BusinessMirror May 27, 2023

THE POWER BLAME GAME

By Lenie Lectura

HOW DOES ELECTRICITY GET TO YOU?

The rotational power interruption on May 8 lasted for only one to two hours in the franchise areas of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco). If it had lasted for five hours, this may have resulted in about P556 million in economic losses, according to Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (Pippa) President Anne Estorco Montelibano.

In a recent webinar organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), she explained that the economic consequences of a power interruption is measured by the value of lost load (VoLL) or “the monetary indicator expressing the costs of interruption of electricity supply on a macro level.”

“In 2020, the country’s VoLL was at P20.65 per kilowatt hour (kWh). To put this into perspective, for every five hours of no electricity, our country loses about 500 megawatts (MW), which equates to P556 million in economic losses. It’s a hefty amount to lose for a developing country,” said Montelibano.

Who’s at fault?

HOWEVER, the power outages in the Visayas last month lasted more than five hours, according to the power bureau of the Department of Energy (DOE), significantly crippling businesses and government services.

A fter the power mess, blame

was heaped on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). “ The recent prolonged power outages in Panay and Negros, and the power interruption experienced yesterday [May 8] have been traced principally to inadequacies in the transmission system,” a statement from the office of DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla dated May 9 said.

NGCP’s Bolo ­Masinloc 230 ­kV transmission line 2 tripped on May 8. Thereafter, two units (630MW) of Masinloc power plant tripped. Together with other units already on forced outage, total power lost to the grid was 1,354MW.

The generators tripped because the line tripped. It was the transmission line that tripped first, followed by the Masinloc tripping,” commented DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara.

The NGCP initially told the DOE that heavy rains and a lightning strike on its Bolo ­Masinloc transmission Line 2 caused it to trip. With a “redundancy” in place, the load carried by Line 2 was automatically transferred to Line 1. NGCP said each of the lines is more than capable of singularly carrying the entire load of the Bolo ­Masinloc facility at any time. However, NGCP said the tripping of two Masinloc units was both unexpected and undesirable.

A g roup of 28 generator mem­

bers said it agrees with the findings of the DOE.

The Pippa agrees with the findings of the DOE and we look forward to the completion and improvement of transmission line facilities in order to mitigate the effects caused about by line tripping,” Montelibano said as she stressed that these incidents were not the fault of the power generators.

Pippa, she said, has repeatedly emphasized the need to address transmission lines issues.

Our main highways [of electricity] first need to improve, so when they traverse our local grids, energy delivery also improves. From Luzon to Visayas and vice versa, the lines are utterly congested. Undersecretary Guevara has said that without the congestion of the transmission lines, we may see a vast improvement and a decrease in power interruptions,” Montelibano recalled.

Holistic approach NGCP, for its part, brushed off insinuations that the grid operator is solely to be blamed for the power deficiency. Most importantly, the NGCP stressed the need for a holistic approach to power planning.

I do not believe that the purpose of the public statements is to as­

sign blame. The electricity industry is interconnected and our operations are naturally affected by what the other sectors do,” said NGCP spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza.

More important, NGCP emphasized that protection settings of its customers connected to its system must remain consistent with its protection settings and other grid parameters.

“ We have to coordinate with power plants if their settings are consistent with us. It has to be consistent with the settings submitted and tested by NGCP at the time they were connected. Everyone’s settings have to be consistent with each other. We are three here: generation, transmission and distribution. Otherwise, there will really be inconsistencies and avoidable interruptions,” Alabanza said.

NGCP has caught the ire of some lawmakers whenever brownouts occur; and when these happen they threaten to revoke its franchise, citing poor performance— even a security risk amid increasing maritime tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.

NGCP is 60 ­percent owned by Filipino companies Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. and Calaca High Power Corp., while the remaining 40

percent shares are held by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC).

The China factor CONCERNS have been raised about the SGCC’s stake in NGCP, i.e., that it may mean a foreign entity has control over NGCP.

NGCP said SGCC’s stake cannot and does not amount to control of the company because Filipinos own 60 percent of NGCP. Control over the company is vested in the Filipino shareholders, as envisioned by the Constitution.

Continued on A2

‘N

OT our fault.” In so many words, representatives of the country’s power generation, transmission and distribution sectors declared separately that they are not to be blamed for the recent power outages that hit Luzon and Visayas.

Georgia nuclear rebirth arrives 7 years late, $17B over cost

By Jeff Amy The Associated Press

They’re the first US reactors built from scratch in decades—and maybe the most expensive power plant ever. Georgia electric customers have already paid billions, and state regulators will ultimately decide if they’re on the hook for billions more.

Some of the key promises of Vogtle—like building modules offsite and shipping them for cheaper on-site assembly—did not pan out.

Construction delays drove Westinghouse Electric Co., a titan of American industrial history, into bankruptcy when the company couldn’t absorb overruns.

A nd the lessons could be important because government officials and some utilities are again looking to nuclear power to alleviate climate change by generating electricity without burning natural gas, coal and oil.

Vogtle’s new Unit 3 began generating power in March and is scheduled to reach commercial op -

eration by June. Unit 4 is next door on the same rural Burke County site 40 kilometers southeast of Augusta, along with two older reactors. It’s supposed to be finished by early 2024.

Success!

GEORGIA Power and its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Co., say the reactors are a triumph. Chris Womack, before he ascended from Georgia Power to become Southern Co. CEO, told The Associated Press that Vogtle is “absolutely” a success, arguing reliable power and cheap fuel costs will benefit the utility’s 2.7 million customers for decades.

“ We recognize the upfront cost and some of the challenges that we faced,” Womack said in January at Vogtle. “But yeah, this is value. This is value contribution to customers, to the state, to the energy grid, to bringing back the nuclear industry and showing that we can

do hard things.”

A s with Vogtle, supporters of future nuclear plants promise new-and-improved designs can be mass-produced at reliable prices. But Vogtle opponents scorn renewed nuclear ambitions.

I don’t see how anybody in their right mind cannot avoid saying ‘Well, what evidence do you have?’” said David Schlissel, a utility analyst who testified against Units 3 and 4 after fighting the first two Vogtle reactors in the 1970s. They also finished fabulously late and over budget.

Who’ll foot the bill?

ALMOST every electricity customer will pay for Vogtle. Georgia Power currently owns 45.7 percent

of the reactors. Smaller shares are owned by Oglethorpe Power Corp., which provides electricity to member-owned co-operatives, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and the city of Dalton.

Some Florida and Alabama utilities have also contracted to buy Vogtle’s power.

Cu rrently, the owners are projected to pay $31 billion in capital and financing costs, Associated Press calculations show.

Japan’s Toshiba Corp., which then owned Westinghouse, paid $3.7 billion to the Vogtle owners to walk away from a guarantee to build the reactors at a fixed price after overruns forced electric industry pioneer Westinghouse into bankruptcy in 2017. Add that to Vogtle’s price and the total nears $35 billion.

A US Department of Energy report details Vogtle’s other failings: Work began with incomplete designs and managers repeatedly failed to realistically schedule tasks. Experienced workers were in short supply and defective work often had to be redone. Workers quit for other jobs and the Covid-19 pandemic led to high absenteeism.

Right choice

CALCULATIONS show Vogtle’s electricity will never be cheaper than other sources Georgia Power could have chosen, even after the federal government reduced borrowing costs by guaranteeing repayment of $12 billion in loans.

Yet regulators say Vogtle was

the right choice.

“ Vogtle 3 and 4 will be a success not only for Georgia but for our country the moment that they go into service,” said Tricia Pridemore, who chairs the elected Public Service Commission of five Republicans. She argues nuclear power provides clean energy with prices immune from international market swings, and that building Vogtle increased US nuclear engineering know-how.

Customers are already paying.

Regulators estimate Georgia Power will collect $4.1 billion in advance charges, or $913 for every ratepayer. Some co-operative customers are also paying—nearly $500 million through March.

Georgia Power’s residential customers will begin paying an additional $3.78 per month as soon as Unit 3 achieves commercial operation. But the final bill won’t come until Unit 4 is complete.

Commissioners must then decide how much of Georgia Power’s spending was prudent while disallowing wasted amounts. Commissioners earlier approved $5.7 billion as prudent, but Bryan Jacob of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy said “management failures” should be scrutinized.

Ratepayers shouldn’t foot the bill for things that management could have done right in the first place,” Jacob said.

Critics fear Georgia Power will profit from mistakes. Staff estimates show Georgia Power could earn an extra $9.4 billion in profit over 60 years if allowed to charge for all spending. Customers could pay $35.7 billion overall, $20.5 billion more than originally projected.

“If they can get away with it, they benefit from screwing up,” said Schlissel, the utility analyst.

Pridemore said it may be unfair to penalize Georgia Power for overruns beyond its control, but dismissed complaints about undue profits.

I’m very familiar with the mistakes,” Pridemore said, referring to commission monitoring of Vogtle construction.

Womack said Georgia Power won’t try to collect for all overruns, promising a “balanced” outcome. Southern Co. has written off $3.26 billion in Vogtle losses since 2018, suggesting it won’t recoup those costs.

“ We’ll look at the best interests of our customers, but also look at the investments that we’ve made

here and what’s good for the company,” Womack said.

A merican utilities have heeded Vogtle’s missteps, shelving plans for 24 other reactors proposed between 2007 and 2009. Two halfbuilt reactors in South Carolina were abandoned.

But even opponents of Vogtle say the United States can’t achieve carbon-free electricity without nuclear power. Jacob’s group modeled how Southern Co. could achieve zero-carbon generation by 2035.

“It was very difficult for us to make the math work without nuclear,” Jacob said.

Reactors can run almost constantly, unlike wind and solar generation, and uranium fuel adds little cost.

It’s one of the first units that come online, because from an operational expense, it’s the lowest cost energy that’s available,” Womack said.

So nuclear proponents are trying again. A multinational partnership, including the Tennessee Valley Authority seeks to build scaled-down reactors designed by General Electric and Hitachi. The first small modular reactor, under construction east of Toronto, could be complete by 2028. TVA may build one near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Build them small “WORLDWIDE we need to double the amount of nuclear capacity, possibly even triple it by 2050 in order to meet our net-zero carbon goals,” US Assistant Secretary of Energy Kathryn Huff said in Washington in March, celebrating the partnership.

Some ideas are similar to Vogtle, including standardized designs and parts. Costs are rising for other designs planned for Idaho and Wyoming. Still, supporters believe building smaller reactors will be less daunting.

Jay Wileman, CEO of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, acknowledges any nuclear revival must overcome past problems.

“Nuclear has to have a seat at the table, but we’ve got to earn our seat at the table,” Wileman said in March. “And to do that, we’ve got to be on schedule, on budget, and it’s got to be a competitive cost.”

But Vogtle observers view those pledges dimly.

“ The industry has no track record of being right,” Schlissel said.

THE POWER BLAME GAME

Continued from A1

“ The government has always been fully aware of State Grid’s interest and participation in NGCP.

State Grid was the foreign member of the consortium that won the concession over the transmission system after an open and competitive public bidding, which was conducted four times. This consortium eventually formed NGCP to act as the concessionaire,” NGCP Assistant Corporate Secretary Atty. Ronald Concepcion pointed out.

New round of scrutiny

NGCP is also being scrutinized for the delays in the implementation of transmission projects, delays that it explained were caused by factors beyond its control, such as the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution calling for an investigation into the supposed delayed development of several transmission projects.

Gatchalian also urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to penalize NGCP for the delays, saying these adversely impact the country’s electricity supply.

I strongly suggest to the commission to enforce fines and penalties so we can impose discipline on NGCP. We are not seeing discipline because a lot of projects are delayed,” Gatchalian pointed out.

Meanwhile, the lawmaker also urged ERC to review the rate-setting methodology when it comes to NGCP’s transmission projects.

Why are we allowing them to collect from consumers upon the commencement of the project without a defined timeline as to when they can continue to collect for a project? This leads to perverse incentives because if the project is delayed for 40 years, they can also collect for 40 years, especially that their rate setting has been delayed,” he said.

Delayed projects?

ACCORDING to the ERC, there are 72 transmission projects, including six Energy Projects of National Significance (EPNS) of NGCP that were not completed on time.

ERC Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said her office approved a total of 348 projects of NGCP.

Of these, 33 projects in Luzon, 19 in the Visayas, and 14 in Mindanao experienced delays in implementation. On top of the 66 projects cited by the ERC, there are six more projects that are significant energy projects for power generation, transmission and/or ancillary services, including those required to maintain grid stability and security, and which are in consonance with the policy thrusts and specific goals of the DOE Philippine Energy Plan (PEP).

A mong the delayed EPNS proj-

ects are the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), which was originally scheduled to commence operation in December 2020, the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230kV backbone Stage 3 project, which was originally set for completion also last December 2020, and the Hermosa-San Jose 500 kV transmission line project, which was originally set for completion in 2019.

Unavoidable

THE NGCP said that despite best efforts, delays in the completion of certain projects could not be avoided due to the pandemic. Construction works had to be temporarily suspended due to quarantine regulations.

Even when restrictions were eased, the NGCP could not fully resume work on the projects because of health and safety protocols. Other factors, such as disruptions in the supply chain, which affected the manufacturing and delivery of parts and equipment, as well as issues relating to rights of way, further contributed to the delays.

At the end of the day, each of the players in the sector—whether in generation, transmission or distribution—would have something to say about why it cannot be blamed each time outages happen. Yet the one thing no one can deny is that it’s always the public paying the price.

WAYNESBORO, Gorgia—Two nuclear reactors in Georgia were supposed to herald a nuclear power revival in the United States. But the project is seven years late and $17 billion over budget as Georgia Power Co. announced the first new reactor at its Plant Vogtle could reach full electrical output by Saturday.

REACTORS for Unit 3 and 4 sit at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant on January 20, 2023, in Waynesboro, Georgia, with the cooling towers of older Units 1 and 2 billowing steam in the background. Company officials announced Wednesday, May 24, 2023, that Unit 3 would reach full power in coming days, after years of delays and billions in cost overruns. AP

By Rene Acosta

AIR Force helicopters have flown relief goods to Batanes, one of the northern provinces expected to be hit by typhoon “Mawar” when it enters the country on Friday night or early Saturday morning, the military’s Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) said on Friday.

The 850 boxes of food packs, which included food, water and other items, were airlifted on Thursday, amid the government’s massive preparation for the typhoon, which will be called “Betty” when it enters the Philippine area of responsibility.

Military spokesman Col. Jorry Baclor said the relief items were provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and were loaded at the Tuguegarao Airport with help from the DSWD Regional Office 2, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 2, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police and personnel of the Tactical Operations Group 2.

Earlier, the military alerted all search, rescue, and retrieval units for humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations in areas expected to be affected by the typhoon.

A total of 7,970 personnel, 4,242 CAFGU Active Auxiliary members and 180 reservists were tapped as first responders. 2,518 land transportation assets, 20 air assets and 265 water assets were also mobilized for the response operations.

“Aside from constantly coordinating with various LGUs and line agencies in the different regions in mitigating the effects of Betty, we are closely working with NGOs to continuously gather relief goods, which are to be rationed before and after Betty strikes the islands of Luzon,” said NOLCOM commander Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca.

Meanwhile, NDRRMC chairman and Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has reiterated his concern for government agencies to mitigate any danger amid warning of intensified monsoon rains to the

communities that will be affected.

Galvez presided over the NDRRMC’s meeting on Thursday, which was attended by heads of government agencies.

The different agencies and regional offices presented their preparedness assessments as well as their recommendations for future disaster relief operations during the meeting.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) disseminated information to the local government units (LGUs), warning the public to avoid areas affected by repeated flooding.

The advisories called for everyone to be vigilant in the monitoring of areas showing signs of landslide. The DENR also cautioned the LGUs to be aware of the geo-hazards in their respective areas and know the appropriate disaster mitigation measures to apply.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) likewise assured the council that they are closely monitoring the Department of Science and TechnologyPhilippine Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-Pagasa) bulletins and advisories and have been continuously informing and advising all communities on the situation and preparedness actions in the localities.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), on the other hand, reported that they have already prepositioned food packs and non-food items for the families that will most likely be affected by the typhoon.

“Relief operations require data, and we thank all the agencies, especially the DND [Department of National Defense] and the DOST for giving us these to help us deliver accurate services to our stakeholders,” DSWD Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian said.

Galvez reiterated that all agencies must act as one in order to properly execute the plans to minimize damages and casualties.

“All agencies, especially the OCD [Office of Civil Defense], DILG, and the AFP[Armed Forces of the Philippines], should prepare for the onset of this typhoon, so that we can help as many Filipinos as we can,” he said.

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said its success in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) will be “critical” in generating 1.1 million new jobs by 2028.

In a statement released on Friday, IBPAP President Jack Madrid underscored the impact of GenAI on human jobs. He also noted that this has been a “hot topic” in the media, as well as discussions among industry, government, and academe leaders.

In fact, Madrid said, “Companies have long been doing proof-of-concept experiments to determine how they can leverage it in their business operations to improve employee productivity, enhance customer experience, reduce costs, and increase top-line growth.”

The IBPAP chief cited as an example the use of chatbots to handle simple customer inquiries.

While it’s clear that the potential benefits of GenAI are “immense,” Madrid noted that at this phase of its evolution, there are still some “limitations” associated with its use. He said these include the lack of context-specific data; tendency for bias and other ethical concerns; shortage of AI-versed talent; and risk to data privacy and security.

As the flagship organization of the IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry, Madrid said IBPAP and its stakeholders recognized early on that GenAI will “inevitably” change the way business services are performed and delivered, bringing a “significant shift” in the dynamics between jobs, skills, and talent.

“We have since considered this both a daunting challenge and an exciting opportunity to dramatically strengthen the efficiency of global services delivery to customers by our current and future workforce,” Madrid said in a statement on Friday.

The IBPAP chief said the organization has been working with both the public and private sectors for several years now on “comprehensive” talent programs and career roadmaps with skill rating systems given the “urgent need” to continuously upskill existing talent and university students, and instill in them the importance of lifelong learning.

In line with this, Madrid divulged that IBPAP recently established an AI Council that will partner and collaborate with learning academies and organizations like the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP).

According to the IBPAP head, specific areas of focus will include programming, data science, and data analytics, including data and AI ethics.

“Through partnerships like these, IBPAP intends to enable the industry and workforce to move up the value chain. We want our skilled talent to perform higher-value work rather than mundane and repetitive tasks, so they continue to be competitive and in-demand,” Madrid said.

Madrid said companies that are “proactive” in developing and revising talent strategies will be “better positioned” to flourish in an AI-driven economy.

Further, he said, “Our success in this endeavor will be critical in generating 1.1 million new jobs for Filipinos, a goal that we had set for the Philippine IT-BPM industry when we launched Roadmap 2028 last year.”

Saudi Crown Prince allocates fund for unpaid claims of 10,000 OFWs

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

THE office of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has assured the Philippine government that it has already allocated funding to pay for more than 10,000 Filipinos who were laid off by companies that went bankrupt in 2015 and 2016.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople announced made the announcement following a meeting with her Saudi counterpart from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), Ahmad bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

on Monday.

“Minister Al-Rajhi gave us the good news that funds to pay for the unpaid claims for our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) are already allocated with the Ministry of Finance under the full authorization of the central government,” Ople said.

More than 12,000 former OFWs have applied to claim for end-of-service benefits and unpaid wages after their companies defaulted at the height of the economic crisis in the Kingdom.

Former Filipino workers from nine Saudi companies that went bankrupt will benefit from this program. Ople said even Saudi nationals who were not paid their benefits

will also be covered.

The MHRSD has yet to release the list of nine Saudi companies that laid off their workers as a result of bankruptcy.

But many of the Filipino claimants are construction workers from Saudi Oger, Bin Laden and MMG.

DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia and his Saudi counterpart were designated focal persons to resolve issues related to the mechanism on implementing the payout.

Ople said Saudi MHRSD will determine all the Filipino workers who would be eligible to receive unpaid claims, based on the employment records of Saudi companies.

Ople said the Saudi MHRSD will determine

all the Filipino claimants eligible to receive unpaid claims based on the employment records of Saudi companies. Even those who failed to submit their claims at DMW, but whose names are in the registered list of Saudi companies may also be qualified.

Saudi Minister Al-Rajhi will also be coming to Manila to follow up the issue on unpaid claims.

The Saudi government has fast tracked the processing of unpaid claims after the meeting between Saudi Crown Prince and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference Summit in November 2022.

PBBM leads commissioning of 2 missile boats during Navy’s 125th anniversary

By Rex Anthony Naval

THE International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines is aiming to double its export sales this year with the doubling of its exhibitors since 2022, an IFEX official said.

Last year, the country’s major international food trade show generated $107.1 million in export sales. Meanwhile, IFEX said the 346 exhibitors in 2022 would double to 713 in 2023.

“With the magnitude of our exhibitors, most likely we can bring you a better figure for the export sales lalo na ang ating mga regions and also even yung ating mga consolidators, ‘yung ating mga food exporters talaga na they can already stand on their own,” IFEX Project Manager and Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM)

Rowena G. Mendoza told reporters at a briefing on Friday in Pasay City.

“So itong mga ito maganda na makita natin na nag-iincrease ‘yung sales nila. Hopefully yung $107 (million) hindi lang siya 107 kung nag-double tayo ng exhibitors, sana mag-double din ‘yung export sales natin,” Mendoza added.

The IFEX project manager said they usually set the target based on the number of exhibitors.

For his part, CITEM Executive Director Edward L. Ferreira underscored the importance of the food trade show in building stronger partnerships and establishing new connections between local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and international trade buyers.

IFEX Philippines is a response to the stable growing global demand for Asian and healthy food products, such as durian and ube,” Ferreira said.

Meanwhile, Senator Mark Villar, chairperson for Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship and Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies, highlighted Senate Bill No. 1594 or the One Town, One Product

(OTOP) Philippines, a government program for MSMEs aiming to drive inclusive local economic growth by offering Philippine products, in the international stage.

T he said bill, Villar noted, has been approved and is now on its third and final reading.

Through the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) lens, Trade Undersecretary Carol Sanchez zeroed in on the Philippines’s membership to the world’s largest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and its potential contribution for small merchants.

“DTI supports increased opportunities for our MSMEs to offer their products and services on the international scene and to have more participation in the global value chains [GVC],” Sanchez said.

DTI’s export promotions arm CITEM, spearheaded by Ferreira, officially launched the 16th edition of IFEX Philippines at the World Trade Center on Friday, May 26,2023.

In a statement released by CITEM last March, the export promotions arm of DTI noted IFEX Philippines 2023 would highlight the idea of sharing, which is at the core of Filipino food culture.

The “wide and diverse range of products” that will be showcased at the food trade event include beverages, fine food and specialties, fruits and vegetables, biscuits and confectioneries, snacks and crispy savory food products, meat and poultry, dairy products, cereals, grains and starch, seafood and marine products, organic and natural products, raw materials and food ingredients, and equipment and services.

Ferreira also earlier noted that in its 16th year, the food trade event aims to p osition the Philippines as a “sourcing destination” that is not only capable of meeting global demands but also offers some of the “most distinct and innovative products on the market.”

IFEX Philippines 2023 will run from May

to 28,2023. Andrea E. San Juan

AS it celebrated its 125th founding anniversary Friday, the Philippine Navy (PN) highlighted the occasion with the commissioning and activation of two more Israeli-made fast attack interdiction craft missile (FAIC-M) platforms.

The high-speed FAIC-Ms, which will be used by the PN in protecting the country’s littoral domains, were formally christened as the BRP Gener Tinangag (PG-903) and BRP Domingo Deluana (PG-905) during short ceremonies at the Naval Shipbuilding Facility Wharf at Fort San Felipe, Cavite City last May 8.

The FAIC-M platforms were delivered to the Navy last April 11.

Present during the PN’s 125th founding anniversary and subsequent commissioning of these two naval assets were President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Defense chief Carlito Galvez Jr., Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino and Navy chief Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr.

A daci, in his anniversary speech, said the PN remains committed to its transformation and modernization efforts.

“And as we embark on our transformation

journey, we remain relentless in our modernization efforts. In line with this we have just commissioned the PN’s two Acero-class vessels, which symbolize the promising future of our maritime defense and efforts toward enhanced capabilities, increased resilience and stronger presence in the maritime domain,” he stressed.

Adaci also lauded the “national leader” for making the ongoing PN modernization and their continued support for the Navy’s vision of becoming a modern and multicapable naval force.

“The celebration was made ever more momentous with the commissioning of the brand-new FAIC-M platforms—the newly christened BRP Gener Tinangag and BRP Domingo Deluana—which officially joined the fleet of the Acero-class patrol gunboat[s],” PN spokesperson Capt. Benjo Negranza said.

The namesake of these vessels are both members of the Philippine Marine Corps and awardees of the Medal of Valor like the first two FAIC-Ms who were commissioned into service last November.

These gunboats are the BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901) and BRP Lolinato To-Ong (PG-902).

The Acero-class gunboats are also known

as the Israel Shipyard Ltd. Shaldag Mark V of which four are now in active service with the PN.

Five more are scheduled to be delivered within the next two years.

“These vessels will soon see action once deployed to vital choke points, major sea lines of communication, and littoral domains of the country. These 32-meter long gunboats will provide added muscle to the Navy’s capability to secure the seas with their quick intercept ability, remote stabilized weapons, and short-range missiles,” Negranza said.

He added that activation of these additional FAIC-Ms is a step closer to the completion of the nine boat contract worth P10 billion.

“Their commissioning gave more prestige to the Navy’s celebration of its 125th founding year, providing a tangible manifestation of its anniversary theme, ’Guardian of the Seas: Ensuring National Sovereignty, Security, and Stability,” Negranza said.

Four of the FAIC-Ms will be armed with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles with pinpoint accuracy and a range of 25 kilometers, while the other five will be armed with typhoon-mounted 30mm main cannons

and .50 caliber heavy machine guns. These ships have a displacement of 95 tons, a maximum speed of 40 knots, and a range of 1,000 nautical miles.

The acquisition of these FAIC-Ms is among the 2019 projects approved by former President Rodrigo Duterte under the Horizon 2 List of the AFP Modernization Program.

The notice of award for the FAIC-M project worth around P10 billion was issued on January 5, 2021. These are expected to replace PN’s medium-sized patrol craft fleet.

Once deliveries of the FAIC-Ms are completed, these vessels can interdict surface threats and launch NLOS missiles safely using the surrounding littoral areas as maneuver space and cover.

“Their addition to the fleet inventory is a significant step forward in the Navy’s ongoing capability upgrade towards achieving a minimum defense posture and asserting greater efficiency in the execution of its mandated task, especially with their deployment to vital choke points, key sea lines of communication, and littoral areas of the country where terrorist groups and other lawless elements are operating,” Negranza earlier said.

Taiwanese manufacturing firms keen on expanding Philippine operations

EIGHT Taiwanese companies, majority of which specialize in electronics and semiconductor products as well as industrial/machinery parts and components, have expressed “keen interest” in expanding their presence in the Philippine manufacturing sector, according to the Board of Investments (BOI).

In a statement issued on Thursday, the BOI said the Philippines welcomed a Taiwanese business delegation on May 16, 2023.

The delegation, the BOI noted, comprising high-ranking officials from eight Taiwanese companies, expressed keen interest in expanding their presence in the

manufacturing sector. Most of the visiting companies specialize in the manufacture of electronics and semiconductor products as well as industrial/machinery parts and components, the investment promotion agency also noted.

According to BOI, of particular interest to three companies within the delegation was the country’s semiconductor industry.  These companies, the BOI added, are particularly engaged in manufacturing circuit boards, high precision terminals for memory card connectors, and metal stamping parts.

As to the purpose of the business delegation’s visit, the BOI

said they came to explore incentives available for the semiconductor industry in the Philippines, assess local market demand, and establish connections with existing IC packaging and testing companies.

In addition, they sought “guidance” on establishing manufacturing sites, including land and factory acquisitions, the BOI said. The rest of the Taiwanese companies, the BOI said, are also interested in the real estate business and manufacture of air care/home fragrance products, as well.

According to BOI, Taiwan “consistently” ranks among the Philippines’s top sources

of investment.

In fact, it said, “In 2022, Taiwan’s investment pledges reached approximately $5 million [P928.9 million], making it the country’s 10th largest source of investments.”

Further, foreign direct investments from Taiwan amounted to $21.18 million, positioning it as Philippines’s 10th largest investor.

“This recent visit of the Taiwanese business delegation not only strengthens the economic ties between the two nations but also paves the way for further collaboration and growth,” BOI said in its statement on Thursday.

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DBP, LandBank money in Maharlika Fund should yield more than currrent investment–Escudero

By Butch Fernandez

DESPITE an apparent com -

mitment by the Senate leadership for the chamber to pass the Maharlika Investment Fund bill before Congress goes on recess on June 2, several senators signaled their intent to take out controversial provisions and put in more protection for the funders of the original investment pool.

Sen. Chiz Escudero, for one, batted for “more earning guarantees” in the Maharlika Fund bill, which he expects would allow the sovereign fund to surpass the 6-percent income threshold that the two state-owned banks presently earn from their investments.

Without a benchmark in yields, billions from the Land Bank of the

Philippines (LandBank) and the Development Bank of  Philippines (DBP) placed in the Maharlika Investment  Corp. (MIC) will be earning less than their present return on investment (ROI), he warned.

“Ang ideya ay dapat lumago ang pera ng LandBank at DBP, at hindi  malugi [The point is to grow the money of Land Bank and DBP, not to have them incur losses],” Escudero said.

Noting, “the bill makes their equity compulsory,” he asked: “So, in exchange, will there be guarantees as to their returns as well?”

The bill, as presently worded, “is a leap of faith to the great unknown,” he added.

He summed up his question thus:

“Simple lang naman ang tanong: Kaya n’yo bang lampasan ang kita ng dalawang bangko sa investments nila? Kung may pag-aalinlangan, bakit napakaaggressive yata ng marketing ng bill na ito [The question is simple: Can their Maharlika investment yield surpass what these banks are currently earning from their investments? If there is equivocation, why is this bill being marketed so aggressively?]” he asked.

The senator added, in a mix of English and Filipino: “If a ten-peso headache pill carries therapeutic guarantee, why is it that in this fund, with its price tag in the hundreds of billions, there seems to be none?”

At the Senate plenary deliberations last Wednesday, Escudero noted he has yet to hear a full explanation on how much these banking

giants  will earn from their Maharlika investments.

He recalled, “LandBank and DBP, during the hearings, said they were earning on average 6 percent to 8 percent. So, let us average it up at 7 percent. You have to give LandBank and DBP a return of at least 7 percent per annum on what they invested in MIC.”

The senator added that on top of that is the 2-percent administrative fee cap the MIC may use.” Escudero also noted: “Then we have to factor in inflation. So easily, the yield will be in the two-digit zone.”

In any investment pitch, he stressed, the return on investment “is the most important bottomline. An investment is made because one is convinced that it will make money.”

He then added: “Not behest.

DUTY-FREE WORKERS EYE LEGAL ACTION TO KEEP JOBS

THE Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) is reportedly set to start the mass retrenchment of its workers next month as part of its ongoing restructuring plans, according to a labor group.

A t a news conference on Friday, the United Workers of Duty Free PhilippinesFederation of Free Workers (UWDFPFFW) president Ernesto Mangalindan disclosed the DFPC management has already sent notices for separation to 58 of its workers last May 16.

“That is why by June 21, the first batch of those who will be covered by the SIP

(Separation Incentive Package) will be retrenched. This will continue with the release of more notice [for separation],” he said.

T he restructuring plan was deferred by the Department of Tourism (DOT) last December and by the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GCG) last April.

FFW P resident Sonny Matula said DFPC decided to push through with its restructuring plan despite questions on its legality.

H e argued the five-year ban for the

affected workers from applying to other government offices violates the equal protection provision of the Constitution.

Mangalindan also poin ted out DFPC no longer has any basis to push through with the restructuring since it already recovered from the impact of the pandemic.

DFPC cit ed the Covid-19 pandemic to justify the need to reduce manpower from about 700 to just 345.

Mangalindan not ed that no less than Duty-Free COO Vicente Pelagio Angala reported that their sales in 2022 doubled to $64 million compared to the previous year.

Not something coerced through legislation.”

As filed, Senate Bill 2020 states that of the total authorized P500 billion in capital stocks of the MIC, the initial P125 billion worth of MIC common stocks to be subscribed by the national government, amounting to P75 billion, shall be fully paid by the following: P50 billion by the LBP and P25 billion by the DBP.

Under the bill, the two banks can seek regulatory relief from the Central Bank if their position falls below standards.

Pero dapat hindi umabot sa ganoon [But it need not go this far]. And to dangle this as the standard reply to issues validly raised is not the comforting answer we want to hear,” he added.

To stop the implementation of the restructuring, DFPC announced it would seek a temporary restraining order before the Parañaque Regional Trial Court next week. With the help of the FFW, we will file legal action against Duty Free because until there is no such legal action, it will not stop [with the restructuring plan] even if the provisions of the IRR (implementing rules and regulations) are illegal,” Mangalindan said.

B usiness M irror tried to get the reaction of the DFPC management on the said issue, but as of press time it has yet to respond on the request.

Samuel P. Medenilla

GSIS readies emergency loan for members ahead of ‘Betty’

IN anticipation of the impending arrival of typhoon “Betty” (international code name: Mawar), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Wick Veloso announced today that the state pension fund is preparing its emergency loan program to assist members and pensioners nationwide who may be adversely affected by the incoming weather disturbance.

The weather bureau issued a warning that typhoon Betty could trigger heavy rains, potentially causing flooding or rain-induced landslides in Northern Luzon starting late Sunday or early next week. Betty is also forecasted to usher in monsoon rains across the

western parts of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Visayas from Sunday or Monday onward.

“We have specifically earmarked P6 billion for our emergency loan budget this year to guarantee loan assistance to members and pensioners who need help during calamities,“ Veloso said.

Under the loan, members who have existing emergency loan balance may borrow up to P40,000 to pay off their previous emergency loan balance and still receive a maximum net amount of P20,000. Those without existing emergency loan may apply for P20,000. Pensioners are also eligible to apply for a loan of P20,000. The loan comes with a 6 percent interest

Legarda lauds tougher law on geographical safeguards

SENATE President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda lauded recent moves to reinforce rules and regulations safeguarding geographical indications (GIs) in the country, potentially giving Filipino-made products a significant advantage toward economic and social development through responsible use of the intellectual property system.

“These new regulations issued by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) are, therefore, a welcome development,” she shared.

The senator acknowledged, “While it cannot be expected to resolve past controversies or halt attempts at cultural appropriation, it is a very good step toward

this end.”

She pointed out that as defined by the IPO, “geographical indications are any indication that identifies a good as originating in a territory, region, or locality, where a given quality, reputation, or other characteristics of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin and/or human factors.”

The lawmaker listed the identified potential GIs in the country include the Cordillera heirloom rice, Guimaras mangoes, Benguet cacao, Batangas kapeng barako, Davao pomelo, and the Bagtason loom weave of Legarda’s home province of Antique, among other local products. Butch Fernandez

rate and has a repayment period of three years. The loan also includes a redemption insurance feature, which ensures that the balance will be deemed fully paid in the event of the borrower’s death, as long as payments are up-to-date at the time.

Eligible applicants must be active members, not on unpaid leave, with a minimum of three months’ paid premiums within the last six months. They should have no pending administrative or criminal case and maintain a net take-home pay of at least P5,000 after all mandatory monthly deductions.

Members who are unqualified for an emergency loan may apply under the

An advocate and staunch supporter of Philippine products herself, she the back-end and front-end implications of GIs that go beyond marketing. “An indication of origin does a great deal more than increase market awareness and ensure sales,” the senator said.

“People developing GIs are demonstrating nature-based solutions, and we must pay attention as they do,” she suggested, adding that “when people enhance their local products, like native plants and animals grown there, they enhance the capacity of their communities to address problems within their specific context.”

Legarda, a four-term senator, also emphasized “the importance of ensuring the integration of efforts with those of the government and other communities that will inspire further developments and an upswing of collective pride that benefits traditional and indigenous Filipino products.”

Multi-purpose Loan (MPL) Plus, which has a maximum loanable amount of P5 million.

While pensioners have the alternative option to apply for the enhanced Pension Loan program, allowing them to borrow either up to six months’ worth of their pension or up to P500,000.

For further details on the Emergency Loan program, members and pensioners may visit the GSIS web site (www.gsis.gov.ph) or Facebook page (@gsis.ph); email gsiscares@ gsis.gov.ph; or call the GSIS Contact Center at 8847-4747 (if in Metro Manila) or 1-8008-847-4747 (for Globe and TM subscribers) or 1-800-10-847-4747 (for Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text subscribers).

A veteran legislator, Escudero pointed out that once a regulatory relief is sought, “that means the banks already lost a lot of money.”

Before Escudero’s lengthy interpellation last Wednesday of Maharlika bill sponsor Sen. Mark Villar, two other senators—Sherwin Gatchalian and Joel Villanueva—grilled the latter on the implications of delaying the capitalization buildup of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the implied result of the central bank’s being mandated to turn over dividends also to the initial investment pool for Maharlika.

They worried that with the delayed capitalization buildup, the BSP might not be in a strong enough position to withstand shocks in the banking and financial system.

PBBM

says

PHL gets offer for submarine production

By Samuel P. Medenilla

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is considering the local production of submarines to boost the country’s maritime security.

D uring a media interview after the 125th anniversary celebration of the Navy in Manila on Friday, Marcos said several countries have offered to build submarines in the country.

“S o that is what we are now looking at since it will be a big deal if we can build submarines here, provide those submarines to other countries then that’s another source of jobs, and of income and increased capability for our Navy,” Marcos said.

H e made the pronouncement as he mentioned plans to secure submarines for the Philippine Navy (PN).

T he President noted the acquisition is currently under study and it will entail several requirements from the government.

“It is a v ery large commitment because the training that is involved, the equipment that is involved and the operational requirements that are involved are quite significant,” Marcos said.

W hile the said study is still pending, he said the country will continue to develop its anti-submarine capabilities instead.

“S o that is what we will prioritize and then hopefully when the time comes and the conditions are agreeable then we might be able to acquire those submarines,” Marcos said.

Last y ear, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the procurement of submarines for the PN is not part of its priority since it is still implementing other contracts in its ongoing modernization program

A part of the said modernization initiatives is the government’s commissioning of two PN vessels—Patrol Gunboat (PG) 903 and PG 905— last Friday.

Marcos said the two ships would be used in the paroling of the West Philippine Sea.

“ With the commissioning of the two vessels today, we look further forward to the completion of the AFP Modernization Program, particularly its Horizon 3, which is significantly devoted to the naval aspect of our military operations,” Marcos said.

Samuel P. Medenilla

Power rate continues to drop in Davao Light franchise area

Manuel T. Cayon

DAVAO CITY—The good news here is that power rate continues its decrease since January.

The bad news is that the hot summer months may prompt heavy consumption among industries and households.

The Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Co. disclosed that overall power rate of Davao Light has continued to decrease in the past five months. The latest reduction is from P11.14 in April to P10.04 this May.

“This translates to a P211.76 difference from the previous billing of households whose average monthly electricity consumption is 200 kilowatt-hours (kWh),” the company said in a statement issued on Friday.

It said the low rate was attributed to

the decrease on power supply prices from the Philippine Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao which Davao Light took advantage of, and from coal power suppliers where the company sourced a part of its power requirement.

Even with this decrease, the distribution utility “reminds customers to properly manage their energy consumption, especially during the dry season,” stressing that market prices remain volatile.

“With current high demand for energy, an increase in the power rate is possible in the following months,” it said.

The country marked the start of its warm and dry season in March. In Davao City, a 42°Celsius heat index was recorded on May 24 based from the Department of Science and Technology—Philippine Atmospheric,

Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA)’s latest heat index information, the Davao Light said.

“Accordingly, a heat index from 42°Celsius to 51°Celsius falls under the classification ‘danger’ as it can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke,” it added.

“With the summer months, we experience much discomfort brought about by the heat. We tend to use more cooling appliances and use them for longer duration than usual,” said Fermin Edillon, head of the Davao Light Reputation Enhancement Department.

“On top of that, our children are home as most schools already ended their school year. Historically, in Davao Light’s franchise area, customer consumption is high during the dry season.”

Senior-living

defaults outpace

By Lauren Coleman-Lochner

ONE sector is an outlier when it comes to the traditionally tiny default rates in the $4 trillion municipal bond market.

Roughly 7 percent of the $43 billion in outstanding senior-living bonds, or about $3.2 billion, is in default on a payment, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compares to a rate of less than 1 percent for all state and local government debt.

Health care has been slammed by a shortage of caregivers and higher wage and supply costs, even as the pandemic pushed occupancy rates down. Hundreds of nursing homes have closed since the beginning of the pandemic as they cope with those pressures, along with government reimbursements that fall short of covering costs—and the fallout is expected to continue.

For elderly people with more options, the pandemic accelerated a growing preference to avoid senior living, said Eric Kazatsky, senior US municipals strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence.

“Since Covid hit, many elderly are opting to age at home,” he said in an interview.

K azatsky points out that a significant number of Americans in the 55 to 65 age group now have long-term care insurance, giving them “a sense of agency over how their care is given.”

And more seniors are moving in with their children in a return to multigenerational households, he added.

Overall defaults—including violations that don’t involve missed payments like reserve draws or covenant breaches—have improved in the sector since earlier in the pandemic, according to Kazatsky, dropping to $228.2 million through May, compared with $410.8 million in the same time period last year.  (With assistance from Martin Z. Braun and Trevor Rowe / Bloomberg)

DOH reiterates urgency to boost elderly vs Covid-19

By Stephanie Sevillano

Dr. Divine Agustin, DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau-Evidence Generation and Management Section officer-in-charge, said that these two groups remain most vulnerable to increased risk of hospitalization and death.

Agustin said through time, the body’s immune response naturally decreases the creation of antibodies.

“ We need to increase it [immune response] again to have a protection against severe Covid-19 leading to hospitalizations and deaths,” she said during the annual convention of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) at Edsa Shangri-La in Mandaluyong City.

The DOH noted that among those with comorbidities, 59.2 percent are yet to be boosted.

“For A2, that’s just 33 percent and they really need the booster, so we are really falling short for the senior citizens group, and for the A3, 40.8 percent have their first boosters already,” Agustin added.

She also urged the public to take advantage of the government’s Covid vaccine program despite the lifting of the global public health emergency for Covid-19.

“Very accessible po ang bakuna Free pa po siya. So take that opportunity to be vaccinated. Kasi baka after some time, by purchase na po siya,”

DEPARTMENT of Health’s Dr. Divine Agustin (inset) presents the interaction of cardiovascular disease with Covid-19 during the annual convention of the Philippine Heart Association at Edsa Shangri-La in Mandaluyong City on May 23, 2023. Addressing cardiovascular diseases remains one of the top priorities of the agency, which also renewed the call for the elderly to avail themselves of Covid-19 vaccines and booster shots. PNA Agustin said.

Meanwhile, the DOH said about 43 percent of recorded deaths due to Covid-19 are unvaccinated, emphasizing the crucial role of vaccination in preventing the disease.

As of March 15, the DOH has logged 66,453 Covid-19 fatalities out of the 4,116,925 total cases nationwide since January 2020.

“If we look at our analysis, 43 percent of deaths of Covid-19 are from those unvaccinated individuals, so,

we can see here the importance of vaccination against Covid-19,” said DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media forum.

She added that the daily average of Covid-19 cases showed a 28-percent increase from May 9 to 15 with 1,798 cases logged per day compared to the 1,400 infections per day reported from May 2 to 8.

The national positivity rate is 23.5 percent, higher than last

week’s 20 percent.

More than 78.4 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, including 7.2 million senior citizens, 10.2 million adolescents, and 5.6 million children as of March 20, 2023.

More than 23.8 million individuals have received their first booster dose and almost 4.4 million have received their second booster shots.

Vergeire confirmed the local transmission of the Omicron XBB.1.16 or Arcturus subvariant. This, after the recent genome sequencing revealed three additional cases of the subvariant in Western Visayas.

The first case was detected last month in Iloilo province.

“We think, based on what we’re seeing, that there is already no linkage to any of these cases that we have been identifying, that there is already a local transmission of this Arcturus just like any of the different subvariants or the Omicron variant in the country,” she said.

On the other hand, Vergeire said the public has nothing to fear about local transmission because they can always protect themselves by observing health protocols such as wearing face masks, getting vaccinated and receiving their booster doses. PNA

Australian police use Taser on 95-year-old woman with dementia who held steak knife

By ROD McGUIRK The Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia—Police

shocked a 95-year-old woman with a stun gun as she approached them using a walker and carrying a steak knife in an Australian nursing home, sending her to the hospital in critical condition after her head hit the floor.

T he extraordinary police takedown of Clare Nowland, who has dementia, on Wednesday prompted a high-level police internal investigation.

It also has sparked debate about how New South Wales state police use stun guns, which are widely known as Tasers after a major manufacturer. They are a less lethal option than firearms but have occasionally proved more dangerous than other policing options.

Po lice said Nowland received her injuries from striking her head on the floor, rather than directly from the stun gun’s debilitating electric shock.

Two police officers went to Yallambee Lodge, a nursing home in the town of Cooma that specializes

The seeds of the next human species in our grandchildren

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

evolution, as theorized by Charles Darwin, has never ceased. It is happening all the time among living creatures. From that standpoint, human beings are continuously transforming and mutating and will do so as long as we continue to successfully reproduce.

I remember a friend telling me that the first super humans are here already. Oh yeah? Who and where are they? I asked, with a raised eyebrow. The savants, he says. Seeing the blank look on my face, he elaborates: “Remember Dustin Hoffman in ‘Rain Man’? They are the new generation of super humans, pards!” I saw that he really meant it, saying it in a glowing wondrous tone.

in residents with higher care needs including dementia, after staff reported that Nowland had taken a serrated steak knife from the kitchen.

Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter declined to say whether he thought a police officer with 12 years’ experience used excessive force by firing a stun gun at Nowland, who is 1.57 meters (5 feet, 2 inches) tall and weighs 43 kilograms (95 pounds).

Cotter said police engaged in “negotiations” with Nowland for several minutes and used the stun gun when she approached the doorway where the officers were standing.

A s I said, he won’t be the product of natural evolution as we know but the result of a technology-assisted process.

O ne approach involves the fusion of Homo sapiens and technology. With rapid advancements in two branches of science called Bionics and Cybernetics, we now have real people with cybernetic implants of bionic parts such as bionic eyes, bionic arms, hands and legs. Scientists are now working on cybernetic brain implants, which essentially adds an extra computer to the brain’s natural ability.

“At the time she was tasered, she was approaching police. But it is fair to say at a slow pace. She had a walking frame. But she had a knife. I can’t take it any further as to what was going through anyone’s mind,” Cotter told reporters.

Nicole Lee, president of the advocacy group People with Disability Australia, said she was shocked by the police response. She’s either one hell of an agile, fit, fast and intimidating 95-year-old woman, or there’s a very poor lack of judgment on those police officers and there really needs to be some ac-

supposed to be done only with plants and animals. But scientists are already thinking of employing it in humans to prevent diseases such as cancer or dementia by tweaking individual genes or selecting specific embryos to avoid health problems.

W hen genetic engineering starts manipulating human genes, the genetic changes made will be present in future children. It could lead to the emergence of a “Genetically Modified Homo Sapiens.”

countability on their side,” Lee said. Family spokesperson Andrew Thaler said Nowland’s dementia “waxes and wanes.” The question will be, how was it appropriate to use this level of force on a 95-year-old woman?” Thaler was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald. Cotter described video from the two police officers’ body cameras of the incident as “confronting footage.” But he said the video was part of an internal police investigation and it would “not be in the public interest to be releasing that.”

be willing to take on?

W hat will happen to the human spirit? Can technosapiens still feel and show empathy and compassion? Will humanity give way to a triumph of technology? How will it impact our human self-understanding? Will it still make sense to speak of human beings as created in the image of God? Or will there be a new theology to accommodate the technological element of the new human species?

ONE early morning, over cups of coffee, my wife and I had a talk about our young grand kids. She was worried about what would happen to them in the future after we’re long gone. I tried to assuage her anxieties, telling her they will manage on their own. After all, I said, look at us now; we found a way to cope somehow.

A ctually, it set off my mind wandering into the distant future. 200 years from now, what would our great-great-great grandchildren be

like? Would they spawn a new species of humans? How I wish I could travel to the future just to satisfy my curiosity.

T here are scientists who claim that a few hundred years from now, Homo sapiens would no longer be the Homo sapiens that we know today. He would have evolved. It may still be under genus Homo but it will be a hybrid species that is highly intelligent and with extraordinary abilities. Perhaps, these are mere speculations but they are a good reminder that

I ndeed there is a savant syndrome, characterized by persons who have exceptional abilities, especially in the areas of music, art, math, and memory. They are said to have a unique brain wiring. The ignorant or misinformed would pigeonhole them as autistic, implying that they’re “abnormal” in the negative sense. Could they be the first wave of super humans?

On the other hand, a more believable scenario is that advanced technologies will give birth to a new hybrid of human species. Their genetic makeup will be different from Homo sapiens’ genes in ways never before imagined possible through natural evolution alone.

Homo technosapiens is the taxonomic label given to this species.

T his is now even made truly possible with nanotechnology, which is focused on producing devices and structures done on a nano scale, meaning invisible to the naked eye. This branch of science can complement and augment cybernetics by implanting nano bionic parts into the human body. For instance, scientists can put tiny implants to strengthen the heart and nervous system or target micro cancer cells or repair vascular leaks, among other possibilities.

I f we can produce bionic human parts and implant them in the human body, it won’t be long before we would have a full-fledged cybernetic human, or “cyborg,” a hybrid: half man and half machine.

C yborg descendants are a terrifying thought, but more worrisome is a new branch of science called “Genetic Engineering.” This science enables the transfer of genes from one plant or animal into another. So far it is

I n his book “Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity” Jamie Metzl, a leading technology and healthcare futurist, says that while new genetic technologies are indeed exhilarating, they can also be terrifying. Ironically, science teaches us that for every action there is a reaction. They can lead to a kind of evolution that will be undesirable and negatively affect the purpose of the engineering. We have a saying, “be careful what you wish for,” because like Icarus of Greek mythology, we could fly too close to the sun and get burned if we hubristically go too far.

I f technosapiens is indeed our inescapable future, then we must all come together to figure out the best ways forward. We need a very strong ethical and cultural framework to make sure that we’ll use these technologies wisely and prudently. What would we be willing to pay to make it possible? What values would we be willing to give up or compromise? What risks would we individually and collectively

I leave these questions to the future, together with this important reminder from the Jesuit priest and archeologist Teilhard de Chardin: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

A s I open the door to my grandchildren coming home from school, I relish the joy of their presence in the moment. Yet when I realize that they are natural born “tekkies,” so attached and so bonded to technological gadgets almost the whole day, I cannot help but see in them the seeds of future bionic or cyborg descendants. I’m afraid their children will inevitably become the great great ancestors of Homo technosapiens.

I n the same way that I tried to allay the fears of my wife during our early morning talk regarding the future, I can only cling hopefully to what a wise old man once said: “We take care of the future best by taking care of the present. Let the future take care of the future, like it always has.”

MANILA—The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday reiterated the urgency for senior citizens (A2) and persons with comorbidities (A3) to avail themselves of booster shots against the coronavirus that is evolving into more contagious variants.

debt

the rest of govt debt market

Editor: Mike Policarpio

US trains 500 OSY on financial literacy, early-biz management

Called the “Saving and Internal Lending Communities” or SILC, these saving and lending groups are composed of OSY trained by the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) “Opportunity 2.0” project and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) on technical-vocational skills, as well as entrepreneurship.

USAID partnered with Catholic Relief Services Phils. to implement the savings and lending approach of SILC to give the youth essential skills in finance and business. The youth work with their peers to pool their resources, save up for their needs, and have a support group as they venture into small enterprises.

USAID Phils. education director Thomas LeBlanc said these interventions “provide [OSY with a solid

financial foundation so that they can fulfill] their dreams of pursuing further education, applying for jobs, or starting their own businesses.”

The youth, organized in five cities, has saved a total of P620,000 since January 2021. To date these groups have loaned out P320,000 to support education, training, livelihood, and other emergency needs of its youth members.

To celebrate the successful pilot, USAID hosted a learning event on May 9 and 10 in Cebu. It also looked at the program implementation in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Cotabato, and Quezon City.

As host, Mayor Michael Rama of Cebu City—chair of the USAIDsupported Youth Development Alliance in the city—acknowledged the agency as “a longtime partner

in development,” and thanked the program for “equipping the youth with the skills for us to be able to take on the challenges of the future.”

Jerhom Trigosa—a youth member of a SILC group in Quezon City—shared how the group used their funds to invest in a small business with local urban farmers: “We learned how to rotate and grow our savings through entrepreneurship. We took a loan from our group sav -

New tech hub to teach kids entrepreneurship

FILIPINO learners can anticipate a new education and fun destination in the metro toward the coming months, as ABC Tech Ventures Inc. has tied up with Dream Lab with the recent launch of “ABC Tech Hub” at the Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati City.

According to ABC Tech Ventures Inc. CEO Arvin Arik Carranceja, this partnership pushes the boundaries in novel learning, resulting in a trend-setting paradigm shift that would reinvent the academic industry.

“Our vision for this hub is not just ambitious, but transformative. It’s not just a space—it’s a fusion of technology and education, a launchpad for dreams, and a living testament to our unwavering commitment to accessible, innovative education,” he said.

ings to invest and create pumpkin cookie samples. We wanted to help farmers in the community and also increase their sales, as well as… promote healthier eating options.”

USAID is looking to sustain and scale-up this approach and content through a partnership with Tesda, which has used its local and community-based training institutions to support youth groups across the country.

Mapua opens new biz programs, welcomes new dean

THE world has become more con -

nected and highly competitive in the digital age. Filipino students need quality higher education that offers a more globalized outlook, equipping them to compete on the world stage.

Mapúa University steps up to the plate via its groundbreaking collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU), which is ranked No.1 in innovation for eight consecutive years by US News and World Report . This created an opportunity for Mapúa to expand its business-program offerings under its E.T. Yuchengco School of Business (ETYSB).

To push this refreshed approach to a global-view education, Mapúa has appointed Dr. Jagdeep Jassel as the new dean of Business for the university.

“Dr. Jag,” as he is best known, brings years of experience that has led to the growth of organizations across industries: from manufacturing and hospitality, to education. He is one with Mapua’s vision in providing quality and relevant education to its students by not only teaching theory, but also bringing real-world applications into the classroom.

Matter of business

AS dean of the Business faculty in his former university, Dr. Jag was responsible for driving excellence and improving students’ outcomes. He hopes to apply the same expertise in Mapúa and to the business school.

“In the Philippines, the landscape

is ripe for businesses to grow,” he said.

“We have a university with 100 years of better pedagogical experience that we can leverage [on]. It is a thoughtful decision and the right time to enter the business space, especially with our collaboration with ASU.”

Using the partnership as a kick-off point, the ETYSB is introducing pillar business programs suited to the needs of the rapidly shifting business landscape. The school already offers Business Administration and Accountancy as its core, focusing on building a successful enterprise: Operation Management, Marketing Management, and Financial Management. They expand via courses to strengthen students’ skills in navigating data-driven businesses.

Mapúa’s business school now offers degrees in Business Intelligence and Analytics and Financial Technology. Both courses are aligned with digital technologies and data that have become integral to critical business decisions.

Students taking a course in Financial Technology will gain knowledge of the most recent innovations in finance. It covers subjects in data analytics and digital currencies: how they are applied to enhance financial services, including the knowledge to use technology in creating new financial products.

Resolving challenging financial issues is also part of their study. The Bachelor of Science program in Business Intelligence and Analytics focuses on the increasing need for data in all major business processes.

On the other hand, Global Manage -

New UP agri campus rises

HOME-GROWN developer for sustainable real estate in the South, Damosa Land welcomes to its premier integrated township Agriya the University of the Philippines-Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment (UP-PSAE).

Together with Anflo Management and Investment Corp., Damosa Land and UP held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first UP-PSAE campus.

The companies also signed the Deed of Donation declaring the turnover of the 31,800 square-meter property to the UP-PSAE, set to be home to 14 graduate and postgraduate agriculture-focused programs ranging from Agribusiness Management, Agroforestry, Animal Science, and many more.

“Today we are not only groundbreaking for the establishment of this building, but we’re also paving the way for the advancement of agricultural education here in Mindanao,” shared Damosa Land president Cary Lagdameo. “Instead of sending our best and brightest students to different parts of the country and the world to study this field, we can now provide opportunities for them here in Mindanao—the food basket of the Philippines.”

As an advocate for the Southern Philippines’ agricultural heritage, Damosa Land takes pride in the project as it continues to uplift and spur growth for the local agricultural sector. The future UP-PSAE campus, set to finish construction by October 2024,

ment is designed to arm its graduates with the know-how to build a corporate career on international platforms. A specialized Marketing degree has also been introduced to engage students in the emerging field of Digital Marketing.

Mapúa also offers a course in Real Estate Management, which arms students with the knowledge needed to navigate the constantly shifting market, while being able to determine operational efficiency and unlock new revenue streams.

Transforming biz education COM PLIMENTING these business programs, Mapúa leverages on its ties with the Ayala Group, Yuchengco Group and other firms for real-world experiential learning.

The university has partnered with top-tier organizations to provide their students with, as Dr. Jag points out, “... very effective and powerful on-the-job training opportunities.”

Industry experts are also brought into the classroom, sharing valuable

insights on navigating the complicated business world. In this cutthroat world, honing knowledge-based skills could provide students the edge to succeed.

Accessibility to international education standards via these programs is made more accessible through the collaboration with ASU. “If our students can’t afford to go to the US, then the US can come to their classrooms,” explained Dr. Jag. “We have state-ofthe-art global-classroom initiatives, where global signature courses and guest lectures are presented by an international faculty.”

ASU also opens up opportunities for summer program immersions, semester-abroad programs, and international student competitions.

As Dr. Jag draws greater focus on transforming business education defined by Mapúan standards, he refers to three student-learning journey pillars: digital mastery, internationalization, and real-world experiential learning. The intention is to inculcate business excellence as the core of every Mapúa graduate as a means to transform the economic landscape, especially in the Philippines.

Exposure to real-world industry experts will be crucial in preparing students to become future leaders. Mapúa University looks to the future, as it amplifies its business programs through strategic partnerships and a global outlook on education. It has heeded the massive challenge of transforming the world one graduate at a time, and is ready to face it head-on.

In a sideline interview, Carranceja told the BusinessMirror that they invested up to P4 million in this 300-plus square-meter new attraction at the 4,000-sq.m Dream Lab to become an immersive, interactive environment that will hone the enterprising spirit of children, as they learn to become entrepreneurs as young as 12 years of age or below.

A game-changer in education, ABC Tech Hub is expected to bring academic excellence and, at the same time, produce a new breed of business-minded individuals that could become future economic prime movers in the country.

“Our hub is equipped with experiential business simulations and a host of engaging activities—all designed to kindle curiosity, inspire creativity, and foster entrepreneurship,” Carranceja explained.

The top executive further elaborated that the new “edutainment” facility exposes aspiring student entrepreneurs and

guests in a participative learning experience with “Lab Ninjas” and interactive installations that teach vital skills for launching and sustaining a successful business in the future.

As such, visitors can enjoy its many offerings, such as “Programming is the new Math!” filled with action and engaging activities; “Brain Builder Station,” where they can engage and gain basic skills in reading, writing and language development; “Teamwork Zone,” a team-building game that encourages camaraderie and collaboration; “Skill Growth Hub,” which has puzzles and challenges that develop skills and spark imaginations; and “App LaunchPad,” a fun family activity with a dash of learning.

During the kickoff event the ABC Tech Ventures Inc. CEO announced their sponsorship to the Department of Education’s “Project Watch” national program, aimed at raising the academic standard in the country.

Investing more in the future, the homegrown technology company, which manufactures digital tablets specially designed for educational purposes, partnered with Windows of Opportunity: a pioneering scholarship matching platform that helps crush barriers to learning and linking poor but deserving students with resources they need.

“With the official inauguration of the ABC Tech Hub, we stand at the threshold of limitless possibilities for our youth, our industry, and our nation,” Carranceja said, as he cited their plans to install similar hubs in other museums of Dream Lab. “As we continue this exciting journey, we look forward to shaping the future of education together.” Roderick L. Abad

Vibal Foundation, UST release history book on 19th-Cen. printing, publishing

VIBAL Foundation, in partnership with the Miguel de Benavides Library of the University of Santo Tomas, jointly launched “Imprenta Ramírez y Giraudier: A Story of Late NineteenthCentury Philippine Intellectuality,” written by historian Lino L. Dizon PhD.

The book provides an insight on how the establishment of the influential publishing firm Imprenta Ramírez y Giraudier (IRG)— through the efforts of its founding partners Don Manuel Ramírez y Carvajal, Baltazar Giraudier y Ortega and its visionary editor and writer José Felipe del Pan— became one of the crucial engines of Spanish-speaking society during the late 19th-Century colonial Philippines. The publication of its newspapers, novels, magazines and journals paved the way for the birth of important social movements such as the ilustrado class, the Propaganda movement and ultimately, the Philippine Revolution.

Aside from laying out the foundational influence of the IRG, Dr. Dizón also provided an overview of the history of print and publishing in the Philippines, and an authoritative listing of the firm’s many publications.

the Spanish colonial Philippines, made even more accessible by the sample writings from periodical publications and the catalog of publications.”

The launch also pays tribute to UST Press—the second oldest press in the world that is still operational next to Cambridge University Press. Don Manuel Ramírez served as regente or director of the UST Press from 1848 to 1857, before collaborating with Baltazar G iraudier at the IRG.

can accommodate up to 200 students of agriculture who share the same vision of elevating agri-business skills of Mindanao-based communities.

UP-PSAE will be built on a 31,800sq.m property in the Agriya township, which will be donated by the Anflo Management and Investment Corporation and Damosa Land Inc. The first building will be donated by the Anflo Group through the Don Antonio O. Floirendo Sr. Foundation.

UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr., who was at the groundbreaking event, shared: “Right at the very start, our vision is to make UP graduate education more accessible, especially… in Mindanao. We aim to contribute to human-resource development not just of the universities, but also public and private institutions like the Department of Agriculture, [as well as] the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.” Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

According to Marya Svetlana T. Camacho of the University of Asia and the Pacific’s History Department, “this book provides context and substance for an examination of modernity in the 19th-Century Philippines.”

Camacho added: “It shows the role of publishing in the so-called ‘Philippine Renaissance’ and in turn, how the latter served as a stimulus to the development of the Filipino conception of nation. Lino Dizón has filled in a gap in our knowledge of cultural life in

Under his helm, Ramírez modernized the Dominican press when he acquired a sophisticated machine from Germany, which subsequently published several books, including Fr. Antonio Llanos’ “Fragmentos de algunas plantas de Filipinas no incluidas en la Flora de las Islas (1851),” a sequel to the classic “Flora de Filipinas (1837)” by Fr. Manuel Blanco. Available in hardcover and softcover editions, the book may be purchased online at the Vibal Shop ( https://shop.vibalgroup.com), Shopee, Lazada, GrabMart and Amazon. For bulk orders, contact marketing@vibalgroup.com.

THE United States government has ably supported 500 Filipino outof-school youth (OSY) in gaining financial and entrepreneurial skills.

THE newly launched book

THROUGH its Opportunity 2.0 project, USAID boosts the financial management and entrepreneurial skills of Filipino out-of-school youth. US EMBASSY

DR. Jagdeep Jassel

ARTIST’S rendition of the UP-PSAE campus

Tourism Editor: Edwin P. Sallan

THE VIEW FROM MASBATE

ISlAnd HOppIng THROugH THIS VASTly undERRATEd pROVIncE

Story & photos by Marky Ramone Go

After getting a glimpse of the province last year when I visited ticao Island for a couple of days, I immediately regarded Masbate as vastly underrated despite its central geographical location as gateway to Luzon and Visayas. that brief tryst had me making a vow of returning soon. As good fortunes had it, I was able to go back recently for a more extensive journey that took me to the mainland of Masbate, Burias Island and at ticao once again.

Over the course of 11 days, we traversed this province known for its rodeo tradition and discovered its many other gems. Beautiful islands, picturesque countryside, expansive sandbars, charming small towns, crystal clear waters wowed us at every stop, while sumptuous local cuisine, a blend of fresh seafood and juicy livestock meats, delighted our taste buds.

Masbate Mainland

T O e mphasize Masbate’s connectivity to other islands, we arrived and departed the province not on a plane, but on a ferry and passenger boat. Following a brief journalistic coverage of the Capiztahan event in Roxas City, we sailed from Culasi Port in Roxas to reach Balud, Masbate in three hours.

Named from the almost extinct Pink-bellied imperial pigeon, Balud is located on the southwestern tip of Masbate. One of its two barangays, a small island called Jintotolo became our first stop.

A tiny community celebrating the town’s fiesta welcomed us with a simple feast. This was followed by a short hike to the Jintotolo Lighthouse, which was built in the 1890’s. The lighthouse, one of the Philippines’s 23 remaining Spanish-era sea watchtowers, stands at about 50 feet tall atop a hill and overlooks a beautiful channel where the wrecks of two Japanese ships

from World War II—the cruiser Kinu and the destroyer Uranami— rests at the bottom.

The next day finds us driving through Masbate’s picturesque countryside, past vast cattle ranches and farms before stopping briefly at Lumawig River Adventure Park for a floating lunch through a mangrove forest.

The rest of our mainland Masbate jaunt had us visiting a farmstead, a hillside retreat and a bevy of breathtaking natural wonders. These includes the crescent shaped Guinlobngan Island off the coastal town of Cawayan, Isla Florencia, with its coconut tree-lined canopy, was ideal for an island lunch, the 2.8-kilometer Kurokabayo sandbar, a spellbinding man-made lagoon in Matayum, a long white sand beach in Aroroy, the heritage Balay ni Bayot house, and Balangingi Island in Pio V. Corpuz on the eastern part of Masbate.

Ticao Island

My second time on Ticao Island worked like a charm. This time, I was able to explore one of the island’s quaint communities on foot before we drove off via a gorgeous route bookended by a magical sunset on one end and the azure ocean on the other.

I also get to revisit Halea Nature Park and Catandayagan Falls, two of the Philippines’s most impres -

sive natural attractions.

Halea is located on San Miguel Island, one of two islands on the northern tip of. Here, one can enjoy a peaceful beach bumming moment as well as go snorkeling and swim with dozens of baby sharks that frequents the cove. Ticao Island is also home to a rare waterfall. The 100-feet plus Catandayagan Falls is one of only around 40 waterfalls in the world that directly debouche into the ocean.

This trip also introduced me to the island’s other attractions that I missed out on my earlier visit. There’s the 244.72-hectare Bongsanglay Natural Park that is home to a dense mangrove forest, including three rare Sonneratia tree species that give it a distinct status, as well as maze of marshes.

Our last day on Ticao Island was capped by a stopover at Buntod Reef Marine Sanctuary Sandbar on our way back to Masbate mainland. This marine sanctuary is managed by the SAMAPUSI (Samahan ng Mangingisda ng Puro-Sinalikway), an organization made up primarily of former “blast fishermen” now turned “reef rangers.”

NoRTheRN ThaIlaND’s BesT-kepT secReTs

Most people think of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai when they draw plans for a trip to northern t hai land. t h ese are well marketed destinations and admittedly have their own appeals. But it comes a point in a traveler’s life that the usual places get tiring, and the need to explore other corners just comes knocking on the door.

When t hai land reopened itself to tourism in 2022, I suddenly jumped in for a little escape. have been going back and forth to t hai land since 2007 as it was and is still a very enthusiastic host to international debate tournaments. But having seen most of its popular sites, I just had to tweak that trip a bit, which led me to visit that humble part in the north right across the capital of Laos.

Nong Khai is a city by the Mekong River that is usually glossed over by many as a mere transit hub when crossing the border. t h e riverside city could stand on its own and keep one enraptured for a day or two. Its s a la Keo Ku, a sculpture park, is undoubtedly its main attraction—a twin of the more famous and older one in Vientiane by the same eccentric artist. It showcases towering concrete figures blending various icons from Buddhism to whimsical, out of this world works of human imagination. t h ere is also the esplanade that runs for eight kilometers, providing a stroller a glimpse into the local

life while being able to marvel at some of its main religious monuments such as the sunken Prathat Nong Khai in the middle of the mighty Mekong and the gigantic Water Dragons, the ultimate symbol of the city.

Beyond that, however, there are two historic sites nearby that are worth renting a car for if one wants to explore what t ha iland has more to offer beyond its notorious night life and world-renowned beaches.

Ban Chiang Archaeological s i te. Ban Chiang is around two hours from Nong Khai, in a part of t hai land that does not see many visitors. When beautiful, red-painted pots were uncovered in this remote village in the late 50s, it drew large attention across the globe, eventually becoming the biggest archaeological find in the region. It is known for having developed its Bronze Age early on, believed to be 500 years earlier than Mesopotamia’s, making it one of the earliest civilizations there is to find. t he argument can even be pushed, though it remains inconclusive, that the bronze culture actually started in the Far East.

Beside the Pho s r i Nai te mple t h ere is an excavation site under a protective shelter that gives visitors a glimpse into how the diggings were carried out. o f the dozen sites dug during the discovery race, this is the only one that was left open and made accessible to the curious public. Hundreds of these enigmatic pots still lie in situ¸ and some of them can be seen lying alongside human

artifacts.

t h e Ban Chiang National Museum acts as the main repository of most of the discoveries made in the area, ranging from potteries to iron agricultural implements to bronze adornments and weapons. t h e museum was recently refurbished and now offers a pleasant educational way of reinterpreting what the site has to offer and how rich its history is.

Ban Chiang is also known for its tai Phuan—the name of the indigenous inhabitants— indigo-dyed cotton ikat weaving, a tradition that is still very much alive. t h e motifs found in the pots are some of the inspirations for the textile patterns produced.

Phu Phra Bhat Historic Park. Phu Phra Bat is an exemplary multi-layered cultural landscape set on a plateau rising to 150 meters above the floor plain. What looks like well-formed dolmens at first sight are in fact magnificent works of nature through weathering. to gether with Ban Chiang, these two sites form a remarkable argument that the province sheltered the earliest civilization in the country.

What usually surprises any visitor is the extent of the site and the number of interesting rock formations in place. I recall wanting to go here in 2013 and when I searched the internet, one practically only sees images of the iconic rock tower Hor Nang U-s a an d very little of everything else. Even the latest editions of some guidebooks do not even highlight it, perhaps due to its remoteness. Around Louk Koei te mple are sema

As the sun slowly sets into the horizon and the sky bursts with a reddish glow, I was reminded of how beautiful the world is, specifically this part of the planet, as excitement surged through me at the prospect of what beauty looms in our next island destination: Burias Island.

Burias Island

A S L e e P e R fe rry transported us from midnight in Masbate mainland to waking up to a sunrise in Burias Island. This final phase of our 11day trip to Masbate solidified my opinion of the province as having the most potential to become a major tourism draw in the Philippines. After a stuffed breakfast, we hit the ground running by hopping into a double-decked boat and proceeded to our island-hopping tour visiting Burias’ three popular islands of Animasola, Tinalisayan and Sombrero. The secluded Animasola island off the coast of San Pascual in Burias Island is a sight of pristine beauty, despite its haunting name “Animasola,” which in Catholic tradition portrays a “lonely soul”

trapped in purgatory. Thanks to its jagged cliffs, powdery white sand, and brilliant blue waters, it transports travelers to a paradisiacal time and place. Next up was Tinalisayan. After flying my drone for 10 minutes, I quickly packed it up to take a dip at the island’s turquoise-colored waters to enjoy another magical moment in the sun. I would have stayed on the water longer to get more sun-tanned if not for the call of sumptuous boodle feast awaiting us on our boat.

On our way to Sombrero Island, we passed by other islands such as Virgin Island and the fascinating rocky islet called Templo Island, which has a crucifix perched on top of its rock-strewn base.

Sombrero Island was the perfect capstone to yet another fantastic day. Named as such because of the odd shape of the island’s islet tip, which resembles a sombrero. Sombrero Island, is characterized by an expansive sandbar marking its perimeter leading to the main island lush with greens and home to a few small resorts, and on its tip, the notable hat-shaped rock formation.

Definitely not my last Masbate Rodeo A S a n agricultural hub, Masbate province is dotted with ranches that are home to tens of thousands of cattle and horses. Masbate’s rodeo culture developed in this environment. Most of us would be forgiven for assuming that Masbate’s “cowboy culture” was ripped from the American wild west playbook, but further research suggests Masbate’s and the American’s rodeo culture can be traced back to the Mexican Vaqueros.

To celebrate the province’s Rodeo tradition, the Rodeo Masbateño Festival is held every month of April to showcase the province’s cattle and livestock industry as well as some game horsemanship. Masbate has more than simply its natural wonders, such as its stunning islands and picture-perfect scenery; it also boasts a rich culture and a culinary scene that will make you gain weight willingly. Who couldn’t say no to gigantic crabs, heavyweight fish, tiger prawns and a heaping helping of scallops? Definitely nobody. I think it is safe to say that this trip won’t be my last rodeo in Masbate.

stones, which are markers from the Dvaravati to Khmer periods demarcating Buddhist sacred grounds. t hese structures are also present around Hor Nang U-s a , Kou Nang U-s a (the “ t hai s t onehenge” and one of my favorites due to its association to supposed legendary weaver), and the Kork Mah Noi, the last rock site if you follow the 2-hour circuit, and probably the most impressive for its almost impossible balancing feat. s i x rock shelters also house

pre-historic rock paintings in varying conditions. t h e most impressive of which are in t ham W ua and t ham K hon which contains human and bovine figures, respectively, in r elatively good forms.

t h ere were a few local visitors who came in after us, but as soon as they have seen and taken photos of the central cluster where the main rock tower is, they turn around and leave. Hence, my friend and I had the pleasure of having some of the more interesting

rock formations lying deeper in the park to ourselves. Despite the notorious t hai land heat, we still enjoyed the trek up to the Pha s a det Viewpoint. Equally charming is the fact that the rock formations have been named after characters of a certain folklore as this only reinforces the significance that the local people still ascribe to the site. Ban

Story & photos by Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero

A8

Saturday, May

European appliance brand eyes expansion in the Philippines

A

“We cannot give exact figures right now. In the stores where we are present, it varies by product category. For refrigerators, we’re one of the top 5 i n the stores where we are present,” said Dyeun

Zapanta, marketing head of Beko Philippines.

“For cookers, we are strong because there is very l imited competition in the category and there are few brands in the market. We’re in the top 3 in t his category.”

Beko is the international home appliance brand of Arçelik, a multinational household appliances manufacturer that operates 12 brands.

This year, Beko is also focusing on marketing its dishwashers in the Philippines by telling people that it’s not a luxury but a necessity.

You not only promote convenience but also hygiene. Plates, glasses and utensils are things you put in your mouth so if these things have food residue that haven’t been washed thoroughly by manual means, it could be unsanitary and potentially harmful due to bacteria,” said Zapanta.

For the Philippines, Beko has two types of dishwashers. The tabletop dishwashers (for eightplate settings) are priced at around P21,000. The freestanding dishwashers (for 15-plate settings) are priced from P26,990. The high-end ones are priced at around P35,000.

Beko has just entered the air-conditioning market because it is already one of the brand’s top products in the Philippines. This, said Zapanta, is due to the hot weather. The Beko inverter air-conditioners start at around P26,990 for one

Beko, which aims to be the top European b rand in the Philippines in the next five y ears, is also well-known for its HarvestFresh r efrigerators. HarvestFresh is a proprietary Beko technology that uses three color light technology, to mimic the 24 hour sun cycle.

T his, Beko claims, “keeps the fruits and vegetables in its natural original environment long after it’s been harvested, preserving their v itamins and freshness for longer.” The brand now has more HarvestFresh models from its p revious offering of four SKUs.

Another development is that Beko Pilipinas Corp. has been named the exclusive distributor of Hitachi Major Domestic Appliances division. We actually acquired this division globally but we’re starting the transition in Asia except Japan. The domestic appliances division excludes airconditioners and includes refrigerators and laundry and cooking products,” said Zapanta.

On the sustainability front, Beko has announced its partnership with Plastic Credit Exchange, a global ecosystem of carefully vetted partners that recover, process and recycle plastic waste with programs that improve livelihood, scale up social impact, and reduce the flow of plastic pollution into nature. The partnership is in line with the Philippines’ Extended Producer Responsibility Law, which holds companies r esponsible for the plastic packaging they use throughout the lifecycle of their products.

“It has always been our thrust to be sustainable. We have a lot of of products with five-star ratings in terms of energy efficiency. Every time that we launch a product, we need to make sure that we improve on the energy efficiency aspect,” said Zapanta.

As Beko marked its third year in the Philippines, the appliance brand held a trade launch for its dealers at the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom with the theme “Empowered to Live Like a Pro.”

During the whole-day event, guests including

media and dealers, got to experience Beko’s range of appliances.

Beko Philippines showcased its hero technologies, such as HarvestFresh, ProSmart Inverter Technology, Steam Cure, Hygiene+, AeroPerfect, and many others.

Among the products highlighted that day were cookers. The HII64205F2MT is a 60x50cm built-in induction hob with four Cooking Zones and two 2 Flexizone, nine cooking levels and a glass burner plate. Meanwhile, the BBIS14300XCSE is a 60x60cm multifunction built-in oven with six cooking functions, including Steam Aid.

There were also refrigerators, including the GNO480E40HFGBPH, a 16.6cf inverter multi-door refrigerator with Neofrost Triple Cooling Technology, HarvestFresh, Prosmart Inverter Compressor, in a sleek black glass door finish. Also featured was the Hitachi Refrigerator R-WB640VG0-1 GBK with Vacuum Technology with Platinum Catalyst and Inverter X Dual-fan Cooling with Eco-thermo sensor.

OPPO FIND X5 PRO: ONE YEAR LATER

the Find X6 Pro more than any other flagship this year just because of how much I enjoyed using its predecessor.

I only got my Find X5 Pro last March, and the experience has been nothing short of fantastic. Despite being almost a year old now, I think it can still hold its own against the newer flagships.

striking volcano-like shape.

T he camera island has a very distinctive asymmetric design with no sharp edges that raises gradually from the rear and blends more seamlessly with the back than the usual r ectangular or square camera modules.

THE HASSELBLAD EFFECT

WHILE Samsung, Xiaomi, and Huawei have already released their 2023 flagships here in the Philippines, Oppo announced that the Find X6 Pro will remain exclusive to the Chinese market.

The Find X6 Pro was launched late March and by this time last year, the Find X5 Pro was already available here for preorders.

Instead, the brand chose to focus its efforts locally on pushing the Oppo Find N2 Flip. And I guess that paid off, as according to our sources, the Find N2 Flip has already sold out, and the only way to get one is via a Smart Signature plan.

While the Find N2 Flip is something different, it would have been nice to see how the Find X6 Pro would compare with all the other flagships w ith its exquisite design and finish, the most premium OLED panel, the fastest available chipset, 100W fast charging, and a trio of

premium 50MP cameras with the largest of sensors that’s backed by Hasselblad.

The Oppo Find X6 Pro has both Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Gorilla Glass 5 with an eco-leather finish, and the whole thing is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. For the screen, the 6.82-inch

OLED screen uses a 1440p LTPO3 panel of 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, 10-bit color depth, and Dolby Vision support. For its internals, the Find X6 Pro is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. The phone also comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery and superfast wired 100W charging and 50W wireless charging support.

But the most intriguing part has to be the triple 50MP cameras on its back with the primary sensor having a huge 1-inch-type sensor. There’s also a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 50-megapixel telephoto periscope zoom camera which offers 2.8x optical zoom, and can zoom digitally all the way up to 120x.

Both ultrawide and telephoto cameras have large 1/1.56” sensors as well and Oppo says its periscope lens has the best stabilization on the market. Sadly, we won’t be able to experience how good those cameras are.

FANTASTIC FIND X5 PRO

I was looking forward to trying out

HONESTLY,

Starting with the design, the Oppo Find X5 Pro looks sublime, taking its design cues from the Find X3 Pro with the sloping camera island that blends seamlessly with its back. For the first time ever, a ceramic back has been used, which is said to be two times stronger than the regular phone glass panel, and two times better in heat conduction. The Find X5 Pro is available in Ceramic White and Glaze Black colors, and comes with an IP68 certification.

Holding the Find X5 Pro just feels so natural and comfortable in your hands but it can get quite slippery though so I would still recommend you slapping on that free case that comes with the package.

Find X5 Pro’s ceramic back is made from a m icrocrystalline material that’s calcined at a temperature of 1000-degrees Celsius to create a texture that’s supposed to reduce fingerprints while being twice as strong as glass. It actually took six months of research and development in molding, machining and polishing to create Find X5 Pro’s iconic curved rear and this perfectly machined, premium ceramic rear cover takes five whole days to produce.

I have the Glaze Black variant, though I would have preferred the Ceramic White simply because its better at hiding those unsightly fingerprints and the semi-transparent silicone case in the box still leaves some of the phone’s design visible.

Unlike rival handsets that tend to bolt on unsightly camera bumps that make them appear separate from the device itself, the X5 Pro follows t he same elegant nature-inspired theme of the Find X series, with the rear panel gently flowing around the lenses themselves, forming a natural,

SPEAKING of the cameras, the Find X5 Pro has a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel main camera, another 50-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 13-megapixel telephoto camera that works best for portraits. For selfies you get a standard 32-megapixel front camera.

As for its partnership with Hasselblad, Oppo says the iconic Swedish camera company helped develop the phone’s “natural color calibration” as well as a set of “master filters” for that trademark “Hasselblad” look.

But the real gamechanger here is the MariSilicon X imaging neural processor unit inside the Find X5 Pro. Oppo founder Chen Mingyong explained that the name was derived from the deepest part of the world’s oceans—Mariana Trench, as a way to show that Oppo’s self-research chip road is beyond imagination. So does the Hasselblad partnership and MariSiliconX make it the perfect smartphone camera? Well, it was one of the best when it came out last year, and personally, I’d say it’s still my absolute favorite smartphone camera to use. It’s the kind of camera that makes you want to travel just so you could take lots and lots of photos. Also, whenever I take “groufies,” friends would ask me what phone I’m using because the results are that impressive.

Overall, despite being a year-old the OPPO Find

X5 Pro remains a very competitive flagship phone with a fantastic design, amazing set of cameras, and overall performance that could keep up with anything and everything you might want to do with your smartphone. Hopefully, OPPO decides to do a global release for the Find X7 Pro next year.

S Beko marks three years in the Philippines, the European brand is gaining strength in the refrigerators, cookers, and even airconditioning categories.horsepower. This translates to big savings in household power bills.

Huawei MatePad 11 2023 further signals tablet resurgence

By Gerard S. Ramos Lifestyle & Entertainment Editor

IT was only a few years ago when the tablet— the device that would not only leverage our addiction to our smartphones onto a bigger, much more eye-friendly screen, but also open up a whole new ecosystem in software and hardware—had been all but written off by the tech media as anything but a niche gadget, its raison d’etre largely fueled by the continuing popularity of ebooks and the nascence of digital newspapers and magazines.

Fast-forward to 2023, and the once struggling tablet category seems to have arrived at a renaissance, or at very least gotten a new lease in life, with some of the world’s biggest tech companies even hedging their bets on tablets finding greater utility in

that basically brings the Huawei MatePad 11-inch 2023, the device itself, at P6,000 thereabouts.

That bundle is nothing less than a steal, which we can say not just as conjecture but as fact having been leveraging the device bundle we have been for a month now.

First, let us talk about the detachable keyboard. It has 1.5mm high key travel and 15mm key caps, which means that it offers a comfortable and responsive typing experience—an experience that remains true even after lengthy use. And unlike most detable keyboards available in the market, Huawei’s also includes Fn keys and the support of 40 shortcut

Furthering ease of use is the fact that keyboard can be used in either Laptop or Split form, making it more flexible to your comfort levels as you go about your work.

L est we forget, the Huawei Smart Keyboard has built-in magnetic slot for the M-Pencil that not only makes it easy to put away the pencil when you don’t need it, but also makes it readily within reach when you need to scribble notes, or sketch away when a scenery inspires you. By the way, the pencil is automatically charged whenever you tuck it away in the slot. Still on the subject of productivity, one of

experience. With the use of a Color Coagulation layer as a UV transfer printing and nano-scale optical coating process, it increases the light reflection of the ultra-thin transparent plate. Ink coloring is used on the layer to display the rear cover color that brings about a sophisticated and eye-catching look.”

The 120Hz 2.5K Huawei FullView Display is an IPS LCD and the screen-to-body ratio is at 86%, pushing 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution at a 16:10 ratio. All those numbers translate to not only making productivity tasks not unweildy to deal with but, moreover, consuming entertainment on the go is an utterly engrossing delight. Did we already mention that the Huawei bundle come with a free threemonth subscription to VIU Premium? Further, the tablet comes with what the company describes as “quad-channel large-amplitude quad-speaker sound system and upgraded Huawei Histen 8.0, which optimizes and fine-tunes sound and adapts to a myriad of scenes, working with Ultra-Bass and sound field extension algorithm optimization.” This means that even without the assistance of headphones, users will enjoy a full-bodied aural experience. Needless to say, courtesy dictates that you use a headphone in public settings.

he Huawei MatePad 11-inch 2023 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 7250 mAh battery with fast charging. It has also been packed with a 13MP rear camera, while the 8MP front camera would serve any user well for those Zoom meetings that nobody can seem to shake off—and why would we? The tablet runs on the latest version Harmony OS, Huawei’s totally robust version of Android. f course, the question that may still linger in the minds of some consumers well aware of the US embargo that remains: “But what about Google?” Well, what about it? Huawei’s App Gallery continues to expand at a fast and steady clip, and already has plenty of the apps commonly used by consumers. Facebook? Twitter? WhatsApp? Viber?

Enter the Huawei MatePad 11-inch 2023, as it is officially called by the tech giant, which is now on offer in a bundle priced at P24,999 in official channels, and comes with freebies worth an estimated P18,000-plus: a Huawei Smart Detachable Magnetic Keyboard, Huawei M-Pencil 2nd Gen, PC-level WPS Office, and a three-month subscription to VIU Premium (which is renewable beyond the cited period of course, because who wants to miss out on all those addictive K-dramas and all things K-pop?). Factoring all those freebies,

Meta fined record

By Kelvin Chan

The Associated Press

$1.3 billion

LONDON—The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine Monday and ordered it to stop transferring users’ personal information across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by US cybersnooping fears.

The penalty of 1.2 billion euros is the biggest since the EU’s strict data privacy regime took effect five years ago, surpassing Amazon’s 746 million euro fine in 2021 for data protection violations.

Meta, which had previously warned that services for its users in Europe could be cut off, vowed to appeal and ask courts to immediately put the decision on hold.

The company said “there is no immediate disruption to Facebook in Europe.” The decision applies to user data like names, email and IP addresses, messages, viewing history, geolocation data and other information that Meta—and other tech giants like

All these and more are already available on the App Gallery or via Huawei’s Petal Search. Moreover, the company now also touts Gbox, a “multi-platform instrumented application” that makes the Google Play Store and all the Google goodness to be found there available to users. It functions exactly like Gspace, which we have written about previously. here is much to love about this Huawei MatePad 11-inch 2023 bundle, which is on offer until June 30—a powerful tablet, an excellent smart keyboard, a digital pencil that sends anybody jotting down and drawing for hours, plus all those other great freebies. More information is available at https://tinyurl. com/54mrjc9m,https://tinyurl.com/4vkc2jed, or https://tinyurl.com/3yrd2ay3.

and ordered to stop sending European user data to US

Google—use for targeted online ads.

“ This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and US,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, and chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead said in a statement.

t’s yet another twist in a legal battle that began in 2013 when Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed a complaint about Facebook’s handling of his data following former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations of electronic surveillance by US security agencies. That included the disclosure that Facebook gave the agencies access to the personal data of Europeans.

The saga has highlighted the clash between Washington and Brussels over the differences between Europe’s strict view on data privacy and the comparatively lax regime in the US, which lacks a federal privacy law. The EU has been a global leader in reining in the

power of Big Tech with a series of regulations forcing them police their platforms more strictly and protect users’ personal information.

An agreement covering EU-US data transfers known as the Privacy Shield was struck down in 2020 by the EU’s top court, which said it didn’t do enough to protect residents from the US government’s electronic prying. Monday’s decision confirmed that another tool to govern data transfers—stock legal contracts—was also invalid. Brussels and Washington signed a deal last year on a reworked Privacy Shield that Meta could use, but the pact is awaiting a decision from European officials on whether it adequately protects data privacy.

EU institutions have been reviewing the agreement, and the bloc’s lawmakers this month called for improvements, saying the safeguards aren’t strong enough.

The Ireland’s Data Protection Commission handed down the fine as Meta’s lead privacy regulator in the 27-nation bloc because the Silicon Valley tech giant’s European headquarters is based in Dublin.

LG BEGINS GLOBAL ROLLOUT OF 2023 TV LINEUP

LG Electronics (LG, lg.com/ph) announces the global rollout of its 2023 TV lineup, featuring the most advanced range of LG OLED TVs yet. Boasting the company’s latest technologies and designed around its new vision—“Sync to You, Open to All”—LG’s new TVs deliver exceptional viewing and user experiences that can be customized to match one’s individual needs, preferences and tastes. The 2023 LG TV lineup ushers in a new era in television, transforming the TV into a convenient home hub that continuously expands and enriches everyday life.

Headlining this year’s lineup, the company’s latest OLED TVs elevate the viewing experience as only LG OLED can. The new

models offer premium self-lit picture quality, powerful image processing technologies, and an upgraded webOS platform providing even more smart features, as well as access to an everincreasing library of lifestyle services.

LG introduced the world to the first-ever large screen OLED a decade ago and since then, the company has continued to lead the premium TV market. Its cutting-edge OLED TVs keep evolving to deliver ever-greater value to consumers and have earned many accolades from respected tech media outlets and industry experts. Renowned for their superb picture quality, LG OLED TVs produce vibrant, accurate

colors with deep blacks and an infinite contrast ratio for images that are remarkably lifelike. n addition to realizing new and more immersive viewing experiences, LG’s self-lit technology has enabled the company to create unprecedented, visually-stunning TV form factors, including market-firsts such as the rollable LG SIGNATURE OLED R, and the bendable LG OLED Flex. Among its latest triumphs are the LG SIGNATURE OLED M, a 97-inch OLED TV with Zero Connect technology enabling wireless transmission of video and audio; and OLED T, a transparent OLED TV that redefines spatial integration and the user experience.

The Irish watchdog said it gave Meta five months to stop sending European user data to the US and six months to bring its data operations into compliance “by ceasing the unlawful processing, including storage, in the US” of European users’ personal data transferred in violation of the bloc’s privacy rules.

In other words, Meta has to erase all that data, which could be a bigger problem than the fine, said Johnny Ryan, senior fellow at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, a nonprofit rights group that has worked on digital and data issues.

This order to delete data is really a headache for Meta,” Ryan said. If the company has to scrub data for hundreds of millions of European Union users going back 10 years, “it is very hard to see how it will be able to comply with that order.”

Schrems predicted that Meta has “no real chance” of getting the decision materially overturned. And a new privacy pact might not mean the end of Meta’s troubles, because there’s a good chance it could be tossed out by the EU’s top court, he said.

Threat of US credit downgrade looms over debt ceiling talks

Treasury’s borrowing costs by $1.3 billion that year.

China, US Commerce chiefs trade complaints, but agree to talk more

On Wednesday night, the rating agency Fitch put the nation’s credit on “Rating Watch Negative,” which amounts to a warning that it might downgrade the US credit as a result of the impasse.

The government reached the $31.4 trillion debt limit in January, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has resorted to “extraordinary measures’’ since then to keep paying the bills. But Yellen has warned that Treasury will likely run out of money to meet all its obligations as soon as June 1, which is being described as the “X-date.”

In a statement, Fitch said, “We believe risks have risen that the debt limit will not be raised or suspended before the X-date and consequently that the government could begin to miss payments on some of its obligations.”

At the same time, Fitch characterized the likelihood that the

Treasury will actually default on its debts as “a low probability event.”

During a similar showdown in 2011, another rating agency, Stand ard & Poor’s, stripped the United States of its prized AAA rating, pointing to partisan divisions that made it difficult for the nation’s biggest economy to control spending or raise taxes enough to reduce its debts. S&P has yet to restore the top rating. During that standoff and again in 2013 Fitch put America’s credit on a “negative’’ watch but never dropped its top credit rating. If rating agencies like Fitch were to actually downgrade America’s debt, it would mean that Washington would have to pay higher interest rates on Treasury bonds, notes and bills. The Government Accountability Office, in a 2012 report, estimated that the 2011 standoff raised

Further downgrades on US debt could make it harder for pension funds and other institutional investors to hold the bonds, because many have rules limiting their ability to invest in lowerrated debt. In 2011, after S&P’s downgrade, the Federal Reserve and other banking regulators issued a statement stipulating that Treasury securities would still be considered ultra-safe assets for banks to hold in reserve.

The US government spends far more than it collects in tax revenue and has to borrow the difference. But a quirk in US law requires Congress to periodically raise the government’s debt limit. Raising the threshold does not authorize new spending. It simply allows Treasury to borrow to pay expenses Congress has already approved. Lawmakers have raised, revised or extended the borrowing cap 78 times since 1960, most recently in 2021.

But Republicans are refusing to raise the debt limit unless President Joe Biden and Democrats make concessions, including big spending cuts. Negotiations to resolve the dispute are ongoing, but House Republicans were set to leave Washington on Thursday for the Memorial Day weekend.

In its statement Wednesday, Fitch warned: “The brinkmanship over the debt ceiling, failure of the US authorities to meaningfully tackle medium-term fiscal challenges that will lead to rising budget deficits and a growing debt burden signal downside risks to US creditworthiness.’’

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax advisory firm, said that the standoff will likely cause stock prices to fall and reduce the value of Americans’ retirement accounts.

“This is an artificial crisis that has nothing to do with the underlying health of the American economy, excessive imbalances or ‘malinvestment’ within financial markets or the security of the country,’’ Brusuelas said. “It is time to bring it to an end.’’

Lily Adams, a Treasury spokeswoman, said, “As Secretary Yellen has warned for months, brinkmanship over the debt limit does serious harm to businesses and American families, raises shortterm borrowing costs for taxpayers, and threatens the credit rating of the United States.”

Fitch’s “warning underscores the need for swift bipartisan action by Congress to raise or suspend the debt limit and avoid a manufactured crisis for our economy,” Adams added. AP

Target on the defensive after removing products aimed at LGBTQ+ customers

NEW YORK—Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of LGBTQ+ customers

Now that status is tarnished after it removed some products aimed at LGBTQ+ and relocated Pride Month displays to the back of stores in certain Southern locations in response to online complaints and in-store confrontations that it says threatened employees’ well-being.

Target faces a second backlash from customers upset by the discount retailer’s reaction to aggressive, anti-LGBTQ+ activism, which has also been sweeping through Republican state legislatures. Civil rights groups chided the company on Wednesday for caving to anti-LGBTQ+ customers who tipped over displays and expressed outrage over genderfluid bathing suits.

“Target should put the products back on the shelves and ensure their Pride displays are visible on the floors, not pushed into the proverbial closet,” Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement. “That’s what the bullies want.”

The uproar over Target’s Pride Month marketing—and its response to critics—is just the latest example of how companies are struggling to cater to different groups of customers at a time of extreme cultural divides, particularly around transgender rights.

Bud Light is still dealing with the fallout from when it sent transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a beer can with her face on it, which Mulvaney then displayed in an Instagram post, igniting backlash. Bud Light’s parent company is tripling its US marketing spending this summer as it tries to restore lost sales.

In Florida, Disney has been

engaged in a legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis since expressing opposition to the state’s classroom limits on discussing gender identity and sexual orientation.

Allen Adamson, the co-founder and managing partner of the marketing firm Metaforce, said Target should have thought through the potential for backlash and taken steps to avoid it, like varying the products it sells by region.

“The country is far less homogenous than it ever was,” he said. “For any brand, it’s not ‘one size fits all’ anymore.”

Shares of Target, which is based in Minneapolis, extended their fall on Thursday, declining 2.6 percent in morning trading. On Wednesday, the stock closed down 3 percent.

According to a 2021 Gallup poll, 21 percent of people in Generation Z identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, compared with 3 percent of Baby Boomers. Gallup has also found that younger consumers are most likely to want brands to

promote diversity and take a stand on social issues.

“Pulling back is the worst thing that they could have done,” said Jake Bjorseth, who runs trndsttrs, an agency helping brands understand and reach Gen Z customers.

“Not to expect potential backlash is to not understand what (LGBTQ+) members go through on a daily basis.”

“Once they fold to the more extreme edges of the issue, then they’ve lost their footing,” Adamson added. “If you can change a big brand just by knocking over a display, then they are on the defense, and you never win on the defense.”

Target has long been seen as a trailblazer among retailers in the way it embraced LGBTQ+ rights and customers. It was among the first to showcase themed merchandise to honor Pride Month, which takes place in June, and it has been out front in developing relationships with LGBTQ+ suppliers. It has also faced backlash. In 2016, when a national debate exploded over transgender rights,

TOP commerce officials from the US and China agreed to strengthen communications, even as they traded complaints about each other’s policies, with the meeting a sign that Beijing and Washington are trying to prevent their relations from worsening further.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo spoke about “the recent spate” of actions taken against US companies in China during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, the Commerce Department said in a statement. In turn, Wang expressed concerns about US restrictions on the chip sector, export controls, reviews of outbound investment, as well as America’s overall economic and trade policy with China, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement released Friday Beijing time.

Wang’s trip to the US is the first highest-level visit by a Chinese official in more than two years. It coincides with a push by the Biden administration to halt relations between the two countries from worsening after a series of problems, ranging from the furor over an alleged spy balloon that traversed the US in February to tit-for-tat sanctions and export controls on semiconductors

chains are expected to be on the agenda. He is expected to meet with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai there.

Speaking at the end of the Group of Seven summit in Japan on Sunday, President Joe Biden expressed optimism that relations with China would “thaw very shortly.” However, new ambassador to the US Xie Feng later said the relationship is facing “serious difficulties and challenges” as he arrived in the US to take up his post.

Trade and commercial relations are some of the most difficult areas of contention. Raimondo’s department has taken the lead in restricting exports of chips and chipmaking technology to China, accelerating the strategic competition between the two superpowers and setting off dueling accusations of “economic coercion.”

In response to US actions, Beijing has created a legal toolkit, which would allow it to retaliate, including setting up an “unreliable entity” list which it used to sanction some US defense companies earlier this year in response to US arms sales to Taiwan.

the company declared that “inclusivity is a core belief at Target” and said it supported transgender employees and customers using whichever restroom or fitting room “corresponds with their gender identity.”

But even after being threatened with boycotts by some customers, Target announced months later that more stores would make available a single-toilet bathroom with a door that could be locked.

As recently as last year, law enforcement agencies were brought in to monitor a social media threat from a young Arizona man who said he was “leading the war” against Target for its Pride Month merchandise, and he encouraged others to take action.

But the company is operating in an even more politicized environment now.

There are close to 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have gone before state legislatures since the start of this year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, though judges have temporarily blocked their enforcement in some states.

Target declined on Thursday to say which items it was pulling from its stores. But “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuits, which allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts, were among Target’s Pride items that garnered the most attention.

Target removed online this week designs by Abprallen, a Londonbased company that sells some occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories outside of Target. AP

The pair had “candid and substantive” talks about issues relating to the US-China commercial relationship, including the overall environment in both countries for trade and investment and areas for potential cooperation, according to the Commerce Department statement released Thursday after the meeting in Washington. China’s commerce ministry said the meeting was candid and constructive, and that the two sides agreed to “build communication channels” to “maintain and strengthen exchanges” on trade concerns and cooperation.

Raimondo did not mention any company by name, but China on Sunday said it was banning some critical firms from buying products from Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc. for national security reasons, a step that has triggered calls for retaliation in Washington.

Wang will now travel to an AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation forum in Detroit, where economic coercion and reorienting supply

While those actions were largely symbolic and didn’t lead to actual financial damages to US firms, the action against Micron this week has real teeth as it will actually ban some of the company’s sales. Micron gets 11 percent of its revenue from China, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, and the partial ban on it’s sales appears to mark a shift in Beijing’s strategy.

The last time Chinese dignitaries came to the US on a formal visit was in March 2021, when then-Foreign Minister Wang Yi and then-Politburo member Yang Jiechi met Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other administration officials. The discussions quickly descended into bickering, with an extraordinary back and forth that saw the two sides trading accusations over the state of democracy in their countries and accuse each other of grandstanding.

Sullivan and Wang Yi met in Europe earlier this month for two days of talks, with that conversation setting the stage for a possible call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, something that Chinese leaders have resisted for weeks. Bloomberg News

Brain implant firm says US gives approval to human tests

NEURALINK Corp., Elon Musk’s brainimplant company, said it received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct human clinical trials.

“This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” the company said Thursday in a tweet.

The FDA and Neuralink did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The start-up is developing a small device that will link the brain to a computer, consisting of electrode-laced wires. Placing the device requires drilling into the skull.

The approval is a major step for Neuralink, which was founded in 2016. The start-up has attracted some top neuroscientists to work on its brain implant, although many have since moved on to other companies or academia. For many years, Musk has said that the company was close to FDA approval for inhuman trials, but the goal had been elusive.

N euralink’s device could help people with paralysis or traumatic brain injuries

communicate and control a computer using only their thoughts.

Eventually, aside from helping people who are sick, Musk has hypothesized that the device could enable humankind to keep up with advances being made by artificial intelligence.

Neuralink isn’t the first brain-computer interface company to enter human trials, and the field has become competitive since the company’s founding. For example, Synchron Inc. has already enrolled its first US patient in a clinical trial, putting the company’s implant on a path toward possible regulatory approval for wider use in people with paralysis. Synchron’s device is less invasive than Neuralink’s, and works using a different technology.

Mu sk’s start-up has raised alarms with some animal rights groups for its testing on primates. The US Transportation Department began an investigation into the company after an animal advocacy group said it obtained emails suggesting the start-up did not follow proper procedure when shipping possibly hazardous materials. Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON—With one of three major rating agencies warning that America’s AAA credit is at risk, the stakes are growing in the standoff in Washington over raising the nation’s debt limit.

NORTH KOREA is ramping up efforts to deploy information technology workers overseas as it increasingly relies on cyberattacks and other online crimes to fund its weapons programs, US and South Korean officials said, anticipating the easing of the isolated country’s strict Covid lockdown.

“This is a growth industry, because as we see the DPRK potentially opening up borders, they could be dispatching additional laborers to all parts of the world to generate revenue,” said Jung Pak, the US deputy special representative for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the country’s formal name. “We think it’s actively getting worse.”

This week, the US Treasury Department sanctioned four entities linked to North Korea’s military and intelligence services, as well as one North Korean based in the Russian city of Vladivostok who received cryptocurrency payments from North Korean tech workers.

Pyongyang, forced to shift tactics in response to sanctions programs targeting its nuclear weapons efforts, is increasingly relying on thousands of North Korean programmers who were sent abroad, mainly to China and Russia, before the regime shut its borders during Covid-19, according to the US and South Korea.

They say these in-demand workers can make as much as $300,000 a year working abroad— often remotely through freelance platforms with falsified or stolen identification—and can assist in enabling cyber attacks and cryptocurrency thefts that helped North

The World

Korea earn an estimated $1.7 billion in 2022.

US efforts to sanction North Korea, including at the United Nations, have done little to halt leader Kim Jong Un’s weapons program, with the country launching more than 70 ballistic missiles last year.

One of the main reasons North Korea can continue these efforts is because China and Russia continue to protect North Korea in the United Nations Security Council, as well as host the bulk of the country’s overseas information technology workers as they seek more revenues, Pak said, adding that Beijing should use its leverage to pressure Pyongyang.

“The elephants in the room, obviously, are Russia and China,” Pak said. “It’s extremely difficult to shape the DPRK’s behavior if Russia and China continue to shield it from overwhelming international condemnation of their ballistic missile and nuclear weapons activities.”

Although North Korea has also sent out manual laborers to work in sectors such as construction, Kim’s government views crypto thefts and IT revenue as a “new frontier,” according to Lee Junil, the director general for North Korean nuclear issues at South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

“Since they closed down their border, and their other revenue streams suffered, they have increasingly concentrated on making money out of cyberspace, and as the cryptocurrency market grows, they find more vulnerabilities in the sector,” Lee said in a phone interview from San Francisco, where he was meeting with Pak and other officials.  Bloomberg News

Russia closes deal to deploy tactical short-range nuke bombs in Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the deployment of the shorter-range weapons in Belarus earlier this year in a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military support for Ukraine.

When the weapons would be deployed wasn’t announced, but Putin has said the construction of storage facilities in Belarus for them would be completed by July 1.

Also unclear is how many nuclear weapons would be kept in Belarus. The US government believes Russia has about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, which include bombs that can be carried by aircraft, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery rounds.

Tactical nuclear weapons are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield. They have a relatively short range and a much lower yield than nuclear warheads fitted to long-range strategic missiles that are capable of obliterating whole cities.

Speaking in Moscow, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said, “The movement of the nuclear weapons has begun,” but was not clear whether any actually had arrived in his country.

Lukashenko, who sparked rumors of being seriously ill when he

cut short a Victory Day appearance in Red Square on May 9 before resurfacing in public May 15, was attending a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council with Putin and leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The signing of the deal came as Russia prepared for a counteroffensive by Ukraine. Both Russian and Belarusian officials also framed the step as driven by hostilities from the West.

“Deployment of nonstrategic nuclear weapons is an effective response to the aggressive policy of countries unfriendly to us,” Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in Minsk at a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.

“In the context of an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, a decision was made to take countermeasures in the militarynuclear sphere,” Shoigu added.

Putin has argued that by deploying its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia was following the lead of the United States, noting that the US has nuclear weapons based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

condemned the move. “We must do everything to prevent Putin’s plan to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, as this will ensure Russia’s control over Belarus for years to come,” Tsikhanouskaya told The Associated Press. “This will further jeopardize the security of Ukraine and all of Europe.”

Independent Belarusian military analyst Aliaksandr Alesin said about two-thirds of Russia’s arsenal of medium-range nucleartipped missiles were held in Belarus during the Cold War, adding that there are dozens of Soviet-era storage facilities that could still be used.

Soviet nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan were moved to Russia in a US-brokered deal after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

“Documents in Minsk on the return of nuclear weapons were defiantly signed just at the moment when Ukraine declared a

counteroffensive and Western countries are handing over weapons to Kyiv,” Alesin told the AP.

“This Belarusian nuclear balcony should spoil the mood for politicians in the West, since nuclear missiles are capable of covering Ukraine, all of Poland, the Baltic states and parts of Germany.” Khrenin also announced plans to “build up the combat potential of the regional grouping of Russia and Belarusian troops,” including the transfer to Minsk of the Iskander-M missile system, capable of carrying a nuclear charge, and the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. Russia and Belarus have an alliance agreement under which the Kremlin subsidizes the Belarusian economy, via loans and discounted Russian oil and gas. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading neighboring Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there. AP

WITH distant family members looking on, Connecticut senators voted Thursday to absolve the 12 women and men convicted of witchcraft—11 of whom were executed—more than 370 years ago and apologize for the “miscarriage of justice” that occurred over a dark 15-year-period of the state’s colonial history.

The Senate voted 33-1 in favor of a resolution that officially proclaimed their innocence. It marked the culmination of years of effort by a group called the CT Witch Trial Exoneration Project, made up of history buffs and descendants. Some of the descendants recently learned through genealogy testing that they were related to the accused witches and have since lobbied the state’s General Assembly to officially clear their names.

“People can say we’re wasting our time this afternoon, maybe we could be doing other things,” said Republican state Sen. John Kissel, acknowledging early criticism of the legislative effort. “But I think it’s a small step to acknowledge our history and move forward together, Democrat, Republican, men and women into a brighter future.”

The resolution, which lists the nine women and two men who were executed and the one woman who was convicted and given a reprieve, already passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 121-30. Because it’s a resolution, it does not require the governor’s signature.

Republican state Sen. Rob Sampson cast the lone no vote on Thursday. He said it was wrong and childlike to suggest “somehow we have a right to dictate what was right or wrong about periods in the past that we have no knowledge of.”

“I don’t want to see bills that rightfully or wrongfully attempt to paint America as a bad place with a bad history,” Sampson added. “I want us to focus on where

we’re going, which is a brighter and better future. And I don’t want to see anyone try and put a stain on the country that I love.”

But advocates of the resolution argued it’s important to raise public awareness about the witch trials in Connecticut, which occurred decades before the infamous Salem witch trials in Massachusetts.

“It’s important to right the wrongs of the past so we learn from them and move on and not repeat those mistakes,” said Joshua Hutchinson, of Prescott Valley, Arizona, who traced his ancestry to accused witches in Salem and is the host of the “Thou Shalt Not Suffer: The Witch Trial Podcast.”

Sen. Saud Anwar, a Democrat who advocated for the resolution on behalf of a constituent who learned he was a descendant of a witch accuser, said lawmakers heard testimony during the public hearing process about witch trials still happening around the world, including in African countries, and the need to draw attention to the problem.

“It’s relevant, even to this time as well,” he said.

Alse Young, who was killed at the gallows in Connecticut, was the first person on record to be executed in the American colonies for witchcraft.

The Windsor town clerk registered the death on May 26, 1647, in a diary entry that read: “Alse Young was hanged.”

The courts in the early British colonies of Connecticut and New Haven ultimately indicted at least 34 women and men for the crimes of witchcraft and familiarities with the devil.

Other states and countries have attempted to atone for a history of persecuting people as witches.

Last year, Scotland’s prime minister issued a formal apology to the estimated 4,000 Scots, mostly women, who were accused of witchcraft up until 1736. Of the 4,000, about 2,500 were killed. AP

Pentagon says allies will unite to train Ukrainians on F-16s, but cautions jets aren’t ‘magic weapons’

WASHINGTON—

Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin said Thursday that European allies are developing a coordinated program to train Ukrainian forces on the F-16 fighter jet, but Pentagon leaders warned that it will be a costly and complex task and won’t be a magic solution to the war.

Austin said the allies recognize that in addition to training, Ukraine will also need to be able to sustain and maintain the aircraft and have enough munitions. And he said air defense systems are still the weapons that Ukraine needs most in the broader effort to control the airspace.

“There are no magic weapons,” said Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who spoke alongside Austin at a Pentagon news conference. He said providing 10 F-16s could cost $2 billion, including maintenance.

“The Russians have a thousand fourth and fifth-generation fighters, so if you’re going to contest Russia in the air, you’re going to need a substantial amount of fourth and fifthgeneration fighters.”

As a result, he said, allies did the right thing by first providing Ukraine with a significant amount of integrated air defense to cover the battlespace. He said F-16s have a future

role as part of Ukraine’s air capabilities, but it’s “going to take a considerable length of time to build up an air force that’s the size and scope and scale that would be necessary.”

Austin said the Dutch and Danish defense ministers are working with the US on the effort, and that Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Poland have already offered to contribute to the training. In addition, he said the allies will set up a fund so that other nations can contribute to the overall effort.

“We expect more countries to join this important initiative,” Austin said, adding that the training is “an important example of our long-term commitment to Ukraine security.”

Austin earlier in the day said he hopes that training for

Ukrainian pilots on Americanmade F-16 fighter jets will begin in the coming weeks, bolstering Ukraine in the long run but not necessarily as part of an anticipated spring counteroffensive against Russia.

Austin and Milley spoke at the close of a virtual meeting of defense leaders from around the world to discuss the ongoing military support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian leaders gave them an update on the war effort and the military gaps that troops are facing. Austin said the biggest gap continues to be ground-based air defense.

The leaders, in their 12th meeting, heard about ongoing combat operations and the counteroffensive and discussed how the allies, who have faced their own stockpile pressures,

can continue to support Kyiv’s fight against Russia.

Ukrainian officials have not formally announced the launch of their much-anticipated counteroffensive, although some say it has already begun and the pace of attacks suggests it’s underway.

“We’re going to have to dig deeper, and we’re going to have to continue to look for creative ways to boost our industrial capability,” Austin said before the military leaders began their closed session. “The stakes are high. But the cause is just and our will is strong.”

European leaders have said they are talking about which countries may have some of the F-16s available. The United States had long balked at providing the advanced aircraft to Ukraine, and only last weekend did President Joe Biden agree to allow other nations to send their own USmade jets to Kyiv.

“We hope this training will begin in the coming weeks,” Austin said. “This will further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force in the long term. And it will complement our shortterm and medium-term security agreements. This new joint effort sends a powerful message about our unity and our longterm commitment to Ukraine’s self-defense.” AP

TALLINN, Estonia—Russia and Belarus signed a deal Thursday formalizing the deployment of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally, although control of the weapons remains in the Kremlin.

IN this photo released by Roscongress Foundation, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko talk to each other during the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 24, 2023. AP

A US Air Force F-16 refuels in mid-flight from a KC-135 Stratotanker during a Red Flag exercise over The Nevada Test and Training Range on Feb. 10, 2014. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hopes that training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s will begin in the coming weeks, a move that would strengthen Ukraine in the long term, but not necessarily be ready to be part of the nearer term counteroffensive. AP

Nokor to send more IT workers abroad to fund arms, US says

US lawmakers absolve accused colonial-era witches, apologize for ‘miscarriage of justice’

HARMIE CONSTANTINO

crowned herself the first International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor

Philippine Ladies Masters after overhauling a big deficit and winning by two over Chihiro Ikeda at the Villamor Golf Club on Friday.

Constantino needed just a run of pars in the last five holes and a closing 74 to nail the hotly-disputed championship on a 221 total worth P120,000 as two-day leader Daniella Uy floundered at the finish again, making three straight double bogeys from No. 15 and limping with an 83, squandering a two-stroke lead in the stretch and winding up joint third instead.

I keda put in the day’s best 73 in an earlier flight to snatch runner-up honors at 223 and the P85,000 prize with erstwhile contender Korean Seoyun Kim likewise faltering at the finish with three straight bogeys for a 78 for a share of third with Uy at 226. They each received P66,000.

I just stuck to and tried to execute my game plan—hit the fairways and make the putts,” said Constantino, who battled back from four strokes down and tied Uy after 10 holes to set the stage for another pressure-packed finish the way she snatched the Luisita leg crown two weeks ago after rallying from as many

Swimming national congress, election scheduled June 8

THE national congress and election of members of the board of trustees of the Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI) has been moved back by a week to June 8.

Originally scheduled for June 15, the World Aquatics-ordered exercise will be attended by regional representatives and nominees of the PSI starting at 11 a.m. at the East Ocea Palace Restaurant in Parañaque City.

The new schedule of the congress and election was agreed upon during Thursday’s hybrid meeting among regional representatives of the federation, according to Atty. Wharton Chan.

“ The regional representatives agreed to move the exercise to an earlier date—and it will be doe face-toface,” said Wharton, a member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)designated electoral committee chaired by POC secretary-general Atty. Edwin Gastanes with Atty. Avelino Sumagui and Atty. Marcus Antonius Andaya as the other members.

More than 300 clubs or groups registered as PSI members with 100 of them joining Thursday’s meeting, according to Chan. He expects more to attend the June 8 exercise.

To be elected are 10 members of the board of trustees based on geographical sector plus one member from among the representatives of diving, open water swimming, water polo and synchronized (artistic) swimming for a total of 11 trustees.

T he geographical sector covers two each from the Area 1 (National Capital Region), Area 2 (Regions 1, 2, 3 and Cordillera Autonomous Region), Area 3 (Regions 4-A, 4-B and 5), Area 4 (Regions 6, 7 and 8) and Area 5 (Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, CARAGA Region and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).

BusinessMirror

CONSTANTINO PHL MASTERS CHAMPION

as six strokes down in the final round.

But Uy rode on a birdie-bogey swing on No. 13 to regain a two-shot lead, that, however, proved short-lived as she yielded strokes after strokes in a stretch where she should’ve kept them.

Mishits and missed putts on the fast Villamor surface with tough pin placements led to double bogeys from No. 15, 16 and 17 and Uy found herself tumbling from the top and losing by an even wider margin—five—after working her way up with gutsy 70 and 73 in the first two days of the inaugural P1 million championship.

A s Uy bogeyed the first three holes and dropped another stroke on No. 6 for a birdie-less 40, Constantino inched closer with a frontside 37 then survived an exacting backside finish with a slew of pars against a lone

By Josef Ramos

RICHARD GOMEZ is now the country’s chef de mission (CDM) to the Hangzhou Asian Games after he switched places with Dr. Jose Raul Canlas, who’s now CDM for the Bali World Beach Games.

The switch was formalized during the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) General Assembly on Friday at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Parañaque City, according to POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

T he Asian Games are set September 23 to October 8 iwhile the World Beach Games are from August 5 to 12.

Tolentino, meanwhile, said that 426 Filipino athletes—from 410— will compete in Hangzhou following the addition of athletes in modern pentathlon and a self-funded cycling and equestrian teams.

“As president of cycling [PhilCycling], I have to set an example by

mishap against the former’s backside 43 marked by just one birdie.

It was not as perfect as I had wanted it to be but I think I played okay. I played as steady as I possibly could,” said Constantino, whose parsaving putt from 12 feet on the 54th hole was greeted with jubilation from the home fans.

It’s actually not the [Villamor] charm,” said Constantino after reigning again at the military layout she calls home after foiling top amateur Rianne Malixi, also in the first Match Play Invitational, in sudden death last November. “Prayers from the people here at Villamor, they always pray for me, they always want me to win.”

The back-to-back victories should make the former national champion the marked player when action in the

Ladies Philippine Golf Tour shifts to Valley Golf in Antipolo City for this year’s sixth leg from June 6 to 9.

But expect Uy, along with the likes of Ikeda, Kim, Sarah Ababa, Marvi Monsalve and a host of others, to toughen up during the week-long break as they try to stop Constantino from extending her win run and fuel their respective title drive in the next LPGT stop at the up-and-down Valley South layout.

Ababa, meanwhile, shot a 76 and tied Monsalve, who skied to an 81, at fifth at 230 while Mafy Singson clinched another low amateur honors with a 235 after a 78 for joint seventh with Gretchen Villacencio, who made an 83.

Pamela Mariano put in a 78 for ninth at 240 while Monica Mandario wound up 10th at 244 after an 81.

Gomez, Canlas switch places as CDMs

putting five of the eight cyclists we are accrediting for the Asian Games under Group A,” Tolentino said.

A thletes who qualify for a major international competition by virtue of their performances or medals won will be in Group A and will be funded by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). Those who do not meet the policy are in Group B with their national sports associations funding their participation.

Tolentino has earlier stressed that gold and silver medalists in the recent Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games and those who make or approximate Asian and even world standards will compete in Hangzhou under Group A.

G omez, 57 and president of both the fencing and modern pentathlon associations, said he is hoping for Filipino athletes to win more than four gold, two silver and 15 bronze medals won in the Jakarta Asiad in

Thirdy, Ange, Rhenz honored by scribes

THREE of the best collegiate players in recent history will be hailed by the Collegiate Press Corps during its awards night on Monday at The Hummingbird Rooftop Bar in Quezon City.

Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena and Ange Kouame and Letran’s Rhenz Abando will be honored as Collegiate Basketball Players of the Year during the ceremony presented by San Miguel Corp. and the Philippine Sports Commission.

T he press corps that covers the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National

Jinggoy commends Gilas Pilipinas

SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito

Estrada filed a resolution to commend and congratulate the men’s national basketball team for regaining the gold medal in the recent 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Philippines became champion again after losing the gold medal to Indonesia last year in Hanoi.

Before that loss in Vietnam, Filipino basketball players were undefeated in the SEA Games for three decades.

Their momentous accomplishment in the international tournament deserves commendation and recognition from the Philippine Senate,” Estrada said. H e said Gilas Pilipinas’ victory contributed to the 58 gold medals

Collegiate Athletic Association are holding the awards for the first time in three years following the pandemic.

R avena earned top honors for the 2019-20 athletic year when he led the Blue Eagles to a perfect 16-0 campaign in UAAP Season 82. He was named Finals MVP in Ateneo’s sweep of University of Santo Tomas.

A bando, meanwhile, is the top collegiate player for the 2021-22 season where he made history with Letran. In his first and only season in the NCAA, Abando was named Rookie of the Year and MVP on top

2018 where he was also the CDM.

I’m hoping we perform better than the last time,” said Gomez, a congressman from Ormoc City.

C anlas, who heads the United Philippine Surfing Association, said the agreement between him and Gomez was beneficial for both of them.

It’s plain and simple that Goma [Gomez] knows the ins and outs of Asian Games since he already served as CDM in 2018,” Canlas said. “On my end, I am closer to the ANOC [Association of National Olympic Committees] World Beach Games so it wasn’t hard to decide.”

C anlas also has Jay-R Esquivel already qualified for Bali with either Aping Agudo or Daisy Valdez hoping to join Esquivel by competing in the International Surfing Association World Shortboard Championship in Surf City, El Salvador, this weekend.

of leading the Knights to the Season 97 championship.

K ouame, on the other hand, will be feted for his effort in the 2022-23 season. The naturalized Filipino center was the UAAP MVP in Season 84 and Finals MVP in Season 85 when the Blue Eagles regained the crown.

A lso to be honored in the ceremony supported by MNL Kingpin, Tinapayan Festival and Jockey are the Collegiate Volleyball Players of the Year and Mythical 5 for basketball and Coaches of the Year.

The Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night is also supported by Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances and Handyman.

earned by the Philippine delegation in Phnom Penh.  Gilas Pilipinas exemplified discipline, resilience and perseverance—positive values that their fellow athletes and the younger generation can emulate,” Estrada said. “Their success story showcased the indomitable Filipino spirit and world-class caliber, bringing pride, joy, and honor to a nation that passionately embraces basketball.”

CELTICS STAY ALIVE Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat, 110-97, in Game 5 to extend the Eastern Conference finals. AP

Van der Valk comes charging back, ties leader Rates entering 4th round

GUIDO VAN DER VALK turned what he deemed was a flawed chip shot into a resounding birdie at the finish and saved a 75 to catch Joenard Rates at the helm after three rounds of mental play in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor Philippine Masters at the Villamor Golf Club Friday.

Head bowed, Van der Valk dropped both arms to his knees in frustration after chipping way past the hole on the par-five No. 18.

But the Dutchman returned a clutch 10-footer for birdie to seize a share of the lead as Rates fumbled with his par-putt bid from a shorter distance for a 77 marred by a double bogey on No. 17.

On a day when the chief contenders battled tough pin placements and tricky surface and ended up with soaring scores, van der Valk tied Rates at 212 and Marvin Dumandan put himself

Senator ‘Bato’ de la Rosa calls for responsible gun ownership

THE growth and development of the firearms manufacturing industry will all depend on the number of educated and responsible gun owners.

So said Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa as he joined the Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers Inc. (AFAD) in the fight against loose firearms, gun safety, and

responsible gun ownership. We must continue educate our citizens about gun ownership,” said Dela Rosa in a short message during the opening of the 29th AFAD Defense and Sporting Arms Show on Thursday at the SMX Convention in Pasay City.

“ If we all become responsible gun owners, there will be more members of society who’re not just simple hobbyists and sportsmen,”

he said. “And this will also benefit the manufacturers and importers in the industry.”

Dela Rosa acknowledges the contribution of the firearms industry not just for creating jobs for Filipinos but also for the growth of the economy in general.

“ My own daughter and my son-in-law are both champion shooters,” added the former Philippine National Police Chief. “We need to help each other, we have to unite and put our best foot forward to help

in title contention in a long while after squeezing out a 73 to join Jhonnel Ababa, who carded a 74, at 214.

Fidel Concepcion fired one of the day’s three best scores of 70 to move to joint fifth at 216 with Gerald Rosales and Reymon Jaraula, who matched par-72s, and Keanu Jahns, who drew level with Rates with a solid frontside 33 but fell with a thud with an uncharacteristic backside 45 for a 78.

A fter birdying No. 9 from long range to tie the two-day leader, the Fil-German went wild on his driving and tee-shots, limping with a triplebogey 7 on No. 10, bogeying Nos. 12 and 16, yielding two strokes on the par-three 17th, and holing out with another double-bogey on the closing par-five hole.

B ut four strokes behind, Jahns remained in the hunt for a Philippine Golf Tour breakthrough although he will need a lot of work off the mound to revive his title hopes in the P2.5 million championship put up by ICTSI. hile Jahns struggled with his long game, van der Valk found the greens a lot tougher, flubbing par putts on Nos. 4, 5 and 7 to fall four strokes off Rates, who traded two birdies against the same number of bogeys for a 36, at the turn.

“I struggled with the speed of the greens today, I don’t know why,” said van der Valk, who bounced back from a rare missed cut stint at Luisita with a clear title shot in the very same PH Masters tournament he yielded to Jerson Balasabas in sudden death in 2018. “But definitely tomorrow [Saturday], I have the chance to win because I wasted too many shots.”

After yielding just three bogeys in the first two days, the Dutchman made five in moving day but still made it to the top with Rates, who hobbled with two bogeys and a double bogey in the last four holes and blew a three-stroke lead.

If you play this course for four days, bogeys will come at some point because it’s that kind of golf course, no one will run away with it. We just need to stay patient,” said van der Valk, looking for a follow-up to his runaway victory, his second straight, in The Country Club Invitational last February.

the industry grow, stabilize and be helpful to nation-building.”

A FAD president Alaric Topacio thanked De la Rosa, other lawmakers and different law enforcement agencies for supporting the industry and helping local manufacturers and importers.

“Foremost in AFAD mission is to educate every Filipino not just the hobbyist, sportsmen, and private gun owners on how to be a responsible gun owner,” Topacio said. “From a mere firearms dealer group, AFAD transform into an association lobbying bills to create laws that are beneficial to all stakeholders.”

SENATOR Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa inspects one of the automatic firearms on display.

HARMIE CONSTANTINO saves her best for last in Villamor. ROY DOMINGO

SUDDENLY, Guido van der Valk is in strong contention. ROY DOMINGO