BusinessMirror October 08, 2023

Will removal of barrier by PCG further escalate WPS tension?

‘KEEP CALM, CARRY ON’

By Rex Anthony Naval

DID the Philippines cross the proverbial Rubicon when it ordered its Coast Guard (PCG) to cut and remove the floating barrier placed by the Chinese off the southwest portion of Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal) located some 124 nautical miles off Zambales on September 25?

Observers said the removal of the Chinese floating barrier— triggering tensions further in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)—could be the “most aggressive” action of Manila since the Philippines lost control of the shoal following a tense standoff with the Chinese coast guard (CCG) and its maritime militia in April 2012.

In the aftermath of that incident, the Philippine government resorted to just monitoring and filing diplomatic protests whenever Chinese incursions in its vast maritime territories were detected.

Bajo de Masinloc is situated 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

It is approximately 472 nautical miles from the nearest Chinese coast.

Despite the distance, China continues to lay claim to Bajo de Masinloc, saying the feature is within its territory.

But under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), that part of Bajo de Ma-

sinloc covered by the Philippines’ EEZ falls under Philippine control and jurisdiction.

The 2016 Arbitral Award also affirmed BDM as a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fisherfolk— and of other Southeast Asian nations. Meaning, China has no right to blockade it.

A s of this writing, China has still to make a more concrete response on the removal of its floating barriers off Bajo de Masinloc, except to ridicule the Philippine efforts.

Discovery of the obstacle

THE PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) discovered this obstacle laid by the China Coast Guard while on a routine maritime patrol on September 22.

“ The floating barrier with an estimated length of 300 meters was discovered by the PCG and BFAR personnel on board BRP Datu Bankaw when they conducted routine maritime patrol on September 22, 2023, at the vicinity of BDM [Bajo de Masinloc],” PCG

spokesperson for WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the floating barrier was placed by three CCG rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) and a Chinese maritime militia (CMM) service boat.

CCG vessels usually install floating barriers when they monitor a large number of Filipino fishermen in the area.

At that time, 50 Filipino fishing boats were fishing in the area.

Recognizing the importance of supporting artisanal or subsistence fishing of these fishermen, the BFAR provided them with various grocery items and fuel to sustain their operations, Tarriela said.

However, a total of four CCG vessels (CCG-3065, CCG-3066, CCG-3105 and CCG-3301) initiated a series of 15 radio challenges in an attempt to drive away the BFAR vessel and FFBs,” he added.

The CCG claimed that the presence of the BFAR vessel and Filipino fishermen violated international law and the domestic laws of China.

Tarriela said the BFAR vessel responded to each radio call and emphasized that they were carrying out a routine patrol within the territorial sea of Bajo de Masinloc.

Tarriela said the CCG ships maintained a safe distance upon learning that media practitioners were also on board the BRP Datu Bankaw

Initial PHL responses

INITIALLY, Tarriela said on September 25 the PCG needs authorization from the government to cut and remove the floating barrier off Bajo de Masinloc.

He issued this comment when asked why they did not cut these obstacles upon sighting. “Ang PCG ay gumagawa lang po ng mga bagay na ipinaguutos ng ating [only does tasks ordered by the] national government; our primary mission there is to provide relief goods and to distribute fuel subsidy sa ating mga mangingisda [to our fishermen], and [at that time], we were able to document itong paglalagak ng floating barrier na to sa bunganga ng [the placement of the floating barrier at the mouth of] Bajo de Masinloc,” he said.

Tarriela said documentation or evidence of these obstacles must be presented to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) before any action could be done. “ We have to clear it with the Department of Foreign Affairs or even the Department of Justice, and more importantly, to seek guidance from the National Security Adviser himself [before doing anything],” he stressed.

‘Appropriate actions’

MEANWHILE, later in the day, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo M. Año said the Philippine government will take the necessary action to remove these floating barriers. We will take all appropriate

PHILIPPINE Coast Guard personnel observes as a Chinese Coast Guard ship sails near them during their patrol at Bajo de Masinloc, 124 nautical miles west of Zambales, on March 2, 2022.

THIS undated photo provided on September 26, 2023, by Philippine Coast Guard shows a diver cutting rope tied to a floating barrier in the Scarborough Shoal. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD VIA AP

THIS undated photo provided on September 26, 2023, by Philippine Coast Guard shows the anchor used to hold the floating barriers which were removed by coast guard divers, in the Scarborough Shoal. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD VIA AP

US weaves web of intelligence links in Asia to counter China

By Peter Martin & Jenny Leonard Bloomberg News

The Biden administration has developed a set of separate but overlapping partnerships in Asia, including an intelligence-sharing arrangement with the “Quad” grouping of the US, India, Japan and Australia, according to US officials who asked not to be identified discussing matters that aren’t public.

The web of relationships also includes trilateral partnerships among the US, Japan and South Korea, and one encompassing the US, Japan and the Philippines, the officials said.

The push also involves strengthened bilateral sharing of information with Japan, India and Vietnam, according to the officials, who added that a major focus of these relationships is boosting resilience to Chinese offensive operations online.

These new and strengthened partnerships, known formally as intelligence liaison relationships, are in part aimed at reducing the growing power of China’s spy apparatus, which a recent UK parliamentary report described as the world’s largest. The administration effort is part of a broader drive to deepen links across the region amid growing alarm at the threat from Beijing.

Intelligence liaison can serve as an important force multiplier,” said Daniel Byman, a specialist on the topic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “It can expand overall collection as different countries will have access to different secrets in different parts of the world.”

Closer ties

THE Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the relationships. A White House spokesperson said US cooperation in the region includes sharing information but declined to comment on specific relationships.

Japan has been deepening security cooperation with likeminded countries in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, including on intelligence and information, Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs Noriyuki Shikata said by email.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment. The South Korean, Australian, Philippine and Vietnamese governments did not respond to requests for comment.

C hina’s increasing assertiveness in the region, combined with leadership changes in some capi-

tals, has made countries such as South Korea and the Philippines more willing to cooperate of late, the US officials said. Some partners in the region also hope the ties will provide some security in the event Donald Trump wins the US presidential election next year. The closer links are already delivering results, the officials noted.

L ate last year, India was able to repel a Chinese military incursion in the Himalayas thanks to

strengthened intelligence-sharing with the US military, according to US News & World Report

In May 2022, the Quad countries announced a pact that provides data from commercial satellites to countries across the Pacific, allowing them to track the activities of China’s maritime militia, as well as smuggling and illegal fishing. Deepened ties with Japan in this area come after what Washing-

ton sees as a quiet push by Tokyo to resolve longstanding US concerns about its ability to keep a secret, US officials said. In May, the US Space Force announced the delivery of sensitive satellite-tracking equipment to Japan.

‘Five Eyes’

IN a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, Japan’s defense minister Minoru

Kihara vowed to carry out a drastic upgrade of information protection and cyber security capabilities with American help, according to a readout from the Japanese Defense Ministry. St ill, obstacles remain—not least because of questions about the US’s own ability to keep a secret.

In April, the Justice Department charged a 21-year-old National Guard airman, Jack Teixeira, with illegally disseminating classified information, including sensitive battlefield data about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and revelations that the US eavesdropped on allies such as South Korea.

The partnerships will complement the “Five Eyes” arrangement that has long been the cornerstone of US intelligence partnerships. That informal network consisting of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand has shifted its focus to China in recent years, but its exclusive English-speaking membership limits its reach and relevance in Asia.

Five Eyes countries have been sharing secret information for decades through intimate networks of officials that permeate their intelligence, defense and foreign ministries. Asia’s emerging spy pacts are much newer and will likely take time to rival the Five Eyes.

“The Five Eyes’ dominance is pretty established, but when you start to work on different problems you get different priorities,” Byman said. “As we shift to China, then countries like Japan and South Korea become more important, alongside Five Eyes partners in the region like Australia and New Zealand.”

‘KEEP CALM, CARRY ON’

Continued from A1

actions to cause the removal of the barriers and to protect the rights of our fishermen in the area,” he added.

A ño, who is also head of the National Security Council, said the placement of these floating barriers by China violates the traditional fishing rights of Filipino fishermen.

“ We condemn the installation of floating barriers by CCG in BDM. The placement by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of a barrier violates the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen whose rights have been affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Ruling,” he added.

It [2016 Arbitral Ruling] ruled categorically that such action by the PRC violated the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen in the shoal who have been fishing there for centuries. Any State that prevents them from doing artisanal fishing there violates Unclos and international law, in general,” the NSA stressed.

Barriers removed from BDM

WITH this clear guidance coming from Año, the PCG later announced that it had conducted a special operation to remove the floating barrier that obstructed the southeast entrance of Bajo de Masinloc.

Tarriela said this special operation is in response to the instruction of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued to the NTF-WPS, which Año chairs.

In justifying their removal, the PCG official said these floating barriers posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law.

They also hinder, he added, “the conduct of fishing and livelihood activities of Filipino fisherfolk in BDM, which is an integral part of Philippine national territory.”

Tarriela also emphasized that the 2016 Arbitral Award has affirmed that Bajo de Masinloc is the traditional fishing ground of Filipino fishermen.

Thus, any obstruction hindering the livelihoods of Filipino fisherfolk in the shoal violates international law. It also infringes on the Philippines’ sovereignty over

BDM,” he added. The decisive action of the PCG to remove the barriers aligns with international law and the Philippines’ sovereignty over the shoal," he noted.

“The PCG remains committed to upholding international law, safeguarding the welfare of Filipino fisherfolk, and protecting the rights of the Philippines in its territorial waters,” Tarriela concluded.

‘Visibility’ drive

MEANWHILE, Tarriela said the PCG now has the capability to station its ships at the Bajo de Masinloc.

But while the PCG can deploy its ships there, these vessels cannot stay for as long a period as their CCG equivalent, which can stay for three to five weeks before being relieved, he pointed out.

“ We have been doing this strategic deployment of our Coast Guard vessels since the new administration. At first we attempted to come close to eight nautical miles; and then two weeks or three weeks after, we did seven [nautical miles] and then six [nautical miles] and then five [nautical miles], we do this gradually until right now we become successful in reaching out to 300 meters,” Tarriela explained.

He said these efforts will be further sustained in the coming days along with plans to take control again of Bajo de Masinloc and its lagoon, which the country lost access to since the April 2012 standoff.

“As I said, since the new administration took office, we have already strategized how we…can take control once again of Bajo de Masinloc, especially the lagoon in Bajo de Masinloc. As I said for so many months we were able to calibrate our deployment until such time that we can already anchor at a distance of 300 meters,” Tarriela added.

Tarriela said they cannot give any further details about the plan, but stressed that the PCG, along with the BFAR and with the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, “will be able to sustain this patrol with the end goal of once again allowing the Filipino fishermen to be able to go inside the lagoon” and fish.

No more barriers…please

AS this developed, Western Command (Wescom) chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos on September 27 said they will immediately remove any floating barrier should China ever come close to placing any of these off Ayungin Shoal. He issued this comment when asked if they detected any escalation on the part of the Chinese following the successful removal of the barriers off Bajo de Masinloc. We are monitoring [that] very, very closely; the removal of the barrier. My concern is, they [could] also put a barrier in Ayungin, so there is already a template in Scarborough, so there is no question about that, if they do that in Ayungin, we also have to remove the barriers and we do not have to wait for the order of the President to remove that,” Carlos said at the sidelines of a forum in Makati City.

A Filipino detachment aboard the grounded BRP Sierra Madre is keeping watch and maintaining Philippine sovereignty in the area.

Tensions there flared up last month as CCG vessels and their maritime militia attempted to block Filipino resupply vessels and their escorts from going about their lawful mandate.

Carlos said they will remove immediately anything that China will place there.

“I monitored very closely the situation in Scarborough because whatever happens there will happen also in Ayungin; so there is already a template for me to follow, and it’s the President’s order, sabi nga nila [they said it is a] direct order from the President, so if it happens in Ayungin, [that’s] automatic,” the Wescom chief stressed.

A nd while not giving any details, Carlos said the government is now tweaking its strategy in the WPS.

He stressed this is a normal procedure and takes into consideration the changing geopolitical situation in the area.

“ The strategy now is working, we are okay with the strategy but we are tweaking it to make it more effective against the situation, to address the situation on the ground,” Carlos stressed.

THE US is deepening intelligence cooperation with countries across Asia as it looks to counter Beijing’s sophisticated spying apparatus and blunt Chinese cyber attacks.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

The 4 billion pieces of paper keeping global trade afloat

By Archie Hunter

container shipping lines, nine— which account for over 70 percent of global container freight — have committed to digitizing 50 percent of their bills of lading within five years, and 100 percent by 2030. Some of the world’s biggest mining companies including BHP Group Ltd., Rio Tinto Group, Vale SA and Anglo American Plc have voiced their support for a similar campaign in the bulk shipping industry.

usable by the whole world. It has been broadly welcomed by the industry: “We believe this is one of the solutions which would help in reducing documentary fraud,” said the trading house Trafigura Group.

It is a system that has barely changed since the nineteenth century. But that dependence on bits of paper being flown from one party to another has become a vulnerability for companies that move and finance the world’s resources around the globe.

In one high profile case, banks including ING Groep NV discovered in 2020 that they had been given falsified bills of lading— shipping documents that designate a cargo’s details and assign ownership—in return for issuing credit to Singapore’s Agritrade Resources. In another dispute, HSBC Holdings Plc and other banks have spent three years in legal wrangling to recover around $3.5 billion from collapsed fuel trader Hin Leong, which is accused by prosecutors of using “forged or fabricated documentation,” when applying for credit.

The International Chamber of Commerce estimates that at least 1 percent of transactions in the global trade financing market, or around $50 billion per year, are fraudulent. Banks, traders and other parties have lost at least $9 billion through falsified documents in the commodities industry alone over the past decade, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“It’s the easiest type of fraud to commit,” said Neil Shonhard, chief executive officer of antifraud platform MonetaGo, “either falsifying a document or sending duplicates to banks ‘A’ ‘B’ and ‘C’ without them speaking to each other.”

The ICC said in a 2022 report, co-authored by MonetaGo, that as much as $2.5 billion of those annual fraud costs ended up realized as losses for financiers— unearthed by commodity price shocks or other external events.

Digitization to boost business ADVOCATES say online platforms already exist that can secure, store and transfer documents, making it much less likely that banks would be presented with doctored bills of lading or other documents, such as invoices for cargoes which might not even exist or which are full of stones masquerading as valuable precious metal. Online hacking remains a risk, but one that is far more difficult to pull off than photocopying pieces of paper, they argue.

Digitization also offers a potential boost for business. A McKinsey study based on industry interviews and data from carriers estimated that adopting electronic bills of lading would enable as much as $40 billion in additional global trade volume through reduced trade friction, particularly for emerging markets. The theory is that banks could in future be more amenable to finance trade for smaller, potentially riskier, counterparts if they did things digitally. The main container shipping lines, McKinsey added, could save as much as $6.5 billion a year in direct costs if they moved to full adoption of digital bills of lading.

“We believe that with just a couple of small efforts everybody across this ecosystem can go out there and reap these benefits,” said David Dierker, McKinsey senior expert and co-author of the report. He argues that there is little or no downside beyond the initial investment to change processes: “Freight forwarders and shippers will need to adapt, but everyone benefits at least as much as they would have to invest. And the carriers benefit much more.”

Less than 2 percent of global trade is transacted via digital means, but that is set to change. Of the world’s top 10

The greatest barrier to that expansion has been legal. Banks, traders, insurers and shipping companies have had the means to go digital, but up to now a paper bill of lading has been the only document recognized by English law that gives the holder title ownership to a cargo. A bank or insurer won’t cover a deal that isn’t legally secure, and without financing, deals are unlikely to happen.

To address that, the UK passed the Electronic Trade Documents Act in July, which enshrines digital documents with the same legal powers as paper ones. English law on trade documents goes back centuries. It underpins around 90 percent of global commodities and other trade contracts.

So the UK law change represents a big step. Singapore, another center for maritime law, created a similar legal framework in 2021 conducting its first electronic bill of lading transactions in 2022. Similar legislation is expected in France later this year.

Saving 28,000 trees a year

THE next challenge will be getting companies to change processes that have been in place for hundreds of years. For all its faults, paper is something that everyone understands and while businesses are happy to join a critical mass of digital trade, few are keen to be the first to take steps in that direction.

“For this to work, it requires all of us to adopt the same data standards so that we can communicate more effectively to enable verification in a truly interoperable manner,” said Lynn Ng, Global Lead for Sustainable Value Chains at ING, the biggest bank in commodity finance.

The UK’s legal push is based on a model law put forward by the United Nations. Such transnational bodies have been important in putting together statutes that have to be acceptable and

“It’s not a panacea for the electronic bill of lading and we’ve got a way to go, but I’m massively energized by this change and I think it will make a significant difference to how the industry views these digital instruments, said Marina Comninos, co-head of the paperless trade management company, ICE Digital Trade. “We’re still at such a nascent point in international trade, with only a small fraction of global trade being digitized — we need oxygen and this is oxygen.”

As a newly qualified lawyer working in the Singapore office of Holman Fenwick Willan in the late 2000s, Michael Buisset remembers flying 5,000 kilometers to Hong Kong and back in a day, briefcase in hand, to get a last-minute bill of lading signed off by a client.

“My rate was much cheaper than it is now, but it’s just a testament to the waste of time and money that paper documents can create,” Buisset, now head of the firm’s office in the commodities trading hub of Geneva, said. “And of course there was the risk of it getting lost.”

Such trips still happen, even though that transfer of documents could feasibly be executed in minutes via an online platform. The full documentation process on a 2022 deal to ship nickel in containers from miner BHP Group Ltd. in Australia to Chinese buyer Jinchuan, financed by banks from each country, took under 48 hours over the ICE Digital Trade platform, the company said.

For now, when a cargo of coffee is shipped from Brazil to a roaster like Illycaffe SpA in Europe it sets off a flurry of printing. Three identical bills of lading need to be produced and gradually make their way between sellers, banks and buyers, stopping off at law firms and consultants in order to guarantee the rights to the cargo across its 20 day journey. There are also paper invoices, certificates of analysis, and additional documents to measure weight, origin, packing, and moisture content if it is ores that are being shipped.

It is impossible to accurately calculate how many documents are printed for a given trade route but Brazil exports over 900,000 tons of coffee to the European Union every year. And that represents a lot of paper—McKinsey estimated that at least 28,000 trees a year could be saved by reduced friction in the container trade.

As well as providing details of the cargo, its destination and origin, the documents give the holder ownership rights over whatever is being shipped, crucial for holding transport companies accountable for any damages or loss that might occur, or indeed to give banks and insurers some security when providing hundreds of millions of dollars to finance a single shipment. The biggest vessels that transport oil, known as Very Large Crude Carriers, are moving cargoes valued at over $170 million at current prices.

The multi-step process begins when an agent prepares the bill of lading and receives sign-off that all the details are correct from

the seller, ship owner, trader and end-buyer. The ship is then loaded and original bills of lading are issued by the vessel’s owner and signed by its captain. The three original bills of lading are then released to the seller—in the Brazilian example, the coffee producer—which passes them on to its financing bank along with additional documents to receive payment. The coffee company’s bank will endorse the bill of lading by writing on the back of it.

In many cases a carrier will need to set sail before this process is complete, so the vessel’s captain will provide a shipping agent with a letter of authority to complete the documents on their behalf.

The next leg of the journey for the bill of lading is from the coffee company’s bank to the trading group’s equivalent via DHL Worldwide Express or FedEx Corp. The trader’s bank then makes the payment to the producer’s bank against the receipt of those documents. Assuming everything is okay at this stage the bank working for the trader endorses the bill of lading, signs, stamps, dates and delivers it to its counterpart representing the buyer of the cargo, which in turn pays the trader’s bank for the goods and hands the bill of lading to the master at the destination port to obtain the release of goods.

Expensive and complex problem

THIS pass-the-parcel style approach to the bureaucracy is happening in parallel with the physical goods being loaded, shipped around the world and delivered. Sometimes the documents may only need to move between a small cluster of offices in Geneva or Singapore—where companies across the supply and finance chain have set up offices to be close to one another. But often they are far more tortuous.

The news section of the website of the Grain and Feed Trade Association, GAFTA, is often dedicated to bills of lading feared lost or stolen, where companies publicly state their ownership of a cargo to dissuade other parties at the arrival port from stealing their wheat or soybeans potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although rare, many cargo owners believe the risk to be sufficient to issue the public hands-off warnings.

“ Practically everybody I know who works in the industry has at

some point encountered bills of lading getting lost,” said Richard Watts, a Geneva-based specialist in maritime trade and a board adviser to electronic document platform Secro. “It doesn’t happen often but given the pure number of documents that we’re sending around the world at any one time—even if 0.001 percent of them get lost—that’s still a very expensive and complex problem, often with a ship waiting to discharge.”

Living in the Dark Ages DIGITAL startups like Vakt and ICE Digital Trade offer the opportunity to transfer trade and other financial documents electronically. Bolero has been doing it since the 1990s. Oil majors, such as BP Plc and Shell Plc, traders like Gunvor Group and banks including Société Générale SA have stakes in Vakt, while Intercontinental Exchange bought essDOCS last year for an undisclosed sum, betting that the move online will accelerate. But the lack of public examples highlights the uphill battle to full adoption of electronic bills of lading. Trafigura used essDOCS for an Australian iron ore shipment back in 2014. Taiwanese shipping line Wan Hai used Bolero’s electronic bill of lading for a polyester filament trade to China in 2018. This low take-up is largely due to the continued lack of legal recognition in many jurisdictions and banks—which finance the cargoes in transit—but will not accept a digital bill of lading as collateral in most cases. Advocates say the UK law reform should change that.  “We’re still living in the Dark Ages in terms of global trade,” said Secro’s Watts, “after this call I’ve got to go down to pick up some bills of lading for a fertilizer shipment from a bank and send them via courier to Argentina, it’s all just a bit silly.” Bloomberg News

THEY are relatively easy to fake. Frequently get lost. And can add huge amounts of time to any journey. Yet paper documents still rule in the $25 trillion global cargo trade with four billion of them in circulation at any one time.

China’s new PBOC governor faces first big test on international stage

By Jacob Gu & Xiao Zibang

PAN Gongsheng is set to debut on the international stage next week, presenting the biggest opportunity for global economic and banking chiefs to rub shoulders with China’s top central banker and gain valuable clues on where he aims to steer policy.

The People’s Bank of China governor is expected to make his way to Marrakech for the International Monetary Fund’s weeklong Annual Meetings, starting Monday. It would be his first major overseas trip since succeeding Yi Gang in July.

As the man tasked with guiding the world’s second-largest economy through a slowdown in growth and safeguarding its $60 trillion domestic financial system, Pan is among the conference’s most-anticipated attendees.

The event will bring the technocrat into the orbit of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, after initial meetings with both in China, as well as other key economic and financial stakeholders.

And with retirement nearing for

Finance Minister Liu Kun—who is also expected to attend—Pan will be the main target for those seeking lasting influence in Beijing.

“Pan’s main task will be to build some rapport with global policymakers,” said Gabriel Wildau, managing director at advisory firm Teneo Holdings LLC in New York. Pan will need to do that “while reassuring them that China’s economic weakness is not as severe as many foreign commentators and investors believe,” he added.

Talking points

ECONOMIC leaders at the event in Morocco will likely want Pan’s perspective on China’s economy, as a property crisis and weak confidence among consumers and businesses weigh on growth.

Within weeks of Pan’s appointment, the PBOC delivered the steepest cut to a key loan rate in three years. That move was later followed by additional measures, including a trim to the amount of cash lenders must hold in reserve, in an attempt to juice the economy.

While recent data has shown promising signs of stabilization, some economists have signaled a need for more easing—including further rate cuts before the end of the year.

In a speech Thursday ahead of the Morocco event, Georgieva flagged dangers to the global economy, including from activity in China that’s below expectations. She repeated the Fund’s warning from April that the current pace of global growth remains below the 3.8 percent average in the two decades before the pandemic, and that medium-term prospects have weakened.

Pan’s language on monetary policy will be closely watched for signs the recent positive data has altered the PBOC’s view of the economy, said Martin Rasmussen, a London-based senior strategist at macro research firm Exante Data.

The Chinese central banker could also face questions about his defense of the yuan amid broader dollar strength, a strategy that could hurt exports but help to stem capital outflows, according to Neo Wang, Evercore ISI’s New York-based managing d irector for China research.

Although a more significant question could be “whether his big boss

has drawn a line in the sand for yuan and US dollar,” Wang added, alluding to President Xi Jinping.

Debt discussion

ANOTHER topic on Pan’s agenda will be Beijing’s role in debt restructuring negotiations for developing countries, given China is the biggest sovereign lender for many of those economies.

Tension has colored much of the talk around debt relief over the past year, as China and private bondholders have resisted using guidelines established by Western sovereign creditors, represented by the socalled Paris Club.

“China wants to avoid being seen as blocking such restructurings,” said Bert Hofman, former China country director at the World Bank.  Pan, along with finance ministry officials, could propose ways to resolve debt restructurings under the so-called Common Framework, he added, referring to the initiative that has brought Paris Club creditors around the same negotiating table as China.

While Pan’s predecessor defended China’s position earlier this year on the need for multilateral development banks to “make due contributions to debt disposal,” he also stressed Beijing’s desire to participate in such talks.

“China is willing to work with all parties to implement the G-20 common framework for debt disposal,” Yi said during the IMF’s spring meeting

in Washington. Shortly before he left office, Chinese creditors struck a precedent-setting deal with the Paris Club on debt relief for Zambia.

That marked the first major victory for agreeing to such relief under the Common Framework. It also created cautious optimism about the potential for deals involving other debt-distressed nations, including Ghana, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. Beijing’s role in those conversations remains in doubt, with some members on the committee of Sri Lanka’s official creditors pushing to reach a deal without China.

“IMF and international debt issues are very important to China,” said Hans Jorgen Gasemyr, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. “But it will have to navigate between what is good for Chinese lenders, what developing countries want and what other traditional big lenders seek to achieve.”

Now and then

PAN’S performance will likely to draw comparisons with that of his predecessor, who was well respected internationally and regularly engaged with other central bank chiefs. Like Yi, Pan is a fluent English speaker who has spent time abroad—including as a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School for a program designed to encourage USChina collaboration.

During a visit to China last month, the IMF’s Georgieva met

with several Chinese leaders including Pan, characterizing her talks in general as “productive and substantive.”

“I’m grateful to China for recognizing the role of the IMF at the center of the global financial safety net,” she said.

Pan has built on his international experience in recent months, sitting down with executives at some of the world’s biggest firms—including JPMorgan Chase & Co., HSBC Holdings Plc. and Tesla Inc.—to stress the PBOC’s efforts to stabilize trade and improve the business environment for foreign companies.

Days after being appointed governor, he spoke with representatives from domestic developers and banks to discuss their difficulties and corporate financing needs.

Still, delegates should be realistic about Pan’s influence, said Neil Thomas, a fellow for Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. Unlike central banks in other major economies like the US and Europe, the PBOC isn’t an independent institution. It reports to China’s cabinet, the State Council, which directs economic policy.

“Pan has reasonable influence on the technical side of financial policymaking,” said Thomas. “But decisions about China’s position on international debt restructuring will be made by Xi.” With assistance from Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Evelyn Yu and Ramsey Al-Rikabi/Bloomberg

Ancient Roman and Mayan buildings are still standing: Scientists are unlocking their secrets

By Maddie Burakoff AP Science Writer

NEW YORK—In the quest to build better for the future, some are looking for answers in the long-ago past.

Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later— from Roman engineers who poured thick concrete sea barriers, to Maya masons who crafted plaster sculptures to their gods, to Chinese builders who raised walls against invaders. Yet scores of more recent structures are already staring down their expiration dates: The concrete that makes up much of our modern world has a lifespan of around 50 to 100 years. A growing number of scientists have been studying materials from long-ago eras—chipping off chunks of buildings, poring over historical texts, mixing up copycat recipes— hoping to uncover how they’ve held up for millennia.

This reverse engineering has turned up a surprising list of ingredients that were mixed into old buildings—materials such as tree bark, volcanic ash, rice, beer and even urine. These unexpected addins could be key some pretty impressive properties, like the ability to get stronger over time and “heal” cracks when they form.

Figuring out how to copy those features could have real impacts today:

While our modern concrete has the strength to hold up massive skyscrapers and heavy infrastructure, it can’t compete with the endurance of these ancient materials. And with the rising threats of climate change, there’s a growing call to make construction more sustainable.

A recent UN report estimates that the built environment is responsible for more than a third of global CO2

emissions—and cement production alone makes up more than 7 percent of those emissions.

“If you improve the properties of the material by using … traditional recipes from Maya people or the ancient Chinese, you can produce material that can be used in modern construction in a much more sustainable way,” said Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro, a cultural heritage researcher at Spain’s University of Granada.

Is ancient Roman concrete better than today’s?

MANY researchers have turned to the Romans for inspiration. Starting around 200 BCE, the architects of the Roman Empire were building impressive concrete structures that have stood the test of time—from the soaring dome of the Pantheon to the sturdy aqueducts that still carry water today.

Even in harbors, where seawater has been battering structures for ages, you’ll find concrete “basically the way it was when it was poured 2,000 years ago,” said John Oleson, an archaeologist at the University of Victoria in Canada.

Most modern concrete starts with Portland cement, a powder made by heating limestone and clay to superhigh temperatures and grinding them up. That cement is mixed with water to create a chemically reactive paste. Then, chunks of material like rock and gravel are added, and the cement paste binds them into a concrete mass.

According to records from ancient architects like Vitruvius, the Roman process was similar. The ancient builders mixed materials like burnt limestone and volcanic sand with water and gravel, creating chemical reactions to bind everything together.

Now, scientists think they’ve found a key reason why some Roman concrete has held up structures for thousands of years: The ancient ma -

terial has an unusual power to repair itself. Exactly how is not yet clear, but scientists are starting to find clues.

In a study published earlier this year, Admir Masic, a civil and environmental engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, proposed that this power comes from chunks of lime that are studded throughout the Roman material instead of being mixed in evenly. Researchers used to think these chunks were a sign that the Romans weren’t mixing up their materials well enough.

Instead, after analyzing concrete samples from Privernum—an ancient city outside of Rome—the scientists found that the chunks could fuel the material’s “self-healing” abilities.

When cracks form, water is able to seep into the concrete, Masic explained. That water activates the leftover pockets of lime, sparking up new chemical reactions that can fill in the damaged sections.

Marie Jackson, a geologist at the

University of Utah, has a different take. Her research has found that the key could be in the specific volcanic materials used by the Romans.

The builders would gather volcanic rocks left behind after eruptions to mix into their concrete. This naturally reactive material changes over time as it interacts with the elements, Jackson said, allowing it to seal cracks that develop.

The ability to keep adapting over time “is truly the genius of the material,” Jackson said. “The concrete was so well designed that it sustains itself.”

Using tree juice to make sculptures as strong as seashells AT Copan, a Maya site in Honduras, intricate lime sculptures and temples remain intact even after more than 1,000 years exposed to a hot, humid environment. And according to a study published earlier this year, the secret to these structures’

longevity might lie in the trees that sprout among them.

Researchers here had a living link to the structures’ creators: They met with local masons in Honduras who traced their lineage all the way back to the Mayan builders, explained Rodriguez-Navarro, who worked on the study.

The masons suggested using extracts from local chukum and jiote trees in the lime mix. When researchers tested out the recipe—collecting bark, putting the chunks in water and adding the resulting tree “juice” into the material—they found the resulting plaster was especially durable against physical and chemical damage.

When scientists zoomed in, they saw that bits of organic material from the tree juice got incorporated into the plaster’s molecular structure. In this way, the Mayan plaster was able to mimic sturdy natural structures like seashells and sea urchin spines— and borrow some of their toughness, Rodriguez-Navarro said.

Studies have found all kinds of natural materials mixed into structures from long ago: fruit extracts, milk, cheese curd, beer, even dung and urine. The mortar that holds together some of China’s most famous structures—including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City—includes traces of starch from sticky rice.

Luck or skill?

SOME of these ancient builders might have just gotten lucky, said Cecilia Pesce, a materials scientist at the University of Sheffield in England. They’d toss just about anything into their mixes, as long as it was cheap and available—and the ones that didn’t work out have long since collapsed.

“They would put all sorts of things in construction,” Pesce said. “And now, we only have the buildings that survived. So it’s like a natural selec

tion process.”

But some materials seem to show more intention—like in India, where builders crafted blends of local materials to produce different properties, said Thirumalini Selvaraj, a civil engineer and professor at India’s Vellore Institute of Technology.

According to Selvaraj’s research, in humid areas of India, builders used local herbs that help structures deal with moisture. Along the coast, they added jaggery, an unrefined sugar, which can help protect from salt damage. And in areas with higher earthquake risks, they used superlight “floating bricks” made with rice husks.

“They know the region, they know the soil condition, they know the climate,” Selvaraj said. “So they engineer a material according to this.”

Ancient Roman...skyscrapers?

TODAY’S builders can’t just copy the ancient recipes. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn’t hold up heavy loads: “You couldn’t build a modern skyscraper with Roman concrete,” Oleson said. “It would collapse when you got to the third story.”

Instead, researchers are trying to take some of the ancient material’s specialties and add them into modern mixes. Masic is part of a startup that is trying to build new projects using Roman-inspired, “self-healing” concrete. And Jackson is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to design concrete structures that can hold up well in seawater—like the ones in Roman ports—to help protect coastlines from sea level rise.

We don’t need to make things last quite as long as the Romans did to have an impact, Masic said. If we add 50 or 100 years to concrete’s lifespan, “we will require less demolition, less maintenance and less material in the long run.”

TOURISTS walk through the Acropolis of Copan, an ancient Maya site in western Honduras, on September 24, 2023. In Copan, intricate lime sculptures and temples remain intact even after more than 1,000 years exposed to a hot, humid environment. AP/MOISES CASTILLO

Scientists: Give importance to basic sciences

In order to ensure

the achievement of

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

SDGs

drinking water is sourced from, as well as solar-powered desalination of drinking water in marginalized communities.

UST College of Science Dean Dr. Rey Donne Papa shared their findings on the NRCP-funded Mount Taal Post-Eruption Ecological Research.

With the great impact that comes with basic research or basic sciences, comes the loss of its importance and appreciation to nation’s leaders and general public.

This year’s celebration of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD) aims “to put into the consciousness of leaders” and “raise awareness to the public about basic sciences.”

This was said by Dr. Christine Villagonzalo, project leader of IYBSSD Philippines, during a preevent news conference in Quezon City last September 29.

To achieve the Agenda 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the IYBSSD was proclaimed in the

76th session of the United Nations General Assembly on December 2, 2021. It highlighted that the applications of basic sciences are vital for advances in medicine, industry, agriculture, water resources, energy planning, environment, communications, and culture.

The National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), the lead agency in the Philippines and mandated to focus on basic research, has partnered with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) to answer the call through improved collaboration toward the achievement of SDGs.

The IYBSSD is a “key moment of mobilization to convince economic and political leaders, as

well as every citizen of the importance of taking into account basic sciences to ensure a balanced, sustainable and inclusive development of the planet,” Villagonzalo said.

Besides raising awareness, it is also important to implement or utilize here in the Philippines the results of the studies conducted by scientists, as urged by Dr. Bernardo Sepeda, executive director of the NRCP.

“If it’s only for awareness and won’t be utilized, it’s pointless,” Sepeda said in Filipino.

Local government units (LGU) and national government agencies have tapped into the NRCP and UST to aid in their capacity-building and creation of evidence-based ordinances through research.

Sepeda highlighted several basic community-based research projects that have been realized into policies and ordinances.

These include the conservation for ecosystem development in Mount Agad-Agad in Lanao del Norte; protection measures for the hundreds of species of plants

Science chief: Let us be victors over disasters through innovations

SEVERAL major disasters have struck Mindanao in the past decade. These include Tropical Storm Sendong in 2011, severe El Niño effects on 2015 and 2016, earthquakes in 2019 and heavy rainfallrelated incidents in 2022. These disasters resulted in significant number of human casualties and property damage.

While these events were caused by natural hazards, does that mean a disaster will automatically occur?

The answer is no, according to Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. in his keynote message at the opening of the “2023 Handa Pilipinas: Innovations in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Exposition” for the Mindanao leg with the theme, “Enhancing Resilience and Sustainability for Mindanao.”

The three-day event opened at a hotel in Cagayan de Oro City on October 4. “Handa” is a Filipino word for being prepared or being ready.

‘There is no natural disaster’ SOLIDUM compared Filipinos’ resilience to a bamboo that “remains standing upright after disasters and the ability to absorb, adapt and transform despite the adversities.”

He pointed out that “there is no such thing as natural disaster, only natural hazard,” adding, “as we aim and aspire to grow our economy in Mindanao, therefore, we need to protect our resources, our wealth through reducing climate and disaster risks.”

This year’s expo aims to increase public awareness on preventable and solvable natural hazards.

‘Be victors over disasters’

THE Science head said that disasters are reversing development with the Filipino people as the victims. He urged them to prevail as “victors over disasters.”

“Disasters happen, when we, as the government, as a community and as an individual fail to anticipate, prevent, mitigate and prepare for natural hazards. Disasters happen when we fail to make use of the available and reliable scientific information to guide our planning, decision making and action. Disasters happen when we fail to work together in responding to its consequences and impacts,” Solidum said at the start of the three-day expo.

Why is it important to foster resilience, particularly in Mindanao? What exactly are we gearing up for, he asked?

Solidum explained that we have to recognize that disasters are undoing the strides in development. Few things erode

progress as swiftly and comprehensively as disasters do, capable of obliterating years of advancement in an instant.

He added that “as we strive to bolster our economy in Mindanao, safeguarding our resources and wealth necessitates a concerted effort to mitigate climate and disaster risks.”

The Science chief also emphasized that the Philippines continues to hold the distinction of being the most vulnerable nation in terms of natural hazards and climate change.

On September 20, the World Risk Report 2023 affirmed the country’s vulnerability, ranking it first among 193 countries for the second consecutive year.

Climate change is exacerbating the intensity and unpredictability of existing hazard events, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities.

“But we also see an opportunity to change this narrative,” he said.

“We need to take a firm stand and commitment to reduce our vulnerabilities and make our own redefined and reimagined Filipino brand of resilience,” he added. “[But] we cannot do that alone. We need

the whole-of-society to make our vision of safer, adaptive, climate and disaster-resilient Filipino communities towards sustainable development a reality,” Solidum explained.

Innovations in disaster risk reduction

AT the core of Handa Pilipinas Expo 2023, especially in Mindanao, is its focus on Innovations in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.

The activity seeks to raise public awareness about prevention and introduce locally developed technologies ready for adoption. The innovations are geared toward maximizing their potential in disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and rehabilitation.

“Although, we Filipinos are often known as victims of disasters. Today, with our innovations, we become victors. Filipinnovation represents how knowledge drives innovation, innovation drives productivity and productivity drives economic growth,” he explained.

He pointed out that it is an evolution of how Filipinos are not merely managing disasters, but instead managing disaster risks.

“Not only surviving disasters, but creating solutions to face it, emerging as victors,” he said.

S olidum, a geologist, was the former undersecretary for Disaster Risk ReductionClimate Change Adaptation at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and former head of DOST’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Filipino technologies

SOME of the Filipino-made and ready-toadopt technologies featured in the expo were from the DOST-Phivolcs and DOST-Philippine

Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, which deliver reliable, effective, and timely risk information and warnings to the public.

Notable technologies Solidum mentioned include SatRex, a tool for monitoring extreme rainfall; the GeoRiskPhilippines Initiative, that includes Hazard Hunter app, and significant research initiatives, such as Landslide Investigations on Geohazards for Timely Advisories by University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the Community Dengue Early Warning System by Isabela State University.

The early warning system’s purpose is to offer people the time needed for preparation, emphasizing the significance of early action,” Solidum said.

Also featured in the Prevention and Mitigation exhibit were the Rainwater Collection System, USHER Technologies for earthquake and structural monitoring, as well as Clean Water, Healthy Food, DIY-Bamboo Shelter, and Mobile Command and Control Vehicle for disaster response, rehabilitation, and recovery.

“Disasters happen when we forget this very important message from a campaign from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction which is: ‘There’s no such thing as natural disaster, only natural hazards.’ Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, and even climate change are natural hazards. This is part of natural phenomena. What makes it not natural is when these natural hazards become a disaster,” Solidum pointed out.

‘Unwavering commitment’

Meanwhile, Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez of the Second District of Cagayan de Oro City, said in his message that the occasion “is a testament to the [Science] department’s unwavering commitment to their mandate of using science and technology to build a better and resilient nation.”

He said Cagayan de Oro City is defined as a city which has resilience and the ability to spring back.

Those who also graced the event were DOST Undersecretaries Engr. Sancho Mabborang and Teodoro Gatchalian; Cagayan de Oro City First District Rep. Lordan G, Suan; and DOST Region 10 Director, Engr. Romela Ratilla.

Others who sent in their representatives were Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy and

and animals in Siargao; and the listing of Del Carmen Mangrove Forest under Ramsar for its long term conservation and sustainable utilization.

Some of the projects have been turned into research-based mobile game applications dubbed “Mt. Agad-Agad Run Adventure” and “Siargao Flora and Fauna Puzzle,” respectively.

Looking into the bigger picture, NRCP President Dr. Leslie Dalmacio cited a project in the monitoring of the quantity and quality of groundwater where

They found that the organic wastes and agricultural runoffs from the communities around Taal Lake affect the feeding behavior of the endemic Sardinella tawilis due to the quality of water and not because of the volcanic eruption. Its long-term application, Papa said, could affect the health, quality and population of tawilis, which humans consume. Despite the success of research projects by the country’s scientists, Villagonzalo asked for continuous funding for research and for the expansion of science communication activities, while Dalmacio said it should be for long-term support.

Papa also encouraged the public to consult scientists and experts in various fields when they have questions and problems because they will be assured that the solutions are well-studied.

Sepeda agreed, “At the end of the day, they want their research to be used and to recognize the scientists...Respect the people behind the research.”

Fossil snails in Masungi could be the 1st found in PHL

BARAS, Rizal—Fossils of gastropods discovered in Masungi Georeserve’s limestones could be the “first and oldest” fossil record of its kind in the country, according to geologists and paleontologists from the University of the PhilippinesNational Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS).

Gastropods are a class of mollusks that include snails, slugs and limpets.

This group of mollusks stands out as one of the rare animal groups that have achieved success in thriving across all three primary habitats—the ocean, freshwater environments and land.

The presence of these fossilized gastropods indicates how the Masungi landscape was submerged underwater about 60 million years ago, the Masungi Georeserve Communications said.

Masungi as ‘living laboratory’

THE Masungi Georeserve as a living laboratory for the study and protection of karst terrains represents a unique opportunity for the national and local governments, the academe and industry partners to come together to develop best practices in the management, protection and conservation of this important fragile and non-renewable resource,” the UP-NIGS researchers said.

The recent discovery underscores the importance of protecting the limestone formations, which are located between the Upper Marikina Watershed and Kaliwa Watershed, as well as within the National Park that was created through Presidential Proclamation 1636 in 1977.

However, the areas continue to be threatened by various encroachments, illegal structures and quarrying.

Meanwhile, a 2,700-hectare forest restoration project—the Masungi Geopark Project—is being threatened

with possible cancellation in favor of incompatible land uses.

“We envision Masungi Georeserve as a place where educators, students and the local government can interact and collaborate in the study of karst features and processes and development of best practices in the management and conservation of karst landforms,” the researchers added.

During their research in July, the research team also found traces and fossilized remains of marine protists (foraminifera)— or one-celled organisms that include the protozoans, most algae, and some fungi— embedded in the rocks.

The researchers who made the discovery were Allan Gil S. Fernando, Alyssa M. PeleoAlampay, Leopoldo P. de Silva Jr. and Joaquin Miguel S. Lacson.

The significance of their find was recognized by a Japanese malacologist (an expert specializing in the study of mollusks), who has done extensive work on fossil mollusks in the Philippines.

The UP-NIGS researchers are expected to do a follow-up field investigation within the year to further examine the fossils, determine its exact age, and to prove if this could be the first and oldest fossil record of this type of mollusk in the country.

Masungi Georeserve is located on the southern tip of the Sierra Madre Mountain range, wedged between the Kaliwa Watershed and the Upper Marikina Watershed.

The Masungi Geopark Project seeks to restore parts of these watersheds at no cost to the government.

The Masungi Georeserve Foundation is an award-winning conservation organization dedicated to the conservation of the Masungi karst ecosystem in Baras, Rizal. It is involved in research and education, protection and geotourism.

ASIMPLE curiosity to understand how and why things work can eventually lead to novel solutions to address problems, or to the creation of products for innovation. It starts with an important step: basic research.

NRCP Executive Director Dr. Bernardo Sepeda (right) answers the questions from the media during the pre-event news conference on the International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development on September 29. With him are (from left) NRCP’s President Dr. Leslie Dalmacio, IYBSSD Project Leader Dr. Cristine Villagonzalo and UST College of Science Dean Dr. Rey Donne Papa. REINE JUVIERRE S. ALBERTO

Dinagat Islands Rep. Alan B. Ecleo. Allan Mauro V. Marfal/S&T Media Service

SCIENCE Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. highlights the importance of preparedness to prevent natural hazards from becoming disasters during the opening ceremonies of the 2023 Handa Pilipinas ExpositionMindanao Leg held in Cagayan de Oro City on October 4. DOST PHOTO

SCIENCE Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. (front, center), together with DOST, lawmakers and local government officials, grace the opening ceremonies of the three-day 2023 Handa Pilipinas Exposition-Mindanao Leg held in Cagayan de Oro City on October 4. DOST PHOTO

FOSSILS discovered in Masungi limestones could be the “first and oldest” fossil record of a specific kind of gastropod in the Philippines. MASUNGI GEORESERVE PHOTO

Pope: Synod’s primary task ‘to refocus our gaze on God’

beauty of faith…that has God at its center and, therefore, is not divided internally and is never harsh externally.”

He urged people to imitate Saint Francis, who lived at a time of “great struggles and divisions…between the institutional Church and heretical currents,” but did not criticize or “lash out” at anyone, choosing instead to take up “only the weapons of the Gospel, which are humility and unity, prayer and charity.”

Speaking in Saint Peter’s Square for the synod’s opening Mass on October 4, Pope Francis underlined that “the primary task of the synod” is to “refocus our gaze on God, to be a Church that looks mercifully at humanity.”

“We do not want to make ourselves attractive in the eyes of the world, but to reach out to it with the consolation of the Gospel, to bear witness to God’s infinite love in a better way and to everyone,” he said.

The pope presided over Mass on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, concelebrated by nearly 500 priests, bishops and cardinals, including 20 of the Catholic Church’s newest cardinals.

Recalling the Lord’s words to Saint Francis, “Go, rebuild my Church,” Pope Francis said that the synod serves as a reminder that “our Mother the Church is

always in need of purification, of being ‘repaired,’ for we are a people made up of forgiven sinners…always in need of returning to the source that is Jesus and putting ourselves back on the paths of the Spirit to reach everyone with his Gospel.”

The pope highlighted a question raised by Benedict XVI at the 2012 Synod of Bishops as the “fundamental question” facing the synod: “‘The question for us is this: God has spoken, he has truly broken the great silence, he has shown himself, but how can we communicate this reality to the people of today, so that it becomes salvation?’”

Francis repeated that the synod is not “a political gathering” or a “polarized parliament,” but “a place of grace and communion.”

“Dear brother cardinals, brother bishops, sisters and

brothers, we are at the opening of the General Assembly of the Synod. Here we do not need a purely natural vision, made up of human strategies, political calculations, or ideological battles. We are not here to carry out a parliamentary meeting or a plan of reformation. No. We are here to walk together with the gaze of Jesus, who blesses the Father and welcomes those who are weary and oppressed,” he said.

The 9 a.m. Mass began under bright sunshine and a soft breeze with a procession through Saint Peter’s Square of the delegates in the XVI Ordinary Synod of Bishops, which,

for the first time, includes laymen and women as full voting members.

The synod delegates meet in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall from October 4 to 29 to advise the pope on the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.”

The three-week assembly is the first of the two-part Synod on Synodality that will conclude in 2024.

The Vatican choir led the crowd in the solemn “Laudes Regiæ” hymn, singing “Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands” in Latin with the “Litany of the Saints.”

The Prayer of the Faithful included a prayer that the Lord will “grant those participating in the work of the synod hearts open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a readiness to listen to their brothers and sisters, and concern for the needs of the Church in today’s world.”

In his homily, Pope Francis outlined his vision for a synodal Church, saying Jesus wants “a Church that is united and fraternal…that listens and dialogues…that blesses and encourages, that helps those who seek the Lord, that lovingly stirs up the indifferent, that opens paths in order to draw people into the

The pope warned of three dangerous temptations facing the Church today: “of being a rigid Church…which arms itself against the world and looks backwards; of being a lukewarm Church, which surrenders to the fashions of the world; and of being a tired Church, turned in on itself.”

“Jesus’ blessing gaze invites us to be a Church that does not face today’s challenges and problems with a divisive and contentious spirit but, on the contrary, turns its eyes to God who is communion and, with awe and humility, blesses and adores him, recognizing him as its only Lord. We belong to him and—let us remember—we exist only to bring Him to the world,” the pope said.

Following the Mass, the synod delegates took part in the First General Congregation of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, where Pope Francis, Cardinal Mario Grech and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich gave opening speeches. Courtney Mares/Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Francis’ efforts in building a more inclusive Catholic Church reflected in synod

THE 16th Synod of Bishops, the first part of which is taking place in Rome, from October 4 to 29, and the second in 2024, will be the culmination of a two-year, worldwide conversation in the Catholic Church.

The term “synod” usually refers to a local or regional meeting of church leaders.

The Synod of Bishops was established by Pope Paul VI in 1965 as a permanent body in the Catholic Church, although its members do not meet on a regular schedule.

It specifically refers to a meeting of selected bishops from around the world to advise the pope on matters of governance.

The Synod of Bishops was set up after the Second Vatican Council, which was held from 1962 to 1965, to bring reforms and updates to the church.

The Second Vatican Council stated that the entire college of all Catholic bishops, under the authority of the pope, also serves as the church’s highest authority.

Paul VI instituted the Synod of Bishops as a way for Catholic bishops to exercise this authority. The council also stated that lay Catholics have an active role to play in the church.

As a theologian who studies the Catholic Church, with an emphasis on the period during and after Vatican II, I argue that this upcoming synod reflects Pope Francis’ efforts to advance the reform agenda of Vatican II.

He wants all Catholics to take an active role in thinking about the future of their church and wants the bishops to exercise their authority by

first listening to the people.

A more open church?

TYPICALLY, there are three types of meetings of the Synod of Bishops.

Ordinary general assemblies usually get together every three or four years. The pope can also call an extraordinary meeting to discuss a more pressing topic and problem.

Finally, popes have called special meetings of bishops in a certain region. For example, Francis held a special Synod on the Amazon in 2019.

The 16th Synod of Bishops is an ordinary general assembly. At the direction of Francis, its preparation, initiated at a celebration in Rome in 2021, involved a worldwide conversation among Catholics about their church.

Catholics from around the world were invited to meet in their local dioceses, pray together and discuss questions about their church. Some 700,000 Catholics across the US took part in these conversations.

The local churches collected and summarized the results of these meetings. Leaders at the regional, national and, finally, continental levels drafted reports on these conversations.

On the basis of all these earlier documents, in May 2023 the Vatican released its working document called “Instrumentum Laboris” for the upcoming synod.

This meeting is therefore significant because it pictures the Catholic Church not as a top-down hierarchy but rather as an open conversation.

For the first time, its voting members will not only be

bishops but other Catholics as well. The changes indicate Francis’s intention to give all Catholics a voice in the decision-making process of the church.

As Francis himself puts it, the synod offers an opportunity “of moving not occasionally but structurally toward a synodal church, an open square where all can feel at home and participate.”

Working document

SOME  450 people are in Rome for the first part of the synod. This number include representatives of religious orders and other Catholic organizations, as well as theologians from Catholic universities.

The pope’s expanded list include a number of lay men and women. Additionally, representatives from other Christian churches are also attending the synod— although they will not have voting rights.

Those gathered in Rome will meet in both large sessions known as “general congregations” and small working groups, divided by the synod’s official languages— Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Its official documents will be issued in Italian and English.

The working document outlines four broad areas of discussion: synodality, communion, mission and participation.

The first term refers to the idea that the church as a whole should incorporate the synod’s process of focused conversations, listening and dialogue into its structure. The next two—communion and mission—refer to how a global church can balance unity and diversity in pursuit of its aims.

The final term, participation, refers to the ways in which Catholics, both clergy and lay people, can take part in the church. This topic also includes discussion

about what institutions and structures the church would need to create to serve its mission.

When participants talk about these topics, they will discuss issues that have divided the church—such as the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, the role of women in the church, relations between the Catholic Church and other churches, and relations between the church and different cultures, among others.

Francis’ leadership style

THIS Synod of Bishops reflects Francis’ style of leadership and his vision of the Catholic Church for the future.

In his address to the synod held on October 9, 2021, the pope said the success of the mission of the church depends on the closeness of the church to its people and their ability to listen to one another.

The internal enemy of the mission of the church,

according to Francis, is “clericalism,” the idea that clergy—priests and bishops— are somehow a spiritually superior class, separate from and above regular lay people.

Francis himself has modeled a different version of the papal office by rejecting many customs that he associates with clericalism. For example, he has continued to live in a modest apartment rather than in the Vatican palace.

Through the process of consultation and conversation, Francis intends to combat clericalism in the Catholic Church by offering a different model for how the church can work.

As Austen Ivereigh, a British journalist and biographer of Francis, has written: “The opposite of clericalism [for Francis] is synodality, meaning a method and process of discussion and participation in which the whole people of God can listen to the Holy Spirit and take part in the life and mission of the Church.”

After an additional year of conversations with the wider church, participants will gather in Rome again in 2024, when they will continue the discussions and vote on recommendations to the bishops. The bishops will, in turn, make recommendations to the pope, who will have the final say.

If Francis’ model of the church is persuasive, this synod, I believe, will be the beginning of an ongoing process in the church, the first of many conversations to come.

Daniel Speed, Thompson University of Dayton/The Conversation (CC) via AP

VATICAN—Pope Francis opened the Synod on Synodality’s three-week assembly last Wednesday with a call to remember that the Church exists to bring Jesus to the world and should face today’s challenges with a gaze fixed on God rather than “political calculations or ideological battles.”

THE opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality in Saint Peter’s Square on October 4. VATICAN MEDIA

THE Synod on Synodality is being held in Rome from October 4 to 29. The image shows Pope Francis (back to the camera) with the synod’s participants. VATICAN NEWS

Asean Champions of Biodiversity

Media Category 2014

Biodiversity Sunday

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

THE ASEAN CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVE IS THE FIRST IN THE PHILIPPINES AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

ACB, Manila Observatory partner to spur biodiversity, climate strategies

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

THE Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Manila Observatory (MO) entered a partnership, tagged as Asean Climate and Biodiversity Initiative (ACBI), to enhance biodiversity and climate synergy in the Philippines and within the Southeast Asian region.

The partnership was sealed through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim and MO Executive Director Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J. at the Manila Observatory in Ateneo de Manila University on October 2. It was followed by a media forum.

Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, in her keynote address, said the partnership is the first of its kind in the country and Asean.

“In this time of the climate emergency, working in silos is no longer effective. To abate the crisis, we must pursue transdisciplinary collaboration and action, and engage stakeholders in climate action,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.

The DENR chief was behind the linking of arms of ACB that promotes the protection and conservation of biodiversity, and MO, the oldest climate research institution in the country.

Established in 2005, the ACB is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation and coordination among the 10 Asean member states and with regional and international partner-organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of natural treasures.

Meanwhile, the Manila Observatory that was established in 1865, is a leading scientific research institution engaged in the atmospheric and earth sciences in the Philippines.

Using dynamical models, observational and data science, remote sensing, geographic information technologies, and lobbying for climate policy interventions, MO’s mission is to do science that empowers communities, especially the more vulnerable, to be adaptive and resilient in the face of development challenges arising from climate change.

The partnership launch also commemorated the MO’s 158th founding anniversary.

Nature-based solutions

ACCORDING to the ACB and MO, the planet is now at a tipping point.

“The massive wildfires that burn for days, heat waves that can kill, floods that destroy infrastructure and livelihood—these are just a taste of what is to come should humanity fail to collectively act to curb greenhouse gas emissions,” they said in the MOU.

When human activities produce greenhouse gases, around half of the emissions remain in the atmosphere, while the other half is absorbed by the land and ocean.

“While extreme weather events and climate change may lead to ecosystem degradation and ultimately biodiversity loss, the natural world and the web of life it supports also hold the key to resolving this climate crisis. These ecosystems, together with the biodiversity they support, act as natural carbon sinks and offer what are known as naturebased solutions to climate change,” they added.

Climate scenarios, effects on biodiversity

LIM said the partnership will enhance climate and biodiversity synergy that will generate useful information relevant to public and private institutions, as well as to the communities directly affected by climate change.

Through the partnership, the ACB and MO will develop projections through modeling of different climate scenarios and their effects on biodiversity and ecosystems.

This will provide scientific data on how healthy or well-managed environments can mitigate adverse climate impacts, such as threats to food security, human health, and public safety.

Knowledge exchange, harmonizing efforts of similar initiatives from other institutions, and capacity building are also part of the objectives of this pioneering partnership.

“The Manila Observatory has had a longstanding tradition in the atmospheric and earth sciences for 158 years now and is presently training its sights on fine-scale climate change, air quality, environmental

instrumentation, geographic information, and remote sensing systems,” Villarin said.

“We look forward to working with the [ACB] to uncover the vital connections between biodiversity and climate, which can only increase our resilience in the face of climate challenges ahead of us,” he added.

For her part, Lim expressed enthusiasm for the partnership and explained that the initiative will highlight how biodiversity is one of the most effective nature-based solutions to the detrimental impacts of a warming planet.

“Biodiversity, through protection, ecosystem restoration and conservation, are nature-based solutions that are a crucial part of climate action. The diversity of ecosystems found in the Asean all serve as various layers of protection against climate change impacts,” she said.

An experts’ platform

THE ACBI will serve as a platform whereby scientists, particularly climate and biodiversity experts, researchers and communicators, will actively engage and share scientific information to elucidate the connectivity between biodiversity and climate change while highlighting the role of biodiversity as a naturebased solution to the climate crisis.

The initiative will be piloted in selected areas in the Philippines and will then be scaled up to cover other critical areas in other Asean countries.

It is expected to create a strong

network of climate and biodiversity experts in Asean to further establish linkages with other agencies developing similar initiatives.

Leveraging its strong collaboration and engagement with the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment-Southeast Asia (Cordex-SEA), the MO will focus on generating necessary climate information for impact studies on biodiversity.

Cordex-SEA climate data overlaid with biodiversity data will be analyzed to elucidate the sensitivity of ecosystems and priority species to the changing climate.

Meanwhile, the ACB will facilitate dialogues and information exchange and propose collaborative actions, to contribute to the achievement of relevant targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Climate vulnerability

YULO-LOZYAGA , a former executive director of the MO, highlighted the vulnerability of the Philippines to the worst impacts of climate change in her speech.

“The Philippines is among the most vulnerable to climate-related weather events and has been on the top of the list of disaster risk rankings. I should say, at the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources], that we have adopted a new perspective because of our megadiverse nature as a country. We are part of the global climate

Science, art addressing climate crisis through films

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

THE world’s present situation is at the “era of global boiling,” said the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, a testament that the climate crisis is indeed a worldwide emergency.

With rising temperatures, extreme weather events and the loss of biodiversity threatening human existence, no one is safe from the effects of climate change.

The Philippines, identified by the Global Climate Risk Index as among the top 10 countries most affected by climate risk, was ravaged by extreme typhoons such as Super Typhoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) in 2013, leaving more than 14 million people to lose their homes and claiming the lives of more than 8,000 people.

“A situation as stark as this calls for international solidarity, thus, we bring together curated films from all over the world,” said creative group Dakila’s Managing Director Nini Oñate.

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Yolanda, the partnership of Dakila and the British Council kicked off Climate Film

Lab through a screening of Climate Stories Playlist, at Sine Pop in Cubao, Quezon City as part of the 11th Active Vista Human Rights Festival: Rebelasyon (Revelation) on September 28.

Climate Stories Playlist is a curation of short films highlighting the urgent need to address climate emergency as a human rights issue.

Highlighting the “power of the arts to be a means of creative solutions” with film as “one of the many ways” to do it, British Council’s Country Director in the Philippines Lotus Postrado emphasized, “Through the lens of the camera and the art of storytelling, we have the ability to shed light on the impacts of climate change, to amplify the voices of those affected.”

The Climate Stories Playlist featured nine short films: “Eve” (2020, UK), “The Elvermen” (2020, UK), “The Promise” (2020, UK), “To Keep As One” (2020, USA), “Blackthorn” (2020, UK), “Samaritan” (2020, UK), “The Fourfold” (2020, Canada), “Songs of the Earth” (2021, UK) and “To Calm the Pig Inside” (2020, Philippines).

films explore the climate crisis

political and cultural

angles that reflect on the relationship with homeland, community, indigenous culture and climate change.

“To Calm the Pig Inside,” in particular, is a film about looking back to the aftermath of Yolanda in the Philippines.

Through the use of grainy black-andwhite photos and videos, and narrating what transpired during that period, it showed both beauty and horror—the trail of devastation caused by the natural disaster, coupled with corruption in the government—there came hope in the form of social solidarity.

At the screening, Postrado encouraged the audience to “remember that each frame, word and narrative has the potential to ignite the spark of transformation.”

“Together, we can write a new story: one of hope, resilience, and shared commitment to preserving our planet for future generations,” she added.

It was pointed out that in the landmark case by the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, climate change was declared as a human rights issue for it found evidence of the negative impacts on the established rights of Filipino people, such as their right

solution, and we have much to offer both to our country as well as the rest of the world,” she explained.

She said the adverse impacts of climate change will intensify over time as predicted by scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.

“Unless we are prudent and immediately act in a concerted fashion, our fates are sealed. We need to address climate change decisively by ensuring resilience, sustainable development, poverty reduction, and low-carbon economic growth, all happening to our country,” YuloLozyaga said.

“And very importantly, to do this, we need to protect, enhance, and value our biodiversity as a source of nature-based solutions to our crisis,” she added. Inextricably linked ACCORDING to the DENR chief, climate change and biodiversity have a causal nexus where one directly influences the other in many different ways.

Moreover, she said climate change, biodiversity, and human development are inextricably linked, implying that there are responsibilities, and accountabilities in that linkage.

“According to a study, our biodiversity in Southeast Asia is gravely imperilled by massive habitat modifications, forest fires and the overexploitation of wildlife,” she said.

Yulo-Loyzaga said that an estimated 24 percent to 63 percent of endemic species, which are important for the Philippines and in the Asean region, are actually at risk of extinction.

“This represents a good number of vertebrate species, including 66 percent of the region’s birds and 85 percent of the region’s mammals, as well as a good number of species of vascular plants,” she said.

In addition, the country’s reefs have been estimated to lose between 70 percent to 90 percent globally at a 1.5 degree Celsius (°C) increase in temperature, and of course, more at a 2°C global warming, she said.

The DENR chief added that studies have also noted that climaterelated local extinctions are significantly higher in tropical species than in temperate species.

THE United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing more than P450-million ($8 million) in additional funding to strengthen disaster preparedness and response in vulnerable communities in the Philippines, said the US Embassy in a news release.

The new funding will enhance typhoon preparedness and develop resilient livelihood strategies in the Bicol, Caraga and Eastern Visayas regions. It will also fund partnerships with the private sector to help ensure the continuity of businesses and other critical services, such as energy and water, after disasters.

USAID’s assistance will be used to train personnel from the Office of Civil Defense, the Departments of Information and Communications Technology, and of Social Welfare and Development, and other relevant government agencies in setting up postdisaster logistics, emergency shelters, and emergency telecommunications.

The US agency will work with local government units in Eastern Samar and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to set up referral systems for children’s welfare and protection during disasters.

“Strong typhoons came earlier than expected this year, and we’re reminded of how vulnerable many Philippine communities are to the impacts of natural disasters,” said USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn.

“We are proud of our partnership with the Philippine government to help the Filipino people prepare for and respond to disasters,” he added.

The United States is a key partner of the Philippine government in preparing for and responding to disasters, as well as delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance.

Since 2010, USAID has provided around P17 billion ($372 million) in disaster relief and recovery aid and boosted the disaster risk reduction capacity of over 100 cities and municipalities in the country.

to life, health, food security, water, and adequate housing.

“As we move forward with this landmark case, we call on our lawmakers to enact laws that impose legal implications on corporations that contribute to worsening the climate crisis. We also call on the national government to spearhead the transition to clean and renewable energy,” Oñate urged.

Recognizing film as a “powerful tool to convey and trigger action,” the British Council and Dakila have partnered in collaboration with Picture People (UK) and iMedia (UK) to bring Climate Film Lab, an intensive mentorship program for Filipino directors and producers committed to climate justice advocacy.

“We’re using the power of filmmaking to get the message out while also providing opportunities for Philippine organizations to come together and develop collaboration on shared interests,” Postrado said.

Climate Film Lab will empower storytellers to develop and produce impactful films that inspire global audiences to take meaningful action against climate change in the Philippines. After the training, selected

participants will receive grant funding to realize their stories.

The deadline of submission of application is on October 15.

The Climate Stories Playlist and Climate Film Lab are innovative programs under the

British Council’s Climate Connection. The organization is also running the Connections Through Culture grant, which offers up to £10,000 for UK-PH artistic collaborations focusing on climate change, diversity and inclusion.

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga (center) joins Manila Observatory Executive Director Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, S.J., (left) and ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim, who show the signed MOU sealing the partnership between the ACB and MO paving the way for the Asean Climate and Biodiversity Initiative. With them is Dr. Arvin Diesmos (right), director of ACB Biodiversity Knowledge Management Department. JONATHAN L. MAYUGA

US provides ₧450-M to boost disaster preparedness of vulnerable areas

NIKKI COSETENG: PBA’S GLAM LADY

By Lito Cinco

ANNA DOMINIQUE

COSETENG is to the present the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) undisputed original glamour lady.

I n the early 1980s when the PBA was enjoying tremendous popularity as Asia’s first professional basketball league in 1975, a pretty, classy and elegant and brainy Nikki took over his father’s team in 1981.

Her father, Emerson Coseteng, suffered a stroke and she had to take over. The elder Coseteng was the PBA’s founding president and was one of the proponents of a group breaking away from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association to form the pro league. He passed away in July 1983 after another stroke.

Emerson was the patriarch of the Mariwasa Group, which Nikki admits was not in the class of the other PBA teams in terms of its enormity in the business community. But when it comes to enthusiasm and passion for the game—as far as Daddy Emerson was concerned—basketball was that big and well loved.

Nikki admitted it was the reason why despite the difficult economic times then, she decided to continue her father’s team.

That was his happiness, watching his team in the PBA from his bed and I could not take that away from him,” said Nikki, daddy’s pet child. “I really did it for Dad, not for me.”

W hat was not known was the fact that in order to maintain her team, she was forced to sell some of her personal assets like valuable paintings—she had an art gallery called Galerie Dominique, the name that the team carried.

But following her father’s death, Nikki decided to disband the team after the 1983 season.

A ctually, it was mo surprise that sports became a comfort zone for her because she and her family was into it—she played golf, tennis and even lacrosse, while Emerson was into basketball, golf, go-kart and poker, and her mom, Alice Marquez Lim, was into volleyball in her college years and brother Jody was a successful car and go-kart racer.

“ When I visit Dad in his office, all talk was about basketball,” she said. “I think his real reason for setting up businesses was to enable him to enjoy basketball during the MICAA days.”

He brought the family to watch the games, that is why I understand the nuances of basketball, and up to the time of his death, he was still watching the PBA and our team,” added the 70-year-old Nikki, who already has six grandchildren from her two children Kimberley and Julian, a soap box derby champion in the 1980s.

But what is firmly etched in her mind about basketball is the time she punched a referee in the dugout after her team lost a practically won game in overtime against Crispa.

“

I was really raging mad and waited for the referee in the dugout, good thing nobody was able to take a picture  when I hit him,” she said. “He was eventually expelled, I think.”

She describes herself as a breaker of rules during her school days. She got kicked out of Brent School for not following lights out and the no playing of records policy in her room and was an activist in her days at the University of the Philippines in the early 1970s.

It was a natural path for her to go into politics after being an antiadministration street parliamentarian and she became a congresswoman in Quezon City in 1987 before being elected into the Senate.

“ I’m still being asked to run again  by some people up to now, and they are willing to raise funds for my campaign but for me, after I expectedly lost in 2010 in my senatorial bid, I felt it’s no use anymore,” she said. “I was always suspicious of computerization in election and 2010 proved that to me.”

She added: “I have done what I could when I was a lawmaker, now, I look for other ways to solve problems and help people.”

Summing up her life, Nikki shared her legacy is to fight for what is righjt.

That I stood for and fought for what is right no matter what the consequences would be,” she said. “But in all those years, it has given me the strength, courage and gratitude to feel my life was well worth everything I fought and stood for.”

Th at’s Nikki Coseteng.

By Jun Lomibao

HANGZHOU—A

professional even when he’s fighting as an amateur. That’s Eumir Felix Marcial, who three nights ago was denied of the men’s light heavyweight gold medal by an opponent from China in the boxing finals of the 19th Asian Games at the Hangzhou Gymnasium.

“ I need to respect the decision of the judges and my congratulations to Team China,” Marcial told Filipino reporters as he held back tears at the facility’s mixed zone following his 5-0 loss to China’s Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke.

Tuohetaerbieke was no pushover for the final. He clinched silver at the world championships in Tashkent earlier this year.

A gainst Marcial—a professional since 1990 even before his bronze medal-clinching stint at the Tokyo Olympics and has won four straight bouts—Tuohetaerbieke wasn’t

MARCIAL ON ASIAD SILVER: THIS WILL BE GOLD IN PARIS

guaranteed of a win.

arcial convincingly won the first round, 5-0, but lost the second by the same score after getting a standing eight-count, his first and only in the Asian Games after registering one abbreviated fight after another on his way to the final.

T he last round? Could have gone either way?

Did you see that? Did you see that?” Ricky Vargas, chairman of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines asked BusinessMirror “That round was ours.”

Vargas is in Hangzhou for two primary reasons—boxing and basketball, where he’s vice president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Willie Marcial, commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association, who’s always with Marcial alongside San Miguel Corp. sports brass Alfrancis Chua each time Filipino boxers fought, agreed with the boxing official.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino knows his boxing and didn’t give his approval of the judges’ decision, specifically the third round. We can’t contest the hosts on that, the first and third round was

hours,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino said a national Olympic committee official from Uzbekistan who was with him at the VIP seats when Marcial fought agreed the Filipino boxer should have won the contest.

S ome members of the foreign media asked Marcial questions that looked veered toward squeezing a quote from the Olympic bronze medalist that could indicate lousy officiating.

But Marcial, now a gentleman atop the ring, answered just like a true professional.

I have been an amateur boxer for some 20 years and I’m not new to this decisions,” he said. “But as I have said, I respect the decision.”

It’s an open secret in amateur boxing that decisions appear to favor the hosts each time a fight becomes so tight to call. But this practice has never been admitted, rather officially—although the International Olympic Committee continues to supervise Olympic boxing until the creation of what it could consider a fair and responsible international federation for the sport.

S ans the controversial result that if it favored Marcial, the

Philippines could have secured a third gold medal after Ernest John “EJ” Obiena in men’s pole vault and Meggie Ochoa in jiu-jitsu. But Marcial’s mind’s not languishing on that lost gold—which translates to P3 million cash bonuses, P2 million from the government and P1 million from the POC. Paris is in his mind.

“ I will change the color of this medal from silver to gold in Paris!” he told a mix of Filipino and foreign media as he overstayed in the Mixed Zone answering questions that, well, were leading to him confirming he was denied of the victory.

I have almost a full year ahead of me to train as a pro and at the same time as an Olympic boxer,” he said. “I have at least one pro fight coming after this and I’ll have about two more and during all those times, I’ll be preparing for Paris.” Marcial is the fourth Filipino so far who have qualified for Paris. The others are his batchmates at Tokyo 2020 (2021) class Obiena and twotime world gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo and female gymnast Aleah Finnegan.

The Paris Olympics are set July 26 to August 11 next year.

Embiid decides to play for USA, not for France, in 2024 Olympics

JOEL EMBIID will wear red, white and blue in Paris next summer— not rouge, blanc and bleu.

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) reigning MVP and scoring champion has told USA Basketball that, after more than a year of deliberating, he has picked the Americans over France as his team for the Paris Olympics.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ star let USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill know his mind was made up and then made the decision public on Thursday. And one of the reasons Embiid cited in what had him pick the US: His son is American.

I’ve been here for such a long time,” Embiid said in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 76ers are having training camp—and where Embiid met with Hill this week. “For the past few years, every decision I’ve made has been based on just family.

My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the US, with my son being born here...I love my home country, but I really wanted to play in the Olympics.”

France had given Embiid an October 10 deadline for deciding on his Olympic plans. Embiid said he appreciated the interest the French showed in him.

I was trying to take my time as much as possible,” Embiid said. “It was kind of made hard by the deadline. But I’m happy with it.” USA Basketball does not plan to name its team until the spring of 2024, but if healthy, Embiid would seem certain to have one of the 12 spots on the squad that will be coached by Golden State’s Steve Kerr with assistants Erik Spoelstra of Miami, Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Mark Few of Gonzaga.

It’s exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to represent the United States,” Hill said. “Joel and I have had several conversations about his goals and I’m looking forward to continuing that dialogue knowing that one of those goals is to represent USA Basketball next summer in Paris. As I’ve said before, I’m looking forward to the process of building the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster over the next several months.”

No player has been officially named to the team at this point.

The stronger the team, the better,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who coached the Americans at the 2019 World Cup

and then to gold at the Tokyo Games, said Thursday when told of Embiid’s decision. “International competition is tough.... That’s great for us.”

T he US. will try for a fifth consecutive gold medal at Paris next summer. Embiid joins a long list of top NBA players who are hoping or planning to play for the US next summer, including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and many more.

You want to play with great players,” Embiid said. “But I didn’t think about that at all.”

Adebayo had a simple reaction when he heard the Embiid news: “We’re looking stacked,” he said at Miami’s training camp in Boca Raton, Florida.

James was succinct when he heard the news at Los Angeles Lakers’ camp: “Great. Big time,” he said, grinning when told by reporters there.

Embiid became a US citizen last year and could have also chosen to play for France—or even Cameroon, his homeland, if it qualified for the Paris Games. Cameroon will be among 24 teams playing for the final four spots in the 12-nation Olympic field next summer; the US, France,

World Cup champion Germany, Serbia, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Sudan have already qualified for Paris.

Embiid said again Thursday that it was difficult to choose between his three options.

“ I wouldn’t have made this decision if I wasn’t ready,” said Embiid, who said he now wants to focus on Philadelphia’s season and not continually hear questions about his Olympic plans.

It is a massive recruiting win for the Americans. Embiid was a rarity, an international basketball free agent—since he had never been part of a senior national team and holds multiple passports, which meant he had multiple options.

France—the reigning Olympic silver medalists, after losing to the US in the final at the Tokyo Games played in 2021—had pitched Embiid on the prospects of joining a frontcourt that will likely include Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama next summer, and until Embiid revealed a year ago that he had obtained US citizenship it was widely expected that he would play for the host nation at the Paris Games. AP

IT’S on to the Paris 2024 Olympics for Eumir Felix Marcial after being denied of the gold in Hangzhou in his fight against China’s Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke.

NIKKI COSETENG’S very recognizable on the Galerie Dominique bench as she brings parity to the Philippine Basketball Association—seen here with late commissioner Leo Prieto—when gender equity was still an alien term.

JOEL EMBIID poses for a photograph during the 76ers media day at the team’s practice facility in Camden, New Jersey.

PHL aims at a younger generation of fiL-am traveLers

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL

SB19

makes dreams come true with Campus Pop Tour

Text and Photos By John Eiron R. Francisco

Ken, Josh, and Justin, displayed their remarkable synchronization and dancing finesse.

What made “Gento” truly exceptional was the bouncy tune’s signature dance moves that catapults it into one of the group’s biggest achievements.

Since the debut of this song just last March, the ‘Gento’ dance challenge quickly gained traction, as fans and influencers from all over the world transformed it into a global smash.

and nurturing talent and a platform for aspiring artists and undiscovered talents to shine.

HAVE you listened to and tried the ‘Gento’ dance move? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on one of the hottest music and dance crazes of the year.

SB19, the sensational P-Pop Kings, once again set the stage on fire with their viral hit “Gento” dance music

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performance, leaving the audience in awe in the 2023 Campus Pop Tour Press launch at the SM North Skydome.

As the boys took the stage, the soaring energy was felt by everyone in attendance. Dressed in stylish outfits that perfectly complemented the song’s vibe, the group members Pablo, Stell,

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Aldwin M. Tolosa

Jt Nisay

Edwin P. Sallan

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Niggel Figueroa

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Throughout SB19’s performance, the audience couldn’t help but join in on the excitement. Fans cheered, clapped, and even attempted to mimic the “Gento” dance moves while singing the song from their seats.

The song not only climbed the charts but also became a sensation on social media platforms like TikTok and it’s a mix of intricate footwork, stylish arm movements, and charismatic expressions.

Campus Pop Tour

IN the realm of entertainment, there are few experiences as exhilarating as being part of a live performance. But what if that experience could be combined with a unique opportunity for students to explore their talents and passion?

Enter the Campus Pop Tour, a groundbreaking initiative that’s set to change the game in the world of academic entertainment.

SB19 wasn’t alone in this Campus Pop Tour Press Launch last 27th of September 2023. Sharing the spotlight were other talented acts, including Yara and Ver5sus, who brought their own unique flavors to the stage.

As the Campus Pop Tour gets ready to make its way across the Philippines, it offers not only a series of musical shows across the country, starting in Manila and then heading to Bulacan, Batangas, Baguio, Cebu, Legazpi, and Cagayan De Oro, but it also encourages students to embrace their talents, break free from digital platforms, and focus on music and physical abilities.

This tour is a nationwide celebration of music culture and the unwavering spirit of Filipino youth.

As of this writing, the confirmed participating schools include Jose Rizal University in Manila and Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, Inc. in Bulacan, with more schools yet to be announced.

Moreover, this initiative will become even more exciting as the participating schools will have the opportunity to witness performances by artists like YARA, Ver5sus, Ace Banzuelo, Alex Bruce, Syd Hartha, and Young Coca right in their schoolyards.

For every student dreaming of performing on stage or becoming a vital part of the entertainment scene, the Campus Pop Tour serves as a guiding light.

It’s a beacon of hope that illuminates the path towards achieving those aspirations. This tour isn’t just about entertainment; it’s about empowering the next generation of artists, dancers, and creatives.

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Bernard P. Testa

Nonie Reyes

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Together, they painted a clear picture of what the Campus Pop Tour is all about – a fusion of music, dance, and academic enrichment.

At the core of this initiative is a profound commitment to celebrating

This initiative, in partnership with Dunkin’ pledges to help students stay engaged with music. Offering students the opportunity to enjoy pop music without any cost.

It’s akin to bringing concerts to your city and campus, allowing you to stay focused on your studies without distraction.

“Gento gento ‘Di ‘to basta-basta bingo bingo

Need mo makumpleto parang bento gento Ano kaya mo…”

NSYNC reunion goes to a ‘Better Place’

THANKS to the “Trolls” franchise, NSYNC is back with a new single after saying “Bye Bye Bye” to fans two decades ago or since their last release (“Girlfriend”). The song written by A-list member Justin Timberlake sounds like the group has gotten even better despite the long lull.

Days before the song was released, all five members—Justin, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone—released a teaser showing how they recorded the song.

The clip nearly broke the Internet the way they did when NSYNC recently presented the Best Pop trophy to Taylor Swift no less at the VMAs. Even Taylor could not contain her excitement from seeing NSYNC together. She said, “I’m not doing well pivoting from this to this. Like I

had your dolls! Are you doing something? What’s going to happen now? They’re gonna do something and I need to know what it is. You guys are pop personified so to receive this from your golden pop hands is too much.”

There are those films blessed with that one song that tends to eclipse the movie itself. Well, “Trolls: Band Together,” instantly claimed a spot as NSYNC in synch after 22 years is just too big—particularly for the fans.

The track opens with a whistle hook that screams “good times right ahead” before it rolls with verse one  with the spirit of REUNION written all over it: “It’s some kind of love, it’s some kind of fire / I’m already up, but you lift me higher / You know I’m not wrong, you know I’m not lying’ / We do it better, yeah, we do better, yeah.”

Before the catchy chorus, the song shifts to a couple of universal truths that’s hard to unhear after first listen: “I don’t mind is the world spins faster / The music’s louder, the waves get stronger / I don’t mind if the world spins faster / Faster, faster.” Fans will undoubtedly spot Chasez’s signature vocals here as well.

And then, as promised they take you to a better place like magic with a recallpositive chorus, powered by Timberlake’s familiar falsetto: “Just take me to a better place / I’m gonna make you kiss the sky tonight / Yeah, if you let me show the way / I’m so excited to see you excited / I’ll take you to a better place, yoo-hoo / And baby you can love me on the way / We’re flyin’ up to outer space / I’m so excited to see you excited, yeah.”

“Better Place” is a thoughtfully prepared, guilty pleasure, and clean pop—not dirty at all, pun intended. If you visualize the song, it’s a wholesome shower of sparks from five fairies that used to be in a boy group and then decided to grant their fans’ wishes. It could be that song you go to when you want to bring the mood up, perfect for your travel reels. The line, “I’m so excited to see you excited,” is exactly the hook you’ll hear inside your head when you do something for our loved ones and you’re more than happy to see them happy.

If you think about it, NSYNC is the only boyband from that period that constantly gifted their followers with solid vocals and choreography. This is why you can’t sing “Bye Bye Bye” without dancing to it. The group left fans with a treasure of hits, from the signature ones “Bye Bye Bye,” and “It’s Gonna Be Me,” to other strong cuts like  “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” “This I Promise You,” “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy),” “Gone,” “Girlfriend,” “(God Mus Have Spent) A Little More Time On You,” and “Pop”.

Now add “Better Place” to the list.

NSYNC (Photo credit: Associated Press)

PHL aims at a younger generation of Fil-Am travelers

by terry tang

The Associated Press

But it occurred to her last year that she still had never actually been to the Philippines.

Knowing there were other young Filipino-Americans who felt that gap, the 28-yearold promptly “cold-emailed” the Philippine Department of Tourism. That led to her visiting the country in March for the first time.

“It was a very big cultural shock,” Manlangit said. “Once I got a taste of it, I just wanted to learn more.”

She tasted regional foods, saw both cities and beaches. She learned that the Philippines is a top diving destination, and now she is trying to learn the Tagalog language. Manlangit has since parlayed her journey of discovery into a collaboration with the government to launch trips especially geared toward young FilipinoAmericans.

The Philippines has long been interested in attracting Filipino-Americans to come and add to the economy, but its incentives have mostly drawn retirees or immigrants catching up with relatives. Today, they are aiming a younger generation of Filipino-American professionals who live on TikTok and Instagram.

Two Filipino-American influencers were recruited to join a group VIP tour in July. Manlangit also has a state-endorsed, eight-day tour slotted for 2024 through the capital city, Manila, and the islands of Cebu and Coron is being marketed as a vibrant introduction for any Filipino-American willing to join.

The Department of Tourism said in a statement that officials are excited to collaborate with Manlangit on a trip that will strengthen cultural bonds and create “reasons to love the Philippines,” referencing the country’s current tourism campaign.

Searching for a connection

FOr some young Filipino-Americans, or FilAms, unfamiliarity with their parents’ home country and language makes the idea of planning a trip there overwhelming. But younger generations also have grown up encouraged to show cultural pride. So as adults, some are searching for a connection to the Philippines.

October is Filipino-American History

Month, and Manlangit is hoping her peers might focus on exploring their family roots through travel.

Alexander Martin Jr., 31, has already committed to one of the 10 spots on the trip she designed. Born and raised in San Leandro, California, the entrepreneur only knows the Philippines from family photos and stories. School, sports and then work always seemed to make it impossible to squeeze in a visit.

Also, the thought of planning a trip to the Philippines was intimidating somehow. It feels reassuring to be going with other young Filipino-Americans.

“I’m just hoping to get familiar with my culture, and be familiar with it so one day I can bring my son to all these places I got to experience,” Martin said.

Nobody was more elated than his mother.

“If I were to go with family,” Martin said, “it’s going to be like a lot of visiting cousins or visiting family out there. But this trip, she’s excited that I get to experience like the whole Philippines in its entirety.”

Long history

THe Philippines’ efforts to integrate Filipinos in America goes back more than a century. After the Philippine-American war and the ensuing US occupation, both countries passed the Pensionado Act in 1903. exchange students from the Philippines were chosen to travel to the US The goal was they would further their education and advocate for the American way of governing upon their return.

“Those were like the first sort of American or Americanized Filipinos,” said evelyn Ibatan rodriguez, a sociology professor and part of the University of San Francisco’s Phil-

ippine Studies Program. “I think that kind of sets the tone, this idea that what is native to the Philippines is less than.”

In 1973, Philippine President and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose son and namesake is the current president, enacted the Balikbayan Program to draw Filipinos residing in the US to come work part-time. Incentives included an extended visa for a year and lower taxes. roughly 30 years

it’s sort of given them permission to be like, ‘Wait a second, there’s actually something I can learn from the Philippines,’” rodriguez said. “Not just the Philippines is sort of a ‘charity case.’”

even Gen zers with social media may “want more than an Instagram-friendly visit to their parents’ or grandparents’ homelands,” she added.

“They want to visit sites that may not

later, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s administration granted dual citizenship to Filipino-Americans born in the US after 1973 to a Philippine national.

“That becomes the game changer because then you’ve got US ‘foreign’ Filipinos like myself...who can become dual citizens and then benefit under this Balikbayan legislation,” rodriguez said.

An authentic immersion

rODr IGU ez hadn’t heard of tourism efforts targeting young Filipino-American adults. But she knows a lot of college students and college-educated FilipinoAmericans who have expressed interest in visiting the Philippines. And they want something that isn’t just visiting relatives or playing tourist.

“Coming to university...where AsianAmericans are such a significant presence,

be glamorous or photogenic, but that have historical or contemporary significance to Filipino people and society,” rodriguez said. “They want the chance to learn from and exchange ideas with Philippines-born peers, artists and leaders.”

Among the activities on Manlangit’s planned tour next year are snorkeling, hiking and viewing sites like Fort Santiago in Manila. She said she took into account what tourism officials would like to promote but also what her peers are seeking.

“There’s a lot of room to grow with this,” she said. Someday, she hopes “it’s eventually not just targeting Filipino-Americans.”

Tang, who reported from Phoenix, is a member of The Associated Press’ Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @ttangAP.

As the head of her own marketing agency in Los Angeles, shaina renee Manlangit has made it a mission to elevate Filipino-American talent and culture.

Cover photo by Global Residence Index on Unsplash

ThIs image provided by the Philippine Department of Tourism shows shaina Renee Manlangit entering the historic resort, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, in Bagac, Bataan in March 2023. AP

“The Philippines has mostly drawn FilipinoAmerican retirees or immigrants catching up with relatives. Today, the country is aiming at a younger generation of Filipino-American professionals who live on TikTok and Instagram.”