BusinessMirror May 14, 2023

THE CORALS OF CURRIMAO

By Sigrid Salucop & Cristina Manalad

IN mid-April of 2023, Dr. Joven Cuanang and the representative of Ilocos Norte’s Second Congressional District Angelo Marcos Barba embarked on a monumental project—to lead a sculpture submersion that would encourage marine biosystem regeneration. Their target date was May 1st and the underwater project’s location, they agreed, was going to be Currimao.

Devoid of nightlife and vibrant city lights, Currimao is often described by locals as a sleepy town.

One of Ilocos Norte’s hidden gems, this part of the Ilocano coast has a rather tranquil vibe. Visitors looking at the town from the newly constructed bay walk would see a majestic combination of coral rocks, the sea, pockets of greenery, and a few small hotels that dot its shoreline.

By dusk, Currimao is more peaceful than usual and after see -

ing the sunset, local photographers would go out to capture the bay and the stars. While the Ilocano sun is scorching during summertime, the weather makes up for it by offering clear skies at night.

During the colder months, when Currimao gets a proper licking from the cold front, the sea is not as peaceful. But this is just a seasonal consideration because Currimao’s waters used to contend with something worse. Dynamite fishing was rampant for a

time and in 2010, the Philippine Coast Guard intensified measures against the illegal activity.

Despite their efforts, many parts of Currimao’s waters took several hits. Coral reefs were destroyed and the catch dropped each year because of the havoc that the explosives caused. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported in 2018 that fish production in Ilocos Norte went down from 1,932.90 metric tons in 2017 to 1,653.98 metric tons the next year. It can be safely assumed that this decrease was due to the destruction of Currimao’s marine sanctuaries as the town is among the primary fishing zones in the province.

L ocals already know this without looking at the numbers. Barba recalled in one meeting that in his youth, he “was not deprived of pristine waters to swim in and fresh fish to eat.” Cuanang, a native of Currimao’s neighbor Batac, shares the same experience. He built Sitio Remedios along Currimao’s coast several years ago and the small resort functions as his summer house. After many homecomings, the neurologist finally put his foot down and decided to do something for the fishing village where Sitio stands. His idea was to have several sculptures submerged underwater so that they can become

Nature risk is rising, but an underwater museum might just be our saving grace

AGNES A. ARELLANO’S Inanna was the first one to leave Sitio Remedios and the last to be submerged in Currimao’s Poblacion Bay. AGNES A. ARELLANO

THE BRP Waray and its crew assisted the Office of Congressman Angelo Marcos Barba in his quest to save marine life. BRP WARAY LC288 ON April 30, 2023, sculptures were moved from their temporary home in Sitio Remedios to the Currimao Seaport to wait for BRP Waray ’s arrival. This sculpture, along with 19 other works of art, was submerged in Poblacion Bay on May

CONGRESSMAN Angelo Marcos Barba is seen explaining to his cousin, Laoag City Mayor Michael Marcos Keon, why Poblacion Bay was chosen as the submersion site.

THE CORALS OF CURRIMAO

sanctuaries for the coastal town’s marine life.

A planetary crisis BARBA and Cuanang know that nature plays a critical role in people’s health, livelihood and food security. And they are also armed with the knowledge that the death of ecosystems can lead to catastrophe— SARS -Cov-2 being their frequent example.

W hat many referred to as annus horribilis made the world understand that humanity’s treatment of nature can lead to cataclysmic events and that it can affect the world’s population at a very personal level. In 2020, Wuhan became a household name and Covid-19 effectively put a stop to trade. Based on a 2023 report from the World Health Organization, the disease killed 6,915,286 people worldwide.

There were many discussions at the height of the pandemic but it was rare for television channels to address biodiversity and how it is a critical component to the situation the world was in at the time. This is despite the fact that 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases originate from wildlife areas.

A lthough the effects of wiping out rainforests to put up industries

have been studied and authorities are now more alert to the possibility of yet another global health emergency, only a few studies focus on marine mammals and their potential to decimate a portion of the world’s population as well as the probability of land animals transferring diseases to them.

W ith coral reefs dying and with more plans of encroaching on parts of the world’s coasts, the results are likely going to be devastating.

Ocean acidification caused by carbon emissions is killing coral reefs. According to a report from the UN, a whopping 90 percent of what is left of them will be wiped out by 2050. In the Philippines, their death will come faster due to dynamite fishing. Soon, there won’t be a lot of fish in the sea and the saying associated with it will lose its touch.

Alarm bells

IN the year 2000, a little over 10,000 endangered Caspian seals perished within a four-month period. Scientists from the Center for African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land Use later found that the deaths were caused by the canine distemper virus. Infectious diseases are known to have brought mass mortality among several species but those of aquatic

animals are rarely studied. The story about the Caspian seals should have already set off alarm bells. Unfortunately, it did not. Meanwhile, miles away, Angelo Marcos Barba was serving his third term as mayor of his hometown of San Nicolas. Years before the year 2000, the threat of El

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Niño still lingered in the province of Ilocos Norte. This is when Barba decided to build water-impounding facilities. The local government was able to build five.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency 18 years later, right after a massive clean-andgreen campaign, Barba said, “We must protect and care for Mother Earth.”

In 2019, while talking about art and nature, Cuanang said, “There’s a science to it already. It has already been proven. Also, it provides happy hormones in your body, and pleasure comes about. And that’s well-being, and that’s what we want to share in the end.”

Years passed and the two Ilocanos collaborated on a number of projects, but they never got to talk about their shared passion for nature and healthy ecosystems. Barba kept working silently and after only a few years in Congress, he already filed several House Bills on wildlife conservation, land use sustainability, and farmland preservation for food security. Just this year, he proposed the rehabilitation of three of the bigger water-impounding facilities that he put up when he was still San Nicolas’s mayor.

A nd then the sculptures came to Sitio, and he and Cuanang started working on what would be a moment in history that will likely define their legacies.

A massive undertaking

THE core team was led by Bam Cabel Sevilla, a seasoned organizer and problem solver; Pintô’s Kathrine Dacanay Lagustan, a supplies management specialist; Sigrid Salucop, a policy analyst whose body of work concentrates on environmental policies; and Ralph Atienza Mckenzie, a special operations expert. Barba is knowledgeable about the components of the operation and his expertise came in handy when it was time to put

everything together.

The marine ecosystem regeneration project involved a lot of planning since the sculptures weighed between 400 kilograms and 2.5 tons each. While plans for the submersion operations were being prepared, the congressman called marine biologists from the Mariano Marcos State University to check Poblacion Bay’s substrates. This was to ensure that it was stable enough to anchor the sculptures in place. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources were also kept in the loop.

On April 30, BRP Waray, one of the country’s biggest landing craft, docked on Currimao. The naval vessel and its crew were greeted by the congressman, Pintô Art Museum’s curator, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Air Force’s TOG 1, and a boom truck carrying all the sculptures. By 0300H that day, the sculptures, along with the boom truck, boarded the landing craft.

The submersion operations require military precision. There is very little room for error,” explained Ralph Atienza Mckenzie.

“In some photos, May 1st in Currimao looked like a regular day at the beach but every single detail needed clearance. The submersion site needed clearance from the LGU, the DENR and the BFAR, and all nonmilitary personnel who boarded BRP Waray needed clearance as well. Congressman Barba also made sure not to include civilian divers in the operation to guarantee everyone’s safety,” he added.

In a short interview, Erik Franco said in the vernacular that the operation was “a difficult undertaking.” While the submersion was strictly a military operation, Franco’s company was handpicked to handle the submersion itself.

BRP Waray sailed to Poblacion Bay at 0600H on May 1. It was es-

corted by three rescue boats from the Philippine Coast Guard. The Coast Guard stationed in Currimao also ferried several tactical divers from the Philippine Navy, master divers from their own ranks, and divers from the Philippine Army. The 4th Marine Brigade of the Philippine Marines, on the other hand, stationed themselves along the bay walk. Reports say that the Marines were there to protect military assets. The Philippine Air Force’s TOG 1 was also on standby.

By evening, Commander Concepcion of the BRP Waray said that they are already on their way to their next mission. “From the officers and crew of BRP Waray LC288, we are thankful to Congressman Barba for giving us the opportunity to help the province of Ilocos Norte, specifically Currimao. Your Philippine Navy and the whole Armed Forces are always here in service of the Filipino people. We will always be here for the country’s national development goals,” Commander Concepcion wrote.

For the younger generation “TO the younger generation in the audience, please know that this project is yours, too. Very soon you will be in charge and I trust that you will make us proud,” Barba expressed during the launch. Cuanang, on the other hand, said that this is his way of “giving back to the province” that nurtured him.

W hile the project will only help Currimao’s coast, Barba and Cuanang are hoping that it would inspire others to do the same.

Based on several studies done on artificial reefs in Turkey in 2009, ecosystem improvement can be seen within a span of 14 years. Extensive studies concluded that there was an increase in aquatic biodiversity, fish eggs, larvae and fish diversity, as well as an increase in size in a number of species,” Daily Sabah noted in an April 2023 report.

TOG 1 showcased PAF’s capabilities through a search-and-rescue demo on May 1, 2023, while onlookers silently prayed that there won’t be any need for rescuers during the submersion ops. THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN ANGELO MARCOS BARBA

BRP Waray was escorted by the Philippine Coast Guard. CHRIS FERNANDEZ

As oil boom transforms Guyana, a scramble for spoils

By Dánica Coto The Associated Press

blocks and said he didn’t bother attending the recent Saturday morning meeting with officials.

“It makes no sense,” he said, leaning on his shovel.

He doesn’t believe his village will benefit from the ongoing projects that have employed people such as Shaquiel Pereira, who’s helping build one of the new highways and earning double what he did three months ago as an electrician. The 25-year-old bought land in western Guyana last month and is now saving to build his first home and buy a new car.

“I feel hopeful,” he said as he scanned the new highway from his car, pausing before the hour-long drive home.

And so they did. One by one, speakers listed what they wanted: a library, streetlights, school buses, homes, a grocery store, reliable electricity, wider roads and better bridges.

“Please help us,” said Evadne Pellew-Fomundam—a 70-yearold who lives in Ann’s Grove, one of Guyana’s poorest communities—to the country’s prime minister and other officials who organized the meeting to hear people’s concerns and boost their party’s image ahead of municipal elections.

The list of needs is long in this South American country of 791,000 people that is poised to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer, placing it ahead of Qatar, the United States, Mexico and Norway. The oil boom will generate billions of dollars for this largely impoverished nation. It’s also certain to spark bitter fights over how the wealth should be spent in a place where politics is sharply divided along ethnic lines: 29 percent of the population is of African descent and 40 percent of East Indian descent, from indentured servants brought to Guyana after slavery was abolished.

Change is already visible in this country, which has a rich Caribbean culture and was once known as the “Venice of the West Indies.” Guyana is crisscrossed by canals and dotted with villages called “Now or Never” and “Free and Easy” that now co-exist with gated communities with names like “Windsor Estates.” In the capital, Georgetown, buildings made of glass, steel and concrete rise above colonial-era wooden structures, with shuttered sash windows, that are slowly decaying. Farmers are planting broccoli and other new crops, restaurants offer better cuts of meat, and the government has hired a European company to produce local sausages as foreign workers transform Guyana’s consumption profile.

With $1.6 billion in oil revenue so far, the government has launched infrastructure projects including the construction of 12 hospitals, seven hotels, scores of schools, two main highways, its first deep-water port and a $1.9 billion gas-to-energy project that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told The Associated Press will double Guyana’s energy output and slash high power bills by half.

And while the projects have created jobs, it’s rare for Guyanese to work directly in the oil industry. The work to dig deep into the ocean floor is highly technical, and the country doesn’t offer such training.

Experts worry that Guyana lacks the expertise and legal and regulatory framework to handle the influx of wealth. They say it could weaken democratic institutions and lead the country on a path like that of neighboring Venezuela, a petrostate that plunged into political and economic chaos.

“Guyana’s political instability

raises concerns that the country is unprepared for its newfound wealth without a plan to manage the new revenue and equitably disburse the financial benefits,” according to a USAID report that acknowledged the country’s deep ethnic rivalries.

A consortium led by ExxonMobil discovered the first major oil deposits in May 2015 more than 100 miles (190 kilometers) off Guyana, one of the poorest countries in South America despite its large reserves of gold, diamond and bauxite. More than 40 percent of the population lived on less than $5.50 a day when production began in December 2019, with some 380,000 barrels a day expected to soar to 1.2 million by 2027.

A single oil block of more than a dozen off Guyana’s coast is valued at $41 billion. Combined with additional oil deposits found nearby, that will generate an estimated $10 billion annually for the government, according to USAID. That figure is expected to jump to $157 billion by 2040, said Rystad Energy, a Norwegian-based independent energy consultancy.

Guyana, which has one of the world’s highest emigration rates with more than 55 percent of the population living abroad, now claims one of the world’s largest shares of oil per capita. It’s expected to have one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, too, according to a World Bank report.

The transformation has lured back Guyanese such as Andrew Rampersaud, a 50-year-old goldsmith who left Trinidad last July with his wife and four daughters, encouraged by changes he saw in his country.

He makes some 20 pairs of earrings and four necklaces a day, mostly with Guyanese gold, but where he’s really noticed a difference is in real estate. Rampersaud owns seven rental units, and before the oil discovery, he’d get a query every month or so.

Now, three to four people call daily. And, unlike before, they always pay on time in a country where a two-bedroom apartment now costs $900, triple the price in 2010, according to Guyana’s Real Estate Association.

But many Guyanese, including those living in Ann’s Grove, wonder whether their community will ever see some of that wealth. Here, bleating goats amble down the village’s main road, wide enough for a single car or the occasional horse-drawn cart. Dogs dart through wooden homes with zinc roofs, and the sole marketplace where vendors once sold fruits and vegetables is now a makeshift brothel.

“I expected a better life since the drilling began,” said Felasha Duncan, a 36-year-old mother of three who spoke as she got bright pink extensions braided into her hair at an open-air salon.

Down the road, 31-year-old Ron Collins was busy making cinder -

corruption exists, we are committed to rooting it out.”

Guyana signed the deal in 2016 with the ExxonMobil consortium, which includes Hess Corporation and China’s CNOOC, but did not make the contract public until 2017 despite demands to release it immediately.

The contract dictates that Guyana would receive 50 percent of the profits, compared with other deals in which Brazil obtained 61 percent and the US 40 percent, according to Rystad Energy. But many have criticized that Guyana would only earn 2 percent royalties, something Jagdeo said the current government would seek to increase to 10 f or future deals.

His boss, engineer Arif Hafeez, said that while people aren’t seeing oil money directly in their pockets by way of public wage increases, construction projects are generating jobs and new roads will boost the economy.

“They say it’s going to look like Dubai, but I don’t know about that,” he said with a laugh.

At a job fair at the University of Guyana, excitement and curiosity were in the air as students met with oil companies, support and services firms, and agricultural groups.

Greeting students was Sherry Thompson, 43, a former hospital switchboard operator and manager of a local inn who joined a company that provides services such as transportation for vice presidents of major oil companies.

“I felt like my life was going nowhere, and I wanted a future for myself,” Thompson said.

Jobs like hers have become plentiful, but it’s rare to find Guyanese working directly in the oil industry.

Richie Bachan, 47, is among the exceptions. As a former construction worker, he had the foundation, with some additional training, to begin working as a roustabout, assembling and repairing equipment in the offshore oil industry two years ago. His salary tripled, and his family benefits: “We eat better. We dress better. We can keep up with our bills.”

But beyond the slate of infrastructure projects and jobs they’re creating, experts warn the huge windfall could overwhelm Guyana.

“The country isn’t preparing and wasn’t prepared for the sudden discovery of oil,” said Lucas Perelló, a political science professor at New York’s Skidmore College.

Three years after the 2015 oil discovery, a political crisis erupted in Guyana, which is dominated by two main parties: the Indo-Guyanese People’s Progressive Party and the AfroGuyanese People’s National Congress, which formed a coalition with other parties.

That coalition was dissolved after a no-confidence motion approved by a single vote in 2018 gave way to snap general elections in 2020. Those saw the Indo-Guyanese People’s Progressive Party win by one seat in a race that’s still being contested in court.

“That’s why the 2020 elections were so important. Everyone knew what was at stake,” Perelló said.

The USAID report accused the previous administration of a lack of transparency in negotiations and oil deals with investors, adding that the “tremendous influx of money opens many avenues for corruption.”

When The Associated Press asked Prime Minister Mark Phillips about concerns over corruption, his press officers tried to end the interview before he interjected, saying his party had a zero-tolerance policy: “Wherever

tribute to climate change, given that one barrel of fuel oil produces on average about 940 pounds (about 425 kilograms) of carbon dioxide, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

AP reached out to ExxonMobil for comment about how it handled the deal in Guyana and environmental concerns. Through company spokeswoman Meghan Macdonald, ExxonMobil’s top official in Guyana agreed to an interview. But Macdonald repeatedly canceled, and the company offered no other comment to AP.

budget and that increases in salaries might happen later: “At this point in time, we are not awash with money.”

“We have seen the mistakes made by other countries,” he said. “We have to be cautious.”

Despite the oil boom, poverty is deepening for some as the cost of living soars, with goods such as sugar, oranges, cooking oil, peppers and plantains more than doubling in price while salaries have flatlined.

“The contract is front-loaded, one-sided and riddled with tax, decommissioning and other loopholes that favor the oil companies,” according to a report from the Ohio-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

Aubrey Norton, leader of the opposition People’s National Congress that was part of the coalition that signed the deal, told AP that it made mistakes: “I have no doubt about that. And therefore, moving forward, we should rectify those mistakes.”

Activists also have raised concerns that the oil boom will con -

Norton said he was concerned about the current government’s focus on building infrastructure ins tead of developing people, adding that he worries the oil wealth will intensify ethnic divisions in Guyana and create other problems: “It will result in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.”

Jagdeo, the vice president who once served as president, told AP that his party has created a special fund for oil revenues with safeguards to prevent corruption, including appointment of an independent monitor and a board of directors to oversee the fund along with the finance minister.

Parliamentary approval also is needed to decide how the funds would be used, he said, adding that oil revenues currently represent only a third of Guyana’s

Many are still scraping by, like Samuel Arthur, who makes $100 a month selling large, heavyduty plastic bags in Georgetown and other areas, hauling some 40 pounds of weight every day.

“All we live on is promises,” he said of the oil boom. “I have to do this because I don’t have any other way to survive.”

It’s the kind of need familiar to many in Ann’s Grove.

When the meeting between residents and officials ended, the prime minister pledged that most requests would be fulfilled.

“Looking forward to your promise,” resident Clyde Wickham said. Officials nodded and vowed to return with more details on how they’ll help Ann’s Grove. Hopeful residents clapped. Like Wickham, many say they’ll work to hold the government to its word.

ANN’S GROVE, Guyana— Villagers in this tiny coastal community lined up on the soggy grass, leaned into the microphone and shared their grievances as someone in the crowd yelled, “Speak the truth!”

The World Russia trying to erase Ukrainian identity in territories it captured

By Alex Wickham, Daryna Krasnolutska & Natalia Drozdiak

In more than a year since the invasion, Moscow has entrenched its control of large parts of southern and eastern Ukraine by engineering cultural and demographic shifts through violence, economic coercion and the replacement of local populations, the officials said, asking not to be named discussing confidential material.

The goal of those alleged war crimes appears to be to eliminate the Ukrainian identity in the areas Russia has occupied, the European officials said. As a result of those abuses, Kyiv will need more than just success on the battlefield to re-establish control, they said. The Russian actions, they added, suggest little interest in negotiating over the occupied areas on the part of President Vladimir Putin.

Russian forces “are engaged in filtration operations, torture and extrajudicial killings,” Michael Carpenter, the US permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said by e-mail. “Healing the wounds of war will not be easy.”

Kremlin officials have denied that Russian forces have perpetrated any human rights abuses in Ukraine while Putin himself has argued that there is

no such thing as a Ukrainian national identity. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president for alleged war crimes.

The European assessment underlines how high the stakes are for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he prepares for a counteroffensive that could be his last chance to break the Kremlin’s grip on large tracts of his country.

French President Emmanuel Macron is already trying to lay the groundwork for potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and other European officials are starting to accept that the moment for talks may be approaching. Any appearance of support for Russian control in occupied areas will increase Putin’s leverage in any negotiations.

As part of his plans to cement Russian authority over parts of Ukraine, Putin staged referendums in September in four regions that were partly controlled by his forces. The ballots were declared illegal by the United Nations and Russia has failed to establish full control over any the regions and its troops were pushed out of the southern city of Kherson in the fall.

The Russian strategy involves the systematic repression, torture and murder of Ukrainian officials, and the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, the officials said. The Russians have also conscripted Ukrainian men and forced them to fight their own people.

The effort to manufacture a culturally Russian population loyal to the Kremlin borrows tactics that were previously deployed in the eastern Donbas region and the Crimean peninsula after they were captured in 2014.

In those areas, the Kremlin has relocated many Russians while proUkrainians have been jailed or forced to leave and the indigenous Tatar population in Crimea has faced restrictions on the use of their language and their political institutions have been banned.

In schools across the captured regions, those children who remain are taught a Kremlin-authorized version of history, which eliminates their country’s distinct identity. That’s in line with the argument Putin made before the invasion that Ukraine is not a real country.

Putin says that the four Ukrainian regions are now part of Russia after their illegal annexations and that the local populations are loyal to Moscow. He has argued that the occupied territories are “historically Russian lands” and that Kremlin policies are aimed at undoing years of Ukraine’s efforts to instill its “pseudo-values.” Even before the invasion, he argued that Ukraine was an artificial country created in the Soviet era, an interpretation that historians have rejected as unfounded.

Lyudmyla Huseynova was jailed by Russian forces in 2019 after bringing Ukrainian books to a school for orphans in her home town of Novoaz -

ovsk on Ukraine’s southern coast near the pre-2014 border with Russia. She says she was accused of espionage because of pro-Ukrainian posts on social media.

“I was imprisoned just for my thoughts,” Huseynova, 61, said in a phone interview. “They undressed me, they touched me, they threatened to rape me—a woman who looks like their grandmother.”

She said that younger women who she was in jail with were raped by the Russian guards. Huseynova said that the Russians tried to force her to vote in favor of Russian control during the illegal referendums before she was released as part of a prisoner swap late last year.

After months of training and arming Ukrainian forces with modern and heavy weaponry, allies are on alert for Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive, expected in the coming weeks. But some of Kyiv’s backers are growing skeptical the Ukrainian military will be able to make a decisive breakthrough this year because Russia’s defenses have had time to dig in. Officials also stress that Ukrainian forces have repeatedly surpassed expectations, including last year when it recaptured large swathes of occupied land.

Publicly, Ukraine’s allies have said negotiations should only happen on its terms, and have vowed to continue supporting the country with military aid. But some European intelligence officials are concerned that strains could emerge between Kyiv’s allies.

Macron isn’t alone in thinking talks should at least be considered. Asked about his efforts, Italy’s chief of defense Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said at an Atlantic Council event in April that “anything which

is changing this bad equilibrium we have over there is welcome and needs to be considered, no matter who is proposing it—anything is welcome.”

While attention during the war has often focused on the military dynamics, Russia’s activity behind the front-line is just as significant for the long-term future of Ukraine, the European officials said.

Its actions in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia have been well documented, culminating in the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants against Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia has kidnapped almost 20,000 minors since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Zelenskyy said last month.

However, European officials are starting to articulate fears about how difficult it may be for Ukraine to govern the occupied regions—if it can reclaim them—after months of Russian abuses designed to engineer support for the Kremlin.

The focus on indoctrinating Ukrainian children with Russian propaganda demonstrates the Kremlin’s long-term plans for the territories, the officials said.

In Kherson region, Russia has established at least 20 detention and torture sites where Ukrainian local government officials and protesters were sent, the European officials said. These torture sites have direct financial links to the Kremlin, according to a team of international lawyers investigating alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Ukrainians involved in administrative roles or civic society have

been murdered, arrested or deported. Huseynova says a friend of hers, Vasyl Kovalenko, a businessman, was killed for removing flags of so-called separatist Donetsk People’s Republic from public spaces. “Many, many people were arrested and are still in prison just for having pro-Ukrainian views,” she said.

Last year, the OSCE documented direct targeting of civilians by Russian forces, attacks on medical facilities, rape, torture, summary executions, looting, and forced deportation of civilians to Russia, including children.

Moscow has also offered financial inducements to Russians to move to the regions, replacing deported Ukrainians. Those Ukrainians still living in the territories are being pressured to accept Russian passports, with residents in the occupied parts of Kherson region warned that anyone who doesn’t accept one by June will be deported and have their property seized.

Declining to accept a Russian passport can see Ukrainians in the occupied territories denied access to basic public services. But of those who do accept, some are being forcibly enlisted in the Russian army.

Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab reported in February that Russia is operating “a large scale, systematic network” of camps that has held at least 6,000 children from Ukraine within Russia-occupied Crimea and across mainland Russia during the past year. The camps appear to be trying to indoctrinate Ukrainian children into the Russian government’s idea of national culture and history, the authors said. With assistance from Alberto Nardelli and Samuel Dodge/Bloomberg

BEHIND the front lines of the war, Russian forces are trying to ensure that the territory they have captured can never be integrated into Ukraine again, according to European intelligence officials.

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

MSU-IIT’s CocoFlexSorb aids in oil spill cleanups

UP physicist co-authors research on mysterious superconductors

ATEAM of physicists, including a Filipino researcher, have found that existing theories do not completely account for the mysterious behavior of high-temperature superconducting materials that have left even Nobel laureates stumped for decades.

The team’s discovery, which promises to spark completely new lines of research, was published recently in the prestigious journal, Nature Materials, said a University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) news release.

Superconducting materials enable electricity to pass through them with no resistance, potentially allowing the creation of everything from magnetic-levitation trains to unprecedentedly powerful supercomputers.

For a special kind of materials called hightemperature superconducting cuprates, superconductivity happens when electrons are removed in a process called “doping.”

Baffling even Nobel laureates

HOW and why this happens is a mystery that has baffled even Nobel laureates.

It was commonly thought, however, that when a large number of electrons are removed—that is, when cuprate superconductors are “overdoped”—they would behave as described by BardeenCooper-Schrieffer (BCS) Theory, which was developed in the 1950s and has been used ever since to help explain conventional superconducting materials.

But new experiments by a team of researchers supervised by Dr. Milan P. Allan of Leiden University in the Netherlands has shown that this is not the case.

Filipino physicist Dr. Miguel Sulangi from the UPD-CS National Institute of

Physics (UPD-CS NIP) collaborated with Allan’s team on the theoretical modeling of these materials.

“Our paper poses a challenge to the present understanding of cuprate superconductors at so-called ‘overdoping,’”Sulangi said. “This is the latest of a fresh round of papers showing that overdoped cuprates are not as conventional or ‘BCS-like’ as everyone previously thought they were.”

Deeper mystery than originally thought

SULANGI expressed hope that these new findings would not just rewrite textbooks but also spark new research interest in overdoped cuprates, which have largely been overlooked—particularly by scientists who believed that the materials’ superconductivity could simply be explained by traditional BCS theory.

“We hope to convince experimentalists and theorists that these materials are anomalous and worthy of intense study. We want to provoke further research into this,” he explained.

“What makes the study important is that it not only clarifies the nature of overdoped cuprate superconductivity, but it also reveals that the mystery surrounding cuprate superconductors is deeper than we originally thought,” said UPD-CS NIP associate professor Dr. Kristian Hauser Villegas, who was not involved with the study.

“It’s good to see more Filipino researchers working at the forefront of physics and other fields, shoulder to shoulder with international colleagues. Hopefully, this encourages more Filipino kids to pursue science and add to our collective contributions to the growth of human knowledge,” he added.

The bio-based polyurethane foam was developed through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Balik Scientist program. It was presented to the public on May 11, said a news release from the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).

Unlike those available in the market, CocoFlexSorb has superior oil absorption capacity and can absorb different types of oil from light, vegetable, kerosene, engine and bunker oil, DOSTPCIEERD said.

CocoFlexSorb may also be reused 40 times and is not harmful to the environment.

The technology was used during field tests in Occidental Mindoro with the Philippine Coast Guard in May. It showed promising results, indicating that this technology could be a solution to an oil spill problem.

However, further testing and development are necessary before the technology can be adopted and commercialized, DOST-PCIEERD said.

“The development of ecofriendly and cost-effective polymers derived from natural sources shows promise in mitigating the

reproduction techniques, arguing there are other ways for people to avoid passing on diseases to their children, such as egg donation or screening tests, and that the experimental methods have not yet been proven safe.

Others warn that tweaking the genetic code this way could be a slippery slope that eventually leads to designer babies for parents who not only want to avoid inherited diseases but to have taller, stronger, smarter or better-looking children.

impact of oil spills,” said Dr. Arnold A. Lubguban, DOST Balik Scientist and Project Leader of MSU-IIT’s Center for Sustainable Polymer.

“With this achievement, we hope to inspire researchers to continue investing in innovative technologies and collaborations to work towards a cleaner and healthier environment,” Lubguban added.

Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said, “DOST is very proud of the accomplishments of MSU-IIT with its collaborative efforts with industry.”

“The DOST is steadfast in driving the industry through continuous R&D to enable technological advancement. Innovations like the CocoFlexSorb provides options for a better life to Filipinos like clean water and a healthy environment,” Solidum added.

The technology was developed from the DOST-Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (Nicer) program Center for Sustainable Polymers at the MMSU-IIT.

The innovation center is inaugurated on May 10, showcasing three product lines, DOSTPCIEERD said.

First, Rigid Insulation Foam Panels designed for building and construction industry, targeting

the segment who prioritize sustainable and eco-friendly materials.

It is the first of its kind to use polyol derived entirely from coconut oil, without any petroleumbased substitutes.

Second, Viscoelastic Foams, a bio-based alternative to commercially available “memory” foams. It has higher density than conventional foams and possesses the signature feature of memory foams—slow recovery.

Third, Superoleophilic Foams that has shown potential to absorb numerous types of oil. The material has been proven to have high affinity and absorption capacity in bunker oil, fresh and used engine oil, kerosene and vegetable oils.

It is hydrophobic in both fresh and salt water and has superior reusability as its oil sorption capacity does not diminish with use.

DOST has been funding universities like MSU-IIT through

the Nicer Program to capacitate higher education institutions in the regions to make significant improvement in regional research by integrating its development need with the existing R&D research capabilities and resources.

It has been providing institutional grant for R&D capacity building to improve their S&T infrastructure.

Science Undersecretary for R&D Leah J. Buendia said: “We need to develop the country’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem through linkages between academe, industry, and government. This translates to upgrades in products and services in our local companies.” Buendia also pointed out: “The breakthroughs in MSU-IIT is the perfect example of harmonizing our resources  combined with the support given to our Filipino scientists.”

1ST BABIES

BORN IN BRITAIN USING DNA FROM 3 PEOPLE

LONDON—Britain’s fertility regulator last Wednesday confirmed the births of the UK’s first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people, an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases.

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said fewer than five babies have been born this way in the UK but did not provide further details to protect the families’ identities. The news was first reported by the Guardian newspaper.

In 2015, the UK became the first country to adopt legislation regulating methods to help prevent women with faulty mitochondria—the energy source in a cell—from passing defects on to their babies. The world’s first baby born using the technique was reported in the US in 2016.

The genetic defects can result in diseases—such as muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, heart problems and intellectual disabilities.

About one in 200 children in Britain is born with a mitochondrial disorder. To date, 32 patients have been authorized to receive such treatment.

For a woman with faulty mitochondria, scientists take genetic material from her egg or embryo, which is then transferred into a donor egg or embryo that still has healthy mitochondria but had the rest of its key DNA removed.

The fertilized embryo is then transferred into the womb of the mother. The genetic material from the donated egg comprises less than 1 percent of the child created from this technique.

“Mitochondrial donation treatment offers families with severe inherited mitochondrial illness the possibility of a healthy child,” the UK fertility regulator said in a statement on Wednesday.

The agency said it was still “early days” but it hoped the scientists involved, at Newcastle University, would soon publish details of the treatment.

Britain requires every woman undergoing the treatment to receive approval from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. The regulator says that to be eligible, families must have no other available options for avoiding passing on genetic disease.

Many critics oppose the ar tificial

Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell expert at the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center in London, said it would be critical to monitor the babies’ future development.

“It will be interesting to know how well the [mitochondrial donation] technique worked at a practical level, whether the babies are free of mitochondrial disease and whether there is any risk of them developing problems later in life,” he said in a statement.

Scientists in Europe published research earlier this year that showed in some cases, the small number of abnormal mitochondria that are inevitably carried over from the mother’s egg to the donor’s can reproduce when the baby is in the uterus, which could ultimately lead to a genetic disease.

Lovell-Badge said the reasons for such problems were not yet understood and that researchers would need to develop methods to reduce the risk.

Previous research assessing another technique to create babies from three people, including an egg donor, found that years later the children were doing well as teenagers, with no signs of unusual health problems and good grades in school.

Doctors in the US were the first to announce the world’s first baby using the mitochondria donation technique, after the treatment was conducted in Mexico. Maria Cheng, Ap Medical Writer

UPD-CS physicist Dr. Miguel Sulangi (left) beams with pride following his successful PhD defense in 2018 with Leiden University’s Dr. Jan Zaanen, his thesis advisor and co-author on the recent groundbreaking “Nature Materials” paper on overdoped cuprate superconductors. THEA SULANGI PHOTO

THE Philippines may soon have the technology remove oil spills, such as that off Oriental Mindoro in February, with the “CocoFlexSorb” that was developed at Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).

SCIENCE Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. (left) holds an oil soaked CocoFlexSorb, a foam technology developed by the MSUIIT that can absorb different types of oil, with reuse capacity of 40 times. DOST Undersecretary Leah J. Buendia (second from left) holds a clean pack of the technology. DOST-PCIEERD PHOTO

‘My journey to Shincheonji’

Story & photos by Sam Oh

Special to the BusinessMirror

As God’s plan would have it, I was in the process of putting together a panel for my ecumenical podcast called “The Narrow Door”—a passion project that I had been working on for some time since coming to the Catholic faith a few years prior.

A quick search online yielded, well, interesting results which piqued my curiosity. Not long after, I found myself watching then-90-year-old Shincheonji leader, Chairman Lee Man-hee, bowing on his knees at a news conference to apologize for his church’s unintended role in the outbreak.

As odd as this denomination seemed, I was so moved by his gesture. I decided to find out if the church existed in the Philippines via an Instagram post, which connected me to a Filipino Shincheonji instructor.

It was through the ecumenical conversations on my podcast with Catholic, Protestant and Shincheonji church friends that

I started to give serious thought to the Bible.

Admittedly, I was one who turned to the faith because of a really difficult experience in my personal life. I found that turning to God and prayer actually worked, by which I mean I felt comfort and healing.

I also started trying on what I deemed was a Christian way of life and it was all well and good. But the more conversations I had on my podcast, the bigger the

Bible-shaped hole in my faith life began to appear.

I had known for some time that Shincheonji offers a free Bible theology course to anyone who is interested. It took me a while but I finally did take the plunge over a year ago.

I have taken the Shincheonji theology course—twice, just to be sure—and have since become part of this church that is so misunderstood. The reason: Shincheonji has given me a full understanding of the word of God which I now believe should be the standard of our life of faith.

What is the meaning of Shincheonji?

SHINCHEONJI is the abbreviation of “shin cheon shin ji,” which in Korean means “new heaven and new earth.”

The complete name of the church is Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

It may seem like a strange name and it’s definitely a mouthful but Shincheonji, or New Heaven and New Earth, is a name that is recorded in the Book of Revelation

(Rv 21:1) and so is Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Rv 15:5) as the place all nations will come to worship.

Shincheonji has been testifying for over 40 years that the events prophesied in the Book of Revelation that signal Jesus’ second coming have started to fulfill.

This testimony or the understanding of the fulfillment of Revelation is given to anyone who is willing to listen in the form of the aforementioned free Bible theology course and it is being offered all over the world.

Last year alone, I was one of 106,186 people from different parts of the world who finished the course and became part of Shincheonji. That was a staggering growth by any means, especially in the religious world where church membership is on the decline.

This rapid growth was also one of the main reasons why the churches in Korea started to attack and falsely accuse Shincheonji of “sheep stealing” and being a cult.

Who is Chairman Lee?

SIMPLY put, Chairman Lee Manhee is the person who has been

chosen to witness the events that are recorded in the Book of Revelation which is why he can testify about them.

A very important thing to note here is that Chairman Lee is not sharing his commentary on Revelation, but it is his testimony or what he has seen and heard (Rv 22:8), and he is delivering that testimony to the churches (Rv 22:16).

As incredible as that may sound, his testimonies are all in accordance with the Bible which is why he is referred to as the “promised pastor.”

He is not Jesus, he is certainly not God, but he is the pastor who has been given the revealed word that will lead believers to the understanding of God’s plan at the time of the end.

Chairman Lee is the first to admit that he is not well-educated and that he can only speak of what he has seen and heard. He is currently doing exactly that on a global scale through a series of Bible seminars online. He implores believers, especially the pastors, to listen and verify everything through the Bible and even goes as far as asking to be corrected if what he says is wrong.

The invitation of Shincheonji

THE call of Shincheonji is for all people to listen to the testimony on the fulfillment of the Book of Revelation because the time has come for all believers to unite in one truth.

Christianity today is rife with differences and divisions. Ironically, we have started to persecute one another within the faith. The only solution is to dialogue through our differences with the Bible, the one Scripture that we all profess to be the word of God.

I once heard that true love is willing salvation for someone and I cannot agree more. The Bible says that we must come to the knowledge of the truth to be saved. Let us reason together to bring each other to the truth as a show of the love that Jesus commanded us to have for one another.

Sam Oh and Tina Ryan are launching “The Best News Ever Podcast” on May 22 on YouTube and Spotify. The Shincheonji Bible seminars are available on the English Shincheonji YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@ ShincheonjiChurch_en). Sam Oh is a host who has worked on TV, radio and events for 18 years.

What’s going on when Mary appears and statues weep?

CLAIMS of appearances of the Virgin Mary and weeping statues have been common in Catholicism. And now they’re going to get a closer look—but on a worldwide scale.

The Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis (PAMI), recently announced an “observatory” to investigate claims of appearances of the Virgin Mary and reports of statues of her weeping oil and blood.

This announcement extends PAMI’s mission of promoting devotion to Mary and study of phenomena related to her. While still waiting for full Vatican approval, the observatory will train investigators to study mystical phenomena in cooperation with church authorities—for example, trying to determine the substance of reported tears.

Investigating the supernatural has always been a delicate task in the Catholic Church, which has to balance the faith of believers with the possibility of fraud.

Marian apparitions

CATHOLICS believe Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, and the mother of God, who still makes her presence known. And the Catholic Church has officially recognized a number of sites where Mary has reportedly appeared around the globe.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a cloak in Mexico City

has long been revered by Catholics as a miracle confirming Mary’s appearance to the peasant Juan Diego in 1531.

In Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, three children claimed that the Virgin Mary had visited them several times. Crowds drawn by the children’s prophecy that Mary would reappear and perform a miracle reported seeing the sun “dance in the sky.”

The most recent Marian apparition that a Catholic bishop has declared “worthy of belief” was in Buenos Aires province, Argentina, in 2016.

A local Catholic woman told her priest that visions had begun with rosary prayer beads glowing in multiple homes and progressed to Mary warning her of humanity’s “self-destruction.”

Mary’s tears

THERE is also a long history of claims of weeping Mary statues. A well-known example is the Madonna of Syracuse, Sicily—a plaster statue that seemed to shed tears.

Investigators appointed by the church said the liquid was chemically similar to human tears. The shrine now housing the image is shaped like a tear drop.

Recently, weeping statues have been reported in places as distant from each other as Paszto, Hungary, and Hobbs, New

Mexico. It is, however, rare for the Catholic Church to say that an apparently weeping statue has a supernatural cause.

Mary’s tears have special significance for Catholics. She is often pictured as crying over the sins of the world and the pain she endured in her earthly life. Mary’s earthly sorrows are depicted by seven swords piercing her flaming heart.

Given Mary’s religious and symbolic significance, it is not surprising for a supposed apparition site or a weeping statue to become an object of devotion.

And when this happens, the local bishop sometimes decides to investigate.

Possibility of fraud

IN examining claims of the supernatural, bishops follow standards set by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Catholic doctrine. Perhaps because they address controversial issues, the standards were only made public in 2012—nearly 35 years after they were first implemented.

The bishop, or a committee appointed by him, evaluates the alleged supernatural phenomenon. This involves interviewing witnesses and, sometimes, scientific tests. Impact on the community is also considered.

Positive aspects include reports of physical healings and religious conversions, or a general deepening of faith among Catholics.

Negative aspects would include selling oil from a purportedly weeping statue or claiming a message from Mary that goes against Catholic doctrine.

A well-known case of an apparition that the Catholic Church rejected concerns the visions of Veronica Lueken, the Brooklyn “Bayside Seer,” who died in 1995.

Lueken reported a number of messages from Mary that concerned church authorities. For example, Lueken claimed

in 1972 that Mary had told her that the pope was, in fact, an imposter made to look like the true pope, Paul VI, through plastic surgery.

Although belief in the messages endures among a small number of Catholics, the local bishop deemed the apparitions not credible.

When it comes to weeping statues, one of the primary questions is whether the event has been staged.

For example, in two cases of statues that supposedly had wept blood—one in Canada in 1986 and another in Italy in 2006—the blood turned out be that of the statue’s owner.

Liquids can also be injected into the porous material of statues and later seep out as “tears.”

Oil that is mixed with fat can be applied to a statue’s eyes, which will “weep” when ambient temperatures rise.

Searching for meaning

THE Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis is searching for proof of supernatural signs, which certainly draw intellectual curiosity and media attention.

But as a scholar of global Catholicism who has written about claims of the supernatural, I think it’s also important to understand what brings people to an apparition site or weeping statue in the first place.

In my hometown of Worces -

ter, Massachusetts, statues and pictures have appeared to weep oil and blood at the home of the late Audrey Santo, who died in 2007 at the age of 23.

As a child, “Little Audrey” was left mute and paralyzed after a swimming pool accident. In spite of her physical condition, pilgrims who came to see her believed that she was praying for them.

After Santo’s death, a foundation was established to promote her cause for sainthood, believing that the statues and pictures in her home were signs that God has specially blessed her.

In my writings about the case of Santo, I was definitely tempted to focus on talk of the supernatural. And the claims surrounding Little Audrey are still debated among Catholics as her sainthood cause stalls. But what I found most interesting was listening to people share why weeping statues were so meaningful in their personal lives.

At the Santo home, the people I talked to shared moving personal stories of pain and sadness, hope and healing. In the end, the sense of togetherness in and through suffering was far more important than talk of scientific proofs of the supernatural.

IT was in early 2020 when I first encountered the name “Shincheonji.” The world was just starting to realize that the coronavirus was something to be reckoned with, and Shincheonji was all over the news for its alleged role in spreading the virus in South Korea, my home country.

SHINCHEONJI Chairman Lee Man-hee

THE 2022 graduation ceremony with 106,186 participants, including the writer and from different parts of the world, who finished the course and became part of Shincheonji.

THIS image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima is brought to houses in a community in Manila for rosary novena. Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, occurred from May 13 to October 13, 1917, making May 13 her annual feast day. The apparitions were witnessed by shepherd children Lúcia dos Santos, and Francisco and Jacinta Marto. LYN RESURRECCION

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

‘WHAT WAS BURIED UNDERNEATH CAN NO LONGER BE RECOVERED’

Land reclamation is threat to ecosystems, biodiversities

USC project turns shrimp waste into bioplastic

CEBU CITY—Shrimp waste was turned into bioplastic for packaging and could be a potential solution to lessen the massive waste from nonbiodegradable plastics.

University of San Carlos (USC) researchers have developed the bioplastic with support from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture through the latter’s Grants for Research toward Agriculture and Innovative Solutions, said a Searca news release.

The grant was awarded in 2022 to the project team led by Dr. Maria Kristina Paler.

According to the team, processing frozen shrimp meat for export generates tons of waste composed of shrimp heads and shells, which are disposed of at local landfills for a fee.

The team reported that the Philippines is among the top contributors of plastic waste in the marine ecosystem.

To address this issue, Paler and her team identified industry requirements for packaging materials, such as barrier properties for shelf-life preservation, film printability, lamination with good strength, and heat-sealing properties.

T he team created chitosan films with organic or clay nanofillers, which were tested and found to have potential for single-use plastic cover, Searca said.

Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide composed of randomly distributed β-linked D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.

It is made by treating the chitin shells of shrimp and other crustaceans with an alkaline substance, such as sodium hydroxide. It has a number of commercial and possible biomedical uses, web information said.

Chitosan is used as medicine and in drug manufacturing. It is a fibrous substance that might reduce how much fat and cholesterol the body absorbs from foods. It also helps blood clot when applied to wounds, WebMd.

Mor eover, the team recommended other additives to make the current prototypes heat-sealable.

Searca Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio commended the USC project team for seeking solutions to transform industries affecting the agriculture sector.

“Innovations, which aim to reduce waste and protect our planet, are critical toward achieving sustainable production and consumption,” Gregorio said.

“The next step is to widen the potential use of chitosan-based film for industrial applications by improving its thermoplastic property,” he added.

The USC project team submitted its findings for publication to encourage further support and collaboration in developing eco-friendly packaging.

This breakthrough could help reduce plastic waste from the shrimp industry and contribute to a cleaner environment,”

Gregorio affirmed.

New biobased cups from recycled PLA launched

DUSSELDORF, Germany—TotalEnergies

Corbion and Coexpan launched a polylactic acid (PLA)-biobased cup using recycled PLA, available in both white and high transparency.

After completing all tests at Coexpan’s Innotech center, in Madrid, Spain, full validation was achieved for line speeds and output using form fill seal (FFS) technology, an automated computer-operated technology, to prepare sterile products, said TotalEnergies Corbion in a news release.

With regards to packaging design complying with the new sustainability demands, Coexpan and Innotech are continuously researching for options to reduce the footprint of the products they offer.

Thus, TotalEnergies Corbion, Coexpan and Innotech are creating a new package and contributing actively to one of today’s main challenges in terms of sustainability.

“Another milestone has been achieved! We are very proud to include in our portfolio a new sustainable product that increases the number of technical solutions we can put on the market, a clear added value for all our customers,” said Gonzalo Sanchez, Coexpan’s recycling manager.

“Having used this material for more than 10 years, we are undoubtedly the leading

PLA resin converter in the FFS market,” Sanchez added.

Derek Atkinson, senior director of Sales and Business Development, added:

“Providing PLA solutions to our customers with their existing technology is a priority for TotalEnergies Corbion. We have a team of specialized engineers to work with our partners and develop the right Luminy® PLA grades.”

Atkinson explained: “And we also buy back the used PLA to recycle it at our facilities. Advanced recycling of PLA is much more energy efficient process in comparison with other plastics. We appeal to all PLA users to get in touch and set up a collection structure.”

Environmental stresses have increased pressure to meet recycling and sustainability targets. With the readily available recycled rPLA, brands can offer consumers sustainable options, without additional investment or significant changes in existing FFS facilities.

Luminy® rPLA is a bioased polymer produced from sugarcane. The carbon captured from the atmosphere by the sugarcane is kept in the cycle with advanced recycling, TotalEnergies Corbion said.

The rPLA has the same properties as virgin PLA, including food contact approval in the European Union, United States and China.

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently met with leaders of environmental groups and held an experts’ forum on land reclamation as part of ongoing consultations and policy review to get inputs from various stakeholders on critical environmental issues.

In both forums, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga underscored that inputs from all sectors are valuable for the DENR to deliver its mandate.

She added that the dialogues enable the gaining of ground-based knowledge, and accelerate the collection of data and evidence from affected communities and stakeholders.

“We are reviewing everything—policies, processes and the immediate actions that need to be taken in order to address this environmental issue. Your inputs today are valuable for the DENR. I am here to listen. That is the promise I am giving you. That listening will result in what we are trying to actually achieve: changes in the process, changes in the policy, and possibly, changes in tpeople,” Yulo-Loyzaga said during a dialogue with critics of land reclamation last month.

Similarly, on May 8, she reiterated the need to listen to experts before deciding on the issue of land reclamation, taking into consideration the costs and benefits of such development projects.

Legal arsenal

ENVIRONMENTAL groups have been resisting the planned massive land reclamation projects in various parts of the country.

Sought for expert legal opinion on the regulatory powers of the DENR to stop the projects, Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo-Ramos said the Philippine Constitution states clearly the state policy that guarantees the right of every Filipino to a healthy and balanced ecology.

This provision alone, according to Estenzo-Ramos, an environmental lawyer, should be enough basis to say “no” to land reclamation and even cancel the environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) and area clearances that were issued by the DENR in the past.

“Other pertinent provisions declare the state duty to protect the country’s marine wealth. There’s a law on the preferential right of municipal fisherfolks which is defined in the Fisheries Code,” Estenzo-Ramos told the B usiness M irror via Zoom on May 4.

She said several regulations pointed out “cumulative impact assessment” in its totality as a requirement in granting approval to land reclamation projects.

“S tandards have been set. T here is a principle in environmental law that once a standard is set, you can no longer regress. T here are strong arguments for really mainstreaming the duty of protecting our natural life support systems, including our oceans, which clearly need to be prioritized,” she added.

Role of local, national governments ACCORDING to Estenzo-Ramos, local government officials are mandated by the

Fisheries Code to protect the municipal fishing grounds and say “no” to land reclamation.

She expressed dismay that some local officials are pushing for land reclamation in the name of development and profit, setting aside the more important longer-term benefit of having a healthy and productive coastal and marine ecosystem.

“If you consider the right of fisherfolks, dapat wala nang [there should be no more] land reclamation,” EstenzoRamos argued.

She said there are other laws against land reclamation, including that on protecting mangroves.

O ceana believes that the national and local governments have an overwhelming number of reasons and legal arsenal that can be used to fight land reclamation “yet they choose to ignore [the laws] and keep their eyes closed.”

Estenzo-Ramos said the national and local governments have a long list of models to make the coastal and marine areas sustainable development models that would generate green jobs that would ensure a sustainable income and create more livelihood opportunities in the process.

Tourism and sustainable fisheries alone, she said, would benefit coastal communities more than land reclamation that would not only destroy coastal and marine ecosystems, but also result in biodiversity loss, and worse, threaten the lives of thousands of people in the process.

Deliberate process of converting bodies of water

ACCORDING to the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) land reclamation is a deliberate process of converting foreshore land, submerged areas or bodies of water into land by filling or other means using dredge fill and other suitable materials for specific purposes.

The PRA said anything can be built on a reclaimed land just like a natural land feature, provided that the reclamation is properly done.

They include power plants, water systems, commercial buildings, industrial establishments, airports, seaports and housing units, among others.

Urban, rural expansion

LAND reclamation is often proposed by local government units (LGUs) and its development partners from the private sector to expand territories for various purposes, including residential, commercial and industrial.

They address concerns caused by overpopulation and overcrowding by creating more space or area “where businesses and the people are no longer happy to live, work and do business.”

Land reclamation also takes place “to create a large space as a viable and practical option rather than procuring right-of-way in decongested urban areas to be used as a platform for vital government infrastructure projects, such as airports, ports, roads, bridges, water and power utilities or simply to decongest traffic in a particular area.”

25 approved land reclamation projects

THERE are 52 land reclamation projects in

various stages in the country, 25 of which have already been approved and 27 are in the process of application.

Some of these projects are in Manila Bay, particularly the waters adjacent to Roxas Boulevard in Manila, Pasay and Parañaque cities. Two projects are in the side of Bacoor, Cavite.

The land reclamation projects sit on one of the country’s most important water bodies that have spurred economic activities and continue to support the country’s economic growth through the socalled blue-economy activities, including shipping, fisheries, and tourism.

T hreatened by massive pollution, Manila Bay is currently the subject of a Supreme Court continuing mandamus directing 13 government agencies, led by the DENR, to rehabilitate and restore its water quality back to its pristine state.

Moratorium on new reclamation projects

IN her welcome remarks during the experts’ forum, Yulo-Loyzaga underscored the need to consider all of the risks, including that posed by climate change.

“It’s our role to ensure that our core facets to protect and preserve our ecosystems and enhance our environments must be for the benefit of all,” she said.

The DENR chief noted that there is an existing moratorium on land reclamation, referring to Presidential Directive 2022016, dated April 12, 2022.

She said the DENR in tends to follow the order, which directs the agency and the PRA to put on hold the acceptance of new applications for reclamation projects.

Furthermore, she noted that Executive Order 74, signed on February 1, 2019, provides that no reclamation project shall be approved without area clearance, and DENR-issued ECC.

Manila Bay master plan

DR . Rex Victor Cruz, Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines Los BañosCollege of Forestry and Natural Resources, presented the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan (MBSDMP) that was initiated in 2018 with the National Economic and Development Authority taking the lead.

The deputy team leader of the Consortium that developed the MBSDMP, Cruz said the vision of the Manila Bay master plan is to ensure a sustainable and resilient Manila Bay, which include improving water quality, restoring ecosystems, reducing disaster risks and promoting inclusive growth in the region.

According to Cruz—an expert in forestry, watershed management, climate change and integrated land use, environment and natural resources planning—the four pillars of the MBSDMP are the integrated coastal zoning management Planning Framework, which defines the principles of any development in Manila Bay; Priority Measures that focuses and strategically addresses priority concerns; Enabling Environment, which sets it toward ensuring priority measures that are timely and smoothly implemented; and Stakeholders Engagement, which aims to motivate commitment and optimize proactive

participation, including compliance of policies and programs.

Dump-and-fill

FERNANDO SIRINGAN a professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, said land reclamation, also called dump-and-fill, in various parts of the country, might adversely affect coral reefs and associated habitats, seagrass beds in the case of coastal or marine area, and non-coral reef-related areas like rivers, lakes inter-tidal and sub-marine tidal areas.

Siringan—who specializes in marine/ coastal ecology, sedimentology and seismic stratigraphy—said many mangrove areas in Manila Bay no longer exist because of land reclamation.

He cited Rizal Park and Roxas Boulevard, which were results of land reclamation.

“What was buried underneath can no longer be recovered,” he pointed out. Mangrove forests, coral reefs, seagrass beds and tidal and muddy flats provide important ecosystem functions, Siringan explained.

He said many ecosystems were lost already, but what else may be lost, such as the subtidal environments, remain unknown due to lack of data and information. He appealed to the DENR to study what is to be lost in land reclamation. Land reclamation, he added, has adverse environmental impacts and associated risks.

They include an increase in turbidity and sedimentation in nearby areas; cascade effects of loss of habitats and changes in substrate types of adjacent areas, changes in surface and groundwater hydrology, changes in wave and tidal current patterns, and stability of reclaimed areas.

Threat to ecosystems, biodiversities

IN her talk, Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the Asean Centre of Biodiversity, presented “Biodiversity-inclusive Impact Assessment for Reclamation Projects.” She cautioned against altering natural landscapes through land reclamation.

Citing the case of Waikiki in Hawaii, a wetland that was converted into a beach resort through land reclamation, she said that with climate change, the beach is starting to erode. Engineering solutions, she said, is delaying the worst-case scenario, wherein Waikiki will be claimed back by nature.

A former director of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau, Lim presented a 2014 study commissioned by the DENR-BMB during her time, wherein the economic valuation of goods and services derived from Manila Bay was undertaken.

According to Lim, the study was triggered by the proposed land reclamation in Manila Bay encompassing 26,234 hectares affecting critical habitats, mudflats, mangroves, ponds and marine ecosystems.

“It is not just a beach area, not just a mangrove area; we also have ponds, mudflats [in Manila Bay]. So it’s a variety of ecosystems [that will be adversely affected],” she said, adding that some P9.7 billion in revenues may be lost if ecosystem goods and services are not taken into account.

A LAND reclamation project of the DPWH and DENR, the controversial Dolomite beach along Manila Bay shore on Roxas Boulevard in Manila, is being cleaned regularly to lure local tourists. NONIE REYES

SUNSET on Manila Bay BERNARD TESTA

ECO-FRIENDLY plastic is being developed from shrimp waste. SEARCA PHOTO

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Russian Olympic Committee head slams IOC for excluding athletes

LAUSANNE, Switzerland—

The president of the Russian Olympic Committee indicated Thursday that the country could boycott qualifying competitions in fencing for next year’s Paris Games after some athletes, including his own daughter, were barred from competing.

T he International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommends letting competitors from Russia and Belarus compete as neutral athletes without national symbols after the invasion of Ukraine, but still excluding those employed by the military or security services, or those who have publicly backed the war.

SOFT TENNIS ATHLETES NOW FOCUS ON ASIAD

By Jun Lomibao

PHNOM PENH—Soft tennis ranks as one of the more—if not the most— successful contributor of medals to the Philippine coffers in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

A nd with such accomplishment, the focus shirts from the Asean regional to the continental stage—the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.

To prepare for the Asian Games, the soft tennis athletes will see action in the Korea Open set June 14 to 21.

Joseph Arcilla, the winner of the men’s singles event, however, is doubtful if he could compete in Korea. “ I’m not really sure if I could make the trip because I want to rest from the rigors of our training,” Arcilla, 37, said. “But I’m ready just in case because this is part of our preparations for the Asiad.”

The Philippines ended its soft tennis campaign here with three gold, one silver and one bronze medals for an improvement from the 3-1-1 finish in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.

Cambodia finished second with a 2-2-4 haul, followed by Indonesia (2-2-

1), Thailand (0-2-3) and Laos (0-0-3).

Bien Zoleta-Mañalac and Princess Catindig bagged the women’s doubles crown and also powered the country to the women’s team gold in the company of Fatima Amirul, Virvien Bejosano, and Christy Sañosa.

The men’s team of Arcilla, Mark Anthony Alcoseba, Patrick Mendoza, Thor Moralde, Sherwin Nuguit and Dheo Talatayod also bagged a bronze. The team, led by Philippine Soft Tennis Association president Robert Joseph “Bobby” Moran, returned to the Philippines last Thursday.

AQUATICS YIELDS 16

MEDALS, INCLUDING

2 GOLDS

THE national bagged a total of 16 medals highlighted by two gold medals at the Aquatics Center inside the sprawling Morodok Techo National Sports Complex.

X iandi Chua (women’s 200-meter backstroke) and rookie campaigner Teia Salvino (women’s 100m backstroke) won a gold medal each, making it the Filipinos’ best gold medal haul since the four-gold medal finish in the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos. The two also set new national and SEA Games records, with Chua clocking two minutes and 13.20 seconds in the women’s 200m

India has numbers, China still has clout

WHILE India has overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation and has perhaps grandiose ambitions of becoming a major international player, it has a long way to go to match its Asian neighbor’s clout in the sports arena.

China has won 283 Olympic gold medals, which is 273 more than India. China’s capital has hosted the Olympics twice: the Summer Games in 2008 and the Winter Games in 2022.

I ndia has hosted the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games but hasn’t yet staged the Olympics— although there’s the promise of an Indian bid for 2036.

“China has been successful on the tracks and fields of the world, India hasn’t,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at the SKEMA Business School in France, told The Associated Press. “India has underperformed.”

E xcept in cricket.

I ndia’s overwhelming sporting suc cess has been the development of the Indian Premier League, the world’s richest and most dominant franchise cricket competition. And with that, India has created something China hasn’t been able to achieve: a domestic league that is lucrative as well as internationally successful.

C hina’s big plans to become a soccer powerhouse started with billions of dollars being spent on famous players and coaches from around the world, generating global headlines for the Chinese Super League for a decade until an economic downturn and then the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything.

Troubles in the property sector— particularly painful as more than half of the Chinese league’s top-tier teams were owned by real estate companies— put an end to hopes that the league

would rival the biggest in the world.

I nstead, ambitions of the league being a launching pad for international success for China and its national team have been replaced by allegations of corruption and the financial problems that have resulted in several clubs folding, including defending champion Jiangsu FC in 2021.

Meanwhile the brand value of the India’s Twenty20 cricket tournament, established in 2008, grew to an estimated $8.4 billion in 2022.

T he IPL last year sold its fiveyear broadcasting rights for $6.02 billion, making it one of the most lucrative sports league in the world  in terms of revenue per game, behind the NFL but above English soccer’s Premier League. India is home to one of the most powerful sports properties in the world,” Chadwick said. “Which shows that the country has the resources and the expertise to successfully engage with sport.”

A runava Chaudhuri, a sports consultant and former All India Football Federation media manager, said that needs to extend beyond cricket. The key is that India moves away from a one-sport country,” he said. “Success in badminton, wrestling, boxing has shown progress, but team sports are a different challenge.”

T hen there’s that talk of India bidding for the 2036 Olympics,  with Chaudhuri saying the city of Ahmedabad “is being prepared for that.”

India’s Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur told the Times of India newspaper in December that the government would support an Olympic bid and it would be prepared in time for important IOC meetings in Mumbai, which are being held in October. AP

backstroke and Salvino clocking

1:01.64 minutes in the women’s backstroke.

Jerard Jacinto settled for a silver medal in the men’s 50m backstroke as well as Jasmine Alkhaldi (women’s 100m freestyle), Chloe Isleta (women’s 200m backstroke), the 4x100m freestyle relay team of

Two-time gold medalist Yana Egorian and all three of the gold medalists in women’s team saber from the Tokyo Olympics—Sofya Velikaya, Olga Nikitina and Sofia Pozdniakova—were refused after vetting from the International Fencing Federation, Russian Fencing Federation president Ilgar Mamedov told state news agencies.

Pozdniakova is the daughter of Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov.

Some lesser-known fencers were approved to compete, Mamedov said. But he didn’t say why the other fencers were refused and there was no immediate confirmation from the International Fencing Federation, known as the FIE.

A ll three of the women’s team saber gold medalists were identified as being affiliated with the Central Sports Club of the Army, known as CSKA, in a 2021 statement on the Russian

Pozdnyakov wrote in posts on the Telegram app.

The International Olympic Committee is imposing such criteria that the participation of the overwhelming majority of our athletes and practically all of the leaders of the national teams in Olympic qualifying and other competitions is in practice unrealistic,” he added.

Pozdnyakov said he had spoken with the Russian fencing team and indicated that they supported boycotting competitions under the current conditions.

“ The position is unanimous, our fencers will take part only if there are equal rights with athletes of other countries, without contrived or wrongful parameters and other artificial obstacle courses,” Pozdnyakov said.

There was also criticism from the Kremlin. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said Russia opposes restrictions on its athletes.

“

We consider it absolutely wrong to try to apply conditions of some political requirements to athletes and their participation in international competitions,” Peskov said. “We do not agree with such recommendations.”

Fencing has a central place in Olympic politics because it is the sport of IOC president Thomas Bach, who was a gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Games. Pozdnyakov himself won four Olympic gold medals in fencing, and his daughter won both the individual and team saber gold medals in Tokyo.

A Russian boycott could smooth the way for Ukraine’s fencers to keep competing. The Ukrainian government and fencing team have a policy of not entering any events where Russian or Belarusian competitors are allowed.

The FIE’s earlier moves toward readmitting Russians and Belarusians led to a protest petition from top fencers from around the world against the plan. At least four competitions on the FIE’s World Cup circuit have also been called off by organizers unwilling to host Russian and Belarusian competitors. AP

Alkhaldi, Salvino, Chua and Miranda Renner, the 4x100m medley relay team of Salvino, Renner, Alkhaldi and Angelyn Cacho and the 4x100m mixed medley relay team of Jacinto, Cacho, Alkhaldi and Jarod Hatch, making it a total of six silver medals. medals in the men’s 50m and 100m butterfly events, with Jacinto also picking up aa bronze medal in the men’s 100m backstroke.

Defense Ministry website following the Tokyo Olympics. It listed Velikaya with the rank of captain and Nikitina as a sergeant. They and Egorian are all listed in profiles on the FIE website with the term “armed forces athlete.”

T he FIE decisions showed IOC criteria for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to be a “farce” and a “thinly veiled suspension” which amounted to discrimination,

Baguettes but no wine: Olympians to eat gourmet

other sites of the Paris Games. The company was assigned the challenge of making the 2024 Olympics an occasion-appropriate opportunity to explore France’s legendary gastronomy.

“ France will invite the world to its table,” said Philipp Würz, who is the catering manager for the Olympics organizing committee. Athletes “know they will eat well here. Our goal is to provide them with high quality food.”

The eatery at the Olympic Village, which is meant to be the “biggest restaurant in the world,” is expected to seat 3,500 people.

I n addition, athletes will have access to “grab and go” food points, including one dedicated exclusively to French cuisine cooked up by chefs, Sodexo said.

O ne exception will be made to the French way of life, though: No wine, or any form of alcohol, will be offered to Olympians in the village, organizers said. Champagne and liquors will be reserved for reception events.

Stéphane Chicheri, the chef for Sodexo’s venues and sporting events branch, said more than 500 menu items will be available to meet the needs of all sports, special diets, eating habits and religious beliefs.

A nother challenge Paris 2024 organizers promised to meet is to make the Games more sustainable and environment-friendly.

I n that regard, the main restaurant at the village will use only reusable serving dishes, according to Sodexo.

The company said all meals will be based on seasonal products, and plant-based food will represent onethird of the offerings at the Olympic Village.

PARIS—Some 15,000 athletes will get to feast on fresh baguettes, gourmet dishes and environmentfriendly French cuisine—but no wine—when Paris hosts the Summer Olympics next year.

The company tasked with serving 40,000 meals a day at the Olympic Village unveiled Tuesday some of the items on the menu of a sit-down restaurant that plans to serve food created by some of France’s mostrenowned chefs.

Bringing a “fun, gourmet and healthy” touch to the plates is key to the job, said Alexandre Mazzia,

whose AM restaurant in Marseille earned three Michelin guide stars. He presented a recipe made of crushed chickpeas with herbs and a smoked fish sauce. Other chefs unveiled dishes that included an elaborate quinoa risotto and a chocolate mousse with raspberries.

It’s a pride and an honor to be able to show French tradition and skills,” Mazzia told The Associated Press.

French food services company Sodexo was selected to oversee the catering at the athletes’ village and

What I cooked here is poultry, guinea fowl slowly roasted with a nice crayfish jus, very reduced, very intense, with a ‘poulette’ sauce [white sauce], so it’s a kind of creamy, comfort food,” renowned chef Amandine Chaignot, who runs a Paris restaurant, explained.

I wanted it to be a bit representative of what we do in France so it’s quite ‘gourmand,’” she said.

The Olympic Village also will feature a boulangerie producing French baguettes— recently given UN world heritage status —and other breads. Croissants and other pastries will also be available.

A ll meat, milk products and eggs will be French-produced. Imported items, like bananas and rice, will all be organic or have fair trade certification, Sodexo said.

To avoid waste, goods not consumed will be given to food banks and associations. Food scraps will be turned into compost or used for biogas production, the company said.

Q uality and diversity of food is important because athletes need to be reassured that they’ll find what they need to nourish their bodies, said Hélène Defrance, a competitive sailor who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics and now specializes in nutrition.

RUSSIAN Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov warns of a boycott. AP

more bronze medals in the women’s 50m and 100m butterfly events with Salvino getting another bronze medal in the women’s 50m backstroke.  Alkhaldi, Salvino, Chua and Isleta capped of the bronze medal count at

FRENCH three star Michelin chef Alexandre Mazzia of the restaurant “AM” in Marseille presents his herbaceous chickpea pomade dish during media conference of Sodexo Live a food and management service group in Paris. AP

Editor: Jun Lomibao

MEN’S singles champion of soft tennis Joseph Arcilla wants to rest while savoring his success as Xiandi Chua leaves a mark in the women’s 200-meter backstroke of swimming. ROY DOMINGO

Daughters without moms finD support in each other’s grief

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SPECIAL BREW

This is ska according to Bad Manners

By Edwin P. Sallan Photos By Nonie Reyes

house crowd in a lengthy frenzy as they segued from one favorite to another including “This Is Ska,” “Lorraine” “Walking In The Sunshine,” “Fatty Fatty,” “Sally Brown,” “Ne Ne Na Na Na Nu Nu,” “Inner London Violence,” “Special Brew” and their equally iconic covers of Millie’s “My Girl Lollipop,” Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and Sam The Sham & The Pharoah’s “Wooly Bully.”

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Aldwin M. Tolosa

Jt Nisay

Edwin P. Sallan

Eduardo A. Davad

Niggel Figueroa

Anabelle O. Flores

Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Patrick Miguel

Jill Tan Radovan

Photographers :

Bernard P. Testa

Nonie Reyes

But even as the music developed a solid and steady following over the years, it wasn’t until the 1980s when it fully exploded into the mainstream as a result of an onslaught of UKbased bands like the Specials, Madness, the English Beat, the Selecter and Bad Manners.

These bands were known to play a harder, more edgy brand of ska with elements of reggae, punk rock and new wave with most songs designed primarily for dancing.

Although the late, great Terry Hall, a founding member and lead singer of The Specials was in the country in 2018 for a DJ stint for Fred Perry, he did not actually perform as a singer and musician. The fact is, while this popular brand of British ska had its fair share of Filipino fans, none of these bands were able to perform here in Manila. Until recently.

Bad Manners was recently in town for not just one but two well-received performances at

Rico’s Bar last Friday, May 5 and at the Metro Tent last Sunday, May 7. The concert, aptly dubbed as Viva La Ska Revolution served as a reminder of an era when musical creativity was at its pinnacle and genres and subgenres always had something awe-inspiring to offer.

And Bad Manners was right smack in the middle of it. With a cartoonish vibe typified by the tongue-wagging antics of its plus-sized frontman, Busted Bloodvessel, they developed a distinctive brand of high-energy ska best described by one of their popular albums, Loonee Tunes!

Granted that this incarnation of the band featured Buster as the only original member left, he was ably backed up by a very tight unit of musicians who have been with Bad Manners for at least 10 years.

Opening with the big band strains of “Echo 4-2” that set the tone for Buster’s grand entrance, the band went on to get the full

At 64, Buster is obviously showing his age. Yet he remained an imposing sight to behold as he still managed to deliver a spirited performance while feeding off the energy of the audience. Of course, the crowd won’t let Bad Manners call it a night without their much-awaited signature song, “Lip Up Fatty” which also served as their encore number together along with “Can Can,” another one of their popular instrumentals.

Two days later on the band’s subsequent gig at the Metro Tent, the festive party atmosphere continued as they were joined by local ska group, Easy Sunday, whose lead singer, Emlee Nicart via her own More Than EM Entertainment Production, was partly responsible for bringing Bad Manners to the Philippines.

All told, Viva La Ska Revolution more than lived up to its billing. Even as there were some concerns about Buster’s age and health, he and the rest of the band did not disappoint. It was indeed, to quote one of their songs, a special brew.

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AS a popular music genre, ska traces its roots back to Jamaica in the 1950s where it is largely regarded as the precursor to reggae.

SoundSampler

by Tony M. Maghirang

Cool diversions from the blistering summer heat

WE ARE IMAGINARY Swan Songs for Drifters

THIS is the fourth studio release of Filipino rock quartet We are Imaginary to mark their 15 th year as a band. The first thing you’ll notice is the group’s flair for drama mixed with recklessness, pairing golden showers of melodic hooks with the mind-expanding wall of shoegaze. Just when you’re ready to surrender to the earhugging soundscape come lyrics that are as much existential as poetry in motion like “trapped in the confines of your second guesses” in “Do You Mind?” or “relief comes as a late package from time” from the title track. Despite their whimsical nom de musique, We Are Imaginary erects solid structures to quiet being the new loud.

SHOCKPOINT Rhythm Zero

TO hardcore punk devotees, the album “Rhythm Zero” will raise questions whether Shockpoint is into alternative metal, post-hardcore or noise rock because the band, true to its name, touches on each of these staggering neo-metal offshoots. Then, truth be told, there’s hardly any rhythm to speak of across the album’s six tracks, proffering instead odd time signatures, clean/ shrieked vocals and heavy, syncopated guitar riffs. They obviously stand on the broad shoulders of Helmet but a close listen to the words places Shockpoint to the extreme left of Rush. Who knew the absence of a groove can be exciting?

IAN HUNTER Defiance Pt. 1

LOSING the edge as one gets older seems like a myth when Ian Hunter, the man behind the ‘70s classic “All The Young Dudes,” at 83 years old is bent on firing on all cylinders. Not rampaging, mind you, but warbling on songs with prickly sarcasm here, a little good loving there, and the fun time vibe most of the time. He’s abetted by cool younger musicians like Mike Campbell, Jeff Tweedy and Johnny Depp, even Ringo Starr and Slash are in the house. Ian Hunter presides over the proceedings, applying a Dylanesque posture to the rockers and his own ageing tone to the elegiac ones. It’s not likely to go down as Hunter’s ode to longevity but you’ll never know till Defiance Pt. 3 comes along.

KEEN Highest State of Mind

THE album title refers to a state of elevated awareness and perception for individuals to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of reality. Thing is, in execution, the songs that make up newcomer Keen’s debut album deal more with personal issues of independence, speaking your mind and self-respect rather than the philosophical underpinnings of the album title. No harm there specially when tracks such as “Road Trip,” “Money Talks” and “DM” are a gorgeous collision of trap, soul and hip-hop. The others, unfortunately, hardly depart from the luster of these sonic jewels. They simply ride on the coattails of what the artist claims to be “futuristic sounds.”

EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Fuse

EBTG’s first album in 23 years finds husband and wife duo of Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt indulging in sadcore electronica. The easy connection is with their hit “Missing” of some three decades ago although on their latest album “Fuse” the melancholic malaise is all over the record in more varied contexts. “No One Knows We’re Dancing” has Tracey singing over a cha-cha with disdain for the super rich. “When You Mess Up” is an emotive ballad where Ms. Thorn keeps her anger in check over a careless carefree loved one. In “Lost,” she counts down the losses of her life from everyday things to her mother’s passing away and loses it in the end. Sadness has never been given an elegant polish until “Fuse” came along.

JESSIE WARE That! Feels Good!

THERE’S something about the album title that clues you in on where Brit R&B sensation Jesse Ware is coming from. Right at the opening titular track, she lays down the arc of her latest record pulling out all the stops on breathy flirtatious vocals promising an hour of earthly delights while the crack band unrolls dancefloor shakers that namecheck Kool and the Gang to EWF to Stevie Womder at their hottest peak. Nevertheless, Ms, Ware’s the star of the show waxing poetic on the soul twirl of “Begin Again” while rapping about some injustice in “Beautiful People.” The liberating groove from end to end is what’s feeling good means to all good people.

Check out digital music platforms for the music reviewed here.

Daughters without moms find support in each other’s grief

By Tracee M. Herbaugh

Associated Press

Mostly, this was because my mother’s parents, who raised me, were old-fashioned folks who lived through the Dust Bowl. They didn’t discuss feelings, good or bad. I never once saw my grandfather shed a tear after his daughter died. Plus, our town was in the rural plains of Colorado, hours away from any city with services like a grief therapist, even if my grandparents had been open to that.

But the silence around grief also was a product of the times. I am encouraged to see that now a mom’s death is generally not handled the same way it was in 1993.

‘You can’t give up’

There are many kinds of support today, from the organized to the grassroots. Grief can be talked about and shared more publicly, experts say, and is acknowledged to last a long time.

Motherless children can attend special summer camps, for instance, or Mother’s Day retreats like those hosted by the Massachusetts-based non-profit empowerher, which works with girls whose mothers have died. They also link girls with mentors so they can see an older version of themselves. The group recently started working with boys and nonbinary children, too, who have lost either parent.

“There isn’t a perfect ending,” said Cara Belvin, who founded e mpowerhe r. “You can cry and scream but you can’t give up, and we hold space for a kid who is grieving.”

Podcasts on the topic of parent loss, and support groups both virtual and in-person, have proliferated. “It really grew exponentially over Covid,” said hope edelman, author of several grief books, including the bestseller Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, published in 1994.

edelman has led motherless daughters’ groups, and her books have helped usher in a new way to live with loss. “The death of a mother affects a daughter profoundly, but what comes after can affect her as much or more,” she said.

On continuing bonds

eDel M a n was 17 when her mother died in 1981, a time she has called the “dark ages” of grief, when mourning often wasn’t discussed much outside the stale office of a therapist.

The prevailing wisdom today tends to be the “continuing bonds” theory, which says grief is to be carried, and relationships continue and change with a loved one, even

munity of people I feel so connected to.”

Mother’s Day can feel particularly isolating, said Julia Morin, 36, of nashua, new hampshire, who created her Instagram account “Girl_meets_grief” on Mother’s Day 2021 to connect with others who felt the same way.

Before the internet, even though the prevailing attitude toward grief might have been less supportive, still there was often

out a virtual support group of mothers without moms.

“My daughter turned 16 at the same time, and that’s how old I was when my mom died,” she said.

The group is a collaboration between edelman’s Motherless Daughters and the Twin Cities-based non-profit She Climbs Mountains. “There’s this sense of being seen for possibly the first time in my whole life,” Brown-Worsham said.

life’s milestones—such as getting married or having a baby—can trigger grief. By the time I was 30, I had tricked myself into believing I was adept at ignoring my mother’s loss. That was, of course, far from true.

It was when I had my first baby that I felt grief rise to the surface. Jealousy cropped up in unexpected ways, particularly when I saw my new mom friends with their mothers.

It turns out, this is normal.

after their death.

This more engaged approach to grief has been furthered by the internet and social media.

Ontario native Janet GwilliamWright, 46, started “The Motherlove Project,” a blog and corresponding Instagram account, in 2020 to honor the 25th anniversary of her mother’s death. It has since become a place where women from around the world share stories about their late mothers; nearly 300 people have shared so far.

“I didn’t have anywhere to grieve her— she didn’t have a grave—so I decided to make a place on the internet,” GwilliamWright explained.

“I have enormous gratitude for every woman who reaches out to me. It helps me in my grieving and has brought me a com-

more community and family around than there is now, when many a mericans lack built-in support networks.

“a nd so the widespread online support gives people a broader space to share in that grief and meet people with similar experiences,” said Megan Kelleher, a historian who has studied grief and bereavement practices.

Expression and connection

Wr I TInG is another way motherless daughters are connecting.

Sasha Brown-Worsham of acton, Massachusetts, has written about losing her mom as a teenager. She penned a viral essay and followed it up with a memoir, namaste the hard Way. When Brown-Worsham turned 45, the same age her mother was when she died of breast cancer, she sought

“having kids ripped me open” emotionally, said Katie Paradis, 42, of rockport, Massachusetts, who has two girls and no mother.

Susanna Gilbertson’s mom died a year before her daughter was born. “I looked around and didn’t see any support I could access,” said Gilbertson, 47, of Philadelphia.

a long with another motherless mom, she posted fliers for a book group, reading edelman’s Motherless Daughters. a f ter the initial meeting, the women in the group wanted to keep going. They ended up meeting for seven years.

according to Gilbertson, now a full-time grief coach, “You get to experience, rather than be told, that you’re not alone.”

The

WHen my mother died suddenly 30 years ago, I was 13. I’d spend the next 20 years attempting to understand what it means not to have a mother. and I did this basically alone.

Cover photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

‘Life’s milestones—such as getting married or having a baby— can trigger grief,’ writes the story’s author, Tracee M. Herbaugh. ‘By the time I was 30, I had tricked myself into believing I was adept at ignoring my mother’s loss. That was, of course, far from true.’

This image provided by hope Edelman, shows a motherless group being led by Edelman and Claire Bidwell smith. There are many kinds of support today for children who have lost their parents. AP