BusinessMirror November 20, 2022

A broader look at today’s business

METAVERSE EXPERIENCE

‘Beautiful game’ for Filipino fans: How deep is your love for football?

By Rory Visco

FOR practically one whole month, the entire football-crazy world will be caught in yet another frenzy as the FIFA World Cup commences from November 20 to December 18, 2022, in Qatar. A total of 32 teams will duke it out against one another in eight venues located in five cities.

The 22nd FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Asso ciation) World Cup also marks the first time that the international men’s football competition will be held in an Arab country and only the second time in Asia after South Korea and Japan during the 2002 edition. France, the reigning World Cup champion, will try to defend the title it won over Croatia in 2018 against 31 other teams all around the world.

But what relevance does the World Cup of football have on the Philippines, considering that bas ketball remains to be like a religion in this country?

Long but forgotten football history

UNBEKNOWNST to many, foot ball has a long and strong imprint on the country’s history, begin ning over 100 years ago. It was the time that Iloilo-born Paulino Alcántara Riestra made history as the first Filipino and Asian foot baller to play for European club FC Barcelona. Yes, FC Barcelona that counts Lionel Messi as its most famous player.

However, the Filipinos’ love for football didn’t prosper from there since it was basketball that man

aged to capture the love and adora tion of Filipinos, despite it being a sport where “height is might.” And Riestra’s name hardly rings a bell, even for most sports enthusiasts.

Some say we should forget about basketball because being Asian, we are not on a par with other taller, more agile Caucasians or African-Americans. With our diminutive size and speed, many sports pundits believe football is a

sport tailor-fitted for Filipinos. And with our creativity and ingenuity, football is like tailor-made for us but still, the sport hardly made a dent on the Filipino sports psyche.

Slowly, however, the sport is making a long, arduous advance. The Philippine Azkals, the Philip pine men’s national football team made up mostly of players with foreign-sounding names but con sidered Filipinos by affinity, made history when they advanced to the World Cup qualification round for the first time back in 2011. On the distaff side, the Philippine Mal ditas (or “Filipinas”), the national women’s football team, took it up a notch and made history in January of this year for Philippine football

when they earned a spot at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, our first ever.

Slowly, football is gaining that much-needed attention among Fili pinos. And the FIFA World Cup fever is not lost among Filipinos. In fact, it is now one of the most watched global sporting events, perhaps next to the NBA and the Olympics. But be ing a Third World country, many Fili pinos realistically can’t afford to go to the venue itself.

The next best option? Live streaming.

Streaming is the answer? ACCORDING to The World Cup 2022 Viewing Report by Dynata

and commissioned by Amdocs, the survey conducted among 300 Filipino viewers who plan to watch the FIFA World Cup, it revealed that many Filipinos are ready for a new era of amazing interactive entertainment offerings and are willing to pay for digital products and services that make their ex perience more enjoyable. However, not having access to viewing the World Cup, coupled with questions around network reliability, could hinder this evolution.

A mong the study’s findings: 91 percent of viewers expressed inter est in using the metaverse (defined as a single, universal and immer sive virtual world) so they could watch sporting events with other

fans as if they were there. Aside from the metaverse, the study said 45 percent of viewers have a grow ing desire for more interactive ex periences like AR/VR, 40 percent look to a 360-degree live video of the game, and 34 percent would want to participate in interactive in-game challenges.

A lso, 70 percent of the game enthusiasts are willing to part with more money to stream matches at 5G speeds with no delays or loss of connectivity. About 75 percent of millennials and 37 percent of Gen-Xers plan to stream the games, while 56 percent of the viewers plan to watch the games on social media channels, with millennials leading this trend at 60 percent.

The study also showed that while 75 percent of fans expressed confidence in their home connec tivity when it comes to World Cup viewing, it drops to 50 percent when talk points to mobile networks. Ac cessibility is also a concern, with 22 percent of total respondents say they don’t have access to all games from their TV provider.

W hen reached out for answers by the BusinessMirror as to why the Philippines was included in the study even if football is not too popular yet in the country, Amdocs, a provider of software and services to communications and media companies, said that the World Cup of football is a major international sports event and is one of the most viewed events in the world, with a huge fan base across the globe. With a significant number of soc cer fans present in the Philippines, findings from this study will act as an avenue to assist operators to en hance the customer viewing experi ence, the company said.

The pandemic has increased the digital trend, and this has led to the introduction of the latest

THE Filipinas, the Philippine national women’s football team, make history by qualifying for the Women’s World Cup in 2023. FIFA

ALCÁNTARA during his first years with FC Barcelona WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

A ‘barbed wire curtain’ rises in Europe amid war in Ukraine

By Vanessa Gera | The Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland—The long border between Finland and Russia runs through thick forests and is marked only by wooden posts with low fences meant to stop stray cattle. Soon, a stronger, higher fence will be erected on parts of the frontier.

E arlier this month, Polish soldiers began laying coils of razor wire on the border with Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave wedged between Poland and Lith uania. Cameras and an electronic monitoring system also will be installed on the area that once was guarded only by occasional patrols of border guards.

The fall of the Berlin Wall more than 30 years ago symbolized hope for cooperation with Moscow.

Now, Russia’s war in Ukraine has ushered in a new era of con frontation in Europe—and the rise of new barriers of steel, concrete and barbed wire. These, however, are being built by the West.

The Iron Curtain is gone, but the ‘barbed wire curtain’ is now un fortunately becoming the reality for much of Europe,” said Klaus Dodds, a professor of geopolitics at Royal Hol

loway, University of London. “The optimism that we had in Europe af ter 1989 is very much now gone.”

The contrast FEAR and division have replaced the euphoria when Germans danced atop the Berlin Wall and broke off chunks of the barrier erected in 1961 by Communist leaders.

It stretched for 155 kilome ters, encircling West Berlin until 1989, when East German authori ties opened crossings following mass protests. Within a year, East and West Germany were reunited. Some countries in the Euro pean Union began building border fences as a response to more than 1 million refugees and other mi grants entering southern Europe from the Middle East and Africa in 2015 alone. In 2015 and 2016, Russia ushered thousands of asy

lum-seekers, also mostly from the Middle East, to border checkpoints in northern Finland.

W hen relations with Belarus deteriorated after its authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of an elec tion widely seen as fraudulent, the government in Minsk sent thou sands of migrants across the EU’s frontiers in what Dodds called “hy brid warfare.” In response, Poland and Lithuania erected walls along their borders with Belarus.

Michal Baranowski, head of the Warsaw office of the German Marshal Fund think tank, said most security analysts believe Belarus coordinated its effort with Moscow, “in effect destabilizing our borders ahead of war in Ukraine.”

Fortification

FEARING another migration crisis as a response to sanctions against Moscow because of the nearly nine-month war in Ukraine, Euro pean leaders have begun hardening their borders.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced plans to fortify parts of her country’s 1,340-kilo meter border—the longest with any EU member. Moscow has threatened “serious military-polit ical consequences” against Finland and Sweden for seeking to join NATO, and Marin said the fortifi cations would help defend the na tion against the “hybrid threat” of possible large-scale and irregu lar migration orchestrated by the Kremlin.

The new barriers offer little protection from missiles or tanks. Governments instead expect the walls, fences and electronic sur veillance to provide better control of their borders and to stop large migrant surges.

Migrants as ‘weapons’

DODDS says Russia has been weap onizing migration for several years as it engages in a “civilization con flict with its European neighbors.”

Russia bombed and harassed Syria’s population in 2015 “in a deliberate attempt to create a hu manitarian crisis,” he said.

“I think one of the difficulties we sometimes have outside of Rus sia is in actually appreciating quite how cynical, quite how calculating, quite how deliberate some of this work is,” said Dodds, author of The New Border Wars: The Conflicts that Will Define Our Future.

Russia’s use of migrants to create social discord in places like Poland, Lithuania and Latvia has led to those governments not of fering them the chance to apply for asylum and refusing them entry in many cases—as has happened in other European countries like Greece and Hungary.

Those pushed back to Belarus have been subjected to abuse by Belarusian guards who initially helped them cross the borders, ac cording to human-rights groups.

Human-rights activists in Po land have protested the 18-foot steel wall erected along 186 kilo meters of its border with Belarus, arguing that it keeps out the weak est people but not the most deter mined.

A nna Alboth of the Minority Rights Group has spent months at that border and said she has seen people use ladders to scale the fence or tunnel under it.

Since the wall was finished last summer, about 1,800 migrants who made it inside Poland and found themselves in forests desperate for food, water or medicine have called Grupa Granica, an umbrella organi zation Alboth co-founded.

‘Inhumane’

“IT’s very difficult territory, the east of Poland,” she said. “There are a lot of animals. I had a situation where I went to one group and I stepped on people who were halfconscious. I am sure there were many people like this.”

She said she recently encoun tered groups of women from Sudan who appeared to be human traf ficking victims, as well as medical students from Africa who were in their fifth year of studies in Russia.

“They said ‘Russia is falling apart and we want to live in a normal country,’” Alboth said.

A P olish government secu rity official, Stanislaw Zaryn, acknowledged the border wall doesn’t stop everyone seeking to cross illegally, but added: “It does allow our forces to act rap idly and more efficiently, with out the need to deploy as much manpower as before.”

Both that wall and the fence with Kaliningrad “convey a strong message to Minsk and Moscow that Poland takes the security and integrity of its borders extremely seriously,” Zaryn said. “I believe that Belarus and Russia will think twice before pursuing again the weaponization of migration.”

Dodds said he understands the impulse to build walls but warns that they rarely work as intended, often pushing migrants onto more hazardous journeys.

W hile militarized borders might be popular, they also tend to dehumanize desperate migrants, who often are willing to risk the danger of border crossings for a better life.

Building such walls and fences “sucks empathy and compassion from our societies,” Dodds said.

METAVERSE EXPERIENCE

technology enhancing the view ing experience for sports. People now have the option to watch live sports on apps that provide them with enhanced personalized ex perience like match scores or in teraction streaming combined with data and statistics. Those who can’t go to the venue to watch

the game would like to experience it in metaverse where they can be a part of a virtual stadium,” the company told the Business Mirror

The company said the zeal and enthusiasm for attending an event will always stay, but the beauty of today’s present situation is that with technological advancements, people will now have both options. Those who are not physically pres

ent to watch the event now have the online option and with technology like metaverse, they can experience the game as if they are watching it from the stadium.

Introduction of new technol ogy will not only enhance fan ex perience across all touchpoints, but will also open up significant oppor tunities for new revenue streams,” according to Amdocs.

POLISH soldiers begin laying a razor wire barrier along Poland’s border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in Wisztyniec, Poland, on Wednesday November 2, 2022. AP/MICHAL KOSC

As climate warms, Chinese landscape architect advocates ‘sponge cities’

By Emily Wang Fujiyama The Associated Press

BEIJING—To cushion the impact of extreme weather due to climate change, a Chinese landscape architect has been making the case for China and other countries to create so-called “sponge cities.”

Yu Kongjian, who spoke to The Associated Press in Beijing, uses sweeping language to express his vision for cities that can withstand variable temperatures, drought and heavy rainfall. The challenges for implementing this vision at a time of ambitious economic development in China are multifold.

Yu criticizes much of Asia’s modern infrastructure for being built on ideas imported from Europe, which he says are ill-fitted to the monsoon climate over much of the Asian continent. He points to recent floods that have wreaked havoc in many Asian cities, which he says are caused by this architectural mismatch.

“There’s no resilience at all,” Yu says of the concrete and steel infrastructure of major cities, and of using pipes and channels to funnel away water. “Those are useless, they will fail and continue to fail.”

Instead, Yu proposes using natural resources, or “green infrastructure” to create water-resilient cities. It’s part of a global shift among landscape design and civil engineering professionals toward working more in concert with the natural environment. By creating large spaces to hold water in city centers—such as parks and ponds—stormwater can be retained on site, helping prevent floods, he says. Sponge infrastructure also, in theory, offers ways for water to seep down and recharge groundwater for times of drought.

“The idea of a sponge city is to recover, give water more space,” Yu said.

A turning point in China’s awareness of climate change and urban adaptation came a decade ago, Yu said. A devastating flood hit the capital city of Beijing in July 2012.

Beijing’s biggest downpour in 61 years overwhelmed drainage systems, swamped downtown underpasses and sent flash floods roiling through the city’s outskirts. At least 77 people died.

Yu at the time sent a letter to Beijing’s party secretary, Guo Jinlong, calling for a change in how the government approaches city infrastructure. He continued to send letters to high-ranking officials and top leadership, including China’s leader Xi Jinping.

At a government working conference the next year, China incorporated the idea of sponge cities as a national strategy, “giving full play to the absorption, storage and slow release of rainwater by ecological systems.”

In 2014, the central government issued a directive: Recycle 70 percent of rainwater runoff in 20 percent of urban areas by 2020, and in 80 percent of such areas by 2030.

The following year it launched 16 pilot sponge city projects, adding 14 more in 2016. Officials also said they would award 600 million yuan ($83 million) each year for three years to municipal cities, 500 million yuan to provincial capitals, and 400 million yuan to other cities.

The top-down mandate and subsidies spurred a boom in water-absorbing infrastructure, including in large cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Cities around the world are similarly trying to integrate “bioswales” along the sides of roads, protect remaining marsh areas to absorb water, and increase the capture of roof rainwater.

An experiment underway

IN China, one demonstration park is located in the northeast corner of the city of Nanchang, southern China. In mid October, engineers were putting finishing touches on a lush, picturesque 126-acre park designed to cushion the impact of both floods and droughts.

Formerly a coal ash dump site, the “Fish Tail” sponge park is built in a low-lying section of the city and intended to regulate water for surrounding neighborhoods and business districts. The fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion, was mixed with soil to create mini-islands in the lake that allow water to permeate. Fang said the mixture, held in place by plant roots, prevents the ash from flowing into the water. Whether it prevents the release of toxic elements in the ash is an open question.

During dry periods, the water could be withdrawn, purified and used for plant irrigation. Fang Yuan, an engineer at Yu’s design institute, Turenscape, said the park serves as “an ecological aquarium,” capable of retaining 1 million cubic meters of water during floods and means the water can be used, instead of just discharging it into the sewage system. The park also serves as a habitat for plants and wildlife disrupted by extreme weather such as drought.

An uncertain future

AT times, the sponge city concept has been difficult to implement in China. Misallocation of funds, lack of expertise in sponge city planning, and other snags have doomed some projects.

In April, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development announced some cities had “insufficient awareness, inaccurate understanding, and unsystematic implementation of sponge city construction.”

The notice also warned against using funds earmarked for sponge city construction for other general infrastructure projects, such as buildings and roads.

Those guidelines were issued after massive rainfall and catastrophic floods in the city of Zhengzhou killed 398 people last summer. Floodwater inundated a section of the city’s subway, trapping hundreds of commuters. Rescuers flocked to the scene, but 14 people died in the subway disaster.

Notably, Zhengzhou was one of the pilot sponge cities, with a planned investment of 53.58 billion yuan ($7.4 billion). Some questioned whether sponge city projects work at all.

But an investigation by the State Council released in January found that funds had been misspent. Only 32 percent of the 19.6 billion yuan that was invested went to what the government defined as sponge city concepts.

“Even at the critical moment when the whole country mobilized forces to support Zhengzhou’s rescue and disaster relief, they were still building flower beds,” the State Council report said.

Yu acknowledges there is an oversight problem. “Many of the cities just use it as propaganda— just to get a lot of money from the central government,” but then invest the funds in other projects.

Poyang Lake

WHILE problems implementing absorptive cities are worked out, China’s vulnerability to extreme weather is clear. A prolonged drought since July has dramatically shrunk China’s biggest freshwater lake, Poyang.

In the village of Tangtou, on the lake’s normally water-blessed northeast corner, residents scooped buckets of water from a village pond to tend their vegetables.

Since July, villagers say they’ve hardly seen any rainfall, let alone water in their corner of the lake.

“The whole lake was completely dry, and even the Yangtze River was dry,” said 73-year-old Duan Yunzhen, as he scattered pond water onto his crops.

“We planted rice, cotton, sesame, and sweet potato—they are all suffering from drought,” said 62-year-old Hong Zuhua.

TheAssociatedPressvideoproducersOliviaZhanginBeijingandWayneZhanginNanchang, China,contributedtothisreport.

This is how tourism must shift to help address climate change

By Lebawit Lily Girma

IF you’re concerned about climate change and wondering whether you should travel to far-flung places as often as you used to before the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s a valid question. You’re not going to like the answer.

An estimated 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to tourism, and that’s predicted to double by 2050, the year scientists have forecast as the tipping point for all sorts of ecological disasters. By then, our planet will have warmed 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial times. By the end of the century, the figure looks to be 2C (3.6F), with that half-degree making a huge differ ence. If emissions are left unchecked, this warming will accelerate, bring ing forth a distinctly heightened lev el of cataclysmic weather patterns. So how can tourism fix its emis sions problem? It just needs 100 percent sustainable aviation fuels by 2050 to power air travel. It can grow, mostly by increasing the share of short-haul trips over time—from 69 percent in 2019 to 81 percent by 2050—while global travelers (that’s you) rein in the number of long-dis tance flights you take every year… until at least 2050.

Once everybody sticks to this impossible-to-imagine scenario, you can return to jetting back and forth across the globe with impunity. You could do it even more if you like.

Those are the unsurprising, yet troubling, findings of a report from the Travel Foundation released in alignment with COP27 in collabo ration with the Centre of Expertise Leisure Tourism and Hospital ity, Breda University of Applied Sci ences, European Tourism Futures Institute, and Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions. It was shared exclusively with Bloomberg ahead of its release.

The longest-distance flights are defined as round trips of more than 9,941 miles—e.g., New York to Cairo, or London to Bangkok. They are the hardest to decarbonize, the report explains, which is why they must remain static at 2019 levels for the next 27 years in order for tourism to reach net zero. (Net zero means to curb emissions as close to zero as possible.) This is despite simul taneously increasing other modes of low-emission transport, such as electric cars, high-speed trains and hydrogen buses.

“Our hope is to spark further dialogue and to help destinations and businesses recognize that the business-as-usual scenario is not all that likely in the future,” says Jeremy Sampson, chief executive officer of the Travel Foundation. He notes that the report’s scenario comes with its own pain points and is not all that realistic.

The report focuses on movement from Point A to Point B and doesn’t take into account other huge sources of emissions in the travel industry, such as cruises or embodied carbon in hotel construction.

How it was calculated

PAUL PEETERS, professor of sus tainable tourism transport at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, performed simulations for the report using the “Global Tour ism and Transport Dynamic Model” tech platform he developed in 2017,

plugging in data he’s been gathering since 2005.

Peeters’s model considers the overall tourism industry, including all overnight trips—defined as at least one night away from home (in ternational or domestic) for the pur pose of vacation, business or visiting friends and relatives. It addresses up to 20 distances traveled, accommo dation providers and major transport modes, minus cruise ships, through 2100. Seven optional factors are thrown into the simulation: sustain able aviation fuel, electrification and energy efficiency, infrastructure im provements, taxes, offsetting, travel behavior, and travel speed.

The first three (fuel, energy ef ficiency, infrastructure) reduced emissions the most, but even maxi mizing them was not sufficient to reach net zero by 2050 when ac counting for the certainty that tour ism will grow. Even maximizing all seven factors proved insufficient, Peeters says; hence the need to cap the growth of long-haul aviation at 2019 levels.

“Technically, it can be done,” says Peeters. “The economy is growing. Your freedom to travel is basically the same, but the distances change. You should not fly six times per year from the US to Europe.”

Left unchecked, long-haul avia tion is expected to quadruple its emissions by 2050 to reach 41 per cent of total tourism emissions, the report shows. As it stands, long-haul flights are not yet back at 2019 levels, Peeters said in a statement.

The larger takeaway of the report: It may be possible to act now, but the near-impossible extremes required to reach net zero by 2050 simply confirm that the tourism industry faces crisis.

Every sector of travel would have to throw all it has behind climate action without delay to make a dent in emissions. Travelers will need to think harder and care more about how and where they travel. Like most industries, tourism remains in slow motion as it begins to tackle its nega tive impact on a planet whose health is vital to it.

How this affects you now

AFTER 18 years of relative iner tia since the tourism industry made its first climate promises, 300 initial signatories, including the United Nations World Tourism Organiza tion and the World Travel & Tourism Council, committed to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism in 2021 to halve tourism’s emissions by 2030 and eliminate them to near zero by 2050. This is in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement among 196 countries to reduce global warming, and to which the US just recommitted.

As this push accelerates, travel businesses and destinations are be ginning to change how they operate. They intend to lead travelers—you— to experience places and activities differently.

Major holiday and tour operator TUI, for instance, began offering new

sleeper train trips as a substitute for six short-haul routes in Europe. Tour operator Sunweb, in the Neth erlands, is also focused on offering overnight train trips to Belgium and the French Alps this winter and to the south of France in summer 2023.

On a far more micro level, Zip trek is the first adventure outfitter in Queenstown, New Zealand, to of fer consumer-facing labeling to show customers what their emissions would be when selecting among com peting zipline tours. “It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the trajectory of tourism,” says Trent Yeo, executive director at Ziptrek Ecotours.

This is admirable. When it comes to climate change, we’re all in this to gether. But it’s minuscule in the face of the systemic changes governments and tourism boards need to enact. (Re member, nobody gets to New Zealand without taking a long-haul flight.)

The trick for the traveler will be to learn about your carbon footprint, if you don’t already understand it, and to be able to sort among companies that are making a real effort versus those that are greenwashing their way into your travel decisions.

Booking.com, powered by cli mate-tech platform Chooose, will soon show carbon emission listings on flight and hotel results, allow ing travelers to filter lower carbon emission results from a range, for instance. “It is to take it one step fur ther and include individual travelers, who are the bookers, to understand their carbon footprints early on in the decision process,” says Andreas Slettvoll, CEO of Chooose.

Iberostar Group released its own ambitious decarbonization roadmap on November 8 at COP27, which is partly marketing (it wants 60 percent of guests to choose the brand for its sustainability actions by 2025) and partly action (a 2030 net zero goal and nature-based carbon compensa tion projects at its 97 resorts across four continents).

Eco-efficient marketing

BECAUSE consumers alone will not solve anything, governments, hotels, tour operators, cruise operators and the aviation industry need to lead with additional policies to encour age better decision-making.

To that end, the Netherlands is considering an eco-efficiency index of its visitors, says Ewout Versloot, a sustainability strategist working with the tourism board. This means dividing the amount of revenues a tourist brings in by the amount of carbon dioxide emissions the tourist triggered traveling there. That index would indicate which long-haul mar ket the government should direct marketing dollars toward to help reduce emission impacts.

“If we realize that we might be less dependent on long-haul source mar kets, maybe we can identify those markets that might be most valu able to us,” Versloot adds, noting this approach is part of the Netherlands’ road map to climate neutral tourism that was released in September.

Peeters agrees. Finding markets

that are a little shorter haul is desir able; even a 10 percent reduction in emissions is a welcome achievement for destinations, he says. Tour opera tors might also change the destina tions they offer, particularly to trav elers generally focused on booking any “sun and sea” experience rather than a specific place.

Winners and losers

THIS sort of destination picking re quired by the Travel Foundation’s re port brings up the inevitable inequi ties that tourism-dependent destina tions and regions in the Global South would face—for instance, Barbados, Indonesia and Thailand, as well as all of Africa and South America. When richer countries are the main culprits in emitting carbon dioxide, who should bear the economic loss of diverting tourist dollars to desti nations closer to them?

“Do we need to cap the Global South or do we need to cap some of the highest-volume airports in that long-haul aviation? This is exactly the discussion we need to be having in this unprecedented, collabora tive way,” says Megan Morikawa, global director of sustainability at Iberostar Group. “If we’re making assumptions on who the winners and losers should be, we’re going to end up making decisions that might make equity issues even worse.”

As it stands, destinations in the Global South are already feeling outsized human impacts from cli mate change and vainly awaiting compensation from richer nations. Exacerbating the problems are lack of access to greener technologies that Europe can access and to fund ing for tourism businesses to adapt and decarbonize rapidly.

For Kyle Mais, chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, this concerns destinations that are farther from the US—the region’s main visitor—than say, Jamaica is. “There will be difficult conversations out of COP27, but we stand ready to play our part.”

“Tourism ‘as a force for good’ should be stripping out carbon,” the Travel Foundation’s Sampson says. “A shift to less flying around during a period of time has the potential to make tourism genuinely more lo cal and a better experience for visi tors. This type of tourism can also deliver better benefits for the com munity while reducing some of the unintended burdens from tourists.”

What’s clear from this report is that drastic changes are needed from the tourism industry: Individ ual travelers should question their choices, such as long-haul trips, but it’s the travel industry that needs to let go of the status quo. For now, even in the face of a climate crisis that’s increasingly impacting des tinations, the sector is making big promises while changing little un der the hood. Without meaningful progress, your trips of a lifetime may become exactly that—viable only as you live and not for the generations to come—and your bucket lists a pipe dream.

A TOTAL SE tanker truck fuels an Airbus A350 passenger plane with sustainable aviation fuel at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy, France. NATHAN LAINE/BLOOMBERG

A WALKWAY goes through ponds and islets at the “Fish Tail” sponge park that’s built on a former coal ash dump site in Nanchang in north-central China’s Jiangxi province on October 30, 2022. The concept of the park involves creating and expanding parks and ponds within urban areas to prevent flooding and absorb water for times of drought. AP/NG HAN GUAN

Journey»life on the go

Editor: Tet Andolong

Surf and Glamp in Zamba

By Bernard L. Supetran

One of l u zon’s top destinations in the pre-Covid era, “Zamba” as it is fondly called, is dancing the proverbial samba as it has reclaimed its tourist magnetic pull and has even reached new milestones.

According to latest local tourism statis tics, accommodation establishments in Zam bales has reached 340, or more than doubled the 2018 pre-pandemic count of 151.

“We have everything that tourists would want—from waterfalls and rivers to beaches and islands. And they can enjoy all of these in relative safety and comfort even during pandemic,” says provincial governor he r mogenes e b dane Jr.

he noted that the phenomenal growth of tourist establishments can be attributed to the rise of new attractions which were developed during the pandemic to provide visitors with vast open and green space which are compliant to health protocols.

“Aside from beach hotels and restaurants that offer open-air dining, other accommo dation types had surfaced and became hugely popular in the last three years: pool resorts, farm and garden resorts, and campsites,” the local chief executive revealed.

“These definitely helped local tourism to bounce back after an initial slowdown at the onset of the pandemic,” he added.

e b dane predicts that if the growing ar rival trend continues until the year-end, Zambales may outdo its pre-pandemic visi tor arrival level.

With its proximity to Metro Manila and easy access via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac e x pressway (SCT e x), it has become a top-ofmind destination by small groups seeking powdery sand beaches, clear water, Bohe mian lifestyle and intimate dwelling places.

And with a coastline of about 300 kms in the mainland and islands, every town is a beach hideaway with an infinity of sleepy shores.

To make its public presence more strongly felt, the provincial government unveiled the Surf and Glamp Adventure which showcased

two of its major tourist recreations—surf ing and glamping or glamor camping.

Supported the Department of TourismCentral lu zon regional office, the three-day launch revolved around the coastal mu nicipalities of San Felipe, San Narciso and Botolan which are sought-after for their surf sites and beguiling bodies of water.

With the famed l i wliwa beach and surf site as event hub, and The Glamp as homebase, the program included surfing introductory lessons and tournaments, bodyboarding, beach sports, yoga, evening entertainment and a host of activities so there won’t be a dull and boring moment.

The participants also forayed into l u b ong Nangaluan Waterfalls tucked inside San Felipe’s lush interiors which has a cur tain-like cascade and a natural icy basin.

For a consummate experience of the Zambales waterworld, the launch swung by the Botolan Mangrove e co -Park, where guests navigated the area on board a standup paddleboard, kayak, or pedal board.

This unique ecosystem can be accessed through the Bancal r iver Adventure Park which has a cozy boardwalk, restaurant

and floating cottages overlooking the sce nic waterway and wetlands.

On the cultural front, the provincial government made a strong statement with its recent revival of the l a ruk- l a ruk Festival in Candelaria town. The cultural activity is based on the long-lost tradition of making “laruk-laruk” or rice crisps as part of thanksgiving after the palay har vest season.

he ld at the beach village of Uacon, the event was incepted in 2012 by Governor

e b dane who grew up with the tradition which dates back to the mid-1800s with the arrival of migrant farmer settlers.

Spearheaded by the Candelaria munici pal government, the five-day fest put to the fore the townsfolk’s culture, indigenous games, homegrown produce, and way of life.

The most-awaited activity is the pounding of rice husks by townsfolk, men and women, in preparation of the laruk-laruk or most popularly-known as “pinipig.”

“This is a rediscovery of the culture that

defined us as Candelarians and Zambals, and we hope this would rekindle among the present generation an appreciation of local culture and ignite love of our town and people,” e b dane said.

he said the tradition of making laruklaruk best exemplifies the town’s closelyknit community and cooperative endeavors like “pukot,” wherein neighbors help each other haul fishing nets at Uacon Cove at daybreak.

To spice up the agrarian fest, diverse non-traditional elements were incorpo rated, so the province can engage a bigger audience and entice them to make Zambales their destination of choice.

Situated in the province’s northern part, Candelaria town takes pride in its panoram ic Uacon Cove which has a concentration of spacious beach resorts, Uacon l a ke, and the white sand island of Potipot which is cur rently under redevelopment for glamping and water-based recreation.

With the confluence of surfing, glam ping, adventure, culture, and everything in between, Zamba is undoubtedly doing the samba on its way to tourism recovery.

While steakhouses serving lo cal steaks are dime a dozen, All About Beef (main branch) restau rant in San Fernando, Pampanga is mak ing a name for itself for serving authentic Australian beef. it s menu features dishes with beef such as beef shawarma, burger patties, nachos, pasta, and more. it s main draw however remains to be its unlimited Australian steak offering. it i s something that not every steakhouse can lay claim to.

The beef it uses is fresh and not frozen.

i n f act, the grass-fed cows are locally fat tened and slaughtered. Furthermore, the Australian government keeps an eye on the whole process as Australian beef ranks among the highest quality beef in the world.

The restaurant is one of the five com pany-owned brands under the seventeen brands D’ l e ague group of companies has under its belt.

“We started last July [2022] but are cur rently building five branches—in Angeles City, Magalang, Mabalacat, Guagua, and Floridablanca. Our main strength is that we have our own logistics company thus we can expand anywhere in l u zon to provide our distributors and dealers. We have leads for expansion in Metro Manila, Cavite, and

The Man with a Mission Be F O re becoming the business giant that he is today, Neil started out as a humble siomai vendor with a P3000 in capital. i n less than a month of studying the franchising business, he launched and franchised a food cart business and soon applied the concept to the milk tea busi ness. he w as able to capitalize success

upon success until the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted everything.

With a heart to serve his countrymen, he organized CA r e d Pool Pampanga which mobilized private individuals to provide free transport services and food to front liners. he a lso started a program for daily wagers—Pamisaupan Kapampangan, long before the concept of community pantry started.

i needed a sustainable foundation that is why i launched D’ l e ague group of com

Neil

“People think when they enter the semi nary it is for a purely spiritual purpose only, but the training is psycho-spiritual. it i s more on psychological development, to see things in a positive way combined with spirituality,” he said. This mindset has

enabled him to overcome challenges along the way and steer his business to greater heights of success.

Filling a Need in the Market

WheN the C eO c ame across the Netflix series Start-Up in 2020, he had a light bulb moment. i n 2021, he launched the D’ l e ague group of companies. it d ifferenti ated itself from other companies by being a one-stop shop service provider ranging from consultancy, incubation, construc tion, and marketing. it s goal is to control quality and standards of services that are not being outsourced. Basically, it is a solu tion-based company as it provides answer to every problem or possible problem of a franchisor.

Thinkbizz Trading Corporation, a sub sidiary of D’ l eague group of companies and the owner and distributor of Aussie Beef, is a member of the Associated of Filipino Franchisers i nc. (AFF i ). Being affiliated with AFF i has its advantages. “We had a wider network, and through the partners and through the mentorship of the found ers and board members, we learned the right way of doing franchising business,” the head honcho added.

l a guna, and more,” C eO of D’ l e ague group of companies Neil Angelo Sicat added.

panies so i don’t have to ask for donations, instead i can provide and sustain the foun dation through the income of the different companies that we have,” Neil voiced.

attributes his mental fortitude to being a former seminarian for 11 years.

Provinces across the country are rebooting their postpandemic tourism industry one after the other, and the charming northern getaway of Zambales is not to be outdone.

B OTOLAN Mangrove Eco Park

T H E glamp Zambales

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Biodiversity Sunday

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Report: Jakarta, Manila in illegal trade in wild birds

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

YOU miss them sometimes and ask yourself, where have all the birds gone? However, if you are a social-media savvy, you may wonder where the birds you see on the Internet come from.

Online illegal wildlife trade

A REPORT released last month by Traffic, a leading nongovernment or ganization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants for their biodiversity conservation and sus tainable development, revealed the rampant online trade of birds from Indonesia to the Philippines.

The report titled, “Farmed or poached? The trade of live Indone sian birds in the Philippines,” flags the booming trade and trafficking of Indonesia’s protected wild birds in the Philippines, a country known to harbor a diverse species of endangered birds.

The report presented data on the trade of bird species native to Indone sia that do not occur naturally in the Philippines but are sold in the country.

Traffic researchers drew from on line trade findings, seizure records of Indonesian bird species in the Philip pines and Indonesia, and import and export records from Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for live Indonesian birds in the Philippines.

‘On-and-off’ Facebook groups

SURVEYS from January 2018 to De cember 2019 recorded 501 unique posts involving a minimum of 841 live Indonesian birds offered for sale by 182 traders through 20 Facebook groups.

The Facebook groups are known to be “on-and-off” as they are shut down and new ones are opened to continue the illegal activities.

According to the report, of the 25 identified species, 21 (84 percent) belong to the order Psittaciformes, or birds comprising of parrots, amazons, cockatoos, lorikeets, lories, macaws, parrakeets, and 24 are regulated by CITES.

Three of the five CITES Appen dix I-listed species were among the top 10 species recorded in trade by quantity. More than half of the posts (56.5 percent) were suspected to include wild-caught birds.

Trade data discrepancies

HOWEVER , data of Philippine im ports of Indonesian bird species

between 1979 and 2019 showed massive discrepancies between exporter-reported and importerreported quantities.

“While there were 8,295 birds of 58 species reported by exporters, just 1,034 birds of 21 species were reported by the Philippines,” the report said.

“The Philippines reported export ing 8,871 live Indonesian birds be longing to 51 species, again mostly Psittaciformes. These exports peaked in the 1990s, fell in the 2000s and rose again in the 2010s. The vast majority [95.6 percent] of the Philippine-ex ported Indonesian birds were declared as captive bred [source code C].” the report added.

A closer look into individual spe cies found inconsistencies that bring into question the legality of allegedly breeding of animals within the coun try for export, the report noted.

Emerson Sy, one of the authors of the report, said among the 51 Philippine-exported CITES-listed Indonesian birds, 48 species had no source, or had insufficient records of legal importation, or the export com menced prior to the first reported legal importation.

Worse, the Philippines also ex ported six CITES Appendix I-listed species, despite there being no CITESregistered captive breeding opera tions for the Indonesian birds.

Buyer and seller

THE Philippines is both buyer and seller of illegally traded wildlife, Sy told the BusinessMirror in a tele phone interview on November 7.

“The Philippines is both ‘a buyer and a seller’ of illegal wildlife, birds included,” he said.

UN climate change summit shows 4 signs of progress

SOMETHING significant is hap pening in the desert in Egypt as countries meet at COP27, the United Nations summit on climate change.

Despite frustrating sclerosis in the negotiating halls, the pathway forward for ramping up climate finance to help low-income countries adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy is becoming clearer.

I spent a large part of my career work ing on international finance at the World Bank and the United Nations and now advise public development and private funds and teach climate diplomacy focusing on finance.

Climate finance has been one of the thorniest issues in global climate nego tiations for decades, but I’m seeing four promising signs of progress at COP27.

Getting to net zero—without greenwashing

FIRST, the goal—getting the world to net zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 to stop global warming—is clearer.

The last climate conference, COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, nearly fell apart

over frustration that international finance wasn’t flowing to developing countries and that corporations and financial institutions were greenwash ing—making claims they couldn’t back up. One year on, something is stirring.

In 2021, the financial sector arrived at COP26 in full force for the first time.

Private banks, insurers and institutional investors representing $130 trillion said they would align their investments with the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius—a pledge to net zero.

That would increase funding for green growth and clean energy tran sitions, and reduce investments in fossil fuels.

It was an apparent breakthrough. But many observers cried foul and ac cused the financial institutions of greenwashing.

In the year since then, a UN com mission has put a red line around green washing, delineating what a company or institution must do to make a credible claim about its net-zero goals.

Its checklist isn’t mandatory, but it sets a high bar based on science and will help hold companies and investors to account.

According to Sy, if Indonesian birds are being smuggled into the Philip pines, it is also highly possible that the country’s native birds are being smuggled out of the country.

‘Wildlife laundering’

SY noted that “wildlife laundering” is the most likely culprit behind, if not the unchecked, harvesting of the country’s feathered friends in the wild.

He said in Filipino that some zoos are notorious for claiming to have successfully bred wild animals in their care, only to be exported to prospective buyers.

“It is time that the government regulates these so-called zoos that are allowed to farm animals without a wildlife farm permit or breeding permit as they actually are engaged in wildlife laundering. What if they are also buying illegally caught ani mals in the wild and passing them on as offspring of their zoo animals? We will never know,” he explained.

Report under verification

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) said the report’s data and accuracy need further verification.

“We are verifying the report,” DENR-BMB Director Natividad Ber nardino told the BusinessMirror in an interview on November 8 when sought for a comment.

Moreover, Bernardino said DENRBMB’s wildlife law enforcement task force has not been remiss in its duties and responsibilities.

She said that in the past the agency has made unprecedented

Reforming international financial institutions

SECOND , how international finan cial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) are working is getting muchneeded attention.

Over the past 12 months, frustration has grown with the international finan cial system, especially with the World Bank Group’s leadership.

Low-income countries have long complained about having to borrow to finance resilience to climate impacts they didn’t cause, and they have called for development banks to take more risk and leverage more private investment for much-needed projects, including expanding renewable energy.

That frustration has culminated in pressure for WB President David Malpass to step down. Malpass, nomi nated by the Trump administration in 2019, has clung on for now, but he is under pressure from the US, Europe and others to bring forward a new road map for the WB’s response to climate change this year.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mot tley, a leading voice for reform, and others have called for $1 trillion already in the international financial system to be redi rected to climate resilience projects to help vulnerable countries protect themselves from future climate disasters.

arrests and seizure or confiscation of wildlife species being traded by unscrupulous traders.

‘Leave wildlife animals in natural habitats’

BEST Alternatives Director Gregg Yan said illegal wildlife traders and buyers should mend their ways and leave the wild animals in their natural habitats.

“ Many breeders both here [Phil ippines] and abroad have the skills and technology to breed and raise birds,” Yan told the BusinessMir ror via e-mail on November 9.

As such, he said the best alterna tive to wild birds is to keep certified farmed birds instead.

“Common examples should include parakeets lovebirds, plus selected par rots. However, we should make sure that these non-native birds are never ever released into the wild,” he ended.

At risk of poaching

ON its web site, Traffic said Indo nesia’s wild birds are already at risk from poaching and the international bird trade.

It added that the triple threat of easy availability online, smuggling and doubtful legal trade in the Philip pines add even more pressure.

Serene Chng, Traffic program of ficer, was quoted in a separate re port as recommending stronger law enforcement in the Philippines and collaboration with Indonesian coun terparts to investigate and disrupt cross-border wildlife crime networks that could prevent this problem from escalating.

Sy said that besides direct sales, smuggled birds caught in the wild are known to be laundered into the legal trade streams, often through the Philippine captive breeding facilities.

“This is why we have recommended

At COP27, French President Emman uel Macron supported Mottley’s call for a shake-up in how international finance works, and together they have agreed to set up a group to suggest changes at the next meeting of the IMF and World Bank governors in spring 2023.

Meanwhile, regional development banks have been reinventing themselves to better address their countries’ needs.

The Inter-American Development Bank, focused on Latin America and the Caribbean, is considering shift ing its business model to take more risk and crowd in more private sector investment.

The Asian Development Bank has launched an entirely new operating mod el designed to achieve greater climate results and leverage private financing more effectively.

Getting private finance flowing THIRD , more public-private partner ships are being developed to speed decarbonization and power the clean energy transition.

The first of these, “Just Energy Tran sition Partnerships,” announced in 2021, was designed to support South Africa’s transition away from coal power.

It relies on a mix of grants, loans and investments, as well as risk sharing to help bring in more private sector finance. Indonesia expects to announce a similar

to authorities to conduct regular and thorough physical checks, and docu ment audits of all registered keepers and breeders of Indonesian wildlife in the Philippines,” Sy explained.

‘Institutionalized’ network

PREVIOUS interviews about the operation of illegal wildlife trad ers and well-documented arrests and confiscations would tell that Indonesian birds were previously being dropped off and received to a notorious trader from Pasay City in Metropolitan Manila.

In 2018, hundreds of birds, from black palm cockatoos and rainbow lories to young emus were seized by authorities during a raid at an unas suming house owned by Abraham Bernales.

Bernales has been arrested by au thorities three times. He was able to elude prosecution twice but was finally convicted of illegal wildlife trade.

The Indonesian birds are actually “ordered” from General Santos City in Mindanao. Authorities believe he also had contacts or sources of illegally caught Palawan wildlife.

Bernales’s network is “institution alized,” authorities told the Business Mirror . His pet shop in Pasay City was used as a front for illegal activ ity. He was reportedly the supplier of Indonesian birds in Calabarzon and Central Luzon, particularly in Nueva Ecija.

How smuggling is done

ACCORDING to authorities, an island in Indonesia nearest to the Philippines is the source of the Indonesian birds.

By boat, the illegal wildlife traders travel all the way to Bali Island, where the animals being smuggled into the country are checked, fed and provided water so they would not die during

partnership when it hosts the G-20 sum mit in late November.

Vietnam is working on another, and Egypt announced a major new partner ship at COP27.

However, the public funding has been hard to lock in. Developed countries’ cof fers are dwindling, with governments, including the US unable or unwilling to maintain commitments.

Now, pressure from the war in Ukraine and economic crises is adding to their problems.

The lack of public funds was the impetus behind US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry’s proposal to use a new form of carbon offsets to pay for green energy investments in countries transitioning from coal.

The idea, loosely sketched out, is that countries dependent on coal could sell carbon credits to companies, with the revenue going to fund clean energy projects.

The country would speed its exit from coal and lower its emissions, and the private company could then claim that reduction in its own accounting toward net zero emissions.

Globally, voluntary carbon markets for these offsets have grown from $300 million to $2 billion since 2019, but they are still relatively small and fragile and need more robust rules.

Kerry’s proposal drew criticism,

transport.

Sometimes, Bernales’s contact would schedule turnovers offshore to make it difficult for authorities to catch them.

Illegal wildlife traders operate dis cretely and are very cautious because of past arrests and confiscation made by authorities led by the DENR-BMB, sources told the BusinessMirror on condition of anonymity.

Transboundary issue

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said that the report demon strates that the diversity in the Asean region are interconnected, threats to the natural capital in the region are also interrelated and transboundary in nature.

“Poaching and wildlife trafficking are issues that contribute to biodiver sity loss, the impact of which tran scends social and political boundar ies,” said Lim, a former DENR-BMB director, told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on November 8.

One such impact, she said, is the rise in new and emerging diseases.

“We should, thus, encourage col laborative and integrated approaches among all countries in the Asean in finding ways to combat wildlife traf ficking, whether they are sources, transit points or markets for illegally collected wildlife,” she pointed out.

Lim said the ACB is ready to fa cilitate cooperation among the Ase an member states (AMS) to address common challenges affecting the rich and unique biological diversity in the region.

Inter-country collaboration

DIALOGUE , scientific and policy fo rum are a needed to determine inte grated actions that can be undertaken by both Indonesia and the Philippines, Lim pointed out.

She said there is a need to look at underlying drivers. “Other AMS can also participate in the discussion as such concern is not confined to Indo nesia and Philippines alone,” she added.

Lim added that strong enforcement alone could not address the issue of illegal wildlife trade.

“Providing more incentives for protecting wildlife resources in the natural habitat, education and aware ness for the youth and communities near wildlife habitats and across the supply chain, disincentives to reduce the demand, and enabling policies— all these should complement strong enforcement,” she said.

pending the fine print, for fear of swamp ing the market with industrial credits, collapsing prices and potentially allow ing companies in the developed world to greenwash their own claims by retiring coal in the developing world.

New rules to strengthen carbon markets

FOURTH, new rules are emerging to strengthen those voluntary carbon markets.

A new set of “high-integrity carbon credit principles” is expected in 2023. A code of conduct for how corporations can use voluntary carbon markets to meet their net zero claims has already been issued, and standards for ensuring that a company’s plans meet the Paris Agreement’s goals are evolving.

Incredibly, all this progress is out side the Paris Agreement, which simply calls for governments to make “finance flows consistent with a pathway to wards low greenhouse-gas emissions and climate-resilient development.”

Negotiators seem reluctant to mention this widespread reform movement in the formal text being negotiated at COP27, but walking through the halls here, they cannot ignore it. It’s been too slow in coming, but change in the financial system is on the way. Rachel Kyte Tufts University/The Conversation (CC) via AP

A COLASISI, or Philippine hanging parrot, is being sold in front of the Quiapo Church in Manila. GREGG YAN

A VISAYAN hornbill is being sold in Mindanao. Wild birds are plucked from the forests in Southeast Asia to supply the illegal wildlife trade. GREGG YAN

IMAGE BY PIAN B. HUELVA, DA-BPO

18th natl biotech week starts on November 21

THE 18th National Biotechnol ogy Week (NBW) will be held from November 21 to 25 at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.

T he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is spearheading this year’s NBW celebration with the theme, “Responding to the Chal lenges: Business Opportunities in Biotechnology,” said the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO).

I n observance of the Presidential Proclamation 1414, s. 2007, the NBW features the wealth generating op portunities in biotechnology with its vast applications in agriculture and fisheries, human health, industry, and environment.

A s eries of seminars, fora and technology exhibits are among the activities lined up for the week-long celebration.

It also aims to highlight products of biotechnology through press confer ences, TV and/or radio guestings, fora, seminars and technology exhibits.

T he events are a collaborative ef forts of the DTI with the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Environ ment and Natural Resources, Health, the Interior and Local Government, Science and Technology, the Com mission on Higher Education, other partner institutions and nongovern ment organizations, DA-BPO said.

T he government departments take turns in the annual leadership of the NBW.

NAST, DOST-PCAARRD, SEARCA LAUNCH PLANETARY HEALTH DIET CAMPAIGN, APP

How healthy is your diet?

‘T

By Lyn Resurreccion

DOST’s natl science fair set on Nov. 23-27

THE 2022 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) cel ebration is back onsite at the World Trade Center (WTC) after it was held online owing to strict health protocols during the past two years at the height of the pandemic.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-led NSTW was last held face-to-face in 2019 as thou sands of Filipinos then flocked to WTC in Pasay City to witness some of the latest innovations, inventions and other S&T-related researches made by our Filipino scientists and engineers.

With the theme, “Agham at Teknolohiya: Kabalikat sa Maunlad at Matatag na Kinabukasan,” it will be held from November 23 to 27, said Allan Mauro V. Marfal of DOST’s Sci ence and Technology Information In stitute (DOST-STII).

Health protocols and restrictions will be observed and implemented to the visiting public on the duration of the five-day event. Safe physical dis tancing and minimum health proto cols are to be maintained, and over crowding should be avoided.

This year’s S&T festivity will show case all the research and development (R&D) outputs as well as innovative products and services developed and offered by DOST agencies and regional offices that helped address the chal lenges brought about by the pandemic and climate change, Marfal added.

Unlike previous celebrations, the 2022 NSTW will be held in a hybrid format as several activities will be conducted online. Exhibits will be mounted an be

viewed on-site, while forums, webi nars and virtual talks will be broad cast online so that more people can attended.

Furthermore, there will be technol ogies to be bannered that will help the people and the country bounce back better from the pandemic.

In addition, there will be technoproducts and activities that will pro vide a better angle on DOST innova tions that respond to the pressing needs of various sectors and stake holders toward the goal of attaining inclusive growth in the areas of ag riculture and food security, health, job creation, education, energy, transportation, blue and green econ omy, and environmental protection, Marfal said.

These programs are aligned with the current priorities of President Marcos Jr.’s administration.

Meanwhile, before the nationwide S&T celebration kicks off, a series of regional S&T celebrations were already held in different provinces.

From 1993 until 2019, the NSTW was celebrated every third week of July under Proclamation 169. However, in August 2019, through Proclama tion 780 signed by former President Duterte, the NSTW is now celebrated every fourth week of November.

The change of date was meant to ensure maximum participation of schools, students, stakeholders and the public during the week-long cel ebration due to the change in the aca demic calendar of most universities, schools, and educational institutions, Marfal said.

T his was said by Dr. Glenn Gre gorio, director of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) during the online launching of “FLEx PHD: Food is Life Exemplified Pro moting Planetary Health Diet” on November 16.

T he project promotes the consump tion of more plant-based food in the planetary health diet (PHD). It is being spearheaded by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Re search and Development of the De partment of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) and Searca.

T he campaign also launched the competition for the development of mobile application (app) for PHD.

30-year campaign: Generational challenge

IT was conceptualized by NAST Inter im President Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., who pointed out that PHD is a 30-year effort in order to help solve the three interconnected existential problems of the Filipinos.

T he first, malnutrition and the increasing incidence of chronic dis eases that are linked to unhealthy diet; second, poverty among farmers and fisherfolk that is linked to lack of demand for nutritious food; and third, the deteriorating condition of the environment due to disfunctional food system.

R asco explained that the cam paign is set for 30 years because it is promoting the shift in food habits from the current that is “progressively unhealthy” to one that is “science and Filipino-culture based.”

“ This is a generational challenge as it takes at least one generation, or 30 years, to effect this kind of behavioral change,” he said.

R asco expressed optimism that the campaign is doable “because we have done it before.”

H e cited smoking, which was ram pant before but said that the smoker is now becoming an “extinct species.”

We believe that we need a change in food habits from one that is highly processed, dominated by unhealthy sugar, salts and fats to one that is more diverse, fresh and rich in dietary fiber,” he said.

He added that food habits ultimate ly impact on the rural economy. “If consumers prefer locally grown food, farmers will be assured of a market,” he said.

T he PHD as the core idea in making food choices because so far “it is the only dietary pattern that addresses both nutritional and environmental concerns,” he explained.

H e pointed out that the campaign needs active advocacy and collabora tion of many sectors of society, includ ing education and civil society.

Diets risk factor in diseases

DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora said their vision is a food system that considers the well being of the people and the planet, adopts to the changing environment and accommodates the diversity of food culture.

The global trend in food prefer ences is changing in ways that are becoming harmful to the environ ment and human health,” Ebora pointed out.

H e said diets are now becoming the risk factor in the global burden

for disease, accounting for one in five deaths globally.

I n less-developed countries, nutri ent-dense food like eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables can be very expensive, which is much difficult to diversify, he added.

A t the same time, he said that pro cessed, high-calorie and low nutrition al-value food items like junk foods and canned goods are more accessible and affordable than fresh foods and vegetables.

This indicate that there is no room for complacency. This necessitate a whole industry approach,” Ebora said.

Fruits and vegetables

GREGORIO said the campaign aims to promote PHD as a global preference diet for adults that is symbolically represented by half plate of fruits and vegetables.

The more colorful your plate is, the more nutritious it will be,” he said.

G regorio explained that the diet is “flexible and allows for the adoption of dietary needs, personal preference and cultural traditions. Vegetarians and vegans diets are two healthy op tions in the PHD but are personal choices.”

H e said the contest to develop a mobile application will help guide consumers to have informed food choices based on individual biological information or needs, the nutritional and healthy benefits of various foods and values, such as impact to farmers, income and to the environment.

Doctor of 2 patients: People and planet

DR . Renzo R. Guinto, director of Plan etary and Global Health Program at St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine, told the online event that six out of nine planetary boundaries have already been violated.

The boundaries are critical for the survival of the planet and of the peo ple. Among them are climate change and loss of biological diversity.

Guinto pointed out that there is no single disease group that is im mune from climate crisis. Infectious diseases like dengue or malaria, car dio-respiratory illnesses due to pol lution or extreme heat, and mental health are also impacted by climate emergency.

“As a physician, I am now treating two patients. Not just the people but also the planet,” Guinto pointed out.

“We need the collaboration of dif ferent disciplines and sectors because we are addressing multiple intercon necting problems,” he noted.

He said planetary health is “Agham ng Lahat” (Science of All). Lahat is the acronym for Lupa, Araw, Hangin at Hayop, Ako, Tubig and Tao (land, sun, air, animals, myself, water and people).

Because “we have to address all, we need to address across sectors and across disciplines, including the food system that we are producing and con suming,” he said.

Quoting “You are what you eat” of German philosopher Ludwig Feuer bach, Guinto said there is a need to address the food that we produce and eat, and our health.

PHD: Half of plate with veggies and fruits

HE explained that PHD was intro duced by Lancet medical journal and Eat Foundation.

“It is symbolized by a plate that is

good for the health of the people and of the planet. It contains mainly green vegetables and fruits, with a very little portion of meat,” he explained.

He noted that the current “defec tive food system” contributes to cli mate crisis, producing pollution to air and land.

He cited that in the Philippines three of 10 children under 5 years old are stunted; while 9.2 percent of adolescents and 28.8 percent of adults are overweight; and 25 percent of preg nant women are nutritionally at risk.

More benefits of PHD

GUINTO said PHD dramatically re duces the contribution of the meat industry to the total greenhouse emis sion. It should be noted that cattle raising is among the top emitters of greenhouse gas.

It also reduces the incidence of cancer and other noncommunicable diseases because red meat is identi fied as carcinogen.

Future pandemics are likewise prevented because pathogens jump from animals to humans, explaining that the production of meat to food involves a lot of interaction of animals and human beings.

It lessens antibiotic misuse in the production of meat in agricultural animals, such as pigs, chickens and cattle that worsens antibiotic resis tance, Guinto said.

Local veggies: Delicious, nutritious, cheaper

JUANA MANAHAN-YUPANGCO , founder and editor of “Mesa ni Misis” promoted in her message the eating of more local vegetables, saying that they are equally nutritious and delicious as the more expensive imported ones.

A t the same times, they are cheaper than meat products.

M anahan-Yupangco said the pub lic should appreciate the eating of local vegetables, which she has been campaigning in public schools and hospitals.

She said a 30-day plant-based challenge results in low cholesterol and low blood sugar.

“We suffer from bad diets. We consume too much fats and protein, but less fruits and vegetables. We are killing ourselves,” she pointed out.

She clarified that beans are not the cause of joint paints or uric acid.

“It is an urban legend,” she said. The culprit is the “bagnet” or pork in the “mongo,” or eating of too much meat or fatty food.

She urged the public to look at the “Bahay Kubo kitchen which has 18 vegetables that are all healthful.”

She said as alternative to meat, there are many locally available plantbased protein, such as string beans, pigeon pea and cow pea.

She said the “Mesa ni Misis” has delicious recipes of local vegetables that can be used as alternative to many known dishes, like “upo” lasagna, ba nana heart “adobo,” “kangkong” pesto or “kadyos” ala Cubana.

Manahan-Yupangco said women or housewives can lead in the lifestyle change of their family because they can decide what their family can eat by trying local vegetables.

“People think western vegetables are more nutritious. We have local vegetables which are equally nutri tious,” she said.

She added that with the current higher costs of agricultural products, vegetables are still cheaper compared to meat.

“The challenge is the eating habits and preferences. It is still more af fordable to eat vegetables,” she said.

MOA signing on PHD

RASCO, Ebora and Searca Deputy Di rector for Administration Joselito G. Florendo (representing Searca) signed the memorandum of agreement for the competition for the development of PHD mobile app.

Rasco explained that the idea be hind the competition began in 2020 when NAST competed for the Rocke feller Foundation Food System Vision Prize and proposed the creation of a nourishing food system for 30 years.

He said the NAST entry was among the top 1 percent of the more than 1,300 entries, and received the prize money of $25,000.

Rasco said PHD is supported by more than 30 scientists from many disciplines and experts from all over the world, including India and South America.

“The recommendation is not only from rich people. There is scientific consensus on it. PHD is a sciencebased diet,” Rasco said.

Contest mechanics

PROF. Glenn N. Baticados, program head of Searca’s Emerging Innova tion for Growth Department, said the competition is open to all Filipinos of school-age, companies, nongovern ment organizatios, cooperatives or associations with three core members. The deadline of entries is on December 30 at 5 p.m., Philippine time.

A total of 40 teams from 10 regions of the country with be selected, and will be trimmed to eight teams for the finals.

The Rockefeller Foundation prize money was the source of the priz es for the PHD app competition of P500,000 for first prize;P200,000 for second prize, and P100,000 for the third prize.

The goal it to have a free app that is user-friendly for mobile phones with web interface, Baticados said.

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

THE Lancet medical journal and Eat Foundation planetary health diet is symbolized by a plate that contains mainly of green vegetables and fruits, with a very little portion of meat. EATFORUM.ORG

HE more colorful your plate is the more nutritious it will be.... People are healthy if they eat healthful food. Healthful food [intake results in] healthy people.”

THE National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) will be conducted once again at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. To be held from November 23 to 27 it will showcase the R&D outputs, as well as innovative products and services developed and offered by DOST agencies and regional offices that helped address the challenges brought about by the pandemic and climate change.

DESIGN BY LANQUIN SEYER GACUSAN, DOST-STII

Report: Hate crimes against Christians on the rise in Europe

The Observatory for the In tolerance and Discrimination Against Christians (OIDAC) in Eu rope documented more than 500 anti-Christian hate crimes—in cluding four homicides—in 2021.

Since 2005, the Vienna-based organization has tracked cases of discrimination and other hate crimes against Christians. These range from vandalism to homicide.

The data collected is on public record, and anyone can check the figures and see the source of the incidents.

The report denounced a “chill ing effect among victims” and a lack of media coverage.

The new report runs 65 pages long and is filled with case his tories as well as two expert com mentaries and a testimony. The report also provides some final recommendations.

According to the new figures in 2021, OIDAC documented antiChristian hate crimes in 19 Eu ropean countries. There were 14 cases of physical assault, and four Christians were murdered.

Out of 500 anti-Christian hate crimes documented in 2021, ap proximately 300 were acts of van dalism, such as graffiti, damage to property and desecration.

There were about 80 cases of theft—ranging from religious objects and consecrated hosts to church equipment.

Beyond that, there were ap proximately 60 arson attacks or cases of intended arson.

Underpinning these numbers is the concern that hate crimes against Christians may often be downplayed or overlooked, while it is common to acknowledge cases of Islamophobia or anti-Semitism.

Part of the problem, the report

noted, lies in one typical objection that says: “Christians cannot be discriminated against in Europe because they are in the majority.”

On this question, the report noted that “while minorities can be more vulnerable to discrimination, it is a wrong and unsubstantiated belief that majority groups cannot be discriminated against, as his tory shows.”

“Rather than numbers, it de pends on which groups have more power to shape the political dis course, to discriminate, insult, or attack a certain group without fac ing the consequences. At the same time, it is important to differenti ate between cultural Christianity, which is still a majority in Europe, from those practicing Christians,” the report said.

The report also wrote about a lack of media coverage and aware ness stemming from self-censor ship. This was identified in five areas of life: education, the work place, the public sphere, private social interactions and on media platforms.

Among the stories that did not grab the wider media headlines were attacks against two public Catholic processions in France: one by an extremist left-wing group of activists on May 13 and another in December by a group of radical Islamists.

In August 2021, a Christian preacher was questioned by UK police for reading the Bible out loud, in a calm tone, outside a railway station in London. It was one of several cases of street preachers running afoul of au thorities in public streets for preaching Christian values.

According to the report, these incidents happen because “ambig

uously-worded hate speech laws and public order legislation have undermined the right to Freedom of Speech.”

In 2021, media and political groups subjected Christians to increased stereotyping, the re port added.

Christian-led organizations were banned from social-media platforms for expressing dissent ing beliefs, while insulting and vio lent speech against Christians was permitted on the same platforms.

An OIDAC news release not ed that “in journalistic articles, Christianity was described as a ‘dangerous ideology’ and believ ers were called ‘stupid religious fanatics.’

For example, a Spanish politi cian described a Catholic proces sion as a ‘Taliban’ event, and an other politician commented that the 7,000 murdered Catholics dur ing the Spanish Civil War ‘should have been more.’”

Germany, Spain, and the UK saw the push for “safe access buf fer zones” around abortion clin ics. This “criminalizes activities including prayer vigils, conversa tions with the public and other forms of peaceful activism,” the report said.

The report also included two well-known cases: that of the for

mer Finnish minister Päivi Räsän en, who was charged with “hate speech” for tweeting a passage from the Bible on homosexuality.

The other case concerned two Swedish midwives who refused to perform an abortion and, for that reason, were allegedly denied em ployment.

“Unfortunately, the Euro pean Court of Human Rights dismissed the case, setting a precedent for future cases and prompting legal scholars to urge for a formal examination of the case,” the report said.

The report also covered new laws that impose sexual edu cation, often including gender theory. According to the authors, these infringed on the rights of parents to decide how to educate their children.

Further areas of concern identi fied in the report were rules that gave minors autonomy to undergo an abortion and gender transition and “unjustifiable and discrimina tory treatment” against churches in anti-Covid-19 legislation.

In its concluding list of rec ommendations, the report called on “politicians, journal ists and other public figures” to support “building a more tolerant society.” Andrea Gagliar ducci/Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Japan’s ‘waste not, want not’ belief has deep religious, cultural roots

THE word “waste” is often frightening.

People fear not making the most of their time, whether at work or at leisure, and failing to live life to the fullest.

Warnings against waste run especially deep in Japanese culture. Many Americans are familiar with the famous decluttering technique of organization guru Marie Kondo, who wrote “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

Travelers to Japan may hear the classic expression “mottainai,” which means “don’t be wasteful” or “what a waste.”

There are even gods, spirits and monsters, or “yokai,” associated with waste, cleanliness and respect for material goods.

As a scholar of Asian philosophy and religions, I believe the popularity of “mottainai” expresses an ideal more than a reality.

Japan is not always known for being environmentally conscious, but its antiwaste values are deeply held.

These traditions have been shaped by centuries-old Buddhist and Shinto teachings about inanimate objects’ interconnectedness with humans that continue to influence culture today.

Soot sprites and ceiling lickers

THE idea of avoiding waste is closely tied to ideas of tidiness, which has a whole host of spirits and rituals in Japanese culture.

Fans of the f amous animator H ayao Miyazaki may recall the cute little soot sprites made of dust in his films “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.”

Then there’s the ceiling licker, “tenjōname”: a tall monster with a long tongue said to eat up the filth that accumulates in hard-to-reach places.

“Oosouji,” or “big cleaning,” is an endof-year household ritual. Previously known

as “susuharai” or “soot sweeping,” it is more than a chance to tidy up. The rite is believed to expel the negativity of the previous year while welcoming the Shinto god Toshigami: a major deity, considered grandson of the gods who created the islands of Japan—and who brings good luck for the new year. Out with the defiled and old, in with the purified and new.

Revenge of the tools

THERE are countless varieties of monsters in Japanese folklore, including “yokai.”

As Japanese folklore scholar Michael Dylan Foster points out, the category “yokai” is nearly impossible to define, because the meaning is ever-changing—and many yokai themselves are shape-shifters.

For instance, “yurei” are truly terrifying, vengeful ghosts. But another category of yokai is the living, shape-changing “bakemono”— including the mischievous “tanuki,” a raccoon dog, and “kitsune,” or fox, often depicted in statues guarding shrines.

One special class of yokai is known as “tsukumogami,” referring to animated household objects.

This concept originates in Shinto, which literally translates as “the way of the gods,” and is Japan’s native folk religion.

Shinto recognizes spirits, or “kami,” as existing in various places in the human world: from trees, mountains and waterfalls to human-made objects.

It is said that when an object becomes 100 years old it becomes inhabited by a Shinto spirit and comes to life as a tsukumogami.

The “Tsukumogami-ki,” or “Record of Tool Specters,” is a text written sometime between the 14th and 16th centuries. It tells the story of how just such objects, already 100 years old and

possessed by kami, were cast out in the trash after the annual housecleaning ritual.

These animated household objects took offense at their casual disregard after years of loyal service. Angered at the perceived disrespect, the tool specters went on a rampage: drinking, gambling, even kidnapping and killing humans and animals.

Despite the Shinto elements, this is not a Shinto story but a Buddhist one. The animated household objects’ frenzy comes to an end when Buddhist priests intervene—meant to convince the audience that Buddhist practices were more powerful than local spirits associated with Shinto.

At the time, Buddhism was still cementing its influence in Japan.

Laying objects to rest

IF the “Tsukumogami-ki” is Buddhist propaganda, it is also a cautionary tale. The cast-aside objects lash out in anger for being treated without a second thought.

Reverence for objects has persisted throughout Japanese history in many forms. Sometimes this is for practical reasons, and sometimes more symbolic ones.

The samurai sword known as the “katana,” for example, was often considered the soul of the warrior, symbolizing devotion to the way of the warrior, or “bushido.”

In a more everyday example, cracked teapots are not discarded but rather repaired with gold in a process called “kintsugi,” which adds an asymmetrical beauty like a golden scar.

This reverence also persists in the form of funerary services for a host of objects considered deserving of respect, such as doll-burning ceremonies performed at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

No-longer-wanted but not-unloved dolls are collected so that the spirits within can be honored and released before the end of their lives.

A similar practice exists for artisans’ sewing needles, which are put to rest with a memorial service.

Karma and clutter

THE roots of these attitudes toward material things are therefore religious, practical and psychological.

As a Japanese philosophy of waste, “mottainai” keys into Zen Buddhism’s emphasis on emptiness: minimalism to empty the mind and bring insight.

This desire to show respect also stems from Buddhist beliefs that all things, living or not, are interconnected—a teaching called “pratītyasamutpāda.”

It is closely tied with conceptions of karma: the idea that actions have consequences, especially moral consequences.

In short, Buddhism acknowledges that things shapes people, for better or worse. Unhealthy attachment to objects can manifest in different ways, whether it be the perceived need to buy an expensive car or reluctance to let go of unneeded items.

But that does not necessarily mean throwing away everything. When we are done with material goods, we don’t need to simply cast them into the trash to fill up landfills or pollute the air and water. They can be given a dignified send-off, whether through reuse or responsible disposal.

Failing that, the story in the “Record of Tool Specters” warns, they may come back to haunt us.

Now, that’s scary. Kevin C. Taylor, University of Memphis/The Conversation (CC) via AP

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

Tagle tells forum: ‘Transmit faith as living person of Jesus’

CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle told the delegates of a Catholic forum in southern Philippines to transmit the faith, “not just as doctrine or structure,” but by being living witnesses of God’s Words.

The cardinal, currently serving as the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization, said that it is crucial for the mission of evange lization to first deepen their faith, “the faith that makes people love Jesus with passion.”

“A person who has not fallen in love with Jesus will not become a missionary. He or she does not have any Good News to share,” Tagle said. “So we need to be evan gelized in order to share that ex perience of joy that we have found in Jesus.”

“This is our prayer for our Church in Mindanao and Sulu. Please trans mit the faith not just as doctrine, not just as structure, but as the living person of Jesus,” he said.

The cardinal made the call in a video message on the last day of the 17th Mindanao-Sulu Pas toral Conference (MSPC) that was hosted by the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro.

The five-day event gathered more than 200 delegates composed of bishops, priests, consecrated

persons and lay people from across the Mindanao region.

This year, the delegates re flected on the theme, “The Gift of Faith and Evangelization as a Synodal Church.”

Among the topics discussed was ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and indigenous peoples.

A situation unique for the Church in Mindanao and Sulu is the presence of the Muslims and cultural minorities.

“Dialogue promotes and deep ens understanding between reli gions,” said Archbishop Angelito Lampon of Cotabato and chair man of the CBCP Episcopal Com mission on Ecumenical Affairs.

“The goal is to understand other religions as they understand them selves. This step aims at facilitat ing communication between peo ple of different faith traditions,” he added.

A forum of ideas and issues af fecting the local churches, the MSP has a history of 50 years, and has been held every three years since the first conference in Davao City in 1972.

The MSPC idea was introduced by the late Archbishop Lino Gon zaga of Zamboanga, who patterned it after the All India Pastor’s Con ference that he attended in 1968.

Roy Lagarde/CBCP News

November 23 is ‘Red Wednesday’

THE country’s Catholic parishes and institu tions are invited to join the churches around the world in the annual observance of “Red Wednesday,” which falls on November 23 this year.

With the theme “Blessed are the Persecuted,” this year’s main celebration will be held at the Antipolo Cathedral.

“Everyone is welcome as we pray and stand in solidarity for Christians around the world be ing persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ,” said the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Philippines in a social-media post.

Red Wednesday is an initia tive of ACN to pray for, and draw attention to, Christians who suffer and are persecuted for their faith.

“If possible, the building fa çade of the churches, schools, and participating institutions is to be illuminated or decorat ed in red,” said Msgr. Gerardo Santos, ACN Philippines’s chief operating officer.

Red is the color of martyrdom in the Christian faith and studies have shown that Christians re main the most persecuted faith group in the world, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.

ACN is the official papal char ity for persecuted Christians worldwide with at least 23 offices around the world and one of them is in the Philippines.

“Where there is violence and terror, ACN aids and materially responds to the call of the mis sion to promote ecclesial and spiritual communion between those who suffer for their faith in Jesus Christ, and those who possess a compassionate and generous heart,” Santos added.

Red Wednesday was first or ganized in the United Kingdom in 2016; a number of dioceses in the Philippines started joining the campaign in 2017.

In January 2020, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Phil ippines declared Red Wednesday as an official church activity in the country.

US parish welcomes image of Antipolo’s patroness

AREPLICA of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage was enthroned at a parish in the US in an effort to promote the devotion and the Antipolo Cathedral as an international shrine.

The enthronement was held during Mass at the Church of the Assumption in Connecticut’s Westport community on November 12.

The liturgical celebration was presided over by Fr. Reynante Tolentino, rector of the Antipolo International Shrine. Among the concelebrants was Fr. Cyrus Bartolome, pastor of Assumption Parish and Bridgeport diocese’s Episcopal Vicar for Filipino Catholics.

Tolentino said the initiative seeks to have replica images of Our Lady enthroned in different places across the world, especially in areas where there is a large Filipino community.

In October 2021, a replica of Antipolo’s patroness was enshrined at the Basilica di Santo Stefano Maggiore, parish of migrants, under the Archdiocese of Milan in Italy.

Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport is expected to celebrate the Solemnity of the

Immaculate Conception on December 8 at Westport to welcome Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

The Assumption Parish was founded in 1876 and has become a center for the FilipinoAmerican Catholic community in the diocese.

There are currently three officially enthroned images of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in the US. The two others are at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the Archdiocese of Washington and at the Brooklyn’s diocese’s St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Bayside, New York.

Another Our Lady of Antipolo image has been approved to be enthroned next year at St. Catherine of Siena Parish at Reseda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.

Other locations where an official replica of Our Lady of Antipolo can be found are at the Pontifical Filipino College in Rome and the Basilica and National Shrine of Gran Promesa in Valladolid, Spain.

Kendrick Ivan B. Panganiban/CBCP

ROME—Hate crimes against Christians are on the rise in Europe, according to a new report published this week.

THESE images in the Stations of the Cross in the diocese of Augsburg, southern Germany, were vandalized in March 2022. CNA DEUTSCH

By Isabel Debre The Associated Press

ON the Instagram accounts of fashion models and superstars last month, the sheikhdom of Qatar looked like one glittering party.

H igh-heeled designers descended on exhibition openings and fashion shows in downtown Doha. Celebrities, including a prominent gay rights campaigner, snapped selfies on a pulsing dance floor.

As-salaam ’alykum Doha!” Dutch model Marpessa Hennink proclaimed on Instagram, using the traditional Muslim salutation.

The backlash was swift. Qataris went online to vent their anger about what they called a dangerous and depraved revelry, saying it threatened Qatar’s traditional values ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Arabic hashtag, Stop the Destruction of Our Values, trended for days.

The episode underscores the tensions tearing at Qatar, a conservative Muslim emirate that restricts alcohol, bans drugs and suppresses free speech, as it prepares to welcome possibly rowdy crowds for the first World Cup in the Middle East.

“Our religion and customs prohibit indecent clothing and behavior,” Moheba Al Kheer, a Qatari citizen, said of the avant-garde artists and flamboyant models who mingled with Qatari socialites in late October. “It’s normal for us to worry when we see these kinds of people.”

World Cup organizers say everyone is welcome during the tournament.

Already, foreigners outnumber citizens 10 to one in Qatar. Some Qataris are liberal and open to mixing with foreigners. Many are thrilled about the tournament. But human rights groups have raised concerns over how police will deal with foreign fans’ violations of the Islamic laws criminalizing public drunkenness, sex outside of marriage and homosexuality.

Qatar, a tiny Persian Gulf country that once was a dust-blown pearling port, transformed at almost warpspeed into an ultra-modern hub following its 1990s natural gas boom. Expats, including Western consultants and engineers and low-paid South Asian construction workers and

PARTY BEGINS IN QATAR!

cleaners, poured into the country.

Glass-and-steel skyscrapers, luxury hotels and massive malls soon sprung up in the desert. In an effort to diversify away from a carbonbased economy, Qatar’s ruling family bought up stakes in things ranging from global finance and technology to the French soccer club Paris SaintGermain and London real estate.

The ruling emir’s sister, Sheikha Al Mayassa Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, became one of the world’s most important art buyers. His mother, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser AlMissned, became a global style icon and bought several luxury brands, including Valentino.

But even as Qatar, among the

world’s wealthiest countries per capita, looked to the West for inspiration, it faced pressure from within to stay true to its Islamic heritage and Bedouin roots. Qatar’s most powerful clan originates from the Arabian Peninsula’s landlocked interior, where the ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism was born.

Qatari rulers treaded the tightrope between placating its conservative citizens and tribes and shoring up soft power as a major global player.

“Doha’s religious discourse to its citizens is very different from its liberal discourse to the West,” said 38-yearold Qatari Mohammed al-Kuwari. “It cannot always succeed at both.”

The glaring spotlight of the World Cup—which requires Qatar to relax access to alcohol, create fun outlets for fans and comply with FIFA rules promoting tolerance and inclusion— raises the stakes.

In years past, the World Cup has turned host countries into the world’s

By Eddie Alinea Special to BusinessMirror

BOWLING legend Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno hasn’t lost his touch and declared to the whole world that he—owner of a record four World Cup trophies—maintains that golden pulse in his left hand.

biggest party, with joyous crowds drinking heavily and celebrating together. When emotions run high, fans can be euphoric—or rude and violent.

Th is will shake up quiet Qatar, where such behavior is deeply taboo and virtually unheard of. Doha is not known for its nightlife. Despite its rapid development over the years, its entertainment offerings remain slim and its public spaces limited.

Some foreign fans fret about how Qatar will handle hordes of drunken hooligans in the streets, given the nation’s public decency laws and strict limits on the purchase and consumption of alcohol.

Swearing and making offensive gestures, dressing immodestly and kissing in public may normally lead to prosecution in Qatar. Anti-gay sentiment runs deep in society, like elsewhere in the Arab world. A senior security official has warned rainbow flags may be confiscated to protect fans from being attacked for promoting gay rights.

Fan anxiety is apparent in recent Reddit message boards: “How would the government know if someone is gay?” “How bad is it to wear short pants [Can I get arrested]?” “Is it true that people who say negative things about Qatar on social media get arrested?”

At the same time, conservative Qataris fret about how much their society can bend to accommodate World Cup guests. Doha plans to throw giant electronic music festivals. Authorities say they’ll turn a blind eye to offenses like public intoxication, intervening only in response to destruction of property and threats to public safety.

I hope that the World Cup will not strip society of its religion, morals and customs,” said a 28-year-old Qatari man who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

He said he found comfort in a promise from the country’s advisory Shura Council last month that authorities will “ensure the building of a strong society that adheres to

PAENG STRIKES AGAIN

its religion” and reject “any excessive behavior” that breaks local taboos. But because the tournament fulfills the vision of the country’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to develop the country, experts say the tiny population of Qataris have little

The emirate brooks no dissent. Qatar’s oil and gas wealth has generated a social contract where citizens benefit from a cradle-tograve welfare state and political rights come after state paternalism.

“ If Qatar wants to be on the world map they have to adhere by global standards and values,” said Andreas Krieg, an assistant professor of security studies at King’s College London. “The government will stand its ground on certain issues, and the population will fall in line.”

A l-Kuwari, the citizen, was blunter.

“ There is fear,” he said. “If a citizen thinks to criticize, a [prison] sentence awaits him.”

him is displayed at the entrance of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum in Arlington, Texas.

World Cup draws attention to equal rights, attire, too

OFFICIAL-LOOKING flyers have circulated on social media describing cultural expectations for fans attending the World Cup in Qatar. Some include rules for women’s attire: Shoulders and knees must be covered.

P roblem is, it’s bogus.

W hile the local organizing committee suggests that fans “respect the culture,” no one is expected to be detained or barred from games in Qatar because of clothing choices. But persistent rumors swirling around appropriate garb and modesty at soccer’s biggest tournament have also drawn attention to the country’s record on equality.

R othna Begum, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, has studied Qatar’s male guardianship rules and women’s rights in the conservative country.

“ There isn’t anyone is going to go around arresting you for this because there isn’t an official dress code,” Begum said. “There isn’t a compulsory dress code and you can’t get sanctioned for it. It’s just a social restriction, a social tradition.”

The local organizing committee includes a section on cultural awareness in its fan guide.

People can generally wear their clothing of choice. Shoulders and knees should be covered when visiting public places like museums and other government buildings,” it said.

The phrase “public places” is up to interpretation.

The American Outlaws, the US national team’s supporters’ group, produced its own fan guide.

“ Fans can wear shorts and short sleeve shirts, and women are not required to cover their heads or faces. However, there are many buildings that require both men and women to cover their shoulders and knees before entering, including museums, shopping centers, and some restaurants,” the guide says.

“We recommend that fans carry some pants and/or a top with sleeves if they plan on entering any buildings, as they may be asked to put them on.

In the stadiums, men and women will be required to wear tops. People will not be permitted to go shirtless during matches or in public settings.” AP

Ne pomuceno’s 65 years old now but the skill set that made him a legend of the sport earned him another victory at the recent 16th Asian Seniors Bowling Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

He ran away with the 65-plus age category men’s singles crown beating 59 other competitors along the way.

“Kalabaw lang ang tumatanda [only carabaos get old],” so they say and Nepomuceno was ageless in the alley.

Ne pomuceno belongs to a rare breed of men who in the down slopping years of their career, when their skills have become warped, they still continue trying to dismiss the idea of hanging their competition uniforms in the service of flag and country.

Th is despite accomplishing unprecedented feats that undoubtedly made him one the world’s “greatest athletes” of all time.

Like the honor accorded him by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on November 20, 1999, when then IOC  President Juan Antonio Samaranch awarded him the IOC President’s Trophy in recognition of his three World Cup titles in three different decades—1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996.

P resident Joseph Estrada also vested in Nepomuceno the Legion of Honor alongside being named “Athlete of the Century” by the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

“ I will treasure this IOC President’s Trophy for the rest of my life

together with the Legion of Honor and the other awards and precious commendations I’ve received from the FIQ [International Bowling Federation] and world tenpin body,” said Nepomuceno, an athlete who has excelled in a non-Olympic sport.

Th at historic day in November 23 years ago was held  during the opening ceremony of the FIQ World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and attended by the high priests of the FIQ,  delegation heads of competing countries and members of the Bowling Writers Association.

Then Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso “Cito” Dayrit accom panied Nepomuceno to Dubai.

It should make all of us Filipinos proud of Paeng, especially because the IOC is presenting the trophy to an ath lete in a non-Olympic sport,” then said Dayrit, who passed away April 27 last year. “It’s truly meaningful and

a good sign that the sport of bowling, which has been knocking at the IOC door for many years now, might finally be added to the Olympic calendar.”

Of course, Nepomuceno, a six-time world champion, is acknowledged worldwide as one the greatest bowlers of all time with the Guinness Book of World Records recognizing his accom plishments four times.

I n 2020, the Guinness World Records confirmed that in 2019, Nepomuceno, then 62, beat his own world record for the fourth time after winning the most career international titles in tenpin bowling that spanned six decades.

Nepomuceno is the only bowler who has  won titles in six succeeding decades—1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

Nepomuceno was the first male bowler to be inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1993 and a sevenfoot statue of

He was also enshrined in the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame on November 22, 2018.

Ne pomuceno started playing the sport at 12, winning his first major tournament at 15, and his first Bowling World Cup at 19. He achieved a rare grand slam by winning the Philippine Open, Asian Championships and the Bowling World Cup inside five months in 1976.

For winning his second World Cup in 1980, Nepomuceno emerged as the first back-to-back titlist in the history of the sport. His first three put his name and the country’s in the Guinness Book of World Records.

H is fourth in Castle Reagh, Northern Ireland, was the ninth for the country counting his own victory in the International Amateur, now Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo’s 1979 crown, Lita de la Rosa’s World FIQ and Arienne Cerdena’s gold medal when bowling was a demonstration sport at the Seoul 1988 Olympics.

Tall at 6-foot-1, Nepomuceno was the first of only three bowlers inducted to the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame, the other two being Coo and Sweden’s Annette Hagre Johannesson.

Recognized by the Philippine Sen ate as the “Greatest Filipino Athlete,” Nepomuceno also was the first of only two athletes to receive the Presidential Medal of Merit, the highest so honored by the President of the Philippines. The other was the late world boxing light weight king Gabrieln “Flash” Elorde.

Ne pomuceno’s more than hundred local and international victories remain unmatched by any other athlete in any sport.

choice but to accept whatever comes.

RAFAEL “PAENG” NEPOMUCENO strikes again—even at 65 years old.

A WOMAN passes by fashion outfit at the Al Hazm luxury mall in Doha. AP

LAY Zhang

EAST MEETS WEST

LAY on new EP, West and going on tour again

By Edwin P. Sallan

“FIVE different songs. Five different vibes.” That’s pretty much how Lay Zhang or simply LAY sums up his latest release, the new EP, West.

Asked to explain why it’s called West in a recent interview with SoundStrip, the Chinese pop sensation said it’s because the fivetrack EP has a more Western vibe with a strong emphasis on pop and R&B.

Easily one of the most sensational Asian musical talents to emerge in recent years, LAY rose to fame as a K-Pop idol, thanks in large part to his stint as a member of the sensational boy band EXO who released music not only in Korean but also in Mandarin and Japanese.

EP’s other tracks. “The song ‘I Don’t Care’ is about people, especially, artists who are always the subject of gossip and attacks on the internet. It’s my way of telling them to ‘just ignore the haters, just keep going and keep doing what you want to do,” he pointed out.

“Understand,” he further shares is “just chillin’ vibe and just feeling the R&B tempo and hope that one day you meet that one person who understands your whole thing.”

“Three Wishes” on the other hand, is pretty much what the name of the song is about. “Three Wishes is simply about getting three wishes. “If you wish to stay with me, then we can do many things,” he added.

To promote the EP, LAY has embarked on a new concert world

tour, Grand Line 2: Infinite Lands with a performance designed to showcase his own brand of East meets West pop music. LAY himself has expressed excitement about the tour which has covered Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

Asked what is the best thing about performing before a live audience after staying mostly indoors for much of the Covid-19 pandemic, LAY said the most exciting thing about being on tour is to finally meet his fans face-to-face and interact with them again.

Having performed in Manila in the past while he was still with EXO, LAY is very much aware that he has quite a sizable following among Filipinos. “My Filipino fans are very kind and always give me a lot of support and I look forward to seeing them again soon,” he concludes.

T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez Aldwin M. Tolosa Jt Nisay Edwin P. Sallan Eduardo A. Davad Niggel Figueroa Anabelle O. Flores Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Leony Garcia, Patrick Miguel

Since dabbling in solo projects in music, film, and television before going totally on his own in 2016, LAY has become very prolific in releasing new music with four studio albums, four Eps, and 17 singles plus several collaborations and soundtrack appearances. He has also made 11 music videos to accompany most of his single releases.

LAY, who is now celebrating his 10th year as an artist has time and again cited Michael Jackson as his biggest inspiration. And the King of Pop’s soulful influence and riveting stage presence is very much evident in past releases like “What U Need” and “Let’s Shut Up and Dance,” a collaboration with Jason Derulo and NCT 127 but also in his latest single, “Veil.”

His latest release shows a deftly blending of cross-cultural sounds that is for the most part, unmistakably LAY. In West, LAY presents five tracks of modern hip-hop beats characterized by upbeat bops and expressive vocals including both an English and Mandarin version of “Veil” that was accompanied by a stunning music video that has now garnered over 5.6 million views since its debut only last September.

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In choosing “Veil” as West’s initial single, LAY revealed that the song is about “taking off your mask and show me the real you.”

“I chose it as the single because I want you to dance with me. It’s very catchy and you can jump and dance to it,” he quipped.

LAY went on to talk about the

WHITE RAVEN

Jack White beguiles fans in first-ever Manila concert

Text and photos by Jill Tan Radovan

JACK White first rose to mainstream popularity as the one-half of American punk/blues/garage rock duo The White Stripes, which he formed with his former wife, Meg White in 1997. They released six albums.The band’s chart-topping and awardwinning single, “Seven Nation Army,” was lauded by critics as one of the best songs of the 2000s. It remains insanely popular to this day.

Jack formed two other bands, namely the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather, with which he released a total of six albums. In 2012, he released Blunderbuss, his debut as a solo artist, in 2012, followed by Lazaretto in 2014 and Boarding House Reach in 2018. This year alone, in 2012, the 12-time Grammy award winner released two albums under his own label, Third Man Records: Fear of the Dawn in April and Entering Heaven Alive in July.

White’s Supply Chain Issues Tour began in April specifically to promote the artist’s two latest albums.

His fans in the Philippines were fortunate enough to see him play live at the Samsung Hall in Taguig on November 5 as part of the tour.

White’s apparition, on its own was striking; he had electric-blue hair and wore a polo with a distracting black-and-white pattern.But it was his skilled guitar-playing right from the onset, that stole the show. He certainly started his set strong with “Taking Me Back,” a song from the album Fear of the Dawn,” followed by a performance of the said album’s title track.

The concert was not only an

opportunity for the fans to, for the first time, hear Jack White play songs from his new album; it was also a chance for them to revisit his hits with his former bands.The energy of the visibly escalated when the opening riff to “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” a song from the White Stripes’ album White Blood Cells, reverberated throughout the hall.

Jack White wanted to play in Manila 20 years ago

IT wasn’t White’s first attempt to perform in the Philippines. “Back in 2001, I asked if we could come here and they said, ‘no, you can’t do that,’” White said in a calm, almost childlike tone.

“And I asked again in 2003 and they said, ‘no.’ I kept asking and asking and asking,” he added, while strumming an acoustic guitar.

“And finally this year, I married a Filipino girl named Olivia Jean. I said, ‘now can I go?’ They said, ‘alright, now you can go.’” The crowd whistled and cheered with this revelation.

White was referring to his wife, Olivia Jean Markel White, the lead singer and guitarist of all-girl garagegoth rock band, the Black Belles.

White continued, saying, “This next song is about the explorers in the world and it’s called ‘Temporary Ground.’”

Quincy McCrary then played the opening chords of the track from Lazaretto on the piano, making this

live version rather different from the one on the record. Drummer Daru Jones and bassist Dominic Davis follow suit. Hearing Jack White play live with his band live was almost like listening to a perfectly recorded album, but on steroids—every note, every chord, and every drumbeat was in place.

Every song, every performance, was astounding. Jack White showcased his calibre as an exceptionally gifted musician and a stellar performer, on top of being a talented songwriter and recording artist. He shifted from one instrument to another throughout the show, alternating between acoustic and electric guitars and even a bass guitar at one point, prancing about on stage on various occasions and playing as if he was possessed and the instruments were possessed by he.

You come to show thinking he’s a rockstar, you go home wondering if he is a god—a guitar god—or if has in fact sold his soul to the devil. The title of his fifth album with the White Stripes is Get Behind Mr Satan, after all.

The night of course, would not have been complete without a showstopping performance of “Seven Nation Army,” which sent Jack White’s bewitched army of fans dancing, jumping, and banging their heads in a music-induced frenzy, like every legion of enchanted followers should.

The Taylor Swift ticket presale drama brought Millennial and Gen Z offices to a halt

By Jo Constantz Bloomberg

Thousands of Taylor swift fans attempting to buy presale tickets for the star’s upcoming tour meant work grinding to a halt for a certain cadre of millennials as demand overwhelmed Ticketmaster.

Swifties across the US moved meetings, blocked off time on their calendars and stopped responding to work-related messages as they obsessively checked their status in the queue.

The presale frenzy, originally set to take place at 10 a.m. local time across the US, created a major predicament for working fans, especially those whose bosses simply do not understand. Many chose to work from home with both personal and workissued laptops up and running, with one eye on Zoom meetings, the other on Ticketmaster. Some bit the bullet and told their bosses they wouldn’t be working at all Tuesday, while others deputized a trusted friend, partner or family member (or even college professor) to get the job done.

Registration for the superfan presale ended last week, and those who got an access code unabashedly set out to revamp their calendars.

“Sorry, everyone…I will be five minutes late for our meeting because I need to get Taylor Swift tickets,” May Huang, an account executive at Highwire PR, a San Francisco-based communications firm, wrote to her team on Slack. “And then this morning our VP on the team Slacks and is like, ‘Oh, me too, actually. So let's just push it,’” Huang said in an interview.

When West Coast sales were postponed

to 3 p.m. local time, she and her coworkers blocked that time off on their calendars, too.

And while, theoretically, fans should be able to quickly secure their tickets and get on with their days, the reality is that the presale process has been painful, with many stuck waiting on Ticketmaster for upward of an hour in queues.

For Huang, the entire affair has consumed her whole day: “How can I focus on anything else?” she said.

Forced to make hard choices

Sl ACk channels everywhere have gone haywire. At Vox, “writers are melting down because they are getting shut out of taylor tickets and i'm honestly worried,” tweeted Alex Abad-Santos, a senior correspondent at the online publication. At Highwire PR, the Swiftie Slack channel #taylortalk has been flooded with panic and info-sharing. Employees there frequently use emojis on

Slack to signal their status throughout the workday—a lightbulb for heads-down focus work, a red “X” for busy, a palm tree for vacation days. Today, those on a mission to lock down their tickets put a Taylor Swift emoji next to their names to give others a heads up.

Meanwhile, a presale for Capital One customers originally scheduled for today was pushed to tomorrow, and that’s left some Swifties irate. “What about those of us who took off work today and now can’t participate in presale that have been moved to tomorrow??” one fan tweeted in response to the announcement.

The whole ordeal has forced people to make hard choices. Tianna Groelly’s first day at her new full-time job was scheduled to begin at the same time as the presale, presenting a painful dilemma. “I work in the music industry, maybe they’ll understand?” she joked in a TikTok posted Monday.

Groelly’s brother and sister-in-law were able to get the tickets for her—though she had to run to the bathroom to forward additional confirmation codes to them to avoid being seen on her phone as a brand new employee. Other than that, day one went well: All told, she said she was more nervous for the presale than her first day.

Ultimately, things worked out for Huang, too. Even as tickets vanished as she clicked on them, she managed to snag three for the l as Vegas show in March on her birthday.

“I feel lucky that my colleagues all get it,” Huang said.

Many of her coworkers are Gen Z and millennial, and most are women. “I’m like, thanking God that I had a meeting-light day, because if I’d had an important call today I don't know what I would have done,” she laughed. “A lot of companies give people the day off to go vote. But no one’s going to give you the day off to get Taylor Swift tickets.”

Shake it off? Parents come up short for Taylor Swift tickets

THE y were supposed to be birthday presents. They were supposed to be Christmas presents. They were supposed to be the most special of special treats for young fans of Taylor Swift.

Instead, for many parents, the hours-long Ticketmaster debacle they endured early last week trying to score concert seats left them empty-handed and frustrated—and their kids disappointed.

“I was trying to buy tickets so my best friend and I could take our preteens to their first concert and waited

literally all day to finally get in to buy tickets and not one ticket was left,” Micah Woods, who lives near l ittle Rock, Arkansas, said Wednesday.

Others who did battle on computers eventually scored, some after being kicked out of the online queue numerous times or struggling with error messages.

“I was pretty worn out afterwards. Just the stress of it,” said Natasha Mitchner in Dayton, Ohio. “But it’s worth it. She puts on a good show.”

After nearly six hours in the queue, Mitchner madly scooped up tickets for

herself and her two daughters, ages 17 and 20. She sprung for a bonus fourth ticket to be used by her husband or a friend of the kids. It will be the fourth time the Swiftie family has seen her live.

“My 20-year-old said even if you don’t get them, I still love you,” Mitchner said, laughing. “It’s kind of our thing to do together. I would have been upset. I just tried to be calm.”

Emails to Ticketmaster spokeswomen were not immediately returned Wednesday. In a tweet Tuesday, the company called demand “historically unprecedented” with millions of peo-

ple trying to buy.

Fresh off one of the biggest album launches of her career, Swift announced earlier this month she was going on a new US stadium tour starting next year, with international dates to follow. Fans who received a special code after registering had exclusive access to buy tickets Wednesday, ahead of Friday sales for the rest of the public.

The 52-date Eras Tour kicks off March 17 in Glendale, Arizona, and wraps up with five shows in l os Angeles ending August 9. It’s Swift’s first tour since 2018. AP

“How can I focus on anything else?” said May Huang, an account executive at Highwire PR, who blocked off time on her calendar to secure presale tickets to the concert of multi-awarded performer Taylor Swift.