THE MANILA TIMES | JANUARY 27, 2019

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Sunday Times imes Magazine G1

JANUARY 27, 2019

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Trusted since 1898

Pope defends migrants P

ANAMA CITY: Pope Francis railed Friday (Saturday in Manila) against the marginalization of convicts and others who society has deemed “sinners,� and staunchly defended migrants as he joined hundreds of thousands of young Catholics in Panama.

In a swipe at US President Donald Trump’s plans to build a border wall against Central American migrants, the Pope told hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims that it was “senseless� to condemn every immigrant “as a threat to society.�

The Argentine pontiff was speaking at the end of a solemn ceremony commemorating Christ’s Crucifixion, which drew the largest crowd of pilGRIMS OF HIS kVE DAY VISIT The organizers said the Way of the Cross

CONFESSING, FORGIVING Pope Francis listens to the confession of an inmate during a penitential liturgy at the Las Garzas de Pacora detention center for minors in Panama.

AP PHOTO

PH reaction to the bombshell Oxfam report: stupor and torpor SUNDAY STORIES MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

N

O one will dare ask Mr. Salvador Panelo, the presidential spokesman, on the bombshell report from the antipoverty group Oxfam. Or get Mr. Panelo’s version on how that report applies in the SPECIkC CONTEXT OF THE 0HILIPPINES WHERE both poverty and economic inequality are of the intractable kind.

The summary of the recent Oxfam publication is this: only 26 global billionaires own the same amount of wealth as the

ÂłRonquillo A4

TRUMP RETREATS, US GOVT REOPENS WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump on Friday (Saturday in Manila) brought a temporary end to the longest government shutdown in US history, while dropping his previous insistence on immediate funding for wall construction along the Mexican border.

The announcement in the White House Rose Garden on the bipartisan deal marked a retreat by Trump, suspending a row that paralyzed Washington, disrupted air travel, and left more than 800,000 fedERAL EMPLOYEES WITHOUT PAY FOR kVE WEEKS The top Democratic senator, Chuck Schumer, said he hoped Trump had “learned his lesson.�

The Senate and House of Representatives both passed the deal by unanimous consent Friday. The White House later CONkRMED 4RUMP HAD SIGNED IT INTO LAW Trump’s reversal came as the full weight OF THE SHUTDOWN INCLUDING THE kNANCIAL cost on struggling employees and the national economy, became clear, and as the president appeared outfoxed by his politi-

cal nemesis Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives.

But while Trump climbed down in agreeing to reopen government without kRST GETTING BILLION IN BORDER WALL funds, he still threatened to renew hostilities with a new shutdown, or a state of emergency, if there is no breakthrough on his pet project in the next three weeks. “Over the next 21 days, I expect that both Democrats and Republicans will operate in good faith,� he said as he announced he would reopen the government. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government either shuts down ON &EBRUARY TH AGAIN OR ) WILL USE THE powers afforded to me under the laws and Constitution of the United States to address this emergency,� he warned. “We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier.�

S&P Global Ratings said the shutdown cost “is likely worse than what we had previously expected.�

Based on their analysis, “the US econ-

Improve tax collection, call off excise tax – JV SEN. Joseph Victor “JV� Ejercito urged the country’s revenue collectING AGENCIES TO COLLECT TAXES EFkCIENTLY AND CORRECTLY IN ORDER TO HELP the government raise more funds, instead of implementing the second wave of fuel excise tax increases that took effect this month.

At the same time, he urged the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs to seriously and relentlessly run after big-time tax evaders and avoiders. “Instead of fuel excise tax increase, why not implement a nononsense campaign against big-time tax evaders and avoiders? It’s the government’s mandate to collect, it’s their [evaders] obligation to pay, under the law,� Ejercito said in a statement. )N THE $EPARTMENT OF &INANCE AND THE ")2 INITIATED THE Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) Program, which mandated the BIR to investigate criminal violations of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 and assist in the prosecution of criminal cases that will generate the maximum deterrent effect, enhance voluntary COMPLIANCE AND PROMOTE PUBLIC CONkDENCE IN THE TAX SYSTEM )N THE ")2 !NNUAL 2EPORT A TOTAL OF 2!4% CASES WERE kLED with the Department of Justice, with the estimated tax liabilities amounting to P10.72 billion.

4HE OBJECTIVE TO PROSECUTE HIGH PROkLE TAX EVADERS IS YET TO BE realized, however.

Q SEN. Joseph Victor ‘JV’ Ejercito

ceremony drew 400,000 pilgrims to hear the Pope at a park in Panama City. The World Youth Day committee said 110,000 people HAD OFkCIALLY REGISTERED FOR THE SIX DAY EVENT

which ends on Sunday.

In his evening homily, Francis returned to his theme of defending migrants during this visit to Central America, the hub for migrant caravans heading north through Mexico to the US border.

The Church wanted to foster a culture “that welcomes, protects, promotes and integrates, that does not stigmatize, much less indulge in a senseless and irresponsible condemnation of every immigrant as a threat to society.�

ÂłTax A2

OMY LOST AT LEAST BILLION LARGER THAN THE BILLION THAT THE 7HITE (OUSE requested for the border wall,� it said in a statement.

Shutdown pain Trump triggered the shutdown in December to pressure congressional Democrats to give him funding for the border wall.

But the House Democrats calculated that voters would blame Trump for the ensuing chaos — and polls showed they were correct.

Federal workers as varied as museum employees and US Coast Guard sailors were left without salaries. Even Secret Service agents guarding the White House have been working without pay.

By Friday the shutdown impact was focused on airports, where enough federally employed security staff had called in sick to slow down overall operations.

Air traffic controllers were working

ÂłReopen A2 REACH US AT: E-mail: newsdesk@ manilatimes.net Tel. Nos.: 524-5664 to 67 Address: 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

ÂłMigrants A2

‘VP camp using Marcos poll protest for publicity’ THE camp of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong� Marcos Jr. dismissed a SUPPLEMENTAL MANIFESTATION kLED BY THE camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni� Robredo before the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, on Wednesday.

Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ lawyer, said data emanating from Robredo’s camp “are fueled by their own political agendas.� “Everything and anything that’s coming out of them now, it’s more political than legal. Robredo’s lawyer is running for the Senate. He’s using this issue for publicity because it’s really his game that is over,�

Rodriguez told The Manila Times.

He was referring to the Vice President’s lead counsel Romulo Macalintal, who last week said that the “game is over� for Marcos because the reappreciation of ballots from three provinces chosen by the former senator still showed Robredo’s lead over Marcos intact.

Robredo won by 263,473 votes over Marcos during the 2016 elections.

4HE SUPPLEMENTAL MANIFESTATION kLED BY Robredo’s camp on Wednesday said Marcos

ÂłMarcos A2

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SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Robredo backs govt takeover of Hanjin

BY REINA C. TOLENTINO

V

ICE President Maria Leonor “Leni�

Robredo favored a government takeover of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-PH), saying a Chinese takeover OF THE kRM WOULD BE gDANGEROUSu BECAUSE THE shipyard is near the disputed Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal). “Napakalapit nito sa Bajo de Masinloc. Sobrang lapit niya na kapag Chinese company iyong nag-take over dito sa Hanjin na

ito, magkakaroon na ng dahilan para pasukin na tayo nang pasukin noong mga Chinese na vessels na on the guise na magpapaayos, magre-

refuel, magpapahinga (It is very near Bajo de Masinloc. It is so near that if a Chinese company takes over Hanjin, there would be a reason for Chinese vessels to enter the country in the guise of getting repairs, refueling, rest),� she said. “Parang ni -legitimize natin iyong pagpasok sa atin. Napakadelikado nito (It would be as if we legitimized their entry. This is very dangerous),� she added.

If the government takes over the facility, it can be used as a “base� by the Philippine Navy to boost the Philippines’s security efforts

in the area.

She also urged the government to help about 7,000 workers who were displaced after the company declared bankruptcy.

4HE (()# 0( HAD kLED A PETItion before the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City for voluntary rehabilitation. /FkCIALS OF (ANJIN 0HILIPPINES had told the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority that the company HAS ABOUT MILLION IN OUTstanding loans from Philippine BANKS AND MILLION IN DEBTS owed to South Korea lenders.

Palace hits IBON data on employment rate MALACAĂ‘ANG has dismissed as “mathematically impossibleâ€? claims made by nongovernment research group IBON Foundation that the Duterte administration produced only 81,000 jobs in 2018.

In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo disputed THE GROUP S DATA AS HE CITED kGURES from the key government agencies concerned on employment. “According to both the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), the government generated 826,000 jobs for the country in 2018 alone,�

Panelo said. “IBON Foundation’s claim that the average annual job creation under the Duterte administration equates to only 81,000 is thus mathematically impossible,� he added.

IBON, however, questioned the government’s figure, saying slower expansion of the country’s economy in the last three years has resulted in the shortage of decent jobs for new labor entrants.

In its year-end report, IBON Foundation Executive Director Jose Enrique Africa described this as the “worst effect of a backward economy� and said the real score on jobs was “twisted.�

“The economic managers HAILED NEW JOBS CREated in 2018 and unemployment falling by 140,000 bringing the UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DOWN TO percent. Unfortunately, these do not tell the whole story,� Africa said in a statement. “The Duterte administration has actually created just an average of 81,000 jobs annually with MILLION JOBS IN COMpared to 43.4 million in 2016.

This is because the economy lost a huge 663,000 jobs in 2017, which was the biggest contraction in employment in 20 years or since 1997,� he said.

But Panelo said “the employment rate under the Duterte administration remains very good, REGISTERING AS HIGH AS PERCENT in October 2016 to a low of 93.4 percent in January 2017, as per data from the PSA.� “One must, therefore, ask the methodology undertaken

by IBON Foundation on how it arrived at its figures regarding the employment situation in the first two years of the administration,� he said. “One must also ask if the said foundation is inept or just maliciously reckless to degrade the achievements of the President,� he added. CATHERINE S. VALENTE

Drilon: Implement existing juvenile law

SALUTE TO BRAVERY

President Rodrigo Duterte salutes one of the wounded soldiers he visited at Camp Evangelista Station Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Q TAX FROM A1

Improve tax collection Ejercito reiterated his support to efforts of the Duterte administration to raise funds for the

infrastructure program of the government, which program the senator believes is key to the coun-

Q PATH FROM A1

TRUMP RETREATS without pay and in New Jersey’s busy Newark Liberty International !IRPORT STAFkNG ISSUES LED TO DElays, raising the specter of a wider degradation of US air travel.

This raised pressure to reach a deal — and Trump buckled, even at the risk of angering his rightwing voter base.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter wasted no time in lashing out. “Good news for George Her-

bert Walker Bush: As of today, he is no longer the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States,� she tweeted, referring to the late president, a Republican moderate.

No way out Trump has spoken for weeks about using his presidential authority to declare a border emergency and bypass Con-

Q MIGRANTS FROM A1

Pope defends migrants The pope has previously spoken out against the “fears and suspicions� of migrants during his trip.

In the crowd was 23-year-old Honduran student Wiston Medina. “Many of my friends have lost their jobs and gone to the United States. Everyone in Honduras has family in the US, they left looking for a better future.�

Plea for environment In a wide-ranging speech at the end of the evening ceremony, the pope also made a plea for the environment that had been “trampled underfoot by disregard and a fury of consumption beyond all reason.�

Society in general “has lost the ability to weep and to be moved

by suffering.�

Instead of solidarity “from an opulent society,� many encountered rejection, sorrow and misery “and are singled out and treated as responsible for all society’s ills,� he said.

Earlier, Francis broke away from the clamor of the global youth gathering to make a 40-kilometer MILE ROAD TRIP TO A SPARE CONcrete youth penitentiary outside the capital.

For much of the journey, pilGRIMS AND LOCALS WAVED lAGS AND cheered as he passed by. “Where people’s lives are concerned, it seems easier to post signs and labels,� stigmatizing “not only people’s past but also their present and future,� he told the center’s young inmates, many of whom

try’s progress. g%FkCIENT AND RIGHT COLLECTION of taxes and running after tax cheaters should be the strategy.

So, let’s suspend the implementation of the fuel excise tax increase temporarily and embark on an

EFFECTIVE EFkCIENT AND CORRECT COLlection of taxes. And, at the same time, launch a serious, sustained and no let-up campaign against tax evaders,� he said.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

gress, allowing himself to take funds from other sources for the wall.

However, this would almost certainly be challenged in court.

So while Trump had said he would not “cave� in the standoff, the president was left with little alternative.

At his White House announcement, Trump sought to thank the federal workers who suffered as collateral damage in the political battle, saying they showed “extraordinary devotion in the face of this recent hardship.�

But Tiffany Cruz, who works

at LaGuardia Airport in New York, which was also badly hit by delays, said she had little faith in Trump. “He’s just reopening (government) at his convenience,� she said. “I don’t believe he cares about anything but himself.�

With the shutdown ending, the question arises whether Trump will be re-invited to deliver his State of the Union address in Congress next Tuesday.

Pelosi had insisted he not deliver his speech until government reopened. On Friday she said the schedule remained undecided. AFP

are serving time for serious crimes. “This attitude spoils everything, because it erects an invisible wall that makes people think that — if we marginalize, separate and isolate others — all our problems will magically be solved,� Francis told them.

The Pope listened closely to a YOUNG INMATE IDENTIkED AS ,UIS

who shared his dream of becoming an internationally-renowned chef after he completes his senTENCE FOR AN UNSPECIkED CRIME “There are no words to describe the freedom I feel at this moment,� said Luis, in detention since 2016. “The Pope was visibly moved by his encounter as he listened to the words of this youth,� Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti told reporters later.

SIONS OF kVE OF THE INMATES INCLUDing a young woman.

Afterwards, there were lighter moments when Francis approached a group of pilgrims who were waving banners and chanting outside the grim penitentiary fences.

He chatted with one elderly woman, and then told the crowd “This old lady, who is younger than I am, is doing well and today is her birthday, so let’s sing to her!�

He then led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday.

In his speech, the Pope said Jesus approached and engaged with sinners, “even putting his reputation at risk.�

He told them they were not DEkNED BY THE LABELS SOCIETY HAD given them, as offenders. “Keep fighting, all of you, to SEEK AND kND THE PATHS OF INTEGRAtion and transformation.� AFP

Singing Happy Birthday The Pope later heard the confes-

IN an apparent change of heart, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Saturday called on the Senate to take a serious look at the implementation of Republic Act 9344 or the “Juvenile and Justice Welfare Act� (JJWA), before it moves to bring down the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) from 15.

Drilon, author of Senate Bill (SB) 1603, which seeks to lower the minimum age to 12 years old, said what was clear in the Senate hearing on measures seeking to bring down the MACR from 15 was that RA 9344 has not been properly implemented. “We sought a review of the law precisely to determine whether or not the law is being implemented properly.

Having heard the resource persons and experts expound on their opinion on the JJWA and possible amendments to the law, it is clear to us now that the current law has not realized its full potential and the debates we are having now [are] a result of the poor or non-implementation of the law,� he noted. “Based on our hearings, I am convinced that there is nothing wrong with the current law or Republic Act 9344. The problems lie in the implementation of the law, and that is what the amendments should focus on,� Drilon said.  The minority leader expressed dismay and serious concern that there are major provisions of the law that were not properly implemented, particularly the establishment and maintenance of youth rehabilitation centers or Bahay Pag-asa throughout

the country.  Drilon said the JJWA mandated the establishment of Bahay Pag-asa centers for the youth in conflict with the law in all provinces and chartered cities in the country.  During a hearing, however, it was revealed that only 55 centers have been constructed and only 48.2 percent were operational as of June 2018.  Drilon said it appeared that local government units (LGUs) were not even conscious of their obligation to maintain the centers.  “This is a more pressing concern because there was serious neglect on the part of the local government units, which are mandated by the law to implement and maintain youth rehabilitation centers throughout the country,� he added. Hence, Drilon said, “The current Juvenile and Justice Welfare Act has not fully realized its potential because of non-implementation, or lack of funding support to implement it.� According to him, there was no budget for the construction and roll-out of Bahay Pag-asa centers and other diversion programs under the General Appropriations Act.  He vowed to put an amendment in the 2019 budget during the bicameral hearing to provide funds for the construction and maintenance of Bahay Pag-asa centers. “Before we amend the law, let’s give the current law a chance. With the stricter implementation and monitoring of the law, we can achieve the goal that we set in the law,� Drilon pointed out.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Q MARCOS FROM A1

VP camp using Marcos was not able to make a substantial recovery from Negros Oriental, Iloilo and Camarines Sur. These provinces were chosen

by Marcos’ camp because they would allegedly prove that there had been inconsistencies between ballots cast and votes transmitted by vote counting machines.

Q Vic Rodriguez, lawyer of former senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. PHOTO BY ROGER RAĂ‘ADA

Rodriguez said these data were not for Robredo’s camp to present and calculate. “Mrs. Robredo should stop spreading ‘fake news’, it is only the tribunal [that] will rule on the merits of the case and it is only the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal [that] is invested by the Constitution [with] the power to adjudicate on all cases of election protests involving election RETURNS IN QUALIkCATION OF THE Vice President,� he added. /N *UNE

-ARCOS kLED before the Supreme Court an election protest against Robredo.

He contested results in at least 27 cities and provinces and sought the nullification of votes in Maguindanao, Basilan and Lanao del Sur for alleged electoral fraud.

JOVE MOYA

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A3

Cancer bill soon a law – JV

BY JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

S

EN. Joseph Victor “JVâ€? Ejercito on Saturday said an enrolled bill that seeks to integrate a national cancer control program has been transmitted to MalacaĂąang for the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The bill was sent to the Palace on January 17.

Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography and sponsor of the bill, said the budget of the Department of Health (DoH) was inadequate to address the increasing cases of cancer in the country.

Cancer is now the second leading cause of death in the country. Cardiovascular disease tops the list.

Ejercito said the passage of

the bill into law would address various gaps in cancer care and integrate policies and programs for its prevention, detection, correct diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, pain management and survivorship or end of life. “Through the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, we can give cancer patients a choice, we can give them hope — hope that they will have an equitable and affordable cancer treatment and care, especially for the underprivi-

leged and marginalized Filipinos,� the senator added.

Once the bill is enacted into law, cancer patients, persons living with cancer and cancer survivors shall be considered as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and shall be accorded the same rights and privileges as PWDs. Under the proposed law, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

(PhilHealth) shall expand its BENEkT PACKAGES TO INCLUDE SCREENing, detection, diagnosis, treatment assistance, supportive care, survivorship follow-up care and rehabilitation, and end of-life-care, for all types and stages of cancer in both adults and children.

Meanwhile, the DoH shall ensure sufficient and affordable supply of medicines for cancer patients. It shall, with other concerned agencies, implement reforms supporting early access to essential medicines, innovative

medicines and health technologies to ensure the highest possible chance of survival among people with cancer.

The Insurance Commission shall mandate all Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) to cover genetic counseling and testing, cancer screening, diagnostic and palliative care as well as certain therapeutics of all member employees.

The bill also provides that cancer-related absences from work shall be covered and compenSATED BY THE SICKNESS BENEkTS OF the Social Security System (SSS) AND THE DISABILITY BENEkTS OF THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Under the act, a Philippine Cancer Center, under the control and supervision of the DoH-University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), shall be established for the treatment and accommodation of cancer patients. The

center shall also initiate research, in collaboration with other universities, hospital and institutions, for cancer prevention and cure.

Likewise, regional cancer centers shall be established nationwide for the treatment and care of cancer patients. The center shall also undertake and support the training of physicians, nurses, medical technicians, pharmacists, health OFkCERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS ON GOOD practice models for the delivery of responsive, multidisciplinary, integrated cancer services.

The DoH shall intensify its cancer awareness campaign and provide the latest and evidence-based information for the prevention and treatment of cancer. It shall also establish a national cancer registry and monitoring system for the assessment and control of cancer in the country.

The

Cancer Coalition Philippines (CCP) said there were 141,021 new cases of cancer. Cancer of the breast, lung, liver, prostate and cervix uteri are the most common.

Based on the CCP data last year, the top most common cancer among men were lung, prostate, liver, leukemia and non-hodgkin lumphoma.

For women, it was breast, cervix uteri, lung, ovary and thyroid.

While most cancers are curable, CCP officials said, survivorship in the Philippines was quite poor compared to other Asian countries.

Data from the Philippine Cancer pegged survivorship for Filipino women suffering from breast cancer at 63 percent.

Survivorship for men suffering from prostate cancer was pegged at 47 percent. On the other hand, survivorship rate for childhood leukemia in the Philippines was only 27 percent, compared to 92 percent survivorship rate in Germany.

DoT revamps ‘It’s more fun’ campaign THE Department of Tourism (DoT) has awarded the contract to revamp the agency’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines� campaign to BBDO Guerrero Inc., the advertising agency that created the brand campaign in 2012.

BBDO Guerrero Inc. won the bidding against DDB Philippines Inc., TBWA/ Santiago Mangada Puno Advertising Inc. and Weber Shandwick Philippines.

The agency will be responsible for the development of a digital public relations campaign for the Philippines as a premiere sustainable tourism destination.

Meanwhile, Touch XDA Inc. will serve as the media planning and buying agency that will steward the campaign’s strategic international placements.

DDB Philippines Inc., however, was chosen to promote sustainable and responsible tourism in the country, using a comprehensive research study as basis. “Expect that in the coming months and throughout the year, the DoT will be aggressive in promoting the best of the Philippines to our international source markets,� Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said on Friday.

Puyat said the new brand would appeal to older markets and younger audience.

The Tourism chief said the new campaign of the old tagline would focus on promoting tourism products, destinations and the DoT’s advocacy for sustainable tourism among local communities, stakeholders and visitors. “The concept of fun is now redefined to include responsibility in taking care of our tourist destinations to sustain the ‘more fun’ experience for future generations,� she added.

In its 2012 launch, the tagline was met with mixed response from netizens, with some saying it was ripped off from a 1951 Swiss tourism slogan.

The campaign did not also fare well during the stint of former Tourism chief Wanda Teo, despite spending P650 million to revise and upscale the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines� campaign in 2017 as the catchy slogan did not generate enough tourist arrivals.

Puyat said it was important to have continuity with the campaign to establish a more permanent trademark and brand for the Philippine tourism industry.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

UNITED IN PRAYER

Setting their varying beliefs aside, members of various religious groups (Catholic Church, National Council of the Philippines, United Church of Christ in the Philippines and Methodist Church of the Philippines) gather at Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate Manila on Friday night for ‘One Faith, One Nation, One Voice,’ a prayer rally to call for truth, justice and peace. PHOTO BY GERARD SEGUIA

PIMENTEL SEEKS MANDATORY POLL DEBATES Kim Henares denies

SEN. Aquilino “Koko� Pimentel 3rd on Saturday called for mandatory electoral debates to give candidates a chance to share their platforms of government.

0IMENTEL kLED 3ENATE "ILL A proposed legislation seeking to institutionalize the holding of electoral debates by amending Section 7.3 of Republic Act 9006, also known as the “Fair Election Act,� which states that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) may require national

television and radio networks to sponsor at least three national debates among presidential candidates and at least one national debate among vice presidential candidates. “While the Fair Election Act included a provision on the holding of electoral debates, the same was merely permissive. This bill seeks to institutionalize the holding of electoral debates by amending the Fair Election Act to make this important activity mandatory,� Pimentel explained.

(E SAID THE #OMELEC S SUPERVISION of at least three national debates among presidential candidates and at least one national debate among vice presidential candidates, should be scheduled on three different days within the campaign period.

Each debate, the senator added, shall include a discussion of the CANDIDATES PROGRAM OF GOVERNMENT and their stand on the most pressing issues affecting their respective constituencies.

“Among the declaration of principles in the Fair Election Act is for the State to guarantee or ensure equal opportunity for public service, pursuant to the Constitution.

One way to do this is to allow the candidates to engage each other in a debate where they will be asked to discuss their respective programs of government as well as their stand on the most pressing issues affecting their constituents,� Pimentel said.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Non-competition clause in employment contract Dear PAO, My live-in partner was offered an employment with a private advertising company. Because of his extensive work experience, he is being offered a high-ranking position. He really wanted to take the position but he could not accept it yet because there is a provision in the contract, which is being asked of him to sign, that his commission and other similar BENEkTS WILL BE FORFEITED IF HE ENgages in another company which is in competition with this advertising company. His question is, can the company validly provide that in the contract? Please advise me on this matter.

Daisy Dear Daisy, Parties to a contract are free to stipulate the terms and conditions that will bind them as long as these are not contrary to law, morals, good customs, public order, or public policy. This is the principle of autonomy of contracts which is explicitly provided for under our New Civil Code: “Art. 1306. The contracting parties may establish such stipulations, clauses, terms and conditions

DEAR PAO

PERSIDA ACOSTA as they may deem convenient, provided they are not contrary to law, morals, good customs, public order, or public policy.�

In the situation that you have presented, we are inclined to say that there appears to be nothing wrong with the provision in the employment contract which is being asked of your live-in partner to sign. We do not see it to be contrary to law, morals, good customs, public order, or public policy. It is common for private companies, especially those belonging to particular industries such as in advertising, to provide this condition in the contract to protect their data, research and even clientele information. It is also commonly imposed upon employees who HOLD HIGH RANKING CONkDENTIAL or specialized positions as they typically get hold of vital company information.

For better understanding, we quote the ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Century Properties Inc. vs. Babiano and Concepcion (GR 220978, July 5, 2016, Ponente: Honorable Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe), which states: “Verily, the foregoing clause is not only clear and unambiguous in stating that Babiano is barred to “work for whatsoever capacity x x x with any person whose business is in direct competition with [CPI] while [he is] employed and for a period of one year from date of [his] resignation or termination from the company,� it also expressly provided in no uncertain terms that should Babiano “[breach] any term of [the employment contract], forms of compensation including commissions and incentives will be forfeited.� x x X -ORE SIGNIkCANTLY AS #0) S 6ICE President for Sales, Babiano held A HIGHLY SENSITIVE AND CONkDENTIAL managerial position x x x Hence, to allow Babiano to freely move to direct competitors during and soon after his employment with CPI would make the latter’s trade secrets vulnerable to expo-

sure, especially in a highly competitive marketing environment.

As such, it is only reasonable that CPI and Babiano agree on such stipulation in the latter’s employment contract in order to afford a fair and reasonable protection to CPI. Indubitably, obligations arising from contracts, including employment contracts, have the force of law between the contracting parties and should be complied with in good faith. Corollary thereto, parties are bound by the stipulations, clauses, terms, and conditions they have agreed to, provided that these stipulations, clauses, terms, and conditions are not contrary to law, morals, public order or public policy, as in this case.�

(Emphasis supplied) We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.

%DITOR S NOTE $EAR 0!/ IS A DAILY COLUMN OF THE 0UBLIC !TTORNEY S /FkCE 1UESTIONS FOR #HIEF !COSTA MAY be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net

‘fixing’ tax problem FORMER Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) commissioner Kim Jacinto Henares on Saturday denied allegations of actress Gretchen "ARRETTO THAT SHE HELPED kX THE tax obligation of businesswoman and construction magnate Alice Eduardo, a friend of Kris Aquino. “The allegations of Ms. Baretto that people can come to me and kX TAX PROBLEM WITHOUT PAYING the right amount is straight out of a comedy script,� Henares posted on her Facebook account. “It is a well-known fact that not even my own family enjoyed any preferential service or treatment, much to their disappointment. I strongly suggest that Ms. Baretto apply more restraint and thoughtfulness in her statements,� she added.

4HE ALLEGED TAX kXING CASE WAS an offshoot of the tiff between

!QUINO AND "ARETTO OVER THE kLING of complaints against Nicko Falcis, !QUINO S FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER Baretto said Eduardo was charged with “hundreds of millions or billions,� and Aquino helped by tapping Henares “so the fee would be lower.�

"ARETTO DESCRIBED !QUINO S denial of the allegations a “classic example of a non-denial denial.� “Notice how shrewd and deceptive her divine lawyers are

BY QUALIFYING THAT THE 1UEEN OF All Fixers did not intervene for Aliceinwonderland in any pending tax case. Obviously, the sawsaw tax case happened during Miss [Kim] (ENARES STINT AS ")2 "UREAU OF Internal Revenue) Commissioner, who also happens to be currently THE 1UEEN OF !LL &IXERS PERSONAL accountant,� she said.

IZA IGLESIAS

Pinoys in Libya warned vs hospital attacks THE Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya has advised Filipino medical staff working in different hospitals, clinics and medical facilities in Libya to be cautious against possible armed attacks.

An advisory from the Philippine Embassy said the World Health Organization condemned an armed attack that damaged the Al Jalaa Hospital in Benghazi which caused panic and anxiety on the patients and medical staff.

Earlier, armed men also attacked the Al-Jalaa Hospital in Tripoli.

Ambassador Oscar Orcine

said no Filipinos were injured in the attacks. “But anywhere when clashes take place, there is always the danger to innocent civilians of getting HIT AND INJURED IN THE CROSSkRE OR becoming victims of indiscriminate shelling,� Orcine added.

He urged Filipinos to exercise utmost care and to leave areas of clashes. “The safest place to stay during clashes is indoors. It is best to anticipate clashes and to move to another city district of Tripoli outside the reach of shelling before the clashes begin,� the envoy said JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

A4

Opinion

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

E d i to r i a l MILF must now focus on decommissioning troops

N

OW that the government and the Moro Islamic ,IBERATION &RONT -),& HAVE SECURED THE RATIkCAtion of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that will create a more autonomous region for Muslim Mindanao, the next important agenda for both parties is the decommissioning of the rebel forces and their weapons.

There is no more reason for the rebel group to have its own standing army, with the MILF set to become part of the political leadership under the soon-to-beestablished Bangsamoro government and parliament.

Under a 2014 peace agreement with the previous government under President Benigno Aquino 3rd, the MILF agreed to a four-phase decommissioning process, which kicked off with a ceremonial turnover of a few weapons and the decommissioning of over a hundred members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF’s armed wing, in June 2015.

Following the ratification of the BOL, the MILF must decommission 30 percent of its warriors. It will decommission an additional 35 percent once a Bangsamoro police force is up and running.

What remains unclear at this point is when the rate of decommissioning will reach 100 percent, as both parties agreed to do this only when the full implementation of the peace agreement is verified.

The base figure for decommissioning also seems unclear; media headcounts of the BIAF range from 10,000 to 40,000. How many members does the BIAF have?

Only the MILF leaders know for sure.

Decommissioning is also imperative given the massive problem of loose firearms in Mindanao.

Cotabato City, said to be the “crown jewel� of the Bangsamoro entity, has voted to join the new autonomous region. What happened during the BOL plebiscite last week in the region’s future capital is unsettling to say the least — the unexplained presence of thousands of armed MILF men in the city with nary a challenge from government forces.

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim admitted last week that the MILF men were not assigned to Cotabato City but were there on a “visit.�

Whatever the purpose of this “visit� was, voter turnout for the plebiscite was lower than expected in Cotabato, at just above 50 percent, compared with rates of more than 80 percent or 90 percent in other areas of the soon-to-be-abolished Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

That MILF forces could mass up in urban centers like Cotabato City and intimidate residents is unsettling.

Ahead of the MILF’s takeover of the Bangsamoro leadership, the rebel leadership must show goodwill by announcing as soon as possible the start of the second phase of decommissioning, which involves 30 percent of its troops.

The government must do its part by hastening the redeployment of decommissioned MILF warriors, which is part of the multi-phase process under the 2014 peace deal. The Duterte government must also use the national budget wisely to hasten the decommissioning process.

The new Bangsamoro government will inherit the P32billion outlay of the ARMM under the national budget.

President Rodrigo Duterte could use the “block grant� or national government subsidy, which will hike the Bangsamoro government budget to about P100 billion, to secure a clearer timetable for the decommissioning of the Moro forces.

The bottom line is, the MILF cannot be part of the government and keep its firearms. With the Bangsamoro government in place very soon, it must transition from a brute and deadly force into a movement for sociopolitical change for Muslim Mindanao.

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

The Sunday Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 107

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor FELIPE F. SALVOSA II, Managing Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL MALLARI, Sports Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor JOMAR CANLAS, Chief of Reporters RENE H. DILAN, Chief Photographer DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO BLANCA C. MERCADO, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER EVELYN A. FAUNI, Vice President for Finance RODA A. ZABAT, Advertising Director VICENTE P. CRUZ, JR., Circulation Director DENISE O. CALNEA, Marketing Communications and Services Director Telephone All Departments: 524-5665 to 66; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 Advertising: 524-5664 Local 121 Telefax: 310-5895 or e-mail advertising@manilatimes.net XXX NBOJMBUJNFT OFU t F NBJM OFXTEFTL!NBOJMBUJNFT OFU Letters to the Editor THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002 The owners, managers, publishers and editors do not necessarily share the opinions expressed and the statements made by individual authors of columns, commentaries and other articles published in The Manila Times.

God sent you a text. To read it, click the Bible Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.� Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently on him. He said to them: “Today this Scripture reading IS FULkLLED IN YOUR HEARING u — The Gospel of Saint Luke, 4:17-21

I

F most mass readings this Sunday, including the above Gospel text, are about the Word of God, it’s good timing. Today is National Bible Sunday, the culmination of National Bible Month, proclaimed by President Rodrigo Duterte in January 2017.

The sometimes God- and prelate-cussing leader extended what was previously National Bible Week, begun in November 1982 by another President disdained by Catholic bishops, Ferdinand Marcos. The woman who ousted the strongman, Corazon Aquino, moved Scripture week to January, so every

Catholic Scripture study method, BFAST requires just five or so participants, ideally meeting weekly, like Saturday morning, a weekday evening, school break time, or after work while waiting FOR RUSH HOUR TRAFkC TO SUBSIDE Together, BFASTers shall “read, year started with God’s word.

RElECT SHARE AND ACT ON 'OD S &OR HIS PART THE COUNTRY S kRST word, nourish one another, Protestant leader, Fidel Ramos and grow together.�Participants (Marcos converted from the ponder what readings may mean Aglipayan Church decades before for their own interests, concerns, his presidency), a member of the situations or experiences; fears, United Church of Christ, issued a expectations or wants; strengths, proclamation calling for national aspirations or weaknesses. For attention to Scripture reading. easy memory, InCSitEs FEW SAW. So, how exactly can the ChrisIn BFAST, members of the group tian faithful give due study and READ RElECT AND SHARE THREE TIMES reverence to the Word of God? First, one member reads the choWell, as millennials say, there’s sen Scripture text, which may an app for that. Lots, in fact. But come from anywhere in the Bible, before the high-tech stuff, some or from the mass readings of the basic Bible methods need just the day, the past Sunday, or the coming good book and the Holy Spirit.

Sunday. Then each person chooses and shares a word, phrase or senBFAST in Scripture study TENCE HE OR SHE WILL RElECT ON In the second round, another The Catholic Church has a na- member reads the same text tional Scripture apostolate, which again. Then each participant trains parish Bible coordinators shares what his or her chosen like this writer. One method of word or verse means for his or Scripture sharing for home and her InCSitEs FEW SAW. community use is BFAST: Bible Finally, there is a third reading for Faith and Action Sharing Team. OF THE TEXT FOLLOWED BY RElECTION Based on the Lectio Divina on one another’s sharing of what

FAITH HEALER

RICARDO SALUDO

the Scripture text means for them.

BFAST then concludes with each one’s prayer or petition for oneself as well as other participants.

For those who wish to keep the session short, say, half an hour or so, the second and third sharing can be just a sentence or two for each participant. But those with more time can go longer. This writer’s Tuesday evening Bible session with 12-15 friends at a home lasts over an hour, after having dinner and praying the Rosary.

The best Scripture apps Now, the high-tech stuff. Before the Bible apps, a couple of Catholic programs for faithful smartphones. First, the app widely praised as the best for Catholics: Laudate. The free software has English and Latin prayers and MASS READINGS 3CRIPTURE RElECtions, and a host of other faith material. Install Laudate or a similar app, iBreviary.

The other app sure to be popular for Catholics and even other denominations is Click To Pray, thanks to Pope Francis’recently ADDED PRAYER PROkLE 7ITH THE APP

one can join or say prayers posted by other users. The Holy Father’s

ÂłSaludoA5

Q RONQUILLO FROM A1

PH reaction to the bombshell Oxfam report: stupor, torpor world’s poorest 3.8 billion people.

The wealth of the 26 billionaires increased by $2.5 billion a day for every day of 2018. The poorest 3.8 billion people saw their wealth decline by 11 percent.

No one will dare ask Mr. Panelo, who is probably more interested in getting the accolade “best-dressed� than “well-versed,� how worse off economic inequality in the Philippines is, using the Oxfam report as point of comparison.

It is quite easy to frame a relevant question. Of the 40 Filipino dollar billionaires, from the taipans to the Basques, to the brown-skinned billionaires, what is the equivalent of their total wealth to the wealth of those below them? Thirty percent of the country’s poorest? Or more than 40 percent, as many believe the case is? This is a conservative estimate, that the 40 families have the amount of wealth equivalent to that owned by more than 30 million poor Filipinos.

We know for a fact that the top 1 percent of the country’s population suck up 60 percent or so of the income gains year-in and year-out. And the remaining 99 percent, including the salaried professional class, will have to kGHT OUT FOR THE CRUMBS 7ITH that uneven income distribution, abject mass poverty is the most certain outcome for those at the economic bottom.

The lack of interest in the Oxfam report will not be the

sense of just Mr. Panelo and the journalists, whose job is to ask deep and probing questions on the affairs of the country and of the globe. The indifference runs deep. The country’s public intellectuals, more interested in hitting the speaking circuits for self-glorification and selfgratification, or bloviating big words on TV, will probably shrug off the report as well.

Is there a think tank focused on inequality and massive poverty and how to ease these two? None. Who will fund such high-mindedness?

Why am I assuming that the culture of indifference is a certainty?

Just look at the particulars of the national conversation. Exhibit A is the $412 million in unsecured loans GRANTED BY kVE 0HILIPPINE BANKS INcluding the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines, to the bankrupt shipbuilder Hanjin. That, on record, is the biggest bankruptcy in the history of Philippine banking.

No one in the leadership, except for a peasant representative in Congress, cared to point out that the Philippine banking system has been complicit in making the poor, poor. The stasis of poverty can be partly blamed on the mendacity of the Philippine banking system. Let us explain this step by step.

Poverty has a rural face. The farming areas are mostly the poorest and most desperate areas in the country. Under the law RA 10000, the banks are supposed

to lend 25 percent of their loan portfolio to small farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries — token production loans and not big ones — so farmers can get cheap production loans and avoid the usurers. Ease rural poverty and the level poverty will radically decline.

Despite the law and its lofty mandate, the banking system would not lend to farmers. The banks have this mindset that small farmers don’t pay their loans — balasubas, simply put.

The banking system would rather pay billions of pesos in penalties every year just to avoid compliance with RA 10000. Over the past two years, they paid P6 billion in penalties.

So what or who are the banking system’s preferred borrowers?

The likes of Hanjin, to which they would extend millions of dollars in unsecured loans, despite the RED lAGS THAT WARNED THAT (ANJIN might be a foundering entity.

The sum of $412 million would be enough to fund the production needs of the country’s farmers, and good for two production cycles. Yet, they would rather fund bankrupt Hanjin than assume a moral high ground and follow the mandate of RS 10000.

No one pointed that out — that the banking system is complicit with the system that abets mass poverty of the intractable kind. Not one, except for the peasant representative, expressed

sadness and outrage.

Poverty, the problem, is being paid lip service to by everybody in government. But it is a routine verbal scam. The Duterte administration is more focused on cutting the corporate income tax, just like Trump and his merry band of richloving Republicans, than paying attention to poverty. Inequality is never an issue. No one in the Philippine polity pays serious attention to it. Both Pope Francis and former United States President Barack Obama said that inequality is the greatest issue of our time. Yet, no one is paying attention.

In the collapse of Hanjin, the focus is on two things — the banks and Hanjin. The laid-off workers, their dreams of attaining middleincome status from the Hanjin jobs, are an unimportant sub-text. That is part and parcel of this national verity — most if not all suffering is borne by the underclass.

It is the poor who die prematurely. The recent mass deaths tallied by the news media were poor people forced to build communities near-logged-over, heavily denuded forest lands.

When the rains come, the wrath of the deforested mountains send tons of mud and debris, burying the communities and the poor people there, altogether.

No one in the Philippine polity would lose a good night sleep over the Oxfam report. If a death or misfortune is not about the powerful and the mighty, it is not an issue.

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Opinion

A5

Children at detention centers are treated like criminals Protection of one’s future T is an ageless human right REFLECTIONS FR. SHAY MIRRORLESS S CULLEN, SSC

HE lower chamber of the Philippine Congress is poised to approve the lowering of the minimum age of criminal liability of a child from the present 15 years of age. They really want to reduce it to 9 but public outcry forced the politicians to change to 12. Yet, 12 years old is still too young to impute criminal liability. What knowledge and discernment do uneducated, impoverished hungry street children at age 12 know and understand?

The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act already in place is a good law if it is properly implemented. But it is not. Out of more than a hundred highly-urbanized cities and provinces that are supposed to build homes for the children, only 40 have done it. Unfortunately, some of these supposedly homes for children called Bahay Pag-asa are, in reality, jails for children, where thousands now languish hungry, underfed and abused.

At present, these are cruel detention centers where the children are mostly treated as criminals held for weeks and months behind steel bars. Practically no activities, exercise, entertainment or education is provided in most places. Many of the children suffer bullying, sexual and physical abuse by the older detainees. If the minimum age of criminal liability is lowered to nine or 12, even more will be added to these numbers.

This we know since our work at the Preda Foundation for the past 45 years has been to rescue them and give them a happy home in an open center without guards, gates or fences. We give them freedom of choice to decide to stay and get educated, and 95 percent of them choose to stay. They are not criminals under the power of criminal syndicates as Congress people assert.

detention centers.

It is untrue and a wild fantasy of Congress people to think the children will experience recovery, therapy, value formation, medical care, education in nice homes run by a caring, benevolent local governThis is the present reality of child ment. It is the opposite: The children detention centers, with only a few there are treated as criminals and encouraging exceptions. Thousands suffer hardship, hunger, and are devof small children are, in fact, behind astated as human beings that cannot bars in sub-human conditions, their even have hope for anything better. rights violated day and night. It is Millions of pesos have been a horrific disgrace for the proud provided to the Juvenile Justice Filipino people. See https://www. Welfare Council, established to preda.org/gallery-1/photo-gallery-4/ oversee the implementation of The existing law is not being Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile implemented to this day. The small Justice and Welfare Act, but much children, some as young as 10, are, in of the money has gone unused for fact, locked up in these overcrowded that purpose. Local mayors do not cells in stinking, subhuman condi- listen or follow the advice of the tions. The Philippine Congress, Council. The JJWC has no power to in its lack of understanding and compel compliance with the law. knowledge about this reality, will The local government officials condemn many children as young as are not interested in building a 12 to rot in jails where they are likely nice, clean well-managed home for to be sexually and physically abused. abandoned children at risk or in That will be on their conscience.

DIRE CIRCUMSTANCE OR IN CONlICT WITH They should make it mandatory for the law. The politicians consider the each local government to build a real ragged, hungry, homeless abused home for children under the direction street children, not as children in of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare need of help, but as vermin, pests, Council (JJWC) and to mandatorily undeserving poor, throwaway creafund its operation every year. Local tures, useless and not even human. governments must not put children “They have criminal minds,� one behind bars. The congressmen and TOP OFkCIAL SAID ABOUT STREET CHILDREN senators will not call child victims If a nation is judged in its reputaof these horrid cells to testify before TION AS A MORAL UPRIGHT DIGNIkED them. They might hear the truth. They nation by the way it treats its poor have never visited the child detention and neglected children, then the centers, and they know nothing about Philippines is getting a very low score, human suffering. if any at all. The national pride of the These child detention centers have Philippine nation is absent when it small cells with a dozen teenagers and comes to the plight of its neglected small children crammed inside some street children. National dignity is of them. There is a dirty, stinky toilet sullied, and it is nowhere to be found. clogged with human waste. They sleep 4HE OFkCIALS AND POLITICIANS ALL ON THE CONCRETE lOOR IN MOST OF THESE uncaring rich elite, having never

been deprived of anything, unjustly and wrongly call the thousands of hungry children criminals and accuse them of working for crime syndicates and drug delivery boys and girls. But there is no sound, proven information or evidence to back up that unrehearsed assertion and false accusation.

Child detention in the Philippines TODAY IS A HORRIkC UNJUST UNDESERVED punishment that is detrimental and destructive of the child. Look at the facts: Out of all recorded crimes, 98 percent are done by adults and only 2 percent by minors.

Of that, children nine to 11 years of age are responsible for 7 percent of all the wrongdoing committed by minors. Then those 12 to 15 years of age are responsible for 43 percent of the wrongdoing by minors, whereas youth 15 to 18 years of age are responsible for 48 percent of the alleged wrongdoing committed by minors.

It is clear that the 2 percent attributed to minors are a minuscule part of the total crimes and do not deserve harsh treatment and punishment.

People in our society see that some of the rich politicians get away with massive crimes of plunder and wallow in putrid corruption, creating poverty and homeless children as a result.

Meanwhile, the children struggle to survive and eat one scant meal a day.

Preda Foundation was founded 45 years ago to help children at risk AND IN CONlICT WITH THE LAW AS WELL as those falsely accused, abused and jailed without evidence. The many rescued children have given their testimony of what they had suffered.

They were saved and have started a new, happier life at the Preda open center of freedom and dignity.

www.preda.org

Send in the SCRAMDT

T

HE minute Defense Secretary $ELkN ,ORENZANA ANNOUNCED HIS plan to review the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, one sector warned of opening a “Pandora’s Box.� Surely there are evils to come flying out of that box once opened, but those precisely are the ones long concealed since the treaty was concluded in 1951, and letting those abominations out now will amount to granting the full measure of Philippine sovereignty.

It will mean an end to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), spawned out of the womb of the MDT to restore to US troops the privilege of roaming freely around the country in the pretext of joint war exercises, and to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), restoring in turn the American military rights to basing, which were killed

BY THE 3ENATE -AGNIkCENT BACK IN 1991, when the dozen approved the resolution rejecting the Senate bill lobbied by former President Corazon Aquino to extend the Military Bases Agreement (MBA) of 1947.

I have advanced my say on the issue substantially in my past columns, so that I exercise restraint in further belaboring the subject. But there have been reactions to my MDT pieces, which I feel obliged to give space to this time.

So, for one, send in the “SCRAMDT.�

The acronym stands for Scrap MDT. As explained in its position paper, the group came about as a consequence of an emergency meeting called by former Ambassador Alberto Encomienda in order to discuss the Lorenzana plan to review the MDT. The meeting reached a

Treaty (MDT) was proposed and signed in the assumption that ‘a MY SAY more comprehensive system of reGIONAL SECURITY IN THE 0ACIkC AREA WAS to be drawn up to face a common regional security concern. “The need for any regional security consensus among the partakers that organization never materialized as the treaty was an abomination to the economic and peace developments country as a sovereign state and must and progress overcame the major be scrapped now. Days later, several regional security concerns. The MDT participants in that meeting realized lapsed into practical oblivion as the that although there was that consen- Philippines evolved its own regional sus, none whatsoever was agreed on association with its neighboring in matters of how the scrapping of countries without involvement of the treaty was to be done. any powers extraneous to the region.

Everyone was clear on the fact that “The lapse of the MDT has been all it needed was for President Rodrigo ‘kept out of sight’ because the regional Duterte to notify US President Donald collective security concerns have Trump that the Philippines was scrap- already been kept out of mind, yet ping the treaty, and presto (that is, after the MDT has been resuscitated opa year) the MDT would be deemed portunistically by remnants of the old automatically ended. ‘Cold War’ cabal to re-start a creeping How to get the Digong sending return of the forces of the hegemon such notice to Trump appeared to of the old imperialist, colonialist and be the only obstacle that needed to ‘Cold War’ historical era. be hurdled. In a subsequent meet“The creeping restoration of the ing in an inauspicious venue inside unipolar 'Cold War' elements and the University of the Philippines the military assets of the Western CAMPUS THE GROUP kNALLY AGREED ON hegemon that seeks a return must launching a movement zeroing in mobilize Filipino patriots and naon the battle cry: Scram MDT. tionalists to alert the nation to this For its initial salvo, the group ad- perilous threat to the era of peace and opted a paper prepared by the Phil- prosperity promised by the emerging "2)#3 3TRATEGIC 3TUDIES SPECIkCALLY Asian Century of the 21st century era made to crystallize the manifold of the Multi-Polar World led by Asian issues surrounding the MDT, and to NATIONS AND BY !SEAN SPECIkCALLY serve as platform for calls to action “This peril to peace and prosperity by any and all groups and sectors Asean and Asia are building assumes desiring to end the treaty now. even greater proportions after the 4HE PAPER IS TOO LONG TO kT INTO United States of America announced a 1,000-word column, but let’s see its ‘Pivot to Asia’ and repositioning how we sort out its salient points for of 60% of its military assets to Asia, everyone’s guidance, to wit: which can have no other consequence “The 1951 RP-US Mutual Defense than to raise tension and the threat

MAURO GIA SAMONTE

OF CONlICTS IN THE REGION WHICH HAS otherwise attained unprecedented tranquility and harmony through regional dialogues and associations.�

4HE 3#2!-$4 SPECIkCALLY ADOPTS the Phil-BRICS position that the MDT is an affront to the Philippine Constitution (1987), which provides, Article 18, thus: “Section 25. After the expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and United States of America concerning military bases, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and, when THE #ONGRESS SO REQUIRES RATIkED BY A majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State.�

The paper goes on to elaborate that the 1987 Constitution of the 2EPUBLIC OF THE 0HILIPPINES RATIkED in a nationwide plebiscite on Feb. 8,1987, effectively put an end to any and all military cooperation via American military presence in the Philippines under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951.

From the constitutional standpoint alone, the MDT should have been abrogated as early as the Cory administration. She had all of four years to do it; she didn’t. Then down the line, from the Fidel V. Ramos administration, to President Joseph Ejercito Estrada’s, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s and Benigno “Noynoy� Aquino 3rd, no President seemed to have had the balls (let alone Gloria, of course) to stand up to America.

Question now, has President Duterte got them — balls, I mean?

Otherwise, send in the SCRAMDT.

Q SALUDO FROM A5

God sent you a text. To read it, click the Bible profile is found here: <https:// clicktopray.org/user/?u=77675>.

As for Catholic Bible apps, Appgrooves has a ranking based on ratings, which leads off with 20 free apps: https://appgrooves. com/rank/books_and_reference/ catholic-bible/best-catholicbible-apps?device=android/ .

There are also many Bible apps in Filipino; among the well rated on Google Play are: English Tagalog Bible, Holy Bible in Filipino, Magandang Balita Bible, and Pinoy Tagalog Bible.

Those willing to spend on Scrip-

ture software may consider the Truth and Life Bible, which has scholarly commentary accessible by clicking on highlighted words and verses. The $20-software is based on the scholarly Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, which includes popular and highly respected Scripture professor Scott Hahn.

The app also includes dramatized reading of Bible books, bringing to life the events of Scripture.

Also offering scholarly commentary are the Logos and Verbum apps, which include voluminous writings, not just on Scripture, but

also on theology and the Church.

A further app to consider, especially for those interested in comparing different Bible versions, is Parallel Plus, which can display on the phone as many as four versions side by side on the landscape phone screen, with language analysis of specific words and phrases in Biblical Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

Far more important than the Bible apps and learning, however, is regular reading and sharing, most especially in the home. One priest, who lamented that an estimated

70 million Filipino Catholics did not regularly attend mass, urged liturgical Bible study by families, READING AND RElECTING ON THE COMing Sunday mass readings.

He started it in his brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family, where the children had lost interest in mass. After some weeks, the youths asked to hold sessions earlier in the week, so they could share insights with more friends before Sunday.

Plainly, if we open our hearts to God, His Word will bring us light and joy.

Blessed National Bible Sunday to all!

O much has been said about the current issue of lowering the age of criminal liability.

There was a tsunami of haters and bashers that inundated the social media, apart from the various editorials that came from the mainstream opinion-shapers.

And I would say, most of them prejudged the issue without even BOTHERING TO READ THE BILL kRST I tried to collate them at random to give our readers a chance to digest opposing views on the issue.

Most will see that the act of judicial intervention in the lives of our children at an early age would be heartless, because you could expect that the immediate notion of the bill would be centered on punishment, rather than an early rescue from the criminal syndicates that have likely been using them as tools in their illegal operations.

It is not actually the age that is at issue here, but the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to protect its children who, not only lack discernment but also belong to parents who are unable to take responsibility and accountability for them.

Some of those who have expressed their views promote the idea that the best practice is to invest in a system targeting rehabilitation for such families. However, best practice is not always a guarantee of getting the best result.

Nevertheless, the proposed bill is designed to prevent immaturity as an excuse for children to commit crimes or even for adults to take lightly the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibility to distinguish between right and wrong.

So, here are those views: If convicted of crimes, children will not go directly to jail. !ND HERE ARE THE SPECIkC CRIMES that they might be exposed to committing: murder, homicide, parricide, infanticide, violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act, rape, carnapping and kidnapping.

They will not be incarcerated in the prisons for criminals, contrary to the popular impression, but will be placed under the custody of designated reformative institutions. The purpose of these institutions, such as the Bahay Pag-asa under the Department of Social Welfare and Development, is to reform the offenders and help them be integrated back into the community.

They will not be regarded as criminals but as children in CONlICT WITH THE LAW 3IMULTANEously, the parents will also be included in the program, so that they will understand their responsibility in properly molding the character of their children.

Convicted children will not be dealt with the capital punishment of life imprisonment. The court shall impose a sentence that is 2 degrees lower than that prescribed by the law.

As stated earlier, if proven guilty of the crime, they will be not be brought to jail but will undergo rehabilitation at Bahay Pag-asa.

If they reach the age of 18 while in the institution and does not show any change in behavior, they will be transferred to a designated agricultural penal farm or training camp that is supervised by Bureau of Corrections or the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

When the convicted child grows to be an adult, reaching the age of 25, the person will be released even if the sentence has not been completed. *** Let me refresh the readers on the highlights of House Bill 8858: #HILDREN IN CONlICT WITH THE law (CICL) who are less than 18 years old at the time of the offense are exempt from criminal liability, but would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;subjected to an intervention program.â&#x20AC;?

This does not exempt them from civil liability, though.

But if it is proven that they acted with discernment, they would be subjected to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;appropriate intervention and diversionâ&#x20AC;? proceedings.

If the CICL who committed the offense are below 12 years old,

ROLLY G. REYES

they would be brought back to the custody of their parents or guardians. The CICL would then undergo a community-based intervention program conducted

BY A LOCAL SOCIAL WELFARE OFkCER The penalty to be imposed upon CICL would always be two degrees lower compared to when an adult has committed the crime. But if the CICL committed an offense where the punishment is equal to life imprisonment, they would face only up to 12 years imprisonment.

If the CICL reach 18 years old and still do not reform, that is the only time they would be sent to agricultural camps or training centers. Upon reaching 25 years old, they would be set free, whether or not the sentence was completed.

These camps will be supervised by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Bureau of Corrections, and Tesda.

At least two agricultural training facilities and two technical training centers would be put up in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, with separate facilities for males and females. Funding is guaranteed under the annual national budget.

Jurisdiction over the Bahay Pagasa is transferred from local government units to the DSWD. The youth centers would also receive funds under the national budget.

The parents or guardians of the CICL would undergo a mandatory intervention program as well. If they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attend, the parents may face 30 days up to 6 months in prison, except for valid reasons.

The parents would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;primarilyâ&#x20AC;? liable for the civil damages to be caused by the actions of the CICL, unless the parents prove in court that they exercised â&#x20AC;&#x153;reasonable supervisionâ&#x20AC;? over the CICL to prevent them from committing the offense.

The exploiters of the CICL would face 12 to 20 years in prison if the crime committed demanded a punishment equivalent to six years of jail time. If the punishment required more than six years in prison, the exploiter would face life imprisonment or up to 40 years in prison.

After the initial intervention program for the CICL, a social welfare worker would assess whether or not the program was working.

This would include identifying physical and mental issues, substance abuse and family issues. *** Respect for the law is learned from childhood and not at 15 or 18. The lack of â&#x20AC;&#x153;discernmentâ&#x20AC;? is not a function of age (except in cases of mental impairment) but the logical result of their being improperly trained to respect the law.

Another argument is that discernment is not automatically acquired upon reaching the age of maturity. It is a no-brainer that children must learn to respect the law at the earliest stage possible.

Maturing into a ripe age without proper social, moral and spiritual guidance may be too late a time in life for counseling.

Doubly alarming is the misconception that young children will get better protection when the age of criminal liability is set higher.

Yes, as I said, it is a violation of their human rights to allow them to believe that are invincible and need not respect any laws just because they are under 18 or 15.

We have seen it happening lately â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even young kids can turn INTO BULLIES BEATING AND INlICTING physical injuries on schoolmates. *** Election day is the only time we can speak. Years in-between, nobody listens. *** Please do not do â&#x20AC;&#x153;physicallyâ&#x20AC;? strenuous things that will make you visit the Philippine Heart Center on Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. *** Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.

A6

Opinion

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Home-school partnership: Why it matters

S

CHOOLS of high-level excellence keep their focus on the execution of a relevant curriculum, continuously explore efficient teaching and learning approaches, sustain the motivation of their teachers, and as important as the rest, give emphasis on an effective homeschool partnership.

Susan McAllister Swap, who spent much of her scholarly work on home-school partnership, says that this important collaboration has already become a necessity in education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home-school partnership is no longer a luxury. There is an urgent need for schools to find ways to support the success of all children,â&#x20AC;? she writes.

NON SCHOLAE SED VITAE

JESUS JAY MIRANDA, OP One element that we know contributes to more successful children and more successful schools across all populations is parent involvement in childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education. When our focus is on improving the achievement of children at academic risk, partnership with families is not just useful â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it is crucial, Swap adds.

Sound academic leadership provides optimal learning experiences for every student attending school. This includes a dynamic

home-school partnership, which, according to Swap, results in positive effects on the education of children. Among these are the increase in the academic and non-academic achievements of students, the boosting of their self-esteem, fewer problems on their behavior in school and an improvement in their school attendance.

However, based on experience here in the country, not all homeschool partnerships succeed. The setup entails delicate issues that, if not properly planned or managed, can bring more problems than learning improvement to students. Knowing the reasons why home-school partnership is on the brink of failure can give insights to people concerned so

as to avoid such pitfalls.

Some of the major reasons why home-school partnership fail are one or a combination of these situations: First, sometimes parents are perceived to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;intrudersâ&#x20AC;? in the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autonomy than potential partners for the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic improvement.

Second, the teachers and administrators consider homeschool partnership as an added task or workload to an already heavily loaded school personnel.

Lastly, school administrators underestimate the potential of parents and other members of the community in the educational development of a student, believing that it is unproductive

Why are so many humanitarian crises under-reported? sector, revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the quantity NORWICH, UK: According to a recent and quality of mainstream news poll of aid agencies by the Thom- coverage of humanitarian afson Reuters Foundation, the most fairs. 73 percent of respondents under-reported crisis of 2018 was agreed that mainstream news THE CONlICT IN THE $EMOCRATIC media does not produce enough coverage of humanitarian isRepublic of Congo (DRC).

Jan Egeland, head of the Norwe- sues. News coverage was also gian Refugee Council, commented criticized for being selective, THAT Ă?THE BRUTALITY OF THE CONlICT sporadic, simplistic and partial.

We also examined coverage of is shocking, the national and international neglect outrageousâ&#x20AC;Ś over 20,000 news outlets to find I have seldom witnessed such a out how many were regularly gap between needs and assistance." reporting on humanitarian afOther "forgotten crises," ac- fairs. Only 12 covered the four cording to the agencies polled, humanitarian events we anainclude the Central African lyzed. These events included the Republic, Lake Chad Basin, Ye- ongoing crisis in South Sudan, men, Afghanistan, South Sudan, the 2016 Aceh earthquake, the Burundi, Nigeria and, for the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the 2017 UN appeal for first time, Venezuela.

Highlighting such "reporting humanitarian funding.

The 12 news organizations gaps" is important because international news coverage plays which did cover all four of a key role in raising awareness these events included Al Jazeera of and drawing attention to hu- English, the Guardian Global manitarian crises, in order to se- Development site, IRIN News, cure the funding needed to help. the Thomson Reuters FoundaThe 2018 U.N. funding appeal tion and Voice of America (VoA).

Our analysis of their coverage for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was less than 50 per- showed that they do a better job cent funded. Such under-funding than most at reporting humaniis linked, albeit indirectly, to a tarian crises. These particular lack of public awareness. In the news organizations generally UK, for example, a recent sur- offer sustained and detailed vey, commissioned by Human coverage, regularly producAppeal, showed that two thirds ing features, analysis pieces and of adults were not aware of the even some campaigning reports.

Furthermore, while journalrecent violence in the DRC. In response, it is not enough ists are often accused of tellto simply urge news organiza- ing very similar stories about tions to do more. We need to disasters, we find that these understand the main causes of particular news outlets actuthis acute lack of coverage of ally varied significantly in how humanitarian affairs, in order to they covered such crises.

For instance, we found that know what can be done about it.

This is the aim of an ongoing Thomson Reuters focused on academic research project into Hu- stories about dramatic and timely manitarian Journalism and was events, while the specialist huthe focus of a report I published manitarian news outlet IRIN late last year titled "The State of wrote thematic pieces and analyHumanitarian Journalism" with sis, targeted at global audiences.

Dr Kate Wright at the University of Edinburgh and Dr Mel Bunce from The challenges of funding humanitarian news City, University of London.

BYÂ MARTIN SCOTT

Humanitarian journalism in crisis The research makes clear that humanitarian journalism is itself in crisis.

Our survey of over 1500 individuals involved in the aid

The main reason why few news organizations, and particularly commercial news outlets, regularly produce original coverage of humanitarian affairs is the very high costs involved.

It is very expensive to fund on-the-

ground reporters and the kinds of time-consuming research and travel necessary to explain the complex causes of humanitarian crises.

In fact, we find that almost all international news outlets regularly covering humanitarian affairs rely on support from either states or private foundations. There are issues with both sources of funding.

Foundation funding alone rarely offers journalists longTERM kNANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY Professor Rodney Benson, in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, at New York University, explains that, "most major foundations see t h e m s e l ve s a s p r ov i d i n g â&#x20AC;Ś short-term start-up support with the expectation that nonPROkTS WILL EVENTUALLY ACHIEVE commercial sustainability."

In addition, there just isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough donor money to go around. Very few foundations are active in this area; often because of their objectives donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t align with those of journalists or because of THE DIFkCULTY OF MEASURING THE impact of their investments.

4HIS IS WHY SPECIALIST NON PROkT news outlets reporting on humanitarian issues struggle to survive.

For example, despite featuring in our list as one of just 12 news outlets regularly covering humaniTARIAN AFFAIRS THE NEWS NON PROkT Humanosphere closed down in 2017 due to a loss of funding.

Other foundation-dependent news organizations in this area that have either closed or dramatically downsized in recent months include News Deeply and the International Reporting Project.

Support from Western governments can also subsidize the high costs of producing regular, original coverage of humanitarian affairs for radio stations like the BBC World Service and VoA. For instance, we found that humanitarian issues were menTIONED IN NEARLY ONE IN kVE percent) items on the news bulletins of the BBC World Service.

However, there are important questions to be asked about the ways in which humanitarian news might be affected when governments support journalism as part

of their foreign policy objectives -â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and to achieve "soft power."

We found no evidence that GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS DIRECTLY interfered in editorial output of either World Service or VoA. However, a key problem, at both organisations, was the way in which journalistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to cover humanitarian issues in particular geographic regions waxed and waned in relation to governmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strategic and funding priorities.

Such problems were even more acute at international news outlets, based outside the West and funded by state money. Journalists at Al Jazeera English, for example, faced considerable ethical dilemmas about how to cover events in areas where Qatar was involved militarily, or had diplomatic interests. This includes Yemen, Syria, Sudan and South Sudan.

Paying for humanitarian reporting Given the inherent costs and challenges associated with funding humanitarian news, there are no easy answers to the question of how to increase coverage of under-reported crises.

However, there is also some cause for optimism. In the Aid Attitudes Tracker, a largescale survey of audiences in the UK, France, Germany and the US, more people claimed to follow news about â&#x20AC;&#x153;humanitarian disastersâ&#x20AC;? (59 percent) either â&#x20AC;&#x153;closelyâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;fairly closelyâ&#x20AC;? than any other type of international news (see Clarke et al 2018).

Perhaps audiences are more interested in humanitarian journalism than many journalists think. Some may even be willing to pay for it.

An audience survey for IRIN recently found that a majority (57 percent) would consider signing up to some form of paid subscription model.

Encouraging audiences to pay directly for journalism they trust and value may ultimately be the only sustainable solution to the crisis facing humanitarian news.

IPSÂ

Dr Martin Scott is a Senior Lecturer in Media and International Development at the University of East Anglia, UK

Sensible approach to medical cannabis AN EDITORIAL FROM THE PANAMA CITY NEWS HERALD

W

HILE Gov. Rick Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration did just about everything it could to circumvent the will of Florida voters, Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he will end that tactic and instead work to implement the terms of Amendment 2, the constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana and passed with 71 percent support. /NE OF HIS kRST ACTIONS AS GOVernor was to challenge the state Legislature to repeal by midMarch a ban on smoking medical marijuana, threatening to drop the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appeal of a judgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order that ruled the ban was unconstitutional, The News Service of Florida reported. Sadly, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become accustomed to politicians doing the wrong thing, so DeSantisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; move was somewhat

of a surprise, albeit a good one.

Nikki Fried, whose campaign for commissioner of agriculture was opposed by opponents of medical marijuana, eked out a victory and may prove instrumental in ensuring those who qualify can access the medicine; Amendment 2 implementation was one of the principal elements of her platform.

And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that word â&#x20AC;&#x201D; medicine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that seems to be at the heart of the problem when it comes to medical marijuana, which also is known as cannabis. The federal government still legally treats all marijuana like heroin, a ridiculous classification that should have been changed years ago. Republicans often have been guilty of obfuscating any efforts to change that, so Rep. Matt Gaetzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bill, the Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2019, is a marginal start, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just

that â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a start. Previous research has been bottled up by institutions that fear the implications of their reports, as they essentially have been operating in a federally sanctioned gray area.

Politicians should treat medical cannabis just as they would any other type of medicine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a pill, for instance â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and regulate it in a similar manner. The amendMENT DOESN T GO INTO SPECIkCS AS to what a â&#x20AC;&#x153;debilitatingâ&#x20AC;? condition is, but that determination should be left up to physicians, not politicians. The hurricane limited access to physicians in the hardest-hit areas, which had MINIMAL ACCESS IN THE kRST PLACE Further, state lawmakers wrote the law as strict as they could, regardless of the implications for medical marijuana patients and supporters. According to an article in Forbes, the aim was to

prevent the â&#x20AC;&#x153;stonerâ&#x20AC;? culture from taking charge of the industry. In doing so, lawmakers instigated several lawsuits, including the â&#x20AC;&#x153;no smokingâ&#x20AC;? lawsuit and others, such as one that challenged the restricted dispensary system, which limits who can grow it, who can sell it and where.

The uncertainty that resulted from the continued litigation slowed development of the market in rural areas that already lacked adequate care, and that has increased the costs for patients due to the lack of competition.

Voters passed the law for patients, not politicians. When you have 71 percent support on a referendum, you should take that as a mandate, and you shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cower away for fear of defeat at the ballot box. The voters spoke â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 71 percent in favor of medical marijuana.

CREATORS.COM

for the school to listen to parents who do not know much about running a school.

Thus, in starting and strengthening home-school partnerships, SCHOOLS SHOULD kRST DECIDE WHERE parents can get involved. They should set clear parameters, the ground rules, and the nonnegotiables in the day-to-day operations of the school.

While there are decisions that only the school should make, administrators must also recognize the need to maintain a healthy space for continuous dialogue and consensus-building with parents on matters concerning students.

The school should feel the collective â&#x20AC;&#x153;spiritâ&#x20AC;? of the parents so as to assess their level of interest, com-

mitment and dedication.

One may perceive the homeschool partnership task as an added duty to an already busy school work of educators. But it is only in such effort that everyone can be told that quality education is everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business.

Jesus Jay Miranda, OP, is the secretary general of the University of Santo Tomas. He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) and teaches at the Graduate School of UST and the ELM Department of the Bro. Andrew Gonzalez, FSCâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;College of Education of De La Salle University-Manila. Contact him at jaymiranda.op@ust.edu.ph.

A N A LY S I S

Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shutdown retreat reveals weakness

Q President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Hispanic pastors in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. AP PHOTO/SUSAN WALSH WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump will emerge from the longest government shutdown in the United States history politically weakened, his reputation questioned and his signature campaign promise still glaringly unfulfilled.

The 35-day partial shutdown over the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the US-Mexico border was, in the end, futile. Facing defections within his own party, sagging poll numbers and public criticism for interrupted services, the self-proclaimed master dealmaker accepted an agreement that he had previously spurned and set an ignominious record that will remain part of his legacy. Days after Trump marked the midpoint of his term, the shutdown highlighted the disquieting side effects of his unconventional governing style and the trials that lie ahead for him in dealing with emboldened Democrats.

The folly of the effort was readily apparent inside the White House, where aides had warned Trump even before the shutdown began that there was no avenue to success in the showdown with Capitol Hill. Democrats ran for office on preventing Trump from building the wall â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardly a popular idea even among Republican lawmakers. Advisers watched in shock as Trump declared in a December meeting with lawmakers that he would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;proudâ&#x20AC;? to shut down the government.

And when he ultimately did just that, they feared the messaging war had already been lost. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was playing double-A ball against major leaguers,â&#x20AC;? said former Republican Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, who once headed the House GOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campaign arm. By backing himself into the shutdown with no way out, Davis said, Trump displayed a lack of discipline from the start.

The strategic deficit was only magnified by what allies saw as tactical errors. Trump spent the holidays tweeting from the White House rather than making public appearances to showcase his readiness to negotiate.

He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deliver a public address or visit the border to make his case until weeks had already gone by. Perhaps most crucially, he underestimated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the unity of congressional Democrats, thinking the Californian would be more amenable to a deal on the wall once she won the speakership.

Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message zigzagged sometimes by the hour. He maintained he was proud of shutting down the government and then tried to pin the blame on Democrats. One moment he

signaled he was ready to concede the wall in favor of other barriers on the border, and the next he tweeted he was fighting for the wall as strongly as ever. It was emblematic of the dysfunctional White House culture he has fostered and the challenges that have been manifest on decisions big and small for two years.

By the end of the shutdown, West Wing aides and outside allies of the president began to look at the seminal promise of Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2016 campaign as an immense â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and unachievable â&#x20AC;&#x201D; burden on his presidency.

It was complaints that Trump appeared to be passing up his last, best opportunity to make good on his build-the-wall pledge that led Trump into the shutdown to begin with. Conservative commentators and House Freedom Caucus members fired off warnings that Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s base would sour on him if he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use the last days of unified GOP control of Washington last year to try to get money for the barrier.

But in his quest to appease his base, the president tarnished his standing with the American public. Overall, 34 percent of Americans approve of Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job performance in a survey released this week

by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s down from 42 percent a month earlier and nears the lowest mark of his two-year presidency. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hopefully now the president has learned his lesson,â&#x20AC;? Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a press conference with Pelosi.

The impasse was an early test for Pelosi after her return to the speakership, one that she appeared to pass handily. Democrats remained unified against White House efforts to divide the caucus, and they head into the next round of debate over border security funding determined to make good on their own 2018 promises to block Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wall.

As White House aides suggested that the shutdown had brought Democrats to embrace border â&#x20AC;&#x153;barriers,â&#x20AC;?

Pelosi made clear her party remained resolved against the wall. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Have I not been clear?â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No, I have been very clear.â&#x20AC;?

Trump, characteristically, refused to concede that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d conceded. Instead, he insisted he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t caved to Democrats, and he threatened yet another shutdown even while bemoaning the last oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on Americans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was in no way a concession,â&#x20AC;?

Trump tweeted late Friday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s off to the races!â&#x20AC;?

AP

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Zambo Sibugay leaders support Goâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senate bid ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY: Former special assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bongâ&#x20AC;? reCEIVED A g-ANIFESTO OF 3UPPORTu FROM OFkCIALS OF :AMboanga Sibugay province for his senatorial bid in the midterm elections. )N THE TWO PAGE MANIFESTO THE OFkCIALS VOWED gTO DO EVERYTHING WITHIN OUR POWER AND INlUENCE TO ENSURE HIS victory in the May 2019 elections,â&#x20AC;? as they cited Goâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity to work towards the goals set by the Duterte administration and his capacity to give voice to Mindanaoans, particularly Sibugaynon, at the national level.

Go received the manifesto recently and was honORED AT THE GESTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS OF :AMBOANGA 3IBUGAY (OWEVER HE CLARIkED THAT HE WAS SIMPLY FULkLLING HIS ADVOCACY OF SERVING THE PEOPLE and President Rodrigo Duterte. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is heartening to know that the President and I have the full support of our fellow Mindanaoans but as the President said, we should put the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s welfare above our own. We should serve our fellow &ILIPINOS kRST u 'O SAID â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if we come from another province, I still think of everyone from Mindanao as family. Who would be in the best position to help one another but us?â&#x20AC;? he said.

Goâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legislative agenda includes programs for agriculture, housing, education, improving the delivery of healthcare services, anti-illegal drugs and criminality, LONG TERM SPORTS DEVELOPMENT kRE PROTECTION AND prevention, anti-corruption, creation of a Department of OFWs, barangay WELFARE AND IMPROVED BENEkTS for senior citizens.

'O REASSURED :AMBOANGA 3IBUGAY OFkCIALS THAT HE and Duterte would tirelessly work to render proper service to them and the rest of the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The President and I have no other desire but to serve every Filipino. I will be your bridge to the President,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Regions

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

A7

P10-M shabu seized in Bulacan, NCotabato C

BY FREDERICK SILVERIO

LOSE to P10 million worth of shabu were recovered while three high-value targets for illegal drugs were arrested in separate buy busts in Bulacan and North Cotabato on Friday.

Bulacan police director Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna said antinarcotics operatives arrested Jeffrey Samson alias Jeff, 35, of Barangay 3AN *OSE (AGONOY TOWN AFTER HE received a parcel of vacuum sealed plastic containing shabu. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The parcel was addressed to the suspect from Las Vegas, US,â&#x20AC;?

Bersaluna added, but did not reveal the source.

Seized from Samson was approximately 900 grams of shabu with estimated street value of P6.12 million.

Meanwhile, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives in Region 12 arrested two high value target drug traffickers, including an employee of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the region during separate buy busts in North Cotabato.

The operations yielded P3.4 million worth of shabu.

Naravy Duquiatan, PDEA-12 reGIONAL DIRECTOR IDENTIkED THE SUSPECTS as Dwight Togonon, 43, of Barangay Poblacion, Kabacan, North Cotabato; and Boy Maguid, 40, of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Togonon is a regular employee of the DSWD-12 assigned in North Cotabato.

Backed by soldiers from 34th Infantry Battalion, PDEA operatives conducted a buy bust in Barangay Poblacion 6, Midsayap, North Cotabato where Maguid agreed to sell shabu to a poseur buyer.

Duquiatan said PDEA agents confiscated about 500 grams of shabu from Maguid estimated to be worth P3.4 million, shabu paraphernalia and marked money.

Duquiatan said Maguid sold illegal drugs in the towns of North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

Earlier in the day, PDEA agents arrested Togonon after he handed over one sachet of shabu worth P2,700 to an undercover agent

DRUG BUST

Bulacan police director Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna (left) and Supt. Sonny Mera (right), Provincial Special Operation Group chief, point to P6.12 million shabu recovered from Jeffrey Samson (center). PHOTO COURTESY OF BULACAN PIO in Barangay Poblacion, Kabacan, North Cotabato.

Togonon is detained at the Kabacan Police Station while Maguid

is held at the PDEA 12 Detention Facility in General Santos City.

WITH A REPORT FROM JULMUNIR I. JANNARALÂ

A8

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

News

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net

LGUs told to clean Manila Bay

BY ROY D.R. NARRA

T

BIG TASK Volunteers gather trash at the Manila Bay

HE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered local government units (LGUs) and barangay (villages) along Manila Bay to conduct weekly clean-up drives for the rehabilitation of the heavily-polluted bay.

Interior Secretary Eduardo AĂąo issued Memorandum Circular 2019-09, directing 178 LGUs and 5,714 villages to conduct weekly clean-up drives starting on JanuARY 3UNDAY TO gFULkLL THEIR roles and responsibilities pursuant to environmental laws that contribute to the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.â&#x20AC;?

This is part of President Rodrigo Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order to rehabilitate Manila Bay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The collective efforts and commitment of the LGUs and barangays within the Manila Bay Watershed Area would spell the difference in the rebirth and preservation of our Manila Bay,â&#x20AC;?

AĂąo said.

on Saturday, an undertaking that will be repeated today as the Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered local government unit to hold weekly clean-up drives.

PHOTO BY RUSSELL PALMA

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we all know, Manila Bay is polluted and partly, we have ourselves to blame. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too late, we can still make amends,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu previously said rehabilitatING -ANILA "AY WOULD BE A gDIFkcult challenge,â&#x20AC;? as the project does not only include Metro Manila but also the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan and Bataan.

The DENR is set to check nearby establishments, factories and creeks to determine if some of them are violating environmental laws.

Cimatu also estimated that they would need P47 billion to fully rehabilitate Manila Bay.

Former RCBC manager Maia Deguito appeals conviction FORMER RCBC bank manager Maia Deguito has sought the reversal of her conviction before the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) that found her guilty of eight counts of money laundering, saying the court was mistaken in its ruling.

In her 53-page motion for reconsideration, Deguitoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp said Makati RTC Branch 149 misunderstood the meaning of a money laundering offense under Republic Act (RA) 9160 or the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The law is clear that there must be a monetary instrument or property which represents, involves or relates to the proceeds of an unlawful activity [and have knowledge that it was an unlawful activity],â&#x20AC;? she said in her appeal, a copy of which The Manila Times obtained.

Her lawyers argued that Deguito had no knowledge that what she had been doing was â&#x20AC;&#x153;unlawfulâ&#x20AC;? and that there were no amounts derived from any

unlawful activity.

Thus, there â&#x20AC;&#x153;clearlyâ&#x20AC;? were no money laundering offenses committed when the accounts were opened in May 2012.

Deguito was the manager of RCBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jupiter Street Branch in Makati City, where money stolen from the Bangladesh Bank were DEPOSITED TO kVE ACCOUNTS MOSTLY UNDER kCTITIOUS NAMES Hackers stole $81 million in February 2016 from the Bangladesh central bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account with the

US Federal Reserve in New York.

The money was transferred to the RCBC Jupiter Branch, quickly withdrawn and laundered through local casinos.

In one of her court appearances, Deguito claimed the transaction was made upon the instruction of BANK OFkCIALS Judge Cesar Untalan of Makati RTC Branch 149, however, argued that she should have protected herself by inquiring about the source of the remittances and

said her 16 years of experience in the banking industry should have made her familiar with the maximum requirement of P500,000 per transaction.

In its decision to convict Deguito on January 10, the court said it â&#x20AC;&#x153;concludes with certainty and conviction that accused Deguito had full and prior knowledge of the illegal source of these funds.â&#x20AC;?

Deguitoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawyers argued that her knowledge of any unlawful activities was not proven, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;merely pre-

sumedâ&#x20AC;? by the court. g4HE ACCUSED VERIkED THE VALIDITY of the remittances and their sources, did not have authority to stop the transactions nor did she facilitate it and did not close the accounts,â&#x20AC;? they added.

Untalan said he was convinced that Deguito did not only facilitate the illegal bank transactions, but also â&#x20AC;&#x153;coordinated and corroboratedâ&#x20AC;? the execution and implementation of the illegal transactions.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Belmonte vows better education in QC QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte reiterated her commitment to improve the quality of education in the city following reports that some high school students in public schools still find it difficult to reead and write. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As vice mayor, I have always made education one of my top priorities. The public school teachers know this because, when they asked for the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help for their allowances and benefits, I aided them in whatever capacity I could and continue to do so,â&#x20AC;? Belmonte, who is running for mayor in the upcoming elections, said.

Belmonte vowed to improve the education services in the city by promoting early childhood education and investing more resources that will benefit all stakeholders including students, parents, and teaching and non-teaching personnel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here in our city, we need to commit more resources

to invest in early childhood education, to create programs to make more parents involved, and to give our teachers the compensation they deserve. We will do this in close collaboration with the Department of Education and Division of City Schools,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Recently, the Quezon City government passed an ordinance increasing by P500 the quarterly rice allowance of school personnel in the city.

Moreover, the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; longevity pay was also increased from P100 to P400 for every five years of continuous service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Knowing that some elementary and high school students in Quezon City are still unable to read is heart-breaking. This is why I vow to continue what I started as vice mayor if ever I am elected to a higher position,â&#x20AC;? Belmonte said.

SKorea launches program to fight malnutrition in PH THE Korea International Cooperation Agency has launched an integrated nutrition program in the Philippines that aims to combat malnutrition in three provinces.

Under the Integrated Nutrition and Health Actions program, mothers and their babies in Samar, Northern Samar and Zamboanga del Norte will receive nutritious food until their 1,000th day.

Ambassador Han Dong Man said the Korean government decided to help the three provinces because they were always in the list of the most impoverished areas in the Philippines.

A total of $6 million will be spent for the program, also called â&#x20AC;&#x153;First 1,000 Days of Life,â&#x20AC;? that targets to assist 40,000 children and 57,000 pregnant women.

The assistance would be given to the 19 local

TOO LOW

government units in the three provinces. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Korean government fully supports the Philippine government in its goal in addressing malnutrition and achieving universal health care. By giving assistance to this project, mothers and their babies will be ensured access to vital health and nutrition services which will help them develop fully later in life,â&#x20AC;? the ambassador said.

United Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Children Emergency Fund representative to the Philippines Lotta Sylwander said the program would be a major step in combating malnutrition in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Supporting interventions at the local level is important to reach every vulnerable mother and child, especially those who do not have access to essential services,â&#x20AC;? she said.

ED VELASCO

Children with chained hands attend a news briefing at the Commission on Human Rights to show their opposition to a measure that seeks to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12. PHOTO BY ROGER RANADA

Business Times

SUNDAY JANUARY 27, 2019 Editor: Edwin P. Sallan Email: edwin.sallan@manilatimes.net

B1

Q A RedDoorz hotel in the Philippines.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

STARTUP SPOTLIGHT

RedDoorz

Standardizing budget bookings

BY MAAN Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ASIS PAMARAN

I

T is his nomadic life that led to the inception of a platform that is set to revolutionize the way others travel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I basically live out of a suitcase,â&#x20AC;? grins Rishabh Singhi, chief operating OFkCER OF 2ED$OORZ DUBBED AS 3OUTHEAST !SIA S fastest growing value hotel chain. It is true â&#x20AC;&#x201D; after meeting with press in the Philippines where the company started operations only last year, he is set to go back to his headquarters in Indonesia.

As a millennial traveler who did not have the means to spend on luxury accommodations on his trips, Rishabh had some horror stories to share about his low-budget journeys. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One instance that stands OUT WAS WHEN MY lIGHT TO *AKARTA arrived late. I got to the small hotel where I booked my room in, and I was looking for the concierge. I found him under the front desk, sleeping, half naked,â&#x20AC;? he laughs.

The bleary-eyed hotel employee simply handed him his key and sent him on his way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I got to the room, I discovered that it WAS kLTHY 4HE SHEETS WERE STAINED

the bathroom was dirty,â&#x20AC;? he recounts. He checked out the next morning, and while the hotel staff,

T

HE new year has already rolled in, and February is just around the corner. Everyone is busy trying to come up with their new yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolutions. Most have vowed to visit the gym more often, in an effort to shed off the extra pounds gained by eating too much lechon during the holidays. For business organizations, January is a perfect time to determine the targeted goals for the year and the ways and means and how to achieve such goals.

'OVERNMENT OFkCES ARE NO exception. Just recently, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued Revenue Memorandum

who did not speak English seemed apologetic enough, that did not change his mind.

A better way to get booked These are the incidents he wants other travelers to avoid â&#x20AC;&#x201D; through THE 2ED$OORZ PLATFORM 4HEY kRST started by renting properties out themselves. Their first foray was also in Indonesia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had rented out an apartment, took photos and advertised it online. The next day, as my partners and I set out on a safari tour by the time we got to our destination that was three hours away, we already had a booking. We rushed back to clean the apartment, move

our things and welcome the guest.â&#x20AC;?

They had 15 serviced apartments under their portfolio when they realized that the operations side was too taxing, and that they would rather focus on the sales and marketing part.

This led them to start talking to small property owners with the idea of having a partnership where they would be able to provide the tech and the training side, while leaving the owners to handle the day-to-day operations under the RedDoorz standards of clean rooms with cable TV, Wi-Fi, free mineral water and toiletries, coupled with good guest services.

This was a segment that was untapped, he said, as many small properties are mom-and-pop operations whose owners donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time to set a clear vision of the brand and no time to manage it. In the Philippines, these are the local boutique hotels, inns, apartels, condotels and other privately-owned accommodations. There is a lot of excitement on the owners and staff on the tech side in particular, because managing bookings and payment options are easier, and the feedback on services and amenities is almost instantaneous.

4HEIR GROUP kND A LOT OF ENTHUsiasm from property owners when they explain their concept. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

want to take over the business, but enable them. Within six months, we HAD kVE PROPERTIES AND WHILE WE WERE solving their problems, we began to understand customers more in order to give them the predictable service that will keep them coming over and over again to our properties.â&#x20AC;?

The business model is that of profit sharing, with RedDoorz handling the sales and training on how to use the platform, along with housekeeping and guest relations.

There are a few weeks of face-to-face training, and this is supplemented by online modules. The platform not only helps the hotel modernize their operations, it also lets the employees get in touch [through] tech.

Rishabh shares an instance when an older Filipina housekeeping staff learned how to go online because of their training. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She had a smart phone but was only using it to text and call. Now, she has downloaded Whatsapp, and can do video calls with her relatives,â&#x20AC;? he says proudly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are seeing the value of embracing tech in their daily lives.â&#x20AC;?

Affordable stays RedDoorz, which started in July 2015 in Indonesia, now has presence in the Philippines, Singapore and

Vietnam, with many clients coming from domestic tourism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our guests are usually from 24 to 35 years old.

These are the millennials from growing Southeast Asian economies who have disposable income and want to travel. They are not the ones who can afford the luxury stays. With [their] travel budget for rooms that cost $20 to $25, [they] look for value through good guest experiences,â&#x20AC;? he says of his fellow millennials.

Another big draw for the customers is that RedDoorz has made these budget accommodations easier to book and pay for. Payment options include credit cards, DragonPay (via bank transfer and 7-Eleven outlets) and pay at hotel without credit card guarantee. RedDoorz also incentivizes repeat guests with the RedCash rewards system and exclusive discounts and partner deals through RedClub membership.

In the Philippines, RedDoorz accommodations are already located in popular tourist destinations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Metro Manila, Tagaytay, Cebu, Pampanga and Davao. Within this year, they will expand to Baguio, Boracay and Iloilo.

Rishabh, who worked in the tech

sphere prior to engaging in the hospitality industry, says that there is a need for more start-ups, particularly in developing countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem is that there is a big population, and the government does not want to provide more government jobs.

The bigger corporations are slow to expand because of all the bureaucracy. Where will the jobs come from?

I think that since we are producing a lot of graduates, they should not think about getting employed, but of being an employer.â&#x20AC;?

Not all startups make it, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay, he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If only 1 out of the 10 startups become successful, then that one startup can hire the other nine later on.â&#x20AC;? Economically speaking, this is a great time in history, he says enthusiastically. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to rely on experience to build your own business. There are a lot of materials THAT YOU CAN kND ONLINE TO GUIDE YOU You do not have to have a physical store to start your own brand.â&#x20AC;?

This is the time to disrupt, he says, and this can be done even outside of Silicon Valley. In developing countries, having more problems is actually a good problem to have, if you think about it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because more solutions will be needed to solve them, and that is the opportunity where the startups can come in.â&#x20AC;?

implementation of Train. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tax education campaign/ Public awareness program. The BIR will develop standard information materials, such as brochures and pamphlets, on its tax reform packages that are easily understood by taxpayers. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Implementation of the Ease OF $OING "USINESS AND %FkCIENT 'OVERNMENT 3ERVICE $ELIVERY !CT The Bureau will streamline its frontline services by adopting a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Single Window Policyâ&#x20AC;? (sort of a one-stop-shop) in processing applications of new business registrations at the Revenue District /FkCES â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sustained compliance with

THE $ATA 0RIVACY !CT With the sheer amount of taxpayer information it receives, the BIR will continually ensure that its employees are aware and are compliant with its duties and responsibilities under the Data Privacy Act. As such, â&#x20AC;&#x153;IT Security Complianceâ&#x20AC;? audits will be CONDUCTED ON ALL ")2 OFkCES m $ATA SHARING AGREEMENTS with other government agencies. Consistent with the Data Privacy Act, the BIR will implement information sharing agreements with other government agencies to secure information on taxpayer activities for internal revenue purposes.

More startups needed

2019 BIR priority programs THE FINE PRINT ATTY. PEACHES ARANAS Circular (RMC) 5-2019, providing for the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priority programs for 2019. Besides the continuing priority programs from previous years, i.e., â&#x20AC;&#x153;Run After Tax Evadersâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oplan Kandado,â&#x20AC;? as WELL AS INTENSIkED ")2 AUDIT AND investigation, the circular features current developments involving tax administration, namely the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tax Reform Acceleration and

Inclusion (Train) Program,â&#x20AC;? and the ongoing institutionalization of policies and guidelines in support of Republic Act (RA) 11032 (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ease OF $OING "USINESS AND %FkCIENT Government Service Delivery Actâ&#x20AC;?) and RA 10173 (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Data Privacy Actâ&#x20AC;?).

We provide below some of the salient priority programs discussed under RMC 5-2019: â&#x20AC;&#x201C; e-Invoicing/e-Receipting and eSales reporting. The BIR is developing a system for e-Invoicing/eReceipting and eSales reporting to be used by taxpayers. The eInvoicing/e-Receipting System is an electronic platform capable of processing and storing electronic invoices and receipts issued by

taxpayers on a real time basis. As for the eSales reporting system, this is an electronic platform that can summarize electronic invoices and receipts, as well as generate tax-related reports. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Train program. The BIR will monitor taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; compliance with the new policies and tax payment/remittance systems brought ABOUT BY THE 4RAIN LAW 3PECIkCALLY

the bureau will conduct a pre-audit of percentage tax payments by taxpayers who have changed their BIR registration from value-added tax (VAT) registered, to non-VAT registered. To this end, appropriate revenue issuances will be issued to clarify any issued raised in the

B2

Business Times

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Peso could return to P49 level â&#x20AC;&#x201C; analyst

BY TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

T

HE peso could regain strength this year and trade as low as P49 once it breaks the P52 level, even just for one trading day, given that global oil prices will fall.

The value of peso is more than 80-percent correlated with the oil price, Alpari Research and Analysis head analyst Tomasz Wisniewski said in a press briefing on Thursday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Philippine economy is a crude importer. The higher price on crude negatively affects the Philippine economy,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Wisniewski said this was the case last year, explaining that the peso was the worst performing currency in the region due to rising oil prices. For this year, however,

Wisniewski expected no oil price hike, helping the peso.

He said the International Monetary Fund cut the global growth projection for this year to 3.5 percent from 3.7 percent, signaling an economic decline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With an economic slowdown, this would translate to lower global demand for oil,â&#x20AC;? he explained, which would mean lower prices or maintained price level due to lack of demand.

Wisniewski said the local stock market being currently underval-

ued was also a positive condition for foreign investors as they would invest here more in the hope of higher returns. The local bourse was battered last year by poor market sentiments due to ABOVE TARGET INlATION ECONOMIC slowdown, sharp peso declines and trade wars. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rising demand for local shares should also increase appetite in buying of the local currency,â&#x20AC;? he said.

(E ALSO NOTICED THAT INlATION has been easing recently which helped the trading of peso. InlATION ON $ECEMBER DECREASED to 5.1 percent from its nine-year high on September and October of 6.7 percent.

With this, Wisniewski said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas would not impose interest hike anytime

soon given the favorable outcome.

While the ongoing US-China trade war would not affect the currency in the long-term, Wisniewski said that it being resolved soon could also propel positive sentiment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tensions between the two economies have eased a little recently on the hopes of positive trade negotiations, which has also boosted peso,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the fundamental point of view, another positive factor for the peso would be a low debt, an advantage that the Philippines has with its low foreign debt obligations,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Asked for a yearend forecast, Wisniewski declined to give a figure but expected it to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;strongerâ&#x20AC;? this year given the better economic condition.

TRENDS PAL seen to get 5th â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The milkman modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: Big brand A350-900 names try reusable containers next month PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) expects TO RECEIVE IN &EBRUARY THE kFTH OF THE six A350-900 jets it ordered from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

In a release on Friday, the listed airliner indicated the aircraft would be used for â&#x20AC;&#x153;long-haul operations to New York, London and soon, Toronto.â&#x20AC;?

The plane would carry its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love "USu LOGO WHICH WAS kRST DISPLAYED in 1979, signaling its four-decade partnership with Airbus.

PAL ordered six A350-900s from !IRBUS TARGETED FOR LONG HAUL lIGHTS from Manila to destinations in North America and Europe.

Asked when the sixth and last A350-900 would be delivered, PAL spokesman Maria Cielo Villaluna replied in a text message that it might arrive in March.

The new A350-900s would be added to PALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 26 A320 Family AIRCRAFT ! S AND kVE ! S Earlier this month, PAL said it would continue to expand its global NETWORK LAUNCHING lIGHTS FROM -Anila to Hanoi in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and New Delhi IN )NDIA WITHIN THE kRST SIX MONTHS of this year.

PAL President Jaime Bautista has said the carrier expects to register 19 million passengers this year, compared with 17 million in 2018.

Shares of PAL shed P2.02 or 12.66 percent to close at P13.94 apiece on Friday.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

T

HE utter chaos that gripped the United States as a result of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;partial shutdownâ&#x20AC;? due to a lack of legal spending authorization has, in some ways, encouraged a risky sort of complacency here in the Philippines, which is also operating without a current government budget.

Unlike the US, the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; provision for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;reenacted budgetâ&#x20AC;? allows virtually all of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day-today activities to continue, making the lack of a current budget appear to be more an administrative inconvenience than an actual crisis. As the disturbing gross domestic product (GDP) results for the fourth quarter and fullyear 2018 showed, however, a little more alarm would be a more productive reaction.

The economy grew by 6.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, missing most estimates by about half a percent and dragging full-year GDP growth down to 6.2 percent, well below the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already reduced

A NEW shopping platform announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday aims to change the way we buy many brand-name products.

This platform â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loopâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will do away with disposable containers for things like food, shampoo, laundry detergent and diapers from some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest manufacturers. Instead, those goods will be delivered in sleek, reusable containers that will be picked up at your door, washed AND REkLLED â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loop is about the future of consumption. And one of the tenets is that garbage shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist,â&#x20AC;? says Tom Szaky, chief executive officer of the Trenton, New Jersey-based international recycling company TerraCycle, which is behind Loop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Removing plastics from the ocean is not enough. We need to get at the whole idea of disposability and single-use items,â&#x20AC;? he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going back to the milkman model of the 1950s.

You buy the milk, but the milk company owns the Q Cloroxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stainless steel wipe container designed for use with Loop. AP PHOTO

bottle, which you leave in the milk box to be picked up when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re done with it.â&#x20AC;?

Companies partnering with Loop include NestlĂŠ, Procter & Gamble (P&G), PepsiCo and other top brands. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our goal is that by 2030, all of our packaging will be reusable or recyclable,â&#x20AC;? says Virginie Helias, vice president and chief sustainABILITY OFkCER AT 0 ' ,OOP SHE adds, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a very new idea and somewhat risky because no one has tried it. But the response has been very positive, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve selected 10 of our brands to be a part of the pilot project, with a plan to add more later pending positive results.â&#x20AC;?

Pantene shampoo, for instance, â&#x20AC;&#x153;will come in a beautifully decorated, lightweight-aluminum pump container,â&#x20AC;? Helias says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tide in the US will come in a stainless-steel bottle with a durable twist cap. Cascade will come in ultradurable packaging.

Crest mouthwash will come in a glass bottle. The idea is ultra-durability, convenience and

also ultra-luxurious packaging.â&#x20AC;?

Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream, a NestlÊ product, will be delivered in a posh, double-walled, stainless-steel tub designed to keep ice cream cold longer.

And instead of adding dirty disposable diapers to landfills, soiled diapers can, starting only in the Paris area, be placed in sleek, durable diaper containers. When a CONTAINER IS kLLED ,OOP WILL PICK IT up and deliver a clean, empty one.

New technology allows Loop to process and recycle the dirty diapers, something TerraCycle has already started doing in Amsterdam. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have only one planet, and we have to take care of it for the long term,â&#x20AC;? says Laurent Freixe, CEO of the Americas Region of NestlĂŠ, which hopes to do away with all its non-recyclable packaging by 2025. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to strive for zero waste at both the production and consumption level. Loop is so innovative that we felt we had to be a part of it and learn from it,â&#x20AC;? he adds.

The rise of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zero Wasteâ&#x20AC;? movement and concern about the environment have led many businesses to try to reduce packaging and single-use containers.

Loop is unusual in its international scope and the size of the companies participating.

Initially, Loop will offer about 300 products, with plans to add to the list later. According to TerraCycle, other partners include

ÂłContainers B4

Founderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death and its unintended consequences

I

N November 2017, Metrobank founder and business magnate George S.K. Ty died at age 86.

A week later, another business leader, Jon Ramon Aboitiz, chairman of the 130-year old Aboitiz group and fourth generation leader of one of the most revered family conglomerates in Asia, died at the age of 70.

The following month, the second generation scion Victor Consunji of Semirara Mining and Poweer Corp. and the globally recognized construction giant DMCI Project Developers Inc. also passed away. And just last Saturday, January 19, the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealthiest man, Henry Sy Sr. died peacefully in his sleep. He was 94. Forbes magazine estimates his wealth at $20 billion.

The business community mourns the passing of these industrialists, founders and business giants who in one way or another helped shaped the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy right after World War 2.

But from a family governance and succession perspective, how do family members make sense of the vast empire these industrialists left behind? Was there a transition?

Are the next generation offspring prepared to assume the mantle of leadership? Did these owners prepare the leadership and wealth transition way in advance or left it to chance? Everybody plans to live, but nobody really prepares for his or her death.

The death of a founder whose kXATION WAS ALWAYS ABOUT GROWTH and expansion can shake the very foundations of the businesses and the institutions whose lives depended on it. We have heard countless stories of an autocratic owner who builds the business, then suddenly dies leaving the family totally unprepared to continue the business. The business gets sold, and the family legacy dies with the founder.

According to psychologist and author Kathy Marshack, â&#x20AC;&#x153;founders are notoriously poor at planning for the future of their businesses. As a result, most family businesses donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t LIVE BEYOND THE kRST GENERATION !ND death is not an easy subject to talk about, nor is retirement. But it is a subject that needs to be addressed by all members. Is the business MERELY A RElECTION OF THE FOUNDER What part do other family member play, shareholders and stakeholders alike? Who will run the business after the founder steps down? When will the founder step down?â&#x20AC;?

These questions reflect what we envision the founder must do before death comes knocking. He will do a succession plan. While founders are often aware of the importance of crafting a succes-

FAMILIES IN BUSINESS PROF. ENRIQUE SORIANO sion plan, they also experience psychological resistance to prepare and manage their eventual exits. Admittedly it is tough to plan ahead, but it can be exciting and rewarding to know that your vision and legacy will live on and prosper under the guidance of a trusted family member.

Marshack further stated that â&#x20AC;&#x153;while it is too late to work on a succession plan after the death of a founder, it is never too early to plan, even if you have no successor or just started your business or your kids are too young to even work yet. Succession plans can evolve over time to fit the changing needs of the family or the business.â&#x20AC;?

Prof. Josep TĂ pies of IESE Business School in Spain is correct when he remarked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one assumes that the son of a great violinist will also be a virtuoso on that instrument,â&#x20AC;? So, when do we consider a succession successful? First, it is when the founder hands over the business seamlessly to the children, along with their spouses, without any fanfare nor disturbances in any of the three critical pillars: family, business and ownership systems.

Second, it includes the transfer OF POWER TO THE MOST QUALIkED AND deserving next generation leader, who will navigate the enterprise together with his or her siblings. The transition to a chosen successor is a critical decision made unanimously by all the siblings, the Board and the senior executive team.

The third element in the succession journey is that every strategic move is guided by a family agreement or a charter where governance issues are raised to the family council for approval using pre-agreed barometers. It is also essential for every member of the family council to be involved in a consensual decision-making process under a culture of transparency and respect.

Prof. Enrique Soriano is a World Bank/IFC governance consultant, senior advisor of Post and Powell Singapore and the executive director of Wong + Bernstein, a research AND CONSULTING kRM IN !SIA THAT serves family businesses and family foundations. He was chaiman of the Marketing Cluster at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business in Manila, and is a visiting Senior Fellow of the IPMI International School, Jakarta.

PH risking a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lost yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with budget delay ROUGH TRADE BEN KRITZ target of 6.5-6.9 percent. To be fair, a GDP growth rate hovering around 6 percent is not exactly an indicator of a bad situation.

Focusing on the overall number, however, is appreciating the forest at the expense of the trees.

The 0.1-percent gain in the growth rate in Q4, compared with Q3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revised 6.0-percent result, essentially means that, for the time being at least, economic growth has stopped accelerating and may have already slowed; the Q4 result will likely be revised downward as well, as that has been the typical pattern in past years. Even THOUGH HIGH INlATION DID IMPACT consumer and business spending in the first two months of the quarter, the usual last-quarter inPUTS Â&#x2021; HIGHER REMITTANCE INlOWS

increased producer spending to

bump up inventories ahead of the Christmas season, and increased holiday spending by consumers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; should have at least partly compensated for it.

The easiest way to reverse the decelerating growth trend that has now extended into a third quarter is to increase consumer and government spending, and this is where the â&#x20AC;&#x153;reenacted budgetâ&#x20AC;? becomes a real problem.

Government spending growth slowed slightly in Q4 from a year earlier, expanding by 11.9 percent compared with 12.2 percent in Q4 2017. On a full-year basis, government spending increased by 12.8 percent after expanding by 7.0 percent in 2017. However, the important factor is not the level of government spending, but its quality; the increase was driven by spending on personnel services, maintenance and operating expenses, and social subsidies, instead of capital outlays. This type of spending has very little followon effect. As an illustration, consumer spending growth slowed to 5.4 percent in Q4, compared with 6.2 percent a year earlier.

On the other hand, if government spending increases in areas that represent real investment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; such as the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure development aspirations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; channels for increased consumer spending become broader.

New jobs and incomes are created, demand for goods and services to carry out the construction of new projects is created, and when completed, new projects enable increased economic activity. Once begun, this cycle feeds on itself, because all the new economic activity also creates new tax revenue for the government, which enables even more spending.

As this paperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s editorial on Friday pointed out, however, none of that can happen until the current yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, which authorizes spending on new projects and programs, such as on universal health care, the revenue management package of the rice tariffication bill and, of course, infrastructure construction, is passed by Congress and signed by the President.

The best the government can do in the meantime is to keeping things ticking over according to

last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, which as the '$0 kGURES HAVE ALREADY INDICATED IS INSUFkCIENT TO PUSH GROWTH to the level economic planners are hoping to reach.

Passing the budget could salvage the situation, but the window of opportunity for doing so is closing very quickly. In general, it takes three to six months for the government to actually spend money on a new project due to bureaucratic inertia and procurement procedures. Due to the 45day ban on new spending ahead of the May 13 midterm elections, virtually nothing can be started in April and May, which leaves just the next two months to initiate new spending, which would then start to happen in June at the earliest. But because the budget is largely a cash-based system, the spending for the projects and programs started this year has to be completed within the budget year.

Anything with a spending window of longer than six or seven months â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which includes most big-ticket infrastructure projects â&#x20AC;&#x201D; cannot be started this year.

As the Q4 GDP figures indi-

cate, maintaining the status quo means gradually slowing economic growth. While starting off from a near-6.0 percent level appears to give the economy a comfortable margin to absorb some cooling, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;break-even pointâ&#x20AC;? is a lot closer than most people, including the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic managers, seem to realize. Because of inflation and the normal growth of the population, the economy needs to expand at about 3 percent just to maintain the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standard of living.

Just as increasing economic activity tends to feed on itself, so does economic cooling; left alone, the deceleration will gradually increase.

The longer the budget impasse continues, the closer the horizon between economic expansion and stagnation becomes. Congress should kNISH ITS JOB QUICKLY WHILE THAT horizon still lies at a comfortable distance.

ben.kritz@manilatimes.net

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

The hunt for the ideal social media influencer I

CURRENTLY WORK IN AN ADvertising firm handling a multi-billion-peso account, and one of the biggest tasks THAT OFTEN NEED MY HELP IS the lookout for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;rightâ&#x20AC;?

INlUENCER What makes one the â&#x20AC;&#x153;rightâ&#x20AC;?

PERSON TO INlUENCE ON SOCIAL media? And how does one QUALIFY AS AN gINlUENCERu 4HE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT social media influencer alWAYS BEGINS WITH A VISIT TO )NSTAGRAM WHICH NOWADAYS is the best barometer of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standing at the totem pole of DIGITAL POPULARITY Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this platform that has created several â&#x20AC;&#x153;celebritiesâ&#x20AC;? out of virtual nobodies with just a few hashtags and some CAREFULLY CURATED IMAGES IN A SERIES OF SQUARE POSTS kLTERED of course, for oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s viewing pleasure. &OR THE SAID COMPANY ) sifted through several Instagram accounts: First, I looked at those of famous celebrities and investigated if their mainSTREAM POPULARITY TRANSLATED to the virtual world. Second, I tapped the services of a friend who works at a media placeMENT AGENCY THAT SPECIALIZES in linking brands with the gRIGHTu INlUENCERS -Y kRST STEP YIELDED SURPRISing results. Not all celebrities ARE CREATED EQUAL &OR INSTANCE

Piolo Pascual, one of the most bankable lead actors of his genERATION AND A HIGHLY SOUGHT after endorser, does not have the same social media footprint AS SAY ,UCKY -ANZANO !ND WHILE ONE MAY ARGUE that both have utilized social MEDIA QUITE DIFFERENTLY FROM each other, for digital advertisers, a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s following online has become a good gauge of their general popuLARITY ACROSS THE BOARD /R IN short: In digital marketing, soCIAL MEDIA POPULARITY TRUMPS EVERYTHING ELSE And true enough, when I ASKED MY FRIEND TO GIVE ME A PRICE QUOTATION FOR THE gINlUencerâ&#x20AC;? fees of some other Filipino celebrities, I was shocked TO kND THE WIDE DISPARITY IN rates between them. !ND MY GODĂ&#x153; ) NEVER REALized just how expensive the services of these people can BE /NE CELEBRITY CHARGES 0 K FOR A SINGLE IMAGE !

SINGLE IMAGE. Meanwhile, another â&#x20AC;&#x153;minorâ&#x20AC;? influencer WHO COULD BARELY MUSTER K followers have the gall to CHARGE 0 K FOR HIS SERVICES I was told this person was IN FACT A gMICROu INlUENCER

WHICH MADE ME SCRATCH MY HEAD BECAUSE ANYTHING WITH A WORD SYNONYMOUS WITH â&#x20AC;&#x153;minisculeâ&#x20AC;? does not read as impressive to me. /NE OF &ACEBOOK S VERY OWN executives said in an infamous INTERVIEW LAST YEAR THAT THE word â&#x20AC;&#x153;influencerâ&#x20AC;? is sometimes misleading when used to describe certain individuals who just managed to have â&#x20AC;&#x153;some friends and followersâ&#x20AC;? on social media. g4O BE AN INlUENCER YOU MUST HAVE INlUENCED SOMETHING ) DON T NECESSARILY think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true for a lot of influencers,â&#x20AC;? Neil Stewart, &ACEBOOK !SIA 0ACIkC S HEAD OF AGENCY SAID g5NTIL YOU CAN PROVE THAT THEY HAVE @INlUENCED Â&#x2021; SO CHANGED behavior, an attitude or an action Â&#x2021; ) THINK WE COULD ALMOST SUE them for using a false or misleading description.â&#x20AC;?

What then does Stewart call ANY OTHER gINlUENCERu WHO HAS NOT CAUSED A SIGNIkCANT

THE DIGITAL NOMAD JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE impact on a brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image or HAS NOT SWAYED HIS OR HER OWN followers to purchase a prodUCT !T BEST THE INlUENCER CAN BE CALLED gA : LIST CELEBRITY u Now, for me, there are three things that matter when lookING FOR THE RIGHT INlUENCER FOR a particular brand.

Social media footprint This is often the most obvious and easiest to spot. Just HOW MANY FOLLOWERS DOES AN influencer have? Now, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take it a step further: Out of those hundreds of thousands of millions of followers, just HOW MANY ARE TRULY ENGAGED WITH SAID INlUENCER S CONTENT Does the personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;popularITYu EXTEND TO HIS HER &ACEbook, Twitter or YouTube ACCOUNTS /NLY WHEN THOSE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED do I proceed to the next one:

Brand-persona match 3URE THE INlUENCER IS PROVEN POPULAR "54 IS HE SHE A GOOD match for the brand?

Sueanne Carr, partner at Queensland-based marketING CONSULTING kRM #USTOMER Frame, said that the right brand match is more important when CONSIDERING AN INlUENCER â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no point being a kVE STAR SPA RETREAT AND HAVING SOMEBODY THAT HAS AN )NSTAGRAM FEED WHERE THEY RE rocking out at Soho House in ,ONDON EVERY WEEKEND GETting drunk. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not in line WITH YOUR BRAND u Unless there is a perfect, COMPLEMENTARY MATCH BEtween influencer and the BRAND ANY PARTNERSHIP WILL BE futile and seems out of touch WITH REALITY

Industry reputation One of the most important things to look out for when selecting an endorser is the personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation, as an INlUENCER IS ONLY AS GOOD AS HIS HER REPUTATION ) REMEMBER OUR CLIENT SAYING THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO TAP A CERTAIN MALE INlUencer for a multi-million peso product but had to back out the last minute when the said person was caught several weeks later in an embarrassing personal scandal.

4HE RIGHT INlUENCER MUST NOT ONLY BE SQUEAKY CLEAN AT THIS moment, but the marketer or advertiser must be able to predict HIS HER REPUTATION IN THE FUTURE I hope these three points help YOU GUYS OUT AS YOU TRY TO PICK OUT THE RIGHT INlUENCER FOR YOUR BRAND !ND FOR INlUENCERS TRY to be realistic and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kill the goose in the hopes of getting more golden eggs. Rationalize YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA INlUENCE AND MODERATE YOUR gGREED u "ECAUSE THIS INDUSTRY IS SO kCKLE YOU RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST POST

Joseph Ubalde is a digital content expert and social media strategist who has worked for various local and global companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Digital Nomadâ&#x20AC;?

IS THE kRST AND ONLY COLUMN dedicated to social media in THE 0HILIPPINES )F YOU HAVE comments or want to connect with him, send an email to markjubalde@gmail.com.

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Business Times

B3

FOCUS

Kiwanis official on business, advocacies S

BY GRACE BONDAD NICOLAS

UCCESS has been quite kind to Rucil â&#x20AC;&#x153;Totoâ&#x20AC;?

Contrevida. The driving force behind New Blue Framework Construction Inc. and Galaxi Petroleum Fuel Inc. has come a long way since starting his career as an independent contractor.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started as project engineer for Presam Construction and General Services, a contractor of Pilipinas 3HELL #ORP IN u HE RECALLED g4HAT COMPANY IS INVOLVED IN THE construction of gasoline service station and maintenance work FOR MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT LIKE AIR compressor, lifter and dispensing pump, among others. It is also involved in petroleum underground and overhead tank installation.â&#x20AC;? #ONTREVIDA WAS ALREADY THE general manager of Presam when he decided to strike on his own in AND STARTED "LUE &RAMEWORK Construction as a sole proprietorship that specialized in mechanical works like the maintenance work and reconditioning of air compressor, lifter, dispensing pump, grease dispenser and tire INlATORS â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also installed petroleum underground tank, overhead tank and vertical

tank as well as the piping works,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Because he has maintained good relations with Pilipinas Shell, Contrevida has remained as an accredited contractor even after he transitioned to being an indePENDENT CONTRACTOR "Y HE AGAIN TRANSFORMED HIS lOURISHING BUSINESS INTO A FULL lEDGED CORPOration with himself as president and chairman of the board.

Contrevidaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing stature in the business also led to his becoming the Philippine Luzon district governor of international service club Kiwanis International where he has devoted a lot of time and ATTENTION TO ITS ADVOCACY OF HELPing indigent children. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We like evERYONE TO BE aware of our existence as advocates for the children.

Q Rucil â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Totoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Contrevida. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO We are here to provide help and to give indigent children not just hope but the will to survive. For YEARS WE ;HAVE BEEN= HERE and getting stronger because of the trust and passionate members of the club who as Kiwanians are committed to doing whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best for the children,â&#x20AC;? he noted.

As the organization celebrates ITS TH ANNIVERSARY #ONTREVIDA is overseeing not just the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oriented

Q Contrevida (center)during the wreath-laying ceremony of Kiwanis International at Rizal Park and posing with past lieutenant governors and governors, as well as the governor-elect and ladies of the organization.

project of Kiwanis International but also some of its other activities like the District Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tennis #UP LED BY PAST DISTRICT GOVERNOR -ANNY -AMADRA THAT TOOK PLACE LAST *ANUARY AT THE 3OUTH 7OODS tennis court, the PLD Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 'OLF #UP CHAIRED BY +IWANIAN ,T Governor Armand Perez) at ValLEY 'OLF #LUB LAST *ANUARY THE +IWANIS g4RIOu /NE $AY "OWLING ,EAGUE LAST *ANUARY AT 0AENG S Freedom Bowl and Billiards at Robinsons Place in Imus, Cavite, and The Great Kiwanis PLD Night AT 4RAMWAY RESTAURANT IN 0ASAY #ITY LAST *ANUARY Founded in Detroit, MichiGAN IN THE ORGANIZATION NOW HAS MORE THAN

MEMBERS Â&#x2021; FROM + +IDS TO +EY #LUB TO +IWANIS Â&#x2021; AND MANY ages in between in more than 80 countries. Kiwanis clubs host NEARLY SERVICE PROJECTS EACH YEAR

CSR FOCUS

10th TCS Clark Animo Marathon: La Salle alumni running with a purpose TO run for world peace must be a strong statement. But it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide the actual, more direct efFECT OF GIVING BACK TO BENEkCIARIES The Pampanga chapter of the De La Salle Alumni Association (DLSAA) has made it a point to give back even more each time it conducts its Clark Animo Marathon now on its 10th incarnation.

The coming edition, set this coming March 10, promises to be the biggest draw to date, with about 10 thousand runners expected to join. g/N OUR kRST YEAR WE HAD participants,â&#x20AC;? recalled DLSAA0AMPANGA PRESIDENT !TTY -ELVIN 0ANLILIO g"UT WE GRADUALLY GREW THROUGH THE YEARS GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT TO MORE BENEkCIARIES u 7ITH THIS ACTIVITY ROOTED OFF AS a corporate social responsibilITY MAJORITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS ARE EMPLOYEES FROM CORPORATE OFkCES INCLUDING PAIRS OF

FEET FROM 4ATA #ONSULTANCY 3ERvices (TCS), one of the biggest call center companies situated in Clark and the eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major SPONSOR )T IS LIKELY THAT SOME OF the groups joining will make use of the occasion as part of their team-building endeavors.

4HE MARATHON IS OFFICIALLY billed TCS Clark Animo International Marathon after it had been given international cerTIFICATION BY THE )NTERNATIONAL Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

This means that the runnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recorded time will be recognized INTERNATIONALLY FOR QUALIFYING and rankings purposes. This in particular is important for people joining international races like the Boston Marathon.

(OWEVER FOR MANY SUITING UP in their running shoes on that

GREEN DAY WHAT S MORE IMPORtant is the chance to be part of a fun run that caters to certain HIGHLY DESERVING BENEFICIARIES Proceeds of the run will fund DLSAA-Pampangaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS LIKE TREE planting, maintenance of the AnGELES #ITY 7ATERSHED SUPPORT FOR the La Salle Botanical Gardens in Alviera, Porac, Pampanga, and the Yellow Boat Foundation cuddling the marginalized pupils in schools located in coastal areas of Pampanga.

2ACE DIRECTOR *UMBO 4AYAG noted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We from the DLSAAPampanga chapter are not paid to do this. We just share our time and expertise in putting up THIS ACTIVITY FOR A CAUSE AND WE CAN SAY THAT THROUGH THE YEARS

our funds are growing which means we get to give more to our beneficiaries.â&#x20AC;?

4HIS YEAR S ANTICIPATED RUN IN

0AMPANGA IS PRESENTED BY #LARK 'LOBAL #ITY DESCRIBED AS A FULLY master-planned Central Business District with over seven million SQUARE METERS OF PLANNED FLOOR space, all part of the Clark Freeport Zone.

Clark is considered Central Luzonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main economic center with an access to a major international airport and being the preferred destination of some multinational offshore companies.

Again, the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon, which challenges runners to register FOR KM ALL THE WAY TO km distance, is the result of the ever-growing business-oriented atmosphere prevailing in such an AREA OF MONEY GENERATING ACTIVITY this remarkable province north of Metro Manila boasts.

Running with a purpose is business done good.

YUGEL LOSORATAÂ

QThe people behind the 10th TCS Clark Animo International Marathon. (From left) Michelle Bautista, Tata Consultancy Services marketing and communications manager; Shifu Varghese, Tata Consultancy Services country head; Noel Manankil, Clark Development Corp. president; Melvin Panlilio, DLSAA-Pampanga president; Aries Patawaran, DLSAA-Pampanga chairman; and Jumbo Tayag, race director.

B4

Business Times

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

CEO CORNER

Q RAP Training and Marketing Services CEO Enrique â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ericâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Caeg.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

RAP TRAINING AND MARKETING SERVICES CEO ERIC CAEG

Ensuring a harmonious and issue-free workplace

I

BY GRACE BONDAD NICOLAS

N todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly competitive world, very few will get a chance to start working after their college graduation.

Enrique Pablo â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ericâ&#x20AC;?Caeg, now THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFkCER OF 2!0 Training and Marketing Services, was one of the fortunate few. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had a colorful career that started immediately one week after college,â&#x20AC;? Caeg said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started as a clerk, and from then on rose from the ranks in the several local and multinational companies that I worked for.â&#x20AC;?

In between short but fruitful stints at the now-defunct Far East Bank and Trust Co., Sterling Paper Products, Goldstar Collins 0HILIPPINES NOW ,' !PPLIANCE

!STRA 0HARMA &IRESTONE 4IRES

Thermotech Sales, Mondragon 2ETAIL $ISTRIBUTION #ORP (AGEmeyer Cosa-Liberman, Maldita, Lucerne Jewellers and Mother Spice Food Corp., the marketing graduate from San Beda College still managed to find time to pursue his masteral degree in %NTREPRENEURSHIP AT THE !SIAN )NSTITUTE OF -ANAGEMENT !)- Caeg also pursued more training and seminars to improve his SKILLS (E IS A CERTIkED EMOTIONAL intelligence practitioner from 'ENOS )NTERNATIONAL OF !USTRAlia and certified professional marketer from the Philippine -ARKETING !SSOCIATION !ND HE IS NOT DONE LEARNING YET (E IS currently taking his doctorate in organizational development at THE 3OUTHEAST !SIA )NTERDISCIPLI NARY $EVELOPMENT )NSTITUTE 2EFLECTING ON HIS TIME WITH numerous employers, Caeg SAID g(UMAN RESOURCE PRAC-

titioners will describe me [as] similar to a corporate butterfly.

"UT ONE OF MY MENTORS AT !)- advised me that these short stints were actually my step ladders to employee success.â&#x20AC;?

Inspired by the success of his parents, who were entrepreneurs, Caeg also had a strong desire to strike on his own and carve his niche.

(E ENVISIONS HIS COMPANY TO be the leading learning and development provider for small and MEDIUM ENTERPRISES 3-%S â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our mission is to deliver current and relevant capacity building learning programs that support the company objectives and career goals of the employees,â&#x20AC;? Caeg said.

2!0 WHICH STANDS FOR 2ETAIL !CADEMY 0HILIPPINES HAS ROLLED out learning and development modules for retail companies focusing on sales, marketing, operations, product merchandising, and safety and security.

Seminar participants range from those from rank-and-file to fellow entrepreneurs who are passionate to learn new strategies and gain new skills. g!S A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND development provider, I have to constantly innovate the service offerings that I present to my clients. I have a lean staff, basically composed of my assistant plus my )4 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND graphics outsource managers. My learning and development team AREwEXPERTS FROM DIFFERENT kELDS THAT ADDRESS THE VARIOUS SPECIkC RE-

quirements of my clients,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are seasoned professionals from the retail, services, marketing, product merchandising, research, human resources, kNANCIAL LEGAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE

fast-moving consumer goods, and supply-chain industries.â&#x20AC;? )N RECENT YEARS 2!0 HAS MADE A lot of headway in enhancing the operations of its client-companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our executive/professional coaching modules, which we introduced in 2015, were able to successfully address various concerns in the workplace, such as SELF CONkDENCE SUCCESSION PLANning, [and] peer-to-peer and subordinate-to-superior relationships at work. Many of our individual clients were also able to achieve their career goals,â&#x20AC;? Caeg said.

"Y 2!0 WAS PROVIDING consulting services focused on organizational development and HUMAN RESOURCES ! COURSE ON emotional intelligence was included in the module offering. The clients were mostly family-owned corporations and SMEs. The following year, Caeg aligned his services with Family Business Strategic Coaching, a subsidiary OF THE 7ONG "ERNSTEIN !DVISORY Group, headed by Family Governance Coach and Business Times columnist Prof. Enrique Soriano.

The two Erics are now serving clients nationwide and aligning the organizational operations to corporate vision, mission and goals.

In addition to overseeing the DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS OF 2!0

Caeg also wears many other hats.

(E IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE "OARD OF THE !SSOCIATION OF &ILIPINO &RANCHISERS )NC !&&) OUTGOING executive vice president of the 0HILIPPINE -ARKETING !SSOCIA-

tion, former vice president of the International Coach Federation and a director on the board of several business organizations.

(E IS ALSO A MENTOR OF 0HILIPpine Center Entrepreneurship/ 'O.EGOSYO AND THE $EPARTMENT of Trade and Industry.

Besides his parents, Caeg also cites his wife Bing as inst r u m e n t a l t o h i s s u c c e s s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is the epitome of a successful employee. She started her career as AN /*4 ON THE JOB TRAINEE IN ,EVI Strauss Philippines and now she is the account management head in

Q Caeg with wife Bing and children Luis Enrique and Beatrice Preciosa. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A MULTINATIONAL LOGISTICS kRM 3HE and my children, Luis Enrique and Beatrice Preciosa, continue to motivate me,â&#x20AC;? he said.

2IGHT NOW #AEG S GOAL IS TO MAKE 2!0 S OPERATIONS EXTEND TO OTHER !SIAN CLIENTS WHERE HE CAN

continue to share his passion and advocacy in organizational and people development.

(IS MESSAGE TO FUTURE #%/S â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one holds the monopoly OF ANSWERS TO THINGS (APPY EMployees are the number one asset

of any company. In the workplace,

@(INDI BALE NANG PAGOD HUWAG LANG MASAMA ANG LOOB )T S OKAY TO BE TIRED AS LONG AS YOU DON T FEEL BAD ABOUT WORKING THERE 3UCCESSful entrepreneurs are backed up by successful employees,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Q CONTAINERS FROM B2

Xiaomi squares off with Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bendy â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The milkman modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: Big brand L TAP, SWIPE, names try reusable containers

!34 week, we reported that the smartphone industry has reached a slowdown in both sales and innovaTION %XPECTED TO REVIVE THE lATLINING mobile phone business is the bendy or mobile phones with bendable screens.

3AMSUNG IS EXPECTED TO DROP ITS kRST crack at the experimental bendy gadgets this year, but Xiaomi just challenged the tech giant with its own, more userfriendly looking take on the bend-andswipe mobile technology. Xiaomi is banking on a fold-in-three smartphone that transforms into a tablet. ""# COM REPORTED g! SMARTPHONE that transforms into a tablet by folding out two parts of its display bent behind its back has been unveiled by Xiaomi.

The Chinese technology company revealed the prototype in a post to the social media site Weibo. It promised THE @DOUBLE FOLDING DEVICE WAS COMING and asked the public to help name it.â&#x20AC;? )F 3AMSUNG S BENDY ONLY FOLDS IN THE MIDDLE LIKE A WALLET 8IAOMI S VERSION folds at two points, showing only one THIRD WHEN IT S IN PHONE MODE g7EIBO shows that the video has already been played nearly 3.5 million times and attracted thousands of comments since it

SCROLL

KAYE VILLAGOMEZ was uploaded on Wednesday. Foldable screens present smartphone-makers a means to make their products look more distinctive after a period during which they have coalesced around the same form: a dark black rectangle with ever-shrinking bezels,â&#x20AC;? added the feature story published last January 23.

But like every new technology, expect every bendy initial release to be extremely pricey, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;it is unclear as yet what use cases manufacturers will promote to justify the added cost.â&#x20AC;? !S FAR AS FOLDABLE PHONE TIMELINES GO

HERE S A WHAT TO EXPECT ACCORDING TO ""# g(UAWEI HAS SAID IT WILL LAUNCH A PHONE with a fold-out screen in 2019, while Samsung has said it will reveal more details about its plans for the Galaxy X PHONE Â&#x2021; kRST TEASED IN .OVEMBER Â&#x2021; AT

Q Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foldable smartphone. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

a press event on 20 February. Lenovoowned Motorola has also published a PATENT THAT ILLUSTRATES HOW A lEXIBLE DISplay could be incorporated into its clasSIC lIP OPEN 2!:2 DESIGN !ND 'OOGLE has said it is working on a new version OF !NDROID THAT WILL NATIVELY SUPPORT â&#x20AC;&#x153;foldableâ&#x20AC;? devices rather than requiring manufacturers to create their own workarounds to adapt to the changing DIMENSIONS OF THEIR DEVICES SCREENS Other manufacturers may also have further announcements of their own to make at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, which begins on 25 February.â&#x20AC;? !PPLE HAS BEEN SILENT WHEN IT COMES to the bendy game, unless we consider S "ENDGATE OR EVEN THE RECENT "ENDgate 2.0, as the mother of all bendies.

4HEN !PPLE WAS WAY AHEAD OF THE PACK +IDDING ASIDE IT S ONE THING TO SHOWcase a bendable device as the next big thing in smartphone business technolOGY BUT IT S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THING to position it as a must-have device. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Samsung promised us a foldable phone â&#x20AC;&#x201D; rumored to be called the Galaxy X, Galaxy F, Galaxy Flex or Galaxy Fold â&#x20AC;&#x201D; IN THE kRST HALF OF 7HATEVER IT S called, turning the concept into a real, working device that people actually want to use presents a host of challenges, from design to getting top app-makers on board,â&#x20AC;? said Cnet.com.

If the smartphone will post a 10-year photo challenge, it will show drastic changes in the touchscreen era because it was circa 2008-2009 when touch screen really obliterated keypads in MOBILE PHONES !S WE WRAP UP ANOTHER decade this year, are we seeing another huge pivot in the way we see and use HANDHELD DEVICES

The author is a former broadsheet entertainment and lifestyle reporter and section editor for an entertainment magazine before crossing over to corporate and marketing public relations.

Unilever, Mars Petcare, The Clorox Company, The Body Shop, Coca-Cola, Mondelez InterNATIONAL $ANONE *ACOBS $OUWE %GBERTS

")# .ATURE S 0ATH 4HOUSAND &ELL 'REENhouse, Grilliance, Preserve, Carrefour, UPS and the sustainable-resource management company Suez.

Greenpeace, which has criticized many big manufacturers for creating much of the plastic waste POLLUTING THE WORLD S oceans, joined in a panel about sustainable consumption at which Loop was announced IN $AVOS ON 4HURSDAY Jennifer Morgan, international executive director of Greenpeace, said beforehand: â&#x20AC;&#x153;While Greenpeace welcomes the AIM OF THE ,OOP !Lliance to move away from throwaway culture and disposability, what the platform will mean for the environment depends on whether corporations worldwide are actually ready to change their business models, or if this effort just becomes a distracting side project to generATE POSITIVE 02 u She warned that most businesses behind the initiative were still expanding pro-

duction of single-use plastic, although company representatives focused on the progress they had vowed to make in adopting more sustainable packaging.

Loop is slated to launch this spring in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and also in Paris and some of its suburbs. Shoppers will be able TO BUY :ERO 7ASTE PRODUCTS FROM THE Loop website to be delivered to their homes in specially designed shipping totes, and, eventually, at participating retailers, such as the Carrefour chain of grocery stores in Paris.

Loop intends to expand to the US West Coast, Toronto in Canada, and the United Kingdom by the end of this year or early 2020, followed

by Japan â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ideally in time for the 2020 Olympics, Szaky says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It means more delivery trucks, but far fewer garbage trucks,â&#x20AC;? he adds.

AP Q These photos show NestlĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stainless steel Häagen-Dazs ice cream container and Lesieurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stainless steel vegetable oils and mayonnaise containers (above) designed for use with Loop.

AP PHOTOS

Sunday Business & I.T.

C1 SUNDAY JANUARY 27, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Editor: Jing Garcia

Many businesses have implemented AI â&#x20AC;&#x201C; survey T

HE number of enterprises implementing artificial intelligence (AI) grew 270 percent in the past four years AND TRIPLED IN THE PAST YEAR ACCORDING TO ANALYST kRM Gartner.

Survey results showed that organizations across all industries use AI in a variety of applications, but struggle with acute talent shortages. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Four years ago, AI implementation was rare, only 10 percent of survey respondents reported that their enterprises had deployed AI or would do so shortly. For 2019, that number has leapt to 37 percent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a 270-percent increase in four years,â&#x20AC;? said Chris Howard, distinguished research vice president at Gartner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you are a CIO and your organization doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use AI, chances are high that your competitors do and this should be a concern.â&#x20AC;?

Gartner gathered data from more than 3,000 chief information officer (CIO) respondents in 89 countries across major industries, representing $15 trillion in revenue

and public-sector budgets and $284 billion in IT spending.

The deployment of AI has tripled in the past year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; rising from 25 percent in 2018 to 37 percent today. The reasons for this big jump is THAT !) CAPABILITIES HAVE MATURED SIGNIkCANTLY and thus enterprises are more willing to implement the technology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We still remain far from general AI that can wholly take over complex tasks, but we have now entered the realm of AI-augmented work and decision science â&#x20AC;&#x201D; what we call â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;augmented intelligence,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Howard added.

CIOs have realized that sustainable digital transformation and task automation go hand in hand. AI has become an integral part of every digital strategy and is already used in a variety of applications.

Survey results show that 52 percent of telco organizations deploy chatbots and 38 percent of healthcare providers rely on computer-assisted diagnostics. Other operational use cases for AI are fraud protection and consumer fragmentation.

The more enterprises work with AI, the clearer the deployment challenge becomes. Fifty-four percent of respondents to a Gartner Research Circle Survey view skill shortage as the biggest challenge facing their organization. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to stay ahead, CIOs need to be creative. If there is no AI talent available, another possibility is to invest in training programs for employees with backgrounds in statistics and data management. Some organizations also create job shares with ecosystem and business partners,â&#x20AC;? Howard said.

Huawei announces 5G smartphone based on own technology BEIJING: Chinese tech giant Huawei announced plans Wednesday for a next-generation smartphone that will use its own technology instead of US components, maneuvering to gain a competitive edge and sidestep complaints it is a security risk.

The leading supplier of network switching gear for phone companies, Huawei Technologies Ltd. is spending heavily to develop its own chips, an area where the US dominates. That can reduce Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multibillion-dollar annual components bill and help insulate it against possible supply disruptions when US-Chinese relations are strained.

A

5'-%.4%$ reality (AR) is a close relative of Virtual Reality (VR). AR differs from virtual reality technology where users immerse in a computergenerated environment, offering full virtual experience. AR technology does not transport users in a virtual world. Virtual tools augment the current world. The PokĂŠmon Go game is a perfect illustration of an AR experience. Users move around through the physical world to capture PokĂŠmon characters through their smartphone application. The mobile game received global success paving the way for further recognition of AR. Thanks to AR technology, children can delve into the magical realm of their favorite stories. With the special app, kids can shift their AR-enabled book into the COLORFUL AND INTERACTIVE PLAYGROUND -Y favorite is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Color Alive Series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Augmented Reality Coloring Booksâ&#x20AC;?. Crayola, partnered with AR developer DAQRI, to create a series of coloring books that let

The handset, billed by Huawei as the first foldable fifth-generation smartphone, will be unveiled next MONTH AT THE -OBILE 7ORLD #ONGRESS in Barcelona, the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest annual event, said Richard Yu, CEO of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumer unit.

The phone is based on Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Kirin 980 chipset and Balong 5000 modem. The company says the Kirin 980, released in August, performs on a par with Qualcomm Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s widely used Snapdragon 845.

Sales of Huawei smartphones and other consumer products rose more than 50 percent last year over 2017, SHOWING gNO INlUENCEu FROM 7ESTERN security warnings, Yu told reporters.

He said the consumer unitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales topped $52 billion, or more than half of the $100 billion in annual revenue the company has forecast. Huawei has yet to release 2018 results for the whole company. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this complicated political environment, we still maintain strong growth,â&#x20AC;? Yu said.

Chinese companies are trying to develop technology to better compete with Western suppliers in telecoms, solar power, electric cars, biotechnology AND OTHER kELDS The ruling Communist Partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans for state-led development of such industries, along with robotics and artikCIAL INTELLIGENCE HELPED TRIGGER A TRADE war with President Donald Trump.

Both sides have raised tariffs on tens

of billions of dollars of each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goods in the dispute over American complaints Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology. Washington also says Chinese technology plans violate Beijingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market-opening obligations.

Huawei surpassed Apple as the No. 2 global smartphone brand behind Samsung in mid-2018. It uses Qualcomm in its high-end fourth-generation smartphones and earlier Kirin versions in lower-end models. The company, based in the southern city of Shenzhen near Hong Kong, also has developed chips for servers and mobile devices.

Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Ltd. already make their own chips.

Qualcomm has far more smartphone chip technology but Huawei is catching up, said Xi Wang of IDC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generally speaking, Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chips are equal to Qualcomm chips in performance,â&#x20AC;? Wang said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not only at the mid-level but at the high end, Huawei can compete with Qualcomm.â&#x20AC;?

Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former military engineer, has rejected accusations it is controlled by the rulING #OMMUNIST 0ARTY OR MODIkES ITS equipment to allow eavesdropping.

Its US market evaporated after a congressional panel labeled Huawei and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE Corp. security risks in 2012 and told phone companies to avoid dealing with them.

ZTE was nearly driven into bankruptcy last year after the Washington

cut off access to U.S. technology over its exports to Iran and North Korea.

President Donald Trump restored acCESS AFTER :4% PAID A BILLION kNE AND agreed to replace its executive team and INSTALL 53 CHOSEN COMPLIANCE OFkCERS Australia, Japan and some other governments also have imposed curbs on use of Huawei technology.

The company has stepped up efforts to MOLLIFY SECURITY FEARS AFTER ITS CHIEF kNANCIAL OFkCER -ENG 7ANZHOU WAS ARRESTED in Canada on Dec. 1 on US charges she lied to banks about trade with Iran.

Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founder and CEO, Ren :HENGFEI IS -ENG S FATHER )N A RARE PUBlic appearance, he told foreign reporters in a 2½-hour interview on Jan. 15 that he would reject requests from Chinese AUTHORITIES FOR CONkDENTIAL INFORMATION about its customers.

Yu said that despite â&#x20AC;&#x153;political noiseâ&#x20AC;? in some countries, Huawei sales outside the United States havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suffered due to security concerns. The company says it serves 45 of the 50 biggest global phone companies and has signed contracts with 30 carriers to test 5G technology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Worldwide, all the carriers love us,â&#x20AC;? said Yu. Yu repeated Renâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assurances that (UAWEI HAS NEVER RECEIVED AN OFkCIAL REQUEST FOR CONkDENTIAL INFORMATION about customers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Huawei, we never do these kinds of things,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We always protect our customer.â&#x20AC;?

Textbooks come to life with augmented reality LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TALK #SOCIAL NOEMI LARDIZABAL-DADO children bring their creations to life. Each book is your normal coloring book, with illustrations of fairies, dragons and popular cultural icons to color in as they please. Children can use the accompanying app to generate a 3D model of their drawing, shaded in every way like their colored picture on the page, which they can then interact with and move around on the screen.

Among the most noteworthy trends in Education Technology (EdTech), AR takes a leading position. AR is appropriate from pre-school education up to college, or even at training at WORK #OMPLEX IDEAS ARE SIMPLIkED AND MADE more interesting through the use of visual 3D models, videos and auditory features. Unlike VR, AR requires inexpensive hardware. The AR technologies are available for use for the majority

of the target audience who own a smartphone.

AR in education helps students achieve better results through visualization in the subject. #OMPLEX IDEAS ARE SIMPLIkED BECAUSE !2 TECHNOLOGY CAN RENDER DIFkCULT CONCEPTS INTO $ models to make them easier to understand.

Instead of reading concepts about something, students see the theory in action. Integrating AR technology into textbooks allows the learners to interact and participate with the lesson.

They not only study the concepts but also get to experience them.

There are drawbacks though. Not all students have smartphones capable of supporting AR applications. A workaround on lack of smartphones in public schools of remote provinces is to loan smartphones or tablets in the classrooms.

The most popular application for augmented reality in education is using AR apps in the classroom. The teacher explains a subject and provides a visual portrayal of the information and facilitates studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; check out their knowledge in practice. Any subject, including chemistry, geometry, zoology, grammar and programming

is possible in an AR app. You can go through the 42 augmented reality Apps for the classroom that Edshelf.com curated. Google Expeditions aim to make classroom AR more attainable, with 900 different experiences available via simple phone app including visits to the Louvre and -T %VEREST In the Philippines, Vibal Group, known in the publishing industry and a pioneer of e-books in the country, released LearnLive AR. This is a mobile application that simplikES DIFkCULT TEXTBOOK CONCEPTS BY RENDERING them into 3D models through AR technology.

With Vibal textbooks and a smartphone or tablet, students experience a virtual layer of information superimposed on top of their natural environment. These include interactive models showing parts of the sun, the circulatory system, skeletal system, nervous system and many more. These enhancements are available in their textbooks series available with AR technology such as, Science in Our World 1-6; Science & Technology 7-10, Rainbows in English 1-6, ,IVING WITH -!0%( AND +ULTURA +ASAYSAYA

AT +ABUHAYAN +++ + TO %DITION -ORE

textbooks will soon be available for highergrade levels. The initial download of the app and its assets need an internet connection.

Once downloaded, you can run the app OFlINE ANYTIME AND ANYWHERE *UST SCAN the designated image in a Vibal textbook using the LearnLive AR mobile application on a smartphone or tablet. There, the student can unlock digitized renditions of concepts, theories, processes and an entire universe of learning. Hovering the LiveLearn app on the AR enabled images of the Science in Our World 6 proved to be amazing. I am excited for the kids who will use these books.

New technology in the classroom should stimulate, motivate and educate with a goal in mind. Though augmented reality in education is still new, the prospects of AR are good, bringing different paths of learning.

Vibal textbook users will enjoy LearnLive AR starting June 2019 with no added cost.

This application is downloadable on Google Play Store for Android users and App Store for iOS users for free.

C2

Sunday Business & I.T.

Q Hazel del Rosario-Lee

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Make global business within your reach ing business management system and streamline their processes. NetSuite OneWorld is also scheduled to be rolled out at Panville Unique Distributors, the parent company of Blu Coffee Distributors.

Ensure seamless global accounting and consolidation

T

ODAY, technology has come a long way to make any business capable of competing, not just on a local or regional scale, but also in the global marketplace. How is that possible?

A company needs to be data driven, innovative, agile and rapidly responsive to market dynamics.

(ERE ARE kVE WAYS TECHNOLOGY PREHENSIVE kNANCIAL AND OPERAcan help organizations meet the tional role-based dashboards and demands of today: real-time reports.

For example, Blu Coffee DistribuManage business units, tors, a B2B merchant of premium multiple subsidiaries, Italian coffee and equipment, aims and legal entities to take advantage of the soaring demand for premium coffees across Oracle NetSuite gives organiza- the Philippines. The need to be agile tions a clear view into every level prompted the company to select of business performance, from NetSuite OneWorld, primarily to summary to detail, through com- eliminate the complexity of its exist-

Oracle NetSuite has built robust financial reporting capabilities that enable an organization to understand what is happening across the global business in real-time. It is designed to provide an instant global view of the business with specific drill-down to the subsidiary or business unit level anywhere in the world. NetSuite OneWorld also provides a multi-language user interface that helps bridge communication barriers.

Naturale Labs, a subsidiary of Dragon Edge Group that innovates and challenges established conventions in the fast-moving consumer GOODS &-#' INDUSTRY RUNS ON Oracle NetSuite to operate its mission-critical business processes in THE CLOUD 4HESE INCLUDE kNANCIALS

sales reporting, order and inventory management, distribution, and purchasing from suppliers and manufacturers. The company is now able TO EFkCIENTLY MANAGE DISTRIBUTION TO retailers that offer Beach Hut products in more than 3,000 supermarkets, convenience stores and other retail locations in the Philippines. With the advantage offered by real-time

monitoring of sales and inventory across multiple locations, the company is able to ensure its network of retail partners are stocked according to seasonal demands.

In addition, with NetSuite OneWorld, Naturale Labs improved its business speed and precision while gaining the flexibility for further expansion in the Philippines and internationally. Through NetSuite OneWorld, the company is also able to dramatically reduce manual processes in its local operations, enabling them to gain THE EFkCIENCY NEEDED TO FOCUS ON more strategic business initiatives.

partners. As a cloud-based system, NetSuite also provides a disasterprotection measure that would stabilize the entire system during unexpected events like typhoons.

Provide exceptional global business intelligence

With real-time visibility across the entire enterprise, NetSuite allows UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO kNANCIAL CUStomer and business data worldwide.

It provides multiple levels of consolidated reporting and enterprise-wide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), displayed in real time on dashboards Facilitate real-time from which top management can visibility anywhere draw precious useful insights.

With NetSuite, Sanitary Care .ET3UITE /NE7ORLD ACCELERATES kNAN- Products Asia (Sanicare), the precial processes with multi-currency miere manufacturer of home and consolidation and real-time roll-up facial paper products in the Philacross accounts receivable, accounts ippines, was able to support and payable, payroll, inventory, billing, fuel its rapid business growth. Ever INVOICING AND ORDER FULkLLMENT FROM since Sanicare upgraded to NetSuite local in-country operations, to the re- FROM -ICROSOFT $YNAMICS '0 IT WAS GIONAL OFkCES TO GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS able to streamline the processing Unilab, the leading pharmaceu- of 20,000 invoices and 2,000 paytical company in the Philippines, ables per month, cutting down the has selected Oracle NetSuite as number of days needed to generate they aimed to move to the cloud kNANCIAL STATEMENTS FROM DAYS TO for purposes of business continu- kVE )T IS ALSO NOW ABLE TO MANAGE ity. Oracle NetSuite provided an relationships with 1,000 vendors.

The NetSuite cloud has also proagile platform that is pivotal in continued innovation and growth. tected Sanicareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital records and With Oracle NetSuite, Unilab DATA DRIVEN RELATIONSHIPS FROM kRE now has real-time data visibility or other disaster events. The solution to track product sales and pro- grows as Sanicareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs grow and motions, rather than relying on they now have the tools to understand manual reports from distributors. how their business is performing at Vital information is standardized all times, from the largest retail store and accessible for both Unilab and down to the smallest shops.

Support nonprofits with international capabilities NetSuite OneWorld delivers a realTIME UNIkED GLOBAL BUSINESS MANagement platform for international .'/S AND NONPROkT ORGANIZATIONS that manage multi-national and multi-subsidiary operations, at a fraction of the cost of traditional on-premise ERP solutions. This is in line with NetSuite OneWorldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive capability to streamline multi-subsidiary operations and provide real-time visibility at the local, regional and headquarter levels.

Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, an organization that provides opportunities for livelihood and education, emergency assistance during disasters, and an improved environment, has gone live on Oracle NetSuite after retiring its on-premise software for the greater functionality, EFkCIENCY AND CAPACITY FOR BUSINESS growth available through NetSuiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s integrated cloud business management software suite. Upgrading to NetSuite, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines is able to run its core business processes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all within one integrated software system and without a dedicated IT staff. As a reSULT THE NONPROkT ORGANIZATION HAS gained process automation and realtime visibility into critical business metrics not possible with its former SOFTWARE TO BETTER FULkLL ITS MISSION of socioeconomic improvement.

Hazel del Rosario-Lee is the senior director, worldwide support and managing director, Oracle NetSuite Philippines

Globe StreamwatchXtreme prepaid is a must-have MyEG PH, Finda FOR Just P2,999, you take home the WORLD S kRST ALL IN ONE DEVICE WITH fast home internet, clear free local TV channels, and Internet TV with thousands of videos, shows, and movies.

Here are the top reasons the Globe StreamwatchXtreme is a must-have for your home entertainment needs this 2019: You can now empower your family to access loads of content through YouTube and Facebook, whether for entertainment, education, or both.

Plus, the device is also prepaid and reloadable, so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to worry about monthly bills.

The Globe StreamwatchXtreme also doubles as a set-top box, enabling you to binge on your favorite SHOWS OR lICKS VIA STREAMING CHANNELS all you want, anytime you want. To top it all off, you can still watch your favorite morning shows or primetime teleseryes with clear live local free TV channels on a wider screen for a bigger and better experience without eating into your load.

Compared to a pocket WiFi device,

sign MOU on biometric services

the internet connection of Globe StreamwatchXtreme is 2x faster, 2X stronger, 2x wider in coverage.

Globe StreamwatchXtreme is videoke-ready with two built-in inputs for your own microphones for those who enjoy the signature Filipino home past time.

-ULTIPLE DEVICES CAN BE CONNECTED

to the Globe StreamwatchXtreme at the same time for the whole family. The kids can watch their favorite videos on YouTube while you access the deviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast internet speed and accomplish your online tasks faster.

Globe StreamwatchXtreme is available in select Globe stores located IN -ETRO -ANILA ,AGUNA #AVITE

Bulacan, Rizal, and regional centers, Cebu and Davao for an introductory price of P2,999. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s P2000 off from the standard retail price of P4,999.

With this new all-in-one device, Globe At Home Prepaid provides the Filipino customer with the best that international and local entertainment have to offer.

Amazon testing delivery by self-driving robots NEW YORK: Amazon is bringing delivery robots to the streets of a Seattle suburb.

The online shopping giant says it started to test self-driving robots in Snohomish County, Washington, Wednesday that can bring Amazon packages to shoppersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; doorsteps.

The robots are light blue, about the size of a Labrador, have six wheels and the Amazon smile logo stamped on its side, according to Amazon photos. Six of them will be roaming the sidewalks and streets of the neighborhood.

Amazon says a worker will acCOMPANY THE ROBOTS AT kRST BUT IT didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide additional details of how the service would work. The company did not respond to questions about the test.

Several companies have been testing similar delivery robots on college campuses that deliver fast food or snacks to students.

Amazon says its robot, which it is calling Scout, can navigate around pets and pedestrians.

LEADING one-stop e-government solutions provider -Y%' 0HILIPPINES -Y%' PARTNERS WITH (ONG +ONG BASED &INDA )NTERNATIONAL #ONSULTANCY -ANAGEMENT (Finda) for a unique real-time mobile cross-border authentication services to the Philippines. )N RESPONSE TO THE GROWING kNTECH MARKET THE 0HILIPpine governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Finance continues its commitment to cutting the red tape and improving the ease of doing business in the country. It has successfully linked up with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members with the Asean Single Window System (ASW). This initiative targets to ease the electronic exchange of cross-border trading documents among the 10 member-states. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Philippines is a strategic market for our company because we see the increasing need and demand for esolutions amidst discussions on digital security in the country, said Chen Yingjie, Finda director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will also cater to the growing requirement of international kNANCIAL REGULATORS u As a champion of government services online automaTION -Y%' TEAMS UP WITH &INDA A RECOGNIZED INNOVATOR IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY TO PROVIDE AN EFkCIENT and economical border access and control, and to broadEN APPLICATIONS TO CROSS BORDER kNANCIAL TRANSACTIONS â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are excited to bring this one-of-a-kind technology solutions in the country. This is a remarkable step in ensuring the digital security of the Filipinosâ&#x20AC;?, said Ron !QUNO -Y%' 0HILIPPINES PRESIDENT g9OU CAN EXPECT -Y%' TO CONTINUE ITS COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE SEAMLESS E SOLUTIONS FOR THE EFkCIENCY OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES u

Technical standard for digital authentication Finda owns a Live-Facial-Recognition (LFR) system that serves as a technical backbone for real-ID authentication SOLUTIONS FOR VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES kNANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND HEALTH INSURANCE kRMS IN !SIA Findaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology was granted a proof-of-concept 0/# BY THE -ONETARY !UTHORITY IN 3INGAPORE -!3 and the POC was completed satisfactorily according to the stipulated criteria. The technology is also helping other government agencies in performing Know-Your-Customer (KYC) compliances. Findaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solutions hasalso minimized the risk of defaulting claims from government healthcare plans and commercial insurance companies in China.

Over majority of kiosk providers recognizes Finda as the technical standard for Real-ID digital authentication that is based on hundreds of millions of transactions.

-Y%' 0HILIPPINES IS AN ONLINE ONE STOP SHOP PROVIDER of e-government automation solutions and payment SERVICES FOR EFkCIENT TRANSACTION FOR &ILIPINOS

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Panasonic introduces worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest, lightest laser projectors PANASONIC announced the launch of its new PT-VMZ50 Series, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest and lightest portable LCD laser projectors. Designed for consistent brightness and easy, flexible installation, this addition to Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laser projector portfolio offers long-lasting, reliable and whisper-quiet operation designed for use in classrooms, conference rooms as well as executive boardrooms and many other applications in education and corporate environments.

With a brightness range of 4,500 to 6,000 lumens, and a choice of WUXGA (1920x1200) or WXGA (1280x800) resolutions, the PT-VMZ50 Series features Solid Shine laser technology enabling long-lasting 20,000 hours of consistent brightness, and exceptional color accuracy, while eliminating conventional lamp replacement hassles for virtually maintenance-free operation.

All PT-VMZ50 LCD laser projectors feature 1.6x zoom lenses for short throw-distances best for close range projection. The projectors support wide V/H lens-shift to achieve flexible installation in classrooms, meeting rooms or executive boardrooms and limited spaces where multiple screens are required in one room. This allows all participants to share documents or videos on a big, bright screen even in small classes, conferences, work groups and discussions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history of innovation continues with the expansion of our new series of high brightness portable LCD laser projectors,â&#x20AC;? said Scott Wellington, projector senior product manager, Panasonic Imaging and Visual Systems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The new PT-VMZ50 Series sets a new standard in portable LCD laser projectors. Its small, compact

and lightweight body make it easy to move from classroom to classroom, or between various meeting rooms, without sacrificing clear, crisp, vivid images.

Our new portable laser projectors will enhance any classroom and meeting room experience by delivering great picture quality, flexible installation and reliable operation.â&#x20AC;?

Additional versatility is made possible with several important features that have been built into the PT-VMZ50 Series including 4K signal input via HDMI and Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digital Link connection, based on HDBase-T, which transmits video, audio, and control signals through a single LAN cable for distances of up to 150 meters for Full HD video and 50 meters for 4K video, making installation simple and cost-effective with consistently high quality.

Wireless projection gives users the ability to share documents or images from their own devices regardless of seating location and without cable hassle, while the PT-VMZ50 Series laser light-source cuts the time needed to quickly display images after switching on the projector. This Quick Start/Quick Off feature makes it possible to project images in just one second from Standby condition so the presentation can start immediately Other features include a USB Memory Viewer function, which displays images stored on USB memory devices without need of a PC, and a built-in 10W speaker.

Brother announces P-Touch bundle deals

BROTHER Philippines kicks off the New Year with lots of opportunities FOR OFkCES AND BUSINESSES TO SAVE Starting off with executives, professionals and business owners who are looking to professionalize and make their industrial tube labelLING MORE EFkCIENT TO OFkCES AND industries needing a reliable wire or cable ID solution, Brother has got its P-Touch bundle deals that will allow them save as much as P13,995.

Under the promo, select models of Brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high quality and efficient P-Touch labeller machines bought at suggested retail price are bundled with additional TZe Tapes and other accessories allowing buyers to save a minimum of P895 and as much as P13,995.

The P-Touch Bundle Deals WILL RUN UNTIL -ARCH IN -ETRO -ANILA AND 'REATER -ANILA Areas only.

A leading Japanese brand, Brother offers a wide range of labellers from industrial compact labelling system, industrial compact labelling machine, handheld electrician & datacomm label printer, wireless label printer, industrial tube & label printer, to industrial tube & label printer with Wi-Fi Connectivity.

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Sunday Business & I.T.

C3

Nvidia, Zadak team up at Taipei Game Show 2019

Z

A DA K , i n a s sociation with NVIDIA Taiwan, wowed visitors at the opening of the Taipei Game Show 2019, presenting a scratch build from up-and-coming Ta i wa n e s e m o d d e r AK. Inspired by the popular Fallout 76 PC game, the Pip-Boy mod is composed of leather, aluminum and 3D-printed acrylics.

It marks the first collaboration between Zadak and Nvidia 4AIWAN SHOWCASING THE lAGSHIP -OAB )) WATER COOLED 0# FROM :Adak, and the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti gaming graphics card.

The scratch build is AKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take ON THE 0IP "OY -ARK 6)

with Zadak hardware taking the place of the screen. Just like the real thing, it features twistable knobs, leather detailing, exposed wiring and vacuum tubing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel honored to be invited by Nvidia Taiwan and Zadak to attempt this kind of custom modding project, especially as Nvidia and Zadak are two of my favorite brands,â&#x20AC;? commented AK. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I chose the Fallout 76 theme as Pip-Boy is instantly recognizable to gamers and the -OAB )) 0# CASE kTS THE -ARK 6) concept perfectly.â&#x20AC;?

4HE -OAB )) IS A REMARKABLE piece of craftsmanship from the Zadak team by a like-minded group of engineers, designers, and modders to offer gaming enthusiasts a custom-built PC EXPERIENCE $UBBED THE -OTHER of All Bombs, the water-cooled

PC cleverly removes the need for pesky hardline tubing by using an inner aluminum structure and water distribution plate to rapidly circulate the coolant, effectively acting as a giant heatsink. Gone are the days of cracked, leaking tubes AND kDDLY TUBE BENDING WITH THE -OAB )) A built-in, real-time display allows users to keep close tabs on water temperature and voltages - a must when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dealing with high-performance hardware like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and Intel Core i7 9900k CPU. Smooth operation is ensured by a specially developed 240mm RADIATOR AND THE INNOVATIVE -OAB - 2'" HEAT SPREADER WHICH combines two types of alumiNUM kNISHES TO PROVIDE FANTASTIC heat dissipation. Combined with the Zadak Shield RGB DDR4 -(Z '" MEMORY MODules, this unique build offers blistering performance on hardcore games such as Fallout 76.

accomplish in total.â&#x20AC;?

AKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts certainly paid off and his scratch build was warmly received by both NVIDIA Taiwan and Zadak. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very thrilled that we Although the compact design of THE -OAB )) LENDS ITSELF PERFECTLY invited AK and Zadak to join to AKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, modding the the scratch build project for TGS case was a painstaking and time- 2019,â&#x20AC;? said Stanley Chen, Nvidia intensive process that presented senior sales manager for Taiwan. him with several new challenges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We spare no efforts to make PC â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was my first time using 3D modding more popular here in printing to make key elements of the Taiwan so that we can all join this Pip-Boy mod. Each of the 20 3D com- kind of modding feast.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are honored to be invited ponents took between 15 to 23 hours to print, plus the long time it takes to by Nvidia Taiwan to participate smooth out the prints using epoxy at the Taipei Game Show. It is a resin,â&#x20AC;? said AK. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Polishing required privilege to work with this leading an additional two weeks, the painting brand, and talented local modder TOOK SEVERAL LAYERS THEN kNISHING OFF AK,â&#x20AC;? said Erin Chou, marketing WITH AN OXIDIZED METAL kNISH TO CRE- manager at Zadak â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a high-end ate a special ageing effect. I had to be water cooling PC brand, here at incredibly patient. I also created the Zadak we pride ourselves on to accessories with iron netting, leather making products modding, PC enand vacuumed lightbulbs, which I thusiasts can enjoy. We really feel custom-made, which took a further that AK has encapsulated the spirit week or so. Taking into account UV of our brand with this fantastically printing and acrylic laser cutting, the on-the-mark scratch build.â&#x20AC;? project took me around 6 weeks to

PC modding: passion and performance meet

HyperX sets DDR4 overclocking world record HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc, today announced that HyperX Predator DDR4 memory was used to set a new overclocking world record for the fastest DDR4 memory FREQUENCY AT -(Z 4HE WORLD record for highest frequency was set by overclocker â&#x20AC;&#x153;TOPPCâ&#x20AC;? of -3) USING A SINGLE (YPER8 0REDATOR $$2 ' MODULE ON AN -0' Z390I Gaming Edge AC. At the time of this release, the record breaking frequency is posted on HWBOT, the site for PC enthusiasts looking for news, tips and information on overclocking, benchmarks and competitions.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Predator DDR4 lineup caters to the next generation of PC enthusiasts looking for the best possible performance from their system,â&#x20AC;? according to a media statement from Kingston on HyperX. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our HyperX engineers continue to focus on improving high-speed yields to get faster products in the hands of our customers and push previously unattainable performance records.â&#x20AC;?

Current Predator DDR4 memory modules ship in frequencies UP TO -(Z ALONG WITH LOW latencies CL12-CL19. Predator $$2 MEMORY IS )NTEL 8-0 READY

INCLUDING CERTIkED PROkLES OPTImized for Intelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest chipsets and are compatible with MANY OF !-$ S latest chipsets.

Available as 4GB-16GB single modules and kits of two, four, and eight with capacities of 8GB â&#x20AC;&#x201C;128GB, they are 100-percent factory tested at speed and backed by a lifetime warranty,

with free technical support and legendary reliability. In addition to top speeds, HyperX Predator DDR4 features an aggressive design to enhance the look and performance of the latest PC hardware while providing optimized memory reliability.

A sample Predator DDR4 module was used in this overclocking world record. New 8G modules are scheduled to launch in Q2 2019 in kits of TWO AT -(Z AND -(Z The HyperX Predator DDR4 modules are available through the HyperX network of retail and e-tail outlets with a lifetime warranty.

Opportunity, not just laws, will change lives for the better

L

OWERING the age for criminal liability is a problem not a solution. The argument that children â&#x20AC;&#x153;are vastly different nowâ&#x20AC;? is an illogical conclusion in reference to attitudes and the approached to discipline between generations.

How do I know? Well, like everyone else I was a nine-year old. And when I was nine, living in a family full of love and creativity, I believe that the discipline I received lead to independent thinking, and an attitude of compromise, understanding and forgiveness.

In every generation there is always a gap and my observation, that gap is triggered by technology. The radio, televiSION THE kLM CAMERA MOVIE projector all changed the way people interacted, and in each generation, the lack of understanding or inability to adapt or accept this technology is one of the causes of the gap.

-Y DAD TELLS ME IN HIS TIME

it was the CB radio that was the equivalent of social media.

It seems the purveyors of the proposal to lower the age

APPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TIGHT DERIQ BERNARD of criminal liability were either spoiled brats or never experienced the joys of being a child. This is an opinion of someone who enjoyed being a child, despite having experienced bullying because I spoke no Tagalog, I still enjoyed school and braved my tormentors because I was built to do just that.

Last October, my father was attacked by children as he alighted a jeepney on route to his bus ride home. The kids, he estimated to be between 9 to 15 years old surrounded him, pretended they were singing then pulled out his cellphone from his half opened bag.

He reported the incident to the barangay immediately and kept it at that. Three weeks later, a TV report showed kids attacking a senior citizen in a jeepney also along Taft Ave. He recalled that these were the same children who had assaulted him. He went to the

police station just to blotter his experience. He positively identikED THE KIDS WHO BY THEN WERE TURNED OVER BY THE -ANILA 0OLICE to the DSWD social workers.

He told me he confronted them to understand them. He filed no charges. He asked if someone asked them to do the crime. Every kid was quiet. Afraid to react, to name names, or even to imply anything.

When asked compassionately however, the kids showed no alertness â&#x20AC;&#x153;in their eyes.â&#x20AC;? He spoke to them but not about his own experience with them, but their own experiences. The eldest girl (who he identified as the one who grabbed his phone) was parTICULARLY NASTY AT kRST "UT WHEN HE started talking to her about K-Pop, her mood changes from angry adult to bubbly girl.

She opens up and said that one day she will go to Korea and experience snow. She is sad because she considers herself â&#x20AC;&#x153;stupid,â&#x20AC;? as that is all that she hears from the adults around her: her mother and the many fatherkGURES IN HER LIFE MEN WHO ARE her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many boyfriends.

The youngest boy who calls himself â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tong-itsâ&#x20AC;? because he plays the card game very well, told my dad that he was sorry for what he did. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Napipilitan lang ako,â&#x20AC;? (I am forced to do it) he said. Their DEkNITION OF gSORRYu HOWEVER DOES not mean â&#x20AC;&#x153;not doing it again.â&#x20AC;?

Apparently in the environment where he lives, the adults around him will coach him to do the same again. Even if â&#x20AC;&#x153;ayaw ko na.â&#x20AC;?

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the point of that discussion? This is not a generalization, but rather a point of reference to which the proposed law should be viewed. Disclaimer, I did not read the law in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fullest but instead depended on a listings of pros and cons and listening to my dad and his lawyer friend discuss the topic.

After hearing the core of the argument, I agree that children cannot be held liable for their actions without considering the environment they live in and personal conditions of each child. This requires a huge deployment of social WORKERS 4HE PROPOSED LAW DEkNES THE SPECIkC CRIMES AND HAS A PROcess of â&#x20AC;&#x153;reformationâ&#x20AC;? including not putting children around actual criminals. Nowhere in the law did

it say that it was for the protection of children, but rather labels them as criminals themselves.

Deep inside these young delinquents may have violated the law, but to frame them as criminals may have long-term damaging effects that will leave then emotionally scarred. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a conclusion from my psychologist aunt.

Can technology help children who are in violation of the law?

To answer that question means to kRST PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE TECHNOLogy, which means devices, Wi-Fi connections and software. Under the Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wi-Fi accessibility plan, LGUs are going to be equipped with high-quality connections and eventually public schools will have it for free.

Instead of wasting time and money on revamping the current law, why not focus on existing bills that provide better access to education, social development, nutrition, home employment, personality development for children and equal amounts of labor training for their parents? I mean why in the heck do we need to hire Chinese workers when there are so many in need of a job.

No skills? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an excuse.

Technology can provide online learning environment masse. Along with hands-on training skilled workers can be developed quickly. And there is still a lot of time BETWEEN NOW AND THE kRST OF the actual Build! Build! Build!

Project can be deployed.

4ECH COMPANIES LIKE -ICROsoft and Acer have programs that directly deal with education or providing opportunities for learning. Oracle Netsuite provides ERP solutions for non-profits including those that provide employment, TRAINING OR kNANCIAL INCLUSION I am not a social development student. I aspire to be a filmmaker but in my own immersion in the low-income communities where I have shot OR DIRECTED OUR AMATEUR kLMS

I have learned the many ambitions of the residents of such places. There is one word to describe it. Opportunity.

Author is a gamer and asPIRING kLMMAKER STUDYING AT UP Diliman. Email deriq@ tribdino.com.

World China slams US shipsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; incursion C

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Malaysia scraps China rail project KUALA LUMPUR: A multi-billion dollar China-backed rail project in Malaysia has been scrapped, government OFkCIALS SAID 3ATURDAY ADDING THAT the cost of building it was too high.

Malaysia has in recent months suspended several major projects signed under the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous scandal-plagued regime, in a bid to cut the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s massive one-trillion-ringgit ($251-billion) debt.

Economics Minister Azmin Ali said Malaysia made the decision two days ago on the 81-billion-ringgit ($19.6-billion) east coast rail link (ECRL) that would have connected the eastern and western coasts of the peninsula. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cost of the ECRL development is too big, so we have no kNANCIAL ABILITY AT THIS TIME u HE told reporters.

He said that if the project was not terminated, Malaysia would have to pay an annual 500-million-ringgit interest payment.

Malaysiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous government under Prime Minister Najib Razak had warm ties with China and signed up to a string of Beijing-funded projects.

But critics say many of these deals lacked transparency, fuelling speculation they were made in exchange for help in paying off debts FROM A MASSIVE kNANCIAL SCANDAL involving state fund 1MDB. The scandal was a major factor in Najibâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shock electoral defeat in May last year that saw his former boss Mahathir Mohamad return to power.

Mahathir then ordered a review of mega-projects signed by Najib during his nine-year rule, adding HE WOULD DISCUSS gUNFAIRu TERMS supposedly set in these deals and high interest rates levied on Chinese LOANS USED TO kNANCE THE PROJECTS Azmin did not say how much compensation Malaysia would have to pay for cancelling the project, adding it would be deTERMINED BY THE kNANCE MINISTRY Najib and his cronies were accused of plundering billions of dollars from 1MDB, with the former leader charged with corruption over the scandal.

He will stand trial over these charges in February, and has denied any wrongdoing.

AFP

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

HINESE authorities are calling on the United States to abide by the one-China policy, while at the same time, carefully handle any Taiwan-related questions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry s p o k e s m a n H u a C h u ny i n g issued the warning after two

American naval vessels passed

THROUGH THE 4AIWAN 3TRAIT EARlier this week.

A guided-missile destroyer and its companion vessel s a i l e d t h r o u g h t h e Ta i wa n 3TRAIT ON 4HURSDAY â&#x20AC;&#x153;China closely followed a n d h a d k n ow l e d g e o f t h e ENTIRE COURSE OF THE 53 WARships passing through the Tai-

WAN 3TRAIT #HINA HAS ALREADY EXPRESSED TO THE 53 SIDE THAT it is deeply concerned about what happened. The Taiwan issue is the most important and most sensitive issue for THE #HINA 53 RELATIONSHIP 7E URGE THE 53 SIDE TO ABIDE

BY THE /NE #HINA 0RINCIPLE and the Three CommuniquĂŠs, and carefully and appropri-

D1

ately manage the Taiwan issue in order to avoid damaging T H E # H I N A 5 3 R E L A T I O N S H I P and the peace and stability of THE 4AIWAN 3TRAIT u SAID (UA 53 MILITARY OFFICIALS HAVE also released a statement, contending the manuever is â&#x20AC;&#x153;in accordance with internaTIONAL LAW u PEOPLEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAILY ONLINE

Cambodians warned vs bird flu, food poisoning

CLEANSING

Shinto followers pour cold water over themselves to purify body and soul as part of an endurance ritual known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kanda Myojinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at Kanda Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday. AFP PHOTO

Taliban co-founder top negotiator with US KABUL:Â The Taliban have appointed a co-founder of the movement as the new head of their political OFkCE IN $OHA WHERE TALKS HAVE BEEN HELD SINCE -ONDAY WITH 53 OFkCIALS SEEKING TO END YEARS OF CONlICT IN !FGHANISTAN â&#x20AC;&#x153;The esteemed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been appointED CHIEF OF THE POLITICAL OFkCE u Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement released late Thursday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This step has been taken to strengthen and properly handle the ongoing negotiations PROCESS WITH THE 5NITED 3TATES u he added.

The announcement comes as the insurgents said Thursday they had held four straight days of TALKS WITH 53 OFkCIALS IN $OHA It was not immediately clear if

the negotiations were ongoing Friday.

The duration of the talks, DESCRIBED AS gUNPRECEDENTEDu by analysts, has raised hopes of an imminent agreement that could pave the way to peace negotiations.

But Washington, which conkRMED ON 4UESDAY THAT TALKS WERE being held in Qatar between its envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and representatives of the Taliban, has made no comment since.

Afghan officials, who have complained previously about being cut out of the talks, also warned that any agreement would need their endorsement.

The Taliban have been maintaining the upper hand in the CONlICT WITH !FGHAN FORCES TAK-

ing what experts have described AS gUNSUSTAINABLEu CASUALTIES President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, said 45,000 security forces have been killed since he took office in 3EPTEMBER .!4/ COMBAT forces pulled out at the end of that year. g3INCE ) VE BECOME PRESIDENT ... over 45,000 Afghan security personnel have paid the ultimate SACRIkCE 4HE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL CASUALTIES IS LESS THAN u he said.

4HE kGURE Â&#x2021; WHICH REPRESENTS more than 28 Afghan security FORCES KILLED PER DAY Â&#x2021; IS FAR higher than anything previously acknowledged. Last November Ghani said that 28,529 security forces had been killed since the

start of 2015, or more than 20 every day.

The rate at which Afghan forces are dying has long underscored the fragility of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security situation and the Talibanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continued strength, AND RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT 53 claims that the Afghan troops are becoming an increasingly effective fighting force.

It is from this position of apparent strength that Baradar and the insurgent representatives are SET TO NEGOTIATE WITH 53 OFkCIALS AS PART OF A lURRY OF DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS IN RECENT MONTHS TO kND A WAY OUT OF THE CONlICT Formerly a number two of the Islamist group, Baradar helped -ULLAH /MAR WHO DIED IN

to found the Taliban movement.

AFP

THE Cambodian health minister reminded all the people in the kingdom to avoid activities during the Chinese New Year festivities that might result in getting the bird lU OR FOOD AND ALCOHOL POISONING Health Minister Mam Bun Heng instructed everyone to be careful with their health, especially in relaTION TO BIRD lU AND CONTAMINATED foods and alcohol, in a public service announcement on Thursday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Avian influenza continues to threaten health throughout the world AND IN 3OUTHEAST !SIA ) WANT TO remind all Cambodians to stay away from sick or dead birds, and be sure to wash your hands with soap and clean water after you handle birds AND BEFORE YOU EAT A MEAL u HE SAID The minister urges people who SUSPECT THEY HAVE INlUENZA TO IMmediately seek medical treatment at the nearest public health facility.

From 2005 until 2014, Cambodia HAD CASES OF BIRD lU ( . VIRUS

RESULTING IN DEATHS !LTHOUGH Cambodia has had no infections since then, but everyone is urged to be wary and take care of their health.

Bun Hen also advised people to be [mindful of] the dangers of food and alcohol poisoning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to avoid food poisoning, everyone must store food under hygienic conditions and cook it well. Do not EAT UNCOOKED FOODS OR RAW MEAT u His ministry encourages the public to follow the issued advisories and enjoy the upcoming of Chinese New Year (February 4-5) and Khmer New Year (April 14-16).

KHMER TIMES

Worldinbriefs YELLOW VESTS PROTEST FOR 12TH WEEKEND PARIS: Thousands of demonstrators will again take to the streets across France this weekend in protest of President Emmanuel Macronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies, while anti-yellow vest groups also plan to use street action to condemn violence. More than two months after starting their revolt over fuel tax increases, yellow vest protesters remain mobilized and have called for an 11th straight weekend of protests. About 84,000 people protested last weekend, around the same number as the week before, and despite a slight rise in Macronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approval rates in the latest opinion polls, protesters are expected to turn out in large numbers Saturday. The next day, a demonstration will be organized in Paris by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red Scarves,â&#x20AC;? a group created on Facebook denouncing the street violence that has accompanied some yellow vest protests. About 2,000 people have been injured since last November.

AP

GREEK SOLONS RATIFY MACEDONIA NAME CHANGE

STEAMY

A chef displays pig-shaped â&#x20AC;&#x153;baozi,â&#x20AC;? or steamed buns, made to mark the coming Lunar New Year, this year the Year of the Pig, in Taipei. The Lunar New Year will begin on February 4 and will mark the start of the Year of the Pig. AFP PHOTO

Japan SC: Sterilization before gender change TOKYO: Human rights and LGBT activists on Friday denounced a ruling by Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supreme Court upholding a law that effectively requires transgender people to be sterilized before they can have their gender changed on official documents.

The court said the law is constitutional because it was meant to reduce confusion in families and society. But it acknowledged that it restricts freedom and could become out of step with changing social values.

The 2004 law states that people wishing to register a gender change must have their original reproductive organs, including testes or ovaries, removed and have a body that â&#x20AC;&#x153;appears to have parts that resemble the genital organsâ&#x20AC;? of the gender they want to register.

More than 7,800 Japanese have had their genders officially changed, according to Justice Ministry statistics cited by public broadcaster NHK.

The unanimous decision by a four-judge panel, published Thursday, rejected an appeal by Takakito Usui, a transgender man who said forced sterilization violates the right to self-determination and is unconstitutional.

Usui, 45, appealed to the top court after he unsuccessfully requested that lower courts grant him legal recognition as male without having his female reproductive glands surgically removed.

Despite the unanimous decision, presiding justice Mamoru Miura joined another justice in saying that while the law may not violate the constitution, â&#x20AC;&#x153;doubts are undeniably emerging,â&#x20AC;? according to Usuiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawyer, Tomoyasu Oyama.

The two judges proposed regular reviews of the law and appropriate measures â&#x20AC;&#x153;from the viewpoint of respect for personality and individuality,â&#x20AC;? according

to Japanese media reports.

Japan is one of many countries with a sterilization requirement. In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights said 22 of the countries under its jurisdiction still required sterilization as part of a legal gender change, and it ordered them to end the practice.

Maria Sjodin, deputy executive director of OutRight Action International, which monitors LGBT rights issues worldwide, said she was unsure if all 22 of those countries have fully implemented the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order. She noted that Sweden, which did away with the requirement in 2013, later became the first country to pay damages to anyone forced to undergo sterilization as a requirement for gender change.

The Japanese Supreme Court decision ends Usuiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal battle, but he and his lawyer said

the opinions in the ruling left them with hope. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the ruling could lead to a next step,â&#x20AC;? Usui told a news conference.

Human Rights Watch said the Supreme Court ruling was â&#x20AC;&#x153;incompatible with international human rights standards, goes against the times and deviates far from best global practices.â&#x20AC;?

The New York-based group said the ruling tolerates grave human rights violations against transgender people.

The ruling was also criticized by Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LGBT community.

A transgender activist and writer, Tomato Hatakeno, tweeted that the decision shows that societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interests still come before an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to freedom regarding oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ruling suggests that reproductive health is not recognized as a basic human right,â&#x20AC;? she said.

AP

ATHENS, Greece: Greek lawmakers ratified an agreement Friday (Saturday in Manila) to end a nearly three decade-long dispute over neighboring Macedoniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, in a landmark vote that will see the small country renamed North Macedonia and clear its path to NATO membership. The deal passed with 153 votes in the 300-member parliament, two more than the minimum needed. It has faced fierce opposition in both countries, and recently cost Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras his parliamentary majority after a small right-wing party quit the governing coalition in protest. It passed with the support of independent lawmakers. Tsiprasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; left-wing Syriza party holds 145 seats in parliament, six short of a majority. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today is a historic day,â&#x20AC;?Tsipras said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Greece is safeguarding an important part of its history, its heritage of ancient Greek Macedonia. Today we are writing a new page for the Balkans.â&#x20AC;?

AP

IRAN: FRANCE DESTABILIZING MIDDLE EAST TEHRAN:Â Iran has accused France of being a destabilizing force in the region after its foreign minister threatened new sanctions against Tehran over its missile program.â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Islamic republic has always called for the strengthening of peace and stability in the region,â&#x20AC;?the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement released overnight Friday. As such Iranâ&#x20AC;&#x153;considers the mass sales of sophisticated and offensive weapons by... France as a factor in destabilizing the balance of the region,â&#x20AC;?the statement said. It came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday said Paris was ready to impose new sanctions on Tehran if talks on its missile program and its regional influence fail to make progress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have begun a difficult dialogue with Iran... and unless progress is made we are ready to apply sanctions, firmly, and they know it,â&#x20AC;?Le Drian said. He also demanded that Iran change its behavior in the region, specifically regarding its military presence in Syria.

AFP

AMAZON FACE DETECTORS BIASED VS WOMEN NEW YORK: Facial-detection technology that Amazon is marketing to law enforcement often misidentifies women, particularly those with darker skin, according to researchers from MIT and the University of Toronto. Privacy and civil rights advocates have called on Amazon to stop marketing its Rekognition service because of worries about discrimination against minorities. Some Amazon investors have also asked the company to stop out of fear that it makes Amazon vulnerable to lawsuits. The researchers said that in their tests, Amazonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology labeled darker-skinned women as men 31 percent of the time. Lighter-skinned women were misidentified 7 percent of the time. Darker-skinned men had a 1 percent error rate, while lighter-skinned men had none.

AP

D2

World

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Venezuela govt crisis taken to UN Security Council UNITED NATIONS: Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political showdown moves to the UN where a Security Council meeting called by the United States will pit backers of President Nicolas Maduro against the Trump administration and supporters of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-declared interim leader Juan Guaido.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to address Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Sunday in Manila) meeting along with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and the other council members, which include supporters of both dueling presidents.

The session focusing on Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crisis comes a day after Guaido vowed to remain on the streets until his country has a transitional government, while Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

In clashing press conferences, Guaido urged his followers to stage another mass protest next week, while Maduro pushed his call for dialogue.

The coalition of Latin American governments that joined the US in quickly recognizing Juan Guaido as Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interim president came together over weeks of se-

cret diplomacy that included whispered messages to activists under constant surveillance and a high-risk foreign trip by the opposition leader challenging President Nicolas Maduro for power, those involved in the talks said.

In mid-December, Guaido quietly traveled to Washington, CoLOMBIA AND "RAZIL TO BRIEF OFkCIALS on the oppositionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategy of mass demonstrations to coincide with Maduroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected swearingin for a second term on January 10 in the face of widespread international condemnation, according to exiled former Caracas mayor

Antonio Ledezma, an ally.

To leave Venezuela, he sneaked across the lawless border with Colombia, so as not to raise suspicions among immigration ofkCIALS WHO SOMETIMES HARASS OPPOSITION kGURES AT THE AIRPORT AND bar them from traveling abroad, said a different anti-government leader, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security arrangements.

Building consensus in the fragmented anti-government coalition proved to be an uphill battle. The opposition has for years been divided by egos and strategy, as well

as a government crackdown that has sent several prominent leaders into exile, making face-to-face meetings impossible. Others inside Venezuela were being heavily watched by intelligence agencies, and all were concerned about tipping off the government.

Long sessions of encrypted text messaging became the norm, the opposition leader said. A US official said intermediaries were used to deliver messages to Guaidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political mentor and opposition power broker Leopoldo Lopez, who is under house arrest after he tried and failed

to lead a mass uprising against Maduro in 2014. The US official spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns.

Despite Guaidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal assurances in Bogota that he would declare himself interim president at a January 23 rally coinciding with the anniversary of the 1958 coup that ended Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s military dictatorship, the suspense lasted until the hours before the announcement, said a Latin American diplomat from the Lima Group who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

AP

Church leaders tackle sex abuse in February

BRIDGE TO NOWHERE

Aerial view of a damaged bridge taken after the collapse of a dam which belonged to Brazilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s giant mining company Vale, near the town of Brumadinho in southeastern Brazil, on Jan. 25, 2019. A dam collapse in southeast Brazil unleashed a torrent of mud on a riverside town and surrounding farmland, destroying houses, leaving 300 people missing and raising fears of a number of deaths, according to officials. AFP PHOTO

9 dead, 300 missing in Brazil dam collapse B RUMADINHO, Brazil: Rescuers worked overnight into Saturday searching for around 300 people missing after a dam collapse at a mine in southeast Brazil killed at least nine, but the local governor said â&#x20AC;&#x153;odds are minimalâ&#x20AC;? that they would be found alive.

Seven bodies were recovered Friday hours after the disaster, which saw a torrent of mud break through the disused dam at the iron-ore mine close to the city of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerias, around 1:00 pm.

By early Saturday the official death toll had risen to nine, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;nearly 300 people missing,â&#x20AC;? the LOCAL kREkGHTERS SAID DOUBLING THE number of people presumed missing from the previous toll.

Up to 150 of those missing worked in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adminISTRATIVE OFkCES WHICH WERE CLOSEST TO THE DAM BREAK THE kREkGHTERS said.

The mine is owned by Vale, a

Brazilian mining giant that was involved in a previous 2015 mine collapse in the same state that claimed 19 lives and is regarded as the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worst-ever environmental disaster.

Vale shares plummeted on the new accident, losing 8 percent in New York trading.

Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais, told reporters that, WHILE ALL WAS BEING DONE TO kND survivors, â&#x20AC;&#x153;from now, the odds are minimal and it is most likely we will recover only bodies.â&#x20AC;?

His regional administration said 427 people had been working at the Vale mine at the time of the dam collapse, and 279 were

recovered alive. The others were listed as missing.

4HE MASSIVE MUDDY lOW FROM the collapse barreled towards the nearby town of Brumadinho, population 39,000, but did not hit it directly.

Instead, it carved its way across roads, vegetation and farmland, taking down a bridge, and damaging or destroying homes.

Television images showed people being pulled out of waist-high mud into rescue helicopters, dozens of which were in use by late Friday because of the cut-off land access.

Brazilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new government led by President Jair Bolsonaro reacted to ITS kRST BIG EMERGENCY SINCE TAKING OFkCE EARLY THIS MONTH BY LAUNCHing disaster coordination between the defense, mining and environment ministries and authorities in the affected state of Minas Gerais.

Bolsonaro and his defense minISTER WERE SCHEDULED TO lY OVER THE zone on Saturday. His environment

minister raced to the area late Friday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where are our relatives?â&#x20AC;? wailed Raquel Cristina, one of several people demanding information about their missing kin in the mud-hit area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My five-year-old nephew is asking me if his dad died. What do I tell him?â&#x20AC;? asked another, Olivia Rios. /FkCIALS SAID THEY WERE WORKING through the night, conscious of the precious hours ticking away. !ROUND kRE kGHTERS WERE DEployed, some using earth-moving machinery to dig down to engulfed dwellings.

Would-be rescue volunteers were warned away because of the slippery, perilous piles of mud.

Media were urged not to use drones to avoid collisions with the helicopters.

Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman called the incident a â&#x20AC;&#x153;human tragedyâ&#x20AC;? and was resigned to more deaths being confirmed at his companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mine.

AFP

Australia aborigines protest Invasion Day MELBOURNE: Thousands of Australians attended â&#x20AC;&#x153;Invasion Dayâ&#x20AC;? rallies across the country on Saturday, calling for a rethink of national day celebrations they say are disrespectful to indigenous people.

The annual January 26 Australia Day holiday commemorates the ARRIVAL OF THE kRST "RITISH SETTLERS in 1788, but for many Australians it marks the beginning of colonial oppression of Aboriginal people.

Several thousand joined the annual march in Melbourne Saturday chanting â&#x20AC;&#x153;Always was, always will be Aboriginal land,â&#x20AC;? and holding placards stating â&#x20AC;&#x153;Australia is a crime scene.â&#x20AC;?

Thousands more joined similar demonstrations in major cities around the country, calling for a change of date, or for the day to be abolished altogether.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why would you want to celebrate this concept called Australia? It is founded on lies, founded on genocide, founded on murder,â&#x20AC;?

Melbourne protestor Dominic Guerrera told AFP. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing to celebrate in that.â&#x20AC;?

Divisions have deepened in recent years with increasing calls to change the date.

Amid the heightened sensitivities this week Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced government funding of a voyage to mark the 250th anniversary of explorer #APTAIN *AMES #OOK S kRST JOURNEY to Australia.

Canberra pledged about $6.5 million to a circumnavigation of Australia in a replica of Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ship, the Endeavour , which in 1770 brought the British into contact with eastern Australia and

foreshadowed the colonisation of the continent.

The story of Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voyage and his â&#x20AC;&#x153;discoveryâ&#x20AC;? of territory declared New South Wales on the east coast has stirred debate in Australia, with Aboriginal people inhabiting the land for more than

YEARS BEFORE THE kRST %UROpean explorers arrived.

Meanwhile, the uncovering this week in London of the remains of British explorer Matthew Flinders, who is credited as the first to circumnavigate the Australian continent in 1802-1803, has also added to the controversy.

An aboriginal aide to Flinders named Bungaree has been largely eclipsed by his British captain, but historians now believe he played a crucial role in success of the voyage.

Morrison, who has resisted calls to change the date, said Saturday Australia cannot â&#x20AC;&#x153;walk awayâ&#x20AC;? from its past. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Australia is the story of being overcome, to be able to see the better nature of Australians and the values we hold together, all races, all peoples, all cultures, all religions, all languages even,â&#x20AC;? he told reporters.

Aboriginal people remain the most disadvantaged Australians, with higher rates of poverty, illhealth and imprisonment than any other community.

Australia Day is also celebrated across the county, with picnics, traditional Aboriginal performances and citizenship ceremonies, where more than 16,000 new Australians pledged their commitment to the nation Saturday.

AFP

PANAMA CITY: The Vatican said Friday that next monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meeting of Church leaders in Rome was a unique chance to tackle the â&#x20AC;&#x153;terrible plagueâ&#x20AC;? of child sex abuse

by Catholic clergy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will be an unprecedented occasion to face the problem and REALLY kND THE CONCRETE MEASURES so that when the bishops will come back from Rome to their dioceses, they will be able to face this terrible plague,â&#x20AC;? Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said.

Gisotti played down questions over why Pope Francis failed to speak out against clergy sex abuse during his ongoing visit to Panama.

The Pope addressed hundreds of bishops from across Central !MERICA ON 4HURSDAY THE kRST FULL DAY OF HIS kVE DAY VISIT TO 0ANAMA for World Youth Day, but never mentioned the scandals.

It was the largest gathering of bishops since he announced the February summit with Church leaders from around the world to discuss the biggest crisis facing his papacy.

Gisotti said the Church was under â&#x20AC;&#x153;incredible pressureâ&#x20AC;? and that the issue was never far from Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mind. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I want to underline is that it is not necessary that every speech with every bishops conference â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or every situation where there are young people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he has to face this problem,â&#x20AC;? Gisotti told a news conference on the sidelines

of the giant meeting of Catholic young people, where he faced questions on the omission.

He said the issue â&#x20AC;&#x153;is really very very presentâ&#x20AC;? for the 82-year-old pontiff.

He said the February 21 to 24 meeting with the presidents of bishops conferences had been called amid an â&#x20AC;&#x153;extraordinary situationâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can understand how important this meeting is for the Pope,â&#x20AC;? said Gisotti. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is not the beginning of this battle, it is a painful journey.

Probably the most painful journey we can imagine. And this has been said by Pope Benedict [16th] and now Pope Francis. So we understand there is an incredible pressure.â&#x20AC;?

In the midst of the worst scandal to affect his papacy, Francis in September summoned the heads of every bishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference to discuss the prevention of sexual abuse by clergy and protecting children.

Prosecutors in the US state of Pennsylvania found 300 priests were involved in child sexual abuse since the 1940s, crimes that were covered up by a string of bishops.

Prosecutors in half a dozen other US states have announced plans for similar investigations.

The Pope accepted the resignations of several bishops in Chile last year after investigations revealed decades of sexual abuse by clergy in their dioceses.

AFP

NASA visits â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;space snowmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ultima Thule

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: The space snowman visited by NASA on New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day is pitted all over and has a bright â&#x20AC;&#x153;collarâ&#x20AC;? between its two fused spheres.

These are the newest details to emerge about Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever explored.

A close-up picture taken by NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Horizons spacecraft right before closest approach on January 1, and released Thursday, shows lots of little pits on Ultima Thule.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re less than a half-mile (0.7 kilometers) across. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a much bigger, circular depression on the smaller lobe, considered the snowmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head. Scientists donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if these are impact craters or sinkholes.

Categorized as a contact binary, the approximately 20-mile-long (32-kilometer-long), reddish Ultima Thule has both light and dark patterns. The brightest spot is where the two lobes connect.

Scientists say the varied shading

SNOWMAN

may help explain how the ancient object was formed, as the solar system was emerging 4.5 billion years ago.

Lead scientist Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute promises even better pictures during the next month. It will take almost two years for New Horizons to transmit all the data FROM THE lYBY BILLION MILES billion kilometers) away.

At such a vast distance, it takes more than six hours for radio signals to travel one way. New Horizons is already more than 19 million miles (30.5 million kilometers) beyond Ultima Thule.

Launched in 2006, the spacecraft became the first visitor to the dwarf planet Pluto in 2015.

Ultima Thule was its second target.

A third destination â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even deeper inside the so-called Kuiper Belt on the frozen fringes of our solar system â&#x20AC;&#x201D; could be possible in the 2020s.

AP

Photo shows the Kuiper belt object Ultima Thule, about 1 billion miles beyond Pluto, encountered by the New Horizons spacecraft. It will take almost two years for New Horizons to transmit all the data from the flyby, 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) away. AP PHOTO

PAGE FROM THE PAST

Today, we look back at an old front page of The Manila Times, the oldest national daily that was founded on October 11, 1898. (Note: This image was adjusted to fit the page.)

SSUNDAY U N DAY JANUARY 27,, 2019

Public Square

D4 Public Square appears on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

For contributions, email to publicsquare@manilatimes.net

publicsquare@manilatimes.net

ICRC highlights aid to Marawi A

YEAR after the internal ARMED CONlICTS THAT AROUSED IN -ARAWI CITY THE LOCALS REMAINED DISPLACED AND DEPENDENT ON HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS THE AID RENDERED BY the International Committee of THE 2ED #ROSS )#2# 4HROUGHOUT )#2# ACTED TO ADDRESS URGENT OR SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE DISPLACED

WOUNDED SEPARATED AND DETAINED DUE TO THE CONFLICT %ITHER ALONE OR IN COOPERATION WITH THE 0HILIPPINE 2ED #ROSS 02# THE )#2# FOCUSED ITS MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE ON PRESSING CONCERNS OF THE AFFECTED PEOPLE SUCH AS ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES WATER AND FOOD )T ALSO HELPED PEOPLE RESTORE FAMILY LINKS BROKEN THROUGH DISPLACEMENT DETENTION OR DISAPPEARANCE -OREOVER AS A NEUTRAL AND IMPARTIAL ORGANIZATION THE )#2# MAINTAINED DIALOGUE WITH PARTIES TO THE CONFLICTÂ&#x2021;STATE AND NON STATEÂ&#x2021;TO REMIND THEM OF THEIR OBLIGATION TO SPARE CIVILIANS AND RESPECT HUMANITARIAN RULES

,!"/2 3ECRETARY 3ILVESTRE "ELLO RD STANDING IN WHITE GREETS +YLA DE *ESUS SEATED IN WHEELCHAIR THE GIRL WITH /STEO 'ENETIC )MPERFECT /'# DURING THE *OB &AIR FOR 07$S PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES HELD AT THE 1UEZON #ITY

Q Filipino theater artist Cecile Guidote-Alvarez (2nd, L) and former Speaker Jose de Venecia (center) with ICAPP-ACC Parliamentary officers from Korea, Pakistan and Cambodia 4(% +INGDOM OF #AMBODIA RE- 0OLITICAL 0ARTIES )#!00 THAT WAS TO PARTICIPATE WHERE SHE WAS 3ENATOR AND )SABELA #ONGRESSCENTLY LAUNCHED THE !SIAN #ULTURE FOUNDED BY FORMER 3PEAKER *OSE WELL RECEIVED BY THE !## LINK- MAN (EHERSON !LVAREZ #OUNCIL !## THE !MERICAN NON DE 6ENECIA AT THE 5NESCO (ERITAGE ING THE )NTERNATIONAL 0EACE AND #AMBODIAN 0RIME -INISTER (UN PROkT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO 3ITE OF !NGKOR 7AT IN THE TOWN OF #LIMATE *USTICE -OVEMENT .OT 3EN THE !SIAN #ULTURE (ERITAGE PROMOTING CULTURAL EXCHANGE BE- 3IEM 2EAP #AMBODIA BY &ORCE "UT BY !RT THAT WAS OR- #OUNCIL HONORARY CHAIR SPOKE AT TWEEN !MERICA AND !SIA LED BY THE &ILIPINO THEATER ARTIST #ECILE GANIZED UNDER 5NESCO THROUGH THE EVENT WHILE IT GATHERED PERFOR)NTERNATIONAL #ONFERENCE OF !SIA 'UIDOTE !LVAREZ WAS INVITED %ARTHSAVERS FOUNDED BY FORMER MANCES FROM !SIA

Academic achievers in Muntinlupa recognized

GOVERNMENT S lAG RAISING RITES ON *AN 4HE ,ATIN (ONOR AWARDEES WHO GRADUATED FROM THE 5NIVERSITY OF THE 0HILIPPINES $ILIMAN ,YCEUM OF THE 0HILIPPINES 5NIVERSITY 0OLYTECHNIC 5NIVERSITY OF THE 0HILIPPINES !SIA 0ACIkC #OLLEGE AND 2IZAL 4ECHNOLOG-

5NDER THE -O! A PORTION OF 0(),&)$! S PROPERTY IN THE CITY WILL BE GIVEN TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE COLLEGE S MAIN CAMPUS AS WELL AS A BUILDING FOR THE USE OF THE AGENCY g7E ARE FORTUNATE TO BE ALLOWED THE USE OF THE AREA WHERE WE CAN CONSTRUCT A BIGGER CAMPUS TO ACCOMMODATE MORE CITY SCHOL-

ICAL 5NIVERSITY ARE LOCAL GOVERNMENT SCHOLARS UNDER THE -UNTINLUPA 3CHOLARSHIP 0ROGRAM -UNTINLUPA RESIDENTS GRADUATING WITH LATIN HONORS ARE INCENTIVIZED WITH kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE CUM LAUDE 0

MAGNA

CUM LAUDE 0

AND SUMMA CUM LAUDE 0

2ECENTLY THE CITY TAKES PRIDE IN THE FEAT OF A RESEARCH TEAM FROM -UNTINLUPA .ATIONAL (IGH 3CHOOL AS A WINNER IN THE :AYED 3USTAINABILITY 0RIZE 'LOBAL (IGH 3CHOOLS CATEGORY

ARS AND OFFER MORE COURSES TO THOSE WHO WANT TO EXPLORE OTHER DISCIPLINE u !GUILAR SAID 4HE NEW SCHOOL BUILDING IS SET TO RISE WITHIN THE AGENCY S

SQUARE METER PROPERTY IN "ARANGAY 0AMPLONA #ONSEQUENTLY IT WILL ALSO OFFER NEW COURSES ONCE COMPLETED $&#!-#,0 CURRENTLY OF-

FERS ACCOUNTANCY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING MANAGEMENT WHILE IT OFFERS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AT THE $&#! )NFORMATION 4ECHNOLOGY AND 4RAINING )NSTITUTE -EANWHILE 0(),&)$! IS AN ATTACHED AGENCY UNDER THE $EPARTMENT OF !GRICULTURE

Quezon City to conduct fire prevention education ). A BID TO PROVIDE LONG TERM SOLUTIONS TO DOCUMENTED kRE INCIDENTS

THE 1UEZON #ITY GOVERNMENT WILL BE CONDUCTING A MASSIVE EARLY EDUCATION CARAVAN ON kRE PREVENTION MEASURES STARTING &EBRUARY 1UEZON #ITY 6ICE -AYOR *OY "ELMONTE SAID THAT IT IS TIME TO CONDUCT AN EDUCATION CARAVAN TO

KEEP THE PEOPLE INFORMED ON kRE PREVENTION MEASURES AS WELL AS PROPER EMERGENCY RESPONSE PRACTICES IF A kRE SUDDENLY BREAKS OUT g7E WILL HAVE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE /FFICE OF THE 6ICE -AYOR THE 1# $ISASTER 2ISK 2EDUCTION AND -ANAGEMENT /FkCE $22-/ -ERALCO 2ED #ROSS

AND THE "UREAU OF &IRE 0ROTECTION "&0 FOR THE CITY S &IRE 0REVENTION %DUCATION 0ROGRAM u "ELMONTE SAID g4HROUGH OUR INTENSIVE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION WE WILL EDUCATE OUR PEOPLE TO BE WARY OF ILLEGAL ELECTRIC CONNECTIONS AND TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS OF OCTOPUS WIRING AND THE LOADING CAPACITY

4(% (OUSE OF 2EPRESENTATIVES HAS RATIkED THE RECONCILED VERSION OF A PROPOSED LAW THAT WILL ALLOW PARENTS AND GUARDIANS TO CORRECT SIMULATED BIRTH RECORDS THROUGH ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS La Union Second $ISTRICT 2EP 3ANDRA %RIGUEL CO CHAIRMAN OF THE BICAMERAL conference commitTEE THAT CONSOLIDATED THE MEASURE SAID THE g3IMULATED "IRTH 2ECTIFICATION !CTu AIMS TO GRANT AMNESTY AND ALLOW THE RECTIkCATION OF THE SIMULATED BIRTH OF A CHILD IF IT IS FOUND TO BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD g4HE PROPOSED LAW WILL ALLOW THE CHILD WHOSE BIRTH RECORDS WERE SIMULATED TO ENJOY ALL THE BENEkTS AVAILABLE TO LEGALLY ADOPTED CHILDREN u ADDED %RIGUEL

%RIGUEL THE CHAIR OF THE (OUSE COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SERVICES LED THE (OUSE PANEL IN THE BICAMERAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE WHICH ALSO INCLUDED 2EP 8AVIER *ESUS 2OMUALDO 2EP !NTHONY "RAVO 2EP -ELECIO 9AP *R AND 2EP #ECILIA ,EONILA #HAVEZ 3HE SAID THE APPROVED MEASURE RECONCILED (OUSE "ILL .O AND 3ENATE "ILL

PWA 2019 to feature all-female speakers

Las Piñas expands city college ,!3 0IÃ&#x201E;AS #ITY -AYOR )MELDA !GUILAR RECENTLY SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT -O! WITH THE $EPARTMENT OF !GRICULTURE $! AND THE 0HILIPPINE &IBER )NDUSTRY $EVELOPMENT !UTHORITY 0(),&)$! FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE CITY S $R &ILEMON # !GUILAR -EMORIAL #OLLEGE OF ,AS 0IÃ&#x201E;AS $&#!-#,0

(ALL #OVERED 7ALK 4HE ,ABOR CHIEF LAUDS DE *ESUS WHO DESPITE HER CONDITION DID NOT SURRENDER IN ORDER TO kNISH HER STUDIES THROUGH THE !LTERNATIVE ,EANING 3YSTEM !,3 TO BECOME AN %NGLISH TEACHER

House ratifies reconciled bill to rectify simulated birth records

Cambodia launches Asian Culture Council

-5.4).,50! #ITY IS HOME TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS AS IT PRODUCES INDIVIDUALS EXCELLING IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS -AYOR *AIME &RESNEDI TH 2 RECOGNIZES EIGHT COLLEGE HONOR GRADUATES FROM -UNTINLUPA DURING THE LOCAL

Labor Secretary Bello lauds PWD job seeker

OF THEIR OUTLETS BECAUSE WE FOUND OUT THAT THESE USUALLY CAUSE THE kRE INCIDENTS IN OUR CITY u "ELMONTE SAID THAT THEY HAVE IDENTIkED THE TOP COMMUNITIES WHICH HAVE RECORDED THE MOST NUMBER OF kRE CASES IN ADDITION TO THE RECENT kRE INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED IN "ARANGAY -ANRESA

4(% MUCH AWAITED PHOTOGRAPHY TRADE FAIR 0HOTOWORLD !SIA 07!

WILL BE CONSECUTIVELY HELD AT THE !SIAN )NSTITUTE OF -ANAGEMENT AND 'LORIETTA !CTIVITY #ENTER RUNNING FROM *AN TO &EB 7ITH THE THEME Ã&#x203A;0HOTOGRAPHY

07! IS SET TO FEATURE AN ALL LOCAL ALL FEMALE MULTI AWARDED PANEL OF SPEAKERS WHO WILL BE SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES AND EXPERTISE IN PHOTOGRAPHY 4HE SPEAKERS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE TOPICS INCLUDE ,ISA 7ATSON !NGELI *ANE "LANCO g3OCIAL -EDIA 0UBLISHING u 2# 3USTIGUER g9OUR 0ERSONAL "RAND AS A 0HOTOGRAPHER u 6IVIAN 6ALDEZ g-OBILE 0HONE 0HOTOGRAPHY u !NDREA 'ENOTA g.ATURAL ,IGHT 0ORTRAITURE u 0EACHY (ERNANDEZ

g5NDERWATER 0HOTOGRAPHY u 2ACHEL ,OBANGCO g#ONCEPT 0HOTOGRAPHY u

3HAIRA ,UNA g&ASHION AND !DVERTISING u *OAN "ONDOC g0HOTOJOURNALISM u *AJA 3AMANIEGO g 4RUTHS ) ,EARNED FROM ,IFE AND 0HOTOGRAPHY u AND (ANNAH 2EYES -ORALES g4ELLING 3TORIES 4HROUGH 0HOTOGRAPHY u 4HE ANNUAL EVENT IS ORGANIZED

BY THE &EDERATION OF 0HILIPPINE 0HOTOGRAPHERS &OUNDATION &00& UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF 0ABLO "ELTRAN AS PRESIDENT AND %DUVIGES (UANG AS CHAIRMAN 4HE &00& IS BEHIND IN THE CONTINUOUS HOLDING OF PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE COUNTRY AT 4HE &ORT 3ANTIAGO IN )NTRAMUROS -ANILA 4HE FEDERATION ALSO CONDUCTS PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES IN THE PROVINCES AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES COMPANIES AND SCHOOLS

Delayed approval of 2019 city budget stalls barangay, SK projects in Makati -!+!4) #ITY #OUNCILOR !RMAND Padilla reiterated that the city GOVERNMENT CAN T IMPLEMENT PLANNED PROJECTS DUE TO THE PROTRACTED APPROVAL OF THE CITY S EXECUTIVE BUDGET 4HE PROPOSED BUDGETS OF THE CITY S VILLAGES BARANGAY ARE ESTIMATED TO AMOUNT TO 0 BILLION g,ET ME REMIND MY COLLEAGUES IN THE CITY COUNCIL WHO HAVE BEEN STONEWALLING THE PASSAGE OF THE !PPROPRIATION /RDINANCE FOR THE CITY BUDGET THAT THEY ARE IN EFFECT CAUSING MAJOR SETBACKS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW PROJECTS AT THE BARANGAY LEVEL TO THE

DETRIMENT OF OUR CONSTITUENTS u 0ADILLA SAID g4HE PROTRACTED APPROVAL OF THE CITY BUDGET HAS FORCED OUR VILLAGES TO OPERATE ON A REENACTED BUDGET DENYING RESIDENTS THE ADDED BENEkTS OFFERED BY NEW INNOVATIVE PROJECTS PLANNED FOR THE YEAR u "UDGETS OF VILLAGES AND THE 3ANGGUNIANG +ABATAAN , or any OTHER AGENDAS WILL NOT BE DELIBERATED ON DURING THE CITY COUNCIL S WEEKLY COUNCIL SESSIONS UNTIL THE CITY S BUDGET IS APPROVED OR UNTIL -ARCH

WHEN THE BUDGET OF WILL BE DEEMED REENACTED

Sports

E1 SUNDAY JJANUARY 27, 2019

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

www.manilatimes.net

L

OS ANGELES: James Harden scored 35 points on Friday (Saturday in Manila) as the Houston Ro c k e t s u s e d a b a l a n c e d attack and held on to beat the Toronto Raptors 121-119.

The red-hot Harden had been averaging more than 50 points over his last five games and has now scored 30 plus points in 22 straight contests. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am just trying to do whatever it takes to win,â&#x20AC;? said Harden. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I got to score a lot of points, or what ever team my needs me to do, I am going to do.â&#x20AC;?

The host Rockets led by 11 points with 74 seconds to go but the Raptors cut that margin to just two, 121-119, with 27 seconds left. /N THE kNAL PLAY OF THE GAME 2APTORS +AWHI Leonard decided to go for the three pointer and a win instead of a two-point basket which would have tied it. He shot an air ball with Harden guarding him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was just trying to contest it. It was kind of sloppy, but we won and that is all that matters,â&#x20AC;? Harden said.

Hardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stretch of 30-point games is the fourth-longest in NBA history, behind three streaks by Wilt Chamberlain of 65, 31, and 25 games. Harden was 15 of 15 on free throws, and just two of 13 from beyond the arc.

Harden was coming off a career-high 61-point performance at Madison Square Garden but this time he got plenty of scoring help against the Raptors.

Guard Gerald Green said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s odd to see a team even partially shut down Harden. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish I could have a quiet 35 points. It is kind of weird to not see him score 45 and 50, cause I am so use to seeing him score 50,â&#x20AC;? Green said.

Harden credited the Raptorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense with cooling off his torrid scoring binge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some teams allow me to score points, some teams are going to take those points away from me and I have got to facilitate. We had a great team effort,â&#x20AC;? he said of the Rocketsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; starters who all scored 10 points or more.

Eric Gordon led with 24, Kenneth Faried had 21 and 14 rebounds, P.J. Tucker added 18 and Austin Rivers scored 13.

Leonard scored 32 points for the Raptors, who lost their second straight game.

EDDIE G. ALINEA

Harden cools off but Rockets still beat Raptors Bucks defeat Hornets Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 14 rebounds and the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks came from behind to beat Charlotte 108-99.

The Bucks seized control of the contest by outscoring the Hornets 32-12 in the fourth quarter.

Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points, Eric Bledsoe had 18, and Khris Middleton 15 to help the Bucks improve to 35-12 with their sixth straight victory.

Nicolas Batum led the Hornets with 19 points, Jeremy Lamb and Michael KiddGilchrist each had 16.

Milwaukee battled back with an 11-0 run in the fourth to get back in the game. They grabbed the lead on Brogdonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s driving basket with 5:34 left.

Charlotte star Kemba Walker was injured late in the fourth when he fell and Antetokounmpo landed on him. Walker headed directly to the dressing room. !LSO ,OU 7ILLIAMS RECORDED HIS kRST CAREER triple double with 31 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls 106-101.

Lavine scored 29 points and Bobby Portis added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who have lost 12 of their AFP last 13 games.

Q Lamar Odom talks to the media in a news conference on Friday at the Solaire Resort and Casino in ParaĂąaque City. PHOTO BY JOSEF T. RAMOS

Sober Odom wants a match with Green RETIRED National Basketball Association (NBA) star Lamar Odom wants to pit his skill against Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors if given a chance to play in the NBA again. Odom was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers when the team won the NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whom I want to play against?

Draymond Green because I just like his style of play, I like his intensity. I like a player like that because it brings out the best in you. When I watch his game, I think about my game right now. But returning to the NBA is just a possibility for now,â&#x20AC;? the 39-year-old player told reporters in a news conference on Friday at the Solaire Resort and Casino in ParaĂąaque City.

Odom is in the country to promote

his stint with Mighty Sports that will compete in the Dubai International Basketball Championship starting February 1. Among his teammates are imports Justin Brownlee and Randolph Morris, Juan Gomez de Liano, Joseph Yeo, Troy Rike, Santi Santillian and Gab Banal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who knows? If this goes right, you know teams picking up teams, picking up players for the playoffs around this time so who knows? It depends on how I perform,â&#x20AC;? added Odom, who also played for the Los Angeles Clippers (1999), Miami Heat (2003) and Dallas Mavericks 2011).

He left the NBA in 2013 to play for Laboral Kutxa Baskonia, a Spanish team in Liga Endesa.

Odom, formerly married to celebrity Khloe Kardashian, suffered several

strokes and became comatose in 2015 following substance abuse.

Now healthy and playing hoops again, Odom said he already learned his lesson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My journey in life has been totally different. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think anybody in the NBA has ever been through what I have been through and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m here to fight. The biggest lesson: Be very picky in choosing friends and love your family. It is very satisfying because I can go out there and compete and play the game I love. My goal is to compete, have fun, and be happy.â&#x20AC;?

Asked what convinced him to play basketball again, Odom said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Watching LeBron James played last year.

He was 33â&#x20AC;&#x201D;at his best probably in his career. JOSEF T. RAMOS

Q James Harden AFP PHOTO

Lessons Broner couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned in futile bid vs Pacquiao W

ORLD Boxing Association welterweight champion Manny Pacquiaoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defeated challenger Adrien Broner might have failed in his bid to dethrone the Filipino belt owner in their title encounter Sunday last week, but there were lessons he could have learned to diminish the impact of humiliation he suffered from the hands of his conqueror.

During the second stop of the media tour in Los !NGELES TO PROMOTE THE COMING kGHT FOR INSTANCE

Broner taunted the reigning champ on his Asian heritage, took issues with the media and made disgusting joke about Freddie Roach.

The fighting senator from the Philippines instead of returning the compliments gave the Cincinnatti Kid just a smile and shot back chuckling: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bronerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a funny guy. I think after his boxing career, he could have another career as a comedian. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get upset about the jokes. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but laugh when I look at his face.â&#x20AC;? )N THE kNAL PRESS CONFERENCE HELD TWO DAYS BEFORE the title showdown, the trash-talking Broner transformed the occasion to an exchange of profanities with Hall of Famer broadcaster Al Bernstein.

Pacquiao, in his turn to speak cited a verse in the Bible calling for calm and sobriety.

The Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pride, again, sent Broner back to school, this time giving him a neat lesson in aggressive boxing resulting in a unanimous decision victory in the process, at age 40, kept his 147-pound diadem safe up his sleeves.

"UT DURING THE TRADITIONAL POST kGHT NEWS CONFERENCE THE VANQUISHED kGHTER CRIED FOUL CLAIMING he was robbed of victory and the much-coveted crown, the eight-division champ merely shrugged OFF THE SILLY ACCUSATION OFF AND POINTED TO THE kGHT statistics, copies of which were handed-out to both camps and members of media.

4HE OFkCIAL RECORDS SHOWED AMONG OTHERS 0ACquiao landing 112 of 568 total punches thrown, 371 jabs and 82 of 197 power shots thrown.

Broner, on the other hand, could only connect with 50 of total punches thrown, 11 of 115 jabs and 39 of 180 power shots given. The challengerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50 hits connection was his career low for a 12 round fight. He never landed in a double-digit punch in every round.

Manny improved his body and jab attacks as 42 percent of his landed punches were body shots AFTER LANDING PERCENT IN HIS PREVIOUS kVE kGHTS Manny averaged 30.9 jabs thrown per round after AVERAGING IN HIS PREVIOUS kVE kGHTS Records completely showed Pacquiao was still dominant at 40 years old. The 29-year-old Bronerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s POST kGHT CLAIM HE WON THE kGHT WAS ONE HUNDRED percent unfounded, preposterous and deemed â&#x20AC;&#x153;deLUSIONAL BY ALMOST ALL MEDIA OUTkTS u Judges Tim Cheatham and Glenn Feldman saw the defending titlist winning in identical 116-112 decisions. The third judge Dave Moretti saw the Filipino belt-owner the winner, too, 117-111.

The Manila Times gave Pacquiao 10 rounds and Broner only two.

E2

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Nascar

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Glen Wood, auto racing pioneer and patriarch, dies at 93

G

LEN Wood, the courtly and innovative patriarch of the famed Wood Brothers Racing team who had been the oldest living member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, died Friday. He was 93.

Wood Brothers announced the death of its team founder on social media, saying he died in Stuart, Virginia, after a long illness.

Wood Brothers is the longest continuous Cup team in NASCAR and has weathered lean years over nearly seven decades, including seasons in which the organization ran only a partial schedule. The team has been credited with revolutionizing pit stops from routine service calls into carefully orchestrated strategic events that can win or lose races.

Wood and younger brother Leonard co-founded Wood Brothers Racing in 1953. Glen Wood won four races as a driver over an 11-year racing career, but in 1998 was nonetheless named one of NASCARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50 greatest drivers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a list that included 20 drivers who had once raced a Wood Brothers car. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In building the famed Wood Brothers Racing at the very beginnings of our sport, Glen laid a foundation for NASCAR excellence that remains to this day,â&#x20AC;?

NASCAR Chairman Jim France said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As both a driver and a team owner, he was, and always will be, the gold standard. But personally, even more significant than his exemplary on-track record, he was a true gentleman and a close CONkDANT TO MY FATHER MOTHER and brother.â&#x20AC;?

Wood in 2011 was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in a contentious decision in which many voters felt Glen and Leonard should be elected together as one entity. It was former Wood Brothers driver Kyle Petty who swayed the room, arguing the brothers could be separated. Glen Wood was elected as part of the Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third class, and Leonard Wood was elected the next year.

Q Glen Wood speaks during NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Charlotte, N.C. on January 20, 2012. AP PHOTO

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made a case for separation, because I think they are two different people,â&#x20AC;? Kyle Petty told The Associated Press then. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Leonard is the smartest man I ever met that works on a race car, bumper to bumper.

There are some guys out there that are good strategists and good mechanics, but he is the total package and always has been. But Glen owned the thing. He owned the team. You have to make that separation. To put them in and judge them as a single entity against some other people was not right.â&#x20AC;?

The Wood brothers came from humble beginnings but built a race team ahead of its time that still competes at NASCARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top level.

The team has won 99 races in more than 1,500 starts in NASCARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elite division and they did it with an array of manufacturers and multiple star drivers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We started racing in 1950 with a car we bought for $50,â&#x20AC;? Glen Wood told The Associated Press

as the team readied for its 1,000th start in 2000. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We put No. 50 on the side of the car because it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Now here we are 50 years later.â&#x20AC;?

The car number was eventually changed to No. 21, which is now one of the most iconic numbers in NASCAR. Wood Brothers has won at least one NASCAR race in each of the last six decades.

Among those who raced for the team were David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Curtis Turner and A.J. Foyt. The team won the Daytona 500 in 1963 (Tiny Lund), 1968 (Yarborough), 1972 (Foyt), 1976 (Pearson) and 2011 (Trevor Bayne). Pearson waged most of his battles with rival Richard Petty while driving for Wood Brothers.

Foyt drove 13 races for the Wood Brothers in 1971 and 1972, winning four races along with seven poles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I never had as much fun down there (in NASCAR) as I did driving for the Wood Brothers,â&#x20AC;? Foyt said.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their cars were unbelievable to drive. Their team was the kingpin of stock car racing and I felt honored to be driving for them.â&#x20AC;?

Wood himself drove in the inaugural 1959 Daytona 500 and won THE RACE kVE TIMES AS TEAM OWNER He attended every Speedweeks in Daytona since 1947 until his deteriorating health and fear of WIDESPREAD lU KEPT HIM HOME FOR THE kRST TIME LAST SEASON Glen Wood always rode by car to Daytona Beach, driving a 1940 two-door Ford on his first trip in 1947. Wood took every ride through eight decades in a Ford. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wood Brothers race team, by any measure, has been one of the most successful racing operations in the history of NASCAR. Most importantly for our company, Glen and his family have remained loyal to Ford throughout their 69-year history,â&#x20AC;? said Edsel B. Ford II, a member of Ford Motor Co.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board of directors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Glen was an innovator who, along with his

family, changed the sport itself.

But, more importantly, he was a true Southern gentleman who was quick with a smile and a handshake and he was a man of his word.â&#x20AC;?

NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley credited the team with dropping the time teams spent on pit road by as much as 50 percent. Kelley noted that Wood Brothers Racing was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest active NASCAR team, 69 years and counting.

Wood was nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Woodchopperâ&#x20AC;? because he first worked in a sawmill and, legend has it, he initially adorned â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Woodchopperâ&#x20AC;? on cars he entered at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

7OOD WAS kRST HOOKED ON RACING when he made a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, to watch cars on the beach-road course in 1947.

His driving days ended in 1964,

but he and brother Leonard carried on the team. At the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, four Wood brothers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Glen, Leonard, Delano and Ray Lee â&#x20AC;&#x201D; served as the pit crew for Jim Clark, the most glamorous Formula One driver of the day and the winner that day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They pioneered the quick pit stops and were part of the reason Jimmy Clark won the Indianapolis 500 because they pitted him,â&#x20AC;? said Foyt, a fourtime Indy 500 winner.

Bayneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory in the 2011 $AYTONA WAS THE TEAM S kRST win in more than a decade. Roger Penske and Ford strengthened their alignment with the Wood Brothers in 2016 and Ryan Blaney WON HIS kRST #UP RACE THE NEXT season. Blaney now drives for 4EAM 0ENSKE BUT 0ENSKE AFkLIATed driver Paul Menard pilots the No. 21 for Wood Brothers.

The team is currently run by Woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two sons and grandson, with a heavy technical alliance AP from Roger Penske.

Motor Sports

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

L

Toyota championships Three-time Dakar Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prince of the Desertâ&#x20AC;?, and co-driver Matthieu Baumel couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have won the event without the great support and experience of Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gazoo Racing South Africa. Aside from building the Toyota Hilux Pick-up as tough and reliable as possible, he had the help of his teammates.

Past champion Giniel De Velliers and Dirk Von Zitzewitz were right behind in 9th place in another Gazoo Hilux to support him. After De Villiersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; aspirations were thrown out after problems in the sand, he was more than happy to help his teammate. They all made it through the mixture of sands and mountain valleys and the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t over.

The Dakar Production Category was won by Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body driven by Akira Miura and Laurent Lichtleuchter to notch up Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sixth Production title. The Truck Category under 10-liter engines was won

by Hino Team Sugawara with Teruhito Sugawara and Katsumi Hamura onboard their upgraded Hino Truck. This gave Toyota their 10th victory in this class and 9th overall in the truck category.

All of these vehicles all helped each other as the trucks brought the supplies and the production Land Cruisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; crew helped the top drivers to service their vehicles during and after the stages. It was truly a great team effort and was just a well-funded, monumental privateer effort. Gazoo Racing South Africa hopes that this will trigger Toyota to support them fully in the future.

Miniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lack of support Dakarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2nd placer, Nani Roma on the Mini 4x4, missed having no teammates to help him in the rally, even though there was the X-raid Mini team also competing.

Unlike Toyota, Romaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lack of good support made him kNISH MINUTES BEHIND !L Attiyah and missed winning

E3

Q IĂąigo Anton drives his Honda EF to victory in the open overall division during the first round of the Philippine Autocross Championship. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Â

Why is Dakar Rally the ultimate test (Conclusion) AST week, we had the inside stories of the winners of the Dakar, Al-Attiyah of Toyota and the price of KTM for cars and bikes, respectively. This week, we continue on why the Dakar Rally is the ultimate test for man and machine.

Here are more stories from participants; one of them is A &ILIPINO WHOM ) KNOW kNished the Dakar Rally before.

Also included is my secret chance of doing the Dakar that few know about.

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

TURBO TIMES

this year.

The Spaniard couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any of the other Mini X-raid teams to carry spares and help him if he got stuck. Toyota Gazoo Racing SA teammates supported Al-Attiyah all the way and even stopped for 55 MINUTES ON THE kNAL STAGE TO run in convoy with Al-Attiyah.

Roma had to carry more spare wheels, parts, etc. and exposed his car to more risks, as he was alone to do the work. He did not know if the cars behind would stop or not so he chose to drive within a safer limit.

Roma also feels that FIA should separate Buggies that are lighter and faster to compete against their 4WD vehicles. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dakar route had a lot of sand dunes and was expected to favor 2WD Mini and Peugeot buggies, both Al-Attiyah and Roma placed in the top 2 in their 4x4s against faster machines.

Filipinos in Dakar The only Filipino I know of ever finishing the Dakar Rally in a bike was Max Kienle. A Swissborn adventurist and businessman, Mad Max (as he is known in the racing circle) took part in THE $AKAR IN HIS +4- CC !Dventure bike in 2001. He was all the way up to 27th place out of 180 plus bikers when he fell into A VALLEY (E STILL kNISHED IN TH place and vowed to return even though he was already in his 50s.

On his 2nd run after a few years, Max almost lost his life.

He was involved in an accident with a vehicle and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was already in the hospital and his family around him.

Max was lucky to have come home and still rides in vigor, he was also a great rally driver in the 90s here in the country.

A n o t h e r t e a m wa s t h e Zieglers of Pampanga. The late Maryjane Ziegler used to tell me that they ran together with her husband in the Dakar Rally in trucks to support their other team members. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recall the details but it would have been a good story to write.

My secret In the late 1990s, I was asked by a Japanese team of Nishiyama-san to drive their extra car in the Safari Rally in preparation for the Dakar Rally. I said that I would be happy to join them and prepared for it.

However, the opportunity dissipated and the drive was lost.

Hopefully, the Dakar Rally is still in my bucket list and when things are all in place, we will still be capable to do it in the future. Godspeed to all!

Antons draw first blood in Autocross

BY MIKE POTENCIANO

F

ATHER and son racing champions, Carlos and IĂąigo Anton, shone in the first round of the Philippine Autocross Championship held the other weekend in Navotas.

International Gymkhana and multi-titled champion Carlos Anton topped the round by posting the best time of 52.03 seconds and won the Overall Division.

His fantastic handling of the Mark Young-Mohspeed Honda CRX on Yokohama Advan A052 tires also took him to three class wins, namely the Front Wheel Drive, All Honda, AND %XPERIENCED -ODIkED # Carlosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feat was emulated by his

14-year old champion son IĂąigo by topping the Open Overall division with a time of 54.04 seconds.

This fast time was recorded during the Open C class and was good for the win in that class too. However, the Antons didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it easy as mechanical problems bugged their race car, and endurance and race car champion Estefano Rivera was right on their heels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy we got the wins with

IĂąigo to kick off the 2019 season,â&#x20AC;? added a jubilant Carlos Anton after the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After all the problems with our Mark Young Honda race cars, we were lucky to win this against Estefano Rivera in his Honda Civic EG.â&#x20AC;?

The Honda EF of IĂąigo Anton SUFFERED A BROKEN FAN BELT kRST THEN the fuel pump packed up. When they got it sorted, the driveshaft BROKE RIGHT AT THE kNISH )Ă&#x201E;IGO HAD to shift to Carlosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CRX and made his best run with it though he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t familiar with it. However, after that run, Carlos Anton made his best time with the CRXâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brake master cylinder losing pressure.

That was it.

The new nemesis of the Antons is now Rivera who ran his privateer

EG hatchback to second place with a time of 52.51 seconds. This was made in the Experienced ModikED " CLASS AND 2IVERA WON IT OVER Carlos Anton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a very successful race for us,â&#x20AC;? remarked Estefano. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We tested our new race car, the Honda EG Hatch with a B18 engine, and it was instantly competitive against Carlos. We were battling with him for fastest time all throughout the day and we are happy we got second this early in the series.â&#x20AC;?

The rivalry between the Antons and Rivera can usher in another exciting year for Philippine motor sports as they will all compete in rally cross, endurance touring car races and the MP Turbo Rally of Champions this year.

Rossi debuts at Daytona with Acura ALEXANDER ROSSI, the 2018 NTT IndyCar Series championship runner-up for Andretti Autosport, makes his debut at the Daytona 500 with Acura Team Penske as a co-driver.

2OSSI WAS ALSO THE )NDIAnapolis 500 winner.

The Daytona 500 kicks off today at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

3IMON 0AGENAUD THE NTT IndyCar Series champion, joins two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron in Team 0ENSKE S SISTER .O ENTRY FOR the 24-hour event that serves as the traditional kickoff to the North American motor sports season.

Rossi, who will become the 100th driver to race for Roger Penske across all series, replaced another IndyCar driver, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as the third driver in the No. 7 for the endurance events in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. And as with the foray he made in November at the SCORE Baja 1000, the opportunity to compete at

Daytona is a result of his blossoming relationship with manufacturer Honda, the engine supplier to Andretti Autosport in the NTT IndyCar Series. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This all kind of came through Acura and HPD,â&#x20AC;?

Rossi said, referring to Honda Performance Development that operates the Honda program in IndyCar and the Acura effort in sports cars. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously, my relationship, especially this winter, grew with them with doing Baja and now this.â&#x20AC;?

4HE )NDIANAPOLIS champion and a five-time NTT IndyCar Series race winner in his three seasons, Rossi has limited experience in sports car racing.

He drove in the 24 Hours of Le

Mans in 2013 and followed that the next year at the Rolex 24. Rossi said the biggest adjustment to endurance racing from IndyCar competition is sharing the car with co-drivers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big adjustment, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a different approach because you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have everything that you would want out of a car, per se,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to prioritize areas where you all kind of agree and the rest is you have to adapt your driving style to a car that maybe is 90 percent to your liking but not 100 percent. Fortunately,

Ricky, Helio and I kind of need the same thing so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too big of a discrepancy one way or another. I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fortunate to have that.â&#x20AC;?

THE TIMES

Q Alexander Rossi tests the Acura racecar that he will co-drive in the Daytona 500 this weekend.

ALEXANDER ROSSI FACEBOOK PHOTO

ALONSOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EXPECTATIONS HIGH IN RETURN TO DAYTONA

Q Fernando Alonso AFP PHOTO

MIAMI: Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso takes a second shot at the 24 Hours of Daytona on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), aiming to add the iconic US endurance race to his list of achievements.

Last year, Daytona gave the 3PANISH STAR HIS kRST TASTE OF ENDURance racing. Driving a Ligier-Gibson LMP2 for United Autosports, he suffered a series of mechanical problems on the way to a 13thPLACE kNISH IN THE 0ROTOTYPE CLASS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 38th overall.

Months later, he would go on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima and former F1 driver Sebastien "UEMI GIVING 4OYOTA THEIR kRST VICtory in the renowned event.

With a victory at Spa-Francor-

champs last year, Alonso shares the lead in the 2018-19 World Endurance Championship standings, and says he returns to Daytona -- this year driving a Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Wayne Taylor Racing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with a wealth of endurance knowledge he was lacking last year. g)T S NOT MY kRST TIME IN AN ENdurance race,â&#x20AC;? Alonso said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now I KNOW THE TRAFkC ) KNOW THE NIGHT

I know the circuit as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wayne Taylor Racingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance over the last several years, being on the podium almost all of the time, winning the race two years ago, we know that we can be very competitive. g) DEkNITELY FEEL LIKE ) M IN A much better position this year compared to last year,â&#x20AC;? he added. g4HE TARGET THIS YEAR IS DEkNITELY TO

be more competitive on the track.â&#x20AC;?

Alonsoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No. 10 car will start from sixth place on the grid Saturday at 2:35 pm (1935 GMT) and has the makings of a contender.

Two of his co-drivers, American Jordan Taylor and the Netherlandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Renger van der Zande, are regulars in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kamui Kobayashi, another Formula One alum, was a WEC winner at Fuji in October.

Alonso is hoping a solid showing in Daytona will be a springboard to an ambitious 2019 campaign.

After Daytona, he will compete, with Toyota, in the 1,000 miles of Sebring on March 15 and the (OURS OF 3PA ON -AY BEFORE kNDING HIMSELF BACK IN A SINGLE seater trying to conquer the India-

NAPOLIS ON -AY A victory in Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest race would see him become just the second driver, after Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Graham Hill, to win the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Triple Crownâ&#x20AC;? of the Monaco Grand Prix, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Indy 500.

He will cap the season at Le Mans with Toyota on June 15 THE LAST EVENT OF THE WEC season.

Whether that will mark his farewell to endurance racing remains to be seen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything will depend on what happens in the WEC Championship and the Indianapolis 500. There may be new challenges,â&#x20AC;? said Alonso, adding that it was 50-50 whether he would continue in WEC with Toyota for 2019-20.

AFP

Sports 0RUDHV UHFODLPV 21( Ă \ZHLJKW WLWOH B E4

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

SUNDAY January 27, 2018

w w w.manilatimes.net

BY JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID

RAZILIAN Adriano Moraes reclaimed THE /.% lYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BELT via a unanimous decision WIN AGAINST &ILIPINO 'EJE g'RAVITYu %USTAQUIO IN ONE: Heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ascent on &RIDAY AT THE -ALL OF !SIA !RENA IN 0ASAY #ITY â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to respect Geje Eustaquio because of his toughness. I admit that it was a tough kGHT 'EJE IS A GREAT kGHTERÂ&#x2021;THAT S WHAT ) SAW FROM THE kRST TIME WE FOUGHT FOUR YEARS AGO u SAID THE YEAR OLD -ORAES DURING THE POSTkGHT NEWS CONFERENCE )T WAS A GRUELING kVE ROUND MATCH HIGHLIGHTED

BY THE "RAZILIAN GRAPPLING MASTER S ATTEMPT TO PULL OFF A 3ULOEV STRETCH A RARE SUBMISSION TECHNIQUE NAMED AFTER !MAR 3ULOEV IN FOURTH ROUND â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to respect the decision of the JUDGES ) HAVE TO TAKE IT POSITIVELY TO BECOME A BETTER kGHTER u SAID %USTAQUIO AFTER THE kGHT g3ORRY 0ILIPINAS IF ) DID NOT MAKE IT TONIGHT BUT ) THOUGHT ) M WINNING THE kGHT u HE ADDED In the co-main event, American Lowen 4YNANES DEFEATED FORMER /.% FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION (ONORIO g4HE 2OCKu "ANARIO WITH STRIKES RESULTING IN A TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT AT MINUTES OF 2OUND 4HE WIN ALLOWED HIM TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND OF /.% LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX 4YNANES UNBLEMISHED RECORD IMPROVED TO WHILE "ANARIO S DROPPED TO 4EAM ,AKAY STALWART $ANNY g4HE +INGu +INGAD SAVED THE DAY FOR THE 0HILIPPINES BY winning against Tatsumitsu Wada of Japan via unanimous decision. +INGAD ALSO EARNED A BERTH IN THE /.% lYWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX )N THE /.% 3UPER 3ERIES BOUTS 2ODTANG *ITMUANGNON OF 4HAILAND DEFEATED &AHDI

Q His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Sheikh Khalid to grace BRAVE CF 22 Q Adriano Moraes of Brazil (left) trades kicks with Geje â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gravityâ&#x20AC;? Eustaquio of the PH in ONE: Heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ascent on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO +HALED OF 4UNISIA BY UNANIMOUS DECISION MUAY THAI lYWEIGHT (IROKI !KIMOTO OF *APAN SUBDUED *OSH 4ANNA OF !USTRALIA VIA 5$ KICKBOXING lYWEIGHT "ANGPLEENOI 0ETCHYINDEE !CADEMY OF 4HAILAND BESTED "ROWN 0INAS OF THE .ETHERLANDS VIA 5$ MUAY THAI

FEATHERWEIGHT %LIAS -AHMOUDI OF !LGERIA TOPPLED 9UKINORI /GASAWARA OF *APAN VIA 5$ MUAY THAI lYWEIGHT WHILE (IROAKI 3UZUKI WON VIA 4+/ OVER -OHAMMED "IN -AHMOUD OF -ALAYSIA MUAY THAI BANTAMWEIGHT )N OTHER BOUTS MIDDLEWEIGHT 2EINIER DE

2IDDER OF THE .ETHERLANDS SUBMITTED &AN 2ONG OF #HINA IN THE IN THE FIRST ROUND FEATHERWEIGHT 4ANG +AU OF #HINA BEAT 3UNG *ONG ,EE BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT AND STRAWWEIGHT (IMANSHU +AUSHIK BEAT )NDIA %GI 2OZTEN OF )NDONESIA ALSO BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT

Alab scores bounce back win vs Westports Malaysia Dragons SAN Miguel Alab Pilipinas bounced back with a resounding 85-47 win over the Westports Malaysia Dragons in Season 9 Asean Basketball League (ABL) on Friday night at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna.

The defending champion Philippines controlled the tempo right from the get-go to avenge its 71-72 loss to the Malaysian squad on January 9.

Alab Pilipinas stretched its winning streak to three and remained on top of the 10-team standings with an 8-2 record. Alab is unbeaten at home in eight games.

PJ Ramos took care of the scoring task, as the 7-foot-4 Puerto Rican notched 25 points on an 11-of-14 shooting clip on top of 11 rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

Last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Defensive Player of the Year Renaldo Balkman chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.

The local standouts also stepped up in the absence of

HIS Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain will grace the BRAVE CF 22 mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament on March 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

A believer in the transformative power of sports in the lives of citizens, Sheikh Khalidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advocacy is evident in the number of athletic initiatives in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Sheikh Khalid will be the first from a royal family to attend an MMA event at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Sheikh Khalidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit also aims to strengthen the relationship between the Philippines and Bahrain, as well as to ensure that the sport of MMA sustains its rapid development in the country.

Among the feature fighters in the event is bantamweight champion Stephen Loman.

BRAVE CF 22 marks the first time Brave Combat Federation, the largest sports property in the Middle East, lands in the Philippines. Among the previous stops of the tournament are Brazil, Bahrain, Mexico, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Northern Ireland.

two-time Local MVP Ray Parks Jr. with backup guard Pao Javelona contributing 11 points while Ethan Alvano and Brandon Rosser contributed eight markers apiece.

Alab capitalized on a hot start, cruising to a 35-18 lead behind Ramosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 12-point explosion in the first half.

Unlike in their first meeting, the Filipino ball club foiled all attempts by the Malaysian side to recover en route to a commanding 67-38 advantage heading into the payoff period.

Alab was never threatened from then on, leading by as high as 38 points.

Head coach Jimmy Alapag and his wards will aim for their fourth win in a row against the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions at 8 p.m. tonight at the same venue.

World Imports Winston Shepard and Chris Eversley led the Dragons with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Westports Malaysia slid to No. 8 with its third consecutive defeat for an overall record of 5-6.

Q Terrence Romeo of San Miguel Beer (No. 7) dribbles past Columbian Dyipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rashawn McCarthy (No. 11) during a Season 44 PBA Philippine Cup game on January 18 at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

ROMEO-LESS SMB TAKES ON TNT !. INJURED ANKLE CAUSED 3AN -IGUEL "EER S 4ERRENCE 2OMEO TO MISS A SHOWDOWN AGAINST HIS FORMER TEAM 4.4 +A4ROPA AT P M TONIGHT IN 3EASON 0HILIPPINE "ASKETBALL !SSOCIATION 0HILIPPINE #UP AT THE !RANETA #OLISEUM g.O 4ERRENCE 2OMEO SINCE HE GOT HIS ANKLE INJURED HE HASN T PRACTICED WITH US I think he wants to be back a hundred PERCENT BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS EXPECTING HE WILL DO WELL u SAID ,EO !USTRIA COACH OF DEFENDING CHAMPION 3-" 2OMEO SPRAINED HIS ANKLE DURING THE "EERMEN S kRST GAME AGAINST #OLUMBIAN $YIP ON *ANUARY 2OMEO WAS TRADED BY 4.4 IN EXCHANGE OF $AVID 3EMERAD

"RIAN (ERUELA ON $ECEMBER $ESPITE HIS ABSENCE 3-" WON ITS LAST

TWO GAMES AGAINST "ARANGAY 'INEBRA 3AN -IGUEL AND -ERALCO FOR A WIN LOSS RECORD â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope we can sustain this kind of enERGY WE HAVE AGAINST 4.4 SINCE THEY ARE A running team,â&#x20AC;? added Austria.

-EANWHILE 4.4 COACH "ONG 2AVENA SAID HE DOESN T CARE IF 2OMEO IS PRESent or not. g)T IS NOT A BIG DEAL AND WE DON T MIND THAT BECAUSE HE S NOT PLAYING FOR US ANYmore. We have a job to do and our concern IS OUR TEAM u 2AVENA TOLD 4HE -ANILA 4IMES AFTER 4.4 S WIN OVER .ORTHERN ,UZON %XPRESSWAY .,%8 !T WIN LOSS RECORD AND HIS INJURED PLAYERS GETTING BETTER 2AVENA IS FEELING UPBEAT AGAINST 3AN -IGUEL "EER

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope we continue to get better AND ) THINK 4ONY 3EMERAD AND 4ROY 2OSARIO WILL PLAY ON 3UNDAY 7E REALLY need to prepare to compete against San -IGUEL "EER 7E HAVE TO kGHT WITH PRIDE AND BE READY u SAID 2AVENA #OLUMBIAN $YIP FRESH FROM AN IMPRESSIVE WIN OVER .ORTHPORT LAST &RIDAY SHOOTS FOR ITS THIRD VICTORY OVER .,%8 IN THE P M kRST GAME 4HE 2OAD 7ARRIORS ARE STILL WINLESS in three games. g7E JUST NEED TO WORK A LITTLE HARDER AND BE MENTALLY TOUGHER #OLUMBIAN $YIP IS NO LONGER A PUSHOVER TEAM SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY 4HEY ARE PLAYING BETTER THAN US u SAID .,%8 COACH 9ENG 'UIAO JOSEF T. RAMOS

Hwang makes pro debut, joins Splendido hunt HWANG MIN JEONG, the former Korean amateur who bested the cream of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pro crop at Mt. Malarayat in 2015, seeks to mark her pro debut in winning fashion as she joins the hunt in the ICTSI Splendido Ladies Classic starting Tuesday at the Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas.

Hwang trounced the likes of Princess Superal and Cyna Rodriguez in a final round skirmish in Lipa City, Batangas four years ago with the lanky shotmaker, who also ruled the Philippine Amateur Championship last year, expected to come into the P750,000 championship matured and a lot tougher.

She tied for sixth in her last Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event at Riviera last year.

But Hwang will be as much tested as the rest of the huge 49-player field that includes eight amateurs with Superal bannering the localsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bid in the absence of last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s runaway winner Dottie Ardina.

The Canlubang ace routed the field with solid games in the last two rounds, turning what was expected to be a tight finish into a runaway victory at ICTSI Beverly Place Classic in a triumph that more than boosted her confidence heading to her LPGA Tour return starting Feb. 14 in Australia.

But the Thais also seek to rebound from their failed bid at Beverly Place with another full-packed roster headed by Punpaka Phuntumabamrung, Chonlada Chayanun and Ornnicha Konsunthea,

who settled for the next three places behind winner Ardina and Pauline del Rosario at Beverly Place.

Former two-time LPGT Champion Tour titlist Lee Jeong Hwa of Korea is likewise eager to rebound from her missed cut stint last week while compatriot Lee Ji Hyeon tries to atone for her 14th place finish in her pro debut after topping the Baguio kickoff leg of the seventh season of the circuit put up by ICTSI last October.

Others tipped to figure in the title race are Chihiro Ikeda, Cyna Rodriguez, Daniella Uy, Marvi Monsalve and Alex Etter along with Thais Saraporn Chamchoi, Mookharin Ladgratok, Aunchisa Utama and former LPGT leg winner Wannasiri Sirisampant.

Golf

F 1 SUNDAY JANUARY 27, 2019

www.manilatimes.net Q Justin Rose of England tees off on the South Course during the second round of the the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Saturday in San Diego, California.

US PGA FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN SCORES LEADING second-round scores on Saturday in the US PGA Tour Famers Insurance Open in San Diego, California (par-72; USA unless stated): 129 - Justin Rose (ENG) 63-66 132 - Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 66-66 134 - Ryan Palmer 67-67, Jon Rahm (ESP) 62-72, Billy Horschel 66-68 135 - Joel Dahmen 68-67, Kim Si-woo Kim (KOR) 67-68, Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 68-67 136 - Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71-65, Adam Scott (AUS) 70-66, Sepp Straka (SUI) 69-67, Sam Burns 70-66, Bud Cauley 66-70, John Huh 68-68, Charles Howell 66-70, Wyndham Clark 69-67, Doug Ghim 63-73 137 - Robert Streb 69-68, Adam Svensson (CAN) 70-67, Hank Lebioda 70-67, Talor Gooch 69-68, Michael Thompson 68-69, Brandon Hagy 66-71, Beau Hossler 67-70, Chris Stroud 66-71, Jonas Blixt (SWE)68-69, Russell Knox (SCO) 67-70, Jordan Spieth 65-72, John Chin 66-71 AFP

Top-ranked Rose rolls to Torrey Pines lead

L

OS ANGELES: World No. 1 Justin Rose had seven birdies in a six-under par 66 on Friday to seize a three-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama in the US PGA Tourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmers Insurance Open. %NGLAND S 2OSE EQUALED THE HOLE TOURNAment record with a two round 15-under par total of 129. Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Matsuyama was alone in second after a six-under par 66 for 132.

Overnight leader Jon Rahm of Spain headed a trio sharing third place on 134, while 14-time major winner Tiger Woods found himself 11 adrift after a sometimes frustrating two-under par 70.

Rose started the day one shot behind Rahm and got going with three birdies in A ROW AT THE FOURTH kFTH AND SIXTH ON THE South Course, one of two in use over the kRST TWO DAYS OF THE TOURNAMENT After his lone bogey of the day at the seventh Rose saw a birdie try at eight lip out, but he moved to the lead at 12-under with A TWO PUTT BIRDIE AT THE PAR kVE NINTH THEN rolled in a two-footer for a birdie at the 10th.

2OSE BIRDIED THE PAR kVE TH AND ROLLED in a 24-footer for birdie at 16 to pad his lead. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The job was done today,â&#x20AC;? said Rose, who has hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation in each OF THE kRST TWO ROUNDS g)T S REALLY NICE TO GO out there and place a positive round and feel good on it. I can build on it hopefully

on the weekend.â&#x20AC;?

American Billy Horschel, who raced into CONTENTION WITH kVE BIRDIES IN THE SPACE OF six holes on the front nine, saw his challenge fade with three bogeys on the back nine on the way to a four-under par 68.

That left him tied with Ryan Palmer (67) and Rahm, who had two birdies and two bogeys in his even par round on the South Course â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a far cry from his sparkling 62 on Thursday.

Matsuyamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six-under effort on the South Course included an eagle from off THE GREEN AT THE PAR kVE SIXTH He teed off on 10 and made the last of his kVE BIRDIES AT THE PAR THREE EIGHTH

McIlroy on the move Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world number eight Rory -C)LROY PLAYING THE EVENT FOR THE kRST TIME

climbed the leaderboard with a seven-under par 65 on the North Course, where he rolled IN AN EAGLE PUTT AT HIS kRST HOLE THE TH AND holed out for an eagle at the at 16.

McIlroy added four birdies with just one

bogey for an eight-under par total of 136 that left him tied for ninth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All in all a good round of golf,â&#x20AC;? McIlroy said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At least I have a good shot going into the weekend.â&#x20AC;?

Woods couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say the same. Needing to go low after an opening 70 on the South Course, Woods settled for the same on the North. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a putt to fall,â&#x20AC;? said Woods, although he added that the problem wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t poor putting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of lip-outs today and a round that COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN kVE OR SIX UNDER PAR just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t materialize.â&#x20AC;?

Woods was even for the day through his kRST NINE HOLES AFTER A DOUBLE BOGEY AT THE 18th â&#x20AC;&#x201D;where he was plugged in a bunker â&#x20AC;&#x201D; offset two earlier birdies.

4HAT LEFT HIM lIRTING WITH THE CUT LINE before back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth, the second courtesy of a chip-in. But 7OODS WOULDN T kND ANOTHER BIRDIE THE REST of the way, unable to take advantage of a suPERB DRIVE AT THE kFTH AND WATCHING HIS CHIP at the sixth hit the stick and bounce away. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to have to be a low and special weekend to have a chance,â&#x20AC;? said Woods, whose eight victories at Torrey Pines include seven Farmers Insurance Open titles and a memorable 2008 US Open triumph â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the most recent of his 14 major titles. AFP

Q Tiger Woods putts on the ninth hole the North Course during the second round of the the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open. AFP PHOTOS

ERNIE ELS SECOND IN DUBAI AFTER VINTAGE DISPLAY DUBAI: Ernie Els rolled back the years to shoot a seven-under par 65 round and move to within one shot of the leaders at the halfway stage of the $3.25 million Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

The 49-year-old South African, who last won at the Majlis course of Emirates Golf Club in 2005, is on 11-under par 133, just one behind joint leaders Bryson DeChambeau (66) of the US and Australian Lucas Herbert (63).

A three-time major champion, Elsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; previous tournament win came at the 2013 BMW International Open. But seven birdies and an eagle in the second round raised visions of a possible 29th European Tour title. %LS WHOSE kRST OF HIS THREE $ESERT Classic wins came 25 year ago in 1994, was under no illusions regarding the task at hand if he is to lift the trophy on Sunday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to keep going. I think these YOUNGSTERS THEY RE GOING TO KEEP kRING birdies. I think the course might get a little bit tougher because the greens are going TO GET A LITTLE kRMER AND QUICKER BUT THESE kids can really play,â&#x20AC;? he said. g) M JUST HAPPY WITH THE kRST TWO days. Still a lot of work to be done.â&#x20AC;?

DeChambeau, the highest ranked PLAYER IN THE kELD THIS WEEK AT NUMBER kVE IN THE WORLD MADE TWO STUNNING birdies from the desert on the third and the eighth hole in his 66, which also included three bogeys. The round may have taken him to the top of the leaderboard, but he was still far from happy with his ball-striking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought after yesterday getting it around without making a bogey was awesome, but today was even more impressive with three bogeys on the

Woods denied pizza during Torrey pro-am

Q Ernie Els AFP PHOTO

card, still shooting six-under,â&#x20AC;? said the YEAR OLD WHO IS SEARCHING FOR HIS kRST win away from American soil. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was happy about that. Unfortunately, again, just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the right sensations ... over shots. I just felt uncomfortable on A LOT OF THEM AND CONSEQUENTLY MY BALL striking is not at my best.â&#x20AC;?

The fast-improving Herbert is yet to win as a professional, but the 24-yearold served notice last year with seven TOP S IN kNISHING TH IN THE %URO-

pean Tourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Race to Dubai. On Friday, he got off to a hot start with an eagle on HIS kRST HOLE AND BIRDIES ON HIS NEXT TWO â&#x20AC;&#x153;I sort of kept a bit of an eye on the scores and everyone is making those numbers around the back nine. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some good birdie opportunities,â&#x20AC;? said Herbert, who sank a 40-feet putt on the ninth (his last) to save par. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew I just had to take advantage of them straight out of the gate. I was like seven-under through about 11 holes,

and it just felt like I was cruising.â&#x20AC;?

Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alvaro Quiros, winner here in 2013, shot a 64 and was tied for second WITH %LS WITH kVE PLAYERS A FURTHER SHOT back at 10-under par. That group included the defending champion Haotong ,I OF #HINA AND QUALIkER #ALLUM Shinkwin (68) of England.

Among the big names to miss the weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action was 2007 champion Henrik Stenson, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 142 after two rounds was one shot away from the cut.

AFP

SAN DIEGO: Tiger Woods doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always have everything go his way at Torrey Pines.

Even when it comes to pizza.

Woods was playing the pro-am at the Farmers Insurance Open when he stopped over for pizza that was being served by 13th tee. One problem: It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ready for distribution because of a routine health inspection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allowed to give them out,â&#x20AC;?

Woods said Friday (Saturday in Manila) when told the video of his pizza rejection was making THE ROUNDS g4HEY WERE kLLING OUT PAPERWORK AT THE TIME 7E WERE THE kRST ONES THROUGH SO ) donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know.â&#x20AC;?

The moment was caught on video by Brandon Stone of KUSI. It shows Woods walking up to a table of pizza boxes by Dang Brother Pizza, and a sheepish server having to tell the 80-time PGA Tour winner that he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t serve him.

Woods had a laugh about it Friday after his second straight 2-under 70 left him 11 shots out of the lead. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were looking for anything. We were starving,â&#x20AC;? Woods said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A couple guys in the group were offering 20 bucks for a box of pizza, and we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any. So thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the way it goes.â&#x20AC;?

Stone later said on Twitter, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thanks to the 232K that enjoyed this. Sadly, the PGA Tour isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one of those, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got to go goodbye.â&#x20AC;?

The video remained up on the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.

AP

AFP PHOTO

F2

Golf

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Rafael Campos becomes ÀUVW 3XHUWR 5LFDQ :HE FRP 7RXU ZLQQHU

G

REAT ABACO, Bahamas: Rafael Campos won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in 25-mph wind Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) to beCOME THE kRST 0UERTO 2ICAN CHAMPION IN Web.com Tour history.

Campos closed with a 2-under 70 at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay for a one-stroke victory.

The 30-year-old former Virginia #OMMONWEALTH PLAYER kNISHED AT 7-under 281 and earned $108,000.

Vincent Whaley was second after a 72. Paul Imondi (70) was

BY DOUG FERGUSON SAN DIEGO: Tiger Woods is feeling stronger than ever with his fused back, and the evidence goes beyond the speed of his swing or how hard he can go after a shot out of deep rough.

Woods says he is diving again.

He says he was doing free dives and spearfishing during his time off, and even went diving with a tank, which he had not done in years.

“I just can’t afford to have that weight on my back and compressing my disk, and my disk was already screwed up,” said Woods, who had fusion surgery in April 2017. “So whenever you put any weight on it, it made it worse. I (hadn’t) tank dove in years, and to be able to do that again, to be able to get in the water and free drive, put the fins on and load the body up and drop down like that ... that was something I truly missed. I love being in the water.”

Woods has been certified as a master diver, according to the National Association of Underwater Instructors.

Long before surgeries on his knee and his lower back, he once regaled Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn about his diving adventures. Years ago, he was explaining to Clarke that it was best to witness ocean life without a regulator because bubbles can scare off the fish.

The flip side, Woods told them, was that more sharks are apt to come around.

This got Bjorn’s attention.

“Just be careful down there,” Bjorn told him. “Our future earnings depend on you.”

Green repairs

Three weeks into the year on the PGA Tour, one new rule might be put to the test on the greens at Torrey Pines.

And it has nothing to do with leaving the flagstick in the cup.

Rules 13.1c allows players to repair damage on the putting green to restore it as nearly as possible to its original condition. That includes fixing ball marks, scrapes and indentations caused by equipment or the flagstick and shoe damage.

It wasn’t an issue on the Bermuda greens of Hawaii or the overseed in the California desert. But Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach and Riviera have poa annua greens, which can get bumpy in the soft conditions of California in the winter.

One of the questions that arose was just how much damage players can repair, without creating a line to the hole.

“At Kapalua, I fixed ball marks, but I was only tapping them down because it was Bermuda,” Xander Schauffele said.

“Out here, you might do a little more than a simple tap down. ... This place, late in the day, it feels like you’re playing a game of Plinko.”

Schauffele was quick to note one part of the new rule: Damage can be repaired without unusual delay.

“It could, depending on how these players take the rule to heart ... if you’re trying to fix a 40-foot putt, it’s going to be tricky with pace of play,” Schauffele said. “Rules officials will be on us. The time clock hasn’t changed. If you want to spend 35 seconds tapping down the line, you’re going to have to pull the trigger in

another stroke back, and Tyler McCumber (73), John Oda (76) and Willy Wilcox (76) followed at 4 under.

“This first win means a lot,” Campos said. “For me, for Puerto Rico, for the kids to understand that I’m a kid from the island that

Q Rafael Campos AFP PHOTO

worked my butt off and won a tournament. I hope this serves as motivation because we have great talent there. ... My phone hasn’t stopped vibrating in my pocket since the putt dropped. I know they are celebrating back home.”

Campos played the back nine in 3 under and equaled the secondbest round of the day amid the blustery conditions.

Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, who began the day tied for the lead, made a quintuple-bogey 10 on the par-5 EIGHTH HOLE AND SHOT TO kNISH AP in a share of 25th place.

Woods diving again, another sign he’s back at full strength less than what you normally do.”

Jason Day, a two-time winner at Torrey Pines, doesn’t think it will be an issue. His only experience this year was at Kapalua, which featured only a 33-man field.

“Before the rule was changed, you would have maybe two or three times a year where you’re like, ‘Oh, there’s a spike mark there in front of your ball,’ so you just kind of worry about the spike mark,” Day said. “I don’t necessarily think you’re going to be tapping it the whole way and trying to make a line.

I think there’s going to be a few taps.

Other than that, I think they’re going to putt. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be a time-consuming thing.”

GOLF NOTES

No phil at torrey

Torrey Pines has Tiger Woods in the field, along with an inaugural appearance by Rory McIlroy and the return of Jordan Spieth for the first time since 2015.

Missing will be Phil Mickelson, who said last week he would skip his hometown tournament for the first time in 28 years. Mickelson is a two-time winner, but not since the South Course was overhauled by Rees Jones ahead of the 2008 U.S. Open.

“That’s one of the hardest courses we play,” Mickelson said last week. “It’s 7,600 yards, the fairways are tight, there’s a lot of rough and unless I’m playing my absolute best, that’s not really a great place for me.”

In the last 10 years, Mickelson has only one top-10 finish, when he was runner-up in 2011. He missed the cut three times and withdrew another year. He said in a tweet that he will “try to make it up to the great community of SD!” He gave early indications in October when he said there would be some tournaments he misses “that people will be upset about, but I’m not going to worry about it.”

He also said he would not be playing the Genesis Open at Riviera, where he won in 2008 and 2009 and finished four shots behind last year.

Q Tiger Woods makes his way down the 18th fairway during the final round of the Tour Championship golf tournament in Atlanta on September 23, 2018.

AP PHOTO

Augusta national women

Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand was the low amateur at the ANA Inspiration last year, the first major on the LPGA Tour schedule, with a 5-under 283 that tied for 30th along with Michelle Wie and Cristie Kerr.

This year, she’ll be at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Atthaya, NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho of Wake Forest and former Junior PGA champion Lucy Li were among 66 players who have accepted spots in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year. Six spots remain for the 72-player field.

The opening two rounds of the 54-hole event will be April 3-4 at

Champions Treat Golf Club, with a cut to 30 players after 36 holes. One day of practice at Augusta National has been set aside for April 5, followed by the final round at the home of the Masters.

“Receiving an invitation to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is representative of a remarkable amateur career, and so much more,” Masters and club chairman Fred Ridley said.

The tournament is the same week as the LPGA major, which typically invites leading amateurs.

The 66 players who have confirmed invitations to Augusta include eight of the 16 players from last year’s Junior Ryder Cup team, along with Ladies

British Open Amateur champion Leonie Harm of Germany.

Atthaya was exempt as the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion.

Divots

The Latin America Amateur Championship moves next year to El Camaleon Golf Club at Mayakoba in Mexico, site of a PGA Tour event. ... The Evian Championship is creating a special exemption for the winner of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific. The winner also is exempt into the Women’s British Open. ... Ken Tanigawa has been voted as the PGA Tour Champions rookie of the year. The Jack Nicklaus Award for player of the year went to Bernhard Langer

for the fifth straight year, and the eighth time since the German turned 50. ... Rickie Fowler has signed an endorsement deal to play the TaylorMade Golf ball this year. He had been with Titleist.

Stat of the week

Phil Mickelson has held the 54-hole lead four times in the last six years. His only victory from ahead was the Phoenix Open in 2013.

Final word

“Ten years longer than you’ve been alive.” — Tiger Woods to Jordan Spieth, who asked him how long he has been coming to Torrey Pines.

AP

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Golf

F3

Tiger Woodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; biggest moment didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last very long

S

BY DOUG FERGUSON

AN DIEGO: Rarely in sports has such a big moment had such a short shelf life.

Even one involving Tiger Woods.

7ITH RESPECT TO "ROOKS +OEPKA AND HIS two majors, or Francesco Molinari with his CLARET JUG AND MARK IN THE 2YDER #UP NO moment last year captivated golf as much as 7OODS kNISHING OFF HIS IMPROBABLE COMEBACK

BY WINNING THE kNAL 0'! 4OUR EVENT OF THE season at the Tour Championship.

And then it was time to move on.

Twelve hours later, Woods and the American team arrived in Paris for the Ryder Cup. That WEEK WAS ALL ABOUT TEAM AND TRYING TO WIN ON European soil, both ultimately failures. And then Woods was out of public view for two months, returning only for a pair of exhibiTIONS IN ,AS 6EGAS AND THE "AHAMAS Publicly, the moment was gone. Privately, 7OODS TOOK TIME TO RElECT First, it was the reaction from his family and friends, those who had seen him at the lowest of low points when he was searching for anSWERS TO HIS AILING BACK THROUGH FOUR SURGERIES

and when a reliance on pain medications led to the public embarrassment of his arrest on A $5) CHARGE g) GOT BACK HOME AND ) GOT A CHANCE TO BE around my friends and my family, to hear some of the stories of how nervous they were and how emotional they were,â&#x20AC;? Woods said Tuesday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Players, friends, people who saw

what I went through at home, SAW THE DIFkCULT TIMES AND JUST TO SEE THAT ) MADE IT THAT FAR BACK THAT was touching to me because I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really expect that, because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m inside the ropes. g) KNOW WHAT IT TOOK FOR ME u HE SAID g"UT ) DIDN T KNOW IT WOULD HAVE AFFECTED ANYONE ELSE LIKE that.â&#x20AC;?

4HEN IT WAS SEEING THE kNAL round on a video screen.

The highlights of that SunDAY AT %AST ,AKE WERE SO MUCH LIKE THE 7OODS OF OLD (E HAD A 54-hole lead, mapped out what IT WOULD TAKE TO WIN AND WAS SO methodical in his execution that he never gave anyone else much of a chance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the grind, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I did,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really have it in drive, I just had it in neutral all day.â&#x20AC;?

What made his spine tingle was what everyone remembers about that day.

Was there a more indelible image THAN 7OODS WALKING UP TO THE TH green, red shirt blazing, as thousands of fans rushed under the ropes and followed him down the fairway to create a stage

worthy of the occasion? â&#x20AC;&#x153;It gives me chills almost every single time I see it,â&#x20AC;? Woods said. g!T THE TIME IT DIDN T SEEM LIKE THAT BECAUSE ) DIDN T REALLY LOOK BACK ) ONLY LOOKED BACK A COUPLE times over my right shoulder. ... I GOT ON THE GREEN ) LOOKED AND ) M LIKE @(OLY cow, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of people out there.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; g"UT THE rush and the commotion t h a t

happened ... Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve experienced things of that nature, but not that energy.â&#x20AC;? )T WAS LIKE THAT AT THE 7ESTERN /PEN IN THE YEAR HE CHANGED THE FACE OF GOLF )T WAS LIKE THAT WHEN HE WON THE "RITISH /PEN BOTH TIMES AT 3T Andrews. That was when he was expected to win all the time. And maybe THAT S WHY HE SAYS %AST ,AKE HAD gITS own aura and its own energy.â&#x20AC;?

It was so great that Woods isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ever feel that again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe one day it might, who KNOWS u HE SAID g!LL ) KNOW IS THAT it was really loud and very special.â&#x20AC;?

Tommy Roy wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget it for other reasons, mostly an interview that nearly brought him to tears.

Roy is the lead golf producer at ."# AND THE NETWORK USUALLY ASKS three or four contenders after the THIRD ROUND FOR A QUICK INTERVIEW WITH HOST $AN (ICKS WHICH THEN would be aired at appropriate moments during the Sunday telecast.

For the better part of two DECADES ."# ASKED 7OODS to come in for the brief interview, and Woods always politely declined. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Except for Saturday night,â&#x20AC;? Roy said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dan ended up doing this QUICK INTERVIEW AND Tiger was unbelievable. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually so

guarded, but this included a sound bite about wanting to win again for HIS KIDS ) GOT TEARS IN MY EYES IT WAS so powerful.â&#x20AC;?

Roy wanted to save it for the right moment, when Woods was assured of winning.

"ILLY (ORSCHEL MADE A LATE RUN TO get within two shots, and Woods was in trouble on the 17th hole, ENOUGH TO MAKE 2OY WAIT "UT THEN Woods saved par, and he cleared the last trouble with an approach on the par-5 18th over the water AND INTO THE BUNKER Roy gave the order to cue the TAPE AND FOR (ICKS TO SET IT UP "UT THEN HE SAW ON HIS MONITOR THE chaotic celebration unfolding, and he urgently shouted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stop!â&#x20AC;? To play the minute-long interview clip about winning for his two children would have meant losing images of fansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reaction to a moment they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure they would ever see again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We never aired the sound bite,â&#x20AC;?

Roy said.

2OY COULDN T THINK OF BIG MOments with so little bounce, except for perhaps the Olympics. Gold medalists are celebrated for their greatest feats, and then largely forgotten for the next four years.

Four months is better than four years.

7OODS MAKES HIS DEBUT THIS WEEK AT 4ORREY 0INES AP

Q Tiger Woods AFP PHOTO

A teen scientist helped me discover Garmin links radar functionality, golf tons of golf balls polluting the ocean GPS technology for the first time PLASTIC pollution in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oceans has become a global environmental crisis. Many people have seen images that seem to capture it, such as beaches carpeted with plastic trash or a seahorse gripping a cotton swab with its tail.

As a scientist researching marine plastic pollution, I thought I had seen a lot. Then, early in 2017, I heard from Alex Weber, a junior at Carmel High School in California.

Alex emailed me after reading my SCIENTIkC WORK WHICH CAUGHT MY EYE

since very few high schoolers spend THEIR TIME READING SCIENTIkC ARTICLES 3HE WAS LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE ON AN unusual environmental problem.

7HILE SNORKELING IN THE -ONTEREY "AY National Marine Sanctuary near the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Alex and HER FRIEND *ACK *OHNSTON HAD REPEATEDLY come across large numbers of golf balls ON THE OCEAN lOOR As environmentally conscious teens, they started removing golf balls from THE WATER ONE BY ONE "Y THE TIME !LEX contacted me, they had retrieved over 10,000 golf balls â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more than half a ton.

'OLF BALLS SINK SO THEY DON T BEcome eyesores for future golfers and beachgoers. As a result, this issue had GONE LARGELY UNNOTICED "UT !LEX HAD stumbled across something big: a point source of marine debris â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one that COMES FROM A SINGLE IDENTIkABLE PLACE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; polluting federally protected waters.

Our newly published study details the scope of this unexpected marine pollutant and some ways in which it could affect marine life.

Cleaning up the mess

Many popular golf courses dot the central California coast and use the ocean as a hazard or an out-of-bounds.

4HE MOST FAMOUS COURSE 0EBBLE "EACH 'OLF ,INKS IS SITE OF THE 5 3 /PEN

Championship.

Alex wanted to create a lasting solution to this problem. I told her that the way to do it was to meticulously plan and systematically record all future golf ball collections. Our goal was to proDUCE A PEER REVIEWED SCIENTIkC PAPER documenting the scope of the problem, and to propose a plan of action for golf courses to address it.

Alex, her friends and her father PADDLED DOVE HEAVED AND HAULED "Y mid-2018 the results were startling: They had collected nearly 40,000 golf balls from three sites near coastal golf COURSES #YPRESS 0OINT 0EBBLE "EACH AND the Carmel River Mouth. And following !LEX S ENCOURAGEMENT 0EBBLE "EACH employees started to retrieve golf balls from beaches next to their course, amassing more than 10,000 additional balls.

In total, we collected 50,681 golf balls from the shoreline and shallow waters. This represented roughly 2.5 tons of debris â&#x20AC;&#x201C; approximately the WEIGHT OF A PICKUP TRUCK "Y MULTIPLYing the average number of balls lost per round played (1-3) and the average number of rounds played annually AT 0EBBLE "EACH WE ESTIMATED THAT patrons at these popular courses may lose over 100,000 balls per year to the surrounding environment.

The toxicity of golf balls

Modern golf balls are made of a polyurethane elastomer shell and a synthetic rubber core. Manufacturers add zinc oxide, zinc acrylate and benzoyl peroxide to the solid core for lEXIBILITY AND DURAbility. These substances are also acutely toxic to marine life.

When golf balls are hit

Q Modern golf balls are made of a polyurethane elastomer shell and a synthetic rubber core. Manufacturers add zinc oxide, zinc acrylate and benzoyl peroxide to the solid core for flexibility and durability. These substances are also acutely toxic to marine life.

AFP PHOTO

INTO THE OCEAN THEY IMMEDIATELY SINK to the bottom. No ill effects on local wildlife have been documented to DATE FROM EXPOSURE TO GOLF BALLS "UT as the balls degrade and fragment at sea, they may leach chemicals and microplastics into the water or sediMENTS -OREOVER IF THE BALLS BREAK INTO SMALL FRAGMENTS kSH BIRDS OR other animals could ingest them.

The majority of the balls we collected showed only light wear. Some could even have been resold and played.

However, others were severely degraded and fragmented by the persistent MECHANICAL ACTION OF BREAKING WAVES and unremitting swell in the dynamic intertidal and nearshore environments.

We estimated that over 60 pounds of irrecoverable microplastic had been shed from the balls we collected.

Game-changer

4HANKS TO !LEX 7EBER WE NOW KNOW that golf balls erode at sea over time, producing dangerous microplastics.

Recovering the balls soon after they are hit into the ocean is one way to mitigate their impacts. Initially, golf course managers were surprised by OUR kNDINGS BUT NOW THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE -ONTEREY "AY .ATIONAL -ARINE Sanctuary to address the problem. !LEX IS ALSO WORKING WITH MANAGERS at the sanctuary to develop cleanup procedures that can prevent golf ball pollution in these waters from ever reaching these levels again. Although HER STUDY WAS LOCAL HER kNDINGS ARE worrisome for other regions with coastal golf courses. Nonetheless, they send a positive message: If a high school student can accomplish this much through relentless hard WORK AND DEDICATION

DEDICATION

anyone can. AP

GARMIN International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), today announced the all-in-one Approach G80, a premium GPS golf device that merges the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renowned golf GPS technology with launch monitor capabilities to calculate advanced swing metrics.

The newly integrated radar capabilities allow golfers to ANALYZE AND CONSISTENTLY kNE TUNE THEIR PERFORMANCEÂ&#x2021; ON THE RANGE OR DURING COURSE PLAYÂ&#x2021;BY TRACKING THEIR club head speed, ball speed, smash factor, swing tempo and estimated distance. The slim Approach G80 offers a 3.5-inch sunlight-readable color touchscreen with a RECHARGEABLE BATTERY THAT LASTS UP TO HOURS A QUICK access button to unveil the integrated radar features DURING PLAY AND A SLEEK REAR CASE DIVOT HAS BEEN IMPLEmented to allow the device to perfectly sit on a golf ball FOR BETTER SCREEN DISPLAY VIEWING "Y INTRODUCING A VARIETY of new practice and game modes, the Approach G80 lets golfers test their SKILLS ON THE DRIVING range with the opTION TO PARTAKE IN virtual rounds on more than 41,000 preloaded full-color courses around the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The device serves as an all-inone tutor that introduces advanced radar capabilities that are easy to use, and entertaining game modes that allow golfers to compete with friends on the driving range or even at home using a golf net.â&#x20AC;?

Tweet this

g7ITH THE !PPROACH ' GOLFERS ARE kNALLY ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A GOLF '03 THAT INTEGRATES LAUNCH monitor capabilities to capture the necessary metrics to help elevate their game to the next level,â&#x20AC;? said Dan "ARTEL 'ARMIN WORLDWIDE VICE PRESIDENT OF CONSUMER sales. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The device serves as an all-in-one tutor that introduces advanced radar capabilities that are easy to use, and entertaining game modes that allow golfers to compete with friends on the driving range or even at home using a golf net.â&#x20AC;?

Providing golfers the opportunity to test and imPROVE SKILL SETS IS ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF THE !Pproach G80, as it comes equipped with useful practice AND GAME MODESÂ&#x2021; 7ARM 5P 4EMPO 4RAINING 6IRTUAL Round, and Target Practice. The device utilizes the built-in launch monitor during warm-ups and tempo training to determine ball speed, club head speed, SMASH FACTOR ESTIMATED DISTANCE AND SUITABLE BACKswing and downswing timings to evaluate tempo for each individual user. Additionally, the Approach G80 provides new gaming options that are fun for veterans

OF THE SPORT AND NEWCOMERS ALIKE 'OLFERS CAN ENJOY using the device to enhance consistency, to compete with friends on the driving range for bragging rights, or at home with different game modes. For example, 6IRTUAL 4OURNAMENT ALLOWS GOLFERS TO RAISE THE STAKES BY competing on famous courses with users worldwide, and Target Practice gives golfers gratifying challenges to zero in on their drives, irons and short game by RECEIVING POINTS FOR HITTING SPECIkC TARGETS IN A ONE OR two player challenge mode.

Once users are out on the course, they can use the Approach G80 to delve deeper into a feature set that is designed to deliver detailed precision for a thorough GOLkNG EXPERIENCE &EATURES SUCH AS 4OUCH 4ARGETING ALLOW PLAYERS TO TOUCH ANY SIGNIkCANT POINT SHOWN ON THE DISPLAYÂ&#x2021;WHETHER IT S THE FRONT MIDDLE BACK OF THE GREEN THE FAIRWAY OR EVEN HAZARDS AND DOGLEGSÂ&#x2021; to show the precise yardage to that speCIkC SPOT 0LAYERS CAN also increase the font size on the Approach G80 to easily read the yardage numbers to THE FRONT BACK AND middle of the green.

7ITH 'REEN 6IEW GOLF enthusiasts can zoom in on the green to adjust the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pin locaTION OR SHIFT THE lAG Q AFP PHOTO to the position where they actually see it to improve overall accuracy. Whether golfers are facing an uphill or downhill shot during play, the 0LAYS,IKE $ISTANCE FEATURE CAN AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST YARDAGES TO A SPECIkC TARGET BASED ON THE ELEVATION where the golfer is standing. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, the ApPROACH ' S 0IN0OINTER OPTION WORKS LIKE A COMPASS to easily guide users to the green during challenging blind shots.

Golfers can download the Garmin Golfâ&#x201E;˘ app to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL THE CONNECTED FEATURES ASSOCIATED with the Approach G80 including simulated tournaments on more than 41,000 courses worldwide and automatic course updates. Players will also be able to connect with other golfers by posting and reviewing STATS RANKINGS SAVING SCORECARDS AND KEEPING COMPETITION ALIVE BY TAKING PART IN WEEKLY LEADERBOARDS The Approach G80 is available now with a suggested RETAIL PRICE OF 4O LEARN MORE CLICK HERE OR visit garmin.com/golf.

The Approach G80 is the latest solution from Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expanding outdoor segment, which focuses on developing technologies and innovations to enhance USERS OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES 7HETHER HIKING HUNTING

TRAIL RUNNING MOUNTAIN BIKING GOLkNG DIVING OR USING satellite communication, Garmin outdoor devices are essential tools for outdoor enthusiasts of all levels. AP

F4

Golf

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

FOR announcements on tournaments, rankings and other golf-related events, email the sports editor at pgs_mallari@manilatimes.net es net

Ë&#x153; The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Jungolfer Ilas emerges as Club Intramuros meet overall champ -)'5%, !RMANDO )LAS CARDED A TWO OVER PAR TO CLINCH THE OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE #LUB )NTRAMUROS *UNIOR 'OLF #HAMPIONSHIP ON *ANUARY IN -ANILA )LAS ACED THE HOLE .O DURING THE SECOND ROUND OF THE HOLE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE PAR #LUB )NTRAMUROS LAYOUT 4HE SECOND RANKING EVENT OF THE *UNIOR /RDER OF -ERIT GATHERED JUNIOR GOLFERS OF DIFFERENT AGES AND SKILL LEVELS 3EAN $OMINIQUE 'RANADA TOPPED THE "OY S DIVISION WITH A FOLLOWED BY :ACHARY #ASTRO WITH A AND *ACO 2IGGES )LLESCAS WITH A 0IERRE 'REGORY 4ICZON AND )SRAEL -ACATANGAY kNISHED FOURTH AND kFTH WITH AND RESPECTIVELY )N THE 'IRL S DIVISION $AYUN +ANG ASSEMBLED A TO CLAIM THE TOP PLUM WHILE "URBERRY :HANG kNISHED FOUR STROKES BEHIND WITH A *ODY #ASSANDRA #ASTILLO HAD A !NNIKA 3OPHIA #HUA AND *ULIANNA +RISITINE 'O IN THE SAME DIVISION

Q Overall gross champion John Marasigan.

4HE 4OP kNISHERS IN THE UNDER BOYS CLASS WERE 3ANTINO 0INEDA WITH A

-IKO 'RANADA *OAQUIN !RENAS

3COTT .ICHOLAS .G AND 2AFAEL !RMANDO )LAS 2IANNE -ALIXI RULED THE 'IRL S UNDER CATEGORY WITH A 'ABIE 2OSCA kNISHED SECOND VIA COUNTBACK AGAINST (E 9EON "ANG AFTER BOTH PLAYERS SCORED (YEON *U 0ARK kNISHED FOURTH WITH A FOLLOWED BY 'A (UI +IM WITH A 4HE TOURNAMENT ALSO PRESENTED A SEMINAR TITLED (ARNESSING ,IFE 3KILLS THROUGH 'OLF AND %DUCATION !MONG THE SEMINAR SPEAKERS WERE 3AM 0AGDANGANAN A 53 .#!! $IVISION GOLFER AND A PARENT UNDISPUTED *UNIOR 7ORLD RECORD HOLDER AND kRST &ILIPINO RECIPIENT OF 53 COLLEGE GOLF SCHOLARSHIP #ARITO 6ILLAROMAN AS WELL AS *UNIOR 7ORLD 'OLF #HAMPIONSHIP kRST TRIPLE WINNER 2AMON "ROBIO 4OURISM )NFRASTRUCTURE AND %NTERPRISE :ONE !UTHORITY AND $ECATHLON 0HILIPPINES BACKED THE TOURNAMENT

Q Overall net champion Lee In Hee. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Marasigan, Lee top 2019 Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charity Cup

BY JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID JOHN -ARASIGAN kNISHED WITH A TO CLAIM THE OVERALL GROSS TROPHY IN THE #HAIRMAN S #HARITY #UP ON *ANUARY AT THE #AMP *OHN (AY 'OLF #LUB IN "AGUIO #ITY -ARASIGAN A HANDICAPPER SHARED THE

TOP HONORS WITH ,EE )N (EE AFTER THE LATTER kNISHED WITH A TO EMERGE AS OVERALL NET CHAMPION #HUN 3ANG 7OON CARDED A NET TO RULE 'ROUP MEN S DIVISION WHILE 2EY 0EREZ AND !N -YEONG +IM NOTCHED AND

TO kNISH SECOND AND THIRD RESPECTIVELY -ARS 'ARCIA WITH 'ROUP AND #HOI

-YUNG 3UNG ALSO WITH 'ROUP WERE DECLARED SENIOR S DIVISION CHAMPIONS )N THE LADIES DIVISION 3HIN 3UN 9OUNG DOMINATED 'ROUP WITH A WHILE .IDA 7HYBROW RULED 'ROUP WITH A 4HE GUEST AND SPONSORS DIVISION ON THE OTHER HAND SAW )SABELO !FRICA TAKING HOME THE CROWN WITH A NET

5th G&W-TBV Golf Cup takes off Feb 18 4(% TH ' 7 4"6 'OLF #UP WILL TEE OFF ON &EBRUARY AT THE !YALA 'REENkELD 'OLF AND ,EISURE #LUB IN #ALAMBA ,AGUNA ' 7 #LUBSHARES )NCORPORATED ORGANIZES THE ANNUAL TOURNAMENT THAT WILL BE HELD IN HONOR OF THE LATE 4ONY " 6ILLARUEL ,ISTING IS ONGOING WITH TOURNAMENT FEE OF 0 FOR NON CLUB MEMBERS AND 0 FOR MEMBERS INCLUSIVE OF GIVEAWAYS LUNCH AND RAFlE ENTRY /RGANIZERS WILL LIMIT THE kELD TO

THE kRST REGISTRANTS 4HE CADDIE FEE AND GOLF CART USE ARE ON PLAYER ACCOUNT -EANWHILE THE 0

HOLE IN ONE PRIZE WILL BE RAFlED OFF IN THE EVENT NO PLAYER ACCOMPLISHED THE FEAT 0ROCEEDS OF THE CHARITY TOURNAMENT WILL GO TO THE #ANCER 7ARRIORS &OUNDATION &OR TICKETS SPONSORSHIPS

AND PACKAGES CONTACT #ATHY 'REGORIO AT OR

Q Previous edition winners of the G&W-TBV Golf Cup CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

24th W Express RVF Cup takes off February 12

4(% TH 7 %XPRESS 26& #UP !MATEUR 'OLF #HAMPIONSHIP WILL UNFOLD ON &EBRUARY AT THE #ANLUBANG 'OLF AND #OUNTRY #LUB IN ,AGUNA 4HE FOUR DAY NATIONAL AMATEUR GOLF TOUR WILL FEATURE FOUR ROUNDS OF HOLES DECIDED BY STROKEPLAY !FTER HOLES ONLY HALF OF THE PARTICIPANTS FROM MEN AND LADIES DIVISION WILL ADVANCE TO THE THIRD AND kNAL ROUNDS OF THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZED AND CONDUCTED BY THE .ATIONAL 'OLF !SSOCIATION OF THE 0HILIPPINES .'!0 4HE PLAYERS WITH THE LOWEST AGGREGATE SCORES AFTER HOLES WILL BE DECLARED CHAMPIONS 4HE EVENT ALSO FEATURES A SPECIAL DIVISION FOR PLAYERS YEARS AND BELOW WHEREIN THEY WILL COMPETE OVER HOLES IN THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE TOURNAMENT %NTRIES TO THE SPECIAL DIVISION

WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FIRST PLAYERS THAT WILL REGISTER AND PAY THEIR FEES %NTRY FEE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION IS 0 FOR &ILIPINO CITIZENS AND 0 FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS 2ATES FOR THE SPECIAL DIVISION

MEANWHILE IS 0 FOR LOCALS AND 0 FOR FOREIGNERS 4HE TOP THREE kNISHERS IN EACH DIVISION WILL BE AWARDED WITH TROPHIES 4HE TOURNAMENT WHICH WILL BE HELD IN HONOR OF THE LATE .'!0 PRESIDENT AND SPORT PATRON 2OD 6 &ELICIANO IS BACKED BY 7 %XPRESS 0,$4 AND THE -60 3PORTS &OUNDATION $EADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS ON &EBRUARY AT NOON 4O REGISTER EMAIL NGAP HANDICAP YAHOO COM OR CONTACT #ANLUBANG 'OLF AND #OUNTRY #LUB AT

14th Pomelo Tee rolls off May 1 in Davao City

4(% TH 0OMELO 4EE WILL kRE OFF ON -AY TO AT THE 2ANCHO 0ALOS 6ERDES 'OLF AND #OUNTRY #LUB IN -ANDUG )NDANGAN "UHANGIN $AVAO #ITY 4HE FOUR DAY ANNUAL MEMBER GUEST TOURNAMENT IS EXPECTED TO DRAW MORE THAN ENTRIES 4HE EVENT AIMS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE CHARITABLE PROJECTS OF THE 0OMELO 4EE &OUNDATION )NCORPORATED AMONG THEM COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FOR SELECTED WORKERS AND CADDIES DEPENDENT 0ART OF THE PROCEEDS WILL ALSO BE USED TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL EQUIPMENT AND OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS TO -ANDUG (IGH 3CHOOL AND )NDANGAN (IGH 3CHOOL %NTRY FEE IS 0

INCLUSIVE OF TWO DAY

ONE MULLIGAN PER NINE HOLES 4HE TOURNAMENT S TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES WILL FOLLOW A HOLE STROKE PLAY UNDER THE MODIFIED 3TABLEFORD SCORING SYSTEM &OR REGISTRATION CONTACT 2ANCHO 0ALOS AT

OR

Q Club Intramuros Junior Golf Championship 2019 champion Miguel Ilas (center) with JGFP president Nikki Ng (right) and Club Intramuros resident manager Adel Mendoza III. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Saso banners huge PH Ladies Open cast

!3)!. 'AMES GOLD MEDALIST 9UKA 3ASO EXPECTS TO DRAW MUCH ATTENTION AS SHE SETS OUT FOR HER TITLE RETENTION DRIVE IN THE #HAMPION 0HILIPPINE ,ADIES !MATEUR /PEN SLATED ON &EBRUARY TO AT THE -ANILA 'OLF AND #OUNTRY #LUB 4HE TALENTED YEAR OLD SHOTMAKER

WHO ANCHORED THE 0HILIPPINES INCREDIBLE COMEBACK IN THE kNAL ROUND TO SWEEP THE INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM GOLDS IN THE QUADRENNIAL GAMES IN *AKARTA LAST YEAR

HAS CONkRMED HER PARTICIPATION IN THE TH STAGING OF THE ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIP WHICH DREW AN EARLY ROSTER OF PLAYERS

INCLUDING FOREIGN BETS 4HEY INCLUDE THE TOP AND RISING SHOTMAKERS FROM 4AIWAN 3INGAPORE *APAN

!USTRALIA +OREA 4HAILAND AND THE 53

ALL EAGER TO SLUG IT OUT WITH THE COUNTRY S CREAM OF THE CROP INCLUDING THE LIKES OF 3AMANTHA $IZON -AFY 3INGSON %AGLE !CE 3UPERAL !RNIE 4AGUINES ,AIA "ARRO

!NGELA ,EGASPI -ONICA -ANDARIO *UNIA 'ABASA +YLA .OCUM AND TOP JUNGOLFER .ICOLE !BELAR "UT NO ONE PACKS A CREDENTIAL AS IMPOSING AS 3ASO WHO ALSO POWERED THE 0HL TO THE TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL GOLD IN THE 7ORLD *UNIOR 'IRLS #HAMPIONSHIP IN #ANADA IN 3HE ALSO BOASTS OF TWO VICTORIES IN THE LOCAL PRO CIRCUIT THE LAST AT !YALA 'REENkELD LAST YEAR WHERE SHE BESTED THE

Q Yuka Saso CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

LIKES OF ,0'! 4OUR BOUND $OTTIE !RDINA AND A HOST OF STRONG 4HAI PLAYERS BEFORE BEATING -IKHA &ORTUNA BY TWO TO RULE THE TH 0HILIPPINE ,ADIES /PEN AT THE /RCHARD 4HAT MAKES THE &IL *APANESE ACE THE PLAYER TO BEAT IN THE EVENT ORGANIZED AND CONDUCTED BY THE 7OMEN S 'OLF !SSOCIATION OF THE 0HILIPPINES AND SPONSORED BY %6! !IR 3AN -IGUEL #ORP #HERRYLUME

0HILIPPINE $AILY )NQUIRER 0ASCUAL ,ABORATORIES 'ROUP -ANAGEMENT $EVELOPMENT )NC ' 7 #LUBSHARES )NC AND THE .ATIONAL 'OLF !SSOCIATION OF THE 0HILIPPINES 4HE UPCOMING CHAMPIONSHIP BACKED

BY THE LADIES CHAPTERS OF !LABANG &OREST HILLS 4AGAYTAY (IGHLANDS 3TA %LENA

#ANLUBANG AND -ANILA 'OLF CLUBS WITH 6ERMOGEN 3PORTS !CTION AND 3PORTS 5 CHANNELS OF !"3 #".

ALSO MARKS ITS RETURN TO ITS OLD HOME AT THE POSH &ORBES 0ARK LAYOUT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE A TOUGH TEST FOR THE COMPETING kELD WITH ITS TIGHT FAIRWAYS AND SLEEK PUTTING SURFACE -EANWHILE REGISTRATION IS ONGOING WITH ENTRY FEE PEGGED AT 0 FOR LOCAL PLAYERS AND FOR FOREIGN PARTICIPANTS &OR RESERVATIONS AND DETAILS EMAIL KATHY?UY YAHOO COM 7'!0 CHAIRPERSON OR SECRETARIAT WGAP GOLF COM 7'!0 PRESIDENT !NNA (AURIE

The Sunday Times

Inspiration.

Celebrity.

Style.

January 27, 2019 Volume 118 | No. 76

IAN VENERACION, PIA WURTZBACH AND KZ TANDINGAN

National Arts Ambassadors for keeps

•

LITERARY LIFE

FILIPINO CHAMPIONS

ARTS AWAKE

‘I am Jake,’ a book review

Creating opportunities for couples G3

The ‘Phantom’ fever is back!

G2

G8

Literary Life SUNDAY January 27, 2019

G2

BOOK REVIEW

I am Jake: Songs of freedom

BY FAYE VALENCIA

W

HAT is it like to start a new life after you lived one as someone else? This is the question the singer formerly known as Charice Pempengco answers in an autobiography THAT OFkCIALLY INTRODUCES *AKE :YRUS TO THE WORLD *AKE S STORY WAS ALREADY DRAMATIZED IN THE POPULAR WEEKLY !"3 #". SHOW -AALAALA -O +AYA --+ IN !UGUST "EFORE THAT

IN #HARICE S RAGS TO RICHES TALE also got the --+ TREATMENT "UT TWO --+ EPISODES

EACH WITH A RUNNING TIME OF MINUTES HARDLY DO JUSTICE TO AN extraordinary and EXTREMELY TUMULTUOUS LIFE 7 H I L E M A N Y PEOPLE MAY POINT OUT THAT SOMEONE WHO IS UNDER HAS NO BUSINESS writing a memoir, ) AM *AKE 0RIDE 0RESS PAGES SHOULD DEkNITELY BE CLASSIkED AS AN EXCEPTION After all, he is not the average twentysomething who IS JUST WHINING ABOUT gADULTING u *AKE S VERY PUBLIC COMING OUT AND COMING OF AGE AS A TRANSGENDER MAN IS A MILESTONE IN A COUNTRY WHERE MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL CLUELESS Â&#x2021; WHETHER BY ACCIDENT OR BY CHOICE Â&#x2021; ABOUT WHAT THE ,'"41)! LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL

TRANSGENDER QUEER OR QUESTIONING INTERSEX AND ASEXUAL COMMUNITY IS ALL ABOUT 7HAT S EVEN MORE STRIKING ABOUT ) AM *AKE WHICH *AKE WROTE WITH #ATE DE ,EON AND )RISH #HRISTIANNE Dizon, is that it is written in a very

straightforward style. Unlike some LOCAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES THAT ARE LOADED WITH SELF CONGRATULATORY

STREAM OF CONSCIOUS MONOLOGUES

THIS ONE IS TOLD IN PROSE THAT IS CLIPPED AND NO NONSENSE *UST AS WELL SINCE THIS IS ONE STORY THAT DOESN T NEED BIG WORDS TO PUNCH YOU IN THE GUT *AKE ALWAYS TELLS IT LIKE IT IS )N FACT THE BOOK OPENS WITH A DEkNITIVE SCENE THAT ESTABLISHES how the singer has transitioned to the life he has always envisioned FOR HIMSELF (E WRITES g-Y BOOBS WERE GONE ) COULDN T BELIEVE IT -Y EYES kLLED WITH TEARS OVER THE REAL-

ization that beneath the bandages WAS A lAT CHEST Â&#x2021; THE CHEST THAT ) had always wanted. After years of living in a body that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like MINE ) FELT A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP u )T WASN T JUST *AKE S BODY THAT didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like his own. From the TIME HE WAS A CHILD HIS LIFE WAS COMMANDEERED BY HIS MOTHER )N A WAY *AKE S TALENT FOR SINGING was both his blessing and his CURSE g7HEN MY MOTHER LEARNED THAT ) COULD EARN money from singING SHE FORGOT ) WAS JUST A CHILD u he reveals.

He goes on to exPLAIN g-Y RELATIONSHIP WITH -OMMY from the very beginning never felt NORMAL ) SAW HOW MY PLAYMATES AND THE KIDS ) COMPETED WITH IN SINGING CONTESTS WOULD RELATE TO THEIR PARENTS 4HIS made me realize THAT MY lIMSY BOND with my mother WAS ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL ) REMEMber being six years old and having to WATCH MY MOM CRY over a man, and then she asked me, A CHILD OF SIX FOR RELATIONSHIP ADVICEĂ&#x153; 7HAT KIND OF PARENT DOES THAT u *AKE ALSO VIVIDLY RECALLS ONE PARTICULARLY BRUTAL TRAINING SESSION WITH HIS MOTHER g/F ALL the songs in the world, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Regine 6ELASQUEZ S VERSION OF @9OU LL .EVER 7ALK !LONE THAT ) HATE MOST -OMMY WAS TRAINING ME THROUGH IT ONE DAY AND ) JUST COULDN T REACH THE HIGH NOTES ) WASN T PREPARING FOR ANY SINGING CONTEST AT THAT TIME -Y OVERLY COMPETITIVE MOTHER JUST wanted me to nail that song. She WANTED ME TO BE AT PAR WITH OTHER biriteras, OR THE PROS WHO HIT AND

SUSTAIN THE HIGH SECTIONS OF SONGS EFFORTLESSLY 3HE WOULD OFTEN COMPARE ME TO THEM AND POINT OUT THAT ) WAS INFERIOR u )N THAT INSTANCE SINCE *AKE S VOICE KEPT BREAKING HIS MOTHER GOT enraged and grabbed him by the hair and threw him down A SHORT lIGHT OF STAIRS *AKE S MERCURIAL MOTHER MAKES THE kERCEST 4IGER -OM LOOK LIKE A HARMLESS KITTEN "UT DESPITE THE ABUSE Â&#x2021; RANGING FROM PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TO FINANCIAL ABUSE Â&#x2021; THAT HE SUFFERED AT THE hands of his mother, he does not demonIZE HER (E MUSES g(URT PEOPLE HURT OTHER PEOPLE THEY SAY -AYBE -OMMY COULDN T HELP HURTING US BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN HURT HERSELF Still, everything she did to me and my brother was her DECISION ) CAN T IMAGINE doing what she did to me TO MY OWN CHILD u 5LTIMATELY *AKE HAD TO TURN to someone who was more motherly to get the emotional SUPPORT THAT HE BADLY NEEDED Â&#x2021; CELEBRITY /PRAH 7INFREY 3HE ALONG WITH OTHER CELEBRITIES LIKE $AVID &OSTER ENCOURAGED *AKE TO BECOME THE PERSON HE really was. )N ) AM *AKE the singer also REVEALS THAT /PRAH IS ALSO A SURVIVOR OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE "OTH WERE MOLESTED BY THEIR UNCLES *AKE WAS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD WHEN his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother molested HIM g/NE TIME HE TRIED TO PENETRATE ME 4HE ONLY REASON HE DIDN T SUCCEED WAS BECAUSE IT WAS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE ) WAS a tiny six-year-old girl and that WOULD HAVE KILLED ME u 4HEN YEARS LATER WHEN *AKE TOLD HIS MOTHER ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED SHE DIDN T BELIEVE HIM AND INSTEAD AC-

CUSED HIM OF MAKING UP STORIES )T SEEMS THAT IT WAS THIS INCIDENT THAT PUSHED *AKE TO kNALLY CUT TIES with his mother, the wom a n who had also KEPT HIM FROM knowing his late father.

Q Jake Zyrus holds a copy of his book during its launch in October. PHOTO BY ALVIN I. DACANAY

F E AT U R E

Egyptian novel explores Christians under controlling church

BY HAMZA HENDAWI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CAIRO: Shady Lewis Botros says his recently published novel, Ways of the Lord, can be broadly viewed as an attempt to answer one question: What itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to be a Christian in Egypt?

The answer, given in stories narrated by the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading character, is complex and often disheartening. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s giving your children neutral names that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t identify them as Christians in hopes theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a sporting chance of progress in the mainly Muslim nation. It means facing baseless but dangerous charges of spying for Israel at time of war. It means turning off the lights at home and gathering the family in one room to escape the attention of a Muslim mob on the street.

Beyond entrenched discrimination, the Arabic-language novel explores what the author says is the victimization of Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christians by a â&#x20AC;&#x153;politically engineered harmonyâ&#x20AC;? between the state and their own church, seeking to control their lives.

Ways of the Lord is a rare example of an Egyptian work of fiction whose primary characters are Christian. The result breaks stereotypes that many of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Muslims hold about their minority compatriots. But it also turns the look inward, dispelling the secrecy surrounding the Q In this Dec. 4, 2018 photo, journalist and author Shady Lewis Botros poses with a copy of his book, Ways of the Lord, in London. AP PHOTO

ancient Coptic Orthodox Church â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the predominant denomination in Egypt â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and addressing its controlling practices and its rivalries with smaller churches. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most Coptic literature is about the discrimination or oppression Christians endure with a dose of rights advocacy. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understandable but that is also about as far as it goes,â&#x20AC;?

Botros told the Associated Press in a telephone interview from London, his home of 13 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This work introduces Egyptians to the reality of Copts as a people who are not always praying, singing hymns and waiting on every word from the church. The novel opens the world of Copts to both Copts and Muslims.â&#x20AC;?

The novel, the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first, takes on added relevance because the Coptic Church leadership has adhered closer than ever to the government. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an alliance that gives the community a measure of protection, but has raised questions over its independence and has drawn the wrath of Islamic militants, who have attacked and killed more than 100 Christians over the past two years.

The churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unity is also being tested, partially over calls for it to modernize some of its rigid

THE Literary Life page of The Sunday Times Magazine is now accepting contributions of new, original and unpublished short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, preferably in English, from emerging and established writers. Works must be encoded in Microsoft Word using the typefaces Arial, Times New Roman, or Palatino Linotype, font size 12 and letter-sized paper (8.5 x 11 inches),

rules, like those governing marriage and divorce. The killing in July of the abbot of a monastery, for which two monks are on trial, has led to soul-searching about the practices of monasticism, traditionally a cornerstone of the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity.

The novel tells the story of a young Christian man in Cairo, Sherif, who has abandoned the church. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a relationship with a German woman, but to marry her he must first get a church document. So he goes to his neighborhood priest each week for interviews that turn into confessionals.

Sherif relates a series of tales to explain to the priest why he never comes to church.

He tells of his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past rebellions, like a grandfather who left the Coptic Church because the priest would not baptize his newborn child before her death.

As a young man, he says, he hopped from one Christian denomination to another to explore his identity. His father is cynical about his spiritual search, telling his son, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generally, they are all con artists.â&#x20AC;?

The confession sessions with the priest are one of two plot tracks running through the novel. The other follows Sherifâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political activism, which lands him in trouble with the police. His one hope to escape jail time is to marry his girlfriend and go to Germany, but in the end, the girlfriend returns home.

He spends a year in jail for a white-collar crime he did not commit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sherif was painted as a character in crisis and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just on account of being a member of a minority, but rather as someone facing an existential crisis over his problems with the church and the state,â&#x20AC;? said literary critic Ahmed Shawqy Ali. The novel ends with Sherif surrendering to the powers that crush his rebellion. Jobless

after losing his government engineering job, he survives on a small income from doing little jobs for the church, while telling his stories to whoever will listen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ways of the Lord are strange and tough to understand,â&#x20AC;? Sheriff says of his return to the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s embrace.

Botros said the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;fatalisticâ&#x20AC;? ending â&#x20AC;&#x153;shows that, in a place like Egypt, religious minorities like Christians donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have many choices.â&#x20AC;?

The church presents itself as the protector of Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Copts, and many in the community adhere to it fervently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The church is a peacemaker that is in harmony with everyone, from the ruling government and civil society groups to al-Azhar,â&#x20AC;? said a church spokesman, Boulis Halim, referring to the top Muslim institution in Egypt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot deny that there are shortcomings in some respects, especially the social field, but that will evolve going forward.â&#x20AC;?

But critics say the interests of individual Christians get lost under the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communal leadership.

Kamal Zakher, a Christian who is one of Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top experts on the Coptic Church, said the church had become a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hostageâ&#x20AC;? to the government for safety, particularly since the rise of Islamic hardliners starting in the 1970s.

It and the government leadership deal with each other directly, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;they have all forgotten that ordinary Christians deal on daily basis with bureaucrats who, like everyone else, have been influenced by that Islamic revival,â&#x20AC;? Zakher said.

Karoline Kamel, a researcher on church affairs from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the novelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main character is not typical of Coptic youth, who in large part associate closely with the church. But she said the novel gets the theme of control right.

and saved in either .doc or .rtf format. Each short story and creative nonfiction piece should be between ten (10) and twenty (20) pages (double-spaced), while each poem should be limited to only one (1) page (single-spaced).

Works littered with glaring grammatical and typographical errors will not be considered. Send your works to the literary editor, Alvin I. Dacanay, at literarylife[at]

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POETRY

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BY STVENSON GEORGE TUPAS

P M 3TANDING BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE

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3HE FOLLOWS HER OWN COMMAND lOUTING 4HE NORMS THE WATCHFUL EYES HAVE SET (ER PURSING LIPS TOUCH THOSE OF THE GRAY HAIRED 'ENTLEMAN WAITING g) LL DISOBEY FOR THE kRST TIME -IND THE LOVE NOT THE GAP u SHE PROFESSED

manilatimes[dot]net. Kindly put the genre and title of the work in the emailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subject line (example: Short Story: Dead Stars). Authors whose creative works are published in the magazine agree to have these included in literary anthologies that The Manila Times may conceive and publish in the future. Full copyright ownership of the works shall remain with their respective authors.

Filipino Champions The Sunday Times

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

G3

Ricardo Cepeda and Marina Benipayo talk opportunities for couples ing in agriculture, aquaculture, livestock and waste management.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objective ITH the Philippines dubbed as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;texting is to boost the income pocapital of the world,â&#x20AC;? spouses Brick and tential of its distributors Leila Agcopra reasonably decided to start through a wide array of daily consumable proda prepaid load business in 2011. ucts apart from its already Powered by its own propriety self- as the leader in the 3-in-1 loading industry. EXISTING AND lOURISHING loading technology, the business was The success of SPV inspired the Agcopra prepaid load business. designed to empower all mobile phone COUPLE TO EXPAND THEIR BUSINESS TO OTHER With the combined power users by providing discount and business consumable products ranging from personal of internet and mobile opportunities. Thus, Self-Load Prepaid care, beauty, wellness, agricultural and tech- phone, SPVTOP InternaVentures or SPV was established. It was nology-related products. To realize it, SPV- tional Inc. is determined to REGISTERED ON .OVEMBER AS A TOP International Inc., a new corporation bring its dedicated leaders and single proprietorship entity.with the was formed and registered in the Securities members to heights they have Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). AND %XCHANGE #OMMISSION ON 3EPTEMBER never reached before. )T WAS NOT AN EASY START BUT WITH THE EX- SINCE THE $4) REGISTERED 3ELF ,OAD pertise of Agcopra as a successful network Prepaid Ventures is not authorized to offer Celebrities marketer himself with the assistance of his products other than prepaid loads. wife, they were able to steer the company Their genius products include G-web- and network to becoming an industry leader. Its opera- phone app â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which has the ability to contact marketers TION WENT FULL SWING IN !PRIL JUST kVE another person anywhere in the world even months after its business registration. if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not online, G-Bio energy which Two of the avid "Y THE MIDDLE OF IT WAS ABLE TO includes G-Power patch that removes elecusers of the comLAUNCH MORE THAN LOADING OUTLETS AND TROMAGNETIC lUX AND REDUCES WIRE HEATING

panyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s products AT LEAST SUBSCRIBERS ALL OVER THE ARCHI- G-Bio F Line that helps motorcycle riders to and services pelago. Today, the company is considered save fuel, G-Bioinoculant which helps farmare actors and real-life partners Ricardo C e p e d a and Marina Benipayo. But it was Cepeda WHO kRST EXPE- Top model Marina Benipayo and actor Ricardo Cepeda, partners in life and business. FACEBOOK PHOTOS rienced the products leading him to become me see the products.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Tapos yun, nag-start the products is gathering dedicated leaders, na ako mag-try ng products [nila]. Ang distributors, members and show the prodthe brand ambassador. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was introduced to Brick saying he maganda rito, these products work almost ucts work to the consuming public. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since kami, hindi naman namin naaabot wanted to talk to me about joining the immediately. But to make the story short, I company. I found him very sincere, sabi became part of the company by doing sales ang lahat ng tao, but through the person niya, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;na EXPERIENCE ko na kasi ang walang and then as brand ambassador. With my who introduced the products to someone, pera, so malaking bagay when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re mak- wife Marina, I join them in the junkets to parang nakilala na namin siya. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an easier ing your own money.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So gusto niya kND THAT introduce these world-class products in dif- way to reach out to more people,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Showbiz is fun but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not my bread opportunity to get other people involved ferent parts of the country. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only about and then sila rin magiging independent, the business, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only about introduc- and butter. It provides us the opportunity but do this by using Filipino products,â&#x20AC;? ing something to your friends, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the TO BE RELAXED Hindi kailangang tanggap Cepeda, who portrays Lorenzo Bravante in advocacy that comes with it,â&#x20AC;? he elaborated. lang nang tanggap ng project left and According to him, the real business right, minsan pangit naman yung project. the afternoon show â&#x20AC;&#x153;Asawa Ko, Karibal Koâ&#x20AC;? approach is how can the company reach So having your own business allows you ON '-! .ETWORK EXPLAINED â&#x20AC;&#x153;So sabi ko @) LIKE YOUR IDEA BUT kRST LET more people. And one way of marketing to make better choices,â&#x20AC;? Cepeda ended.

The real life celebrity couple with company founders Brcik and Leila Agcopra.

BY IZA IGLESIAS

W

Sparking joy as told by my mother

A

FEW years ago, I recall a friend of mine raving about "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up." Back then I found it quite odd for a trend to be so focused on tidying up and decluttering. At the back of my mind, I was wondering why this suddenly became a lifestyle trend because my entire life has been built on my mother's lifelong mantra, if you do not need it, toss it.â&#x20AC;?

Growing up, I have witnessed my mom give away toys, clothes, and books (I still sorely miss my huge collection of Baby-Sitters Club Books, Berenstain Bears, and Sweet Valley High) that were no longer needed. My mom is a woman obsessed with keeping everything at home clean and organized. My dad would often say that if she could, she would throw him away too. My mom, even before it was a trend, believed that a home was not a place for clutter because just like Marie Kondo she believed that a cluttered home brought bad energy.

I will not pretend to have read or even WATCHED THE .ETlIX SHOW THAT SHARES ABOUT the Japanese trend set by the gorgeous and organized Marie Kondo. For one thing, JUST LIKE -INDY ,AHIRI ) HAVE BEEN EXtremely opposed to it only because I grew up doing it. I remember dedicating sum-

THE THOUGHT JUNKIE CARLA BIANCA RAVANES-HIGHAM mer afternoons back when I was a student rearranging my room and throwing away anything that I did not have a positive association with. I also threw away my angst kLLED JOURNALS FROM MY TEENAGE YEARS Because of how my mom raised our household, my brother and I were programmed to always declutter. We were trained to take a look at our belongings to see which items other people could have better use for and to only purchase things that we would use on a daily basis. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to think that in her own way, my mom was teaching us to have a relationship with our belongings that â&#x20AC;&#x153;sparked joy.â&#x20AC;?

This is the reason why we have no attachment to things and how easily we can give away what we no longer need so we can make room for new things to come. My mom, along with my dad who has later on developed her philosophy, always reminded us that sometimes we need to let go of things so we can

Marie Kondo sparks joy on Netflix as she declutters America.

make room for something new.

And this is one that can be applied to life.

We let go so better things can fall into place.

If we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t â&#x20AC;&#x201D; our lives, much like our rooms, become so full that we do not have room to breathe or even welcome new beginnings.

So looking at it from that perspective, I now gain a better understanding of why this TREND IS CATCHING ON LIKE WILDkRE 7E LET GO of the clutter in our rooms, and eventually in our lives, so we can have a life that sparks joy for us. This may mean letting go of things that once brought us joy but no longer do and there is nothing wrong with that.

I believe this is why Marie thanks whatever it is that she is giving away â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is because she is allowing herself to say thank you for the joy you once sparked but no longer do. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always easy to let go of things that did not bring us joy but to let go of what once did takes courage. Because it is only when we do so that we open our lives for the many possibilities ahead.

So mom, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reading this, thank you for always encouraging me to clean my room because it is this philosophy that frames my life. Truly, mothers know best. *** www.carlabiancaravanes.com

Bohol earthquake survivors start over with new homes

The Lamparas of Cogon Norte,Loon.

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEEN kVE YEARS SINCE A MAGNItude earthquake struck the province of Bohol and left thousands of families homeless and grieving for the loss of lives of their kin and friends. &OR THE kRST TIME FAMILIES CELEBRATED a blissful Christmas in new homes built by Sanitary Care Products Asia, Inc. (SCPA) with Habitat for Humanity Philippines (Habitat Philippines) under their â&#x20AC;&#x153;ReBuild Bohol Projectâ&#x20AC;? partnership to rehabilitate affected communities. SCPA funneled P1 million to the said project with the hope

Joel Seohijos of Matabao, Tubigon.

of providing more than just shelter, but to build hope and rebuild lives.

SCPA is a Filipino-run company that has always dedicated its service to fellow &ILIPINOS )N THE COMPANY MARKED ITS TH ANNIVERSARY AND FELT THAT DONATING to Habitat Philippines was the best way to celebrate it. The project initially committed TO CONSTRUCT HOUSES IN THE CALAMITY stricken area. This act of generosity inspired RENOWNED BUSINESS EXECUTIVE (ERBERT 3Y to donate another P1 million, thereby doubling the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s targets.

Cover Story The Sunday Times

G4

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

NCCA Chairman and National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario welcomes the 2019 National Arts Month Ambassadors.

NCCA PHOTO COVER AND INSIDE PHOTOS BY DJ DIOSINA

I A N V E N E R A C I O N , P I A W U R T Z B A C H A N D K Z TA N D I N G A N

National Arts Ambassadors for keeps

BY ARLO CUSTODIO

I

T was in 1991 that then president Corazon Aquino signed Presidential Proclamation 683 officially declaring February as National Arts Month (NAM).

C om me mor ate d si nce u nde r the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts

The Sunday Times

magazine TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA Editor ALVIN I. DACANAY Literary Editor CHRISTINA ALPAD IZA IGLESIAS Staff Writers ARLO CUSTODIO Deskman *** PETER BAGA ZENAIDA D. ERISPE MARJORIE T. DIZON ENRICO D. BERATA JOANNA C. UMADHAY HORACIO MAKABENTA Layout Artists *** DANTE FRANCIS M. ANG 2ND President & CEO *** Telephone: 524-5664 to 66 Telefax: 521-6897 • 521-6872 Subscription: 528-1319 www.manilatimes.net Website lifestyle@manilatimes.net E-mail

~

The Manila Times is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

.##! .!- WAS CREATED TO FULkLL the agency’s mandate “to conserve, promote and protect the nation’s historical and cultural heritage; and preser ve and integrate traditional culture and its various creative expressions as a dynamic part of the national cultural mainstream.”

In its earlier days, however, NAM celebrations were not widely observed what with arts and culture appreciation limited among the elite. As years went by however, greater awareness has been achieved to include the masses with the help of Arts Ambassadors.

These are popular showbiz celebrities who are very effective in making NAM accessible to generations of Filipinos.

Previous Arts Ambassadors who succeeded in propagating the various arts forms include talk show host Boy Abunda in 2010 (who renews his commitment this year), dance idoland politician Lucy Torres-Gomez, actors Dingdong Dantes, Piolo Pascual and Enchong Dee, and singersongwriter Ogie Alcasid.

This year’s crop of NAM Ambassadors, meanwhile, are sure to boost NCCA’s biggest festival what with Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, matinee idol Ian Veneracion and singer KZ Tandingan as the new faces in promoting Filipino arts and culture, not just across the nation, but to the rest of the world.

Pia Wurtzbach According to NCCA Chairman National Artist Virgilio Almario, as the third Filipina Miss Universe, Wurtzbach remains ever relevant to the public and sure to help in boosting the promotion of arts and culture.

“She has been one of the most inf luential [beauty queens as] Miss Universe, and with this inf luence, I

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach

Actor-painter Ian Veneracion

can see that she has the ability to profoundly promote arts and culture of the Philippines to the world, especially to the younger generation. She is also a perfect icon of determination that can motivate aspiring artists not to give up on their passion,” the NCCA head said.

For her part, Wurtzbach welcomed her appointment as Ambassador for Arts.

“Every time I think about art, naiisip ko po na may stor y na kasama, may kasamang history.

If you want to know more about a country, about their history, you look at their art, and then there you will see, kung sino ba talaga sila.

Nandun yung identity natin, it’s

Singer KZ Tandingan

seen in art,” she said as she expressed gratitude for her appointment as Cultural Ambassador.

She challenged her fellow millennials to give importance to artists, particularly visual artists.

“Kahit anong year pa man ngayon, WE ALWAYS LOOK BACK TO kND OUT kung sino ka ba talaga, saan ka ba talaga

nanggaling, who am I really as a Filipino. Lahat po yan, sana tuloytuloy nating suportahan. At bilang isa namang beauty queen, tuwing nahaharap kami sa mga banyaga, sa ibang bansa, nagiging ambassador na rin kami ng buong bansa kasi kahit saan kami magpunta, we always speak of the Philippines and

Cover Story SUNDAY January 27, 2019

Actress-painter Heart Evangelista

we always represent the Philippines.

Pero sana hindi lang mga artista or artists, sana tayong lahat, kahit mga estudyante, mga teacher, lahat ng tao sa Pilipinas isipin natin na lahat tayo ambassador ng Philippines kahit saan tayo pumunta o sino ang makilala natin,” Wurtzbach concluded drawing applause.

Ian Veneracion Seen by many Filipinos who have grown and matured before their very eyes from the show “Joey and Son” on RPN 9 with Joey de Leon at six years old, actor Ian Veneracion said he could not escape arts as it pervades in the family.

4HE SON OF INlUENTIAL !BSTRACT PAINTer and the pioneer of contemporary Aesthetic Syncretism, Roy Veneracion, the actor who’s turning 43 on Februray 7, grew up spending painting sessions with his father. Through this, along with his father’s help and support as an artist, Veneracion was able to mount his own exhibition.

He studied at Airlink International Av iation Sc hool and became a licensed pilot while pursuing his passion for the performing and visual arts. Besides these, he is also into various physical activities like skydiving, scuba diving, motocross, mountain climbing, soccer, and basketball.

“Growing up and having someone to look up to as an artist really helped Ian to hone his ability and have his own view on art. He is sigNIkCANT TO THE EARLIER AND YOUNGER generation, with this, along with his standpoint in arts, he can impact a lot of arti sts of different generations,” Almario emphasized.

“Anak po ako ng isang pintor, at lagi niyang sinasabi na, ‘you can never avoid art.’ He’s right. I grew up surrounded by art. We go to CCP to watch ballets, to watch the Madrigal Singers, lahat ng art exhibits na kaya naming puntahan pinupuntahan namin whenever we travel, visit museums... nakakaproud mag ing Filipino lalo na the last few years dahil nakikilala tayo sa buong mundo na magaling sa art hindi lang sa visual arts, sa performing arts, pati sa literature, in music. I’m so honored to be part of this community and I am so honored to be NCCA’s Arts Ambassador for 2019. Let’s support and celebrate our arts and culture,” he said.

KZ Tandingan With “Harvest of the Arts” as theme of this year’s festivity, KZ Tandingan was named by NCCA as the

The Sunday Times

G5

NCCA Executive Director Rico Pableo Jr. officially launches the 2019 edition of the National Arts Month at the agency’s office in Intramuros, Manila along with Deputy Executive Director Marichu Tellano (seated, left most).

ne w Music A mba s sador to give a fresh and e xceptional rendition of t he Nat iona l A r t s Mont h t heme song , “Ani ng Sining,” composed a nd or ig ina lly sung by Joey Ayala.

Growing up in Davao, Tandingan started singing as a child and was a member of a local acoustic band before joining “ The X Factor Philippines” in 2012 which MADE HER THE kRST GRAND champion of the ABSCBN reality singing contest franchise. In 2013, she joined t he Himig Handog contest w it h her entry titled “Scared To Death,” then released her self-titled debut album thereafter.

She was invited to join “Singer 2018” in China and left an indelible impact to both local and international fans for her unique and creative musical artistry in different music genres and went viral on social media.

“Her cre ativity and unique music abilit y caught the Commission’s attention in considering her to be one of the Arts A mbassadors. Having her as an ambassador for arts can be an inspiration to young and aspiring singers and ar tists to make their own style and identity and to embrace their distinct style,” Subcommission on the Arts (SC A) C ommissioner Teddy Co said.

“Nakakataba ng puso na mapiling Ambassador for Music, na puwede Talk show host Boy Abunda pala akong maging ambassador at meron pala akong puwedeng maitulong. So- lang na tayo mismo ang magpakita brang thankful ako kasi isa talaga sa ng pagmamahal na ito, at makita ng mga pinaglalaban ko ay i-represent buong mundo kung gaano kaganda ang Filipino talent hindi lang sa ng ating kultura,” she asserted.

Besides singing the new NCCA Pilipinas, [kundi] lalo na sa ibang parte ng mundo. Nung pumunta theme, Tandingan also sang Flopo ako ng China, pinaglaban ko rante’s “Ako’y Pinoy” on encore, with po talaga na kumanta ako ng OPM rap and added Cebuano lyrics. kahit tanggalin n’yo ako. Ngayon may mas magandang plat for m Heart Evangelista para ipagsigawan sa buong mundo yung adbokasiya na yun. At sana po While Heart Evangelista (Love Mamaraming kabataan na ma-inspire rie Onpauco-Escudero in real life) na yun pa rin ang ating culture [and was not able to attend the launch of music] dito sa Pilipinas. Kailangan NAM Ambassadors as she is abroad

Veneracion and Wurtzbach happily hold on to their very own faglung, B’laan tribe musical instrument and the agency’s token of gratitude.

The Madrigal Singers serenade the country’s newest advocates for arts and culture.

NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office Head Rene Napeñas and Commissioner for the Arts and Cinema Committee Head Teddy Co.

SINCE THE kRST WEEK OF *ANUARY SHE nevertheless promised to attend succeeding events of the month-long celebration of Filipino arts and culture.

“Heart has brave heart for arts that artists should embody, she is eager to reintroduce hers elf, she wants to establish who she really is as an artist, apart from being an actress,” Almario said of the popular actress.

Coming from the Ongpauco clan of the Barrio Fiesta Restaurants fame, Evangelista started her career as a commercial model, then through perseverance and hard work paved the way to numerous acting and hosting projects.

She has been using her real name, Love Marie in her paintings, and HAD HER kRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN titled, “I am Love Marie: The Art and Works of Love Marie Ongpauco.”

As an accomplished visual artist, she had sold out solo exhibitions from various galleries in the country. Her works were also featured on Sterling notebook covers, then later painted her own design in lu x u r ious bag bra nds Her mès, Birkin, and Dolce & Gabbana.

“My story as an artist began with selfacceptance, and as a country we need to

know we don’t have to be like any other country because ours is a story that is not like any other. We can give so much to this world just by being who we are.

This [Arts] month let’s harness national pride, national identity, national unity through the power and the eloquence of the arts,” the actress-painter said.

Boy Abunda First named Arts Ambassador in 2010, Boy Abunda’s deep appreciation for the arts started when he worked as assistant stage manager at the Metropolitan Theater under the tutelage of Conching Sunico.

“Art, for me, is a way of life; it is our story; it is that something that DEkNES US AND WE SHOULD CHERISH and celebrate it,” he said. Also, his ability to clearly communicate ideas makes him the perfect spokesperson to promote Philippine arts and culture to Filipinos around the world.

He has been tirelessly promoting arts and culture, even spending his own time and money.

With the NCCA’s NAM celebration, Abunda is again rallying citizens to support the arts and take pride in Filipino artistry.

Fun Times The Sunday Times

G6

»horoscope

THE SUNDAY CROSSWORD

A Vast Pun-orama

By Merl Reagle January 27, 2019

...I should have outgroan these by now This puzzle is part of Merl's best-of series 1 5 9 15 18 19 20 22 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 39 42 43 44 45 48 49 53 55 57 58 64 65 66 67 71 77 79 80 81 85 87 88 89 90 93 94 100 101 102 104

ACROSS Arp’s art movement Wal-mart wheels Feel ___ (get chilly) Gore and Green Notable Maturing agent Action film with lessthan-thrilling sea chases?

Ore-poor region?

Part of A.D. President’s prerogative Hunky-dory Ex-veep Joe i topper or Y.A. Baba et al.

Air, junk, or voice X-rated video gala?

Map abbr.

Rap sheet Sahl-itary man Wonka’s creator Shakespeare’s merry month Two-term pres.

Q: “What’s a synonym for useless, señor?”

A: “___” Worship Flycatching bird (anagram of WE TIP) Domesticator Elope with Rebecca?

Regarded with interest New Haven campus Place Cracker cheese Title of a still-life painting with sort of a garage setting?

Balladeer Bryson Pinch in the nose Tchaikovsky’s leaders Signature line of a noted Swedish-Arab comic?

Rival French-Belgian river Pennsylvania city Adjutant: abbr.

Hockey’s Howe In place Easily surprised Roman?

English composer Quickly, quickly ___ a junkyard dog Hollywood voicedubber Nixon

107 High-priced flier ’til 2003 109 Adorable 111 Goods: abbr.

112 Where the sauce lover goes?

117 Tragic Greek hero with a weight problem?

118 Word after film or rock 119 They’ll follow you anywhere 120 Olympic maximum 121 Cure 122 Plying the Pacific 123 Singer Elliott or architect Gilbert

Gift givers! For info on Merl’s books, visit www.sundaycrosswords.com.

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76 Remington, not 47 Pain in the neck, perhaps Danielle 50 Spanish aunt 77 Undiluted 51 “Based on ___ story” 78 Give off 52 Written twice, a 1952 81 “Indubitably” Kenyan terrorist 82 Sailor’s story 54 Official forms and 83 Coal ending routine 84 Coll. hoop champs 55 Electorate sampler of 2000 56 Start of an old 85 Dye-approving org. palindrome, “Able 86 Gushing guys was I ___ ...”

91 Wise guys?

59 Keep an ___ (watch) 92 Beat back 60 “Adroit” negater 94 A ___ All Seasons 61 Pierce portrayer 95 Melodic 62 “At Nite” network 96 Witnesses are 63 German article under it 68 Clock face 97 Japanese motorcycle 69 “Not ___ eye in the and musical house” instrument co.

70 Large-scale 98 BVDs 72 Diamond stat 99 Talks back 73 Editors’ 103 Ooze reconsiderations 104 Follower of à la 74 Oat bristle 105 Ex-African 75 Racetrack strongman rejections?

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statements. Miscommunications arise easily. Hold your complaints, and patiently clarify. Use simple language.

Pictures help.

LIBRA ( SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Focus on short-term needs. A financial barrier could delay the action. Stay in communication to facilitate payments. Keep promises and agreements.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

SCORPIO ( OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 9 -- Smile, and reassure your peeps. Provide leadership to resolve a breakdown. Show up, and do what needs to be done. Give your word and keep it.

ARIES ( MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Ignore false rumors and gossip, especially about money. Adjust to a financial obstacle. Decrease obligations, and stay in communication. Collaborate with partners.

SAGITTARIUS ( NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is a 5 -- Hide out and wait for developments. Recharge batteries, and rest. You’re especially sensitive. Avoid catching a cold or bug with extra rest and hot liquids.

TAURUS ( APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Support your partner. A formidable barrier blocks the path, so take care. You can see what wasn’t working. Work with someone who sees your blind spot.

CAPRICORN ( DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Keep everyone in the loop who needs to know. A challenge could disrupt team communications. Tempers may be short. Don’t antagonize anyone. Model patience and diplomacy.

GEMINI ( MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Traffic or shipping delays could slow the action. Resist the temptation to push too hard, or risk breakage. Rest, and save energy. Nurture your health.

AQUARIUS ( JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Your profession and industry are undergoing changes. Old assumptions get challenged. Disruption closes one door and opens others.

Pay close attention and watch for opportunity.

CANCER ( JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Fun is available, and there are challenging obstacles. Don’t try to force an issue, especially in a romantic relationship. Wait for better conditions.

PISCES ( FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Delays and blockage could frustrate your travel and investigation today. Find the simplest route and monitor conditions.

Postpone what you can. Study options.

LEO ( JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Your home and family have your attention. Take care of someone. Don’t believe everything you hear. Practice patience. Find humor in the situation.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @lindablack. For more astrological interpretations visit Linda Black Horoscopes and www.nancyblack.com)

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DOWN “Nuts!” ___ of Sundays Signify Tally Espresso establishment Excitedly, in music Dye anew Athlon opener River near the Leaning Tower Landing place 41 Down run on one: abbr.

Lawyers’ org.

Prohibit People of Sri Lanka Bane of teens Meat cut Gym with a pool Italian car Williams out in left field Equalized Relaxed Filled with fat B-side of “Help,” by the Beatles (July 1965) Earth neighbor Funny Johnson Expert Friendship Something to pitch Firestorms do it Norse god with a magic hammer Overhead trains Low light Adam, to Eve Call it ___

4

Today’s Birthday (01/27/19). Grow through community collaboration this year. Win through coordinated organization and leadership. Make home repairs as needed. Resolve a twist with your partner this winter.

Summer brings physical and health breakthroughs, before a peaceful rest phase. Invent dreams worth chasing next winter. Invite friends to play.

SUNDAY January 27, 2019

103

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106 107 108 110 112 113

114 Uno plus due 115 “Tears ___ Clown” 116 Brit. military honor

Agent, briefly Throw (light on) Hot or hunky “Toodle-oo” Boater, for one Type of sleep

Solution: ¶&ODVVLILHG )· (Jan 20) D O F O R

B O L E R O S

I G A L L O N

S P F L U OU T P E T CO A L W I D

P I N E D HU F A VO MA R

F I F T Y F O U R F O R T Y S E E F I T

F E S T H O B B L C UN F S F E L R A K S E OM R E C A E D R Y

P E T E R I

A R R A N G E E R G A N D E T T I L V E E I F F A N DO S T

I M A F O O L

R S P A A H A L F F I CO T E R E F N E S T T S O A B I P A R A D I OD I N E D F O L D S A SO H E S T A F OCH EW A U E A P N S S T E ME E T NR E S P E I N A T E D P U F F E R E ROV A N OR E

D T O R F F I F E C T O A T T D E S E R E L D E I A F O F T A L OK E T ME A T DCO D G E R N E

R E C T O R

O N E S T A G R E I F I F T L I E N S HU UN F I F F L I E E S S

P E A L R S

VIRGO ( AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Study the latest developments. Let go of a preconception. Issue

SUDOKU

NANCY BLACK. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

By ROGER SEVILLA Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.

S C T A S N E L E E R F E T D I S E A S E

S T E L E

Solution from yesterday’s puzzle.

Arts Awake SUNDAY January 27, 2019

The Sunday Times

G7

CCP's 'Pasinaya' upsized I F fans think Pasinaya, the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest multiarts festival, cannot get any bigger, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) will prove them wrong.

To begin with, this year's Pasinaya Open House Festival will take place for three whole days from February 1 to 3 instead of its usual weekend run.

Following the theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Karapatan, Kalayaan, Kultura,â&#x20AC;? CCP decided to add an extra day as the open house festival has grown, making it a much longer art journey than just a weekend affair.

The countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading art institution will once again open its doors and offer unique artistic experiences with a see-all-you-can-and-pay-whatyou-can scheme. On its 15th year, the open house festival continues its two-part program, dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palihan at Palabas.â&#x20AC;?

The festival opens on February 1, Friday, with Palihan, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Experience-All-You-Can, Pay-What-YouCanâ&#x20AC;? part of the festival. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m., at the CCP Ramp and Little Theater lobby.

For a suggested donation price of P50, participants may go in and out of the different CCP venues to attend the 30-minute workshops in various

art disciplines conducted by leading artists, resource persons and teachers.

They can also have a dance-all-youcan day with workshops in hip hop, ballroom, folk dance, ballet for kids and adults, modern ballet and creative movement for teachers.

Meanwhile, participants can realize their acting dream with workshops on musical theatre, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, teens and adult theater, playwriting, improv, storytelling, collaborative theater, and directing space.

Perhaps, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be more inclined towards music and learn to play instruments with music workshops on classical guitar, rondalla, ukulele, percussion and Philippine musical instruments or maybe belt their hearts out in workshops on chamber music, solo singing, child r en a nd

The CCP Open House offers a see-all-you-can and pay-what-you-can scheme for the three-day festival.

youth choir singing.

Moreover, there will be two days of Palabas, with more than 3,000 artists IURP GLIIHUHQW DUW Ă&#x20AC;HOGV VXFK DV PXVLF theater, dance, spoken word, and visual arts expected to participate.

On February 2, performing groups and artists from Bulacan, Quezon, Boracay, Laguna, Cavite, Tarlac, Batangas, Bicol, Rizal, Pangasinan and other provinces in the Philippines will take center stage.

The centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resident companies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; namely the Ballet

CCP's resident artists from the various performing arts groups are set to go on stage for Pasinaya 2019.

Philippines, the Philippine Ballet Theater, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Tanghalang Pilipino, the UST Symphony Orchestra, and the National Music Competitions for Young Artists â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will highlight their seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offerings on February 3.

But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all. Another highlight of the festival is the museum-hopping, featuring the various partner museums around the metro. This year, CCP has new museum partners: CSB Center for Campus Art and Calle Wright.

In partnership with the Mu s eu m Fou nd at ion , shuttle vans are provided to enable audiences to visit participating museums and galleries in Pasay and Manila such as Met Museum, Museo Marino, Mu s e o Pa m bat a , National Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Art Gallery, Museum of the Filipino People and Museum of Natural History, Intramuros Administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Casa Manila and Fo r t S a nt i a g o , Mo n o 8 , B a h ay Tsino, Destilleria

Âťnccaupdates

Manila Symphony Orchestra takes a bow with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Titanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; THE Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) ends their season with a bang in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Titan.â&#x20AC;?

Their Season Finale concert will be held on January 30, 8 p.m. at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater featuring rarelyperformed pieces, Mahlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Symphony No. 1 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Titanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? and Ravelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piano Concerto in G Major.â&#x20AC;?

US-based Filipino pianist Victor Asuncion will share the stage with MSO as guest soloist under the baton of Marlon Chen as guest conductor.

Asuncion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hailed by The Washington Post for his â&#x20AC;&#x153;poised and imaginative playingâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; has performed in concert halls around the world as a recitalist and concerto soloist.

He played his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra and his New York recital debut in Carnegieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weill Recital Hall in 1999.

Asuncion then worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Batiz, Mei Ann Chen, Zeev Dorman, Arthur Weisber, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Jordan Tang, and Bobby McFerrin.

He has also performed with esteemed artists such as Lynn Harrel, Zuill Bailey, Andres Diaz, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Cho-Liang Yan and many others.

The celebrated soloist was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. His recordings include the complete Sonatas of L. van Beethoven with cellist Tobias Werner, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, and the Rachmaninoff Sonata with the cellist Evan Drachman.

Finally, he is featured in the award winning recording â&#x20AC;&#x153;Songs My Father Taught Me,â&#x20AC;? with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago.

Meanwhile, Chenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dynamic charisma and artistic versatility have seen him conduct opera, ballet, symphonic works and chamber orchestras to sold-out concert halls across four continents.

He currently holds positions as Principal Guest Conductor of the Shenyang Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sin-

fonica de la Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hildalgo, and Resident Conductor of the Aperio Ensemble in Houston, Texas.

Previously, he was an Associate Conductor of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, an Assistant Conductor of the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig and an Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris. Marlon Chen appears as guest conductor on both sides of the Atlantic with PDQ\ RI WKH ZRUOG¡V Ă&#x20AC;QHVW RUFKHVWUDV LQFOXGLQJ Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, English School of Opera Festival Orchestra London, Moldova Chamber Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Bolivian Festival Orchestra and Singapore International Music Festival Orchestra, among many others.

Himself a composer and arranger, professor Chen has performed his own works with the major orchestras he has conducted, commissioned works from composers and has conducted more than 50 premieres of contemporary compositions. +LV UHFHQW Ă&#x20AC;OP SURMHFWV LQFOXGH UHFRUGLQJ IRU 1HWĂ L[ RQ WKH DZDUG ZLQQLQJ VKRZ ´6HQVH Âľ and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Babylon Berlinâ&#x20AC;? with director Tom Tykwer.

Joining in this stellar collaboration is internationally-awarded youth orchestra, the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO).

They won the 1st Prize in the 12th Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival held at

Limtuaco, FDCP Cinematheque, Galleria Duemilla, UP Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Museum of A History of Ideas, Avellana Gallery, 98B Collaboratory and NCCA Gallery.

As with other editions, there will EH Ă&#x20AC;OP VFUHHQLQJV YLVXDO DUWV H[KLELtions in the various CCP galleries, Arts Market at the Little Theater Lobby and tiangge in the South Parking area, among others.

The festival will culminate with a parade, featuring the best of the art community and presenting performances of the CCP resident companies and other guest artists.

All performances will be held in every possible venue at the CCP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; theaters, lobbies, hallways, promenade areas, the alley beside the Production Design Center. All venues are â&#x20AC;&#x153;zonedâ&#x20AC;? according to the art forms and genres such as music, theater, dance, film, literature, visual arts, children and family, variety and the artists market.

Through the Pasinaya, the CCP aims to provide a platform for the artists to showcase their talents, nurture the public and create new aud ienc e s th rou gh i nteract ion s and performances.

For the past years, the Pasinaya has become bigger, attracting more than 10,000 people, with approximately 52,000-audience viewership. Through the festival, CCP makes art matters in the life of every Filipino.

NCCA, MTRCB join forces for Filipino cinema

US-based Filipino pianist Victor Asuncion

the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria and went on to perform in concerts in Venice, Florence and Rome.

MSOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new concertmaster and violin prodigy, Diomedes Saraza Jr., also joins MSO in the VHDVRQ Ă&#x20AC;QDOH FRQFHUW All in all, the audience can expect to enjoy a captivating and grand performance by these exemplary artists in the classical music scene Tickets are now available at www.ticketworld.com.ph or call 891-9999.

MSO guest conductor Marlon Chen

THE National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ZLWK WKH 0RYLH DQG 7HOHYLVLRQ 5HYLHZ DQG &ODVVLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQ Board (MTRCB) on January 16 to strengthen the promotion of Filipino cinema.

The MOU signing, led by NCCA Chairman National Artist Virgilio Almario, MTRCB Chairperson Maria Rachel Arenas, and MTRCB Board Members Elizabeth Rose Siguion-Reyna, Jeremiah Jaro and Ma. Gabriela Concepcion, took place at the 075&% 2IĂ&#x20AC;FH LQ 7LPRJ 4XH]RQ &LW\ 7KH 028 VKDOO HQDEOH DOO Ă&#x20AC;OPV HQGRUVHG E\ WKH 1&&$ Committee on Cinema to get 70 percent discount in their 075&% SHUPLW ZKLFK ZLOO EH JRRG IRU Ă&#x20AC;YH \HDUV DQG DOlow NCCA to facilitate and issue exhibition permits in all 1&&$ IXQGHG Ă&#x20AC;OP IHVWLYDOV DQG RWKHU VXSSRUWHG SXEOLF screenings applicable for exemption.

075&% LV D JRYHUQPHQW DJHQF\ XQGHU WKH 2IĂ&#x20AC;FH RI WKH President of the Philippines under the Presidential Decree QR ZKLFK UHJXODWHV DQG FODVVLĂ&#x20AC;HV PRWLRQ SLFWXUHV television programs, and publicity materials. It also promotes an environment leading to authentic and responsible VHOI UHJXODWLRQ LQ WKH WHOHYLVLRQ DQG Ă&#x20AC;OP LQGXVWU\

Last call for 'Kabanalanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exhibit

NCCA, in collaboration with Intramuros Administration (IA) launched an exhibit, which expresses religious symbols and personas of Christian in art at the NCCA Gallery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sisidlan ng Kabanalanâ&#x20AC;? is a contemplation on the concept of vessels.

A sisidlan or vessel and the holiness or values it contains can take many forms and be interpreted on various levels: an urna as an artistic and devotional reliquary; the image RI 0DU\ DV D VLJQLĂ&#x20AC;HU RI WKH SHUVRQD YHQHUDWHG LQ WKH /LWDQ\ of Loreto as the Spiritual Vessel, the Vessel of Honor and the Singular Vessel of Devotion; and the museum an entity, both abstract and concrete, dedicated to the conservation, research and exhibition of cultural heritage.

The expressions of religious symbols and personas of Christian faith in art emanates the values that they represent, and these values were, and still are instrumental in shaping Filipino Culture.

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sisidlan ng Kabanalanâ&#x20AC;? runs until February 3 at the NCCA Gallery, located at 633 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila.

Arts Awake The Sunday Times

G8

January 27, 2019 SUNDAY

The 'Phantom' fever is back!

W

BY CHRISTINA ALPAD

HEN Broadway’s longest-running musical “The Phantom of the Opera” first invaded Manila in 2012, local audiences were gripped by maddening and mesmerizing stage production that its original three-week run was extended twice.

In fact, even before its Philippine premiere, tickets were already sold out as the demand for additional show dates went on and on from August to October.

Seven years since, news that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece is returning to these shores has commanded the same effect among the Phantom’s Filipino fandom.

Originally set to run from February 20 to March 17, “the world’s most popular musical,” is now extended to March 31.

“Due to overwhelming public demand, we added two more weeks to the Manila season of The Phantom of the Opera,” the musical’s associate director Arthur Masella announced during an open rehearsal for media on Wednesday.

ing 30 years on Broadway.

Worldwide, The Phantom of the Opera — which has also won critics what with seven Tonys on Broadway and four Olivier Awards on West End — became the first stage production to reach a gross of $6 billion. To date, it has been seen in 37 countries and 172 cities by over 140 million people, Filipinos included.

So why do fans, including those from the Philippines who are most probably scoring tickets right at this moment, still troop to the theaters when The Phantom of the Opera has been around for over 30 years?

“The show has not aged. This show

The Phantom (Jonathan Roxmouth) and Christine (Meghan Picerno) fall in love anew on Manila's stage.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CONCERTUS MANILA

does not feel dated — not in the writing, in the staging, in the stagecraft and I think that’s primarily the reasons why people still yearn to see this critical production,” as-

Timeless tale The Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End on October 9, 1986. Since then, it has taken the world of musical by storm.

For one, the musical became the longest running show in Broadway history on January 9, 2006 when it celebrated its 7, 468th performances, surpassing the previous record holder “Cats.” On January 1, 2018, it celebrated its 13,000th performance and later that month, the production celebrated an amaz-

sociate director Masella shared to the local media through a Q&A after their open rehearsal in Manila.

“I think, if it isn’t the beauty of the visual or it’s melodic accessibility – if none of that seems to grab people, even our younger audience, then it might just be the love story,” musical supervisor Kristen Blodgette, meanwhile, offered.

Classic love triangle

The musical's touring cast is now in the thick of rehearsals for the February 20 opening.

Besides Webber’s genius in writing the production’s iconic songs namely, among others, “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Think of Me,” “All I Ask of You” and “Music of the Night” — which ring a bell even for nonmusical fans —it is undeniable that the love triangle of ‘The Phantom,’ Christine and Raoul is a huge drawing factor for the play.

To be sure, the play, based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra

by Gaston Leroux, follows a dis-

figured musical genius known only as ‘The Phantom’ (Jonathan Roxmouth) who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House.

Mesmerized by the talents and beauty of a young soprano — Christine (Meghan Picerno), the Phantom lures her as his protégé and falls fiercely in love with her. Unaware of Christine’s love for Raoul (Matt Leisy), the Phantom’s obsession sets the scene for a dramatic turn of events where jealousy, madness and passions collide. “ There’s someth i n g about the universality of the period and of the story of rejection, of love for each other. Those things transcend any human generation; it still works for all of us,” associate choreographer Denny Berry, who completed the panel, finally added.

T he Pha ntom of the O pera i s brought to Manila by Concertus Manila and produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions.

‘Potted Potter:’ Back by magical demand FOLLOWING three sold-out seasons in previous years, “Potted Potter” makes a triumphant return to Manila due to magical demand.

Playing to full houses all over the world, every Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books — and a real-life game of Quidditch — into 70 hilarious minutes.

The result is a fantastically funny show that features all every Potterhead’s (the term for Harry Potter fans) favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.

The brains behind this fan favorite are Dan iel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner who first created Potted Potter in 2005.

T hei r piece was or i g i na l ly for an appearance at a London bookshop, as a five-minute entertainment for fans awaiting the release of the sixth book in the series. What they did not anticipate was the show growing into a full-length stage production.

Potted Potter was first seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 20 06, and has since toured internationally for over a decade, securing an Olivier Award

The show condenses all seven 'Harry Potter' books into 70 hilarious minutes.

nomination as Best Entertainment and Family Show. All four Potted shows (Potted Panto, Potted Sherlock, Potted Pirates and Potted Potter) have earned widespread acclaim and a fan base that crosses generations.

Potted Potter has played 30 weeks off-Broadway across two sold-out seasons, as well as five West End runs, and multiple North American and Australasian tours. The show has proved hugely popular with audiences around the world.

It can be remembered that the show had successful stints in Manila in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and are poised to be just as successful this year.

The limited Manila run — there are only nine shows — of Potted Potter at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center will start on March 20.