The Manila Times | April 28, 2019

HURLEY-MALNATI LEADS RAIN-HIT ZURICH CLASSIC

Golf Times E1

++

Php20.00

DONAIRE SEEKS TIMI AQUINO WORLD BOXING FOR LOVE OF BAM AND COUNTRY SERIES FINALS Sunday Times imes Magazine F1

The Sunday Times

•• SECTIONS PAGES • VOL. 120 NO. 1977 6 32

Âť

Sports D4

APRIL 28, 2019 19

R w w w.manilatimes.net

Trusted since 1898

PH math wizards victorious in Vietnam

-!4(%-!4)#3 SHOULD NOT BE COMPLICATED IT SHOULD BE FUN 4HIS WAS WHAT A TEAM OF &ILIPINO STUDENTS HAD TO SAY AFTER THEY EMERGED VICTORIOUS AT THE TH (ANOI /PEN -ATHEMATICS #OMPETITION (/-# EARLIER THIS MONTH 4HE 0HILIPPINES BAGGED TWO GOLD MEDALS DURING THE !PRIL TO EVENT COURTESY

PA L AC E O R D E R S M E D I A G R O U P S:

Explain undelivered aid to massacre victims’ kin

BY CATHERINE S. VALENTE

M

EDIA groups have been asked to acCOUNT FOR kNANCIAL AID THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE TO FAMILIES OF THOSE SLAIN IN the gruesome 2009 MaguINDANAO MASSACRE

ÂłVietnam A8

The Chuzon tragedy and the rush to build on unsafe ground

#OMMUNICATIONS 5NDERSECRETARY *OEL %GCO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 0RESIDENTIAL 4ASK &ORCE ON -EDIA 3ECURITY SAID LETTERS HAD BEEN SENT TO THE #ENTER FOR -EDIA &REEDOM AND 2ESPONSIBILITY .ATIONAL 5NION OF *OURNALISTS OF THE 0HILIPPINES

.ATIONAL 0RESS #LUB +APISANAN NG MGA "RODKASTER NG 0ILIPINAS 0HILIPPINE 0RESS )NSTITUTE 0UBLISHERS !SSOCIATION OF THE

SUNDAY STORIES MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

M

UCH of Pampanga has shaken off the HORRIkC IMPACT OF THE -T 0INATUBO ERUPTION THE SECOND LARGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTION OF THE TH CENTURY )N TERMS OF

ÂłVictims A2

Durant nets 50 as Warriors Selling advance to children to the sex trade PINAYS’ KILLER MURDERED MORE WOMEN, GIRLS NBA 2nd round ³Ronquillo A5

Q Female migrant workers hold candles and a banner reading ‘Where are you ?’ as protesters demonstrate in support of the victims of a suspected serial killer in front of the presidential palace in Nicosia on April 26, 2019. AFP PHOTO

REFLECTIONS

FR. SHAY CULLEN, SSC

H

UMAN TRAFkCKING IS THE MOST WIDESPREAD CRIME AGAINST PERSONS AND IS THE THIRD BIGGEST EARNING BUSINESS IN THE WORLD AFTER DRUG TRAFkCKING AND ARMS

ÂłCullen A4 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

XYLIANTOS, Cyprus: #YPRIOT AUTHORITIES COMBED LAKES FOR THE REMAINS OF MORE VICTIMS DUMPED BY A SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER IN A CASE THAT HAS SHOCKED THE ISLAND 4HE SEARCH FOCUSED ON TWO LAKES SOUTHWEST OF .ICOSIA WHERE THE SUSPECT NAMED IN LOCAL MEDIA AS .ICOS -ETAXAS A YEAR OLD 'REEK #YPRIOT ARMY OFkCER ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED TO HAVING DUMPED THE BODIES

4HE SUSPECT HAS ADMITTED TO KILLING SEVEN FOREIGN WOMEN AND UNDERAGE GIRLS ON THE -EDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY ISLAND ACCORDING TO POLICE SOURCES 3INCE !PRIL POLICE HAVE RECOVERED THREE BODIES ALL BELIEVED TO BE &ILIPINA DOMESTIC WORKERS IN WHAT LOCAL MEDIA HAS DUBBED #YPRUS gkRST SERIAL KILLINGS u /NE OF THEM WAS RETRIEVED 4HURSDAY

AFTER THE SUSPECT SHOWED INVESTIGATORS THE SPOT WHERE HE HAD DUMPED A BODY IN A WELL AT AN ARMY kRING RANGE OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL 4HE STEPPED UP SEARCH AT THE LAKES ‡ WATER kLLED CRATERS OF FORMER MINES NOW NORMALLY USED AS PICNIC SITES IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE 4ROODOS MOUNTAINS ‡ CO-

LOS ANGELES: +EVIN $URANT SCORED A PLAYOFF CAREER HIGH POINTS AS THE 'OLDEN 3TATE 7ARRIORS BLASTED THEIR WAY INTO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE ."! PLAYOFFS BY CLOBBERING THE ,OS !NGELES #LIPPERS ON &RIDAY $URANT MADE HISTORY BY EQUALING THE MOST POINTS SCORED IN THE kRST HALF OF A PLAYOFF GAME WITH OF HIS

ÂłNBA A2

ÂłMurdered A8

Reject protectionism, join Belt and Road – Xi BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping urged dozens of world leaders on Saturday to reject protectionism and invited more countries to participate in his global infrastructure project after seeking to ease concerns surrounding the program.

Addressing 37 leaders from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, Xi made a new pitch for his cherished Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as he

kicked off the last day of a three-day forum.

The world’s number two economy has been fighting a festering trade war with the United States for months, and Xi has long sought to take the mantle of the new world power open to multilateral cooperation and globalization. “We need to build an open world economy and reject protectionism,� Xi told leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Italian Prime

Minister Giuseppe Conte and Pakistan’s Imran Khan, seated around a large round table at the idyllic Yanqi Lake retreat at the edge of Beijing.

A draft communique for the forum seen by AFP similarly pledges to “reject protectionism� and “unilateralism� in an oblique swipe at President Donald Trump’s “America first� presidency.

US officials were not sent to the summit.

ÂłRoad A8

Q Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors looks up in a 129-110 win over the LA Clippers at the Staples Center on April 26, 2019.

AFP PHOTO

A2

News

˜ The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

PNP disputes Ateneo study result on ‘Oplan Tokhang’

T

BY ROY D.R. NARRA

HE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday insisted that its Operation (Oplan) Tokhang and other anti-drug operations were implemented with adherence to the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The statement came after a study done by the Ateneo School of Government said police officers who previously conducted Oplan 4OKHANG DID NOT OBSERVE RIGHTS TO privacy, due process, counsel, information and health of drug suspects.

Police Col. Bernard Banac, PNP SPOKESMAN SAID THEY RESPECT THIS result of the study but maintained that they did not violate any law in CONDUCTING 4OKHANG OPERATIONS g,ET THIS BE KNOWN TO ALL THAT WE adhere to the rule of law, respect human rights and value life. As any

organization, we are not perfect [b]ut this has not deterred us from intensifying internal cleansing to maintain discipline among our personnel and weed out from our RANKS ROGUES MISkTS AND SCALAwags,� he added.

Banac said the PNP would always be open to criticisms and suggestions from the public on how to improve its operations.

He pointed out that they were already implementing changes after listening to criticisms such as the use of body cameras and

THE INTENSIkED INTERNAL CLEANSING OF 0.0 RANKS ! TOTAL OF POLICE OFkCERS were already given disciplinary actions after they were proven to have committed violations during ANTI DRUG OPERATIONS SINCE Out of 8,440, 4,500 were susPENDED AND WERE DISMISSED from the service.

Of the dismissed officers, 322 were found positive for use of illegal drugs and 119 were discovered to be coddling, protecting drug suspects or not attending court duties. “Insofar as illegal drugs are CONCERNED MAKE NO MISTAKE THE PNP will never fail to honor its commitment to enforce the law, DESTROY THE DRUG MENACE AND KEEP the peace and order in our land with transparency, adherence to the rule of law and utmost respect for human rights,� Banac said.

Based on the Ateneo Drug Archive study, 5,021 people were KILLED IN THE kRST MONTHS OF THE DRUG CRACKDOWN UNDER THE $UTERTE administration.

Since then, 2,000 drug suspects WERE KILLED The victims were mostly described as poor, male breadwinNERS WITH OF THEM KILLED IN Metro Manila.

The study concluded that OperATION 4OKHANG VIOLATED A NUMBER of rights of the drug suspects. /PERATION 4OKHANG WAS INITIALLY suspended by President Rodrigo Duterte after the controversial DEATH OF YEAR OLD +IAN ,OYD delos Santos. )T WAS THEN BROUGHT BACK IN January 2017 with a recalibrated POLICY TO MAKE SURE THAT POLICE OFkCERS WOULD OBSERVE HUMAN RIGHTS and adhere to the rule of law.

Death for drug pushers – Jinggoy DRUG pushers should be subjected to the death penalty while drug users should be rehabilitated, according to candidate for senator Jose “Jinggoy� Estrada. “If the death penalty will be a deterrent, I am 100 percent in favor of the death penalty, but it SHOULD ONLY BE FOR DRUG TRAFkCKers. Don’t include drug users,� he said at the Kapihan sa Quezon City on Saturday.

Estrada added that there was still hope for drug pushers to stay away from drugs and change their lives.

On the other hand, he said drug pushers could not be reformed anymore because they were driven by money. “Those drug users, they can still be reformed‌ Some underwent rehabilitation and now, they have jobs,â€? Estrada added.

(E SAID g$RUG 4RAFkCKERS (OW CAN YOU REFORM DRUG TRAFkCKERS They are driven by money. For me, drug users can still change while it is impossible for drug pushers.�

He is part of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) slate for the Senate.

The HnP is a group of candidates for senator who are in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies and programs.

One of President Rodrigo $UTERTE S PROGRAMS WAS THE CRACKdown on drugs that saw the death of more than 5,000 alleged drug users and drug pushers.

Despite insisting that there WERE NO EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS IN the campaign, Duterte said many times that anyone involved in ilLEGAL DRUGS SHOULD BE KILLED

Based on the latest update of RealNumbers PH, a total of 357,994 drug users and pushers were already rehabilitated through the government’s recovery and wellness program.

Estrada attributed to the Aquino administration the failure of $UTERTE TO FULkLL HIS PROMISE OF eliminating drugs in the country in three to six months. “Maybe the President was not ABLE TO FULkLL HIS PROMISE OF THREE to six months of eliminating drugs because the drug problem was not addressed properly by the previous administration that it became so big for the President to handle,� he said. “As far as I’m concerned, we just need to help President Duterte,�

Estrada added.

"ESIDES DRUG TRAFFICKERS HE said the death penalty should BE BROUGHT BACK FOR PEOPLE WHO commit rape, murder and other heinous crimes.

Estrada also previously expressed his wish for plunderers to be meted out capital punishment.

He and fellow candidates for senator Ramon “Bong� Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile were charged with plunder for their alleged involvement in a P10-billion gPORK BARRELu SCAM Estrada had posted bail for plunder and 15 counts of graft.

He, however, insisted on his innocence and said they were victims of selective justice.

Based on a recent Pulse Asia SURVEY %STRADA RANKS TH TO TH in the race to the Senate.

ROY D.R. NARRA

‘Probe foreign doctors working in PH sans permit’

WELCOME TO PASIG

Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, a leading candidate for senator in the May midterm elections, reaches for supporters during a motorcade from Rosario in Pasig City to Pinagbuhatan, also in the city, on Saturday. PHOTO BY JON ORVEN VERDOTE

Q VICTIMS A1

Explain undelivered aid Philippines Inc., Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, Center for Community Journalism and Development, Committee to Protect Journalists, International Media Support, and the Mindanao Independent Press Council.

In the letters, Egco informed the MEDIA GROUPS ABOUT A 3OCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos) Press Club resolution “demanding from all media organizations that have availed of monetary grants from local and international donors for and in behalf of the Maguindanao massacre victims DETAILED ACCOUNTING AND kNANCIAL reports for public scrutiny.�

Representatives of the media or-

ganizations were not immediately available for comment.

4HE 3OCSKSARGEN 0RESS #LUB wants the reports to be submitted to the Presidential CommunicaTIONS /PERATIONS /FkCE AND THE OFkCES OF THE 3ENATE 0RESIDENT AND (OUSE 3PEAKER AND ALSO posted on their websites or social media accounts.

In a text message, Egco said 3OCCSKSARGEN 0RESS #LUB DIRECTOR Joseph Jubelag informed him about the resolution during an event in Sultan Kudarat last month where the massacre victims’ families were present. g4HE FAMILY MEMBERS WERE ASKING ABOUT ALL THE kNANCIAL HELP promised to them ‌ The families

Q NBA FROM A1

Durant nets 50 as Warriors coming in the opening half. He tied former Phoenix Sun star #HARLES "ARKLEY WHO SCORED OF HIS POINTS IN THE kRST HALF OF A series clinching win over Golden State 25 years ago. “That was one of the great performances I’ve ever seen in my life,� Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s the ultimate weapon because there’s no defense for Kevin.�

Durant was at a loss to explain his masterful performance on Friday. “I am just out there playing. I was so lost in the game I am not REALLY THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING else but winning the possession.

It is tough to explain. I am just in

it,� he said.

The Warriors advance to face THE (OUSTON 2OCKETS BEGINNING ON 3UNDAY IN /AKLAND (OUSTON WAS ALREADY IN /AKLAND WAITING FOR THE 7ARRIORS TO kNISH THE SERIES SO they could start the second round on Sunday. $URANT SAID THE 2OCKETS WERE going to be a whole new challenge. “They are a talented ball club with a lot of high IQ players that shoot well and penetrate WELL SO WE GOT OUR WORK CUT OUT for us,� he said. $RAYMOND 'REEN HAD POINTS

14 rebounds and 10 assists, Stephen Curry scored 24 points, and Andre Iguodala contributed 15 points off the bench for the War-

came there because they wanted to see me,� he added.

Egco said he assured the families that they would be informed of developments. “I believe their query is legit in the spirit of transparency and accountABILITY u THE 0ALACE OFkCIAL ADDED The Maguindanao massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 individuals including 32 media WORKERS OCCURRED ON .OV

2009. Members of the Ampatuan clan are facing criminal charges for allegedly masterminding the COLD BLOODED KILLINGS The victims included the wife of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, lawyers and supporters. They were in a convoy riors, who won three road playoff GAMES IN THE SAME SERIES FOR kRST time in franchise history.

4HE 7ARRIORS PUT THE BRAKES ON Clipper reserves Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, who had done so much damage against them in the two Clippers victories. The pair came in leading Los Angeles in scoring during the series at 24.4 and 20 points, respectively.

Williams scored eight points on A HORRIkC THREE FOR SHOOTING

and Harrell was limited to just 10 points.

GOING TO 3HARIFF !GUAK TOWN TO file Mangudadatu’s certificate of candidacy for the May 2010 elections. A group of armed men stopped the group, shot them DEAD AND USED A BACKHOE TO BURY the victims. #ASES kLED AGAINST THOSE INvolved have yet to be resolved nearly a decade later. Last year, MalacaĂąang said the government, through the Department of Justice (DoJ), was doing its best to attain justice. “What’s important to us is justice will prevail. Rule of law will have to be observed regardless of who the persons are involved in any particular case,â€? Palace SPOKESMAN 3ALVADOR 0ANELO SAID “The DoJ is the one responsible for prosecuting the case and so it is doing its job, its level best, to speed up the prosecution of the case,â€? he added.

Williams described Durant as “a special� player who was unguardable when on his game. “Sometimes you come across special people and it doesn’t matter what you send to them,�

Williams said. “There’s no scheme.

There’s nothing you can do. “ We t r i e d e v e r y t h i n g . I t DIDN T WORK “Even the game he came out, HE WAS LIKE @) M +EVIN $URANT YOU ALL KNOW WHO ) AM 4HAT S A BOLD STATEMENT TO MAKE WHEN YOU ARE going to see some guys who are extremely competitive. ‘We didn’t roll over’ g)T WASN T A LACK OF EFFORT ON our part. He’s an all-world profes“He’s Kevin Durant. We didn’t roll sional and he proved it.� over. We didn’t just say, come on, Danilo Gallinari had 29 points, just give us 50 tonight,� said Clip- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored PERS 0ATRICK "EVERLEY g(E S A HELL AND "EVERLEY kNISHED WITH OF A PLAYER 4HE SHOTS HE TOOK HE points, 14 rebounds and seven made some tough shots.� assists in the loss.

AFP

INVESTIGATE a syndicate that facilitates the entry and employment of foreign doctors who practice medicine as medical consultants in hospitals in the Philippines without the necessary permit to do so.

The presence of these foreign MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS WORKING IN local hospitals without permit, Sen. Richard Gordon said on Saturday, was in violation of the reciprocity requirement under RA 2382, or “The Medical Act of 1959,� and Republic Act 8981, or the “PRC (Professional Regulatory Commission) Modernization Act of 2000.�

Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, made the call after bumping into the scheme employed by a syndicate right at the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital, a government hospital in Olongapo City, wherein several DOCTORS OF 0AKISTANI OR .EPALESE citizenship have been practicing as medical consultants. “I am concerned because they are allowed to deal with patients on a one-on-one basis, they prescribe medicines. The patients hardly understand them. -ARAMI NA @KONG NATANGGAP NA REKLAMO TUNGKOL DITO NA NAKUMPIRMA NAMIN (I have received several complains about THIS AND WE HAVE CONkRMED IT !RE THEY SUPERVISED BY &ILIPINO DOCTORS Are they even allowed to practice MEDICINE HERE u HE SAID He noted that the Philippines only has reciprocity agreements with Japan, Spain and the United States, including Asean mutual recognition arrangements. “Una, #HINESE WORKERS ANG KUMUKUMPETENSYA SA MGA WORKERS NATIN NGAYON MGA DOKTOR NAMAN Dapat matigil ito (First, Chinese WORKERS ARE COMPETING WITH OUR WORKERS NOW DOCTORS 4HIS HAS to stop) because this concerns the health and well-being of the public and I fear that this is being practiced not just in Olongapo but in other areas too,� Gordon said.

The senator pointed out that under Section 7 (j) of RA 8981, the PRC was empowered “to approve the registration of and authorize the issuance of a certificate of registration/license AND PROFESSIONAL IDENTIkCATION

card‌to a foreigner who is registered under the laws of his state OR COUNTRY AND WHOSE CERTIkCATE of registration issued therein has NOT BEEN SUSPENDED OR REVOKED Provided, that, the requirements for the registration or licensing in said foreign state or country are substantially the same as those required and contemplated by the laws of the Philippines and that the laws of such foreign state or country allow the citizens of the Philippines to practice the profession on the same basis and grant the same privileges as those enjoyed by the subjects or citizens of such foreign state or country‌�

The same provision also allows the PRC to authorize the issuance of a certificate of registration/ license or a special temporary permit to foreign professionals who desire to practice their professions in the country under reciprocity and other international agreements; and consultants in foreign-funded joint venture or foreign-assisted projects of the government, employees of PhilIPPINE OR FOREIGN PRIVATE kRMS OR institutions pursuant to law or health professionals engaged in humanitarian mission for a limited period of time.

Gordon, however, said the agencies, organizations or individuals, whether public or private, who secure the services of a foreign professional authorized by law to practice in the Philippines for reasons aforementioned, should be responsible for securing a special permit from the PRC and the Department of Labor and Employment, pursuant to PRC and Department of Labor and Employment rules.

Among others, the law also emPOWERS THE 02# TO kLE A CRIMINAL complaint against the head of the GOVERNMENT AGENCY OR OFkCERS OF the said private entity/institution, who shall be liable under the penalty provided for in the concerned professional regulatory law or the penalty imposed pursuant to RA 8991, when the professional was hired and allowed to practice his/ her profession without permit; AND TO kLE UPON DUE PROCESS A request for deportation with the Bureau of Immigration, he added.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

The Sunday Times

Duterte skips Belt and Road gala dinner PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte skipped the gala dinner of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday night due to migraine, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said without elaborating.

It was the third day of the President’s four-day visit to Beijing where he was invited to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Prior to skipping the gala dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping for world leaders and delegates, Duterte witnessed the signing of 19 business agreements forged between Filipino and Chinese companies. “We are pleased to announce that President Rodrigo Roa DuteRTE S LATEST OFkCIAL VISIT TO #HINA resulted in 19 business agreements with an estimated investment value of $12.165 billion. More than 21,000 of our fellow Filipinos are expected to be employed as a result thereof,� Panelo said in a statement on Friday night.

The Palace official noted the new business agreements cover a wide range of areas from energy to the construction of an economic

News Sotto: Sara Duterte free to oppose federalism S SUNDAY April 28, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

zone, from the design of a Green Textile Industry Park to airport expansion, from the construction of tourism-related facilities to infrastructure for nationwide WI-FI connectivity.

Also inked, he said, were agreements to train and introduce Filipino domestic helpers in China and supply of agricultural products, such as fresh pineapples and young coconuts, among others. “The President’s fourth visit to our Giant Neighbor in the North yielded positive results that will impact on the lives of many of our people leading to his goal of delivering a comfortable, secure and prosperous life for all Filipinos,�

Panelo said.

On Saturday, Duterte joined Xi at the welcome ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center.

He also attended two high-level ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS BEFORE lYING back to the Philippines in the evening.

The President is expected to arrive in Davao City early Sunday morning. CATHERINE S. VALENTEÂ

BY JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

ENATE President Vicente Sotto 3rd on Saturday said he respects Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s opposition to the proposed shift to federalism that her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, has been PUSHING SINCE HE ASSUMED OFkCE

“Everyone is entitled to his/ her opinion,� Sotto said when reached for comment on Duterte-Carpio’s statement that she was not in favor of federalism.

Duterte-Carpio on Wednesday told reporters on the sidelines of Hugpong ng Pagbabago’s (HnP) campaign sortie in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi that she was opposed to federalism, because wider political

AND kSCAL AUTONOMY WHEN GRANTED to areas long held by political clans, could spell trouble. “If you can see, Mindanao is filled with ‘kingdoms’ of local politicians, local warlords. I don’t think it’s right that we grant them wider powers,� she said.

The President’s daughter, however, noted that the decision to shift to federalism rests with Congress and

the President.

President Duterte has said from the start of his term that a federal form of GOVERNMENT WILL BENEkT LOCAL GOVERNment units that have long relied on the central government for funding.

Duterte-Carpio leads the HnP which fielded 13 Senate candidates for the upcoming midterm elections, who are expected to support the President’s legislative priorities if they win.

Asked whether the shift to federalism was one of such priorities, she said the regional party “does not have a collective stand� on the matter.

The Palace has formed a consultative committee that recommended a draft federal charter.

The President, however, has not yet officially endorsed the committee’s draft to Congress, which

A3

introduced its own version of a proposed revised Charter which, among others, removed term limits FOR ELECTIVE OFkCIALS But Sotto, said he did not see the need, to prioritize federalism especially Since the Bangsamoro Organic Law has just been implemented.

The Senate chief said that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao created under Republic Act 11054 could be an experiment on whether or not federalism would work for the country. “We will monitor closely how it will work. It could be a model for the federalism proposal that they are pushing. It’s a region of its own, that’s why we don’t really need to prioritize federalism at this point when we have a good experiment, if I may call it that,� Sotto said.

CULTURAL PERFORMANCE

Cultural groups nationwide perform in the annual Aliwan Festival in Manila on Sunday, April 27, 2019. PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

Enforcement of bus ban up to politicians – MMDA THE implementation of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) provincial bus ban may face stumbling blocks after the elections due to uncertainties on how the incoming mayors of Pasay and Quezon City would support the bid to remove the terminals.

MMDA Command Center chief Edison “Bong� Nebrija said the transition of city leaders may cause problems on the MMDA target to have all 47 provincial bus terminals in EDSA closed

by May 15. “Our problem is — come election day, the mayors [who initially agreed with out resolution] would be replaced. They have the power to revoke the business permits of these terminals,� Nebrija told reporters.

The Metro Manila Council (MMC), composed of all mayors of the capital region, signed a resolution last month which directed the closure of all terminals along EDSA in a bid to decongest the major thoroughfare.

MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the agency has written the Pasay and Que-

zon City governments a request to revoke the business permits of the terminals operating on their junctions.

Both Mayors Herbert Bautista of Quezon City and Antonino Calixto of Pasay, who agreed to THE RESOLUTION ARE ON THEIR kNAL terms. It is unclear, however, if mayoral candidates of both cities would support the measure signed by their soon to be predecessors.

Nebrija said even if Bautista and Calixto would give the nod for the revocation before May 13, what happens after the polls would be up to their successors. “If they refuse to enforce it, we can’t do anything about it. They have the decision on that. We are only banking on the MMC resolution,� Nebrija said.

4HE --$! HAS CAPPED ITS kRST week of the provincial bus ban dry-run on Saturday with 70 apprehensions and more than P35,000 WORTH OF kNES Once the MMDA’s total provincial bus ban is fully implemented, provincial buses will no longer be allowed to traverse major roads in Metro Manila.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Enrile calls for probe on power outages AMID the threat of power outages and power rate increases, former Senate president and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) Senate candidate Juan Ponce Enrile stressed the need to revisit the Electric Power Industry Reform (Epira) Act. Enrile, who continued the Northern leg of his campaign in Quezon on Saturday, lamented reports that power rates were poised to go up following widespread power shortages in Luzon the past few weeks. “Consumers are the ones who suffer the most. They are already being hit by these power outages, and yet they have to pay more with bigger electricity bills due in the following months,� said Enrile in an interview

in Tayabas, Quezon.

The former Senate chief noted that on April 12 and 15, rotating power outages were imposed in several areas in Metro Manila and Luzon after the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) warned the public of low power reserves. According to the Department of Energy (DoE), the power shortfall was due to a series of unplanned shutdowns in a number of power plants run by San Miguel Consolidated Power Corp., TeaM Energy Corp., Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp., Pagbilao Energy Corp., and South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp.

Other power plants were then also under-

going scheduled maintenance. “It is baffling why all of these power plants had problems simultaneously. An investigation on this is in order because there is always a possibility of collusion among power players to increase rates. On the other hand, if there is no collusion, the government should still look into common technical or other problems that could affect the country’s supply in the long term,� Enrile said, adding “We cannot sit on our hands waiting for the next series of power outages to happen.�  For the same reason, Enrile, an advocate of consumer protection, said it is high time that the government review its concession agreements with power firms.

“Have they [power firms] violated their concession agreement?�said the former Senate president, who had long wanted to review and amend the Epira Law. He also blamed Epira for the current shortfall in the power supply in Luzon.

Enrile, who was the only senator who opposed EPIRA when it was passed in 2001, said the law failed to fulfill its promise to reduce electricity rates. In vying for a fifth Senate term in the upcoming midterm elections, Enrile vowed to protect consumers against high prices and poor services of the country’s key power players.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

IMEE MARCOS SEEKS MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC IRA RELEASE ILOCOS Norte Gov. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee� Marcos called on the Executive Department to immediately craft a mechanism that will expedite the unconditional and automatic release of the 40 percent share of national taxes of local government units (LGUSs) effective next year. “Our LGUs have been deprived for the longest time of their just share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) computed based on all national taxes and not just from national internal revenue taxes,� said Marcos, the lone local official running for senator in the

May 13 polls. “As a candidate coming from the ranks of local government officials, I really know what our local executives feel, the issues that are closest to their hearts. Our budget is sorely lacking when in fact we are at the frontline when it comes to delivering services to our constituents,� she added.

Marcos lauded the high court for upholding its earlier decision increasing the IRA of local government units, calling it a “just and principled judgment.� “The SC ruling is a game changer

in local governance because it will effectively empower LGUs in exercising their true mandate of delivering basic services to the people, as envisioned by the Local Government Code,� said Marcos, the deputy secretary general for Luzon of the League of Provinces of the Philippines. “When our kababayans (fellow citizens) have problems, who do they run to? They go to us local government officials. More than 50 percent of the poor are also in the countryside and LGUs are our frontliners in the fight against

poverty. They need all the resources they can muster to address the problem of poverty in rural areas,� she added.

The SC ruled that the IRA must now include tariff and duties collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs, 50 percent of value-added tax, 30 percent of national taxes collected in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, 60 percent of national taxes collected from the exploitation and development of national wealth, 85 percent of excise tax from tobacco

products, and a portion of franchise tax under Republic Acts 6631 and 6632 (Horse Racing Laws).

The SC decision was on a petition kLED BY FORMER "ATANGAS 2EP AND NOW provincial Gov. Hermilando Mandanas, who claimed that from 1992 to 2012, unreleased IRA had reached P500 billion.

The high court, however, ruled the implementation of higher IRA is prospective and not retroactive. The adjusted amounts will be given to LGUs starting in the 2022 budget cycle.

JAIME PILAPIL Â Â Â

Employers are required to ensure fair treatment to telecommuting employees Dear PAO, My company recently asked me if I want to avail their “work from home scheme� that they RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED (OWever, I am reluctant to accept it because I do not know the rights of employees who work FROM HOME ) JUST WANT TO KNOW if there is a law that grants or protects the rights of employees WHO WORK FROM HOME George Dear George, Please be informed of the recently enacted Republic Act 11165, otherwise known as the “Telecommuting Act,� which

DEAR PAO

PERSIDA ACOSTA recognizes the mode of “telecommuting,� which refers to work arrangements that allows employees in the private sector to work from an alternative work place with the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies. Under Section 5 of said law, employers are required to fairly treat their telecommuting employees, viz:

“SEC. 5. Fair Treatment. – The employer shall ensure that the telecommuting employees are given the same treatment as that of comparable employees at the employer’s premises. All telecommuting employees shall: “(a) Receive a rate of pay, including overtime and night shift differential, and other similar MONETARY BENEkTS NOT LOWER THAN those provided in applicable laws, and collective bargaining agreements. “(b) Have the right to rest periods, regular holidays, and special nonworking days. “(c) Have the same or equiva-

lent workload and performance standards as those of comparable workers at the employer’s premises. “(d) Have the same access to training and career development opportunities as those of comparable workers at the employer’s premises, and be subject to the same appraisal policies covering these workers. “(e) Receive appropriate training on the technical equipment at their disposal, and the characteristics and conditions of telecommuting. “(f) Have the same collective rights as the workers at the em-

ployer’s premises, and shall not be barred from commuting with workers’ representatives. “The employer shall also ensure that measures are taken to prevent the telecommuting employee from being isolated from the rest of the working community in the company by giving the telecommuting employee the opportunity to meet with colleagues on a regular basis, and allowing access to company information.�

Clearly, the Telecommuting Act requires employers to give their telecommuting employees the same treatment that they provide

to comparable employees that are working within company premises.

7E kND IT NECESSARY TO MENtion that this opinion is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Thus, the opinion may vary when the facts are changed or further elaborated. We hope that we were able to enlighten you on the matter.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net

A4

Opinion

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net

E d i to r i a l No room for complacency

T

HE latest reading of Philippine economic prospects by a credit rating agency and an economic research group is so positive that the opposition is likely to charge that the reports have been produced specifically to influence the May 13 elections in favor of administration candidates.

We refer to two major reports issued this week. First, the decision by the Japan Credit Rating Agency Ltd. (JCR) to revise its investment grade credit rating outlook for the Philippines upward to positive from stable. That means the country is now only a step away from securing another upgrade.

The Philippines’ BBB+ ratings, JCR said, mainly reflect the country’s high and sustainable economic growth performance.

Second, in a longer-term economic research report on the country released this week, market intelligence firm IHS Markit said the Philippines’ continuous growth of above 6 percent over the last seven years is likely to be sustained. “Strong GDP growth is projected to continue over the medium term, with the total size of the Philippines economy expected to double between 2018 and 2026,� IHS Markit’s chief economist said.

The forecasts coincide with their projection of positive growth performance by the Philippine economy during the remaining years of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, ending in 2022.

In what spirit should the government and the nation view them?

We believe they should first be welcomed as confirmation that the administration is on the right track in pursuing its ambitious program of high growth and infrastructure modernization during its watch.

The government’s top economic team of policymakers and program managers should rightly be gratified. Government should have full confidence in pushing forward its policy reforms and ambitious investment projects from north to south.

Beyond this, however, government policymakers should be cool, lest the administration be overcome with complacency and lose focus.

We should especially be careful in reading IHS Markit’s words: “The long-term outlook is ‘very positive’ with GDP seen doubling from $330 billion in 2018 to $672 billion by 2026.�

This sounds like the game is over, and Filipinos can now relax and scratch their tummies in gratification. That would be absurd and foolish.

Forecasts are best treated with caution. As Shakespeare’s Macbeth memorably teaches us, the beneficiary of a good forecast must not lose his head and go berserk.

We should pay attention, especially to the explanations provided by the two reports as basis for their forecasts.

According to the JCR, Philippine performance will be underpinned by solid domestic demand, resilience to external shocks supported by an external debt kept low relative to gross domestic product and the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, and the government’s sound fiscal position.

IHS Markit said: The domestic economy is now powered by several growth engines, such as the sustained strength of remittance inflows from Filipino workers abroad, which is helping boost consumption spending.

Rapid growth of service exports, notably from the IT-BPO sector, is now contributing to export earnings and employment growth.

Despite external headwinds, the electronics industry remains the largest merchandise export sector.

The government’s ambitious infrastructure development program is supporting the economic growth momentum.

All told, these reports are reasonable and thoughtful of Philippine prospects.

Our policymakers should similarly be thoughtful and recognize that full development still must be achieved.

There is still plenty of work to do. A new vote of confidence by the national electorate will reinforce the national capacity to surge forward.

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

The Sunday Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 197

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL S. MALLARI, Sports Editor DINO RAY V. DIRECTO 3RD, Motoring Editor CONRAD M. CARIÑO, Special Sections Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor ALVIN I. DACANAY, Assistant Business Editor MARIO F. FETALINO, Assistant Business Editor REMIA B. EUGENIO, Deskman (Regions) MARISHELLE R. MEDINA, Deskman JOMAR CANLAS, Chief of Reporters RENE H. DILAN, Chief Photographer DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO BLANCA C. MERCADO, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER 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 www.manilatimes.net • e-mail newsdesk@manilatimes.net 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.

Debating Christ’s resurrection: Believe it or not Last of Two Parts

B

EFORE the headline topic, a reminder that today, Divine Mercy Sunday, believers obtain complete remission of sins and their punishment by receiving communion today, going to confession — today or yesterday — and performing an act of mercy.

Jesus Christ himself promised this immense grace to St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), the Polish nun who propagated the Divine Mercy devotion, which Pope St. John Paul 2nd instituted throughout the Catholic Church in 2000.

St. Faustina, canonized on April 30 of that Jubilee year, recorded in her diary our Lord’s promise: “On that day . . . The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.�

Thus, the devotee’s soul is restored to the lily-white purity

FAITH HEALER RICARDO SALUDO after baptism. Go to confession and communion today, then do a spiritual or temporal act of mercy, and obtain singular cleansing graces promised by God the Son, Jesus Christ.

‘Unless I see ‌ I will not believe’ Do you believe all that? In our materialistic and empirical world, absent physical manifestations or evidence, people find it hard to believe religious devotions and rituals, including the promised Divine Mercy graces.

And this was not just in our time, but even in Jesus’ day.

In today’s Gospel reading, St.

Thomas said after his fellow Apostles told him of the Risen Christ: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.�

Today, we also want God to prove His miraculous interventions with proofs that satisfy our standards. In the Resurrection debates summed up in this twopart article, the lack of eyewitness accounts from Jesus’ time was the crux of scholarly arguments against the Easter miracle.

No matter that resurrection was the best explanation for several events most scholars agree to BE HISTORICALLY VERIkABLE *ESUS death and burial, his disciples’ belief that they saw him alive again and their sudden fervor in proclaiming the new faith.

The debate between Bible scholar and Resurrection advocate Gary Habermas and former Oxford philosophy professor

Antony G.N. Flew, who opposed miracle claims, was summed up in the book Did Jesus Rise from the Dead ? (published 1987).

And two groups of scholars, all from American universities, voted on which side argued its position better.

Five philosophers evaluated the scholarly material cited and arguments raised. This group judging content voted four in favor of Habermas, with one draw.

Another group of five professional debate judges chose a winner based on argumentation techniques. They voted 3-2, also in Habermas’ favor.

If this doesn’t convince resurrection doubters, it’s no surprise. After all, Thomas had fellow Apostles and other eyewitnesses affirming Jesus’ appearance in the flesh, but he wanted to see and touch for himself before he believed.

In sum, the miracle worker

ÂłSaludoA5

Q CULLEN FROM A1

Selling children to the sex trade smuggling. The earnings are estimated to be $32 billion a year, according to a United Nations report.

Human trafficking is, according to the UN, the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or coercion ... for the purpose of exploitation.�

So bringing anyone to a place where they are exploited by being made to work for very low wages under the control of their BOSS IS HUMAN TRAFkCKING (AVING brought a child who is not your kin from one place to a secluded place and being alone with that child is a crime under the Philippine child protection law, otherwise known as Republic Act 7610.

The trafficker and the receiver of the person being exploited are guilty of violating the law in that case. An estimated 1.4 million persons in India are victims of human trafficking and forced labor. They are trapped in bonded labor, usually to pay off a debt. The very poor have to borrow to buy food to live and survive for just a few more days, and worse, they can’t find work afterward and are forced to pay off the debt by working for no wages.

In other developing countries, young women are lured and TRAFkCKED INTO THE SEX INDUSTRY after they or their parents have accumulated debts. At times, the MONEY IS GIVEN BY THE TRAFkCKERS to the parents of these young women, who are promised that their salary would be sent home to their families. But most of it never gets there. It is stolen, leading the children and parents to be in a perennial position of debt. The

powerful debt bondage destroys lives and turns the poor into the SLAVES OF THE CAPITALIST TRAFkCKER OR the owners of the hotel or sex bar where they are sold to work and earn for the owner.

This is the debt trap, a way to get control, power and ascendancy over another person or even a nation. The serious social inequality and the absence of social justice in many nations is the root of poverty and the cause of why so many people are falling victim to human traffickers. The economies are in the hands of just 1 percent of the population. In the Philippines, it could be 0.0001 percent of the population that owns 70 percent of the wealth and the means of production and distribution.

In France, the billionaires have donated hundreds of millions of their currency overnight to the rebuilding of NotreDame Cathedral, evidence that they have the money and will get big tax relief for their socalled “donations.� The poor are critical of that system where so much is given to a rebuilding fund, when thousands live in poverty in a broken, corrupt French society.

The poor are gullible, unreflecting, and they react to the latest exciting news, be it fake or otherwise. They believe it and act on it in an emotional response. Not a reflective one.

Then there are these criminals that stalk the land, preying on the vulnerable and the needy.

The promises sound so plausible, and the poor fall for the lies and deceitful sales talk.

They unknowingly sign up to a

nonexisting job and end up in the human slave market of an insidious dark, secret world, where the tyrants are gangmasters. It’s like falling into a deep well with no way out.

In the Philippines 60,000 women and minors are estimated by UNICEF to be victims of human trafficking into sex trade. Other sources say as many as 100,000 are victims, if not many more. Worldwide, as many as 42 million people are victims of human trafficking and most of them are women and 33 percent are children. It is a dark secret business run by criminals, and so true statistics are hard to come by. Accurate government figures are rare and Philippine police numbers are very low since few investigations are carried out. The rate of convictions is minimal and so the victims, many of them children, go unnoticed or even ignored. International figures are just as elusive.

The traffickers are men and women who can recruit minors, even children, into begging syndicates or cybersex operations with ease, or bring them to sex tourists to be abused. Then it’s all about money, power, domination and control by the male sex-starved tourist. The cybersex customer is elsewhere in another country watching a child being abused online, and that client pays by courier.

It is a horrible crime. Both trafkCKERS AND THE CHILD SEX CUSTOMers are without moral values or CONSCIENCE AND THE TRAFkCKERS AND recruiters make a lot of money by tricking, cheating and luring these young people away from their

homes, or wherever they live, into situations where they are trapped, abused and exploited.

The human traffickers are sometimes members of a national or an international syndicate or network. The leaders order the trafficking of vulnerable, desperate people for cheap or slave labor, and then smuggle them across borders into other countries where they work in slave-like conditions. That is the plight of those in refugee camps and who cannot find work to earn and pay back the debt. Debt is a crushing force that squeezes the life out of millions of people in an unjust and unequal world dominated by criminals in government and outside of it. Many officials are in collusion with the human traffickers and people smugglers. The people have nothing to sell but their bodies and the bodies of their children.

The dirty business becomes sex trafficking and slavery.

So long as there is man-made poverty, injustice, oppression and corruption, there will be human traffickers and people traders. Many people cry for justice, reform, positive change on a variety of important issues, but slavery and human trafficking have to be the top priority. When we do all we can to advocate and act to protect the children and the poor, we become more human, people of principles and values and we can bring freedom and justice for many victims.

www.preda.org Read more in Rickey and Julie http://amzn.com/B07DXKX4SV

The Sunday Times SUNDAY April 28, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net Q RONQUILLO FROM A1

The Chuzon tragedy and the rush to build on unsafe ground grit and stride – and finding slivers of light after years of literal darkness – nothing can beat the resolve of the Kapampangan. The amazing comeback of the province, driven 99 percent by the people and 1 percent by the authorities, is a classic tale of triumph over adversity. Not just your run-of-the-mill adversity but a volcanic eruption that unleashed 600 years of volcanic ash, sand and lahar from the belly of Mt. Pinatubo.

And in this triumph over impossible odds is the town of Porac, as Exhibit A. This is a town about 25 kilometers from the Pinatubo crater, the town that bore much of the volcano’s cascading fury.

After the Pinatubo eruption, Porac was deemed as a virtual wasteland, and to remain in that kind of unproductive stasis for decades. The proximity to Mt. Pinatubo, the endless flow of savage lahar , the remaking of the town geography by a great tragedy were the factors that led to the verdict that Porac would be a useless, unproductive town for years and years.

Sugar was the principal crop, rice was the secondary crop and Clark Air Force Base was the most lucrative source of employment. With lahar-covered farms and the shuttered Clark Air Base, what, indeed, could be Porac’s future?

As the Obama administration’s former chief of staff and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel said, crises should be turned into opportunities, tragedies

into comeback stories. That was what Porac did. The key? The endless sand that the eruption delivered, the manna of unlimited commercial value, courtesy of the volcanic wrath.

The town’s sand-driven growth (by leaps and bounds, not just slow-paced growth) came in two phases. First was the trucking of sand to the construction sites and concrete aggregates producers of Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog. One or two years after the eruption, trucking sand to Metro Manila and areas in the Calabarzon — despite the physical hazards — became the economic driver of the town. Over a thousand 10-wheeler trucks (dump trucks and long beds) moved at night from the quarries of Porac into supply points in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon.

Today, Porac is not only the “Sand Capital� of Luzon; the spin-off activity from sand, producing hollow blocks and concrete aggregates on large scales, is the major economic driver. More than 90 percent of the hollow blocks and concrete pipes supplied to Metro Manila and neighboring areas come from Porac and the town of Floridablanca. In Porac, the problem is not employment but finding people to work in the many hollow blocks and aggregates factories.

Porac, from its low postPinatubo moments, is now a first-class town. The SM Group has put up a cement plant in the area. The Ayala-Leonio Group is

now in the midst of finishing up a P75-billion residentialcommercial-educational complex with the prime residential area priced at a pre-selling cost — would you believe this — of P18,000 per square meter.

In such boom areas, there is always a rush to build. Even on unstable ground. The collapsed Chuzon supermarket, which killed and trapped many and is easily the biggest story of the Earth Day earthquake, probably had many engineering flaws.

But the biggest downside was its construction on a former rice land.

The land on where Chuzon built the supermarket used to be part of a rice field that survived not on service irrigation from the dams but from natural springs. Porac, due to its proximity to the mountains, used to be littered with sibol , or the Pampango word for spring. As the watersheds regressed, which eviscerated the springs, and in turn, turned the rice farms unproductive, the interests of commerce readily took over.

On one such former rice land very near the municipal public market did Chuzon build its Porac supermarket. Its four-story building collapsed like a deck of cards on Monday after a 6.1-intensity quaked rocked Metro Manila and many areas of Central Luzon, including Pampanga.

Were the Chinese owners of Chuzon aware that they built on unstable grounds? That they built on a ground that used to be a rice land that thrived

on natural spring water? And that such land, given the sandy nature of lands in Porac, is not suited for any building higher than two stories? You cannot prop up and retrofit soil of such nature and origin. Then this question: Was the land already converted from agricultural to commercial when they started constructing the supermarket?

The collapse of the Chuzon Supermarket was a great tragedy. It killed a number of people and the trauma of those trapped for hours in the innards of a collapsed building will haunt them forever. It was also too obvious that there were flaws in the design and physical construction of the collapsed structure.

But the moral of the tragedy is this: Business should not be reckless and irresponsible in planning and implementing land conversion. Rice farms unsuitable for commerce should remain rice farms.

I am pointing this out because a group called “Foundation for Economic Freedom� recently wrote an advertisement that asked the government to speed up land conversion, to supposedly “unlock� the full potential of lands now currently used to produce food for our people.

OK, there is another version.

Convert rice lands to “unlock� tragedies such as the collapsed Chuzon Supermarket. I will deal in full with that land conversion ad in the next column.

And tear apart the mendacity of the foundation’s arguments for land conversion.

Q SALUDO FROM A4

Debating Christ’s Resurrection: Believe it or not must follow man’s rules of what is true and what is not.

The Jubilee Year debate In the other debate, transcribed and commented on in Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Figment ? (published 2000), Christian philosopher-apologist William Lane Craig faced New Testament scholar and atheist Gerd Lßdemann at Jesuit-run Boston College.

Like Habermas, Craig cited New Testament events affirmed by most scholars, with reasons why these were judged as historically valid. Jesus’s burial, in his view, was attested by early accounts on which St. Mark’s Gospel, the oldest of the four, and St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians seem to be based.

The Talbot School of Theology scholar also argued that the empty tomb was attested by the early traditions used by Mark

and Paul. Craig also cited Paul’s list of resurrection eyewitnesses in the Corinthians epistle, as afkRMING THE DIFFERENT APPEARANCES Jesus made after his death, which debunks Lßdemann’s theory that claims of seeing the risen Christ were just visions.

A fourth widely attested fact was that Jesus’ Jewish followers had strong reasons not to believe his rising, yet they did. For Jews, HIS CRUCIkXION SHOWED HE WAS NOT the Messiah, who was expected to rule, not perish. It also showed him to be cursed by God. And in Judaism, resurrection would happen only at the end of the world.

Craig also listed six criteria in gauging the validity of historical explanations: They must explain attested events with great persuasiveness. They must be plausible, not ad hoc and contrived. They must be in accord with generally accepted beliefs, and they must excel other expla-

nations in the foregoing criteria.

Like Professor Flew in the earlier debate, LĂźdemann stressed that the New Testament material on the Resurrection “were not written by eyewitnesses.â€?

He also argued that “all the debates concerning the resurrection become involved with emotions.� Hence, discussions may tend to deviate from objective facts and arguments.

Lßdemann also made much of where Jesus would have gone after his rising. The head of University of GÜttingen’s early Christian studies institute dismissed the Ascension. In his view, that tale, along with what he saw as the Gospels’ antiSemitic material, made these writings dubious.

In his closing remarks, Craig cited an unscholarly reason for people to believe: their own personal sense of Jesus in their hearts, as he himself felt after

years of youthful doubt in God leading to his own reflection, Bible study and eventual faith.

He explained that “most people have never had the opportunity or the time or the training to conduct a historical investigation ‌ yet millions have believed in the resurrection of Jesus because Christ is a living reality in their lives today.â€?

Hence, he concluded, “there are really two avenues to a knowledge of the resurrectionâ€? — the historical and the personal. To this, LĂźdemann countered that while he respected personal faith, it should be based on solid evidence.

For most believers, though, if Jesus has touched their lives, that’s proof enough that he is alive and calling humanity to salvation in him.

Or as the Lord said, “Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.� Amen.

Blessed Divine Mercy Sunday to all!

Opinion

A5

Diversity and inclusivity in higher education NON SCHOLAE T SED VITAE HE yearly conference of the Asia Pacific Association of Internationalization of Education (APAIE) was held last month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the theme “Diversity and Inclusivity of Higher Education in the Asia 0ACIkC u 7ITH MORE THAN

participants from about 400 institutions of higher education in Asia AND THE 0ACIkC THE EVENT AIMED to reinforce collaborations to address internationalization issues on learning methods.

To be sure, gatherings of this sort shape the future of universities.

And it is my hope to usher education partners to further appreciate what seems to be the trajectory of education in the 21st century. Let me share a few important points I gathered from the conference.

Breaking down all forms of barriers Higher education today must not be insulated. It is a common practice that, for example, a university in Malaysia forges a partnership with a German university for research on product development; or a Korean university collaborates with a university from the Netherlands for researches on “smart-aging� for healthcare and social work.

Globalization demands greater integration and collaboration not only among universities, but also with industries from across countries and regions. The world has BECOME kGURATIVELY SMALLER WHICH makes demand easier to address.

Reluctance, sloth and negligence might even be the taller walls that hinder collaborative education.

Being passive at this time may only result in an institution’s lag on strategies and management.

It is crucial that the regional and international mobility of students and faculty be taken seriously.

As observed, countries and states with openness on policies and rules regarding collaborative activities on education yield more advantages, especially in an era of a sharing economy. Only in the spirit of an open-door policy can make this leveling-off of barriers become a reality.

Decentralized knowledge productivity and vanishing peripheries Reality check, universities and schools, the known traditional sources of knowledge, no longer monopolize learning in the 21st century. Knowledge has been democratized, and it lies in the hands of the many.

This shift gained pace when Innovation 2.0 emerged as the framework of open innovation.

Open Innovation or OI 2.0 provides a new approach for tackling current societal and complex challenges. It breaks down the

JESUS JAY MIRANDA, OP traditional silos between government, industry, academia and civil participants, and brings these multidisciplinary viewpoints together in an environment that promotes teamwork, collaboration and the sharing of ideas.

A concrete example of this are the “Living Labs,� which involve the quadruple helix of government, industry, academe and citizens in knowledge production. This innovative integration is marked by “Co-Creation� or the co-design by users and producers; “Exploration,� the stage of discovery of emerging usages, behaviors and market opportunities; “Experimentation� or the implementation of live scenarios within the communities of users; and “Evaluation,� which is the assessment of concepts, products and services according to socioergonomic, sociocognitive and socioeconomic criteria.

By working together, communities develop an organic set OF SHARED VALUES THAT BENEkT ALL participants in what becomes an innovation ecosystem.

Internationalization preparedness Inclusivity and diversity in higher education can effectively prosper only in an internationalizationready campus, which can provide the optimum student experience and hone 21st century skills.

That is because these can afford students life-ready learning and promising careers in the future.

Somehow, student mobility reflects a kind of global citizenship, which creates an emerging need for universities today.

Higher education should be ready with intercultural competencies in terms of the multitude of beliefs, gender equality and multi-lingual spaces. Curricula and programs must be transnational education licensed, accredited and credentialized.

With all these and some more in mind, I cannot help but ask: “Where are our institutions? Are we there yet?� We need to be canDID IN kNDING OUT WHAT KEEPS US slow and what can we do about it.

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, FSC–College of Education of De La Salle University-Manila. Contact him at jaymiranda.op@ust.edu.ph.

US and Western arms in Yemen conflict signal potential war crime charges

BY THALIF DEEN UNITED NATIONS: When US political leaders urged the Trump administration to either reduce or cut off arms supplies to Saudi Arabia — largely as a punishment for its indiscriminate bombings of civilians in the four-year old military conflict in Yemen — President Trump provided a predictable response: “If we don’t sell arms to Saudi Arabia, the Chinese and the Russians will.�

Perhaps in theory it’s plausible, but in practice it’s a long shot, primarily because switching weapons systems from Western to Chinese and Russian arms — particularly in the middle of a devastating war — could be a long drawn out process since it involves maintenance, servicing, training, military advice and uninterrupted supplies of spares.

Asked for a response, Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher, Arms and Military Expenditure Programme at the Stockholm

International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), told IPS: “If, [very hypothetical] the USA and the UK would stop supplying arms to Saudi Arabia, this would be a major problem for Saudi Arabia, IN MILITARY AND kNANCIAL TERMS u He pointed out that Saudi Arabia would find it very hard to maintain the US and UK weapons its armed forces largely rely on without the support of the large numbers of US and UK service personnel in the country right now.

The Saudi military might be able to keep the weapons going for a while, but presumably at a much lower operational level.

He said it will not only be very costly for Saudi Arabia to replace the expensive existing equipment — which is supposed to be in service for decades — but it also means that Chinese and Russian weapons will not be of as high quality as what Saudis now receive from the US and Western Europe.

And New York Times roving correspondent Nicholas Kristof

says, “some Saudis kept trying to suggest to me that if we block weapons sales to Riyadh, the kingdom will turn to Moscow.� “That’s absurd. It needs our spare parts and, more important, it buys our weapons because they come with an implicit guarantee that we will bail the Saudis out militarily if they get into trouble with Iran.�

In an oped piece, Kristof said the Saudi armed forces can’t even defeat a militia in Yemen.

So, how could they stand up to Iran? he asked. “That’s why we have leverage over Saudi Arabia, not the other way around.� The next step, he argued, should be a suspension of arms sales until Saudi Arabia ends its war in Yemen, for that war has made the US complicit in mass starvation.

The New York Times said last year that some US lawmakers worry that American weapons were being used to commit war crimes in Yemen— including the intentional or unintentional

bombings of funerals, weddings, factories and other civilian infrastructure — triggering condemnation from the United Nations and human rights groups who also accuse the Houthis of violating humanitarian laws of war and peace.

In its "World Report 2017," Human Rights Watch said the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has carried out military operations, supported by the US and the UK against Houthi forces and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 2015.

The coalition has unlawfully attacked homes, markets, hospitals, schools, civilian businesses and mosques, the report said. “None of the forces in Yemen’s conflict seem to fear being held to account for violating the laws of war,� said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “UN members need to press the parties to end the slaughter and the suffering of civilians.�

Besides Saudi Arabia, the

original coalition included the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar [until 2017], Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal and Sudan.

In a report released last February, Amnesty International (AI) said the weapons for the coalition, primarily to Saudi Arabia and UAE, have come mostly from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. The London-based AI called on all states to stop supplying arms TO ALL PARTIES TO THE CONlICT IN Yemen “until there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment would be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.�

The only four countries that have announced suspending arms transfers to the UAE were Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway, according to AI. Asked how dependent Saudi Arabia is on US arms, Wezeman

told IPS that US is by far the largest arms supplier to Saudi Arabia.

Sipri estimates that in 201418, the US accounted for 68 percent of Saudi arms imports followed by the UK at a distant 16 percent. Several other European countries accounted for most of the rest. China played a small role and Russia had not yet established itself as arms supplier to Saudi Arabia.

Asked about the current state of US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Wezeman said the US supplies all types of weapons to Saudi.

But most important in value of the weapons that have been or are to be delivered are F-15 combat aircraft with a full set of advanced arms and Patriot and Thaad air defense systems.

But the list also includes M1A2 tanks, frigates, reconnaissance planes, light armoured vehicles, communication equipment, and basically anything needed to equip modern armed forces.

What is important is that

ÂłYemenA6

A6

Opinion

The Sunday Times SUNDAY April 28, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

Sri Lanka: Easter Sunday attacks possibly more than a religious conflict

BY KALINGA SENEVIRATNE SINGAPORE: “I gave leadership to the government that defeated the terrorists that no one thought could ever be defeated. From the moment this government came into power in January 2015, they have been persecuting the members of the armed forces and the intelligence services that ended that war,� said former President and current opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse in an emotional 10-minute address to parliament on April 23.

With his voice almost cracking up with emotion, the war-winning president said that “the armed forces personnel who carried out their duties on behalf of the nation were harassed and hunted down by this government.� He slammed the government for listening to foreign [Western] powers and undermining national security. “The government should at least now realize that you cannot run this country according to the dictates coming from foreign countries.

We have to solve our own problems. Because the government was engaged in relentlessly persecuting its own armed forces, we became an easy target for terrorists,� pointed out Rajapakse, adding that “no other country in the world has persecuted and weakened their own armed forces and intelligence services in this manner.�

While social media is blocked by the government, his comments have triggered a debate in much of the mainstream media about how the government led

by President Maitripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been inept at protecting the security of the country, because they have allowed Western governments, NGOs funded by them and UN organizations like the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to dictate national security policies to them.

In September 2015, the government virtually surrendered the policymaking process to the UNHRC when it cosponsored a resolution calling upon the government to account for alleged war crimes and missing persons during THE kNAL PUSH TO ELIMINATE ONE OF the deadliest terrorist groups in the world at the time, the Liberation

Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

This has led to pressure on the government to set up war crimes courts with foreign judges, set up a missing persons investigation center and imprisonment of forMER INTELLIGENCE OFkCERS AND ARMY personnel, many of whom are seen by most Sri Lankans as war heroes, who brought peace to the country.

At the time of the Easter Sunday attack, the government was on the verge of repealing the "Prevention of Terrorism Act" under the dictates of the West and UNHRC. “If that had happened what position would we be at today?� asked Rajapakse.

‘Subservient to the West’ In a video interview by leading constitutional lawyer Manohara de Silva on April 23 that was widely circulated via email, he also slammed the government for giving the responsibility for the country’s security to the international community. He blamed the 2015 UNHRC resolution for the current situation where the country’s security guard was lowered.

He pointed out that the new anti-terror law that was presented to parliament recently, makes it impossible to pursue or charge anyone for terrorism activity if that person is a foreign national — even though he may have been a Sri Lankan national before. “If the country he lives in now doesn’t agree, we can’t charge him,� he noted. “So, this law is going to be subservient to the West [because most of those who support terrorism in Sri Lanka have obtained asylum in Western countries, especially LTTE sympathizers�.] He accuses the government of trying to please the West rather than protecting “our citizens.�

Silva pointed out in the interview that about 40 intelligence ofkCERS WHO HELPED TO END TERRORISM in Sri Lanka are now behind bars. “They are still held on remand when there is no sound evidence against them,� he notes. “If so, they should be charged by now.�

This has led to a situation, argues Silva, in which intelligence OFkCERS ARE AFRAID TO INVESTIGATE terrorism threats today because they are worried that they would

Q The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo was among three Colombo hotels hit by suicide bombers on Easter Sunday. IDN of UN’s Relentless Pursuit of Sri minister was gathering momenLanka, in a commentary published tum, a riot broke out between in Lankaweb has called into ques- Muslims and Buddhists in Central tion the timing and reason for the Sri Lanka. Timely action by local Easter Sunday attack. community leaders of both com“What is crucial is that the munities prevented it becoming a bombings not be permitted to be- MAJOR NATIONWIDE CONlICT come a pretext for the government Then when Sirisena sacked Wickto join the US’ ‘war on terror.’ For remasinghe and appointed Rajapakthe past four years, the US and se as prime minister in November India [the US’ new ally in Asia] 2018, Western ambassadors in have been busy trying to gain Colombo openly interfered in the maximum indirect control over domestic political process to get Sri Lanka in order to prevent the Wickremasinghe reinstalled. Now Chinese from establishing a pres- come the terror attacks that have ence in this country,� he argues. the potential to create chaos in the “They would have succeeded had country so that Sri Lanka could be it not been for the collapse of the called a "failed state," ripe for the ‘national government’ and the West’s new-colonialism via the R2P subsequent collapse of the drive (Right to Protect) framework. “Sri Lanka which sits at a strato enact a new Constitution�.

With both presidential and tegically vital spot in the Indian parliamentary elections due in Sri Ocean is crucial for both the Lanka within the next 12 months, Americans as well as the Chinese, the Nationalist Alliance led by the former in order to further Rajapakse is strongly tipped to entrench their control over this win both elections. Survival of region, the latter to break out the staunchly pro-Western Wickre- of the ‘encirclement,’“ notes masingle is crucial for the West to Weerasekare, pointing out that a new government that would take control Sri Lanka’s destiny. power after elections next year ‘Pro-nationalist, could be heavily pro-nationalist pro-Chinese’ as well as pro-Chinese. “In short, all the hopes that )N -ARCH WHEN A NO CONk- the Americans/Indians had in dence motion against the prime January 2015 are now in ruins,

be framed like those in jail. “We cannot operate our intelligence services this way. This is why we have to depend on Indian intelligence,� he argues.

Silva also pointed out that 54 bills have been passed against “our army� under pressure from UNHRC and the missing persons act passed does not allow the police to the investigations, but DELEGATES IT TO THE @/FkCE OF -ISSing Persons’ that is stacked with anti-national NGO types, one of whom is Dr. Nilmalka Fernando, a well-known anti-Buddhist Western-funded NGO activist.

In a statement released to the media on April 25, Sri Lanka’s major Buddhist chapter, Asgiriya, called upon the government to give an immediate pardon to all IMPRISONED INTELLIGENCE OFkCIALS and draft them back into the country’s national security framework. “Religious extremism spread in the country because experienced INTELLIGENCE OFkCIALS HAVE BEEN IMprisoned for various reasons. They did an immense service to defeat terrorism. We need to consider our national security and they should be pardoned and released immediately,� the statement said.

Another Sri Lankan lawyer, Dharshan Weerasekare, author

Q YEMEN FROM A5

FOCUS

Spain’s far-right, the clear leader in social media MADRID: Just like US President Donald Trump and France’s Marine Le Pen, Spain’s far-right party Vox has made a point of dominating social media with its hardline rhetoric ahead of elections on Sunday.

Shunning traditional media, the newcomer party’s strategy is to target potential voters on social networks and generate as much of a buzz as possible, even if it’s bad.

And it’s working. Opinion polls predict that Vox will enter parliaMENT FOR THE kRST TIME IN THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN kFTH PLACE According to social media analysis group Social Elephants, Vox’s messages on Twitter and Facebook generated the most interactions — referring to messages that are liked, shared or commented on — out of the five main parties over the past month.

-ORE SPECIkCALLY A THIRD OF ALL THE kVE S INTERACTIONS CAME FROM 6OX Ultra-nationalist messages that also bash illegal immigration and abortion, videos showing leader Santiago Abascal riding a horse or standing under the rain in a picturesque part of Spain: the party provokes as much enthusiasm as rage. “They’ve awakened the beast,� one admiring online user said this week, reacting to a video of Abascal predicting the end of the “liberal dictatorship� in Spain after the elections.

Spain was ruled by dictator Francisco Franco after its 1936-1939 civil war until his death in 1975. “They are so scary,� said another concerned user.

Talk, even if negative Relegated to the distant margins

of politics until December, when it erupted on the scene in regional elections in southern Andalusia, Vox could get about 30 lawmakers out of 350, according to opinion polls.

But analysts believe it could do even better, saying there may be many “hidden� Vox supporters who lie when asked by pollsters who they will be voting for.

Largely shunning traditional m e d i a , Vo x h a s o p t e d “ f o r a strategy of direct communication through social networks, through rallies with lots of people,� Abascal told Spanish radio this week.

He said his party had felt “pretty badly treated� by traditional media in the past, which “distorted many of our proposals.�

Ruben Durante of the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies said that “what matters to a party that doesn’t have visibility in traditional media and doesn’t have representation in institutions is that people talk about them, even if it’s negative.� “Controversial arguments attract attention and in the end, they win, because those who criticize aren’t those who would vote for them,� adds the expert in social networks and democracy.

On Twitter, Vox generated 1.1 million interactions over the past month, compared with 886,000 for far-left party Podemos, which has always been very active online, according to Social Elephants.

That’s also more than double the interactions of the Socialist Party, centre-right Ciudadanos and the conservative Popular Party.

To top it all, Vox generated all those interactions by sending just

and the ‘gains’ they made in the last four years are very much in danger of being reversed.�

Sri Lanka’s oldest leftist party Lanka Sama Samaji Party (LSSP), while issuing a condolence message to victims of the bombing, said there was something more sinister than what meets the eye. “This whole attack has similarities with events abroad that have been attributed to the CIA of the USA,� the statement argued.

The statement added: “It is known that the CIA and USA think tanks are operating here with the support of the Government. With the blue print for a police state, the diabolical Counter Terrorist Act available, to ensure that the UNF (governing alliance) can stay in power, without holding elections, the path to becoming a neo-colony of the US can go ahead without interruption.�

Thus, what happened on Easter Sunday, may not be merely a jihadist attack on Christians and Western tourists to take revenge on the New Zealand Christchurch massacre in March 2019. This could well be part of the dirty geopolitical wars being fought around the world by major powers with young brainwashed religious zealots as fodder.

IN-DEPTH-NEWS

an average of 11 messages a day, compared with 27 for Podemos or 50 for Ciudadanos.

And it also has far less followers on Twitter than other parties: 240,000 versus Podemos’s 1.37 million, the PP’s 705,000, the Socialists’ 670,000 and Ciudadanos’ 518,000.

Mobilizing the disgruntled Durante says that in general, social networks allow parties to target potential voters and get their messages to them directly. “If you’re Vox, you can identify people who don’t vote or won’t vote, with specific interests like hunting... and target these people,� he says.

This low-cost approach is attractive for those parties that have limited resources, he adds. “Vox does that well, [far-right leader] Marine Le Pen did it in France, the [anti-establishment] Five Star Movement in Italy... and Donald Trump did it in the United States,� says Durante.

And Vox has since 2017 been in contact with Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon, as the latter recognized in a recent interview with the El Pais daily.

Messages posted on social networks or sent via WhatsApp, another very popular tool in Spain, also have a broader reach because they are shared with relatives or friends.

Silvia Martinez, an expert on social networks and campaigns at Catalonia’s Open University, says this is key as what originates from those close to you instantly appears more credible.

AFP

US and Western arms in Yemen conflict signal potential war crime charges these weapons come with a service package.

Though exact data is scarce, the companies supplying the equipment also supply vital maintenance and repair services, he noted.

Compare with what happened in Iran in 1979, which also was highly dependent on US and UK arms, Tehran had to figure out by itself how to operate the equipment.

Possibly the Iranians were better prepared and trained for that than Saudi Arabia is now, but they struggled to continue to use the US equipment in the war with Iraq and had to resort to importing inferior weapons from China and North Korea.

It is very likely, said Wezeman, that Russia and China will happily step in and offer their weapons. However, it will take time before they can deliver large numbers of weapons and train the Saudi’s on new equipment based on different military doctrines. A full transition will probably take many years.

There are several of other cases where states have shifted between different suppliers, with different levels of success, he pointed out.

Warsaw pact countries moved to NATO weapons, over several decades. Venezuela switched from US equipment to Russian and Chinese over a period of roughly a decade.

Citing conservative UN estimates, Ole Solvang, policy director at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), told IPS some 17,700 civilians have been KILLED IN THE kGHTING IN 9EMEN SINCE An estimated 2,310 people have died from cholera according to the World Health Organization, and 85,000 children under the age of five have died from starvation.

Solvang said more bombs and weapons in 9EMEN WILL ONLY MEAN MORE SUFFERING AND death. “By providing such extensive military and diplomatic support for one side of the conflict, the United States is deepening and prolonging a crisis that has immediate and SEVERE CONSEQUENCES FOR 9EMEN ‡ AND CIVILians are paying the price,� he noted.

Described as one of the world’s least developed countries and the poorest in the Arab WORLD 9EMEN CONTINUES TO BE DEVASTATED BY a war with no end in sight.

Meanwhile, the results of a study commissioned by the UN Development Program (UNDP), released last week, confirm the WORST THE ONGOING CONFLICT HAS REVERSED 9Emen’s human development by 21 years.

The study warns of exponentially growing IMPACTS OF CONlICT ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT )T projects that if the war ends in 2022, development gains will have been set back by 26 years — almost a generation. If it continues through 2030, that setback will increase to four decades. g4HE LONG TERM IMPACTS OF CONlICT ARE VAST and place it among the most destructive conlICTS SINCE THE END OF THE #OLD 7AR u WARNS THE report; and further deterioration of the situaTION gWILL ADD SIGNIkCANTLY TO PROLONGED HUMAN SUFFERING RETARD HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN 9EMEN

and could further deteriorate regional stability.� “Human development has not just been interrupted. It has been reversed,� said UNDP 9EMEN 2ESIDENT 2EPRESENTATIVE !UKE ,OOTSMA “Even if there were to be peace tomorrow, it COULD TAKE DECADES FOR 9EMEN TO RETURN TO PRE CONlICT LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT 4HIS IS A BIG LOSS FOR THE PEOPLE OF 9EMEN u g4HAT S WHY WE HAVE leverage over Saudi Arabia, not the other way around.� The next step, he argued, should be a suspension of arms sales until Saudi Arabia ENDS ITS WAR IN 9EMEN FOR THAT WAR HAS MADE the US complicit in mass starvation.

The Times said last year that some US lawmakers worry that American weapons were BEING USED TO COMMIT WAR CRIMES IN 9EMEN — including the intentional or unintentional bombings of funerals, weddings, factories and other civilian infrastructure — triggering condemnation from the UN and human rights groups who also accuse the Houthis of violating humanitarian laws of war and peace. IPS

˜ The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net SUNDAY April 28, 2019

A7

Regions

Murder filed vs 30 in Negros ambush

BY EUGENE Y. ADIONG

B

ACOLOD CITY: Murder charges were kLED AGAINST PEOPLE INCLUDING A MUNICIPAL COUNCILOR LINKED TO THE AMBUSH OF THE CAMPAIGN CONVOY OF THE VICE MAYOR OF -OISES 0ADILLA TOWN IN .EGROS /CCIDENTAL WHICH KILLED A COUNCILOR AND A FORMER COUNCILOR

Col. Romeo Baleros, Negros Occidental police director, said charges of murder, double murder and attempted murder were kLED AGAINST THE SUSPECTS MOST of them “John Does.�

4WO COUNTS OF MURDER WERE kLED against Councilor Agustin Grande of Moises Padilla and Joe Cesar, a member of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team who had been arrested, while seven others HAD BEEN IDENTIkED Baleros said they arrested Grande, who is also seeking reelection, after witnesses allegedly saw him talking to one the gunmen before the attack.

Cezar, meanwhile, was the alleged caretaker of the safehouse where the killers stayed before the incident.

He said based on their initial investigation, the gunmen left the house at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, about half an hour before the attack.

Baleros said Cezar admitted his role in the crime, but Grande maintained he was innocent of the crime. g4HEY WERE POSITIVELY IDENTIkED by the wife of Mark Garcia [one of the slain victims],� Baleros said.

Five other identified suspects were members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team, or volunteer village watchmen who get allowances from the local government.

The provincial prosecutor, however, ordered Grande released on the basis of the witnesses’ account on his alleged participation in the ambush just “bare suspicion� that did not justify his warrantless arrest.

But the arrest of Cezar was upheld and a subpoena would be issued against him. He has 10 days TO kLE HIS COUNTER AFkDAVIT On Thursday, the campaign convoy of Vice Mayor Ella GarciaYulo was ambushed along Hacienda Tresden in Barangay Inolingan. Killed were her nephew reelectionist Councilor Michael Garcia and her brother Mark, former head of the town’s Association of Barangay Chairmen.

Garcia-Yulo, who was recently released from detention after

posting bail on illegal firearms charges last year, believes she was the target of the attack. She is running as town mayor.

She said her brother and nephew saved them when they confronted the gunmen, allowing her and her fellow candidates to seek cover in nearby houses.

Garcia-Yulo appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte for help in ensuring that justice would be served for the killing of her brother and nephew. “Tatay Digong, help us,� she said.

Comelec control Provincial election supervisor Salud Milagros Villanueva said the Joint Provincial Security Control Center had recommended to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place the town under the control of the poll body after the Thursday killing.

A local government unit may be placed under Comelec control in case of violence perpetrated by private armed groups or the presence of communist rebels, she added.

Earlier, Moises Padilla had been declared “red,� or critical area, after New People’s Army guerrillas executed Councilor Jolomar Hilario last week.

Three councilors, all running for reelection, had been murdered in Negros Occidental. On April 22, Escalante City Councilor Bernardino Patigas was gunned down as he returned from a campaign sortie.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade, said they deployed more troops to Moises Padilla to prevent the recurrence of violence.

Negros Occidental officials offered a P2-million bounty for information that would lead to the arrest of the suspects. Of the amount, P1 million came from Third district Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Vice Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, while, the other half was offered by Gov. Alfredo MaraĂąon Jr. and Jeffrey Ferrer, former Fourth District representative who is running for vice governor.

AFTER 6.1 MAGNITUDEÂ QUAKE

986 families remain in evacuation centers A TOTAL of 986 families remain in various evacuation centers after the 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Luzon, according to the latest report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Some 698 families currently living in evacuation centers are in Pampanga, with 688 of them in two evacuation centers in Floridablanca and 10 centers in Bacolor.

The remaining 288 families are in three evacuation centers in San Marcelino, Zambales.

The NDRRMC reported that a total of 3,632 families based in Pampanga, Zambales, and Bataan were affected, with 951 families choosing not to evacuate.

Estimated damages of P505.9 million to various establish-

ments, roads and bridges were recorded in the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and National Capital Region (NCR).

A total of 1,549 houses were also damaged in Bataan and Pampanga, with 162 houses totally damaged and 1,387 partially damaged.

The NDRRMC reported 18 deaths, 242 injured, and seven missing persons in Central Luzon and NCR. A total of 793 aftershocks had been recorded as of 5 a.m. on April 27.

Eastern Samar and Davao also felt earthquakes days after the 6.1-magnitude tremor struck Luzon.

ROY D.R. NARRA

News Labor group shows PINAYS’ KILLER anti-labor matrix A8

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

Q MURDERED FROM A1

BY JAIME R. PILAPIL

M

ILITANT labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) on Saturday unveiled a matrix of alleged anti-worker personalities whom they blamed for the worsening labor conditions in the country.

KMU identified President Rodrigo Duterte as the center of the matrix, surrounded by some local and

government officials, and big companies The labor group included US President Donald Trump

and Chinese President Xi Jinping as well.

The KMU also accused siblings Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Paolo Duterte, and Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo, Central Bank chief Benjamin Diokno, and Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez as anti-labor.

The militant group also slammed officials of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the

Philippines for alleged human rights violations.

It also accused large private companies for the practice of contractual hiring.

KMU Vice Chairman Lito Ustarez unveiled the matrix several days from the observation of Labor Day. Ustarez said Duterte and those surrounding him in the matrix were not acting enough to end contractualization and improve the labor conditions in the country.

Duterte Go leads Mindanao puts PH in University Senate survey Chinese debt trap – Joma PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has put the country in the speculated Chinese debt trap after the Philippines signed 19 business deals with Chinese firms, according to exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma� Sison on Saturday.

Sison in a statement said Duterte has used the country’s natural resources and the projects themselves as collateral, adding the signed deals were mostly in favor of China, which could result in loan defaults that might affect the country’s sovereignty if a dispute arose. “[B]ut enough information is already out to show that the deals are lopsidedly in favor of the Chinese banks, contractors, suppliers, and Chinese workers, are designed to result in loan defaults and are subject to Chinese sovereignty and Chinese judicial authority in case of any dispute,� Sison said.

He also expressed his disappointment that Filipino people were “not fully informed and are deliberately kept ignorant of the terms of the deals by Duterte and his clique.�

Duterte witnessed the signing of a contract agreement, two cooperation deals, two purchase framework deals, and 13 memoranda of agreement or understanding with an overall worth of P633 billion.

These deals were signed on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on April 26.

ROY D.R. NARRA

˜ The Manila Times

FORMER special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong�

Go emerged as the frontrunner in the survey on the Senate race conducted by the University of Mindanao’s Institute of Popular Opinion (UM-IPO).

Go was statistically tied with former Philippine National Police CHIEF 2ONALD DELA 2OSA IN kRST PLACE

but was nominally ranked second in the survey after getting the vote of 91.1 percent of the respondents.

Dela Rosa came slightly ahead with 91.3 percent of the votes.

The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents on April 8 to 12 across the three districts in Davao City.

Go and Dela Rosa are both administration candidates running under the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino.

Administration bets who made it on the list were Francis Tolentino in third place with 57.2 percent, and reelectionist Sen. Aquilino “Koko�

Pimentel 3rd and Sajid “Dong�

Mangudatatu both in fifth place with 41.6 percent.

Other candidates who made it to the “Magic 12� include PDP-Laban guest candidates Sen. Cynthia Villar

(6th place), Sen. Edgardo “Sonny Angara� (7th), Pia Cayetano (9th), Imee Marcos (10th) and Freddie Aguilar (12th). Independent candidate Sen. Mary Grace Poe was in 8th place, while Sen. Nancy Binay (NUP) came in at 11th place.

Go expressed his gratitude to the people of Davao, saying their support was a “clear manifestation of their continued trust in President Rodrigo Duterte.�

Shoud he win in the May 13 midterm elections, Go vowed to continue the administration’s campaign against crime, corruption and illegal drugs.

Likewise, Go said he would push for improved delivery of medical services by upgrading the facilities of public health institutions and establishment of Malasakit Centers.

Other priority concerns under Go’s legislative agenda include programs for agriculture, education, housing for the poor, long-term sports development, barangay welfare, creation of a Department OF /&7 AND IMPROVED BENEkTS FOR senior citizens.

incided with the day that Greek Cypriots mark the Orthodox Good Friday.

Police cordoned off the area and a sole diver entered Memi Lake in Xyliantos, descending into the emerald-green water. g7E ARE SEARCHING STEP BY STEP u kRE DEPARTment spokesman Andreas Kettis told AFP. The mines-turned-lakes are swollen after record rainfall in Cyprus this winter, posing an extra challenge for investigators.

At a second crime site at Red Lake in Mitsero, a 10-minute drive away, Kettis said robotic equipment might also be sent in to search its acidic waters.

Filipina victims The case came to light after a German tourist TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MINE SPOTTED THE kRST body, brought to the surface of the 150-meter FOOT SHAFT THAT lOODED AFTER UNUSUALLY heavy rains.

The suspect reportedly met the Filipinas through Badoo, an online dating site.

In Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) welcomed the break in the investigation and assured the Filipina victims’ families that the Philippine Embassy in Athens was coordinating with authorities. ! WITNESS HAS REPORTEDLY TESTIkED THAT -ETAXas had photographs of 31-year-old Maricar Valtez Arquiola’s temporary residence permit that were taken on the day she disappeared in December 2017.

4HE YEAR OLD ARMY OFkCER ALSO ALLEGEDLY admitted that he met Arquiola the day before.

4HE OTHER &ILIPINA VICTIMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIkED as 38-year-old Marry Rose Tiburcio and 28-yearold Arian Palanas Lozano. Tiburcio’s 6-year-old daughter, Sierra, remains missing.

The DFA said Philippine embassy representatives would meet with Cypriot authorities and provide assistance, including the provision of DNA samples to help in identifying the victims.

Q VIETNAM FROM A1

PH math of team captain Bryce Ainsley Sanchez of Grace Christian College and Immanuel Josiah Balete of St. Stephen’s High School, both Grade 10 students.

Winning silver medals were Grade 8 students Enzo Rafael Chan of Bayanihan InstituteTarlac and Rickson Caleb Tan of MGC New Life Christian Academy.

The bronze, meanwhile, went to Cassidy Kyler Tan, Grade 8, Davao Christian High School; Noel Stephen Dequito, Grade 8, Xavier School Nuvali; Daryll Carlsten Ko, Grade 10, St. Stephen’s High School; and Issam Wang, Grade 10, Manila Science High School.

4HE TEAM WAS SELECTED TRAINED AND kELDED by the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild of the Philippines (MTG), a leading mathematics educators’ organization.

The MTG starts the selection process as early as the beginning of the school year and trims candidates into a lean team during a summer training camp. “The competition was indeed very intense.

I was personally overwhelmed by the sheer DIFkCULTY OF THE TEST QUESTIONS 7E WERE BOMbarded with a series of questions that require a lot of time to solve, yet given only two hours to complete the test,� bronze medalist Dequito told The Manila Times. “I believe that hard work and love for mathematics allowed us to achieve such victory.

Along with proper focus and determination, we were able to exercise our deep interest in mathematics,� he added.

Student competitors had to slug it out under time pressure. They had to master algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics

Q ROAD FROM A1

Reject Xi’s signature foreign policy aims to reinvent the ancient Silk Road to connect Asia to Europe and Africa through massive investments in maritime, road and rail projects — with hundreds of billions of dollars in financing from Chinese banks. “We need to encourage the full participation of more countries and companies, thus expanding the pie of common interests,� Xi said.

But critics say BRI is a plan to boost Beijing’s global influence, riddled with opaque deals favoring Chinese companies and saddling nations with debt and environmental damage. The United States, India and some European nations have looked at the project with suspicion.

Rising resistance So far Chinese companies and workers have emerged as the primary beneficiaries as they are tapped to build the China-financed infrastructure in other developing countries.

BRI projects have faced pushback in some countries. In Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad cancelled some planned works and renegotiated a rail project cutting 30 percent off the price tag.

But Mohamad and other leaders attending the summit had fulsome praise for BRI.

‘Where are they?’ Investigators are also probing the cases of a missing Romanian mother and her young daughter AS WELL AS UNIDENTIkED !SIAN WOMAN ALSO ON THE list of Metaxas’s suspected victims.

Growing outrage over the murders pushed some 400 people to gather outside the iron gates of the presidential palace in Nicosia Friday evening for a candle-lit vigil — both for the dead and those still missing.

Holding placards calling for “justice,� the crowd held an extended moment of silence, closing down the main road in front of the gates as Cypriots and members of island’s sizeable Filipino community continued to pour in.

Organizers used a loudspeaker to read a list of names of dozens of women believed to have gone missing in Cyprus since the 1990s. “Where are they?� the crowd chorused after each name.

Holding an unlit candle, the head of the Federation of Filipino Organizations in Cyprus, Ester Beatty, said the community “was still coming to terms� with the “brutal� murders. “Right now everyone is very scared,� she said, urging “vigilance� amongst the community.

President Nicos Anastasiades in a statement condemned “these hideous crimes� against foreign women. “Shocked by the revelation of so many shameful murders against innocent foreign women and young children,� the president said, expressing “deepest sorrow and strong concern.�

At the vigil, Lissa Jataas, who heads a solidarity group for domestic workers in Cyprus, said the saga has been “devastating� for the entire Filipino community.

Activist Maria Mappouridou, who put out the call for the protest yesterday on Facebook, said the deaths should serve as a wake-up call for usually quiet island. “This is big. The women have been missing for years and no one has been asking where they’ve been,� the 43-year-old said. “Someone has to take responsibility for this.�

AFP WITH A REPORT FROM JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

ahead of the competition.

Dequito, who said mathematics was his favorite subject, declared that he and his teammates understood the “true beauty� of the science.

A current scarcity of mathematics prowess and understanding needs to be changed by remodeling how the subject is taught and how students learn it, MTG senior trainer Renard Eric Chua said.

Chua, who was the participants’ math tutor DURING THE kVE DAY CONTEST SAID TEACHERS SHOULD not make students memorize formulas and should do away with bookish teaching strategies. “Basically, with [that kind of setup], students aren’t given space to think. They aren’t made to understand the concepts behind these things,� Chua told The Manila Times.

Math is normally considered the most DIFkCULT SUBJECT IN THE COUNTRY S "ASIC %DUCAtion Curriculum due to the large number of TEACHERS WHO EMPHASIZE THE DIFkCULTY INSTEAD of joy, in learning it, he claimed.

The MTG, which prides itself with its approach to math, was established in 1995, motivated mainly a desire to top the International Mathematical Olympiad, the World Championship Mathematics Competition for high school students.

Since then, the Philippines has become three-time world champion and is currently ranked 17th worldwide. “I felt so happy and elated that I have made my country proud with my victory. I felt that I have given my Filipino citizenship an importance, and doing my best was my way of giving back to our country,� Dequito said.

More than 700 students from China, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and host Vietnam joined the contest.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS The draft communique says BRI will welcome developed countries and international investors to participate in the projects.

Xi batted away some concerns at the opening ceremony Friday, saying the BRI would have “zero tolerance� for corruption while vowing to ensure the financial sustainability of projects and further open China’s economy. “Faced with this rising resistance for the past year and a half and this debt image ... China is trying to reposition [BRI] and send a reassuring message,� said Nadege Rolland, a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research, a US-based think tank.

But “let’s see how it is put into practice,� she said.

China’s finance ministry released guidelines Thursday for assessing financial risk and debt sustainability to apply to projects in BRI countries. The document notes that countries already facing payment problems or in the process of restructuring payments “does not automatically mean that debt is unsustainable in a forward-looking sense.�

During a state banquet Friday night, Xi called on attending world leaders to band together in the face of setbacks. “Certainly, while building the Belt and Road Initiative, we will face difficulties and there will be twists and turns,� he said. “No matter a smooth or challenging way, we need to continue the spirit of partnership, not forget our initial intention of cooperation and move forward unwaveringly.�

AFP

Business Times Q keep in view Business leaders to watch out for

Michael McCullough

SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2019 Email: bizreports@manilatimes.net

B1

4HE GLOBAL kNANCIAL CRISIS LEFT A YOUNG EXPAT IN THE COUNTRY JOBLESS AND DOWN TO HIS LAST "UT INSTEAD OF GIVING UP HE ENTERED THE OFkCE LEASING SPACE SCORING NEW OPPORTUNITIES

-ANAGING $IRECTOR AND #O FOUNDER +-# 3OLUTIONS

ABOUT ME

BY LEAH C. SALTERIO THE year was 2008 when Michael Mc#ULLOUGH EXPERIENCED A DEVASTATING SET BACK WHILE LIVING IN THE 0HILIPPINES 4HE 53 BASED COMPANY HE WAS WORKING FOR IN -ANILA UNEXPECTEDLY STOPPED OPERATING AND EVENTUALLY CLOSED DOWN -ICHAEL HAD ONLY 53 LEFT IN HIS POCKET AT THE TIME 7HEN YOU HAVE RENT TO PAY THAT COULD BE A CAUSE FOR ALARM g/N $ECEMBER THAT YEAR ) WAS LAID OFF u -ICHAEL UNABASHEDLY RECALLS g) HAD ZERO MONEY IN MY ACCOUNT NOT EVEN SEV ERANCE PAY -Y LAST WAS AN ALL TIME LOW ) DIDN T SEE THAT COMING BECAUSE THAT COMPANY WAS DOING WELL g/UR TOP CLIENTS JUST EVAPORATED AND VANISHED IN THREE MONTHS )T WAS CRAZY ,OOKING BACK ) AM STILL GRATEFUL FOR THAT )T WASN T FUN BUT ) DON T WANT TO BE IN THAT SITUATION EVER AGAIN WHERE ) CAN T CONTROL THE OUTCOME u !DMITTEDLY -ICHAEL HAD BEEN THROUGH gPLENTY OF FAILURESu EARLY ON &ORTUNATELY

HE WAS SUCCESSFULLY ABLE TO TURN THE SITU ATION AROUND TO HIS ADVANTAGE 7ITH THE MONEY LEFT HE INCORPORATED +-# 3OLU TIONS USING IT AS PAID UP CAPITAL !S MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CO FOUNDER OF +-# 3OLUTIONS -ICHAEL S PARTNERS IN THE COMPANY ARE 'REG +ITTELSON AND LAW YER !MANDA #ARPO 2UkNO 4HEY STARTED SPECIALIZING IN THE OFkCE LEASING BUSINESS -ICHAEL RECALLS HIS INITIAL SALVO g4HERE WERE CLIENTS WHO NEEDED OFkCE SPACE AND ) FOUND GOOD OFkCES THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO LEASE 7E KICKED OFF WITH THAT AND WE VE CONTINUED TO EXPAND FROM THERE u 4ODAY +-# 3OLUTIONS IS AN )3/ CERTIkED )NTERNATIONAL 3TANDARDS /RGA NIZATION lEXIBLE WORKSPACE PROVIDER IN THE 0HILIPPINES OFFERING SERVICED OFkCES

CO WORKING SPACE AS WELL AS DESIGN AND BUILD OFkCES FOR ENTERPRISE CLIENTS !SIDE FROM OFkCES IN -ETRO -ANILA ‡ "ONIFACIO 'LOBAL #ITY "'# IN 4AGUIG 1UEZON #ITY 0ASAY -ANDALUYONG -AKATI 0ASIG

-UNTINLUPA ‡ IT IS ALSO IN #EBU AND )LOILO AND BOUND TO EXPAND EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVELY &OR THE LAST DECADE -ICHAEL HAS DOG GEDLY MANAGED PROJECTS FOR BIG COMPANIES THAT HAVE BECOME THEIR CLIENTS g) GUESS ) M FORTUNATE TO HAVE A KIND OF WORLDLY VIEW ON QUALITY LEVELS TIME PROJECTIONS AND SCHEDULING PROJECTS THAT ARE DELIVERED ON TIME u HE REPORTS g4HAT HAS BEEN A CHAL LENGE GENERALLY SPEAKING FOR COMPANIES IN THE PAST 0ROJECTS TEND TO SLIP 4HEY GET DELAYED 4HERE WAS NOT THAT SENSE OF URGENCY g) HAVE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON DELIVERING PROJECTS ON TIME FOR ALL OF OUR CLIENTS 4HAT S OUR COMPANY BRAND PROMISE u !RRIVING IN -ANILA YEARS AGO -I CHAEL DID NOT INTEND A LONG TERM STAY (E DIDN T EVEN KNOW WHERE THE 0HILIPPINES WAS LOCATED g) HAD TO LOOK IT UP ) DIDN T REALIZE IT WASN T CONNECTED TO ANYTHING ) DIDN T KNOW THEN WHAT WAS NEIGHBORING THE 0HILIPPINES 9OU DON T GET THE MACRO PERSPECTIVE OF WHERE THAT ISLAND kTS WITHIN THE GLOBE g) STARTED TELLING MY CLIENTS THAT ) WAS GOING TO GET SENT TO THE 0HILIPPINES TO OPEN UP AN OFkCE !T THAT TIME THEY HAD -EXICAN OR 3PANISH SOUNDING NAMES

LIKE 2AMIREZ "EING IN #ALIFORNIA ) JUST ASSUMED THEY WERE -EXICAN NATIONALS u (IS CLIENTS INSTANTLY DISABUSED HIM OF THAT NOTION SAYING g@.O WE RE FROM THE 0HILIPPINES 9OU RE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT TIME THERE %VERYONE S SO FRIENDLY %VERY THING IS SO AFFORDABLE 9OU RE GOING TO GET MARRIED THERE g) WAS GOING TO STAY FOR ONLY THREE MONTHS BUT THAT LED TO YEARS u 7HILE WORKING IN 3AN &RANCISCO -I CHAEL GOT SENT OUT TO -ANILA TO HIRE A BUNCH OF DEVELOPERS ON BEHALF OF A 3ILICON 6ALLEY COMPANY g! YEAR LATER THEY WANTED ME TO GO BACK TO 3AN &RANCISCO BUT ) LIKED IT OUT HERE SO ) DECIDED TO STAY u (E MET HIS WIFE A "ULAKEÄA A LADY FROM "ULACAN IN -ANILA AND THEY TIED THE KNOT IN 4HE COUPLE HAS TWO YOUNG CHILDREN ONE IS kVE AND THE OTHER IS TWO "OTH KIDS ARE STILL IN PLAY SCHOOL

ROLE MODEL Travis Boersma, co-founder of Dutch Bros. Coffee, who created an amazing company that gives back to the community.

GOALS Continuous education and watching the leadership team surpass me skills wise.

MORNING ROUTINE I work out in the mornings. Those 30 minutes on the treadmill allow me to think creatively with no interruption from calls, texts or email.

SPECIAL SKILLS Creating a high-performance culture that understands accountability but allows lots of independence.

TIME YOU SPEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA As little as possible. I track it on my phone actually.

LIFE FACT

“

I’m a very healthy eater — no dairy products. I grew up vegetarian.

He stayed, he succeeded

Q KMC Solutions currently boasts of offices in 23 locations across the country, on 36 floors, with 12,000 workstations and 14,222 members, the result of 10 years of hard work by McCullough and his team.

(E WORKED FOR ANOTHER COMPANY BE FORE THE GLOBAL kNANCIAL CRISIS 4HAT WAS WHEN -ICHAEL SWITCHED TO OFFICE LEASING TRANSACTIONS AND THAT WAS WHERE HE STAYED g! LOT OF OUR CLIENTS WANTED lEXIBILITY BECAUSE THEY WENT FROM BE ING MAYBE EMPLOYEES DOWN TO

BECAUSE OF THE RECESSION u HE SAYS g"UT THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD GROW BACK UP TO 3O THEY WANTED A SHORT TERM BASIS lEXIBILITY u (E ADDS g)T WAS VERY HARD TO kND THEM AN OFkCE THAT WAS SQUARE METERS BUT WOULD ALSO HAVE SQUARE METERS NEXT DOOR 4HAT WAS OUR BUSINESS INITIALLY )T WAS REALLY JUST ABOUT kNDING LOCATIONS AND BROKERING TRANSACTIONS FOR CLIENTS g7E STARTED DOING THAT AND THAT MADE US GOOD MONEY 0EOPLE WERE SO HAPPY AND THEY NEVER JUST LEFT 4HEY STAYED IN OUR OFkCE AND MADE IT THEIR HOMES u )N RECENT YEARS -ICHAEL MANAGED PROJ ECTS ON BEHALF OF SOME OF THE LARGEST 0HIL IPPINE CONGLOMERATES AND MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES 4HAT BACKGROUND GAVE HIM AN EDGE IN DOING HIS WORK AT +-# 3OLUTIONS 4HE MOST DIFkCULT OPERATIONAL CHAL LENGE FOR -ICHAEL INVOLVED MOVING A COMPANY IN INTO AN OFkCE ABOUT WEEKS BEFORE #HRISTMAS (E CHUCKLES g) WAS PERSONALLY HAMMERING NAILS TO GET THINGS DONE ,ITERALLY ) DIDN T GET ENOUGH SLEEP FOR THREE WEEKS u (E TAKES PRIDE IN MENTORING YOUNG FOUNDERS g4HE WORLD IS CHANGING FASTER

I guess I’m fortunate to have a kind of worldly view on quality levels, time projections and scheduling projects that are delivered on time.

Previously, there wasn’t that sense of urgency TODAY THAN IT WAS A YEAR AGO u -ICHAEL GRANTS g"EING CONNECTED TO THESE YOUNGER ENTREPRENEURS ) GET TO PICK UP ON IDEAS AND NEW TOOLS THAT THEY RE USING 3O MUCH NEW STUFF IS COMING OUT EVERY DAY NEW DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY NEW WAYS TO CON NECT TO CLIENTS %VIDENTLY +-# 3OLUTIONS HAS THE VIION TO BECOME THE LARGEST PLAYER IN THE 0HILIPPINES u7HEN WE GOT THERE ) REALIZED WE NEEDED A NEW .ORTH 3TAR SO PROFESSIONALLY ) DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP TALENT AND LEADER SHIP IN THE COMPANY u !FTER A DECADE +-# 3OLUTIONS HAS OFkCES IN LOCATIONS ACROSS THE 0HILIPPINES ON lOORS WITH

WORKSTATIONS AND MEMBERS g) HAVE THE MOST INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM THAT ANYONE CAN kND IN THE MARKET RIGHT NOW u -ICHAEL BOASTS 3O FAR IT HAS BEEN AN EVENFUL JOURNEY FOR THIS TRANSPLANTED 3AN &RANCISCAN AND HIS TEAM !ND TO THINK THAT THEY GOT STARTED WITH JUST

B2

Business Times

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

˜˜ The Sunday Times

Editor: Edwin P. Sallan Email: edwin.sallan@manilatimes.net

w w w.manilatimes.net

SERVICIO FILIPINO AND KUDER

Aligning employees’ skills with their interests, passion

BY CORA LLAMAS

D

ISENGAGEMENT remains one of the more potent enemies of workforce productivity.

Citing a 2018 Gallup report, Forbes magazine reported that about 78 percent of employees in the United States dragged themselves to work every morning, demotivated and eventually unproductive.

This situation is all too familiar in the Philippines, where managers often complain about full-time employees just delivering a barely acceptable performance before logging off at the end of the day.

One way to remedy this situation is to discover an employee’s interests and passions, then align these to his or her current responsibilities. Look at the bigger picture and get management involved, while connecting the employee’s skills and aspirations with the company’s overall vision.

This solution comes from Luis Alberto Anastacio, president and chief

EXECUTIVE OFkCER OF 3ERVICIO &ILIPINO Inc. (SFI), which recently struck a partnership with US-based Kuder, a company that provides careerguidance solutions to students and professionals. “Kuder does talent mapping, which assesses the individual beyond his skill set,� Anastacio says. “Oftentimes, the candidate is deemed

Q Luis Alberto Anastacio, president and chief executive officer of Servicio Filipino Inc.

kT FOR A POSITION BECAUSE HE HAS THE necessary skills. The question is: how long will that last? Beyond the skills and competencies, work interest and values will come in at a certain point.

The individual and the company can and should move forward with the guidance of management. Our partnership with Kuder will help them in terms of career development.�

Since it started 75 years ago, Kuder has given career assessment tests and advice to more than 165 million people worldwide. It customizes its approach according to the local culture, values and work environment of the people it is assessing. It also takes into consideration the industry needs and job requirements in that community.

Bailey Rowell, Kuder’s vice president for international business development, says the “tests show the cluster or area interest of the individual being assessed, then identify SPECIkC OCCUPATIONS THAT MATCH THEIR interests.�

These tests are “not prescriptive, and we do not tell individuals what to do. What we provide is information that will help them understand the opportunities that exist,� he adds.

Once the professionals gain a deeper understanding of their abilities and own personal motivations, they begin to feel “cherished and that they are valuable assets� to the organization, Rowell says.

Anastacio says the organization THAT USES THE TESTS WILL kND IT MORE OF a “preventive� platform, rather than a “corrective� one. For example, a demotivated employee just winging it every single day will eventually buckle down as pressures in the workplace mount. “It will come to the point where THE INDIVIDUAL WILL BE DISSATISkED

.OW IF YOU HAVE ;SEVERAL= DISSATISkED individuals in an organization, that will lead to a bigger problem. The tools anticipate these issues before they happen,� he adds.

Besides corporations, Servicio Filipino has also been approaching the government and the education sector.

Support from these stakeholders may alleviate another persistent problem: job mismatch.

Anastacio says job mismatch is not going away anytime soon and needs to be addressed immediately.

Based on his experience with various companies and recruiters throughout the years, he says the number of candidates who enter recruitment halls and are offered a job is very low. “Out of 1,000 people who apply, only 100 will qualify and will be assessed for their skills. Out of these 100, only 34 will pass and meet the requirements,� he adds.

Kuder’s assessment tools can map a candidate or new graduate’s actual skills and competencies beyond what his or her transcript of records can show. A student who has his or her skill set and interests properly assessed even before graduation can have the information he or she needs to land the right job and succeed in it for a long time. Parents who usually push their kids to take a course they may not be skilled or interested IN MAY kNALLY SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR true calling. “It’s all about self-discovery,�

Anastacio says. “Kuder will give the market what it requires and students and professionals what they need.

Employers will no longer have to push unhappy employees to do the things they don’t really alike.�

The end result is a workforce that is “more productive, more successful, and happier,� he adds.

C Y B E R DY N E - L I F E 1 PA R T N E R S H I P

Creating tech product to benefit humanity A LOT of companies are based on a BUSINESS MODEL THAT GENERATES PROkTS BY manufacturing and selling as many products as possible. No problem with that.

But it won’t hurt to create a new product by way of technical innovation that does not bank on consumption. In other words, develop a new industrial model based on innovative solutions to critical social issues.

That is where Cyberdyne, which was established to create Robot Suit HAL “for THE BENEkTS OF HUMANKIND u IS COMING from. Since its founding in 2004, Cyberdyne has pushed technology for practical use, and formed a strong research and development system to ensure more industrial leaps in this age and launch creative products.

4HIS ROBOT MAKING kRM SET UP BY Japanese inventor Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai recently partnered with local company Life1 Corp. to introduce the Hybrid

Assistive Limb (HAL) to Filipinos who regular physical therapy. It is described sustained traumatic spinal injuries or AS THE WORLD S kRST CYBORG TYPE ROBOT THAT were rendered immobile by stroke and can improve, support and enhance the wearer’s bodily functions. other related diseases.

Interestingly, CyberSankai flew into the dyne is taking on the country and met the lochallenge to replace the cal media during a HAL adjective “no� to “new� launch in Okada Mawhen referring to key ennila hotel on April 10. trepreneurial points, like “I love the human market, user, industry, and I read [American professionals and social science-fiction author rules. It welcomes the Isaac] Asimov at the idea of “grappling with age of nine,� Sankai Q Cyberdyne President and uncertainty and seekrecalled. “My intention CEO Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai. for Cyberdyne is to in- CONTRIBUTED PHOTO ing innovation.�

With its headquarters in Japan and a corporate the principle that technology should exist for humans and their society. capital stock of 26.743 billion yen as of That is, by creating an enterprise that June 2016, Cyberdyne’s business lines implements people-friendly technology include “treatment device to improve and regenerate the brain-neuro-physical FOR THE BENEkT OF SOCIETY u HAL functions as a gait treatment functions.� #YBERNICS THE ACADEMIC kELD CENTERED device to be used in conjunction with

on human assistive technology, has been championed by Sankai since 1987.

Sankai is a billionaire businessman and a professor of the Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Tsukuba. He lives in Ibaraki, Japan.

Life1 Corp. President Dr. Albert Zarate, also of the general hospital bearing THE SAME NAME SAID g) kRMLY BELIEVE that we are ready to introduce this technology to the Philippine market.�

He added that he and his team had undergone training for “this new facility.�

The partnership between Cyberdyne and Life1 aims to help ensure affordability for all patients, both rich and poor. It is closely working with government and private hospitals. )N BUSINESS IT S NOT kNDING A MARKET all the time. Creating one, especially for new inventions, is as effective.

YUGEL LOSORATAÂ

MSME lending mandate may be unrealistic T

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is once again wringing its hands in frustration over the unBEN willingness of the banking KRITZ sector to comply with the legal mandate to dedicate 10 percent of total loanable funds to the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. It may be time for the BSP to prevail upon the meddlesome, untutored legislature that creates such laws to make some realistic amendments to it.

BSP data released earlier this week showed that total lending to MSMEs by banks in 2018 reached P547.785 billion, about P10 billion higher than in 2017, but still P200 billion short of the P794.5 billion required under the Magna Carta for MSMEs. The total loanable amount of funds for the banking sector last year was P7.945 trillion, so the amount actually loaned amounted to about 7.3 percent.

The BSP tacitly accepted some of the blame for the banks’ missing the 10-percent target, speculating that perceptions of tighter financial system regulation and lower tolerance for risk led banks to tighten credit standards in the latter half of the year. The central bank also said “the absence of a legal framework to govern the use of movable collateral� was preventing banks from stepping outside the arcane requirement of real property as collateral in business lending, which in turn shut many MSMEs out of the banking system as a source of credit.

That reasoning is slightly dumb. Banks in general, and Philippine banks much more so than those in most other places, are only as innovative as necessity requires. They do not need a legal framework to tell them how to use movable collateral. Even the most unimaginative banker could devise a set of credit rules for accepting equipment and vehicles, inventories, sales contracts, and other non-property assets as collateral. What the banks need is a business case for doing so, and having been shown that, they would quickly adapt.

So far, the banks have determined that the business case is insufficient. Their earnings from their lending business to more conventional markets — real estate, large businesses, consumers — are quite substantial. Their potential earnings from lending to much riskier markets, such as agriculture and MSMEs, once those risks are properly accounted for, would be much lower.

In the absence of a business case, what the geniuses who style themselves as this country’s “lawmakers� have done is attempted to substitute compulsion for market forces by mandating arbitrary levels of lending to specific sectors. It doesn’t work and it never will, because at the levels demanded, the potential return is so low that most banks consider it less costly to pay regulatory penalties for not abiding by mandates for lending levels to MSMEs or agricultural enterprises than it is to make the loans.

In yet another textbook manifestation of the Dunning-Kruger effect, Congress passed last August Republic Act (RA) 11057, or the “Personal Property Security Act,� which defined and set terms for the use of movable property as collateral. This was done to encourage more lending to MSMEs out of an apparent belief that the banking industry is both unaware of what “movable property� is and utterly helpless to make use of it without the wise guidance of lawmakers.

RA 11057 does not impose a mandate to accept movable property as collateral, but that is almost its effect; it gives the BSP the legal basis to penalize a bank for not doing so, if the bank does not meet the other lending level mandates. That may be an overreach beyond reasonable regulation. The law, while well-intentioned, might also have an unintended stifling effect: anything not defined by it presumably cannot be used as movable collateral, which could limit lenders’ flexibility in offering loans to broader markets.

What the BSP acknowledges in only an offhand way and what the mentats in Congress are apparently wholly ignorant about is that the MSME sector may not be underserved in terms of credit access, after all. The rapid growth of online and other nonbank lending options, most of which embrace nonstandard credit scoring and collateral, is taking up much of the perceived slack. One could take the view that this is business the traditional banking sector is missing out on — that certainly seems to be the way the BSP sees it — but as long as legitimate alternatives are available to MSMEs, and as long as banks are not absolutely refusing to serve MSME borrowers, the BSP ought to let everyone concerned do business as they see fit.

If the BSP wants to have a benchmark for MSME lending as an economic indicator and a guide to policy planning, it should instead establish one — a nonbinding target — based on all lenders, not just banks. That would eliminate a great deal of pointless administrative exertion and provide a much clearer picture of the real state of the country’s credit environment.

ROUGH TRADE

Email: ben.kritz@manilatimes.net

Unmasking family conflicts

I

N my more than 30 years of working for and with, writing about, speaking to and — most important for me — learning from family businesses of all types and sizes in different parts of the world, I have become convinced that the business leader who says “we are all OK and don’t disagree at all� does not speak the truth.

That kind of mindset from a business leader can very well relate to the story of James N (not his real name), who shared his troubling concerns: “Prof, the business was started by my parents, and up until today, our business is still run like a traditional mom-and-pop operation.

My father still calls the shots at 72 and [is] sickly, and I have never been scared until today when you [talked about] the “Bahala na kayo� (it is up to the next generation) mentality of the senior generation. Your description perfectly

how the business is run. There are times when we would all be engaged in heated arguments, with siblings taking different sides.� “I have to admit, the last two years have been stressful. We tried hiring professionals and kTS MY FATHER S PERSONALITY AND they all left after staying for less you were correct when you said than a year. What is aggravating business leaders are tough as nails the already tense situation is that in deal-making, but extremely all of us (siblings) never had the soft as parents when disciplining opportunity to experience workchildren. He always said, ‘There is ing outside, so I really do not enough wealth to divide among know what you meant about ‘best the children, and therefore I ex- practices,’� he said. pect harmony when I am gone.’ “You also mentioned in your That is far from the truth!� talk about being fair and transparent, but honestly, I don’t feel Exposing sibling rivalry IT !ND FROM YOUR DEkNITION OF entitlement, I think we are all I asked James N about his siblings, entitled. I am embarrassed to say their relationships and vision for we even ask our parents for tuthe future, among others. He re- ition and the regular allowances plied with discernible frustration: of our kids. After hearing your “My siblings and I are in our 40s, presentation about death and and sadly, we have differences on its unintended consequences, I

FAMILIES IN BUSINESS PROF. ENRIQUE SORIANO

am scared that if Papa goes, the business will follow,� he added.

James N is a second-generation member of a family business based in Manila. Listening to my talk, he realized that, for the family’s 40-plus-year-old manufacturing company to survive another generation, the enterprise must undergo some form of transformation, and he felt that time was running out.

He described the business as a ticking time bomb.

I shared with James my experience seeing dozens of familyowned businesses under similar circumstances, where unqualified family members join the business, were handed power and became entitled without ANY DEkNED ROLES !ND WHEN THE leader unexpectedly becomes incapacitated or dies, the business becomes embroiled in a tug-ofwar between the surviving heirs.

It is a vicious cycle that business leaders are keenly aware, but have chosen to procrastinate rather than take action. I painted a tragic scenario of a downhill drive for the business, and suddenly James N remarked: “We totally want to avoid that! But how?�

Initiate governance, draft solid agreements

ment of personal privileges for the greater good.

You have probably heard the saying, “the bone is strongest where the break heals.� The same applies to relationships, and this MAY IN FACT GIVE FAMILY kRMS A competitive edge. Unresolved conflicts are harmful and will inevitably put the family and business at risk.

Successful family businesses are the result of years of hard work and dedication. But we must acknowledge that family companies are emotional systems that are MORE LIKELY TO HAVE CONlICTS &OR THE FAMILY kRM TO REMAIN stable and pass on its success to the next generation, values, commitment, vision and planning must be embedded as part of its culture. Pursuing governance for a family with diverse personalities will entail some form of curtail-

Prof Enrique Soriano is a World Bank/IFC Governance Consultant, senior advisor of Post and Powell Singapore and the executive director of Wong + Bernstein Family Advisory Group, a research and CONSULTING kRM IN !SIA THAT SERVES family businesses and family foundations. He was chairman of the marketing cluster at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business in Manila, and is currently a visiting senior fellow of the IPMI International School in Jakarta.

˜ The Sunday Times SUNDAY April 28, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

Sunday Business & I.T.

B3

Security implications for 5G and IoT

BY JONATHAN NGUYEN-DUY, VICE PRESIDENT STRATEGY AND ANALYTICS, FORTINET

W

HEN combined with today’s powerful edge devices — whether consumer-grade smart devices or the new generation of industrial-grade Internet of Things (IoT) devices — the impact of 5G on business and networking strategies would be transformational. There are important implications for digital transformation that need to be considered, especially when it comes to securing the new network environments that 5G and edge-based computing would create. providers cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of mobile networks As 5G begins to be widely available, to create new services. However, these open, hyperconnected edge several things would happen.

In addition to exponentially faster networks would also have serious speeds, 5G would introduce greater implications on how devices, data, capacity, reduced latency and more APPLICATIONS AND WORKlOWS COULD lEXIBLE SERVICE DELIVERY 4HIS WOULD be managed, along with how they enable organizations to provide connect to traditional and cloudbetter content, more real-time based networks.

5G would also have an impact far transactions and much richer user beyond interconnecting endpoint experiences across entertainment devices.

IoT devices would be enlistand commercial activities. ed to track other devices and users, Lower latency and highly reliable monitor inventory, gather user and connections would enable greater device information, and provide edge-based computing without the real-time data that could impact need for nearby data centers to supeverything from agile application port latency-sensitive transactions AND WORKlOWS )NSTEAD

BY PROVI- development and manufacturing sioning computing services closer to lOORS TO MANAGING AND COORDINATend users, 5G servers would acquire ing resources in highly connected enough intelligence to act as appli- environments such as smart cities. cation servers — supporting a wide array of edge-based applications, Examples of 5G and IoT transactions and business processes.

Eventually, when 5G speeds Enhanced communication services and capacity are combined with within connected cars, for example, the unprecedented power of edge would go well beyond the current devices, we would see the creation set of interactions that already occur of new edge-based networks that internally between onboard IoT decould share and process informa- vices such as braking, environment tion locally, as well as cloud-based monitors, GPS and even entertainment systems. Live connections beresources.

Because these edge-based com- tween drivers and businesses would puting resources would be highly ENABLE kNANCIAL TRANSACTIONS SUCH distributed, they would need to be as paying for fuel, ordering food at a interconnected using enterprise- drive-thru restaurant or paying tolls, grade applications and high-speed without having to pull out a credit connections to ensure that the card. Communications between HUGE VOLUMES OF DATA WORKlOWS vehicles and between cars and inand transactions they create are frastructure-based IoT would enable tracked and analyzed in real time. ENHANCED TRAFkC MANAGEMENT AND 5G networking would also offer augment things like autonomous application developers and content driving at highway speeds.

The impact of 5G on networks

Likewise, there are significant implications for healthcare and medical IoT. 5G speeds would allow the real-time transmission of data to support things like remote surgery, the tracking of monitors and other connected medical devices, including wearable medical IoT, and the analysis of tests and scans by remote professionals. These advances would not only allow patients to have access to the best physicians in the world, but they would also extend 21st-century medical care to remote locations that currently lack reliable medical resources.

segmentation strategies would need to navigate local and remote resources that mix segments for which organizations may or may not have control. IT teams would need to evaluate how to manage the complexity of multiple co-managed systems as they implement 5G networks and public cloud services.

Sharing threat intelligence, correlating event data and supporting automated incident response would require security technologies to be deeply integrated. This would require the development and adop-

– Automated network application lifecycle management would require security tools to not only be high performing, but also highly adaptive to ensure that constant innovation includes consistent protection. It would also require organizations to transition from a DevOps model to a DevSecOps model to ensure that security is integrated directly into the development strategy. – Support for cloud-optimized distributed network applications would require security to move seamlessly between and across dif-

tion of a comprehensive, fabricbased security architecture. Machine LEARNING ARTIkCIAL INTELLIGENCE AND automation would be key to accelerating decision-making, thereby closing the gap between detection and mitigation.

Interoperability between different security tools would also require establishing new open 5G security standards, the adoption of APIs across vendors and agnostic management tools that could be centrally managed to see security events and orchestrate security policies.

These are just a handful of the security implications resulting from the adoption and deployment of 5G networks. But that is just the start of the impact of this new era of networking and computing. Security would also need to address the following scenarios:

ferent network ecosystems without LOSING TRACK OF WORKlOWS OR DROPping security functionality. – Digital transformation would generate vast amounts of new data, most of which would be encrypted.

Encrypted data currently constitutes more than 70 percent of network TRAFkC. That percentage would only grow as encryption is used to protect data moving through open network environments. This would require high-performance security tools in IoT and other edge devices that COULD INSPECT ENCRYPTED TRAFkC AT both speed and scale.

New strategies, such as network slicing, would enable organizaTIONS TO MORE EFkCIENTLY CONSUME resources moving through massive data environments. This would also require segmentation and edgebased microsegmentation to protect

critical resources while isolating them from open and less secure environments.

Where to start Many organizations are clearly underestimating the potential impact of the coming 5G revolution and the effect it would have on how they conduct commerce and compete effectively within the next iteration of the digital economy. However, there are a few things that organizations could do now to prepare. The most

Security implications for 5G and IoT These new connected environments would also have serious consequences for security. The biggest challenge would be the sudden, exponential growth of the attack surface due to the rapid expansion of IoT devices and edge-based computing. This would be followed closely by the fact that these devices won’t necessarily be connected to a central network in a traditional HUB AND SPOKE CONkGURATION 7ITH literally billions of IoT devices interconnected across a meshed edge environment, any device could become the weakest link in the security chain and expose the entire enterprise to risk. Addressing this challenge would require some fundamental shifts in how we think about networking and security.

Security would need to be edgeto-edge — from the IoT edge, across the core enterprise network, and OUT TO BRANCH OFkCES AND MULTIPLE public clouds. To do this, everything connected to the enterprise ECOSYSTEM NEEDS TO BE IDENTIkED

criticality rated and their state conkRMED 4HEN ALL requests for access to network resources would NEED TO BE VERIkED VALIDATED AND authenticated.

Security must also support elastic, edge-to-edge hybrid systems combining proven traditional strategies with new approaches. While network segmentation is a proven technique for containing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive resources, old strategies may not be best suited for a 5G world. New

effective approach would be to migrate from traditional, isolated point defense products to a security fabric designed to be integrated, automated and open using open APIs and common standards. This approach also need to combine single-pane-of-glass management and control with security technologies that could move seamlessly across traditional, SD-WAN, multicloud and highly mobile endpoint and IoT devices for consistent visibility and control.

Organizations that begin preparing now for the security and networking implications of 5G, especially as billions of new IoT devices would be deployed in the next year, would be far ahead of their competitors. And in today’s highly evolving digital marketplace, that difference is likely to be critical.

Asians more inclined to adopt new, innovative technologies A NEW RESEARCH STUDY THE kRST OF ITS kind, titled “New Tech Adoption Index�

(NTAI), has found that Asians have greater propensity for new technology adoption among global consumers.

China, Singapore and South Korea lead the developed markets of Europe in driving high demand for consumer products with high tech features.

2ESEARCH AND ANALYTICS kRM 'F+ RELEASED ITS kNDINGS FROM THE STUDY conducted around the New Tech Adoption Index which leverages GfK’s proprietary point-of-sales data to speCIkCALLY ANALYZE NEW CONSUMER TECHnology take-up across over 250,000 products in the consumer durables and technology industry. Nine Asian and six key European markets were included in the study.

In the study, four main categories, namely fun, comfort, freedom and essential, were analyzed. One major kNDING IS THAT !SIA IS CLEARLY A MOBILE kRST REGION WITH THE ESSENTIAL CATEGORY being the main driver of NTAI across the region.

Included in each category are hardware items and those with software-

TECH SPACE TONY MAGHIRANG led features such as ultra HD/4K and gaming (under fun), smart appliances (comfort), true wireless, wearables and AI speaker (freedom) and screen size larger than 5.5� for smart + mobile phones (essential).

When it comes to the adoption of new tech products, unique consumption behaviors come into play. For example, Vietnam, with its younger local population, leads the freedom category while the mature markets of South Korea, China and Singapore, given their greater spending power, exhibit higher high tech propensity in the fun “basket.�

A comparison of technology adoption trends between East (Asia) and West (Europe) revealed a notable difference. The European region showed a higher share in the fun, freedom and essential categories while comfort is nonexistent there.

GfK’s study also unveiled that Asian consumers have distinct traits that set them apart from the rest of the world.

For instance, as evidenced by other GfK reports, Asian shoppers tend to be more experimental, less loyal and are growing in sophistication in making purchase decisions.

This makes Asia an ideal haven for test marketing new products. The region’s receptivity to new high-techdriven products can help not only innovative businesses in launching new products but also brands in conceptualizing high-end features that will go down well with their target markets.

The buoyant prospect for Asia is somehow tempered by the fact that while China, Singapore and South Korea posted the highest NTAIs, India and Indonesia occupied the lower rungs of the spectrum. The apparent market clustering among the rising stars and the seeming high-tech ‘lagGARDS RElECT THE DIVERSITY IN THE MARkets of the region. It may also demand a set of wide-ranging approaches to drum up demand across differing market segments.

Pinoy kids choose internet over TV ACCORDING to an annual study led by leading kids digital media company TotallyAwesome, more than 8 in 10 children in the Philippines would choose to have access to the internet over TV. The fourth iteration of the “Philippines Kids’ Digital Insights� analyzes kids digital behavior, online media consumption, device usage, content as well as brand preferences.

More kids own a smartphone THIS trend has been rising steadily over the years: it revealed children prefer mobile devices smartphones (81 percent), followed by tablets (56 percent) and TV (54 percent). TotallyAwesome discovered one of the reasons for this is that over 55 percent of children own a smartphone, 47 percent own a tablet while only 17 percent own a TV. With the high mobile penetration, it is not surprising that digital is the main source of information: 83 percent of children surveyed SAID THEY kND OUT ABOUT NEW TOYS launches from the internet; only 48 percent said they get the same information from television.

Online ads spur purchases Moreover, the study acknowledges the ever increasing impact of online advertising: over 7 in 10 parents admitted they had bought products for their kids, who had seen it on online ads. “We have seen children in The Philippines being very vocal and fanatical about content that they see online,� said Quan Nguyen, TotallyAwesome chief executive. “With a high smartphone penetration, it only stands to reason they are more impressionable to online kid influencers. Brands marketing to kids must drop bait where the fish are instead of holding on to outdated strategies.�

Pinoy kids have spending power On top of being heavily invested into digital and mobile, kids have growing spending power: almost 9 in 10 kids receive pocket money and about one third of them receive pocket money every day. The study

also learned Filipino children have a greater say in what they buy as their spending power INCREASES WITH MANY INlUENCing their parents in the buying decisions. While 79 percent of the children still ask their parents to buy them products, almost 20 percent of them will buy what they see online with their own money. Parents also disclosed their kids decide and HAVE INlUENCE ON THE TYPE OF snacks (80 percent) or toys (81 percent) they buy, where to go when they eat out (78 percent), as well as the movies they watch (67 percent).

According to the poll, snacks (69 percent), drinks (46 percent), eating out (43 percent) and toys (31 percent) are the most popular items children spend their own money on. “The study has revealed the power children have over the things they want. They get their way whether they are direct purchasers with their own cash or through their parents with pester power. Marketers may need to recognise and acknowledge the tremendous influence of Generation Alpha and GenX,� said Nguyen.

Sunday Business & I.T.

B4

SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2019

www manilatimes.net

Editor: Jing Garcia

FOR POWER-SEEKERS

Dell unveils new, perfected XPS 13

D

ELL recently announced the latest iteration of its award-winning laptop designed to elevate the computing experience for the everyday consumer and mobile professionals.

The newest XPS 13 laptop would provide users with a combination of beautiful design, superior materials and top-notch performance — delivering a device perfect for every function and user, be it for work or entertainment.

Dell has perfected its awardwinning 13-inch thin and light XPS 13 with a new top-mounted innovative webcam for a better video experience and a new frost color option.

Launched in CES 2019, the XPS 13 received the CES 2019 Innovation Honoree and is Dell’s most award-winning product ever, sought-after by professionals and consumers alike.

Smallest webcam At just 2.25-mm, Dell’s smallest HD webcam ever enables the XPS to maintain its trend-defining )NkNITY%DGE DISPLAY WHILE MOVing the camera to the top of the display for a better video experiENCE 4HE 803 ALSO IS THE kRST notebook in Dell’s portfolio to support Dolby Vision.

Dolby Vision transforms the entertainment experience with ultra-vivid picture quality — incredible brightness, contrast and color that bring entertainment to life. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision could deliver colors never before

seen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter and blacks that are 10 times darker. The result IS A REkNED LIFELIKE IMAGE THAT would make you forget you are looking at a screen.

Now even more powerful than before with THE LATEST QUAD CORE TH 'EN Intel Core processors, the XPS 13 is still the most powerful 13-inch laptop in its class.

The XPS 13 offers an even brighter arctic white woven glass fiber interior and a new frost anodized exterior color option, adding to its stunning rose gold and white, and black and silver versions.

Immersive experience Now more than ever, people watch movies and TV shows on their PCs with the expectation of

Galaxy M20: For the adventurous millennial MILLENNIALS are dubbed as an adventurous and practical bunch.

They love to travel, explore the world and document everything on social media. This group wants to experience the best of what this world has to offer on a budget.

For the generation of explorers, the Samsung 'ALAXY - IS THE PERfect smartphone to help them lead a thrilling life.

Priced at P10,490, the 'ALAXY - IS EQUIPPED with a whopping 5,000mAh battery, the largest in the low-mid range category. Users can charge it once and make calls for 32.5 hours, play videos for 28.5 and listen to music for 109.4. Its fastcharging feature means millennials can multitask without having to worry about battery life.

The smartphone makes everyday life exciting with its FHD+ )NkNITY 6 DISPLAY WHICH OFFERS a 6.3-inch edge-to-edge display and a 90 percent screen-to-

window ratio. This means an uninterrupted viewing experience ideal for streaming content, playing games, and browsing social media.

Millennials can also document their travels with the 'ALAXY - S MULTIPLE CAMERAS that mimic human sight. Its rear lenses include a 13MP main camera and a 5MP ultra wide-angle camera to take stunning outdoor photography. The

device is set up with an AI-intelligent solution to automatically adjust saturation, white balance, and brightness in real-time. Selfies can be edited with AR emojis, STICKERS STAMPS kLTERS AND A BLUR effect for bokeh shots.

4HE 'ALAXY - COMES IN TWO colors: Charcoal Black and Ocean Blue. It is exclusively available at online merchants like Lazada, Shopee, Argomall, Abenson and MemoExpress.

a full cinematic experience, including studio sound and visual quality, as creators intend.

That experience is now available on XPS 13 through the updated Dell Cinema that now offers advanced features for an optimal entertainment experience.

Premium support services All Dell XPS laptops come with Dell Premium Support Service and Accidental Damage support. The Dell Premium Support service packs the most features

in one support plan. It is enhanced with features that include virus removal, repairs for accidents and automated PC health-optimizing scans to keep the PC running at its best.

Premium Support comes with SupportAssist, Dell’s exclusive technology that helps make managing the PC easier. Users could unlock its maximum performance when they select it.

Users would also have expert help from a team that is ready to deliver personalized, one-on-one support for nearly

any hardware or software issue.

Whether it is setting up parental controls, backing up data, or optimizing your hard drive and software settings to get that likenew performance from the PC, Dell experts are ready to tackle the challenges users might face.

This service is available nationwide in the Philippines.

The XPS 13 (9380) laptop price starts at P109,090 and is available in the following colors: Black and 3ILVER 2OSE 'OLD 7HITE AND Arctic White and Frost.

Coocaa: Reshaping the TV industry JUST one week after its debut on Lazada Philippines, six months on Lazada Indonesia, and four months on Lazada Vietnam and Thailand, Coocaa has emerged as ONE OF THE E COMMERCE GIANT S kRST joint business partnership (JBP) brands for 2019.

This strategic partnership is aiming to bring high-quality televisions and after-sale services to the Philippines, by cutting out the middle-man and providing consumers with the best deals.

By tapping into the marketing, branding and sales solutions provided by Lazada’s industry-leading platform, Coocaa would focus on the market’s rising demand for smart-home devices in Southeast !SIA WHICH HAS LED TO SIGNIkCANT changes in the smart TV industry landscape. Coocaa is committed to continuing its innovation lead

BY FOCUSING ON ARTIkCIAL INTELLIgence-the Internet of Things-TV (AIoTV) and making them available at an affordable price. “Coocaa is gearing up to be the trend-setter and leader in Southeast Asia’s TV industry, especially in the Philippines. Within a very short time, we have been able to be recognized as one of Lazada’s JBP brands for 2019. Through this partnership, we would continue to FULkLL THE APPETITE FOR TECHNOLOGI-

cal advancement at an affordable PRICE u SAID 2OCK :HANG GENERAL manager of Southeast Asia Brand "USINESS AND DIRECTOR OF 'LOBAL % Commerce Overseas Department.

As one of the few e-commerceonly technology brands, Coocaa’s online presence has been growing strongly and steadily. During the launch campaign,Coocaa emerged as the number 1 bestselling TV brand, and number 1 best-selling brand in LazMall, in the Philippines. “The e-commerce space in Southeast Asia is growing rapidly, and we are proud to empower vibrant brands like Coocaa, who are embracing this opportunity to win new consumers in the region. Lazada is extremely committed to developing solutions that our brands and sellers could leverage on, to accelerate their growth into super e-businesses.

As we curate and create the best experiences for consumers, we want to build a sustainable marketing, sales and branding ECOSYSTEM THAT OFFERS EFkCIENCIES and long-term value for our partNERS u SAID *ING 9IN PRESIDENT

,AZADA 'ROUP As part of the JBP, both Coocaa and Lazada Philippines would invest in e-commerce marketing solutions and innovations.

Coocaa would also increase its investment in Lazada Philippines, by regularly launching exclusive marketing campaigns and exclusive products, to expand consumer outreach and stimulate high quality sales growth.

Consumers would also be able to purchase a highly comprehensive and cuttingedge product portfolio from Coocaa’s LazMall flagship store, and enjoy top quality products and customer service.

By leveraging on Lazada’s vast logistics network and country-wide last mile delivery service, Coocaa expects to reach all households across the Philippines. This would potentially increase Coocaa’s market share, and enhance the company’s penetration rate in both rural and urban markets.

The strategic partnership is part OF #OOCAA S AMBITION TO REDEkNE the industry landscape in the Philippines and Southeast Asia by introducing AIoTV for all homes in the Philippines at an affordable price.

Since 2018, Coocaa has allocated more spending in research and development, and is working with other tech companies, includING 'OOGLE AND "AIDU TO DEVELOP more AI products, to provide better entertainment options.

Truth-telling in the age of disinformation

A

N inconvenient truth is that the May 13 elections may again be a manifestation of our people’s political l i t e r a c y, a s m e n t i o n e d by former ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales during the Disinformation and Democratic Decay forum. “Why deceptive information erodes democratic institutions AND HOW TO kGHT FORWARDu WAS the theme of the 2nd Conference on Democracy and Disinformation held last April 22, 2019. Disinformation in THE DIGITAL AGE IS gFAKE NEWSu and more. In John Nery’s book Democratic Decay and Disinformation in the Digital Age, disinformation uses information technology to create, distribute and amplify the power of networked lies. Democratic decay is the gradual deterioration of the institutions of disinformation in the digital age, and “the objective, the very bullseye, of much of digi-

LET’S TALK #SOCIAL NOEMI LARDIZABAL-DADO TAL TRANSFORMATION u 'IVING THE main address, “Democratic DeCAY IN THE 0HILIPPINES u -ORALES emphasized that “the absence of checks and balances mechanism plus a timid press present a clear AND PRESENT DANGER TO DEMOCRACY u She added that one just has to rule by fear and intimidation to impose tyranny. She addressed the Consortium of Democracy and Disinformation (fightdisINFO COM AS gSOLDIERS OF TRUTHu who possess the most lethal of all weapons in today’s post-truth era: facts — reliable, timely and unfailing facts. ) AM INVITED TO TALK ABOUT kGHTING election-related disinformation as part of Kontra Daya’s Voters Education. My audience are students or religious and lay leaders.

I combine fact-checking and spotting fake news with a call to action TO gBE TRUTH TELLERSu ONLINE AND OFlINE !T THE END OF EACH TALK ) TELL the audience to consider one person THEY COULD INlUENCE WITH ON THEIR choice of candidates. Truth-telling could be a challenge when family or friends disagree with your beliefs and choices. “What if it is my tita sharing fake news? How do I correct HER WITHOUT HURTING HER FEELINGS u A student asks. Relationships are more important than correcting someone or insisting on one’s political choice.

Preserve relationships. There are indirect ways to show the truth or present one’s perspective. Instead of arguing with them, I post links to factual articles or statistics to social media platforms.

Truth-telling is a challenge when one is active in social media. The trolls and bots are there to intimidate and challenge the truth. Counterspeech works for those who have the courage to kGHT BACK )T IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY Blocking or muting these accounts

are ways to avoid the chilling effect. Instead of a direct reply to their comments, I add a post under my thread. I don’t want to lose focus. Being critical exposes ME TO LABELS ) AM CALLED g9ELLOWu ,IBERAL 0ARTY OR g2EDu LEFTIST AS if color-coding critics diminishes the validity of the issues being raised. I suggest sharing the truth in closed, private spaces like Messenger, Viber or WhatsApp. The problem with people believing disinformation is that, even when confronted with truth/ facts, they tend to dig their heels in. These are people trapped in their echo chambers. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, the keynote speaker, talked about “Truth in THE !GE OF $ISINFORMATIONu AND questioned the criterion for truth.

With all the noise in social media, the criteria for truth are changing.

The bishop cites examples: “If it is TRENDING THEN IT MUST BE TRUE u g)F he’s leading in the surveys, maybe he’s the guy to vote for. Who LOVES A LOSER ANYWAY u g) D RATHER

TRUST SOMEBODY WHO lAUNTS HIS immorality than hypocrites who HAVE SKELETONS IN THEIR CLOSET u g)F most of the comments about him are negative, he probably really DESERVES THEM u Check your own biases and how your viewpoint could make you see the things you’d like to see. Ask yourself, am I accepting this because of what I believe?

Am I believing this because I’m a supporter of the opposition or I’m pro-administration? Bishop David tackled the truth by asking this simple question: “Will your vote in May be for Jesus or FOR "ARABBAS u 4HE BISHOP BElieves it could only be for Jesus if the truth still matters to the one who votes, and uses experience, understanding, judging and decision-making to arrive at that vote.

Morales enjoins the people to be advocates of truth and to stand up against the decay of democracy IN THE COUNTRY 3HE TELLS US TO kND the truth and expose the lies. “You

can’t [speak] in whispers.

You should not be afraid. By raising your dissent, there’s NO CRIME COMMITTED u (ER address ends with a powerful statement: “Our democracy is sick and truth-telling is the ONLY ANTIDOTE u ͒ The Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation (fightdisinfo.com) is a n e t wo r k o f j o u r n a l i s t s, academics, bloggers and other independents, supported by the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and University of the Philippines.

The consortium organized the 2nd Conference on Democracy and Disinformation held last April 22, 2019 at UP Democratic Decay and Disinformation in the Digital Age IN "ONIFACIO 'LOBAL #ITY 9OU CAN DOWNLOAD THE PDF kLE OF the book at https://fnst.org/ content/necessary-controversyDEkNING FAKE NEWS

World

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Venezuelan official target in Maduro ouster bid WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s foreign minister, escalating its pressure campaign aimed at removing President Nicolas Maduro.

The action against Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza is the latest and loudest sign that the US has no interest in negotiating WITH -ADURO A LEFTIST kREBRAND whom more than 50 countries no longer recognize as president.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Arreaza a “Maduro lackey� and wrote on Twitter that he was hit with sanctions “for attempts to thwart the Venezuelan people’s democratic aspirations.� “But I know Venezuelans, they WON T BE COWED 7ITH THE SUPPORT of the world’s leading democracies, they will restore democracy and REBUILD THE COUNTRY u 0OMPEO SAID Under the sanctions, any US ASSETS OF !RREAZA WILL BE BLOCKED AND 53 CITIZENS WILL BE PROHIBITed from any dealings with the top Venezuelan diplomat, including in property.

Arreaza is the latest Venezuelan OFkCIAL TO BE TARGETED AS 0RESIDENT Donald Trump’s administration tries to install in power Juan

Guaido, the opposition leader.

But while most previous sanctions announcements alleged CORRUPTION OR RIGHTS ABUSES

the Treasury Department did NOT CITE SPECIFIC VIOLATIONS BY Arreaza, instead saying he was taken to task for his role as foreign minister.

The US “will continue to target corrupt Maduro insiders, including those tasked with conducting diplomacy and carrying out JUSTICE ON BEHALF OF THIS ILLEGITImate regime,� Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

3TILL BACKED BY 2USSIA -ADURO has survived three months of MOUNTING PRESSURE LED BY THE 53

including efforts to deprive him OF 6ENEZUELA S kNANCIAL LIFELINE OF oil sales, and still enjoys critical BACKING FROM 2USSIA AND #HINA 2USSIA DENOUNCED WHAT IT CALLED gBRUTALu 53 PRESSURE ON 6ENEZUELA g 7E E X H O R T T H E 5 N I T E D States to return to the realm of international law, end its POLITICS OF BLACKMAIL AND STOP provoking tensions in VenEZUELA FROM ABROAD u THE FOReign ministry said in a statement.

AFP

Russian agent gets 18 months for US interference WASHINGTON: Maria Butina, the only 2USSIAN ARRESTED AND CONVICTED in the three-year investigation of Moscow’s interference in US poliTICS WAS SENTENCED ON &RIDAY TO months in prison.

4HE LEADER OF A SMALL 2USSIAN GUN RIGHTS GROUP THE YEAR OLD 3IBERIAN native used her ties to the National 2IlE !SSOCIATION TO BUILD A NETWORK OF POWERFUL 2EPUBLICAN CONTACTS She had admitted one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without registering — a so-called “espionageLITEu CHARGE THE 53 HAS USED BEFORE AGAINST ALLEGED 2USSIAN SPIES Prosecutors said that although she worked openly and was not TIED TO ANY 2USSIAN INTELLIGENCE AGENCY SHE WAS SENDING BACK REPORTS TO A HIGH LEVEL 2USSIAN GOVERNMENT OFkCIAL AND POSED A threat to the United States. g) HUMBLY REQUEST FORGIVENESS I’m not this evil person depicted in the media,� she told the court in 7ASHINGTON BEFORE her sentence was announced.

Dressed in a

Q Maria Butina AFP PHOTO

DARK BLUE PAJAMA LIKE PRISON UNIFORM HER LONG RED HAIR PULLED BEhind her shoulders, Butina’s voice BROKE AS SHE ADDRESSED THE COURT IN lUENT 2USSIAN ACCENTED %NGLISH She told the court she had only WANTED TO WORK TOWARDS BETTER 53 2USSIAN RELATIONS AND WOULD HAVE registered as a foreign agent if she HAD KNOWN IT WAS REQUIRED BY LAW -OSCOW EXPRESSED OUTRAGE OVER the treatment of Butina, who was given credit for nine months alREADY SERVED AND WILL BE DEPORTED when she is released. g4HE ACCUSATIONS BROUGHT AGAINST HER INTENDED TO INlUence the internal political process in the United States, are totally INVENTED AND FABRICATED u 2USsia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Our compatriot was conDEMNED JUST BECAUSE SHE IS A 2USsian citizen,� it added.

B u t i n a ’s c a s e p l aye d o u t AGAINST A BACKDROP OF TENSION BETWEEN -OSCOW AND 7ASHINGTON OVER WHAT 53 intelligence says was a conCERTED EFFORT BY 2USSIAN SPIES TO INTERFERE IN THE presidential election, using hacking and social media manipulation to help President Donald Trump to victory.

3PECIAL #OUNSEL 2OBERT -UELLER CHARGED 2USSIANS with conspiracy for THOSE ACTIVITIES BUT

WITH ALL OF THEM BELIEVED TO BE IN 2USSIA

NONE HAVE BEEN ARrested.

AFP

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

C1

Britain, Ireland revive talks on ‘power-sharing’

B

ELFAST: Britain and Ireland on Friday announced new talks to revive Northern I r e l a n d ’s d e vo l ve d p owe r - s h a r i n g institutions on May 7, with the killing of a journalist by republican paramilitaries putting new impetus for a breakthrough.

Northern Ireland, part of the 5NITED +INGDOM HAS BEEN WITHout its semi-autonomous government since January 2017 following A BREAKDOWN IN TRUST BETWEEN ITS main parties.

In a rare joint statement, politiCIANS FROM .ORTHERN )RELAND S SIX BIGGEST PARTIES UNITED TO CONDEMN THE KILLING OF YEAR OLD ,YRA -C+EE SHOT DEAD ON !PRIL while reporting on riots in the SECOND CITY OF ,ONDONDERRY ALSO known as Derry.

(ER DEATH HAS TRIGGERED A REnewed attempt to mend fences BETWEEN THE MAIN PARTIES representing the British unionist and Irish nationalist communities.

‘Unmistakable message’ British Prime Minister Theresa May and her Irish counterpart ,EO 6ARADKAR ANNOUNCED &RIDAY S development, saying their attendance at McKee’s funeral this WEEK gGAVE EXPRESSION TO THE clear will and determination of all the people of these islands to REJECT VIOLENCE ug7E ALSO HEARD THE UNMISTAKABLE MESSAGE TO all political leaders that people across Northern Ireland want to see a new momentum for political progress,� the premiers said in a statement. g7E HAVE AGREED TO ESTABLISH A NEW PROCESS OF political talks,� they said.

I r i s h Fo r e i g n Minister Simon

several issues.

The largest parties from each side are supposed to govern together under a power-sharing acCORD REACHED IN TO END THREE DECADES OF VIOLENT CONlICT 3INN &EIN BROUGHT DOWN THE EXECUTIVE IN *ANUARY CITING A BREAKDOWN IN TRUST "OTH BLAME THE OTHER FOR THE PARALYSIS AND SEVERAL EXHAUSTIVE ROUNDS OF TALKS HAVE lOUNDERED

with deadlines coming and going. )N THE ABSENCE OF AN EXECUTIVE

THE PROVINCE HAS BEEN RUN BY CIVIL servants.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has suggested a twin-track approach WHEREBY THE DEVOLVED INSTITUTIONS are restored quickly to deal with issues like schools and the health service, while a separate process addresses the sticking points that the parties cannot agree on.

Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein’s leader in Northern Ireland, has rejected the plan, saying its deTalks impasse mands, including allowing sameSEX MARRIAGE AND OFFICIAL RECThe two largest parties, the proognition of the Irish British Democratic Unionists LANGUAGE HAD TO BE $50 AND )RISH REPUBLICAN 3INN delivered. AFP Fein, are at loggerheads over #OVENEY AND "RITAIN S .ORTHERN Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley later held a press conference in Belfast at which they announced the May 7 date for the resumption of talks. g,YRA SYMBOLIZED THE NEW .ORTHern Ireland and her tragic death CANNOT BE IN VAIN u "RADLEY SAID 4HE .EW )2! )RISH 2EPUBLIcan Army) paramilitary splinter group, which violently opposes the peace process in Northern )RELAND ADMITTED RESPONSIBILITY for McKee’s killing, saying she was unintentionally shot as they ATTACKED gENEMYu POLICE OFkCERS !T HER FUNERAL ON 7EDNESDAY

Father Martin Magill commended Northern Ireland’s political leaders for joining together at her FUNERAL BUT ASKED TO A STANDING OVATION g7HY IN 'OD S NAME does it take the death of a 29-yearold woman with her whole life in front of her to get us to this point?’�

Q Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley (right) listens as Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney speaks during a joint press conference at Stormont House on the Stormont Estate in Belfast on April 26, 2019. Britain and Ireland on Friday announced new talks to revive Northern Ireland’s devolved power-sharing institutions on May 7, with the killing of a journalist by republican paramilitaries putting new impetus for a breakthrough. AFP PAUL FAITH

Diana tops baby names for Harry, Meghan LONDON: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s baby will be a girl called Diana born at home early next month — or so say the odds being offered by British bookmakers.

As royal watchers await the couple’s first baby, punters are having a flutter on its gender, whether it will have Harry’s ginger hair, when it will be born, and, of course, the name.

It should be an even chance, but betting firms are convinced the baby, who will be seventh in line to the throne, will be a girl.

Bookmakers William Hill priced the odds on a girl as low as 2/5, which means betting ÂŁ5 to win ÂŁ2 implying a five in seven chance of it being the correct outcome.

But punters have still been piling on big money, forcing the chain to suspend taking bets on April 9. “In a normal market, that means people know,� said William Hill spokes-

man Rupert Adams, adding that the only other possibility was that gamblers were simply following other people’s bets, assuming the secret was out. “I would be astonished if it’s not a girl,� he said.

The odds on a red-haired baby are 3/1.

Diana, LeBron or Genghis?

The name of Harry’s mother, tragically killed in a 1997 car crash, has captivated punters. “Diana is the red-hot favorite. I don’t understand it at all. I wouldn’t want to be reminded about it every morning.

Sixty percent of all name bets are on Diana,� said Adams.

Bookmakers Paddy Power have Diana at 3/1, Grace 7/1, Alice 10/1, Isabella 12/1, Victoria and Alexandrina at 14/1 and Elizabeth at 20/1.

Boys’ names start with Arthur at 12/1, Charles 14/1, James and Edward at 16/1, Alexander 20/1 and Jacob and

Francis at 25/1.

Considered more unlikely names are Barry, Tyrone, Rhys and Theresa at 250/1; and Genghis, Thor, Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus and Donald at 500/1.

Several bets have been placed on the names LeBron and Chardonnay, said Adams.

Besides Diana, punters have increasingly been backing Isabella, Rose and Grace. “We’ve seen a flood of bets both online and in shops on the royal baby to be named Isabella, forcing us to slash the price,� said Paddy Power spokesman Amy Jones.

The children of Harry’s brother Prince William and his wife Kate are called Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

For each of them, “the final favourite when we closed the book has been correct�, said Adams.

Most bets are placed on the name, after the birth has been announced.

Clooneys, Beckhams as godparents?

Bookies seem certain the baby will be born in May, and at the couple’s new Frogmore Cottage home near Windsor Castle, west of London. “We’re now as short as 1/5 for the baby to be born next week. We’re 7/2 for it to arrive over the weekend. May looks by the far the most likely now,â€? Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Apati told AFP. The average royal baby bet is around ÂŁ4 ($5.20, 4.65 euros). The whole market is expected to turn over around ÂŁ5 million for the betting industry, said Adams.

Punters can bet on whether the new arrival or its one-year-old cousin Louis, will get the best school results, get married first and even go bald first.

Bets are also being offered on the baby’s godparents, with George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Serena Williams, Elton John, Priyanka Chopra and Oprah Winfrey among the celebrity contenders.

AFP

TRUMP STANDS UP US MEDIA IN ANNUAL DINNER DATE WASHINGTON : Â )T S MEANT TO BE THE ANNUAL 7ASHINGTON LOVE IN A DINNER WHERE 7HITE (OUSE JOURNALISTS and the president yuck it up in a HOTEL BALLROOM "UT THIS 3ATURDAY

President Donald Trump will stand up his dates.

-EMBERS OF THE 7HITE (OUSE #ORRESPONDENTS !SSOCIATION OR 7(#!

WILL BE DECKED OUT IN BOW ties and gowns at the downtown 7ASHINGTON (ILTON 4RUMP HOWEVER WILL BE MILES (1,100 kilometers) away in Green Bay, 7ISCONSIN FOR A RALLY WITH HIS BASEBALL cap-wearing supporters.

And he’s almost guaranteed to devote a portion of his speech — like most of his speeches — to haranguing the “fake news media� or “enemy of the people.� !LTHOUGH THERE S NOTHING OBLIGATORY ABOUT ATTENDING 7(#! dinners, presidents have usually done so at some point during their TIME IN OFkCE EVERY YEAR SINCE THE

inaugural version in 1921.

2ONALD 2EAGAN WAS THE LAST ABSENTEE IN AND HE HAD A DECENT EXCUSE BEING RECENTLY SHOT IN AN assassination attempt.

4RUMP HOWEVER HAS BOYCOTTED WHAT HE CALLS THE gBORINGu AND “negative� party for three years in a row — his entire presidency so far.

4HE GALA USED TO BE A GLAMOROUS affair where hundreds of journalISTS (OLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES AND THE PRESIDENT WERE ENTERTAINED BY a top-drawer comedian or other talent. .OW THE CELEBS HAVE DRAINED away and this year even the comedian is missing. A presidential hisTORIAN 2ON #HERNOW WILL DELIVER the main speech instead. g+ILLING THE 7HITE (OUSE #ORrespondents’ Dinner,� runs the headline of a #OLUMBIA *OURNALISM 2EVIEW article amounting to an OBITUARY FOR THE FORMERLY REVERED kXTURE

‘Insulting, confrontational’ 5NDERLINING THE SNUB 4RUMP HAS ordered staff, including chief press secretary Sarah Sanders, to also refuse invitations.

It’s the latest shot in what the president sees as his war against a media machine refusing to give him fair coverage.

Trump’s main weapon is Twitter, which he uses daily to reach some MILLION FOLLOWERS -ILLIONS MORE follow him on other platforms.

As Sanders said in 2017, Twitter “gives him a communications TOOL THAT ISN T kLTERED THROUGH MEDIA BIAS u 4HE OTHER MAIN WAY OF BYPASSING potentially critical outlets is his EXTRAORDINARY RELATIONSHIP WITH &OX .EWS THE 2UPERT -URDOCH OWNED NETWORK WHICH HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR COMING TO RESEMBLE state television.

Even if many of the news journalists maintain their independence, some of the most prominent anchors and hosts show nothing BUT LOYALTY TO 4RUMP 4HEY RE REWARDED WITH EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO ADMINISTRATION OFkCIALS AND TO THE president himself.

Meanwhile, other outlets are mostly kept at arm’s length.

4HE PRESS BRIEkNG ROOM IN THE 7HITE (OUSE WHICH USED TO SEE nearly daily Q&A sessions under PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAS BEEN ALL BUT ABANDONED 4RUMP IS UNUSUALLY ACCESSIBLE

BUT MOSTLY THROUGH OFTEN CHAOTIC

informal gatherings, while SatURDAY MARKS THE TH DAY SINCE 3ANDERS HELD A FULL BRIEkNG 7HEN THEY RE NOT BEING IGNORED

7HITE (OUSE JOURNALISTS CAN EXPECT TO HEAR ABUSE 4RUMP S RALLIES INVARIABLY INCLUDE SEGMENTS WHERE HE ENCOURAGES THE CROWD TO BOO the reporters covering the event.

“This is new,� says Jeff Morosoff, a journalism and media professor AT (OFSTRA 5NIVERSITY S ,AWRENCE (ERBERT 3CHOOL OF #OMMUNICATION g.O PRESIDENT HAS EVER BEEN so contentious, insulting and confrontational.� “I think the day is going to come when one of his followers is goING TO HURT SOMEBODY u -OROSOFF warned.

Sense of humor failure &OR YEARS 7(#! DINNERS WERE a chance to let the hair down in a notoriously serious town. Past PERFORMERS INCLUDE "OB (OPE

&RANK 3INATRA AND "ARBRA 3TREISAND 3INCE THE S COMEDIANS have provided entertainment, making gentle and not-so-gentle fun, or “roasting,� the centerpiece of the dinner.

0RESIDENTS WERE EXPECTED TO GIVE BACK AS GOOD AS THEY GOT !

STANDOUT MOMENT WAS /BAMA S riff in 2011, when one of his comic targets in the VIP-packed audience was none other than Donald Trump. ,AST YEAR THOUGH THE JOKES FELL lAT Featured comedian Michelle 7OLF TORE INTO 3ANDERS AND CAUSED as much offense as laughter. Even THE 7(#! THOUGHT IT HAD GONE TOO far, calling her routine “not in the spirit� of the occasion.

7OLF CALLED THE 7(#! gCOWards.�

The association’s president, /LIVIER +NOX SAYS THIS YEAR IS AN opportunity to return to the event’s ROOTS A GATHERING TO REINFORCE SUPport for the constitutional right to free speech. g7E RE LOOKING FORWARD TO AN ENJOYABLE EVENING OF CELEBRATING the First Amendment and great journalists past, present and future,� he said.

AFP

C2

World

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

15 dead in Islamist hideout raid C OLOMBO: Fifteen people, including six children have died during a Sri Lankan security forces operation in the aftermath of the Easter attacks, as three cornered suicide bombers blew themselves up and others were shot dead, police said on Saturday.

4HE THREE MEN SET OFF EXPLOSIVES

ALSO KILLING THREE WOMEN AND SIX CHILDREN INSIDE WHAT WAS BELIEVED to be a jihadist safe house near the eastern town of Kalmunai on &RIDAY NIGHT g4HREE OTHER MEN ALSO BELIEVED to be suicide bombers, were found DEAD OUTSIDE THE HOUSE u POLICE SAID IN A STATEMENT ADDING THAT THEY HAD BEEN SHOT 0OLICE BACKED BY TROOPS EXCHANGED kRE WITH THOSE INSIDE THE HOUSE FOR OVER AN HOUR A MILITARY OFkCIAL SAID ADDING THAT THE BODIES WERE RECOVERED EARLY 3ATURDAY FOLLOWING A SEARCH OPERATION

3ECURITY FORCES HAVE STEPPED UP THEIR SEARCHES FOR EXTREMISTS AFTER THE )SLAMIC 3TATE GROUP CLAIMED responsibility for the suicide attacks on three churches and three LUXURY HOTELS WHICH KILLED AT LEAST PEOPLE AND WOUNDED HUNDREDS MORE The joint operation between the police and the army was carried OUT FOLLOWING A TIP OFF THAT THOSE responsible were holed up in a BUILT UP AREA OF +ALMUNAI

KILOMETERS MILES EAST OF THE CAPITAL 4HERE WERE NO CASUALTIES AMONG THE SECURITY FORCES THE POLICE SAID

4HE GOVERNMENT HAS ADMITTED MAJOR INTELLIGENCE LAPSES ALTHOUGH 0RIME -INISTER 2ANIL 7ICKREMESINGHE SAID HE WAS UNAWARE OF ANY WARNINGS AHEAD OF THE ATTACKS IN A SIGN of the rift between him a n d

0RESIDENT -AITHRIPALA 3IRISENA g)F WE HAD ANY INKLING AND we had not taken action, I would HAVE HANDED IN MY RESIGNATION IMMEDIATELY u HE TOLD THE ""# “But what do you do when you are out of the LOOP u Sirisena tried to sack WickREMESINGHE LAST YEAR AND EXPERTS BELIEVE THE FEUD COULD HAVE PLAYED A PART IN 3RI ,ANKA S FAILURE TO ACT ON INTELLIGENCE WARNINGS GIVEN weeks before the Q  Soldiers evacuate an injured child after the raid of what is believed to be an Islamist safe house in the eastern town of Kalmunai on April 27, 2019. Fifteen people, including six children, ATTACKS Studio raided died during a raid by Sri Lankan security forces as three cornered suicide bombers blew &RIDAY S CLASHES themselves up and others were shot dead, police said on April 27. AFP / STRINGER

WITH LITTLE PROGRESS

Moon-Kim summit marks 1st year anniversary SEOUL: North and South Korea on Saturday struck different notes as they MARKED THE kRST ANNIVERSARY OF A SUMmit between their leaders that fuelled a whirlwind of diplomacy which has DIED DOWN AMID DEADLOCK OVER 0YONGYANG S DENUCLEARIZATION +IM *ONG 5N AND 0RESIDENT -OON *AE IN HELD THEIR kRST MEETING ON !PRIL LAST YEAR IN THE $EMILITARIZED :ONE DIVIDING the peninsula amid a rapid diplomatic THAW PAVING THE WAY FOR A HISTORIC SUMMIT BETWEEN +IM AND 53 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP IN 3INGAPORE IN *UNE "UT ONE YEAR LATER LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON .ORTH +OREA S NUCLEAR WEAPONS WITH 0YONGYANG AND 7ASHINGTON DEADLOCKED SINCE A second summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February broke down WITHOUT A DEAL -OON WHO BROKERED THE kRST MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO MERCURIAL LEADERS

HAS TRIED TO SALVAGE THE DIPLOMACY ALTHOUGH THE .ORTH HAS REMAINED LARGELY UNRESPONSIVE Since Hanoi, the North has not atTENDED ANY OF THE WEEKLY MEETINGS OF THE HEADS OF THEIR JOINT LIAISON OFkCE IN +AESONG AND HAS NOT TAKEN PART IN OTHER JOINT PROJECTS

North Korea did not respond to the 3OUTH S INVITATION THIS WEEK FOR A CEREMONY LATER 3ATURDAY AT 0ANMUNJOM ‡ WHERE -OON AND +IM EXCHANGED WARM SMILES AND HUGS ‡ TO COMMEMORATE THEIR LANDMARK MEETING LAST YEAR )NSTEAD THE .ORTH S #OMMITTEE FOR THE 0EACEFUL 2EUNIkCATION OF THE #OUNTRY WHICH HANDLES INTER +OREAN RELATIONS URGED 3EOUL 3ATURDAY TO TAKE gMORE ACTIVE MEASURESu TO IMPROVE TIES 4HE +IM -OON SUMMIT A YEAR AGO HAD RESTARTED THE gTICKING OF THE REUNIkCATION CLOCKu IT SAID BUT THE 53 WAS PRESSURING Seoul to lock steps in their approach toWARDS THE NUCLEAR ARMED .ORTH g! GRAVE SITUATION IS BEING CREATED that may see a return to the past of REACHING CATASTROPHE IN THE THICKENING DANGERS OF WAR u IT SAID IN A LENGTHY STATEMENT CARRIED BY THE OFkCIAL +OREAN #ENTRAL .EWS !GENCY +#.!

‘Dream and reality’ -OON AND +IM MET THREE TIMES LAST YEAR INCLUDING A SECOND IMPROMPTU encounter after Trump threatened TO CANCEL THE 3INGAPORE SUMMIT JUST WEEKS BEFORE IT WAS DUE "UT EXCHANGES BETWEEN 3EOUL AND

0YONGYANG HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED SINCE THE FAILURE TO REACH AGREEMENT IN (ANOI ! COMMENTARY CARRIED BY THE 3OUTH S CONSERVATIVE $ONG ! )LBO newspaper Saturday noted that inter-Korean RELATIONS HAVE RETURNED TO THE gOLD PATTERNu WHERE 3EOUL UNILATERALLY TRIES TO ENGAGE 0YONGYANG DESPITE BEING REPEATEDLY SNUBBED BY ITS NEIGHBOR g! YEAR AGO THE .ORTH +OREAN LEADER APPEARED TO LISTEN ATTENTIVELY TO THE WORDS OF 0RESIDENT -OON ON THE FOOTBRIDGE ;AT 0ANMUNJOM= BUT NOW HE IS BLATANTLY IGNORING THE 3OUTH u THE PAPER SAID g4HE CELEBRATION EVENT HELD ONLY

by South Korea today presents both DREAM AND REALITY OF THE kRST ANNIVERSARY u IT SAID Kim slammed the South in a speech TO HIS COUNTRY S RUBBER STAMP LEGISLATURE EARLIER THIS MONTH SAYING IT should not “pose as a meddlesome gMEDIATORu AND gFACILITATORu BETWEEN THE 53 AND THE .ORTH !T HIS FIRST SUMMIT WITH 2USSIAN 0RESIDENT 6LADIMIR 0UTIN THIS WEEK

+IM ACCUSED THE 53 OF ACTING IN gBAD FAITHu IN (ANOI AND WARNED THE SITUATION gMAY RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL STATEu AFP

came hours after the security forces raided a nearby location where THEY BELIEVE )SLAMIST RADICALS RECORDED A VIDEO PLEDGE TO )SLAMIC 3TATE LEADER !BU "AKR AL "AGHDADI BEFORE CARRYING OUT THE %ASTER BOMBINGS 0OLICE SAID THEY FOUND AN )3 lAG and uniforms similar to those worn

BY THE EIGHT kGHTERS FOR THE VIDEO BEFORE THEY LAUNCHED THE ATTACKS )3 RELEASED THE VIDEO TWO DAYS AFTER THE ATTACKS 4HE HEAD OF A LOCAL EXTREMIST GROUP :AHRAN (ASHIM WHO APPEARED IN THE VIDEO WAS KILLED AT ONE OF THE #OLOMBO HOTELS TARGETED THE 3HANGRI ,A (E WAS accompanied by a second bomber IDENTIkED AS )LHAM )BRAHIM !UTHORITIES HAD BEEN DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR (ASHIM AFTER NAMING HIS GROUP .ATIONAL 4HOWHEETH *AMA ATH .4* AS THE PERPETRATORS of the attack, but announced Friday he had been killed in the hotel BOMBING

AFP

Kim to Putin: US ‘acting in bad faith’ over talks on nuclear arsenal VLADIVOSTOK, Russia: +IM *ONG 5N HAS ACCUSED THE 53 OF ACTING IN gBAD FAITHu IN TALKS ON ITS nuclear arsenal, North Korean state media said AS HE LEFT 2USSIA FOLLOWING HIS kRST SUMMIT WITH 0RESIDENT 6LADIMIR 0UTIN +IM S ARMORED TRAIN DEPARTED THE &AR %ASTERN PORT CITY OF 6LADIVOSTOK A DAY AFTER TALKS THAT SAW 0UTIN BACK THE .ORTH S NEED FOR gSECURITY GUARANTEESu IN ITS STANDOFF WITH THE 5NITED 3TATES 4HE OFkCIAL +OREAN #ENTRAL .EWS !GENCY REPORTED THAT +IM TOLD 0UTIN THE 53 HAD ADOPTED A gUNILATERAL ATTITUDE IN BAD FAITHu AT A SUMMIT WITH 53 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP TWO MONTHS AGO IN (ANOI g0EACE AND SECURITY ON THE +OREAN PENINSULA WILL ENTIRELY DEPEND ON THE 53 FUTURE ATTITUDE

AND THE $02+ .ORTH +OREA WILL GIRD ITSELF FOR EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION u +IM WAS QUOTED AS SAYING The Kim-Trump summit broke down in late February without a deal, after cashSTRAPPED 0YONGYANG DEMANDED IMMEDIATE relief from sanctions but the two sides disaGREED OVER WHAT THE .ORTH WAS PREPARED TO GIVE UP IN RETURN 2USSIA HAS CALLED FOR THE SANCTIONS TO BE EASED WHILE THE 53 HAS ACCUSED IT OF TRYING TO HELP 0YONGYANG EVADE SOME OF THE MEASURES ‡ ACCUSATIONS -OSCOW DENIES *UST A WEEK AGO 0YONGYANG DEMANDED THE REMOVAL OF 53 3ECRETARY OF 3TATE -IKE 0OMPEO FROM THE STALLED NUCLEAR TALKS ACCUSING HIM OF DERAILING THE PROCESS /N 4HURSDAY 0UTIN EMERGED FROM THE MEETING SAYING THAT LIKE 7ASHINGTON -OSCOW SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO REDUCE TENSIONS AND PREVENT NUCLEAR CONlICTS 6ISIT CUT SHORT

Q North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offering a silent tribute before the Monument to Military Glory of the Pacific Sea Fleet of Russia in Vladivostok.

AFP PHOTO But he also insisted that the North needed gGUARANTEES OF ITS SECURITY THE PRESERVATION OF ITS SOVEREIGNTYu )T WAS gWHAT THE .ORTH HAS BEEN SAYING ALL ALONGu SAID +IM +EUN SIK PROFESSOR OF .ORTH +OREAN 3TUDIES AT +YUNGNAM 5NIVERSITY

ADDING THAT 0UTIN S SUPPORT FOR 0YONGYANG S STANCE WAS THE gBIGGEST PRIZEu +IM WON IN 6LADIVOSTOK 0UTIN lEW ON TO ANOTHER SUMMIT IN "EIJING THE SAME DAY WHILE +IM STAYED IN 6LADIVOSTOK and had been due to take part in a series of CULTURAL EVENTS

AFP

No idea how Kim got his limos for summits, says German automaker TOKYO: German automaker Daimler, which makes armored limousines used by North +OREAN LEADER +IM *ONG 5N SAYS IT HAS NO IDEA WHERE HE GOT THEM AND HAS NO BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH THE .ORTH +IM HAS RAISED EYEBROWS BY USING $AIMLER BRANDED STRETCH LIMOUSINES AT SEVERAL VERY HIGH PROkLE SUMMITS INCLUDING HIS MEETING THIS WEEK WITH 2USSIAN 0RESIDENT 6LADIMIR 0UTIN AND BOTH OF HIS EARLIER SUMMITS WITH 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP 4HE SALE OF LUXURY GOODS INCLUDING LIMOUSINES IS BANNED UNDER 5. SANCTIONS intended to put pressure on North Korea to ABANDON ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS +IM NEVERTHELESS HAD TWO LIMOS WAITING FOR HIM AT 6LADIVOSTOK STATION ‡ A -ERCEDES -AYBACH 3 0ULLMAN 'UARD AND A -ERCEDES -AYBACH 3 (E IS BELIEVED TO HAVE ALSO USED THE 3 0ULLman Guard for his summits with Trump IN 3INGAPORE IN *UNE LAST YEAR AND IN (ANOI IN &EBRUARY g7E HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW THOSE VEHICLES WERE DELIVERED TO .ORTH +OREA u $AIMLER SPOKESWOMAN 3ILKE -OCKERT said in a written response TO AN !SSOCIATED 0RESS report Wednesday on the LIMOUSINES “For Daimler, the corRECT EXPORT OF PRODUCTS IN conformance with the law is a fundamental principle of responsible entrepreNEURIAL ACTIVITY u

$AIMLER BASED IN 3TUTTGART 'ERMANY IS ONE OF THE WORLD S BIGGEST AND MORE PRESTIGIOUS AUTOMOBILE COMPANIES )T IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROVIDERS OF HIGH END PASSENGER CARS AND THE WORLD S LARGEST PRODUCER OF TRUCKS ABOVE TONS /N ITS HOME PAGE THE MULTINATIONAL GIANT BOASTS OF SELLING VEHICLES AND SERVICES IN NEARLY ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD AND OF HAVING PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN %UROPE .ORTH AND 3OUTH !MERICA

!SIA AND !FRICA .ORTH +OREA HOWEVER ISN T ONE OF ITS OFkCIAL CUSTOMERS “Our company has had no business connecTIONS WITH .ORTH +OREA FOR FAR MORE THAN YEARS NOW AND STRICTLY COMPLIES WITH %5 AND 53 EMBARGOES u SHE SAID g4O PREVENT DELIVERies to North Korea and to any of its embassies worldwide, Daimler has implemented a COMPREHENSIVE EXPORT CONTROL PROCESS 3ALES OF VEHICLES BY THIRD PARTIES ESPECIALLY OF USED VEHICLES ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL AND RESPONSIBILITY u

AP

Public Square

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

‘Maid to Made’ icon inspires Duty Free PH employees, OFWs DUTY Free Philippines (DFP) recently gathered about 150 female Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and employees to celebrate the National Women’s Month through an inspirational talk to uplift women in the workplace and across its community. “While a man leads Duty Free Philippines now, our pursuit for gender equality continuous. As proof to that, I am proud to say that almost half (380 women) of our workforce are women and a lot of them take key positions in this agency,� said DFP Chief Operating /FkCER #// 6ICENTE !NGALA “Maid to Made� author and motivational speaker Rebecca Bustamante Mills shared her personal story and career journey.

Starting out in extreme poverty at a young age, Bustamante would work in homes wherever she would be fed. She left her family while still a teenager to work as a domestic helper in Singapore, with only one day off per month. In between her work schedule, she studied Accounting at the Open University of Singapore Institute of Management, WHERE SHE kNISHED HER UNDERGRADUate program without any of her

Q Duty Free Philippines Chief Operating Officer Vicente Pelagio Angala awards Certificate of Appreciation to Rebecca Bustamante Mills. employers being aware of it.

After two years, she moved to Canada to look for better opportunities, as a nanny. During her days off she would sell housewares to augment her income for her family.

With her hard work and determination, she started a professional career in sales. And, before returning to Philippines, she was a senior director for a large multinational cosmetic company.

She is now the president and cofounder of Asia CEO Events, the largest and only national business event series in the Philippines.

Belmonte vows transparency in Quezon City government QUEZON CITY Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte underscored the importance of attaining a transparent government saying that she will uphold accountability and openness in the Quezon City local government if she will be elected as mayor.

According to Belmonte, she

aims to achieve good governance in Quezon City wherein government documents and all the city’s undertakings are accessible to the public to establish a good feedback mechanism. g) WILL kGHT FOR OUR CITY TO ACHIEVE good governance,� said Belmonte.

Swim for kids to highlight 12th Olango Challenge &/2 THE kRST TIME A METER SWIM for young swimmers aged 11 to 13 will be included in the 12th Olango Challenge, the country’s premier OPEN WATER SWIMMING EVENT IN 0ACIkC Cebu Resort, Lapu-lapu City, Cebu.

The Olango Challenge is an openwater swimming event jointly organized by Philippine Business for Social Progress and Philippine Swimming, Inc. (PSI). The annual event is also a fundraising campaign FOR EDUCATION PROJECTS THAT BENEkT THE school children of Olango island.

Authorized by PSI, the Olango Challenge follows the format of the open-water swim category of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008.

This year, the race also features 6K and 1K distance for competitive and fun swimmers. The event will also feature the competitive men’s and women’s as well as the fun categories for 6K and 1K.

Swimmers of 1K and 6K races will navigate a rectangular race course FRONTING 0ACIkC #EBU 2ESORT /NLY swimmers aged 14 and above are eligible to join the 1K and 6K categories.

Registration fees are pegged at P1,000 for the 300M and 1K categories, and P1,500 for the 6K swims.

Fee is inclusive of free transportation service from the pick-up point at The Persimmon Plus building (4 MJ Cuenco Ave. Mabolo, Cebu) to 0ACIkC #EBU 2ESORT 4HEY WILL ALSO get free meals, an exclusive Olango #HALLENGE BAG CERTIkCATE kNISHER medal, finisher shirt, and other freebies. Around P60,000 worth of cash prizes as well as trophies will also be given to the winners.

For more information, visit PBSP’s Facebook page at Facebook. com/PBSP.org or email olangochallenge@pbsp.org.ph.

Security for security guards IT is not easy to pass laws as it undergo a long and arduous process to ensure that laws to be passed has taken all the possible considerations before its enactment. Ammendments to the the Private Security Industry Act, experiences the same fate, it was enacted into last law June 21, 1969. “It has been almost 50 years SINCE THE LAW WAS kRST PASSED AND many has changed but the law remains the same, in the 19th congress we hope we are able to push for the amendments to this law to BENEkT OUR SECURITY GUARDSu SAID Democratic Independent Workers !SSOCIATION PARTY LIST kRST NOMINEE Michael Edgar Yan Aglipay.

The proposed amendments seeks to professionalize the industry by intensifying requirements for training

AND CERTIkCATIONS OF SECURITY PRACTItioners. While it may take some time enacting this into law, a congruent move by DIWA party-list chairman former PNP chief, General Edgar Aglipay, PADPAO Chairman Ramon Bergado, DoLE, Philippine National 0OLICE 3UPERVISORY /FkCE FOR 3ECURITY Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) and other stakeholders was made as they have has pushed for the implementation of the DoLE Department Order 150-16 or the “Revised guidelines governing employment and working conditions of security guards and other private security personnel in the private security industry� providING THE SAME BENEkTS AS INDICATED IN the proposed ammendments to be implemented by security agencies to be provided to the security guards.

Philippines internet speed improves significantly OOKLA’s Speedtest Global Index for February 2019 showed that the Philippines’ average download SPEED FOR kXED BROADBAND IMPROVED by 143.74 percent from 7.91Mbps in July 2016 to 19.28Mbps in February 2019. The country’s average download mobile broadband speed also improved by 94.35 percent from 7.44Mbps in July 2016 to 14.46Mbps in February 2019.

The Philippines’ internet speed PLACED TH FOR kXED BROADBAND AND 33rd for mobile out of 50 Asian counTRIES /UT OF !SIA 0ACIkC COUNTRIES

the average download speed of the Philippines ranked 21st for fixed broadband and 23rd for mobile.

Digital 2019 reported that the Philippines led the world on average time spent daily using internet via any device at 10 hours and 2 minutes.

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

C3

Sen. Angara calls for aversion of the housing crisis

Q Creba National Chairman Charlie A. V. Gorayeb (left) and National President Noel Toti CariĂąo present to Sen. Sonny Angara the plaque of appreciation as the guest speaker of the recent Creba meeting.

S

ENATE Ways and Means Committee Chairman Senator Sonny Angara called for the aversion of the housing crisis at the third monthly business meeting of the Chamber of

Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (Creba) held in Makati City on March 29.

In his message, Sen. Angara vowed to work with Creba whose 5-point agenda envisions “A Home

for every Filipino� by intensifying housing production to the level of 500,000 units per year or 10 million homes in 20 years.

To achieve this, Creba is supporting the bill filed by House

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Sen. JV Ejercito which pools together a P270-billion Comprehensive Home Financing Program to grant long-term and affordable homeloans to low-income earners.

Muntinlupa launches K-9 Search and Rescue Unit THE local government of Muntinlupa launched its K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) Unit, the first in National Capital Region. A demonstration of an actual searching operation using simulated collapsed structures was conducted during the program. With the recent construction of Muntinlupa Animal Pound, the City Government does not only provide a haven for abandoned animals but also offer a platform for canine training, through the assistance of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, for searchand-rescue operations.

Q Mayor Jaime Fresnedi greets the handlers of the local K-9 SAR during a launching ceremony last April 22 at Muntinlupa City Hall.

Pueblo de Oro conducts tree planting in Cagayan de Oro IN line with its commitment to environmental sustainability, property developer Pueblo de Oro Development Corp.(PDO), together with the ICCP Group Foundation, recently conducted a tree planting activity in the 40-hectare Pueblo de Oro Urban Rainforest, which the company maintains in its township in Cagayan de Oro City.

PDO employees were joined by the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, represented by members of the Laudato Si and Faith and Light communities, parishioners from the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy of Pueblo de Oro who have heeded Pope Francis’ call to “Care for Our Common Home�.

They planted cacao seedlings

Q During the tree-planting activity (from left) are Pueblo de Oro Development Corp. Purchasing Officer Joyce Saletrero and Senior Manager for Township Relations and Operations Mier Castrillo with members of the Faith and Light Community. distributed by Cagayan de Oro’s Agricultural Office during the

activity that also aims to establish an instructional and pilot nurs-

ery, products of which would be dispersed to constituent farmers.

Red Cross assists over 9,000 in annual Holy Week operations A TOTAL of 9,065 patients were served during the Holy Week operations of Philippine Red Cross, including individuals involved in road crashes and drowning incidents.

Most of the patients (8,289) had their blood pressure monitored due to extreme heat, while 42 patients who suffered from fainting, severe BODY PAIN DIFkCULTY OF BREATHING

and head trauma were transported for further medical attention.

There were also eight major cases recorded such as seizure, loss of consciousness and fracture, while 493 patients sustained wounds, others suffered from sprain, muscle cramps,

dizziness and vomiting.

PRC’s welfare desks also catered to 233 individuals, including those assisted through psychosocial support and who sought help to trace their families.

PRC deployed a total of 2,000 staff and 150 ambulances nationwide from April 14 to 22. “Salute to our untiring staff and volunteers who assisted to our countryMEN DURING THE HOLY WEEK 3ELlESS ACT INDEED WHEN YOU THINK OF OTHERS kRST before yourself. Serving the people and uplifting them during catastrophes has been a regular endeavor for Philippine Red Cross,� Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of PRC, said.

Q Philippine Red Cross deploys foot patrols deployed to ensure community during the Holy Week.

AAP presents food, faith and fun in Pampanga caravan DISCOVER the country’s exciting destinations from a motorist’s point of view as AAP Travel, the motor tourism arm of the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), unveils its caravan series for 2019.

Road adventures unroll on May 25 with the Pampanga Caravan that will go around the heritage sites, museums, farm tourism and culinary spots of the province.

Guests will drive their own vehicles in a convoy from Petron Lakeshore along the North Luzon Expressway and go around the restored World War 2-era San Fernando Railway Station, San Guillermo Parish Church in Bacolor, the MAGNIkCENT 3T *AMES THE !POSTLE Parish (Betis) Church in Guagua, and the Center for Kapampangan Studies and Pamintuan Mansion

Museum of Philippine Social History in Angeles City.

Participants will feast on mouthwatering all-time favorites in the country’s “Culinary Capital�, such as sisig, palabok, halo-halo, kamaru at Prado Farms in Guagua and Kusina Matua ni Atching Lillian Borromeo in Mexico.

For a touch of souvenir shopping, caravaners will visit worldclass crafts at Hansa Creations in Clark and JB Woodcrafts in Guagua. Guests who want more fun have the option to stay overnight at the Quest Hotel in Clark, or swing by Green Canyon Leisure Farms or Puning Hot Spring.

A brainchild of AAP Travel president and former tourism secretary Mina Gabor, the caravans are line with the DoT’s drive tourism program to

Q Pamintuan Mansion and Holy Rosary Church Participants will receive Petron encourage land travel and spread its ECONOMIC BENEkTS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Value Card with P 1,000 worth of She noted that the caravans are of- CREDITS FROM OFkCIAL FUEL PARTNER ten hosted by governors, mayors and Petron, and get the chance to win $O4 REGIONAL OFkCES AND ESCORTED SURPRISE GIFTS DURING RAFlES For more information, visit by the police, to give them a taste of www.aaptravel.com.ph. local hospitality and culture.

Sports

D1

SSUNDAY AAPRIL 28, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Diaz gives PH’s first medal in Arafura

DARWIN, Australia: Kate Diaz won the Philippines’ first medal in the 2019 Arafura Games after capturing the silver medal in the women’s weightlifting competitions on Saturday at the Darwin Convention Center.

The 15-year-old Diaz l i f t e d 11 5 k i l o g r a m s a f t e r tallying 50 kilograms in the snatch and 65 kilograms in the clean and jerk in the women’s 45kg division to give the country a silver in Day 1 of the Philippine campaign here supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Standard Insurance.

Shi Yue Shan of Chinese Taipei won the gold after lifting 120 kilograms following a 53 in the snatch and 67 in the clean and jerk.

Diaz said it was a learning experience for her after she fell short of a gold for failing to lift 70 kilograms in her second and third attempt in the clean and jerk. “Siguro may reason si God na ginawa niya ito para hindi ako ‘yung parang may kumpiyansa lang na manalo. Hindi kesyo ito lang, ‘yan na lang, hindi ka na magpo-focus. Natutunan ko talaga na kahit anong mangyari, nandoon ‘yung focus at hindi mawawala sa concentration,� said Diaz, who is eyeing a stint in this year’s Southeast Asian Games.

Diaz and Shi competed for the gold after about 30 weightlifters from across all weight categories failed to compete for not submitting the Anti-Doping Administration and Management Systems (ADAMS), a document now required by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

Athletes from athletics and swimming are still competing for a medal as of press time.

Meanwhile, the Philippine muay team will see action today (Sunday) at the Darwin Convention Centre with Jenelyn Olsim opening the squad’s campaign in the senior female elite A -54kg semifinals.

Phillip Delarmino and Ryan Jakiri will also compete in the men’s -57kg and -63kg respectively, while Ariel Lampacan will battle in the -54kg division in the next few days.

National coach Billy Alumno said the Arafura Games muay competition is a qualifier for t h e 2021 Wo r l d G a m e s i n which the gold medalists in the -57kg and -63kg class will automatically clinch a berth in the World Games.

O

RoS, Magnolia dispute last Finals spot

BY JOSEF T. RAMOSÂ

R

AIN or Shine and Magnolia battle each other for a championship berth tonight in a sudden-death Game 7 SHOWDOWN IN THE BEST OF SEVEN SEMIkNALS series of Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

After tying the series to 3-3 with a huge 91-81 win in Game 6 last Friday in Antipolo City behind the effort made by Rey Nambatac and James Yap, the Elasto Painters are eyeing to hit the jackpot in their 6:30 p.m. encounter with the Hotshots.

The winner will face defending champion San Miguel Beer on May 1 at the start of the Finals.

Rain or Shine Caloy Garcia said he instructed his players prior to Game 6 to keep playing their usual game, but nonetheless expect a tough performance by the Hotshots this Sunday. “I just told the players to enjoy the game, be relaxed, and it worked. So coming Game 7, hopefully we do the same thing,� said Garcia, noting they are in a 50-50 situation in Game 7 and should NOT PLAY OVERCONkDENT Nambatac was a big factor in Rain or Shine’s Game 6 victory after scoring 13 of his 16 points

in the last quarter, while the twotime Most Valuable Player Yap also tallied with 16 points. “In Game 7, we really need to play as a team because [the game] needs teamwork. You can’t play that game on your own. No relaxing in Game 7,� said the veteran Yap, also a former Magnolia player.

The last time Rain or Shine bagged a title was in 2016 when it won the Commissioner’s Cup under former coach Yeng Guiao.

Meanwhile, Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said everything was still positive despite being in similar situations before. “At least there is a Game 7,� said Victolero, who drew 19 and 18 points from Ian Sangalang and Paul Lee in Game 6, respectively. “We will be ready and we’ll make minor adjustments. But it’s all about the will and the desire of the players.� “Hopefully, we can survive this Game 7,� he said.

Q Rey Nambatac of Rain or Shine goes for a lay-up against Rodney Brondial of Magnolia during Game 6 of their best-of-seven semifinals duel of Season 44 PBA Philippine Cup match last Friday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

UST repulses NU, keeps eye on F4 incentive UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) kept its Final Four twiceto-beat bid alive with a 27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-16 victory over also-ran National University (NU) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 women’s volleyball on Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Graduating skipper Sisi Rondina came through with 21 points all via spikes, helping the Golden Tigresses remain in contention for the remaining semifinal bonus with an improved 10-4 record.

UST could force a playoff match for the win-once incentive against De La Salle University (10-3) should the latter lose to Far Eastern University today (Sunday).

Q National University’s Ivy Lacsina powers through University of Santo Tomas blockers Head coach Kungfu Reyes Caitlin Viray (No. 4) and Ysabel Jimenez (No. 3) during in the University Athletic though just wanted his Tigresses Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 women’s volleyball on Saturday at the to close the elimination round FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. PHOTO BY ROGER RAÑADA on a winning note.

Pacquiao, 3rd welterweight P4P best Â

LD soldier, as they say, never die. They just fade away.

As far as Filipino boxing idol is concerned, though, he, too, never fade away.

Each time he falls, he rises again.

Two years ago and nearing 40, the Philippine Senator was beaten, albeit in controversial fashion, was stripped of his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt and was declared by his promoter and more todecade trainer as gone.

As in his past many failures, he bounced back, came up with a pair of impressive win, one by stoppage, another via a near shutout unanimous decision to recover his place in the elite GROUP OF POUND kGHTERS No, he hasn’t yet been named IN THE WORLD S BEST kGHTER REGARDless of weight class, but is back in he list pound-for-pound best in his weight category.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN EDDIE G. ALINEA Number 3 to be exact, just behind Number 1 Errol Spence Jr. who’s yet TO LOSE IN HIS YOUNG kGHT CAREER and Number Terence Crawford, also unbeaten in 35 times up.

And both, incidentally, want to face our on Manny up the ring just like the guys who round out the top 10 pound-for-pound best — Keith Thurman, No.4, and his former sparring mate Shawn Porter.

Of course they wish Pacquiao as their next dancing partner not only to raise their stocks, but, more importantly, to fatten their pockets. You see, as I have been SAYING IT IS IN kGHTING -ANNY or, for that matter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., that these guys can kRST LAY THEIR HANDS ON MILLIONS

on their way to the banks.

Besides ranking the Filipino third in the top 10 P4P, hui fzight rcords 61-7- 2 win-loss-draw card ith 39 KOs, is the 8th best behind junior=lightweight Vasyl Lomachenco ( 11-1,9KOs), middleweight Gennady Golovkin (35-0-1 34 KOs), Crawford, Spence , Thurman, etc.

This may sound a broken record, but Manny, it should be repeated over and over again, is the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing, having won twelve major world titles as well as being THE kRST BOXER TO WIN THE LINEAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN kVE DIFFERENT weight classes.

0ACQUIAO IS ALSO THE kRST BOXER IN history to win major world titles in four of the eight “glamour divisions�

OF BOXING lYWEIGHT FEATHERWEIGHT

lightweight, and welterweight.

He was named “Fighter of the Decade� for the 2000s by the

Boxing Writers Association of America, WBC, and WBO. He is also a three-time Ring magazine and BWAA Fighter of the Year, winning the award in 2006, 2008, and 2009; and the Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2009 and 2011.

In 2016, Pacquiao was ranked number 2 on ESPN’s list of top pound for pound boxers of the past 25 years and currently ranks Number 4 in BoxRec’s ranking of the greatest pound for pound boxers of all time.

Before becoming senator, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines, representing the province of Sarangani. He was re-elected in 2013 to the 16th Congress of the Philippines.

Completing the top 10 P4P list are Danny Garcia, 6th; Yordeni Ugas, 7th; Egidijus Kavaliauskas, 8th; Jessie Vargas, 9th; and Jamal James, 10th.

“I’m not thinking of it (twiceto-beat) anymore. What’s important is we secure our 10th win. It’s ANOTHER STORY COME THE SEMIknals,� said Reyes.

Rondina, who also tallied 13 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs, echoed her mentor’s sentiments. “This win heightens our morale and we can bring this to our upcoming games,� said Rondina.

Rookie hitter Eya Laure contributed 13 markers built on 12 attacks and a block while Alina Bicar came up with 31 excellent sets on top of seven points.

After a hard-earned first set win, UST waxed hot with 14 attacks and capitalized on NU’s eight unforced errors for a dominant second set triumph.

But the Lady Bulldogs got off TO A kERY START IN THE THIRD frame en route to avoiding a sweep and snapping the Tigresses’ streak of 11-set victories.

UST turned the tide to their

side again, cruising to a 14-6 lead on Rondina’s back-to-back attacks in the fourth set and never looked back from then on.

Ivy Lacsina had a team-best 19 points while Princess Robles and Audrey Paran had 14 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Lady Bulldogs.

NU ended the season at No. 6 with a 4-10 slate.

Earlier in the men’s side, UST AND ,A 3ALLE kNISHED THEIR RESPECtive campaigns with victories over separate foes.

The Tiger Spikers trounced University of the East, 25-19, 25-15, 25-19, 25-23, while the Green Spikers nipped University of the Philippines, 25-21, 25-21, 15-25, 23-25, 15-11.

UST and La Salle wound up on a tie at No. 5 with identical 5-9 cards even as the Red Warriors (2-12) settled for No. 7 and the Maroon Spikers (1-13) hit rock bottom.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLAÂ

THAI REFEREES MAN PSL FINALS

A PAIR of guest referees from Thailand is set to officiate the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix best-of-three finals series between Petron and F2 Logistics starting on Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

International referees Komsun Gettaworn and Jirasak Pumduang will arrive tomorrow (Monday) to make sure that the officiating would be accurate and objective to both the Blaze Spikers and the Cargo Movers, who will be figuring in the titular showdown for sixth straight time.

Their invitation was through the effort of the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. in cooperation with the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Thailand Volleyball Association. “While we are very satisfied with the performance of our local referees, the participation of guest referees from Thailand would definitely spice up the finals series between Petron and F2 Logistics,� said PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico, adding that they have been

inviting foreign referees to officiate the finals of the Grand Prix for the past four years. “Aside from that, this concept of allowing foreign guest-referees also put the PSL in the community of leagues that strictly adheres to fair play and respect to the sport.�

The PSL is very mindful of the quality of its officiating.

In fact, the league has been conducting referee workshop with its coaches to make sure that they are on the same page on competition rules and regulations while understanding the technical limitations of volleyball technology against human officiating.

The league will also continue to use the video challenge system, giving game officials extra help in making crucial calls. “With the guest referees and the video challenge system, we’re looking forward to a fair, just and exciting finals series.

We’re glad to have Mr. Gettaworn and Mr. Pumduang on board,� Juico said.

D2

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

Nascar

The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Teams are right in asking for assured Indy 500 spots

T

BY JENNA FRYER

HE Indianapolis 500 is steeped in a century of tradition with rules and regulations, pomp and pageantry that have remained largely unchanged since 1911.

The fastest 33 cars compete in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing� and drivers unable to make the cut watch from the sidelines.

James Hinchcliffe, a series regular and one of IndyCar’s most popular drivers, didn’t qualify last year and thus began a debate about the fairness in sending full-time teams home from the biggest race of the year.

Bumping has always been part of the mystique and magic of the Indy 500, which is the hallmark event of the IndyCar season.

Pundits insist the race stands alone, and drivers indeed spend an entire year trying to scrape together the funding needed to get a car on the hallowed speedway grounds. The race is so special to retired Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso that he is returning next month for a second chance to close out his “Triple Crown� quest.

The race is also just one of 17 on the IndyCar schedule, but worth double points in the championship race. Hinchcliffe WAS kFTH IN THE STANDINGS WHEN he missed the 500 last year and

he plummeted to 11th and never recovered to make a run at the title. It’s the one event every sponsor wants to be part of when they sign the checks, and Michael Andretti had to scramble to buy Ryan Hunter-Reay a seat in 2011 when the team failed to qualify and Andretti needed his longTIME PARTNERS IN THE kELD So when Hinchcliffe and sponsor Arrow were sent home last year, Roger Penske was one of the kRST OWNERS TO PUBLICLY QUESTION the bumping tradition. Penske also competes in NASCAR, which has a charter system that guarantees full-time entrants make every race, and he told The Associated Press that bumping had grown antiquated because “the world has changed.�

Penske said it was time for IndyCar “to step back and look at this and be sure that people who commit for a full season know they have a (guaranteed) place in the Indy 500.�

It was an interesting take from the most revered team owner in the paddock: Penske drivers have won the Indy 500 a record

17 times, and his organization was stunningly excluded from the race in 1995 when his cars failed to qualify. For added humiliation, defending race winner Al Unser Jr. was one of those sidelined. “I remember walking out of pit lane with 100,000 people on QUALIkCATION DAY AND GOING BACK to my garage and it was a real blow,� Penske told the AP. “On the other hand, it made us better going forward. This is a place you want to race and you have to be there (guaranteed) going in.�

Now Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti have echoed Penske’s sentiment, and Hulman and Co. CEO Mark Miles said he understands their position.

Guaranteed spots will not happen next month for the 103rd running of the race, but there are ongoing discussions as to how to protect IndyCar’s full-time entrants when it comes to the marquee race.

Fans could not be angrier at that idea.

Ganassi a week ago at Long

Beach enlivened the debate by openly aligning with rival Penske. “He knows what it’s like not to be in that race,� Ganassi said. “Thank God I don’t know what that’s like. But obviously I agree with him. When you’re making a commitment all year for the series, a commitment is just that.�

Bedridden and bored all last WEEKEND WITH THE lU 'ANASSI passed the time on Twitter responding to the backlash. A user named John Day asked Ganassi, “why now?� when there was no griping over Bobby Rahal missing Indy in 1993 or the Penske cars two years later. “Hey John calm down,� Ganassi wrote. “We are just discussing options. Maybe there is one that keeps everyone happy.

Maybe not.�

Team owners and the Indy 500 purists both make compelling arguments.

The traditional “Bump Day� is a part of the Indy 500 mystique and adds a crucial wrinkle of drama to qualifying weekend. The race against the clock to make

THE kELD OF CAN BE HEARTBREAKing — it sure was for Hinchcliffe last season — and IndyCar has updated the system for this year.

Hinchcliffe was knocked out of the race in Saturday qualifying last year, but the bumping will now be held on Sunday afternoon. Any cars outside the top 30 will have a shot at the “Last Row Shootout�

TO SNAG THE kNAL THREE SPOTS IN THE kELD )T GIVES THOSE TEAMS AN EXTRA day to work on improvements, adds suspense to a second day of qualifying for television purposes and gives teams a last-ditch chance to make the show.

It’s a lifeline for teams struggling to make the race, and a pretty fair concession. For the time being.

Motorsports is simply not as healthy as it was when Penske’s cars failed to make the race nearly 25 years ago. His sponsors absorbed the blow then, as Arrow did last year, but teams are scraping together every dolLAR TO kLL A SEASON THESE DAYS AND missing the 500 can decimate the bottom line.

Q James Hinchcliffe, of Canada, talks with the media on May 19, 2018 after failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 auto race, in Indianapolis. Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti have joined Roger Penske in calling for guaranteed spots in the Indianapolis 500. AP PHOTO

The economics of IndyCar means many drivers bring their own money to their teams. Not making the Indy 500 not only means they don’t get paid but also hurts their ability to sell future races.

If this was 1911, then sure, the fastest 33 cars race and that’s just fine.

But this is 2019 and teams — and we’re only talking about 20-something full-time entries, leaving about 10 open spots in the field — at least need the assurance they will have a spot in the race. Maybe that means more than 33 cars race? As Penske noted, the world has indeed changed, and sometimes business trumps tradition.

AP

NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE TO POSSIBLE GEN-7 CAR TECH ELEMENTS

Q Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19), Denny Hamlin (No. 11), Kevin Harvick (No. 4), Austin Dillon (No. 3), Clint Bowyer (No. 14), Erik Jones (No. 20), Chase Elliott (No. 9), Daniel Suarez (No. 41), Ryan Newman (No. 6), Alex Bowman (No. 88) and Aric Almirola (No. 10) are involved in a multi-car pileup during the NASCAR Clash auto race at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, in Daytona Beach, Fla. AP PHOTO

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: The Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race will feature two technical elements that could be incorporated into the Gen-7 car set for 2021.

NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway announced the technical specifications and format Wednesday for the May 18 exhibition race at the North Carolina track.

The technical elements are a single-piece carbon fiber splitter/pan and a radiator duct that exits through the hood instead of the engine compart-

ment. NASCAR said the splitter/pan will “provide a more stable aero platform and create more consistent performance in traffic.� The radiator duct will “create improved aerodynamic parity and, at the same time, reduce engine temperatures.�

The race will again have four stages, with a fivelap increase in the final stage from last year. The stages will be 30, 20, 20 and 15 laps. Both greenand yellow-flag laps will count in Stages 1-3, with only green-flag laps counting in the final stage.

AP

The Sunday Times www.manilatimes.net

Motor Sports

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

D3

11 cars from PH to vie in Shell Eco-Marathon A TOTAL of 11 cars from the Philippines will take part in the 10th staging of the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia scheduled from Monday to Thursday (April 29 to May 2) in Malaysia.

This year’s event will see over 100 university and high school teams from 18 countries across !SIA 0ACIkC AND -IDDLE %AST COME together in a display of ultraENERGY EFkCIENCY INNOVATION The Shell Eco-Marathon Asia is part of Make the Future Live Malaysia. “Make the Future Live Malaysia provides a platform for innovation, collaboration and conversation towards a lower-carbon energy future, particularly in Asia with its diversity, complexity and varying energy challenges,� said Norman Koch, the Make the Future Live general manager. “The Sepang International Circuit provides a real track experience, making it a challenging and competitive track venue for the heart of the Make the Future Live events, Shell Eco-marathon.�

The 11 cars from the Philippines WOULD BE kELDED BY NINE UNIVERSIties whose students-teams designed and built the cars themselves.

T h e cars would have to navigate the iconic Sepang

International Circuit in the Shell Ecomarathon Mileage Challenge — a test to see whose car could go the farthest using the least amount of energy. Last year in Singapore, the WINNING TEAM WAS EFkCIENT ENOUGH to travel 2,341 kilometers — about the distance from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Yangon, Myanmar — on just one liter of fuel!

Teams would also be able to qualify for the Drivers’ World Championship — matching the proven ENERGY EFkCIENCY OF THEIR VEHICLE

with the speed, skill and strategy of THE DRIVER IN A RACE TO CROSS THE kNISH LINE kRST WITHOUT RUNNING OUT OF their tiny allocation of energy. &OR THE kRST TIME 3HELL %CO MARathon Asia will welcome entrants from Nepal. Students from Kathmandu University will compete Make the Future Live is a global program bringing people and ideas into collaborative spaces, driving towards a lower-carbon energy future. With events hosted in countries around the globe, those involved aim to provide an opportunity for multiple stakeholders: including students, entrepreneurs, businesses, governments and the public, to experience, test and contribute bright energy ideas.

THE T I M E S

Q The Shell Eco-Marathon Asia’s winner must cross the finish line first while accumulating as many kilometers from the least of fuel consumed.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Q Daniel Miranda, shown here driving his team’s No. 20 Hyundai i30, emerged the best Asian driver during the inaugural round of the 2019 TCR Asia Series held at the Sepang F1 Track in Malaysia recently.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Miranda impressed in first TCR Asia race R

BY MIKE POTENCIANO

ace champion Daniel Miranda from Cebu proved his mettle against FOREIGN DRIVERS AS HE WON HIS kRST race in the Asian Driver’s Class of the 2019 TCR Asia Series’ inaugural round held at the Sepang F1 Track in Malaysia recently.

Backed by Cebuana Lhuillier and Eurasia Motorsport Team, Miranda made a dream debut by winning his class and placing second overall in the reverse grid format for the second race. The young racer drove a mature race and came out as the top Asian driver behind race veteran and overall winner Diego Moran of Volkswagen Team Oettinger. “This is my first race in TCR Series Asia together with Eurasia and it has been quite a learning experience so far,� Miranda said

after the race. “I’m very happy with our podium finish on my DEBUT AND DEkNITELY LOOKING FORward to the next round at Zhuhai (China). We’re hoping to land on the podium again and score points for the championship. Thank you Cebuana Lhuillier for the support and everyone in the team and the family.�

The No. 20 Hyundai i30 of Miranda initially struggled with set up and electrical issues that prevented him from qualifying HIGHER THAN kFTH IN THE kRST SES-

sion and ninth in the second. But a blessing came when the second race had the top 10 cars reverse THEIR POSITIONS FOR THE kNAL RACE This promoted Miranda to second position at the start of the second race, which opened the door for HIM TO kNISH kRST IN HIS CLASS In the first race, Miranda, the 2017 Toyota Vios Cup Champion, had a lightning start that allowed him to move to sixth on the opening lap. He was able to defend his position for 11 tightly contested laps until an accident sent out the safety car, stopping the race momentarily.

Miranda couldn’t improve from sixth as the whole field crossed the finish line in formation.

Nonetheless, he still got a second place finish in the Asian class in the first race.

With his sterling showing, Miranda is now considered by Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing

as one of its junior drivers. He is also the only Asian driver to be picked by the group after besting more experienced competitors who have raced in other prestigious, world touring car championships. “Our aim before the event WAS TO HAVE A PODIUM kNISH AND both drivers in the points and we met our target. The support from Hyundai Motorsport was fantastic and we know we have made the right choice with the Hyundai i30 N,� said Eurasia Motorsport Team Principal Mark Goddard after the kRST RACES Miranda and the Eurasia Motorsports Team are now preparing for the next round on May 3 to 5 at the Zhuhai International Circuit in China. The team is composed mostly of Filipino mechanics, have been competing in Le Mans, and won races in the Asian Le Mans LMP2 Championship.

TURBO TIMES: ASIAN FORMULA REVISITED (Final part) ROM HERO TO ZEROĂœ )F YOU READ THE kRST TWO installments of this series, you would know that was how I felt after the disastrous Sepang, Malaysia, leg of the 2002 Asian Formula 2000 (AF2000) Championship. Here is the penultimate story on that very memorable and tragic experience that I will never forget.

F

Hala Bira GOING to Bira, Thailand, for the seventh

and eighth rounds of the AF2000, I knew many suspension parts that needed replacement. that was going to be our make it or break it My team also promised to rebuild my formula rounds. I was so frustrated car to the best of their abilities, after the previous MalayTURBO which was very important for sian leg that gave us pole to know.

TIMES meThe position but we lost all Bira track is very short chances of winning with a and is less than three kiMIKE lometers long. It is tight, dying engine.

POTENCIANO twisty and has good elevation We then ordered a newly changes. The track’s designers refurbished AF2000 spec, Ford :ETEC LITER ENGINE TO GIVE US A kGHTING CHANCE WERE ABLE TO PUT IN A VERY FAST SWEEPING lAT We also got lighter body panels and changed right-hander going downhill after a hairpin, which would show who had the skills and big balls!

So, it would be very hard to overtake and qualifying would be very important. However, the organizers said that my engine wasn’t broken in yet and I had to do it during practice. Since we didn’t have time TURBO to complete the car earlier, I said TIMES to myself there goes my chance to win. I needed all the time I can get to master the track in race pace. But that wouldn’t happen. In hindsight though, it proved to be quite a blessing.

Magnificent poles WHILE everyone was trying to explore the limits of the track, I slowly ran around the track, breaking in my engine. This made me learn the track in a slow and controlled pace that GAVE ME MORE CONkDENCE %VEN though I was a bother to a lot of drivers, I was exploring lines that I wouldn’t dare do in race pace.

Come qualifying day, no one was paying attention to my car as we were so slow in the practice time sheets. When we made our kRST QUALIFYING LAP ON NEW SLICKS

everyone’s jaws dropped, as we took pole position in Thailand!

4HAT REALLY lOORED EVERYONE INcluding myself, as I never knew we had the right set up from our slow practice sessions.

4O CONkRM THAT IT WASN T JUST A lASH IN THE PAN WE GOT ANOTHER pole in the afternoon qualifying session. We became the darling of the press again like when we took pole in Sepang, Malaysia.

Since my team also handled Singapore’s Denis Lian, and Japan’s Keiko Ihara and Tohru Jitsukawa, under one manager, Richard Smith, my teammates were all shaking their heads in disbelief!

Some even asked me how I did it. The pressure WAS NOW ON THEM TO kND WAYS TO CATCH US AND that was a really good booster for all the hard work we had put in before qualifying.

three points behind. We were the only three drivers that could win the AF2000 title and it was important that I had the momentum GOING INTO THE kNAL FOUR RACES

My first win

Hala Bira part 2

) WAS BRIMMING WITH CONkDENCE ON 3UNDAY AS my car was the best out there. The weather was GREAT AND THE SUN WAS OUT FOR THE kRST MORNING race. But there would be nothing that would stop my opponents from catching me. They just didn’t know that I really wanted the race and wasn’t going to give it up easily.

7HEN THE GREEN lAG DROPPED ) WAS ABLE to make a good start and went ahead of Indonesia’s Meckel Ali. We battled all the way for eight laps then he made a mistake in the chicane and spun out. He was really trying very hard as he was glued to my tail all the time before that incident. He lost another place to Lian in the end and no one was close TO ME WHEN ) CROSSED THE kNISH LINE A sense of enormous joy and achievement came over me and I behaved like a teen again on the podium! I imitated my racing idol, Michael Schumacher, by jumping on the awarding podium with the trophy. I sprayed and got sprayed with champagne by second-placer ,IAN AND THIRD PLACER -ALAYSIAN :ARITH !LkAN

who were all happy to see my reaction. Our Filipino mechanics and team manager Smith soon joined in the celebrations. That was DEkNITELY THE BEST TIME EVER IN MY RACING LIFEĂœ

FOR rounds nine and 10, the Asian Festival of Speed returned to Bira again. I was very happy after our great outing but I missed the kRST TWO PRACTICE SESSIONS FROM PROBLEMS IN our bus company, the BLTBCo. I had hoped that our racecar was the same as I remember how we won in my mind.

Unfortunately, my new engine was suddenly overheating in practice, even though it had gone through only two races in the last leg. We couldn’t do more laps in the kNAL PRACTICE AND THE MECHANICS FRANTICALLY checked what was causing the high engine TEMPERATURE 7E COULDN T kND THE PROBLEM AND WE QUALIkED A LOW SIXTH PLACE ) WAS FEELing the pressure building up before the race. )N THE kRST RACE OF THE DAY ) HAD TO BACK OFF the throttle when the temperature went up.

The car then suffered another problem as the rear was getting loose on the track. Later on, we saw the rear sway bar broke after cutting the berms on the tight rack. I was able TO CLIMB ONE POSITION TO kFTH AFTER A CLASH with two cars that threw one into the gravel.

Luckily, Japan’s lady driver Keiko Ihara CAME BACK TO THE SERIES AND DROVE lAT OUT TO TAKE kRST PLACE 4HIS PUSHED EVERYONE DOWN

including Lian who ended up in second and !LI kNISHING ONLY IN FOURTH PLACE !LI HAD handling problems after a big accident three days before the race. I knew we were both feeling the pressure!

Second best HAVING such a big celebration in the pits, I noticed that a downpour came to bless us during lunch. This made the track wet for the second race and my pole position was actually not the best place to be in. The racing line was on the other side of the track and it would be better to start there as it would have more grip. I was praying the track would dry up before the second race.

When we came to the starting line, the track was still slightly wet and the other side was dry. My tires started sliding at the start and Ali was able to overtake on the hairpin TO TAKE kRST PLACE 7E BATTLED ALL THE WAY BUT ) COULDN T kND A WAY THROUGH THE TIGHT TRACK AND WE kNISHED SECOND BEHIND HIM ) WAS VERY HAPPY WITH MY kRST AND SECOND PLACE kNISHES THAT DAY AND ) WAS STILL ABOVE THE MOON AFTER kNALLY GETTING MY kRST WIN In the end, all my doubts of becoming a formula champion were thrown out the WINDOW ) WAS CONkDENT THAT ) COULD kGHT for the championship! We had climbed to second place overall behind Indonesia’s Ali, who was 19 points ahead of me and Singaporean teammate Lian in third overall, only

Lucky second win THE threat of rain for the afternoon race would be a big help for my engine problem.

Richard Smith, my chief mechanic, changed the sway bar and adjusted the suspension settings to give the car more stability.

Starting in sixth again, I felt the car much better than before. The race was comfortably led again by Ihara up to the middle part when suddenly her throttle cable broke. Ali inherited the lead and then almost immediately, broke his drive shaft and had to park it. That left Lian in front and I was catching him fast.

With three laps to go, I dove under Lian in the hairpin and we almost touched when he tried to defend his lead. Fortunately, Lian opened up and I took the lead till the end. No one ever thought we could win after our lackLUSTER kRST RACE AND ) WAS THE HAPPIEST DRIVER again on the podium for this very lucky win!

Thailand was truly a lucky place for me and my unbelievable second win just proved it.

D4

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

Sports p

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Q Nonito Donaire Jr. throws a punch against Ryan Burnett during the quarterfinals of the World Boxing Super Series on November 3, 2018 in Scotland. AFP FILE PHOTO

Donaire seeks World %R[LQJ 6HULHV ÀQDOV W

BY JOSEF T. RAMOS

ORLD Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight super champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash�

Donaire Jr. faces American Stephon Young today (Philippine time) in the SEMIkNAL ROUND OF THE 7ORLD "OXING 3UPER Series (WBSS) at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Donaire Jr., who is sporting a 39-5 win-loss record with 25 KNOCKOUTS CONkDENTLY TIPPED THE scale at 117.6 pounds, while the 30-year-old Young met the limit at 117.3 pounds during the formal WEIGH IN OF kGHTERS ON 3ATURDAY Despite his advantage headING TO THE kGHT $ONAIRE S FATHER Dodong reminded his 36-year-old son to remain cautious because Young was also prepared to make a name for himself by upsetting

the four-division world champion. “We cannot be complacent against anyone,� Donaire Sr. told The Manila Times through overseas call in Filipino. “In fact, Young had a supposed kGHT IN THE UNDERCARD (E IS ALSO PREPARED FOR THIS kGHT AS AN ALternate,� added Donaire Sr., who SERVES AS HIS SON S OFkCIAL CUTMAN (E SAID $ONAIRE WOULD DEkNITEly have no problem adjusting with Young’s strategy since the World

Boxing Organization bantamweight champion South African Zolani Tete is also southpaw. Tete was replaced by Young this week after injuring his right shoulder last Monday.

Comparing both fighters, Donaire Sr. said Tete was taller and had longer reach but Young was a little bit faster. He, however, said that age would not play a huge factor in the bout, saying his son was very disciplined when it came to taking care of his body. “I believe he will beat more young boxers because of his superb condition. He also trains seriously.�

Donaire Sr. predicted that his son could score a knockout victory before sixth round. “His opponent has the tendency to bow or hide his head when bombarded with punches, so there are chances that we can hit him with uppercuts and body shots.

We have to hit accurately, too,�

Donaire Sr. explained.

The winner of Donaire-Young bout will face the May 18 winner between the other semifinalist — WBA bantamweight regular champion Naoya Inoue of Japan and International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodriguez — in the 7"33 kNALS Donaire, who was born in Talibon, Bohol, is coming from a fourth round technical knockout win against Ryan Burnett in the QUARTERkNAL ROUND OF 7"33 LAST November 3 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Young, with an 18-1-3 win-lossdraw record with seven knockouts, last won against Wilner Soto of Colombia on October 20 in Orlando, Florida.

But he was beaten by Filipino pug Raymart Gaballo via unanimous decision on March 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California for the interim WBA bantamweight title.

ESTRADA DETHRONES THAILAND'S SRISAKET LOS ANGELES: Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada won the World Boxing Council super flyweight title Friday, holding on for a unanimous decision over Thailand champ Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a rematch.

Estrada dominated most of the fight, outboxing Srisaket and winning the majority of the rounds on the judges’ scorecards at the Forum arena in Los Angeles.

The 32-year-old Srisaket looked slow and flatfooted early on compared to the confident Estrada who welcomed the toe-to-toe exchanges in the center of the ring.

There were no knockdowns, but Estrada landed a powerful overhand right in the eighth that rocked Srisaket’s head back. He won by scores of 116-112, and 115-113 twice.

Srisaket, who fights mainly as a southpaw, looked strongest in the final two rounds when he seemed to be reenergized after switching from an orthodox to a lefty stance.

Estrada appeared to slow near the end of the 12-round fight when he got caught with some solid punches by the Thai champ. But the Mexican survived and won the fight based on

his superior performance throughout the first 10 rounds.

A former World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization champion in the flyweight division, Estrada improved to 39-3 with 26 knockouts. Coming into Friday’s bout, Estrada had won twice since losing to Srisaket in their first fight in February of last year.

The loss snapped Srisaket’s 20-fight win streak as he dropped to 47-5 with one draw and 41 knockouts. This was the fourth defense of the title he won in a stunning upset over Nicaragua’s Roman “Chocolatito� Gonzalez in 2017 in his US debut in New York.

It was Srisaket’s first loss in five years.

On the undercard, Danny Roman unified the WBA and International Boxing Federation super bantamweight titles by defeating TJ Doheny by a majority decision. Roman won by scores of 116110, 116-110 and 113-113.

Roman, 27-2 with one draw and 10 knockouts, has won 19 fights in a row since dropping a 2013 decision to American Juan Reyes.

Mexico’s unbeaten Rey Vargas, the 33-0 WBC champion, is believed to be next on Roman’s radar.

AFP

Q Juan Francisco Estrada (left) in action against Victor Mendez in December 2018. AFP FILE PHOTO

Demafelis, Guillano stamp class in PPS Pulilan leg RUTH DEMAFELIS and Drixcyn Guillano lived up to their top billing and came away with a pair of victories in the PPS-PEPP Pulilan leg national age-group tennis circuit to clinch MVP honors in the Group 2 tournament at the Pulilan Tennis Club in Bulacan last Friday.

Demafelis overpowered second seed Sara Sedillo, 6-2, 6-0, to nail the girls’ 16-and-under crown although the spearhead of Team Solinco needed to come up with big hits to turn back Princess Luna,

IN THE UNDER 5 kNALS Guillano, on the other hand, scored an abbreviated 6-1, 3-0(ret.) win over Kidron Pascua in the boys’ 16-U championship, but the Roxas City, Capit ace needed to rally from a set down to frustrate giant-killer Francis Mendoza, 1-6,

IN THE kNALS OF THE PREMIER DIVISION and match Demafelis’ feat in one of a string of three-setters that marked the week-long staging of the event presented by Dunlop.

Other winners were Jeo Tampoco (10-unisex), Josian Salangsang (boys’ 12-U) and Pascua (14-U), all from Team Solinco, and Caloocan’s Elyssa Abellera (girls’ 12-U) and local ace Amby Gabriel (girls’ 14-U).

The unseeded Tampoco wore down Ren Magcosta, 5-4(3), 5-3; Salangsang subdued Derrick Guillano, 6-3, 3-6, 10-3; Pascua upended top

seed Kurt Balela, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8; Abellera repulsed Mae Lorenzo, 1-6, 6-4, 10-5; and Gabriel outlasted Edreah dela Torre, 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-6.

Casey Bagadiong and Sedillo, meanwhile, foiled Demafelis and Luna in the 18-U doubles, snatching an 8-5 victory, while Francis Mendoza and Pascua also hacked out an 8-6 decision over $ERRICK AND $RIXCYN 'UILLANO IN THE BOYS kNAL OF the event that served as part of the Luzon swing of the PPS-PEPP circuit. Other winners were Dela Torre-LJ Quines and Balela-RJ Guillano (14-U) and Tampoco-Arlo Quines (10-U). “The number of matches that went through the distance further underscores the level playING kELD WITH NEW FACES CONTINUING TO EMERGE

which has been the circuit’s long-standing commitment,� said Palawan Pawnshop PresiDENT AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER "OBBY #ASTRO Meanwhile, action in the Mindanao tour heats up this weekend with the staging of the Liloy leg in Zamboanga del Norte, with Sindangan, Zamboa del Norte hosting the next stop on May 2 to 5.

Action then shifts to ZDN capital Dipolog, while Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental takes its turn to stage the circuit on May 8 to11.

Listup for all tournaments is ongoing. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development Director Bobby Mangunay at 0915 404 6464.

Ateneo booters shoot for UAAP Final Four slot ATENEO De Manila University guns for a Final Four berth when it tackles also-ran University of the East (UE) in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s football tournament today at the Far Eastern University (FEU)-Diliman Football Field in Quezon City.

A victory by the Blue Booters over the Red Warriors in the 1:30 p.m. opener will give them one of THE THREE REMAINING SPOTS IN THE SEMIkNALS Ateneo is sitting on the second spot with a 7-24 win-draw-loss record for 23 points—just one marker behind Final Four-bound Far Eastern U. The Katipunan-based squad is also eyeing to get back on the winning track as it closes its elimination round campaign.

Ateneo settled for a 1-1 draw with Katipunan rival University of the Philippines (UP) prior to the holiday break then suffered a 1-2 loss to University of Sto. Tomas last Thursday.

National team striker Jarvey Gayoso, Rupert

Baùa and Jeremiah Rocha are expected to lead the "LUE "OOTERS kGHT On the other hand, UE is just out to play the spoiler’s role as it tries to snap an eightgame winless run and improve its 2-3-8 slate for nine markers.

Meanwhile, FEU looks to keep its grip of the top spot against defending champion UP at 3:30 p.m.

The Tamaraw Booters lead the eight-team table with 24 points on seven wins and three draws against two defeats. &%5 CLINCHED THE kRST &INAL &OUR SEAT WITH A 1-0 win over UE behind Jermi Darapan’s late strike two weeks ago.

But the Maroon Booters, who are at No. 4 with 20 markers on a 6-2-4 card, are eager to get winning results in their last two games to SECURE A RETURN TRIP TO THE SEMIkNALS UP is also aiming to avenge its 1-2 loss to FEU BACK IN THE kRST ROUND JEREMIAH M. SEVILLAÂ

Golf

E1 SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Hurley-Malnati leads rain-hit Zurich Classic

Q Billy Hurley III and Peter Malnati of the United States line up a putt on the ninth hole during the second round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 26 in Avondale, Louisiana. AFP PHOTO

N

EW ORLEANS: Billy Hurley and Peter Malnati posted rounds of 63 and 67 to grab a one stroke lead at the weather-plagued Zurich Classic, where play was suspended for the second straight day.

Malnati and Hurley reached a total of 14-under par and were among the MANY 0'! 4OUR PLAYERS IN THE kELD of 80 teams that played 36 holes on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

The extra holes were because Thursday’s opening round was delayed after the TPC of Louisiana course was battered with 6.4 centimetres (2 1/2 inches) of rain.

When the second round was suspended because of darkness, 40 groups had completed play. Play will resume at 7:00 am (12:00 GMT) Saturday.

4OURNAMENT OFkCIALS HOPE THE REST OF THE kELD CAN COMPLETE THE SECOND

ROUND BY AM WHEN THE kELD WILL BE cut to the low 35 teams including ties. “I know Billy and I both are into our conditioning and it’s important, but you’re not prepared to be on your feet walking for what we were today, 10 hours or more,� Malnati said. “It’s a long day. Playing 36 holes, the GREENS DEkNITELY GOT KIND OF SCRUFFY A little bit and harder to make putts, so we’re super thrilled with pretty much every shot I think we hit today.�

The two-player team event includes Four-ball (best ball) rounds on Thursday/Saturday and Foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday/Sunday.

AFP

Wie to ‘take time away’ from LPGA to heal injury Australians unite with eye on Presidents Cup LOS ANGELES: Michelle Wie withdrew from the LPGA Los Angeles Open on Wednesday and said she will be sidelined indefinitely while trying to recover from nagging right hand injuries.

The 29-year-old American star also withdrew from defending her title in Singapore last month,

LINCOLN, Neb.: Noor Ahmed outwardly lives her Muslim faith, and even growing up in a state as diverse as California she says she encountered hostility on the street, in school and on the golf course.

One of the top junior golfers in Northern California coming out of high school, Ahmed was a STARTER IN HER kRST YEAR AT Nebraska and the No. 2 player most of this spring. She is believed to be the only golfer at the college level or higher who competes in a hijab, the headscarf worn in adherence to the Muslim faith.

Arriving in Lincoln two years ago, Ahmed sensed hesitancy from teammates mostly from small Midwestern towns and unaccustomed to seeing a woman in a hijab.

She didn’t feel embraced until an unfortunate yet unifying event roiled the campus midway through her freshman year.

A video surfaced of a student claiming to be the “most active white nationalist in the Nebraska area,� disparaging minorities and advocating violence. The student, it turned out, was in the same biology lecture class as Ahmed.

Teammates offered to walk with her across campus, and one who would become her best friend, Kate Smith, invited Ahmed to stay with her. She didn’t accept but was heartened by the gesture. “That,� Smith said, “was when she realized how much each and every one of us care for her on the team, that it wasn’t just like, ‘Hey you’re our teammate.’ No, it’s ‘We want you to be safe, we want you to feel at home here.’�

Having grown up in the post9/11 era, Ahmed, like many Muslims in the United States, has been a target for bullying and verbal abuse. She began wearing the

posting on social media she was SHUTTING DOWN INDEkNITELY BEcause of wrist pain.

7IE RETURNED AT THE YEAR S kRST major tournament, the ANA Inspiration, earlier this month but missed the cut and also missed the cut at last week’s LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii.

She met with doctors Monday

and announced Tuesday she was going to focus on her health without giving a timetable for her LPGA return. “Had an encouraging visit with my doctor, however we both think it’s in my best interest to take some time away to allow my body to heal properly and get stronger,�

Wie posted on Instagram.

“Health is my top priority right now and hopefully I can get back to being pain free real soon. Thank you everyone for staying patient with me. I appreciate y’all.�

W i e h a s b e e n n a g g e d by past wrist injuries as well as neck, back, hip, knee and ankle injuries.

AFP

COLLEGE GOLFER IN HIJAB OUT TO BLAZE TRAIL FOR MUSLIM GIRLS

Q Noor Ahmed, a member of the Nebraska NCAA college golf team, watches her shot during practice on April 10 in Lincoln, Nebraska AP PHOTO

hijab in middle school.

On the course, in an airport or even walking across campus she can feel the long stares and notices the glances. She said she has never been physically threatened — “that I know of� — and that most of the face-to-face insults came before she arrived at Nebraska.

Much of the venom spewed at her now comes on social media.

She has been the subject of several MEDIA PROkLES AND EACH SPARKS another round of hateful messages. She acknowledges she reads but doesn’t respond to messages and that an athletic department sports psychologist has helped her learn how to deal with them. “I’ve been called every racial slur in the book,� she said. “I’ve been told explicitly that people who look like me don’t play golf, we don’t have a right to exist in America, you should go home. It WOULD DEkNITELY FAZE ME A LITTLE bit, but it never deterred me. I’m really stubborn, so I’m going to prove you wrong, just wait. When people think they’re dragging me

DOWN IT KIND OF FUELS THE kRE IN me that I’m going to be a better golfer, I’m going to be a better student, I’m going to keep climbing up the ladder.�

The daughter of Egyptian immigrants is from a close-knit family in Folsom, California, and she steeled herself for the cultural adjustment she would have to make at Nebraska.

She dealt with loneliness and anxiety, especially her freshman YEAR 3HE HAD DIFkCULTY kNDING A support network. There is a small Muslim community on campus, but she didn’t immerse herself in it. The demands on athletes are great, and they are largely segregated, eating and studying in facilities separate from those used by regular students. .EBRASKA COACH 2OBIN +RAPl said she was initially concerned about how teammates would react to Ahmed. Krapfl remembered meeting with her golfers and telling them about her. “I could tell by a couple of the looks and maybe even a com-

ment or two that they weren’t 100 percent comfortable with THAT u +RAPl SAID g! LOT OF OUR girls come from small-town communities that are very limited in their ethnicity. It’s just the fear of the unknown. They had just never been exposed to being around someone from the Muslim faith.� +RAPl SAID SHE SAW A GOLFER OR two roll their eyes, another shook her head. “I overheard, ‘Why would Coach bring someone like that on the team?’ “ “Luckily when she got here people could see her for who she was and the quality of person she was,� +RAPl SAID g)T TOOK A WHILE )T REally did. You’ve got to get to know somebody, who they really are and not just what they look like.�

Smith said she sometimes cringes when she and Ahmed are in a group and the conversation turns to politics, immigration or even fashion, like when someone innocently or ignorantly tells Ahmed that she would look good in a short dress or a certain hairstyle. AP

WASHINGTON: Australia’s most recent major winners, Jason Day and Adam Scott, will unite at this week’s PGA New Orleans Classic with an eye toward a partnership at this year’s Presidents Cup. Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, and Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, will be among 80 pairs taking part in the unique duos event at TPC Louisiana.

The Australians have only been paired once even though they have been teammates on the past four Internationals squads heading into the latest showdown against Tiger Woods-captained United States in December at Royal Melbourne. “I think we’re a hell of a team,� Scott said. “I don’t care who else is on the team and what team we’re playing. I think who we play has to turn and take notice of us.�

Rounds one and three at New Orleans will be four-ball (bestball) format and rounds two and four are foursomes (alternate shot) with a cut to low 35 and ties for the weekend.

It will give Internationals captain Ernie Els of South Africa a good look at potential players as his lineup tries to trim a US edge of 10-1-1 in the all-time rivalry, although he called the Day and Scott pairing an “obvious choice.� “They could play together in December pretty easily,� Els said. “Pretty solid pairing right there, so one of those days they could easily play together. Those two guys are on their game. They’re two of the best players you’ll ever see in the modern game.�

Scott and Day have been used alongside others to try and spread the talent in past years, but the moment in Melbourne might make it happen. “I’ve tried to push for it to happen more often, but there are a lot of different opinions and things to happen,� Scott said. “You have to play as a team member and do what’s best for the team, but I would DEkNITELY PUSH FOR THIS PAIRING

certainly in Australia. I think it’s very formidable.�

Day is sixth in Presidents Cup qualifying, which continues through the US PGA Tour Cham-

pionship. Scott ranks 11th. “I’ve sat through a lot of Presidents Cup beatdowns over the years and I’ve kind of had enough of it,� Scott said. “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes, whatever Ernie thinks it takes to kind of change the culture of our team. “We’re a long way out. The team is far from set, but trying to get as many guys here to play certainly might help Ernie later in the year. “Certainly an effort has been made by a lot of guys here this week that want to do that, that feel the frustrations. I think probably Jason feels the same. So let’s try and turn it around.�

‘Growing a culture’ Day had some sympathy for past captains trying to pull together global players as a united front against Americans who now are nine of the world’s 15 top-ranked players and 16 of the top 25. “It’s hard because you have the guys on the team, and there’s certain players that don’t gel together,� Day said. “This is a good opportunity to see where we’re at with regards to the potential guys that are playing on the Presidents Cup and seeing how they play in tournament-like conditions like we’re going to see down in Melbourne. “Some guys aren’t going to gel well together. Some guys are going to do really well. That’s the learning curve of it.�

Scott sees Els trying to develop a lasting culture around the team that can set the groundwork for improved results in the future. “It’s about starting to grow a culture among the international players and showing everyone who’s coming up the importance of this tournament,� Scott said. “Ernie has done all the right steps so far in kind of starting a new momentum among our international players, and hopefully that can continue on.�

Other notable pairs this week include European Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood of England and Sergio Garcia of Spain, Spaniard Jon Rahm with American Ryan Palmer and Americans Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay.

AFP

Golf

E2

The Sunday Times SUNDAY April 28, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

Tour better equipped for new round of Tigermania

Q Tiger Woods AFP PHOTO

T

BY DOUG FERGUSON

HE phone started ringing in the days after Tiger Woods won the Masters.

This was in Minnesota, though it could have been most any city that hosts a PGA Tour event. His 15th major, and most improbable considering what Woods had to overcome, set off a fresh round of Tigermania. g) GOT CALLED BY TWO AFkLIATES

either the Monday or Tuesday after the Masters, and they wanted to come over with a camera crew,” said Peter Mele, tournament direcTOR OF THE NEW - /PEN THE kRST week in July.

Rumors were swirling that Woods might return to the Twin Cities, which already has a loaded field with Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Bryon DeChambeau. Mele could only tell them that Woods has a history of playing two weeks before a major — the British Open in this case — so the timing was favorable and the tournament was cautiously optimistic.

“I wouldn’t have had those calls

had he not won the Masters,” Mele said Tuesday.

The buzz Woods generated from WINNING A kFTH GREEN JACKET IS AS big as ever.

His schedule figures to be as small as ever.

Still to be determined is whether that presents the problem of a generation ago when the PGA Tour schedule was largely divided between the tournaments Woods played and those he didn’t.

“The haves and have-nots,” said Mele, who experienced both sides of it as the longtime tournament director of the tour’s New York event. “When he was struggling with his health, it was more of a curiosity if he played. Now with the buzz after the Masters ... it’s the way it used to be back in the day.”

Even when he was young and healthy, Woods never played more than 21 times in a PGA Tour season. He played 18 times on the PGA Tour last year, adding a few

tournaments for which he was not eligible at the start of the year.

Woods had said even before this year started he would not be playing as much. He is 43.

Good health is no longer taken for granted.

Kym Hougham remembers WHAT IT WAS LIKE DURING THE kRST wave of Tigermania. He became tournament director of the John Deere Classic the year after Woods made his pro debut (and never returned). Hougham later ran the Wells Fargo Championship until last year, which Woods missed only three times when healthy.

A decade ago, offer a tournament director Woods and no one else from the top 10 in the world, or eight of the top 10 minus Woods, and it was an obvious choice.

“Back in those days, most would have taken Tiger,” Hougham said.

“I’m not sure that’s the feeling of every tournament because every tournament has a different personality. Most title sponsors would have done that because that’s when the media shows up, and it’s on the front page of the sports page.

“If you had your choice, you’d take Tiger.”

The Valspar Championship discovered his value a year ago when Woods added the Florida event to his schedule and the gallery at Innisbrook stood a dozen deep behind some tee boxes. And that was six months before he returned to winning.

Any tournament would love to have Woods, especially now that his Masters moments — the cheers, the chants, the emotion

— are so fresh and won’t be forgotten.

But that doesn’t mean it’s Tiger or bust.

Even if the new Minnesota event doesn’t get Woods, it already has an All-Star lineup.

The Travelers Championship never had much of a chance of getting him because the tournament Woods hosted in Washington was the following week. It created its

own identity through building strong relationships with young stars and since has attracted some of the best — Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas — with Koepka, Day and Francesco Molinari expected this year.

The stock question for every tournament — “Is Tiger playing?”

— does not seem as make-orbreak as it once did.

“That happened a lot more in ‘07 and ‘08,” said Nathan Grube, in his 14th year as tournament director of The Travelers. “When THE kELD STARTED GETTING STRONGER and stronger, we stopped getting that question.”

Woods missed so much time — partially in 2010, 2011 and 2014, effectively all of 2016 and 2017 — that it allowed younger players to emerge. Golf was in a good spot before Woods returned from a fourth back surgery last year, and Woods took it to another level that only he can.

Eight players have been No. 1 since Woods was last there in 2013. Seven players — five younger than Woods — have won multiple majors in the 11 years Woods went without a major.

“What happened two weeks ago changes the dynamic,” Hougham said. “He’s back on top. But with THE CHANGE IN SCHEDULE THE kELDS are deeper. The tour did a nice job building up a lot of these kids. ...

And they’ve earned their way up there. They were not in Tiger’s shadow, but their own sunlight.

And the sun is bright enough now. I don’t think Tiger is going to overshadow them.” AP

Justin Thomas launches foundation for children, military JUSTIN Thomas is the latest PGA Tour player to launch a foundation, and it wasn’t anything he threw together overnight.

“We’ve been talking about it the last couple of years,” Thomas said. “My mom has done an unbelievable job of making sure everything was done properly. We’ve talked to so many other athletes, their wives, people who have run other foundations who said, ‘If we had to do it over, make sure you to do this or do that.’ There’s no reason to do it if it’s not done right.”

The Justin Thomas Foundation officially launched last Wednesday in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. It featured a dinner with 544 guests and a waiting list, always a sign of support. Along with a silent auction, Thomas invited an auctioneer for other items because, he said, “I’m not very good at talking real fast to get people to donate money.”

Peter Jacobsen conducted a fireside chat with Thomas, who at 25 has nine victories, a major at the PGA Championship, a FedEx Cup title and has reached No. 1 in the world.

Kelley James provided the entertainment.

Thomas grew up in Louisville, where father Mike was the longtime pro at Harmony Landing.

“I wanted it to be local because of how special Louisville is to me,” he said.

Thomas said the three cornerstones of the foundation would be children in need, military families and junior golf. Charities the foundation initially plans to support are the Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, The First Tee of Louisville, Folds of Honor, The First Tee of Tuscaloosa, Kentucky Golf Foundation and Convoy of Hope.

The next step?

“As I said at the dinner, I need to make sure I’m playing good golf so I can help fund this thing,” Thomas said with a laugh.

EARLY START Captain Tiger Woods and part of his U.S. team can expect to be bleary-eyed at the Presidents Cup this year.

Woods announced Tuesday that his Hero World Challenge will return to the Bahamas in December and end on Saturday (Dec. 7) instead of Sunday to give him and some of the players a little extra time to get to Australia for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

The matches start Thursday, Dec. 12. Even leaving the Bahamas on Saturday, a charter would not arrive until Monday morning. This will be the latest the Presidents Cup has ever been played. The first time in Melbourne — 1998, the only International victory — ended on Dec. 12.

Still to be determined is who makes the teams, and who plays in the Bahamas.

The Hero World Challenge will be held the same week as the Australian Open, which was moved to the week ahead of the Presidents Cup with hopes of attracting a stronger field as it

GOLF NOTES

did in 2011, the second time Royal Melbourne hosted the Presidents Cup.

ONE COURSE, TWO TOURS Meghan MacLaren of England will be playing with the men for the third time this year, even if she’s not on the same golf course.

MacLaren missed the cut in the Vic Open in Australia, in which men and women competed in separate competitions for equal prize money. She was runner-up to Daan Huizing in the Jordan Mixed Open, in which players from the Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour and Staysure Tour (Europe’s 50-and-over tour) competed against each other on the same course.

Next up is the Lalla Meryem Cup on the LET in Morocco, held the same week as the Trophee Hassan II on the European Tour. The

behind Tiger Woods at the Masters, but he went 31 holes — from the 10th on Friday until the 16th on Sunday — without making a birdie on anything but a par 5.

And then in the RBC Heritage, he lost a one-shot lead going into the final round with a 77.

Johnson now is 5-4 on the PGA Tour when he has the lead going into the final round. In three of those events he failed to win, he closed with a 77 or worse. The others were a 77 in the 2017 HSBC Champions, where he lost a six-shot lead, and an 82 in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he led by three going into the final round.

Johnson shot 71 in the final round at Doral in 2011 and finished two behind Nick Watney.

Q Justin Thomas hits a hole in one on the 16th hole during the final round for the Masters golf tournament on April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Ga.AP PHOTO

men are competing on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, while the women are playing on the neighboring Blue Course.

All players use the same driving range, practice green and players’ lounge.

“Any time the men and women are in the same environment it creates a different kind of buzz for the players, because I think there’s a lot of mutual respect and also enjoyment that we’re all connected by creating a living through the game of golf,” MacLaren said. “The more opportunities there are for women’s golf to raise its profile, the more I think investment and interest in it will grow.”

BACK BROTHERS Rory Sabbatinvi and Brian Gay are teammates in the Zurich Classic this week, a partnership linked by bad backs and a company that helped them.

Both players have had total disc replacement surgery through Pennsylvania-based Centinel Spine. Along with being partners in fourballs and foursomes at the TPC Louisiana, the idea is to help promote solutions for spinal injury and disease.

Gay has the company’s logo on his apparel and golf bag, while Sabbatini has the logo on his hat and bag.

DJ’S SUNDAYS Hilton Head was the latest example of Dustin Johnson not getting the most out of his opportunities.

He was one shot behind going into the final round of the Valspar Championship when he failed to make a single birdie for the first time in 31 tournaments worldwide, shot 74 and tied for sixth.

He closed with a 68 and finished one shot

PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE Now that the Tour Championship will offer world ranking points through standard 72-hole scores, the PGA Tour has moved up by one week the deadline for players to qualify for the U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams.

The American team is based on FedEx Cup points starting with the 2017 BMW Championship (double points in the current season), while the International team is based on world ranking points accumulated from last year’s Dell Technologies Champion-

ship outside Boston.

The original plan was for qualifying for eight automatic spots on both teams to end at the Tour Championship.

However, no FedEx Cup points will be available at the Tour Championship — instead, players will start at various points under par depending on their FedEx Cup ranking. But with world ranking points being available for International team players, the tour decided to end qualifying one week early at the BMW Championship.

Tiger Woods and Ernie Els then would get four captain’s picks.

DIVOTS Lucas Bjerregaard, who beat Tiger Woods in the quarterfinals of the Match Play, has taken special temporary membership on the PGA Tour. That means the Dane can have unlimited sponsor exemptions the rest of the season in his bid to get a full card.

Matt Fitzpatrick of England previously took special temporary membership. That means 46 of the top 50 in the world ranking have some form of PGA Tour membership. ... Matt Kuchar has two victories and two runner-up finishes this season. The last time he had two wins and two second-place finishes was in 2013. ... The Lakewood Club in Alabama has been selected to host the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in 2020.

STAT OF THE WEEK Justin Thomas at the 2017 PGA Championship is the last major champion who wasn’t wearing a Nike swoosh on his clothing.

FINAL WORD “Probably about three years ago ... we didn’t know how long he was going to play for because he was struggling to play five tournaments a year. So to be able to do that, it’s very impressive, and we’ll see where he goes from there.” — Sergio Garcia, on Tiger Woods winning the Masters.

AP

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.)

E4

Golf

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

FOR announcements on tournaments, rankings and other golf-related events, email the sports editor at pgs_mallari@manilatimes.net mes net

The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Turkish Airlines World Pinoy junior golfer Copok finishes 3rd in Australian Junior Age Championships Golf Cup comes to PH

BY JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID FILIPINO junior golfer Luciano Armand Copok finished third in the Boys 9-10 Division of the Australian Junior Age Championships on April 10 to 12 at the Pines Golf Resort, Queensland, Australia.

The 10-year old Copok is a student of the British School Manila.

Copok started the tilt tied at No. 2 with a one-over in the par-36 round. He duplicated his score in the second day and lurked at No. 3 determined to win.

However, he tripled the very first hole on the last day and faltered to erase the deficit for a three-over par 39 for the day and a five-over total for the tournament.

Copok is currently preparing for the US summer golf season. He will be representing the Philippines in the 2019 IMG Junior World Championship in San Diego, CA USA in July.

Q Luciano Armand Copok holds his third place trophy during the Australian Junior Age Championships on April 10 to 12 at the Pines Golf Resort, Queensland, Australia.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Highlanders Dakak unveils new golf course rule Champion WGAP Circuit opener TAGAYTAY Highlands kept the momentum of its WGAP Cup romp as it snatched victories in Classes A and C to kick off its title drive in the 2019 Champion WGAP Circuit at the Villamor Golf Club recently.

Marianne Bustos carded 38 Stableford points, while Chesca Imperial, Sandy Romualdez and Virginia Bote backed her up with 35, 34 and 32 points, respectively, as the Highlanders edged the Forest Hills side, 139-137, in a tight battle for top honors in the premier division of the course-hopping circuit organized and conducted by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines.

Tagaytay, which dominated last year’s 7'!0 #UP FEATURING THE TOP kVE TEAMS AFter the eight-leg WGAP Circuit, also snared the Class C crown with a 144, nipping Villamor in the countback, to seize control in the early going of the eight-stage circuit with six overall points.

Rosario Dimson scored 40 points while Marissa Vergara, Maria Luisa Jayme and Connie Mamaril carded 36, 35 and 33 points, respectively, as the Highlanders foiled the hosts, who drew 38, 37, 35 and 34 points from Grace BaĂąas, Mylene Dolonius, Maria Catherine Yulo and Angela Castro, respectively, in their Class C duel.

Alabang also subdued Villamor, 143140, to reign in Class B with Arlene Barclay and Erika Dy scoring identical 37 points, Greely Oposa putting in an impressive 35-point output and Tess Yap chipping in 34 points for the Muntilupa-based squad in the three-division event sponsored by Champion. Villamor edged Forest Hills (140) in the countback for runner-up honors.

Forest Hills, meanwhile, got 39 points from Jane Magada, the Class A individual winner, while Jonah Ilagan, Grace Cho and Tess Staub put in 37, 32 and 29 points, respectively, for the Antipolo-based squad which nipped Sta. Elena to clinch the overall crown last year.

Manila Southwoods, behind Mariel Tee’s 36 points, Sunshine Baraquiel’s 34 points and Mafy Singson and Laia Barro’s identical 33 points, also made quite an impression WITH A TO kNISH THIRD IN #LASS ! WHILE Forest Hills (140) and Eagle Ridge (141) placed third in Classes B and C, respectively.

Villamor, which ruled Classes A and B at home last year, came out empty-handed this time, settling for runner-up honors in Classes B and C with Katrina Yupangco and -ELISSA 'OZUM kRING AND POINTS

respectively, and Angel Navalta and Mary Ann Reyes each adding 33 points for the Class B squad.

Jee Cabochan, meanwhile, shot 41 points to run away with the Class B individual plum while leading Forest Hills’ 140 output that included 37, 32 and 30 points from So Han Uy, So Young Lee and Leyuan Liang, respectively.

Canlubang’s Theresa Enriquez, on the other hand, grabbed the Class C individual title with 42 points but her team struggled TO kNISH SIXTH WITH A

DAKAK Golf Club announces the opening of its new golf course inside Dakak Resort in a formal launch led by Dakak Golf Chairman Cesar Jalosjos and Dakak Golf President Rick Gibson at the Manila Hotel recently. led officials for the formal launching at the Manila Hotel. “We are very pleased with the results of the development,� said Jalosjos, who has been overseeing the project. “It will be an unforgettable experience to play there.

Natural beauty dom-

inates the 50-hectare, 6,500-yard par 72 wonder. “Most of what you will see is unheard-of in golf,� says Gibson, a former Asian Tour champion who is guiding the finishing touches on the course’s back nine. “To begin with, there is a record 1.9 miles of ocean in play, beating the record 1.6 miles of Pebble Beach.�

The front nine of the Greg Norman-designed course is already open for play, and the grass is already being laid down on the back half of the course. Dakak Golf

course will be fully operational by November.

There are three par 3’s, three par 4’s and three par 5’s on each nine, and every hole has its challenges. Seven of the first nine holes face the Sulu Sea, a feature unique to Dakak. Many of the holes require a golfer’s shot to go over water, with one needing a near-perfect tee-off over a waterfall to get onto the green.

The entire property is a seamless blend of blue and green, with almost no man-made structures in sight.

THE Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup (TAWGC) will unfold on May 3 at the Tagaytay Midllands Golf Club in Talisay, Batangas.

Now on its fourth edition in the country, the world’s largest corporate golf tournament will crown the next Philippine representative to the prestigious Grand Finals in Turkey later this year. “We are thrilled to be back in Manila with the TAWGC and a new group of golfers as our event has become a highlight on the region’s calendar over the past four years.

We are proud that this competition has grown in parallel with the world class Turkish Airlines brand,� said Erhan Balaban, Turkish Airlines general manager in Manila. “Good luck to the players, we look forward to inviting the winner to represent Manila in the Grand Finals in Turkey,� he added.

Last year’s tournaments broke records anew with 100 qualifying events taking place around the world, including past Open Championship venue Royal Birkdale and Ryder Cup destinations Gleneagles and the K Club in Dublin.

Golf is so entrenched in the Turkish Airlines philosophy that customERS CLUBS EVEN lY FOR FREE AND PLAYERS can look forward to another unforgettable Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup, which is now in its seventh year, sponsored by National Car Rental & SOCAR, and local sponsors The Manila Times, Meralco, Marco Polo Ortigas, Pacsports, and Oppo.

Business and golf are a natural kT AND NO ONE COMBINES THE TWO AS well as Turkish Airlines, with their backing of the European Tour tour-

nament Turkish Airlines Open and the Challenge Tour’s Turkish Airlines Challenge. “Flying to more countries than any other airline in the world, Turkish Airlines supports some of the world’s most successful sportspeople and organizations bridging cultures and continents. Alongside TAWGC, Turkish Airlines is title sponsor of Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Europe’s top club level basketball competition and is committed to supporting the best sporting competitions around the world,�

Balaban said.

7ITH A lEET OF AIRCRAFT NO ONE lIES TO MORE THAN THE DESTINAtions in 124 countries around the world served by Turkish Airlines, who carried over 75 million passengers in 2018, a record for the Star Alliance member airline.

The newly-opened Istanbul Airport hub will become the new home of Turkish Airlines, at the center of global aviation. Set for completion in 2028, the mega project will include six runways and four terminals with the capacity to serve up to 200 million passengers annually, delivering a streamlined travel experience.

It comes as little surprise then that THE WORLD S kNEST AIRLINE ALSO SERVES up the very best for its clients on the fairways as well as the runways – all with the genuine Turkish hospitality famous around the world.

Business Class travelers are treated to luxury as standard with excellent meals served by onboard Flying Chefs, the best of inflight entertainment with noise canceling headphones, and exclusive lounges at Istanbul Airport.

Q The Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup is the world’s largest corporate golf tournament. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

NGAP to hold SEA Games qualifying tilt

Q Former PGA Tour campaigner Rick Gibson (second from left) joins fellow Dakak officials Mark Gaston (club manager), Cesar Jalosjos (club president) and John Cope (senior designer) during the Zamboanga launch of the Dakak Gold and Country Club. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

THE National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) will hold a two-stage qualifying tournament for the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games that the country will be hosting in November.

The event, open to all amateur Filipino golfer will be played at the Hacienda Luisita Golf and Country Club on June 4 to 7 and June 10 to 13.

Participants must be in a good standing with the NGAP and must satisfy all the requirements imposed by the governing body. Players must have a valid handicap index of 5.0 OR LOWER ISSUED BY A BONAkDE GOLF

2nd Cobra-Puma Scramble Golf Tournament opens June 19

14th Pomelo Tee rolls off May 1 in Davao City

THE 2nd Cobra-Puma Scramble Golf Tournament will tee off on June 19 at the Beverly Place Golf and Country Club in Mexico, Pampanga.

The tournament will only ALLOW TO COMPETE THE kRST teams to register. Entry fee is P14,000 per two-man team.

Team composition will be a

two-man play, which can either be male-male, female-female or male-female.

The minimum combined handicap is 10 and the maximum is 60 based on the June UNIkED NATIONAL HANDIcapping system.

Registered players can enjoy a special rate of P750 per practice

round for one month.

An all-expense paid trip to Johor Baru, Malaysia and a chance to compete in the Cobra-Puma Regional Golf Tournament awaits the low gross and low net team champions.

CCIP President’s Golf Cup unfolds April 30

THE Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines, Inc. will host the annual CCIP President’s Golf Cup 2019 on April 30 at the Legends Course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

The tournament, open

to all amateur golfers, has a regular entry fee of P6,000 and P5,000 for the early registrants. The fee is inclusive of green fee, use of shared golf cart, lunch, raffle entry, and gift items.

On-course registration starts at 6 a.m. while the shotgun tee off begins at

7 a.m.

The CCIP Golf Cup 2019 is among the scheduled activities that will commemorate the organization’s 45th founding anniversary.

For registration, cont a c t 0 91 6 7 31 8 8 5 0 o r 09338562524.

THE TH 0OMELO 4EE WILL kRE OFF on May 1 to4 at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club in Mandug-Indangan, Buhangin, Davao City.

The four-day annual member-guest tournament is expected to draw more than 200 entries.

The event aims to raise funds for the charitable projects of the Pomelo Tee Foundation Incorporated among them college scholarship for selected workers and caddies’ dependent.

Part of the proceeds will also be used

body as of May 1.

4HE QUALIkER WILL BE COMPOSED of two stages of 72 holes each using stroke play.

3TAGE ONE WILL ACCEPT THE kRST players to register; wherein the top 12 players and ties within 10 strokes of the leading score will advance to the second stage.

4HE STAGE TWO OF THE QUALIkER WILL determine the top three players which will form the 2019 SEA Games team as set by the committee.

Entry fee for the qualifying tournament is pegged at P3,000.

For inquiries, contact NGAP at 7065926.

to provide educational equipment and other learning materials to Mandug High School and Indangan High School.

Entry fee is P6,000, inclusive of two-day, one mulligan per nine holes.

The tournament’s team and individual categories will follow a 36HOLE STROKE PLAY UNDER THE MODIkED Stableford scoring system.

For registration, contact Rancho Palos at (082) 3300859, 09177705528, 09156032302, or 09173121887.

The Sunday Times

Inspiration.

Celebrity.

Style.

April 28, 2019 Volume 118 | No. 89

TIMI AQUINO

For love of Bam and country •

LITERARY LIFE

FILIPINO CHAMPIONS

ARTS AWAKE

McEwan’s android tale in Machines Like Me F2

Filipino women shine in maledominated jobs obs

Kanade Yagi exhibits traditional healing techniques F8

F3

Literary Life SUNDAY April 28, 2019

F2

McEwan tells android tale in Machines Like Me L

BY JILL LAWLESS ASSOCIATED PRESS

ONDON: Ian McEwan is fascinated by artificial intelligence. His new novel, Machines Like Me, features a lifelike android with access to all human knowledge who writes haiku poetry.

In real life, the Booker Prize-winning AUTHOR IS CONlICTED (E WOULD BE WARY of owning a driverless car — “I don’t even like cruise control,� he said — and he has grown suspicious of his household digital assistant since the revelation that staff at Amazon listened to recordings of people speaking to their Alexa devices. “Actual humans transcribing, and some lady singing in the shower being laughed at,� he said, shuddering. “I think we’re going to unplug it.�

The messy relationship between human MINDS AND ARTIkCIAL ONES IS THE FOCUS OF Machines Like Me, published in the United States by Doubleday on Tuesday.

Narrator Charlie Friend, a smart but directionless thirtysomething, spends his inheritance on Adam, one OF THE kRST gTRULY VIABLE manufactured human(s) with plausible intelligence and looks.�

Adam, Charlie and Charlie’s neighbor-girlfriend Miranda form an unorthodox

household. They soon confront profound questions: Can a machine feel emotions? Is Adam a lodger, a servant or a highly intelligent household appliance? Does cheating on your partner with a robot count as adultery? “I wanted the reader to be in Charlie’s SITUATION HALF THE TIME AT LEAST AT kRST

thinking he’s just playing a computer game — an elaborate, rather spooky computer game — but then feeling very upset when Adam goes and has a night of shame with his girlfriend,� McEwan said. “It’s really only a betrayal if we regard Adam as a kind of human, and (Charlie) can’t help himself but feel that,� he added.

The author describes the novel as a sort of anti-�Frankenstein.�

In Mary Shelley’s story, a scientist’s creation becomes a killer. “I’m writing somewhat against that grain, wanting to think about, what if we gave our new cousins our best selves, or we tried to?� McEwan said during an interview at his sun-filled London mews house.

In the novel, Adam is a moral paragon. It’s the humans who are compromised.

McE-

wan’s mÊnage à trois unfolds in a divided Britain: roiled by protests, uncertain about its place in Europe and the world.

That sounds a lot like the present, but it’s the past — an alternative version of the 1980s.

The novel opens as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher takes Britain to war against Argentina over the Falkland Islands. In real life, the United Kingdom won the war and Thatcher spent a tumultuous decade in ofkCE )N -C%WAN S VERSION THE WAR IS LOST AND Thatcher faces a crisis that brings a left-wing Labor government to the verge of power.

In McEwan’s alternate 1980s, the internet is long-established and work on ARTIkCIAL INTELLIGENCE IS ADVANCED THANKS to Alan Turing, a real-life World War 2 codebreaker and computing pioneer.

After the war, Turing was prosecuted for having sex with a man, forcibly treated with female hormones and died in 1954 at age 41.

McEwan gives Turing the life he deserved. In the novel he lives into old age, honored and revered, and his work has created technological wonders.

It has not cured society’s ills, though.

The 250-mph (400-kph) bullet trains are grubby and the streets littered with garbage. Mass unemployment fuels antiimmigrant anger, although automation is the bigger culprit.

McEwan said he had often been struck by how quickly new technology becomes MUNDANE (E RECALLED A FEW YEARS AGO

seeing a line of people snaking down a street in Manhattan. “I thought it was maybe some kind of rock concert,� the novelist said. “And they said no, people are sleeping out on the PAVEMENT TO BE kRST WITH AN I0HONE “Where are those 5s now? I think they’re in the nation’s sock drawers or being used by grandchildren. The speed with which something that people are prepared and sleep out on the pavement before becomes two years later just a piece of outmoded junk — that interests me,� he added.

At 70, McEwan is one of Britain’s most

critically and commercially successful NOVELISTS (E HAS BEEN A kNALIST FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS "OOKER 0RIZE kVE TIMES AND won in 1998 for Amsterdam.

Several of his novels have been made into movies, including the multimillion-selling Atonement� and “On Chesil Beach.�

Not everyone is a fan. McEwan anGERED SOME SCIENCE kCTION READERS AND writers by insisting that Machines Like Me IS NOT A SCI k BOOK (E CALLED IT gAN old-fashioned novel about an ethical problem pushed on us by technology� — a phrase that could, arguably, describe MANY AVOWEDLY SCI k WORKS -C%WAN SAID THE LEAPS IN ARTIkCIAL INTELLIGENCE THAT WERE SURELY COMING kLLED HIM with “fascination and dread.� “Even technologies that we fear, we can’t collectively stop ourselves,� he added. “And nor can we guess the consequences of our inventions.�

Already, he said, we are giving driverless automobiles the power to make ethical decisions: “Do I swerve to avoid this car, but risk hitting that child? “It is a strange moment when we are letting a machine, a computer, take a split second-decision on our behalf,� the author added.

McEwan said he’s not an “issues novelist,� although his books often touch on major social problems: climate change in Solar, the Iraq War in Saturday.

These days, like many in Britain, McEwan is obsessed with the political psychodrama of Brexit. But he’s not planning a Brexit novel. “For a novel, I think you have to let things settle,� he said. “We’re still too much in the middle of the story, and I don’t fully understand it. I read masses on it, but it’s a bit like reading about quantum MECHANICS (OWEVER MANY BOOKS YOU READ on it, you sneeze and it’s all gone.� “Now, my mind’s a complete blank, which is quite agreeable. It’s like a smooth piece of wax waiting for the next thing to come along,� he added.

Q In this April 18, 2019 photo, Booker Prize-winning English novelist and screenwriter Ian McEwan talks about his new novel Machines Like Me in London. AP PHOTO

Storywriting School to hold workshop on writing for kids

Q Joachim Emilio ‘Joem’ Antonio. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

4(% 3TORYWRITING 3CHOOL OF THE Sunshine Place: Senior Recreation Center is inviting aspiring writers to participate in its workshop on writing stories for children next month.

Sunshine Place describes the Storywriting School as a learning community for people who dream of writing great stories, but end up experincing writer’s block. It aims to give participants the tools to get their stories written and see their ideas through.

The workshop offers participants a six-hour crash course on writing stories for a young audience. They will receive lectures about the audiences covered by children’s literature, and learn story design principles and exercises that will help them write

children’s stories in no time.

Participants are expected to leave the workshop with guidelines on dealing with both children and adult readers, tools to help in determining what language is right for children, and a method that will help them write despite their busy schedules.

The workshop will be conducted by Palanca award-winning children’s book author Joachim %MILIO g*OEMu !NTONIO (IS STOries, Ang Ampalaya sa Pinggan ni Peepo (The Bitter Gourd on Peepo’s Plate) and Sa Tapat ng Tindahan ni Mang Teban (In Front of Mr. Teban’s Store), both won second prize in the Maikling Kuwentong Pambata (Short Story for Children) category of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for

Literature in 2007 and 2011, respectively, and were subsequently published under Lampara Books.

Antonio is a believer in the “writing by design� approach, in which the writer is trained to anticipate and predict a reader’s probable response to the text based on the writer’s understanding of reality and language. The goal of his workshop is for participants to be able to put their ideas on paper and see how the choice and organization of language FULkLLS THEIR OBJECTIVE THE TIMES

Interested parties may register and enroll online at www.Storywritingschool.com/courses/enroll.

For inquiries, call (632) 856-4162 or 0917-5155656 or email seniorhubjupiter@gmail.com.

BOOK REVIEW

The Malta Exchange: ‘Fun’ blend of history and thrills STEVE Berry’s pragmatic hero Cotton Malone soon regrets taking on what is supposed to be a simple mission in The Malta Exchange (Minotaur Books; 416 pages; 2019), his latest blend of history and thrills.

Malone has retired from his job at the Justice Department so he can run a bookstore IN #OPENHAGEN (E FREELANCES EASY ASSIGNments for extra money, and when he’s asked to recover letters in Lake Como, Italy, that were supposedly written between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini, he jumps at the chance. It’s nothing more than meeting with someone who has the correspondence AND THEN TAKING POSSESSION OF THE LETTERS (E doesn’t expect another person waiting to grab them or the steps they will utilize to

ensure that he fails in his endeavor.

The hunt for the letters that have historic significance leads to a vast conspiracy involving the election of a new pope and the Knights of Malta, an organization that has been in existence for centuries. Malone’s easy payday has become a battle for survival. Long-buried secrets are revealed and the consequences of failure could impact history and many cultural traditions.

(E RECEIVES HELP FROM AGENT ,UKE $ANIELS

who works for Malone’s old employer. But even help comes with a price when Daniels’ covert operation is quickly compromised.

Trust and loyalty are merely optional in Berry’s fun and engaging tale. Elements of

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),

THE STORY ECHO $AN "ROWN AND "ERRY S kRST Cotton Malone adventure, The Templar Legacy. What makes his novels stand out is the level of research to make the foundation of the story solid and then adding some mayhem and chaos. After shaking them all together, the result is a thriller that intrigues and provides historical context. Berry is the master scientist with a perfect formula for the best-seller lists.

AP The Malta Exchange costs P934 in hardcover and is available in leading bookstores.

Q This undated photo provided by St. Martin’s Press shows the book cover of The Malta Exchange. AP PHOTO

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]

POETRY

Aporia

BY MARK ANGELES But I am at a loss where to begin.

With a yen for a bullet-proof heart.

To begin in the face of revulsion, in the face of the one who leaves.

What shards of truth bounce back from a double-sided mirror of betrayal? The sharpness of knives: my erstwhile lover whose whittle lITS IN ME LIKE AN AFTERTHOUGHT

still naked and formidable and smoking like a machine gun.

I lift its veils one by one.

I have plucked my doggerel from the ground, Rimbauding what once was vacant.

Words, sway me like before!

You were supple as glow-worms.

But I am at a loss where to begin.

2019 Palanca Awards now accepting entries

THE 69th edition of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the longest-running and most prestigious literary contest in the Philippines, is now accepting submissions to its regular categories in these divisions: English division: Novel, Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, Poetry Written for Children, One-act Play and Full-length Play.

Filipino division: Nobela, Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Tulang Para sa mga Bata, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba and Dulang Pampelikula.

Regional languages division: Short Story-Cebuano, Short Story-Hiligaynon and Short Story-Ilokano.

A fourth division, the Kabataan Division, is open to writers 18 years old and younger. It has two categories: Kabataan Essay and Kabataan Sanaysay.

Submissions to this division must be informal or personal essays that answer the question “At a time when spreading of misinformation is getting common, what can you do to help people, especially the youth, search for the truth?� (for entries in English) and “Sa panahon na laganap ang pagkalat ng maling impormasyon, paano mo matutulungan ang mga tao, lalo na ang kabataan, na hanapin ang katotohanan?� (entries in Filipino).

The contest is open to all Filipino citizens or former Filipino citizens of all ages, except current directors, officers, and employees of the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc. Those who wish to join may submit only one entry per category.

Deadline of submission of entries is on May 31, 2019.

Works that were first published or produced between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019 and/or unpublished or unproduced works may be entered in the contest. For the Novel and Nobela categories, works that were first published within two years prior to May 31, 2019, and unpublished works may be entered in the contest.

Only unproduced works may be entered in the Dulang Pampelikula category.

A work that has been awarded a prize in another contest before midnight of May 31, 2019 is not qualified for the awards.

All submissions must be printed copies. The foundation will not accept online or email submissions.

Established in 1950, the Palanca Awards honors the legacy of businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. It aims to develop and nurture Philippine literature by providing incentives for writers to craft their most outstanding literary work and to be a treasury of the Philippines’ literary gems and assist in its eventual dissemination.

For official contest rules and forms, visit the Palanca Foundation office on the ground floor of the Greenbelt Excelsior Bldg., 105 C. Palanca Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Interested participants may also contact the CPMA office through cpmawards@gmail.com or at (632) 843-8277 for further inquiries and other concerns. Ask for Leslie Layoso or Susan Castillo.

manilatimes[dot]net. Kindly put the genre and title of the work in the email’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 April 28, 2019

F3

A H O N P I N AY

M

Filipino women shine in male-dominated jobs

ORE Filipino women are helping bridge the gap IN THE WORKPLACE AS THEY kND THEIR SPOTS IN kELDS normally dominated by the male species through “Ahon Pinay,” an advocacy that celebrates and supports the modern-day heroine in every Filipina. The initiative is spearheaded by Ariel Laundry Detergent brand.

Specifically created to eliminate boundaries in gender professional capabilities, Ahon Pinay also opens dialogue on issues women face in their respective industries — a reality that thousands live with everyday.

Three women — Emilyn Saren, Marian Binalla and Armida Matibag — harbored few dreams for themselves, and never dreamed they could barge into male-dominated industries. Thankfully, Procter & Gamble Philippines partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Women’s Center (TWC) for Ariel Ahon Pinay, allowing many Filipinas the opSRUWXQLW\ WR ÀQLVK WHFKQLFDO YRFDWLRQDO SURJUDPV LQ ÀHOGV WUDGLWLRQDOO\ WKRXJKW to be reserved for men.

Through determination and hard work, they went through the intensive program of night classes, successfully getting their diplomas after months of rigorous training. The program allowed them to hone their skills in areas such as Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Plumbing, Automotive Servicing, as well as Electrical Installation and Maintenance, which are in-demand jobs in the country and abroad.

Today, they are successfully breaking gender stereotypes through their contributions and strong presence in the workplace, alongside other modern women.

As expected, their journeys were not at al l easy. As trai l blazers,

the three women experienced some skepticism f rom thei r ma le colleagues, especially when they were just starting out, but they did not let this faze them. They realized that being a female in a male-dominated field is not a disadvantage, especially when one has the right skills, a positive attitude, and determination to succeed.

Emily Saren shared her experience working in a job more commonly associated to men.

“May mga panahon din na nawalan ako ng tiwala sa sarili ko tapos iniisip ko kung paano ko malalagpasan yung mga pagsubok at kung kaya ko ba kasi lahat sila lalaki. Napakahirap talaga pero nung katagalan, naging okey rin.

Maayos yung management at inuorient talaga yung mga trabahador at sinasabi na kailangan respetuhin ang mga babae at sinasabi nila na, ‘TESDA graduate yan at respetuhin ninyo sila.

Puwede natin silang paghangaan, dahil ang tipikal na trabaho ng lalaki ay nakakayanan nila.’”

In facing challenges in the workplace, persistence is necessary, according to Armida Matibag.

“Sa una, hindi naging madali ang pagtrabaho sa isang construction site lalo na sa isang katulad kong babae. Minsan, hindi maiwasan na may nambu-bully at nangangantiyaw kasabay ng mabibigat na tasks, pero kinaya ko naman lahat yun. Ginawa kong motivation ang challenges na yun upang lalo ko pang paghusayin

Emily Saren graduated from Plumbing and now works at integrated Contractors and Plumbing Works (iCP). She is in charge of plumbing installations for sanitary water lines and other fixtures.

Armida Matibag finished Electrical Installation and Maintenance and works at Anvic Construction as an electrician. Her job includes climbing electric poles to install heavy wirings from towering ladders.

Treading new ground

M

The 60 women from the first batch of the Ahon Pinay initiative during their graduation.

ang aking trahaho at mapatunayang kaya ko,” she recounted.

Despite the difficulties, there is much that they have all learned.

“Mahirap din, kasi minsan nagbubuhat, at kailangan mo lakasan pero marami ka namang matutunan dito. Kung ano yung mga alam ng mga katrabaho mo ituturo rin nila sa ’yo. Marami talagang aral na mapupulot,” Marian Binalla said.

Positive sign for companies All three women acknowledge how the train ing they received from TESDA has helped them in their respective careers. “ Noong hindi pa po ako nakakapag -TESDA, wala akong tiwala sa sarili ko, kumbaga walang pagasa magkatrabaho. Nung nag-TESDA na po ako, naisip ko ‘makakagraduate na ako, mabubuhay ko y u ng a na k ko.’ P uwede na r in akong mangibang- bansa, at may pag-asa nang magkaroon ng maayos na sahod at trabaho. Mayroon

Marian Binalla graduated under the Shielded Metal Arc Welding course, and is now a welder at Air Movement Company where she fixes and tests chillers and airconditioning units before they are sent off to suppliers.

po akong pinanghahawakang papel na nakapagtapos ako, lalo na para sa mga katulad naming indigenous people na walang aasahang iba,” Saren recounted.

For her part, Binalla recalled, “ Bago pa po a ko mag t apos sa TESDA may mga nag-aalok na ng trabaho. Hinihintay na lang kami grumadweyt tapos papapirmahin na lang kami ng kontrata.”

If there is one thing that brings enormous satisfaction to the women, it is that their respective compan ies are now welcoming more women into their line of work. They see this as a positive sign and proof that their contributions are valued.

To date, the training program of TESDA in partnership with Ariel Ahon Pinay has produced 60 graduates of highly skilled Filipinas who are ready to shine in the workplace.

Partner for women empowerment For the detergent brand, the success of these three women shows that gender equality can be realized.

“Procter & Gamble (manufacturer of Ariel) is a staunch supporter of gender equality. P&G’s global #WeSeeEqual initiative is alive in the Philippines through the Ahon Pinay campaign. We believe in empowering women to reach their full potential by helping break barriers that exist in society, particularly in the workplace. We know that there is nothing that women cannot achieve, and Ariel embraces its role in ensuring that women receive the right training and support to be whatever they want to be,” said Louie Morante, Regional Brand Communications, P&G Asia Fabric Care.

“We have seen that women can shine in fields that many have always thought were only for men. We are proud to be a partner of Ariel Ahon Pinay in their praiseworthy advocacy, and we are grateful to see that we are helping Filipinas fulfill their vision by letting them realize

their dreams for themselves and their families,” TESDA Director General Sec. Guiling Mamondiong agreed.

To other women who want to get into male-dominated areas, the three women shared their valuable support. “ Tibayan mo lang ang loob mo at huwag kang panghihinaan ng loob kasi maaabot mo rin ang mga pangarap mo,” Saren said. “ Unang-una, respetuhin mo ang sarili mo at siguraduhin mong buo ang loob mo sa lahat ng pagsubok na maaar ing dumating sa iyo,” Binalla shared. “ Sa mga kababaihang tulad ko, masasabi ko lang na huwag tayong matakot na ipakita ang ating mga kakayahan. Huwag tayong matakot na makipagsabayan sa mga kalalakihan, dahil kaya natin ito,” Matibag concluded.

Taking Ahon Pinay to greater heights P&G will continue to push for its Ahon Pinay initiatives that will empower women to pursue their goals and make their dreams a reality.

Besides the refurbishment of the TWC Automotive training facilities, they will also be aiding through additional equipment necessary for the registration of the three-year diploma course in Automotive and Land Transport Technology, to be offered to 25 trainees.

This exciting opportunity with a new d iploma cou rse wou ld be tied in with the registration of 10 female trainees of Automotive Servicing NC 2 for their international certification with the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI), which is an internationally recognized automotive awarding organization based in the United Kingdom.

In i ntroduci n g th is revamped partnership geared toward female empowerment, the course will be implemented by first conducting a Competency-Based Training in Automotive Servicing NC 2 within 2019 for 25 students.

Filipino producer inducted into 2019 Asian Hall of Fame

ARC Anthony Nicholas, the Emmy-winning Filipino-American producer of "The Talk" is set for another milestone as he is inducted into the 2019 Asian Hall of Fame.

Marc, who was born to Filipino immigrants, moved to the United States at the age of four years old where he saw his parents rise above the challenges through hard work and exemplary work ethic.

Today, Marc, who initially pursued a career in the healthcare industry, is a producer for the Emmy Award-winning talk show The Talk. With over 15 years of television experience, he has worked on “The Tyra Banks Show” and is the only Filipino producer on The Talk which garners 2.4 million viewers daily.

His inspiring story and resilience has inspired many Filipinos both in the country and all over the world and this month, Marc will add another inspiring achievement by being named in the prestigious Asian Hall of Fame alongside “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu. For Marc, being an honoree alongside the director is monumental.

“In 1993, ‘The Joy Luck Club’ hit theaters. It took 25 years for the arrival of Crazy Rich Asians. I’m so lucky to be

rible, watched ‘American Idol,’ and she would always ask me every morning before she went to work, ‘How do I THE THOUGHT look?’ And I would always say, ‘More JUNKIE beautiful than yesterday.’ I miss her CARLA BIANCA laugh, her smile, her hugs. I miss evRAVANES-HIGHAM erything about my mom. I want to say, alive during this day and age because ‘Mom, you’ve made my life so happy $VLDQV DUH ÀQDOO\ PDNLQJ D KXJH PDUN and even though I didn’t grow up with in Hollywood. We need more Asian-led a lot, just knowing you were by my side projects in the entertainment industry was enough. I love you Mom... I love because we’re so talented and hardworkyou more than yesterday,” he related. ing. Being inducted with the Jon Chu, 0DUF LV DOVR TXLFN WR UHÁHFW RQ KLV director of Crazy Rich Asians gives me journey and how far he has come. a sense of pride. I’m so proud to share "I was bullied and teased as a child. the stage with such a trail blazer who I was thrown against the wall by bulis limitless,” he said. lies inside the boy’s restroom when I He also believes that his induction is ZDV LQ WKH ÀIWK JUDGH , ZDV PDGH IXQ not just a win for himself but for the of during Physical Education class whole Asian community. because I wasn’t athletic enough in “This award is a celebration of my high school. I would tell my younger life! It represents my struggles and my Emmy-winning producer Marc Anthony Nicholas. self, ‘You’re enough. Don’t let anyone triumphs, the highs and lows. I hope my life. Being inducted into The Asian PDGH PRUH VLJQLÀFDQW EHFDXVH 0DUF tell you anything less. Go after your to make the Asian community proud Hall of Fame is a dream come true. Bruce lost his mom to cancer 10 years ago. dreams and fear nothing. Want to — my ultimate goal is to empower and Lee, Kristi Yamaguchi, Connie Chung, “This year marks the 10th anniver- write your own book? Do it. Want to make our Asian brothers and sisters be Carrie Ann Inaba, and many deserving sary that my mom passed away from become an actor? Do it. Want to be seen and be heard.”

Asians have been honored in the past. breast cancer. I have a pocket size a motivational speaker? Do it. Live 0DUF DOVR UHÁHFWV RQ KRZ VLJQLÀFDQW I'm humbled and thankful for this op- picture of her in my car... I feel like outside your comfort zone and do your the prestigious award is to him, a portunity, he exclaimed. she guides me on the road and guides best at everything you do. Be happy.

Filipino-American.

On a personal level, his induction me in life in general. She was my best Be healthy. Believe.’"

The 2019 Asian Hall of Fame Celebra- is more special because it will happen friend and we always had fun together. www.carlabiancaravanes.com tion will be one of the pinnacle events in on Mother’s Day weekend, a fact even We sang karaoke but were both ter-

Cover Story The Sunday Times

F4

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

TIMI AQUINO

For love of Bam and country

BY TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA

“F

EELING ko ako yung embodiment of ‘love is blind’,� chuckled Fatima “Timi� GomezAquino, the better half of Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam� Aquino 4th.

This girlish confession came about when The Sunday Times Magazine asked the highly accomplished lady if she had any inkling of the kind of life the wife of an Aquino in politics would entail. “I had no appreciation of the weight that would come with bearing the Aquino name nor how demanding a life in politics would be,â€? Timi went on as she pondered the question and harked back to 2012 when she married the nephew and namesake RI WKH ODWH IUHHGRP Ă€JKWHU %HQLJQR ´1LQR\Âľ $TXLQR -U DQG Ă€UVW FRXVLQ of the 15th president of the republic %HQLJQR ´1R\QR\Âľ $TXLQR UG ´$FWXDOO\ %DP DQG , KDG EHHQ together for seven years before we got married and I would say if there was

The Sunday Times

magazine TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA Editor ALVIN I. DACANAY Literary Editor CHRISTINA ALPAD IZA IGLESIAS Staff Writers

anyone at that time who had some idea of what my life might be like, it was actually my father.�

According to Timi, her dad worULHG VKH PD\ KDYH WR VDFULĂ€FH D JUHDW deal if and when her husband decides to go into politics to help him succeed. It was a legitimate concern of any father in the same situation but more so for a daughter like Timi who determinedly shattered the proverbial glass ceiling and climbed to the top of three of the biggest consumer goods companies in the country.

And indeed, as the youngest Aquino in public service today faces his toughest battle as a sophomore reelectionist to the Senate, Timi’s father’s fears have come true as his GDXJKWHU RIÀFLDOO\ ELG WKH FRUSRUDWH world goodbye going into the year’s midterm elections.

To be clear, her father is neither mad nor is Timi still blinded by love LQ GHFLGLQJ WR VDFULÀFH KHU FDUHHU IRU her husband’s campaign. The former vice president and head of marketing for such companies like Unilever Philippines, Jollibee and Chowking — her dad, mom and the

The new Mr. and Mrs. Bam and Timi Aquino in 2012, finally married after seven years of getting to know everything about each other. rest of her family now included too — believe it is the right thing to do because of the man they have come to know and what he stands for.

And for the record, by no means does Timi feel she has surrendered what her professional career has advocated from the beginning — that men and women deserve equal opportunities for growth — because her husband shares her very principles. “[The Canadian prime minister] Justin Trudeau once

ARLO CUSTODIO Deskman *** PETER BAGA 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

In their many years of dating, Timi had no inkling that the young Aquino with whom she fell in love would enter politics one day.

VDLG KH LV D IHPLQLVW %XW IRU PH HYHQ before he said that, I already knew %DP $TXLQR DV WKH XOWLPDWH IHPLQLVW ,Q IDFW WKH Ă€UVW OHDGHU %DP HYHU campaigned for was a woman and she became president in the ‘80s. The last leader he also campaigned for was also a woman and she became vice president in 2016,â€? she averred. “Kaya matagal na po si %DP naniniwala sa lakas ng kababaihan at bago pa man siya naging senador, babad na babad po siya sa microĂ€QDQFH FRPPXQLWLHV Alam niya talaga yung kahalagahan ng mga babae na may kakayanan na tulungan yung mga asawa nila para itaguyod yung pamilya nila. “And in our marriage, even when we were just boyfriendgirlfriend — a part of which we had to do via long distance relationship because I wanted to work abroad — I never felt I was bumped down by %DP (YHU\ VLQJOH GD\ VLQFH then, sobra-sobra ang support na ibinibigay niya sa akin at yung paniniwala niya sa akin to succeed. “And given what I’ve been able to do with him as my partner, I told myself na kung dumating man yung panahon na it’s my turn to take a backseat and support him then so be it. ,W¡V D YHU\ VPDOO VDFULĂ€FH to make, especially with his ability and sincerity to serve the country.â€?

Today, as a mother of two young children, it has become more apparent to Timi that she needs to give her hundred

percent to her husband — the person whom she happens to believe can truly help build a better future for the next generation. “My role today is very clear to me and that is ipakilala si %DP $TXLQR nang buong-buo sa Pilipino. %HFDXVH naniniwala ako na hindi magiging buo ang pagkakakilala ng botante sa isang kandidato hangga’t hindi nila nakikilala ang pamilya niya. And I’m not talking about the brand name Aquino — although that’s important too — but what I’m talking about is si %DP bilang asawa at bilang tatay.

And siguro if only for that, sulit yung pag-iwan ko sa career ko for now, kasi itong relationship ni %DP ZLWK WKH voters is so much more than a professional relationship. Yung mismong pagkatao niya as a husband, as a father are all part of the package for everyone to know na magiging matino siyang public servant. And to get that message out — that truth out — maliit na bagay lang to put my career on hold.�

And at this crossroads, as Timi Gomez-Aquino fully embraces a role she realizes to be more urgent for the greater good, allow the good wife RI 6HQ %DP $TXLQR ³ D FULWLFDO thinker, an independent woman, a concerned citizen and a loving mother — join The Sunday Times Magazine in giving her the opportuQLW\ WR IXOÀOO KHU QREOH LQWHQWLRQ ZLWK the following Q&A. When you were still dating in those seven years, Sen. Bam wasn’t in politics yet. The fact that he is an Aquino, did he ever tell you then he had plans of pursuing politics?

Not at all, actually. Si %DP kasi

Cover Story The Sunday Times

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

F5

ever since high school and college, talagang marami na siyang extracurricular activities with charity ZRUN (YHQ LI KH ÀQLVKHG VFKRRO ZLWK the highest Latin honors [from the Ateneo de Manila University], yung trabaho niya nasa NGO, nasa gobyerno, nasa mahirap na communities.

So I always knew he was already in public service and would always remain in public service, pero yung tatakbo ka talaga, let alone for a national position, was different.

It was actually only in January in 2012 na seryoso siyang kinausap ni Tito Tony Meloto, who is the founder of Gawad Kalinga. At that time, he and Tito Tony partnered for many years already sa pagtulong sa mahirap na communities, helping them with livelihood. Ang sabi ni Tito Tony sa kanya is marami na tayong natulungang mga nanay at tatay, pero someone needs to do it at a national level. Kailangan talaga ma-institutionalize because hindi enough yung NGO work.

Si Tito Tony yung naglagay sa isip niya to actually run for national congress. Like I said that was only in January 2012 and we were married only nine months later. It was a completely new idea at that time.

(DUOLHU \RX DVNHG PH LI , KDG DQ\ inkling what a life in politics would be like and what I said was true.

Kung akong-ako lang, hindi ko talaga siya naisip at that time. Siguro patay na patay lang talaga ako kay %DP noon. [Laughs] You and Sen. Bam both seem so calm and level headed. Six years married now, do you disagree on anything?

Siguro yung lagi naming pinaguusapan is yung tamang pag-papalaki sa mga anak. We have two daughters—a four-year-old named Rory who was born on Christmas Day, and Coco who’s one and born Valentine’s Day so ka-birthday and ninang po niya si Ate Kris [Aquino, her husband’s first cousin].

Yun yung No. 1 topic namin na dine-debate talaga, which is how strict and how lenient to be with the kids. Dapat ba mag-aral sa malaking school na medyo jungle, o dapat ba mag-aral sa maliit na paaralan para ma-shelter? Yung mga ganun usually ang pinapagusapan namin and all for the good of the girls.

Besides wanting to return the support your husband has always given your career and more importantly your conviction that he is a worthy candidate to bring back to the Senate, what was the actual turning point when you decided to leave the corporate world?

We broke the news [I resigned] late last year in an interview with 7LWR %R\ $EXQGD , UHODWHG WKHQ KRZHYHU VLQFH %DP DQG , ZHUH dating, I was already working. I started as a management trainee with Unilever in the Philippines and around Asia.

Si %DP ZDV YHU\ VXSSRUWLYH of me building my career and as I mentioned, umabot na kami sa long-distance relationship na nauwi sa kasal. %XW LQ ERWK RI KLV FDPSDLJQV actually, I was available to him 100 percent. The first time, I left my work with Unilever and now with this campaign, I left my work as well. I was vice president for marketing of Chowking and I think the turning point is nung nakita ko yung

Sen. Bam Aquino has passed many laws in his first term at the Senate all with the Filipino family in mind; here with wife Timi and their two daughters Rory, 4, and Coco, 1.

Timi is an accomplished woman – climbing the top of the corporate ladder in three of the biggest companies in the country – and yet she thrives most in being wife to Aquino and mom to her two girls. scenario na mahirap talaga itong laban na ‘to and it was important for us to be solid as a team.

What makes this campaign particularly difficult for you and your husband? %DP DQG , ILUVW EHFDPH SDUHQWV in 2014 — I think one and a half years pa lang si %DP na senador at that time. Dun pa lang po nagsisimula yung mga himala sa Facebook na fake news. So feeling ko kung mahirap po maging magulang, WR \HDUV DJR IHHOLQJ NR times mas mahirap maging magulang today, and baka 10,000 times pa po mas mahirap pag senador ang asawa n’yo at tumatakbo.

Yung fake news parang every minute may bagong lumalabas.

Pero nung bago pa lang yung fake news at laganap talaga siya sa Facebook, ang sakit-sakit talaga niya kasi parang ang laki na nga ng sinacrifice ng pamilya namin and yet yun yung kapalit.

Pero siguro after a few months and years, na-realize ko na part na talaga siya ng laro sa pulitika sa 2019 at kailangan mo lang siyang tanggapin as a reality and work to correct it.

Ang bashing kasi, para sa akin, kaya nga tayo democracy—welcome na welcome yung pag-bash kasi yun yung pinaniniwalaan ng isang tao. %XW yung hindi welcome is fake news—yun yung unfair.

Marami na pong fake news na umiikot QRW MXVW DERXW %DP RU DQ\ candidate in particular because every candidate has their fair share of fake news today. Sa totoo

Her husband’s first cousin, multi-media celebrity Kris Aquino, introduced Timi as her favorite cousin-in-law at a media conference and expressed her support for Bam’s reelection.

PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE lang, sayang yung effort ng bawat candidate to try and correct fake news but I don’t think it’s unique to %DP³XQIRUWXQDWHO\ HYHU\ FDQGLdate has to deal with it.

Even if a number of her endorsement contracts stipulate she cannot endorse any candidate, Sen. Bam’s cousin, multi-media personality Kris Aquino, had her lawyers find a way for her to skirt those clauses so she can express her support for you and your husband. Practically an expert in campaigns, and a very effective one, for both her mom and brother [former Presidents Cory and Nonoy Aquino] what has she taught you in fulfilling your new role?

Si Ate Kris malakas talaga magparamdam sa akin sa WhatsApp o kaya sa Viber. Sa tanong n’yo po,

tatlo po yung masasagot ko.

Yung una sa lahat, si Ate Kris kahit hindi niya sinasabi, dun pa lang sa example niya nakikita ko na lahat nakukuha talaga sa sipag. Kasi grabe magtrabaho si Ate Kris. Kaming magasawa, kahit ano man yung pagod sa sortie, kahit ano man yung pagod sa pag-strategize sa kampanya, parang with Ate Kris as our example, yung feeling mo bawal matulog. Si Ate Kris parang di natutulog eh, parang 24/7 umiikot talaga utak niya, nag-iisip talaga. For me, yun talaga yung No. 1 na napulot ko talaga sa kanya.

Yung pangalawa siguro is talagang sinasabi niya dapat positive lagi yung k’wento kasi hindi naman maganda yung bangayan, siraan. At sa hirap na ng buhay ng mga Pilipino mas gusto siguro nila makarinig

ng magagandang kwento, ng kung ano ba talaga yung magandang nagawa ng report card ni %DP Yun yung advice ni Ate Kris palagi— stick to a positive story. Ikwento kung ano yung mga benepisyo ng mga batas ni %DP And third is yung actual support niya. Si Ate Kris definitely nandito siya bilang isang ate namin, bilang ninang ng anak namin na si Coco.

Pero feeling ko hindi kasi siya yung tipo ng tao na just because related kayo, susuportahan ka niya. With her, na-feel ko talaga na talagang alam niya kung ano yung ginawa ni %DP sa Senado.

Kilala rin niya ako bilang isang professional kasi nagkatrabaho kami.

Na-shock pa ako the other day and sobra akong kinilig na sinabi niya sa Instagram na ako daw yung favorite cousin-in-law niya. Ito na, di ba.

[Laughs]. Parang hindi lang ako asawa ni 6HQ %DP IDYRULWH FRXVLQ in-law ako ni Kris Aquino! And as a marketing professional, I know yung power talaga ng isang Kris Aquino is wala siyang kinakatakutan at hindi siya yung sunod-sunuran lang. Lahat ng ine-endorse niya whether brand yan or tao or family member, sincere talaga. So hindi po siya yung nagsasalita ng wala lang, that’s why I’m so grateful to Ate Kris kasi parang meron talaga siyang tiwala sa akin and more importantly kay %DP So siguro kahit papano, nakuha na namin yung loob niya kaya all-out yung support niya sa amin.

So far, do you see the hard work you’ve put into the campaign with the rest of Sen. Bam’s team making headway?

I think matindi po talaga yung election na ito EXW %DP LV DFWXDOO\ in the Magic 12 now from the SWS Survey that was done in March.

We’re very thankful kasi across parties, nandun talaga yung support IRU %DP :KHWKHU LW¡V WKH GLIIHUHQW senators that have endorsed him, the different party lists, I think we’re at a point na yung support talaga natin kinikilala kung ano yung magandang ginawa ng mga candidates. And thankfully yung track record ni %DP KDV EHHQ VR JRRG that it’s seeing him through despite how difficult this election is.

I’m proud to talk about what he’s done tuwing haharap sa mga botante.

In a way, ang mahirap nung [her husband’s maiden run for the Senate] kasi puro pangako pa lang ang maibibigay mo. Thank God po ngayon, pag nangangampanya po ako, madaling balikan yung mga batas na naipasa niya. Siguro by now, memorize na po natin lahat yung libreng kolehiyo, yung Go Negosyo app, yung Philippine Competition app. Lahat po yan klarong ipinapakita yung prinsipyo ni %DP na matulungan ang kapos sa buhay nang lubos-lubos sa batas.

Fun Times The Sunday Times

F6

Âťhoroscope

THE SUNDAY CROSSWORD

Of Turkeys and Politicians

By Merl Reagle April 28, 2019

...Is it November already?

This puzzle is part of Merl's best-of series 1 4 9 13 17 20 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 32 34 35 38 40 42 43 46 47 48 49 50 52 54 55 57 59 61 62 64 66 67 68 70 71 72 75 77 78 79 81 82 83 84

ACROSS “Lazy River� preceder “Wicked Game� singer Chris What the word “cycloptic� has?

Doing potato duty, to a G.I. November election strategy?

Born Yesterday author Garson Shares power with political cronies?

Heisted Anatomical loops Pilgrim stops Cup edge Overwhelms Graying reason Browning work?

Peace accord Plunder Psychopath, to his mother Golfer Aoki Pocket bread Opp. of SSW November polling-place list?

Surprised shouts Hellene’s H See 80 Down Evian, e.g.

Epic director David Check alternative Overhead compartment in a jetliner Paper VIPs Blarney, for one Male models?

Holy holders With 75 Across, to flatter folks in November?

Vowel rhyme Have a meeting with Two-fingered eye poker of comedy Keats was one Slugger Mel Current carrier in a gas Wisely See 62 Across Wood quantity African bloodsucker Crude craft Sierra Madre treasure Curry of TV news Russian news agcy., once Andean tableland

85 CIA precursor 87 The following 89 “Washboard� muscles, on TV 90 A cable network 92 Transit system preferred by November electees?

95 Agnus ___ 96 Golden or Walden 98 Not new 99 Bears witness 103 Either Holbein 105 Neigh sayers 107 Earlier 108 Nobel decliner Le Duc 109 Illinois, par exemple 110 Spoken 111 Confident comment 114 Video game name 116 Lose greenness 118 Honest candidate’s chances?

122 WWII plane, the ___ Gay 123 Wholesome candidate’s appeal?

124 Aussie hello 125 Over again 126 Raft in Some Like It Hot 127 Demise 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 21 22 27 30

DOWN Lip-stretching native 3.26 light-years Edison’s A Certain moths Actor Erwin Go for ___ (drive) FYI relative Ex-baseball boss Bowie Frequently Daughter of Tantalus Envelop Starter switch Approves Of birth Have November political savvy?

Distract folks with homespun humor?

Gettysburg loser Of a gala Pekoe drink brand Man of Misery Tall tale How a November electee vows to cut spending?

Gift givers! For info on Merl’s books, visit www.sundaycrosswords.com.

1

2

3

17

4

5

6

7

8

18

9

10

11

12

13

19

14

15

16

20

22

21

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

23

24

25

29

30

35

36

31

32

37

38

43

54

55

66

50 57

78

89

90

95

96 104

91

92 97

105

109 117

81

82

86

87

93

88

94 99

106

100 101 102

107 114 115

119

120 121

123 124

31 Assent asea 33 Rich kid in Nancy comics 36 George Eliot, really 37 Derek and Diddley 38 A Gershwin 39 Blotto 41 Rise 44 Relaxation 45 Legislator’s turf 48 Indistinguishable, as November candidates?

51 Adlai’s inits.

53 Ex-coach Parseghian 54 Politician’s November theatrics?

56 Song for Simon & Garfunkel 58 Old-hat 59 Controversial November issue?

60 Pop in the mail 61 Secy., perhaps

125

63 65 67 69 73 74 76 77 80 84 86 88 89 91 93 94 97 100 101 102 104

Monkeying (with) Like lemons Botch ___ Tuesday (Mardi Gras) “___ your move�

Rawls or Reed Loesser’s The ___ Happy Fella Queeg’s ship Cowboy with a bullwhip Wide view Chaplin’s brother Blockbuster Stick N.Y.C. area Give, as homework Makeshift wipecloth Use, as one’s experience Eschew nightlife House of Wax was filmed in it Étienne’s evening Inscribed pillar

126

106 107 112 113 114 115

127

Snail trail Ma ___ Kettle Skunks Take ___ (snooze) “... of Orient ___�

Package sealer

117 Opposing word 119 Opposing word: slang 120 Liable 121 Polite request word: abbr.

Solution: œ, *OXWHXV¡ (Apr 21) E R A M GUM R E GR EGA R N E D B I L I O A R T OB R A I N J I D E A S D Y S P E P OWE P H I L P B A C I L L S L Y A U AMM G L I B T OA D T A B C V I L OOS E N CON T I G M I L L E COS

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Pleasant surprises could deviate your itinerary. An exploration reveals unimagined beauty. Get out and look around. Learn new tricks. Make a long-distance connection.

OR A L BO Z O I OU S T R E U S O S A N E T S E A RMS S I A A ND O L Y A U S R T F L ON I A F E D I MOR T O A L I UOU S NN I A KOS

AMP P UMB I L I D I A P H A A D S A N L E A L SO OR E X I A T ROK A AMN E S I A L A YON P A POP U NDROU S E Y E S UR A E SOP H S V E N M N T E S T S OU S WE E NN POMP O T T A S MA L ODO A P E DOM N E RD S

A C N E

D U S OU DG E A I NR D A Y A WA L A C A X E N AGU I L L SON B A OU S A L ROU UG SO

S E R E Y E S S I G N S H Y

big ground. Share responsibilities, tasks and benefits.

Adapt to surprising circumstances. Discover a silver lining.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Your workload could seem intense. Pace yourself. Postpone what you can. Set realistic goals and ask for support when needed. A technical upgrade could save time.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Relax, and enjoy excellent company. Have fun without taking crazy risks. A gift falls into your lap. Smile, accept it and say, “thank you.�

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is a 6 -Enjoy household projects. You may need to tear something down to make it better. Combine two old ideas into a new one. Find practical solutions.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is an 8 -Discover an exciting idea by accident. Surprises may not reveal their gifts immediately. Consider the news, and find opportunities in change. Get creative.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Don’t complain when a gift falls in your lap. A windfall is worth harvesting. Replace something that doesn’t work. Find hidden value in plain sight.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is a 9 -Consider your personal aspirations and ambitions. Ask for what you want. Let people know your game. A window of opportunity is opening. Step up.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Save up for something special. Review the budget to find solutions.

Manage accounts for a shared venture. Sign papers, send invoices and pay bills.

(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)

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Consult with a respected partner. Creative collaboration can take

NANCY BLACK. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

108

111 112 113 118

122

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 9 -- Assume more responsibility today and tomorrow. Your work has your attention. A professional challenge calls you to invest in success. Contribute time, money and talents.

71 77

98

110

116

60

65

76

85

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Check public opinion over the next few days. Brief your team on a brilliant idea. Friends are especially helpful. Someone else gives you the key.

53

70

80

84

42

59

75

79 83

52

69

74

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is a 6 -- Review priorities, and adapt to recent changes. Make plans and strategies. Cash in on something you’ve kept in reserve.

Savor secret delights. Take it easy.

47

51

64

68

73

41 46

58

63

67

103

40 45

56

62

28 34

39

49

61

27

33

44

48

72

26

Today’s Birthday (04/28/19). Together, your fortunes rise this year. Pursue a new fascination. Careful planning and coordination prepares your next exploration.

Connect and share for powerful results this summer, before an obstacle reorients your travel plans. An educational investigation flowers next winter, inspiring a change in message. Discover amazing wonders.

SUNDAY April 28, 2019

SUDOKU

By ROGER SEVILLA Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.

Arts Awake SUNDAY April 28, 2019

The Sunday Times

F7

The UST Symphony Orchestra performs at Plaza Mayor in Balanga City, Bataan.

UST Symphony Orchestra brings music to Bataan T HE University of Santo Tomas Symphony Orchestra (USTSO), one of the resident companies of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for music, performed before an enthusiastic crowd at the Plaza Mayor in Balanga City, Bataan recently as part of the two-week long celebration of Bataan Day.

Billed as “Ika-77 Taong Paggunita sa Araw ng Kagitingan,� the event was organized by the Bataan Peninsula Tourism Council Foundation, Inc. (BPTCFI) to commemorate the valor of Filipino veterans in 1942.

USTSO played a two-part repertoire IHDWXULQJ FODVVLFDO PXVLF IRU WKH ÀUVW part under the baton of Renato Lucas.

Light classics and popular tunes for the last section was led by Herminigildo Ranera, who is the principal conductor and artistic director of the USTSO. Lucas and Reynato Resurreccion are associate conductors of the orchestra.

The orchestra was founded by Manuel Casas, a medical doctor, in 1927.

In 1961, the USTSO was reorganized

by National Artist for Music Antonio Buenaventura, known for his extensive research on folk songs and dances in collaboration with National Artist for Dance Francisca Reyes-Aquino.

USTSO’s Bataan concert was part of WKH à DJVKLS SURJUDP RI &&3 SUHVLGHQW Arsenio Lizaso.

Âťnccaupdates National Heritage Month celebrations

CCP’s Lizaso gets nod for TOMP Awards CCP president Arsenio Lizaso (right) with fellow 2019 TOMP awardees Aileen Campos (left) and Omar Fajardo (center).

CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP) president Arsenio Lizaso was named one of Ten Outstanding Movers of the Philippines (TOMP) for arts and culture in a recent ceremony at the Kalayaan Hall of MalacaĂąang Palace.

Another TOMP awardee under the same category was musician Joey Ayala.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu led the ceremony on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Lizaso often described as “a man of action� counts almost six decades of experience in theater, television, and film as an actor, director, and producer. Parallel to his artistic experience, he has another six decades of cultural work, art education, and a personal advocacy to bring art closer to the everyday man.

This is the second award that Lizaso received for the year. On February 15, during the outreach concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) at the University of the East (UE), the university conferred him with an Arts and Culture award as an outstanding UE alumnus.

TOMP’s other categories include leadership and public service, busi-

ness and entrepreneurship, education, broadcast commun ication, leadership and education, and science and technology.

The Students’ Actions Vital to the Environment and Mother Earth (Save Me) Movement bestows the TOMP annually since 2012 in response to the need for a new breed of heroes and role models who have done exemplary work in their respective fields to inspire the youth.

Through the TOMP Awards, the Save Me Movement endeavors the recipients “to continue moving in every given opportunity, to unceasingly walk the seemingly uncharted way of making a difference, to continue to burn to shed light and be a beacon of inspiration and hope that together we can snatch back the beauty and splendor of the earth to serve our life to the fullest in all of its vicissitudes.�

The Save Me Movement, an environmental organization founded in 1996, has the vision of “a global culture based on truth, goodness and beauty, where the sciences, religion and the arts are one in reinforcing man to sustainable live in a healthy environment with a balanced ecosystem.�

THE National Commission for Culture and the Arts — led by its chairman National Artist Virgilio Almario through its Subcommission for Cultural Heritage headed by Teddy Co — is set to kick off the celebration of National Heritage Month for the whole month of May. Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 439 signed in 2013, the National Heritage Month celebration recognizes the need to create an appreciation, respect, and love for the legacies of Filipino cultural history.

Carrying the theme “Mga Pinuno Para Sa Pamana,� this year’s celebration aims to send a message to citizens to be the frontrunners in preserving and promoting Filipino culture and heritage as national identity.

The month-long celebration opens on

May 2 at the St. Matthias Parish Church in Tumauini, Isabela – declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) as a National Historical Landmark and by National Museum of the Philippines (NM) as National Cultural Property. It is also one of the four Baroque Churches in the Philippines included in the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

A competition through social media called #TanglawNgPamana that intends to showcase talents in promoting cultural heritage through audio-visual presentations aims to reach wider audience particularly the millennials.

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will also launch this year’s commemorative stamp featuring Women as Keepers of Heritage.

Citizens should be active frontrunners in preserving and promoting Filipino culture and heritage as national identity.

National government agencies, cultural organizations, schools, public libraries, Philippine embassies and consulates, and private organizations will hold heritagerelated activities as well, such as lectures, demonstrations, conferences and exhibits, which aim to educate and raise awareness among the youth on tangible and intangible heritage.

Pampanga leads Luzon launch of 1st Food Month IN partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), the provinc i a l g ove r n me nt of Pa mpa n g a spea rheaded the “Ma nyama n a Batal: Filipino Food Month� Luzon launch on April 5 at the Orchid Gardens, City of San Fernando.

The culinary festival was part of a series of events for the Food Month with the theme “Ang Sarap: Piyesta ng Pagkaing Pilipino,â€? under the auspices of NCCA as the country’s leading government agency for arts and culture, led by Chairman Virgilio Almario and executive director Rico Pableo Jr., and the country’s prime government agency responsible for the promotion of agricultural development, the DA, led by its secretary Emmanuel PiĂąol.

Pampanga is known to be the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, and the fete was initiated through a kalesa parade around the heritage district of the provincial capital, and a tour in the market that was built in 1906 with the famous local products.

Manyaman a Batal, literally means

Kalesa parade around the heritage district of San Fernando.

Respected chefs Wyatt Belmonte and Manuela Cherry Pasion-Tan conduct cooking demonstration of their specialties.

delicious neck is a Kapampangan LGLRP ZKLFK VLJQLÀHV WKH SHRSOH RI Pampanga’s refined and exquisite

taste in food. The expression tickles the imagination as a better understanding of food experience that begins with taste buds, but it is the VZDOORZLQJ WKDW EULQJV WKH IXOĂ€OOPHQW of the savor.

The ceremony formally opened with a dance number from Aetas of Pampa n ga, fol lowed by welcome remarks from Mayor Edwin Santiago and Teddy Co, NCCA’s Commissioner for Subcommission on the Arts. Department of Tourism Reg ion 3 d i rector Ca rol i na Uy and DA Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan also shared inspirational messages about the significance of Filipino food.

Plaques were awarded as wel l to the outstanding farmers in the province. Respected chefs Wyatt B el mont e a nd Ma nuel a C her r y Pasion-Tan also conducted cooking demonstration of their specialties with lectures from Don Edward Quito and Francis Musni.

The Filipino Food Month is in accordance to Presidential Proclamation 469 signed in 2018, declaring April as the Filipino Food Month.

Arts Awake The Sunday Times

F8

April 28, 2019 SUNDAY

A’ M A S S I V E ’ C A L L T O A C T I O N

T

CCP’s art installation serves as visual reminder on Earth Day

HE Cultural Center of the Philippines brings back its massive Earth Day outdoor installation to spark talks anew on what can be done regarding plastic pollution.

Dubbed “ The Cr y of the Dead Whale,� the installation was unveiled at the CCP Front Lawn and will be a visual reminder until May 26.

For the reworking of the Dead Whale, a new element was added — a dead baby whale inside the belly of its mother. A representation of the millennials, the generation that will inherit the future of oceans, it is both a statement and a question directed at the target audience.

It aims to jumpstart discussions on whether generations to come would still get to enjoy or experience the wonders of the ocean.

6SHFLĂ€FDOO\ LW ZDQWV SHRSOH WR DVN questions such as, “Will our marine ani-

ma ls, particularly our whale, go extinct soon?� or “Will our grandsons and granddaughters ever get to know living sea creatures?� or “What can I do?� or “Am I ready to give up plastic?� or “Where can I start?�

It can be remembered that a supposed ‘dead whale’ was seen on the shores of Naic, Cavite on May 11, 2017, which was in fact an art installation. What looked like a dead whale from afar was really made of plastic waste up close.

The Philippines ranks third in the

Kanade Yagi

exhibits traditional healing techniques

What looks like a dead whale from afar is actually an art installation made of plastic waste up close.

list of countries with the most plastic wastes going into the oceans. To address the issue, and with a very limited budget, the strategy taken was a disruptive, monumental execution that effectively spread the message on the worsening case of plastic pollution. The sculpture was unveiled on the shores of one of the most polluted water bodies in

the country — the Manila Bay. T he or i g i n a l De ad W ha le i nstallation in Cavite, a collaboration between a non-governmental envi ronmental organ ization and Dentsu Jayme Syfu led by Creative Director Biboy Royong, was displayed for only three days and was dismantled immediately to prevent

the plastic waste used from going into the ocean.

Hence, mounting the Dead Whale for a longer period of time will give more people a chance to experience what it might feel like to encounter, or be confronted by a decomposing whale victimized by the increasing presence of plastic in the oceans.

KANADE YAGI — a visual artist based in Manila and Saitama, Japan — is proud to hold her exhibition “The Probability - neither yes nor no -� at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) beginning May 17.

Open i n g at the CCP’s Bu lwagang Fernando Amorsolo (Small Ga l l e r y), t he ex h i bit w i l l fe at u r e t r ad i t i on a l he a l e r’s t e c hniques such as the divination and diagnostic methods called pagtata-

was and tadja .

Yagi will develop for this exhibition an installation composed of video projections and photographs, along with some of the everyday materials that healers often use.

Through these works, she hopes to discuss the ways that people engage in life with the duality of yes and no.

In line with the exhibition, Yagi will facilitate a children’s workshop on traditional healing techniques on May 23, 2 p.m. in the CCP’s MKP Hall, and a guided tour of the exhibition on June 20 at 4 p.m.

Si nce 2014 , Yag i has been i n-

spired by the spirituality and rich creativity in the Philippines. She graduated from the Tokyo Zokei Un iversity and f i n ished the re search program of the CCA (Center for Contemporar y A r t) i n K itaky ushu. She did research in the Philippines for Asia Fellowship of Japan Foundation in 2016 and the Japa ne se G over n ment O ver seas Study Program for Artists in 2017.

The exhibit may be viewed until July 14. Exhibit viewing hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Hours are extended until 10 p.m. on days with evening performances at the CCP Main Theater.

Through her works, Kanade Yagi hopes to discuss the ways people engage in life with the duality of yes and no.