Manila Standard - 2017 April 09 - Sunday

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 58 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

RICE IMPORTS STIR CABINET CONFLICT

By John Paolo Bencito

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NOTHER conflict in President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet emerged on Saturday after a dismissed Malacañang executive claimed top agricultural officials are pretending there is a rice shortage to pave the way for a government-to-government importation that would be detrimental to Filipino farmers.

Dismissed undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Valdez of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary accused Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and NFA Administrator Jason

Aquino of simulating a rice shortage so they could push through with a government-to-government (G2G) importation deal.

“In their desperate attempt to

convince the President to resort to G2G, the Agriculture Secretary, who has been meddling on the functions and affairs of the OCS, and the NFA administrator have made it appear as if there is a shortage of rice in the country, causing alarm and possible upward movement in the prices of commercial rice,” Valdez said in a statement.

Valdez, who was sacked by Duterte last Wednesday for overturning Aquino’s denial of rice importation through private channels, accused Piñol of meddling in the affairs of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, who chairs the National Food Authority Council.

“The DA’s function is to ensure that there be sufficient agricultural produce from our local farmers, but he probably does not know the meaning of his position, and has been excessively busy tinkering in other offices,” she said, referring to Piñol.

“It is not for them to evaluate the rice stock of the country. It is a function given by law to the NFAC and the National Food Security Committee,” added Valdez, who was first appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III. Valdez claimed she was just implementing a decision of the NFA Council when she overturned Turn to A2

BUSINESS/ C2

AUSTRALIAN CEO PREDICTS FUTURE JOBS

GADGETS / D4

ASUS READY FOR THE BIG BOYS WITH ZENFONE3 ZOOM

SPORTS / C3

SAFC HOME OF RISING MIXED MARTIAL ARTS STARS QUAKE SCARE. Office workers evacuate their offices at the King’s Court complex in Makati City after the first two of three earthquakes struck off Batangas after 3 p.m. Saturday. AFP

JOMA WELL BUT ACHING TO BE NATIONAL ARTIST

By John Paolo Bencito COMMUNIST Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison said on Saturday there is no need for him to return to the country before the successful conclusion of the ongoing peace talks unless he is conferred the state honor of

National Artist for Literature.

The 78-year-old Sison, according to the National Democratic Front, is already on his way to full recovery after he was hospitalized in January, making him miss the third round of peace talks in Rome.

“Sison, in fact, already at the stage of gaining strength after

three weeks of thoroughgoing diagnostics and medical treatment and one more week of recuperation in the hospital,” the NDF said after Duterte said he was concerned by Sison’s health.

“Unlike in the third round held in Rome last January, where Sison skipped the closing ceremonies,

he was at every major event of the fourth round this April, including a reception at the residence of the Norwegian ambassador to The Netherlands,” it added.

Sison himself said he would only consider returning to the Philippines “when there is a highly significant Turn to A2

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS

By Honor Blanco Cabie

HOSANNA. Vendors prepare palm fronds for sale ahead of Palm Sunday when Filipino Catholics recreate the rousing welcome that Jesus Christ received when he arrived in Jerusalem a few days before he was crucified more than 2,000 years ago. Lino Santos

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ON APRIL 14, 2017, Christians throughout predominantly Christian Philippines will once more mark that time when the Christ Jesus died on the Cross to redeem humanity, to save mankind from the original sin and promise life with the Lord beyond this earthly life.

It will be a solemn celebration for Christians—from up in Batanes to those in Mindanao.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Bible have recorded that Jesus Christ was made fun of, was not believed and tortured in the

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praetorium; carried His cross up the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to Calvary, nailed to the Cross, hung between two common criminals, and suffered an indescribable wrenching end.

Some scholars and theologians suggest meditation on the Passion of Christ by reflecting on his Seven Words on the Cross or by a devotion known as the Way of the Cross.

When religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land ended with military occupation of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages, a popular devotion known as the Way of the Cross arose during Lent retracing the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus.

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3 QUAKES SHAKE UP SATURDAY IN LUZON AT LEASt 10 earthquakes shook Batangas province, including two strong quakes that struck only two minutes apart on Saturday afternoon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The United States Geological Survey also detected the two strong quakes but differed on the location of the epicenter and the depth of the tectonic quakes.

According to Phivolcs’ Seismological Observation and Earthquake Prediction Division, the two strong quakes were preceded by eight weaker ones that are deemed aftershocks of the magnitude-5.5 quake that struck Tingloy, Batangas last April 4.

The first of the two latest tectonic quakes struck around 3:07 p.m. with a magnitude of 5.6 and originating at 13.75°N, 120.93°E, one kilometer Turn to A2 west of Mabini town.

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THE...

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The 14 stations of the Cross are (1) Pilate condemns Jesus to death; (2) Jesus takes up his Cross; (3) He falls the first time; (4) Jesus meets his sorrowful mother Mary; (5) Simon helps carry the cross; (6) Veronica cleans his face; (7) He falls the second time; (8) Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem; (9) He falls the third time; (10) Jesus is stripped of his garments; (11) Jesus is nailed to the cross; (12) Jesus Christ dies on the cross; (13) He is taken down from the cross; (14) Christ is laid in the tomb.

The Lord’s Seven Words, His last seven expressions on the Cross as recorded in the Scripture: THE FIRST WORD. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Gospel of Luke 23:34 According to scholars, Jesus said this first word only in the Gospel of Luke, just after he was crucified by the soldiers on Golgotha, with the criminals—one to His right and the other to His left.

The timing of this suggests that Jesus asked his Father to primarily forgive the soldiers who have whipped and scourged him, mocked him, tortured him, and who have just nailed Him to the Cross.

THE SECOND WORD. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Gospel of Luke 23:43 Now it is not just the religious leaders or the soldiers that mock Jesus, but even one of the criminals.

But the criminal on the right speaks up for Jesus, explaining the two criminals are receiving their just due, and then pointing to Jesus, says, “this man has done nothing wrong.”

THE THIRD WORD. “Jesus said to his mother: ‘Woman, this is your son.’

Then he said to the disciple: ‘This is your mother.’ Gospel of John 19:26-27 Jesus and Mary are together again.

First, at the beginning of His ministry in Cana and, second, at the end of His public ministry at the foot of the Cross.

What sorrow must fill Mary’s heart, to see her Son mocked, tortured, and now crucified. Once again, a sword pierces Mary’s soul, the sword predicted by Simon at the Temple (Luke 2:35) .

THE FOURTH WORD. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 This is the only expression of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Both Gospels relate that it was in the ninth hour, after three hours of darkness, that Jesus cried out this fourth word.

The ninth hour was three o’clock in Palestine. Just after He speaks, Mark relates with a horrible sense of finality, “And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last” (Mark 15:37).

Scholars say there cannot be a more dreadful moment in the history of man than this moment. Jesus who came to save mankind is crucified, and He realizes the horror of what is happening and what He now is enduring.

THE FIFTH WORD. “I thirst.” Gospel of John 19:28 The fifth word is His only human expression of physical suffering, with Jesus now in shock.

The wounds inflicted upon Him in the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and the nailing upon the Cross are now taking their toll, especially after losing blood on the three-hour walk through the city of Jerusalem to Golgotha on the Way of the Cross.

Studies on the Shroud of Turin, reported by Gerald O’Collins in Interpreting Jesus, indicate the passion of Jesus was far worse than man could imagine.

THE SIXTH WORD. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished;” and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.

Gospel of John 19:30 The sixth is Jesus’ recognition that His suffering is over and his task is completed.

It was the darkest day of mankind.

But, prophetically, it also became the brightest day for humanity.

THE SEVENTH WORD. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Gospel of Luke 23:46 The seventh is from the Gospel of Luke, and is directed to the Father in heaven, just before He dies.

Jesus recalls Psalm 31:5 - “Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” Luke repeatedly pleads Jesus’ innocence: with Pilate (Luke 23:4, 1415, 22), through Dismas, the criminal (Luke 23:41), and immediately after His death with the centurion” Jesus fulfills His mission, and as He says so clearly in John’s Gospel, He can now return: “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (John 16:28).

Jesus practiced what He preached: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

NO NEED TO WORRY, PALACE TELLS CHINA M

By John Paolo Bencito and Sara Susanne Fabunan

ALACAÑANG has assured Beijing of Manila’s commitment to enhance bilateral ties after the latter raised concern over President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for the military to “occupy” islands in the South China Sea. “The President’s position on the matter is clear and has nothing to do with politics. His instructions cover only existing Philippine facilities and Philippine territory,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Saturday.

Abella highlighted the importance of protecting national security even as the Philippines assured China of Manila’s commitment.

“The Philippines assures all claimant countries that we remain committed to improving and enhancing our relations with our neighbors and partners in the region,” he said.

“At the same time, it is important the living conditions, safety and personal security of Filipinos in Philippine territory be assured,” he added.

China earlier expressed concern over Duterte’s remarks ordering Filipino troops to occupy uninhabited islands and shoals in the West Philippine Sea, asking the Philippines to continue to maintain “sound and steady growth of China-Philippines.

In a daily press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry

spokesperson Hua Chunying said China would remain committed to defending its “territorial sovereignty and maritime interests” in the disputed sea.

“Having noted the report, the Chinese side is concerned about it,” Hua told a news conference where the transcript was posted in its official website.

China has been claiming 90 percent or almost the whole part of the South China Sea, citing its excessive nine-dash line of its so-called “Chinese Ancient map.”

Hua’s concern followed Duterte’s order on Thursday to the military to “put structures and the Philippine flag” on its islands and reefs, and to repair the runway on Pag-asa or Thitu Island, the second largest of the Spratly island chain with an area of about 91 acres.

“What’s ours now, at least let’s get them and make a strong point there that it is ours,” he said, shortly after receiving a security briefing at Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

Duterte also told the military to make its presence felt there to en-

sure the safety of Filipino fishermen and residents of Pag-asa Island.

The country has occupied or built structures, and raised the flag over the islands of Pag-asa, Lawak, Patag, Likas, Parola, Panata, and Kota.

The military has also occupied, controlled, and raised the flag over Rizal Reef and Ayungin Shoal. Some of these were permanently occupied as early as 1970 (Lawak Island); the latest (Ayungin Shoal) in 1995.

Hua then called on the Philippines to continue to properly manage the dispute with China.

“China remains committed to defending its territorial sovereignty and maritime fights and interests in the South China Sea, and safeguarding peace and stability there,” Hua said.

“We hope the Philippine side will continue to properly manage maritime disputes with China and work with us to maintain the sound and steady growth of China-Philippines relations,” she added.

She claimed the situation in the disputed sea “is getting better.”

“This has not come easily and deserves to be cherished and preserved by all parties,” she said.

In a statement, the DFA spokesman Charles Jose, on the other hand, maintained that President Duterte was only performing his mandate to protect the country’s territory.

Jose explained that Duterte’s goal was to improve the life of fishermen and the safety of the people in Palawan near Kalayaan Island.

“The President is performing his

mandate with respect to Philippine territory,” Jose said.

“The aim is to improve the living conditions, safety and personal security of Filipinos in those areas,” he added.

He also gave assurances that while securing the country’s territory, the Philippines would remain committed to improving its relations with China.

“At the same time, we remain committed to improving our relations with China and other partners in the region,” Jose said.

Shortly after Duterte’s pronouncements, a Washington-based think tank reported that a Chinese fighter plane was spotted in the area.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which is part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the J-11 fighter was visible in a satellite image taken on March 29 of Woody Island in the Paracel island chain.

“This isn’t a first, but it’s the first time in a year,” AMTI director Greg Poling said of the jet sighting.

Referring to the single fighter plane visible in the image, he said: “There are likely more in the hangars nearby.”

Poling said it was unclear how long the plane had been there, but added that similar deployments on artificial islands China has built farther south in the South China Sea’s Spratly archipelago could be expected now that military facilities had been completed there.

THE LONG WAY HOME. Filipinos once again gathered at transportation terminals all over the country to return to their hometowns for the Holy Week that begins today. Manny Palmero

RICE...

JOMA...

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Aquino’s decision not to allow the private importation of rice under the minimum access volume (MAV) scheme.

“Private-led importation, such as MAV, does not only spare the government from spending and incurring additional liabilities, but would even benefit therefrom since taxes and duties have already been deposited to the government coffers,” she said.

The Manila Standard tried but failed to reach Piñol and verify whether there are ongoing talks on immediate G2G rice importation he earlier said in a Facebook post that private importations have been rejected in favor of G2G transactions for future rice importations.

Piñol also suggested that there could be “monetary considerations” in connection with MAV importations.

“This led to the circulation in the rice industry of rumors of monetary considerations as the reason behind the conflicting positions taken by Aquino and Valdez,” Piñol wrote. “The controversy did not sit well with the President who also told me that the rumors of the ‘P50 per bag’ consideration also reached him.”

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But Valdez insisted that Aquino was pushing for the G2G importation of one million metric tons of rice.

“He who claims to be the ‘protector’ of our local farmers, has been insisting on a G2G undertaking to boost the NFA’s buffer-stock, instead of procuring palay from our local farmers, despite the fact that harvest season has already begun,” she said.

“Why don’t you buy that palay from our farmers since the NFA has P4 billion for that?” she asked Aquino.

“The NFAC thinks that it is not yet the right time for a G2G. The issue on importation is all about timing,” she added.

In the same statement, Valdez also accused Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go of blocking their communications and appointments with Duterte.

“All the decisions, resolutions, actions and memoranda of the NFAC and that of the OCS have been duly forwarded to the President. Yet, as a matter of protocol, all these documents and communications have to be coursed through the Office of the Special Assistant to the President [OSAP].”

development in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations, such as the amnesty and release of all political prisoners listed by the NDFP and the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms by the government and NDF negotiating panels in Oslo.”

But Sison said he was not ruling out a homecoming which “could be the result of his nomination as National Artist for Literature [Poetry and Essay].”

Sison said he welcomes the honor of being nominated and considered as National Artist, the highest state honor conferred on individuals for their artistic accomplishments.

Although Sison said he could not presume that he would win the award, some creative writers, performing artists and mass leaders are planning to nominate him for the award for being an “outstanding poet and essayist, with more than 25 books to his credit.”

The award is given only every three years and are due within 2017. National Artists are proclaimed by the President, after they are chosen from a short list of nominees provided by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Cultural Commission on the Arts.

3FromQUAKES...

A1 The stronger second quake struck at 3:09 p.m. and was measured at Magnitude 6.0 with an epicenter at 13.81°N, 120.84°E, also one kilometer west of Mabini town.

A third earthquake, measuring Magnitude 4.7, struck at 4:36 p.m. at 13.84°N, 120.49°E, 15 km northwest of Calatagan town.

The first two earthquakes was felt at Intensity VII in Mabini, Intensity VI in the towns of Calatagan, Nasugbu and Tingloy, Intensity V in Batangas City, Sto. Tomas and Lemery in Batangas and Tagaytay City and Intensity IV in Dasmarinas, Cavite and Lucena City in Quezon.

They were also felt at Intensity IV in Pateros City; Intensity III in Makati City, Pasay City, Quezon City, Muntinlupa City, Malabon City, Mandaluyong City and Bacoor, Cavite.

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OLDEST WORLD WAR II VETERAN NOW 107

STRENGTH IN UNION. Employees of Manila Standard, Globe and other volunteers conduct a coastal cleanup activity Saturday at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat Ecotourism Area Freedom Island, also known as the Manila-Cavite Expressway Coastal Road, which is home to many aerial and aquatic animals as well as plants. Manny Palmero

DUTERTE ALLY BLASTS NEW WATER RATE HIKE

By Maricel V. Cruz

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N ALLY of President Rodrigo Duterte in the House of Representatives on Saturday hit impending water rate hike

by Manila Water and Maynilad at P.36 and P.77 per cubic meter, respectively, even as he would call for a congressional probe into the matter.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Regulatory Office should not have approved the rate hike because the two water concessionaires have yet to refund to their respective customers the more than P6 billion they have collected for unimplemented water and sewerage improvement projects, along with the dam projects.

“Manila Water and Maynilad must first refund billions of pesos [they] collected from the public for still unimplemented water projects before

[they] could talk about increase [in] water charges.

Among these projects are the P5.4-billion Angat Water Reliability, and P45.3-billion Laiban dam projects,” Zarate, of the left-leaning group, said.

“Furthermore the water cost adjustment has been approved although consumers have never been given direct access to information into the formula used as basis for the MWSS-RO to approve the hike,” Zarate said.

He said the water rate increase to be implemented by the two water concessionaires did not.go through a thorough public consultation.

“The two water concessionaires have not given the public the opportunity to challenge the increase. Public information and consultation are imperative requisites that MWSS-RO, which supposedly serves as the protector of public interest, has totally...denied to the populace,” Zarate stressed.

He also questioned “why should Maynilad and Manila Water pass on their business cost to consumers for the supposed additional capital they have infused?”

He said the consumers have no responsibility to shoulder the capital used by the companies,

such as the two water concessionaires, or help them recover their losses.

“That is a risk businesses take and it should not be passed on to consumers.”

Zarate added: “Also in other businesses, they are the ones who absorb bad business decisions and business risks like the foreign currency differential adjustment and pay their own taxes but these water concessionaires are raking in billions by fooling us.

“They even pass to consumers losses due to changes in foreign exchange rates.

“But in this case, the concessionaires borrow from foreign creditors without any qualms knowing that they are insulated from the risk ordinary borrowers take because they’re allowed to pass on their forex losses to their consumers.”

Since the privatization of water utilities in 1997, Maynilad and Manila Water had increased the water rates by 600 percent, Zarate.accused.

“They are also passing their incomes taxes; value-added tax, documentation stamps and other taxes to consumers. According to the Water for the People Network, this has been going on for nine years and now amounts to at least P15 billion,” he said.

PILOTS HIGHEST PAID IN PH WAGE SCALE

By Vito Barcelo THE top 10 highest-paying jobs in the country are in air transport; architecture and engineering; animated film and cartoon production; manufacture of refined petroleum products; mining of metal ores; insurance, reinsurance, and pension funding; and telecommunications, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said jobseekers must be equipped with the right labor market information to guide them as they choose their career path or profession that provides good salary.

“If salary is one factor that students and jobseekers are considering when choosing a career path or applying for a job, they may refer to the top 10 high-paying jobs in the country,” Bureau of Local Employment Director Dominique Rubia-Tutay said, citing the latest published results of the Occupation Wages Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Topping the list of high-paying jobs is for the position of aircraft pilot, navigator, and flight engineer, with an average monthly salary of P156,823.

Engineering geologists are next with an average monthly salary of P101,471.

An engineering geologist is concerned with the detailed technical analysis of earth material and the risk assessment of geological hazards.

In animated film and cartoon production, graphic designers earn an average monthly salary of P99,658, while art directors earn an average monthly salary of P76,612.

In fifth place are industrial machinery mechanics and fitters who earn an average monthly salary of P76,550; while in sixth place are geologists in mining who earn an average monthly salary of P71,849.

Statisticians, specifically in the fields of insurance, reinsurance, and pension

funding, earn an average monthly salary of P56,759; while crushing, grinding and chemical-mixing machinery operators earn an average monthly salary of P49,646.

In ninth place are communications service supervisors who earn an average monthly salary of P48,270. They are in charge with creating, implementing, and overseeing communication programs that effectively describe and promote an organization and its products.

Completing the list are production supervisors and general foremen who earn an average monthly salary of P47,521.

AT 107, FORMER Army Capt. Jose P. Javier is the oldest living Filipino World War II veteran who survived the infamous Bataan Death March in April 1942.

But despite his age, Javier, a medical doctor by profession, still managed to write a 143-page book titled “A Century’s Journey”—a story about his life, particularly as a soldier, who was always in the front-line attending to the wounded during the bloody second world war.

In an exclusive interview with the Philippines News Agency, the now bedridden Javier was assisted in answering questions by his wife Filomena at their residence in Quezon City on Monday as the nation started preparations for the 75th anniversary of the “Araw ng Kagitingan” today.

It was Mrs. Javier who answered PNA’s questions during the interview, although she said “there are some occasions he could utter something, like when he is hungry or thirsty.”

But during the praying of the Rosary, she said her husband was very attentive that when someone replied incorrectly, he would immediately correct someone, she said.

Mrs. Javier said her husband’s “passion for prayer, trusting God and putting the Lord first has never diminished.”

In his book, Javier disclosed he attended Mass and received Holy Communion at every opportunity even during the war. It was a Belgian priest who said the Mass held secretly in their mountain hideout in Luzon.

In his book, Javier recalled that prior to the outbreak of the war in the Philippines, World War II was already raging in Europe. It was only a matter of time that the United States would be involved in the fighting “sooner or later.”

In 1938, President Manuel L. Quezon tapped US Gen. Douglas MacArthur to organize and train a Philippine Army to prepare for any eventuality, on top of the Philippine Constabulary, whose task was mainly to secure peace and order.

“Doctors were invited to apply for military training to prepare them for possible active duty,” Javier recalled.

“After I submitted my application, I was called to report to Camp Murphy [now Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City] for six weeks of training. Together with other doctors, I had my first experience of military life,” he said in his book.

For three years, from 1938 to 1941, he was assigned to various places in the country, particularly in Mindanao.

World War II broke out only after the United States declared war against Japan after the latter stealthily bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941—Dec. 8 in the Philippines.

There were talks that war “which had embroiled Europe would involve the US and the Philippines. But nobody thought that would happen soon. And everybody believed that if war did come to the Philippines, the mighty forces of the US would quickly vanquish the enemy [Japan]. How mistaken we were!” Javier wrote in his book.

On Sept. 1, 1941, he and other Filipinos were inducted into the US Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE).

Javier was assigned as the executive officer of the 21st Medical Battalion under Lt. Col. Eliseo Bringas as the commanding officer.

The unit was under the 21st Infantry Division commanded by Gen. Mateo Capinpin.

It was on Dec. 9, 1941 that the earthshaking news that war broke out in the Pacific. PNA

ELDERLY, A FORCE TO RECKON WITH

UNDERSTANDING SENIORS. Political science professor Clarita Carlos holds a copy of her book Population Ageing during the launching Saturday at The Podium at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City. Manny Palmero

WITH the rapidly increasing ageing population in the Philippines, senior citizens have the power to elect the next president of the country.

This was disclosed during the weekend by University professor Clarita Carlos during the launching of her book titled Population Ageing in the Philippines, Issues and Challenges at the SM Podium.

She said anyone vying for the presidency should tap the 60-year-old people and above age group because they would play a major role in electing the president in the next election.

“The population of the elderly in the Philippines will be more than 10 percent in 2020, thus political leaders should think of reaching out to [them].

Not only is this mandated in the Philippine Constitution [under Article XIII] but the number is also significant in electing the next president of this country by 2022,” Carlos said.

She pointed out that the elderly

population in the Philippines is increasing faster than the growth of the population.

In 2000, there were 4.6 million senior citizens or about 6 percent of the population.

In 2010, the number grew to 6 million or 6.9 percent of the population.

By 2022, the elderly is expected to be around 12 million which is a significant factor in the election of the leaders at that period.

Carlos stressed the older age group enlarged at a faster rate of 3.4 percent per year compared with younger (1.5 percent) and working (2.8 percent) age groups from 1970 to 2010.

The ageing population is a worldwide phenomenon for all countries in the world, except Africa, according to Carlos.

The number of older persons is projected to grow by 56 percent from 901 million in 2015 to 1.4 billion in 2030.

By year 2030, the population of older

persons will be more than the number of children aged 0-9 years with 1.4 billion for the former and 1.3 billion for the latter.

She said: “The ageing of our population is unprecedented. A combination of decreasing fertility rates and the increasing life expectancy have produced an ageing population.

“People are living longer because of advances in medicine, better nutrition, better health care, better education and overall well-being of society.”

It is therefore important, she added, that government, private sector and all stakeholders work hand in hand in making sure the needs and aspirations of older people are met in the light of the various challenges and implications of an ageing population.

“There are profound implications of ageing population,” Carlos said, noting the overburdened health care systems in many countries would have to adjust to the needs of older persons.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Francis S. Lagniton, Issue Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News LEAVE GUNS, PLANE RIDERS WARNED

EXPERT QUESTIONS PARIS AGREEMENT

By Alena Mae S. Flores

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HE Philippines is facing an economic setback because of the recently signed commitment to the Paris Agreement to lower the country’s emission reduction by 70 percent, according to an environment expert.

“The commitment to rollback the emission to 2010 level means that all power plants, factories, and economic activities that were in place by 2010 are operating beyond the commitment and must be closed or the operators will have to purchase carbon dioxide credits to offset its emissions,” Ely Anthony Ouano said.

Ouano, a former assistant secretary

of the Environment department, said that in terms of emissions, the Philippines accounts for only 0.3 percent of the world total.

He said the Philippines’ contribution to lower its emissions “will not have a significant impact on the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.”

“Even if the Filipinos adopt the most

primitive lifestyle, that is a lifestyle lower than a caveman so that the GHG emissions are now zero, the Philippines will still suffer the same impacts from climate change,” he said.

Ouano said the Philippines is vulnerable to climate change because it is “a natural fence to the Asian mainland absorbing the full wrath of typhoons and storm surges.”

He said the Philippines should build typhoon shelters, artificial and natural barriers to absorb storm surges, build stronger roads, build bigger dams, improve hospital facilities, upgrade food storage, among many others that will cost billions of pesos.

He said the Philippines will need $5.2 billion per annum to meet its commitment under the Paris Agreement but the country may only be

able to get about $1 billion per annum from the green fund.

The international community has programmed a green fund of $100 billion to be divided among 160 developing countries.

“It would be an optimistic estimate if the Philippines were to receive one percent of the green fund or $1 billion per year and some $4 billion lower than the cost it will incur to meet its commitment,” he said.

The Senate recently ratified the Paris Agreement and the documents will be sent to the executive branch.

The President will then sign it for the Foreign Affairs department to transmit those documents to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention and to the United Nations Depositary.

PIETA. A worker in Makati City rushes to finish a life-sized model of a Station of the Cross showing the Virgin Mary cradling the body of her son Jesus who had just died from a crucifixion. Norman Cruz

ECOLOGISTS PUSH TRASH-FREE HOLY WEEK AS THE Holy Week is observed, an environmental group exhorted the faithful to give Mother Earth a well-deserved break from garbage and pollution.

The EcoWaste Coalition, an advocate for zero waste, issued its plea for a low carbon Holy Week on the eve of Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of the week leading to Easter.

“The Holy Week provides a good occasion for Filipinos, especially the devout Catholics, to observe low-emission, climate-friendly and trash-free practices for the sake of our Mother Earth,” said Ochie Tolentino, Zero Waste campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.

“We can use the holy days to perform acts that will reduce carbon dioxide emis-

sions, while conserving our diminishing natural resources,” she said.

The group echoed the words of Archbishop Socrates Villegas who recently exhorted Filipinos “to act together to protect the planet from the impacts of climate change.”

“The right to a healthful ecology that the Constitution guarantees us all will soon become hollow words when our wells run dry, our fields become arid as wastelands, our air, heavy with lethal pollutants,” warned Villegas who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

“We are one with the church in calling for ecological conversion amidst the changing and warming climate, and

many, we hope, will find the Holy Week an opportune time to make environmental amends,” Tolentino said.

Towards a low carbon, zero waste Holy Week, the EcoWaste Coalition reiterated the following eco-friendly reminders: • Abstain from, or permanently give up, acts that tend to degrade and dirty the environment such as plastic bag use, littering, waste burning, etc.

• Walk, bike or take the public transportation to the churches for the Visita Iglesia (church visits).

• Use recycled materials for makeshift huts for the reading, chanting or singing of the Passion of Christ (Pabasa). If painting is desired, use lead-safe decorative paints.

• Serve food for the penitential “Caridad” (food sharing) in reusable containers that can be washed and reused all over again.

• Take part in making the penitential “Alay-Lakad” to Antipolo City on Maundy Thursday litter-free.

• Pick up the trash along the route as part of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) rites in the neighborhood.

• Adorn floats for the Santo Entierro (Holy Interment) on Good Friday with longerlasting mercury-free LED lamps and with locally-sourced flowers and plants.

• Celebrate the Salubong at dawn on Easter Sunday without lighting firecrackers and fireworks.

• Ensure that Easter fun games and activities are simple and not wasteful.

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Manila International Airport Authority on Saturday urged passengers not to bring firearms and other prohibited items, such as live ammunition and amulet, when traveling to avoid flight delays, especially this Holy Week when the number of air travelers are expected to increase.

The authorities also reminded the people traveling by air to secure documents, particularly a permit to transport from the Philippine National Police, when bringing guns and ammunition during their trips.

The MIAA came up with the reminder after the recent apprehension of a 42-year-old passenger who was caught carrying one piece of M-16 live ammunition at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.

The passenger Domingo Graganza was about to board a Philippine Airlines PR-310 flight to Hong Kong when x-ray scanning operator Leo Oxciano and baggage inspector Ross Katigbak noticed something inside his luggage during initial checking at the terminal’s departure area.

The MIAA x-ray scanning personnel, in the presence of Police-Aviation Security Group officer SPO1 Crismael Daro, told Graganza to open his luggage where the ammunition was discovered.

“The passenger was allowed by the PNP to check-in after confiscating the said ammunition,” an official of the MIAA Media Affairs Division said.

The Firearms and Explosives Office of the PNP is the police unit handling clearances for passengers who wish to bring guns and ammunition when traveling. The FEO will issue the passenger’s Permit to Transport, the basic requirement for a passenger to be allowed to bring a gun in-flight.

The said office also issues other related documents depending on the purpose of transport such as a License to Operate, Importation Permit, Authorization to Export, and a Certificate of Balance.

On the date of departure, coordination will be made by the FEO with the Avsegroup firearm facilitator deployed to the airport.

After approaching the police desk at the airport, the passenger will be accompanied by the facilitator to the Customs area for clearance before the passenger is checked-in for the flight.

Coordination is made with the proper authorities, including the Avsegroup and the Office for Transportation Security, in making sure that procedures are followed.

While the authorities are keeping to procedure, passengers should be diligent enough to inquire with their airline and the country of destination as to their own policies regarding the transport of guns and ammunition.

Stricter security measure is now being enforced at the Naia to ensure the safety of passengers going to and from Manila in connection with the observance of Lent.

“Preparations are in place to make sure that traveling will be as hasslefree as possible this Holy Week. We advise passengers to prepare accordingly as well especially as they travel to the airport,” MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal said.

MMDA SUSPENDS CODING DURING HOLY WEEK

THE FUN OF TOGETHERNESS. Young boys on vacation try to fight the heat of summer at a public swimming pool as the weather bureau declared the start of warm season. Manny Palmero

THERE will be no number coding for both public utility and private vehicles on Holy Wednesday (April 12), the Metro Manila Development Authority announced Saturday.

The move to suspend the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, according to MMDA general manager and acting chairman Thomas Orbos, came in anticipation of the holiday exodus.

Orbos said the agency wants to make sure there will be enough public utility vehicles, particularly provincial buses, to serve the passengers going to and from their respective provinces.

He added the temporary lifting

of the number coding scheme will also help the public to use their vehicles to travel to their respective destinations outside the metropolis.

Orbos observed that people are going out of Metro Manila during these days to visit and be with relatives and families in the provinces during Lent.

“These will afford them the opportunity to use their vehicles especially with provincial bus trips fully booked by this time,” Orbos said, adding that people are expected to start flocking to bus terminals as early as Holy Monday.

Motorists and the general public can also call the agency’s Metro-

base hotline 136 for periodic traffic updates and requests for assistance. The MMDA’s Facebook and Twitter account will also be open 24/7 during the Holy Week to accept and respond to inquiries.

According to Orbos, the holiday break would also pave the way for the resumption of the road reblocking and repair works of the Department of Public Works and Highways on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and other major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.

The following are DPWH road projects to be undertaken during the Holy Week (April 13 to 16): - Construction of reinforced concrete box culvert located at P. Burgos

Street crossing Bonifacio Drive/Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

- Road reblocking in Quezon City, Makati City, Mandaluyong City, Valenzuela City, Pasig City and Pasay City: • Along Edsa southbound, 2nd lane, between Roosevelt Avenue to Quezon Avenue • Along Commonwealth Avenue northbound, 4th lane, between Litex Road to Doña Carmen • Along Quirino Highway between Mindanao Avenue to Araceli Street, 2nd lane · Along Congressional Avenue Extension between Luzon Street to Tandang Sora Avenue, 3rd lane Joel E. Zurbano

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion

Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE

OF ‘KUTO,‘ ‘KILI-KILI,‘ AND ‘ASWANG‘

tend to take whatever we see online at face value.

It may be good faith—but these days good faith can lead to bad results.

Remember a supposed study by the Harvard Institute of Socio-Political Progression (HIS-PP) that said Filipinos were the

LYNDA Barry is a writer and cartoonist, who is almost unknown in the Philippines, a condition I shall attempt to rectify with this column.

She is hailed in the US for her groundbreaking, reality-based works.

Her “Ernie Pook’s Comeek,” was published in the late ‘70s by Matt Groening (of The Simpsons fame) and comedian John Keister in their college newspapers, without Barry’s knowledge. Later the comic strip was carried by some 70 alternative publications over the years until it was discontinued in 2008.

Among the books she has authored are collections of her comic strips, graphic novels, and workbooks-slashtutorials-slash-memoir. At first glance her art looks crude, gross, and childish, channeling Mad magazine if anything, but her drawings are authentic and sincere. They are warm, like something your granddaughter drew, and in their innocent enthusiasm they succeed in charming the reader and making relation easier to achieve.

What deserves deeper perusal is her writing. The language flows, it is conversational but capable of lyrical turns and gestures. The tone is melancholy; most, if not all, of her work, is based on real life, and by her own account her childhood was not happy.

Lynda Barry’s work is relevant to Filipinos because she has Filipino heritage and grew up with a Filipino grandmother. Her mother was halfFilipino, half-Irish, her father Norwegian and Irish.

In One! Hundred! Demons! (2002), Barry tackles some of the monsters that haunted her life. She begins the book by saying, “Please note: This is a work of autobifictionalography.” She asks, in carefully written cursive: “Is it autobiography if parts of it are not true? Is it fiction if parts of it are?” This is the dilemma of the memoirist.

Inspired by the art of 16th century Japanese Zen monk Hakuin Ekaku, Barry took up ink stick, ink stone, and an Asian brush. Then “the demons began to come.” They were not the ones she expected, but “then she started to love watching them come out of her paintbrush.”

Her first demon is head lice. When she was fifth grade, Barry went to “visit relatives in the Philippines.” The kids there were fascinated by her red hair and white skin. They surmised she must have white “kuto” even as theirs were brown like their skin. “Even the Holy Virgin had kuto,” her friend Pilar tells her. When Barry repeats this to her mother, she gets smacked. “N’ako!

If Pilar said diamonds fell out of her armpits, would you believe her? [sounds better in Tagalog].”

Her mother is tormented and tyrannical, and her grandmother is often her shield, not out of fondness for Barry but because of her antagonism against her daughter, Barry’s mother. (Barry does not fully understand why.)

It is Grandma who encourages Lynda and her baby brother to dance in the kitchen (“Segie-segie-na baby!), and who encourages her to get her groove back when adolescent embarrassment drives it away (“Aie n’ako! Dancing is never stupid, my dear.”), pointing to the gleeful joy of her baby brother (“N’ako! Look at him! Segie na baby! What is he doing!?! Ha-la! Segie! Only God knows the name of that dance!”). It is a coming-of-age piece, of peer pressure and family, and of later coming to terms with what matters most.

In “Common Scents”, Barry tells of a neighbor whose air fresheners and candles made her house stink worse than fried fish and cigarettes made Barry’s own reek. The chapter is about the power of smell to bring

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THE SUFFERING OF MANY

I

T HAS become fashionable on social media to find various ways to express solidarity with people who have become victims of violence and strife.

For example, when 10 journalists and two cops were killed in an attack on the newsroom of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, many draped the French flag over their profile pictures. Je suis Charlie, many said—I am Charlie, one with those who were killed and the community that was attacked.

Countless other places and thousands of other people have suffered attacks and injustice in many forms. The fortunate ones survive and live to tell about what they went through. Some live but lose their homes, families and all hope. Others pass on without even being known. Their families cannot grieve them, much less the outside world who are only made aware of them through the media.

This week, it was Syria. The government of Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical attack on rebel forces. Alas, most of the casualties were civilians—children, specifically. In reaction, the United States launched a missile strike on Syria.

It’s war, and there are political and diplo-

matic consequences especially since the latter attack could not have pleased US’ newfound friend, Russia’s Vladimir Putin. But we leave that to high-level, foreign policy experts.

War takes many prisoners, and many of them do not have to be taken by the other party and put behind bars. Often, out of sheer randomness of birth, people are in the wrong place at the wrong era, strangers to many things that people in other parts of the world take for granted.

We the fortunate did not have to do anything to be spared from this kind of trouble.

This is exactly why it is foolhardy to be indifferent to the suffering of others. Then again, we do not have to look far or look hard to witness others’ ordeal in the name of some ideology, or campaign.

Expressing oneness through social media is one form, but is not an end in itself.

Be aware of the issues and their underlying causes. Follow developments. Make a mental note of the people affected and as many individual stories as possible. Ponder how the world could be better and if there were one tiny deed one can do to make the slightest dent.

The world is far from perfect, but it does not mean people should stop trying to empathize with those who bear the brunt of its imperfections. And then perhaps indiscriminate killing, conspicuous spending and hateful language will at least be diminished.

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FIGHTING FAKE NEWS LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA

FAKE news is a concern that we did not have 10, 20 years ago. At least, not at the alarming levels that we see it now.

It’s technology, or the ease and speed in which information spreads. In the past you did not have to worry about whether the news story in front of you was legitimate, satirical, or downright fake. You were just

grateful to have that piece of information at all.

These days, however, we see all sorts of articles being shared online. Perhaps in our desire to show that we are passionate about the subject matter, or whether we sincerely just want to spread what we think is important information to our friends, we

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

LAWMAKERS CONFUSE THEMSELVES

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

By Faye Flam LAST week, the day after President Trump signed an executive order to undo

his predecessor’s efforts to fight climate change, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a hearing that encapsulated everything that’s wrong with the way US lawmakers handle science.

Global warming is a time-sensitive threat; greenhouse gases are accumulating in the atmosphere, threatening a sharp increase in heat waves, droughts, and floods by mid-century (and eventually, the melting and collapse of the ice sheets at the Earth’s poles). But last week’s hearing, titled “Climate Science: Assumptions, Policy Implications, and the Scientific Method” and chaired by Texas Republican Lamar Smith, meandered from one tangent after another. A good chunk of time was spent questioning whether Penn State University climatologist Michael Mann called a colleague who disagreed with him “a carnival barker” and “a denier pundit.” Some evidence was presented that he had. But does this diminish the evidence that carbon dioxide emissions pose a threat?

The Republicans dwelled on distractions that have bogged down policy for years, like a mangled historical factoid about scientists previously predicting an ice age, and an unrealistically optimistic interpretation of a temporary flattening in the global temperature curve. The latter, sometimes called “the pause,” was hailed as a sign that global warming was over. It isn’t.

But few lawmakers seemed interested in exploring the subtleties of the scientific method as it applies to climate research.

The Democrats directed nearly all their questions toward Mann, who, of the four scientists called as expert witnesses, was the only one to clearly express mainstream views about the connection between human-generated greenhouse gases and climate change. The Republicans gave most of their attention to the other three, and expressed mostly innuendo, suggesting that Mann and his fellow climatologists were untrustworthy.

It wasn’t until the tail end of the nearly three-hour hearing that the one physicist in Congress, Bill Foster of Illinois, spoke up: “Does everyone on this panel agree,” he began, “that the temperature of the earth is set in general terms by radiative balance, and that the infrared absorption spectra of carbon dioxide is a very relevant driving term, and that the uncertainty really is in the other positive and negative feedback terms that may or may not be present, changes in the convection…?”

Foster rambled on about albedo and Siberian swamps, and most people in the room appeared to have no idea what he was asking about. But his was the only pointed question any Democrat had aimed at the three contrarians. In essence, Foster was asking if they agreed that well-established physics underlies the mechanism by which carbon dioxide causes global warming, and that the only remaining uncertainties are due to feedbacks that can damp down or amplify warming.

Even the contrarians agreed he was right. They also agreed that cutting climate research was a mistake. This rendered most of the previous squabbling irrelevant.

Anyone following the mainstream science journals would see that while politicians debate whether carbon dioxide really causes climate change, most scientists have moved on to the details—charting Arctic sea ice, examining the repercussions of warming oceans, and investigating the influence of climate change on human health.

I noticed a similar divide a few years ago when I wrote a series of columns about evolution. While certain members of the public and politicians were arguing that Darwin’s theory wasn’t well-established enough to teach in school, the mainstream science community had moved on to figuring out how fish evolved proto-limbs and crawled onto the land, how and why some dinosaurs sprouted feathers, and where in Africa non-human primates first evolved into us. Those trying to keep evolution out of school would often misrepresent these detail debates as threats to the whole scientific paradigm.

Some of the congressmen at the hearing similarly misrepresented a disagreement over whether surface temperatures had flattened out for a few years in the early 21st century. In 2015, a group led by Tom Karl, director of the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina, published a paper in the journal Science saying temperatures during the so-called “pause” weren’t as flat as people thought. The next year, a team led

by Canadian climate scientist John Fyfe offered new evidence that the pause was real. But in a phone conversation, Fyfe said the pause is easily explained as a temporary effect of El Niño and La Niña. With three years of record-setting warmth behind us, the pause is over—but some lawmakers won’t let it go.

Republicans also harped on the notion that scientists in the 1970s forecast a coming ice age. A few did worry about global cooling because they’d discovered that some of the constituents of smog block sunlight. And a few did use the term “ice age.” As Mann explained at the hearing, scientists also knew about greenhouse warming, but weren’t yet sure what would have the biggest impact— smog or carbon dioxide.

What we know now is that smog eventually dissipates and gets rained out. Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for centuries. Some scientists compare the situation to a bathtub with a badly clogged drain.

You might turn down the spigot, but the tub will keep getting fuller. Bloomberg

By Pecier Decierdo WHILE you are reading this, you are probably in a room powered by electricity. You might be reading this on a piece of paper, and you read it by the light of a lamp. You might be reading this from the screen of a computer. Either way, you are reading this thanks to electricity entering your home or office probably from the power grid.

Depending where you are, the energy that powers your devices probably comes from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. According to a 2013 statistics, around 73 period of the energy produced in the Philippines comes from fossil fuels.

The modern, industrial world we live in was built using energy from burning fossil fuels. From the clothes we wear to the electronic gadgets we use, many of the things surrounding us were made using fossil fuel energy. Even most of the ways we go from one place to another, from buses to airplanes, burn fossil fuels to do their work.

When fossil fuels are burned, they release heat, carbon dioxide, and other materials. In power plants, this heat is converted to electricity, which is then fed to the grid to power our homes and businesses. The

carbon dioxide and other materials, meanwhile, get released into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is a natural component of air. It is transparent and allows sunlight to pass through. However, when solar radiation bounces off the Earth’s surface, carbon dioxide can trap this reflected energy and keep it in the atmosphere as heat. Because of this ability to trap heat, carbon dioxide is called a greenhouse gas (GHG). Methane is another example of a GHG. Without GHGs in the atmosphere, all of the sunlight bouncing off the Earth’s surface would go out into space. GHGs keep our planet warm and livable.

However, the burning of fossil fuels that people have been doing since the Industrial Revolution has caused the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to increase.

This increase in carbon dioxide has lead to more heat becoming trapped in the atmosphere. As a result, the Earth is warming up, a phenomenon known as global warming.

But global warming does not mean that all parts of the Earth will experience a rise in temperature. It simply means that the average temperature of the Earth over an entire year is increasing.

The increase might seem slight.

Compared to temperatures before

the Industrial Revolution, the average global temperature of 2016 is higher by almost 1 degree Celsius.

We experience changes in temperature far greater than this in the span of a year. Temperatures in Manila, for example, can range from 22 degrees during some nights in January to 37 degrees during some days in April.

An increase of almost 1 degree in the average temperature of the entire planet should not be compared to the rise and fall of temperature due to weather and seasonal changes. Even a slight increase in the average global temperature leads to a major disruption of the systems that make Earth livable for people and many other forms of life. The average global temperature during the last ice age was only 5 degrees lower than today’s. And yet the world was a very different place back then.

The disruption in the Earth’s delicate balances because of global warming is what we call climate change. While the Earth’s climate has changed many times in the past, there is plenty of evidence that the present climate is changing really rapidly, and the cause of this change is human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels.

This is where the arc of this story bends back to you and your possible descendants.

Because of the warming of the Earth’s surface, there’s more heat energy stored in the oceans. The world’s oceans then release this energy in the form of typhoons and monsoons.

More energy means stronger and more frequent typhoons. More energy also means heavier rainfall during monsoon season. The effect: more super typhoons and freak monsoons headed our way. But also, they’ll be less predictable. They’re not the typhoons and monsoons we’re used to for thousands of years. They’re the manifestation of a new climate.

The changing climate also brings about radical changes in the pattern of rainfall. Rains might now arrive too early, too late, or not at all. When they arrive, they might be too much of it, or too little. Farmers, fisherfolk, crops, and wildlife are all caught off guard.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the impact of climate change. In succeeding articles, I will write in greater detail about those impacts, how it affects you directly, and what we can do as ordinary people to adapt to climate change and possible mitigate some of its most extreme effects.

Pecier Decierdo is resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.

HOW SPOTIFY GREW UP BEFORE GOING PUBLIC

By Leonid Bershidsky IT’S UNCONSCIONABLE in 2017 that the only publicly traded music streaming company is still Pandora Media Inc., an Internet radio provider which went public in 2011 and is trading below its initial public offering price. Hopefully, Spotify Ltd. will rectify the situation this year, even if that means it has to use a back door to an exchange listing. It’s an interesting back door for others in the tech industry, too.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the London-based company is considering a direct listing instead of an IPO. This is a path usually reserved for small firms looking to save money on investment bankers and keep more of the company’s value for the existing shareholders.

Instead of selling shares to major investors the night before going public at an “initial” price, companies that directly list themselves on an exchange usually buy a smaller firm that already has a listing. Then, the company’s owners can immediately get the full market price if they want to sell some of their stock.

It’s often seen as a risky path since no money is raised before the market enters the equation, and there are no bankers to stabilize the stock for the first few—sometimes shaky—months of trading. The advantages, apart from not paying bankers, include not leaving any money on the table, as companies almost always do in an IPO to give the first investors an upside when the stock “pops” in early trading.

In Spotify’s case, this approach makes symbolic, not just pragmatic sense.

Spotify’s story is that of a typical tech disruptor: It developed a cool technology that allowed it to give away for free something that people used to sell, in this case recorded music. At the end of 2011, its third full year of operation, the company had 32.8 million registered

FIGHTING...

From B1 first among the world’s gullible races? A journalist felt compelled to write about it in her column after reading the article in a web site called The Mosquito Press.

“This is a serious allegation we should not ignore,” the journalist wrote, citing that the study involved content analyses of over 500,000 historical documents from 300 different societies. “...We better take it seriously.”

Turns out, there was no such study, and she became the prime example of what she herself warned the public about. This was in 2011 and things have definitely become more challenging since then.

It was meant to be a joke—there are sites that were specifically set up as satire. Even reputable news organizations have them— the New Yorker, for example, has the Borowitz Report that once said President Trump fired acting attorney general Sally Yates for downloading a copy of the Constitution into her office computer. This was not true, of course. Yates was fired because she told Justice Department officials not to defend Trump’s temporary ban on immigrants from seven Muslim countries. Satire is an old form of humor, and quite an effective

users and only 2.8 million paying subscribers, who provided 80 percent of the company’s revenue. The rest of the money came from advertising pushed to the free riders. To avoid the fate of Napster, the peer-to-peer music sharing service killed by intellectual property litigation, Spotify paid large fees to record companies that owned rights to music catalogs, resulting in a seemingly endless stream of losses. Spotify won the hearts and minds of music fans without figuring out how to monetize either.

Spotify probably still is not profitable—it hasn’t released its 2016 financials yet but 2015 saw strong top line growth and expanding losses—but at least appears to have figured out what to do. It’s committed to paying subscribers, not scaling its advertising base.

At the same time, it wants better deals with music labels. In both respects, its recent licensing deal with Universal Music Group is a trailblazer. It allows the record company to release new music to paying subscribers only for the first two weeks, and it makes royalties dependent on the number of streams: The higher it is, the smaller percentage of revenue goes to the rights owner.

Universal has the highest share of music streams, about 30 percent. Now, Spotify needs to make similar deals

tool for criticism and dissent.

What we need is the ability to distinguish real news from fake ones that are being portrayed as real.

And if adults of sufficient intelligence can fall prey to fake news, where does that leave our children? In a vulnerable place, that’s where. And we need to do something about it. *** To be sure, some things are being done.

Facebook itself, where we see many examples of fake news (and heartbreaking displays of gullibility among our friends), has launched a page because “we want to stop the spread of false news...” so goes the intro.

Be skeptical of headlines, it warns. Look closely at the URL. Investigate the source.

Watch for unusual formatting. Consider the photos. Inspect the dates. Check the evidence. Look at other reports. Ask yourself— is the story a joke? And remember: Some stories are intentionally false.

Meanwhile, an American fifth-grade teacher writes in vox.com about his experience when he taught his students how to spot fake news. “Now they won’t stop factchecking me!” says Scott Belley, in an article published March 29.

Among his guidelines: Check the copyright of the Web page. Verify with multiple sources. Compare the credibility of the

with the other two majors, Sony Music and Warner Music, responsible for another 41 percent of the market. Once that happens, the lead time to free release will probably grow longer, and the labels will be more amenable to sharing revenue with Spotify since they, and artists, will be reassured it’s not giving away their wealth and their work. Spotify now reports 50 million paying subscribers -- up 10 million since September 2016, and about half the number of its registered users.

Spotify worked diligently on its business model, going from unrealistic expectations of ad revenue and volume growth to an understanding of how to convert free users to subscribers and what to ask of record labels. When Snap IPO’d with its advertising-based business model that’s not even close to covering costs, it was selling hype. Spotify’s selling a product that has matured through hard times.

There’s a lot of pressure on Spotify to go public this year. Financing its $1 billion of debt grows more expensive if it delays, and equity investors stand to increase their shares. It’s a credit to Spotify that it’s looking for the cheapest instead of the flashiest way to avoid these traps.

Whether that yields a high valuation—more than the $8 billion at which Spotify was valued in 2015—remains to be seen. Having fought off a powerful challenge from Apple Music with its practically captive installed base, Spotify has at least a 43 percent share of the paid music streaming market. (Apple holds 21 percent.)

If Spotify goes the non-traditional route and all works out well, it’ll be an example for other tech firms still full of illusions about their business models.

Giving away as little as possible may not sound romantic, but it’s usually sustainable, and it motivates a business to offer the best possible product. Bloomberg

In this age of deluge, we need to be critical consumers of information. sources. Check the date of publication.

Know the author’s expertise and background with the subject. And then, ask yourselves: Does it match your prior knowledge? Does it seem realistic?

For its part, Germany has taken the fight against fake news to legislation. The Washington Post reports that the social-media bill “could quickly turn this nation into a test case in the effort to combat the spread of fake news and hate speech in the West.”

“If passed, as now appears likely, the measure would compel large outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to rapidly remove fake news that incites hate, as well as other ‘criminal’ content, or face fines as high as 50 million euros ($53 million),” the Post reports. “Depending on how obviously false or illegal a post is, companies would have as little as 24 hours to remove it. In addition to fake news and hate speech, the draft bill would target posts

OF ‘KUTO’...

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back memories. It’s also about familial loyalty. Grandma is in fine fettle here, talking back to the TV during a commercial for an air freshener: “Aie n’ako, lady. I tried it. It smells worse than the pueet of a vampire!”

And there’s the chapter, “The Aswang.” Grandma told Barry the sort of spooky stories that we might remember from our own childhood. “Aie, Lynda!” she says, “If the aswang hears you, lagoot ka na! She will come tonight!” The creature was described as “a strange dog watching you very hard and the back legs is more longer than front legs and the tongue is sticking out—that is the aswang in the day time!”

Barry examines her love-hate relationships with her mother and grandmother in the light of the aswang story. “Who was the first aswang in the world? I’m 44 years old but I still don’t know the answer.” This is true for many of us as well, who are negotiating our own relationships with our relatives, tiptoeing around the minefields that surround certain questions, certain secrets.

If you will read one book by Lynda Barry, make it One! Hundred!

Demons! It’s about love, hate, family, growing up, taking drugs, childhood trauma, and race. It’s funny, witty, and sad, but also hopeful and optimistic. Her demons are familiar.

This book is extra because it shows us how to identify, release, and conquer our own demons.

Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember

seen as inciting terrorism or spreading child pornography.”

The bill is said to have a high chance of approval in the German parliament before September elections. Apparently, it’s precaution so that what happened in last year’s elections in the US would not happen there, as well.

Others try to view the trend positively— and rightly so. Nausicaa Renner, writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, says fake news has inspired great reporting. Again reference is made to the US elections in November when too many facts were cited erroneously, deliberately, when people had no opportunity to check if the numbers were even true or existent. And indeed when we doubt the information that surrounds us, would it not prompt us to dig deeper and get to the real story?

All these guides and measures are helpful, but in the end the best precaution is the simplest one: We must tell ourselves, and tell our children, to walk around with a healthy dose of disbelief. Don’t believe everything we see or hear or read. Don’t be part of a hype. Don’t share something for the sake of sharing or appearing informed.

Instead, be informed. Be informed the right way. adellechua@gmail.com

World 102 CHILDREN AMONG 314 KILLED IN COLOMBIA MUDSLIDE BOGOTA, Colombia—More than 102 children were among 314 people killed in the giant mudslide that slammed into the southern Colombian town of Mocoa last week, the government said Friday.

The mudslide hit a week ago after heavy rains caused three rivers to flood, sending a sea of mud, boulders and debris crashing into the town.

In the latest toll report on Friday, the National Disasters Risk Management Unit said 332 people were injured and at least 4,506 had been made homeless.

The disasters unit said it had received information on 127 people still missing, among them three foreigners: a Spaniard, a German and an Ecuadoran.

Mocoa, the capital of the department of Putumayo, was home to 70,000 people, about 45,000 of whom were affected by the disaster, according to the Red Cross.

In an effort to speed up reconstruction, the government formally declared a 30-day state of economic, social and ecological emergency in Mocoa.

The measure will allow direct contracting of services without the need for formal, more time-consuming procedures. AFP

MEXICO INFLATION HITS NEW 7-YEAR HIGH

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

US WARNS OF MORE AIR STRIKES VS SYRIA U

NITED NATIONS, United States—The United States warned Friday it is ready to hit Syria again after a missile strike that infuriated Moscow and fueled calls for a push to end the six-year war.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley delivered the warning at an emergency session of the UN Security Council called after the US strikes, which were launched to punish an alleged chemical weapons attack

by Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Assad’s ally Russia, meanwhile, declared President Donald Trump’s first strike against the Damascus regime a violation of international law and an “act of aggression.”

“The United States took a very measured step last night,” Haley told the council. “We are prepared to do more, but we hope it will not be necessary.”

Haley said the strike destroyed an air field from which Washington believes Damascus launched the attack on rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, where 86 people including 27 children died this week.

Rights monitors warned, how-

ever, that Syrian jets were already flying sorties from the base again as night fell Friday.

The United States fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from warships in the Mediterranean at the Shayrat airfield near Homs in central Syria.

Assad’s office called the strike “foolish and irresponsible,” and Moscow announced a series of retaliatory steps including plans to strengthen Syrian air defenses.

“The United States will no longer wait for Assad to use chemical weapons without any consequences,” Haley said. “Those days are over.”

The United States did not seek UN Security Council authorization for the military action that followed days of global outrage at images of dead children from the suspected sarin gas attack.

It was Trump’s biggest military decision since taking office and marked a dramatic escalation in American involvement in Syria’s protracted war.

“The United States attacked the territory of sovereign Syria,” Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the council, denouncing a “flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in Florida to attend a summit between Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, is due in Moscow next week for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

“I’m disappointed in that response from the Russians because it indicates their continued support for the Assad regime,” said Tillerson.

“In particular,” he said, the response showed the Kremlin’s “continued support for a regime that carries out these kinds of horrendous attacks on their own people.

“I find it very disappointing but -- sadly, I have to tell you -- not all that surprising.”

In Washington, a senior US offi-

cial said Syria may have had help carrying out the alleged chemical attack, but stopped short of accusing Russia of complicity.

“We are carefully assessing any information that would implicate the Russians knew or assisted with this capability,” he said.

While threatening further strikes, Haley also said it was time to press on with diplomatic efforts to achieve a political solution to end the war.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged restraint and a renewed push for peace in Syria, saying “there is no other way to solve the conflict than through a political solution.”

Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey all supported Washington, with Ankara also calling for a nofly zone in Syria.

The Kremlin warned the US military action would inflict “considerable damage” on US-Russia ties.

It immediately suspended a deal with the United States aimed at avoiding clashes in Syrian airspace, though the foreign ministry did not scrap Tillerson’s visit. AFP

MEXICO CITy, Mexico—Mexico’s inflation rate hit a new seven-year high in March, official data showed Friday, adding to the case for more interest rate hikes by the central bank.

The annual inflation rate reached 5.35 percent last month, its third month above the central bank’s target ceiling of four percent, according to national statistics institute INEGI. Latin America’s second-largest economy is facing instability unleashed by the arrival of US President Donald Trump, whose vows to build a border wall and overhaul Mexico’s privileged trade relationship with the US are causing jitters.

The peso plunged when Trump took office in January, hitting record lows as investors dumped Mexican assets.

That in turn caused consumer prices to rise as imported goods became more expensive.

Adding to the inflationary pressure, President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government raised gasoline prices by more than 20 percent as part of a sweeping energy reform.

Last month, the central bank raised its key interest rate to its highest level in eight years: 6.5 percent. AFP

SEATTLE MAYOR DENIES SEXUALLY ABUSING A MINOR LOS ANGELES, United States—The mayor of Seattle in the US state of Washington is accused of sexually abusing a minor in a case that dates back three decades, allegations he vehemently denied Friday.

The lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court under the man’s initials “D.H.” The plaintiff, who is now 46, alleges that Seattle Mayor Ed Murray paid him for sex when the man was a 15-year-old drug-addicted, homeless teenager.

According to the lawsuit, Murray met and befriended D.H. on a bus, invited the teenager to his home and propositioned him for sex in exchange for money.

Because the adolescent was addicted to drugs, the complaint said, he was “willing to do whatever Mr Murray asked for as little as $10-20.”

Court documents say that encounters between the two “continued for an extended period of time.”

Murray, a progressive and openly homosexual Democrat who is running for re-election this year, told journalists that the accusations were “simply not true,” saying that they were “painful for me, for my husband.”

“I understand the individual making these allegations is troubled,” said the mayor, who is 61 years old. “To be on the receiving end of such untrue allegations is very painful for me.” AFP

This image released by the US Department of Defense, shows the Shayrat airfield in Syria on October 7, 2016.US President Donald Trump ordered a massive military strike on a Syrian air base on Thursday in retaliation for a “barbaric” chemical attack he blamed on President Bashar al-Assad. The US military fired dozens of cruise missiles at the Shayrat Airfield at 8:45 pm Eastern Time (0000 GMT), officials said. AFP

US SENDS MESSAGE TO N. KOREA, CHINA WITH SYRIA STRIKE SEOUL, South Korea—The US missile strike on Syria contained a clear message for North Korea and its main ally China, but not one strong enough to push Pyongyang off its nuclear weapons path, analysts said Saturday.

While the timing was largely coincidental, the fact that US President Donald Trump ordered the strike while hosting a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping carried particular resonance given that the North’s nuclear ambitions – and how best to thwart them – was among the top agenda items of their meeting.

And exercising the military option added some extra weight to Trump’s recent threat of unilateral action against Pyongyang if Beijing fails to help curb its neighbour’s nuclear weapons programme.

Kim Yong-Hyun, a professor at Dongguk University said the strike against Syria was a statement of intent that was meant for a wide readership.

“It signals to Pyongyang that the US has a new sheriff in town who isn’t hesitant about pulling his gun from the holster,” Kim said.

But while the move might give the North pause, it is unlikely to deter a leadership that views nuclear weapons as the sole guarantee of its future survival.

“In the long term, US military actions

overseas won’t help curb the North’s nuclear pursuit”, Kim said.

The North has carried out five nuclear tests -- two of them last year -- and expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth.

And Pyongyang has shown no sign of reining in a missile testing programme ultimately aimed at securing the capability to deliver a nuclear warhead to the continental United States.

If Thursday’s strike was a warning to other countries, it was one that Pyongyang, which regularly cites US hostility as the driving force behind its nuclear weapons development, is quite familiar with.

“Trump’s attack on Syria is unlikely to have any significant effect on a North Korea that is already well versed in the threat posed by the United States,” said Joel Wit, a senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

At the time of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the then North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il disappeared from public view for around six weeks -- and was widely believed to have gone into hiding for fear of a US attack.

Chang Yong-Seok, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification at Seoul National University, said Kim’s son, current leader Kim Jong-Un, had no reason to take such precautions. AFP

SLIPPERY HAUL. Palestinian fishermen pull out a catch of stingrays onto a beach overlooking the Mediterranean sea, in Gaza City.

Hamas allowed fishermen out to sea again on April 6, 2017 after having previously barred exits by sea following the March 24 assassination of leader Mazen Faqha, which it blamed on the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and its Palestinian “collaborators”. AFP

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

World

/ Joyce Pangco-Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

VENEZUELA BANS OPPOSITION LEADER FROM PUBLIC OFFICE CARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuelan authorities on Friday banned a top opposition leader from public office for 15 years, the latest move in an increasingly tense power struggle in the crisis-hit country.

Henrique Capriles was one of the leaders of mass demonstrations this week against socialist President Nicolas Maduro that led to clashes with police. One protester died.

State comptroller Manuel Galindo imposed a “sanction of disqualification from exercising public office for a period of 15 years,” his institution said in a ruling made public by Capriles himself.

The ruling said the sanction was due to “administrative irregularities” by Capriles in his post as governor of the northern state of Miranda.

Capriles rejected the move and insisted he would retain his post as governor, branding Maduro a dictator. AFP Well wishers place flowers at a makeshift memorial outside a department store in Stockholm on April 8, 2017, the day after a hijacked truck plunged into a crowd in a pedestrian shopping area. Swedish police said Saturday that a man arrested on “suspicion of terrorist crime” was likely to be the driver of a truck that ploughed into a crowd of people in central Stockholm a day earlier. AFP

TRUCK DRIVER HELD FOR TERROR ATTACK

S

tockholm, Sweden—Swedish police said Saturday that a man arrested on “suspicion of t errorist crime” was likely to be the driver of a truck that ploughed into a crowd of people in central Stockholm a day earlier.

“We suspect that the man who The attack on Friday killed four was arrested is the perpetrator,” people and injured 15, nine of Stockholm police spokesman Lars them seriously.

Bystrom told AFP. Police had earlier said they had

detained a man who “matched the description” of a photo released of a suspect wearing a dark hoodie and military green jacket.

Bystrom said the arrested man “could be the same person in the picture”.

According to the newspaper Aftonbladet, the individual in the photo is a 39-year-old man of Uzbek origin and a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) group.

If confirmed as a terror attack,

it would be Sweden’s first such deadly assault.

The attack occurred just before 3 p.m (1300 GMT) when a stolen beer truck slammed into the corner of the bustling Ahlens store and the popular pedestrian street Drottninggatan.

Friday’s attack was the latest in a string of similar assaults with vehicles in Europe, including in London, Berlin and the southern French city of Nice. AFP

TRUMP DROPS CHINA BASHING DURING WARM XI SUMMIT PALM BEACH, United States—US President Donald Trump ditched his trademark anti-China bombast, hailing an “outstanding” relationship with counterpart Xi Jinping at the end of a superpower summit Friday overshadowed by events in Syria.

“We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China,” Trump said effusively at the close of a high-stakes but studiously familiar first meeting between the pair at his Mar-aLago resort in Florida.

“I think truly progress has been made,” Trump said, declaring his relationship with Xi as “outstanding.”

The friendly tone was a far cry from Trump’s acerbic campaign denouncements about China’s “rape” of the US economy and his vow to punish Beijing with punitive tariffs.

Xi reciprocated Trump’s warm words, saying the summit had “uniquely important significance” and thanking Trump for a warm reception.

Beijing’s most powerful leader in decades also invited the neophyte US president on a coveted state visit to China later in the year. Trump accepted, with a date yet to be determined.

We “arrived at many common understandings,” Xi added, “the most important being deepening our friendship and building a kind of trust.”

The bonhomie extended behind closed doors, where the US president’s grandson and granddaughter sang a traditional Chinese ballad -- “Jasmine Flower” -- and recited poetry for their honored guests, earning praise from

their “very proud” mother Ivanka in a tweet.

“Both the atmosphere and the chemistry between the two leaders was positive, the posture between the two really set the tone,” said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

“All of us are feeling very good about the results of this summit.”

The start of the meeting came on a night of high drama as Trump not only met his nearest peer in economic world power for the first time but also launched his first military strike on a state target.

Trump informed the Chinese leader personally of the strike as the 59 Tomahawk missiles were winding their way to the Shayrat airbase.

Although China is not implicated in the Syrian war, Trump’s actions resonate widely, not least in the debate over how to tackle North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

China and the United States agree Pyongyang’s programs are a serious problem, but have not seen eye-to-eye on how to respond. AFP

BURST OF COLORS. Orange, yellow and purple wildflowers paint the hills of the Tremblor Range, April 6, 2017 at Carrizo Plain National Monument near Taft, California. After years of drought an explosion of wildflowers in southern and central California is drawing record crowds to see the rare abundance of color called a ìsuper bloom. AFP

DALAI LAMA’S MONASTERY VISIT ANGERS CHINA TAWANG TOWN, India – The Dalai Lama will Saturday address devotees at the monastery near India’s border with China where he took shelter on his flight from Tibet, drawing protests from Beijing which claims the Himalayan area as its territory.Huge crowds are expected to turn out for the 81-year-old monk on what may be his last ever visit to Tawang, a remote, high-altitude corner of northeast India that is home to one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism.

But even before he arrived at the monastery in the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday evening, the exiled spiritual leader was at the centre of a diplomatic row between China and his adopted homeland, India.

Beijing this week lodged an official protest with the Indian ambassador, accusing New Delhi of arranging a platform for the Dalai Lama to “hold anti-China and separatist activities”. AFP

RUSSIA CHARGES 8 IN METRO BOMBING SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia— The Russian authorities on Friday charged eight people with terrorism offences following the bomb attack on the Saint Petersburg metro which killed 13 people on Monday.

A court in Saint Petersburg said six suspects, aged 20 to 39, would be held until June 2 while the investigation into the attack continued.

They were arrested Thursday, and investigators said they found in one of the suspects’ residences an explosive device “identical” to the one found at a metro station that was discovered shortly before another device exploded in a tunnel.

They also recovered firearms and ammunition from the suspects’ residences, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. They face charges of terrorism and accessory to terrorism.

Two other suspected accomplices, a man and a woman, were arrested in Moscow on Thursday and have also been charged with terrorism, the TASS news agency said. AFP

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph

GREEK DOCTOR WANTS PH TO REGULATE E-CIGARETTES

A

S THE government intensifies its collection of cigarette taxes in the Philippines, a Greek visitor in Manila reminds authorities that saving millions of Filipino smokers from premature death is a campaign that deserves a greater attention.

“Smoking is an epidemic worldwide. We have over 1.1 billion smokers in the world, or about 23 percent of the adult population. The World Health Organization predicts that within the 21st Century alone, we are going to have 1 billion premature deaths due to smoking. In the Philippines, the smoking prevalence is about 20 percent. Of these 20 million smokers, 10 million of them are going to die prematurely by smoking-related diseases. The average life expectancy of a smoker is 10 years less than a non-smoker. It is a huge cost in lives and in economy,” says Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a researcher at Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre in Athens and University of Paltras in Paltras, Greece.

Farsalinos, a former smoker, says millions of Filipino smokers have an opportunity to quit the vice by switching to a less harmful product— electronic cigarette. He considers vaping or the use of e-cigarette as a harm reduction tool, because it is 95-percent less harmful than the traditional burning of cigarettes.

He says, however, that vaping should never be endorsed to non-smokers and minors and should be promoted only to smokers as a tool to help them quit smoking.

Farsalinos explains that it is not nicotine that is responsible for diseases related to smoking, but the burning process of cigarettes. “We know for more than 40 years, or since 1976, that people smoke for nicotine, but die from the tar. Tar is the combustion product from burning of material. Nicotine itself has not killed any smoker. All the diseases caused by smoking are not caused by nicotine present in the smoke, but by the combustion product, the burning of the cigarette tip at more than 800 degree Celsius that creates a lot of toxins consequently inhaled by the smoker,” he says in an interview at Holiday Inn Hotel in Makati City.

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette, a batteryoperated device which vaporizes a flavored liquid made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine and flavorings.

A cigarette industry executive in the Philippines, however, says vaping does not give the same satisfaction as smoking. He predicts that smoking will continue to thrive in the coming years.

Farsalinos, who has done 50 scientific studies on electronic cigarettes, says while WHO does not support the use of e-cigarettes, individual countries such as the Philippines should develop regulations on the growing vaping sector. “WHO is making a big mistake,” says Farsalino, referring to the organization’s quit-or-die approach.

“Worldwide, six million people die every year prematurely because of smoking. That is going to go up to 10 million per year by 2025. Any delay is costing lives. With 1.1 billion smokers, we have a lot of deaths per year. We don’t have time to wait for 20 or 30 years. We are going to lose one generation of smokers,” he says.

Farsalinos says while the best solution remain a complete stop to smoking or smoking cessation medication, e-cigarettes proved to be most successful in making a large number of smokers quit the vice.

“E-cigarettes help smokers quit,” says Fersalinos, citing the results of a May 2016 study by Action on Smoking and Health UK.

SISTERS FIND NEW SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PATH Scan this icon to view the PDF

VAPER.

Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos of Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre in Athens, Greece He says that a 2014 study in the European Union shows that 6.1 million Europeans quit smoking and another 9.2 million reduced consumption of cigarettes after they had tried e-cigarettes.

This means that 67.3 percent of Europeans who had tried e-cigarettes either quit or reduced smoking.

“In Europe, there were about 9 million established regular users in 2014. I am sure that number now is much higher. But the biggest market is the US,” he says.

He says in Asia, the Philippines and Malaysia are two countries with large population of e-cigarette users. “Here in the Philippines and Malaysia, they created the industry by themselves, the local people. They are not imported products. They are products made locally. Many entrepreneurs got engaged into that, and that’s how it grew here.

The regulation should be done in such a way that vaping will be promoted to smokers only. That’s why we need rules,” he says.

“I am seeing that over the years, WHO is changing its position. But it is going on slowly,” he says. “We have a lot of data. There are more than 1,000 studies. I myself have done 50 studies on

Source: http://www.lazada.com.ph

e-cigarettes.”

“I am a former smoker who has tried every smoking cessation medication in the past. I have tried gums, I have tried oral smoking cessation, I have tried psychological therapy. I managed to Turn to C2

AIRASIA LAUNCHES WEB SERIES AIRASIA, voted the world’s best low cost carrier for eight consecutive years

by Skytrax, formally launched a six-part web series featuring some of Asia’s bestkept attractions, rich cultural heritage and inside stories about people and the airline that broke travel norms and made flying possible for everyone across Asia and beyond.

“Red Talks with Daphne,” is hosted by award-winning TV host and producer Daphne Oseña-Paez. She takes viewers to different places and talks about traveling, flying, helping and inspiring communities.

Sisters Ma. Theresa Jimenez (left) and Hazel Santos (right) remind their employees that they have what it takes to perform well and succeed.

New episode of Red Talks with Daphne is shown on AirAsia Philippines’ Facebook page every other Saturday at 7 p.m.

Red Talks with Daphne was made possible by the AirAsia Foundation, the AA BIG Loyalty Program, Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, Flower Island Resort Palawan and Jewelmer.

AirAsia BIG Loyalty Program makes it even easier and faster to fly. AirAsia’s award-winning loyalty program, AirAsia Big Loyalty, allows members to earn AirAsia Big Points to redeem free AirAsia flights, hotel stays and more.

TV host and producer Daphne Oseña-Paez (center) with AirAsia director of flight operations Capt. Gomer Monrea (right) and a flight attendant

Success runs in the family. This illustrates the newfound fulfillment of Ma. Theresa Jimenez and Hazel Santos after investing in a dream franchise business that perfectly served as an alternative career, as well as a rewarding endeavor that feeds their passion for food, family and quick service.

Prior to becoming 7-Eleven franchisees, the siblings run a 21-yearold family business, Eat Graphics Advertising which caters to the advertising needs of fast-food chains.

Ma. Theresa is the owner/president while Hazel acts as general manager and HR manager. Professionally, the former is a Computer Management major and the latter is a registered nurse. Currently, they have two 7-Eleven stores, the first store in Tikling, Taytay, Rizal and the second in C. Lawis in Antipolo City.

The idea of owning a C-store came while the two were having their snacks at their neighborhood 7-Eleven store. Both avid fans of Slurpee since childhood, Ma.Theresa says their common love for food and convenience inspired them to pursue their goal.

“We love to eat. It is our undying passion for food and convenience that helped us in the transition. We want our food served easy, fast and of course, tasty. And we just want the same for everybody,” Hazel says.

Both sisters were excited and impressed about the opportunity, as they knew they would follow through with their dream of becoming franchisees. “We chose 7-Eleven over other franchising businesses because we think highly of the 7-Eleven Franchise System. We admire what 7-Eleven has accomplished for the past years and we are confident in what it can still do in the coming years. It is also a major player in the retail [convenience stores] industry because it has made its service very convenient, accessible and affordable to its customers. It is the go-to place for all customer needs,” says Ma. Theresa.

What makes the 7-Eleven f r anch is e p a ck age a wor t hy investment, according to her, is that it is backed by a powerful brand, a strong long-term support system from the franchisor and a profit sharing/distribution that is very promising for the franchisee.

The 7-Eleven franchise package includes a one-month classroom training. Upon completion, Ma. Theresa, Hazel and their teams were fully ready when they opened their stores recently.

The sisters also especially value the way their common C-store passion has brought their family together. “Not only do our customers benefit from the C-store. Both of us get to have more family time. We also get to meet each other often, sharing updates and consulting each other about our stores’ progress. We discuss and come up with a game plan that would address and even eradicate any issue and concern,” she says.

“My p ar t nership wit h my family enhances my strengths and cancels my weaknesses not just as a leader in the business but also as a person. They are my constant supply of encouragement and wisdom especially in making crucial decisions. They see my blind spots; thus, we are able to identify problems and provide solutions to improve and grow the business. Their maturity helps me run the business more efficiently,” says Ma. Theresa.

Both sisters see the positive in the stores’ challenging but very promising growing phase. “In time, with continuous training and application of best practices, we believe we will be able to handle these challenges more effectively,” says Ma. Theresa.

Business

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 business@thestandard.com.ph

GREEK...

From C1

be smoke free for a maximum of five months. I was successful repeatedly because I repeatedly relapsed,” he says.

“After I did my first study on e-cigarettes, at that time I was still a smoker and seeing the results, I decided to try it. I managed to quit on day one.

I kept a pack of cigarettes at home for one week. After a week, I threw it away together with the lighter. And I am now smoke-free for five years and one month. Now, I never feel the need to get a cigarette. That’s why I am saying the relapse is probably gonna be much smaller with e-cigarettes compared to quitting with other methods,” he says.

Farsalinos says it is important that the Philippines develop a regulatory framework for e-cigarettes in such as way that vaping will be promoted to smokers only as a harm reduction tool.

“You need to have rules and ensure that everyone in the industry complies with the rules,” he says.

Farsalinos says while there is a need to ensure the safety and quality of e-cigarette devices, it is also important that the industry does not fall under the control of big tobacco companies. “If you create a very expensive and very restrictive regulation, who is going to afford this regulation? Only the big tobacco companies. A very strict regulation is basically providing the whole industry to the hands of the big tobacco and we don’t want that. We want to have competition and innovation. It was not a product made by big tobacco and we don’t want now to deliver it to big tobacco. We need to have small and medium-sized independent players because we will have competitive, creative, innovative environment and this helps in developing much better products,” he says.

Heneage Mitchell, founder of not-forprofit, consumer-oriented think tank Fact Asia Consultants Ltd., says e-cigarette is something that consumers enjoy and which can be improved and enhanced.

“This is the only invention that has come up ever that has shown that promise [to quit smoking],” he says.

Mitchell says the current strategies against smoking such as the imposition of higher excise taxes which have been in place for 20 years now are not working.

“They are just feeding the illicit trade and the criminal syndicates who are selling counterfeit and illicit cigarettes all over the world,” he says.

“E-cigarettes have been successful in getting millions of smokers in the EU to quit smoking. It is a personal choice, a consumer choice, a product that consumers have chosen and they deserve to have a regulatory framework that protects their interest, their health and to ensure that the products they are buying are manufactured safely,” says Mitchell.

“E-cigarettes have the proven capacity to save millions upon millions of lives, not just in the Philippines, but worldwide,” he says.

Mitchell says a ban on e-cigarettes would be disastrous. “More people are going to die because they are not given an opportunity to switch, from a dangerous product, and surely it is the government’s duty to protect the lives of its citizens and to ensure they are given access to products that will help them improve their lives and to be around with their families longer and to be more productive,” he says.

“On behalf of millions of Filipino smokers whose lives are impacted by tobacco, this is a way forward. We have an opportunity here to save millions of Filipino lives. If the government does not act and regulate the products, and make them available to smokers, I am sorry, but they will be responsible for the death of millions of Filipino smokers. They need to make the right decision. Filipino smokers and their families deserve to have access to these life-saving, gamechanging products,” says Mitchell.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

PageUp founder and CEO Karen Cariss

AUSTRALIAN CEO PREDICTS FUTURE JOBS

F

armer, miner, tailor, site laborer, flight attendant and even news reporter are among the jobs that will disappear in the future amid the changing workforce landscape and digital disruption, an Australian chief executive says in an interview.

Karen Cariss, the co-founder and CEO of global talent management software provider PageUp, says jobs in the future will include ergonomist, biostatistician, green marketer, cognitive engineer, data scientist, music therapist and Cloud architect.

Others are professional tutor, energy auditor, household manager, school psychometrist, wind turbine engineer and home care nurse.

“People will have different jobs and they will also have different careers. You could be a journalist today, and you could be a drummer in a band tomorrow,” she says.

Cariss says jobs will be highly flexible and mobile in the future, and the office environment may also disappear. This early, she says, her company allows employees to work from home.

She says repetitive and manual jobs will go

to robots while future jobs will involve a lot of creativity and relationships. “There is a potential that the whole concept of being an employee is gonna be abolished. I think that is what disruption does,” says Cariss, a co-author of a new book titled ‘Cliffhanger: HR on the Precipe in the Future of Work’.

Cariss says the human resources department of a company should take note of the latest technology developments. “It is the role of HR to educate and help them [management] understand what is possible and the transformation that needs to happen,” she says in an interview at Makati Diamond Residences in Makati City.

She advises Filipino companies to employ new methods to adapt to the changing local workforce landscape typified by digital disruption and local employment driven by foreign investments.

The book warns that the HR industry is at risk of extinction if it fails to rapidly reinvent itself.

It offers an insightful blend of current research, thinking and futurist forecasts from multiple global HR industry thought-leaders as well as the findings of three PageUp Talent Labs conducted over a 12-month period. Underpinning the Cliffhanger book is the notion that workplaces are being redefined and reimagined, underscored by a new understanding of productivity and engagement which will see a multi-modal future workforce.

“In countries with a very dynamic workforce such as the Philippines, the road ahead requires HR

to play a strategic role in the organization by sharply aligning to the business strategy, using technology as an enabler and applying strategic foresight to navigate future workforce needs,” Cariss says, “The journey that HR is traveling has hit a hard stop and is under pressure to not only facilitate the transition of the workforce into the new world of work, but also to equally to reinvent itself. HR is on the precipice of a cliff. There is a real risk of falling over and there are two choices to make: invent a way across the chasm, or disappear into it,” she says.

PageUp is a global talent management softwareas-a-service provider, offering a strategic talent management solution, delivered via the cloud. It creates technology designed to help organizations streamline people processes and strategically align their human resources across borders, business units, cultures and languages, to execute on corporate objectives.

Co-founded in Melbourne 1997 by Cariss, PageUp has since expanded globally to support both local and multinational organizations, including several Fortune 500 employers. It has offices in Australia, the US, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The tech company is building an offshore unit in the Philippines to tap Filipino talents. “We are recruiting now to augment our development team in Melbourne,” she says. “We will have two development teams here, with five to seven people per team.” Roderick T. dela Cruz

GLOBAL GATEWAY CLARK SETS THE BAR HIGHER FOR GREEN BUILDINGS GREEN development has traditionally ranked low in the Philippines’ priority list, but increasing demand from multi-national companies is now driving a demand-led surge in LEED-registered buildings.

LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building certification used worldwide that is also now gaining traction in the Philippines.

Across the country, more real estate developers are adopting environmentfriendly practices in commercial, industrial and residential projects. At present, there are 245 LEED activities in the country, with 61 projects having already obtained certification.

More will soon be joining the likes of Zuellig Building in reaching the highest standards of environmentally friendly construction. Located in the financial center of Makati, Zuellig Building was the first in the Philippines, and among the first buildings in Asia, to be Platinum-certified under the LEED program.

Just north of Manila in Clark Freeport Zone, a new city—Global Gateway Clark—

is under construction that will eventually cater to 500,000 workers. Currently, One West and Two West office towers have been pre-certified gold and these buildings, along with a further three office towers, which are scheduled for construction later this year, are targeting a post completion certification of Platinum status.

Another major project—the Clark Green City in Tarlac province—will draw on expertise from the private sector to develop key environmentally friendly initiatives.

Japanese companies Hitachi Asia and The Power Grid Solution will work with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to set up an energy management and storage system, a district cooling system, a total energy network system and a private utility company across 23,400 acres which will accommodate over 1 million residents.

The appeal of sustainable development Such projects are a part of a bigger government vision to lighten the load on the congested National Capital Region and encourage more international companies to set up bases in the country. Clark, which has

Global Gateway Clark’s One West and Two West office towers have been precertified with gold status

an international airport and connectivity to Manila, is emerging as the best location as the country’s new business hub.

Green credentials are becoming more important for new and existing developments if they are to gain traction

with an increasingly sustainability conscious business community, according to Mark Williams, CEO of Global Gateway Development Corp., which owns and operates Global Gateway Clark.

“Green certification is much more than

applying labels that add a positive image to real estate projects. From a business perspective, these certifications show that the investment has a higher asset value and is recoverable through reduced operating costs and higher return on investments,” Williams said.

“While energy savings is a direct advantage, it also has other benefits such as a greater company marketability and increased employee productivity,” he said.

While the Philippines still lags behind its Southeast Asian neighbors such as Singapore and Thailand in green initiatives, sustainability is now in the mind of developers when building new projects and retrofitting existing ones.

“The rapid expansion of the green building industry globally sets the bar high for the local real estate sector, and should ultimately encourage developers to keep up with the demand pressure for livable spaces as a result of increasing urbanization and the inflow of foreign businesses,” Williams said.

Sports

SAFC HOME OF RISING MIXED MARTIAL ARTS STARS

By Randy Caluag

N

OW it can be told. The Southeast Asia Fighting Championship (SAFC) is the country’s biggest Mixed Martial Arts organization in terms of fight frequency.

It’s the only MMA promotion that holds events three days in a week with fights held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at its home at Venus Hotel and Sports Club in Angeles City.

The SAFC is the brainchild master Emmanuel Sabrine, president of the National Muay Thai and Kickboxing Council of the Philippines (NMCKCP) and supported by Kwan Rae Jo, chairman of the Venus Hotel and Sports Club.

“SAFC has become a venue for aspiring MMA stars. We give a chance to young, amateur fighters as well as dormant, veteran fighters to have a regular tournament to continue honing their skills,” said Sabrine.

“We are really thankful to chairman Kwang Rae Jo who is considered by our MMA fighters as godfather,” he added.

Just recently, SAFC held its 60th fight night which was the culmination of months-long elimination of fighters from the amateur ranks.

“We just affirmed that SAFC is home to future MMA stars,” claimed Sabrine.

SAFC 60 a success

It was a hot and dizzyingly humid day and the City of Angeles was anxiously bracing itself from an impending storm in the form of a barrage of ground shaking strikes and an onslaught of bone-cracking submissions.

Working together as a family, the

MJ Abrillo, a veteran of local and international fights, in some of his fights. Yin Quintin

partnership between Kwang and master Sabrine The night saw 4 undercards and 5 main event championship bouts.

In the first bout Maico Fernandez scored a submission win over Alejo Corpuz via Guillotine Choke at the 4minute 51second mark of the 1st round.

Veteran internationalist MJ Abrillo won by split decision over an equally tough foe in Dennis Salazar in the second bout.

Benjie Tabaranza won over

Master Emmanuel Sabrine presents the plaque of appreciation to Venus Hotel and Sports Club chairman Kwang Rae Jo with the assistance of officials from the Games and Amusement Board

Team Young Blood celebrates victory at SAFC 60

Michael Escobia by TKO via Punches at the 2minute 56second mark of the 1st round. Genil Francisco eked out a submission win over Joemar Baying via Rear Naked Choke at 3-minute and 23-second mark of the 2nd round.

Adrian Francisco submitted Reynold Vargas via Armbar in the first round. Junie Kimayong won by unanimous decision over Ariel Oliveros.

Roel Rio pounded out a TKO win over Mark Gregory Valerio in the 4th round. Rufino Mante punched

his way to a TKO win over Jhunior Diapolet in 53 seconds of the first round. Tom Gregory Iraola won by Submission via Armbar over Benedict Venus right in the first round.

In the last bout, Jonathan Ring finished Jaypee Espinosa with a single headkick to the head to win by TKO in the first round.

The MMA clubs who participated were D Elements MMA, Cerberus, Yaw-Yan Kampilan, Young Blood, Legacy MMA, Elorde MMA to name a few. With Emmanuel Cabrera Jr.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 randyproject@yahoo.com

UNDER ARMOUR 3X3 ADDS UP OPEN CATEGORY HIGH-PERFORMANCE sportswear label Under Armour announces registration sponsorship for the U18 participants of the Under Armour 3x3 Southeast Asia 2017 Tournament. All eligible teams will now receive 50% sponsorship for their registration fee.

Registration now is only P2,750 for four participants, plus they get free Under Armour tops and bot-toms.

Organized in partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the Under Armour 3x3 Southeast Asia 2017 Tournament is a springboard for local U18 players to win a chance to be part of the national contingent and compete against other National Teams from Asia in the FIBA 3x3 U18 Asia Cup 2017 from May 26–28 in Cyberjaya Gem in Mall, Malaysia.

Flights and accommodation will be fully paid for the selected teams.

In addition to the U18 categor y, Under Armour has also cre ated an Open Category for passionate local and non-resident basketballers aged between 19–50 years old to put their skills to the test (those born between the years of 1998 and 1967).

The Open Category consists of Men and Women brackets, and winners stand to win cash prizes and medals.

Registration deadline for U18 and Open Categories has been updated to 12 April 2017.

The Under Armour 3x3 Southeast Asia 2017 Tournament eliminations for the Philippines will take place in Cebu at the Cebu City Sports Club and Ayala Center Cebu on April 22-23.

In Manila, it will take place at Bonifacio Global City on April 28-30.

Visit www.ua3x3.com for more information on the Under Armour 3x3 Southeast Asia 2017 Tour-nament.

Players must also register themselves on FIBA www.3x3planet.com and are encouraged to study the FIBA 3×3 Official Basketball Rules.

Final decisions for the selection of winning teams joining the national contingent rest with the respective federation or association.

Sponsored by Air Asia and Shot Zone Singapore, the Under Armour 3x3 Southeast Asia 2017 Tournament, is organized in partnership with FIBA, SBP, Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS), Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA), and Persatuan Bola Basket Seluruh Indonesia (PERBASI).

LASCUNA EDGES BAYRON TO BAG ICTSI CROWN BINANGONAN, Rizal—Tony Lascuna pounced on Guido Van der Valk’s early meltdown then fended off Jay Bayron’s late-hole charge in a sweltering high-noon shootout, drilling in a pressure-packed 14-foot birdie putt on the final hole to snare the ICTSI Manila Masters crown by one with a 70 yesterday (Saturday).

Lascuna nearly blew a threestroke lead with two holes to go with a bogey on the par-4 No. 17 which Bayron birdied, setting the stage for a thrilling finish at the par5 18th. Bayron sustained his charge and closed out with a tap-in birdie for a 71, bracing for a playoff after Lascuna’s pitch from 40 yards stopped 14 feet short of target.

But the reigning Order of Merit champion displayed grace under pressure, canning in that matching birdie putt from an uphill lie and preserving a one-shot victory for

the country’s winningest pro who finally nailed one at the Eastridge Golf Club here with a 285 aggregate worth P550.000.

“I really wanted this one very badly since I’ve never won here at Eastridge for years,” said Lascuna, who placed outside the Top 10 here last year in a season where he racked up five victories to reclaim the OOM crown from absentee Miguel Tabuena.

It was a sorry setback for Bayron, who also won two titles in last year’s circuit sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., who recovered from a disastrous triple-bogey 7 on No. 9 with three birdies in the last four holes to get a shot at the playoff.

“He’s really good at putting,” said Bayron, who wound up with a 286 and settled for P370,000.

True to Lascuna’s third round fore-

cast, Van der Valk did crumble under pressure from the local aces, blowing an overnight three-shot lead with a bogey-riddled, birdie-less 41.

Lascuna took charge by three with a 35 as Bayron, who shared the lead up to the eighth, dropped three strokes on the par 4 ninth.

But the Dutchman fought back with birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 but faltered again with a triple-bogey on the 16th and ended up with a 78, falling to sixth place instead at 290 worth P115,000.

Hirotaro Naito of Japan rallied from way down with a tournamentbest tying 68 to tie Jhonnel Ababa, who matched par 72, at third at 288 worth P190,000 each while Josh Salah of the US fired a 71 to place fifth at 289 and received P130,000.

Mhark Fernando carded a 72 and shared seventh with Rene Menor and American John Michael O’Toole,

who both shot 73s, and Paul Harris of the US, who wavered with a 75, at 291.

“I played good and my putting clicked,” said Lascuna, who couldn’t make the putts in a third round 76 that dropped him to joint second after 54 holes of the P3 million event backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT. The final round foldup extended the Manila-based Van der Valk’s winless run in the circuit, blaming poor putting for his defeat to Lascuna, who also nipped him in a playoff to annex the Bacolod leg crown last year.

“I played horrible. My putting was really bad and I’m very disgusted it happened in the final round,” said the Dutchman, who nevertheless praised Lascuna for his solid final round game.

Lascuna displays his Masters trophy following a pressure-pack shootout in the final hole

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Sports

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

ASKREN DEFENDS ONE CROWN

Alaska Aces import Cory Jefferson (34) protects the basketball against three GlobalPort Batang Pier defenders, from left: Stanley Pringle, Billy Mamaril and KG Canaleta.

JEFFERSON EARNS ALASKA’S TRUST

By Reuel Vidal

T

HE 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup has seen some outstanding performances by this year’s batch of big imports. The best performance so far has been submitted by this conference’s likely best import in Cory Jefferson of the Alaska Aces.

Jefferson is averaging a leaguebest 31.8 points ahead of fellow imports James White (30.5) of the Mahindra Floodbuster, Shawn Taggart (29.0) of defending champion Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters, Wayne Chism (28.2) of the NLEX Road Warriors (28.2) and Greg Smith (26.8) of the Blackwater Elite.

Jefferson started the conference with a bang as he gave his team a big lift at the offensive end when the Aces posted a rousing 107-79 rout of the GlobalPort Batang Pier during their first game on March 18.

Jefferson scored from everywhere as he sniped from threepoint distance, drove strong to the paint and even finished with a rimrattling dunk en route to a gamehigh 28 points.

The Aces grabbed a share of the lead in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup when Jefferson led his team to a decisive, 109-95, victory over the Blackwater Elite on March 22.

The Aces mauled the Elite at the defensive end, forcing one turnover after another, then torched them at the offensive end with fastbreak attacks and crisp outside shooting.

Jefferson led the Alaska assault against Blackwater. He was unstoppable as he scored from outside and

drove into the paint to score on inside incursions. He finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds as he towed Alaska to victory.

Jefferson again led all scorers when the Aces rumbled to their third consecutive victory this conference with a wire-to-wire 98-92 victory over the Mahindra Floodbuster last March 29.

In Alaska’s last game the Aces lost a big lead but came back strong behind the masterful playmaking of Jvee Casio and the blazing outside shooting of Jefferson. The Aces overhauled a four-point deficit with a little over a minute to go to post a come-from-behind 105-102 victory over Rain Or Shine on April 2.

Casio set up Alaska’s final offensive plays with the Aces trailing by four points, 93-97, with 1:51 left to play. Casio found Jefferson who drained a pressure-packed triple.

Casio then dished to Sonny Thoss who scored on a layup as Alaska forged ahead, 98-97. The Aces went to post the victory.

Jefferson played college basketball for Baylor University where he averaged 13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his senior year. He then represented the United States at the 2013 Summer

Meralco Bolts import Alex Stepheson (33) rips down the rebound in traffic against a pair of TNT Ka Tropa players.

Universiade in Kazan, Russia.

He is among the most credentialed import to ever don an Alaska jersey. He played for the Brooklyn Nets (2014-2015) and the Phoenix Suns (2015-2016) in the National Basketball Association.

He also had stops with the Maine Red Claws, the Bakersfield Jam and the Austin Spurs in the NBA Development League. He played so well that on February 6, 2017, he was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2017 NBA D-

ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren returns to the ONE Championship cage to defend his title against rising young Malaysian star Agilan “Alligator” Thani as co-main event at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes on May 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship said non-stop MMA action will hit Singapore during the card.

“ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren is back and he’s ready to welcome the young Agilan Thani to the upper echelon of the division. It is going to be an awesome showdown of youth versus experience, on a night fans will not want to miss,” said Cui. A former NCAA Division I AllAmerican, Ben Askren is a collegiate wrestling legend and one of the finest mixed martial artists in the world today. In just a few fights in ONE, Askren was able to seize the ONE Welterweight World Championship with a resounding technical knockout victory over Nobutatsu Suzuki.

The highly-skilled Askren is widely considered to be the absolute best in his division and one of the best fighters in the world pound-for-pound.

The undefeated Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be making his return to the ONE Championship cage, following a spectacular submission victory over veteran welterweight Jeff Huang. The 21-year old prospect is a perfect 7-0 as a professional, with five of his seven victories ending in the first round.

All of Thani’s victories have come by exciting finish. The young Malaysian has shown steady improvement in each outing, and has earned a shot at ONE Welterweight World Champion Askren.

The card also features ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee taking on challenger Istela Nunes of Brazil in the main event.

Ticket information for ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES is available at www.onefc.com For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ ONEChampionship.

League All-Star Game.

Jefferson was actually Alaska’s third choice and got the call to play for the Aces after Octavius Ellis, who was already in the Philippines practicing with the team, went home to attend to “family matters.”

Alaska not getting either of their first two choices for import has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Third choice or not Jefferson has led the Aces to four consecutive victories and the top of the standings.

Ben Askren

FOLAYANG FACES CONQUEROR OF FILIPINOS

ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang (left) and Malaysian star Ev Ting face off during the media launch last week of their coming fight at the Mall of Asia Arena.

WITH a little more than two weeks to go to fight night, ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang (17-5) is hard at work at the high-altitudes of Baguio City, Philippines.

Folayang will make his long-awaited return to the ONE Championship cage in Manila to defend the title for the first time against Malaysian star Ev “E.T.” Ting (13-3), a fighter who has proven to be a thorn on the side of Philippine MMA. The 27-year-old Ting has had his fair share of run-ins with Filipino MMA fighters. Throughout his career, Ting has managed to deal losses to the likes of Eric and Edward Kelly, Cary Bullos, and even Folayang’s Team Lakay stablemate Honorio Banario.

Folayang realizes that to be successful against Ting, he has to make sure he comes in at his absolute best and prevent Ting from winning over another Filipino.

“I know the stakes. I know what’s riding on this fight. Ev (Ting) is coming for my belt, he’s coming to take what I’ve worked so hard for my entire career. There is no way I’m just going to let him take it. It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure,” said Folayang.

By all accounts, Folayang seems on the right track. Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao certainly seems to think so. Sangiao believes that fans can expect a stand-up war when Folayang and Ting finally climb inside the ONE Championship cage.

Although he may have a friendly and boyish

demeanor outside the battleground, Folayang reveals that inside the cage it’s different.

“When I enter that cage, my entire mindset changes. The time for being nice and playing games is over. Once that cage door closes, my focus shifts entirely to battle. It’s different because it’s just like taking final exams, if I don’t take it seriously, I myself will fail. Only one guy gets to walk out of the cage a winner, so I make sure that guy is me,” said Folayang.

“Outside the cage, I don’t know Ev personally but I think he is a stand-up individual. Once we step inside those steel doors however, it’s time for the Landslide to take over. I put everything into my performance. All the months of hard work and sacrifice boils down to just one night so I have to make it count.”

D1

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017

Jimbo Gulle, Editor

Roger Garcia, Issue Editor

LGUs

Local Gov’t Units

mslocalgov@gmail.com

BUGKALOT PRAISES SCHOOLS’ PRESENCE

By Ben Moses Ebreo

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WHERE IT STARTED. Mariveles Vice Mayor Lito Rubia, National Historical Commission of the Philippines Deputy

Executive Director Carmina R. Arevalo, Mariveles Mayor AJ Concepcion, and Councilor Angel Sunga (from left) lead the unveiling of the ‘Pinagsimulan ng Death March’ Marker in Mariveles, Bataan. The town was one of the two starting points of the infamous Death March. Butch Gunio

CULTURE BUFFS RAISE NOTES ON PH REGIONAL FOLK SONGS

By Honor Blanco Cabie

P

INILI, Ilocos Norte—Some Filipino culture buffs, among them musicians of small town bands, are raising notes for more open or covered auditoriums and stages for the country’s slowly fading out regional folk songs.

They believe these songs can well keep up to the beat and melody as well as message of English songs that have made inroads in the industry.

They say, on the sidelines of some weekend musical rehearsals, that these Filipino folk songs can have the same lilting tune and mighty message as, for instance, the American singer-song writer Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” or “If I Had a Hammer” written in 1949 by Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes.

Guthrie’s chorus has the lines: “The sun comes shining as I was strolling/ The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling/ The fog was lifting a voice come chanting/ This land was made for you and me.”

The song “If I Had a Hammer,” a Civil Rights anthem of the American Civil Rights movement, has the words: “It’s a hammer of justice/ It’s a bell of freedom/ It’s a song about love between my brothers and my sisters/ All

over this land.”

Some sources say the Philippines, which has several regions with major regional languages and musical brands, is literally a treasure trove for folk songs that give sheen to the country’s overall culture as a Southeast Asian nation.

Sources say people in the regions, particularly the younger generations, should be exposed to this wealth of Filipino folk songs “since it is an essential way to pass down tradition that has been the signature of their ancestors.”

There are also those who say singing these folk songs and helping the young ones appreciate the message helps preserve and protect these folk songs which cover a variety of musical styles although the song is commonly used to refer to a narrative song that uses traditional melodies to speak on a topic.

Folk songs—the music of a nation, a subculture or a community of people—address social and political issues like work, war, and popular opinion and communicates a message and has a strong meaning about them.

In the Philippines, these folk songs are abundant—from as far north as Ilocos Norte and Cagayan to the warrior-type Tausugs in Jolo in the far south—but are hardly known and heard, if at all, by young Filipinos.

Ilocanos take pride in their folk song Pamulinawen, among others they have in their chests, a song addressed to, a euphemism, a stone-hearted lady.

Part of the lyrics: Pamulinawen/ Pusok indengam man/ Toy umas-asug/ Agrayo d’ta sadiam/Panunotem man/ Ti inka pagintu-

tulngan/ ‘toy agayat/ agrayo d’ta sadiam. / The loose translation in English by an Ilocano musician: pamulinawen/ please hearken to my heart/the one appealing/ has been under your spell/ please think of me/ the one you keep ignoring/the one beseeching/ enamored with your charm. // Bicolanos take pride as well, apart from “Katurog na Nonoy” and “Sarung Banggi,” the song “Babaeng Taga Bikol: Maogmahon sa Kabicolan (2x)/ Madia kamo sa Kabicolan/ Dae nindo malilingawan/ Babaeng taga-Bicol.

Which means—again loose translation— it’s nice to be in Bicolandia (2x)/ Come on over to the region/ and don’t you ever forget/ a lady from Bicol. // In the Cordilleras, the Bontocs have a funeral song on Inan Talangey. This is about the life of a dead person and is sung by two or three groups of people during the evening wake, a practice common in northern Philippines.

The Kalingas also have their folk songs, like Banao, a lullaby song which relates the story of a baby sitter—perhaps a sibling or a close relative—while the child’s parents are out there in the farm.

The song says the baby-sitter lulls the baby to sleep by rocking it in a forward-backward movement of the torso and bending the knee a little, while singing: O-wah, o-wah, o-wah-wi-iyi-i/Nasigab man-tagibi-iyi-i/ Maid suyop no labvi/ Anosan ta’n bvobva-ii-i/ Siya’t kopyan dji bvo-bva-i/ O-way adjo’t ligatmi-i-iyi/ Man-i-goygoy no labvi/ O-wah, o-wah, o-wah-wi--iyi-i.// The loose English translation by someone Turn to D2

PHOENIX FUEL MASTERS GIVE BACK TO YOUNG BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Point guard RJ Jazul shares shooting techniques to young players during the Phoenix Fuel Masters Basketball Camp in Davao City on March 31.

DAVAO CITY—As a young boy, JC Intal’s brothers taught him to play basketball. In grade school, he tried out for basketball camp, and many years later—playing with various teams and overcoming injuries—Intal has made a name for himself as a professional basketball player.

With a heart to give back, he and his teammates from the Phoenix Fuel Masters team participated in the Phoenix Fuel Masters Basketball Camp at the Davao City Recreation Center on March 31.

“Ang basketball clinic makakatulong talaga sa mga kids, lalo ng yung mga mahilig sa sports,” said Intal.

“We’re very blessed na merong ganitong opportunity na dumarating sa

kanila kasi hindi lahat ng lugar nagkakaroon ng ganito, so they should take advantage of the camp.”

Proper footwork, ball handling, defense, passing, receiving, and shooting were among the techniques taught to the more than 150 basketball players of ages 10 to 14 years old. The players were selected from the adopted schools of Phoenix Petroleum and selected barangays in Davao City.

Local coaches led by Camp Master Eddie Salac facilitated the camp.

The Phoenix Fuel Masters guided the young players and gave them tips.

On one side, Cyrus Baguio, RJ Jazul, and Matthew Wright taught the boys shooting techniques. Doug Kram-

er and John Wilson guided them through footwork drills. Willy Wilson gave instructions on defense. Joseph Eriobu and Michael Miranda demonstrated passing techniques. The Fuel Masters talked to the boys and encouraged them to learn and practice.

More than just learning ball-control skills, the camp also aimed to teach the young players the importance of discipline, exercise, rest, attitude, strategy, and hard work.

Phoenix Fuel Masters head coach Ariel Vanguardia reminded the young players to listen. “Yung mga magagaling, like engineers, magaling makinig. Listening is very important kung gusto mong maging magaling na basketball player,” he said.

DUPAX DEL NORTE, Nueva Vizcaya —Native songs and dances were offered as members of the Bugkalot tribe in the upland barangays of this town gathered in unity to celebrate the establishment of a national high school 25 years ago.

The Bugkalot National High School, one of the 40 national high schools created by Congress at the time, brought education closer to the tribe.

“We owe this school and the education it gave to our government through the assistance of then Rep. Carlos Padilla. With this, many of our children have completed their education,” said barangay captain Pagada Gumiad, the first village chief of New Gumiad.

Since the establishment of BNHS, many young Bugkalot tribe members earned their elementary and secondary education and are now employed as seaman, teachers, local officials and other vital positions in various government agencies, Gumiad said.

Lando Kilop, 40, the BNHS first head teacher, said their school greatly addressed the absence of literacy among the youth in Barangay New Gumiad and nearby villages.

“The rugged road and terrain then have discouraged many of our parents to send their children in schools because it was very far and means of transportation was through hiking only,” he said.

Kilop said a day’s hike is required to reach the nearest school in the municipality and parents who only depend on upland agriculture cannot afford to pay for the needed boarding house rent.

Epie Gumiad, 35, the first graduate of BNHS and now a social welfare worker advised her fellow Bugkalot members, especially the youth to give importance on their education.

BANAHAW STILL CLOSED TO PILGRIMS, TREKKERS STA. CRUZ, Laguna—Large areas of Mount Banahaw will remain closed to trekkers, mountaineers and pilgrimage, as the mountain has yet to fully recover from environmental degradation, but officials are keeping certain areas open to pilgrimages and other religious activities this Holy Week.

Mt. Banahaw straddles the municipalities of Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria and Dolores in Quezon and parts of the towns of Rizal, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Majayjay and San Pablo City in Laguna.

Mt. Banahaw, the tallest mountain in the Calabarzon region and considered a holy, mystical site, has shown signs of improvement after a respite of seven years from ecological disturbances such as pollution and incessant hiking.

Its significance in religion and folklore makes it not only a physical, but also a cultural landmark.

It is home to Rizalistas and other cults, some of whom believe the mountain as the “New Jerusalem.”

To a wider populace, it is a sacred mountain, visited every Holy Week by devotees, some of whom made it a pledge to regularly climb Banahaw.

Thus, it is not surprising that places in the mountain have religious names, such as “Kweba ng Dios Ama” (Cave of the God the Father) and “Kalbaryo” (Calvary). At its foot village of Kinabuhayan, all sorts of amulets, magical stones, and healing herbs are peddled, together with souvenir shirts.

Salud Pangan, Park superintendent ng Mounts Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape, said this Holy Week pilgrimage to the mountain will be allowed, though confined to designated areas.

A curfew will be enforced and pilgrims would have to leave the mountain after 10 p.m.

Roy Tomandao

LGUs

D2

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BICOL CLIMATE CHANGE ACADEMY SHUTTERED

By Manilyn B. Ugalde

L

EGAZPI CITY—The lone Climate Change Academy here has finally been disabled as a disaster risk management teaching institution.

Founded in 2009 where local government units could enroll for a course for climate change for an effective disaster and risk management to minimize casualties in times of disaster, the Climate Change Academy will now serve as a mere research center reintegrated with the Albay Provincial Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo), the agency’s head, Cedric Daep,said in radio interviews.

A radio Brigada Legazpi broadcast on Tuesday saidthe capitol has rendered the Climate Change Academy virtuallyabolished after the office was divested of employees. Gov. Al Francis Bichara

allegedly was not convincedof the programs of former Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda on risk management.

Salcedawas the proponent of the Climate Change Academy, located inside the Bicol University, with President Benigno Aquino III as the principal guest during its inauguration in 2009.

Salceda explained the function of the Climate Change Academy, where anyone from the LGUs could enroll as an special course to attaintraining on disaster and risk management at the expense of the LGUs. In 2013, Salceda was hailed

by Malacañang after obtaining

zero casualties during Typhoon “Glenda,” underscoring the thengovernor as the country’s climate change guru.

Salceda could not be reached for comment on the academy’s closure at press time.

In his nine years’ stint as governor since 2007, Salceda introduced what was dubbed by local leaders as an exemplary disaster risk management program.

Salceda’s critics, however, accused the governor of excessive and highly elaborateddisaster implementation at the expense of taxpayers, saying many of the Capitolfull force evacuation efforts, usually executed three days before the expected typhoon landfall, usually failed to materialize.

The former governor’s critics noted that Salceda’sevacuation efforts wasted millions in the guise of disaster preparedness.

Residents, however, claimed they have missed the disaster

preparedness executed under Salceda.

They said that aside from the radio reports tapped to regularly air weather status based on weather bureau updates aired almost every 20 minutes, residents also receive regular updates ofthe weather status through their cellphoneshandledby Salceda-tasked Capitol “text brigade”round the clock.

The residents said that after Salceda, they no longer receive updates about weather status, which have been minimized under the present administration.

“Better an elaborate preparedness for the sake of public safety,” said Bicol University Professor Dr. Arme Tan, 82.

With Salceda out of the Capitol following his election as congressman of the province’s second district, Albaysuffereda costly lesson on Christmas Day last year, when half of the expected 130,000 residents Capitol

hadasked to evacuate during Typhoon “Nina” failed to leave their homes,leading to the death of five residents.

Bichara explained that Capitol had given its support for the full evacuation and that residents got strong warnings of the powerful typhoon, “but the residents were just too stubborn to obey.”

Bichara’s spokesman Danny Garcia also refuted radio reports about the climate change academy issue, and allegations that Bichara has discarded the former administration’s climate change programs. Garcia said what he read in Bichara’s mind was that he wants to introduce some innovation regarding disaster program.

Asked if the Climate Change Academy would still function as a teaching school for LGUs who would wish to enroll to study disaster management, Garcia refused to answer.

‘LIGTAS SUNVAC’ IN FULL SWING

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—Police authorities in Central Luzon have mobilized road safety marshals, foot and mobile patrols all over the region to ensure the safety and security of travelers, commuters and motorists this coming Lenten season and summer vacation.

The operation is called Ligtas SunVac 2017 and will start on April 10, lasting up to the third week of June.

Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, regional director of the Police Region Office 3, said police assistance desks and action centers will be open 24 hours in the seven provinces and cities here.

Municipal police stations are also activated in the entire region to assist the public during the observance of the Holy Week and summer vacation.

Aquino said the operation will be implemented with the cooperation of local government units, non-governmental organizations, volunteers’ groups and others.

He said the road safety marshals and foot and mobile patrols will be fielded in the different jeep and bus terminals, airports, seaports, main thoroughfares, highways, beaches and other tourist spots.

To protect motorists, commuters and the public during the holidays against criminal elements, he urgedresidents to report suspicious-looking persons to the nearest police station to prevent being victimized. Romeo Dizon

BLOOD DRIVE. Orion Mayor Tony Pep Raymundo (center, in white polo shirt) looks to a blood donor during the bloodletting activity he initiated in his town in Bataan. Butch Gunio

P31M IN GSIS LOANS IN 3 VISMIN AREAS THE Government Service Insurance System has set aside a total of P30.9 million in emergency loans for its active members and old-age pensioners in Valencia, Negros Oriental; Buadiposo-Buntong, Lanao del Sur; and Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte.

The deadline for application is April 13 for Buadiposo-Buntong and Manukan, and April 14 for Valencia.

A total of 1,040 active members who are working or residing in the calamity-declared areas and 277 old-age pensioners are expected to benefit from the program.

Qualified are active members who are not on leave of absence without pay, have no arrears in paying premium contributions, and have no unpaid loans for more than six months.

First-time borrowers may apply for a P20,000 emergency loan. Those with existing emergency loan may borrow P40,000, from which their outstanding balance will be deducted.

Active members may apply through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System kiosks located in all GSIS branch and extension offices; provincial capitals; city halls; selected municipal offices; large government agencies such as the Department of Education; Robinsons Malls; and selected SM City branches in North Edsa, Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, and SM Aura in Taguig City.

Old-age pensioners residing in the three areas may avail of the P20,000 emergency loan by personally applying at any GSIS branch office. Pensioners who have become active members anew after reentering government service may apply for the loan only once.

The loan is payable in 36 equal monthly installments at six percent interest rate per annum. It is covered by a loan redemption insurance, which deems the loan fully paid in case of the borrowers’ demise, if loan repayment is up to date.

Loan proceeds are electronically credited to the borrower’s GSIS eCard or unified multipurpose identification or UMIDcard.

For more information, visit the GSIS website, www.gsis.gov.ph; call the GSIS Contact Center at 847-4747; or email gsiscares@ gsis.gov.ph.

MUNTI HONOR STUDENTS GAIN CASH INCENTIVES IN MUNTINLUPA, graduating honor students are not only conferred with medals and ribbons, but also rewarded with cash incentives.

The city government of

Muntinlupa, through Muntinlupa Scholarship Program, rewards top academic students with financial assistance amounting from P3,000 to P10,000 in recognition of their

CULTURE BUFFS...

From D1 who has gone to the area: O-wah, o-wah, owah-wi-iyi-i/ Baby-sitting is rather difficult/ No sleep at all at night/ We women can only bear/ That’s what women are born for/ Although there is much to suffer from. // The Kalingas also have their “Dang-dangay,” another traditional song which became popular during the second world war.

Kalingas say the guerrillas sang this song while they bade good-bye to their sweethearts, the women not wanting their lovers to go away while the men were promising they would return.

Part of the lyrics: Ading di ka agsangit/ Agsubliyak mabiit/ Ading di ka agdanag/ Mabiit a mabayag/ Urray innak mabitay/ No diak gasat a matay/ Kastoy gayam ta ayat/ Pangkitaan ti rigat…// The English loose translation: My young one, don’t weep/ I’ll be back before long/ Don’t worry / It’s not that long/ I might be hanged/ If it’s not my fate to die/ This is love after all/ Mirror of difficulties. // One is reminded of the “Ballad of the Green Berets, “ a patriotic song in the ballad style about the Green Berets, an elite special force in the US Army.

It is one of the very few songs of the 1960s to cast the military in a positive light, yet it became a major hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts for five weeks in 1966. It was also a crossover smash, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s Country survey.

In the lahar-devastated province of Pampanga are several folk songs, but one, according to patriotic minds, particularly stand out.

outstanding performance.

Honor students from elementary level receiveP5,000 for Top 1-3, P4,000 for Top 4-6, and P3,000 for Top 7-10. Honor students from secondary level

This is the song titled “Capampangan Cu” whose lyrics include Ing balen cung Capampangan/ Sale ning leguan at dangalan/ Paraiso ne ning cabanalan/ Luclucan ning catuliran/ Mibait la qng candungan na/ Ding bayani ampong biasa/ Balen co uliran ca/ Lalam ning bandera. // Sources from the province say this is a patriotic song which elevates Pampanga, described as the place of the righteous, religious and law-abiding citizens.

Those in the Queen City of the South have their “Usahay” whose lyrics, partly, say: Usahay magadamgo ako/ Nga ikaw ug ako nagka higugmaay/ Nganong damgohon ko ikaw/ Damgohon sa kanunay…// A loose English translation puts some graphic image: Sometimes I am dreaming/ That you and I love each other/ Why are you the one I dream of/ And always dream of my loneliness…// The Tausugs of Sulo have their “Unu In Hi Langan” whose lyrics include: Unu in hi langan/ Sin hidlaw kan jungjungan/ Ayir bajanggang/ Sukkal banding di kapasangan/ Hi ula katumbangan/ Bang maisa kulangan/ Dayang in pagngnnan. // The loose English translation: What can I sing/ (To ease my) yearning for my beloved/ (Her) incomparable presence/ cannot be matched/ (My) dear idol and lover/ When lying in the chamber/ I utter the name of my beloved. // Culture aficionados say there are other regions rich in folk songs which need wider dissemination and appreciation by the younger generations—if only for the message of patriotism, love for kin and what the songs say of the community, the aspirations of the people, their laughter, their grief, and their dreams.

Many ordinary Filipinos agree.

receive: P10,000 for Top 1-3, P7,000 for Top 4-6, and P5,000 for Top 7-10.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi awarded the cash incentives to Top 10 students in Public Elementary and High School during its Graduation rites from April 6 to 8.

The mayor hoped the incentive would encourage other students to also give their best in academics.

“With your hard work being rewarded, continue to dream big as your achievement is your parents’ achievements as well,”

DAM CLEANUP.

Employees of SM City Marilao participate in a cleanup drive at Prenza Dam to free the waterway of debris. The project coincided with the celebration of the United Nations’ World Water Day, and spearheaded by the Region 3 Environmental Management Bureau to restore and clean waterways.

Members of different government and private sectors and civic groups in nearby towns supported the advocacy.

Jun David

Fresnedi added.

The Fresnedi administration puts prime importance in the education of Muntinlupa residents throughits inclusive and comprehensive scholarship program for all students,not only those who excel academically but all who desire to study, particularly the poor.

The city government has been helping over 50,000 scholars, and since the expansion of local scholarship program, school drop-out rates and absenteeism continue to decline.

Gadgets & Games

D3

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

HOME CREDIT INKS PACT WITH OPPO

Gerard Milan, Smart Prepaid brand marketing head; Miriam Choa, Smart Prepaid marketing head; Hazel Bascon, Vivo Philippines vice president and head of sales; and Annie Lim, Vivo Philippines brand director, hold up Vivo phones at the signing of their exclusive partnership.

VIVO, SMART WANT TO GIVE BEST MOBILE EXPERIENCE

W

ITH a vision of providing the optimum smartphone experience for Filipino consumers, Vivo Mobile Tech Inc., top five premium global smartphone brand1, inked a partnership with Smart Communications Inc., last March 22 at the PLDT Ramon Cojuangco Building in Makati City.

“As par t of our aggressive r o l l - o u t o f o u r LT E n e t w o r k across the country, we are excited to work with top smartphone manufacturers like Vivo to bring more LTE-capable devices into the local market,” said Patrick Tang, vice president and head for Smart Postpaid Brand and Device Management.

“LTE gives the best mobile data experience to our customers, and more LTE devices in the market means that more people will be able to take advantage of and enjoy the powerful LTE network that Smart is putting in place,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hazel Bascon, Vivo Philippines vice president and

head of sales, said this partnership means better connections for consumers. “With this tie-up, our customers will be able to make improved connections, whether on the web or with each other, because Smart has always been known for its premium service.”

“The high-quality features of Vivo mobile phones, combined with Smart’s exclusive promos, and speedy and reliable services, ensure a greatly enhanced smartphone experience for Filipino customers,” she added.

Also present during the signing event were Annie Lim, Vivo brand director; Miriam Choa, Prepaid marketing head; and Gerard Milan, Smart Prepaid brand marketing head.

In this tie-up, Smart will provide Vivo with LTE prepaid SIMs that will feature the following exclusive add-ons for 12 months: Free 100MB data per month upon activation of SIM, and a reward of an additional 300MB data for every accumulated P150 worth of load within a month.

The Smart LTE prepaid SIMs will be given to customers for free, for every purchase of Vivo handsets, with specific units to be announced soon.

For inquiries about this promo from Smart and Vivo, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph, or check out their Facebook (https://www. facebook.com/ VivoPhil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ vivophil/) and Twitter (https://twitter. com/vivo_phil) accounts.

LG MARKS SALE OF 15M REFRIGERATORS

LG ELECTRONICS today announced the sale of its 15th million refrigerator worldwide powered by its proprietary Inverter Linear Compressor, the appliance division’s most successful core technology. LG saw sales of its premium refrigerators increase 8 percent last year compared to the previous year and expects to sell four million more units this year, an average of seven refrigerators sold every minute.

LG’s Inverter Linear Compressor is a critical component of every premium refrigerator and is considered a core technology behind the success of the company’s appliances. Unlike conventional rotary compressors that utilize circular motion, LG’s Linear Compressor converts linear motion into cooling power much more efficiently. This process reduces energy consumption and noise level compared to refrigerators with conventional motors.

Since developing the Inverter Linear Compressor 16 years ago, LG has continuously worked to improve its technology. LG’s fifth generation Inverter Linear Compressor, introduced in 2014, delivers 55 percent better energy efficiency and 15 percent less noise compared its first generation compressor. LG currently holds 981 patents in South Korea for its Linear Inverter Compressor technology, as well as 232 patents in the United States and 52 across Europe.

LG’s Inverter Linear Compressor refrigerator has been named “Best Refrigerator” by a number of consumer organizations and product reviewers world over for its excellent performance, consistent temperature controls and low noise level. LG expanded its award-winning lineup last year with its new Centum System™ refrigerator developed specifically for

the European market. The Centum System Inverter Linear Compressor was backed by a 20-year warranty, an industry first, earning it recognition by VDE (Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker), one of Europe’s most respected standards and safety organizations.

“Our commitment to developing core technologies such as the Inverter Linear Compressor is a key element of the success of LG refrigerators all over the world,” said Song Dae-hyun, president of LG’s and Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company. “Our priority to enhance refrigerator performance, reduce noise levels while using less energy is how we continue to bring value to our customers.”

COMING off the heels of a successful 2016 collaboration that saw brisk sales of its flagship devices, mobile giant OPPO is once again teaming up with Prague-based consumer finance company Home Credit in what they call a “strategic” partnership for 2017, as they get set to launch more OPPO installment promos in more places around the country.

This comes as OPPO looks to expand its market from the mass millennial and working class segments to the mid to high-tier mobile buyer segments, leveraging on consumers’ rising demand for OPPO’s camera phones as well as Home Credit’s affordable and accessible payment options.

“Our huge success with Home Credit in offering the OPPO F1 and F1s at low installments proves that Filipino mobile consumers, especially tech savvy millennials and workers, put a premium on two things: top-of-the-line features and affordability,” remarked Stephen Cheng, brand marketing manager of OPPO Philippines.

“And as we develop even more cuttingedge camera phones, we intend to expand and capture a bigger segment of the market, especially those who are looking for mid to high-tier models at competitive prices,” Cheng added.

Adam Bernasek, Home Credit Philippines’ Head of Sales, said that both companies are taking the lead in addressing a huge market demand.

“Our respective numbers and fast growth speak for themselves. In just a few years, OPPO has skyrocketed as one of the leading and best-selling names in the Philippines and Asian mobile segments, while Home Credit has dramatically grown its customer base as we approach the one million-customer mark in the country,” he said.

Bernasek noted that according to their sales data, around 40% of customers, both male and female, that purchased OPPO mobile phones through Home Credit financing belong to the 26-35 age segment, and are part of the country’s young, single and fast-growing mass workforce.

With OPPO’s planned entry into the upper-tier segment, they now set their sights on the upper-middle and even upper class markets, while continuing to establish its leadership among younger customers. With Home Credit, they intend to reach their 2017 target by offering more 0% interest promos for more products, in more places across the country.

“There is very clearly a high demand for both of our products and services from a significant portion of the mobile market, and we are thrilled to be working together with OPPO again to meet this demand,” Bernasek added.

ASUS...

From D4

LG dual refrigerator

photos, and loves a great battery.”

Here are the specs of the ASUS Zenfone 3 Zoom (ZE553KL) specs: 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display @ 1920 x 1080 pixels; 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU; 5,000mAh Li-Ion battery w/ quick charging, reverse charging; Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/ Zen UI 3.0; 170 grams (weight);154.3 x 77 x 7.99 mm (dimensions); Dual 12MP laser AF rear camera (2.3x optical zoom) w/ dual-LED flash, OIS; 3-megapixel frontfacing camera; Dual SIM; Expandable via microSD, up to 2TB (uses SIM 2 slot); WiFi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.2; Adreno 506 GPU; 4GB LPDDR4 RAM; 32GB, 64GB, 128GB internal storage; 4G LTE; GPS with aGPS support, GLONAS, BDSS; Fingerprint scanner; USB Type-C; Navy Black, Glacier Silver, Rose Gold.

SNAP ON SOME FUN WITH MOTO MODS

MOTOROLA is once again gracing the smartphone scene with flair with the launch of the Moto Z and Moto Mods, powerful complementary modular Moto Z accessories that deliver extra power, enhanced music quality and breathtaking imagery in a snap.

Featuring incredibly strong magnets for instant connection, the Moto Mods integrate seamlessly into the Moto Z without having to turn off the smartphone or remove its back panel.

Sleek and stylish, the Moto Mods are show stealers, just like Moto brand ambassadors Nadine Lustre and James Reid, who have captivated mainstream society with their incredible chemistry and edgy style. Just as Nadine and James have perfected the art of looking good together while maintaining their individuality, the Moto Mods complement the Moto Z perfectly with their unique modular features.

Incipio offGRID Power Pack: Instant recharge Millennials won’t be nettled by power outage anymore: They can finally go for days without charging their Moto Z, thanks to the Incipio offGRID Power Pack, which adds 22

hours of battery life. Those who need their smartphones up and running 24/7 can also count on the TurboPower (TM) for an instant recharge.

Extra power doesn’t mean scrimping on style either. Aside from featuring a sleek wireless charging pad, the Incipio offGRID Power Pack comes in stylish designer versions, so millennials can still look great while recharging their Moto Z. JBL Soundboost Speaker Mod and Moto Insta-Share Projector: Get the party started Tired of dull house parties? Liven up your get-togethers with the JBL Soundboost Speaker Mod. With this modular boombox, millennials can instantly fire up energy levels with high-quality mobile audio that lasts until the wee hours of the morning. They can even turn their living room into a pop-up cinema:.

With 10 hours of battery life and an integrated kickstand, the JBL Soundboost Speaker Mod allows millennials to enjoy watching movies and listening to their favorite playlists, completely handsfree.

You can even continue your viewing party in your garden. Watch movies under

Hasselblad TrueZoom Camera

the stars, thanks to the Moto Insta-Share Projector, which allows you to instantly project movies and videos on your garden wall. The Moto Insta-Share Projector projects up to 70-inch images on to any flat surface and comes with 1 hour additional battery life for weekend movie marathons.

Hasselblad True Zoom Camera Mod: Mobile photography in a snap Millennials can finally capture the perfect

sunrise at Mt. Pulag in a snap. Hasselblad, the pioneer behind mirrorless digital cameras, brings the Hasselblad True Zoom Camera Mod to the Moto Z to satisfy travel photographers’ whims. Packed with 10x optical zoom and 12MP sensor resolution, the Hasselblad True Zoom Camera Mod allows users to take highquality photos with precision and even has Optical and Electronic Image stabilization to prevent shaky photos and videos. Its 1080p video resolution, various capture modes and Xenon flash lights allow adventure seekers to document their experiences with crystal clear clarity. Plus, it can save photos in raw format for post-processing needs.

Featuring the trademark Hasselblad design and ergonomics, complete with physical zoom and shutter buttons, the Hasselblad True Zoom Camera Mod delivers a premium shooting experience like no other. With the flexibility of the Moto Mods ecosystem, snapping photos while on the go really can’t get any better!

Moto Style Shell Mod: Fit your style The Moto Style Shell Mod brings on the fab in a snap with premium-designed back shells that transform the phone to reflect the user’s

personality. Available in real wood, leather, ballistic nylon and patterned fabric, the Moto Style Shell Mod offers different stylish options to allow users to assert their individuality.

“Filipino millennials who wear many hats demand ultra-functionality, enhanced productivity and extreme mobility. We are proud to usher in a new era of mobile experience with the launch of the Moto Mods, which allow users to transform their phone’s style, power and entertainment capabilities effortlessly in a snap as they play multiple roles in their day-to-day life,” said Dino Romano, country manager for Lenovo Mobile Business Group Philippines.

The new Moto Z smartphone retails for Php 33,999, while the Moto Mods are available at the following retail prices: Moto Style Shell-Herringbone Nylon P699; Moto Style Shell-Crimson Nylon P699; Moto Style Shell-Black Leather P999; Incipio offGRID Power Pack P4,999; JBL Soundboost Speaker Mod P5,499; Hasselblad True Zoom P14,099; Moto Insta-Share Projector P14,999 The Moto Mods are available at select MemoXpress and SiliconValley outlets (SM North Edsa, SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia).

D4

Gadgets & Games

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

ASUS READY FOR THE BIG BOYS WITH ZENFONE3 ZOOM

BEST JOBS YOU CAN GET WITH AN ONLINE DEGREE DEDICATING hours of work to jumpstart your career is to be expected, but being able to do so at your own pace can pose its own challenge.

With the rising demand for online learning, institutions such as AMA Online Education bring back the power to students with providing flexible learning options.

AMAOEd also offers CHED-certified degree programs that help students succeed in their chosen fields. Its diverse course offerings showcase the potential in shaping graduates poised to make waves in different areas of specialization. Here’s a quick roundup of the best jobs you can get with your AMA Online Education degree.

IT Specialist

ASUS brand ambassaYassi Pressman is shown during the launch of the ZenFone 3 Zoom.

At right is ASUS Country Manager George Su. Lino Santos

B

OASTING of a high-capacity 5000mAh battery, a dual-camera system that delivers photographic perfection and a design that features the world’s slimmest and lightest 5.5-inch smartphone, the ZenFone 3 Zoom is ASUS’ primary ammunition in the very fierce and competitive world of smartphone one-upmanship.

Launched at the Lepanto Penthouse last Thursday, ASUS’ big guns officially presented the its new imaging-focused device — the Zenfone 3 Zoom, succeeding the original Zenfone Zoom in 2015 and now flaunts a dual rear camera setup.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom com-

bines the industry’s best smartphonecamera technologies and innovative dual-lens optics with its ƒ/1.7 SONY IMX362 sensor and 2.3x optical zoom camera, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S625 processor and ASUS SuperPixel™ Engine and its 5000mAh battery.

The upshot is unparalleled smart-

phone photography ready to capture every scenario, the moment you need it.

The ASUS Zenfone 3 Zoom has a price tag of P23,995, about P3,000 cheaper than the previous P26,995 tag of the 2015 model.

Like a proud dad showing off his kid graduating with honors, ASUS Philippines Country Manager George Su led the simple launching ceremonies, where they flaunted the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom’s features.

“This is the second of the series, but this time, we revolutionized the technology in this phone, with the dual-camera and the latest SONY sensor to give you the clearer pictures in a 5.5-inch full AMOLED screen,” said Su. “This sleek phone is very powerful,

with a strong battery pack. According to our tests, it has a standby time of over 42 days. You can take a video for more than 8 hours, with a very strong audio system,” added Su. “For buyers, we will also bundle this with the JBL Harman Portable Bluetooth Speakers, a limited ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom clear case, an ASUS ZenEar headset, and an ASUS tripod, all worth P4,500, free to the customer. These bundled items are included when you purchase the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, starting next week, at the price of P23,995 at stores nationwide. You cannot find any other offer from any other phone. This is a very good package, good offer, best value for money for anyone who likes taking Turn to D3

PROCUREMENT SOFTWARE MAVERICK PHILYES RISES The gorgeous Philyes CEO, Rachel TolentinoGatlabayan as she poses for the Worldbex 2017 Gala Night. Below, Philyes’ VP for Marketing, Jeff Quilapio and VP for Marketing, Chris Guarin greet Philyes Member Joseph Calata, CEO of the Calata Corporation.

By Redge Tolentino

WorldBex is five days long— for there is hardly a way one SINCE man decided to cre- can absorb so many marvels ate rather than seek shelter, within barely a week.

Yet with this boom there has been a need to find quality building mate- in expositions comes a rials. And walking past stalls unique problem—efficient at WordlBex 2017, the Phil- sourcing. Gone are the ippines’ biggest construc- days when one-size-fits-all. tion expo, it’s easy to feel People now demand onesize-fits-me. And the sheer like a true world-builder.

You get an urge to snap number of options for mayour fingers and utter “let terials and their manufacthere be light! And heat! And turers mean that products centralized air-conditioning!” of the industrial revolution as you stride past the indus- need a digital evolution.

Enter PhilYes, and the try’s biggest brands. There is a sense of wonder at the power of sourcing through impressive earth-movers, at silicon. This fledgling tech the latest in security systems, company provides an inand at the most efficient of valuable service—connectsolar collectors. There is even ing suppliers and buyers in a sense of gratitude which a way that makes building comes from knowing that anything, seamless.

Need a quantity of concrete? A certain amount of cement? A specific grade of glass or kind of carbon fiber? PhilYes has you covered.

Their sourcing platform serves as a link for sellers and buyers—which goes both ways. Suppliers can post opportunity posts for available products, helping purchasers find materials they need, cheaper, better, or newer.

With the conclusion of the 22nd Worldbex and the first year PhilYes has joined, there is a sense of promise.

That whether building a home, a skyscraper, or city —access to the best materials will always be at your fingertips. SIGN UP NOW WWW.PHILYES.COM

Workplaces run on information technology. IT specialists are trained experts who provides counsel and support to optimize a company’s software, hardware, databases, and other enterprise systems.

IT specialists also venture into more specific roles in computer programming, application development, and research to name a few. Opportunities for this group of specialists are immense as more organizations continuously rely on information technology to fulfill business needs.

If learning the language of the 21st century appeals to you, then you should definitely consider taking up degree programs in Information Technology, Computer Science, or even Computer Engineering.

Marketing Manager

Crafting and getting a brand or a product’s message across to attract new customers is a role that demands business acumen and creativity. Marketing managers are at the forefront of ensuring that their companies’ core messages are communicated strategically. Graduates of the institution’s Business Administration (Major in Management Information Systems) program are trained to apply marketing principles in implementing plans that help respond to business needs.

Teacher

Shaping the mind of the next generation is a calling that speaks to individuals who are inclined to give back. Teachers inspire students to go into the world equipped to make more critical and informed decisions. If you’re looking to influence the minds of students through teaching, AMAOEd offers degree programs such as Bachelor of Elementary Education, and Bachelor Secondary Education programs with specialties in Computer Science, Mathematics, and English. Your passion for any of these subjects will someday help students discover their love for it.

Accountant

Through understanding financial performance, companies effectively gauge the efficiencies of their products and services in the market. Behind all these numbers are accountants who carefully analyze data, maintain records, and provide financial counsel to help companies grow.

BEYOND THE BOX UNLEASHES THIS POCKET GAMING BEAST THANKS to the smartphone trail blazed by the iPhone, we no longer have to lug around dedicated gadgets such as mp3 players, GPS units, or even calculators. Dedicated handheld gaming devices, however, have been holding out a bit longer. While the iPhone has plenty of power under the hood to run most moderngames, tapping and swiping on a glass screen just doesn’t compare to the feel and response of tactile buttons.

That’s why for serious handheld gaming, a standalonedevice is a must. Or is it?

That is the hurdle that Beyond the Box is addressing with the local release of its newest product. Aptly called the Gamevice, it’s an Apple certified game controller that unlocks the iPhone’s true potential for hardcore gaming.

Like modern console controllers, it has a D-pad, dual analog joysticks, and a combination of 8 action buttons and triggers for total gaming control. But unlike wireless bluetoothcontrollers, Gamevice

connects via lightning port to give you unmatched latency. It also fits snugly around your Apple device, transforming it into a powerful handheld gaming console.

For the ultimate in portability, there’s a Gamevice model made just for the iPhone in your hand. But if you fancy a larger display, there’s a Gamevice model that takes advantage of the bigger screens on the iPad mini, iPad Air, and even the powerhouse iPad Pro. All Gamevice models are certified

by Apple, so expect no less than seamless compatibility.

While Gamevice is leaps ahead of other

GV150 for iPadAir and GV157 for iPhone7

controllers when it comes to ergonomics, that’s just half of what’s in the package. Gamevice also comes with a library of over 900 games (and counting) through Gamevice Live, which gives you access to the hottest Gamevice-optimized titles online. With games l i k e A s s a s s i n’s Creed, NBA 2K17, Call of Duty, FIFA, Riptide GP, Rayman Classic, and more, there’s plenty of action for just about every genre you’re into.

All Gamevice models retail for P5,490, and are available at Beyond The Box—the country’s authority on premium gadgets and accessories. For more information, please visit www.beyondthebox.ph or LIKE Beyond the Box on Facebook and FOLLOW

@beyondtheboxph on Instagram.

The Power of Apple,Yours in 24 Installments.

There’s never been an easier time to finally get an Apple device.

Beyond the Box, the country’s foremost Apple Premium Reseller, is offering the iPhone SE for as low as P990.00 a month for 24-month installments. The promo is available until March 31, 2017 for all Citibank, Unionbank, and BPI cardholders. Every purchase also lets you pick a free premium item, such as Laut iPhone SE cases, NudeAudio speakers, Ye!!

Selfie Sticks or Ye!! Energy Packs.

And while you’re at it, integrate your lifestyle across multiple devices with the Apple Watch, iPod Touch, iPad, MacBook, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro. The whole ecosystem can be yours in 24 easy monthly installments as well.

For more information, please visit www. beyondthebox.ph, LIKE Beyond the Box on Facebook, and FOLLOW @beyondtheboxph on Instagram.

E1

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

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Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

NO PLANS? NO PROBLEM:

5 THINGS TO DO ON HOLY WEEK

By Bernadette Lunas

If you're not going anywhere during the Holy Week break, relax and nourish your body and soul by doing a body, online, and home 'cleanse'

HAPPY FEET

THE FLORAL SHOES THAT SOLD OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS

The shoe collaboration that sold out in the US within 24 hours is now available here in the Philippines.

American footwear brand Keds joins forces with stationery and lifestyle brand Rifle Paper Co. to offer limited-edition shoes with floral designs perfect for the summer season.

The three-piece collection, which features iconic and vibrant Rifle Paper Co. prints in Keds’ classic styles, is composed of Lace-Up Shoe in Wildflower (Triple Decker Champion), Platform Shoe in Lively Floral (Triple Decker Slip-on), and Sneaker in Jardin de Paris (Champion).

You can now pre-order a pair, or two, or three, today until April 14 at www. keds.com.ph/content/7-keds-x-rifle because who knows, they most likely be sold out soon.

Turn to E2

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he time off during the Holy Week affords us to have a few days to relax and spend time with our loved ones.

But even if you have no plan to spend the week exploring a new destination, like most people, you can still make the seven-day break fun, relaxing, and, heck, productive.

Check out these five things that you can do on Holy Week—regardless of your religion and beliefs—that will make you thank yourself later.

Cleanse your body Having nothing to do and nowhere to go are a good excuse to nourish your body by removing toxins accumulated over time. Detoxification is a practice of removing toxic substances from the blood, which is mainly carried out by the liver.

Basically, it helps stimulate the liver and promote elimination through kidneys, intestines, and skin.

According to Peter Ben-

nett, N.D., co-author of 7-Day Detox Miracle, everyone, unless pregnant or has chronic degenerative disease, should detox at least once a year. It helps restart our metabolism and improve our overall health.

There are several detoxification programs and detox recipes available for every person’s needs. Some go through juice fast, wherein they only drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice and water for one up to seven days. Carry this out with caution, though, as it is still best to consult your doctor first before going through any detox program.

Better yet, ease through detoxification by eliminating one unhealthy thing from your diet. You can start by decreasing the amount of sugar and/or alcohol you consume. Drink more water and tea to help flush out toxins, or sweat it out by exercising or going to sauna.

De-clutter your home A clean and organized room will help you think clearly, so pick up the cleaning tools and start dusting and de-cluttering your home.

Japanese organizing consultant and author Marie Kondo encourages mini-

MOA DEBUTANTE. Dian Seranilla's 18th birthday is unlike no other as she celebrated it at the Mall of Asia Arena. (Photo by Nice Print Photography via @dianseranilla on Instagram)

mizing your belongings. Having only the things that you need is a key to living a simple, minimalist life. Spend a day, or the entire week cleaning and going through your stuff and deciding which should be kept and let go of.

Try the three-box method: keep, trash, and give away, and make sure each item is placed into any of the boxes. You can do this even without boxes by creating a chart and listing down the objects you intend to keep, throw out, and give away.

from trivial online clutter and reconnect with what really matters.

Read a book (or two) Take this opportunity to finally read that book you’ve been meaning to finish. Make yourself a warm beverage of your choice and get lost in a story. Once you’re done, get another one to satisfy your craving for new adventures and information.

Try doing a book exDisconnect from the Internet change with friends to be While this could be difficult to do able to share with each other the on a regular day when you need to be titles you love. accessible by your boss or your clients or your family and friends, and might Try something new need to check out something on the You don’t need to venture far or Web, a digital detox when presum- spend money to try something new. ably everyone is on break should be Try yoga and meditation and reap easier. the many benefits of these activities.

Put down your phone, laptop, and Learn to cook a new recipe and let tablet and log out from all your social your family have the first taste. Watch media accounts. If this makes you a lit- a series you never thought you’d tle anxious, let your friends and loved watch but your friends can’t stop ravones know that you will be going on a ing about. digital detox prior and that they may Think of things you haven’t done contact you through call or text mes- yet or activities you have wanted to sage, and only if it’s urgent and/or im- do. Go out of the proverbial box and portant. This will help you disconnect see where your mind can take you.

Keds x Rifle Paper Co. collaboration features three floral-printed shoes perfect for the summer season

#DEBUTGOALS: 18TH BIRTHDAY AT MOA ARENA THE 18th birthday is an important milestone for women. Here in the Philippines, it marks the coming-of-age of girls; the age where they are considered matured, hence the celebration is special, grand even.

But Dian Seranilla defined debut in a fancy way, as she celebrated her 18th birthday on March 28 at the Mall of Asia Arena, no less. The “MOA Arena

Debutante” invited about a thousand guests in the venue that can sit 15,000 people.

In her interview with candymag.com, Seranilla said MOA Arena met the venue specifications she wanted for her birthday. She said she wanted a space with a high ceiling, as she made an aerial grand entrance dressed like an angel.

Her opening outfit was made by Albert

Andrada and her ball gown was created

by Ezra Santos.

Apart from the usual program, her party had a fashion show and mini concert. Her dad, Steve is a concert producer; he’s the one responsible for bringing Kanye West to the country in 2016.

According to rough estimates, her family have spent around P5 million for her birthday.

Young Life

E2

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

THE FLORAL...

From E1

THE ADVENTUROUS PALATE

Bed for your feet Give your tired feet the comfort it deserves while you’re on the go with Saucony Jazz Original’s Jazz O Cozy.

This bed of a shoe features heathered jersey upper that acts like a sweatshirt for your feet and shock-absorbing striped EVA midsole that doubles up the comfort.

Jazz O Cozy has a minimalist design in colors gray and pink.

This pair is available at Saucony stores in Glorietta 3, UP Town Center, Trinoma, and in select SM Department Stores nationwide.

OF MILLENNIALS

Saucony Jazz Original's Jazz O Cozy gives a whole new meaning to comfortable shoes

Stay afoot in this classic pair The iconic boat shoe that cemented the name of Sperry as a shoe company remains a classic choice not only for those who love the marine lifestyle but even the fashionista on the street.

The first Sperry boat shoes—the Canvas Circular Vamp Oxford (CVO sneaker—was launched in 1935. It was developed by founder Paul Sperry with a non-slip sole after he almost lost his life to a slippery deck. More than 80 years have passed, the American footwear brand stretched beyond creating sea-faring footwear to redefine casual shoe designs.

Admittedly though, this pair of sneakers remains chic and classic enough to be worn on casual days at the mall or during meetings in the office.

Sperry is available at Sperry stores in Bonifacio High Street, SM Aura, Glorietta 3, SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place Manila, Estancia Mall, UP Town Center, Trinoma, SM North Edsa The Block, Sperry SM Fairview, SM Southmall, SM Lipa, SM Baguio, Robinsons Place Ilocos, Ayala Center Cebu, SM Seaside Cebu, SM City Cebu, SM Iloilo, SM Bacolod, SM Lanang, Centrio Mall, and online at www.sperry.com.ph

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HE boldness of millennials is evident even in their snack choices. According to a study by market intelligence agency Mintel, this generation has a large appetite for flavor adventures fit within their experience framework; they forgo routine and seek out what is new.

This quest for adventurous flavors has been satisfied by a number of hybrid delicacies available today such as cronut, and surprising and sometimes unlikely combination of flavors like Oreo cookies with mint filling.

Snack brands are continually innovating to offer these consumers something new to tickle their palate. Fast food chain Taters, which serves snack goods such as hotdog sandwich and popcorn, partnered with popular cheese-flavored cornmeal snacks brand Cheetos to offer five “Cheetofied” products—the first of its kind in Asia.

“We hope to give the best leveled-up snacking experience for movie-goers, series-bingers and lifelong snackers alike,” said Taters Enterprises, Inc. The majority of millennials who love snacking on salty food would love to check out the cheesy creations of the two brands.

Crunch ‘N Pop With the combination of Cheetosflavored Superpop and Cheetos Crunch comes an exciting snack that every movie-goer will surely finish eating before the movie starts.

Crunch ‘N Pop is crunchy and cheesy snack that promises to delight your taste buds.

Crunchy Overload True to its name, this snack is overloaded with crunch as it is a mixture of Cheetos-flavored Tater Chips and Cheetos Crunchy.

Crunchy Overload is not just full of crunchiness, but also with cheesiness.

Cheetos Chik-a-Chips If you’re a cheese and chicken lover, this snack is for you. A combination of chicken fingers, Cheetos Crunchy, and Cheetosflavored Tater Chips, this claims to intensify your love for cheese and chicken.

It comes with Cheetos Dip for an even cheesier experience.

Cheetos Fish ‘N Chips This is another version of Cheetos ChikA-Chips, but instead of chicken you have fish fillet fingers in your snack box.

Cheetos BBQ Crunch Dog As the brands’ personal favorite, Cheetos BBQ Crunch Dog is an explosion of flavors since according to the management, “they threw everything in it.”

This snack is a fusion of the all-beef hotdog topped with Coney Island Sauce, BBQ sauce, Cheetos Dressing, Cheetosflavored Tater Chips, and topped-off with Cheetos Crunchy.

“If Taters and Cheetos had a baby, this would be it,” said TEI. These products are available at all Taters branches nationwide until May 15. John Ray Villanueva

CHEESY SNACKS. Two snack brands—Taters and Cheetos—join forces to offer five 'Cheetofied' products that aim to level up the snacking experience of moviegoers, series-bingers, and snack-lovers, as well as tickle the adventurous palate of millennials.

Sperry's first boat shoes, the Canvas Circular Vamp Oxford

PINOY TEEN ENTREPRENEURS BAG FEDEX ACCESS AWARD JA Asia Pacific president Vivian Lau (leftmost) and FedEx Express Worldwide Account Management managing director Kenneth McMahon (rightmost) with the members of Team Hiraya, the Philippine delegate to the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year competition

BUDDING Filipino entrepreneurs of student company Hiraya took home the FedEx Access Award at the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year competition finals in Tokyo, Japan for their idea “Pina bag.”

The said award goes to the team whose business idea is judged to have the highest potential to create jobs, grow small business, expand into other markets, and improve the environment.

Team Hiraya’s “Pina bag” is a versatile office bag which makes use of a combination of pineapple

fabric and synthetic leather for a durable and high quality product.

Launched in 2011, the Asia Pacific JA Company Program aims to develop high school students’ abilities to organize and operate an actual business by providing economic education and business skills. This year, 19 student companies from 13 countries participated.

Team KASCA from Thailand took the first prize for their concept of a sustainable, multi-functional board made from compressed rice

husk that serves mainly as a device stand but also doubles as a personal organizer for a wide range of everyday items. TeamGolden Great Ganesha Student Company (3G SC) from Indonesia came second with their idea of producing practical, multi-functional and highly durable attractive ethnic bags. Third place went to team Collar Couture from Guam, who designed a handcrafted couture bowtie with a twist – while designed primarily for pets, can also be repurposed for children, men, and as accessories.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017

E3

MOST ANTICIPATED...

From E4

Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Lino Brocka, 1975) Like one of films on this list, this landmark film, which had measly production budget extremely broad in terms of achievement, is often regarded as one of the best local films in history. The story centers Julio Madiaga (Bembol Roco), a young construction worker taking on the big, bad city in search of his lost love, the improbably-named Ligaya Paraiso (Hilda Koronel), who has been lured into a life of prostitution.

Tanging Yaman (Laurice Guillen, 2000) BTS in Manila. Photo by Myx PH

DID K-POP SUPERBAND BTS

CHANGE ITS NAME?

A

LOT of K-pop fans were left in the dark when a popular music site reported that boy band BTS was officially changing its name to BTX.

more confused.

One thing is certain though, the group is set to land on the Philippine shore once again, and this time for a twonight concert on May 6 and 7 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Billed as The Wings Tour: 2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III, the third leg of its live trilogy concert tour promises much bigger and spectacular performances. The record-breaking boy group The website noted that the change was designed to ap- promises nights of explosive production, jaw-dropping stages peal to a broader worldwide audience, while heralding a and memorable interactions with fans. The concerts will also new era for the group highlighting that ‘X’ is much more feature the music from the band’s current album, Wings. powerful than ‘S’ and that the boy band is taking hip hop seriously hence the change.

The group first visited Manila in December 2015 for its BTS Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet. The one-night con“BTS was the first stage of this important group. Now, cert proved BTS’ popularity in the country as tickets for the we’re proud to welcome the entire world to the next phase concert were sold-out. It also marked the group’s first stop of our growth,” the website said quoting a press release is- outside of South Korea and Japan. sued by label Big Hit Entertainment, the record label managing the group.

The group returned in August 2016 for another concert.

It was also a sold-out show with tickets gone on the first The article furthered that the release came out on March day of official selling.

31 while the group was touring California. It added that the group voted 4-3 to approve the name change, with ‘BTS’ members Rap Monster and Jimin leading the charge.

“As you can tell from my name I am a rapper.

And as a young boy, I learned from the greatest rappers, DMX and Xzibit.

But I realized these rappers are not named ‘DMS’ or ‘Szibit,’ so we could not be ‘BTS’ either and truly succeed,” the article says quoting Rap Monster.

A few sites have already picked up the report, which was published on April 1 (Fool’s Day), making a lot of K-pop fans much

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Sunday, April 9, 2017

ACROSS 1 Milan’s La — 6 Invisible swimmer (var.)

11 Wild blue yonder 16 Plant extraction 21 Tire surface 22 Steel-beam fastener 23 Port in a storm 24 Phoenician port 25 Surpass 26 Fabulous time 27 Serengeti antelope 28 Nuisances 29 Checkers pieces 30 Trudge 32 Like Elvis’ shoes 34 Busboy’s load 36 Vet patient 37 Serving tray 39 Leans toward 40 Frat letters 41 Like a hunk or a fox 42 Rainbow band 43 Outlaw brothers 44 “Rose Marie” hero 46 Stuck in the mud 49 Pulled a hoax 50 Soup du — 51 Elaborate 55 Helm position 56 Lamprey hunter 57 Flight inducer 58 Bunkhouse strings 59 Hamm of soccer 60 China’s Zhou — 61 Narrow fissure 62 Sports page stats 63 Very popular 64 Piece of scenery 66 Waves at the beach 67 Touch down 68 “— Only Just Begun” 69 Stop sign 70 Leap in a tutu 71 — d’oeuvre 72 Meal with matzoh 73 CSA monogram 74 Light before sunrise (2 wds.)

76 Physique 77 Greedy king of myth 80 Play in an alley 81 Feels crummy 82 Dank place 86 No future — — 87 Catches a crook 88 66 and I-80 89 Japanese entree 90 Geol. formation 91 PC keys 92 Wrestling match 93 Thespian’s forte 94 Jaunty lid 95 Trying 97 Transvaal trekker 98 Spa amenity

99 Cellist — Ma 100 Wile E. — 101 More than chilly 102 Retail centers 103 Mammy Yokum 104 Road hazard 106 Distance around 107 Not ‘neath 108 Pelts 111 Dad’s sister 112 Chatty starling (var.)

113 Tiaras 117 Film speed no.

118 Top brass, for short 119 Friend of Pythias 120 Boring tools 121 Unfamiliar 122 Gentle reminder 124 Godunov or Yeltsin 126 Platitude 128 Strad’s cousin 130 — Julius Caesar 131 Gill alternatives 132 Ultra-lite (hyph.)

133 Makes mention of 134 Enjoy a puddle 135 Wipe out a floppy 136 Hagar’s pooch 137 Cake layers DOWN 1 Crush underfoot 2 Inhumane 3 Allstate rival 4 Young chap 5 Took as one’s own 6 Leafy recess 7 Balmy 8 A Gabor sister 9 Steel-making innovator 10 In sync 11 Drops feathers 12 Blanch 13 Frank’s love 14 Half-man, half-horse 15 Evasive ploy (2 wds.)

16 July stone 17 Depot info 18 After 19 Alpine aid (2 wds.)

20 Odious 31 Guided 33 Publishing execs 35 Dazzle 38 Squirrel abode 39 Sulu of “Star Trek” 40 Globetrot 41 Thrilled 43 Medicinal root 44 Feudal defense 45 Orchid-like flower 46 Cuban dance 47 Of the hipbone 48 Give feedback 49 One in a pen 50 Mutt’s crony 52 Sighed with delight

53 54 56 57 58 60 61 62 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 82 83 84 85 87 88 89

Treasure — Organic compound Register Combative one (hyph.)

Processes cotton Sharpens Muddy tracks Put on the qui vive The “k” in 24-k Bear’s advice Cattle calls Like a piece of pie Wrench parts Roach and Linden Actress — Braga Palms off Forgo the fries Mandalay’s locale Ape or parrot Opening remarks Unimpressive Blue ox of legend College officials Stationery brand Rubber-stamps Shatner’s costar Luggage attachment Marsh grass Kind of serum

91 92 93 96 97 98 99 101 102 103 105 106 107 108 109 110 112 113 114 115 116 118 119 120 123 125 127 129

Dorothy’s dog Unknown spy Lord Vader Uses a paper towel Flash of lightning “Stepmom” lead Unit of length Profile Ancient Cretans Kind of blouse Meek Sock hop locale Well output Snake teeth The — suspects Walkie-talkie Billiards stroke Harped on On Mom’s side Kind of maid Dotted fabric Netting Archaeological sites Petri-dish contents NASA’s Grissom Genetic material Stretchy bandage Miss Piggy’s word

Apart from being a box office winner, the film went home with nine awards during the Gabi ng Parangal of the 26th Metro Manila Film Festival. The reflective family drama centers on the long suppressed pains and resentments among three siblings (Johnny Delgado, Edu Manzano, and Dina Bonnevie) who argue over the prospect of selling a vast track of land left behind by their family’s patriarch. The process also brings to surface the hurts between parents and children, a likely spectacle of the “sins of the father visiting upon the children,” threatening to spill over to the third generation.

E4

Showbiz

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

PHOEBE WALKER FROM MYSTERIOUS NUN TO SINFUL BOMBSHELL sion was set in lensman Artu Nepomuceno’s tranquil abode, where the whole team and Phoebe Walker’s entourage converged at a little before mid-noon,” the article says.

“Going for an eerie feel in some of the layouts, we had to wait for the sun to go down before carrying on with the session,” another article adds.

The cover story also touches on Phoebe’s “unexpected win” at last year’s edition of MMFF playing the role of Sister Cecilia, who in the film had daring bathtub and rape scenes. She’s asked to give comments on critics and hater who thought she did not give much to win any award for playing the character.

5 MOST

ANTICIPATED CLASSIC FILMS DURING LENT IN THE Philippines, the Lent is the most reflective and solemn week where the dominantly Christian population celebrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And while regular TV broadcasting halts to observe the religious events, classic movies aired on analog TV in lieu of the channels’ standard programming.

Films featured are normally a mix of thought-provoking and culturally significant films taken anywhere from the 70s to the late 90s and beyond.

This Holy Week, we list down some of the most anticipated locally made films that easily make their way to the list of TV programming each year.

“So far, bashing is what I cannot stand, because it really gets on my nerves when people think they can say something about you, but then it’s part of the job because you’re a public icon, right?” she says adding that she broke down upon seeing people’s comment on Twitter a few days after she won the award.

Phoebe Walker as a mysterious nun in Erik Matti's acclaimed opus, Seklusyon

By Nickie Wang

T

WENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD Phoebe Walker is winning another game. She’s not using her acting skill or her ability to come up with a sound game plan to win a race. This time though, she’s just using her charm in front of the camera.

Nevertheless, wouldn’t be able to stop Phoebe from making a name and making it big.

The year 2017 is treating Phoebe tremendously kind. After bagging an acting award, and now being on a magazine cover, she is set to headline the sequel to the 2011 Cinemalaya romantic sex comedy, Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me. Additionally, she is currently busy being one of the cast members of HaPi House, a sexy come d y series shown on cable.

Dubbed as the “next big thing” in the indie filmmaking scene, Phoebe welcomed the summer heat gracing the April cover of the popular men’s magazine, FHM Philippines, in a rather eerie yet seductive way.

On the cover, the Filipino-British actress, who topped The Amazing Race Philippines, with former flame Matthew Edwards in 2014, and who won Best Supporting Actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival 2016 for her portrayal of an enigmatic nun in Erik Matti’s devil-infested film (Seklusyon), is pictured in a chest-baring black bodice.

In the feature article, the magazine says it took the actress and the crew 15 hours to finish their shoot. Not that the indie actress was acting prima donna but the photographer wanted to compose photos that would match Phoebe’s alluring personality and the magazine’s theme for the month.

“What the FHM crew didn’t expect that waiting meant a record 15 hours, in the case of our April 2017 cover girl’s photo shoot. The ses-

‘BUBBLE GANG’ HEATS UP SUMMER BUBBLE Gang regulars Valeen Montenegro, Chariz Solomon, Solomon Denice Barbacena, and Arny Ross put on a cheeky display as they shared a sizzling photo of them holding on a railing while having fun under the blazing sun.

BEHIND THE SCENES. Arny Ross, Denice Barbacena, Valeen Montenegro, and Chariz Solomon while taping for Bubble Gang's summer special

This year, lead cast member Michael V, Antonio Aquitania, Sef Cadayona, Paolo Contis, and Diego Llorico headed to a wakeboarding park in Pampanga. Cast members Kim Domingo, and Jackie Rice gamely posed in colorful bikinis while Jak Roberto, Mikoy Morales, and special guests Sinon LoTheir photo, which gave viewers a reason resca, Ivan Dorschner, Ken Chan, and Addy to stay at home for two consecutive Friday Raj gave the show a Baywatch feel. nights, was taken during Bubble Gang’s shoot for its two-part summer special.

Preceding the two-part special were clips and photos of the cast that flooded social meEach year, viewers anticipate the country’s dia and entertainment blogsites giving the longest running gag show’s summer special audience a glimpse of what to expect. mainly for three things: the top summer destination they are going to feature; the comedy Bubble Gang is known for its staple segskits the cast will perform while under the ments like the “hugot” skits and sketches that blazing sun; and of course, the cast members give national, pressing issues, and current in their sexy summer outfits. events hilarious twists.

Oro, Plata, Mata (Peque Gallaga, 1982) Set in the province of Negros during World War II, the movie traces the changing fortunes of two aristocratic families coping with the changes brought by the war. Written by Jose Javier Reyes, it starred an ensemble cast including Sandy Andolong, Cherie Gil, Mitch Valdes, Kuh Ledesma, Ronnie Lazaro, and Joel Torre, to name a few. The film was digitally restored in 2013 and premiered at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival in the same year.

Himala (Ishmael Bernal, 1982) Often regarded as “The Greatest Filipino Film Of All-Time,” the film is the story of Elsa, played by Nora Aunor, a barrio lass whose supposed visions of the Virgin Mary changes her life, turning her into an overnight sensation and causing mass hysteria in a poor, isolated northern Philippine village suffering from a drought. The film is centered on the issues of religious faith and faithlessness, morality, and truth.

Up to this day, the film is remembered for the iconic line “Walang himala” delivered by Aunor.

Magnifico (Maryo J. de los Reyes, 2003) The multi-awarded drama, with 31 plaques and trophies under its belt, talks about a special boy who changes the lives of everyone he meets. Known to all as Magnifico (Jiro Manio), his name is Pikoy, a child of an impoverished family.

His world is filled with a cast of characters in need of his special gifts of hope, determination, and love.

He seeks nothing for himself, with his undaunted dedication to bring joy to everyone.

Continued on E3