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govt sets its sights on multibillion-peso suspected tax evaders in tobacco industry
All-out war against tax cheats
W
By Elijah Felice E. Rosales
hen reports broke out in Malacañang on March 6 that a businessman allegedly tried to bribe President Duterte to settle a legal dispute, reporters immediately went on the trail to find out who he was. message to big-time tax dodgers that the Duterte administration is dead set on putting an end to these nefarious activities and sending all of them behind bars.”
Clear message
This internal investigation of the government, which went alongside its scrutiny on the abuses of its police forces, looks like the beginning of the Duterte administration’s crusade against corruption. As what the finance chief said, it is now sending a message to tax cheaters to start packing up their bags or else, the government would not hesitate to bring them behind bars. So what’s the real score in Mighty Corp.’s recent tax-evasion case? It was in January that the BIR told a local newspaper it has been receiving reports of widespread use of fake tax stamps affixed on cigarette packs. The news report said industry sources point to Mighty Corp., since the counterfeits proliferated mostly in provinces where the Wongchuking-owned brand is leading market sales. The BIR, implementing the Internal Revenue Stamps Integrated System on tobacco products since 2014, is concerned with these fake tax stamps, because they cheat on the government’s collection of excise tax. “Our collection is affected, because they are supposed to pay,”
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They first asked Presidential Spokesman Ernesto C. Abella, who gave vague hints, rather than dropping a specific name. Then they asked Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo, who provided the details, and even bravely disclosed the identity of the supposed bribe giver: It was Alexander Wongchuking, owner of local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. “He was ordered arrested by the President because of economic sabotage. Marami siyang ginagawang [ilegal] saka ipinangangalandakan niyang nabibili niya ang lahat ng opisyales dito [He did many illegal activities. He even bragged he could buy any official in our country],” Panelo said in a news statement. The supposed arrest order from Duterte developed as Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told the bureaus of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Customs (BOC) to gather evidence against “certain parties” to be submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Dominguez made a strong statement afterward, echoing the President’s rhetoric to criminals: “The government needs to first establish strong evidence to pin down this cigarette manufacturer on such charges. We must make sure the charges stick, not only to haul the guilty parties [to jail], including their possible cohorts in the government, but to send a clear
BIR Commissioner Caesar E. Dulay was quoted as saying.
Mighty’s defense
“As a consequence of its acts and omissions, Mighty Corp., together with its responsible corporate officers, is liable to pay an estimated aggregate excise-tax liability in the total amount of P9.564 billion.” —BIR
In the local manufacturer’s defense, Mighty Corp. Executive Vice President Oscar P. Barrientos said the situation being portrayed by the local newspaper is strange, as it sounds like an orchestrated deception. “This situation is unusual and highly suspicious for Mighty Corp. to be at the receiving end, because our operation is transparent and closely monitored by revenue authorities, from sourcing of raw materials to manufacturing and withdrawals of cigarettes,” Barrientos argued.
He added the company’s operation is closely monitored by cameras required by the BIR itself. And why would anyone even doubt Mighty Corp’s compliance to the law when it spearheaded the campaign against the proliferation of fake tax stamps, Barrientos said. The local manufacturer’s vice president pointed out it is necessary, however, that should the BIR conduct its investigation, it should include multinational companies and their local partners, particularly those who are known for importing large quantities of raw materials without paying the correct taxes to the prejudice of local See “Tax cheats,” A2
Tit-for-tat battle of top closest allies of President Duterte in the House of Representatives
Alvarez holds on amid reported ouster plot
D
By Manuel T. Cayon
AVAO CITY—The management of the Floirendo-owned Tagum Agriculture Development Co. Inc. (Tadeco) has maintained that the joint-venture agreement (JVA) to maintain a banana plantation inside the penal farm in Davao del Norte since 1956 is “legal and advantageous to [the] government”. The Tadeco statement came after the scion of the Floirendo family, Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio R. Floirendo Jr., also belied the suspicion of House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez that he was masterminding the move to oust the latter from his post. Last week Alvarez filed House Resolution 867 to investigate the “grossly disadvantageous” 25-year
“lease contract” signed by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and Tadeco. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Floirendo corrected Alvarez, saying it was not a lease but rather a JVA. Alexander N. Valoria, president and CEO of the Antonio O. Floirendo Management and Investment Corp. (Anflocor), told the BusinessMirror on
PESO exchange rates n US 50.1940
Wednesday the operations of the agreement have been “above board” and were always upheld on several occasions that it has undergone review. “This joint-venture agreement has been reviewed several times, everytime a new administration takes over, or a new administrator of the Department of Justice or the Bureau of Corrections takes the helm of these agencies,” he said. And after each review, Tadeco said in the same statement that “the JVA has been reviewed, and found to be advantageous to the government numerous times by the Executive and the Legislative departments in past administrations.” “In fact, the most recent review in the 15th Congress in 2012 once again arrived at the same positive conclusion regarding the JVA and its benefits to the government. The Department of Justice, through its representative, Atty. Teresita Domingo, said during the congressional review that the JVA is actually above board,” the statement added. Valoria said that even former President Benigno S. Aquino III,
who was a senator then, “sat at the Blue Ribbon Committee reviewing this agreement”. Valoria said the agreement has always upheld its commitment to compensate inmates at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (formerly called Davao Penal Colony, or Dapecol) minimum wage since it was started in 1956, when the former idle penal farm of 500 hectares was developed into an abaca plantation. Tadeco shifted to banana in 1969, and still retains the same provisions in the JVA. He said it would be the Dapecol management that would identify the “prisoners of good standing” to work in the banana plantation. Valoria said the BuCor, or the Dapecol, has a pool of 900 prisoner workers, “as part of the rehabilitation of the prisoners. The Dapecol usually fields about 600 prisoners in a day’s work. “Actually, this is the core of the agreement: To help the government in providing a good correctional and rehabilitation program
President Duterte and House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez (right) attend a news conference in Malacañang on March 13. AP/Aaron Favila
See “Alvarez,” A2
n japan 0.4486 n UK 62.6070 n HK 6.4604 n CHINA 7.2865 n singapore 35.9042 n australia 38.3482 n EU 53.5921 n SAUDI arabia 13.3854
Source: BSP (31 March 2017 )
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A2 Saturday, April 1, 2017
Tax cheats… farmers. “We are prepared for [any investigation] as our records are always open for scrutiny by the BIR.”
Raids
But Barrientos’s polite defense was not able to fend off government scrutiny. A month later, Mighty Corp. was put on the receiving end of litigation, after a series of raids by the BOC and the BIR led to the confiscation of stockpiles of Mighty cigarette packs with fake tax stamps affixed to them. The first week of March saw the series of raids by the two bureaus seizure of 11,044 master cases of cigarettes carrying the Mighty and Marvel brands worth P215 million in General Santos City and 62,000 master cases of the same product valued at P1.98 billion in San Simon, Pampanga. This was followed by the BOC capturing three more containers carrying Mighty cigarettes in the Port of Cebu and in Tacloban. A week after, Panelo told Mala cañang reporters Duterte has given him instructions to bring Wongchuking to court. This announcement came as the BOC issued a preventive suspension against Mighty Corp., effectively barring the cigarette firm from importing raw materials needed for tobacco production. “I’ve been instructed [by the President] to study and prepare the case against Wongchuking,” Panelo said. The head lawyer of Duterte also clarified the President’s pronouncement that the Mighty Corp. owner can just pay P3 billion and the case will be over. “Under the
Continued from a1
law, civil liability can be in [the form of] settlement.”
Settlement
Wongchuking expressed his intent to just pay up the P3-billion settlement, but the game was over for the local cigarette firm as the BIR already filed a case against Mighty Corp. on March 22. The complaint presses President Edilberto P. Adan, Barrientos, Wongchuking and Treasurer Ernesto A. Victa of tax evasion amounting to an estimated aggregate excise-tax liability P9.564 billion. According to the BOC and the BIR, revenue losses due to the nonpayment of excise taxes summed up to P1.1 billion. Aside from those confiscated in General Santos City and Pampanga, another raid in Zamboanga City yielded 400 counterfeit cigarettes, with an estimated street value of P13.5 million. “As a consequence of its acts and omissions, Mighty Corp., together with its responsible corporate officers, is liable to pay an estimated aggregate excise-tax liability in the total amount of P9.564 billion,” the BIR said in a statement. There was no bribery to begin with, reporters found out, but bigger than trying to buy Duterte was the evasion of tax liabilities. “Mighty Corp. is supposed to pay some taxes and they have avoided that [obligation], so we have to prosecute them for that,” Panelo said. Alongside the war against drugs, it seems the administration is now keen on going after tax cheaters and their cohorts in the government.
Alvarez…
Continued from a1
for convicts. In much later years, many of these former prisoners were eventually hired by other plantations when they had served their prison terms.” The Dapecol farm that Tadeco developed into a banana plantation is currently 5,318 hectares. “This is the part of the total banana plantation profile tilling more than 8,000 hectares, including the Floirendo-owned plantations in Davao del Norte and in other expansion areas in Mindanao.” The Tadeco is part of the 17 companies managed by the Anflocor, which manages other businesses engaged in agriculture, container port terminal operation, packaging production, real estate, trucking, resort development, food production and services, merchandising, financing and radio operation. Anflocor has also forged other joint ventures with other local companies to expand its operations into mall, hotel and urban residential development.
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In pushing for a review of what he called “lease contract”, Alvarez directed the House Committee on Good Government and Accountability to look into where he said the “government would get a guaranteed payment of P26.542 million per year for using the Davao Penal Colony’s 5,308 hectares of land”. “Tadeco and the BuCor executed a consolidated JVA dated September 26, 1979, in which the former leased 5,212.46 hectares of
land from the latter, and combines the provisions of said joint venture agreement and all its amendments and supplements into a single instrument that will serve as the sole repository of the terms and conditions thereof; and extended the lease period to 25 years, interestingly, instead of the reported prevailing practice of leasing with a term of just 10 years,” Alvarez said. In 1989 Alvarez’s resolution said the consolidated joint venture agreement was amended to escalate rates in land rentals, royalties and profit shares. On May 21, 2003, Alvarez said it was renewed, and based on the new contract, the BuCor shall receive a guaranteed annual production share of P26.54 million, which will automatically increase by 10 percent every five years.
‘Entirely false’
In a company statement, Tadeco said Alvarez’s claim “is entirely false”. “The arrangement between Tadeco and the BuCor is not a lease arrangement but a joint venture that is primarily aimed at the rehabilitation of the inmates in Davao Penal Colony. This rehabilitation program has been found to be very successful by BuCor, to the extent that the latter has even requested Tadeco to replicate the JVA program to its penal colony in Iwahig, Palawan,” the statement read. Valoria said Tadeco has sent two missions to look into the situation in Iwahig, but there had been no outstanding recommendations yet to start one project there. Tadeco said, “There is no truth
to the allegation of ill-treatment of its workers in the plantation. Such allegation is completely baseless. This is evident in the high production yield of Tadeco, indicating that the workers are well motivated and very productive. In fact, among all the banana companies in the Philippines, Tadeco has been branded as a champion on labor and community relations.” Valoria said Tadeco was the highest banana producer among the 33 prominent members of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association “without incurring any debt so far”. The company said it was “a regular recipient of awards in the field of labor-management relations. In two successive occasions [in 2013 and 2015], Tadeco won the Outstanding Labor-Management Cooperation for Industrical Peace Award given by the Philippine League of Labor Management Cooperation Practitioners in coordination with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board.” It admitted, however, that when the agreement was renewed in 2004, “the rates jointly agreed therein were the most competitive rates prevailing at that time”. “As can be understood, the changes in economic conditions over the past 13 years have affected the competitiveness of such rates. Tadeco understands this and stated back in 2011 its willingness to discuss and adjust the rates as it had done in the past,” it added.
No ouster move
In a separate statement, Floi-
rendo, who also sits as chairman of the board of Anflocor, said Alvarez’s probe of the Tadeco deal “all started with the rumor that I was behind a plot to oust Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and have him replaced by former president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo”. “I did not give any statement then to defend myself as there was no truth to it at all. I never attempted to talk to Arroyo nor would I ever support any plot to oust Speaker Alvarez, who, in the first place, is a good friend of mine and whom I fully supported during the last election and in his bid for the speakership,” he said. “If ever there is an iota of truth to the ouster plot, I am 100 percent not a part of it. Let me make it clear that Speaker Bebot [Alvarez] and I have no fight with each other. If ever there is a conflict, it could be likened to a brotherly misunderstanding, which I am sure would be patched up in no time at all,” he added. Floirendo said he “tried and reached out to him but he refused to talk to me since this all started”. “Admittedly, I am hurt with the action of Speaker Alvarez against me. It not only affects me, but also my family, as well as the people of Davao del Norte. But that’s politics. What is important is that I know deep down my conscience that I have not done anything wrong nor have I committed any criminal act,” he said. However, he said he would welcome any complaint to be filed against him.
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www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
Saturday, April 1, 2017
A3
Duterte’s drugs war chief struggling to stop methamphetamine from China
T
he chief enforcer of President Duterte’s war on drugs acknowledged the difficulty in halting a surge in methamphetamine imports from China, despite a campaign that has claimed thousands of lives.
“We do not guarantee that we will win this war,” Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa said in an interview in his Manila office on Thursday. “Win or lose, at least we have done something to address the problem.” Duterte has faced strident criticism from the US, the United Nations and the European Union since being sworn in last June over his efforts to tackle drug addiction—a policy that has proved popular at home. The Philippine police say about 2,600 people have been killed in police operations against drug traffickers, while human-rights groups label some 4,700 other murders as “extrajudicial killings”. In a speec h on T hu rsd ay, Duterte again rejected international criticism of the drug war, demanding the EU “not impose your, whatever it is, your values and everything because we hate you for being a hypocrite.” Despite being a key source of drugs, China has used the issue to
draw closer to Duterte and improve ties with the Philippines. Policymakers in Beijing have supported the drugs war and offered to help, with antinarcotic cooperation among agreements reached during Duterte’s trip to China last year. Dela Rosa said on Thursday the police in the Philippines are coordinating with its counterparts in China. Most of the five clandestine laboratories dismantled in Duterte’s first six months in office involved Chinese citizens, he added. Recent data provided by the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency showed that the largest quantities of methamphetamine seized had been trafficked directly from China, according to Jeremy Douglas, regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Methamphetamine imports into the Philippines rose to 2,495 kilograms in 2016, more than four times the amount in 2015, he said. While better law enforcement had contributed to the rise seen
Dela Rosa
in the data, other factors, like treatment admissions, price and purity trends related to methamphetamine, indicated a growing demand for the drug in the Philippines, Douglas said. “As long as market demand is not addressed, increases in law-enforcement activities at a street level alone won’t be able to improve the situation,” he said. “We recommend addressing the market through treatment and prevention, and addressing organized crime targeting those
that run the business.” Dela Rosa, 55, rose from the police ranks in Davao City, where Duterte served as mayor for more than two decades. He said the campaign targeted both streetlevel pushing, as well as high-value targets, like drug lords, drug traffickers, financers and protectors.
‘Passing grade’
He rated the drug war a success on the basis the police so far had accounted for 1.3 million people involved in the drug trade across
We do not guarantee that we will win this war. Win or lose, at least we have done something to address the problem.”—Dela Rosa
the country, around 70 percent of 1.8 million target set by the Dangerous Drugs Board. “On the demand side, we can say we have a passing grade of 70 percent,” dela Rosa said. Another measure of success, he added, was that methamphetamine prices had almost quadrupled to as much as P4,000 ($80) a gram. Dela Rosa rejected claims by international groups, such as Human R ights Watch and Amnesty International, that the drug war had resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings. “I just want to set the record straight,” dela Rosa said. “The 7,000 extrajudicial killings being reported by some sectors are wrong. We don’t want to propagandize, we don’t want to deodorize ourselves, we just want to set the record straight so that the public will not be misled by this false reporting.” Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine said in an e-mail that thousands of victims never saw a lawyer or had a proper trial. “This is an evisceration of constitutional guarantees of due legal process that has inflicted profound harm on the judicial and social fabric of the Philippines,” Kine said. Duterte, who has had a thorny relationship with journalists, complained that his antidrugs campaign has been portrayed as targeting the poor. He also was incensed about accounts of his
alleged corruption, saying he will resign if reports of undeclared bank deposits are proven. Duterte’s crackdown, which has left thousands of mostly petty drug suspects dead, has alarmed Western governments and prompted UN rights officials to consider an investigation. Duterte, who has denied condoning extrajudicial killings but has repeatedly threatened drug suspects with death, has lashed out at the US, EU and other critics. The 72-year-old leader, who won the presidency last year after serving as a city mayor for two decades, also fumed about news reports that speculated about the nature of his illnesses, and suggested that older people naturally develop health problems. He became visibly infuriated over a picture of him in his bedroom with an oxygen machine. Duterte has acknowledged suffering from illnesses linked to smoking and a motorcycle accident in the past, but has refused to issue a detailed statement on his health. The dominant Roman Catholic Church, which has criticized Duterte’s drug crackdown, also came under fire from Duterte, who urged the audience to read a book about Filipino bishops and priests who were accused of sexual abuse, corruption and other wrongdoing. “You read it and if you’re still a Catholic the next day, you’ll impress me,” Duterte said. Bloomberg News, AP
DOE: Malampaya fund can be used to pay NPC debts
T
By Lenie Lectura
he Department of Energy (DOE) strongly urged lawmakers to pass a legislation that will allow the government to tap the Malampaya fund in paying the stranded debts of the National Power Corp. (NPC). This, after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) allowed the Power Sector A ssets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) to continue the collection of stranded contract cost from end-consumers. “Since the Malampaya fund has a specific use, we can’t utilize it, except for energy-resource development,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said. “PSALM has presented projections to us that by end of 2026, or PSALM’s corporate life, there will be a deficit of P245.6 billion,” Fuentebella said. “So, because of that, there’s a proposal to the
Cabinet cluster to use the Malampaya fund, or the energy-resource development fund, specifically to address the issue on universal charge stranded contract cost and stranded debts.” For this to be implemented, Fuentebella said “it can’t be done on an executive order alone. It has to be coursed through a legislation”. The DOE official said the proposal, if approved, should be implemented soon. “The debts will just balloon. Sana mas mabilis, kasi by 2019 mas mataas iyung mag mamature na debts.” T he ERC recent ly a l lowed PSALM to continue the collection of P0.19 per kilowatt-hour in stranded contract cost. From 2007 to 2017, a total of P48 billion was already collected from consumers via the universal charge stranded contract cost. The ERC allowed PSALM to collect P5 billion more by charging an additional P0.19 per kWh.
Members and supporters of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines, most of them wearing red shirts and red kerchiefs over their faces, display placards during a brief rally near the Presidential Palace in Manila in a show of force two days before the resumption of peace talks with the government on Friday in Manila, Philippines. The marchers, who carried red banners, including one with the party’s hammer and sickle logo during Friday’s “lightning rally”, are also celebrating the “success” of their second National Assembly. AP
12 killed in Philippine troops’ clash with communist rebels
G ROBINSONS DEPARTMENT STORE OPENS FIRST GO LOKAL! STORE
Robinsons Department Store, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, recently opened the first mainstream Go Lokal! outlet at Robinsons Place Manila. Go Lokal! showcases modern, indigenous products designed and crafted by micro, small and medium enterprises. In photo are Robinsons Department Store President and COO Robina GokongweiPe and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, flanked by Robinsons Department Store General Manager Johnson Go (left) and Trade Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group Teodoro Pascua, during the store’s launching held on March 24.
o v ernment t r o o p s clashed with communist rebels in a town in Quezon province, reportedly leaving 10 guerrillas and two soldiers dead, military officials said on Friday, in violence that comes just days before the resumption of peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia’s longest-running rebellions. Maj. Gen. R hoderick Parayno, an army division commander, said the militar y did not recover the rebels’ bodies but witnesses counted 10 killed among 30 guerrillas encountered by troops on Thursday in General Nakar town, east of the capital Manila. Two soldiers also died
and two more were wounded. In Manila nearly 100 members and supporters of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines, most wearing red shirts with red kerchiefs over their faces, marched on Fr id ay nea r t he president i a l palace in a show of force before Sunday’s resumption of peace talks with the government. T he m a rc hers c a r r ied red banners, including one with the party’s hammer and sickle logo, during the “lightning rally” as a handful of policemen watched. They urged the people to join the revolution, and they chanted “Long Live the New People’s
Army”, the party’s military arm. T he rebels and gover nment negotiators are set to resume Nor way-brokered peace negot i at ion s i n t he Net herl a nd s fol low i ng a n esc a l at ion l a st month of dead ly clashes and t he ca l ling of f of separately declared cease-fires. “Right now, there is no reason to declare a unilateral cease-fire, because our President is more interested in obtaining a bilateral cease-fire agreement,” government chief negotiator Silvestre H. Bello III told reporters. He said both sides have already exchanged drafts containing parameters of the bilateral cease-fire.
A country referee will need to be chosen, with Switzerland, Canada and Australia among those willing to do so, Bello said. Also to be discussed are sensitive issues, like the rebels’ collection of “revolutionary taxes,” he added. Founded in 1968, the ruralbased guerrilla group has unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with five Philippine presidents before Duterte. Battle setbacks, surrenders and infighting have wea kened t he rebel g roup, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and remains a major Philippine security threat. AP
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Saturday, April 1, 2017
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph
EU’s Brexit guidelines warn UK Long-awaited ‘Asian century’ might not come dumping would derail trade deal P
E
uropean Union leaders will warn the United Kingdom that any attempt to lure companies with lighter regulation and tax policies will damage the prospects of striking a trade deal with the bloc, according to draft negotiation guidelines. While EU leaders are prepared to begin preparatory talks for a free-trade agreement with the UK that will be finalized after Brexit, such a deal “must ensure a level playing field in terms of competition and state aid, and must encompass safeguards against unfair competitive advantages through, inter alia, fiscal, social and environmental dumping,” according to the draft guidelines, which were obtained by Bloomberg. The guidelines will be subject to discussion by the EU’s 27 governments and the final version will be approved by the bloc’s leaders in an extraordinary summit in Brussels on April 29. A more detailed mandate for the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, needs
to be approved later, before substantial talks with the government in London can begin. The draft document reiterates that Theresa May’s government must agree to settle “all legal and budgetary commitments as well as liabilities, including contingent liabilities,” to the EU, in a bill which European officials have said could reach as much as €60 billion ($64 billion). Chancellor Angela Merkel ’s government will insist that the UK rules out tax “dumping” as part of any trade deal struck during Brexit negotiations, according to a senior official from the German economy ministry. The concern is that May could choose to resurrect the threat to
turn Britain into a low-tax Singapore of the West as a way to extract trade concessions and secure a noduties deal down the line. But any future trade agreement between the EU and the UK will only be possible if it’s accompanied by a pledge by the May government to avoid harmful competition in tax and regulation matters, German Deputy Economy Minister Matthias Machnig said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “We don’t want to erect barriers to trade, but we need fair dealings,” Machnig said in his ministry in Berlin on Thursday. The latest caution shows that Merkel is firm that some things are not up for discussion. Back in January, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Bloomberg in Davos that a “race to the bottom” on corporate taxation would not be tolerated. Machnig’s comments are a reflection that Germany’s position remains guarded a day after May delivered a letter to EU President Donald Tusk that fired the gun on two years of talks.
Fair trade
“We can only conclude a fair trade agreement with advantages for
both sides if there are reasonable framework conditions in the areas of tax, regulation and the like,” Machnig said. A race to the bottom in tax and regulation matters “would make trade relations difficult,” he said. There was nothing in May’s letter to suggest she was interested going down that road. But back in January, in a landmark speech, she made clear that she wasn’t afraid of upsetting ex-partners to further her cause. “We would still be able to trade with Europe,” she said then. “We would be free to strike trade deals across the world. And we would have the freedom to set the competitive tax rates and embrace the policies that would attract the world’s best companies and biggest investors to Britain.” EU members must prepare for the fact that “attempts will be made to play the different EU states with their particular interests off against each other,” Schaeuble said in an interview with Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung published on Friday. “But we must not let ourselves be divided, but must be united in the discussions with the government in London.” Bloomberg News
Is ‘Obamacare’ repeal dead–or a legislative zombie?
P
r e sid e nt D o n a l d J . Trump’s plan to kill Obamacare died last week. Or maybe it didn’t. The repeal effort seems to have assumed zombie st at u s — some where bet ween dead and alive. This is never-say-die Washington, where big legislative proposals that are in the casket one day can show signs of a pulse and start climbing out the next. It’s a fairly common condition in the capital, where politicians who invest enormous political capital in a proposal are loath to let go. “One of the keys to understanding Washington is to think a little bit like a coroner,” says consultant Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush. “You have to know when something’s dead and when something’s still kicking, and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.” To say that Trump and Republican congressional leaders are sending mixed signals about the viability of the repeal effort is an understatement. Last week, when it became clear that House Republicans didn’t have enough votes to pass the health-care repeal bill, the White House said Trump had given it his all, left everything on the field, and was ready to move on. Next up: taxes, the president said, without blinking. His son Eric channeled Kenny Rogers’s “The Gambler” in praising his father for knowing when to walk away. “Guess what? We’re moving on,” the president’s son told Fox News on Tuesday. “The best businesspeople know...when to hold their cards, know when to fold the cards.” That same night, though, the president told a bipartisan gathering of senators, “We’re all going to make a deal on health care. That’s such an easy one. So I have no doubt that that’s going to happen very quickly.” Trump Spokesman Sean Spicer said on Wednesday the president had just been engaging in light-hearted banter. But it was no laughing matter to plenty of Republicans on Capitol Hill, where conservatives elected on a promise to scrap the law continue to insist that reports
trump
of the repeal effort’s death are premature. “We don’t quit,” said freshman Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican who lost both legs after being wounded in Afghanistan. “That’s how we do things on the battlefield; that’s how things should be done here.” On Thursday House Speaker Paul Ryan added to the cacophony of conflicting statements when he told CBS that it’s time for Plan B, where “we keep talking to each other and figure out how we get to ‘yes’”. For all of that, there is little evidence that leaders are working on a concrete plan to revive the repeal effort. Why not admit that? It could be the emotional attachment to a long-held goal. Or a matter of self-interest. “These are creatures that need public recognition and public validation,” says Stephen Wayne, a Georgetown University professor of government. “When they get behind something and it doesn’t go anywhere, or they’re embarrassed by it, it’s a political failure. It’s an ego failure.” Framing the situation more charitably, Fleischer offers this: “People in both parties generally have a lot of heartfelt investments
in the policies they’re pursuing. Particularly for core promises, the formality of declaring it dead is gut-wrenching, so you cling to hope and you don’t declare it dead ’til you have no choice”. There are historical examples that demonstrate both the wisdom and folly of refusing to admit defeat. President Ronald Reagan’s push for a sweeping tax overhaul package was pronounced dead on Capitol Hill more than once before a bipartisan package won approval in 1986. President Bill Clinton’s push to revamp welfare was declared a failure repeatedly before it came together. His years-long effort to remake the health-care system was declared a goner more than once—and really did die. President Barack Obama’s attempts to enact gun control measures after the 2012 shooting of schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, ended with the president acknowledging in 2014 that until there was a fundamental shift in public opinion, “it will not change”. Between the clear victories and defeats lies a netherworld of legislative limbo. Obama’s push for big immigration changes stalled after the Senate in 2013 passed a bill with dim prospects of clearing the House,
but the idea lived on in people’s hopes and dreams. All the discussion of whether immigration reform was dead or alive was a pretty good indication that it was the former. Obama never explicitly acknowledged the political reality that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal was dead after Trump was elected. The White House just stopped actively lobbying Congress to pass it. Obama’s day-one vow to close the US detention center at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba became increasingly less likely to succeed over his eight years in office. But he never admitted it was a promise unfulfilled until his last full day in office. Robin Wagner-Pacifici, a sociology professor at the New School for Social Research, said there may be parallels to military surrenders, which fell into disuse in the latter part of the 20th century to be replaced by “conflict resolution or dispute resolution or accords of various kinds that had a much more fuzzy quality to them”. She said it may also be partly a matter of Trump’s fragmented and sometimes contradictor y ways of communication, in which “nothing is ever completely resolved or ended.” AP
eople in the West, certainly Americans, have long had a fascination with the East, with many predicting an inevitable “Asian century” marked by economic and market dominance. I have long disagreed with the consensus on China and other Asian Tigers, and others are beginning to agree. Many problems stand in the way of the “Asian century”. Japan dazzled Westerners with the speed of its recovery from the ashes of World War II. Japanese purchases of US trophy properties, such as the Pebble Beach golf resort in California and Rockefeller Center in Manhattan in the 1980s, on top of the leaping property and equity prices in Japan, convinced many in the West that Japan would soon take over the world. Japan’s economic decline in the early 1990s did not curb fascination with Asia. It simply shifted to the rapidly growing developing economies, the Asian Tigers. The original four, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, were later augmented by the likes of Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and, of course, China—and more recently, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The late-1990s Asian financial crisis only temporarily disrupted Western fascination with the East and the prospects for an “Asian century”. The 2007-2009 Great Recession and financial crisis ended rapid economic growth in Western countries and, therefore, the robust demand for exports that were the mainstay of developing economies. Still, Western zeal for Asia persisted and many, for no logical reasons, believed emerging countries could independently continue to grow rapidly and, indeed, support economic activity in the sluggish US and Europe. Chinese real economic annual growth rates nosedived from double digits to a recessionary 6.3 percent during the worldwide downturn, but then revived due to the massive 2009 stimulus program. Easy credit fueled a property boom and inflation, and excessive infrastructure spending replaced exports as the growth engine. As w ith the Asian Tigers earlier, many thought Chinese growth was self-sustaining and unrelated to ongoing sluggish economic performance in North America and Europe, especially after Chinese GDP topped Japan’s in 2009. There are five main reasons why it won’t get any easier for Asia:
Globalization is largely completed. There isn’t much manu-
facturing in North America and Europe left to be moved to lower-cost developing economies. At the same time, the West is basically saturated with Asian exports, and those countries are competing fiercely among themselves for limited total export demand. Also, exports are shifting among those countries as low-end production moves from China to places such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, much as they shifted out of Japan in earlier decades. As economies grow, a greater share of spending is on services and less on goods. This reality is a long-term drag on almost all the other Asian lands, except India, due to their goods-export orientation. This will temper long-term growth for Asian goods exports even after rapid economic growth resumes in the US and possibly other Western economies.
The shift from being exportled economies to ones driven by domestic spending, especially by
consumers, has been slow. Chi-
nese leaders want this transition, but it is moving at glacial speed. At 37 percent, Chinese consumer spending as a share of GDP is well below major developed countries, such as the US at 68.1 percent, Japan at 58.6 percent and even Russia at 51.9 percent.
There are government and cultural restraints. Almost all
developing Asian economies are tightly controlled by governments. Top-down regimes stoutly resist reform and often persist until they’re overthrown by revolutions. The current Mao dynasty in China, as I’ve dubbed it, seems seriously worried about popular unrest due to the lack of promised economic growth and is reducing what little political liberty was previously allowed. President Xi is now the Big Brother with lots of little brothers insuring proper thoughts and actions, even at the local level. In Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak is enmeshed in a multibillion-dollar investment scandal. In the Philippines crime and drug trafficking are so rampant that President Duterte was elected on a platform of eliminating drug dealers, even by murderous vigilante squads. South Korea’s former President Park Geun-hye was thrown out over corruption.
Population problems endure.
Despite the need for new workers in Japan as its population falls and ages, women are still discouraged from entering the labor force, and Japan continues to be unwelcoming toward newcomers. There’s no such thing as an immigration visa despite the fact that 83 percent of Japanese hiring managers have difficulty filling jobs, versus a global average of 38 percent in the last five years. China also has a looming labor shortage and severe limits to economic growth due to its earlier one-child policy, which resulted in about 400 million Chinese not being born. Low fertility rates are also destined to reduce the populations of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea. At the other end of the population spectrum are Asian countries like Indonesia and India, whose population is expected to exceed China’s by 2022.
Military threats are growing in Asia, and could severely disrupt stability and retard economic growth if they flare up. C h i n a i s e xerc i si ng it s
militar y muscles by challenging US militar y inf luence in the reg ion by, among other actions, building militar y islands on reefs in the South C h i n a S e a . Japa n i s a b a n don i ng it s post -World Wa r pacif ism a nd shif t ing f rom defensive to offensive capabilities. T he Russians are also ma k ing militar y threats. T he reg ion contains five nucleararmed countries: China, India and its r iva l Pa k istan, Russia and—most troubling—North Korea, which is testing longra nge m i ssi les. C h i n a i sn’t happy about that, but it wants Nor th Korea as a buffer bet ween it and South Korea, as wel l as a deter rent to its old foe, Japan. There may well be an “Asian century” in the future, but don’t hold your breath. It took about a millennium for the West to develop meaningful democracy, the rule of law, large middle classes that support domestic economies and all the institutions that are largely lacking in developing Asian lands. Bloomberg News
Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
Sports
BusinessMirror
On ground balls in 2016, big league hitters had a .239 average and .258 slugging percentage. On line drives and fly balls combined, they hit .411 with a .785 slugging percentage.
Lady Bulldogs, Lady Tamaraws in crucial duel
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AR Eastern University (FEU) and National University (NU) square off in an allimportant match that would affect their Final Four chances in Season 79 University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball action today at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The pivotal second round clash between the Lady Tamaraws and Lady Bulldogs is set at 4 p.m., with FEU trying to improve its sixthrunning 6-6 win-loss card to move closer to the semifinals. NU is in a triple tie at third place with idle University of the Philippines (UP) and University of Santo Tomas on a 7-5 record. Early semifinalist and defending champion De La Salle (10-2) takes on eliminated Adamson University (0-12) at 2 p.m. The Lady Spikers are hoping for a win that would give them the momentum when they clash with fellow Final Four qualifier and topnotcher Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles next week. The Lady Tamaraws made the Final Four last year and extended the twice-to-beat advantage of De La Salle to the hilt. FEU Head Coach Shaq de los Santos has not lost hope on his team led by Remy Palma, Bernadeth Pons and Toni Rose Basas. “This is really a big challenge for us. We can feel the pressure in catching up for a spot in the Final Four,” de los Santos said. “We just need to be at our best in the last stretch of the season and be ready, especially that we are facing NU. If we could beat them, it would open a possible chance for us to make it to the Final Four. The Lady Bulldogs, meanwhile, will try to avenge their 14-25, 27-25, 21-25, 12-25 loss to UP last week. Head Coach Roger Gorayeb attended his son’s graduation and missed the game. Ateneo de Manila guns for a 13-0 record when it battles De La Salle (4-8) in the men’s division at 10 a.m. FEU (6-6), on the other hand, tries to regain solo third place against UP (5-7) at 8 a.m. Lance Agcaoili
Saturday, April 1, 2017 A5
EDUARD FOLAYANG and EV Ting strike a pose during a recent media face-off. STEPHANIE TUMAMPOS
Folayang stakes crown against Malaysian fighter
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V TING has his eyes locked on the lightweight belt owned by Eduard Folayang that he only focuses on one attribute that makes the Filipino a true champion. The Malaysian rising star acknowledged Folayang’s ability to adjust to different scenarios that made the Benguet
THE Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista hits a solo home run, the 300th of his career, off Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers in the third inning of their baseball game, in Houston, in August last year. AP
native a hard nut to crack inside the cage. Folayang’s versatility, along with the hometown pressure, forced Ting to map out a game plan that suits his opponent’s style of play. “Eduard is very adaptable. He can adjust to anybody’s game. He is very talented so I have high respect for him,” Ting said in a face-off press conference recently in Makati City. The two elite fighters of the division will meet on April 21 in the main event of One: Kings of Destiny at the Mall of Asia Arena. Ting got the nod to be the contender for
Folayang’s belt after his decisive split-decision victory over Kamal Shalorus in February. Holding a record of 13 wins and three losses, Ting has done wonders against Filipino fighters Eric Kelly and Honorio Banario, with both men succumbing to guillotine chokes of the Malaysian in successive matches. Ting remains confident that he will continue his four-match win streak, but he knows that he should hold his ground against the Filipino pride, a known striker that represented the country in wushu events of three Southeast Asian Games. He won gold in all occasions. “I have all respect for Folayang. I hope I can overcome the pressure,” Ting said. Folayang (17-5) won the
lightweight belt in November by dethroning Shinya Aoki of Japan via a technical knockout in round three.
‘NO’ TO GROUND BALLS
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By Jake Seiner
The Associated Press
OSH DONALDSON and Reggie Jackson stood off to the thirdbase side of the batting cage, a pair of former American League Most Valuable Players (MVP) discussing their craft in spring training. When the Blue Jays star hopped in to take his swings, Mr. October pulled out his phone to shoot video, a visual aid for his
job as a special adviser to the Yankees. “Josh’s swing, it’s something new and different,” the 70-year-old Jackson said. “I wanted him to interpret it for me.” Donaldson is an early adopter to a growing big league trend—hitters fixated on producing fly balls. Or, as Donaldson put it recently on Twitter: “Just say NO.... to ground balls.” Donaldson put his career on the upswing by, well, swinging up, and he’s not alone. Toronto teammate Jose Bautista achieved stardom by adding some loft, and Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant has prioritized hitting the ball in the air his entire career. Detroit’s J.D. Martinez and the Dodgers’ Justin Turner have made millions since deciding to shoot for the sky. It doesn’t take an aerospace degree to see why. On ground balls in 2016 big league hitters had a .239 average and .258 slugging percentage. On line drives and fly balls combined, they hit .411 with a .785 slugging percentage. For those that want to dig deeper, there’s never been more to explore. Over the past two seasons, MLB.com posted data provided by Statcast, a tracking system that records the distance, speed and
trajectory of batted balls. The numbers make one thing clear—it’s good to hit the ball hard, but it’s better to hit it hard and high. “I’ve done a lot of research,” Donaldson said. “I’m confident in what I do and I believe in it.” Before the 2013 season Donaldson reengineered his swing with the help of Bobby Tewksbary, a hitting instructor whose playing career topped out in the independent Can-Am Association. The 33-year-old works out of a facility in Nashua, New Hampshire, and has helped a number of major leaguers, including Chris Colabello, AJ Pollock and Matt Joyce. Tewksbary is on a mission to make hitters better by debunking the axiom against swinging up. He felt his own career was hindered by the hitting instruction he got as a young player—he was always told to “swing down” on the ball. “Johnny Little League coach says to swing down, get on top, and hitters will literally swing down,” he said. Tewksbary thinks the terminology does more harm than good—and he’s not nearly the most famous dissenter of that baseball adage. In his book The Science of Hitting, Ted Williams bemoaned that hitters “always heard that the ideal swing is level or ‘down.’” The Hall of Famer advocated a “slight upswing” because it “puts the bat flush in line with the path of the ball for a longer period.” That is, if the ball is traveling down from the pitcher’s hand to the catcher’s glove, the best chance at solid contact is to swing the bat on the same plane— up toward the pitcher’s release point. “For years and years, people have disagreed with the greatest hitter of all-time,” Tewksbary said. He’s studied video of Williams, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, and Albert Pujols was “very influential” in helping him develop
his hitting principles. None of those hitters swung like they were hunting for well-placed ground balls. Which isn’t to say the answer is a full-blown upper cut. The adjustment for players like Donaldson is more subtle than just selling out for air balls. “I’m going up there to drive the ball, which means get the ball in the air,” said hulking Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp, who hit 16 homers in 105 games last season. “I want to be on plane with the ball as early as I can and stay through it as long as I can,” he added. “That creates backspin. That creates the ball getting in the air. That’s kind of what I’m looking to do.” For generations, hitters have been instructed to drive the knob of the bat toward the ball. Instead, Donaldson keeps his hands close to his back shoulder longer, letting his barrel first tip slightly toward the catcher. That allows him to get the bat on plane with the pitch sooner and swing through the ball on a slight upward trajectory. The science can get technical, and that’s a concern when taking information from the lab to the diamond.
“To start to get into angles and lift and launch, I mean, we’ve got some smart guys,” Boston manager John Farrell said, “but they might not be going to Harvard.” The fact is that not all players think they’d benefit from more information. Plus, hitters aren’t keen on reconstructing their swings after they’ve already reached the majors. “The more technical I get, the bigger hole I dig,” Boston slugger Mitch Moreland said. “I try to keep it as simple as I can.” “You don’t launch at this angle, this and that,” added Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. “Whether it’s down or up, hard always has more of a chance of being a hit than soft.” But results from hitters like Donaldson and Bryant aren’t going unnoticed. On a near-daily basis, players hear talk of launch angles and exit velocities on TV in the clubhouse. They know the information is out there, if they want it. “There’s too much data to ignore the value of hitting the ball in the air,” Tewksbary said, adding that the approach is “not new, but the understanding we have is new.” And so is the appreciation. The success stories are piling up—last year, Washington’s Daniel Murphy, Texas’s Jonathan Lucroy and Detroit’s Nicholas Castellanos improved their performance after significantly cutting their ground ball rates. It’s not just the number crunchers taking notice anymore. “Google me, it will tell you that I understand the swing, too,” said Jackson, a Hall of Famer with 563 career home runs. “But I have a job to do for the Yankees, to help the new players, to help this organization win. So I take the time to hear and understand the new vernacular.” Jackson found in his cage-side chat that Donaldson hasn’t reinvented the wheel, so much as he’s taken it back to its roots. “From Ty Cobb to Miguel Cabrera,” Jackson said, “when you get to the baseball, whether it’s Cobb, Ruth or Gehrig, or Donaldson and Bautista, the impact (of the bat on ball) travels in the same spot. “Josh Donaldson does what I did,” Jackson added. “He’s different getting there, but in the pay zone, he is taking the same groceries home that I did.”
A6 Saturday, April 1, 2017 | Editor: Mike Besa
Why can’t I take my range game to the course?
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By David MacKenzie
n the past 10 years I’ve been coaching, I hear this scenario a lot. It’s the same as that common golf question, why can’t I take my range game to the course? My answer is: “Swing mechanics don’t change, tempo does.” On the course, your swing mechanics are as they should be. It takes time to build and learn movement patterns and they don’t change during a single round. However, something very fundamental can change and it’s called tempo. I have this conversation with elite performance coaches all the time, yet it’s amazing how little it’s discussed among amateurs who are trying to figure out variability in their results. What is tempo in the golf swing? Tempo is a measurement of time, not speed (which is a common misconception). It’s the ratio of the time it takes for you to get to the top of your backswing, to the time it takes to get back to the ball. When you are hitting your best shots, your tempo is where it needs to be. Studies that have been done show that this ratio is around 3:1 (the backswing takes three times as long as the downswing) for the long game and 2:1 for the short game and putting. I’d like you to experiment and find this out for yourself. I should note it’s possible for a fast swing, like Rickie Fowler’s and a slower swing like Ernie Els’s, to have the same tempo. Each player has their own rhythm, but tempos are fairly similar. Why is tempo important? Without going into the technical side of things (I’ll leave that to the biomechanics folks), the subconscious synchronization of your swing (how the upper and lower body and arms/hands move in relation to each other) is very important in getting you into a position to be able to square the clubface at impact. When the time it takes for you complete your back-swing and downswing is changing, so is your ability to get into a good position at impact. The harmony and rhythm of the swing is lost. The sequence is not the same as it was on the range before the round!
The 15th green is a miniscule target given the hole’s length
Riviera Golf and Country Club’s Lange
What affects tempo? Mental and emotional factors will change tempo. When you’re feeling anxious or overlynervous, your tempo typically quickens. It’s that old “flight or flight response”—you speed up everything when you’re uncomfortable (subconsciously) in the attempt to get out of that situation. You walk quicker, you go through your routine quicker, and you swing faster. If you want to learn how to control these mental and emotional factors, so you can access your best skills more often under pressure, check out my Ultimate Mental Game Training System. Instead of trying to restore normal tempo when things go downhill on the course, a lot of players start focusing more and more on their swing mechanics, which destroys fluid motion (your optimal swing is when it’s totally subconscious). Additionally, because the focus becomes more internal, they become more and more disconnected from the target and the intention for the shot. How do you get control of tempo? Actually acknowledge that tempo is a big factor in why your scores are variable and why you can’t reproduce those beautiful, rhythmical swings you have on the range. Learn how to control performance anxiety. Being able to calm your body and mind and play your natural game is key to playing your best under pressure. Find your tempo. There are a few apps you can use in practice to determine this. Find a way to revert to a good tempo on the course. Humming, counting, or finding a song that fits your tempo, can work. One of my students says Hey Jude is his tempo song and he plays this in his head before and during shots. Try some songs while you are practicing (with ear phones in) and play them before a round. Never get overly technical on the course. Your swing mechanics (movement patterns) have not changed, your tempo has. n David MacKenzie is an expert
on the mental game of golf and resides in Washington, D.C. He currently coaches players of all levels including tour players and elite college golfers.
Top candidate fo of the toughest g in the country G
Text & photos by Mike Besa
olf-course design is a tricky business; you have to please the owner and every golfer; pro, neophyte and everyone in between, that walks your golf course’s fairways. That’s never going to be an
easy task. Herr Bernhard Langer, designer of the course that bears his name at the Riviera Golf and Country Club in Silang, Cavite, had no illusions about who his course was designed for. With course and slope ratings of 74.3/131 from the gold tees, this is about as tough a track as you’ll want to play. If you aren’t in possession of a handicap digit in single digits, one of the forward tees is the prudent choice. Do otherwise and you’re in for a long day. Set on a spectacular piece of property in the
now not so sleepy town of Silang, Cavite, are the twin courses of the Riviera Golf & Country Club. Riviera sits on an amazingly lush chunk of Cavite real estate. The two golf courses meander over and about a series of ravines, which make for rolling terrain and marvellous vistas. Ideal land for golf. The members at Rivera are a lucky bunch. The courses, designed by Masters Champions Freddie Couples and Bernhard Langer are as different as a pair of courses can be. At 7,057 yards from the tips, the Langer Course sounds almost manageable. But when you consider that some of the longest holes play uphill over and adjacent to the numerous ravines on the property, you begin to appreciate the challenges that the Langer throws down. It does make for a tantalizingly beautiful playground which we all will appreciate. Only three of the par fours come in at under The finishing hole on the Langer Course
400 yards and the handicap 1, par-5 fifth measures a monstrous 604 yards. If there’s one thing you need to score on the Langer course, it will be length off the tee and accuracy with the long irons and fairway metals. The opening holes on the Langer course set the tone for the day. We’re talking about 1,346 yards of real estate in just six-stokes not counting the putts, which is a massive amount of distance. That’s an average of almost 217-yards per full swing just to get to the first three greens; a distance well out of range for most amateurs. The 423 yard opening hole slaps you awake with the severity of the course; a hazard lines the entire left side of the hole. The tree that once constricted the landing area is no more, freeing up a landing area just short of the cart path. The second is a beautiful hole that doglegs left into the prevailing wind
complicating matters beyond its 443-yard length. Several bunkers sit 20 yards shy of the green giving the uninitiated a false sense of just where the green is located. At 480 yards, the third is the longest par 4 on the golf course, which, fortunately, plays with the prevailing breeze. Even so, three will be best approached as a par 5 by most amateurs. At no other hole is the requirement for length more evident than the aforementioned par-five fifth. Already brutally long, it plays mostly uphill so expect to have a hybrid or long iron or even a fairway metal in your hand for your approach to the green. There is some respite as the last holes on the nine are relatively short. The last real test is the par-four ninth; a short par-4 that requires a forced carry to a deceptively sloped green. The stretch of fourteen through sixteen is my favorite on the golf course; the holes offer serene settings that mask the enormity of the
www.pinoygolfer.com
er Course
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Saturday, April 1, 2017 A7
17 is the Langer’s signature hole
We are back in China! By Josh Burack Asian Tour CEO
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or the title golf course task at hand. Fourteen is the 2-handicap and after the second hole, it’s the longest of the rest of the par fours. All of its 456 yards play uphill, dead into the stiff Cavite breeze. The green is miniscule given the hole’s prodigious length and sits hidden to the left guarded on two sides by a ravine. Fifteen is one of my favorites on the golf course. At 345 yards it’s short and the green is reachable off the tee from the forward tees but that’s where the genius of the hole lies. A ravine sits on one side of the green while a phalanx of bunkers defends the others. It’s a tricky little hole that offers the golfer several ways to play it. Sixteen is the most beautiful hole on the golf course. The 577-yard par-5 doglegs to the left to the double green shared with three. The tree that defends the ideal placement of the second shot has fallen victim to years of typhoons but that has only slightly The clubhouse sits on a hill above the 18th green
diminished the degree of difficulty the hole dispenses. The aesthetics are certainly worth it. The par-3 17th is the Langer Course’s signature hole. A mere 156 yards long, the green sits such a long way below the tee mounds that little more than a wedge is required to reach it. It’s a stunning hole that could potentially wreak havoc with your score. The greens usually run on the slow side of the stimpmeter, but with the undulation in some of them this is probably a good thing. While it might strain your relationship with the longer clubs in your bag, the Langer is a beautiful golf course on a perfect piece of property to test the golfer. The variety of the design and the aesthetics are fantastic. This course might be a tough taskmaster but it’s easy on the eyes. The clubhouse is set on a hill just above
the 18th green and offers a beautiful view. The food in club is hearty fare; a mix of Asian and Western dishes. Servings are generous and there’s something for everyone. My requirements were met at the end of the round; the beer at the clubhouse is frosty cold; just the thing to slake a golfer’s thirst after a tough day. The share prices at the Riviera Golf and Country Club remain low in today’s market and remain a bargain for those so inclined. The courses are showing a bit of brown as the height of summer approaches but both courses retain their appeal and playability despite the dry conditions. The course is well kept and should provide endless satisfaction to those that walk its fairways. At the end of the day, there is no doubt that the Langer course at Riviera is one of the toughest tests in the land and deserves its place as one of the ten best golf courses in the country.
t has been almost six months since I joined the Asian Tour and it is with great pride that my first announcement in my monthly column is to tell all of you that the Tour is back in China! I’m very pleased that after many months of negotiation, building trust and forging plans with the China Golf Association (CGA), we recently announced a strategic partnership where we plan to launch up to four new tournaments in China this year and hopefully more from 2018 and beyond. I’m very honored to be given the opportunity to write a monthly column which will entail the success of our immensely talented members, the growth and development of the game and what sports fans can look forward to on the Asian Tour. I’m indeed delighted to be a part of the Asian Tour and one of the reasons I accepted the position as CEO was because of the huge potential that I see for the game in this part of the world. With Asia being the focal point of the global economy, the opportunities for us to further grow the sport is very appealing, especially with sponsors and corporations utilizing golf as a platform to promote and market their brands and services. Recently, we extended our partnership with ECCO Golf and Fenix XCELL, two leading brands which we will continue to work closely with to develop more exciting activation for both parties. We also made landmark announcements which will see the Asian Tour breaking fresh ground in New Zealand and Fiji. In March, 10 Asian Tour members featured for the first time in the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open. We will strengthen the collaboration by becoming sanctioning partners with the tournament from 2018 onward.
The historic moment when the CGA and AT signed a Strategic Partnership
And then in August we will becoming a trisanctioning partner at the Fiji International alongside the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour in what will be another effort to bolster our close cooperation with both Tours. Our 2017 season is now running full steam ahead and the proceedings have been exciting for the Asian Tour. On the course, our team and I have hit the ground running since January starting with the Qualifying School in Thailand. As in previous years, we’ve seen some really impressive talents coming through what many believe is one of the toughest tests in golf. Todd Sinnott of Australia might have finished second at Qualifying School but he enjoyed a memorable first victory on the Asian Tour at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open, which was the second leg of our new season. It was a highly impressive display by the young Australian as he defeated a stellar field at the Pun Hlaing Golf Club. A week before his career breakthrough, Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand turned back the clock to win the SMBC Singapore Open a few days shy of his 51st birthday! It was a moment to savour for the golden oldies and he proved that age is just a number.
Mizuno JPX-900 Driver Astonishingly good! W
hen the name Mizuno comes up in a conversation, most golfers don’t think about drivers. Because while Big Blue’s irons are the stuff of legend, their drivers, thus far, have merited a solid “meh”. With a single exception—in 2007 the Mizuno MP-600 caused quite a stir among Internet golf gearheads with its good looks, adjustability, feel and performance, especially when paired with Graphite Design’s YSQ shaft. The combination was potent! Since then, not much has happened on the driver front at Mizuno. That’s not to say that Mizuno drivers in recent years have not been good, it’s just that Mizuno just hasn’t had an exciting driver in more recent history. Until now. Although it carries the JPX name, the JPX900 looks unabashedly like a player’s driver. The head, although a full 460cc large, looks compact and the clubface on the small side of standard. Those initial impressions don’t really do Mizuno’s latest driver justice since it plays a lot easier than it looks. The color will be hit or miss—you’ll either love it or hate it. The matte blue is certainly more attractive that the glossy blue hue on the JPX-850 but we’re not sure it’ll appeal to everyone. Like most drivers of the day, the JPX-900 is adjustable. It may, in fact, be the most adjustable driver of the day. You can adjust loft (and to a limited extent the lie angle of the driver), the position of the center of gravity, the trajectory bias, even the way the club sits at address. It sounds like too much for the weekend hack but in practice, the system is intuitive. The two blue weights on the sole can be moved on the Infinite Track which moves the center of gravity around to influence trajectory height and spin; move them forward to bring trajectory down and decrease spin slightly or move both to the rear to do the opposite. Keep one weight in the track and move the other to the toe or heel to influence shot shape. Put a weight on the toe will create a fade bias, move it to the slot on the heel
to create a draw bias. Or you could put one weight on the toe and the other on the heel. That moves the center of gravity closer to the clubface which should keep the ball down. Having the weights at the far ends of the clubface also increases the moment of inertia which should make the JPX-900 more resistant to twisting on mishits. The stock shaft is top shelf. It’s a Fujikura Speeder Evolution II, the genuine article. If there’s one feature about this driver that commands your attention it’s this shaft. It’s available in a 50-gram variant stock but I believe 60 and 70-gram variants are available if you’re willing to wait. Mizuno golfs clubs have always been about sound and feel; the feel that Tour players crave. In the case of the JPX-900, the buzz phrase is Harmonic Impact Technology. The result is interesting. It reminds me a lot of a persimmon driver which is a very good thing. The sound might be a disappointment if you like a loud, powerful metallic clash. It works for me but your mileage may vary. Initial testing yielded very good results.
The JPX-900 performs at the upper range of modern drivers. I’m not sure it’s up there with the very longest but I don’t think you’ll lose sleep over it. Trajectory is mid-high and hasn’t shown
We also witnessed the emergence of young talent Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand who won the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open. His triumph was truly impressive as he had lost his card by finishing three rungs too low on the final 2016 Order of Merit. It was indeed fantastic to see him overcoming the disappointment of losing his Tour card by winning so early in the season. I’ve heard good things about this young man and I’m excited to see how far he goes in his career from here on. I was also at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia and it was a great tournament. I salute Fabrizio Zanotti’s effort in winning the tournament with an eagle on his last hole to pip our 2014 Asian Tour number one David Lipsky. It will be a busy next few months for us but I’m really looking forward to it. With our strategic alliance with the European Tour in full effect, we have started to strengthen our commercial and marketing efforts to see new playing opportunities for both our tour’s players. I hope you have enjoyed my first column. And like how our members continue to entertain you on the golf course, I hope to do the same through the written word.
any unwarranted results both at the range and on the golf course. The 50-gram Speeder works very well for smooth swingers. It’s lively and very responsive but a smooth, even tempo is essential for the best results. Aggressive swingers of the golf club will want to get the heavier variants. Price wise, the JPX-900 sits in the midrange of the adjustable drivers at just under P25,000. That Speeder makes it a bargain. All in all, we are most impressed with the Mizuno JPX-900. This is a high-performance product that deserves to wear the Mizuno brand. It’s the first Mizuno driver since the hallowed MP-600 that makes a fitting complement to their marvelous irons. Get the right shaft in this baby and she’ll rock! The Mizuno JPX-900 driver and the rest of the JPX-900 line of golf clubs is available at Mizuno concept stores throughout the Metro. Mike Besa
JPX900 driver
A8 Saturday, April 1, 2017 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos
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news@businessmirror.com.ph
Pangasinan governor cites ‘Class of Achievers’
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By Orly Guirao | Correspondent
INGAYEN, Pangasinan— They may be older, but they’re a fresh wind who can rev up tourism in Pangasinan. Thus said Gov. Amado I. Espino III as he cited the group, known as “Class of Achievers”, way back in their grade school at the Saint Columban’s Academy in this city. The school was then run by Irish nuns, some of whom were alumnae of Sorbonne and Oxford Universities. Espino lauded the group for “attaining heights of achievements”, even as he asked them to promote the province’s various tourist destinations. Among them are numerous waterfalls and a natural hot spring found in Balungao nd Mangaterem towns. Pangasinan’s tour ism of f ice said 8,062,918 tourists visited the province last year, with domestic visitors numbering 7,995,158 and foreigners totalling 17,950. Holding their reunion recently, the members of the group, led by their class valedictorian—book author, social philosopher, educator and visual
artist Margarita Ventenilla-Hamada who founded the Harvent Schools in Lingayen and Dagupan City—went on a tour binge and enjoyed the splendor of the San Roque power dam, a huge eco-park festooned with green vegetation and picnic huts in San Manuel town, the scenically romantic 4-hectare arboretum of former Environment Secretary Vic Ramos and the “nature church” in Baay, Lingayen, designed by multiawarded architect Ben Soriano. From there the Class of Achievers e x plored t he breat hta k ing mountain views of Mapita in Aguilar, the awesome Riverside Restaurant in Banyaga, Bugallon, where yearly, during the summer months, water adventure sports, such as windsurfing, jet-ski riding and kayaking, among others, lure tourists on the clear river. The river bank was developed by former Governor
4,000 martial-law victims getting compensation soon
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HE Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) has accelerated the process of evaluating and releasing of claims of martial-law victims as part of its commitment to President Duterte to expedite the release of claims. The HRVCB informed the Office of the President of their accomplishments and latest developments on the processing and release of claims since their meeting with Duterte. The HRVCB transmitted to the Office of Executive Secretary (OES) Salvador C. Medialdea, Board Resolution 01-2017, approving the preliminary list of 4,000 eligible claimants and release of partial monetary reparation; Board Resolution 03-2017, publishing the list of eligible claimants; a memorandum of agreement between HRVCB and LandBank pertaining to the use of the bank’s Cash Card facility to pay legitimate claimants; and an acknowledgement receipt from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), pertaining to the letter of HRCVB requesting for the release of P300 million from the Bureau of Treasury intended for the partial payment of monetary reparation. Duterte earlier met with officers of the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda) and members of HRVCB in Malacañang, to discuss matters pertaining to the release of monetary reparation to victims of human-rights violations during martial law. The said meeting was also attended by senior government officials, which included Medialdea, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III and Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno. Selda sought the assistance of Duterte to expedite the release of the claims since the reparation law—the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 (Republic Act 10368)—had been passed four years ago and martial-law victims have yet to receive recognition and compensation. The HRVCB only has until May 12, 2018, to complete the reparation process of about 75,000 claimants. To date, 4,000 claims have been approved out of the 30,027 claims already adjudicated and 45,703 applications are still
to be resolved. I n t he me e t i n g , D u t e r t e , through Medialdea, discussed with the HRVCB the drafting of a resolution seeking to expedite the processing of claims, recompute the claims amount based on actual received applications, release 50 percent of the monetary value, revise the processing timeline and collaborate with concerned government agencies and other human-rights groups to expedite the distribution and acceptance of decisions. The HRVCB, in its resolutions, committed to distribute 50 percent of the total estimated reparation value due to the first 4,000 eligible claimants, consisting of 2,661 conclusively presumed victims and 1,339 new applicants. The HRVCB, following the point system prescribed in the reparation law, came up with a total of 23,567 points to be awarded to the first batch of claimants, with one point equivalent to P25,000 rounded up. Thus, the total reparation value amounted to P589 million. Half of it will be released to the first batch of claimants by the second quarter of 2017 through LandBank’s Cash Card facility, and the balance to be released after the final resolution of all claims and the publication of the final list. Meanwhile, the Philippine Postal Corp. offered a discount of 50 centavos per mail to the HRVCB in lieu of franking privilege. The HRVCB, however, requested for additional discount for the mailing of notices and resolutions. Prior to that, the claims board requested the Commission on Audit for a public bidding exemption on the publication of the list of legitimate claimants. Also outlined in the documents submitted to OES are the activities required by law the HRVCB needs to perform before the actual delivery of payment, such as docketing of appeals from the claimants and oppositions from any interested party; resolution of appeals and oppositions; publication of the final list of eligible claimants; and submission of the list of the first 4,000 eligible claimants to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Health for the delivery of nonmonetary reparation benefits. PNA
and now Fifth District Rep. Amado T. Espino Jr. into a blissful evening at promenaders’ lane. Also in the group’s reunion tourism itinerary were the magnificent Sison auditorium within the Capitol complex in Lingayen, which is likened to the Royal Albert Hall of London; the historic Lingayen Cathedral; and the majestic residence of Dr. and Mrs. Titus Arcinue that was built and incorporated by Soriano into the ruins of the old Colegio de Santo Rosario. With Hamada in the Class of Achievers are former Energy Secretary Francisco Viray; former Lingayen Mayor Nolan Evangelista; Alberto Jimenez, head of the Rural Bank of Mangaldan chain; lawyer Vicente Jimenez, a San Beda magna cum laude alumnus; chess master Ricardo Yuson; Araceli Soriano-Manaloto, who was head of PNB in New York; Marirose Sison-Garcia, who retired as vice president of Citibank, Florida and now Board of director of the AIM; Carmen Martinez-Pascual, civic leader and wife of past University of the Philippines president Alfredo Pascual; Catherine Badua-Fianza, wife of former traffic czar Gen. Florencio Fianza; and Mariska Angeles Castillo, wife of contractor Melquiades Castillo Jr., among a long list of successful professionals here and abroad.
BIKING FOR A LIVING Lolo Noel, at 76 years old, drives his trike in front of the Quiapo Church, where he earns money transporting goods. MAU VICTA
What you need to know about so-hot-right-now infrared spa therapy
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NFRARED saunas are the next model boxing. It’s the latest new-old thing that has received attention from fashion types, celebrities and social-media influencers. If you are a physician or longtime wellness nut, it’s likely you already know about them. For decades hospitals and medical-treatment centers have used them to foster growth for premature babies and expedite healing for athletes and the elderly. But only in the past year did infrared treatments become—shudder—trendy. Gwyneth Paltrow extolls their benefits. Lady Gaga uses them to treat her chronic shoulder pain. Jennifer Aniston and Selena Gomez use them at home. A host of boutique shops are popping up to support the demand, especially in the US (New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami are big markets) and in Australia. It’s a $75-million market “and growing rapidly”, according to a report published in the Canadian Family Physician, the official journal of the college of family physicians of Canada. Sunlighten Inc. sells infrared saunas to spas and wellness centers via 16 distributors worldwide. The Overland Park, Kan.-based company has seen steady growth in commercial and residential sales since 2013, with last year’s sales up 20 percent over 2015's. “We have seen a growing trend for a while now,” said Brooke Basaldua, Sunlighten’s marketing manager. “Last year was definitely our biggest year, and we would expect to see the same thing again this year, as well.” The saunas work by using infrared wavelengths of light to heat the body itself, rather than heating the space around it. There are three wavelengths—short, medium and far, with far being the most intense form: The heat vibrates water molecules in the body so much that they break down. The result, according to supporters, is a healthy release of toxins that you sweat out. Infrared temperatures range from 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the conventional 160. That’s why an infrared sauna is cozy and dry, not sweltering and musty like a regular health club sauna. “The appeal of saunas, in general, is that they cause reactions,
such as vigorous sweating and increased heart rate, similar to those elicited by moderate exercise,” Brent Bauer, the director of the Department of Internal Medicine’s complementary and integrative medicine program at the Mayo Clinic, wrote in a Mayo Clinic report. “An infrared sauna produces these results at lower temperatures than does a regular sauna, which makes it accessible to people who can’t tolerate the heat of a conventional sauna.” The benefits are myriad, if you believe the hype: muscle and organ relaxation, detoxification, pain relief, improved cell health, better circulation, antiaging, skin purification and (the holy grail) weight loss. Richard Beever, the clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, is more circumspect, though tentatively supportive. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with it, he said. “Although the evidence is limited, it does suggest a number of benefits of far infrared sauna use, including effects on systolic hypertension…and clinical symptoms of
congestive heart failure, premature ventricular contractions, brain natriuretic peptide levels, vascular endothelial function, exercise tolerance, oxidative stress, chronic pain and, possibly, weight loss and chronic fatigue,” Beever wrote in a review for the official publication of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Importantly, “No adverse events were reported.” Prominent trainers agree, using the practice on themselves— and their most-prized, city-harried clients. “I personally like infrared sauna for relaxation and flushing out toxins like heavy metals—and you get a moment of Zen in a busy city full of noise,” says Stephen Cheuk, the owner of S10 Training Club Llc. and House of Matcha Inc. tea. He is known for his attention to progressive and holistic treatments, often sourced on his frequent trips to Asia; Cheuk trains some of the most beautiful, fit and famous people in New York. Manhattan’s HigherDOSE Llc. is a frequent callout in model and fashion-boss Instagram feeds. (“DOSE” is an acronym for those natural elation-causing chemicals known as dopamine, oxytocin,
serotonin and endorphins.) Leonardo DiCaprio and Michelle Williams are known clients. Sessions cost $65 for the recommended one-hour duration, which allows 10 to 15 minutes to disrobe and arrange yourself inside the wooden box (For my visit, I reserved a single room, although you can reserve an $80 double if you want to go with a friend.). The small shop, which opened last year, is tucked underneath an actual alchemist kitchen. To enter, guests walk past shelves of myrrh oil and sage, descend a stairwell festooned with junglethick vines, and present themselves at a front desk doused in red light emitting from a neon sign above. (The neon spells out “Higher Dose” underneath some mystic-looking triangles). Short-term results were more than satisfactory. I had gone into it feeling lethargic and stymied in general by the snow and winter weather. My shoulders were sore from a recent eight-hour flight from Geneva and from gingerly picking my way over black ice as I attempted to jog around town. I was also sleepy, having been out late the night before. Bloomberg News
THE OLD MAN AND HIS STAR FISH Ernesto Ecolin shows giant starfish he found floating around the shore of Vitalis Resort in Ilocos
Sur.
MAU VICTA
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The Millennials BusinessMirror
Gadgets biz owner sees growing Pinoy millennials’ spending rate Story & photo by Rizal Raoul Reyes
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@brownindio
young executive behind the Urban Rugged Gear (URGe) gadget and accessories store is bullish on the spending patterns of Filipino millennials and the Gen Z.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Tenkie Box Concepts Inc. President Jay Tengo revealed the firm decided to open a second branch of URGe to address what they see as a growing need of the local market for accessories that can help them in pursuing an active lifestyle. “We were looking to curate a few items that weren’t available in the Philippines. And, really, with the local Filipino consumer in mind, we wanted to bring it here at the most cost-effective way possible because it is so difficult to import things from other countries to the Philippines,” Tengo said during the opening of the firm’s second URGe store. “It [importing products] is going to cost
more, so we decided to bring different brands from the US and make it readily available to our Filipino outdoor community [and] to the people who hang out in the city.” According to Tengo, the second URGe store was put up as they saw urban dwellers who commute daily as a big market for their products. “They need to protect their gadgets and other products,” he said. “That is why we also have them in mind.” Products carrying brands, such as OtterBox, Goal Zero, YurBuds, LifeProof, GoPro, LeefiBridge and B & O Play, are being sold in URGe stores. The store is also the sole distributor of Mission Workshop, WaterShot,
Tenkie Box Concepts Inc. President Jay Tengo speaks to reporters during opening of the firm’s second retail store on February 21 in Makati City.
Ethnotek and Drifter brands in the country. Although millennials are a huge market because they are heavy users of gadgets, Tengco said products sold in URGe stores also target “their
uncles, aunts and grandparents.” “It is really targeting based on the needs of the people who would need to go and protect their day-to-day things,” he said, citing in particular a product that can convert an iPhone
into an underwater camera.” “Millennials and non-millennials are always on their phones so it is an already a go-to gadget.” The opening of a second URGe store came before the International Data Corp. (IDC) said it sees an expanded number of retail outlets driving worldwide wearable device shipments from 102.4 million in 2016 to 237.5 million in 2021, a fiveyear compound annual growth rate of 18.3 percent. “With the shift toward watches and clothing, the need of a fashionable design will take center stage,” Jitesh Ubrani, IDC senior research analyst, was quoted in a statement as saying. “Tech companies will be forced to step up their game and offer a wider selection of sizes, materials and designs in order to appeal to a broader audience. We also expect more tech vendors to partner with fashion brands for their creativity, and equally important, their distribution network. In doing so, wearables will be made available to a previously unaware audience—one that frequents fashion outlets over tech outlets.”
Saturday, April 1, 2017
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Movie studios look to young, diverse audiences for growth
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AS VEGAS—The future of Hollywood movies is in the hands of young and diverse audiences. At CinemaCon on Tuesday studio executives and representatives from the National Association of Theater Owners touted the importance of both groups in growing the movie business. Higher ticket prices helped push the motion-picture industry to a record box office total in North American theaters in 2016, but Walt Disney Studios Distribution Head Dave Hollis said attendance itself has remained nearly flat for a decade. Meanwhile the business is getting more complicated as streaming services compete for consumer attention. Many of the major Hollywood studios are looking at the possibility of shortening the time between the theatrical release of a film and its availability on home video. But Hollis said Disney and its fellow studios “believe deeply that films...should be seen in a theater”. “We have a common goal to get people to see them in your cinemas,” Hollis told people at the convention. Industry executives say the focus in the coming years will be on consumers aged 18 to 39, whose attendance has grown in the past two years, as has that of diverse audiences. AP
Millennials, hoping to discover real connections, ban the booze By Kelli Kennedy The Associated Press
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ORT LAUDERDALE, Florida— It’s not really about the meal at the monthly Conscious Family Dinner, although there is plenty of vegan Indian food. You can spend time in a cuddling sanctuary, sit down with a tarot reader, chat about career goals with a life coach or sit in on an acro-yoga sex psychotherapy presentation. And there’s almost always some form of dancing. But what’s inconspicuously missing is alcohol. Creator Ben Rolnik says the dinners are about creating a new form of play that facilitates meaningful connections, not the vapid chitchat that often proliferates at cocktail parties or bars. The reception to the dry dinners, held at various spots in Los Angeles but expanding soon nationwide, has been impressive, with each of the 200-person event selling out. Tickets cost about $35. “It’s like a journey more than a dinner,” said Rolnick, a 26-year-old yogi and former talent manager. Similar parties are popping up across the country, notably in New York, Miami and Chicago, tapping into an itch from millennials to find
meaningful connections and purpose even in their night life.
MILLENNIAL UNIVERSE
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watched Beauty and the Beast in the movie theater with my mom many years ago, and I watched the musical live-action film just recently. As much as I would have wanted to avoid comparisons, I think it is just human nature that, being there is a reference, there would be comparisons. For one, I didn’t like how Emma Watson portrayed Belle. I am not sure if this is a directorial call, a sign of the times, or just plain bad acting. To start with, quite frankly, she walks like a dyke and has as much grace as a stick in the mud—ergo, none. Her facial expression was dour
who was struck by the sense of camaraderie she experienced. “You get to meet people in a clearer head space. You leave the party and you feel refreshed.”
Shared experience
WHILE the events have a different feel around the country, they all involve movement, often yoga or dance, to help people loosen up
experience in the great beyond. It is excitement and innocence that fuels her. She is radiant with anticipation, fully engrossed in her reading and imbibed in her book adventures that she doesn’t see her town. The Belle in the old animation version is given a book because she loves it so much. She is enthralled by reading that her passion moves the library owner to generosity. This new Belle is the antithesis of that. She is in drudgery and misery, which is so uncharming once you look beneath her looks. This new Belle has none of that joy. She sings on the hills like a spoiled teenager, crying “I want more!” and drowning in self-pity and vast under-appreciation of her surroundings. She has no passion, but just a void of dissatisfaction. There is a vast difference between those two motivations, which comes out in the nuances of her actions. I think it might be a generational difference that is the culprit.
This is the Belle of the Generation Angst. This is the Belle that says: “There is something wrong, and I’m so weak and emotional and disturbed. Nothing is cool enough to make me happy. I will sulk and expect someone to make me better.” She so rarely smiles in the movie, and rarely has any other expression but “disturbed”. Her eyebrows are always in a furrow, as if her worries and burdens rivaled that of a woman in Syria running from a bomb with her child and a 60-pound bag of all her belongings in her hand. It so contrasts to her youthful face. She slouches. Her stiff, awkward positions are prepubescent and I just don’t see the self-assured Belle. When she finds out she has some sort of feelings for the Beast, and he lets her go, she doesn’t even give him a thank-you hug or some form of affection. She just takes it for granted that she deserves to be treated like this. I think that is a sure sign for
death in a relationship if you cannot even say thank you or show affection for the things the guy you love does for you! Sheesh. I also found how she acted toward her father also lacking in love, and a little condescending in the scene where she was helping Maurice with the clockwork. He couldn’t remember what tool he needed. She gave him the tools like, “here it is, forgetful old man”. Not like, “Here it is, my loving father who acts silly sometimes, but I love anyway.” She clasps both her hands over his knees before he leaves as she looks up at him and asks for a rose. I found that a little inappropriate. Being a film major, even the camera angles tell a lot about the story you would like to portray, and the over-the-shoulder shot from the dad was at an angle too low for comfort. Her looks to him are also too intense, almost, dare I say, sexual.
This disturbs me because I know it is a Disney film, and that, more than adults, children are good at picking up subtle body language. Is this then what we are to call beauty nowadays? An awkward, underappreciative, self-entitled woman that inappropriately looks at her father? I should hope not. Add that to the homosexual flirting between Le Fou and Gaston, as well as the three swordsmen-turnedtransvestite, with one actually sharing a secret smile to the cabinet as a thank you for finally letting him “out of the closet”, you would have to wonder what Disney is playing at. How then do we define beauty now? I would hope to stick to what the original Belle stood for, a lady ready for adventure, courageous in protecting her family, whose kindness touches the hardest heart and softens it and whose loyalty and love is as sure and as old as time.
Healthier lives
WHEN Justin Henderson, who created the event company Bender, hosted his first few events in Chicago a few years ago, he served alcohol, but noticed very few people were imbibing. As time went on, he noticed more alcohol was leftover at each event, and he decided to stop offering it all together. Instead, Bender’s events range from 40 to 300 people, and include everything, from a rooftop yoga pool party at the Standard Hotel to midnight silent disco yoga on the pool deck of the SoHo House in Chicago during a full moon. “I’m just one part of a much, much bigger movement that’s happening. It’s not so much about whether alcohol is there...people are just looking for ways to connect around things that they value and are passionate about,” said Henderson, a former health-care manager who was looking for a fun way to help people live healthier lives. Courtney Nichols, a 28-year-old owner of an event planning company and self-proclaimed dance fiend, has attended several Bender events in Los Angeles, and says it combines the
Belle: Then and now Maxine Mamba
fun of a late-night party in a more socially conscious manner. “It’s never been an issue of not having alcohol. It probably is to the benefit of the event,” said Nichols,
and connect with their bodies and each other in a shared experience. The Shine has the feel of a variety show, with mindfully curated content in Los Angeles and New York once every two months, and includes everything, from guided meditation to comedians to beat boxers. The Shine gives about $400 of its ticket sales to a guest with instructions to help someone with it. They might use the money to feed the homeless, or donate it to an animal sanctuary. A short video of how they paid it forward is shown at the next event, coproducer Andrea Praet said. On the notorious boozy holiday, Saint Patrick’s Day, Anna Garcia traipsed a group of about 20 to a workout—like Caribbean reggae dance or boxing—before hitting four different juice bars around New York for her popular Juice Crawl . Her first event in 2014 sold out. “I wanted an alternative where you could hang out with people and not feel the effects of alcohol, and also highlight that you don’t really need it. It’s about highlighting the relationships with people,” said Garcia, a 30-year-old trumpet player who found it difficult to socialize after going vegan.
and concerned for most of the movie, something millennials would call a resting b___h face. When “Be Our Guest” was being performed in an explosion of color and mise en scène to beat even the original, she just looked stoic in disdain and even discomfort at the fanfare. I found this reaction to be a waste of such a magnificently orchestrated musical. What were gasps and delight in the old movie was derisive laugh from the present Belle. I found it to be quite disrespectful of the talent and effort that went into the number. What makes a woman or Disney princess beautiful is her joie de vivre. Belle, in particular, sings about how there must be more than this provincial town, because she is hungry for adventure, and enthusiastic of the great things to see and
In this March 8 photo, bottles of water and flavored tea are displayed during The Shine, an alcohol-free social event at a chic hotel in the Williamsburg neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York. These events, which are popping up in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, are part of a trend fueled by millennials seeking to find meaningful connections while they party. AP
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BusinessMirror
Saturday, April 1, 2017
By Frank Bajak
The Associated Press
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T is supposed to help protect human-rights activists, labor organizers and journalists working in risky environments, but a GPS-enabled “panic button” that Colombia’s government has issued to about 400 people could be exposing them to more peril. The pocket-sized devices are designed to notify authorities in the event of an attack or attempted kidnapping. But the Associated Press (AP), with an independent security audit, uncovered technical flaws that could let hostile parties disable them, eavesdrop on conversations and track users’ movements. There is no evidence the vulnerabilities have been exploited, but security experts are alarmed. “This is negligent in the extreme,” said Eva Galperin, director of cyber security at the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, calling the finding “a tremendous security failure”. Over the past four years, other “distress alarms” and smartphone apps have been deployed or tested around the world, with mixed results. When effective, t hey can be cr ucia l l ifel ines against criminal gangs, paramilitary groups or the hostile security forces of repressive regimes.
CLOUD NINE This March 20 photo shows (from left) Vibal Group CEO Gus Vibal, Department of Science and
Technology-Advanced Science Technology Institute (DOST-Asti) Knowledge Management Chief Rene Mendoza, Asti Director Joel Joseph Marciano, Information Undersecretary Denis Villorente, Department of Information and Communications Technology Project Manager Alona Isidro and Information Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. at the launch of the Government Cloud. The P373-million project was awarded to Vibal Group as winning bidder and involves a buildoperate-transfer method for a complete cloud solution for the Philippine government. Stephanie Tumampos
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VERWHELMING the bandwidth of a certain web site via a denial-of-service (DDoS) attack may cost $7 an hour only, according to Kaspersky Lab ZAO.
Our “experts were also able to calculate that an attack using a cloud-based botnet of a thousand desktops is likely to cost the providers about $7 per hour,” the Russian cyber-security firm said in a statement. The group that deploys DDoS attack can make around $18 an hour in profit, Kaspersky Lab explained on March 29. “There is, however, yet another scenario that offers greater profitability for cyber-criminals. It involves the attackers demanding a ransom from a target in return for not launching a DDoS attack, or to call off an ongoing attack,” the
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HE Inter n at ion a l Dat a C o r p. ( I D C ) f o r e c a s t s worldwide cor porate infor mation technolog y (IT ) s p e nd i n g f u nd e d b y non - I T business units will reach $609 billion in 2017, an increase of 5.9 percent over 2016. IDC said it also forecasts line of business (LoB) technolog y spending to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9 percent over the 2015 to 2020 forecast period. In comparison, technology spending by IT buyers is forecast to have a five-year CAGR of 2.3 percent. By 2020, IDC e x pects L oB tec hnolog y spending to be nearly equal to that of the IT organization. “Companies’ adaptation of Innovation Accelerators, such a s I nter net of T h i ngs [IoT], Cognitive/AI systems and 3D printing, together with the four Pillar technologies of the third Platform, to both new product and service developments and day-to-day business operations has f undamenta l ly increased Line of Business spending on IT,” Naoko Iwamoto, senior market analyst with the IDC Japan IT Spending Group, was quoted in a statement as saying. “ The
cyber-security firm said. “The ransom can be the bitcoin equivalent of thousands of dollars, meaning the profitability of a single attack can exceed 95 percent.” In some instances, the attackers do not require an actual assault to overwhelm the bandwidth of a certain web site, Kaspersky Lab noted. By blackmailing a target, the attackers can get a ransom without deploying DDoS attack. The duration of the attack, which is measured in second, hours and day, and the client’s location are taken into consideration in the cost. “DDoS attacks on English-lan-
guage web sites, for example, are usually more expensive than similar attacks on Russian-language sites,” Kaspersky Lab said. “The level of service involved when arranging a DDoS attack on the black market is not very different from that of a legal business,” the firm said. “The only difference is that there’s no direct contact between the provider and the customer.” The attackers have a web site on which customers can choose and pay for the service they need, Kaspersky Lab said. Through the web site, the customers receive updates on the DDoS attack. “In some cases, there is even a customer loyalty program, with clients receiving rewards or bonus points for each attack,” the firm said. The costs of assaults on highly protected web sites, however, are more expensive. For instance, on one DDoS-asa-service web site, the cost of an attack on an unprotected web site ranges from $50 to $100, while
an attack on a protected site costs $400 or more, Kaspersky Lab explained. This could mean deploying an assault may cost between $5 for a 300-second attack, to $400 for 24 hours, the firm explained. Around $25 per hour could be the average price. “Cybercriminals are constantly on the lookout for new and cheaper ways of organizing botnets, as well as coming up with ever more ingenious attack scenarios that security solutions will have difficulty dealing with,” Denis Makrushin, Kaspersky Lab security researcher, was quoted in the statement as saying. “That’s why, as long as there are vulnerable servers, computers and Internet of things devices connected to the Internet, and many companies prefer not to invest in security against DDoS attacks, we can expect the profitability of DDoS attacks to continue growing, along with their complexity and frequency.” Oliver Samson
Innovation Accelerators have put the line of business units in the frontline of the digital transformation and have forced them to work either alone with the ecosystem outside of the organization as ‘shadow IT ’ or in closer collaboration with the IT department than ever before.” IDC’s LoB taxonomy identifies two major types of technology spending—purchases funded by the IT organization and purchases funded by technology buyers outside of IT. Joint purchases can be funded by either IT or the functional business unit while “shadow IT ” projects are funded from the functional area budget without the knowledge, involvement or support of the IT department. Although some technology categories are dominated by IT spending, most involve outlays from both IT and the business units. For example, worldwide IT spending on servers, storage and network equipment is forecast to total $114.1 billion this year, while LoB spending on these items will total $52.9 billion. However, IT is not the primary source of funding for all hardware purchases. Business unit spending on PCs,
monitors, mobile phones, printers and tablets will total $83.8 billion worldwide this year, compared to $76.2 billion spent by the IT department. And LoB buyers will spend more on software applications this year ($150.7 billion) than IT buyers ($64.7 billion). T he tec hnolog y categor ies that will see the most spending from LoB buyers in 2017 will be applications ($150.7 billion), project-oriented services ($120.3 billion) and outsourcing ($70.3 billion). The categories that will receive the most spending from IT buyers this year will be outsourcing ($149.2 billion), project-oriented services ($82.2 billion) and support and training ($79.8 billion). Combined IT-LoB purchases of outsourcing and project-oriented ser v ices ($422 bi l lion) w i l l represent nearly one-third of all technology spending worldwide in 2017. T he tec hnolog y categor ies that will see the fastest growth in spending over the 2015 -to2020 forecast period are tablets (16.2 percent C AGR for IT and LoB purchases combined) and m id ra nge enter pr ise ser vers (14.7 percent combined C AGR). LoB buyers w il l a lso continue
to invest ag gressively in applications and application development and deploy ment (8.5 percent and 9.3 percent C AGRs, respectively). IDC said it expects LoB technolog y spending this year to be larger than IT organization spending in five industries: discrete manufacturing, health care, media, personal and consumer services and securities and investment services. By 2020, this number is forecast to grow to nine as the insurance, process manufacturing, professional services, and retail industries see LoB purchases move ahead of IT purchases. The industries with the fastest growth in LoB spending are professional services (6.9 percent CAGR), health care (6.6 percent) and banking (6.5 percent). Howe ve r, L oB te c h nolog y spending is forecast to grow faster than that of the IT organization in all 16 industries covered in the spending guide. The countries that will experience the fastest LoB spending growth include Indonesia and the Philippines (each with a 12.2-percent CAGR), Argentina (11.1-percent CAGR), Peru (8.7-percent CAGR), and India (8.4-percent CAGR).
Reason for panic
THE panic button, or “boton de apoyo”, distributed by Colombia’s Office of National Protection, is a keychain-style fob. Its Chinese manufacturer markets it under the name EV-07 for tracking children, pets and the elderly. The device operates on a wireless network, has a built-in microphone and receiver and can be mapped remotely with geolocation software. A button marked “SOS” calls for help when pressed. But some features could be turned against the user, the security audit done for the AP by the Boston-based security firm Rapid7 found. The AP tested two devices issued in Colombia, while Rapid7 bought buttons directly from the manufacturer. The most serious vulnerability lets anyone with the device’s phone number remotely disable it and surreptitiously take control. Simple text messages can reset it or activate the microphone remotely, turning it into a listening post, the audit found. Built-in GPS pinpoints the user’s location. Because the device can be remotely wiped, it can also be reconfigured from afar, said Deral Heiland, the researcher with Rapid7 who performed the audit. Obtaining the Colombian device’s phone number is not easy, and the government said it alone knows to whom each device is assigned. But security experts said there are ways a sophisticated adversary could obtain the numbers, including fake cell tower technology that captures numbers and bribes to cell company or government employees. Office of National Protection Director Diego Mora called the flaws identified in the AP audit overblown. He said activists given the device are at such low risk there would be little interest in eavesdropping on them. “It’s a very, very basic protection measure for people whose risks aren’t very complex,” Mora said. “Supreme Court judges, m i n isters, prosec utors, t he y don’t have this device.” Recipient s s a id t he d a ngers t he y face shou ld not be u nderestimated. Some have received death threats, been k idnapped or forced into exile. T hey complain that the body ar mor and cell phones assigned with panic buttons are inadequate. “What am I going to do with body armor riding the bus?” said
Amalfi Rosales, a journalist from the northeastern Guajira region whose ex poses of cor r uption forced her to flee. “How does that protect me?”
Easy-to-find instructions
INSTRUCTIONS for resetting the Colombia-issued panic button and activating its “silent phone” function were easy to find. They are spelled out in a user manual posted online by the manufacturer, Eview Industrial Ltd. A compa ny of f ic i a l , Joh n Chung, acknowledged that Rapid7 notified him of the flaws last December. In keeping with standard industry practice, Rapid7 waited at least two months before publicly disclosing the vulnerabilities to give the manufacturer time to address them. Chung told the AP that Eview was working to update the EV-07’s Web server software, where Rapid7 found flaws that could allow user and geolocation data to be altered. The audit confirmed suspicions that arose after independent Colombian journalist Claudia Julieta Duque reported last August that the devices have built-in microphones. The government had not told recipients, and many stopped using the panic buttons. “ To me, it’s just a device to spy on you,” said Rocio Campos, an activist in the Magdalena R iver refiner y city of Barrancabermeja whose brother was disappeared in 1998 and who has been helping prosecutors search for unmarked graves. Mora denies that the devices can listen in on users. The device’s local provider, cellular carrier Comcel SA, “made the necessary modifications so that one could not activate the microphone or know the device’s location without pressing the button,” he said. AP’s findings contradict that claim.
A history of violence
ACTIVISTS have good reason to be wary of public officials in Colombia, where murder rates for land and labor activists are among the world’s highest, and there is a legacy of state-sponsored crime. T he DA S domest ic intel l igence agency, which provided bodyg uards and ar mored vehicles to high-risk individuals prior to 2011, was disbanded after being caught spying on judges, journalists and activists. Five former DAS officials have been prosecuted for allegedly subjecting Duque and her daughter to psychological torture after she published articles implicating agency officials in the 1999 assassination of Jaime Garzon, a much-loved satirist. Tanya O’Carroll of Amnesty International, which has been developing a different kind of panic button since 2014, said the Colombian model is fundamentally flawed. “In many cases, the government is the adversary,” she said. “How can those people who are the exact adversary be the ones that are best placed to respond?” Mora rejected any suggestion that his office, which offers protective services to some 6,500 people, distributed panic buttons with the intent of spying on activists. “We’re at ease,” he said. He was unable to cite an instance of a panic button saving life or helping to extract someone from danger. W hen the “SOS” button is pressed, it notifies a 24/7 operations center at the office’s Bogota headquarters. Operators place a call to the user and, if the person is in danger, notify the police. Campos was not carrying a device in September when two men on a motorcycle tried to topple her motorbike at a stoplight. One pulled a gun, and she sped away to a nearby police post, bending forward to make a smaller target.
BusinessMirror
V
IVO and two other Chinese brands have gained a combined 21-percent market share in the emerging Southeast Asia region last year, according to the International Data Corp. (IDC) quarterly mobile-phone tracker. “ T hese C h i n a sm a r t phone vendors continue to increase their penetration into Southeast Asia and now accounts for onefifths of the total Southeast Asia smartphone market in 2016,” IDC said. “Various factors have contributed to the success of each brand, although aggressive marketing activities were the common element.” A ccord i ng to I DC , v ivo h a s become a contender f rom t he s a me pa rent compa ny a s a not her C h i nese bra nd . “However, [vivo] had a slower start in Southeast Asia as it faced various cha l lenges, mainly inventor y management and competition” from another Chinese brand, IDC explained. “ Its g row t h wa s slow a nd gradual as it played itself up as a global brand initially by appearing in international movies and
having Caucasian models in its ads,” IDC said. “However, toward the end of 2016, vivo started to use local celebrity ambassadors ,as well for its marketing, for better familiarity among locals.” The vivo brand particularly highlights its “selfie”-specialized handsets, such as its Y53, targeting enthusiastic self-shooters. “Filipinos are known to treasure life’s milestones and moments, no matter how big or small, through photographs,” vivo’s Philippines office said in a statement. “The Y53 enables Filipino photo enthusiasts to capture every detail of precious moments for less.” The Chinese brand is promoting the Y53, priced at P6,990 ($139.38 at current exchange rates), especially its 5-megapixel front camera that has an f2.2 aperture. “Selfie lovers can now take selfies even at night, or in poor lighting conditions, because of the Y53’s smart-screen flash feature,” vivo said. The company said the feature automatically switches on in low-light conditions, “making your face look brighter and more radiant in selfies.” Oliver Samson
W
HILE the majority of users in Southeast Asia will abandon a web site if the experience is slow, there is slightly more patience in the Philippines, a report by Limelight Networks Inc. (LNI) revealed. Smartphones are the go-to device for accessing the Internet throughout Southeast Asia, and consumers expect fast performance of web sites across all devices, according to the “State of the User Experience” research report released by LNI. “Our new research shows that nearly half of adult consumers in Southeast Asia are online 16 hours or more each week, outside of work, and they have high
expectations for web-site performance, especially when it comes to e-commerce,” LNI Regional Sales Director Jaheer Abbas was quoted in a statement as saying. People i n t he Ph i l ippi nes spend t he most t i me on l i ne closely followed by those in Malaysia, according to LNI’s report. People in Singapore are online the least. In Thailand millennials are online the least, with 34 percent online 16 hours or more
Saturday, April 1, 2017
per week, compared to 42 percent for all other age groups. The gap is even greater in the Philippines, where 39 percent of millennials versus 56 percent of all other age groups are online this amount of time. Despite these differences, the report by the digital-content delivery company clearly illustrates the need for organizations to prioritize the optimization of mobile experiences, understand the expectations of consumers within each country rather than implementing a “one-size-fits-all” approach, and accelerate web-site performance to keep visitors engaged. “Nearly everyone surveyed said that they’re likely to recommend a brand to a friend if they have a positive web experience, and on the flip side, that they’ll leave and go to a competitor if it isn’t a good experience,” Abbas said.
A11
While there is a great deal of behavioral consistency throughout the region, some interesting regional differences were identified. Personalized web experiences were ranked as very important in all countries, but were slightly less so in Singapore. LNI’s report is based on a survey of 1,600 consumers chosen at random in the Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, aged 18 and over. Nearly half (43 percent) of consumers surveyed said they will leave a web site and go to a competitor if a Web page takes too long to load. Eighty-four percent of respondents report they expect equally fast load times on any device. Most consumers (67 percent) surveyed want a web site to remember them and make recommendations based on previous visits.
By Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press
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In this October 26, 2016, file photo, Terry Myerson, Microsoft executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group, discusses a Windows 10 update at a Microsoft media event in New York. The major update to Microsoft’s Windows 10 system will start reaching consumers and businesses on April 11. AP
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EW YORK—A major update to Microsoft’s Windows 10 system will start reaching consumers and businesses on April 11, offering threedimensional (3D) drawing tools, gamebroadcasting capabilities and better ways to manage your web browsing. This “Creators Update” also aims to make future updates less disruptive. Microsoft said on Wednesday it will roll out the Creators Update to some 400 million Windows 10 devices worldwide over time. Though there’s no set schedule, devices that came with Windows 10 installed will likely get the update first. That will make it easier for Microsoft to work out kinks for older devices, which are potentially more problematic. Once you get it, here are four things to check out.
Web-site clutter
THROUGHOUT the day, you’re likely using your web browser for a variety of tasks— researching a trip, checking the news and, gasp, doing actual work. Having all those websites open at once could prove cumbersome. Windows 10’s Edge browser now has a small icon on the upper left corner for setting aside a group of web sites. Say, your deadline on a work project is rapidly approaching. Just hit the button to clear out website tabs for your Caribbean getaway. When you’re ready to return to trip planning, hit an adjacent icon to restore those tabs you’ve set aside. You can set aside multiple groups; the most recent ones appear on top. When things get rough, you can scroll down to check the set of job search sites you set aside weeks ago. Though browsers let you bookmark sites, you probably don’t want permanence for trips and short-term projects. Once you restore tabs using the new feature, you’ll need to set them aside again when you’re done for future access. And tabs won’t sync across devices.
In 3-D
PAINT, a graphics app Microsoft first shipped with Windows 1.0 in 1985, is getting a major refresh. You can now create images in 3D. Start by pressing the cube icon at the top. You can create 3D images from scratch or choose an object, such as a cylinder, a fish or a person. You can get additional models from a 3D online community called Remix and even share your creations there. You can add stickers, such as eyes, by tapping the icon to the right of the cube. Play around to get a feel for all the capabilities. Expect lots of trial and error— and frequent use of the “undo” button. 3D images created through paint will be compatible with 3D printers and printing services.
Gamers, rejoice
A game mode optimizes the computer for gaming. Other tasks can still run in the background but won’t consume as much of the system resources. Game mode is on by default; you can turn it off through a new central location for system-wide game settings (individual games might still have their own settings). Windows 10 also gets a broadcasting service called Beam, which Microsoft bought last year. Before, to share live streaming of game play, gamers had to install and activate Beam or a competing service separately.
Less-annoying updates
ALTHOUGH Creators Update is only the second major update since Windows 10’s release in 2015, Microsoft has issued many smaller ones along the way. They often require a restart and can come at inopportune times—such as the start of an important meeting. Users with the Home edition of Windows 10 had no options for postponing updates. Microsoft says it has listened and will give all users the ability to schedule a time or defer updates for three days. This doesn’t mean you can avoid updates forever, but it gives you more say over when. AP
NE morning near the end of her long-shot congressional campaign, 25-year-old Erin Schrode rolled over in bed, reflexively checked her cell phone—and burst into tears. With mounting horror, she scanned a barrage of anti-Semitic e-mails from anonymous trolls. “Get out of my country, kike,” read one. “Get to Israel to where you belong. That or the oven. Take your pick.” Included was a photograph of Schrode digitally stamped with a yellow “Jude” star, the badge that Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust. Schrode, a Democrat and activist who would come in third in the June primary in her Northern California district, had become the latest target of The Daily Stormer, a popular neo-Nazi web site known for orchestrating internet trolling campaigns. After the site published a post about the “Jewess” and her candidacy, a reader posted Schrode’s contact information in the comments section. Over the past 10 months, her e-mail and social-media accounts have been polluted with a torrent of slurs and disturbing images. Her tormentors are faceless. They hide behind screen names, in the shadows. Andrew Auernheimer says he is not one of them, but he applauds their vitriolic spirit. A notorious computer hacker and internet troll associated with The Daily Stormer, Auernheimer scoffs at the notion that anyone can be harmed by “mean words on the internet.” For him, anonymous trolling is a modern form of a generations-old, “distinctly American” political tactic. “Being offensive is a political act,” he said. “If something pushes up against polite civilization, it’s for a purpose.” Auernheimer, whose anti-Semitic rhetoric matches the swastika tattooed on his chest, chuckled at the mention of Schrode’s name. “Why should I have any empathy? What’s she ever done for me?” he asked. “I don’t feel any empathy for any Jew anywhere.”
A calling card
TROLLING is a calling card of the “alt-right”— an amorphous fringe movement that uses internet memes, message boards and social media to spread a hodgepodge of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny and xenophobia. Troll tactics edged into the mainstream with the 2014 birth of GamerGate, an online campaign against feminists in the video game industry. GamerGate arguably provided a blueprint for some white nationalists and other extremists who rallied around Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, flooding the internet with “Pepe The Frog” cartoons and other hate symbols. The Daily Stormer’s founder, Andrew Anglin, published a primer in August that attempted to define the alt-right and explain its origins. At the core of the movement is a “trolling culture” bred on the 4chan.org web site, he wrote. Anglin’s initial June 3 post on Schrode— the first of at least six about her—linked to a Jewish Telegraphic Agency report on her bid to become the youngest women ever elected to Congress. A commenter posted Schrode’s
In this February 21 photo, Erin Schrode poses behind a laptop displaying antiSemitic images of herself that she received in her e-mail and social media at her home in Mill Valley, California. AP
cell-phone number, e-mail addresses and links to her social-media accounts. The initial post called her a “hissing weasel.” Today a photograph of Schrode is the first image returned by a Google search for that term. The attacks weren’t limited to emails or tweets. She said somebody hacked her campaign web site on election day, changing her name throughout to Adolf Hitler. She also said she received a voicemail from someone making a hissing noise. Schrode noticed other spikes in her harassment after she appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show last December and after The Huffington Post published an article she wrote last November about her experience as the target of trolls. “Ever y day I’m reminded that I’m Jewish,” said Schrode, cofounder of an environmental nonprofit. “It’s not normal to wake up and hear that people want you dead or in another country.” Some days, she can laugh it off. More often, a single nasty tweet can compound a bad day or ruin a good one, making her feel lonely and suffocated. “I hate to admit that’s the power these monsters have over me, but on some days that’s the truth,” she said. Last November Schrode posted a video on Twitter of her getting shot by a rubber bullet while she interviewed a man at the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. One of the responses to her post was a crudely fabricated image of her bloodied body in front of armed police officers wearing swastika armbands. The Twitter user who created and posted that image responded with a “lol” when an the Associated Press reporter inquired about the message via a tweet. “I sent her some memes that were ‘offensive,’ I guess,” the user wrote.
Fueled a surge
AUERNHEIMER is known online as “weev”. He trolls for the “lulz,” a slang term he defines as “the joy that you get in your hear t from seeing people suffer ironic punishments.” “The reality is Internet trolling is entertaining. People love to watch it. It’s become a national sport,” Auernheimer said. “It’s something that anyone can jump into.” Other targets of The Daily Stormer’s t ro l l i n g c a m p a i g n s h a ve i n c l u d e d
prominent journalists, a British Parliament member and Alex Jones, a radio host and conspiracy theorist whom Anglin derided as a “Zionist Millionaire”. More recently, Anglin published the telephone numbers and other personal information of Jewish residents of Whitefish, Montana, where white nationalist Richard Spencer has a home. Anglin accused the families of engaging in an “extortion racket” against Spencer’s mother and has vowed to lead neo-Nazi skinheads on an armed march through the town. He also posted a photograph and Twitter handle of a young boy whose mother is one of Anglin’s targets in Whitefish. Keegan Hankes, a research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Anglin and his web site have fueled a surge of trolling activity by far-right extremists over the past two years. “He’s very good at manufacturing outrage,” Hankes said. “He tends to pick his victims for calculated reasons.”
False flag
AUERNHEIMER, 31, has served as a technical consultant for The Daily Stormer. In 2014 he wrote a post for the site about his time in prison. A federal jury convic ted him of identity theft and conspiracy charges in 2013 for his role in developing a program that exploited an AT&T security flaw to collect 114,000 email addresses of iPad users. A judge sentenced him to 41 months in prison. But he was released in 2014 after an appeals court panel overturned his convictions, ruling the government improperly charged him in New Jersey when all of his conduct occurred while he was living in Arkansas. Auernheimer subsequently moved to Europe and says he lives in Moldova. Twitter suspended his account in December, possibly as part of the social media company’s effort to crack down on hate and abuse. “They’re only interested in curbing abusive behavior of people whose political ideology they disagree with,” he said. Although he was amused by Schrode’s trolling, he said he didn’t participate in it or tamper with her campaign web site. “That’s pretty funny, but that’s probably a false flag and she did it herself,” he said.
Political activism
ONLINE harassment can be a crime, but Schrode learned how difficult it can be for victims to get help from law enforcement. Schrode said she received hundreds of hate-filled messages before she called her local police department in Sausalito last June 4. A police report says Schrode told an officer she didn’t feel threatened by the “rude comments,” but Schrode disputes that characterization: “I never would have called them rude comments. This was targeted hate speech,” she said, citing one tweet that referred to gang raping her and bashing in her “bagel eating brains.” She also contacted the FBI in San Francisco. An agent, she says, told her the messages didn’t communicate a “true threat” to physically harm her and therefore didn’t rise to the level of a hate crime. Danielle Citron, a University of Maryland law professor and author of the book “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace,” said some state and federal officials are striving to educate law enforcement on the laws against cyber stalking and online harassment. “We have a lot of the tools. We just have to use them, and they’re starting to use them,” she said. Citron became a trolling target herself after she began writing about online harassment in 2008. “I was never confronted offline, but I’ll be honest: It wasn’t fun,” she said. The FBI encouraged Schrode to change her email address, but she hasn’t. She b l o c ke d a n d re p o r te d s o m e o f h e r repeat tormentors on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but never considered abandoning social media. “My mom would like it if I just closed my mouth about this. She’s very worried for her daughter’s safety,” she said. “Backing down, recoiling, shutting up has never been an option for me.” That’s not just an act of defiance. She needs Twitter and Facebook to maintain her personal and political connections. And speaking out about her trolling experience has become fodder for her political activism. Schrode dismisses most of the trolls as “keyboard cowboys” and tries to ignore them, but a question nags at her: Why me? “You read about these things in the news,” Schrode said, “but it’s so unreal when it targets you.” AP