BusinessMirror October 10, 2021 by BusinessMirror

ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA JOURNALISM AWARDS

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A broader look at today’s business n

Sunday, October 10, 2021 Vol. 17 No. 2

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

‘SUGAR RUSH’

TRAVELARIUM | DREAMSTIME.COM

No sugar may be exported to the US for MY 2021/22 for the first time since ’82 due to the reemergence of La Niña

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

In its latest report, the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila (USDA-FAS Manila) revised its export forecast for the Philippines from 140,000 metric tons (MT) to zero. The USDA-FAS Manila made the revision on the basis that the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) decided to allocate all of the country’s raw sugar production for domestic use. The SRA made the decision following the announcement by the state weather bureau that the reemergence of the La Niña phenomenon will coincide with the harvest and peak-milling season in key production areas. Excess water in sugarcanes results in lower sugar recovery. “Post lowers MY 2021/22 exports to zero, following the recent

SO (special order) No. 1 allocating all production to domestic consumption,” the USDA-FAS Manila said in its recently published Global Agricultural Information Network (Gain) report. In recent years, the United States has been the sole export market for Philippine raw sugar and the Philippines receives an allocation of 142,160 MTRV (metric tons raw value) in the sugar tariff rate quota.

First since 1982

IF the USDA-FAS Manila’s forecast materializes, then it will be the first time since 1982 that the Philippines will not export any volume of raw sugar to the United States, based on historical data. This is just the second time in the past decade that the Philippines opted to allocate all of its

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.7330

GRONDIN FRANCK OLIVIER | DREAMSTIME.COM

HE Philippines may not export any raw sugar to the US in market year (MY) 2021-2022 as the country focuses on meeting its domestic requirement for the sweetener, an international agency said.

raw sugar production for the domestic requirement, with the last time being in CY 2015-2016. However, the Philippines still exported raw sugar to the United States back then through a replacement program. Certain quarters of the sugar industry, such as the sugar millers, have earlier told the government that it must properly explain to the United States why it is not allocating an “A” sugar or raw sugar bound for the Western country this crop year. This, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) noted, is aimed at keeping the Philippines’s preferential right to the

United States sugar market. The Philippines started its sugar trade with the United States in 1796, according to the SRA.

Lower imports

GIVEN the Philippines’s current sugar policy, the USDA-FAS Manila made a lower forecast for the country’s refined sugar imports compared to the official projection of the USDA. “Post revises MY 2021/22 imports to 100,000 MT, 34 percent lower compared to the USDA official estimate. This reflects the decision to not allocate any sugar production to exports; traders will therefore not be allowed to import

refined sugar in an export replenishment program,” the agency said. “Final MY 2020/21 data shows the Philippines imported 151,000 MT of refined sugar,” it added. Last month, the United States still kept the Philippines’s sugar allocation of 142,160 MT raw values for fiscal year 2022, since it is one of its longest trade partners when it comes to the sweetener.

TRQ system

THE Philippines is among the countries that are allowed to export raw sugar to the United States under its tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system, which allows it to export specified quantities of products at a relatively low tariff. The Philippines is the country with the third biggest volume allocation out of the 40 countries that are allowed to export raw sugar under the United States’ TRQ scheme. The USDA-FAS Manila sugar production forecast for the Philippines is at 2.1 million MT, slightly lower than the 2.143 million MT recorded in the previous crop year. The USDA-FAS Manila is the same with the SRA’s initial crop year production estimate.

Domestic supply priority

THE BusinessMirror earlier reported that the local sugar sector got off to a good start as raw sugar

output more than doubled nearly a month after the current CY kicked off in September, based on latest government data. SRA data showed that raw sugar production as of September 26 reached 59,805 metric tons (MT), which was 167.62 percent higher than last year’s 22,347 MT. The local sugar sector got off to a good start as raw sugar output more than doubled nearly a month after the current crop year (CY) kicked off in September, latest government data showed. Data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showed that sugar production as of September 26 reached 59,805 metric tons (MT), which was 167.62 percent higher than last year’s 22,347 MT. With the triple-digit growth rate in initial output, total raw sugar supply as of September 26 rose by 12.85 percent to 312,212 MT from last year’s 276,668 MT, based on SRA data. Raw sugar demand during the period, as measured by withdrawals, was estimated at 80,869 MT, slightly higher than last year’s 80,268 MT. Current raw sugar stocks were estimated at 210,271.23 MT, 70.02 percent higher than the 123,675.49 MT recorded a year ago.

n JAPAN 0.4546 n UK 69.0831 n HK 6.5171 n CHINA 7.8680 n SINGAPORE 37.3586 n AUSTRALIA 37.0960 n EU 58.6423 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5281

Source: BSP (October 8, 2021)

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, October 10, 2021

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Token of all tokens: Could a $1-trillion coin fix the US debt limit? By Calvin Woodward

The Associated Press

ASHINGTON—Some politicians think they’ve found a silver bullet for the impasse over the debt limit, except the bullet is made of platinum: Mint a $1-trillion coin, token of all tokens, and use it to flood the treasury with cash and drive Republicans crazy.

Even its serious proponents—who are not that many— call it a gimmick. They say it is an oddball way out of an oddball accounting problem that will have severe consequences to average people’s pocketbooks and the economy if it is not worked out in coming days. But despite all the jokes about who should go on the face of the coin—Chuck E. Cheese? Donald Trump, to tempt or taunt the GOP?—there’s scholarship behind it, too. However improbable, it is conceivable the government could turn $1 trillion into a coin of the realm without lawmakers having a say. How is this possible when the Treasury secretary can’t simply print money to pay public debts? It’s because a quirky law from more than 20 years ago seems to allow the administration to mint coins of any denomination without congressional approval as long as they’re platinum.

The intent was to help with the production of commemorative coins for collectors, not to create a nuclear option in a fiscal crisis. Oops.

What the law says

SPECIFICALLY, the law says the Treasury secretary “may mint and issue platinum bullion coins and proof platinum coins in accordance with such specifications, designs, varieties, quantities, denominations, and inscriptions as the Secretary, in the Secretary’s discretion, may prescribe from time to time.” This is that time, in the view of coin advocates. But Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the White House and some Democrats slapped down the idea Tuesday, just as past leaders have done when the going got tough and radical quick fixes emerged. “The only thing kookier would be a politically inflicted default,” Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat-Vir-

THIS image provided by the US Mint, the reverse of the 2021 American Eagle Platinum One Ounce Proof Coin—Freedom of Religion, is photographed in Washington. AP

ginia, said of the coin. Said Yellen, “What’s necessary is for Congress to show that the world can count on America paying its debt.” A platinum coin, she told CNBC, “is really a gimmick.” Sure it is, said Rohan Grey, a Willamette University law professor and expert on fiscal policy. “The fact that [the coin] represents an accounting gimmick is a source of its strength, rather than a weakness,” Grey wrote in a 2020-21 study in the Kentucky

Law Journal. “The idea of ‘fighting an accounting problem with an accounting solution’ is entirely coherent...the debt ceiling itself can be viewed as one big, poorly designed accounting gimmick.”

The stalemate

THE United States will hit the ceiling October 18 unless Congress acts in time to suspend it. The two parties are in a stalemate in the Senate—Republicans unwilling to join Democrats in what used to

be a routine exercise; Democrats holding back on using only their own votes to fix the problem. That’s what makes a shiny coin with a 1 and 12 zeroes tempting to some, if that untested and audacious path actually would work. But fraught questions arise for lots of Democrats as well as Republicans: Would they have wanted President Donald Trump to be ordering up mega-coins like Diet Cokes to his desk? Do they want the next president to have that power? Or even this one? Other extraordinary possibilities have been floated, too, such as invoking the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that the “validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law...shall not be questioned,” which some scholars argue could be used to override the debt limit. The White House has looked at all such options “and none of those options were viable,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “So, we know that the only path forward here is through Congress acting.” The debt ceiling was instituted in the World War I era to make it easier for the US to issue war bonds without needing congressional approval each time. Legislators only needed to stay under the approved total. Raising or suspending the ceiling has been a mostly uncontroversial task until recent times, because the debt comes mostly from spending that has already been approved by Congress or covers payments mandated by

law. Now everything is fodder for a fight to the last minute.

How would it work?

THE Treasury can’t introduce new currency into circulation, only the Fed can do that. In theory, the coin would be minted and deposited with the Fed and its value would make its way into Treasury’s general account and used to pay a whole lot of bills. In practice, no one knows precisely how it would work and what problems, like inflation, would result. Democrats do not seem willing to upend a messy process that for generations has nevertheless stood as the gold standard in global credit. The idea of a $1-trillion coin got attention in 2013 when President Barack Obama struggled to get Republicans on board. Donald Marron, a tax policy expert who had led the Congressional Budget Office during part of the Bush administration, thought it wasn’t a great idea—but not a terrible one, either. “Analysts have considered a range of other options for avoiding default, including prioritizing payments, asserting the debt limit is unconstitutional, and temporarily selling the gold in Fort Knox,” Marron said then. “All raise severe practical, legal, and image problems. In this ugly group, the platinum coin looks relatively shiny.” Still, he said, it sounds like an Austin Powers sequel or a Simpsons episode: “It lacks dignity.”

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TheWorld BusinessMirror

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Global energy crisis is the first of many in the clean-power era “The new economy is overinvested and the old economy is starved.” Wind and solar power production have soared in the last decade. But both renewable sources are notoriously fickle—available at some times and not at others. And electricity, unlike gas or coal, is difficult to store in meaningful quantities. That’s a problem, because on the electrical grid, supply and demand must be constantly, perfectly balanced. Throw that balance out of whack, and blackouts result. So far, natural gas plants have served as the stable backup that wind and solar power need. That interdependence works fine, so long as gas prices aren’t going through the roof.

Storage solutions

Lithium-ion batteries at an energy storage facility in California. Bing Guan/Bloomberg By David R. Baker, Stephen Stapczynski, Dan Murtaugh & Rachel Morison

he world is living through the first major energy crisis of the clean-power transition. It won’t be the last. The shortages jolting natural gas and electricity markets from the UK to China are unfolding just as demand roars back from the pandemic. But the planet has faced volatile energy markets and supply squeezes for decades. What’s different now is that the richest economies are also undergoing one of the most ambitious overhauls of their power systems since the dawn of the electric age—with no easy way to store the energy generated from renewable sources. The transition to cleaner energy is designed to make those systems more resilient, not less. But the actual switch will take decades, during which the world will still rely on fossil fuels even as major producers are now drastically shifting their output strategies. “It is a cautionary message about how complex the energy transition is going to be,” said Daniel Yergin, one of the world’s foremost energy analysts and author of The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations. In the throes of fundamental change, the world’s energy system has become strikingly more fragile and easier to shock.

Recipe for volatility

Take the turmoil in Europe. After a colder-than-normal winter depleted natural gas inventories, gas and electricity prices soared as demand from rebounding economies surged too fast for supplies to match. Something simi lar probably wou ld have happened had Covid-19 struck 20 years ago. But now, the UK and Europe rely on a very different mix of energy sources. Coal has been cut back drastically, replaced in many instances by cleaner-burning gas. But surging global demand this year has left gas supplies scarce. At the same time, two other sources of power—wind and water—have had unusually low output, thanks to unex pected ly slower w ind speeds and low rainfall in areas including Norway. In other words: A strained global gas market triggered Europe’s

record-setting spike for electricity prices—and the transition amplified it. The pain hitting Europe is an ominous sign of the types of shocks that could strike more of the globe. Even as solar and wind power become increasingly plentiful and cheap, many parts of the world will for decades still depend on natural gas and other fossil fuels as backups. And yet, investor and company interest in producing more of them is waning. That’s a good recipe for volatility, Nikos Tsafos with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in a recent analysis. “You’re definitely moving into a system that’s more vulnerable,” Tsafos, the center’s James R. Schlesinger chair for energy and geopolitics, said in an interview. To be clear, the transition itself—imperative for the planet— didn’t cause the squeeze. But any big, complex system can become more fragile when it’s undergoing major change.

Power demand

All this is happening at a time when power consumption is projected to increase 60 percent by 2050, according to BloombergNEF, as the world phases out fossil fuels and switches to cars, stoves and heating systems that run on electricity. Continued economic and population growth will also drive consumption higher. And as the world moves even more into all things digital, it will mean that this heightened vulnerability comes at a time when people need reliable power more than ever. The surge in electricity demand combined with fuel-price volatility means the world could be in for a rocky few decades. The consequences will likely range from periods of energy-driven inflation, exacerbating income inequalities, to the looming threat of power outages and lost economic growth and production.

Global fallout

The planet’s energy systems are interconnected, so the crisis and its spillover are being felt across the world. The crunch has had knock-on effects across industries, obstructing silicon production, disrupting food supplies and snarling supply chains. In the US, natural gas futures have already more than doubled

this year, before the peak demand that comes with the winter cold. With 40 percent of the country’s electricity now generated by burning gas, those higher prices will inevitably push up electricity and heating bills. In China, even as the government pushes to ramp up renewable power, the industrial economy still relies heavily on fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil. And when its factories started humming again during the pandemic rebound, the countr y simply didn’t have enough fuel. Chinese manufacturing contracted in September for the first time in 19 months, suggesting that soaring energy costs have become the biggest shock to strike the economy since the beginning of the pandemic. China’s government is now vowing to stabilize the situation by procuring more overseas coal and liquefied natural gas. That puts the nation in direct competition with Europe, threatening to starve the continent of fuel and worsen that crisis. There will be an inevitable fight over what exports are available, leaving some developing countries such as India and Pakistan worried they can’t compete.

Tighter fuel supplies

As major Western producers from BP Plc to Royal Dutch Shell Plc work to reduce emissions and America’s shale drillers take a step back from expansion, the finite amount of exportable supplies is growing tighter. Jeff Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., points to underinvestment in fossil fuels as a big part of the problem. Investors seeking the big returns that come from new businesses have been pouring money into alternative energy stocks rather than fossil fuel companies. Others are actively dumping coal and oil stocks, seeing them as a risk while the energy transition accelerates. And some fossil fuel companies have themselves started directing investments into the low-carbon future rather than focusing solely on their old role of finding, pumping and delivering more oil and gas. “In many parts of the world, you’ve overbuilt wind, you’ve overbuilt solar,” Currie said in an interview on Bloomberg TV.

One of the biggest obstacles ahead will be storing power generated by intermittent wind and water sources. Solutions do exist, but it will be years before we have them at the scale on which

they’re needed. “The transition is both the challenge and the opportunity,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, managing director of the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University. Australia and California are plugging massive batteries into the grid to keep power supplies steady when the sun sets on solar plants. That deployment is just in nascent stages, and the batteries themselves are limited, usually supplying electricity for about four hours at a time. Many countries and companies have pinned their hopes on hydrogen, seeing it both as a way to store energy and as a fuel for transportation and industry. Hydrogen can be split from water using machines called electrolyzers powered by renewable energy, whenever it’s abundant. The process produces no greenhouse gases. The hydrogen can then be burned in a turbine or fed through a fuel cell to generate electricity—all without carbon emissions. And unlike oil, gas and

coal, such “green hydrogen” can be produced most anywhere there’s water and strong sun or wind. The first wave of green hydrogen plants is still in planning stages. Many of the potential users— heavy industries and utility companies—are still studying whether the solution will work for them. The point at which hydrogen could underpin our global energy system, if it arrives, is likely years away. In the short term, a warm winter across the northern hemisphere would bring gas prices down and allow storage fields to fill back up. But the current price spike has served as a reminder that even as the world is trying to build a new energy system, it’s still reliant on the old one. “It’s not just about capacity of the amount of power we can get onto the network, it’s about the flexibility and the ability to deliver that power at the right time,” said James Basden, founder and director of Zenobe Energy Ltd., which is building Europe’s biggest battery. Bloomberg News

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Sunday, October 10, 2021

Superpower rivalry and vaccine envy set stage for climate talks

By Marc Champion & Jess Shankleman

remiers, presidents, and princes come and go from the world’s biggest climate stage. It’s the nature of the annual international climate talks organized by the United Nations, known as the Conference of the Parties. The guest list changes with whichever parties are in power. Only someone like Jennifer Morgan, the head of Greenpeace International, gets to be a COPfixture—and in more than two decades she’s never seen the geopolitical backdrop change as dramatically as it has ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The pandemic that’s overwhelming governments and upending assumptions about future investment has also heightened the rivalry between the US and China. That can make climate diplomacy a lot harder, says Morgan, even if US President Joe Biden has returned the world’s richest nation to the table and a series of devastating weather events has increased pressure on leaders across the globe. There’s also the vast chasm of inequality between rich and poor countries. It’s been a persistent fault line in climate negotiations, now exacerbated by bitterness over the uneven distribution of lifesaving Covid vaccines. Record debt levels, emptied treasuries, and even lingering divisions over Brexit could make progress difficult on two important issues: ending the use of coal and channeling climate aid from wealthier nations to the very same developing economies that depend on the cheapest, dirtiest fossil fuel. This tense diplomatic backdrop has set expectations low for a global breakthrough akin to the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to Morgan and other COP veterans. Delayed action, however, will have catastrophic consequences. Global temperatures have already risen 1.1C from preindustrial levels. Countries need to halve heattrapping emissions by the end of the decade to meet the famous goal of limiting warming to 1.5C adopted after COP21. The UN warns of 2.7C warming based on national goals now in place. Tension between China and the US is one of the biggest obstacles, says a European government official who’ll attend COP26 and asked not

to be named because he’s not authorized to speak to the media. A deal between those two superpowers in 2014 was what made possible the international consensus around 1.5C, with other countries then falling in line. This time, China will do nothing that could look like knuckling to US pressure, the official says. “I’m a little worried given the complex geopolitical situation today,” says Dimitri de Boer, chief representative in China of the nonprofit ClientEarth, who has worked with the country’s environment ministry. “There’s a risk that aggressive international efforts pushing China to accelerate its climate ambitions, even well-intended ones, could backfire.” China has strong incentives at home—including the potentially system-threatening impacts of pollution— to cut back on carbon dioxide emissions of its own accord. That’s started to happen. The amount of new coal-fired power plant capacity approved by China’s regional authorities in the first half of 2021 fell by almost 80 percent from the same period last year, according to Greenpeace research. Yet such progress is fragile. President Xi Jinping recently pledged at the United Nations general assembly to stop building new coal plants overseas, but his government also ordered coal producers at home to ramp up production at all costs, amid a global energy squeeze. None of this is likely to help the UK hosts get further headline deals in Glasgow. Xi, who made his UN address by video, hasn’t left China since the pandemic struck and doesn’t plan to attend the Group of 20 leaders meeting immediately before COP. The

G-7 leaders pose for the official welcome and family photo during the summit in June in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Leon Neal/Getty Images summit in Italy is the best chance for major economies to strike any deal on climate issues. It’s increasingly hard to corral nations around any common aim with two powerful countries vying for power, says David Victor, professor of international relations at the University of California at San Diego. Even relations between the US and its close European allies are strained after recent failures to coordinate withdrawal from Afghanistan and a submarine deal with Australia that cut France out of a project with a runaway price tag of $66 billion. Nor does it help that after pulling out of the European Union, the UK can no longer rely on the combined power of the 27-nation bloc to build consensus—or on even it’s goodwill. The energy crunch that’s pushed prices up to records and prompted factory shutdowns from China to Europe is another hurdle. A UK official involved in planning the summit said it could provide an excuse for countries reluctant to phase out coal. Developing nations, already distrustful of promises of financial support, will also arrive in Scotland bitter over the perception of inequitable treatment of delegates from countries with little access to vaccines. After some environmental groups called for the talks to be postponed until more people can attend, the UK offered to cover hotel quarantine fees and provide shots. “The disparities around vaccine rollout mirror those on climate finance,” says Malango Mughogho, managing director of ZeniZeni Sustainable Finance, who’s advising South Africa. “As we’ve seen with Covid, countries who have financing have been able to roll out vaccines and return to normal more quickly than countries that have not.” For the world to meet Paris commitments will require as much as $173 trillion of investment over 30 years, according to research group

BloombergNEF. That eye-popping sum will confront even the richest nations with politically painful choices. For poorer ones, a pledge from developed economies to raise $100 billion a year to help them is just a start, and that target has been undershot every year for a decade. Negotiations in Glasgow will also focus on a mechanism to raise private money for them. Poorer countries see the value of green investment, but they can’t do it unless they get significant funds from developed peers, says Pablo Vieira, global director for the NDC Partnership Support Unit, which helps countries boost their emission targets. “If they don’t, they won’t have the time or patience to wait long,” he warns, and they’ll eventually choose to invest their limited funds in familiar energy sources such as coal. The outlook for COP26 isn’t all bleak. One lower-profile area where Glasgow could succeed is through initiatives by smaller groups of nations to roll out sectoral decarbonization commitments. Denmark and Costa Rica plan one called the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance that would require member states to commit to ending oil and gas production. The US and EU are pushing for a pledge to cut methane, and the UN is asking nations to sign a pact to stop building new coal plants. Nor are COP meetings pass-fail exercises. The political environment is shifting in favor of stronger green measures as voters in many countries demand more action. Companies face unprecedented demands from customers, investors, and even courts to cut their emissions just when technological advances have raised awareness of what’s possible. “On an issue that is so urgent, it is not a zero-sum game,” says Greenpeace’s Morgan. “Finding ways for countries to be able to talk to each other and collaborate is essential and still possible.” With Will Wade and Karo-

line Kan/Bloomberg

Uranium rally is a high-stakes bet on nuclear energy’s future

fter languishing at historical lows for the better part of the last decade, uranium suddenly came back from the dead. Prices have surged about 40 percent just in September, outpacing all other major commodities. In just a few weeks, millions of pounds of supply were scooped up by the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust. It’s a massive bet on nuclear energy’s prominence in a carbon-free future. The problem is— at least for the investors who poured more than $240 million into the fund—the debate is still raging over whether and how nuclear can come to the forefront. Atomic energy became somewhat taboo after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, with opponents say-

ing the 2011 meltdown was only the most recent accident to demonstrate that reactors are too dangerous. And while nuclear power is carbon-free, it has drawn opposition from some progressives and environmentalists who have qualms about radioactive waste. There are now only 51 reactors under construction worldwide, the fewest since 2008, according to Chris Gadomski, lead nuclear analyst for BloombergNEF. Gadomski’s view of the red-hot uranium rally? “Everybody is getting played,” he said. Indeed, just as quickly as uranium skyrocketed, prices now seem to be hitting the brakes. Futures traded in New York on Tuesday fell as much as 9.8 percent, before paring the losses

to close the day 0.3 percent lower at $49.75 a pound. Producer stocks that got swept up in the frenzy seem to have peaked. Cameco Corp. has dropped more than 13 percent since touching a decade high last week. And the world’s top uranium miner Kazatomprom has warned that the recent price action was being fueled by financial investors rather than the utilities that use the radioactive metal as fuel in their reactors. Driving the speculation was the new Sprott Physical Uranium Trust. Since mid-Aug ust, the fund has amassed a uranium stockpile so big it’s equal to about 16 percent of the annual consumption from the world’s nuclear reactors, according to data as of Monday.

Investor demand has been so strong that the Sprott fund earlier this month amended its at-the-market program to be able to raise up to $1.3 billion, after an initial target of $300 million. Nuclear power has always been controversial, but the debate perhaps has never been so polarized. Even uranium skeptics tend to agree that for global governments to achieve their ambitious plans to wean off fossil fuels, nuclear could eventually take on a bigger share of power generation. Supporters anticipate a renaissance in fission that could draw $5.9 trillion in global investment through 2050, the year that dozens of nations including the US have targeted for reaching netzero economies. Bloomberg News

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Summer storms were a climatechange wake-up call for subways By Philip Marcelo & David Porter The Associated Press

EW YORK—When the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped recordbreaking rain on the East Coast this month, staircases leading into New York City’s subway tunnels turned into waterfalls. In Philadelphia, a commuter line along the Schuylkill River was washed out for miles, and the nation’s busiest rail line, Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor running from Boston to Washington, was shut down for an entire day. Nearly a decade after Superstorm Sandy spurred billions of dollars in investment in coastal flooding protection up and down the East Coast— some of which remains unfinished—Hurricane Ida and other storms this summer provided a stark reminder that more needs to be done—and quickly—as climate change brings stronger, more unpredictable weather to a region with some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit systems, say transit experts and officials. “This is our moment to make sure our transit system is prepared,” said Sanjay Seth, Boston’s “climate resilience” program manager. “There’s a lot that we need to do in the next 10 years, and we have to do it right. There’s no need to build it twice.” In New York, where some 75 million gallons (285 million liters) of water were pumped out of the subways during Ida, ambitious solutions have been floated, such as building canals through the city. But relatively easy, short-term fixes to the transit system could also be made in the meantime, suggests Janno Lieber, acting CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Installing curbs at subway entrances, for example, could prevent water from cascading down steps into the tunnels, as was seen in countless viral videos this summer. More than 400 subway entrances could be affected by extreme rains from climate change in coming decades, according to projections from the Regional Plan Association, a think tank that plans to put forth the idea for a canal system. “The subway system is not a submarine. It can’t be made impervious to water,” Lieber said. “We just need to limit how quickly it can get into the system.” In Boston, climate change efforts have focused largely on the Blue Line, which runs beneath Boston Harbor and straddles the shoreline north of the city. This summer’s storms were the first real test of some of the newest measures to buffer the vulnerable line. Flood barriers at a key downtown waterfront stop were activated for the first time when Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in New England in August. No major damage was reported at the station. Officials are next seeking federal funds to build a seawall to prevent flooding at another crucial Blue Line subway stop, says Joe Pesaturo, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The agency has also budgeted for upgrading harbor tunnel pumps and is weighing building a berm around an expansive marsh the Blue Line runs along, he said. In Philadelphia, some flood protection measures completed in Superstorm Sandy’s wake proved their worth this summer, while others fell short. Signal huts that house critical control equipment were raised post-Sandy along the hard-hit Manayunk/Norristown commuter line, but it wasn’t high enough to avoid damage during Ida, said Bob Lund, deputy general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. On the bright side, shoreline “armoring” efforts prevented damaging erosion in what was the highest flooding in the area since the mid-1800s. That has buoyed plans to continue armoring more stretches along the river with the cable-reinforced concrete blocks, Lund said. If anything, he said, this year’s storms showed that flood projections haven’t kept up with the pace of environmental change. “We’re seeing more frequent storms and higher water level events,” Lund said. “We have to be even more conservative than our own projections are showing.” In Washington, where the Red Line’s flood-prone Cleveland Park station was closed twice during Hurricane Ida, transit officials have begun developing a climate resiliency plan to identify vulnerabilities and prioritize investments, said Sherrie Ly, spokesperson for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. That’s on top of the work WMATA has undertaken the last two decades to mitigate flood risks, she said, such as raising ventilation shafts, upgrading the drainage systems and installing dozens of high-capacity pumping stations. On balance, East Coast transit systems have taken laudable steps such as sketching out climate change plans and hiring experts, said Jesse Keenan, an associate professor at Tulane University in New Orleans who co-authored a recent study examining climate change risks to Boston’s T. But it’s an open question whether they’re planning ambitiously enough, he said, pointing to Washington, where subway lines along the Anacostia and Potomac rivers into Maryland and Virginia are particularly vulnerable. Similar concerns remain in other global cities that saw bad flooding this year. In China, Premier Li Keqiang has pledged to hold officials accountable after 14 people died and hundreds of others were trapped in a flooded subway line in Zhengzhou in July. But there are no concrete proposals yet for what might be done to prevent deadly subway flooding. In London, efforts to address Victorian-age sewer and drainage systems are too piecemeal to dent citywide struggles with flooding, says Bob Ward, a climate change expert at the London School of Economics. The city saw a monsoon-like drenching in July that prompted tube station closures. “There just isn’t the level of urgency required,” Ward said. “We know these rain events will get worse, and flooding will get worse, unless we significantly step up investment.” Other cities, meanwhile, have moved more swiftly to shore up their infrastructure. Tokyo completed an underground system for diverting floodwater back in 2006 with chambers large enough to fit a space shuttle or the Statue of Liberty. Copenhagen’s underground City Circle Line, which was completed in 2019, features heavy flood gates, raised entryways and other climate change adaptations. How to pay for more ambitious climate change projects remains another major question mark for East Coast cities, said Michael Martello, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher who co-authored the Boston study with Keenan. Despite an infusion of federal stimulus dollars during the pandemic, Boston’s T and other transit agencies still face staggering budget shortfalls as ridership hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. The stunning images of flooding this summer briefly gave momentum to efforts to pass President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure plan. But that mammoth spending bill, which includes money for climate change preparedness, is still being negotiated in Congress. “It’s great to have these plans,” Martello said. “But has to get built and funded somehow.” Marcelo reported from Boston. Associated Press journalist Dake Kang in Beijing contributed to this report.

Science

BusinessMirror

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

Sunday

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Maya-3, Maya-4 cubesats released to space from ISS; beacons received By Lyn Resurreccion

“Sustainability can be ensured by making sure that the knowledge gained from this is shared with as many HEIs [higher education institutions], as this ensures that there will be more people with the necessary knowledge to do the same,” he said. “While launching cubesats would present some funding concerns, the knowledge about the development can still be learned without this,” Co added.

T The Nicer on Biomaterials for Diagnostics and Therapeutics Research and Development Center that is being implemented by the Angeles State University. DOST-S4C Program photo

10 innovation centers to aid PHL recovery unveiled

en new Niche Centers in the Regions for Research and Development (Nicer) were unveiled on Friday, including those that offer breakthroughs in biotechnology, diagnostic and therapeutic research, which have a fundamental role in addressing the current pandemic. Led by the Department of Science and Technology-Science for Change (DOST-S4C) Program, the launching was themed: “Investing in R&D: Shaping the Philippine Innovation Landscape.” The event marked the science department’s efforts in boosting regional initiatives and efforts for a competitive innovation ecosystem. T he S4C-Nicer prog ram prov ided a tota l g rant amounting to P695,233,035.93 for the 10 centers managed by Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Regions I, II, III, IV,IV-A, National Capital Region and Region X, the DOST-S4C Program news release said. Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said during the online launching that “technology has always been a huge part of our lives and has become an indispensable instrument in making our activities effective, efficient and productive.” He added: “By optimizing these scientific and technological initiatives, we envision a more efficient, supported and developed innovation landscape for the Philippines that will cater to the needs of the Filipino people nationwide.” For his part, Undersecretary for Regional Operations Sancho A. Mabborang said: “The establishment of the Nicers is a major undertaking of the DOST which aims to expand the R&D [research and development] network and level-up the R&D capability of the [HEIs] and state universities and colleges in the regions to fuel innovation and invigorate the industry sectors that the cnter will support.” Mabborang said that in proposing for a Nicer, the endorsement of the DOST Regional Office is proof that the R&D plan of the center “is aligned with the regional R&D priorities, while the endorsement of the Regional Development Council is a validation that the proposed center will have significant contributions and impact to the priority industry sector in the region.”

NeuRoTech: R&D Center for Medical Robotics

Leading the list is the Nicer on NeuRoTech: R&D Center for Medical Robotics through the De La Salle University-Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Technologies. It will create an R&D Center of multi- and inter- disciplinary in nature that combines neuroscience, robotics and embedded systems, computational intelligence and data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. It aims to address the rising need for modern and more effective, efficient, and cost-effective health-care products and services. Through this Nicer, the Philippines will be able to develop or innovate technologies that will address present health risks or conditions, like the Covid-19 pandemic, through health products, devices and services.

Integrated Protein R&D Center

Another Nicer is the Integrated Protein R&D Center. A biotechnology facility for health, it is implemented by the Ateneo de Manila University. Being an integrated R&D facility, it spans biology, chemistry, engineering and medicine, and aspires to become a robust pilot-scale manufacturer of proteins and instrumentation for health R&D, enabling and supporting the growth of the Philippine biotechnology sector. Moreover, the Nicer aims to build the capacity to produce diagnostic reagents and develop supporting equipment. It aims to “enhance domestic internal capabilities for rapid development and deployment in future outbreaks, and reduce the ongoing cost of molecular diagnostics for all diseases and pathogens, such that quality molecular diagnostics is not the privilege of the few.” It moreover aims to have significant potential impact in the Philippines’ ability to address chronic epidemics and acute pandemics—including but not limited to Covid-19, the news release said.

Biomaterials for Diagnostics and Therapeutics R&D Center

The Nicer on Biomaterials for Diagnostics and Therapeutics R&D Center will be implemented by the Angeles University Foundation. The center will focus on the development of biomaterials, such as antibodies that can be used in diagnostic and therapeutic health applications. It will develop point-of-care device technologies that can be used for the differential diagnosis of priority diseases. The R&D center will produce nanomaterials for integration as carriers and solid support for immunogen in vaccine preparations for different diseases.

7 other Nicer centers

The other Nicer centers that are part of the network of innovation hubs set to assist industry, the environment and the country, are: the Center for Lakes Sustainable Development implemented by the Laguna State Polytechnic University; the Center for Environmental Technologies and Compliance implemented by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila. The Coastal Engineering Research Center implemented by Mariano Marcos State University; the Smart Water Infrastructure Management Research and Development Center implemented by Isabela State University; the Center for Sustainable Polymers implemented by Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology. The Center for Advanced Batteries implemented by the Technological Institute of the Philippines; and the Center for Vector of Diseases of Public Health Importance implemented by De La Salle University Manila. “Through these R&D Centers, the DOST cultivates the innovation landscape in various sectors to ensure that no one is left behind in the R&D progress despite the setbacks brought by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said DOST Undersecretary for R&D Rowena Cristina L. Guevara. “It is therefore imperative for us to continuously invest in R&D and support legislation aimed at encouraging innovation like the Science for Change Program Bill.”

he Philippines’ first universit y-built cube satellites (cubesats), Maya-3 and Maya-4, were released to space from the International Space Station (ISS) on at 5:20 p.m. on October 6 PST via Japan’s Japanese Experiment (JEM), or “Kibo” Laboratory Module, and are expected to begin operations soon. On October 7, one day after its release, Maya-3 and Maya-4 beacons "were successfully received and decoded" during their 9 a.m. pass remotely through the Philippine Universities Ground Archiving and Data Reception (Pugad) station in UP Diliman, the Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (Stamina4Space) said in its online news release. The cubesats' first contact was with the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) just more than an hour after its release, at around 6:51 p.m. on October 6. "A beacon is like a satellite's heartbeat which lets the team on the ground know that the satellite is alive and well in space." the Stamina4Space said. The released Maya-3 and Maya-4 cubesats are now moving along an orbit similar to the space station’s, which is at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. The deployment followed the cubesats’ launch to the ISS on August 29 at 3:14 p.m. aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s Dragon C208 as part of SpaceX Commercial Resupply Mission-23. Maya-3 and Maya-4 have been released from ISS along with other cubesats from Australia, the Biner-1 and Cuava-1, developed by Curtin University and the University of Sydney, respectively. The BusinessMirror witnessed both the launching of the cubesats to ISS and the deployment to space.

Historic day

Screenshot of the Maya-3 and Maya-4 cubesats (lower, center) as they are being deployed to space from the ISS. From Jaxa livestream, Stamina4Space

The cube satellites (black spot, center) in space. Screenshot by Lyn Resurreccion

'Like a baby's first cry' With the cubesats already deployed in space, the Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University Partnerships (STeP-UP) Project Batch 1 scholars that created them said they can now begin testing their different functions. Before the release, the team has prepared the schedule of activities for the ground station operations, including the sequence of the command uplinks for the cubesats. The team will initially monitor the satellites' condition by receiving and decoding its continuous wave beacons before sending commands for them to perform. “It’s [going to be] like hearing a newborn baby’s first cry,” the STePUP scholars said.

Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña witnesses online the release of Maya-3 and Maya-4 to space. Screenshot by Lyn B. Resurreccion

The team has also coordinated with various ground stations internationally and locally to assist with the tracking of the satellites. The engineers will likewise record and assess the satellites’ functionalities and collect data from them during the operations to evaluate their overall performance—to be used as reference in planning for future satellite developments and related projects, the news release said. “The team is extremely excited now that Maya-3 and Maya-4 are orbiting Earth in space. As the first

Philippine university-built satellites, this event marks a significant milestone in our country’s space science and technology initiatives,” they said. It took the eight scholars two years of hard work in developing and testing the satellite. At the same time, while monitoring the operations of Maya-3 and Maya-4, STeP-UP scholars will continue with its other projects: the Maya-5 and Maya-6 which are being developed by the second batch of scholars, said STeP-UP Project Leader Prof. Paul Jason Co.

The Maya-3 and Maya-4 were developed under the STeP-UP Project of the Stamina4Space Program, which is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and implemented by the University of the Philippines Diliman and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI). Maya-3 and Maya-4 were built by the first of two batches of STeP-UP scholars taking the nanosatellite development track under the Master of Science/Master of Engineering program of the UPD Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute. The development of the cubesats is in collaboration Kyutech in Japan, with scholarship support from DOST-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI). “This is a very historic and important day, because the world has witnessed the deployment of the Maya-3 and Maya-4 cube satellites from the [ISS] to outer space. These two cubesats are the first Philippine university-built cube satellites developed by Filipino scholars,” said Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña in his message during the deployment program hosted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa). Stamina4Space Program Leader Dr. Maricor Soriano in congratulating the team also said: “Building and operating something as complex as a satellite requires meticulous planning, rigorous design and testing of systems, and lots of support. Thus, we thank the [DOST] for funding our program, the [Jaxa], and [Kyutech] for the Joint Global Multi-Nation BIRDS Satellite Project," Soriano said. "We look forward to gaining more confidence to innovate in this field in order to support our nascent Philippine Space Agency [PhilSA],” she said. In his message, PhilSA Director General Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. said that in 2014, while they were beginning the development of small satellite technologies and applications, as the program leader of the Philippine Microsat Program and its successor, the Stamina4Space, he saw in the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite or the Birds Project of Kyutech the spirit of community

PHL, China sign MOU on bamboo, rice R&D cooperation

he Philippines and China inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the establishment of a long-term and stable partnership among their research institutes in bamboo and rice. The Philippines, through the Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), signed recently the MOU with China’s Jiangxi Academy of Forestry (JAF) and with the Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JxAAS). The MOU was signed by DOSTPCAARRD Executive Director Reynaldo Ebora, JAF President Yang Jiefang, and JxAAs President Dai Xingzhao.

The MOU was a product of the efforts of the Philippines’ DOST and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology that have been actively working together in identif y ing col laborative activ ities that will benefit both agencies in bamboo postharvest processing and rice research. The areas of cooperation were identified during the 14th PHChina Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technolog y in 2017, which was deemed as promising areas of cooperation for the revitalization of the existing biennial science and technology (S&T) platform between the two countries. The fruitful relationship between the Philippines and China

began in 1978. It was reinforced through the Basic Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and through the Joint Commission Meetings, where priority areas for collaboration were identified. Since October 2016, the several state visits of President Duterte to Beijing, China, reinvigorated the long-standing relationship between the two countries. President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, then, issued a joint statement emphasizing collaboration between the two countries to “explore other areas of bilateral cooperation, including information technology, health, customs cooperation, research and development, education, and other fields that will be mutually

beneficial to both countries.” To effectively address these initiatives, DOST-PCAARRD and JAF agreed to collaborate on the establishment of the Philippines-China joint laboratory on bamboo, and research and technology promotion on advanced processing technology of bamboo resources. The agreement also included the demonstration and showcasing of new technologies and products; and academic exchange, technical training, and capacity building services. The JAF will be working with the Philippines’ Forest Products Research and Development Institute of DOST (DOST-FPRDI) under this area of cooperation. Alexandra E. Tamis and Cyrill S. Estimado/S&T Media Services

Faith A6

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Sunday

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

Quoting the Bible out of context has been done for centuries It isn’t confined to those currently opposed to Covid-19 vaccines

devout evangelical Christian friend of mine recently texted to explain why he was not getting the Covid-19 vaccine. “Jesus went around healing lepers and touched them without fear of getting leprosy,” he said.

The Gutenberg Bible, the first printed Bible (mid-15th century) Wikimedia Commons This story that St. Luke tells in his gospel (17:11-19) is not the only Bible verse I have seen and heard evangelical Christians use to justify anti-vaccine convictions. O t he r p o p u l a r p a s s a ge s i n clude Psalm 30:2: “Lord, I called to You for help, and You healed me”; 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?”; and Leviticus 17:11: “For the life of a creature is in the blood.” All of these verses have been lifted out of context and repurposed to buttress the anti-vaccine movement. As a historian of the Bible in American life, I can attest that such shallow reading in service of political and cultural agendas has long been a fixture of evangelical Christianity.

Bible in the hands of ordinary people In the 16th century, Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers translated the Bible from an already existing Greek text into the languages of common people. Prior to this, most men and women in Europe were exposed to the Bible through the Vulgate, a Latin version

of the Old and New Testaments that only educated men—mostly Catholic priests—could read. As people read the Bible—many for the first time—they inevitably began to interpret it as well. Protestant denominations formed around such interpretations. By the time Protestants started forming settlements in North America, there were distinctly Anglican, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, Lutheran and Quaker reading of the Bible. The English Calvinists who settled the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay built entire colonies around their reading of the Bible, making New England one of the most literate societies in the world. In the 18th century, popular access to the Bible was one way that the British—including the North American colonies—distinguished themselves from Catholic nations that did not provide such access.

American evangelicals I n t he ea rly 19t h- cent u r y Un ited S t a t e s , b i b l i c a l i nt e r p r e t a t i o n bec a me more f ree -whee l i ng a nd i nd iv idu a l i st ic.

Small differences over how to interpret the Bible often resulted in the creation of new sects—such as the Latter Day Saints, the Restorationists (Disciples of Christ and Churches of Christ), Adventists and various evangelical offshoots of more longstanding denominations such as Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and Quakers. During this period, the United States also grew more democratic. What the French traveler and diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville described as “individualism” had a profound influence on biblical interpretation and the way laypeople read the sacred text. The views of the Bible proclaimed from the pulpits of formally educated clergy in established denominations gave way to a more free-wheeling and populist understanding of the scriptures that was often dissociated from such authoritative communities. But these evangelicals never developed their approach to understanding the Bible in complete isolation. They often followed the interpretations of charismatic leaders, such as Joseph Smith (Latter Day Saints), Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell (Restorationist), William Miller (Adventists) and Lorenzo Dow (Methodists). These preachers built followers around innovative readings of the Scriptures. Without a church hierarchy to reign them in, these evangelical pied pipers had little accountability. W hen large numbers of Ir ish and German immigrants arrived on American shores in the middle decades of the 19th century, evangelicals drew on longstanding antiCatholic prejudices. They grew anxious that these Catholic newcomers were a threat to their Protestant nation and often based these fears on perceptions of how Catholic bishops and priests kept the Bible from their parishioners. While this fear of Catholics was mostly rhetorical in nature, there were a few moments of violence. For example, in 1844, nativist Protestants, responding to rumors that Catholics were trying to remove the Bible from Philadelphia public schools, destroyed two of the city’s Catholic churches before the Pennsylvania militia stopped the violence. These so-called “Bible riots” revealed the deep tensions between the individualistic and common-sensical approach to biblical interpretation

common among Protestants and a Catholic view of reading the Bible that was always filtered through the historic teachings of the Church and its theologians. Protestants believed that the former approach was more compatible with the spirit of American liberty.

The Assumption of Our Lady Shrine Parish-Dauis on Panglao Island in Bohol Parish’s Facebook account

Vaccine opposition and the Bible Today this American approach to reading and the interpreting the Bible is front and center in the arguments made by evangelical Christians seeking religious exemptions to Covid-19 vaccination mandates. W hen they explain their religious objections to health officials, employers and school administrations, evangelicals select verses, usually out of context, and reference them on exemptions forms. Like they did in the 19th century, evangelicals who refuse to get vaccinated today tend to follow the spiritual leaders who have built followings by baptizing political or cultural propaganda in a sea of Bible verses. Megachurch pastors, televangelists, conservative media commentators and social media influencers have far more power over ordinary evangelical Christians than those local pastors who encourage their congregations to consider that God works through science. When I ask those evangelicals who oppose vaccines how they come to their conclusions, they all seem to cite the same sources: Fox News, or a host of fringe media personalities whom they watch on cable television or Facebook. Some others they cite include Salem Radio host and author Eric Metaxas, the Liberty Counsel and Tennessee megachurch leader Greg Locke, to name a few. Social media allows these evangelical conspiracy theorists to become influential through their antivaccine rants. From my perspective, the response of some evangelicals to the vaccine reveals the dark side of the Protestant Reformation. When the Bible is placed in the hands of the people, void of any kind of authoritative religious community to guide them in their proper understanding of the text, the people can make it say anything they want it to say. John Fea, Messiah College/The

The Our Lady of Light Parish-Loon, in Loon, Bohol. Built in 1753, it was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. Wikimedia Commons

2 Bohol churches get spiritual affinity with papal basilica

he Vatican has established a “bond of spiritual affinity” between the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome and two parish churches in Bohol province. This means that Catholics can make a pilgrimage to the Assumption of Our Lady Shrine Parish-Dauis and the Our Lady of Light Parish-Loon in Bohol and enjoy all the spiritual benefits as if they were able to pray at the papal basilica in Rome. The special bond also means that special indulgences attached to the

basilica can be obtained, under the same conditions, at the two churches under the Diocese of Tagbilaran. The information was posted by the Dauis Church on its Facebook page on October 3. The diocese has yet to announce the official declaration of this affiliation. In April this year, the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe de Extremadura in Loboc town was also granted the same spiritual relationship with the Basilica of St. Mary Major. CBCP News

W. Visayas bishops add voices vs Boracay casino

Conversation (CC)

Pope, faith leaders issue carbon emissions appeal ahead of UN climate change meet

ATICAN—Pope Francis and religious leaders from across the world appealed recently for countries to “achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible.” They made the appeal in a joint message signed in the Vatican’s Hall of Benediction, which was decorated with plants to mark the occasion. “The world is called to achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible, with wealthier countries taking the lead in reducing their own emissions and in financing emission reductions from poorer nations,” they said in the 2,000-word appeal signed by almost 40 faith leaders. Pope Francis presented the signed text to Alok Sharma, president of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. “It is important that all governments adopt a trajectory that will limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C [2.7°F] above pre-industrial levels,” the leaders wrote. “To achieve these goals of the [2016] Paris Agreement, the COP26 Summit should deliver ambitious short-term actions from all nations with differentiated responsibilities,” they added.

Those present included Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Sheikh Ahmed elTayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar. They had gathered at the Vatican for the meeting “Faith and Science: Toward COP26,” promoted by the British and Italian embassies to the Holy See. The summit brought together religious leaders and scientists ahead of the climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12. The meeting saw brief addresses by faith leaders, as well as Alok Sharma. “We need scientists, with their academic authority, to amplify further their voices in the public debate, and faith leaders to use their moral leadership to make the case for action,” he said. “This appeal does just that, with immense clarity and power... Forty faith leaders have come together, and working with scientists, have created a powerful call to action for the world.” For his part, Pope Francis said he had decided not to read his address aloud to leave for more time to hear from others.

In the written text of his address, which he shared with participants, he highlighted three concepts. “Openness to interdependence and sharing, the dynamism of love and a call to respect. These are, I believe, three interpretative keys that can shed light on our efforts to care for our common home,” he said. “COP26 in Glasgow represents an urgent summons to provide effective responses to the unprecedented ecological crisis and the crisis of values that we are presently experiencing, and in this way to offer concrete hope to future generations. We want to accompany it with our commitment and our spiritual closeness,” the pope added. Pope Francis said earlier this month that he hoped to travel to Scotland to take part in the conference, depending on “how I feel,” but his speech is already being prepared. Francis has sought to galvanize efforts to protect the environment since his election in 2013. He issued the encyclical Laudato si’ in 2015, ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, which negotiated the Paris Agreement. The Glasgow summit will encourage governments to achieve the goals of the

Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The pope issued an unprecedented joint message on the environment on September 7, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the symbolic head of the global Anglican Communion, and the Ecumenical Patriarch. “As leaders of our Churches, we call on everyone, whatever their belief or worldview, to endeavor to listen to the cry of the Earth and of people who are poor, examining their behavior and pledging meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the Earth which God has given us,” the leaders of world’s three largest Christian communions said. Last week, the pope urged young climate activists attending the Youth4Climate event in Milan, Italy, to recognize that “technical and political solutions are not enough” to foster harmony between people and the environment. The religious leaders attending the recent event each poured a cup of soil into a potted olive tree that will be planted in the Vatican Gardens. They included representatives of Shi’a Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Jainism.

Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Tourists enjoy the beauty of Boracay in June 2017. Lyn Resurreccion

estern Visayas’ Catholic leaders have joined the growing criticism of the plan to operate casino in Boracay Island recently. In a statement, the region’s seven bishops and a diocesan administrator warned that the social costs of gambling outweigh the potential benefits. “While we understand the urgent need of the government to raise its revenue, especially during this pandemic, the harm and risk factors far outweigh the expected benefits,” they said. The church officials raised concern on the impact of casinos on the affected communities, particularly the indigenous peoples on the island. They said that having casinos in Boracay will not only “distract” visitors from the true beauty of the island “but will also pave the way for destructive lifestyles and habits that

will significantly alter and destroy the treasured values, culture and life of the community.” The collegial statement came two weeks after Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc of Kalibo rallied his flock to oppose casinos “that will destroy our cherished land.” Besides Tala-oc, other signatories of the statement are Archbishop Jose Lazo of Jaro, Bishops Marvyn Maceda of Antique, Patricio Buzon of Bacolod, Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, Louie Galbines of Kabankalan, Narciso Abellana of Romblon, and Msgr. Cyril Villareal, administrator of Capiz. “As Church, we are not against development but it should be a development that is both sustainable and integral, a development that is authentically just and for the common good,” they added.

Patricia Julianne M. Escaño/CBCP News

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

‘World’s most threatened marine ecosystems’

Saving Asean’s marine ecoregion By Jonathan L. Mayuga

Bringing life to Iloilo River

loilo City agriculturists released more than 2,386 Bulgan fingerlings into the Iloilo R iver in Iloilo City. In the previous months, the virtual world has witnessed the fruit of the city’s efforts as the fisherfolks are to

catch huge fishes. T h roug h t he yea rs, t he I loilo City government committed to create a sustainable city and initiate a sense of livelihood and leisure for Ilong gos. Arnold Almacen, Iloilo City

Mayor’s Office

Negros Or. dive haven to go ‘zero waste’

auin town, the scuba diving and resort capita l of Negros Oriental province, envisions the adoption of a municipality-wide zero waste policy in keeping with its thrust of being a sustainable tourist destination in Central Visayas. The municipal government led by Mayor Galicano Truita recently held a coastal cleanup which involved local officials, employees, security personnel, barangay volunteers and tourism stakeholders under the Dauin Resorts Association and the Negros Oriental Dive Association. T he e ve nt , w h ic h h ad some 150 participants from eight barangays, also had a simultaneous underwater cleanup by volunteer scuba divers from the Philippine National Police and from the Bureau of Fire Protection. The cleanup was part of the observance of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, and included an educational component which integrated the environmental, waste management and upcycling initiatives within the municipality. The coastal municipality takes pride in its rich ridge to reef ecosystem because of its forested uplands and lush marine life. According to Truita, Dauin’s new environmental direction is inspired by the citation received by its main tourism spot, Apo Island, which was recently awarded as the country’s first “zero waste” island barangay by the Zero Waste Cities Project (ZWCP) because of its community-based upcycling livelihood projects. The ZWCP is an initiative of GAIA Asia Pacific and 10-member collaborators from India, Indonesia and the Philippines, and is funded by the Plastic Solutions Fund.

T he project encou rages sol id waste management at the grassroots level, enabling waste reduction policies, and creating income opportunities in the handling and processing of recyclable materials. The island currently has four purok-level material recovery facilities which integrate solid wastes into construction aggregates, resort furnishings and decorative items. One of the country’s sought-after scuba diving sites, Apo boasts of a robust marine biodiversity with lush coral gardens, sea turtles, school of jacks and other aquatic resources. The 74-hectare island is also recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a Protected Seascape and Landscape. In 2019, the area also bagged the prestigious seventh Para El Mar Awards as the most outstanding marine protected area under the government’s National Integrated Protected Areas System. Named by Sport Diver Magazine as among the world’s top 100 diving spots, Apo is habitat to over 650 fish and 400 coral species, from tiny bubbles to huge gorgonian sea fans and brain corals. Taking its Earth-friendly way of life a notch higher, the island village is pilot testing the use of organic shampoos and body wash, lime soap bars, organic liquid laundry and dishwashing solutions to gradually eliminate plastic waste sachets. The social enterprise is a partnership with Silver Reef Dive Resort (SRDR) and Plastic Life Sucks which will supply refillable pump bottles and biodegradable bathroom and washing essentials. SRDR is a prime mover of the Dauin Resorts Association and the Dauin Tourism Board.

ecognized as the heart of the planet’s marine biodiversity, the Coral Triangle’s most fertile part is shared by the Philippines with its Asean neighbors. “Sadly, the Asean region’s marine ecosystem is one of the world ’s most threatened in terms of coastal marine resources degradation. This has a profound impact on the planet and its inhabitants, inevitably threatening food security, local tourism, and global warming mitigation,” said Ambassador Noel Servigon, the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to Asean. Servigon gave the statement at the recent webinar, “Marine Biodiversity Conservation in Asean: Current State and Ways Forward.” Co-organized by the Office of the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to Asean and the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the online event was held in line with the Philippines’s Presidential Proclamation 316, declaring September as Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (Mana Mo, or your inheritance). It highlighted Asean’s rich and diverse marine resources, which serve as a unifying force that compels stronger regional cooperation among Asean member states. ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim noted that the region’s marine ecosystems not only provide for the Asean citizen’s socioeconomic well-being and embody the ecological connectivity within and beyond the Asean, but also protect against the devastating impacts of climate change. “The seas connecting Asean encourage the member-states to unite and forge stronger linkages in addressing the climate crisis and the pandemic we are currently in,” Lim said. “Thus, the protection and sustainable management of our biodiversity, our common natural heritage, serve as our compass as we set sail towards recovery,” she added. Lim underscored that “healthy mangroves, tidal flats, seagrass beds and coral reefs act as natural barriers against strong winds and storm surges and contribute to our resilience to rising temperatures.”

Important network of MPAs

Asean boasts of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), said Clarissa Arida, ACB director for Programme Development and Implementation. Arida said during the webinar that the Asean region harbors one of the world richest marine biodiversity covering about 50 percent of the Earth’s water surface and one-third of the total surface of the world. It has a coastline of 173,000 km and covers one-third of the world’s coastal and marine habitat. It also accounts for 17 percent of the world’s fish production. The region’s coastal and marine habitats include coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds and seaweed beds, estuaries, sandy and rocky beaches, mudflats and other soft bot-

The webinar on marine biodiversity conservation in Asean is led by (top from left) ACB’s Dr. Mary Kristerie A. Baleva and Clarissa Arida; and Desiree Maaño of DENR-BMB; (second row, from left) Antoinette Taus, founder of Communities Organized for Resource Allocation and webinar emcee; Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, ACB executive director; and Ambassador Noel Servigon. ACB photo

Terns stop over the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, one of the internationally important wetlands in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds. Lene and Claus Topp tom habitats, she said. Arida pointed out that by 2050 it is estimated that close to 500 million people will live in coastal and marine areas of the Asean region. “With Asean’s growing economies despite the current Covid-19 pandemic, the near-shore ecosystems have become more vulnerable to habitat change, overexploitation of resources, pollution and climate change,” she said.

Marine debris pollution

“With pollution from land resources, the ecosystem services expected from coastal and marine protected area will not be able to sustain our fisheries,” Arida warned. Coastal and marine habitats provide breeding and feeding grounds for marine plants and animals. It also provides food and resources important to the livelihood of coastal communities. Such ecosystem services can be adversely affected by marine debris pollution unless Asean member-states work together to address such threat. Other services that may be affected include carbon sequestration, climate regulation, sediment protection, even maintaining nutrient cycles as well as cultural services, and areas for education, research and places of worship.

Asean Heritage Parks

Protected areas have proven to be an effective tool in the fight to sustain biodiversity and significantly contribute to human well-being and sustainable development. Asean Heritage Parks (AHPs) is one of the flagship programs to address the threats to biodiversity, and

protect coastal and marine habitats and resources. “The AHP program recognizes the uniqueness, diversity, and outstanding values of our national parks in the region,” Arida said. There are currently 50 AHPs, nine of them are marine, eight wetland and 33 terrestrial. The nine marine AHPs are considered to be crucial in protecting and conserving unique migratory species, particularly migratory water birds. They are the Kepulauan National Park, Wakatobi National Park, Lampi Marine National Park, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Ao Phang-Nga Mu Ko Surin Mu Ko Similan National Park, Hat Chao Mai National Park, and Mu Ko Libong Non-Hunting Area Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park, Tarutao National Park, and Baitu Long National Park. Located in the Andaman Sea, the Hat Chao Mai National Park in Thailand is deemed to be one of the world’s sites with high biodiversity. It is the first major dugong conservation zone in Thailand. Meanwhile, described as the last intact seabird habitat is the Philippines’s Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. Also a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Park, it boasts of diverse coral species. It is also home to more than 30,000 breeding seabirds and has the highest density of white-tip reef sharks in the world. Shark survey conducted between June 27 to July 2, where a total of 18 underwater visual surveys were completed, saw exciting record-breaking events like a total of 534 shark and

18 ray encounters. Meanwhile, unique but threatened are the mangrove species in Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar like kazano, madama, thame, thayaw, kambala and thinbaring, Arida said. Also, unique animal species like wild dog, fishing cat, smooth-coated otter, sambar deer, ayeyarwady dolphin, spoon-bi l led sandpiper and brackish water crocodile can be found in this marine AHP. Arida said there are also hog deer, small Indian civet, wild cats, tortoise and rock python in the area.

Threats to marine ecoregions

Marine ecoregions, or large marine ecosystems and open oceans, are mostly transboundary areas and these systems are often interlinked by a complex web of environmental, political, economic and security issues, such as that of Asean, Arida said. Threats to these shared resources, she said, have cumulative and synergistic environmental impacts and underscore the need for integrated and multisectoral management approaches, such as in addressing marine debris pollution, an example of a transboundary issue that requires integrated regional cooperation. As such, protecting and conserving Asean’s marine ecosystem, particularly the marine AHPs, are of utmost importance and needs collaborative effort of Asean member-states.

Asean flyway network

One initiative in the Asean is the flyway network, which aims to protect and conserve migratory waterbirds and their habitats. “Asean lies at the heart of the Asian-Australasian Flyway Network and migratory waterbirds use wetlands in this network,” Arida said. The ACB director said one of nine major migratory waterbird flyways around the globe, the Asian-Australasian Flyway Network is home to over 50 million migratory waterbirds. The wetlands along the network is crucial for the survival of these longdistance flyers as they journey from the northern Arctic breeding grounds of Russia to the nonbreeding grounds of Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

A shared responsibility Desiree Maaño, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Section chief of the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-BMB), presented at the webinar Asean’s approaches and strategies in building constituencies to sustain conservation efforts. According to Maaño, the common threats to marine biodiversity are illegal wildlife trade as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by locals. “We have shared fish stock, common concerns on maritime trade and security, and even threats. Thus, we also have a shared responsibility among the member-states to protect our oceans,” she explained.

LRMC adopts 2 ha in Ipo Watershed for reforestation

HE private operator of Light Rail Transit-1, Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), pushes on with its sustainability journey by taking part in the fight against climate change and its impact. LRMC has adopted a 2 hectaresite (equal to 800 trees) with one year maintenance as part of its support to the Plant for Life, the annual program of its MVP Group sister company, Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad). Plant for Life was established in 2007 with the goal of annual planting

10,000 trees during the rainy season in Ipo Watershed in Bulacan. Prone to denudation due to illegal logging, forest fires and kaingin deforestation, the 7,250-hectare watershed is the source of 90 percent of Maynilad’s raw water. Reforestation is crucial to secure its water supply, as well as ensure the quality and quantity for its service areas in Metro Manila. To date, Maynilad has already planted over 550,000 trees in Ipo Watershed, sequestering over 9,200 tons of carbon dioxide.

The support of LRMC for the adopted site includes hauling of seedlings, site clearing, hole digging, out-planting, firebreak establishment, weeding among others. As part of the company’s sixth anniversary celebration, several LRMC employee volunteers participated in tree planting in September at Sitio Balagbag, Norzagaray, Bulacan. “Sustainability is a business imperative for LRMC. As one of the cleanest and greenest high-volume modes of transport, rail is definitely

part of the solution in creating sustainable lifestyles and economies. At LRMC, we are taking it a step further through initiatives such as this that promote environmental stewardship and partnership with local communities, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Gabay Kalikasan advocacy of the MVP Group,” LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso said. Malaruhat, kupang and batino trees are among the endemic tree species planted in the adopted site.

LRMC employee-volunteers participate in tree planting during the company’s sixth anniversary celebration.

Sports

Court says Ronaldo rape lawsuit in Vegas should be dismissed

BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, October 10, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

ORLD champion boxers have reacted to their first career losses in all sorts of dramatic ways while they scramble to cope after their mental armor of invincibility is punctured. Some fire their longtime trainers. Others make unbelievable, outlandish excuses. Nearly all insist the defeat was an unfair, undeserved setback that will be set right immediately. Deontay Wilder did all three in the days, weeks and months after Tyson Fury badly beat him in February 2020. The former World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion clearly struggled to process his first loss since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and he responded by upending his career and his reputation in a quest to make it better. Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) also exercised the rematch clause in his contract, forcing Fury back into the Las Vegas ring with him Saturday night for the longdelayed completion of an already memorable trilogy. “You’re looking at a rejuvenated and reinvented Deontay Wilder,” he said recently. “The old Deontay is no longer there. I can’t explain it to you, I have to show you.” The man who helped transform Wilder from an aspiring basketball player to a late-blooming boxer and an eventual heavyweight champ is no longer there, either: Wilder fired trainer Mark Breland, who threw in the towel when his fighter was getting shellacked by Fury. Wilder blamed his performance

NO MORE EXCUSES THIS TIME

on a litany of fantastical factors— Breland spiking his water bottle with a muscle relaxant, Fury using illegal gloves, and even leg fatigue from supporting the elaborate costume he wore on his ring walk. He also accused referee Kenny Bayless, a teetotaler, of being drunk. It all seemed ridiculous to everyone except Wilder and his most devoted fans, but coping with losses is a difficult part of any boxer’s job. What’s more important is whether Wilder figured out a way to improve from the fighter who seemed tactically outmatched and physically incapable of overcoming it for most rounds of his first two fights with Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), the confident British champion. “I’ve dedicated myself and devoted my time and my body, me and my team, to reinventing myself,” Wilder said Wednesday. “I’m ready to reintroduce myself to the world.... This fight is about redemption, retaliation and retribution.” Wilder replaced Breland with Malik Scott, a former heavyweight who got knocked out by Wilder in 2014. Scott has rededicated Wilder to fundamentals of movement

and punching, with the belief Wilder can overcome Fury’s technical precision with a practical application of his fighter’s physical strengths. But every fight for Wilder is in the head, and it’s still unclear what kind of shape he’s in mentally after his wild excuse-making binge in 2020. On Wednesday, Wilder said he still believes everything he claimed about the loss, and he called Breland “a disloyal trainer.” “My energy is like my mind,” Wilder said. “It’s very violent.” After Wilder’s rematch clause and an arbitrator’s ruling forced Fury to drop out

of a planned summer matchup with fellow British champion Anthony Joshua, the trilogy bout was delayed from July to October by a Covid-19 outbreak in Fury’s camp. Those three months of training could prove important for Wilder, who has taken a more mature perspective on the loss in recent interviews. “I needed everything that happened in that [second] fight,” Wilder said. “It was really a blessing in disguise.” Although he is coming off months of dedicated training, Wilder is still a wild card—which fits this matchup just fine, since

Fury isn’t exactly a conventional human being himself. While promoting the fight earlier this summer, Wilder basically refused to speak at his own news conference—and then engaged in a six-minute staredown with Fury during the ceremonial faceoff. And in their final news conference Wednesday, promoters wouldn’t allow Wilder and Fury to face off for fear of a brawl breaking out. “Saturday night is going to be a different fight,” Wilder said. “It’s rare that we get trilogies like this, and I truly believe this one is going down in history.” AP

Queen Elizabeth launches baton relay for Birmingham Commonwealth Games

QUEEN Elizabeth II attends the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay event outside Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday. AP

ONDON—Bartender Ben Finney expects a trickle-down effect when Tottenham’s stadium resumes hosting National Football League (NFL) games, beginning this Sunday. “They’re definitely rainmakers,” the 23-year-old Finney said Thursday from behind the bar at the Beavertown Corner Pin pub in the shadow of the Premier League club’s $1.6-billion facility. “You can’t really go wrong. It benefits both parties.” After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the NFL returns to London when the Atlanta Falcons play the New York Jets. A week later, the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Miami Dolphins also at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. While NFL grounds crews were set to begin painting team names and lines on the field, banners were already affixed along light posts on the streets to direct out-of-town fans from the nearby London Underground stations to the stadium. The sparkling, state-of-the-art stadium—custom built with an NFL field below the Premier League team’s moveable soccer pitch—stands in stark contrast to the Haringey borough in which it’s located. The borough has one of the highest poverty rates in the city, according to the nonprofit Trust for London. Auto mechanic Glen Percival

ONDON—Queen Elizabeth II held her first major engagement at Buckingham Palace since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic a year and a half ago, as she presided Thursday over the launch of the baton relay for next year’s Commonwealth Games in the central England city of Birmingham. The 95-year-old monarch handed the baton for what are often referred to as the “friendly games” to four-time Paralympic gold medalist Kadeena Cox, who is fresh from winning two events in Tokyo. Cox, 30, took the baton on a brief journey around the nearby Queen Victoria Memorial in central London before handing it to another competitor. “It’s really special,” she said. “I fall into this category where I’m very diverse—I’m a female, disabled, Black athlete. For me I think that’s what the Commonwealth represents and especially being in Birmingham

which is such a diverse place.” The Commonwealth Games, formerly known as the Empire Games, are held every four years and involve mostly countries and territories with former colonial ties to Britain, including Australia, Canada, India and South Africa. The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay, as it is formally known, will now embark on its 145,000 kilometer journey around the world. Flying out from Birmingham Airport, the baton will first stop on the east Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus on October 9. A week later it arrives in Africa, firstly in Nigeria, and will bring in the New Year in the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives. The relay, which will involve 7,500 baton bearers, will go through 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth over 294 days and will return to Birmingham for the opening ceremony on July 28. AP

Tottenham neighborhood eyes economic impact of NFL games said the neighborhood needs more events, citing the NFL and the recent heavyweight boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk at the stadium. “NFL coming here it’s great, not a problem at all,” said the 56-yearold Percival, who was selling some goods at a fair outside the Tottenham Community Sports Centre. “They should bring more—not just [American] football alone. They had the boxing and it was a great turnout and there was a lot of talk about it.” Like most locals, Percival isn’t going to the game on Sunday. The NFL has staged 28 regular-season games in London from 2007-19 and they tend to attract international crowds, though the British fan base is growing. “I’m into cricket,” the Guyanaborn Percival said. “I love cricket.” At the stadium, workers were busy turning the soccer team’s retail space into an NFL store, where star players’ jerseys and other items will be sold. On the field, NFL vice president of game operations Matthew Joyce was overseeing everything else. The pitch on which Harry Kane scores Premier League goals was mechanically rolled under the stadium’s south stand on Tuesday night.

The grass field splits into three sections before it›s moved to make way for the astroturf underneath. Under the stand, the grass is kept alive with special lighting, cooling, irrigation and robotic mowers. The Arizona

Cardinals use a similar system to slide their grass field in and out of State Farm Stadium. Wembley Stadium has hosted the majority of the NFL games in London, but those are played

on the same grass field that the England national team uses for its international soccer games. There are seven years left on Tottenham’s 10-year contract to host two NFL games annually. AP

A WOMAN walks past posters advertising the National Football League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Thursday. AP

AS VEGAS—A federal magistrate judge in Nevada has sided with Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyers against a woman who sued for more than the $375,000 in hush money she received in 2010 after saying the international soccer star raped her in Las Vegas. In a scathing recommendation to the judge hearing the case, Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts on Wednesday blamed Kathryn Mayorga’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, for inappropriately basing the civil damages lawsuit on leaked and stolen documents shown to be privileged communications between Ronaldo and his lawyers. “Dismissing Mayorga’s case for the inappropriate conduct of her attorney is a harsh result,” the magistrate wrote in his 23-page report to US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey. “But it is, unfortunately, the only appropriate sanction to ensure the integrity of the judicial process.” “Stovall has acted in bad faith to his client’s—and his profession’s— detriment,” Albregts decided. Stovall and other attorneys in his office did not immediately respond Thursday to telephone and e-mail messages about Albregt’s report. A date for Dorsey to take up the recommendation was not immediately set. Ronaldo’s attorney in Las Vegas, Peter Christiansen, issued a statement calling Ronaldo’s legal team “pleased with the court’s detailed review...and its willingness to justly apply the law to the facts and recommend dismissal of the civil case against Mr. Ronaldo.” The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Mayorga gave consent through Stovall and attorney Larissa Drohobyczer to make her name public. Albregts noted the court did not find that Ronaldo committed a crime and found no evidence his attorneys and representatives “intimidated Mayorga or impeded law enforcement” when Mayorga dropped criminal charges and finalized the $375,000 confidential settlement in August 2010. Ronaldo, now 36, is one of the most recognizable and highly paid players in sports. He has captained his home country soccer team, Portugal, and plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United. He spent several years playing in Italy for the Turin-based club Juventus. Mayorga, 37, is a former teacher and model who lives in the Las Vegas area. She said in her lawsuit filed first in state court and moved to federal court that Ronaldo or his associates violated the confidentiality agreement by allowing reports about it to appear in European publications in 2017. She seeks to collect at least $200,000 more from Ronaldo. She met Ronaldo at a nightclub in June 2009 and went with him and other people to his hotel suite, where she said he assaulted her in a bedroom, according to the lawsuit. She was 25 at the time. He was 24. Ronaldo’s attorneys have acknowledged the soccer star and Mayorga had sex, but said it consensual and not rape. Mayorga went to Las Vegas police, but the investigation was dropped at the time because Mayorga neither identified her alleged attacker by name nor said where the incident took place, Steve Wolfson, the elected prosecutor in Las Vegas, said in 2019. Wolfson decided not to file criminal charges based on a new investigation by Las Vegas police in 2018 because he said too much time had passed and evidence failed to show that Mayorga’s accusation could be proven at trial beyond a reasonable doubt. Word of the financial settlement became public after the German news outlet Der Spiegel published an article in 2017 titled “Cristiano Ronaldo’s Secret” based on documents obtained from “whistleblower portal Football Leaks.” “The article makes it clear that these documents included privileged communications... between Ronaldo’s European and US attorneys about the settlement,” Albregts wrote. AP

BusinessMirror

October 10, 2021

Voting for a better future

More young Filipinos are looking to participate in the 2022 polls with the extension of voter registration that reopens tomorrow

BusinessMirror OCTOBER 10, 2021 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

YOUR MUSI

RHYTHM & RHYME by Kaye Villagomez-Losorata

Do we have a special space for Spatial Audio?

F you’re new to the Spatial space, is it really that cool? Are there enough songs on Apple Music to experience mind-blowing Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos? How much of the Apple ecosystem should you have to fully enjoy this technology?

Publisher

: T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Editor-In-Chief

: Lourdes M. Fernandez

Concept

: Aldwin M. Tolosa

Y2Z Editor

: Jt Nisay

SoundStrip Editor

: Edwin P. Sallan

Group Creative Director : Eduardo A. Davad Graphic Designers Contributing Writers

Columnists

: Niggel Figueroa Anabelle O. Flores : Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Darwin Fernandez, Leony Garcia, Stephanie Joy Ching Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez : Kaye VillagomezLosorata Annie S. Alejo

Photographers

: Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

Y2Z & SOUNDSTRIP are published and distributed free every Sunday by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing Inc. as a project of the

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been giving the Spatial Audio some listening corner when I want more mental space, which is practically any available opportunity I get. To do this, you need at least the AirPods Pro (or AirPods Max) and an Apple device paired with it. Add an updated OS and you’re also Dolby Atmosready as long as the movie you’re watching or the song you’re listening to also supports the immersive listening experience. To clarify, Dolby Atmos amplifies your listening or viewing experience via immersive audio technology that makes you think the sound is coming from all around you—much like the experience in a cinema or a concert. On the other hand, Spatial Audio—which can work without Dolby Atmos—goes hand in hand with Dolby Atmos by tricking you into believing that you can hear more details louder and clearer when you move closer to an area where a particular sound is coming from. I first tried Spatial Audio with “Greyhound,” the Apple TV movie starring Tom Hanks who plays a commander of a US Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic in 1942, a few months after the Americans entered World War II. I’ve seen this movie using normal earphones. But over Spatial Audio, it’s as if I’m getting commands straight from Tom Hanks himself! You would hear things rattle behind you or feel too close to the waves from an underwater attack just like you would inside a cinema that has Dolby Surround sound technology in place. One might think, “Well, I get it if you want Dolby Surround mode while watching a movie or binging on a TV series. It supports the escape and takes you deeper into the movie or serials. But do I really need this much tech for songs?”

Let’s put it this way. “Another One Bites The Dust” on Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos positions the listener right at the center of the studio recording of this classic Queen hit. If you tilt your head to the back, the bass and drums become closer. Moving over to your left on the other hand amplifies the effects. The swirling guitar effects that hovers also sound delightfully distant, not piercingly too close. It creates that much distance that places you in the “actual performance” that I almost asked Freddie Mercury to hand me my charger while I was writing this column entry. Apple is currently populating its music app with loads of other songs that are Spatial Audio and Dolby

Atmos-ready. There are dedicated tabs for these songs. It can really kill time browsing for titles and discovering details zooming in and out of your sound-trippin’ moments that weren’t there-even for the songs you think you know the most. But what happens to these boosted songs when all you have are the good, old reliable earphones? Apple Music will automatically send you to Lossless Audio, which is still way better than the MP3-level songs we were used to. Lossless is another feature that’s supposed to give the song quality the artist intended for the listener to experience. We’ve been adjusting to newer ways of navigating life since the pandemic so that we don’t have to go to the theaters or concert venues to experience immersive sound technology. Travel time to the venues have been replaced with a few taps on our handheld devices. Follow the author, @ Kayevillagomez on Instagram and Twitter for more “immersive” music, tech, and lifestyle updates.

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | OCTOBER 10, 2021

BUSINESS

SoundSampler by Tony M. Maghirang

Moira gives hope to 2 million Filipinos

Photo by Psorphil

HE Queen of Emotions Moira dela Torre still delivers ‘hugot’ songs that have earned her the top spot among the most-streamed Filipino artists on Spotify. With millions of followers on her social media accounts, Moira has become one of the most recognized faces in the local entertainment industry. But her latest contribution to “Sabi Nila,” the World Psoriasis Day 2021 Philippines United campaign video, puts her sensitive qualities to a whole new level. She immensely helps turn the emotional plea behind the video into a fighting call for the disheartened and despairing to rise up to a challenge. Many do not know that Moira has been battling psoriasis since her high school days. Psoriatic disease is characterized by red itchy scaly patches visible on the skin. Up to 30% of individuals develop inflammatory and disabling arthritis. Several co-morbid conditions associated with psoriasis include cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and depression. Psoriasis also sometimes referred to as psor carries a strong stigma on patients. Most of them prefer to hide their conditions for fear of being ostracized and disliked by society that puts a high

premium on flawless skin. It can also put a patient at a disadvantage in job prospects, and arguably, those that deal with the affairs of the heart. In the “Sabi Nila” video, Moira starts to untangle myths about psoriasis to set the record straight. Against background music that’s both chilly and weepy, Moira goes, “Nung malaman nila na may psoriasis ako, sabi nila ah galis lang yan.” Various other patients described by how long they’ve had psor, voice out misconceptions about the skin disease like “Nanuno raw ako”, “Sa hangin daw nakukuha,” “Lumayo ako, baka nakakahawa yung balat ko” and the cruelest insult, “Sabi nila, wala raw akong kasama sa labang ito.” In the final frame, Moira puts the myths in their proper place, declaring sternly: “Sabi ko, nandyan kayo. Panahon para itama lahat ng sabi-sabi. Kami

naman ang pakinggan niyo.” The underlying subtext is that she wishes to dispel the myths surrounding the disease which are mere hearsays that have been passed from one source to another. These unfounded and false assumptions about the disease form the barriers that patients face as stigma and it’s about time the rest of the world disabuse themselves of the foremost grave mistake because psor is neither communicable nor infectious. The “Sabi Nila” video was produced by Psoriasis Philippines aka Psorphil, a duly SEC-registered and globallyrecognized organization that represents the interests of the millions of Filipinos believed to be suffering in silence with psoriasis. According to the latest Psoriasis Atlas, there are at least 65 million people around the world suffering from psoriatic disease. In the absence of real data, key opinion leaders have assigned that 1-2% of the population in a tropical country like the Philippines. That is easily 1 to 2 Million Filipinos. Josef De Guzman, founder and president of Psorphil, said that Moira’s presence on the “Sabi Nila” video provides a face that most viewers can

relate to. He explained, “The status of Moira as a popular and well-known celebrity provides sparkle to our advocacy. Her millions of followers, for example would know about our plight so awareness about the disease may just improve significantly. “Alam nyo, napakataas ng stigma about psoriatic disease dahil kitang kita sya sa balat eh. Mahirap itago. If we can start transforming the public’s perception of the disease, starting with Moira’s legions of fans, then we already hit our main objective.” He also shared that even after passing the Psoriasis Resolution at the World Health Assembly in 2014, the majority of patients remain to have little or no access to medical care and treatment. The pandemic has added to the burden of the disease. Deaths from complications of uncontrolled illness and the alarming rise in suicidal ideation from 14% to 24% are significant concerns that require urgent attention. Psorphil is currently focusing much of its attention and resources on the passage into law of the Psoriasis Bill. The Bill seeks mainly to respond to the needs of indigent psor patients who have no means to maintain a life-long care for a chronic, debilitating disease.

Voting for a better future More young Filipinos are looking to participate in the 2022 polls with the extension of voter registration that reopens tomorrow By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez

olitics have defined Jessa Dulay’s career. In the last 10 years, she has been working with local and national politicians. The irony is that her voter registration status remains inactive. According to the 32-year-old party-list staff at the House of Representatives, she has failed to vote in two consecutive regular elections. “I’m registered in the province while I currently live and work in Manila, so I never got the chance to vote. However, I feel like this 2022 election is crucial in determining the future of our country,” Dulay told Y2Z. “This time, I no longer want to waste my privilege as a citizen.” She is not alone. Across the country, young voters are turning out in historic numbers. According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the youth now comprises 52 percent of the total registered voters. Of the 60.5 million Filipinos who signed up as of July to vote in the 2022 general elections, 31.4 million are in the 18-40 age group, which is classified as the youth vote. “The youth can become a very significant voting bloc,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said during the recent press briefing of the extension. “With the extension of voter registration, young voters are poised for another cycle of record turnout.” Jimenez announced that the voter registration extension begins tomorrow, October 11, and will run until October 30. Registrations will take place from Monday to Friday, no Saturdays, except for the last day (October 30), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. “All registration services offered,” Jimenez said.

Wee hours and long lines Prior to the extension, Comelec registration offices and satellite sites were lined up with long queues of voter registrants. Some even reported to the venues as early as 2 am.

Registrants in a satellite voter registration site in a mall in Pasay City. It was earlier announced that voter registration for the May 2022 national and local elections will reopen tomorrow, October 11. The extension will run until October 30. Nonie Reyes For instance, Nicolette de Guzman, 24, spent his night outside a mall in Ugong, Pasig, just to make it to the cut-off of 200 registrants per district. Sisters Dixie, 22, and Pia, 18, Fernandez said that it took them four hours to finish their registration in Quezon City. Despite the long queue, they are both “looking forward to taking part in public affairs by exercising [their] rights to vote.” But not all are rushing to beat the clock. Some registered early, like 23-year-old Mhey Florence Corpuz. “My family and relatives have always acknowledged the importance of being a voter,” she said. “Being in a space where it’s openly talked about is very encouraging, too.”

The youth’s ideal candidate Bold, compassionate, transparent, and competitive. These

are the qualities that Alanis Manantan, 25, looks for in a political candidate. Meanwhile, Marielle Alcantara, 23, honors sincerity and credibility. “It is important that we research on their projects and contributions since these also determine if they’ve been doing their jobs,” Alcantara said. “I also look into their platforms and opinions on issues we are facing today, especially those that also affect me.” Ted Cordero, a 29-year-old journalist, believes that young people need to be engaged in formal political processes. “When you vote, you have the power to be a catalyst for change. You have the power to elect a candidate who you think can improve our political system. You have the power to decide how the country is run,” he said.

Voter campaign boosts activities to spur more Filipinos to register

unior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines bolsters its #AmbagKo Rehistro. Boto. campaign initiatives to encourage more Filipinos to register with the registration extended until October 30. As it continues to harness digital platforms to shore up campaign efforts, JCI Philippines, the first nationally organized leadership development organization established in Asia, has lined up an online leadership training for the general public. The recently held first session, A Talk with Thought Leaders, was a Facebook live event featuring leaders and experts from different industries. The 3-hour session covered topics such as business innovation and digital transformation, family relationships and mental health, estate planning and real estate. JCI Philippines is also set to kick off its Emerging Leaders program, which aims to help the youth develop leadership skills and learn the principles of building positive relationship. It will also guide them in improving decision-making,

#AmbagKo campaign’s Tito Tuesdays hosts Glenn Dasmarinas and Dyard Magsipoc interview singer/songwriter Janine Berdin as they discuss a Gen-Z’s POV on registration and voting amid the pandemic. priority setting, critical thinking and interpersonal skills. The first Emerging Leaders session is scheduled for the last week of October and will include eight to 10 trainers. The main topics will go live on Facebook and all other workshops will be conducted over Zoom. Plans are afoot to make this a quarterly initiative be-

4 BusinessMirror

October 10, 2021

ginning next year. JCI will also be launching other online interactive activities such as trivia nights, a digital art competition and raffles to engage more netizens. To reach more Filipinos, in particular the youth, JCI Philippines has been onboarding social-media personalities in the #AmbagKo campaign. A recent episode of Tito Tuesdays, the campaign’s weekly podcast on Facebook, featured Tawag ng Tanghalan season 2 grand champion Janine Berdin. The It’s Showtime personality joined hosts Dyard Magsipoc and Glenn Dasmarinas in discussing why young people should register as voters. Other social-media influencers have been joining #AmbagKo as well. Jae Miranda, a fan-favorite TikToker, shared a photo of his purple thumb mark on his Facebook page with the caption: “With Filipinos 18 to 35 years old numbering 40 million or 37 percent of the entire electorate eligible to vote in 2022, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority and Comelec, millennial and Gen Z Filipinos play a key role in shaping the future of the Philippines.”