequence.

Experts estimate that many hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps

sources and capacity to trace the virus, risking its spread to the entire country before China was ready.

At the same time, China’s flagging vaccination rate for older residents and the deaths in Hong Kong spooked authorities, as did reports of long Covid-19 abroad. When Shanghai failed to get control of the virus, the top leadership stepped in. Partial lockdowns in Shanghai were announced in late March. On April 2, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, a top official known widely as the “Covid czar,” traveled there to oversee a total lockdown.

“They lost their nerve,” said an expert in regular contact with Chinese health officials.

Shanghai was ill-prepared. Residents exploded in anger online, complaining of hunger and spotty supplies. But Beijing made it clear that the lockdown would continue.

doctorate in epidemiology, he is sometimes accused of pushing the party line rather than science-driven policies.

“He knows what Xi wants to hear,” said Ray Yip, the founding head of the United States CDC office in China.

Liang shot down suggestions for reopening in internal meetings in January and May of 2022, Yip said, making it difficult for others to suggest preparations for an exit. Liang did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment.

Health authorities also knew that once China reopened, there would be no going back. Some were spooked by unclear data, long Covid and the chance of deadlier strains, leaving them wracked with uncertainty.

quarantine facilities. From Wuhan to villages in industrial Hebei province, civil servants were pressed into testing or quarantine duty because local governments ran out of money to hire workers.

At the Congress in mid-October, top officials differing with Xi were sidelined. Instead, six loyalists followed Xi onstage in a new leadership lineup, signaling his total domination of the party.

Pushing for change

WITH the congress over, some voices in the public health sector finally piped up.

city officials, instructing them to have measures that were neither too strict nor too soft, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Individual apartments were put under sudden lockdowns that lasted hours or days. The sheer number of tests and cases overwhelmed medical workers. Travel, shopping, and dining ground to a halt, streets emptied, and the wealthy bought one-way plane tickets out of China.

millions, may have died in China’s wave of Covid—far higher than the official toll of under 90,000, but still a much lower death rate than in Western countries. However, 200,000 to 300,000 deaths could have been prevented if the country was better vaccinated and stocked with antivirals, according to modeling by the University of Hong Kong and scientist estimates. Some scientists think even more lives could have been saved.

“It wasn’t a sound public health decision at all,” said a China CDC official, declining to be named to speak candidly on a sensitive matter. “It’s absolutely bad timing…this was not a prepared opening.”

Plans derailed TOWARD the end of 2021, many public health experts and leaders began thinking about how to exit from the zero-Covid policy. The less lethal but far more infectious Omicron made curbing Covid-19 harder and the risks of its spread lower, and nearby Korea, Japan and Singapore were all loosening controls.

That winter, the State Council appointed public health experts to a new committee tasked with reviewing Covid-19 controls, which submitted a report in March 2022, four people with knowledge of it said. The existence of the document is being reported for the first time by the AP.

It concluded it was time for China to begin preparations for a possible reopening. It ran over 100 pages long and included detailed proposals to boost China’s stalling vaccination campaign, increase ICU bed capacity, stock up on antivirals, and order patients with mild Covid-19 symptoms to stay at home, one of the people said. It also included a proposal to designate Hainan, a tropical island in the country’s south, as a pilot zone to experiment with relaxing controls.

But then things began going awry.

A chaotic, deadly outbreak in Hong Kong alarmed Beijing. Then in March, the virus began spreading in Shanghai, China’s cosmopolitan finance hub.

Initially, Shanghai took a light approach with targeted lockdowns sealing individual buildings—a pioneering strategy led by doctor Zhang Wenhong, who had been openly calling on the government to prepare to reopen. But soon, officials in neighboring provinces complained they were seeing cases from Shanghai and asked the central leadership to lock the city down, according to three people familiar with the matter.

China CDC contact tracing reports obtained by the AP show that a nearby province was detecting dozens of Covid-19 cases by early March, all from Shanghai. Provincial officials argued that they lacked Shanghai’s medical re -

“Resolutely uphold zero-Covid,” an editorial in the state-run People’s Daily said. “Persistence is victory,” said Xi.

Keeping silence

AFTER Shanghai locked down, Chinese public health experts stopped speaking publicly about preparing for an exit. None dared openly challenge a policy supported by Xi. Some experts were blacklisted from Chinese media, one told the AP.

“Anybody who wanted to say something that is different from the official narrative was basically just silenced,” the blacklisted expert said.

In early April, China’s State Council leaked a letter from the European Chamber of Commerce urging relaxation of zero-Covid controls. Council officials wanted to spark debate but didn’t feel empowered to raise the issue themselves, according to a person directly familiar with the matter.

The State Council’s information office did not respond to a fax requesting comment.

Gao Fu, then head of the China CDC, also hinted at the need to prepare for an exit. At a mid-April internal panel discussion recently made public by the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization think tank, Gao was quoted as saying “Omicron is not that dangerous,” that there were public discussions on whether zero-Covid needed to be adjusted, and that they “hope to reach a consensus as soon as possible.”

Weeks later, at a private event at the German Embassy in Beijing, Gao agreed with foreign experts urging China to plan a reopening and then strode off the stage, according to three attendees who declined to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. Gao did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment.

There were also hints that opinions differed high in the party.

In private meetings with Western business chambers in May, then-Premier Li Keqiang, who was head of the State Council and the party’s No. 2 official at the time, appeared sympathetic to complaints about how zero-Covid was crushing the economy, according to a participant and another briefed on the meetings. It was a stark contrast with pre-recorded remarks from Xi that listed defeating Covid as the top priority. But under Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, Li was powerless, analysts say.

Public health experts split into camps. Those who thought zero-Covid unsustainable—like Gao and Zhang, the Shanghai doctor—fell silent. But Liang Wannian, then head of the central government’s expert working group on Covid-19, kept vocally advocating for zero-Covid as a way to defeat the virus. Though Liang has a

“Every day, we were flooded with oceans of unverified data,” said a China CDC official. “Every week we heard about new variants. Yes, we should find a way out of zero-Covid, but when and how?”

Authorities may also have been waiting for the virus to weaken further or for new, more effective, Chinese-developed mRNA vaccines.

“They didn’t have a sense of urgency,” said Zhu Hongshen, a postdoctoral fellow studying China’s zero-Covid policy at the University of Pennsylvania. “They thought they could optimize the whole process, they thought they had time.”

The Shanghai lockdown stretched from an expected eight days to two months. By the time Shanghai opened back up, it was just months away from China’s pivotal 20th Party Congress, where Xi was expected to be confirmed for a controversial and precedent-breaking third term.

Risking an outbreak was off the table. Though scientists from Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan wrote internal petitions urging the government to start preparations, they were told to stay silent until the congress was over.

“Everybody waits for the party congress,” said one medical expert, declining to be named to comment on a sensitive topic. “There’s inevitably a degree of everyone being very cautious.”

Increasing pressure

OFFICIALS across China took extraordinary measures to stop Omicron from spreading.

Tourists were locked into hotels, traders were huddled into indefinite quarantine and many stopped traveling for fear of being stranded far from home. In Inner Mongolia, a state-run ammunition factory forced workers to live in its compound 24 hours a day for weeks on end away from their families, according to Moses Xu, a retired worker.

In brutal lockdowns for over three months in China’s far west, residents in Xinjiang starved, while thousands in Tibet marched on the streets, defying orders in a rare protest. Still, officials stuck to their guns, as the government fired those who didn’t keep Covid under control.

Yet Omicron kept spreading. As the congress approached, authorities began hiding cases and resorting to secret lockdowns and quarantines.

Authorities locked down Zhengzhou, a provincial capital home to over 10 million people, with no public announcement, even though they were reporting only a handful of cases. They bused some Beijing residents to distant quarantine centers and asked them not to post online about it, one told the AP. Some village officials deliberately underreported the number of Covid-19 cases to give the sense that the virus was under control.

Local governments poured tens of billions of dollars into mass testing and

In an internal document published October 28, obtained by The Associated Press and reported here for the first time, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at China’s CDC, criticized the Beijing city government for excessive Covid controls, saying it had “no scientific basis.” He called it a “distortion” of the central government’s zero-Covid policy, which risked “intensifying public sentiment and causing social dissatisfaction.”

At the same time, he called the virus policies of the central government “absolutely correct.” One former CDC official said Wu felt helpless because he was ordered to advocate for zero-Covid in public, even as he disagreed at times with its excesses in private.

Wu did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. A person acquainted with Wu confirmed he wrote the internal report.

Another who spoke up was Zhong Nanshan, a doctor renowned for raising the alarm about the original Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan. He wrote twice to Xi personally, telling him that zeroCovid was not sustainable and urging a gradual reopening, said a person acquainted with Zhong. Business people in finance, trade, and manufacturing concerned about the tanking economy were also lobbying authorities behind the scenes, a government advisor told the AP.

Along with the lobbying, pressure to reopen came from outbreaks flaring up across the country. A Nov. 5 internal notice issued by Beijing health authorities and obtained by the AP called the virus situation “severe.”

In early November, Sun, China’s top “Covid czar,” summoned experts from sectors including health, travel and the economy to discuss adjusting Beijing’s virus policies, according to three people with direct knowledge of the meetings. Zhong, the prominent doctor, presented data from Hong Kong showing Omicron’s low fatality rate after the city’s last outbreak, two said.

On Nov. 10, Xi ordered adjustments.

“Adhere to scientific and precise prevention and control,” Xi said, according to a state media account, signaling he wanted officials to cut back on extreme measures.

The next day, Beijing announced 20 new measures tweaking restrictions, such as reclassifying risk zones and reducing quarantine times. But at the same time, Xi made clear, China was sticking to zero-Covid.

“Necessary epidemic prevention measures cannot be relaxed,” Xi said. The exit

THE government wanted order. Instead, the measures caused chaos.

With conflicting signals from the top, local governments weren’t sure whether to lock down or open up. Policies changed by the day.

In Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, officials canceled mass testing and opened the city, only to reinstate harsh measures days later. Xi called

In late November, public frustration boiled over. A deadly apartment fire in China’s far west Xinjiang region sparked nationwide protests over locked doors and other virus control measures. Some called on Xi to resign, the most direct challenge to the Communist Party’s power since prodemocracy protests in 1989.

Riot police moved in and the protests were swiftly quelled. But behind the scenes, the mood was shifting.

References to “zero-Covid” vanished from government statements. State newswire Xinhua said the pandemic was causing “fatigue, anxiety and tension,” and that the cost of controlling it was increasing day by day.

Days after the protests, Sun, the Covid czar, held meetings where she told medical experts the state planned to “walk briskly” out of zero-Covid. Some were struck by how quickly the tone had shifted, with one saying the leadership had become “even more radical” than the experts, according to a retired official.

On Dec. 1, Xi told visiting European Council President Charles Michel that the protests were driven by youth frustrated with the lockdowns, according to a person briefed on Xi’s remarks.

“We listen to our people,” the person recounted Xi telling Michel.

The final decision was made suddenly, and with little direct input from public health experts, several told the AP.

“None of us expected the 180-degree turn,” a government advisor said.

Many in the Chinese government believe the protests accelerated Xi’s decision to scrap virus controls entirely, according to three current and former state employees.

“It was the trigger,” said one, not identified because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.

On Dec. 6, Xi instructed officials to change Covid-19 controls, Xinhua reported.

The next day, Chinese health authorities announced 10 sweeping measures that effectively scrapped controls, canceling virus test requirements, mandatory centralized quarantine and location-tracking health QR codes. The decision to reopen so suddenly caught the country by surprise.

“Even three days’ notice would have been good,” said a former China CDC official. “The way this happened was just unbelievable.”

Soon, the sick overran emergency wards and patients sprawled on floors. Covid-19 antivirals sold for thousands of dollars a box on the black market.

In just six weeks, about 80 percent of the country was infected—more than a billion people, the China CDC later estimated. But even as deaths mounted, authorities ordered state media to deflect criticism over China’s sudden reopening, according to a leaked directive obtained by a former state media journalist and posted online.

“Make a big propaganda push,” it ordered. “Counter the false claims leveled by the United States and the West that we were ‘forced to open’ and ‘hadn’t prepared.’”

FOR RESEARCH, HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT-AND NUCLEAR POWER

PHL nuke research reactor fully operational

By Lyn Resurreccion

THE country’s first and only nuclear reactor training facil -

ity is finally fully operational as the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology has recently granted the authorization to operate the Philippine Research Reactor-1 Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education and Research (PRR-1 Sater), said the DOST-PNRI in a news release.

After it was commissioned in June 2022, or nine months ago, the granting of the authority, through the institute’s Nuclear Regulatory Division, opened the facility to serve its stakeholders from the research and academic community for their growing need for advanced training and research requirements on nuclear technology.

DOST-PNRI explained that the PRR-1 Sater is classified as a subcritical reactor with zero-power configuration and designed to be inherently safe for use solely in nuclear-related training, education and research, not for power generatios.

Thus, it will support PNRI-initiated education programs and courses—including reactor engineering, neutron physics, reactor physics, nuclear safety and radiation dosimetry, among others.

PNRI has entered into partnerships with educational institutions,

such as in University of the Philippines Diliman, since 2019, and Mapua University since 2020, to start the offering of the courses.

Triga nuclear fuel loaded

THE DOST-PNRI began the loading of Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (Triga) nuclear fuel in the core of the PRR-1 Sater in June 2022. It signalled the start of the commissioning of the PRR-1 Sater, the DOSTPNRI said.

The Triga fuel is a uranium zirconium hydride alloy manufactured by US-based General Atomics and is wellknown for its inherent safety.

The PNRI said the commissioning of the PRR-1 Sater is a milestone for the country as the facility will provide significant support in re-establishing nuclear capabilities in the Philippines.

“This demonstrates that PNRI can handle nuclear materials. We’ve been handling it for the past 50, 60 years,” said PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla during the loading of Triga.

The DOST-PNRI explained that the PRR-1 Sater has the following objectives: support nuclear manpower development; accommodate local access to an operating nuclear facility; train reactor operators, users and regulators; engage stakeholders in nuclear and reactor engineering; and repurpose available resources of the historical PRR-1 facility.

The project was first conceptualized in 2014, but actual work in the facility began in 2017. It is expected to be fully operational this year, 2023.

While not yet fully operational, the facility was opened for technical visits and awareness seminars on nuclear science and technology.

Atoms for Peace

BUILT as part of the US Atoms for Peace program to prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms after World War 2, the original PRR-1 facility was inaugurated in 1963 and was operational until its shutdown in 1988, leaving the country with no operating nuclear facility for the last 34 years.

It should be noted that the PRR1’s closure came after the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) was mothballed in 1986 owing to alleged safety and political concerns.

The BNPP was built by the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who was ousted in 1986.

With the establishment of the PRR1 Sater, the Philippines is now one step back on track in re-establishing its nuclear capabilities.

Paving the way for nuclear power program

THE new developments on nuclear technology in the country came after former President Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 164 in February

Patch designer meets MULA Satellite scientists, receives prize

real testament of MULA’s future of wisdom, nationalism and sovereignty.

The three prominent stars are hoisted in a homogeneous position as the national flag, although the top-most star shines with eight primary rays mirroring the golden-yellow sun in the flag.

The symbolism of disaster resiliency is conveyed through the surrounding arches of MULA, where it depicts an ever-present beaming fiery rising, that even in the face of great adversity—there is hope to rebuild and revitalize.

28, 2022, that includes the potential use of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix, a Philippine News Agency (PNA) report said.

“This policy is the start of the national nuclear power program,” Energy Undersecretary Gerardo Erguiza Jr. was quoted in the news report.

The new policy stated that the country “shall ensure the peaceful use of nuclear technology anchored on critical tenets of public safety, national security, energy self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability.”

Duterte issued the policy following the recommendation of the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee, which conducted a prefeasibility study and public consultation on the matter.

Through EO 164, Duterte has recognized that nuclear power can be a reliable, cost-competitive and environment-friendly source of energy based on the experience of highly developed countries.

“[A] Public Perception Survey on Nuclear Energy in 2019 indicated that almost 79 percent of Filipinos expressed approval or acceptability of the possible use or rehabilitation of an existing nuclear power plant,” the EO 164 was quoted.

It also showed that 65 percent approved the construction of new nuclear power plants and 78 percent are open to learning more about nuclear

energy, the PNA said. It is important to note that current President Marcos Jr., in his July 2022 state of the nation address, agreed to consider the use of nuclear energy to address the Philippines’ growing power needs.

“I believe that it is time also to reexamine our strategy toward building nuclear power plants in the Philippines,” he was quoted in news reports.

He said that new technologies are available, including smaller-scale modular nuclear plants.

Nuclear engineering course HUMAN resources development is one of the Philippines’ current challenges in pursuing a nuclear power plan.

“The last batch of nuclear engineers graduated in 1984 from the University of the Philippines,” the DOST-PNRI noted.

The program ceased after the government shifted away from nuclear power and the mothballing of the BNPP in 1986, it said.

But beyond nuclear power, DOSTPNRI hopes that the recent interest of the academic sector in nuclear science will also extend to other nuclear and radiation applications, given the expertise of certain universities and colleges in various fields of study, such as in agriculture and medicine.

The DOST-PNRI is also strength -

ening its nuclear training courses. Its Nuclear Training Center conducts more than 20 training courses annually for hundreds of professionals as well as undergraduates, covering topics, such as nuclear technology, radiation safety and protection, and nondestructive testing, to name a few, the institute said.

443 nuke plants worldwide

AT the end of December 2019, the global operating nuclear power capacity was 392.1 gigawatt electrical (GW[e]), comprising 443 operational nuclear power reactors in 30 countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its web site.

“Overall, nuclear power capacity since 2011 has shown a gradual growth trend, including some 23.2 GW(e) of new capacity added by the connection of new units to the grid or upgrades to existing reactors,” the IAEA said in its June 25, 2020 report.

As of December 31, 2019, 54 reactors were under construction in 19 countries with a total of capacity of 5,7441 MW(e), IAEA added.

Installed nuclear power capacity under construction has remained steady in recent years, except for continuous growth in Asia, where a total of 5,5067 megawatt electric capacity (MW[e]) operational capacity (61 reactors) has been connected to the grid since 2005.

the activities. We are so grateful that you are willing to help students to become interested in science and for giving us the opportunity to be part of this program,” said Clariza Valderama, a Grade 11 student in the ABM strand who now considers taking a STEM related course in college.

The NuLab bus was first launched in 2019 and aims to bring science closer to the youth, especially in rural areas. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, it returned on the road in 2022 and since then, it has been traveling to schools in underserved areas to provide students with access to quality science education.

MULTIMEDIA Studies student Jaden

Tomacruz, from the University of the Philippines Open University, received her award that includes a limited edition plushie and P20,000 cash prize from the Philippine Space Agency, for besting 21 other designers in the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) Satellite mission patch contest, said a PhilSA news release.

The official mission patch was unveiled in February 2023, after two rounds of judging and deliberations by the scientists and engineers from PhilSA.

Night sky observer

GROWING UP, Tomacruz always had the fondness for observing the great night sky, its celestial bodies and phenomena that populate it, PhilSA said.

She believes that because of humanity’s innate curiosity, investing in space enables people to appreciate and care for the natural world better.

Now, at 20 years old, she has utilized astronomy through creative expression in design, writing and performance.

Tomacruz hopes to work in the space industry professionally as a creative person, hoping that her work will potentially spark more interest from the younger

generation—like the way she did. MULA Mission Patch THE patch that Tomacruz designed draws heavy inspiration from both Neo-Cubism Art and Abstract Minimalism that are observed among modern Filipino painters, PhilSA said.

The color schemes used are a nod to previous mission patches. Its shape that embodies a pentagon, like a shield or crest, with rounded edges to signify the

Alongside, a silhouette of strands of wheat is embroidered through it, in correlation with the long historical and cultural significance of rice production in the Philippines.

Intrinsically, this satellite technology will help ensure, safeguard, and sustain the rich natural and human resources of the Philippines.

The typeface Cubao Free, popularly known as signboards hung on jeepneys, was used to manifest the amount of orbital commute MULA accomplishes.

The bold presence is sensed as space research and development progress to the next generation of satellites.

Furthermore, subtle likenesses of Balatik and Moroporo constellations allude to an acknowledgment of pre-colonization Filipino ethnoastronomy.

Philippines’ biggest observation earth satellite

MULA is the biggest Earth observation satellite being built by the Philippines. It weighs 130 kilograms and carries a TrueColour camera capable of capturing 5m resolution images covering around 73-thousand square kilometers in 24 hours, PhilSA said.

Data from MULA are envisioned to contribute to the country’s food security, disaster resilience, environment conservation and national security.

Mobile lab makes science lessons exciting for Bulacan students

WHEN the NuLab:STEM in Motion bus of the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute arrived in the rural town of San Rafael, Bulacan, recently, the students of Maronquillo National High School did not expect they were going to have an exciting and fun-filled science adventure.

Unlike the Science Explorer, which visited the school in 2015, the bright, yellowcolored bus is more spacious, mimicking a science laboratory set-up and is equipped with more interactive and state-of-the art facilities.

It caters primarily to senior high-school students with advanced science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) modules, focusing on science and technology (S&T) careers facilitated by the country’s top scientists and experts.

In one session, students were amazed as they explored the unseen world of microbes.

The module, discussed by University of the Philippines Diliman Assistant Professor Mark Tolentino, was an introduction to microbiology and allowed the students to use

a microscope for the first time.

Another STEM session enjoyed by the learners was the chemistry experiment about light and colors facilitated by Michelle Macalingmot of the Philippines Science High School.

Using the provided colorimeter, students were able to identify the amount of light absorbed by the different given solutions.

Meanwhile, the sky viewing and astronomy session by Lordnico Mendoza of DOST-PAGASA is a favorite among students and teachers. They got the chance to have a glimpse of the moon, planet Jupiter and different constellations through the telescopes installed by the NuLab team.

Inside the bus, the students were also excited as they virtually traveled around the world and outer space using an astronomy software called Stellarium.

Within the four-day visit of NuLab in Maronquillo, around 250 junior and senior high-school students discovered their potential in STEM.

“I learned a lot, especially all of us enjoyed

“Our goal is to extend our service to the grassroots level and ultimately make our students choose science as an area of study when they reach college and later as a career. We hope that through this project, you’ll get to start a path in S&T,” shared Randolf Sasota, OIC of DOST-SEI Science Technology Manpower Education and Research Promotion Division.

Besides the STEM sessions aboard the NuLab bus, students were also given an orientation on the various scholarships that DOST-SEI offers to incoming college students through the “#Push4Science: Maging DOST scholar ka! Campaign.”

Through the students’ experience inside the NuLab and through the #Push4Science Campaign, DOST-SEI is hopeful that more students are inspired to be future engineers, scientists, inventors and innovators who will help contribute to the country’s development.

“With the scholarships that the Institute is offering, we hope to develop and produce a world-class S&T human resource as this is an important component of our socio-economic development. As long as there are students who show interest and potential to become S&T professionals, DOST-SEI shall remain committed to provide them opportunities to reach their dreams,” said DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette Biyo in a statement.

The NuLab bus is scheduled to visit more public high schools in the Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Bohol in the succeeding months.

The DOST-PNRI nuclear reactor staff at work inside the PRR-1 Sater during the commissioning of the facility. DOST-PNRI PHOTO

DOST-PNRI’s famous dome, which is actually the nuclear reactor with a zero-power configuration and can only be used for training and education purposes, and not for power generation. DOST-PNRI PHOTO

PNRI Nuclear Regulatory Division Chief Alan Borras (second from left) turns over the authorization to operate the PRR-1 Sater to Ryan Olivares, head of the Nuclear Reactor Operations Section. With them are PNRI Career Scientist Dr. Alvie Astronomo (second from right), Nuclear Services Division Chief Dr. Preciosa Corazon Pabroa (right) and Licensing, Review and Evaluation Section Head Carl Nohay (left). DOST-PNRI PHOTO

THE MULA mission patch designed by winner Jaden Momacruz. PHILSA PHOTO

JADEN TOMACRUZ (left) with

Engr. John Leur D. Labrador and the MULA Satellite plushie. PHILSA PHOTO

A STUDENT looks into a telescope to have a glimpse of the moon during the recent sky viewing through NuLab STEM Motion Bus held at the school grounds of Maronquillo National High School. DOST-SEI PHOTO

Pope on confessions: ‘God lifts us up when we hit rock bottom’

God’s mercy before leading the parish in the Confiteor prayer.

Many people made confessions to priests—and some to the pope himself—during the Holy Hour at the Roman parish just outside the walls of Vatican City.

Pope Francis began the “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative in 2014, one year before he announced the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

forget you or I neglect you, when I prefer my words and those of the world to your own word, when I presume to be righteous and look down on others, when I gossip about others…God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

In the presence of eucharistic adoration, the pope presided over a Lenten penitential service on March 17 to open “24 Hours for the Lord,” an initiative in which certain Catholic churches around the world will remain open 24 consecutive hours with round-theclock confession and adoration.

“Brothers, sisters, let us remember this: The Lord comes to us when we step back from our presumptuous ego.… He can

bridge the distance whenever, with honesty and sincerity, we bring our weaknesses before him,” Pope Francis said.

“He holds out his hand and lifts us up whenever we realize we are ‘hitting rock bottom’ and we turn back to him with a sincere heart. That is how God is. He is waiting for us, deep down, for in Jesus he chose to ‘descend to the depths,’” he added.

The pope underlined that God

Tagle get’s pope’s full authority over section of Dicastery for Evangelization

POPE Francis has issued a

decree giving Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, full legal authority over the second section of the dicastery, which is responsible for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

The decree implements the reforms mentioned by the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, which aims to reform the offices of the Roman Curia.

The document splits the Dicastery for Evangelization into two sections—one, for Fundamental Questions Regarding

Evangelization in the World, which is headed by a pro-prefect, Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, and the second, First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, headed by Tagle.

Pope Francis serves as prefect of the dicastery, with authority over the two sections.

The papal decree gives Cardinal Tagle and his successors the authority to control resources headed for mission territories.

The decree on Tagle’s full legal representation of the II Section of the Dicastery for Evangelization was released on March 17.

LiCAS News via CBCP News

waits for us, especially in the sacrament of penance, where he said the Lord touches our wounds, heals our hearts, and leaves us with inner peace.

Pope Francis visited the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale, a parish located about one mile from the pope’s

residence inside Vatican City.

Upon his arrival at the parish, the pope kissed a small Marian icon from his wheelchair and gave a bouquet of flowers to Our Lady. He offered greetings and shook hands with many people inside the parish from his wheelchair.

The pope offered a homily on

The Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization has asked dioceses around the world to once again open churches for 24 hours, on March 17 and March 18, to offer the opportunity to make confessions and pray in the presence of eucharistic adoration.

In his homily, Pope Francis asked the parishioners to repeat together the prayer of a tax collector in chapter 18 of the Gospel of Luke: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The pope prayed: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner! When I

“When I care nothing for those all around me, when I’m indifferent to the poor and the suffering, the weak and the outcast, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! For my sins against life, for my bad example that mars the lovely face of Mother Church, for my sins against creation, God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” he added.

“For my falsehoods, my duplicity, my lack of honesty and integrity, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. For my hidden sins, for the ways in which I have unconsciously wronged others, and for the good I could have done and yet failed to do, God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” Pope Francis prayed. Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Muslims in Indonesia celebrate Ramadan amid soaring prices

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Millions of Muslims in Indonesia are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan that began on Thursday as many grappled with soaring food prices as a result of supply disruptions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

From colorful torchlight street parades to cleaning relatives’ graves and sharing meals with family and friends, every region in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country and the largest archipelago has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan.

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas announced on Wednesday evening that Ramadan would begin on Thursday after the sighting of the crescent moon was confirmed by Islamic astronomy observers teams from several regions. Most Indonesians—Muslims comprise nearly 90 percent of the country’s 277 million people—are expected to follow the government’s official date.

Shortly after the announcement, mosques flooded with devotees offering evening prayers known as “tarawih” on the first eve of Ramadan.

In Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of worshippers crammed together shoulder-to-shoulder.

During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset. Even a tiny sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast.

At night, family and friends gather and feast in a festive atmosphere.

The fasting is aimed at bringing the faithful closer to God and reminding them of the suffering of the poor. Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and engage in heightened religious contemplation.

They are also urged to refrain from gossip, fighting or cursing during the holy month.

Although Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country in the world, its Ramadan traditions have been influenced by other religions.

Nyadran is a Javanese ritual heavily influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism that involves visiting ancestors’ graves.

Each year, thousands of villagers who live on the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java visit cemeteries to welcome Ramadan.

People clean, decorate graves and make prayers and offerings.

Santisima Trinidad Parish holds street Masses

THE parishioners of Santisima Trinidad Parish in Malate, Manila, have been attending Masses not just in the parish church. They also hear Masses on the streets within the parish community.

Led by Parish Priest Fr. Carmelo (Jek) P. Arada Jr., street Masses are held twice a week besides the in-church Masses on

weekdays and on Sundays. Fr. Jek, as he is fondly called by the parishioners, schedule the Masses in 21 barangays covered by the parish, he told the BusinessMirror after a street Mass held at Barangay 752 headquarters.

The street Masses are held “to bring the church, to bring Jesus closer to the people,” especially to

those who have difficulty going to church, Arada explained.

Besides the Masses, the 14 Stations of the Cross are currently being held on Fridays of Lent also on streets, giving the parishioners, “more chances to be closer to Jesus.”

During the Stations of the Cross “we accompany Jesus so the people would see his suffering, and be able

They bring various foods in bamboo containers that they eat together after praying.

In other regions on the main island of Java, including in the capital, Jakarta, Muslims also mark the holy month by cleaning their relatives’ graves, scattering flower petals on them and praying for the deceased.

After evening prayers, many boys and girls across Jakarta parade through the streets of the densely populated neighborhoods. They carry torches and play Islamic songs accompanied by the beat of the rebana, the Arabic handheld percussion instrument.

People in Indonesia’s deeply conservative Aceh province celebrate the beginning of Ramadan with Meugang festivities by slaughtering animals, such as oxen or buffalo, as well as smaller animals like chicken and ducks.

The meat is then cooked and shared with family, friends, the poor and orphans

in a communal feast.

Hundreds of residents in Tangerang, a city just outside Jakarta, flock to the Cisadane River to bathe in a tradition that involves washing one’s hair with rice straw shampoo to welcome the fasting month with a symbolic spiritual cleansing.

Islam follows a lunar calendar, so Ramadan begins around a week and a half earlier each year.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the joyous Eid al-Fitr holiday, when children often receive new clothes and gifts.

Indonesia’s Trade Ministry has said prices of imported staple foods including wheat, sugar, beef and soybeans have increased sharply this year as a result of rising global commodity prices and supply chain disruptions, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But many people say the rise in prices not only impacts imported foods but also local commodities like rice, eggs, chili, palm oil and onions.

Gas and electricity prices have also gone up. Many blame the government for this.

Some Muslims worry how they will cope financially during Ramadan this year.

“Prices are going up every week. How come the government cannot help with this?

Anything to do with cooking is rising,” said Yulia Ningsih, a mother of two who lives in Jakarta. “I worry that rising food and energy costs will impact Ramadan celebrations.”

Niniek Karmini/Associated Press

to relate it to the suffering they are undergoing,” he said.

Besides the Masses, Arada and the other priests of the parish also go around the community to pray for and anoint the sick, and hear their confessions.

Lay ministers also give communion to the sick, who could no longer go to church on Sundays.

Lyn Resurreccion

ROME—Pope Francis heard confessions at a parish in Rome last week. He encouraged people to remember that God “holds out his hand and lifts us up whenever we realize that we are ‘hitting rock bottom.’”

POPE Francis hears confessions at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale in Rome on March 17. VATICAN MEDIA

CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle, papal legate, or representative, to the general conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, after the closing Mass in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 30, 2022. CBCP NEWS

INDONESIAN students march during a parade ahead of Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 21. Ramadan, the holy fasting month, began on Thursday. AP/ACHMAD IBRAHIM

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Oil spill takes toll on biodiversity

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

Nearly a month after its sinking, the ill-fated vessel which was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil continues to cause havoc, taking its toll on the rich biodiversity of coastal and marine ecosystems in the affected towns.

An estimated 20,000 liters of industrial oil from the sunken tanker are seeping out of the vessel.

So far it has already affected nearly a million hectares of coastal areas in 10 towns of the province of Oriental Mindoro, one in the Antique province and two towns in Palawan province.

The affected Oriental Mindoro towns are Naujan, Pola, Pinamalakayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay, Bulalacao and Calapan; Agutaya and Taytay in Palawan; and Caluya in Antique.

State of calamity

POLA is one of the severely affected towns, with the health effect of the oil spill taking its toll on the community. Some 120 people have fallen ill and were taken to the hospital after having been exposed to the oil’s toxic smell. They experienced nausea, headache and vomiting.

The whole province of Oriental Mindoro has been placed under a state of calamity; the same with Caluya in Antique

Locally managed marine protected areas—which are set aside for conservation because of their importance as a marine habitat—

are at risk of devastation.

Also facing serious threats in the affected areas are the mangrove forests, seagrass beds and corals that are important ecosystem-building species that keep the coastal and marine environment healthy.

Last Tuesday’s news reports said that oil slick has already reached Verde Island, threatening the Verde Island Passage (VIP), a region described by scientists as “the world’s center of marine biodiversity, “one of the most productive ecosystems in the world which supports the livelihood of over 2 million people.

Long-term negative impact

DEPENDING on the severity, the long-term economic and environmental impact of oil spills can never be overemphasized. Most of the time, oil has lethal effects on the environment and it will take years, or even decades, for an affected environment to recover back to health.

But the extent and severity of oil spills can be cushioned or minimized.

Paul Horsman of Greenpeace told the BusinessMirror through e-mail on March 17 that, generally, when oil is spilled into the environment, it has an impact on both the ecosystem and communities that live alongside and within the ecosystem.

“The impact is always negative and, although the ecosystems and

communities do survive to a postspill state, the scar remains,”  he said.

Greenpeace has been campaigning against fossil fuel and has witnessed its catastrophic impact, including some of the most devastating destructive oil spills in history.

“The extent and severity of an oil spill depend on many things, all of which work in combination to cause the eventual documented impact,” he said.

Horsman, a marine biologist with degrees from Newcastle University and Portsmouth Polytechnic, is an international campaigner at the forefront of advocacy on environmental and peace issues in different countries for over 25 years. He has led Greenpeace teams in response to a number of other oil spills including the 1994/95 spills from pipelines in the Russian Arctic and the BP Deepwater Horizon in 2010.

‘Highly toxic’ ACCORDING to Horsman, the extent of severity of the oil spill also depends on the type of oil spilled into the environment.

“Whether it is light or heavy oil; whether it is a product oil [after refining] and what type of product it is. Generally, product oils are more toxic than crude oils,” he said.

Light oils have more volatile chemicals that evaporate and/or are absorbed into the water, he said.

“These are toxic but generally do not last as long in the environment as the heavier oils,” he added.

On the other hand, heavy oils are some of the most difficult oils to deal with, he said.

“They stay much longer in the environment and are not easily broken down. The bunker [oil] is often an issue with shipping accidents as it is the fuel of the ship and it’s a heavy oil,” Horsman explained.

Effects on coastal environments ACCORDING to Horsman, oil spills

have an adverse impact on both plants and animals, including those that occur in rocky shores.

“Rocky shores are generally more exposed to waves that can both spread and break up oil. The oil coats and suffocates the animals and plants that are attached to or grow on the rocks. Oil can remain for years in cracks and crevices as a tarry residue. Rock pools often accumulate oil,” he explained.

Like pebble beaches, sandy beaches, which is known in many coastal areas affected by the oil spill in Mindoro are expected to take its toll for the long haul, he said, as the oil coats the beach.

The oil, he said, can cause suffocation as there are many different animals that live in burrows in the sand, again, depending on the type of sand.

“Oil can penetrate such burrows,” he said.

Mudflats and salt marshes, he said, are also not spared by oil spills, including the species that feed on these important ecosystems, like migratory birds.

Mudflats and salt marshes are much smaller and the movement of the water much slower.

“The oil spreads further and can stay in such areas for long periods,” he noted.

Horsman added that mangroves and coral reefs can suffer extensive damage from oil spills. He explained that mangroves are ecosystems where the wave action is small and the oil can spread much further. This wave movement will result in suffocating young mangrove shoots and burrowed animals, he said.

Lethal effects

DR . Resurreccion Sadaba, chairman of the newly created special task force of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), said oil has a lethal effect to marine life and the environment.

“Physical smothering or covering of mangroves, corals and

seagrass can impair their physiological functions,” Sadaba told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview on March 17,

Another mechanism, he said, is the chemical toxicity of oil that can give rise to the lethal and sublethal effects of the oil that can cause impairment of species, including the ability to breathe naturally.

The changes in the ecology primarily because of the loss of key organisms in that community and the possibility of a takeover of opportunistic species on the habitat can also cause biodiversity loss.

As one or two organisms are lost, the food chain is disrupted, which can also lead to the mass extinction of species in the affected ecosystem.

“There are other indirect effects like the loss of the habitat, or the shelter, and consequent elimination of ecologically-important species,” Sadaba said.

Oil spill response

ACCORDING to Sadaba, responders to the oil spill should be very careful in removing oil.

He said that once oil has started to coat mangroves, corals and seagrass, their death becomes inevitable, but this can be minimized by properly removing the oil.

In mangrove areas, saplings and seedlings are likely to perish if they are heavily coated. He noted that bigger mangroves could also die depending on the severity of the oil cover.

“Once smaller trees are covered, the leaves will slowly turn yellow after a week. Eventually, if its ability to release the salt is impaired because of the oil covering, then it will eventually die,” he explained.

Sadaba explained that removing the oil gently from the affected mangroves, corals and seagrass will help them survive.

However, in most cases, he said natural attenuation or weakening of its impact is the best cure for oil spills.

“Once the oil is already there, one option is natural attenuation.  Allow the ecosystem’s natural recovery,” he said.

“There’s a saying that once the oil is there, the best action is ‘no action.’” he said.

The daily tidal flushing, he said, is powerful and can clean the oil.

“All you have to do is to collect the oil being removed by the tidal flushing,” Sadaba said.

This can be done by making booms to collect the oil going in and out of mangrove forests, seagrass beds and even coral reefs.

Do’s and don’ts

THE UPV has come up with a series of public advisories on how to best remove oil in coastal areas.

Some of the “guidelines” aim to reduce the risk of disaster—essentially oil’s lethal effect on health and the environment—while ensuring that the process will not do more harm.

In removing oil, the UPV Task Force highlighted the need to identify duly accredited waste collectors, and of a dump site for collected oil and oil-soaked debris.  For health and safety reasons, the collected oil and oil-soaked debris should be sealed and properly disposed of.

For cleanup workers, the UPV said the local government unit should provide supply to the workforce, and coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for cash for work program.

Cleanup workers should be physically fit, not suffering from respiratory problems, and should be provided with personal protective equipment.

The UPV Task Force recommends manual removal of oil, and use of commercially available or organic sorbents.

Vacuum cleaning, sediment reworking, vegetation cutting, removal, and application of solidifiers should be strictly prohibited.

REGIONAL DIALOGUE ADDRESSES CLIMATE, SECURITY IN BARMM

DAVAO CITY—The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with the United Kingdom (UK) government, held a twoday regional dialogue on “Exploring the Nexus of Climate Change, Conflict and Human Mobility and the Lived Experiences of the Bangsamoro.”

The event marked a milestone of the project that, for the first time in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), sought to establish evidence on the interlinkages between climate change, conflict and human mobility, IOM said in a news release.

It also aimed to strengthen socioeconomic resilience of Bangsamoro communities to climaterelated security risks.

The dialogue resulted in key findings from the participatory action research conducted through the project, and

commissioned through the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), to better understand the effects of climate change to people’s lives in conflict-prone communities and their coping capacity to its impacts.

“Climate change and its impact on security, human mobility, displacement, job insecurity and many other pressing issues should, just as other vital matters, be given the required attention and resources,” said Alistair White, the Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in the Philippines, highlighting the importance of the research in raising awareness and driving collective efforts to address climate-related security risks.

For his part, Narciso Jover Jr, research team leader of MPC, said: “While climate change exacerbates conflict, conflict, in turn, prevents people from successfully coping with climate change—that’s why

slow onset climate change is difficult to quantify and, therefore, address,” Jover said.

“It is our role to fill in that gap in understanding how conflict affects people’s social and economic vulnerability to the impact of climate change,” he added.

The event brought together various stakeholders from key BARMM Ministries, Bangsamoro Parliament, local governments and civil society organizations as the BARMM underscored climate change action as a priority agenda in the Second Bangsamoro Development Plan 2023-2028 and steps up its efforts to tackle relevant challenges.

The event provided an opportunity for participants to discuss the research recommendations and formulate action points to address climate-related security risks, including the impact of climatic changes and ongoing conflict

on agriculture and fisheries—one of BARMM’s largest industries—which threaten the climate-sensitive livelihoods of farmers and fishers.

The discussion led to the climate’s role in worsening food insecurity in the region, which, in turn, exacerbates protracted poverty, forcing families to consider migration as a last resort. This displacement from their communities and cultural roots increases their risk of human trafficking in their search for better jobs outside their places of origin, IOM noted.

Mary Ann Arnado, a member of the BARMM Parliament, said they need to “acknowledge and wake up to the new reality that we are in a climate emergency” without which we will remain in “a vicious cycle and all our interventions will not be cost effective. We need to retool, we need to study,

we need to read more and look at other experiences in other areas so that we will be more equipped in dealing with this.”

Parliament member Tawakal Midtimbang also affirmed the commitment of the BARMM Parliament to craft legislation through the Committee on Environment. “To my fellow Members of Parliament, challenge us to develop an environmental code and file bills to solve climate change,” he said.

Carol Kay Paquera of the Climate Change Commission discussed the Philippines’s Republic Act 10174 which established the People’s Survival Fund “to finance adaptation projects aimed at increasing resiliency of communities and ecosystems to climate change,” a critical step in addressing the climate crisis.

Rasid Sabpa, assistant Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer of the Municipality of Shariff Aguak,

shared his appreciation of the event.

“We are able to identify additional possible interventions that we can add to our local climate change action plans, which will help mitigate the effects of climate change and conflict in our community. This requires the support of our local chief executive and active participation and involvement of the constituents to ensure that it is implemented at the local level,” he said.

Michael Dumamba, head of the Emergency and Post-Crisis Unit of IOM Philippines, said: “The active participation of the stakeholders not only facilitated the crucial exchange of knowledge and skills but also helped shape the way forward to guide BARMM governments and communities in instituting climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in the context of conflict.”

AN OIL-SOAKED crab lies dead on a rock on the shore of Barangay Misong, Pola, Oriental Mindoro. NOEL GUEVARA, GREENPEACE

A FISHING boat floats in water covered with a thick oil slick in Barangay Misong, Pola, Oriental Mindoro. OCEANA

A CLEANUP worker pushes a cart filled with oil-coated debris in Barangay Calima, Pola, Oriental Mindoro. OCEANA

THE sinking of MT Princess Empress off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, on February 28 has caused a massive oil spill reminiscent of the 2006 Guimaras oil spill.

Scandal-plagued China soccer body again hit by new corruption probes

BEIJING—China’s scandalplagued football association has been rocked by new corruption probes into its chiefs of discipline and competition.

The sports ministry on Friday said Wang Xiaoping, director the China Football Association’s (CFA) Disciplinary Committee, and Huang Song, were both “suspected of serious violations” of law and discipline—the government’s usual bywords for graft.

Huang was being investigated by the ruling Communist Party’s corruption watchdog, the sports ministry’s anti-graft body and by authorities in Hebei province outside Beijing where the national soccer team maintains a training camp, the notice said.

The single-sentence announcements said Wang and Huang were cooperating with investigators but gave no details about the charges against them.

Chinese prosecutors have wide powers to hold suspects for lengthy interrogations if state secrets are believed to be involved.

The announcements come barely a month after the head of China’s national soccer body Chen Xuyuan was arrested on corruption charges.

Chen was head of the Chinese Football Association and vice chair of its party committee, underscoring the government’s heavy hand in attempting to direct success in the game.

China’s increasingly autocratic president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping declared a plan to make China a football superpower, but funding and enthusiasm have appeared to dwindle. Xi has also made fighting corruption a signature policy, taking down political rivals in the process and further embedding strict policies

governing freedom of speech and civil society organizations outside party control.

Sports falls under the same yoke of state control and the national team has seen a revolving door of foreign and domestic managers cut loose for their failure to produce results.

One of China’s most decorated past football leaders, former Everton and Sheffield United midfielder Li Tie, has been jailed amid a graft investigation.

Despite its success in Olympic sports such as table tennis and shooting, China has only qualified for one soccer World Cup, more than two decades ago. The men’s national team is currently ranked 80th by FIFA, just behind countries such as Uzbekistan, Georgia and Gabon.

China’s top division clubs once paid big salaries to attract foreign talent, but the league has virtually collapsed under the now-abandoned “zero-Covid” policy and lingering economic malaise. Top sponsors have gone bankrupt and and efforts to fight match-fixing and other forms of cheating have received little attention of late. AP

Ethics agency to better protect gymnasts for LA ’28 Olympics

GENEVA—Created to help protect athletes after the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal, the sport’s international investigations agency has set new safeguarding standards with a view to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation published a “Gymnasts 2028” strategy Thursday to better protect athletes from harassment and abuse, investigate complaints, prosecute disciplinary cases and monitor national federations.

“The idea is to really put gymnasts at the center of our thinking throughout everything we do,” Alex McLin, the independent foundation’s director, told The Associated Press in an interview.

The GEF was created and funded by the sport’s governing body, the International Gymnastics Federation, in the fallout from the scandal of long-time US team doctor Larry Nassar, who is now in prison.

Since 2019, the foundation has worked to address systemic issues it describes as “the inherent power imbalances between gymnasts, coaches, judges, and administrators, a culture of control, tolerance of harmful and unethical behaviors, the vulnerabilities of young gymnasts.”

“We realized early on that the sort of issues we were facing would likely take a decade to address,” said McLin, an American who is an expert on sports governance.

That made 2028, when Los Angeles will host the Olympics “a good benchmark for us to organize ourselves,” he said.

A generation of leaders have left USA Gymnastics since Nassar›s abuse of hundreds of athletes emerged in 2016, and a new management structure of women’s teams was put in place.

“US Gymnastics has gone through an incredible transition where it’s a completely different organization from what it used to be,” McLin said. “That shift is not happening with the same speed everywhere but that momentum is certainly there.”

Since 2020, claims of bullying

TRANS ATHLETES BANNED

TRACK and field banned transgender athletes from international competition Thursday, while adopting new regulations that could keep Caster Semenya and other athletes with differences in sex development from competing.

In a pair of decisions expected to stoke outrage, the World Athletics Council adopted the same rules as swimming did last year in deciding to bar athletes who have transitioned from male to female and have gone through male puberty. No such athletes currently compete at the highest elite levels of track.

Another set of updates, for athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), could impact up to 13 current high-level runners, World Athletics (WA) President Sebastian Coe said.

They include Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion at 800 meters, who has been barred from that event since 2019.

vigorously defend our position. And the overarching principle for me is we will always do what we think is in the best interest of our sport.”

Athletes with sex development differences, such as Semenya and Olympic 200-meter silver medalist Christine Mboma of Namibia, are not transgender, although the two issues share similarities when it comes to sports.

to undergo hormone-suppressing treatment for six months, something she has said she will never do again, having undergone the treatment a decade ago under previous rules. Mboma, who won her silver in Tokyo two years ago but was out of worlds last year because of an injury, has not publicly stated whether she would be willing to undergo hormone therapy.

and abusive cultures were made by gymnasts in countries including Australia , Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland

“A large majority of what we do relates to cases of maltreatment,” said McLin, whose organization has handled at least 135 cases in its first four years.

Two cases not connected to abuse but related to unethical conduct led to bans for a pair of prominent officials well-connected in Olympic circles: Russian rhythmic gymnastics coach Irina Viner and Australian sports executive Kitty Chiller “We are conscious that these are not decisions that could be taken necessarily by the (International Gymnastics Federation) previously in the former setup because of the political considerations,” McLin acknowledged.

Viner’s two-year ban for criticizing judges in Tokyo will exclude her from next year’s Paris Olympics, even if Russian athletes are allowed back into competition.

Her strict, critical coaching style was starkly shown in a documentary, “Over The Limit,” made ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The film followed the preparations of eventual gold medalist Margarita Mamun.

“There is a level of awareness that simply wasn’t there before and that can only be good,” McLin said, praising such programs and investigative reporting into a bullying culture in gymnastics. “What we need is better prevention, but that starts with awareness.”

Seeking to be more sensitive handling complaints by young athletes, the GEF wants to manage cases in a less adversarial way. McLin also wants to ensure the investigators picked for specific cases, plus the disciplinary and appeal judges, have the skills to be aware of trauma suffered by athletes.

“We need to be respectful of all of those who have suffered and for whom, even in 2028, watching the Olympics I am sure will be triggering to some,” McLin said. “That is something we can never lose sight of.” AP

Semenya and others had been able to compete without restrictions in events outside the range of 400 meters through one mile but now will have to undergo hormonesuppressing treatment for six months before competing to be eligible.

Coe conceded there are no easy answers on this topic, which has turned into a societal lightning rod involving advocates concerned with keeping a level playing field in women’s sports and others who don’t want to discriminate against transgender and DSD athletes.

“All the decisions we’ve taken have their challenges,” Coe said. “If that’s the case, then we will do what we have done in the past, which is

Such athletes were legally identified as female at birth but have a medical condition that leads to some male traits, including high levels of testosterone that World Athletics argues gives them the same kind of unfair advantage as transgender athletes.

Semenya has been running in longer events. She finished 13th in her qualifying heat at 5,000 meters at world championships last year. In a recent interview, she said she was aiming to run in the Olympics at a longer distance.

“I’m in the adaptation phase, and my body is starting to fit with it. I’m just enjoying myself at the moment, and things will fall into place at the right time,” the South African runner said.

Now, in order to compete at next year’s Olympics, she would have

Track stymies Russian, Belarusian path to Olympics because of war in Ukraine

Another athlete, Olympic 800-meter silver medalist Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, also has said she would not undergo treatment. While Semenya struggled at longer distances, Niyonsaba had relative success, winning Diamond League titles at 3,000 and 5,000 meters and running in the 5,000 at the Tokyo Olympics.

Under the new regulations, athletes in the previously “unrestricted” events would have to suppress testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per liter of blood for six months. Ultimately, they would have to stay below those levels for two years.

Previously, athletes with differences in sex development had to lower their testosterone to below 5 nanomoles per liter of blood for at least six months before competing, and the rules only applied to distances between 400 meters and one mile. AP

so long as it adheres to nearly three dozen “special conditions,” the reinstatement did nothing to change the reality that Russians will not be allowed at track meets for at least several months, if not years.

Coe said he knows this policy will not be popular at the IOC meetings he is attending next week. “There will be plenty of opportunities” to discuss the topic, Coe said. “But I think you can probably conclude the IOC is not in any doubt about where I sit on that issue.”

Russian reaction to the World Athletics’ decision was predictably outraged. Sports minister Oleg Matytsin referenced a speech IOC President Thomas Bach gave this week reiterating his position.

“We consider these politicized restrictions unacceptable,” Matytsin said. “The Olympic Games must remain neutral, and international federations must give all of the strongest athletes in their sport the right to compete.”

Coe said decisions coming out of the doping scandal have left it up to international sports federations (IFs) to determine eligibility for athletes at the Olympics.

World Athletics took the toughest stance of all sports when they were allowing Russians back into the games. During the seven-year ban of the Russian track federation, only a handful of athletes were ever allowed into world and Olympic track competitions.

The sport is taking the same tact regarding the war. While some IFs are following the IOC’s lead and trying to find ways for Russians who meet certain, still-unspecified criteria regarding neutrality to qualify for Paris—namely by bypassing events in Europe, where Russia was a traditional competitor,  and heading to qualifiers in Asia —Coe said Russians were banned from qualifying events in track.

ATHLETICS leaders signaled Thursday that it will be nearly impossible for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in that sport at the Paris Olympics next year if the  war in Ukraine  continues.

The World Athletics Council kept its ban on Russian athletes in international events in place “for the foreseeable future,” a move that goes directly against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) efforts to find a way for Russian athletes to compete as neutrals in upcoming events. World Athletics will form a working group to determine under what conditions Russians might

return to international competition, but for now, there is no apparent pathway.

“The death and destruction we have seen in Ukraine over the past year, including the deaths of some 185 athletes, have only hardened my resolve on this matter,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, who has been the most outspoken sports leader on the topic since Russia’s invasion.

The move came on the same day World Athletics finally lifted a seven-year suspension of Russia’s track federation for a  doping scandal that dates back a decade Though the federation is back in good standing

By itself, that’s not a huge problem—most spots in track and field are allocated at Olympic trials in individual countries — but ultimately, World Athletics is expected to be able to control the list of entrants for this year’s worlds in Hungary and next year’s Olympics in France.

“There’s no ambiguity about it,” Coe said. “The primacy for the decision around eligibility rests with the international federation.”

All of this pushed what should have been big news—the official end of Russia’s role as a doping pariah—down a notch. Barring a drastic shift, either in the war or the World Athletics policy, the country is still not expected to be a presence at the track meet in Paris.

“On the basis of what we know now, we’re very clear that this is not the right moment,” Coe said. AP

ATHLETES with sex development differences, such as Caster Semenya and Christine Mboma, are not transgender, although the two issues share similarities when it comes to sports. AP

A MAN walks by the Russian Olympic Committee building in Moscow. AP

FULL HOUSE

Simple Plan evokes nostalgia to millennial fans in Manila concert

By Patrick V. Miguel

Publisher :

Editor-In-Chief :

Concept :

Y2Z Editor :

SoundStrip Editor :

Group Creative Director :

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According to Glenda, they have been a fan of the rock band for more than 20 years now, and being there at the concert brings her back to the good old days.

Tel.

Fax

Lourdes

Aldwin

Jt

“It brings me back to the good old days,” she said, smiling as she looked into the stage.

Edwin

Eduardo

Niggel

Anabelle

Tony

Bernard

At that time, Simple Plan has yet to start their concert and the crowd is just starting to fill The New Frontier Theater.

Simple Plan performed two shows in the Philippines this 2023. Their first show was in Manila on March 11, and Davao City the next day.

At that moment, Glenda was asked: how do you feel right now? She swiftly answered, “I’m very nostalgic and it brings back memories.”

The feeling of nostalgia is not an isolated case with Glenda and Bernard. Soundstrip was able to interview other people and their answer was the same: Nostalgia.

Being in that concert brought him back to that specific memory, which he shared he was nine years old. He is now 28.

Diones only wished one thing after seeing Simple Plan live: another concert. He said, “I hope that after this, magkaroon pa ng another concert, probably bigger than this.”

Simple Plan has always been well-received by Filipino audiences since the band first performed in the Philippines in 2011 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Anna (not her real name), who has been a fan of Simple Plan in her “emo days,” said that the reason why Simple Plan is still active today is because their songs are “timeless.”

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Diones shared that he first bought a Simple Plan CD in 2004, back to those days when Spotify or Apple Music still did not exist. According to Diones, “Perfect” was the most popular Simple Plan song at that time.

“‘Yung mga kanta nila kasi ay timeless,” she explained. “I think any generation could easily relate to Simple Plan.”

Anna observed that other than her fellow millennials, there are also a number of younger people entering the theater.

She noticed that there is a generation gap in the audience. She said, “There’s a generation gap attending the concert between millennials and Gen Z.”

This is highly possible as Simple Plan’s song “I’m Just A Kid” surged popularity on TikTok, being used as the music for videos recreating old family photos. Lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier mentioned this at the concert, sparking some cheers as they sang the song.

Their last set before ending the show was “Perfect.” It was the “perfect” ending to a wonderful concert. Clearly Simple Plan returning to Manila has sparked some nostalgia towards millennial fans who have been listening to the band since the early 2000s.

Simple Plan’s The Harder Than It Looks Tour was presented by Wilbros Live and Midas Promotions. The band’s music is streaming on major streaming platforms.

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

M. Fernandez

M. Tolosa

Nisay

P. Sallan

A. Davad

Figueroa

O. Flores

M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Patrick Miguel

P. Testa Nonie Reyes

EVEN though they are now in their 50s, married couple Bernard and Glenda did not let the opportunity to watch Simple Plan pass.

PIERRE Bouvier of Simple Plan (Photo by Patrick V. Miguel/BM)

BARBIE AT 25

Still a hero and a firewoman

story and photos by Jill Tan Radovan

WE’VE all been told: ever meet your heroes. People say this because meeting your heroes might only bring you disappointment once you realize the heroes you idolize are far from perfect.

Barbie Almalbis was arguably one of the heroes many ‘90s kids—from the ardent music fans to the aspiring musicians—looked up to. With songwriting and her guitars as her weapons and music as ammunition, she fought many battles with them: adolescence, heartbreak, depression, coming of age. She led her army of followers, first as the front woman of Hungry Young Poets, then of Barbie’s Cradle, and eventually, as a solo artist working with a fine selection of musicians.

On Barbie’s anniversary concert dubbed “Firewoman—25 Years of Barbie Almalbis,” the talented and seasoned singersongwriter celebrated milestones of her career with former and current bandmates, colleagues in the live music scene, and supporters from day one.

Majority of the audience was middle-aged, like Barbie. Barbie herself requested that seats be

provided for their benefit, even if 123 Block is usually a standingonly venue.

Gates opened at 3:00 p.m., making way for meet-andgreet sessions for VIP patrons.

I Belong to the Zoo and Kai Del Rio, Barbie’s sister-in-law who performed in public for the first time in years that afternoon, each delivered 30-minute sets before Barbie set foot on stage with her current band mates and performed some of her compositions as a solo artist, including “Just a Smile,” a hit song previously used in a toothpaste commercial, and tracks from her recently released album, “Parade,” such as “Dahilan.”

Bird was a pleasant surprise that had a couple of first-time listeners comment on how great the band’s alternative/surf/ vibecore music sounded live.

Clara Benin, on the other hand, was poetry in motion, with every lyric and every strum of her guitar.

Next on stage were Barbie and her bandmates from Hungry Young Poets (HYP): bassist Ricci Gurango and drummer Franklin Benitez, aka Zild’s father. HYP’s set was punctuated by live renditions of tracks from their

eponymous album, such as “Deep,” “Firewoman” and what is probably their biggest and most famous hit, “Torpe.” As an observer, you’d know which people in the audience were HYP’s loyal fans: they sang along to the lesser known songs, verse by verse.

Gabby Alipe’s acoustic set shortly followed—a calming experience in comparison to Urban Dub’s amplified sets. The momentary calm, however, dissipated when Sandwich— another act that celebrated its 25th anniversary recently— performed on stage, with a repertoire that included the band’s first ever hit, “Butterfly Carnival,” as well as “Betamax” and “Under the Glow of the Satellite.”

And then, it was time for the final act.

When Barbie returned to the stage, this time with her cradle bandmates Rommel dela Cruz, Wendell Garcia and Kakoi Legaspi—a later addition to the band—the feeling of nostalgia was already in full swing yet the audience kept asking for more. More music from a time when songs written and recorded by a much younger but equally celebrated singer-songwriter conquered the airwaves, and were packaged in the form of compact discs and cassettes.

Barbie’s Cradle opened its set with “Tabing Log,” the radiofriendly hit which was also used as the theme song for a hit TV series. The band also performed choice cuts from its three albums, namely “Barbie’s Cradle,” “Music

From the Buffet Table” and “Playing in the Fields.”

One thing about Barbie’s Cradle’s songs is that they can take you from light-hearted and easy with songs like “Shiny Red Balloon,” “Boat,” “Money for Food,” and “Limang Dipang Tao” to contemplative and melancholy with “Floating,” “BamBam,” “All I Need” and “It’s Dark and I am Lonely.” The band took the audience through a rollercoaster of emotions cruising through overflowing nostalgia with these songs. Barbie’s saccharine voice perfectly complemented the beautiful, soothing melodies she had created with some of the most talented musicians from that era and beyond. Barbie, Rommel, Wendell and Kakoi tried to say good night to the crowd with—you guessed it—“Goodnyt” as a final song, but fans chanted, “More!”as expected, and the band relented with “Independence Day.”

Barbie’s Cradle didn’t play “The Dance,” “When the Bough Breaks,” “Belinda Bye-Bye,” and “Dear Paul” that evening. These songs are—to this writer—some of the band’s most underrated work. Nevertheless, Barbie Almalbis, on her 25th year, proved that she could be everything, everywhere, all at once (or rather, all in one evening); that she is a hero worth emulating and one that does not disappoint; and that she is still a firewoman—not the one that waters down her fans’ desire for her music, but one who sets their hearts ablaze as she passionately shreds her guitar and sings on stage.

Why are so many Gen Z-ers drawn to old digital cameras?

By Tim Gorichanaz Drexel University

Even so, some Gen Z-ers are now opting for point-and-shoot digital cameras from the early 2000s, before many of them were born.

It’s something of a renaissance, and not just for older cameras. The digital camera industry as a whole is seeing a resurgence. Previously, industry revenue peaked in 2010 and was shrinking annually through 2021. Then it saw new growth in 2022, and it is projected to continue growing for the coming years. But why?

One explanation is nostalgia, or a yearning for the past. And indeed, nostalgia can be an effective coping strategy in times of change and upheaval—the Covid-19 pandemic is just one of the disorienting shifts of the past few decades.

But my research on people’s experiences with technology, which includes photography, suggests a deeper explanation: seeking meaning.

It’s not that these Gen Z-ers are long-

ing to return to childhood, but that they are finding and expressing their values through their technological choices. And there’s a lesson here for everyone.

The human need for meaning

MEA nInG is different from happiness. Though happiness and meaning are often correlated, meaning doesn’t necessarily include the pleasure that characterizes happiness. Meaningful pursuits may involve struggle, suffering or even sacrifice. Meaning also lasts longer, whereas happiness is fleeting.

At its core, meaning is about identifying one’s values and making choices to develop oneself as a person. It allows a person to engage with the various aspects of their personality—“the multitudes” contained therein, as Walt Whitman wrote.

People choose some technologies for the way they contribute to meaning. And the search for meaning extends beyond choosing a technology to the way a person uses and experiences it. For example, many people use social media in constructing their sense of self.

The meaning within old digital cameras

In this context, using a standalone digital camera immediately enhances the meaningfulness of an experience. Digital cameras also enable presence: You need to remember to carry the camera around, and in return it won’t give you notifications or show you other apps while you’re shooting.

That goes for any standalone camera. But old cameras, in particular, have a set of qualities that help users make meaning.

First, the image quality is poorer. But on social media, photos that get posted are less about polish and precision and more about sharing experiences and telling stories. As social media theorist nathan Jurgenson writes in his book The Social Photo, “As a medium, social photography becomes an important means to experience something not representable as an image but instead as a social process: an appreciation of impermanence for its own sake.”

As a person chooses which photos to share and how to edit them, they are expressing their values and developing their sense of self. To some extent, smartphone photo filters allow for some of this expression, but old digital cameras produce different kinds of visual effects and lack the automated features designed to professionalize the look of each image.

Older cameras also introduce challenges in getting the images onto social media. They require cables, software and multiple steps to transfer the images. It’s a far cry from one-click image generation with artificial intelligence. What this means is that photography involves many more activities beyond simply taking photos. Photography becomes a bigger part of one’s life.

All this friction increases a person’s involvement in the process, inviting choices along the way. This is precisely the thinking behind the slow technology movement, which aims to design technology for goals like self-reflection, rather than efficiency or productivity. Research on meaningful design shows people form stronger attachments to products when they have to make more choices or get more involved.

When it comes to finding meaning in

older forms of photography—whether you use a digital camera or a film camera—the slower process of creating and sharing images outweighs the speed, efficiency and crisp imagery of smartphone cameras.

Crafting a more meaningful life

ThE meaning hidden within old digital cameras contains broader lessons.

In recent years, critics have bemoaned the rupturing of social institutions and the transformation of digital platforms into places that merely serve as vehicles to sell ads and collect data from users. During the pandemic, life itself threatened to go digital with all the hype surrounding the metaverse.

I believe that a key to living well in the near future is to identify where you can create choices, so you don’t feel like you’re drifting along at the mercy of algorithms and the whims of Big Tech. Perhaps you could start a chapter of the Luddite Club— as a group of teens in Brooklyn recently did—and play board games in the park on weekends. Perhaps you could opt for a paper book rather than a podcast, specifically because you can’t do something else while you’re reading it.

On the surface, deliberately rejecting the latest, flashiest forms of technology may seem like a problem—“You’ll be left behind and miss out!” But on the other hand, slowing down life by engaging with slower technology creates space to make choices more thoughtfully in relation to your values—and cultivate more meaningful involvement in your own life. The Conversation

Cover photo by Vova Kras/pexels.com

Vinyl record sales keep spinning and spinning–with no end in sight

Ov ER the past decade, vinyl records have made a major comeback. People purchased US$1.2 billion of records in 2022, a 20-percent jump from the previous year.

not only did sales rise, but they also surpassed CD sales for the first time since 1988, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America.

This resurgence is just one chapter in a broader story about the growing popularity of older technologies. not only are LP records coming back, but so are manual typewriters, board games and digital cameras from the late 1990s and early 2000s. There are many theories about why records are making a comeback. Most of them miss the point about their appeal.

Why records and not CDs?

OnE suggestion is that sales have been spurred by baby boomers, many of whom are now entering retirement and are eager to tap into the nostalgia of their youth. Data shows

PhoTo

this theory is not true.

First, the top-selling vinyl albums right now are current artists, not classic bands. As of this writing, Gorillaz, a band formed in the late 1990s, was at the top of the vinyl charts. Second, data from the recording industry shows the most likely person to buy a LP record is in Gen Z—people born from 1997 to 2012.

Another theory is that records are cheap. While that might have been true in the past, today’s vinyl records command a premium. “Cracker Island,” the Gorillaz album that

is currently topping the vinyl sales charts, lists for almost $22—twice the cost of the CD. Plus, subscribing to an online service like Spotify for 15 bucks a month gives you access to millions of tracks.

A third explanation for the resurgence is that people claim records have better sound quality than digital audio files. Records are analog recordings that capture the entire sound wave. Digital files are sampled at periodic intervals, which means only part of the sound wave is captured.

In addition to sampling, many streaming services and most stored audio files compress the sound information of a recording. Compression allows people to put more songs on their phones and listen to streaming services without using up much bandwidth. however, compression eliminates some sounds.

While LP records are not sampled or compressed, they do develop snap, crackle and popping sounds after being played multiple times. Records also skip, which is something

that doesn’t happen with digital music.

The most likely reason for the resurgence of records, however, was identified by an economist over a century ago.

In the late 1890s, Thorstein veblen looked at spending in society and wrote an influential book called The Theory of the Leisure Class. In it, he explained that people often buy items as a way to gain and convey status. One of veblen’s key ideas is that not everything in life is purchased because it is easy, fun or high quality. Sometimes harder, more time-consuming or exotic items offer more status.

Today, playing music is effortless. Just shout your request at a smart speaker, like Siri or Alexa, or touch an app on your smartphone. Playing a record on a turntable takes time and effort. Building your collection requires thoughtful deliberation and money. Besides, a record storage cube alongside an accompanying record player also makes for some nice living room decor. The Conversation

The latest digital cameras boast ever-higher resolutions, better performance in low light, smart focusing, plus shake reduction— and they’re built right into your smartphone.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Wine Dine&

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz | Sunday, March 26, 2023

KHAO KHAI INTRODUCES THAI STREET CUISINE IN BGC

TungLok Seafood to bring a lot of joy to Pinoy diners

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

FROM

the man who gave the dining public restaurants like Mango Tree, Genki Sushi Philippines, Kureji and Sen-Ryo comes another new concept, this time a popular restaurant brand from Singapore.

Eric Teng, CEO of Mother Spice Food Corporation, has brought in his favorite restaurant brand from Singapore, TungLok Seafood. It is located just by the bay at S Maison at Conrad Manila and it formally opened its doors last February 11, 2023.

Just last year, Teng’s group brought in the Singaporean classic restaurant Tung Lok Singapore located at the City of Dreams.

“Whenever I go to Singapore, I make sure that I visit Tung Lok Seafood. I really enjoy the crabs there and I decided that it would be nice to share this with our fellow Filipinos,” Teng said. “We chose what items to serve based on the availability of the ingredients here in the Philippines.”

Focused on offering the best of Singapore-Chinese style seafood, TungLok Seafood continues to innovate and prepare dishes synonymous with the quality and standards of the Tung Lok brand.

The phrase “Tung Lok” comes from a Cantonese saying which means “happy together.” Tung Lok Group started as a family-owned business in Singapore during the 1980s. Today, Tung Lok has expanded to over 30 stores across Singapore, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines.

Celebrate special occasions and intimate gatherings with friends and family in any of Tung Lok Seafood’s four private rooms, each with a capacity of ten to 20 guests. Perennial favorites include TungLok’s Signature Chili Crab with a side of mantou, Wasabi Mayo Prawns, Lobster Sashimi, Australian Beef Tenderloin, and many more delectable dishes.

A media launch was conducted last March 9, 2023 and guests got to sample a number of their delectable dishes. On hand to greet the media guests were Teng; Andrew Tjioe, President and CEO of Tung Lok Group of Restaurants in Singapore and Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore in the Philippines Gerard Ho Wei Hong.

The feast started with Mala Fish Skin, crispy fried fish skin with a spicy mix of Sichuan peppercorn and chili. The fish skin was

indeed very crunchy and it was not as spicy as expected. Refreshing Cherry Tomatoes were then served to wash out the after taste brought about by the fish skin. If you are a fan of kiamoy, a very popular Chinese treat, you will certainly enjoy the Cherry Tomatoes.

For the seafood fare, guests were treated to Sauteed Prawns with Black Truffle Sauce, Deep-fried Garoupa with Green Mango, Sour and Spicy Sauce and, of course, the Signature Chili Crabs which was served with a side of fried mantou.

The fried mantou, when dipped into the sauce of the Signature Chili Crabs, was heavenly!

Seven Spiced Grilled Lamb Shank and Slow-cooked Beef Brisket with Beancurd were the next dishes to be served. Both were very tender and flavorful. This was followed by the very Spicy Curry Laksa Noodles. To give a semblance of a balanced diet, guests were treated to Two Way Kale and Sauteed Elephant Shell with String beans.

Even if the dishes made us feel very full and satisfied, there will always be room for dessert. A favorite was the Taro Paste with Coconut Sauce (Silky hot taro topped with coconut sauce) and Rice Roll with

Lotus Paste (Sweetened rice rolls filled with lotus paste).

TungLok Seafood is open from Mondays to Sundays from 10 am to 10 pm. For more information, visit their Facebook or Instagram Accounts or call 09171210082.

THE Thai diner concept Khao Khai “Thai Chicken House,” which introduced the authentic and unbeknown flavors of Northern Thai cuisine in the Philippines, recently unveiled its new branch located at 2/f Crossroads, Bonifacio Global City.

First opened in Poblacion, Makati in 2019, Khao Khai has expanded into a portfolio of seven branches all through the course of the pandemic.

Owned and operated by Making Fine Group, the same F&B group behind Tiger Sugar, Gram Cafe & Pancakes, and Chunky Boss, its growth is being driven by the warm reception of the local dining crowd to some of the least known flavors of Thailand from Chiang Mai and Isan – one that goes beyond the usual Pad Thai or Green Chicken Curry.

In fact, diners coming to Khao Khai will not find the usual Thai staples on the menu. Instead of Pad Thai, Bagoong Rice, or Tom Yum, they will find Phat Mama, or ramen noodles stir dry; Seafood Khao Soi, a classic and aromatic Northern Thai soup with coconut curry broth, fried egg noodles, shrimps, and squid; Red Beef Curry, which are beef sirloin strips cooked in garlic and red paste with a hint of lime and aromatic Thai lemon grass; and Yaowaraj Fried Rice, or Thaistyle chicken fried rice.

At the heart of Khao Khai’s menu is its selection of fried and grilled chicken. Their signature Gai Tod fried chicken is battered and done carefully, ensuring the right moisture in the

poultry to achieve the perfect outside crisp and a surprisingly flavorful and juicy meat. Meanwhile, Khao Khai also features a Thai grilled chicken dish called Gai Yang, a popular street food in Isan, marinated for nearly half a day before grilling.

Yet the unsung heroes in Khao Khai may not just be the food, but the sauces, many of which the restaurant does from scratch. Sauces are fundamental to Thai cuisine, and a number of dishes served – most importantly the grilled and fried chicken – are paired with two important ones: the Nam Jim Jaew (fish sauce with herbs and spices, prepared at least 8 hours before service) and Nam Jim Kai (homemade sweet chili sauce).

A roll of sides and salad will further parade across the table as diners enjoy many of Khao Khai’s delicacies, including Som Tam and egg salad sauce – allowing guests to appreciate the unique flavors in these parts of Thailand.

From Som Tam Platter (hand-cut papaya salad) in the vegetable selection to Mango Sticky Rice as an ending to a great meal, Khao Khai brings not just flavors but also the Thai street experience in every restaurant, evident with design that dons all branches and the aromatic and flavorful smell that makes for a signature dining.

Khao Khai is located in six other branches in Poblacion, Makati; Del Monte Avenue, Quezon City; Mall of Asia; Santolan Town Plaza; SM Manila; and SM Fairvie

BEAUTY QUEENS JOIN EXECUTIVE CHEF COKE SEMBLANTE IN SECRET MENU EPISODE 2

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

MCDONALD’S customers now have another reason to say “Cheese!” with its fun, flavorful, and savory new dip sauce that pairs perfectly with any variants of their favorite Cheeseburger offerings of the quick service restaurant (QSR).

Cheese Dunk, the latest addition to the fastfood chain giant’s extensive menu, fulfills its commitment to bring upgraded and thrilling dining or takeout experiences while creating a feel good moment to its patrons.

“We are thrilled to introduce this excit-

ing new cheese dip that will take your love for McDonald’s Cheeseburger to the next level,” McDonald’s Philippines Senior Brand Manager Yves Nacpil said during their launch event held recently at McDonald’s Uptown Bonifacio.

McDonald’s Philippines Product Manager Symon Siman could not agree more. After all, “there’s no such thing as too much cheese,” according to him.

“[This is because] we have our Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, and part of our secret menu is our Triple Cheeseburger. And we want to give that ultimate cheese experience with the Cheese Dunk,” he told the BusinessMirror in a sideline interview.

Extra special WITH this campaign, the QSR aims to harness the vibrant energy of today’s generation—their craving for new adventures and experiences while wanting for more.

“As we think about it, why settle for being basic when you can be extra. We all have that

special something in our life. So that’s why we thought about how McDonald’s can really elevate or upgrade your basic Cheeseburger experience,” McDonald’s Philippines  Assistant Brand Manager Maria Margarita V. Yguico explained.

So this led for them to add more cheese to such well-loved burger line, she shared, adding that the dip also complements well with their other food items.

“[You can] match it with any of your other favorite McDonald’s products like our french fries, maybe even our spaghetti, or a sundae if you’re feeling kind of adventurous,” she suggested.

Available till supplies last CUSTOMERS could not help but keep on dunking for more of this new dip sauce at all McDonald’s outlets in the country via dine-in, take-out, drive-thru, or McDelivery.

The new McDonald’s Cheese Dunk can be purchased as a value meal, coming with a Cheeseburger or Double Cheeseburger. What’s more, it can be availed on its own.

This adds up only P45 to the bill. But a 15-percent discount can now be enjoyed when buying a Cheeseburger/Double Cheeseburger Meal exclusively through the McDonald’s App.

Since Cheese Dunk is available for a limited time only, Siman advised customers to now give their best shot to double up their not-sobasic-anymore Cheeseburger experience.

“So as early as possible, we encourage everyone to try it [in our] all stores nationwide,” he stressed.

THE highly-anticipated second episode of "Secret Menu" has just premiered, and it did not disappoint. In this episode, Executive Chef Coke Semblante is joined by two special guests: Karla Paula Henry Ammann and Kris Tiffany Janson, both accomplished beauty queens and actresses. Together, they collaborated to create a mouth-watering dish that will surely leave viewers drooling.

The star of the show is the Baked Visayan Cod Fish with Carrot Ginger Puree, Green Beans, and Argao Mango Wine Beurre Blanc. This dish is a celebration of the flavors of the Visayan region, where the cod fish is baked to per -

fection with a crispy crust and a tender, flaky center. The dish is then paired with a delightful carrot-ginger puree that adds a subtle sweetness to the dish, perfectly complementing the savory flavor of the fish.

To add a touch of freshness, the dish is served with crisp green beans that are lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. And to tie everything together, a rich and flavorful Argao Mango Wine Beurre Blanc is drizzled on top of the fish, creating a symphony of flavors that will delight the palate.

Semblante, Ammann and Janson worked seamlessly together to create this masterpiece. They

shared tips and techniques on how to cook the fish to perfection and how to balance the flavors of the dish. The result is a dish that is not only delicious but also visually stunning.

"Their passion for cooking and their love for Filipino cuisine made this collaboration truly special. We hope that viewers will enjoy watching us cook this dish as much as we enjoyed creating it," said Semblante.

The second episode of "Secret Menu" is now available to stream on in Facebook and Youtube. Don't miss this chance to learn from the best and try out this delicious dish at Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown.

Seven Spice Lamb Shank Signature Chili Crabs

Mala Fish Skin

Prawns in Black Truffle Sauce

dunks in extra shot for elevated fastfood experience with new cheesy dip

Chicken Krapao Platter

Signature Thai Chicken Gai Yang (Large) Fried Chicken Krapao

MCDONALD’S Philippines Senior Brand Manager Yves Nacpil greets the guests during the launch of Cheese Dunk at McDonald's Uptown Bonifacio.

MCDONALD’S Cheeseburger dunked in the delicious new Cheese Dunk

FLEXING FOOD FINDS

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz and Photos by Roy Domingo

Those who do have the time and the extra money opt to go out of town or even out of the country to get together with family and friends to celebrate a college graduation, a new job, or passing a board exam. You don’t have to go out of town or out of the country to celebrate. You can do so by just visiting the SM Supermalls. SM Supermalls have gone out of their way to gather the best food and wine from different parts of the world at their various malls.

BusinessMirror went to The Podium, SM North EDSA, SM Aura Premier, and SM Megamall to try out what their choice restaurants had to offer. These are the results.

The Podium

The first stop of BusinessMirror’s food adventure was at The Podium. The Podium unveils a well-curated lifestyle haven inspired by the metro’s most stylish set. It is the home to gourmet dining, branded fashion, and prestige wellness.

Terry’s Selection

Terry’s Section is a fusion of Spanish, Filipino and European cuisine with an excellent curated wine selection by Don Juan Carlos de Terry himself. It is one of Manila’s finest restaurants serving European-inspired cuisine with an exquisite selection of wines. Aside from a vast assortment of hams, sausages, and cheese, the gourmet store also carries specialty culinary items and food products.

Crustasia Asian Seafood and Noodle House

Part of The Red Crab Group that includes Seafood Island, The Red Crab, Pier at Clawdaddy’s, Cangerjos Locos and Alimango House, the latest branch of Crustasia Asian Seafood and Noodle House opened its doors only last February 14, 2023 Janice Crisostomo, Crustasia’s Head for Operations, said, the restaurant offers dishes from Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. Crisostomo said they had initially developed their own versions of the different dishes but they wanted something authentic.

To achieve this, Crustasia hired chef consultants to ensure

“The bistro is named after me so I have to make sure that I bring in the best of the best. Our food is about giving justice to the ingredients that we have,” Juan Carlos said.

When you order the Chorizo Terry on Piggy Back, this famous homemade chorizo is flambeed with Sherry Brandy in front of customers while placed on a pig shaped container. When done it was sliced and served with bread. Completing the appetizers were Jamon Serrano and Wild Mushrooms Bechamel Croquettes (creamy Bechamel croquettes made with Jamon Serrano and Shitake Mushrooms), Manchego Dumplings (Fresh Manchego cheese and Iberico Salami tucked into crunchy wanton pockets) and Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimp cooked in extra virgin oil).

The highlight of the food tasting at Terry’s was the cochinillo with a very crispy skin and soft and tender meat.

Terry’s is located at the Ground Level of The Podium.

Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro

If you enjoy a good cup of coffee and comfort food on the side, Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro is the place for you. Its first branch, which opened in July 2014, can be found at Sct. Torillos in Quezon City. Due to a growing demand for their food and coffee, the owners decided to open their second branch at The Podium last year.

Caerus owner Christopher Lim says what makes their coffee special is that they adjust the taste of the beans every day. This allows them to

offer personalized coffee to suit their customer’s taste. Their best seller is their Ice Caramel.

In terms of food, Lim describes their offerings as “coffee shop food with a Filipino twist” and the food is good to share. Menu favorites include Grilled Pork Liempo, Smoked Fish and Salted Egg Pasta, Kare Kare, and Roast Beef in Truffle Cream.

Caerus also offers a wide variety of cakes to choose from. Cakes that were served during the BusinessMirror visit were Mango Brulee, Strawberry Brulee, and Avocado Brulee. If you happen to be at Caerus every Thursday and Saturday, you might be lucky enough to meet with Lim’s pet corgi.

Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro is located at the 5th Level of The Podium. A third branch will be opening soon at SM Fairview and this promises to be their biggest outlet.

SM North Edsa

SM North EDSA opened its doors on November 8, 1985. It was the first mall built by SM Prime Holdings Inc. with the initial tenants being SM’s 5th department store and first supermarket. At that time, it had a gross floor area of 23 square meters.

that the restaurant would be able to achieve the goal of offering a food trip round Southeast Asia.

Crustasia’s best sellers include the Seafood Laksa, Mixed Seafood Tom Yum, Satay Sampler, Singaporean Chili Crab and Mango Sticky Rice. Items on their regular menu are food for sharing.

Those on a budget can opt for the Waterway Hawker Favorites which offer meals good for one like Crustasia Seafood Omelet, Vegetable and Mushroom Mie Goreng and Crispy Fried Pork Belly and Fried Rice, among others.

Crustasia Asian Seafood and Noodle House is located at the Sky Garden of SM North.

Sicilian Roast

If you are craving for pizza and pasta and you happen to be in the vicinity of SM North Edsa, you may want to try Sicilian Roast.

According to Operations Manager Gerald Bryan Ducano, most, if not all, of their ingredients are sourced from Italy. Like any other Italian restaurant, their best sellers are their pasta and pizza.

BusinessMirror got to try out their Quattro Formaggi and the Americana. For pasta, the group sampled Penne alla Siciliana and Ricotta e Spinaci. The team also had an opportunity to taste the Filletto dei Salmone. To end our food trip at Sicilian Roast, we got to sample the Bombolone, similar to a fried doughnut with chocolate syrup in the center and dipped in cream.

Sicilian Roast is located on the 2nd floor of SM North Tower at SM North Edsa.

NOW that almost everyone is going back to their regular routine and making up for lost time and income, you tend to forget to take the time out to enjoy life and celebrate small wins.

Terry’s | Roasted Cochinillo

Terry’s | Gambas Al Ajillo

Terry’s | Chorizo Terry on Piggy Back

Caerus Kare Kare

Caerus | Grilled Pork Liempo

Caerus | Nacho surprise

Crustasia | Mango Sticky Rice

Crustasia | Singapore Chili Crabs

Crustasia | Pad Thai

Sicilian Roast | Quattro Formaggi

Sicilian Roast | Penne a la Sicilliana

Sicilian Roast | Ricotta e Spinaci

AT SM SUPERMALLS

SM Aura Premier

SM Aura Premier is located along McKinley Parkway corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Prego Trattoria and Cicchetteria

Strategically located at the 5th Level Skypark of SM Aura is Prego Trattoria and Cicchetteria. Louie Toledama, Restaurant Manager, describes Prego as an authentic Italian restaurant where most of its ingredients are sourced in Italy. If possible, most of their dishes are made from scratch, especially the pasta and the pizza dough.

To prove his point, he had his kitchen team prepare the restaurant’s best sellers. To start the food tasting, Tuscan Meatballs were served. The meatballs were handmade by their chef and was cooked in Arabiatta sauce. This was followed by two pizzas – the Gorgonzola and the Margherita Pizza.

For the pasta dishes, he served Fettucine Salmone (fettucine pasta with smoked salmon in cream sauce) and Spaghette Pescatora (fresh seafood in homemade Italian sauce). Grilled meat lovers will enjoy the Grigliata Carne which includes Black Angus Tenderloin, Porchetta or Roasted Pork, Roasted Chicken and vegetables like carrots, potatoes and spinach.

Steak lovers will also enjoy the Fiorentina Steam from Italy, Tomahawk Steak, Rib-eye Steak and the Carre D’Agnelo or Grilled Rack of Lamb.

Barcino Wine Resto Bar

Barcino allows its customers to take them to Spain with a few sips of Spanish wine and flavorful bites of authentic tapas and paellas.

In the Barcino kitchen, the chefs marry Spain’s rich history and the Philippines’ love for festive celebrations and flavors.

This is fulfilled by serving delicious Spanish cuisine using only the finest ingredients directly sourced from Spain and lovingly prepared by Spanish chefs using long upheld traditions and ways of cooking.

BusinessMirror got to sample the Paella de Cochinillo, a scrumptious paella topped with succulent oven-roasted suckling

pork belly. Also served as the Solomillitos Con Salsa de Setas or Tenderloin with Bacon Wrap and the Chorizo and Cheese Plate. These three dishes were served with red and white wine.

Barcino Wine Resto Bar has 18 branches. The SM Aura Premier branch is located on the 5th Level Skypark. Plans include opening more branches outside of Metro Manila.

SM Megamall

SM Megamall is the third largest shopping mall in the Philippines.

Paul Boulangerie et

Patisserie

Paul Boulangerie and Patisserie has been in the business of baking bread and pastries in France since 1889. Ben Chan, the owner of Bench, brought in Paul in December 2013 with their first branch in SM Aura. Their bread is baked traditionally, hand-crafted using the best natural ingredients that are freshly flow in all the way from France.

The Paul branch in SM Megamall is their 3rd branch which was opened on April 15, 2017.

In addition to serving a wide range of breads and pastries, Paul also offers other dishes like the Roast Chicken, one of their best sellers, which is chicken seasoned with a variety of spices and garnished with a side salad, roasted potatoes, carrots and broccoli.

Their other best sellers include the Roasted pork-chop which is pork loin marinated with mixed herbs and served with balsamic, apple red wine sauce, and seasonal vegetables; and Beef bourguigon, slow cooked braised beef in red wine sauce served with sliced bread and side salad.

For dessert, Paul has French toast and ice cream, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and powdered sugar on bread. They also have a wide array of fresh pastries, coffee, and other beverages.

Paul is located near the entrance of Fashion Hall of SM Megamall.

Fresh Baker Salon de The French Baker was founded in 1989 while The French Baker Salon de The was opened in 2014. Currently, it has about 30 restaurant-café and 40 bakery-café stores within the system. The bakery-café concept has a limited menu offering while the restaurantcafé has a complete line up.

According to Johnlu Koa, French Baker founder and CEO, The Salon de The was opened in 2014, together with the SM Fashion Hall expansion, and it offers an upscale French Baker Dining Experience.

“We offer an upscale experience of The French Baker emphasizing on big portions and the French classics. We offer value for money, a cozy ambience and clean restrooms. It’s a great place to meet and catch up with friends and family over some afternoon tea or coffee,” he said.

The menu features a lot of French and European breads such as soup on bread bowl, Chicken a la King in vol au vent shell, Steak sandwich with baguette, Parisian crepes both sweet and savory and desserts that incorporate Parisian macaroons. French Baker also serves tea or coffee sets.

Sampled during the BusinessMirror visit were Shrimp Cocktails, Grilled cheese on sourdough with tomato soup and the afternoon tea set. Also featured were the Coffee Crunch Cake and Iced French Vanilla Oat Milk Latte.

Other best sellers include the coffee, Croissant Sandwich, Sopa de Mariscos, Truffle Pasta, Fillet Mignon, Bone in Spareribs, and Pan Seared Salmon.

“All our restaurant cafes carry the Piacetto brand of Italian espresso beans for hot and cold coffee drinks. Piacetto offers a signature Italian profile with Arabica and Robusta beans from South America and Asia. These beans are roasted to Italian specifications which is a dark roast allowing for bold and strong flavors. The coffee is rich, mellow and aromatic with that roasted taste,” Koa said.

French Baker Salon de The is located at the ground floor of SM Fashion Hall, SM Megamall.

SM Mall of Asia

The SM Mall of Asia is a must see and must visit destination as it is one of the largest malls in the Philippines.

Highlands Steakhouse

Previously owned by Tagaytay Highlands, the menu of Highlands Steakhouse is inspired by its previous owners but with new items that helped to evolve the steakhouse’s menu.

With only one branch, the restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes that include Mushroom soup which makes use of three different kinds of mushroom (button, shitake, oyster mushrooms) pureed into a rick and creamy soup and topped with black truffle oil and baked with puff pastry; Rockefeller oyster or fresh local Aklan oysters baked in creak spinach with parmesan and mozzarella on top and Truffle Mushroom Pasta with pasta made fresh in house everyday and tossed in mushroom cream sauce and finished with truffle oil.

For their steaks, Highlands Steakhouse use only certified Angus beef. The Prime rib Steak is marinated in mustard, paprika and spices and then patiently roasted on low heat for about one to one and half hours. The kitchen uses charcoal because the fat drippings vaporize and rise back to the meat that gives it more flavor.

In addition to the food, the restaurant is spacious, has a good view and a good ambience.

Highland Steakhouse is located along Seaside Blvd, Mall of Asia.

Las Flores

Las Flores opened its doors at S Maison on November 1, 2022. With nine branches in Metro Manila, Las Flores not only promises good food but a good dining experience as well. Just like its name, Las Flores conveys lightness, color and happiness, the very emotions that guests would fell upon entering the restaurant.

The menu offers a variety of Spanish dishes and some other Mediterranean dishes. The best sellers reflect a variety of taste from tapas, pintxos, paella and entrée. The best sellers include Salmon & Salmon which is marinated salmon with dill, salmon roe, truffle cream honey and air baguette; Gambas Al Ajillo which is made of shrimp, olive oil, garlic, chili and white wine; Paella Negra which is Black Rice, Squid and aioli; Angus and Foie Minis which are beef tenderloin, foe, caramelized apple and pandesal; and and Pulpo a la Gallega or Boiled octopus, confit potato, EVOO, paprika and maldon salt.

Las

Flores is located at the 2nd floor of S Maison at Conrad Hotel.

Highlands Steakhouse | Primerib Steak

Highlands Steakhouse | Truffle Mushroom Pasta

Highlands Steakhouse | Mushroom Soup

Las Flores | Salmon & Salmon Las Flores | Cochinillo Sgoviano Las Flores | Pulpo a la Gallega

Prego | Tiramisu

Prego | Grigliata Carne featuring Black Angus Tenderlio, Prochetta, Roasted Chicken and vegetables.

Barcino | Solomillitos Con Salsa de Setas

Barcino Paella de Cochinillo

Barcino | Chorizo and Cheese Plate

Paul | French Toast with Ice Cream

Paul | Roast Chicken

French Baker | Shrimp Cocktails

French Baker | Grilled cheese on Sourdough with tomato soup

French Baker | Ice French Vanilla Oat Milk Latte

Prego | Margherita Pizza

Wine Dine&

Niseko Distillery, more than Niseko’s powder white snow

and most convenient way from the airport, through train (two and a half hours to Kutchan Station, then take a taxi or local bus to Niseko’s Grand Hirafu Welcome Center), or by taxi or a private car.

Flights to New Chitose Airport run daily from almost every major airport in Japan. The airport also has an international terminal, so visitors can fly directly, making international travel easy.

Niseko is well-known for its light powder white snow throughout winter, typically falling from November to March. This attracts avid skiers and snowboarders and those enjoying winter sports and activities from all over the world. The main ski area, known as “Niseko United” is made up of four interlinked ski resorts – Hanazono, Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Annupuri.

A must for food lovers as well

BESIDES all the snow, Niseko is also a destination for non-skiers. You can enjoy its culture, Onsen, and most especially food. In Niseko you can sample the very best, as it is well known for its quality of meal options, abundant fresh produce from land and sea, from delicious local ramen restaurants, to food carts, to Michelin starred chefs.

A must visit in Niseko is the famous Takahashi Farm, also known as Milk Kobo. Here you get delicious daily produce direct from the farm. They are most famous for their soft serve ice cream, choux creme and cheese tarts, but they also sell many other delicious dairy items such as cheesecakes, soufflé, cheese and flavored ice cream.

By Brian K. Ong

HAVE you ever wondered what’s it like in Niseko? I did.

After the announcement of DoubleDragon that Hotel101 will be the first Filipino hotel brand to go global with Hotel101-Niseko

as its first hotel abroad, I became excited and curious about Niseko and what is there to see in the destination.

I have been to Japan more than a handful of times – to Osaka, Kyoto, Narra, Fukuoka, Tokyo – but never to Niseko. While I have been seeing several friends skiing and posting photos from Niseko and Sapporo, I never really knew what else is there. And so, to satisfy my curiosity, I booked a flight and went to see for myself.

After much research, I learned

that Niseko is a town located on the island of Hokkaido, Japan’s largest and northernmost prefecture. Moreso, the only way to Niseko is through Hokkaido’s capital Sapporo, Japan’s fifth largest city and “the second snowiest city in the world” according to AccuWeather. Sapporo has been one of my dream destinations for a long time now. I have known of its existence, besides the beer that is its namesake, Sapporo beer, because of its famous festival, the Sapporo Snow Festival, which runs for around a

week at the start of February and features more than a kilometer of snow and ice sculptures throughout identified locations in the city.

Going to Niseko FROM Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, which was a two-hour flight from Osaka, we took a two and a half hours bus ride to Niseko. We were dropped at the Grand Hirafu Welcome Center, where we arranged for a pick-up to bring us to our hotel.

Niseko can be accessed through bus, which is the cheapest

In winter, you can take the Niseko United shuttle bus to the “Milk Kobo” bus stop which is right outside the building, and they have a large car park for visitors wanting to stop into the restaurants and dairy cafe. Milk Kobo is open from 9:30am to 5:30pm and may be accessed using the Niseko United Bus.

A hidden gem of Niseko ANOTHER hidden gem and a must visit when in Niseko is the Niseko Distillery.

I came across Ohoro Gin Standard, the first signature product being sold by Niseko Distillery, in one of the supermarkets near the Hirafu Welcome Center. The name “Ohoro” originates from the Hokkaido native Ainu language meaning “continuity.”

After taking to the internet, I found that Niseko Distillery was actually just a few minutes away from my hotel, so I asked them to help me book a visit of the distillery. We were booked an English tour at 2pm.

Niseko Distillery opened last October 1, 2021, as shared to us by Miss Kauri, our English-speaking Japanese tour guide for that afternoon’s tour which gathered two Chinese nationals, four Norwegians and two Filipinos.

Niseko Distillery is a new venture of the Hakkaisan Brewery, a major Niigata-based brewery established in 1922 which is widely known for their sake.

The distillery’s location is strategic as Niseko “has an abundance of soft pure water flowing down from Mt. Annupuri, perfect for the production of spirits” and “the quality of crops produced” offer the best ingredients for alcohol production.

The Process of Making Gin

FROM a wide variety of botanicals such as juniper berries, coriander, angelica root, and lemon peel, Niseko Distillery selects the ones that will give the gin flavor they’re targeting. This also includes good quality Hokkaido botanicals that match well with the profile of Niseko Distillery’s gin.

They soak the botanicals in a 50 percent alcohol base spirit for several hours, up to several days. In

this step, the botanical aromas, flavors and essences are extracted and blended into the base spirit. The steeping is then stopped. After, their equipment made in Germany slowly distills the gin. Instead of only simply immersing the botanicals in the base spirit, the “vaper infusion method” is also used, in which the heated and steamed base vapor is additionally passed through the botanicals in a basket where it further absorbs the aroma and essence of these herbs, peels and berries. Distillation increases the alcohol content to about 70 percent, creating a gin liquor with botanical flavors and aromas.

Spring water from Mt. Niseko Annupuri’s high-quality underground water is then added to achieve the desired alcohol content. Since the quality of the alcohol is not stable immediately after the addition of water, it is stored for a period of time to stabilize the quality of gin. After that, it is bottled and shipped for the customers to enjoy.

Last February 23, representatives of Niseko Distillery attended the World Gin Awards 2023 in London. The World Gin Awards select the very best gins in the internationally recognized gin styles and promote the world’s best gins to consumers and trade across the globe.

Niseko Distillery’s ohoro GIN received the GOLD Award in the Country Category for Japan.

260 Barrels of Whiskey BESIDES their gin, Niseko Distillery started producing Whiskey since March 2021, with around two to three barrels or 170 liters produced per week.

Currently they have 260 barrels of Japanese Whiskey sitting in different types of barrels, such as “American Oak previously used for Wild Turkey,” French Oak used to mature wines, and Spanish Oak previously used for Sherry.

It’s not until 2024 that Niseko Distillery plans to sell their whiskey, as for the whiskey to be called “Japanese Whiskey” it must mature for at least three years. For now, these barrels are all in their storage, maturing gently over time along with the changing of Niseko’s four seasons.

“Quite honestly, we still don’t know how we will sell these whiskey, how they will be packaged, and what the final flavors will be,” says Kauri, explaining that every six months, these Whiskey-filled barrels are opened for their staff to taste and assess their aging.

At the end of the tour, we were able to taste not only their award winning Gin, but also the limited edition peppermint flavored one, and the freshly distilled whiskey (before it’s stored in barrels).

It’s quite exciting to look forward to what kind of whiskey Niseko Distillery will put out in 2024, but for now, the world can enjoy its exquisite and award-winning gin, the ohoro Gin Standard, and the ohoro Gin Limited Edition Japanese Peppermint flavored gin.

The ohoro Gin Standard goes for 4,620 yen or roughly P1,888 and the ohoro Gin Limited Edition Japanese Peppermint goes for 5,236 yen or P2,140 in the Niseko Distillery store.

Niseko Distillery Co., Ltd. Is located at 478-15 Niseko, Abuta District, Hokkaido 048-1511, Japan, and is open from 10am to 5pm. Guests can avail of its free tour at 10am and 2pm daily, which will last for around 60 minutes, covering the distillery, production area, barrel cellar, and tasting.

It’s best to inquire with Niseko Distillery in advance and reserve slots for the distillery tours, especially when requesting an English tour. Check out https://niseko-distillery.com/en/distillery I cannot wait to go back to Niseko – for Hotel101 in 2025, for its snow, gin, and soon-tobe whiskey.

Brian K. Ong. CGSP is the Head of Public Relations of the Hotel101 Group.

The ohoro Gin standard

Japanese peppermint version of ohoro Gin being sold at the Niseko Distillery

A must visit in Niseko is the famous Takahashi Farm, also known as Milk Kobo.

The “vaper infusion method” is used where the heated and steamed base vapor is additionally passed through the botanicals in a basket where it further absorbs the aroma and essence of these herbs, peels and berries

View of Mt. Yotei from Hirafu Welcome Center

Author enjoying the delicious bestselling desserts at Milk Kobo –Ice Cream, Cream Puff or Choux Cream, a crispy sweet bread shell filled with creamy vanilla custard, and Cheese Tart

From malt to barrel, the process of crafting Japanese Whiskey was being explained to us during the 60-minute tour

FROM COMIC BOOK PAGES, DREAMWALKER GOES ON LIVE ACTION

LEAD actor Kate Valdez and co-creator and artist Noel Layon Flores of Dreamwalker.

KATE VALDEZ behind the scenes during the photo shoot.

COVER reveal. Dreamwalker No. 3 will be coming out soon.

SCENES from Dreamwalker comic book that most likely to be included in the live action series.

FROM COMIC BOOK PAGES, DREAMWALKER GOES ON LIVE ACTION

By Kathleen A. Llemit

FILIPINO supernaturals and mythical creatures have been featured in international productions. The American horror series “Grimm”, for instance, featured the aswang in 2014 thanks in large part to Reggie Lee, who played Sergeant Wu in the series.

There are other shows in recent years, such as Netflix’s “Trese,” a six-episode 2021 animated series based on the work of the same name by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldissimo. It introduced to the global mainstream viewers more than the vampiric, blood-sucking Filipino creature.

This time, the legend of the white lady, the nuno, and the tikbalang (half-horse, half-human creature) were introduced to the global audience in a six-part mini-series voiced by an all-star ensemble for both its English and Filipino language. They include Shay Mitchell, Liza Soberano, Darren Criss, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dante Basco, Manny Jacinto and Nicole Scherzinger.

This year, expect an eight-episode live-action series on Filipino supernaturals for global streaming, set for release early next year.

Eight months of secrecy

MICHAEL “Mikey” Sutton never thought that his brainchild would see its pages being made into a streaming series. Early this year, it was announced that his “Dreamwalker” has been picked up by Singapore-United Kingdom international content investment studio 108 Media.

“It’s eight months of secrecy,” Sutton said to Tony&Nick, one of the Philippine media who has been among the first ones to cover his first-ever graphic novel that features Filipino folklore

and supernatural beings.

The news in late January about “Dreamwalker” being adapted into a live action series might have been a shock to many, but for Sutton, he has been in touch with 108 Media since 2019 when they first saw one panel, drawn by his partner, Noel Layon Flores.

“They told me to contact them when the first issue was out. So I did. I sent them the digital files. They loved it. They scheduled a phone conference and offered me a contract,” Sutton revealed.

The first issue has an intriguing plot: Filipino-American Kat survives a bus crash while in the Philippines. She discovers that she has developed the ability to “walk” in other people’s dreams where she can retrieve objects that she can use to fight off malignant beings or creatures.

Filipino diaspora

SUTTON’S geekiness paid off. Apart from penning “Dreamwalker” in 2018 after recovering from a near-fatal stroke, he is a true-blue comics geek. His love for comics had him gaining access to scoops from popular titles from Marvel and DC.

His passion went under the radar of Justin Deimen, President of Production (Asia) at 108 Media.

“I was a keen follower of Mike and his scoops, and always appreciated his exuberance for the genre and the fact that he was multicultural just like I

was. He introduced the comic (Dreamwalker) to me quite early and I always saw the potential for it to be a touchstone for Filipinos around the world,” Deimen said in an email interview with Tony&Nick.

“The idea that it’s so culturally specific yet global in its outlook helped us see that it was a project never done before from this part of the world for an international and local audience,” he added.

Apart from being multicultural himself, Deimen believes that Filipino content has room for development at their company. He said that it is a “prime focus” because of the “strong talent pool” and “strategic alignment” with co-producing partners internationally.

“We see so much potential in stories coming from the Philippines because of how resonant they are across genres. There’ll be big things coming from talented Filipino creators out of the Philippines,” Deimen promised.

First-tier production

AS the genre relies heavily on CGI and animation, there will be those who will be asking how “Dreamwalker” will be adapted from graphic novel to live action.

Deimen said viewers and fans should not worry because their company will be working with teams from across a few countries.

“We see Dreamwalker creating a new model for Filipino creators being in the driving seat for bigger shows and films,” he added.

Kate is Kat

THE influence on paper may not necessarily be the same on its screen adaptation.

For “Dreamwalker,” however, 108 Media granted Sutton’s fondest wish to cast Filipina actress Kate Valdez to portray Kat. After all, Kate was Sutton’s muse when he wrote the story after seeing her 2018 afternoon drama series “Onanay.” It was his partner, Noel, who introduced the two since the latter has been working with Kate in GMA’s 2016 show “Encantadia.”

Apart from keeping Kate, 108 Media also said that it will adapt the issues that were already published. They will execute the vision of both Mikey and Noel.

Like many successful adaptations, the live action of “Dreamwalker” will have its own spin on scenes and action sequences as well as more arcs

for different relationships between the characters.

“As the comics are still being written and the TV series is moving in its own speed and depth, it is our hope that each medium will spring off great storylines of their own and find opportunities to converge in the future. Dreamwalker, given its subject matter, will be able to stand on its own in its own different ‘realms,’” Deimen shared.

He added: “We will celebrate Filipino culture through its diaspora and how it evolves in the Philippines as well as around the world.”

The production will shoot across the Philippines by the end of this year.

“Respeto” director Treb Monteras II will serve as showrunner/director while his colleague, “Deleter” and “Birdshot” director Mikhail Red will be the series director. Los Angeles-based writer Kaitlyn Fae Fajilan will serve as head writer.

Series executive producers include Sutton, Monteras II, Deimen and other 108 Media executives, creative producer Kirstie Contrevida and CEO Abhi Rastogi.

@sparklegmaartistcenter

MAKEUP

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HAIRSTYLIST

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ASSISTANT

Meinard Navato @mpnavato

IN photo, (back) 108 Media president Justin Deiman, Dreamwalker showrunner Treb Monteras II, (middle) Kate Valdez, Christelle Mamaril, and (front) executive producer Kirstie Contrevida, and friend. 108 MEDIA

Images courtesy of Noel Layon Flores

PHOTO SHOOT BY Sparkle GMA Artist Center

BANDA Kawayan performs folk songs. NHCP

GENERAL Martin Delgado’s monument is the site of the 125th First Flag Hoisting event in the Visayas. NHCP

BANDA Matanda is the pride of General Trias, Cavite. NHCP

TRES DE ABRIL reenactment at Fort San Pedro in Cebu by Orland James Romarate. NHCP

AN reenactment depicts the proclamation of Philippine independence. NHCP

The Countdown to the 125th Independence Day Begins

By Bernard L Supetran

IT seems like yesterday when the Philippines marked its Centennial of Independence in 1998, the first country in Asia to break the bondage of western colonization. We would subsequently become a constitutional republic a few months later, another first on the continent.

A quarter-century later, we are on the cusp of another landmark year to celebrate the momentous occasions that gave birth to our nation. To drum up public interest in the nationwide observance, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines recently kicked off the yearlong festivities with a 100-day countdown at the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, with a fitting amount of pomp and pageantry.

According to newly-installed NCHP chair Dr. Emmanuel Franco Calairo, the celebration is themed “Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan”and seeks to keep the libertarian ideals burning in the hearts of Filipinos.

Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the event’s guest of honor spoke on our timeless aspiration for freedom, notwithstanding our many differences as a people.

The kickoff featured a grand program showcasing the artistry of Bughaw Folkloric Dance Group and Imusicapella as they portrayed the colorful tapestry and rich cultural heritage of the country’s various indigenous peoples.

Lending a martial air to the event is a parade that was led by the Banda Matanda of Gen. Trias, Cavite, a marching band that can trace its roots to the San Francisco Malabon Band, which played the Julian Felipe-composed “Marcha Filipina

Nacional” during the proclamation of independence.

Adding lilting music is the world-famous Banda Kawayan which rendered folk songs arranged for march, while the Republica Filipina Reenactment Group (RFRG) portrayed the victorious revolutionary troops of Gen. Aguinaldo. Also joining the parade are youth flag-bearers who carried 125 banners of government agencies and local government units taking part in the commemorative programs, 125 Philippine National Police Academy standard-bearing cadets, and a huge 125-foot flag that will be flown at the Independence Day rites at Rizal Park come June 12.

Capping the evening is a colorful fireworks display that lit up the skies as Nyoy Volante, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Lara Maigue, and the Gian Magdangal group sang the 125th anniversary celebration theme song, “Samo’t Saring Iisa,” which is written by Kent Charcos and arranged by Marlon Barnuevo.

Calairo said that to make the celebration nationwide and inclusive in scope, several historic events marking their 125th year will also be observed across the archipelago by the LGUs, the NHCP, the local communities, and stakeholders.

Among the major events getting the spotlight are the Cry of Candon, Ilocos Sur (March 25),

Cebu City’s Tres de Abril Revolt led by Gen. Pantaleon “Leon Kilat”

Villegas, the Battle of Alapan in Imus (May 27), where the Philippine tricolor was first waved victoriously, the Bacoor Assembly (August 1), where Filipino civilian officials signed another independence declaration, and the Malolos Congress (September 15), which convened to frame the Constitution of the First Philippine Republic and ratification of Philippine Independence by the said Congress on September 29. Expected to take place around September are modern recreations by restaurants of the telltale Malolos Congress Banquet, which featured international dishes served at the opening dinner of the historic legisla -

tive assembly. The intricatelyworded  menu written in French is hailed by many historians as an equally monumental document of the Congress, which highlighted the coming of age of Filipino nationhood.

Other noteworthy regional milestones are the Start of the Siege of Baler (June 28), the first flag hoisting in the Visayas led by Gen. Martin Delgado in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo (November 17), and the Liberation of Panay (December 25).

Of national significance are the formation of the Academia Militar, the forerunner of the Philippine Military Academy (October 25), the ratification of

the Malolos Constitution (January 21) and the First Philippine Republic (January 23), and the outbreak of the Filipino-American War (February 4), which pitted the newly-formed nation against a new colonial master.

Many lesser-known events that are not within the NHCP’s official list will also be celebrated to memorialize fringe events that liberated the entire archipelago from the yoke of Spain’s 333-year colonial rule. Among these are the Liberation of the Bicol Region from Spanish rule (September 17), the dramatic Cinco de Noviembre Revolt (November 5) in Negros Occidental, where the beleaguered colonizers surrendered to the Filipino revolutionaries without putting up a fight, the first flag-hoisting in Mindanao held in Surigao (December 25), and the first observance of Rizal Day and the ground-breaking for the First Rizal Monument in Daet, Camarines Norte.

With an array of fringe commemorations that is still growing with the emergence and addition of more historic events, we can only hope for the same public hype and energy in celebrating our spirit of patriotism and nationalism in this day and age of globalization and neocolonialism.

FIREWORKS light up the start of the 100-day countdown. NHCP

REPUBLICA Filipina Reenactment Group portrays revolutionary troops at rest. NHCP