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‘GRAVEYARD’ FOR WASTE NO MORE T

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will no longer allow importation of hazardous—often disguised as recyclable—materials that are turning out to be highly toxic waste.

issuance of import permits, including import clearances for recyclable waste that arrived in the country’s ports of entry without prior permits. In the future, the Philippines may no longer allow altogether such importations.

“We will limit this. While we recognize the danger of being a dumping ground for e-waste, we cannot stop it immediately because certain industries still rely on these imported recyclable materials,” he said.

The most common recyclable materials allowed for importation are plastic resins, which are used to produce plastic products, but some are importing e-waste for parts that can still be salvaged.

“But soon, if we have alternatives or options from importers, maybe we can stop it altogether,” says Leones.

He also said the DENR will no longer issue permits or import clearance for shipments that already reached the country’s ports, says Leones.

PHL to regulate importation of recyclables, to turn ‘hazardous’ refuse back to sender

The policy, to be formalized in the form of a Department of Administrative Order (DAO), will prevent the dumping of imported waste, including electronic waste, on Philippine soil.

A stricter implementation of the policy will ensue once the DAO is issued, according to DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas R. Leones.

Republic Act 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990, covers the importation, manufacture, processing, handling, storage, transportation, sale, distribution, use and disposal of all unregulated chemical substances and mixtures in the Philippines, including the entry, even in transit, as well as the keeping or storage and disposal of hazardous and nuclear waste into the country for whatever purpose.

“We have what we call allowable waste wherein we only pick the parts. These are what we allow because certain industries need some parts that can be recycled,” said Leones.

However, Leones said once the Philippines ratifies the Basel Amendment, these will no longer be allowed.

Stricter entry requirements

A NEW guideline, strongly advocating for rigorous enforcement, governs the issuance of import permits for recyclable waste. This entails importers obtaining permits at least 30 days prior to the shipment’s scheduled delivery. The aim is to prevent situations where importers seek permits and clearance from the DENR only after the shipment has arrived and been unloaded from cargo vessels.

The DENR, he said, will be closely working with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to ensure the policy is enforced.

In addition, he said, the DENR would identify warehouses where these imported recyclable waste will be delivered. This will allow the DENR to monitor whether the shipment was indeed for recycling, or merely for dumping in the Philippines.

According to Leones, in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the DENR and a local nongovernment organization were able to establish e-waste recycling facilities in Caloocan, Malabon, and recently in Baguio City, where parts that have value are being recovered.

Currently, the Philippines generates 61,000 metric tons of solid waste daily, and lack of recycling facilities, particularly for e-waste, is adding to the problem.

The law also covers e-waste or electronic waste that includes anything with plugs, cords and electronic components.

The Philippines currently has three e-waste recycling facilities— in Caloocan, Malabon and most recently, Baguio City.

The common sources of ewaste include televisions, computers, mobile phones and any type of home appliance—from air conditioners to children’s toys.

Canadian waste import revisited

Lessons learned

TO prevent similar incidents from happening again, Leones said the DENR learned how to be extra strict from then on, regulating the

Piles of mixed e-waste EVGENIY PARILOV | DREAMSTIME.COM

ACCORDING to Leones, importers are currently allowed to import electronic parts, but because of the issue of the Canadian waste back in 2013-2014, the DENR had decided to review the policy issuances.

To avoid the Philippines becoming a dumping ground for imported waste, as exemplified by the misdeclaration of Canadian waste, the importation of recyclable waste, including second-hand appliances or outdated electronics such as television sets, radios, computers, notepads and cell phones, will be subject to strict regulations, sooner or later, according to Leones.

While a portion of the Canadian waste was “returned to senders,” some ended up being buried in open dumps, sparking vehement protests from environmental groups.

JOVER Q. LARION, Project Campaigner at Ecowaste Coalition (Ecowaste), a partner of the UNIDO and DENR in the e-waste campaign, said an ambitious plan being worked out with the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), led by its concurrent Continued on A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.9550 n JAPAN 0.3788 n UK 69.0921 n HK 7.2829 n CHINA 7.7852 n SINGAPORE 41.5942 n AUSTRALIA 36.0013 n EU 60.1559 n KOREA 0.0421 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.1819 Source: BSP (October 27, 2023)

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A2 Sunday, October 29, 2023

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US-China ties quietly mending even as global turmoil surges

W

By Bloomberg News

also made his first known visit to the nation’s central bank since becoming president a decade ago—telegraphing his focus on economic issues.

ITH the Israel-Hamas war further dividing a world shaken

by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and elevated inflation, US-China ties are suddenly providing cause for some optimism.

cally important,” according to Dongshu Liu, assistant professor specializing in Chinese politics at the City University of Hong Kong.

“Beijing is trying to at least calm down the tension between China and the US and stabilize relations,” Liu said. “But both sides understand that they cannot make a big compromise because of domestic pressure.”

Relationship nadir

CHINA’S relationship with the US crashed in August 2022, after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied Beijing’s warnings and visited Taiwan—the self-ruled democracy China claims as its own.

Beijing responded by freezing top-level military dialogue with the US, sparking concern that an accident in the Taiwan Strait could spiral into a conflict between the nuclear-armed powers.

Now, there are signs military ties are getting back on track. The US Department of Defense confirmed earlier this month it had accepted an invitation to take part in the Beijing Xiangshan Forum next week, the first time China has hosted the event in person since 2019.

China invited US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to the gathering, Reuters reported citing people familiar with the matter. While the US is sending a lower-level official, in line with precedent, the invitation is symbolic: Beijing has snubbed talks with Austin this year, demanding Washington remove sanctions on China’s defense minister as a condition for such dialogue.

Earlier this week, Xi fired Li Shangfu from that role amid reports of a corruption probe. Replacing the defense minister with a non-sanctioned official may open the door for talks with Austin.

Economic engagement

OFFICIAL ties are also improving between economic officials. Since welcoming a flurry of US officials to China in recent months, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Beijing has kicked off new working groups with the US. The first of those meetings dedicated to discussing economic topics with US Treasury staff took place virtually on Tuesday, with a second group discussing financial topics the following day.

“Dialogue is already improving. With the visits of several of the US leadership into China this year, I can see some important shifts in both the tone and in the practice,” Piyush Gupta, CEO at DBS Group Holdings Ltd., said on the sidelines of a business forum in Shanghai earlier this month. “People are now talking and they actually have an agenda of action. I am encouraged by that.”

The meetings come as Xi has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to support China’s long-term economic growth. The Chinese leader

AS communication lines rebuild, thorny topics remain, such as Xi’s support for Russia. The Chinese leader gave President Vladimir Putin a diplomatic platform at a major summit in Beijing earlier this month, defying Biden’s calls for Xi to stand against the Russians’ war.

China’s refusal to condemn Hamas after its deadly incursion into Israel is also a point of contention. Washington’s ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, called on Xi’s government to denounce terrorism by Hamas in an interview with Bloomberg TV last week.

“China’s position on the crisis continues to put it at odds with the US, and the crisis will likely appear high on the agenda” for Wang this week, analysts at the Eurasia Group wrote in a recent note.

Both nations’ ties to leaders on opposite sides of the conflict could be a point of collaboration, according to Dawn Murphy, associate professor of National Security Strategy at the US National War College.

“They could bring all parties together to prevent an escalation of this into a broader regional war,” she said.

When Wang visits Washington, he’ll sit down again with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, following up from two days of “candid” talks held in Malta last month on Taiwan and Russia.

The sheer amount of time Wang has put into negotiating with Sullivan ahead of APEC means the meeting has the potential to surprise on the upside, according to Richard McGregor, senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute.

“The key benchmark will be whether Washington has been able to persuade Beijing to put some guardrails on their head-to-head competition,” he said, “particularly in terms of military competition.”

‘Graveyard’ for waste no more Continued from A1

officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Gilbert Gonzales, is to put up at least one e-waste recovery or cycling facility for every local government unit (LGU) in the country.

Citing DENR-EMB data, Larion said that as of 2022, the Philippines has generated some 32,000 tons of e-waste.

‘Topnotcher’

MEANWHILE, a report by UNIDO showed that the Philippines is one of the top e-waste generators in Southeast Asia, with a per capita ewaste generation of over 4 kg. The volume of e-waste is increasing due to higher consumption of electrical and electronic equipment, shorter product life cycles, and limited repair options.

Although e-waste constitutes only around 2 percent of solid waste streams, it contributes to a staggering 70 percent of hazardous waste in landfills with devastating consequences on the environment and public health.

These items often contain dangerous substances like polybrominated diphenyl ethers, commonly used as flame-retardants, posing significant environmental and health concerns and emphasizing the critical importance of proper disposal.

Larion highlighted the alarming production of e-waste, particularly concerning for the Philippines—recognized as the texting capital of the world and a destination for second-hand television sets. The country has limited ewaste recycling facilities, making it challenging to dismantle these devices safely and dispose of them properly as hazardous waste at the end of their life cycle.

ECOWASTE COALITION

political environment to woo foreign investors as China’s economy slows, while the US wants to diffuse military and economic threats from the Asian powerhouse.

Chinese officials “understand that there is a small window of about three months to do this before the US goes into full blown election mode where both Democrats and Republicans will take tough positions on China,” said Theresa Fallon, director of the Brussels-based Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies.

Still, the relationship remains fragile. China and the US have taken opposite stances on the wars in Europe and the Middle East, and Washington is tightening trade curbs to kneecap Beijing’s access to cutting-edge tech.

A better-than-expected meeting between Biden and Xi about a year ago—the last time the two leaders spoke face-to-face—was soon derailed by an alleged Chinese spy balloon that passed over the US, underscoring how fast small gains can be lost.

Any meeting between Xi and Biden would mostly be “symboli-

RULETKKA | DREAMSTIME.COM

President Xi Jinping’s government has engaged with a flurry of US leaders since June, with the Chinese President telling a visiting senator this month there were “a thousand reasons to make US-China relations better, and no reason to make them worse”—some of his most dovish recent comments on the relationship.

The arrival of China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Washington on Thursday will continue that trajectory. The top diplomat will meet with President Joe Biden during his trip, as he smooths the path for an anticipated leaders’ meeting with Xi next month in California.

While Beijing hasn’t confirmed Xi’s attendance, the Chinese leader on Wednesday told the governor of that state, Gavin Newsom, that their nations’ “interests are closely intertwined.” The US governor said Thursday there had been “a demonstrable shift compared to where we were a few months ago.”

Both sides have reasons to foster friendlier ties ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco.

Beijing needs a more stable geo-

Conflict zones

He pointed out that even regular junk shops are not allowed to directly purchase such waste from households. This is because the materials in e-waste contain harmful chemicals that pose risks to both people and the environment.

To put up more e-waste recycling or recovery facilities, Leones said the DENR is partnering with telecom companies Globe and Smart and will work with LGUs to establish such facilities.

He noted that to run an ewaste recovery or recycling facility, for appliances like television, radio, computers and similar discarded equipment, the operator needs to secure a special permit from the DENR as such activity is covered by RA 6969.

For her part, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga reported there is room for institutionalization at the national level to enhance partnerships with UNIDO and other stakeholders, adding that an overarching program is needed.

The DENR chief instructed Leones to engage with UNIDO to establish a campaign similar to Extended Producer Responsibility for e-waste. This initiative, in collaboration with importers and LGUs, aims to enhance e-waste recovery efforts. Additionally, the goal is to integrate e-waste recyclers, including informal ones, into a program that formalizes the sector, offering a sense of dignity, especially for lowly waste collectors.

TheWorld

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Sunday, October 29, 2023

A3

Debt and scandal throw billionaire Patrick Drahi’s empire into turmoil

By Benoit Berthelot & Irene Garcia Perez

A

T Goldman Sachs’s gleaming Plumtree Court offices in London on September 6, Patrick Drahi pledged something that would once have been unthinkable: His willingness to put every part of Altice, the telecommunications and media giant he cobbled together over 30 years, up for sale.

“Everything is open...It’s just a question of offer and demand,” the French-Israeli billionaire told about 200 debt investors gathered in a packed auditorium and several more on Zoom, according to an unofficial transcript of the meeting seen by Bloomberg. “All in, man, all in. Plus the Eiffel Tower. Okay?”

The 60-year-old tycoon’s debt-fueled acquisitions when interest rates were low put his group among Europe’s most leveraged companies and one of the region’s largest junk-rated borrowers. Inspired by “Cable Cowboy” John Malone, Drahi expanded in Europe, Israel and the US, with his group’s independent units piling on a total of about $60 billion in debt with the help of some of the world ’s biggest financial institutions.

Now, rising interest rates are swelling financing costs and putting his business model into question. To make matters worse, Altice is entangled in a corruption scandal involving Drahi’s innermost circle, and the group’s businesses are flailing: Its biggest unit—French mobile operator SFR—has been steadily bleeding customers, losing 235,000 mobile clients in the first six months of this year.

Lining up divestments DRAHI loaded up on debt during the lowinterest rates era. Now, he’s racing to line up divestments before crunch time hits, with €20.1 billion ($21.3 billion) due before the end of 2027. Over the next 12 months, Drahi wants to cut leverage to around five times earnings, or about €4 billion, suggesting the need to raise as much as €3.5 billion via asset sales.

The divestments will mark a reversal for this serial buyer of assets, who is having to unravel an empire that gave him a net worth of about $22 billion at its peak, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The reputation of the self-made tycoon—who counts the auction house Sotheby’s among his personal assets—has been hammered.

“This is clearly the worst situation he’s been in,” says Thomas Coudry, a managing director at the independent investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co. and a former SFR finance director who left a year after Drahi took over the mobile operator in 2014. “The house of cards is tumbling like it has never tumbled before.”

Losses for investors on Altice debt continue to swell. Since December 30, bonds issued by Altice International and Altice France Holding SA have lost €918 million in market value, while the rest of the Bloomberg Euro High-Yield Index—excluding debt that has matured, been called, defaulted or was newly issued—gained €5.7 billion.

Drahi, who declined to be interviewed for this story, spoke via Zoom to unions representing employees in France on October 17. He said he was “very calm” since the next really big pile of debt is only due in 2027. Cooling economies and “the current geopolitical situation will bring rates down,” he predicted. He called on employees to help with what he said was the group’s “brand-image problem.”

Disappointing results “THERE are no structural problems,” he said.

That’s the narrative he presented to investors in London and New York in September as he prepared the ground to potentially renegotiate and postpone debt-refund deadlines. Cracking jokes and sounding both confident and defensive, Drahi painted a rosier picture of Altice’s outlook than its current sub-par state suggests, investors present said.

In the past when the group’s results were disappointing, yield-hungry investors allowed Altice to push its debt maturities forward without questioning its long-term viability, said Florian Chapel, a portfolio manager at Ironshield Capital Management.

But now, he said, higher rates, the corruption case and disappointing earnings with limited cash flows make an outright refinancing of short-term and mid-term debt difficult, forcing divestments or equity sales.

That said, the group’s outsize presence in the speculative-grade market still draws investors—Altice International was able last month to raise €800 million in a term loan to redeem debt due in 2025, albeit paying double the rate of the older paper.

“The good news for Drahi is that he should be able to find enough liquidity to deal with the 2025 and 2026 debt maturities, giving him at least three years until the next debt-maturity wall,” Chapel said.

“That’s plenty of time to reassure stakeholders on the recent governance issues and to try to turnaround the business.”

Trouble is, Drahi’s record for boosting liquidity via asset sales isn’t encouraging. Potential buyers say Drahi may put unrealistic price tags on the group’s assets, something he’s done in the past. His effort in 2021 to sell Altice’s Portuguese unit drew initial interest from Blackstone Inc., CVC Capital Partners, Apollo Global Management Inc. and others, but was called off because offers fell short of the €7 billion he was seeking.

“I don’t see Drahi in a position to value his group with large multiples,” said Bryan, Garnier’s Coudry.

Altice’s stable of businesses includes SFR, the No. 2 mobile operator in France, Meo in Portugal and Hot in Israel. The group is the biggest shareholder of BT in the UK and owns Suddenlink and Cablevision in the US. SFR has posted a series of disappointing quarters, while Altice USA’s shares have plummeted more than 90 percent since it was listed six years ago. The group’s indebtedness has limited investments in products and services in intensely competitive markets.

“Trust has to come not just from Drahi’s ability to manage his debt ratio, but also from his ability to get good results from his businesses, which is not the case in the short term,” says Pierre-Francois Merveille, a high yield credit analyst at Oddo BHF. The tycoon has hired advisers Lazard, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley for the sale of parts of his group, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The banks declined to comment.

Internal estimates at Altice see the data centers fetching as much as €1 billion. Drahi has expressed reluctance to sell his media business, which includes the popular French news channel BFM TV, because it’s doing well and is core to his strategy. It would take a high price—in the range of €1.5 billion to €2 billion—to convince him to sell it, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. For his most valuable and most indebted asset, SFR, Drahi favors selling a minority stake to private equity investors, Bloomberg has reported. Altice Portugal is still on the block.

Some private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds and telecom industry players are eyeing assets including SFR and the group’s stake in XPfibre in France. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Fund is in exclusive talks to buy its French data centers. Altice media has drawn interest from Drahi’s fellow billionaires in France. Still, it’s not clear how quickly or easily any of these deals can go through. The company is working on several options, with no rush to meet deleveraging objectives, an Altice spokesman said in response to Bloomberg queries, declining to comment on specific sales.

Cutting debt and reviving the group’s businesses aren’t the only fronts Drahi is fighting on.

About two months ago, a Portuguese investigation led to the arrest of his longest-

serving business partner and fellow billionaire, Armando Pereira.

Prosecutors uncovered a network of suppliers and intermediaries who allegedly benefited from kickbacks linked to contracts awarded

by Altice, not just in Portugal, but also in France and the US. Pereira’s lawyers have said he’s the victim of a trial by the media that has found him “guilty in public opinion” and that the “reality is not so simple,” according to a statement issued in July. More than 15 employees have been suspended, fired, or left the company after the probe, and some suppliers have been banned worldwide. No one has admitted any wrongdoing.

“There’s only downside risk from that investigation,” said Jens Vanbrabant, head of European High Yield at Allspring Global Investments.

Pereira, 71, a co-founder of Altice and Drahi’s right-hand man, was responsible for the technical side of operations, including procurement. Detained along with two other Portuguese men who allegedly set up businesses that won supply contracts from Altice, Pereira remains under house arrest. He and his lawyers declined to comment on the investigation.

A ltice USA’s chief procureme nt of f i c e r Yo s s i B e nc he t rit—Pereira’s son-in-law—was fired in August after he refused to engage with the company’s investigation. A lawyer representing Benchetrit declined to comment, but pointed to a previous statement highlighting that his client hadn’t been summoned for questioning in any jurisdiction.

Tatiana Agova-Bregou, an executive director at Altice France, was

placed on leave starting August 1.

She was in a romantic relationship with Pereira and is suspected by Portuguese prosecutors of benefiting from a €1.7 million apartment near Paris bought for her by Hernani Antunes, Pereira’s associate, according to people familiar with the matter. Agova-Bregou’s lawyer said she has so far not been sanctioned by Altice or presented with any evidence of wrongdoing on her part, and that she is not the owner of the apartment. Autunes’s lawyers declined to comment.

The investigation is still under way in Portugal and could take months or even years. It’s not clear if French and US authorities will open similar probes. Altice USA said it is conducting an internal investigation and reviewing its supplier and vendor relationships. A broad audit has

been launched in France for staff in the purchasing department.

Altice says it’s a victim of the alleged wrongdoing, although it has yet to bring legal action against any of the people allegedly involved. In his meeting w ith unions this month, Drahi said it was “stupid” to have centralized procurements.

“Purchasing policy is now carried out country by country, under the authority of the CEOs,” he said.

Drahi—who’s based in Zermatt, Switzerland, but frequently jets around on his private plane to Tel Aviv, Paris, London and New York—hasn’t been summoned by the Portuguese prosecutors.

He told investors he felt “betrayed and deceived” by those being investigated. However, Bloomberg News talked to more than a dozen Continued on A4

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Sunday, October 29, 2023

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Few transplant surgeons are Black. Giving medical students a rare peek at organ donation may help

By Lauran Neergaard

N

AP Medical Writer

ASHVILLE, Tenn.—It’s long after midnight when the bustling operating room suddenly falls quiet—a moment of silence to honor the man lying on the table.

This is no ordinary surgery.

Detrick Witherspoon died before ever being wheeled in, and now two wide-eyed medical students are about to get a hands-on introduction to organ donation.

They’re part of a novel program to encourage more Black and other minority doctors-to-be to get involved in the transplant field, increasing the trust of patients of color.

“There are very few transplant surgeons who look like me,” said Dr. James Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College, which teamed with Tennessee Donor Services for the project—one of several by historically Black colleges and universities to tackle transplant inequity.

Fresh off their first year at Meharry, six students spent the summer shadowing the donor agency to learn the complex steps that make transplants possible: finding eligible donors, broaching donation with grieving families, recovering organs and matching them to recipients sometimes hundreds of miles away.

In the operating room, student Teresa Belledent worried she’d get emotional seeing a donor’s face— especially this one, a Black father of six, just 44, who reminded her a bit of her own dad. Instead, calm descended as Dr. Marty Sellers, the organ agency’s surgeon, began retrieving the kidneys and

liver while teaching Belledent and classmate Emmanuel Kotey.

“I’m able to feel sad and honor this person ... and be able to focus on the act of helping other people,” said Belledent as the tired team began the two-hour drive back to Nashville from the Jackson, Tennessee, hospital.

The night’s tougher lesson: Hours into the surgery the room falls quiet again. The donor had died of a brain hemorrhage but now Sellers has found undiagnosed cancer in his lungs. The kidneys and liver, already carefully placed on ice, can’t be used. Still, the corneas can be donated—and for the two students, the surgery offered a powerful teaching moment.

“I got to see so much and do so much—and trying is better than not,” Belledent said.

Mistrust and the transplant gap

DESPITE record numbers of transplants in recent years, thousands die waiting because there aren’t enough donated organs—and some don’t get a fair chance. Black Americans are over three times more likely than white people to experience kidney failure. But they face delays in even being put on the transplant list and are far less likely than their white counterparts to get an organ from a living donor—the best kind.

Overall, Black patients make

MEHARRY Medical College students Emmanuel Kotey, center, and Teresa Belledent, right, watch as the liver and kidneys are removed from an organ donor on June 15, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn. They’re part of a novel pilot program to encourage more Black and other minority doctors-to-be to get involved in the transplant field, increasing the trust of patients of color.

AP/MARK HUMPHREY

up 28 percent of the waiting list for all organs but account for just about 16 percent of deceased donors. Increasing donor diversity also helps improve the odds of finding a good match.

“How do we close that gap?” was the question Jill Grandas, Tennessee Donor Services’ executive director, took to Hildreth.

The Meharry students know mistrust of the medical system—a legacy of abuses such as the infamous Tuskegee experiment that left Black men untreated for syphilis—is a barrier both to organ donation and seeking care, such as transplants, that people may not be familiar with.

Austin Brow n of Memphis said his grandfather “absolutely despised medicine,” and died of a heart attack after refusing an artery-clearing stent.

Belledent, of Miami, recalled her mother saying not to check the organ donor box when she got her driver’s license—because of a widespread myth that doctors won’t work as hard to save the life of a registered donor.

“Now that I’ve seen the process, it’s crazy to even think

Debt and scandal throw billionaire Patrick Drahi’s empire into turmoil Continued from A3

people, including current and former employees and suppliers who said procurements at the group were always murky and questionable. With alarms raised over the years by auditors, employees and unions, some investors question how someone as hands-on as Drahi could have been unaware.

“The group is known to be very centralized, with few key managers, and it looks like Drahi trusted his associate, which led to cracks in internal controls,” says Oddo’s Merveille.

Needled in September by an analyst about how he could have missed such practices at the group, Drahi turned on him to ask if he was married and how he could be sure his wife wasn’t cheating on him. “That’s how I feel about these individuals,” said the tycoon.

Although Drahi hasn’t been dragged into the corruption scandal, he has had other brushes with the law. He’s accused in Switzerland of faking a separation from his wife for tax reasons, according to media outlet Heidi.News, which cited sources at the Swiss tax authority. The case, with Swiss authorities seeking back taxes and penalties, is ongoing.

Drahi’s representatives and his lawyers in Switzerland declined to comment on it.

Group’s reputation hit

THE financial damage from Altice’s Portuguese probe is small, but the hit to the group’s reputation is significant, says Benoit Maynard, a Natixis analyst. “In terms of image, the impact of PereiraGate is far more negative, and raises questions of corporate governance and internal control,” he said in a note dated September 8.

Altice, Drahi and their representatives declined to comment on the investigation.

Drahi’s association with Pereira goes almost to the beginning of his career. The two men came from very different backgrounds, but their ambitions and complementary skill sets brought them together.

Drahi, born in Morocco, is the son of two math teachers who moved to France as a teenager. He went on to study at the country’s elite engineering school, Polytechnique, telling students there decades later that he found his career inspiration by looking at the Forbes rich-list.

Pereira, an automobile collector and a fan of rally-car racing, was born into “the poorest family” of Guilhofrei, near Braga in Portugal, according to the summary of his never-published autobiography entitled The Barefoot Billionaire. He immigrated to France in 1966 and climbed the ranks of a construction company

before launching his own cable installation business in 1985.

He met Drahi, who was starting a cable operator, in the mid 1990s, and they co-founded Altice in 2002 with the goal of consolidating players in the sector. Pereira, who held various titles, including executive CEO of SFR and COO of Altice Europe, has been a dominant presence at the group even when he had no formal role.

He often pressed suppliers for rebates of up to 30 percent, according to company insiders, and was known at the group as a ruthless cost-cutter. He slashed SFR’s headcount by a third—roughly 5,000 jobs—after Altice bought it in 2014, and took a similar approach at Portugal Telecom.

Internal videos seen by Bloomberg News show Pereira’s management style, which union representatives characterized as “brutal.” Post-Covid, he participated in a Q&A session, where he said he saw no point in compensating employees for their personal Internet bills for the company’s workfrom-home policy. Another video shows him lashing out at former executives before a large crowd during a company event, prompting nervous laughter from Drahi, standing next to him.

After the Portuguese probe became public, Altice said Pereira had not been a direct shareholder since

about,” Belledent said. “In the ICU, no one’s looking through stuff and trying to find your license, look for the (organ donor) heart on there.”

Stacey Scotton of Cleveland, Tennessee, said a cook in Meharry’s cafeteria listed the reasons he’s heard “that it’s not a good idea to be an organ donor. And I’m able to now go in and comfort him and correct, you know, some of those disbeliefs.”

Awe in the operating room

BACK at the Jackson, Tennessee, hospital, Kotey and Belledent are getting a very different anatomy lesson than medical students’ introductory lab with cadavers.

Machines keep oxygen and blood flowing to Witherspoon’s organs—and Kotey lets out a quiet “wow” upon touching a pulsating artery while assisting Sellers, the surgeon.

“It was the first time I’ve ever done anything like that. I didn’t want to mess up,” he said later.

Sellers gives precise instructions: Place your right hand here, pinch this spot, clamp that one.

The students learn to trim fat from 2005. But Drahi said on an investor call in August that his associate had a 20 percent carried interest in his other ventures, without elaborating, and arguing that the matter is private.

A trust contract known as “fiducie” under Swiss law, signed in 2019 and running until 2080, shows that Pereira has a 20 percent interest in the holding company of Sotheby’s.

Other documents seen by Bloomberg show that the two men shared business interests and co-invested in ventures such as Altice Europe, Altice USA, SFR’s office buildings in Paris, a private jet, a yacht and land in the Caribbean island of Nevis.

Debt and scandal

DRAHI is now openly distancing himself from Pereira. Conversations with the lawyers and advisers of the two former partners show they have entered a quiet communication war as they brace for potential conflicts that could end up in tribunals, and ultimately weigh on the fate of Drahi’s empire.

As he grapples with the twin challenges of debt and scandal, investors say Drahi may have to come up with a whole new model.

“The two pillars, financial and human, on which he built his group are turning against him,” says Bryan, Garnier’s Coudry. “He built his empire on debt, and it’s starting to crumble because of it. And he built his group with a small circle of people at the helm, which is also turning against him. It’s the combination of the two that’s put him in a corner today.” With assistance from Tara Patel, Olivia Solon, Libby Cherry, Tasos Vossos, Lynn Doan and Kristine Owram/Bloomberg

a kidney, stitch a biopsy wound and feel the lung nodule that proved cancerous—opportunities they normally wouldn’t get until far later in training.

“I’m a firm believer that students can’t get really excited about something they’re not exposed to,” said Hildreth, who thinks early experiences like this could help diversify the transplant field.

Only 5.5 percent of transplant surgeons and less than 7 percent of kidney specialists are Black.

The Meharry students were stunned to learn how rare donation opportunities are. Only about 1 percent of deaths occur in a way that qualifies someone to even be considered, and hospitals must alert agencies like Grandas’ fast enough to evaluate candidates and approach families.

“It’s not like you go to the hospital, you die and you automatically become a donor. There’s a lot more moving parts,” said Sam Ademisoye of Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Matching organs to recipients

IN a Nashville ICU, Brown is learning bedside care for a deceased donor—an 18-year-old motorcycle crash victim—and how to match the organs on the national waiting list.

T he hea r t i s i m med i ate ly claimed. But there’s a hitch with the lungs: Hospitals have said no for 16 patients, primarily because a week-old scan in the donor’s records suggested bruising.

Brown knows young donors’ organs usually are in high demand, and these lungs are working well.

“The denial, that blows my mind,” he said, helping nurses take the risky step of moving the body for another CT scan to prove the lungs really are fine.

The gamble pays off and the next transplant center in line grabs them.

The many steps to successful donation “are like gears in a

machine and the entire machine breaks down if one gear fails.

That’s my biggest takeaway,” said student Mikhail Thanawalla of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

What makes the difference for families

W H AT t he st udents may re member most were g r ie v i ng fa m i l ies who sha red t heir do nat ion e x per ience.

Daphne Myers, st r ug gl i ng w it h her son’s de at h at 26, init i a l ly wa s ready to ref use.

“I remember my reaction: I don’t want to talk about that,” Myers said. “I wasn’t educated on it. My generation wasn’t raised to be organ donors.”

But the donor representative didn’t make that request, instead asking Myers all about her son— how Haston Stafford Myers Jr. always helped others and loved to sing.

Only then did Myers learn her son was a registered organ donor and realized she supported his choice.

“She was caring,” Myers recalled. “That changed my opinion, changed my mind. ... The impact you guys can have on families, the caring that comes along with doing your job, it makes all the difference.”

It’s far too soon to know if the program pointed students to new career paths. But next year, Grandas plans to also invite students from a historically Black nursing school.

Kotey thinks he’ll become a general practitioner and pledges his patients “young to old, will know about organ donation.”

Belledent, though, has long wanted to become a surgeon.

She spent her childhood in Haiti and recalls family friends with kidney disease and no access to transplants. Specializing in transplant surgery “is definitely on the list because I like the idea of being able to give someone a second chance.”

Electric travel trailers are coming to the great outdoors, and could beat recreational vehicles

By Todd Woody

W

HEN Tesla launched the Model X in 2015, the world’s first electric SUV rolled on to a stage towing an Airstream travel trailer. In what seems like unintentional foreshadowing, the $30 billion US recreational vehicle market is now getting the Tesla treatment.

A pair of California startups staffed by alumni of the electric car company have developed the first self-propelled, battery-andsolar-powered travel trailers. The vehicles are set to hit the market in late 2024. Following the Tesla playbook, San Francisco’s Lightship and Silicon Valley-based Pebble aim to not just electrify a century-old icon of the American road; the companies are attempting to reinvent it for the EV age.

“We’re using technology to automate the hardest part of RVing, bringing this iPhonelike experience to the RV,” says Bingrui Yang, Pebble’s chief executive officer and an Apple veteran.

The Bay Area would seem an unlikely birthplace of the RV revolution. Finding somewhere to park a Model X, let alone a 30-foot-long travel trailer, is hard enough.

And the closest many locals get to RVing is renting a rig for a few days during the annual August exodus to Burning Man. Yet this may just be the time and place for electric trailer tech to blossom, given the confluence of the pandemic-triggered desire to escape to nature and growth of remote work along with the boom in EVs and efforts to build resilience to climate-driven power disruptions.

That’s because an electric travel trailer isn’t just an Instagrammable tiny house on wheels. If they fulfill their pre-production promises, the RVs equipped with powerful

batteries and solar panels will become mobile power plants, capable of operating off the grid for days or powering stationary homes during a blackout. Down the road, electric travel trailers could also supply power to the grid, helping utilities balance renewable energy production. (One hitch in that vision is the need to build out charging infrastructure at campgrounds.)

Lightship’s L1 Long Range travel trailer, for instance, boasts an 80 kilowatt-hour battery pack and a 3-kilowatt solar array integrated into its roof and awnings. “That’s approaching the amount of solar you put on your average house and six Tesla Powerwalls’ worth of energy,” says Lightship co-founder and chief executive officer Toby Kraus, referring to Tesla’s home battery system.

That startup’s offices in a San Francisco warehouse are filled with prototypes of the L1, including two chassis where engineers test battery configurations and power management systems. Co-founder Ben Parker, who’s also the company’s chief product officer, was a battery engineer on the Tesla Model 3. Kraus, meanwhile, served as a product manager for the Model S. Towing a 7,500-pound travel trailer puts a serious dent in the fuel economy of a fossil fuelpowered vehicle and reduces the range of an electric pick-up truck or SUV. The 27-foot-long L1 eliminates that penalty by propelling itself with an electric drive motor. Its sleek shape further reduces drag as does a feature called “road mode.” When you’re ready to hit the highway, the upper half of the 10-foot-tall trailer lowers so its profile is a shade under 7 feet tall when towed. (In “camp mode,” the L1’s interior ceiling height is 7 feet 6 inches and the wraparound windows give the vehicle an airy vibe.) Bloomberg News

Science Sunday

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

BusinessMirror

Sunday, October 29, 2023

A5

DOST CL exec: Science can solve PHL’s challenges

A STUDENT from Zambales pedals a bike-powered generator in the Science Centrum exhibit at the Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Week in Botolan, Zambales in Central Luzon, in mid-October. PHOTOS FROM DOST

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

A

MID the country’s various challenges is a beacon of hope: science.

Challenges in energy, malnutrition, pollution and much more can be solved by science, and it can be realized by creating a science culture first.

Regional Director Dr. Julius Caesar Sicat of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Central Luzon said this during the Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) opening ceremony in Central Luzon held in Botolan, Zambales, on October 18.

To foster science culture, Sicat said, “The [RSTW] celebration will expose students and citizens to what science, technology, and innovation [STI] can do toward nation-building.”

“Today, we come together to ignite the spark of innovation, cultivate the seeds of curiosity, and set forth on a journey that

promises to reshape the future not only of Zambales but of the entire Central Luzon,” Sicat pointed out.

DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Engr. Sancho Mabborang emphasized that the RSTW was filled with activities that highlighted DOST’s contributions to the field of STI. Mabborang said that whenever he’s in Region 3, or Central Luzon, his heart beats faster because he can see the improvements in the status and condition of the science community—the intensified partnerships and collaborations geared toward socioeconomic development, addressing various issues, and the country’s increased ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII) where it ranks 56th among 132 economies this year.

Different sectors in Central Luzon have benefited from innovations—such as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that generated revenues and helped create local employment

DOST-PCAARRD head: Sustainability science puts emphasis on stakeholder collaboration

DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo Ebora speaks at Session 3 on “Use of Sustainability of Science in Society” at the 2023 GRC Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting.

DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo Ebora speaks at Session 3 on “Use of Sustainability of Science in Society” at the 2023 GRC Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting.

KARL VINCENT S. MENDEZ PHOTO, DOST-PCAARRD

KARL VINCENT S. MENDEZ PHOTO, DOST-PCAARRD

HE Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) highlighted the application of “sustainability science” and other strategic science interventions at the 2023 Global Research Council (GRC) Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting in Pasay City in October 18 to 20.

Together with the delegates from different funding agencies and institutions worldwide, DOST-PCAARRD discussed its approaches to sustainable research and development (R&D), technology transfer and commercialization, and creating a lasting impact on communities.

DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, shared how the agency applies sustainabillity science in its research efforts.

Ebora pointed out that research should be a collaborative endeavor, engaging not only among scientists and researchers, but also with the very communities and industries it seeks to serve.

He said that sustainability science is a different take on scientific interventions that focus on a healthy connection between human society and the environment, specifically within interconnected socialecological systems.

It encourages the use of multidisciplinary approaches to better understand the interplay between humans and the environment, as well as the impact of this interplay on the challenge of sustainability.

“Sustainability science puts great emphasis on stakeholder collaboration, participation and engagement,” Ebora

explained. “To support good governance for a sustainable society and realize the full potential of sustainability science, it is necessary to build and strengthen connections among stakeholders, including governments, academe, scientists/experts, the private sec tor, non- government organizations, and civil society,” he added.

Guided by an unwavering commitment to sustainable development, he added that DOST-PCAARRD continues to approach various multifaceted challenges in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources sector through the concept of sustainability science and reshaping the way research is conducted and its profound impact on stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Director Noel Catibog of DOST-PCAARRD’s Technology Transfer and Promotion Division talked about the ethical considerations when doing technology transfer and commercialization initiatives.

As a public servant, he highlights the significance of ensuring accountability and transparency in dealing with technology transfer negotiations. “[Many] ethical pitfalls are involved in R&D to technology transfer, especially when you’re dealing with spin-offs because these are private entities making use of technologies generated from governmentfunded R&D,” Catibog explained.

With this, he said “policies, evaluation, process and other mechanisms should be in place to minimize any concern on ethics and conflict of interest.”

To ensure successful technology transfer initiatives, Catibog recommended considering key factors such as conflict of interest,

T

DOST CL Regional Director Dr. Julius Caesar Sicat (left) and DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Engr. Sancho Mabborang (right) poses for a photo with Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr.’s standee.

through SETUP (Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program).

For 2023, according to Mabborang, DOST Region 3 invested about P40 million to assist 681 firms that generated 5,429 jobs.

State universities and colleges were awarded grants for research and development that are focused on addressing the needs of communities, while less fortunate students were given scholarship grants.

School children in far-flung areas were provided digital educational technologies, such as Starbooks, an offline digital library containing science and technology instructional materials.

During the news conference, Mabborang noted that among 16 DOST regional offices, “Region 3 has been there as the top performer, probably the Top 3 region in the country.”

“I am glad that over the years, they’ve been able to come up with many technologies that benefit the local government unit, Retransparent evaluation, accountability, and fairness in any transaction.

Talking about the importance of impact assessment on scientific interventions, Dr. Ernesto Brown of the Socio-Economics Research Division discussed the significance of ex-ante assessment in proposal evaluation, especially in setting priorities for funded projects and programs.

According to Brown, identifying such details will help funding agencies and research institutes determine the value of initiatives and better allocate resources.

He explained that setting priorities using ex-ante assessment can help address the need to take advantage of a project’s potential or worth by estimating the project’s expected return on investment.

It also​ establishes quantitative criteria to further enhance objectivity in priority setting​. This can be used within subsector or within commodity prioritization since analysis is done at the project level​.

“In DOST-PCAARRD, we have done 26 ex-ante assessments and these really informed much of the R&D decision of DOST-PCAARRD,” he said.

Through the ex-ante analysis, “we have determined that our industry strategic plans and the projects consisting of those plans are really viable investment projects for the society because they generate enough returns,” Brown pointed out.

Global effort for sustainable R&D solutions

THE GRC Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting is a three-day event that welcomed over 120 delegates from different countries in the AsiaPacific region.

Centering on the topic of “Sustainable Research,” the 2023 GRC Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting promoted data sharing and best practices among its members, as well as the expansion of public support for R&D. International organizations and research institutions from across the globe shared their views and ideas on top current and emerging regional issues.

GRC, a virtual organization, is composed of the heads of science and engineering funding agencies from around the world. It is dedicated to promote the sharing of data and best practices for high-quality collaboration among funding agencies worldwide. Karl Vincent S. Mendez/S&T Media Services

gion 3, and also in other regions,” he added.

Sicat highlighted the region’s best technical consultancy initiative about food safety. The Central Luzon Food Safety Team, Sicat said, is “way beyond the functions” of their people, which is looking into the safety of the food peddled in the region.

“This may sound very simple to some but if you would analyze the rate of food poisoning occurring, it’s quite a lot,” he said.

Sicat said they conducted pilot testing at Central Luzon State University in Tarlac and in San Fernando City and were able to come up with schemes to monitor the suitability of food products as well as training the vendors and other establishments on food handling.

Those who comply with food safety requirements are given a sticker to signify that their food products are safe.

DOST Central Luzon will be launching the Centra l Luzon

SCIENCE Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. delivers his message through video at the opening of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in Central Luzon held in Botolan, Zambales, on October 18.

Food Safety Academy, which will provide food safety consultancy services to enterprises to acquire license-to-operate from the Food and Drug Administration to be able to manufacture, import, export, sell, and distribute food products.

“This will be institutionalized and will be a regular service of the DOST in Central Luzon. This will be the first,” Sicat declared.

Dr. Elizabeth N. Farin, vice president for Research, Extension, Training, Production, Statistical Services and Publications of President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU), said they developed a technology on mangoes through the assistance of DOST and the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The Guinness Book of World Records noted in 1995 that mangoes grown in Zambales are the sweetest in the world.

The LGUs in Zambales and Central Luzon now utilize the tech-

nology, which is focused on good agricultural practices.

PRMSU also has a project to increase the production of salt and organic vegetables in Zambales and in the region funded by DOST and the DA, Farin added.

Botolan Mayor Jun Omar Ebdane shared the farming practices and technologies developed by DOST for crop production in Eastern Botolan, such as carbon, organic, and regenerative farming.

Secretary Renato Solidum Jr said in a video message that the objective of the RSTW is to showcase the achievements and developments in STI by local scientists, researchers, engineers, inventors, and innovators that impact and improve the daily lives of the people.

“It also aims to get the pulse of the people in the countryside, to get insights into their needs and aspirations so that we could craft STI-based programs and projects for all-inclusive and socio-economic development,” he added.

DOST-FPRDI opens bamboo facilities to clients

A LAGUNA University faculty member checks the engineered bamboo on display at the FPITC. DOST-FPRDI PHOTO

I

N celebration of the Philippine Bamboo Month, the Forest Products Research and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-FPRDI) opened its bamboo facilities to the public last September.

Dubbed “Lakbay Kawayan: An Appreciation Tour of Select DOST-FPRDI Bamboo Facilities,” the activity showcased two of the institute’s newest facilities that could be availed of by bamboo-using businesses— the Bamboo Musical Instruments Processing Center and the Forest Products Innovation and Training Center (FPITC).

The event also presented some ideas on how the participants could further process bamboo into various engineered products and charcoal briquettes.

DOST-FPRDI experts also gave lectures on some preservative-treatment options for bamboo to make it less appetizing for bio-

ENGR. Amado Allan Bondad (left photo) demonstrates how to make charcoal briquettes to Lakbay Kawayan guests, while participants try playing some bamboo musical instruments at the BMI Processing Center. DOST-FPRDI PHOTOS

deteriorating agents like powder-post beetles and termites.

“This Bamboo Month, we wanted to provide MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises] an overview on how they can use science, technology and innovation in improving their bamboobased businesses,” explained Technical Services Division Chief Maria Cielito G. Siladan.

“We hope that through the Lakbay Kawayan, we were able to reach out to our clients and showed them-many opportunities to expand their bamboo enterprises,” Siladan added.

During the event, technology transfer specialists discussed available training services and the procedure in adopting technologies of DOST-FPRDI. “Tubò,” the Institute’s Technology Business Incubator, was likewise introduced during the activity.

“Through Tubò,

entrepreneurs may use the Institute’s forest products processing technologies, and can be assisted in various aspects of business development, which include helping them register their business, get grant applications, protect their intellectual property, and obtain certification for required tests,” Siladan said.

Bamboo is known for its fast growth and regeneration.

It is sturdy, strong and flexible, and can grow even in poor soil conditions and denuded lands.

With bamboo’s excellent qualities and economic potential, DOST-FPRDI has considered it one of its main raw materials.

“The Institute continues to develop various technologies to harness the full potential of bamboo as a material for construction, furniture, handicrafts, engineered bamboo, among others,” said DOST-FPRDI Director Romulo T. Aggangan. Apple Jean C. Martinde Leon/S&T Media Service

A6 Sunday, October 29, 2023

Faith

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

When does grief end–or does it ever?

T

By Edwin P. Galvez

HERE is no shortcut or a “magic formula” to the grieving process nor is there a linear timeframe when grieving is expected to end and allow healing to begin.

This is the hard truth that anyone who has lost a parent, a spouse, a child, a best friend or a close family member must take to heart.

In his talk on the topic “Lingap: Self-care in times of grief and loss” on October 23, Dr. Philson Manuel, grief counselor and psychotherapist, said there is no such timeline or a formula even in therapy.

Grief is an “ intensely personal process” and that some people, he said, may take one mont h, one yea r or even 10 years to move on.

Organized by Aeternitas Chapels and Columbarium on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, Manuel ’s talk centered on how one can heal and recover from the painful experiences of grief that can affect overall wellness.

“Lingap [Compassionate caring],” he said, is about giving utmost value (“pagpapahalaga”), attention (“pag-aasikaso”), favor and protective care toward someone experiencing grief.

“Grief is a normal and appropriate response to an experience of loss and death of a loved one,” he said.

He said it is “a point of disorganization in one’s life” as the loss would mean the absence of a person’s physical presence.

“It is seemingly unnatural because life and living life is about breathing and liveliness, while death is the opposite of these,” he added.

As one grieves though, “the pain is somehow diminished,” he said in Filipino.

Manuel shared that losing a loved one affects the daily routine or day-to-day functioning of the bereaved.

“You can’t eat or you don’t want to take a bath. You want to isolate yourself and you don’t want to talk to people because you don’t have the energy to do it. These are normal experiences during grief,” he explained.

GRIEF Counselor and Psychotherapist Dr. Philson Manuel gives a talk titled, “Lingap: Self-care in times of grief and loss,” on October 23 as part of Aeternitas Chapels and Columbarium’s community activity. During his talk, Manuel leads a “lingap” ritual through a body movement activity. It urges those in grief to “embrace” themselves, God, other people and life. It aims to honor—their emotions and their attempt to survive grief; their support system and God, who give comfort in the journey during grief; and to remind oneself that the death of a loved one is not the end. PHOTO BY RUDY LIWANAG, COURTESY OF AETERNITAS CHAPELS AND COLUMBARIUM

DR. Philson Manuel, grief counselor and psychotherapist, during his talk on “Lingap: Self-care in times of grief and loss,” on October 23. The event is part of Aeternitas Chapels and Columbarium’s community activity on grief care awareness.

Overcoming fear

couraged the grieving to share his or her story as it helps one realize he or she is not alone.

“The part of our brain that is activated when we talk to our loved ones is the same part that is activated when we pray to God,” he said.

GRIEF can also bring about fear, he said, including the fear of losing oneself.

The loss of a partner can also lead to the fear of growing old alone, particularly when that partner used to be the center of one’s life.

Even the prospects of forgetting how the other person looks, the sound of his or her voice and that others might also forget him or her become frightening possibilities.

This fear could also lead to one avoiding certain places, doing old routines or engaging on anything connected with the other person because these might instigate a mental breakdown.

Manuel shared that the depth of one’s grief is influenced by the circumstances surrounding the loss, the quality of the relationship with the departed, the manner of death and other issues that had no closure.

Any unfinished business with the person, having regrets, or the nature of the death itself (terminal illness, accident, etc.) could complicate the grief experience.

“One should immediately seek help from a grief counselor or a therapist when the fear becomes overwhelming,” he advised.

Sharing one’s grief

MANUEL said people need to talk about the elephant in the room— death—“because it is part of the typical human experience,” including the disorientation caused by the suddenness of or the cir-

cumstances of death.

“Let’s remove the stigma. It is normal that after a death in the family, you avoid talking about it at home. You don’t want to talk about it for fear you would all break down,” he said partly in Filipino.

While one needs to give space for each other, one also needs to check on each other, he said.

On the emotions associated with grief—denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance— or the stages based on the work of Swiss-American psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler Ross, he said the grief experience is more like an emotional rollercoaster than a linear process.

“We go through all them, but in reality, sometimes you have acceptance, then sadness sets in the next day,” he explained.

This is why grief counseling and grief work are important.

“Grief work entails the processing of loss through therapeutic conversation and encounter.

Grief counseling can be a one-onone encounter, a family setup or group processing,” he explained.

Modalities of art, dance, or movement can be incor porated in grief work, while emotions a re ident i f ied a nd ac k nowledged in a safe space during grief counseling.

“Walking through one’s grief and encouraging the mourning person to talk about his or her emotions” could be one-on-one sessions or they may involve the whole family or a support group.

Though difficult, Manuel en-

Harnessing community support

“GOING through grief and mourning may include a partnership with a community through sympathy (“pagdadamayan”) and solidarity (“pagkakaisa”),” Manuel said.

One can offer to help the family settle down, attend to their mourning ritual, and set up wake or chapel services that pay homage to their loved ones. “ T here is psycholog y of space—the space where we move around impacts how we process our emotions,” he said.

He shared that a “sense of peace and serenity” are parts of the full range of services and hotel-like facilities of Aeternitas Chapels and Columbarium provide as its expressions of sympathy and solidarity with the bereaved family.

The Francisco family, led by its Chairman Rolando G. Francisco, has invested between P1.2 billion to P1.5 billion on the nine-stor y property on Commonwe a lt h Ave nue, Q ue z on Cit y, beside St. Peter Par ish Church, Aeternitas Marketing Director Hero B. Francisco said.

There is no loud piped-in music that disturbs the airy and warm ambience of its grand lobby. Instead, bird chirps complement

The spacious and quiet setting helps one to spend meaningful moments with a deceased loved one at the Aeternitas Vault Area.

the soothing lanai with its floorto-ceiling waterwall feature and lush greenery.

Aeter nitas helps ca lm t he mourners’ spirit with its 13 wellthought-out chapels (14 more are in the works); butler service for personalized attention; a prayer room; a counseling room; in-room spa service; and a business center.

Construction on Aeternitas’ first mortuary building began in 2017, according to Francisco. Its offices opened in the first quarter this year, followed by a 24/7 convenience store concessionaire and its coffee shop, Café O’.

Francisco said chapel rates with a complete burial package start at P125,000, cremation packages range between P61,000 to P100,000, and columbary vaults are priced between P117,000 to P319,000.

Its premium chapels cost between P450,000 to P900,000— with terrace views of the Sierra Madre mountain range—can accommodate between 60 to 120 guests. Its 30-square-meter hotellike family room is kept clean daily by housekeeping staff.

He added that young people are investing in their columbary vaults, which appreciate in value by 5 percent to 10 percent each year.

There are 45,000 columbary vaults on sale with those facing the Sierra Madre costing at least P200,000 each. Each vault can accommodate four to six urns.

Taking care of one’s self

AS one moves onto a new chapter in his or her life with the passing of a loved one, it is important to take care of one’s self because of the responsibilities and roles that

he or she still needs to fulfill.

“The death of a loved one is not the end, although it may feel as if it is,” Manuel said. “Do not be hard on yourself. Be kind to yourself.”

These self-care strategies can help while grieving: Keep yourself healthy (physical).

One may find it difficult to get adequate sleep, eat a balanced diet or engage in regular exercises, push yourself even if you are not motivated. Do small and manageable activities. Remember, if you are a parent, behavior modeling affects your children.

Grieve as long as it takes (mental). A grieving person could be anxious, sad, guilty, hopeless, or fearful—negative emotions leading to unhealthy thinking patterns, in turn, make the grieving worse than it already is. Cry if you have to when you miss the person you love.

Express your emotions. It is all right to be sad, lonely, confused or even angry, so express them rather than suppress them when your loss sinks in.

Make a “ hinga-nalangin [breathing-prayer].” Breathing exercises can regulate depression symptoms. Do this for 5 minutes to 10 minutes after waking up or before sleeping. Silently say a prayer (“Lord, help”) when one inhales (Lord) through the nose for 3 seconds, hold for 3 seconds, and exhales (help) through one’s mouth.

Manuel—who also contributed a piece in the award-winning inspirational book, “This Season of Grief: Stories, Poetry, Prayers, and Practical Help,” that was published by OMF Literature—said that grieving may take a while because our love for our departed endures and perseveres.

Bp. David: Synod is continuation of Vatican 2

V

ATICAN—The faith is immutable, but doctrine can develop and has in fact developed over time.

This was pointed out by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the archbishop of Vienna and one of the Church’s top intellectuals.

The Bohemian-born Dominican, who taught dogmatic theology and headed the team that produced the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992 under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, on parried questions from journalists covering the 2023 Synod of Bishops at the Vatican.

Sc hönbor n reca l led t hat St. John XXIII “spoke of the immutability of the doctrine” at the opening of Vatican 2, the ecumenical council convened from 1962 to 1965 that introduced major reforms in the Church.

He pointed to the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation of the Word, and the Institution of the Eucharist by Jesus as examples.

“What the creed says is valid everywhere in the world,” Schönborn said.

“The apostles did not die for

another faith than the 21 martyrs of Libya, the Coptic martyrs. They died exactly for the same faith as the apostles died,” he said, referring to Coptic Orthodox Christians beheaded by the Islamic State in 2015 and recognized by Pope Francis as martyrs in May. “ The faith…transmitted by their parents and by their Church has of course enormously developed since the apostles. But it has not been changed. That is classical Catholic teaching,” the Austrian prelate said.

Earl ier in t he news br iefing, Schönborn said it was up to the pope to make changes to the catechism, as it was the pope who had promulgated it.

He was asked if references to homosexual acts as “objectively disordered” could be removed, a key demand of LGBTQ campaigners.

But he pointed to a 2018 revision in the catechism ordered by Pope Francis, in the paragraph on the death penalty, which is now “inadmissible” in all cases.

The death penalty was not excluded previously if there was no other choice in defending people

against an “unjust aggressor.”

Schönborn revealed that St. John Paul II, who promulgated the 1992 catechism, in fact wanted to explicitly condemn the death penalty, while St. Theresa of Calcutta repeatedly asked the late pontiff to strike it out of the text.

The paragraph in question, No. 2267, is under Article 5, on the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.”

‘Dynamic’ tradition

AT a general congregation of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops a few days ago, an Australian expert on Vatican 2 told delegates that tradition itself—teachings handed down from the apostles—can be “dynamic,” rather than “static.”

Fr. Ormond Rush, a professor at Australian Catholic University, invoked Ratzinger, who served as a theological expert during Vatican 2, and the council document Dei Verbum on divine revelation.

Rush quoted Ratzinger’s 1969 commentary titled “Theological Highlights of Vatican II,” which

states: “Not everything that exists in the Church must for that reason be also a legitimate tradition; in other words, not every tradition that arises in the Church is a true celebration and keeping present of the mystery of Christ.”

Dei Verbum, Rush said, retrieved “a personalist understanding of revelation, as found in the Bible and in the patristic writings of the early centuries of the Church.”

“In Dei Verbum—and this is important for understanding synodality and the ver y purpose of this Synod—this divine revelation is presented as an ongoing encounter in the present, and not just something that happened in the past,” he said.

“This Synod is a dialogue with God. That has been the privilege and challenge of your ‘conversations in the Spirit.’ God is waiting for your reply,” he added.

‘Signs of the times’

BISHOP Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the

DELEGATES arrive at the Paul VI Hall for the Synod on Synodality in the Vatican on October 21. ROY LAGARDE

Philippines and a biblical scholar, said the “Synod on Synodality” is a continuation of the work of Vatican 2.

Addressing critics of the synod who claimed the assembly could be listening more to the “spirit of the age” than the promptings of the Holy Spirit, David said Christians should “learn to live meaningfully in this world.”

“What you call ‘spirit of the age’ is pejorative. You can also make it positive. Vatican 2 called it, the ‘signs of the times.’ The signs of the changing times in this world,”

David told CBCP News.

While the “main meat and substance of the doctrine” should remain the same, “the circumstances are changing,” he said.

“The Holy Spirit will also make us listen to the spirit of the age.

Whether we like it or not, we live in this world. How can we ignore this world? Yes, we are aiming for the Kingdom of God. But we live in the here and now. We live in this world. God created this world, and the world is good. We do not condemn the world, right?” David explained. Felipe F. Salvosa Ii/Cbcp News

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, October 29, 2023 A7

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Meet Mount Nacolod’s 2 newly identified beetles

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

“The collection site is a lowland dipterocarp forest between 200 to 400 meters altitude. This species seems to prefer tall forests at the lower hills of Mount Nacolod,” he pointed out.

M

EET the Nacolod turquoise beetle and the Silago blue beetle. These two newly discovered species, also called weevils, are site-endemic and thrive among other beetles that come in different colors, shapes and sizes in specific areas in the montane forest of Mount Nacolod in Leyte province.

While the two beetles may be “old residents” of the thick forests in the area, it was only recently that they were discovered as new and distinct species from the rest that are already known to science.

Authored by Dr. Ann Cabras of Davao Oriental State University, Tristan Senarillos and Dr. Jayson Ibanez from the Research and Conservation Program of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), a peer-reviewed study identifying the two new species was published in the scientific journal Ecologica Montenegrina.

Beneficial insects NOT to be mistaken for a bug, beetles are insects based on their simplest definition: small, six-legged and with wings.

Are they beneficial to humans and to the environment?

In the natural environment, generally, all insects are beneficial and could not be considered pests.

Some beetles are pollinators, which help forest plants grow healthier.

Some also help farmers as insectivores that eat pests that feed on crops.

More importantly, soldier beetles are great pollinators. As they spread pollen from flower to flower, they help trees to bear fruit and allow each tree to repopulate an area with its seeds.

Cabras, the primary author of the paper, said some members of the weevil tribe Pachyrhynchini are known pests. But the two newly discovered species need further study.

Significant discovery CABR AS said that from the point of view of taxonomy, or the classification of organisms, systematics and evolutionary history, the discovery of the two new weevil species is sig-

Center of biodiversity

MOUNT Nacolod in Leyte province PHOTOS COURTESY OF STUDY AUTHORS DR. ANN CABRAS, TRISTAN SENARILLOS AND DR. JAYSON IBANEZ nificant because it points out the gaps in taxonomic knowledge for weevil studies in the country.

“A lot of species remain undescribed from places which have been underexplored for its weevil fauna, including Leyte,” she said.

Weevils are generally plant feeders. The adults munch on young tender leaves and flowers of some plants, Cabras noted.

However, she said no studies have been done yet on their ecological roles other than being a great biological indicator of the age and health of the forest.

She noted that the level of habitat degradation can be determined by the kind of species thriving in the area.

“Some species are highly associated with old-growth forests, while others [are identified] with secondary or degraded forests,” she explained.

Moreover, the two new beetle species “could be a possible pollinator given their association with plants and often visit flowers, but no concrete data on that one yet,” she said.

“Other than being a biological indicator of the health and age of the forest, they’re important food items for frogs, lizards and birds,” Cabras added.

the authors said.

Senarillos explained that indicator species are biological organisms, including plants, animals and microorganisms, that provide valuable information about the overall health or condition of an ecosystem.

“For example, Metapocyrtus silago sp nov. [Silago blue beetle] is an indicator of lowland forest, typically found around 200 to 300 meters above sea level. On the other hand, the presence of Metapocyrtus nacolod sp. nov. [Nacolod turquoise beetle] indicates middle to high-altitude forest, found around 700 meters above sea level and above. These two species have never been documented to overlap in habitat,” he noted.

According to Senarillos, the presence of both M. nacolod and M. silago “tells us that there is still a relatively good forest for them to thrive on.”

“These species have a localized population—with M. nacolod found only in the upper dipterocarp forestmontane forest of Mount Nacolod, while M. silago lives in lowland dipterocarp forests of the same mountain. Both species have never been documented outside open landscapes and agricultural areas, indicating that they are forest-dependent,” he added.

Indicator species

Mount Nacolod: A Key Biodiversity Area

THE two new beetle species are indicator species in their respective habitats,

IT is no wonder that Mount Nacolod

Study: Even with carbon emissions cuts, part of Antarctica doomed to slow collapse

N

O matter how much the world cuts back on carbon emissions, a key and sizable chunk of Antarctica is essentially doomed to an “unavoidable” melt, a new study found.

Though the full melt will take hundreds of years, slowly adding nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters) to sea levels, it will be enough to reshape where and how people live in the future, the study’s lead author said.

Researchers used computer simulations to calculate future melting of protective ice shelves jutting over Antarctica’s Amundsen Sea in western Antarctica.

The study in journal Nature Climate Change found even if future warming was limited to just a few tenths of a degree more—an international goal that many scientists say is unlikely to be met—it would have “limited power to prevent ocean warming that could lead to the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.”

“Our main question here was: How much control do we still have over ice shelf melting? How much melting can still be prevented by reducing emissions?” said study lead author Kaitlin Naughten, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey.

“Unfortunately, it’s not great news.

Our simulations suggest that we are now committed to the rapid increase in the rate of ocean warming and ice shelf melting over the rest of the century,” Naughten added.

While past studies have talked about how dire the situation is, Naughten was

Metapocyrtus nacolod sp. nov.

A: male holotype, dorsal view; B: female paratype, dorsal view; C: ditto, male, lateral view; D: ditto, female, lateral view

the first to use computer simulations to study the key melting component of warm water melting ice from below, and the work looked at four different scenarios for how much carbon dioxide the world pumps into the atmosphere.

In each case, ocean warming was just too much for this section of the ice sheet to survive, the study found.

Naughten looked at melting gatekeeper ice shelves, which float over the ocean in this area of Antarctica that is already below sea level.

Once these ice shelves melt, there’s nothing to stop the glaciers behind them from flowing into the sea.

Naughten specifically looked at what would happen if somehow future warming was limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5°C) or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (2.7°F) over mid-19th century levels—the international goal—and found the runaway melting process anyway.

The world has already warmed about 1.2°C (nearly 2.2°F) since preindustrial times and much of this summer temporarily shot past the 1.5 °C mark.

Naughten’s study concentrated on the part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that is most at risk from melting from below, near the Amundsen Sea. It includes the massive Thwaites ice shelf that is melting so fast it got the nickname “the Doomsday Glacier.”

West A ntarct ica is on ly onetenth of the southern continent but is more unstable than the larger eastern side.

T h at p a r t of A nt a rc t ic a “ i s

doomed,” said University of California Irvine ice scientist Eric Rignot, who wasn’t part of the study. “The damage has already been done.”

University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos, who also wasn’t part of the study, said this ice sheet “eventually is going to collapse. It’s not a happy conclusion and it is one that I’m only saying reluctantly.”

Naughten doesn’t like to use the word “doomed,” because she said 100 years from now the world might not just stop but reverse carbon levels in the air and global warming.

But she said what’s happening now on the ground is a slow collapse that can’t be stopped, at least not in this century.

“I think it’s unavoidable that some of this area is lost. It’s unavoidable that the problem gets worse,” Naughten told The Associated Press.

“It isn’t unavoidable that we lose all of it because sea level rise happens over the very long term. I only looked in this study up to 2100. So after 2100, we probably have some control still,” she explained.

No matter what words are used, Naughten said she and other scientists studying the area in previous research conclude that this part of Antarctica “couldn’t be saved or a lot of it couldn’t be saved.”

Naughten’s study did not calculate how much ice would be lost, how much sea level would rise and at what speed.

But she estimated that the amount

is flourishing. It is considered a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) in the southernmost part of Leyte Island.

Along with Mount Anonang-Lobi, Mount Nacolod is known for its unique biodiversity and socio-ecological importance, the author said in the study.

Mount Nacolod was declared a national forest reserve in 1966 through Proclamation 121. S 1966. It is characterized by a variety of vegetation types, including tropical lowland, secondary and mossy forests. It also serves as a critical habitat for southern Leyte’s flora and fauna, the study says.

A future Philippine eagle release site THE PEF reported that Philippine eagles were sighted on Mount Nacolod in the past.

However, after Super Typhoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan), no more eagles were seen during annual surveys.

“We think that Yolanda has killed off the remaining Philippine eagles on Nacolod. However, surveys of food species and habitat quality indicate that Mount Nacolod can still fulfill the food and habitat needs of Philippine eagles that will be released at the site in the future,” PEF’s Ibanez said.

“Apart from bringing back eagles to Mount Nacolod, the release can

of ice in the area most at risk if it all melted would raise sea levels by about 1.8 meters (5.9 feet).

However, she said, that is a slow process that would play out through the next few hundred years through the 2300s, 2400s and 2500s.

Naughten said that may seem like a long way away, but noted that if the Victorians of the 1800s had done something to drastically change the shape of our world, we would not look well on them.

This type of sea level rise would be “absolutely devastating” if it happened over 200 years, but if it could be stretched out over 2,000 years, humanity could adapt, Naughten said.

“Coastal communities will either have to build around or be abandoned,” Naughten said.

While this part of Antarctica’s ice sheet is destined to be lost, other vulnerable sections of Earth’s environment can still be saved by reducing heat-trapping emissions—so there is reason to still cut back on carbon pollution, Naughten said.

Twila Moon, deputy chief scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center who wasn’t part of the research, said she worries that most people will see nothing but doom and gloom in the research.

“I don’t see a lot of hope,” Naughten said. “But it’s what the science tells me. So that’s what I have to communicate to the world.”

Naughten quoted former NASA scientist Kate Marvel, saying “when it comes to climate change we need courage and not hope. Courage is the resolve to do well without the assurance of a happy ending.”

Seth Borenstein/AP Science Writer

Metapocyrtus silago sp. nov.

A: male holotype, dorsal view; B: female, dorsal view; C: ditto, male, lateral view; D: ditto, female, lateral view. also provide an umbrella attention and protection to the unique beetles and all other biodiversity sharing Mount Nacolod with the beetles and the people,” he added.

Rich, understudied biodiversity THE authors said Mount Nacolod is relatively understudied, with only a few surveys of vertebrate fauna.

Citing the results of a biodiversity baselining study done by German Agency for International Cooperation in 2013, the authors said Mount Nacolod harbors many endemic and threatened species of f lora and fauna.

Noted among the area’s unique species is the recently described forest frog, the Navjot Sodhi’s cloud frog (Platymantis navjoti.)

The authors noted there are no published studies on invertebrate fauna on Mount Nacolod.

The Nacolod turquoise beetle was collected along an old logging road above 700-meter altitude, right in the middle of an upper dipterocarp and montane forests, indicating the weevil prefers shaded and cooler parts of the forests. The collection site was close to a stream, Ibanez noted.

On the other hand, the Silago blue beetle was found only in bushes on the interior forest floor surrounding Barangay Catmon.

THE authors of the paper believe the discovery further affirms the designation of Mount Nacolod as a Key Biodiversity Area, which means it is the center of biological diversity and endemicity.

“It is here where nature’s power of evolution and natural selection give rise to new species,” Ibanez added.

As a KBA, the discovery also justifies the urgent need to protect the mountain from external threats, which include habitat loss due to slash-and-burn farming and timber poaching, he said.

“Because the beetles seem to prefer only a certain kind of forest type in a certain elevational belt, loss of vegetative cover will result in loss of food, shelter and breeding grounds to these weevils,” he said.

Besides habitat loss, illegal poaching of “easter egg weevils” should be addressed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Cabras said.

Collectors of these adorable beetles—like the common salagubang and salaginto—keep them as pets, or sell them to kids, who are attracted to their fascinating colors and unique looks.

Needed: Stronger protection measure ACCORDING to Ibanez, stronger protection measure for Mount Nacolod is imperative to protect the area’s rich biodiversity and preserve its status as a KBA. Ibanez said the proposal to declare Mount Nacolod as a national protected area should be approved immediately.

In the interim, the provincial local government of Leyte has declared Mount Nacolod as a Local Conservation Area.

However, Ibanez noted that declaring it as a Protected Area is more permanent and sustainable.

Europa Awards recognizes Holcim for sustainability excellence

H

OLCIM Philippines’s efforts to drive business results and positive impact were recognized with the company bagging top prizes in the 2023 Europa Awards Digitalization for Sustainability and Water Resource Management categories.

One of the country’s leading building solutions provider, Holcim further distinguished itself for being the only multiple awardee and a finalist in the Waste Management category.

Organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), the Europa Awards recognizes companies for exceptional performance and contributions in promoting sustainability in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the Philippine Development Plan.

Holcim Philippines President and CEO Horia Adrian thanked Europa Awards organizers “for the recognition, and to our people and stakeholders helping us make the company a stronger development partner of the country.”

Adrian added: “These awards further encourage us to accelerate our transformation anchored on sustainability and innovation to win with purpose and help build progress in the Philippines.”

The company received the Water Resource Management Award for excellence in managing water resources through innovative approaches and practices.

Holcim highlighted its success in reducing freshwater withdrawals by 64 percent since 2018, driven by investments in systems for operational efficiency and rainwater harvesting

facilities.

Holcim Philippines aims to cut freshwater withdrawals to zero and provide water to the communities by 2030.

It was the second water award Holcim Philippines received in 2023 with the company also bagging the Wise Water Choice Award from the National Water Resources Board earlier this year.

Hocim Philippines also took home top honors in the Digitalization for Sustainability category for its excellent use of technology to reach sustainability goals.

The company highlighted its digitalization programs raising the efficiency, safety and environmental performance of the business.

Of particular note were its incorporation of data analytics for greater transparency and speed in decision making and Plants of Tomorrow initiatives focused on operational excellence and predictive maintenance.

Holcim Philippines is accelerating its transformation as a sustainable and innovative building solutions provider with focus on advancing decarbonization and circular economy in the construction industry.

Since 2018, it has reduced its carbon footprint by more than 20 percent by producing more blended cements, replacing coal with qualified wastes as alternative fuels and raw materials, and improving efficiency of operations.

The company’s carbon footprintreduction program is aligned with the Holcim Group’s Net Zero direction and the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions.

Javelinas in Arizona, alligators in Florida

Sports

How about beer belly wrestling, ‘evading arrest?’

BusinessMirror

One of the contests is the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course in which contestants jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers.

A8 | S

unday, October 29, 2023 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

S

T. AUGUSTINE, Florida—It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gatorpossessing, rap-sheet heavy, mulletwearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.” Organizers of the “Florida Man Games” describe the competition as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.” The games will poke fun at Florida’s reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze and reptiles—or some combination of the four.

Among the contests planned for next February in St. Augustine, Florida, according to organizers, are the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course in which contestants jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers; the Category 5 Cash Grab in which participants try to grab as much money in a wind-blowing booth; and the self-explanatory beer-belly wrestling.

“This isn’t just a competition; it’s a one-of-a-kind Floridian spectacle!” organizers said on the games’ website.

The “Florida Man” concept crept into the nation’s consciousness a decade ago with the @_FloridaMan Twitter account. The account, with the tagline “Real-life stories of the world’s worst superhero,” has been home to headlines such as “Florida Man Fire Bombs Garage That Impounded His Car, Hits His Own Vehicle” and “Florida Man Tried to Pay for McDonald’s With Weed.”

General admission tickets to the event are going for $45. Two former stars of the 1990s television show “American Gladiators” have agreed to serve as referees.

A St. Augustine resident is behind the games: Pete Melfi, owner of The 904 Now, a media outlet covering St. Johns County.

“We thought, ‘How can we really play on these Florida Man headlines that we hear so much about?’

Someone gave me the idea to make it into an athletic competition,” Melfi told the Orlando Sentinel.

“It’s going to be a wild day of mud games and Florida-style obstacle courses. It’s going to really be an opportunity to live that Florida Man life for a day.” AP

A JAVELINA walks a trail on a disc golf course at Comanche Trail Park in Odessa, Texas while an alligator swims at the Everglades National Park in Florida. AP

Hungry javelinas ripping through Arizona golf course The hotter than normal summer felt in various regions of Arizona is likely what has driven the pig-like peccary to take big bites out of the golf course.

Stolen bases, batting average up, game times down under MLB’s new rules

A

RLINGTON, Texas—Stolen bases and batting averages are up and game times are down in the first postseason with the pitch clock and larger bases.

There have been an average of 1.4 steals per game through the League Championship Series (LCS), up from 0.8 through last year’s LCS. The Arizona Diamondbacks, who played the Texas Rangers in the World Series Friday, lead all postseason teams with 1.6 steals per game.

“It’s our identity now,” said Arizona’s Christian Walker, tied for the team lead with four steals in 12 postseason games. “It’s contagious. You want to be a part of it. You want to be in

S

EDONA, Arizona— Operators of a northern Arizona golf course think they have finally found the right repellent for javelinas ripping apart their turf—chili oil.

“Even though they’re Southwest animals, they don’t like Southwest seasoning,” Dave Bisbee, general manager at Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, said Tuesday.

This is not the first autumn the golf course has been targeted by foraging javelinas. Bisbee said it’s occurred several times over the years, but the amount of damage he saw is rare.

The hotter than normal summer felt in various regions of Arizona is likely what has driven the pig-like peccary to take big bites out of the golf course. The Sedona area saw less than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain this whole summer. Last year, the golf course was drenched with 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain over the course of the summer storm season, also known as monsoon season, Bisbee recalled. “ We had zero damage,” he said.

The tearing of turf started happening six weeks ago. In total, the animals have hit about eight different spots

from all sides.

The club has been working with the Arizona Game & Fish Department to “figure out a way to co-exist with them.” A herd of javelinas, also called a squadron, is typically made up of six to nine, according to the National Park Service.

Bisbee said he was told by wildlife officials the golf course has anywhere from 30 to 50 squadrons.

He knows of other golf courses in the state that have had similar issues.

But theirs is the only one to draw enormous attention on social media.

Emily Casey, assistant superintendent, posted cellphone video over the weekend showing divot after divot. The video has been viewed more than 25 million times.

A similar situation happened five years ago after a particularly hot, dry summer, Bisbee recalled. That time, the club tried granules of coyote urine. That made things worse.

“It was like putting bacon bits in their salad,” he said.

For now, chili oil seems to be the most effective. The golf club, which has a restaurant, has been working with suppliers to get a concentrate to make a spray. They think it will help until the temperatures cool down next week, which should prompt javelinas to look elsewhere.

“We’re still trying to figure out the right formulation in the chili oil we put out. It’s a delicate thing for the grass,” Bisbee said. “It’s a continuing dance we do.” AP

THE Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll steals second under Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott during the fifth inning of Game 7 of their National League Championship Series in Philadelphia. AP

mix. You want to be out there creating chaos and havoc on the bases.”

The overall postseason batting average has climbed from .213 to .241, and the batting average for left-handed hitters has risen from .217 to .244 in the first year with defensive shift limits, although with the small sample size, any changes may be an aberration.

The average game time is 3 hours, 2 minutes, a decrease from 3:22 for nineinning games during the first three rounds of the 2022 postseason and from 3:40 in 2021 through the LCS. Just seven pitch-clock violations have been called through 36 postseason games.

Stolen base attempts are up significantly, rising from 1.1 per game

to 1.6. The success rate has climbed from 77.8 percent to 84.5 percent.

For Rangers rookie Evan Carter, second on his team with three steals, the limit of two disengagements for a pitcher during a plate appearance has boosted steals. Once a pitcher has thrown over twice, a third pickoff without an out would result in a balk.

“Just the fact that in the back of the pitcher’s head they know that I could be going just kind of messes with them enough to be able to kind of gain an advantage,” he said.

The postseason figures follow a regular season in which the average time of nine-inning games dropped from 3:04 to 2:40, its lowest since 1985. AP

P

ARIS—South Africa.

New Zealand.

New Zealand.

South Africa.

That’s how the last four champions line up on the Webb Ellis Cup. One of the Springboks or All Blacks will take it again in Paris on Saturday when they collide in the Rugby World Cup final for the only the second time.

The first time was so iconic that a movie was made about it. Jonah Lomu was corralled, Joel Stransky hit the winning drop goal in extra time and Nelson Mandela wore a Springboks jersey and cap. It could only be 1995.

The fates have prevented rugby’s legendary rivalry from featuring in another final until now, and even this was unexpected.

It’s the first final in which both teams have lost a pool match.

The All Blacks lost to France. The Springboks lost to Ireland. Stade de France rocked for both unsurprising results. But the old stadium was literally shaking on consecutive nights in the quarterfinals when the All Blacks stunned Ireland and the Springboks knocked out host France.

The Springboks have surprised nobody. They were big favorites before the tournament and have possibly ploughed the toughest path to the final in tournament history. Beside Ireland, they had to shake off Scotland and Tonga in the pool stage, then win one-pointers against host France and England in the knockout stage.

The final will be their fifth bonerattling match in five weeks, perhaps one reason why they have gone for the unconventional 7-1 split of forwards and backs on the bench.

Perhaps fatigue has forced the Boks to require two forward packs to grind down the All Blacks and hope no

Springboks defend World Cup crown against All Blacks in rare final duel backs are injured.

Or perhaps because 7-1 worked when they first tried it, against the All Blacks just before the tournament, and gave their great rival their worst ever defeat by 35-7.

The 7-1 didn’t work against Ireland but rolling the dice is a trait of the Boks brains trust of Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus. When they took over a broken team five years ago, they planned to win this World Cup. Winning the 2019 World Cup in Japan was a bonus.

The starting XV has 10 from that 2019 final, including halves Handre Pollard and Faf de Klerk, who have been reunited as starters for the first time in more than a year. Hooker Bongi Mbonambi was another from 2019, selected after he was cleared

by World Rugby of allegedly making a racial slur against England’s Tom Curry last weekend because there was insufficient evidence.

“The 23 we selected for a reason, and the reason is we think they can deliver and win us a back-to-back World Cup,” Nienaber said.

The All Blacks have gone with their usual 5-3 split, answering South Africa by only replacing backup prop Fletcher Newell with the more experienced Nepo Laulala. Coach Ian Foster was nonplussed about South Africa’s 7-1.

“It’s what I love about the game.

People try different tactics,” Foster said. “They’ve got their way of playing and we’ve got ours. It doesn’t change the way we prepare. Their strategy suits them, ours suits us and it makes it interesting on Saturday night.”

The All Blacks were written off

SOUTH Africa’s players celebrate during their semifinal match against England. AP

after consecutive losses to South Africa and France. But they got their mojo back a month ago when their injury list cleared and captain Sam Cane, forwards Tyler Lomax and Shannon Frizell and back Jordie Barrett returned. The ideal lineup was completed when prop Ethan de Groot came off suspension in time for the knockout stage. Even with no room for retiring hooker Dane Coles, one of their 2015 winners, the All Blacks will field 1,387 caps, their most experienced final team.

With the band back together, the All Blacks have played with a power and pace not seen in years, allied to an unexpected defensive grit.

The Springboks prefer a slower game, going to the air, and bringing their bigger forwards into the contest as often as possible. It’s also suited to the wet conditions forecast for game time. Their semifinal was wet, too, but the Boks suffered from a mental dip after their quarterfinal and came right against England just in time to force a late penalty to win.

Even then, their defense has been reliably tough, conceding only seven tries, joint fewest in the tournament.

“From my point of view,” All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick said, ”it is the greatest challenge that we have in test rugby.”

This is their third meeting this year. The All Blacks won in Auckland, the Springboks in London. The winners were marked by explosive starts. The final should be different.

They have been together longer and systems are synched in.

The stakes are much, much higher, not just a first World Cup title for most on the field, but a possible second title for quite a few, and a possible third title for one, All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock.

The winner between the three-time champions will also become the first four-time champ.

But its motivation enough for both teams that it’s All Blacks vs.

Springboks, Springboks vs. All Blacks.

Their 102 years of history— most of them for mythical world domination—and deep respect for each other’s love of the game have nourished a rivalry that will be elevated to new heights in Paris.

“I don’t think it’s [a final] that you can dream about because it doesn’t happen often,” said South Africa’s Siya Kolisi, who could become the second captain ever to win two World Cups. “I don’t think it will happen in our lifetime again to have two teams like this.” AP

BusinessMirror

October 29, 2023

Everyone wants to be Barbie for Halloween this year

2

BusinessMirror OCTOBER 29, 2023

YOUR MUSI

DROPPING BOPS SINCE ’11 James Reid pushes limits with B.I. in ‘Jacuzzi’

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

I

T’S time to talk about James Reid as a singer.

The start of his rise to fame as one of the most loved and sought-after actors of his generation was after he was crowned the “Big Winner” in the reality game show Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash in 2010.

But what propelled his career further was the memorable love team dubbed “JaDine” that proved “reel to real” romance was possible with his former onscreen to real-life partner Nadine Lustre.

The couple starred in multiple box-office hits such as “Diary ng Panget” and “Never Not Love You” and award-winning television shows like “On the Wings of Love.”

But again, people need to start talking about James’ solo career in music when he’s been dropping bops since 2011 with “You Make My Body Move” from his self-titled debut album.

In 2017, he focused on his solo musical

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Concept Y2Z Editor SoundStrip Editor Group Creative Director Graphic Designers

: T. Anthony C. Cabangon : Lourdes M. Fernandez : Aldwin M. Tolosa : Jt Nisay : Edwin P. Sallan : Eduardo A. Davad : Niggel Figueroa Anabelle O. Flores

Contributing Writers

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Photographers

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career and released his first studio album Palm Dreams, in which he wrote all the tracks alongside Paulo Tiongson with hits “Cool Down” and “Turning Up.” The album debuted under his own record label Careless co-founded with Bret Jackson, and peaked at No. 45 on Billboard’s Independent Albums.

His sophomore album lovescene: released in 2022 further showcased James’ musical capabilities, finding his sound by experimenting with funk, soul, jazz, and disco, and making music of his own with bangers “cali lovin,” “u & i,” “fallin” and “always been you.”

With chill yet groovy songs under his belt, James has much more to offer, and it’s not just the infectious “Hanap-Hanap” or “No Erase” that most people know of.

This time, it’s with South Korean rapper and iKON’s former member Kim Han-Bin, popularly known as B.I., with whom he’s collaborated in his new single “Jacuzzi.”

New party anthem

AS simple as it is, James describes the track to SoundStrip as “a romance being sparked in a very sexy setting, which is in a jacuzzi.”

In this playful crossover of house and pop, with dynamic synths and bubbly electronic elements, the blending of James’ melodious vocals with B.I.’s signature rap verse is a fusion of their distinct talents and style.

James’ music style surely has evolved over the years and now leaned towards R&B— finding common ground with B.I., whose genre also includes K-pop and hip-hop.

“Luckily, it really worked with B.I.’s vocals.

Me, I come from a R&B background and he does also, so that’s where our voices blend together and really made sense in the track,” he explained.

What stood out for James was B.I.’s “unique sound and style,” as well as his voice and lyrical prowess.

“We both sound completely different, and it was a good contrast in the song itself,” he said.

“I wanted to try something different with this kind of party song, and I love the way it came in the track,” he stated.

James also made it clear that there was no particular inspiration behind the song and that the characters Katy and Jenny mentioned in the song are just “made-up characters.”

Bound to be a new party anthem and poolside track, James said, “It’s very simple, but honestly, this track is really a lot of fun.”

International collab

JAMES recalled that he met B.I. backstage at iKON’s concert in Seoul and was asked by B.I. if he would want to perform as a guest artist in his concert in the Philippines. James did, and he returned the favor by asking B.I. if he would like to collaborate on a song.

“I sent him the track and he loved it. He sent me back a version with his vocals on it and it honestly fits the song perfectly, taking

JACUZZI

kind of vision, same kind of dream,” he mused.

Looking into collaborations within Southeast Asia, James said it’s a powerful region with one of the highest streaming regions in the world.

“If we can somehow turn that into local support, I think that could be great news not just for Filipino artists but artists across the region,” he said.

Going back to his roots, James said there are definitely a lot of local collaborations coming up very soon, but can’t go into detail yet.

JAMES REID

it to the next level,” he said.

In this collaborative, feel-good party song, James also worked with Grammy-nominated DJ Flict, who previously worked with Wiz Khalifa, Fifth Harmony, and Meghan Trainor among others.

James shared that it was one of the first songs they did when he came to Los Angeles, California to work with producers.

“It’s just a product of us being spontaneous in the studio,” he shared.

James has been working with international artists such as Benjamin Kheng, WOOSUNG, and The Rose among others because he said that’s the “next step” for Filipino artists to extend their reach regionally.

“I really want to experiment and push my limits and work with artists overseas who are kind of in a similar lane to me, or have the same

No way but up

DESPITE his highs and lows this year, James said, “There’s been a lot of learnings that happened this year, but it’s all in preparation for the big collaborations and partnerships that we’ve been able to lock in this year for next year.”

As co-founder of independent record label Careless, James said he prioritizes the artists from their roster to pursue creative freedom in music, but the goal is to seal collaborations and go international to reach more audiences.

“Everyone has been working on their own separate projects and I think it’s some of their best work yet and we’re excited to release it,” he teased.

Undeniably, James Reid is not just an artista with good looks and style. He is also more than capable of nurturing other emerging artists even as he himself is now taking his own talents to the next level.

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soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | OCTOBER 29, 2023

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BUSINESS

ROUNDING UP

New collaborations, big comebacks and amazing revivals

HILLARI – “Loyal”

SHANNi - “Sa Panaginip”

SIDE A - “Caught In A Daze”

Norwegian-Filipino artist Hillari Alison Conlu has released a new version of her own beloved track “Loyal” featuring up-and-coming Filipina artist Jolianne. The collaboration is a surprising mix of two emerging talents from different parts of the world, combining unique styles and influences into a blended musical journey.

Hillari fully pursued her music career at the end of 2021 and it didn’t take long for her to make her mark. She won the prestigious NRK P3 award “Årets Urørt” (Rookie of the Year) with her song “Hopeful.” This summer, she released her critically acclaimed debut EP, “How Is Your Soul,” which includes the fan-favorite track “Loyal.” Teaming up with Jolianne for a new version of the song further strengthens Hillari’s connections with her Filipino audience.

With her new single “Sa Panaginip,” SHANNi, the younger sister of IV of Spades’ Blaster Silonga, proves that there’s more to her filial affiliation than meets the eye. The song stands out with its lilting, throwback sound and jazz-pop edge even as it also showcases vulnerability beyond the artist’s years.

SHANNi reveals that the storytelling behind “Sa Panaginip” was inspired

by The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a movie about love’s inevitable imperfections and the difficulty of purging the memories that once defined it. The promising newcomer explains. “I titled it sa panaginip to show that memories and emotions aren’t easy to forget. They become even more difficult to erase when the experience contributes significantly to the person’s journey. I mean, you won’t be able to escape the truth, even in your dreams.”

The new single “Caught In A Daze” is another recording showcase for veteran recording and live act Side A’s knack for pop and firm grasp of synergy. “I’m caught in a daze and it’s amazing,” says the first line of its chorus.

With its steadily atmospheric arrangement, Side A’s latest release rightly captures the vibe of what a Side A hit song should be. Also, “Caught In A Daze” is a feel-good song that radiates with the power of easy-listening music right from the get go. It’s a testament to how the band has confidently navigated the music scene that keeps evolving amid new generation of musicians with a different artistic taste and mentality. The band is never rattled, ably fitting eventually in despite being caught in the initial daze.

BINI - “Karera.”

DARREN ESPANTO - ‘Bibitaw Na’

TROY LAURETA - ‘Dalamhati’ album

BINI faces life at their own pace in their comeback single “Karera.” Members of the female pop group kickstart a new era with the release of their latest single.

The upbeat track highlights the importance of enjoying the moments of life as everyone has her own time and place.

Dubbed as the Nation’s Girl Group, BINI has captivated the hearts of listeners with their empowering messages that transcends through their music. The new track also serves as a preview of BINI’s upcoming EP which will be released this November.

Darren Espanto’s new single “Bibitaw Na” is all about healing past negative relationships. He said his latest song pays tribute to those who have gone past a toxic love affair. It’s about moving forward and having the sense of release from all the negativity they endured in the past.

The Star Music artist also revealed that his inspiration drew from different breakup stories from his close friends. He shared, “It started out as a joke for my friends who recently came from breakups. I wasn’t sure how it happened but the break-ups came one after the other. I continued writing about them and my latest single is the outcome.”

Filipino-American music artist Troy Laureta has released his latest album titled “Dalamhati: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective, Vol. 3.” He first gave his followers a teaser of the album when he unveiled the track list of “Dalamhati” album written in Baybayin, the Philippine pre-Hispanic writing system.

For this is his last album in the OPM series, Laureta enlisted not only the best OPM singers but also international singers like Lauren Alred who learned Tagalog to sing “Araw Gabi.”

“Dalamhati” is Laureta’s follow up to his albums “Kaibigan: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 1,” released in 2020; and “Giliw: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 2,” which came out the following year. Laureta, who has gained recognition for his works with Ariana Grande, and David Foster, has also previously worked with Andrea Bocelli, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Steven Tyler, The Pussycat Dolls, and several Filipino artists including Jay-R, Kyla, and Lani Misalucha.

Everyone wants to be Barbie for Halloween this year

By Ella Ceron

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Bloomberg

he traditional black-and-orange Halloween palette is about to turn hot pink. And retailers are bracing themselves.

Barbie is set to be the third-most-popular Halloween costume for adults, after witches and vampires, and among the top 10 for kids, according to The National Retail Federation. It’s never ranked in the top 10 for either age group since the NRF began asking consumers about their holiday plans in 2004. Licensed costumes, off-brand duplicates and DIY interpretations will feature heavily in the $4.1 billion Americans will shell out this year on their outfits, part of the record $12.2 billion they’ll spend on the holiday.

“Barbie mania has taken over Halloween and people are really pent up to do these looks for the season,” said Drew Griffiths, the divisional vice president of marketing and social media at Spirit Halloween, a costume and accessories chain.

“Pink and Barbie are going to be a big part of that $12.2 billion.”

‘Barbieween’ Spirit has already sold out of some of its licensed costumes, including both adult versions of the Barbie and Ken neon rollerblading outfits, and is currently limiting sales of some looks to two per order. Retailers like Target

The Halloween takeover, dubbed “Barbieween” by influencers, builds on the economic boost from the Barbie movie’s theatrical run. Photo by Marvin Corea on Pexels.com Corp., Walmart Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are selling licensed costumes, while Amazon is also full of third-party retailers hawking unlicensed copies of the movie’s most popular looks using cleverly worded titles such as “cowgirl outfits” and “movie cosplay dresses.”

A Target spokesperson declined to comment on this story. Spokespeople for Walmart, Amazon and Mattel Inc., the maker of the iconic doll, did not respond to requests for comment.

The Halloween takeover, dubbed “Barbieween” by influencers, builds on the economic boost from the Barbie movie’s theatrical run. The Warner Bros Discovery Inc. release is the top-grossing film of the year so far, taking in $1.4 billion globally

at the box office and making Greta Gerwig the first woman with sole director credit to have a film pass the $1 billion mark.

Fans latched onto the film’s feminist storyline and its originality as a film by and about women and womanhood. It also sparked a slew of partnerships from Airbnb Inc. to Microsoft Corp.’s XBox looking to capitalize on the film’s popularity.

Flash mob The holiday is going to be more than prefabricated costumes. Creators on TikTok are urging followers to lean into the community around the movie by wearing variations of the same costume or prepping for an October 31 flash mob

by learning a dance featured in the film.

Some revelers will really latch on to the uniformity of Barbieworld. “The whole point is not being ‘not like other girls,’” one TikToker named Hannah said in a video that has been viewed more than 1.1 million times.

A lot of others will go for retro costumes, and maybe emulating the most famous Barbie. Robbie, with the help of stylist Andrew Mukamal, referenced the doll’s archives for her pink-carpet appearances this summer, wearing luxury designers like Schiaparelli and Emilio Pucci to replicate versions including “Solo in the Spotlight” and “Totally Hair.”

Retailers can expect Halloween-goers—guided by the DIY costume tutorials proliferating on TikTok—to pick up items to create these looks as well as those inspired by Mattel’s animated films. Influencers are already tweaking their Amazon Storefronts to help followers source the necessary tutus, fairy wings and tiaras.

Meredith Heika, a costume designer in California, posted a viral TikTok clip pointing out that costumes based on the animated films or one of the many dolls is a way to hit the Barbie trend but also show some originality. For her part, she’s planning an outfit inspired by the 1984 “Peaches ‘n Cream” Barbie.

“There are so many looks that Barbie has,” said Heika. “A lot of girls have been saying they want every girl to be a Barbie this year, and I like the idea of everyone being a different Barbie.”

As for Barbie’s would-be paramour?

He’s just Ken—but plenty of costumes are available for him as well.

Cover photo by Criativa Pix Fotografia on Pexels.com

3 tips for a sustainable Halloween

H

alloween is the spookiest time of the year. However, as you prepare to send shivers down the spines of your friends and family, you may not have given much thought to the environmental footprint that this holiday conceals.

In the UK alone, more than 8 million pumpkins are thrown away each year over Halloween. This amounts to about 18,000 tons of pumpkins going to waste that would have been eaten.

But that’s not the extent of it. Halloween has evolved into a commercial moneyspinner, with store shelves brimming with plastic costumes, electronic and disposable decorations, and bags of plastic-wrapped sweets—most of which will eventually find

their way into landfills after the festivities end.

If you’re looking to partake in the spooky festivities of Halloween, here are three tips to ensure you can give people a good fright without harming the environment.

1

Cut down on buying new The shops are filled to bursting with Halloween decorations. When these are thrown away, they contribute to the growing electrical waste crisis. In 2019, global electrical and electronic waste generation stood at around 54 million tonnes, amounting to around 7.5kg per person.

This generation rate is expected to increase significantly in the future.

So consider if you really need to buy

4 BusinessMirror

new. You may find you already have enough lying around to transform your home into a haunted house. Christmas lights, for example, could double up as a creepy addition to your Halloween decor.

2

Ditch single-use plastic We all like being able to hand out some sweet treats to trick-or-treaters. But sweets are often individually wrapped in plastic. Many single-use plastics don’t get recycled and, because plastic doesn’t break down naturally, it can stay in the environment for hundreds of years.

Instead of plastic-wrapped treats, think about getting something in paper packaging. If you have the time, then maybe you could make some sweat

October 29, 2023

treats yourself to hand out.

3

Less is more Sustainability is all about leaving the world in a way that future generations can enjoy as good a quality of life as we do.

A crucial element in making this future a reality is only using what we need instead of an excess.

So, when making choices about how to have a happy Halloween, think before you consume.

Do you need to buy a load of prepackaged food?

Or can you make your own pumpkin pie? Do you need to get in a car to go trick or treating?

Or can you do it locally on foot?

By following these tips, you can have a fun, freaky—but also sustainable—Halloween. The Conversation

Wine&Dine BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz | Sunday, October 29, 2023 C1

THE STORY BEHIND

STORYA KITCHEN + BAR

Rizza. “It’s a no-brainer choice of food that Filipinos will love with or without ‘palaman,’ something that they can eat while waiting for their food to arrive,” she said.

The best thing about Storya is that they have no head chef, no head bartender or what. Everything that comes out in terms of food concept and served to guests are all part of a totally collaborative effort by each member of the Storya team, exclaims Renci.

Family is key

N.Y.O. (Not Your Ordinary) Bicol Express Pasta

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N.Y.O. Pinoy Shawarma

By Rory Visco | Contributor

VERYTHING in this world has its own story to tell.

Whether it’s sad, happy, angry or what, there is always a story.

For Storya Kitchen + Bar, located at the busy corner of Kalayaan Avenue and V. Luna Extension in Diliman, Quezon City, it’s just like any typical startup business story, but with a few elements that can be described as extraordinary. That can also be said about the food they offer, which is already gaining quite a good following, especially on social media.

How the story of Storya came about

ACCORDING to Storya co-owner Laurenci “Renci” Gabriel Gutierrez, every business has its own story to tell so they decided why not make the place a story in itself. “We just

added the letter ‘A’ to our brand to make it more Filipino but with a strong recall and probably generate more word of mouth, which is important to the business.”

Though he tried to pursue an Architecture degree, it would seem that Renci was destined to be in the food business. He worked in so many odd jobs until he ended up working for a popular international restaurant chain, first as a busboy and then became a manager. At one point, he even worked overseas for a time.

When he came back to the country, that’s the time he decided to go full blast in the food business.

Together with co-owner Rizza Umlas,

N.Y.O. Sisig Sa-wrap

who is the youngest and first female bartender from the Philippines to ever win in the TGIFridays’ World Bartender Championship in 2016 in Dallas, Texas at 21 years old, it was like go-for-broke for them.

“We went to many places but the problem was that they are either too big or too small, and don’t fall in the concept of the L-shaped area we are looking for. That was until we were directed by somebody to try this place,” which is the current

N.Y.O Sorbetes

address of Storya Kitchen + Bar at Kalayaan Centerpointe Bldg., Kalayaan Avenue corner V. Luna Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City,” Renci recalled.

Rizza said they wanted a place that exuded a comfortable vibe and chose this building because they wanted Quezon City residents to go to this area and not some faraway city like Makati or Ortigas in Pasig. “We saw the struggle of QC residents in going to different bars. They had to endure traffic,

Laurenci “Renci” Gabriel Gutierrez and Rizza Umlas with some of their team members.

parking, etc.”

Renci calls their area “the heart of Quezon City” because he said that when one looks at a map, the area is located right at the center of Quezon City. “I really consider this building as a blessing to us, a gift of God when we came to the point of giving up in looking for a place of business.”

Collaboration is the secret

WITH regard to the food they offer, Renci and Rizza made sure that they would not offer to the public something that is ordinary. “We really wanted it to be extraordinary,” Rizza said, “that’s why we have our Sisig Sa-Wrap, our Puto’t Dinuguan, our Smoked Laing Pasta, Pork Sinigang, all ordinarily named dishes but are extraordinary in appearance and flavor, like the Sinigang that doesn’t have soup but still tastes like Sinigang in every way.”

Even their from-scratch Pan de Sal with a siding of delectable butter mixed with a mild hint of muscovado sugar, which they serve as complementary food while waiting for their main course, was chosen because pan de sal is a ubiquitous part of Filipino life, according to

BICOL EXPERIENCE: A GASTRONOMIC JOURNEY OF SPICE AND FLAVORS

IN Storya, Rizza said it is all about family. “You might think that it is easy to say we’re targeting families but indeed, everything considered in putting up Storya was all about family – the food serving size, the ambiance, even the tables, has the family in mind. We made an effort to discover how families celebrate special occasions, or even simple gatherings.”

Even the bar, Renci chimes in, was really designed for the family because it is not the typical bar as a hangout place for friends or colleagues after work, which can become rowdy. “With Storya Bar, it’s a friendly area even if we serve alcoholic drinks; it’s a place to unwind, relax after a tiring day. It’s very hard these days to find a bar that’s not too noisy, not dark or chaotic. There’s no bouncer here or security guards, which is common in most drinking bars. This is really a chill place.”

When asked by BusinessMirror if Storya’s success would merit another branch somewhere, Renci chuckled that there’s nothing more difficult than putting up this first one. For them, this is something like a risk-it-all venture, play-allyour-cards kind of thing. “We had a plan even if some may think it was too risky, but we felt that we can be successful, moreso that we didn’t even do a feasibility study, which is a must for any business startup.

We were determined to make this business successful by focusing on providing extraordinary service aside from the extraordinary food.

We make sure to know what diners would need even before they ask for it. That’s the kind of service philosophy we want to espouse.”

Storya Kitchen + Bar is at Kalayaan Centerpointe Bldg., Kalayaan Avenue corner V. Luna Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, and is open from Sunday to Thursday at 11 am to 12 am, and Fridays and Saturdays at 11 am to 1 am.

exciting culinary experience.

Of course, no culinary journey is complete without sampling local desserts and delicacies.

In Bicol, even their desserts can bring the heat. “Sili” (Chili) Ice Cream offers various flavors, including chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, with spiciness levels ranging from one to five, providing a thrilling sweet and spicy combination.

As you explore the local foods of the Bicol region, make sure to keep a glass of water close at hand, as the fiery kick of their cuisine can be an exciting challenge.

Sweet tooth

The many flavors that make up Siram, Bicolano food

By John Eiron R. Francisco

A

MIDST the ever-evolving culinary landscape, novel flavors and culinary experiences emerge from international dining establishments and innovative food ventures.

But how well-acquainted are you with the culinary treasures of your region? Have you had the opportunity to savor the local fare? Forget about “what ifs” and seize the opportunity to discover the local cuisine right in your own community.

A group of journalists recently took part in the Department of Tourism’s “Philippines Experience” and alongside the exploration of culture, heritage, and arts in Region V, the “Bicol Experience” is incomplete with-

Savor the flavors of Guinobatan longganisa

out tasting the local cuisine and delectable delicacies.

Indeed, the Bicol region is renowned for its fiery and creamy coconut-infused dishes.

The famous “Bicol Express,” a mixture of shrimp paste, coconut milk, pepper, garlic, and onions, has long been a regional favorite.

Food of Bicol

HOWEVER. Bicol’s culinary offerings go beyond Bicol Express, and locals affectionately refer to this as “Siram” or “Pagkain Bikolnon” (Food of Bicol).

With an abundance of coconut trees and aromatic spices, the Bicol region boasts a diverse lineup of dishes that will turn your visit

into a gastronomic adventure.

One standout dish is the world-class “Pinangat,” which has placed the town of Camalig on the culinary map. It achieved the 22nd spot in the Top 50 World Street Food Congress in 2017.

The key to a delicious Pinangat is the balance between the creaminess of the coconut milk and the heat from the chili peppers. However, adding some love while cooking this dish will make it every more delicious.

Smoky flavors

FOR hose craving smoky flavors, “Tinutungang Manok,” or chicken stewed in smoky coconut milk, is a dish readily available throughout Albay.

The creaminess of the milk and the smokiness of coconut shavings combine perfectly with lemongrass, making it a must-try. Pair it with fried rice, tinapa (smoked fish), garlic rice, or plain rice for a satisfying meal.

If you’re a fan of sausages, don’t miss the “Guinobatan longganisa,” a fiesta favorite known for its bite-sized pork sausages. Enjoy them with fried rice and a cup of hot chocolate for a perfect breakfast experience.

According to the typical local longganisa producer, they typically craft it in a distinct twoinch (5.1 cm) size, setting it apart from longganisa in other areas. It’s made by combining lean pork meat and back fat in a 70-30 ratio.

It is usually stuffed into natural casings,

like pork intestines, which provide them with their characteristic appearance and texture. This delicacy offers a variety of flavors, but two stand out: the spicy longganisa and the garlicky one.

The fusion of garlic and chili creates a distinct and aromatic profile that sets it apart as well.

Pansit dinuguan

WHO would have thought that Dinuguan (pork blood stew) would go well with noodles? The Bicol region has “Pansit Dinuguan,” a dry noodle dish that presents a new take on traditional noodles.

The dish reaches new heights as it is crowned with a generous portion of pork blood stew in a rich, luscious gravy. And it is perfect with a blend of vinegar and chili oil sauce for an

FOR those with a sweet tooth, the best “Kalamay’’ from Polangui town is a must-try.

Crafted by local farmers using only highquality sugarcanes from the rich soils of Luya and Dalogo, this traditional treat is not only delicious on its own but also a key ingredient in various Bicolnon and Filipino sweets like “bukayo” (sweetened coconut strips) and “biko” (sweetened rice cakes).

“Rice puto macapuno” are delicate rice cakes filled with macapuno. These treats, steamed within coconut shells and bound by banana leaves, showcase the region’s devotion to preserving tradition and flavor.

When delving into the culinary landscape of the Bicol Region, particularly in Sorsogon and Albay provinces, pili nuts consistently take center stage in every dish, spanning from main courses to desserts.

According to the locals, the inclusion of pili nuts in your meal is a matter of personal preference, but given the range of delectable options, it’s not merely a choice – it’s practically a culinary must-do.

Culinary diversity is an adventure waiting to be explored in the Bicol Region, a journey of taste that challenges and delights in equal measure.

So, when you visit this vibrant part of the Philippines, don’t forget to bring an adventurous spirit and your appetite.

Wine&Dine BusinessMirror

C2 Sunday, October 29, 2023

Going on a Mediterranean gastronomic journey with a local twist at Jones All-Day Bistro

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text and photos by Roderick L. Abad | Contributor

IRED of your “East Meets West” craving for laksa and croissant at any of your favorite Singapore coffee shop branch in the metro that serves multinational cuisines? Indulge in The Mediterranean Table with a combo of Filipino signature dishes sure to tease your appetite at the Jones All-Day Bistro and Bakery in Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

This irresistible spread is presented by the restaurant’s partnership with Doña Elena, the country’s No.1 olive oil brand. The limited edition offering boasts of three hearty courses, all superbly executed by the latter’s ambassador and Raintree Group of Restaurants corporate chef Kalel Chan.

Commence your foodie experience of his “cooking journey of being a chef” with the Appetizer Trio.

The first is a juicy and smoky Grilled Barbeque Gremolata Pork Iberico using Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil. Inspired by ihaw-ihaw, the famous street side grill in the Philippines, it has a lot of marbling courtesy of secreto iberico, daubed with a gremolata sauce mixed with Doña Elena anchovies plus herbs for added freshness.

Hyping this interesting appetizer is Hamachi Crudo Pani Puri with Sinigang Aguachile. This delectable second dish boasts of fried golden hollowed semolina dough

filled with minced Doña Elena green olives and capers, cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as a fresh hamachi fish on top drizzled a bit with Doña Elena Extra Virgin Olive Oil. To finish it up, aguachile, a sinigang soup base, is slightly poured for a tang tinge. Better bite on it already upon serving to enjoy its cold and crunchiness that lend a temperature feel on the mouth.

Then munch on the Adobong Pusit Arancini with Grilled Pulpo and Bonito Aioli. Patterned after the famed fried Italian appetizer rice balls, it’s golden brown in color and crispy, crunchy on the outside, thanks to cooking it with Doña Elena Pomace Olive Oil. It’s full of umami flavors added with Doña Elena green olives. A little drizzle of Doña Elena Extra Virgin Olive Oil enhances its creamy and balanced taste.

Moving on to the exciting part, main course Grilled Lamb Ribs using Doña Elena Pomace Olive Oil,

DONA ELENA ambassador and Raintree Group of Restaurants corporate chef Kalel Chan whips his magic to his culinary creations with Doña Elene Olive Oil.

GRILLED Lamb Ribs with Orzo Tabouleh

the star of this gastronomic treat.

Since it’s his fave dish, Chef Kalel wants to come up with an authentic Mediterranean specialty by laying it on a homemade Mediterranean condiment harissa sauce with the use of Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil blended with fiery spices such as chilies, cumin, and coriander bal-

APPETIZER Trio

anced with a lightly sweet, red capsicum that lends its bright orange color.

The mixture perfectly equalizes the tender, smoky and charred lamb ribs, served with a light and cold orzo salad with Doña Elena Black Olives and drizzled with Doña Elena Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

TOGETHER THIS SEASON

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Holiday Celebration is About Coming Together

LABNEH Ice Cream

It ended with bright and citrusy gremolata made of finely chopped parsley, garlic and lemon for a refreshing kick.

As a denouement, labneh ice cream, the world renown cold dessert from the Mediterranean region, is rich and, at the same time, revitalizing. Flavor-wise, it’s a cross

S

Mondays: Bachelors’ Night Kickstart your week with style every Monday at Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown’s The Poolside! Our Bachelors’ Night offers the perfect blend of sophistication and fun. Enjoy our complimentary cocktail drink and savor a night of camaraderie and relaxation.

The holiday cakes – Mocha Crunch Cake, Cookies & Cream Cake and Ube Cheesecake

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or Double Chocolate Ice Blended® (all at P225 for regular stores). These scrumptious drinks are bound to put you in the mood for the festivities.

T’S stamp collection season once again!

Inspired by the spirit of togetherness and joy this holiday season, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf™ Philippines introduces its Limited Edition Holiday Collection, a new and improved series of festive items that are yours for just 20 stamps.

Their theme for the holidays, aptly named #TogetherThisSeason, marks the last leg of their year-long 20th anniversary celebration. #20YearsofYouAndMe

2023 Limited Edition Holiday Collection

Their collection consists of the Limited Edition Holiday Tumblers in three exciting designs: Starlight, Daydream, and Gold Rush as well as the addition of a Holiday Voyager Bag The Voyager in Atlas.

This season’s tumblers and Voyager Bag were crafted with care and intention, based on the feedback of CBTL’s community. All three Limited Edition Holiday Tumblers are insulated, made of stainless steel, and can keep your drinks hot/cold for up to 12 hours.

The Daydream and Gold Rush tumblers

feature some of the most loved colors and molds in 17 oz and 20 oz capacities respectively, while Starlight in 30 oz was the result of the demand for newer molds with larger capacities and handles.

The improved Voyager Bag in Atlas also comes with longer straps, additional pockets, and a much requested laptop compartment!

Have we mentioned how much we love the new colorway?

You can redeem any or all of these goodies by collecting 20 stamps at CBTL starting on October 27, 2023 until January 7, 2023. Get one stamp whenever you order at least a regular-sized drink in-store or via delivery. If you can’t stand to wait, you can also purchase them straight up for P2,600 each!

The Cookie Ice Blended® Series

Of course, no holiday celebration at CBTL is complete without their holiday beverages!

This year, they’re offering classic favorites with a crunchy twist. Treat yourself this season by indulging in a Vanilla Cookie Ice Blended®, Matcha Cookie Ice Blended®,

2023 Holiday Food Offerings

Everyone knows a cup of good coffee is best paired with a tasty treat. We’re excited to share that select CBTL branches can expect the comeback of a holiday staple – their signature Ube Cheesecake (P245/slice)!

This smooth ube on a bed of graham crust, topped with shredded coconut is our personal favorite. They’re also releasing two new cakes that we can’t wait to try – the Cookies & Cream Cake (P225/slice) with equal parts of chocolate, buttercream, and dark crushed cookies, and the Mocha Crunch Cake (P225/ slice), a tasty combination of chocolate, sweet coffee, and caramel. Did somebody say mouthwatering?

2023 Holiday Collectibles

To further spread the festive cheer, CBTL has also introduced their 2023 Holiday Collectibles that are just the perfect gifts for your family,

friends, and loved ones who you want to celebrate with this season.

Get their quirky tumblers in Honeycomb, 16 oz (P899) or Solar, 16 oz (P799) for your friends who are always on the go, or their Cold Brew Flask, 8 oz (P449) for your resident coffee fanatic. For your die-hard CBTL fans, gift the new Holiday themed Swirl Rewards Cards – absolutely beautiful in 3 different colors: Cosmos, Halo, and Stardust (each at P195).

between cream cheese and yogurt with a hint of piquancy and saltiness. It’s appealing to the sweettoothed for its crunchy sesame-pistachio brittle, drizzled with a fruity and fragrant rosemary oil using Doña Elena Olive Oil as its main ingredient.

This partnership is serendipitous with Chef Kalel at the helm since he has been very instrumental in making Filipinos appreciate not just olive oil, but actually the Mediterranean ingredients in general.

“Mediterranean dishes use a lot of herbs, which Filipino food usually doesn’t have. But I love to cook Filipino dishes because it’s very homey and I infuse them with Mediterranean ingredients, such as Doña Elena Olive Oil. For example, a simple adobo can be uplifted using Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil,” he said.

As the brand ambassador, Chef Kalel doesn’t want Doña Elena just to be known as the country’s leading brand in its category, but also as a complete range of pantry essentials that Filipino households can actually use.

“It’s easy to cook at home when you have good quality ingredients [like Doña Elena Olive Oil],” he noted. “But most people don’t know the difference of its three variants.”

Doña Elena’s 100 percent pure Spanish olive oil enhances the taste of any dish with its manifold health benefits, such as antioxidants and vitamins A, E, and K. It’s best for pasta, sauteing and everyday cooking. On the other hand, Doña Elena Extra Virgin Oilve Oil is for dips and salad dressing. Meanwhile, Doña Elena Pomace Olive Oil is best for frying and roasting. What’s more, Doña Elena offers a diverse range of Mediterranean ingredients to cater to every culinary need.

The Doña Elena Three-Course Special Menu priced at P1,200 net is available until November 10 at the Jones All-Day Bistro and Bakery, Mondays to Sundays, from 7 am to 10 pm.

For more details, visit Doña Elena Cuisinera Club on Facebook and Doña Elena Cuisinera Club on Instagram.

Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown Introduces Weekly Specials to Elevate the Nightlif

AVOY Hotel Mactan Newtown is thrilled to announce an array of enticing weekly specials designed to make your everyday unforgettable. With a diverse range of promotions and discounts throughout the week, we invite you to join us for a week full of delightful flavors and exhilarating moments.

The Cookie Ice Blended® Series, from left, Vanilla Cookie Ice Blended®, Matcha Cookie Ice Blended® and Double Chocolate Ice Blended®

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Toss-Up Days Take your taste buds on a journey every Tuesdays and Thursdays with our Toss-Up Days. Enjoy a generous 15 percent discount on à la carte meals between 2 pmm to 5 pm at Savoy Café and Lobby Lounge, prepared by our talented chefs. It is the perfect opportunity to explore new flavors and old favorites.

Wednesdays: Ladies’ Night Ladies, it is your night to shine! Join us every

Wednesday for Ladies’ Night at Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown’s The Poolside. We serve complimentary cocktail drinks to the fabulous women who grace our establishment. Gather your friends and experience a night of indulgence and laughter.

Fridays and Saturdays: Double the Happiness End your workweek and welcome the weekend with our Double the Happiness special! On Fridays and Saturdays, we offer buy-one-takeone deals on local beers, selected cocktails, and wine. It is the ultimate way to unwind and celebrate life.

At Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown, we believe in creating memorable and colorful experiences for our valued patrons. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, catching up with friends, or simply looking for a great meal and drinks, we have something special for you every night of the week.

Join us at Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown and indulge in an unforgettable dining and nightlife experience. Our team is dedicated to providing you with exceptional service, delectable cuisine, and a welcoming atmosphere.

The Real LIFE Foundation

The essence of CBTL and by extension, their holiday celebration, always boils down to giving back. This year is no different, as a portion of the proceeds from the Limited Edition Holiday Collection goes to the Real LIFE Foundation. These proceeds will help empower underprivileged youth through education assistance, character formation, and leadership development. You can learn more by visiting www.reallife.ph.

To learn more about CBTL’s Together This Season, visit: https://www.coffeebean.com.ph/ together-this-season/

Steak at Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown

Wine&Dine BusinessMirror

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Sunday, October 29, 2023 C3

Yuletide family gatherings made more meaningful with Italian cuisine

Savor the tantalizing Italian Porchetta

Sheraton Manila Hotel Executive Chef Andrea Burzio

A

Italian Burrata Caprese Salad

By Rory Visco | Contributor

LITTLE less than 60 days before Christmas and families and friends are now gearing up to determine and discover where they will spend their vacation during the Christmas break, or where to partake of the best gastronomic delights to celebrate the year’s most important season.

After all, dining is a Christmas tradition that Filipino families and best of friends will never miss to make themselves merry.

This tradition of gathering together was what inspired culinary virtuoso and Sheraton Manila Ho-

Chef Andrea’s exquisite Italian Lasagna, where a symphony of flavors and spices await the taste buds

tel’s new Executive Chef Andrea Burzio, to come up with “Pranzo & Cena: Italian Family Feasts,” touted as an unparalleled culinary experience that celebrates the rich flavors of Italy. This dining experience, literally meaning “lunch” and “din-

ner” in Italian, which was inspired by the warmth of Italian family traditions, aims to elevate communal moments and foster stronger ties among families and friends.

A culinary experience from a true visionary

THE inspiration for Pranzo & Cena is to give reason to gather and enjoy good food, especially since Sheraton Manila Hotel is dubbed the “world’s gathering place.” Combining both Filipino and Italian traditions, the aim is to highlight and create food so that there will be a reason to gather.

This is also in line with Sheraton’s upcoming 5th year anniversary happening on January 14, 2024, where more people will be encouraged to share in the celebration of the hotel’s important milestone.

When asked by BusinessMirror why only Pranzo & Cena, Sheraton Manila Hotel General Manager

Anna Liza Vergara, the first Filipina general manager of Sheraton, said it is because Chef Andrea doesn’t want it to be too pretentious but really simple yet understandable.

“The items that are highlighted are those dishes that are based on Chef Andrea’s story, his childhood, like his version of the Lasagna, which is not what Filipinos are accustomed to, like having lots of cheese. This is a new way of introducing this pasta dish to the market, that there’s another way of enjoying it. It’s truly savory but not too overpowering because you’ll simply keep eating it, without realizing that you’ve already eaten a lot,” she explains.

The youthful GM said there’s also the focaccia, the ravioli, and cannoli, which are freshly made by Chef Andrea himself. “Of course, there’s a lot more coming so this is just an initial salvo of Italian classics from the chef,” Vergara added.

sustainable local products ever since so with the chef’s international experience, he was very accommodating about the idea, she said.

Italian homemade cannoli, available “In fact, most of his dishes alin a variety of irresistible flavors ready incorporate sustainable local products like cage-free eggs.

He is slowly bridging the gap between the usual Italian cuisine that we know and the local products we usually have because he knows it’s quite difficult to get certain products here in the Philippines so he made it a point to source locally.”

With over 15 years of international culinary experience, Chef Andrea brings a world of expertise and innovation to Sheraton Manila Hotel. Beyond his culinary prowess, Vergara said Chef Andrea embodies a dynamic, energetic, and passionate approach to the dining experience.

“His philosophy revolves around a hands-on, proactive approach, where every meal becomes an extraordinary event.”

In a time where connections Chef Andrea, Vergara said, also and shared experiences are more viworked on a vegetarian menu called tal than ever, “Pranzo & Cena: Ital“Road to Zero Waste” where nothing ian Family Feasts” invites everyone from the materials used in making to slow down, savor every moment, the food will go to waste, like for exand relish the joy of shared meals ample lemon rind. “That’s one that with the family and loved ones, or people can look forward to from even friends, courtesy of a true cuChef Andrea, who will really present linary visionary. food that’s on his mind to give peoPranzo & Cena will be available ple a different kind of lunch and dinfrom Monday to Saturday, from 6 pm ner food experience. This set menu to 9 pm. Weekday dining is priced at is offered for the month of October.”

P3,200 net per person, while weekAnd even though the dishes end dining is offered at P3,500 net are Italian, Chef Andrea was very per person. And for a delightful and flexible. Vergara said Sheraton Maintimate experience, reservations are nila Hotel has been an advocate of highly recommended.

Qsina: A Culinary Masterpiece Unveiled at The Bellevue Manila

T

HE Bellevue Manila, a leader in the hospitality industry, proudly presents the much-anticipated unveiling of its culinary masterpiece, “Qsina,” a remarkable transformation of the beloved Café d’Asie. This rebranding marks an exciting chapter in the hotel’s storied history and a culinary journey like no other.

Now open to the public and derived from the Filipino word “Kusina,” meaning kitchen, “Qsina” is not just about exceptional dining; it’s a heartfelt story woven with threads of tradition and innovation. At its core, “Qsina” celebrates the cherished memories of family gatherings, where the kitchen is the heart of the home, and the aroma of home-cooked meals fills the air.

It’s a place where generations have gathered around tables, sharing stories, laughter, and the comforting embrace of food prepared with love.

Boneless Crispy Pata, one of Qsina’s best sellers

The former Café d’Asie is now known as “Qsina.”

Celebrating Tradition, Embracing Innovation

“Qsina is a reflection of our commitment to redefining the dining experience,” said Patrick Chan, Managing Director of The Bellevue Manila. “We are thrilled to introduce an enticing blend of Asian-inspired cuisine that

pays homage to tradition while embracing innovation. From exquisite à la carte options to mouthwatering buffet spreads, ‘Qsina’ promises an unforgettable gastronomic adventure.”

With live cooking stations, it recreates the intimate feeling of a home kitchen, where your

meal is prepared with care and personalized just for you.

“Qsina is designed to be an extension of your kitchen, where every dish tells a story, and every meal feels like a warm embrace,” said General Manager Mavic Recio. “Our culinary team has meticulously curated a menu

that captures the essence of Asian heritage. With live cooking stations on buffets, we aim to recreate the intimate feeling of a home kitchen, where you can watch your meal being prepared just for you.”

Qsina now offers Weekend Dinner Buffet, available every

Friday and Saturday at an attractive price of P1,788 nett.

In addition to this, they proudly offer a daily breakfast buffet and a delectable a la carte menu.

For those seeking variety and choice, their A la carte All-YouCan experience is available every Sunday to Thursday, starting at just P950 nett.

The Bellevue Manila currently offers a range of gastronomic delights through its food concepts: discover the authentic flavors of China at Phoenix Court, satisfy your sweet cravings at Pastry Corner, unwind at Vue Bar with delightful beverages and live entertainment, and explore the hidden gem at Cellar 22, for a unique experience.

From Chinese cuisine to tempting pastries and captivating drinks, The Bellevue Manila has something for every palate.

For inquiries and reservations, you may contact The Bellevue Manila at (+632) 6094 7674 or visit www.thebellevuemanila.com.

Wine&Dine BusinessMirror

C4 Sunday, October 29, 2023

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Take a culinary journey to Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chef Carolina Asmar from Barranquilla, Colombia recently cooked up a Colombian feast for Discovery Primea’s Flame Restaurant.

Miang Kham Sai Qua with Tumeric Rice

DISCOVERY PRIMEA FEATURES COLOMBIAN CHEF FOR ‘ELEMENTS OF FLAVOR’ SERIES R I

In the photo are, from left, Chef Joemar Palencia; Chef Jonnel Atanacio; Chef Marco Maneja; Mary Ann Villamater, Mango Tree PH Marketing Manager; Mia Teng, Mango Tree PH Marketing Officer; Trevor Mackenzie, Mango Tree Restaurants Worldwide; Chef Banchong Singthis; and Chef Elijah Estillorem

ENOWNED Colombian Chief Carolina Asmar was in town recently to grace the Elements of Flavor series of Discovery Primea’s Flame Restaurant.

This series encompasses a range of carefully planned events that embody collaborations between Discovery Primea’s culinary team and renowned local and international chefs. The goal is to create extraordinary dining experiences that push the boundaries of innovation and celebrate the art of flavors.

“We take great delight in introducing ‘Sabor Colombiano,’ an exquisite addition to our Elements of Flavor series at Flame,” shared David Pardo de Ayala, General Manager of Discovery Primea, proudly embracing his Colombian heritage.

“This event is a testament to our commitment to provide our guests with extraordinary dining experiences,” he added.

Asmar was on hand to meet with members of the media prior to serving an exquisite dinner that celebrated Colombian cuisine. Asmar is from Barranquilla, Colombia.

Barranquilla is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region.

“I prepared for you today the Patilazo. It’s a refreshing drink made of watermelon, lemon, basil or mint and a little bit of flavored soda. Today I made use of orange soda and this is drink is meant to quench your thirst on a hot day,” she explained.

She also prepared Bollitos de Maiz or Boiled Hominy Corn Rolls. Bollitos are a Colombian side dish that is popular in the Caribbean region. These hominy corn and cheese rolls are wrapped in corn husks, bananas or plantain leaves, and then boiled or steamed.

“I make a more modern version of Bollitos where I stuff them with chicken and coconut stew, crispy chicharon and a vegetarian eggplant treat,” Asmar said, adding that Bollitos make the perfect afternoon snack or merienda and goes well with a steaming cup of hot chocolate, infused in the Colombian style with cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.

“Colombia and the Philippines may be an ocean apart but we have so many things in common. We have seafood, meat, vegetables, fruits. We share the same flavors and there are so many more similarities,” Pardo de Ayala said. Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

F you like authentic Thai food, this is something that you would not want to miss.

Mango Tree, a world-class Thai restaurant with nine stores in the Philippines including Mango Tree and Mango Tree Cafe, is featuring dishes from Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand, until November 15, 2023.

Trevor MacKenzie, Mango Tree Managing Partner, pointed out that the dishes were the result of the retraining the Mango Tree chefs from the Global City branch, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Dubai underwent in Chiang Mai. “When the chefs come to start working with us, they only go to Bangkok. And what we want them to do is to feel the same passion that I and my staff have about Thai food in Thailand,” MacKenzie said in an interview prior to the launch of the Chiang Mai dishes.

Unique cuisine THAILAND has 76 provinces and MacKenzie has been to about 60 of them. What he has learned is that each of the provinces had something unique about them and that he wanted to share this experience with the chefs.

“It was a great bonding opportunity for all the chefs to be together and share some ideas. It also helped them embrace real Thai culture so

that they understand what the are the origins of the various Thai dishes and why it is so. In fact, we had a very high retention rate when we started to do these trips,” he said.

MacKenzie said he chose Chiang Mai for this trip because he had already brought his team to the southern, northeastern and central regions.

Traditional ingredients THE Mango Tree Chefs Trip took place rom July 16 to 22, 2023 where the teams also visited the original Mango Tree restaurant in Surawong, Bangkok. In Chiang Mai, the teams spent three days learning how to use traditional ingredients and recipes and participated in cooking workshops with the local Northern Thai communities including the hill tribes of Lanna, Lisu, Tai Yai and the Akha people.

“The dishes that we will be showcasing during the food tasting are primarily from the Chiang Mai region. You could say that that area is the origin of Thai food because that is where it all started,” MacKenzie said.

Guests at the food tasting event at the Mango Tree branch in Global City were treated to a welcome drink of Thai Basil Cucumber Cooler and it truly lived up to its name. The first dish that guests tried was the Miang Kham. It is a traditional one-bite snack filled with an array of Thai flavors includ-

Thai inspired Bonbons

Hill Tribe Aeb Pla

ing coconut flakes, peanuts, dried shrimps, galangai, onion, lemon, chili and a sweet savory miang kham sauce that is all wrapped up in an aromatic sesame leaf.

The dish offers you a symphony of flavors that will keep you wanting more. That’s because you are trying to figure out what makes this dish so tasty. The good thing about it is that you can control the amount of chili that you put in it.

Thai style chicharon THIS was followed by Nam Prik Noom. Originating from northern Thailand, this dip consists of roast green chilies pounded with flavorful herbs and served with pork cracklings or what is more commonly known as chicharon.

Those who love spicy Thai style salads would want to try Chiang Mai Laarb Khua or Northern Minced Pork Salad with Makwan Pepper. This spicy minced pork salad is made with makwan peppers which are similar to Szechuan peppers but “with only a hint of the numbing feeling” as MacKenzie described it.

Guests were then treated to four main dishes. For starters, there was the Chiang Mai Sausage which is a grilled sausage made with minced pork, herbs and spices.

Guests also sampled the Hill Tribe Aeb Pia or Spicy Fish in Banana Leaf. Originating from the hill tribes around Chiang Mai, this fil-

leted fish is marinated in a unique northern herb mixture, wrapped and grilled in banana leaf.

A Thai food tasting event would not be complete without a curry dish. The Kaeng Hang Le or Chiang Mai Curry, is a savory and sweet curry made with pork belly, fermented bamboo shoots, and a selection of herbs and spices. Guest were also treated to Khao Soi or Chiang Mai Noddle Soup. This is a traditional curry noddle topped with crispy egg noodles, chicken, lime wedges, and pickled vegetables.

Dessert AFTER the appetizers and the main dishes, there will always be room for dessert. For dessert, guests got to sample Banana Fritters with Pandan Sauce and Thai inspired Bonbons. The Bonbons are a chocolate confection created with Mango Tree in mind featuring the flavors of Coconut Pandan, Thai Milk Tea and Passion Fruit Mango.

“While we are having this promotion, we will see what dishes the market likes the best. If everything works well, those dishes will eventually make it to our menu. So it’s going to be customers who will be telling us if they like the dishes,” MacKenzie said.

For more information about Mango Tree, follow them on Facebook (@mangotreemanila), Instagram (@mangotreemanila) and TikTok (@mangotreePH).

Chilean pork gradually making a presence in the Philippines P ORK industry representatives from the South American country of Chile were in Manila recently to drum up interest and possibly attract more buyers of their pork.

Under the banner of ChilePork, representatives from four Chilean companies, AASA, Agrosuper, Coexca and Maxagro, made the long journey to Manila to meet up with potential distributors recently at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

“ChilePork was launched with a campaign in Japan in 2007 and another in South Korea in 2008. Today, Chile is consolidated in both countries as a significant pork supplier, the 7th largest in Japan and 5th largest in South Koreak. In 2012, the campaign launched in China where Chile is now the 9th largest supplier,” ChilePork said in a statement.

Chilean companies began ex-

porting to the Philippines in 2021 with the challenge to promote the quality, versatility and flavor of its various cuts. The ChilePork brand was launched in the Philippines in 2022 and to date, Chile has exported more than 3,000 tons and US$12.5 billion of pork to the Philippines.

Studies show that all Chilean pork cuts are an excellence source of protein, with very 100 grams of Chilean pork covering an average of 37 percent of the dietary reference intake. Six of the nine cuts analyzed can be described as “extra lean” or “lean” and low in cholesterol, while all cuts are an excellent source of Vitamin B. Mark Hagan, Executive Chef of Grand Hyatt Hotel, was challenged by ChilePork to make use of alternative cuts of pork for the food tasting portion of the meeting with possible distributors. He made

Representatives of ChilePork members

use of shoulder belly, pork liver and pork flowers, also known as chicharon bulaklak.

“The Chileans made a lot of effort in growing their pigs. Sustainability comes with using the entire

Samples of alternative cuts of Chilean pork, from left, pork flowers, pork shoulder and pork liver.

animal and you don’t see liver or pork flowers being served a lot. Using all these alternative cuts will make it really sustainable,” Hagan explained.

Hagan prepared Chi-noy Adobo

with the pork shoulder, Pork Flower Inasal with the pork flower and Stir Fry Pork Liver with the liver.

“The pork is certainly of high quality and it achieves sustainability, food security and

Mark Hagan, Executive Chef of Grand Hyatt Hotel, explains how he is preparing the pork flowers.

bio-diversity. They put a lot of effort in growing the animal and it has a great meat to fat ratio. It is extremely easy to cook and it tastes absolutely amazing,” he said.

Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

Sunday, October 29, 2023 | Edited by Jose F. Lacaba

COVER STORY

Music as alchemy!

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra musical director Maestro Grzegorz Nowak in action

By Pablo A. Tariman Photos: Orly Daquipil

BusinessMirror

Sunday, October 29, 2023 3

Meet Grzegorz Nowak: NEW MUSICAL DIRECTOR OF THE PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

T

By Pablo A. Tariman Photos: Orly Daquipil

HIS year, on the 39th concert season of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), a new music director—in the person of seasoned Polish conductor Grzegorz Nowak—took over.

soprano Eva Marton.

On my third year at the CCP in 1982, the CCP orchestra was renamed Philippine Philharmonic and was under various conductors—among them, Oscar C. Yatco, Basilio Manalo, and Francisco Feliciano.

In t he Ph i l ippi ne Ph i lh a r m o n i c ’s f o u r c o n c e r t seasons, foreig n music d irectors took over—from Ruggero Barbieri (Italian) to Oliv ier Ochanine (FrenchA mer ic a n) a nd Yosh i k a z u Fu kumura (Japanese).

FIRST POLISH CONDUCTOR If one is to judge by Nowak’s two latest engagements with the PPO, one can say the national orchestra has finally found a star conductor.

Friday night at the Samsung Theater for Performing Arts in Circuit Makati was different. The Philippine Philharmonic under Maestro Grzegorz Nowak opened with an excellent reading of the pretty short Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9.

From the way the Polish conductor projected the essence of the music, one could see musical genius at work. It was enough to muster great anticipation for the rest of the program.

No doubt the night’s piece de resistance, Respighi’s Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome). showcased the PPO at its best under a superb conductor.

It was a miracle how the music projected sights of Rome with all its multi-faceted attractions.

50 YEARS THE PPO observed its 50th year last May 2023 with a concert at the historic Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Under conductors Herminigildo Ranera and Rodel Colmenar, the anniversary concert reprised its 1973 program with soloists Raul Sunico (soloist in the Gershwin concerto) and Aidan Ezra Baracol (soloist in Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra), and with

the welcome presence of tenor Arthur Espiritu, who provided the musical excitement with well-sung arias and Filipino kundiman.

But before it was named the Philippine Philharmonic in 1982 under Oscar C. Yatco, the ensemble was known as the CCP Philharmonic and functioned mainly as an assisting orchestra for both local and international artists under its founder, Luis Valencia.

On the year the CCP was inaugurated in 1969, the same orchestra under Maestro Valencia assisted a visiting American diva, Beverly Sills, in the inauguration of the Meralco Theater.

In the early 1970s, it assisted Van Cliburn, Renata Tebaldi, and Franco Corelli for the fund-raising projects of the former First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos. <? Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, who was the Philippine First Lady at that time.> One caught up with the CCP Philharmonic for the first time in 1975, when it assisted Cecile Licad in three concertos in one evening. I was so enchanted by her performance I decided to join the CCP media office in 1980 to have free access to live orchestral music.

Before I joined the CCP, I heard the orchestra in the San Francisco Opera production of Tosca <? Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca> mounted at the CCP, starring tenor Placido Domingo and

M A ESTRO Nowa k, <is his first name Maestro? Or is this Mestro Grzegorz Nowak> the first Polish conductor to lead the Philippine Philharmonic, was principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and was music director of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw from 2017 to 2020.

He said he relates very well to Polish artists all over the world, including novelist Joseph Conrad, author of the celebrated 1899 novella Heart of Darkness.

The first substantial Filipino-Polish connection was through Filipina pianist Cecile Licad’s recording with Andre Previn of Polish composer Frederic Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, which was awarded the Grand Prix Du Disc Frederic Chopin in 1985 by the Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Licad used a Paderewski piano when she performed in Poland.

Nowak studied conducting, composition, and violin at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, Poland, before receiving his doctorate degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

He obtained a Serge Koussevitsky Fellowship at Tanglewood, <a music venue in Massachusetts?> where he later became Kurt Masur’s assistant.

He won the prestig ious Ernest Ansermet Conducting

Competition in Geneva and bagged all the special awards, including the Grand Prix Patek Philippe, the Rolex Prize, the Swiss Prize, and the American Patronage Prize.

Maestro Nowa k worked with Rostropovich for an entire month conducting several concerts during the “Festival Musique en Mer”—a tour on board the ship Mermoz, with concerts in Mediterranean ports.

He was pleased with his opening concert with PPO. “The orchestra lived up to my expectations with that very good concert. Filipino audience is warm, friendly and supportive. But with such a large venue, we need a larger audience.

This orchestra deserves a much larger audience.”

A top winner of the Ernest Ansermet International Conducting Competition, Maestro Nowak recalls the maestros who inspired him when he was just starting. “When I saw on TV the concerts with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, I decided that I absolutely had to study with these masters. I made it happen, thanks to my winning the Koussevitzky fellowship at Tanglewood [summer season of Boston Symphony Orchestra and music students’ master classes with the world’s most famous artists].

Among conductors I also worked with were such super stars as Eric Leinsdorf, Kurt Masur, and Maurice Abravanel. But Bernstein and Ozawa were my heroes and both had the biggest influence. When a few years later I assisted Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic and showed him our photo from Tanglewood, he commented with a smile, ‘We were both much younger than.’”

Maestro Nowak’s advice to aspiring conductors: “Practice, practice, practice.”

TOTAL ENCHANTMENT NEVER has the PPO sounded magical, robust, and commanding as it wrapped up the night w ith total aural enchantment.

Maestro Nowak was again it his best in the second PPO season concert last October 13 highlighted by Antonin Dvorák’s Cello Concerto with Swiss-born cellist Wen-Sinn Yang as soloist.

When Yang performed in Frankfurt some years back, the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau wrote of his performance in Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 thus: “Cellist Wen-Sinn Yang proved himself in terms of technique and expression as a worthy successor to [Russian cellist and conductor] Mstislav Rostropovich!”

The Swiss cellist (of Taiwanese parents) was so good that his Dvorak concerto and his equally stunning encore number—Capriccio sopra un tema della Niobe di Pacini (Caprice on a Theme from Pacini’s Niobe), Op. 22, by Alfredo Piatti—practically eclipsed the other program highlights from Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, Op. 90, and the charming opener, Sarung Bangui Serenade by Potenciano Gregorio as arranged by Angel Pena.

Says the new PPO conductor on the Dvorak cello concerto: “It is a fabulous work, very dramatic. It displays virtuosity of the cellist, but at the same time it is a symphonic work, full of drama and wonderful musical themes and phrases. It is very close to my heart, especially that I performed it with some of the best cellists of our times.”

The PPO music director met cellist Wen-Sinn Yang when the Swiss cellist won the top prize in the Geneva International Music Competition. At that time, Nowak was music director of a Swiss orchestra in Biel.

“I invited the winner to play with us. We immediately bonded musically and collaborated often ever since. He is a versatile cellist with masterful technique, wonderful rich sound, and his interpretations are mature and deeply moving.

No wonder he’s often hailed as Rostropovich’s successor,” Nowak said.

BusinessMirror

6 Sunday, October 29, 2023

Born in Manila: INSTITUTO CERVANTES ORGANIZES A TRIBUTE CONCERT TO SPANISH SINGER-COMPOSER LUIS EDUARDO AUTE

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NSTITUTO Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, presents the concert “Born in Manila (A Tribute to Aute),” on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Manila-born singer-composer and painter Luis Eduardo Aute.

This event will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati.

The screening of “Con tu latido,” a video documentary produced in 2021 by Instituto Cervantes de Manila will open the event.

Filmed in distinct locations in Intramuros, this video features Filipino singers, such as Bituin Escalante and Mark Anthony Carpio, performing some of the songs of Luis Eduardo Aute.

This will be followed by live performances of some of

the singers including Sheila Ferrer and Toma Cayabyab, who also participated in the recording of “Con tu latido.”

Toma, son of National artist Ryan Cayabyab, has arranged the new renderings and versions of Autes’s songs, both those recorded in the documentary and those that will be part of the repertoire to be performed live at the RCBC. The concert will also include the special participation of Spanish singer Rosa León, who will be arriving from Spain for this occasion.

Manila-born singer-composer and painter Luis Eduardo Aute

Toma Cayabyab

Sheila Ferrer

The early years of her career as a singer, in the 70’s, was closely linked to Aute, as she had popularized some of his greatest songs, such as “Las cuatro y diez” and “Al alba.”

Luis Eduardo Aute was born in Manila on September 1943 during the Japanese occupation.

His father worked at the Tabacalera. His grandmother, born in Valencia, Spain was brought to the Philippines during the Spanish era at the age of three. They had a house along Roxas Boulevard (which back then was Dewey Boulevard) that also served as the headquarters of the Japanese troops and later on the Americans.

Aute studied at De La Salle, but the family moved to

Spain in 1954 where, years later, he would become one of the icons of Spanish music in the second half of the 20th century.

Free entrance on a first

come, first served basis. For further information, please contact: Philip Paraan at 0945-1339920, cenmni@cervantes.es, reyphilip.paraan@ gmail.com.