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An image of President Duterte is seen on an electronic board during his second State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 24. Duterte said he will not stop his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs and warns that addicts and dealers have two choices: jail or hell. AP/Aaron Favila

PLACED BY DUTERTE IN SPOTLIGHT, SENATORS VOW TO KEEP ‘TRAIN’ ON SCHEDULE

Senate to tweak tax bill

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By Butch Fernandez

ENATE leaders from both majority and minority blocs did not hide their relief after meeting with President Duterte on Monday night in Malacañang.

They reported that the President—who had signaled in his July 24 State of the Nation Address (Sona) he expected the Senate to quickly pass, and in f u l l, t he ta x-refor m pac k age approved by his supermajority

allies in the House of Representatives—sounded more tolerant of dissenting opinion on the tax plan during the Monday meeting.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III, interviewed the morning after, disclosed that

Sotto: “The President has given his acquiescence for us to tinker with the tax package so as not to hurt taxpayers, whom the tax measure seeks to benefit most.”

“the President is amenable to having the Senate make further tweaks in the House-approved pac k age, so t h at t he m ajor ity of the people the measure pur ports to benefit w ill not be unduly hurt by it.”

“The President has given his acquiescence for us to tinker with the tax package so as not

to hurt taxpayers, whom the tax measure seeks to benefit most,” he said in Filipino.

The senators had reason to be anxious before that Monday meeting with Duterte. In the Sona, he had famously singled out the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara, for not applauding when he spoke of his desire to have Congress approve the Palaceendorsed tax-reform bills. He then ominously added in the vernacular, “wait for the next election”, a remark widely seen as a veiled threat against the young senator’s political ambitions.

Duter te has since c lar if ied

he meant it as a joke, but t he senators are nonet heless ta king t he rea l subject—t he ta xrefor m pac k age—ser iously.

In fact, Angara reiterated this week, the timeline he agreed with the Senate leadership still stands. He hopes to finish all the committee work by September, so the measure, collectively billed as TR AIN, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, can be discussed in plenary, then go into bicameral conference proceedings, in time for the endorsement to, and signing by, the President before year-end.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, in a separate interview, had noted that Angara is so

serious about fully threshing out the measure that his ways and means panel held five hearings just during the congressional break that ended on July 24.

A ngara acknowledged, after Duter te pointed ly add ressed senators during the Sona, “Well we might have to speed it up, but, I think, September is doable. By early September we have a committee report. [We now hold week ly] hearings [but if needed, we’ ll make it tw ice week ly, though that’s a heav y load]. I think we’re acceding to the President’s request for Congress to tack le the bill and make it a priority.”

Continued on A2

Operation against ‘big fish’ under war on drugs starts

By Rene Acosta

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he killing of the late Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. during an operation by a combined police team in Ozamiz City this week has set in motion the Philippine National Police’s campaign against soca l led big fish in its v icious anti-narcotics war.

The operation that resulted in the death of Parojinog, whom President Duterte had earlier identified as among the country’s

narco-politicians, had dispelled criticisms that the government is only after “small fish” in its bloody war on drugs.

The PNP revived its twin campaigns against illegal drugs in March this year, after they were brief ly put on the back burner as a result of the involvement of some police anti-narcotics operatives in controversial operations, the worse of which was the killing of a Korean.

The “Double Barrel Reloaded ” and “Oplan Tokhang Revisited ”

PESO exchange rates n US 50.3650 n japan 0.4578

were put back into operations to sustain and continue the campaign against so-called highvalue targets, and street users and peddlers of illegal drugs.

While the Double Barrel was supposed to have “neutralized” personalities—including politicians, drug lords and financiers— who are behind the illegal-drugs operation in the country, it actually only “got rid” of three known personalities before the death of Parojinog. Two local politicians and a “drug couple”.

Since last year, the Double Barrel Reloaded has only “accou nted ” for A lbuera , L e y te Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsodin Dimaukom and couple Meriam and Melvin Odicta.

Sad ly, a l l fou r, whom t he police had considered as highvalue targets under its drugs list, were killed, two of them in police operations.

Espinosa was killed inside his cell at the Baybay subprovincial ja i l in L ey te l ast November,

while Dimaukom was killed in a shootout with policemen last October.

The Odicta couple, who were from Iloilo and whom PNP chief Director General Ronald M. de la Rosa considered as top drug lords in Western Visayas, were shot dead at the Caticlan port by unidentified men in April last year.

More to come

Following the death of Parojinog, de la Rosa said more drug personalities will follow, advising

the public to wait for a little while.

“A lot more,” the PNP chief told reporters in response to a question from a jour na list when pressed about their next target following the operations aga i nst Pa roji nog. “ You ju st have to wait for a little bit.”

De la Rosa said the operations against the late Ozamiz City mayor should serve as a warning to all drugs lords, and even criminals, to mend their ways or stop their illegal activities.

See “Big fish,” A2

n UK 66.1846 n HK 6.4432 n CHINA 7.4976 n singapore 37.0740 n australia 40.0301 n EU 59.7933 n SAUDI arabia 13.4310

Source: BSP (August 4, 2017 )

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PLACED BY DUTERTE IN SPOTLIGHT, SENATORS VOW TO KEEP ‘TRAIN’ ON SCHEDULE

Senate to tweak tax bill Continued from A1

Not hook, line and sinker

For all their fidelity to their t i me l i ne, howe ve r, se n ator s made it clear this week that they cannot, as Drilon put it, take the entire House-approved, Palaceendorsed tax package “hook, line and sinker”.

So, what exactly in the package could senators apply what Sotto called the “tweaks” to?

Angara himself gave a glimpse of what could take center stage in Senate debates, as he summed up the issues raised so far by his colleagues—and by himself.

From Angara’s summing up and the individual declarations of certain senators, the most contentious parts of the package would be: 1) the hike in excise tax on petroleum products; 2) the lifting of value-added tax (VAT) exemptions from socialized housing; 3) the excise taxes on so-called sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and on salt content of foods; and the lifting of VAT exemptions on cooperatives.

At least two of his colleagues, Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian and Sen. Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, are worried by the additional excise tax on automobile purchase.

Fuel-tax hike equals inflation?

First, the matter of increase in fuel excise tax, which the House version imposed at a “3-2-1” schedule, i.e., additional P3 on first year (2018), another P2 on second year; and P1 on third year.

Senators fret about the inflationary impact of this measure, notwithstanding an earlier presentation made by Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua that past experience did not show spikes in prices of basic

goods even in periods when fuelprice hikes were at their steepest.

“Fuel is the biggest factor that triggers price increases,” Drilon declared. Fuel-price hikes impact basic goods, and he is most concerned about diesel, which is used by public transport. “Diesel fuel is also used by fishermen, tricycle drivers and trucks ferrying goods to the markets, that is why we will need to look at its effects on the people.”

Drilon cited estimates that as much as 1.5 percent could be added to inflation and, thus, people could be looking at “5 percent inflation” down the road. “Initial estimates showed fuel-tax hike may lead to a 1.5-percent increase in inflation...if inflation now is 3.5 percent on the average, it might go up to 5 percent, which means prices of basic commodities will also go up.”

Angara is not exactly pushing for the total scuttling of the additional fuel-excise tax, but a reversal of the rate-hike schedule.

“You know, 3-2-1 is too abrupt; and we must consider that our inflation level is higher” since the economy is being primed, Angara pointed out.

“W hen the 3-2-1 breakdown of the P6 additional ta x was crafted, our inf lation rate was 1 percent to 2 percent. But now that we’re kicking up to 3 percent and higher, we have reason to fear that prices of goods could really be impacted if we go ahead with the P3 additional in fuel excise tax right away on the first year of implementation, in 2018,” Angara explained in mixed Filipino and English.

The senator suggests that “maybe, instead of 3-2-1, we could impose 1-2-3”, referring to his proposed schedule of fuel-tax hike of

P1 on the first year (2018), P2 on the second and P3 on the third.

“That’s what we’re studying now. We’re consulting economists and experts,” Angara added.

There’s another reason Angara thinks 1-2-3, or scaling up the additional tax, is better than a scaling-down schedule of 3-2-1, and that’s the government’s record of underspending, as cited

by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson.

“Average underspending by government for the last six or seven years is P150 billion a year,” Angara added.

Thus, Angara said, absorptive capacity is an issue, i.e., if government abruptly hikes the fuelexcise tax by P3 on the first year, is it already in a position to spend the surge in funds or are its key projects already in the pipeline?

“Well, we have to align it, right? [Let’s not collect money we can’t spend right away]. Or, if ever, [when the absorptive capacity] of the government is not yet there, [then let’s raise the rates] toward the end. That’s why I believe our [formula] is better: instead of 3-2-1, the rates should be imposed in 1-2-3 scaling up fashion,” Angara elaborated.

Sugar tax: Not so sweet?

At least three other senators, Angara, meanwhile, have serious reservations about the tax reform that would levy a P10 per-liter volume capacity tax on sugarsweetened beverages.

T he basic arg ument, as a lso spel led out on Tuesday by the Philippine Retailers A ssociat ion (PR A), is t hat it wou ld impact reta i lers because t he ma nu fact u rers wou ld simply pass on the new ta x to consumers, whose appetite for the dr inks wou ld thus be reduced.

A ngara, however, has a more basic objection: T he proposed measure in the House version ma kes no distinction bet ween milk products that, say, wou ld cont a i n “on ly a s poon f u l of sugar” and soda or soft dr inks t h at cont a i n “ 10 spoonf u l s” of sugar.

T he Senate Ways and Means panel chairman noted that milk products have cer tain benefic i a l hea lt h ef fects (proteins and fats that give young people energ y and strength and ma ke them “ta l ler”), and to discoura ge p e ople f rom con s u m i ng them on account of what he deems as minima l sugar cou ld be counter productive.

Senators Joel J. Villanueva and Ejercito, meanwhile, object to the fact that sugar-sweetened instant coffee (the “3-in-1”) would be affected, when this is so basic to the masses.

Drilon has a more fundamental question: Why was the tax on SSBs, which was not originally part of the administration-endorsed tax package 1, sneaked in as a separate bill by the House and is now being pushed in the Senate?

PRA President Paul Santos was also reported to have expressed concern that the imposition of P10-per-liter tariff on sugary beverages is “a bit high”, considering there is one country slapping a similar tax of—if computed in peso value—only P3 per liter.

“As retailers, we will nearly pass on the excise to our consumers, but we expect that the demand for sugared products will drop and [also] our sales of these products. That’s because consumers will now be made to pay the excise tax,” he said. Santos hoped that Congress will

reduce the tariff to “something consumers can afford to pay”.

Meanwhile, the PRA head said the other measure pending for House of Representatives action is the so-called tax on salt content of foods, which he considered also “quite high”.

“If that bill is passed as is, it will certainly reduce demand for these kinds of foods because the cost will just be too prohibitive.

And for retailers, we will also be affected because our sales of these products will decrease, as well,” Santos added.

As for the tax on the salt content of foods, the PR A intends to lobb y l aw m a k e r s a s we l l because, like the SSB ta x, an additiona l imposition on food w ith sa lt content cou ld simply be passed on by manufacturers to consumers, and dampen business in the retail sector.

Why housing?

Several senators are also lining up to question the House-approved version that lifts the VAT exemption on housing worth P3 million and below. They see this as hurting chances of ordinary Filipinos, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), to buy their own homes, or rent at reasonable rates.

In the view of both Angara and Ejercito, this will only worsen the housing backlog.

If the House version is approved, renters paying at least P12,500 monthly would be affected because their landlords, who lose the VAT exemption, will simply pass on the new imposition to them.

T he lifting of the VAT exe mp t io n o n c o o p e r at i v e s i s a lso being disputed by at least three senators—A ngara, Juan

Mig uel F. Zubir i and Cy nthia A . Vil lar, chair man of the Agr icu lture Committee—on the ground that it would hurt a sector that helps the gover nment lift the marg ina lized beyond the pover t y threshold.

At the end of the day, Angara, who said he idolizes Sen. R alph Recto who held the ways and means panel for eight years but later paid the political price for pushing the VAT law, believes t he Senate w i l l simply st ic k to its ma nd ate to pass a t a x pac k age t hat w i l l ma ke bot h t he go v e r n me nt h a p p y, b ut t he people it ser ves, happier.

T h is, to h im, is somet h ing he ca n eagerly appl aud to.

Angara, reporting on their meeting with Palace officials at the Manila Polo Club on Thursd ay mor ning , conf ir med t he pending tax bills were the main agenda on the table. “ The senators, led by Senate President (Aquilino L.) Pimentel (III), had a frank and productive exchange of views with the economic managers on the tax measure,” Angara disclosed to reporters, saying, “the topics discussed included the proposed taxes on petroleum, sweet beverages and ways to cushion the impact for the poor.”

Angara added the senators and Palace officials “agreed to meet again with perhaps more senators present.”

Apart from Pimentel, also at the meeting were Sens. Loren B. Legarda, Nancy S. Binay, Villar and Zubiri. The Palace officials in attendance were Finance Secretar y Carlos G. Doming uez, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia and Finance Undersecretary Chua.

‘Big fish’. . .

Continued from A1

“The PNP considers no sacred cows in its enforcement of laws.

As far as law enforcement is concerned, we have no fear or [give] favor. If there is for you to be operated on, we will operate against you,” he said.

T he PN P c h ie f adde d t he de at h of Pa ro ji no g w a s not intent iona l. However, t he l ate m ay or d ie d b e c au s e he h a d c hosen to f ig ht it out w it h t he p ol ice me n w ho we re s e r v i n g s e a rc h w a r r a nt s.

De la Rosa said that in ever y police operations, he wanted his pol icemen to come out a live, and not t he subject of t heir operation.

“I want my men alive. I always say it, and clearly, it should be the good man standing and the bad man laying [on] the pavement,” he said.

A hundred more

De la Rosa sa id t he operations for the Double Bar rel Reloaded w i l l ta ke t hem around t he countr y, add ing t hat t hey are a lready in t he process of building up cases against those identified by Duterte on his list of narco -politicians. “ We are building up cases against them; the va lidation is continuing. If we have build up cases against them, then we w ill operate,” he said.

The PNP chief acknowledged that the list of the President on politicians and other high-value targets in the illegal drugs is long, but he would make sure that all of them would be having their day of reckoning, unless they will reform, or have already reformed. And on his list for politicians involved in drugs, Duterte has identified at least a hundred of them.

news@businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

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Think tank cites investor risks in PHL

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By Bianca Cuaresma

he country’s construction sector has the most favorable regulatory environment in the region, but the potentially high rewards it could offer is being curbed by operational and political risks that fuel fears of investors, an international think tank said.

In its most recent assessment of the Philippines, global research firm BMI Research lauded the Philippines’s high level of attractiveness to local and foreign construction firms, especially with the strong promise of infrastructure reform from the current administration.

“The Philippines’s construction industry has among the most favorable regulatory frameworks for private and foreign investment in Asia, including robust PPP [publicprivate partnership] laws, and ambitious infrastructure-spending initiatives,” BMI Research said.

The research firm further noted that the local construction sector’s large industry size, fast growth and ballooning project pipeline make the industry one of the most robust in Asia, further bolstered by President Duterte’s ambitious infrastructuredevelopment plans.

“Laws and regulations in the Philippines are relatively permissive toward private and foreign participation in the construction and infrastructure sector, making it easy to enter the market,” BMI Research also said, adding that the country’s PPP Program has been ranked as among the best in the world, from a regulatory perspective.

Limitations

In practice, however, BMI Research said the country’s poor operating and political en-

Duterte OKs free state-college fees opposed by Cabinet

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The number of state-run tertiary schools in the country

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resident Duterte signed a law on Thursday providing free tuition in state universities and colleges over the objection of his economics advisers, who said it could cost as much as P100 billion ($2 billion) a year.

The President said the long-term benefits of education outweighed the “very heavy budgetary implications”, Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said at a televised briefing in Manila. He added the projected cost appears to be on the high side.

The additional spending comes as Duterte met with senators earlier this week to discuss a possible increase in the budget to fund the hiring of at least 20,000 soldiers and police after receiving reports of fresh Islamic State-linked terror threats in Mindanao. Guevarra said the administration was looking at different ways to help fund the initiative, including borrowing through official development assistance, as well as receiving donations. He added Duterte had left it to Congress to realign the budget to include free education.

Earlier this week Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said free college education in state universities would not benefit the poor because only 12 percent of students come from poor families and the government already offered scholarships in 114 state-run tertiary schools. Bloomberg News

vironment limits the attractiveness of the fast-growing market.

“The Philippines’s infrastructure sector is dominated by family controlled and politically linked conglomerates, posing a significant barrier to entry,” the research firm said.

“While Chinese investment in the Philippines will boost construction activity, Chinese companies are also likely to outbid other foreign firms, thanks to their lower

P

LOPEZ HAILS ROLE OF BPO IN CHANGING PEOPLE’S LIVES

Illustrious face

The country’s power industry has also been seen to have an illustrious face to the investing community.

“Investor interest in the Philippines’s power sector is increasing, evidenced by the recent project announcements and developments within the country,” BMI Research said.

“Given this pickup in activity in the sector, the power project pipeline continues to strengthen. Coal dominates the pipeline, making up over 50 percent of projects being developed across the Philippines. This supports our forecast that coal will dominate the country’s power-generation mix, with a share of 52 percent in 2026, despite robust growth in other generating segments,” the research firm added.

The think tank also said that, while domestic companies dominate the competitive

landscape in the power industry, South Korean, Japanese, American and Chinese firms are the most active international companies in the Philippine power sector.

“That said, we expect China’s footprint in the sector to expand over the coming years, as the Chinese government prioritizes its outward investment plan in Asia and Duterte continues to pivot toward building closer relations with China,” the think tank said.

US power key to countering China in Asia–envoy to Washington resident Duterte sees the US military as essential to reining in China in Southeast Asia, according to his new envoy to Washington, D.C. Jose Manuel Romualdez, who will take up the position before President Donald J. Trump’s visit to Manila in November, said in an interview that the Philippines would object to further Chinese efforts to strengthen its position in the South China Sea. China opposes any role for the US in resolving territorial disputes in the waters among the six claimants.

“The role they play is just to make sure that China just doesn’t do what they want to do,” Romualdez said on Thursday in Manila, referring to the US military. “If China continues with its path of building and building, President Duterte will not agree to that.”

The comments reflect a shift in rhetoric since Duterte famously announced last year that he wanted to “cut the cord” with Washington on a trip to Beijing. Over the past two months, the US has provided vital assistance to Philippine forces battling Islamic State-linked militants near Duterte’s hometown on the southern island of Mindanao, including two brand-new single-engine Cessna 208B surveillance planes.

Duterte’s foreign-policy positions were still evolving from the US-centric stance of his predecessors, Romualdez said. The Philippine president is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during a visit to Manila this weekend to attend a regional meeting of top diplomats, he added.

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and the ongoing threat from Islamic State and other militant groups depress the country’s investment appeal.

Laws and regulations in the Philippines are relatively permissive toward private and foreign participation in the construction and infrastructure sector, making it easy to enter the market.”—BMI Research operating costs and government backing,” it added.

The assessment of BMI Research shows that the Philippines continues to score poorly in its political and operational risk indicators, particularly as domestic logistics remain challenging, especially between different islands.

BMI Research also said the Duterte administration’s controversial drug policies

Saturday, January 5, 2017

Alliance ‘strong’

“Our military, of course, is very much tied to the US, so that alliance remains strong and good,” Romualdez said, adding that the US remained the Philippines’s strongest partner in fighting terrorism.

Since taking office last year, Duterte has advocated closer ties with China as part of a more independent foreign policy for the Philippines.

He has ignored an international court ruling dashing China’s regional maritime claims in a case brought by his predecessor, helping him to secure $24 billion in loan and investment pledges from Beijing. The Philippines’s policy of being a “friend to all and enemy to none” allowed it to benefit from all alliances, Romualdez said, adding that his country was only pursuing what was in its best interests.

“The main thing that we need to do is to make sure that our relationship with them is on an even keel,” Romualdez said. “By that I mean that our relationship doesn’t go too far away from where we are today or too far away to the other side.”

Romualdez added he wants to engage US lawmakers to clarify Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, and invite American investors to participate in the Philippines’s $170-billion infrastructure program. His appointment is still awaiting confirmation by the Philippine Congress. Bloomberg News

VXI PH executives and guests raise their glasses during the inauguration of VXI Panorama. From left are Eppie Titong (VP for Operations), Debbie Santos (VP for Talent Acquisition), Jovencito Llanes (VP for Human Resources), Councilor Ivy Xenia Lagman, Philippine Country Manager and Executive Vice President Jared Morrison, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, Rep. Vincent Crisologo, Councilor Anthony Peter Crisologo, Deanna Giner (VP for Global Shared Services) and Prateek Hastir (VP for Global Sales and Marketing).

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rade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez stressed the important role the business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry plays in today’s world, particularly in the Philippines, where BPO is considered as one of the top industries that is constantly providing job opportunities.

Speaking during the inauguration of VXI Panorama, VXI Philippines’s biggest site nationwide, Lopez pointed out that the BPO industry helps improve people’s outlook in life.

“It’s about changing people’s lives and giving hope to our countrymen,” Lopez said.

Lopez addressed the crowd gathered on the ninth floor of the Panorama TechnoCenter Building in Quezon City shortly after watching VXI Philippines’s first Passion For People video, which featured employees who were able to triumph in the face of difficult odds primarily through the opportunity provided

by VXI. The video, according to Lopez, gave him goose bumps.

In his keynote speech, Lopez praised VXI’s efforts to provide work opportunities and help people improve their quality of life. “Your company is doing something different,” Lopez said. “I like the way you hire people. You hire based on attitude. I believe in that,” he added.

Lopez, joined by several guests including Rep. Vincent Crisologo, and Councilors Anthony Peter Crisologo, Ivy Xenia Lagman and Elizabeth Delarmente, congratulated VXI for its success. After inaugurating its new North Edsa home, VXI Philippines’s attention now shifts toward making its Subic site operational

during the first quarter of 2018. “It’s really an inspiring milestone. I’m always amazed seeing companies grow,” Lopez said.

Philippine Country Manager and Executive Vice President Jared Morrison pointed out during his welcome address that VXI Panorama represents the “continued extreme level of confidence” the company is experiencing in the recent years. Morrison also reiterated the company’s commitment to “continue to heavily invest in our employees”.

The inauguration of VXI Panorama mirrors the intention of VXI Philippines to expand not just in Metro Manila but nationwide, highlighted by putting up a site in Clark and opening its third site in Davao. “We’ve opened a third site in Davao. We’re heavily invested in Davao. We love our experience in Davao. And even today with everything that has happened, it is business as usual, and a team of 5,000 employees continues to do great work. We do have a short list of other provincial locations which I am not ready to discuss today,” Morrison added. “I don’t want to tip off our competitors,” Morrison said jokingly.

With Morrison are Eppie Titong (VP for Operations), Jovencito Llanes (VP for Human Resources), Debbie Santos (VP for Talent Acquisition), Prateek Hastir (VP for Global Sales and Marketing) and Deanna Giner (VP for Global Shared Services).

VXI Philippines is the winner of the Best Contact Center and BPO Company of the Year award and one of the finalists in Best Company of the Year and Best Employer of the Year categories at the 11th International ICT Awards.

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

The World BusinessMirror

Sea dispute, N. Korea, Muslim militants top Asean meetings

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larm over North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, a germinal step to temper South China Sea disputes and unease over a disastrous siege by proIslamic State group militants will grab the spotlight in an annual gathering of Southeast Asia’s top diplomats with their Asian and Western counterparts.

The 27 nations deploying their foreign ministers for three days of summitry and handshake photo-ops in Manila starting Saturday include the main protagonists in long-tormenting conflicts led by the United States, Russia, China, Japan and South and North Korea.

The Philippines plays host as this year’s chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean.

It’s an unwieldy 10-nation collective of democracies, monarchies and authoritarian regimes founded half a century ago in the Cold-War era, which prides itself for being a bulwark of diplomacy in a region scarred by a history of wars and interminable conflicts.

A look at the main issues expected to dominate the meetings:

South China Sea

Chinese and Asean foreign ministers will endorse a two-page framework of a long-sought code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea when they meet on Saturday. The Philippines calls the development a major diplomatic progress in efforts to ease a potential flashpoint.

Critics say the agreed outline of key principles is lopsidedly in China’s favor and suspect that Beijing may have consented to it to divert protests as it tries to complete land reclama-

tions and fortify its man-made islands with a missile defense system.

While the framework carries hope for a diplomatic approach to the disputes, it noticeably failed to mention China’s construction of new islands and an arbitration ruling last year that invalidated the historic basis of Beijing’s claim to virtually the entire sea, a strategic waterway for commerce and defense. China has dismissed the arbitration ruling, which was put forward by the Philippines, as a sham.

Backed by its treaty ally the US, the Philippines was the most vocal critic of China’s assertive actions in the contested region until President Duterte rose to power last year. He swiftly moved to rekindle ties with Beijing in the hope of boosting trade and securing infrastructure funding, while indefinitely sidelining efforts to secure Chinese compliance with the ruling.

Beijing’s cozier ties with Manila under Duterte have calmed tensions and prompted China to allow Filipinos back to a disputed shoal, but arbitration proponents worry that Duterte was squandering an opportunity to harness the rule of law to restrain aggressive acts in the disputed region.

A draft of a joint communiqué to be issued by the Asean ministers

welcomes the conclusion of talks on the framework, but drops any mention of regional concerns over land reclamations and militarist moves in the South China Sea, which Asean members had agreed to include in their previous statements.

North Korea

Following North Korea’s two recent and successful ICBM tests, the US and its allies quickly signaled their intention to impose additional sanctions against Pyongyang through a UN resolution. Along with South Korea and Japan, the US is also expected to lead a barrage of condemnations against Pyongyang at the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), an annual security conference to be held in Manila on Monday. North Korea has confirmed that its top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, will attend, raising the specter of a verbal showdown in the 27-nation forum, which also includes Pyongyang’s ally, China.

Ahead of the meeting, a senior State Department official told reporters in Washington that the US was moving to have North Korea suspended from the ARF for going against its conflict-prevention objectives. It’s part of America’s broader effort to isolate Pyongyang diplomatically and force it to end missile tests and abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Removing North Korea from the grouping, however, will be tough.

There is no exclusion procedure and the ARF decides by consensus, so any US move against Pyongyang can be defeated by any country, including China.

“I think what we would expect to see this year at the meeting would be a general chorus of condemnation of North Korea’s provocative behavior and pretty serious diplomatic isolation directed at the North Korean foreign minister,” Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton said.

In Manila the ARF ministers will express their grave concern over the North’s ICBM testing, along with previous missile launches and two nuclear tests in 2016. They will repeat calls for Pyongyang to immediately comply with its obligations under UN resolutions and ask that it exercise self-restraint “in the interest of maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and the world”, according to a draft statement to be issued by the Philippines, as ARF chairman.

The North would respond by claiming “during the meeting that its nuclear weapons program is an act of self-defense against a hostile policy towards it,” the draft statement said.

Marawi siege

The Asean meetings are held under heavy security in Manila as thousands of Philippine troops press a major offensive to finally quell a siege by Islamic State grouplinked militants that has dragged on for more than two months in southern Marawi and turned large swaths of the lakeside city into a smoldering battlefield. The fighting has left nearly 700 combatants, including more than 520 gunmen, and civilians dead and displaced the entire population of the mosque-studded city.

The Marawi crisis has triggered concerns that the Islamic State group may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia through allied local militants, as it faces major setbacks in Syria and Iraq.

At the ARF, the ministers were to strongly condemn “recent acts of terrorism” without mentioning Marawi by name and reiterate their commitment to counterterrorism strategies, according to the draft ARF communiqué. Those steps include promoting moderation and effectively harnessing “social media to counter the spread of terrorists’ narratives online”. AP

Cannabis company plans to turn desert town into pot paradise N

IPTON, California—Now that one of the nation’s largest cannabis companies has bought the entire California desert town of Nipton, a question remains: Will the new owners rename the place Potsylvania?

The name Weed already belongs to an old mill town in Northern California.

American Green Inc. announced on Thursday it is buying all 80 acres of Nipton, which includes its Old West-style hotel, a handful of houses, an RV park and a coffee shop.

Its plans are to transform the old Gold Rush town into what it calls “an energy-independent, cannabisfriendly hospitality destination”.

The town’s current owner, Roxanne Lang, said the sale is still in escrow, but confirmed American Green is the buyer. She declined to reveal price before the sale closes, but noted she and her late husband, Gerald Freeman, listed the property at $5 million when they put it up for sale last year.

Asked what her husband would think of the buyers’ plans to turn Nipton into the pot paradise of the California desert, she laughed heartily.

“I think he would find a lot of humor in that,” she finally said, adding that as a Libertarian Freeman had no problem with people using marijuana, and as a proponent of green power he’d be all in favor of energy independence. Over the years he’d installed a solar farm himself that

Carl Cavaness walks to the Nipton Trading Post on Thursday in Nipton, California. American Green Inc., one of the nation’s largest cannabis companies, announced it has bought the entire 80-acre California desert town of Nipton. AP

We are excited to lead the charge for a true Green Rush. The cannabis revolution that’s going on here in the US has the power to completely revitalize communities in the same way gold did during the 19th century.”

—Gwyther provides much of the tiny town’s electricity.

American Green says it plans to expand that farm and also bottle and sell cannabis-infused water

from Nipton’s plentiful aquifer, joint moves that would make the town green in more ways than one.

The buyers are also reaching out to edibles manufacturers and other

pot-industry businesses, hoping they’ll be interested in relocating to Nipton and bringing jobs with them.

The town’s current residents number fewer than two dozen and one of its major sources of revenue is the California Lottery tickets the general store sells to people who cross the state line from Nevada because they can’t buy them there.

“We are excited to lead the charge for a true Green Rush,” David Gwyther, American Green president and CEO, said in a statement. “The cannabis revolution that’s going on here in the US has the power to completely revitalize communities in the same way gold did during the 19th century.”

Indeed, it was a gold rush that created Nipton in the early 1900s when the precious metal was found nearby.

But by the time Freeman, a Los Angeles geologist who liked to look for gold in his spare time, discovered the place in the 1950s it was already a ghost town. Even worse, it was 60 miles south of Las Vegas and 10 miles (16 kilometers) off the major highway that connects that city to Los Angeles.

“I like to say it’s conveniently located in the middle of nowhere,” Lang jokes.

Freeman bought the town in 1985 anyway and spent the next 30 years lovingly restoring its boutique hotel and general store, building canvascovered “eco cabins” and stocking them with wood-burning stoves and swamp coolers. AP

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Vietnam forecasts record foreign investment of over $16 billion

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ietnam forecasts disbursed foreign (FDI) direct investment to rise to a record this year, as the government steps up efforts to attract factories to the Southeast Asian nation.

Disbursed FDI will exceed $16 billion this year, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dang Huy Dong said in an interview in Hanoi on Thursday. Pledged foreign investment will increase up to $28 billion, he said.

“FDI growth is very impressive so far this year and we expect it to continue,” Dong said. “We aim to draw more FDI into areas including export-oriented, energy and high-technology” sectors by building a more business-friendly environment, he said.

Vietnam is shrugging off the

uncertainty over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as low wages and a young work force help retain its allure as a manufacturing base. The World Bank predicts economic growth will exceed 6 percent until 2019, among the world ’s fastest.

Compet it ion i n Sout hea st Asia is intensifying as governments from the Philippines to Indonesia ramp up infrastructure spending. In Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last week formed an economic advisory team, which includes economists from universities in the US, Japan and Singapore, to help craft policies to boost growth.

The central bank last month cut key policy interest rates for the first time in three years.

The Jacinda effect: New Zealand politician enjoys rapid rise

In this August 1 file photo, New Zealand Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern, center, answers questions from reporters in Wellington, New Zealand. AP

J

acinda Ardern took over as New Zealand’s opposition leader just three days ago, but already she has prompted a flood of donations, taken a stance for women in the workplace and transformed what had been a dull election campaign.

Whether her ascent will be enough for the liberal Labour Party to reverse its fortunes and mount a serious challenge to the conservative National Party when the general election is held in seven weeks is unclear. But few doubt the impact of the 37-year-old, who most people are now referring to simply as “Jacinda”.

On Friday Ardern unveiled the party’s new campaign slogan: “Let’s do this.” She also promised to host weekly sessions on Facebook as part of a strategy to become more accessible. She plans a series of new policy initiatives on Sunday.

Ardern said there had been no time for focus groups to evaluate the new slogan. “We’ve tested it on ourselves, asked a few people. Certainly nothing that I would call rigorous or robust,” she said.

Ardern was the Labour Party’s deputy leader when she was thrust into the top job on Tuesday with scant notice after Andrew Little resigned, following a series of dismal opinion poll results. One poll indicated the party was supported by just 24 percent of voters.

Within a day, Ardern was twice asked by male television hosts about her plans for children. One host, Mark Richardson, questioned whether it was acceptable for the country’s leader to take maternity leave while in office, and said most employers would want to know the maternity plans of their workers.

Ardern, who has previously talked about the difficulties of juggling political life while also wanting to start a family, said she was happy to answer such questions, but others shouldn’t feel compelled.

“For other women, it is totally unacceptable in 2017 to say that women should have to answer that question in the workplace,” she responded, while pointing her finger at Richardson. “That is unacceptable.”

$275,000

The donation received by New Zealand’s Labour Party in just three days after Ardern became its leader

Her answers seemed to resonate with many people, some of whom pointed out that under New Zealand law, workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is illegal. Ardern said she was surprised her comments were picked up abroad.

“I think it just demonstrates that it’s a live issue, beyond New Zealand’s borders,” she said. “As long as we can keep challenging views that are antiquated and have no place in New Zealand or anywhere else, then perhaps there will be something positive to come out of the discussion.”

Ardern has a background in policy development and is the former president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. She was first elected to Parliament in 2008.

Within three days after Ardern became leader, the party had accepted about NZ$370,000 ($275,000) in donations. In New Zealand’s low-budget elections, that represents about one-third of the entire amount the Labour Party collected during its last election campaign.

The conservative National Party, on the other hand, collected much more during the last election, about NZ$4 million. The party has held power for the last nine years and looked to be cruising to another victory until Ardern’s ascension.

National Party lawmaker and campaign chairman Steven Joyce said he believes his party has better policies for New Zealanders and the boost the Labour Party is enjoying from its new leader won’t endure without policy changes.

“I’m always in anticipation of a fight, at every election, and this is no different from the last one,” Joyce said. “In fact, prior to this change, it was just too calm and too quiet.” AP

Sports BusinessMirror

Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Saturday, August 5, 2017

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Former world heavyweight champion Klitschko retires

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ERLIN—Former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko announced his immediate retirement from boxing on Thursday.

The 41-year-old Klitschko dominated the heavyweight scene for a decade but lost to Britain’s Anthony Joshua in April after a technical knockout in the 11th round. He had been expected to face Joshua in a rematch in November.

In a statement released by his management on Thursday, Klitschko said: “As an amateur and a professional boxer, I have achieved everything I dreamed of, and now I want to start my second career after sports.”

He said that he had deliberately taken a few weeks to reach a decision “to make sure I had enough distance from the [first Joshua] fight at Wembley Stadium”.

Klitschko was 64-5 in a career that began in 1996 after he won the Olympic gold in Atlanta.

The Ukrainian racked up notable wins over the likes of David Haye and Ruslan Chagaev, but lost his titles to British fighter Tyson Fury in 2015 and was unable to reclaim the World Boxing Association and

THE NEW USAIN?

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ONDON—Usain Bolt doesn’t really want to anoint the next “Usain” in track and field, but when pressed during the lead up to his last world championships, he does have a name in mind—Wayde van Niekerk.

“One person I know that will step up and he’s been doing good—van Niekerk is really showing that he wants to really take my place,” Bolt said.

Beyond the amazing things Bolt did throughout his career, two record runs by other athletes stand out over the past decade: David Rudisha setting a world record to win the 800 meters at the London Olympics, and South Africa’s van Niekerk running in the outside lane at the Rio Games last year to win gold with a 400-meter world record.

Rudisha is out injured for the world championships, starting in London on Friday. But this year, there seems to be no stopping Van Niekerk, who seems ready to stamp his name on the London meet.

Just how good is he now? Top time in the 400, worldbest time (the equivalent of a world record) in the rarely run 300, second-best time in the 200 this season. And even in the 100, his 9.94 seconds makes him the sixthbest performer this year.

Don’t count on him running all three sprints in London, though. A 200-400 double would probably make him the star of the event.

While van Niekerk may have the times and the fitness to take over Bolt’s mantle, he is still lacking the outsize personality, charisma and signature celebratory move.

Unlike Bolt, there is still no lightning when the South African runner enters a room.

And that is just OK with the soft-spoken 25-year-old from Cape Town.

“I find it extremely difficult to even come close to what Usain has represented in his charismatic ways,” van Niekerk said. “Usain has set the bar quite high.”

Yet, nothing daunts him. The 400-meter record by Michael Johnson was set in 1999 and was supposed to be untouchable. And few gave a chance to van Niekerk to get even close to the mark last year when he was allotted the outside for the Olympic final, where all others can target you—and you see no one usually until it’s too late to react.

Still, it produced one of the most stirring runs in Olympic history when nobody could catch him as he won in a record 43.03 seconds.

Bolt’s 200 world record of 19.19 is considered out of reach. But Van Niekerk knows better. “I long time don’t believe in ‘unbeatable’ anymore,” he said.

At a blink, he seems to be in a league all his own, yet opposition is pushing him.

During his last race in Monaco two weeks ago, he only just held off Isaac Makwala, who has emerged as a top challenger. Underscoring his excellent form this season, the Botswanan became the first man ever to run a sub-20 200 and a sub-44 400 on the same night. And in the 200, Makwala has the season’s top time ahead of van Niekerk.

In the 200, Andre de Grasse was expected to take over from Bolt, but the Canadian is out injured. Too bad Bolt won’t be joining van Niekerk in the 200. He’s only running the 100 and the relay in London, his farewell meet.

The 30-year-old Bolt said age conspired against him so late in his career. “That is one of the most disappointing things: that he came along at this late stage that I didn’t get to compete against him.” AP

While Wayde van Niekerk may have the times and the fitness to take over Usain Bolt’s mantle, he is still lacking the outsize personality, charisma and signature celebratory move.

International Boxing Federation belts against Joshua.

Klitschko followed his older brother Vitali Klitschko into boxing. Both found immediate success in the professional ring, and held all of the main heavyweight titles between them when Vitali Klitschko retired in 2013.

They never fought each other, saying that would break a promise to their mother.

The Klitschko brothers’ hard-hitting style inside the ring and relaxed, multilingual approach outside it made them famous beyond boxing. Wladimir Klitschko even made a cameo appearance in a 2007 romantic-comedy movie in the brothers’ adopted home of Germany.

He also followed his older brother into politics, addressing crowds alongside his fiancé, the US actress Hayden Panettiere, during antigovernment protests in Ukraine in 2013. Vitali Klitschko has since become mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kiev. AP Wladimir Klitschko: As an amateur and a professional boxer, I have achieved everything I dreamed of, and now I want to start my second career after sports. AP

1 YEAR LATER THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY Rio barely managed to keep it together for the Olympics, needed a government bailout to hold the Paralympics and then collapsed under a grinding recession and sprawling corruption scandals.

R

IO DE JANEIRO—Neymar kissed the ball, delivered a gold medal and then wept with other Brazilians.

Look no further if you’re searching for an iconic image of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

“It’s the only medal that really mattered,” Salvador Gaeta said recently, while cycling in the deserted Olympic Park.

“Every Brazilian will remember it.”

Other memories have faded at home since the Olympics opened a year ago. A few expectations were met, but many fell short of those promised by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and organizing committee head Carlos Nuzman.

Bach boasted at the closing ceremony of “a Rio de Janeiro before, and a much better Rio de Janeiro after the Olympic Games.”

Nuzman called Rio the next Barcelona, one of the cities clearly transformed by the games.

Save for minor cosmetic changes, a city fractured by mountains and searing inequality remains as it was. Violent crime mostly concealed during the Olympics is soaring, tied to Brazil’s deepest economic downturn in 100 years and unpaid policemen leaving in droves. Brazil’s military has been called in to quell Rio’s untethered violence.

Rio barely managed to keep it together for the Olympics, needed a government bailout to hold the Paralympics and then collapsed under a grinding recession and sprawling corruption scandals.

The games took place mostly in the south and west of the city, which remains white and wealthy. The rest is still a hodgepodge of dilapidated factories and hillside slums of cinderblocks, tin roofs and open troughs of raw sewage.

Brazil says it spent $13 billion in public and private money to organize the Olympics—some estimates suggest $20 billion— and many games-related projects, since then, have been tied to corruption scandals that marred the games and drove up costs.

Federal police and prosecutors have linked overpriced projects to graft between politicians and construction companies.

A look at the fallout since the Olympics opened on August 5:

THE GOOD

The Olympics left behind a new subway line extension, highspeed bus service and an urban jewel: a renovated port area filled with food stands, musicians and safe street life in a city rife with crime.

These probably would not have been built without the prestige of the Olympics. But the games also imposed deadlines and drove up the price. A state auditor’s report said the 9.7-billion real ($3-billion) subway was overbilled by 25 percent.

Igor Silverio lives nearby the port in a favela—or shanytown—and came the other day to kick around a soccer ball with his two young boys. The area in his youth was known for decay and drunkenness.

“For sure it’s better,” he said. But, he added, he “expected more from the Olympics.”

“From my point of view, the Olympics only benefited the foreigners. Local people themselves didn’t get much. The security situation isn’t good, the hospitals. I think these are investments that didn’t benefit many local people.”

He said he skipped the Olympics because they were “too expensive” and located far away in the suburbs.

Standing outside the new subway line, 57-year-old domestic worker Isa Trajano Fernandes said public transportation had improved but was still deficient.

“When the Olympics were going on it was better, but then they let it slide,” she said.

She complained about crowding on the new express buses and the lack of security.

“People have no dignity using public transportation in Rio de Janeiro,” she added.

THE BAD

The Olympics left a half-dozen vacant sports arenas in the Olympic Park and 3,600 empty apartments in the boarded up Olympic Village. Deodoro, a major complex of venues in the impoverished north, is shuttered behind iron gates.

Standing across the street, Jose Mauricio Pehna de Souza was asked if Rio benefited from the Olympics.

“I don’t think so, not us in Brazil,” he said.

A $20-million golf course is struggling to find players and financing.

A few dozen were on the course on a recent, sunny Saturday.

The clubhouse is mostly unfurnished, and it costs non-Brazilians 560 reals ($180) for 18 holes and a cart.

Organizers and the International Olympic Committee say Rio needs time to develop these venues, and faults Brazil’s deep recession for most of the problems.

A prosecutor several months ago disputed this, saying the Olympic Park “lacked planning how to use white elephant” sports venues. Many were built as part of real estate deals that have yet to pan out.

Juliana Solaira, a 30-year-old pharmacist who lives across from the park, called the space “an excellent legacy” but said “few people use it”.

“Here we see all this money spent,” she said. “Unfortunately, we see most of the arenas are closed. So I think it could have been used in a better way.”

The park offers few amenities: no restaurants, no shade and nothing much to do except gawk at deserted arenas. City hall officials and the federal government say they’re planning an event for August 5 to “fill all the arenas” for the day.

THE UGLY

Rio organizers promised to clean up polluted Guanabara Bay in their winning bid in 2009. During the Olympics, officials used stop-gap measures to keep floating sofas, logs and dead animals from crashing into boats during the sailing events.

Since the Olympics, the bankrupt state of Rio de Janeiro has ceased major efforts to clean the bay, its unwelcome stench often drifting along the highway from the international airport.

“I think it’s gotten worse,” Brazil’s gold-medal sailor Kahena Kunze said in a recent interview. “There was always floating trash, but I see more and more. It’s no use hiding the trash because it comes back. I figured it would get worse because I haven’t seen anything concrete being done.”

Avenida Brasil, the main north-south artery through the city, is a snarl of unfinished roads and express bus lanes, viaducts to nowhere and detours through miles (kilometers) of traffic cones.

Some of the politicians behind the Olympics have been accused of graft, and organizers still owe creditors about $30 million to $40 million.

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wept when Rio was awarded the games, was convicted last month on corruption charges and faces a nine-and-a-half-year prison term. He is appealing.

Former Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, the local moving force behind the Olympics, is being investigated for allegedly accepting at least 15 million reals ($5 million) in payments to facilitate construction projects tied to the games. He denies wrongdoing.

Another early booster, former Rio state governor Sergio Cabral, is in jail on corruption charges.

Carlos Nuzman, president of the organizing committee, was defeated earlier this year in an election to lead the Pan American Sports Organization. He ran on his record leading the Rio Olympics and finished third in a three-man race.

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BusinessMi

Saturday, August 5, 2017 | Editor: Jun Lomibao

MCQUAID CHRIS FROOME bids to become only the third rider to win the Vuelta and Tour de France in the same season. AP

FROOME GOES TO VUELTA ‘WITH A SENSE OF MISSION’

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Rivera dominates rainy RideLondon Classique

F

ILIPINO-AMERICAN Coryn Rivera won the recent Prudential RideLondon Classique in a sprint finish.

It was her fourth Women’s WorldTour victory of the 2017 season.

The 24-year-old Sunweb rider scooted past Lisa Brennauer (Canyon-SRAM) on the outside and held off CerveloBigla’s Lotta Lepisto, who was closing fast in the end.

Lepisto ended up second.

Brennauer was third.

Rivera said her teammates were key to her victory after 12 technical laps of the 5.5-kilometer circuit in central London.

“It’s really special to win a race here,” Rivera said. “But the team is everything to me; that’s what makes this really special.”

Lepisto, who recently won Stage 6 at the Giro Rosa, conceded that Rivera was the faster rider last Saturday.

“I think I had the perfect position but my final sprint wasn’t good enough, so Coryn got past me on the line,” Lepisto said.

The German Brennauer also was upbeat after the 66km race.

“After crashing last year, I am happy with third because the race was superfast, despite the rain,” Brennauer said.

“I tried to ride fast and stay out of trouble.”

On the final lap the bunch was together, after several prime sprints. Alexis Ryan led out with her Canyon-SRAM teammates Hannah Barnes and Brennauer behind her.

Ace sprinter Kirsten Wild (Cylance) was nearby with Christine Majerus (Boels-Dolmans) also poised. But Sunweb timed its lead out perfectly, delivering Rivera in time for the sprint.

“We saw the forecast yesterday so we knew what was coming,” Rivera said. “It’s really cool to have a downtown race like this; it compares to American criteriums. I love that environment and spirit, and I love crowds so it was really fun today.”

To make the day even sweeter, Sunweb won the team prize. “This is definitely a highlight for me and the team,” Rivera added. “I’m really excited for all of us today.” Velonews

CORYN RIVERA captures her fourth Women’s »WorldTour victory of the 2017 season.

HRIS FROOME (Sky) has said that he will go to this month’s Vuelta a Espana with “a sense of mission”, as he bids to become only the third rider to win the Vuelta and Tour de France in the same season.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Froome revisited his most trying day on the 2017 Tour de France, blamed his travails during stage 12 to Peyragudes on failing to eat sufficiently in the days beforehand. The Briton also confirmed that Mikel Nieve will leave Sky for Orica-Scott in 2018.

Froome temporarily conceded the maillot jaune when he lost 22 seconds on the final kick to the line at Peyragudes, a setback all the more surprising because of the way Team Sky had so dominated the stage to that point.

Speaking to French newspaper Liberation in the final days of the Tour, Froome’s directeur

sportif Nicolas Portal revealed that Sky had deliberately slackened the pace a notch in the finale in a bid to mask the jour sans. For his part, Froome tried to convince his rivals that he was preparing an attack of his own.

“I tried to make it look like I was OK when in fact the truth is that I was really terrible on the last kilometres of the Peyresourde. If you look at the footage you will see I was out of the saddle quite a bit. I was looking into the faces of each of my rivals, trying to read them. They were thinking, ‘Chris is trying to read me because he wants to attack, he’s ready to go,’” Froome told the Sunday Times.

“By the time we get to the last kilometer of the Peyresourde I pulled off Mikel Landa’s wheel, went to the side, looked back, giving the impression that I had lots of energy. If anyone had attacked I wouldn’t have tried to go after them, just gone into time trial mode to get to the finish as efficiently as possible.”

Froome was distanced on the steep finishing straight, unable to follow the acceleration of stage winner Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale). It was Froome’s first time to concede the lead at the Tour to an overall rival—in this instance, Fabio Aru—but the jersey was back on his shoulders within two days, and he carried it to Paris to claim a fourth overall win.

“There was no question in my mind about what happened. The legs felt good, the power was there but I had a fuelling problem. My mistake wasn’t on that day but in the build-up to it,” Froome said. “We’d done two flat stages before Peyragudes and I’d eaten less than I should have. That had a knock-on effect even though on the mountain day itself I ate plenty.

You learn lessons in every Tour and that was an important one for me. From Peyragudes to Paris I didn’t stop eating and ended weighing almost 1.5kg more than I’d been at the start of the race.”

Froome has confirmed that he will line out at next month’s Vuelta a España, where he seeks to become only the third rider to complete the Tour-Vuelta double, and the first since the Vuelta moved to its current, post-Tour slot on the calendar in 1995. Froome has placed second at the Vuelta in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

“Previous years, the Vuelta felt like an afterthought. This year we’ve thought about it a lot. We’re going there with a sense of mission and I just want to have a real shot at it,” Froome said.

Cyclingnews

COOKSOON F Pat McQuaid refutes the idea that Brian Cookson has somehow managed to steady the ship after replacing him in 2013, and suggested that Cookson has made “a balls” of managing the UCI WorldTour series by adding races due to political pressure.

ORMER International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid has told Cyclingnews that he hopes David Lappartient wins the upcoming UCI presidential election, rather than current president Brian Cookson, describing Cookson as a “fraud” for lacking the leadership skills for the position.

McQuaid refutes the idea that Cookson has somehow managed to steady the ship after replacing him in 2013, and suggested that Cookson has made “a balls” of managing the UCI WorldTour series by adding races due to political pressure.

McQuaid was defeated by Cookson in the 2013 presidential elections in Florence after the Briton secured vital votes to win 24-18 after a hard-fought campaign. Cookson secured the 14 votes of the European Cycling Union and had influential support from Russian oligarch and owner of the Katusha team, Igor Makarov.

Several delegates changed their vote at the last minute, resulting in defeat for McQuaid, who quickly left the sport.

“I’m not involved in cycling politics in any way. I’ve stayed out of it but was also squeezed out of it when Brian Cookson and Martin Gibbs took over. I was kept off it,” McQuaid claimed while speaking to Cyclingnews during a visit to the time-trial stage of the Tour de France in Marseille. McQuaid now lives in the south of France and runs a holiday letting business.

“I think there needs to be a change of president because I think Brian’s been a fraud,”

PETER SAGAN says he is looking forward to his future races.

Sagan: I’ve already forgotten about the Tour de France

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SHAVEN-HEADED Peter Sagan (BoraHansgrohe) used a prerace news conference at the Tour de Pologne recently to underline that his Tour de France disqualification is now behind him, to confirm he is chasing stage victories rather than overall success and to hark back to 2011, when, as a young rider, the Polish race was his first ever WorldTour stage race victory.

The world champion was speaking at a news conference in the Tour de Pologne race headquarters, in a hotel on the outskirts of Krakow, the southerly city that is Poland’s former capital and where the first stage starts on Saturday. He followed that up with a series of media chats in an outdoor mobile

stand containing his new range of limited edition “Peter Sagan” products, mainly clothing—a project with its roots in January, he explained, but which has been launched to coincide the start of the Tour de Pologne.

Aside from the Sagan t-shirts, what caught much of the media’s attention was the Bora-Hansgrohe leader’s newly shaved head look. However, the Slovak brushed aside suggestions this new appearance was a way of putting some psychological distance between himself and the events of July.

“It was time for a change,” Sagan said.

“I have already forgotten about the Tour de France.”

Sagan was clearly in a good mood overall,

Apps and maps for safer, more accessible city cycling

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MAGINE on-the-bike turn-by-turn directions provided via your smartphone to give the safest and most convenient route to your destination.

Or cities that direct bike traffic along the most pleasant and fastest routes depending on the time of day. Transport planners and citizens alike are looking toward smart-city tools to make cycling easier, safer and more accessible.

Cycling has a clear role to play in the modern city and can benefit from data-driven approaches to transport. In recent years, public and private players have been developing tools that provide, collect and analyse data on cycling and bicycle use. Yet, for the moment, these tools are often difficult to access, carrying costs or restrictions.

One interesting development has been the growth of open bike data and mapping solutions. Free of charge and adaptable for different scenarios, these tools also offer a democratisation of cycling data collection and analysis—allowing citizens to take part in bike mapping.

Recently, Open Knowledge Belgium, Open Street Map

McQuaid said bluntly. “The president is supposed to be the leader, he’s supposed to captain the ship, make the political decision, and lead the UCI as an organization. Brian does neither of those.

It’s [UCI Director General] Martin Gibbs who takes all the decisions.

“There have been suggestions that Cookson steadied the ship when he was elected, but I don’t think the ship was unsteady in 2013. We’d come through the storm with ASO then, we had a good relationship with ASO. Lance Armstrong was history, we’d gone through all of that, and things were going good. In my mind, the ship didn’t need steadying. I’ve talked to people in teams who I’ve known for a long time and they told me that they’re now profiting from the work that I did as UCI president, they were talking about anti-doping and the Biological Passport.”

McQuaid refuses to formally endorse current UCI Vice President and head of the UEC Lappartient but seems to share Armstrong’s stance, who recently tweeted: “ABC [Anyone But Cookson].”

“I’m not endorsing anyone, but we definitely do need a change and with David Lappartient the only one to step forward. I’d definitely support him,” McQuaid said.

“I don’t think him being French is a risk. I’ve known David a long, long time. He was a race commissaire that we brought out to the Tour de Langkawi and to the Philippines back in the 1990s. He was very good. He speaks English very well and sees the sport in a global way.

“There’s lot of talk of him being very close to

Belgium and the Brussels Capital Region hosted an event entitled Open Bike Data and Mapping in central Brussels.

Open to all interested citizens, students and entrepreneurs, the event revealed promising initiatives in Belgium and beyond that are harnessing digital technologies to empower cycling.

Participants learned about how a citizens’ initiative aims to create a bicycle circulation plan in Antwerp; how the concept of bike sharing is being analyzed and visualized in Hamburg; how open bike data is being used in a smartphone navigation app that considers road gradients and conditions; how open street maps and large datasets are being made more accessible to local governments.

We may be celebrating 200 years of the bicycle this year, but it remains clear that cycling is very much a modern solution to 21st-century transportation challenges.

Smart technology promises to open up cycling to a wider cross section of the population, and the push on open bike data and mapping means more people will have access to these powerful tools. UCI News

exchanging jokes with Rafal Majka, the only other rider present and switching between Polish and Slovak for a chunk of the news conference.

His point of view on the Tour de France was simple.

“The Tour de France is finished, I spoke a lot about what happened there, I don’t accept the decision they made but that is already in the past,” Sagan insisted. “I’m looking forward to the Tour de Pologne and my next races.”

Sagan is due to ride the BinckBank Tour (formerly Eneco Tour), then the Canadian WorldTour races in Quebec and Montreal. A final decision on him riding the European road race championships between the two WorldTour stage races has yet to be made.

Smart technology promises to open up cycling to a wider cross section of the population, and the push on open bike data and mapping means more people will have access to these powerful tools.

irror CYCLING

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, August 5, 2017 A7

CALLS

N A ‘FRAUD’ ASO, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.

But I know that once you are elected the president of the UCI, you take a different stance, you have to represent the UCI and if there are issues with ASO, you have to face them and work with them.”

ASO—the organizer of the Tour de France and several other major races—asserts a huge influence on men’s professional cycling. They threatened to leave the UCI WorldTour calendar only for a peace deal to be thrashed out last June.

The agreed reforms will come into place in the next few years with further races added to the WorldTour calendar, the number of WorldTour teams reduced from 18 to 16, and a promotion and relegation system set for introduction after 2020.

“They’ve made a total balls of the WorldTour,” McQuaid said. “Adding 10 or 12 races just like that isn’t a solution. He got rid of the Tour of Beijing even though it was established. It only needed a good discussion with the mayor of the city for it to continue, but they got rid of it. Now they’ve replaced it with another race in China. So there’s no logic there.

“The WorldTour should be a streamlined narrative that runs through the season. We nearly had it in 2013 and ASO and others were going to agree on it. Instead, after the elections they scrapped that plan and added all these other reasons. Eight or nine of them were put in for political pressure on Cookson. Adding more races has only made it more confusing.”

McQuaid also pointed the finger at the UCI for the way they have managed a trial of disc brake bikes in the professional peloton. The trial was suspended

Looking back to 2011

While Sagan is extremely familiar with all of these races—he won two stages of Eneco last year and finished second and first in Quebec, and Montreal races last September—his last participation in the Tour de Pologne dates back to 2011, when he captured the overall—his firstever WorldTour stage race win.

“I was taking it on day by day, and I always kept up there in the stages, won two and had some time bonuses,” Sagan said. “Then in the last days I was losing by 2.5 seconds or something, but then I won on the last stage because I got second and I got another time bonus.”

In the process, Sagan pushed the race leader, 2010 Tour de Pologne winner Dan Martin, down into second place overall.

“That year remains a very good memory for me, and it was a very nice surprise because I’d never won a race so big before,” he recollected.

It was a breakthrough moment, he agreed, preceding as it did three stage wins in his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, that September.

LOOKING back now at the bikes from the early 1980s is amusing.

EVOLUTION OF BMX BIKES T

Pat McQuaid was defeated by Brian Cookson in the 2013 presidential elections in Florence after the Briton secured vital votes to win 24-18 after a hard-fought campaign.

after a crash at the 2016 Paris-Roubaix but then reintroduced this season. However, many riders and teams prefer not to use disc brakes due to safety and technical concerns.

“The disc brake debate is a mess, with the on, off, on, off decisions. They’ve obviously succumbed to the manufacturers of the disc brakes and to other manufacturers too, to make rule changes to suit them,” McQuaid suggested. “Brian talks about being a president of compromise. That’s not quite the case.

“It’s easy to sit back and wait for everybody to agree if you’re not capable of making the decisions. But that will never happen in cycling, especially professional cycling, you’ve got too many stakeholders.

There are teams, riders, organizers, and they’re all on the board and looking after their own interests. They rarely give ground and so it’s up to the UCI president to take charge and be strong. That’s not the case with Brian.”

Cyclingnews

HE Schwinn Stingray bicycle, the bicycle that most kids used to imitate motocross in the early 1970s, was made of pure steel.

When kids started bombing down the hills it was clear that the Stingray didn’t hold up.

Since “real” motocross bikes had suspension, all kinds of bicycles were welded up by motocross companies in order to give the riders what they needed.

These bikes usually weighed over 20 kilos, but, as long as the tracks were going downhill, it didn’t matter much. On flatter tracks these bikes could be ridden, but definitely required more force and power with every lap.

The double diamond frame became a good base for a BMX bike. The tendency then moved to chromoly tubing, which was lighter and stronger than regular steel. Race Inc and SE Racing experimented early on with aluminum frames, and later the bikes moved from running coaster brakes to freewheels.

Looking back now at the bikes from the early 1980s is amusing. The geometry wasn’t

right: the top tubes were short, the fork angles were raked and the seat posts were long.

However, product development continued, with improvements leading to stronger, lighter bikes.

Gone were mag wheels, front brakes and suspension forks. New frame models— such as the HARO Monocoque, Gary Fisher and Trek Y frames or Powerlite P-61 Monocoque—didn’t last.

Gimmicks such as the one-sided Kastan forks or Cannondale’s Lefty forks didn’t survive BMX. GT Bicycles tried to convince everyone that their thermo-plastic was the best material for a BMX bike, but that didn’t start a new revolution either.

Chromoly seemed to be the material of choice on the circuit but it was later replaced by aluminum, a material that is widely used among frame builders today.

A great move forward are the headset cups integrated into the frames. Those who used to ride in the 1980s will remember cracking a few of these steel cups. The

A-head system is now being used on every bike and for good reason: it works.

It’s hard to believe today that BMX racers all used flat pedals during the first 25 years of the sport. Finding a bike with flat pedals in the pits will be hard nowadays.

Looking at the top-of-the-line bikes now we see more and more carbon fiber being used for frames, seat posts, rims, forks, and little details such as spacers. The material is light, stiff and strong, exactly what the riders want.

With everyone training hard and the races often so close, details in the custombuilt bike can make a small but valuable difference: special gearing, different crank lengths, oversized clamping area in the bars, disc brakes, longer rear ends, different tire pressure, a 5-mm longer stem, tighter click pedals, oversized axles, titanium spokes.

All are part of the fine-tuning for the racers who line up on the start ramp. If your bike feels right, you’ll feel good. If you feel good, you’ll be faster. Let the development continue. UCI News

Fast-forward six years and Sagan is simply keen to get moving again after the events of the summer.

Or as he put it, “For sure I’m very happy to be here again, because after what happened in the Tour de France, I’m very glad to get back into races.”

Teammate Rafal Majka is seen as BoraHansgrohe’s team leader this year, while Sagan will try for stages. He was cagey on whether the race, lacking in a time trial when he won in 2011, could be decided by the time bonuses—on this occasion of 10, 6 and four seconds, as well as 3, 2 and 1 seconds in the intermediates.

“Day by day,” he responded.

Just like six years ago where Sagan won a stage in the Tatra mountains at the winter skiing resort of Zakopane, this year’s Tour de Pologne will also head south to near his home country of Slovakia.

“I expect a lot of fans from Slovakia, Poland and the world. Then we’ll see how it’s going. I’ll see what my condition is like, this is my first race back after a three-week break. It’s going to be important to think positively.” Cyclingnews

WANTED: VIDEO REFEREES

L

OOKING back on the controversy stirred up by the decision, the official who headed up the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) Tour de France jury that disqualified Peter Sagan from the race following the crash of Mark Cavendish on Stage 4 suggested that cycling needs commissaires examining video footage of the sprints to make decisions on rule violations.

Currently the jury is made up of officials who are traveling with the race or otherwise engaged on site.

Belgian Philippe Mariën, in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, also said the jury did not reverse a decision to first relegate Sagan. “The jury had only discussed that as a possibility in private. It had never been announced. We only made one decision,” he said. That decision was the disqualification.

Sagan insisted that the jury did not ask him for his side of the story, and his BoraHansgrohe team protested the decision.

But the UCI did not budge. Mariën took a lot of heat for the decision from Sagan fans, some of whom went to great lengths to carefully examine video footage and debate on Internet forums who was at fault.

Some concluded like the panel that Sagan’s elbow caused the crash. Others suggested

Cavendish was already off balance from hitting a drainage grate at the kerb and ran into Sagan’s arm.

Mariën said the UCI promised him they were working on a better solution.

“There must be a video referee, just like in football, that should be in front of the TV during the sprint to concentrate only on the sprint itself, then we can decide immediately and not look at the images later.”

It was the second time in six years that the 52-year-old had been the chairman of the Tour de France jury. He has been head commissaire for the Giro d’Italia and worked as an official for the past two Olympic Games. But he said he had never experienced anything like what came after the decision to disqualify Sagan.

“When that happened, I received a message from a good friend that said, ‘Don’t watch TV, don’t read any e-mails, Facebook or Twitter.’ I received e-mails from around the world. Whatever we decided, it was never going to be good.”

Compared with his last stint as jury chief in 2011, he said the Tour has become a monster, especially with the popularity of Twitter.

“Everyone has his say, and as always, the best steering wheels are on the shore.”

Cyclingnews

Rio velo hit by fire T HE Rio de Janeiro Olympic velodrome has been hit by a fire, with the track seriously damaged just a year after the Games were held in the Brazilian city.

The fire reportedly started after a huge Chinese lantern landed on the roof of the building, with the fire spreading quickly in the roof area. Debris and smoke left one end of the track blackened and damaged, with the track centre flooded as fire fighters fought to put out the blaze.

There were no reports of

injuries because the fire hit during the night. The full damage is being evaluated.

Brazil’s sports minister, Leonardo Picciani, confirmed the incident on Twitter and posted videos of further Chinese lanterns or balloons falling near the site inside the Olympic Park.

He wrote: “Absurd! In addition to the balloon that burned the velodrome, other balloons fell in the Olympic Park” with a photo showing several of the Chinese lanterns.

The huge cost of the 2016

THE velodrome only reopened in May but will now need some major work to make the building and track surface safe to use.

Rio Olympics for Brazil and the rapid damage to other Olympic sites has already sparked anger.

The velodrome only reopened in May but will now need some major work to make the building and track surface safe to use.

A government statement condemned the use of the Chinese lanterns and promised to repair the damage to the velodrome.

“The Ministry of Sport deeply regrets the incident this morning at the Velodrome Park and at the same time, criticizes this criminal

practice of releasing balloons,” the statement reads.

“The velodrome, a legacy of the Brazilian Olympic Games, was used by athletes and the community of Rio de Janeiro.

We await and rely on the punishment of those involved for destroying more than a public good, a common site for all.

“After the fire brigade, we will assess the damage and measures to be taken to recover this important national asset.”

Cyclingnews

OurTime

A8 Saturday, August 5, 2017 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

BusinessMirror

Makati resumes delivery of birthday cakes to senior citizens after seven-month delay

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco | Correspondent

T

HE city government of Makati, through the Makati Action Center (MAC), has resumed the delivery of birthday cakes to the city’s BLU Card holders, people 60 years and older who celebrated their birthdays in the months of July to December last year.

In a report to Mayor Abigail Binay, the MAC said, as of July 25, 26,933 senior Makatizens received their birthday cakes since the delivery resumed in February, covering 32 barangays, and is set to be completed in the first week of August.

“We are glad we could finally catch up on our deliveries of birthday cakes to our beloved senior Makatizens. Our MAC personnel have stepped up their daily, doorto-door delivery of cakes to cover last year and this month’s birthday celebrants,” Binay said.

The seven-month delay was allegedly caused by procurement issues neglected by the previous administration.

The mayor assured the city’s older residents they will continue to enjoy the unparalleled perks granted to them since the time of

her father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

During the transition period last year, the Binay administration conducted a review of all existing contracts. T hese included the contract for the supply of birthday cakes for senior citizens, which had been merely extended by the previous administration since 2015 and not opened to public bidding as required by law.

The free birthday cake is one of the privileges granted by the city government under the BLU Card program, implemented by the Elderly Welfare Section of the Makati Social Welfare Department. For this year P33.7 million has been allocated for the free cakes given to over 77,000 BLU Card holders on their birthday and to couples on their golden

wedding anniversary.

Since July 1 this year the MAC has been delivering an average of 500 birthday cakes daily to the beneficiaries to cover the backlog, along with July 2017 celebrators. Once the cake distribution to 36,310 birthday celebrators last year is completed, the MAC will immediately start the distribution to 31,209 seniors who celebrated their birthdays from January to June this year.

Based on available data, as of July 25, the MAC had delivered birthday cakes to recipients in various barangays: Rizal, 1,940 cakes; Pio del Pilar, 1,939; Pembo, 1,825; Cembo, 1,592; Tejeros, 1,382; West Rembo, 1,334; Olympia, 1,279; East Rembo, 1,297; Bangkal, 1,295; Palanan, 1,112; San Antonio, 976; San Lorenzo, 875; Bel-Air, 825; Comembo, 807; Guadalupe Nuevo, 767; South Cembo, 755; and Guadalupe Viejo, 706.

Other deliveries were made to Pitogo, 693; Southside, 662; La Paz, 554; Kasilawan, 493; Poblacion, 461; Magallanes, 450; San Isidro, 424; Santa Cruz, 400; Valenzuela, 384; Singkamas, 369; Urdaneta, 310; Carmona, 292; Forbes Park, 199; Pinagkaisahan, 426; and Northside, 110.

From an initial P3,000 burial assistance, the BLU Card was later expanded to include cash gifts given twice a year, free groceries every Christmas, free cakes and the P100,000 cash gift for centenarians.

With the approval last December of an additional P1,000 cash gift for BLU card holders, members are now entitled to annual cash gifts depending on their age bracket: 60 to 69 years old, P3,000; 70 to 79, P4,000; and 80 years and older, P5,000.

The cash gift is given in two equal installments every June and December.

For this year P326.2 million has been allocated by the city government for the cash gift to seniors and centenarians.

Other privileges granted by the city to elderly residents include unlimited free entrance to all Makati cinemas, free tours to famous tourist destinations in the country (Lakbay Saya), free salon and spa services and a grand welcome party for new senior citizens.

For its free-movies program, the city has allocated P35 million for this year, and P1.5 million for Lakbay Saya.

Every year the city government hosts a grand party to welcome residents who have turned 60 years old to the city’s elite Tribe of Senior Citizens. It is also at the party when the new tribe members receive their BLU Card. If they are qualified for the midyear or year-end cash gift, they will also receive their first P1,500 cash incentive. This year P472,500 has been allocated by the city government for the welcome party.

August ikebana workshop at SM Senior Hub

A couple’s lifelong commitment to God

By Verna Mae Barrozo

Special to the BusinessMirror

F

OR some, serving God is a full-time job. So, after dedicating more than 50 years of their life to serve the Lord, Pastor Mel and Pastor Astrid thought it was time to retire.

After residing in Metro Manila for more than three decades, Emilio “Mel” Randa, 71, and Astrid Randa, 68, plan to spend their retirement in Davao with their only son, his wife and their adorable 2-year-old grandson.

Astrid said, “This is our retirement. It’s time for us to retire.”

To which Mel replied, “There is no retirement for the ministry.”

Both statements are true. The couple will retire from their day job as pastors, but will continue their lifelong commitment of serving the Lord.

The couple lives and breathes God’s Gospel. In fact, they even have a small bedroom at a Protestant church called the Amparo Alliance Church in Caloocan, where they often sleep.

Astrid knew this was her calling when she was a teenager. She graduated after five years in a seminary school in Zamboanga.

“After high school, I felt the calling of the Lord to enter the seminary,” she said.

Mel took up political science and a year in law, knowing pastors receive meager salaries. He grew up in a church with his family.

However, he pursued this pastoral path, graduated from the seminary after five years and was fully ordained after two years. He also worked as a radio broadcaster at a Christian radio network.

“I didn’t want to be a pastor because there was no money in ministry work. Still, I warmed to the idea of serving God, went to

seminary school and became a reverend. I even worked at the Far East Broadcasting Co., which was a great experience for me,” he said.

Most would think that pastoral work starts and ends with delivering sermons and leading church activities every Sunday, but the couple have more on their plate even during weekdays.

“We organize prayer meetings, look at the effectiveness of our youth in the church, look at ministry fellowships, assist in our church’s daycare, provide livelihood-training programs for mothers in poor areas and, once in a while, organize free dental or medical missions,” the pastor said.

Even with their busy schedule, their main problem isn’t the lack of time they spend together. The most sensitive issue for them is their budget for the family.

They have lived for the past few decades in poor communities, where most parents are unemployed and take care of at least two children per household.

Astrid often donates her extra money to the church and helps feed some children in the community, which her husband often found exasperating. “ We sometimes don’t have enough money to spend on our meals, yet, she always treats the children with snacks. Although it is good on her part, we need to feed ourselves every day,” he said.

When asked about their future plans, Astrid said once they settle with their son’s family, they will continue their involvement with the church.

“I’ve been toying with the idea of helping the Muslim community, especially in Marawi City. We will pursue that,” she added.

The pastor said, “We will do God’s will until we return to His Graces.”

Older lawn bowlers in Australia do a Beyoncé to save clubhouse

T

HE Sunshine Place along Jupiter Street in Makati City holds another workshop on basic ikebana-inspired flower arrangement on horizontal and vertical motifs.

Marcelino Tomas, currently president of Ikebana International Manila Chapter 108 and member of Sogetsu Potential Manila Chapter, will conduct classes at the SM Senior Hub, also called Sunshine Place, on four Saturdays beginning August 12 to September 2, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Full-course rate for seniors is P4,000 while nonseniors is P5,600. A starter kit is P1,400, which includes a kenzan (special flower stand), two flower arrangement vases and foliage for the four sessions. Participants can bring home foliage after each lesson.

news@businessmirror.com.ph

S

OLDER WEAVER Lola Carmelita Estrelijo of Sabangan, Ilocos Sur, starts to weave Ilocos “abel”, a traditional woven cloth created using a

spindle, colorful thread and a handloom machine made of bamboo. Creations include blankets, pillow cases, table runners, kitchen towels and cloth for skirts. LAILA AUSTRIA

Benguet town sets public hearing on senior citizens’ benefits

L

A TR INIDA D, Beng uet— A public hearing providing guidelines on the granting of discounts to senior citizens is set in the afternoon of August 15 at the municipal hall.

Councilor Roderick Awingan, who authored the “La Trinidad Senior Citizen Special Discounts” ordinance, on Wednesday said there’s a need to consolidate all guidelines issued by the different government agencies on availing of discounts to allow the elders to better understand their rights provided under Republic Act (RA) 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

“We are doing this to prevent confusion and allow the senior citizens to properly receive and avail [themselves] of the benefits under the law,” Awingan added.

In his proposed ordinance, he

said all necessary issuance and guidelines shall be consolidated in a single document, which will embody all the appropriate regulations for the implementation of the discount privileges for senior citizens in the municipality as provided by RA 9994.

“With these different guidelines issued, our constituents are more often confused. That’s why our aim in this proposal is to come up with a single proposal with specific guidelines for our stakeholders to be guided accordingly,” Awingan added.

Aw inga n’s proposa l def ined “ basic necessities” as the goods or products considered as vital needs or daily needs of consumers for their sustenance and existence.

Pr i me commod it ies a re good s that are not considered as basic commodities but are essential to

the consumers. Specific discounts from the hotels, lodging houses, LPG dealer, electrical supplies, steel wire and medicines are also included in the ordinance.

Awingan said that, during the public hearing, all the different guidelines issued will be presented and discussed to inform those who do not know them yet. “I hope that our stakeholders, especially, our senior citizens and business establishment owners, will attend the public hearing for us to hear their comments and suggestions,” he added.

Awingan said the public hearing aims to gather information and other related concerns of the senior citizens, business establishment and stakeholders regarding the implementations of the senior citizens law. PNA

YDNEY—When members of the Save Chaddy Bowls committee in Melbourne uploaded their parody of the Beyoncé hit “Single Ladies” to defend their club against the threat of a new stadium, they thought they might draw a bit of attention.

But by Monday morning, their video had propelled the three dancers, who range from their late 60s to early 80s, to semi-stardom. Uploaded on Saturday, July 29, it had been viewed more than 500,000 times in less than 48 hours.

“I am gobsmacked. I cannot believe it,” said Denise Wallish, 58, who organized the video’s production.

The committee is fighting a local council’s decision to name the Chadstone Bowls Club as the preferred location for a new “multifunctional indoor sports stadium” worth Australian A$25 million, about $20 million.

Other sites have been proposed, but the Chadstone Bowls Club, which has been around since 1958 and counts more than 600 members, is making its opinion known.

While brainstorming for ways to raise awareness, Wallish thought of videos that caught her daughter’s attention and immediately recalled Beyoncé’s signature song, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. “All the single ladies—all the bowling ladies. It just felt right,” she said.

Unlike the 10-pin bowling popular in North America, lawn bowling involves rolling weighted balls, called bowls, on turf to see who can get closest to a smaller target ball, called a kitty or a jack.

In the video, the three women—Terry Foster, Wyn Hewitt

and Janine Halls—dance in blueand-white uniforms with bowls in hand. “We’ve played lawn bowls for 40 years,” they sing. “Stonnington, please pay attention.”

Another golden line: “Lawn bowls is what I prefer, is what I deserve.”

It took an afternoon to shoot.

The project also enlisted young club members who offered to teach the dance moves and a wedding videographer who charged a discounted rate to shoot the video.

“It was pretty arduous,” said Wallish, who wrote the lyrics.

“One of them says we owe her a hip replacement.” Halls, one of the dancers and a member of the Chadstone Bowls Club for 17 years, said she had heard of Beyoncé before shooting the video, though her dancing partners hadn’t. She called the experience fun, though “a bit scary”.

“We didn’t know how difficult the choreography would be,” she said of imitating Beyoncé’s moves while twisting a weighty lawn bowl in the air. “I thought I’d done my shoulder at one stage.”

While the video is lighthearted, the motivation behind it is a plea to save a vibrant social space that is especially valuable to older people.

“I’d be devastated if it went. It’s part of our community,” Halls said.

To find a replacement for it, she said, “I’d have to drive and start all over again, making new friends.”

Around the country, lawn-bowls clubs are reinventing themselves to stay in business. Some, like Bronte Bowling Club and Maroubra Sports Club, have converted part of their space into lucrative markets, restaurants, fitness centers or child-care centers. New York Times News Service

news.businessmirror@gmail.com

The Millennials BusinessMirror

Café owner sees giving back a tack to perk up millennials

G

IVING back to society makes most people feel good. For Michael Harris Conlin, it makes for good business.

Thus, Conlin, president and CEO of Henry & Sons Trading and Manufacturing Co. Inc., decided to focus on the people whom he thinks want to feel good every day: millennials.

Conlin hired some of them and put up The Giving Café in March in Mandaluyong City. It was a perfect timing for Conlin as his new coffee shop is in an area populated by young professionals working in call centers.

To ensure customer traffic is consistent and sustainable, Conlin recruited and trained a staff composed of millennials under a young chef who has had several working stints overseas. He also allowed his staff to develop the coffee shop’s menu.

Naturally, the main offerings will be led by coffee from his company’s coffee line, which Conlin developed to enhance the capability of farmers in La Trinidad, Benguet, in harvesting coffee.

“Entrenched in the labors of our coffee-farming communities is a promise [and] a potential we thought of harnessing,” Conlin said.

Selling space

THE Giving Café functions both as a new brick-and-mortar selling space and an experiential café, Conlin said. The new owner of Boyd’s Coffee Co.—Henry & Sons bought it in 2013—added

he also designed the coffee shop for his philanthropy vehicle, the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence (FSCE), which sources raw materials for Henry & Sons’s Bloom Coffee Line.

We have a special blend assigned to generate proceeds for specific programs that address a major concern: helping La Trinidad farmers, Conlin said. He explained Henry & Sons and the FSCE have been teaching farmers, especially the younger ones, to zero in on aspects of their trade like livelihood, equipment, water, education and health.

Conlin said they accomplish this through a friendly competition among the farmers, six of whom have won for raising the best crop. Likewise, Henry & Sons have donated more than 180 vaccines, a thousand mosquito nets, a moisture meter and atmospheric water generators. Conlin said they also gave an education assistance grant to two promising young villager.

“We want to show millennials that by supporting a social enterprise, like the Giving Cafe, they can make a difference in society, especially in the coffee sector.”

Goodwill

CONLIN and his team also developed several models to promote the brand and its advocacy targeting millennials.

Giving Café proprietor Michael Harris Conlin poses in this July 20 photo beside his The Giving Caravan.

The models include The Giving Caravan, a mobile coffee shop on a vintage yellow Volkswagen Type 2 vehicle, that has been making rounds giving free coffee at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Another is The Giving Cart, a popup concept that infuses events and activation spaces with good will in the form of a steaming cup of joe.

“These models also aim to reconnect the millennials with the 1960s and 1970s so they can appreciate these memorable periods in our history,” Conlin said. “If you have noticed, things associated with the past have been experi-

encing a revival. Take the case of the Volkswagen Kombi, which its predecessor is being used by our cafe to promote our brand.”

According to Conlin, anyone can share in the firm’s vision.

“From the machines you require to the beans you demand, everything you need to take part in our mission can be provided once you adopt our models,” he said. “If we can help and inspire Benguet coffee farmers to better their trade, without a doubt, they can help us get our coffee back into the international market by 2018.” Rizal Raoul Reyes

Pittsburgh’s tech revamp into millennials’ hot spot

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ITTSBURGH—In 2015 Monocle magazine, a favorite read of the global hipsterati, published an enthusiastic report on Lawrenceville, the former blue-collar neighborhood here filled with cafés, hyped restaurants and brick-row houses being renovated by flippers. Last year in a much-publicized development, Uber began testing self-driving cars on the streets, putting this city at the forefront of the autonomous-vehicle revolution.

Also last year in a less publicized development, Jean Yang, 30, returned to this city after more than a decade of living in Boston, finding a Pittsburgh she hardly recognized from her 1990s childhood.

And four months ago, Caesar Wirth, a 28-year-old software engineer, moved from Tokyo to work for a local tech start-up, Duolingo.

me, ‘My commute is two hours on the bus.’ I just can’t do that.”

Kamal Nigam, a CMU graduate who is the head of Google Pittsburgh, said that a decade ago, workers hired by the company had family or personal connections to the city. That is no longer the case. “We’re getting people who are moving to Pittsburgh for the very first time, from all over the country and the world,” Nigam said.

He added, “With the growing number of start-ups and the big companies in the area, people realize they can have not just one job at a good tech company, but a tech career here.”

Long history

Underlying driver

THESE seemingly unrelated events have one thing in common: Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science.

Much has been made of the “food boom” in Pittsburgh, and the city has long had a thriving arts scene. But, perhaps, the secret, underlying driver for both the economy and the cool factor—the reason Pittsburgh now gets mentioned alongside Brooklyn and Portland, Oregon, as an urban hot spot for millennials— isn’t chefs or artists, but geeks.

In a 2014 article in the Pittsburgh PostGazette, Mayor Bill Peduto compared Carnegie Mellon, along with the University of Pittsburgh, to the iron-ore factories that made this city an industrial power in the 19th century. The schools are the local resource “churning out that talent” from which the city is fueled.

Because of the top students and research professors at Carnegie Mellon, tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Google and Uber have opened offices here.

The big tech firms, along with their highly skilled, highly paid workers, have made Pittsburgh younger and more international and helped to transform once-derelict neighborhoods, like Lawrenceville and East Liberty.

Tech hub

INDEED, East Liberty has become something

Photo shows Espresso a Mano, one of many cafés in Pittsburgh’s trendy Lawrenceville neighborhood, on May 25. Once a place young people fled, Pittsburgh has been transformed into a hot spot for millennials, thanks in large part, to a bounty of tech-sector jobs. Kristian Thacker/The New York Times

of a tech hub, said Luis von Ahn, cofounder and chief executive of Duolingo, a languagelearning company with its headquarters in that neighborhood. Google Pittsburgh, with its more than 500 employees, also has some of its offices in East Liberty, as does AlphaLab, a start-up accelerator.

Within easy walking distance from them is the Ace, a branch of the hip hotel chain that opened in 2015 in a former YMCA building. The hotel’s in-house Whitfield restaurant and lobby bar have become hangouts for local techies and out-of-towners alike.

With so many of his 90 employees residing in Walnut on Highland, one of the newer housing and retail complexes in East Liberty, von Ahn joked, “We call them the Duolingo dorms.”

Von Ahn, 38, is a superstar in the tech world. He has sold two companies to Google, received a MacArthur grant and helped develop the type-the-squiggly-word thing we use online to prove we’re not bots (it’s called reCaptcha). He earned a PhD from Carnegie

Mellon Universityin (CMU) 2005 and could have made a beeline for New York, Boston or Silicon Valley, but he decided to stay.

“I loved CMU, and that’s the main reason I stayed,” said von Ahn, who, in addition to his role at Duolingo, is a consulting professor in the School of Computer Science.

A grind

THERE were also business advantages to remaining: Duolingo is close to the engineering talent (“CMU is pumping out some of the best, at a rate of about 500 a year,” von Ahn said), and for millennial job-seekers, Pittsburgh’s quality-of-life-metric is looking better these days than ever-costlier, ever-more-crowded New York or San Francisco.

For Wirth, the software engineer who started at Duolingo in February, Silicon Valley is a fun place to visit, but living and working in the Bay Area would be a grind.

“I was just there last week for a conference,” Wirth said. “I was talking to someone who told

WHILE young, cool Pittsburgh may be a recent development, the research at Carnegie Mellon in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has a long history. The university was the first in the world to establish a machine-learning department, and its Robotics Institute, a division of the School of Computer Science, tested an autonomous vehicle, the Terregator, back in 1984.

It’s no surprise that Uber came to Pittsburgh to research self-driving cars (and poached 40 Robotics Institute employees). Or that Amazon recently joined them here, opening an office whose engineer-heavy work force will focus on perfecting Alexa, the company’s intelligent personal assistant that aims to turn us all into the Joaquin Phoenix character from “Her”.

Put simply, where the tech world is going—self-driving cars; personal AI concierges; robot workers—is where Carnegie Mellon’s faculty and students have been for decades.

In some ways, the School of Computer Science feels like any college campus environment, with its hodgepodge of new and classical architecture and hushed study zones. But there is also a “Roboceptionist” named Tank LeFleur. And all sorts of research projects are going on that might change the world in 10 years, or just delight someone’s colleagues.

“It’s like being in Hogwarts,” said Andrew W. Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science. “It’s really cool and exciting to have these glimpses of the future, and to see all these people running around and having these crazy ideas.” New York Times News Service

Saturday, July 29, 2017

A9

Young mother harnesses passion in online business

N

ECESSITY invented this mother. And the need to raise her own cash brought Nikki Molina-Halili into the world wide web as a businessman.

“I was in college when I thought of being a working student because I wanted to earn my own money,” Molina-Halili told the BusinessMirror in Tagalog. “Gusto ko na din kasi kumita ng sariling pera dahil tatlo kaming magkakapatid na nagaaral nang sabay-sabay, eh ayaw ng parents ko kaya ayon naisipan ko na lang mag-online business.”

[We were three in the family but my mother won’t let me work and study at the same time. So I put up an online business.]

Molina-Halili owns NKN Sweet Shop, an online store on social-networking platforms Facebook and Instagram. Began in 2013 when Molina-Halili was still in her junior year in college, NKN Sweet Shop sells desserts, like cheesecakes in a jar. The NKN stands for the first letter of her name and her son’s and husband’s names: Nikki, 1-year-old Keeno and Nico, a seafarer.

The 25-year-old Molina-Halili graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at the International School for Hotel and Restaurant Management. Her home in Las Piñas City, which she shares with her immediate, serves as a physical base for her business.

Molina-Halili said her academic background helps her in managing the business.

“As an HRM graduate, I was trained to give customers the satisfaction they deserved,” she said.

Molina-Halili said she also takes influence from her father, who owns a bar and restaurant in Las Piñas City, which is now 20 years old and running. She said it also helps that her recreational activities are cooking, baking and photography.

A trifle

Molina-HALILI said she spent a trifle when she started her business. She began by posting images of her products. She rolled her initial sales into an investment kitty.

From desserts, Molina-Halili expanded her product line to swimwear, authentic bags and cosmetics for women, which she all order from a direct supplier. The prices range from beginning with P500 and go higher relative to size and style.

She earns an estimated P20,000 a month.

“Napaka-accommodating ni Nikki. Inisa-isa niya talaga i-explain sa akin yung mga swimsuits noon kasi nahirapan akong pumili dahil first time ko bumili sa online,” Sunshine Mangilit, a 19-year-old

human-resource student, said.

[Nikki is very accommodating. She patiently explained the difference between swimsuits because I had a difficult time to choose as it was the first time I was buying something online.]

Mangilit, a schoolmate of Molina-Halili’s cousin at the Rizal Technological University, was one of NKN’s first customers.

For Harvy de la Cruz, a criminology student at Taguig City University, however, it was love that brought him to NKN’s online doorsteps.

“May date kasi kami noon ng girlfriend ko kaya naisipan ko siyang bilhan ng regalo. Eh sakto naman na yung pinsan kong babae eh natry bumili sa NKN Sweet Shop. Nagandahan naman yung girlfriend ko doon sa bag na nabili ko [last March] na hanggang ngayon ginagamit niya pa din,” de la Cruz said.

[I thought of buying my girlfriend something for our date. It was my cousin who recommended NKN Sweet Shop. I bought her a bag, which she appreciated and still uses until now.]

Possibilities

Molina-Halili said she came up with an online business because it was easy to establish and to advertise products.

She expanded into clothing and bags because she said these are also her favourite things to own.

However, she added an online business like hers also face difficulties, like gaining the trust of clients since the products are virtual.

Likewise, competitors sell items at lower prices.

She addresses these difficulties by posting online the proofs the items were shipped and the positive feedback from satisfied customers.

Molina-Halili, however, also plans to establish a physical store.

“Gusto ko din talaga na magkaroon ng physical store. Mas maraming tao kasi ang makakakita lalo na yung mga walk-in clients,” she told the BusinessMirror. “Mas mapapadali din ang transactions.

Kasi sa online, kailangan pa nilang mag-antay sa shipment.”

[I really want to have a physical store as more people, especially walk-in customers, can see and touch the items. Also, the transaction will be fast and easier unlike in online, they still need to wait for the shipment.]

“For those who are planning to have a business, I advise them to dream big and start on it right away since I started without a capital,” Molina-Halili added. “Everything is on the web; [anything] can be possible.” Kaye Escaño

Terror victims are those who live in constant fear Vernon Velasco

MILLENNIAL UNIVERSE

T

H E con st a nt ne w s on terrorism reminds me of my teacher who shared a story about paranoia.

She said in a public bus sat a black bag under the seat of a man who sat right across her. As the bus stopped at a roadside café to allow passengers to address bodily functions, the man got off, my teacher said.

“I wasn’t really that suspicious, but I was really nervous and contemplating on vacating my seat, thinking that the bag contained a bomb.”

Needless to say it didn’t. Just imagine her relief when the man returned to his seat. My teacher said more than anything, she didn’t want to have parts of her scattered all over whatever would be left of the bus and look like an omelet.

One can’t help but get paranoid, especially when recently terror-

ism and those who perpetrate crimes against humanity are in the news a lot, reminding one that they can strike anywhere.

A terrorist can be your copassenger on a plane, or some random guy jostling through a peopled sidewalk or someone or other above you flying on an incognito chopper. It can be some driver who parked his sportutility vehicle onto a spot where your nephew usually plays in the afternoon, or the seemingly innocuous guy standing next to you in a packed elevator.

Since terrorism has been a mainstay in the news, I remind people I care for to shy away from public places if they can, or, if they can’t, at least look for signs that every stranger nearby might be sheepishly pulling off the pin of some hand grenade.

This is why one cannot really quantify the victims of terrorism. Because more than, say, the scores dead and injured in violence wrought by terrorism, the real victims are those who live in fear.

A10 Saturday, August 5, 2017

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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A SCENE from “#CreateCourageRogue One: A Star Wars Story”, the top ad on YouTube in the Philippines

Google Philippines sees growth of digital advertising

D

BY RIZAL RAOUL REYES

IGITAL advertising will continue to grow in the Philippines in the coming years as more and more Filipinos will be using the mobile platform in their communication needs.

“There is growth absolutely in terms of people using digital platforms to advertise for consumers.

It also goes along with more and more people going to digital platforms as a means to spend their time,” Gabby Roxas, country marketing manager for Google Philippines, said in an interview on the sidelines of the YouTube Ads leaderboard event held on July 28 at the Bonifacio Global City.

Roxas also pointed out there was an earlier misconception that the mobile platform will only be embraced by youth groups, such as the millennials.

However, he said the huge upsurge in the number of subscribers of both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications has proven it wrong. “Before, I think the misconception was only the youth market can appreciate the digital platform,” Roxas added.

Smart Communications reported a total number of 63.1 million of subscribers at the end of the first

/

THE iPod nano has gone to the technology graveyard.

quarter of 2017. Meanwhile, Globe Telecom reported that the mobile subscriber base for the first three months of the year totaled 58.6 million, up 2 percent from 57.3 million subscribers reported in the same period last year Roxas said it’s for advertisers to determine how thy can leverage both television and digital to come up with a cohesive campaign that works well with their consumers.

“Going mobile has cut across generations.

Moreover, Globe and Smart are coming up with various data plans to entice more consumers,” he said.

He added advertisers have partnered with Google to have their content be loaded in their platform because they realized the power of YouTube in building their brands.

Meanwhile, Google also released its YouTube Ads leaderboard for the first half of 2017. The list represented the top 10 ads on YouTube in the Philippines that resonated most with audiences across the country from January to June and recognized the brands that performed best among Filipino audiences through a combination of popularity and promotion.

This is the 8th time Google has released an ads leaderboard in the Philippines.

The top 10 are as follows (hyperlinked video title/

duration in minutes): 1. “#CreateCourage-Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, 2:02 2. “Kaya Niya, Kaya Mo”, 1:17 3. “NESFRUTA Buko? Why Not, Coconut!”

NESFRUTA | Nestlé PH, 0:30 4. “Experience out-of-this-world joy with #smoothandchocolatey Cadbury Dairy Milk”, 0:30 5. “#NoMoreKapitWiFi with #GlobeAtHome Prepaid WiFi!”, 1:08 6. “The Boy Who Loves to Study”, 3:20 7. “Kwentong Jollibee Valentine Series: Crush”, 2:55 8. “Commute pa more, #FreshPaMore with Kathryn Bernardo!”, 0:37 9. “Make meaningful connections like never before”, 1:00 10. “Ang Regalo ni Lolo”, 2:51 Other top trends from the leaderboard: YouTube enabled marketers to capture audience interest with the power of sight, sound and motion. The list shows the importance of being seen (or “viewability”) and being heard (“audibility”), and, on YouTube, ads are 93-percent viewable and 95-percent audible. /

Where do gadgets go when they die?

PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

I’VE never owned an iPod. I received an iPod nano as a Christmas present years ago, and I have a lot of iPod shuffles, but I’ve never ever used them. This means I never owned them, right?

I’ve never been the type to listen to music on the go.

My preference is listening to live music, where I need to sit through an hour or two, then I leave. I don’t even have a single song on my mobile phones.

I lived through the Sony Walkman age, and I owned one or two but, again, I never used them.

However, when my 20-year-old daughter told me last week that Apple had effectively killed the nano and shuffle, I understood her pain. She received her first nano (a fifth-generation release) from my brother, who then lived in the US. My mother had spent the summer with his family, and she said that she’d make sure my daughter would get the nano at the end of her stay.

My mother was successful, and my daughter was extrahappy because the nano, ordered online, had her name engraved at the back. This was a service that Apple offered if you ordered your unit online.

Anyway, back to the topic. By dead, I mean the iPod is no longer included in Apple’s menu. You can’t buy it

or any accessories associated with it. Simply speaking, it’s been discontinued.

“Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod Touch, now with double the capacity, starting at just $199, and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano,” the company said in the statement issued on July 27.

In place of the iPods, there are two versions of the iPod Touch—which runs on Apple iOS and is similar to an iPhone, only without wireless-phone capabilities.

The iPods you own are still running (unless they’re broken), if you can charge them. My daughter still has a charger for her shuffle but none for her nanos, so this is really goodbye.

For those in their 20s, the iPod was more than a means to store and listen to music. It represented memories. So Apple’s recent move signaled the end of an era.

“Yet, at the end of the day, I’ll miss the shuffle.

Perhaps out of a sense of nostalgia. But also because its physical buttons were the last relic of a more tangible era of mobile devices,” Chaim Gartenberg on www. theverge.com wrote.

In 2005 the iPod nano was to Apple what the lipstick was to Chanel. If you can’t afford the bag, you can get the lipstick.

What killed much of the iPod family? I’m not an expert, but I’m inclined to think it was musicstreaming services that did it. Spotify gives music lovers access to millions of songs for a minimal fee.

A song on iTunes is less than a dollar. An iPod is just extra weight in your bag. Why store music in your iPod when you can stream it on your mobile phone?

Nobody owns CDs anymore. Very few people I know purchase songs on iTunes. Why buy Ed Sheeran’s new album when he’ll be in Manila for

a concert anyway, and it’s so easy to listen to his songs on Spotify? Every singer, every band seems so accessible now that owning an iPod/CD seems, well, old-fashioned.

I’m going to say this from the point of view of a writer who has lived through the era of typewriters— technology has made life more convenient for us, but its very nature is ever-changing. What is cutting edge right now is tomorrow’s discontinued product.

So what gadget is next? The iPad?

SAMPLE artwork on the iPad Pro done on the spot by one of the participants

ORIGINALITY IN THE AGE OF MODERN COMICS FILIPINO comics have gone a long way from something that was deemed just for kids, to something that currently enjoys widespread appreciation as a legitimate form of art. On print and online, the popular storytelling medium has featured all sorts of characters imaginable, covering everything from sci-fi and folklore to creative nonfiction and current events.

At a time when every corner of the artist’s mind seems to have already been explored, how do current storytellers manage to come up with original work?

We pick the brains of comic artist Manix Abrera, who recently shared his wisdom during Box Talks, an intimate, creative workshop hosted by Beyond the Box Philippines (www.beyondthebox.ph).

Storytelling is often seen as a one-way street, one where the artist feeds the reader with a narrative.

But this isn’t entirely the case, at least not for Manix Abrera. That’s how he keeps readers engaged, even if his two most popular comics—Kikomachine and News Hardcore—dwell mostly on the most familiar slices of everyday life.

The reader’s mind is an untapped pool of creativity, and it’s one that Manix manipulates with great efficiency. He explains his fondness for the gutter— that blank space between frames—which is where imagination takes place as the reader advances between scenes.

“Avoid spoon-feeding the audience,” Manix advises. “Share the burden of storytelling.”

By strategically leaving out bits of the narrative, Manix is able to engage the reader’s imagination as they are forced to fill in the blanks between welldefined scenes.

Manix’s success has a lot to do with his knack for finding creativity in the most unlikely places. He explains how Kikomachine, for example, makes use of even the most mundane scenarios from college life.

“We’re all familiar with life in school, but we know it mostly through the point of view (POV) of a student.

Have you ever thought about viewing it through the eyes of the teacher? The security guard? What about the POV of the frog on the dissection pan? Identify the most popular point of view in your story, then stay as far away from that as possible.”

It’s also easier to collaborate nowadays, since artists have options beyond the traditional pen and paper. Manix, for instance, doodles on his iPad Pro whenever and wherever inspiration strikes. “Digital art is also easier to share, so that means I can annoy my partners more often,” he chuckles.

The artist is no stranger to collaboration, having worked with plenty of other creatives throughout his career. Recently, Manix, along with another comic artist, Mervin Malonzo, teamed up with international comic artist Harvey Tolibao to create Beyond, a compilation of comics drawn entirely using the iPad Pro. The work was commissioned by Beyond the Box, which has long been in support of digital artists and the creative industry.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, August 5, 2017 A11

Protecting your smartphone from voice impersonators

BY KUI REN University at Bu�falo, The State University of New York

I

T’S a lot easier to talk to a smartphone than to try to type instructions on its keyboard. This is particularly true when a person is trying to log in to a device or a system: Few people would choose to type a long, complex secure password if the alternative were to just say a few words and be authenticated with their voice. But voices can be recorded, simulated or even imitated, making voice authentication vulnerable to attack.

The most common methods for securing voicebased authentication involve only ensuring that analysis of a spoken passphrase is not tampered with; they securely store the passphrase and the authorized user’s voiceprint in an encrypted database. But securing a voice authentication system has to start with the sound itself.

The easiest attack on voice authentication is impersonation: Find someone who sounds enough like the real person and get them to respond to the login prompts. Fortunately, there are automatic speaker verification systems that can detect human imitation. However, those systems can’t detect more advanced machine-based attacks, in which an attacker uses a computer and a speaker to simulate or play back recordings of a person’s voice.

If someone records your voice, he can use that recording to create a computer model that can generate any words in your voice. The consequences, from impersonating you with your friends to dipping into your bank account, are terrifying. The research my colleagues and I are doing uses fundamental properties of audio speakers, and smartphones’ own sensors, to defeat these computer-assisted attacks.

be an indicator that a real human might not be doing the talking.

MAKING SURE IT’S A PERSON TALKING THAT’S just one part of our system. If someone uses a smaller speaker, like a set of headphones, the magnetometer might not detect its smaller magnets. So we use machine learning and advanced mathematics to examine physical properties of the sound as it arrives at the microphone.

Our system requires a user to hold the smartphone in front of his or her face and move it from side to side in a half-circle while speaking. We combine the sound captured by the microphone with movement data from gyroscopes and accelerometers inside the smartphone— the same sensors apps use to know when you’re walking or running, or changing direction.

Using that data, we can calculate how far away from the microphone the sound is being generated—which lets us identify the possibility of someone using speakers at a

distance so its magnets wouldn’t be detected.

And we can compare the phone’s movement to the changes in the sound to discover whether it is created by a sound source roughly the size of a human mouth near the phone.

All of this, of course, could be defeated by a skilled impersonator—an actual human who mimics a user’s voice. But recall that existing speaker verification methods can catch impersonators, using machine learning techniques that identify whether a speaker is modifying or disguising his or her normal voice. We include that capability in our system as well.

DOES DETECTION WORK? WHEN we put our system to the test, we found that when the sound source is 6 centimeters (2 inches) from the microphone, we can always

Uber now allows favorite places to be saved

HOW SPEAKERS WORK CONVENTIONAL speakers contain magnets, which vibrate back and forth according to fluctuations of electrical or digital signals, converting them into sound waves in the air. Putting a speaker up against the microphone of a smartphone, for example, means moving a magnet very close to the smartphone.

And most smartphones contain a magnetometer, an electronic chip that can detect magnetic fields. (It comes in handy when using a compass or navigation app, for example.)

If the smartphone detects a magnet nearby during the process of voice authentication, that can

HI BIXBY: SAMSUNG PHONE’S VOICE ASSISTANT NOW SPEAKS ENGLISH SEOUL, South Korea—Samsung Electronics said its Bixby voice assistant for smartphones will start speaking English, but only in two countries: South Korea and the US. The South Korean tech giant said starting on Wednesday, users of the Galaxy S8 smartphones can speak in American English to their phones to turn on the flashlight, take a selfie or make the phone search for, say, pictures from a summer vacation and create an album.

Samsung did not say why it could not make Bixby in English available to users outside South Korea or the US, or when it will become available in other languages in other countries.

The service, comparable to Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant, was previously available only in Korean.

Samsung says its virtual assistant can be activated by saying “Hi Bixby” to the phone or by clicking a button on the side of the S8 phones.

The rollout of the Bixby English version was delayed by a couple of months. Samsung’s Mobile Chief Koh Dong-jin had earlier told reporters that the service would be available in English before June. It also comes about one month before Samsung is widely expected to announce its latest iteration of the Galaxy Note smartphone after the discontinuation of its fireprone Galaxy Note 7 phone last year.

Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, is a latecomer in the virtual-assistant race. Its rivals introduced their versions several years ago, but the company said it believes its status as the world’s dominant mobile-device manufacturer will give it an edge. Bixby also enables users to find more information about real-world items by pointing a phone’s camera. AP

distinguish between a human and a computercontrolled speaker. At that distance, the magnet in a normal loudspeaker is strong enough to clearly interfere with the phone’s magnetometer. And if an attacker is using earphone speakers, the microphone is close enough to the sound source to detect it.

When the sound source is farther from the microphone, it’s harder to detect magnetic interference from a speaker. It’s also more difficult to analyze the movement of the sound source in relation to the phone when the distances are greater.

But by using multiple lines of defense, we can defeat the vast majority of speaker- and human-based attacks and significantly improve the security of voice-based mobile apps.

At the moment, our system is a standalone app, but in the future we’ll be able to integrate it into other voice authentication systems. AP

WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR NEXT MOBILE PHONE IF YOU’RE ON A BUDGET? LOOKING for a high-tech and stylish smartphone but on a budget? The struggle is real.

Then again, there’s Huawei (www. facebook.com/HuaweiMobilePH), which now brings the newest addition to its Y series—the Huawei Y5 2017. Stay on trend with the newest hip and stylish yet affordable device that is perfect for the young and the young-at-heart. Here are the five best features of the new device.

■ ACHIEVE #FEEDGOALS! Need a smartphone camera to keep up with your feed? The Huawei Y5 2017 can satisfy your photo aesthetics with its intelligent camera technology. It has an 8MP camera with dual flash that captures superb photos with balanced lighting. More than that, the 5MP front camera is armed with soft lighting features and an 84° wide-angle lens that lets you capture the best selfies and groufies.

■ A BATTERY THAT LASTS LONGER THAN YOUR PATIENCE. Aren’t you tired of getting your phone battery drained in the middle of the day? Yes, we feel you.

Equipped with 3,000 mAh high density battery life, the Huawei

THE Huawei Y5 2017

Y5 2017, lets you seamlessly stream, play and connect for a quality time up to 1.5 days! That’s lit, right?

■ FASTER. BETTER. BIGGER. The Huawei Y5 2017 provides a better quality video and gaming experience through a powerful 2GB RAM and 16 GB ROM quad-core processor.

On top of that, it has a maximum support of 128GB SD card expansion, which means more photos, videos and other files for you to keep.

■ NOBODY WANTS IT COMPLICATED. Powered to enjoy life with ease, the new entry-level Huawei smartphone promises to provide full convenience to users with its easy key operations.

The convenience easy key, located on right side of the device, allows three different operations in just a single button. It also allows you to set shortcuts and other special functions, making screen navigation hassle-free.

■ CALL AND TEXT IN STYLE. You can never go out of style with the Huawei Y5 2017, as it is designed to keep you on trend. It has a 5.0-inch HD (1280x720) IPS display that shows stunning, bright colors and visuals for better screen viewing. And not only is the Y5 2017 bigger, wider and thinner but it also comes in two stylish colors—gold and gray.

ONCE again, Uber has found a way to make our commute simpler and easier with the rollout of a new product feature called Saved Places.

Riders can now save their favorite addresses and destinations, and name them (you can even use emojis!) for easy association. That means you can store and label a friend’s address, favorite weekend hangout or date place—all under your Saved Places list. Prior to this, you could only save Home and Work. Uber has studied their customers, realizing that riders visit around a dozen places repeatedly, and addresses are one of the hardest things to remember over and over again.

This is yet another example of how the Uber app is designed around its users. The tech company recognizes that time is definitely a luxury, and that information should always be at every customer’s fingertips. To save an address, simply tap “Where to” on the home screen. Then select “Saved Places and Friends” and “Add Saved Place”.

To access a saved place, tap “Where to?” and then tap “more saved places” and select from your own curated list.

A rider’s Saved Places can even start to show up on the home screen “shortcuts”, if the app predicts that’s where the rider could be headed to, so they can get moving with just one tap.

So whether it’s your best friend’s place, your favorite hangout, or your usual Friday night restaurant, you’ll never have to remember those addresses more than once.

Where do gadgets go when they die? A10

BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

THE TOP iPHONE AND iPAD APPS ON APP STORE

Saturday, August 5, 2017 A12

EKONIC Justice League Smartphone

THE App Store Official Charts for the week ending August 1.

TOP PAID IPHONE APPS:

1. Minecraft: Pocket Edition (Mojang) 2. Heads Up! (Warner Bros.)

3. Plague Inc. (Ndemic Creations) 4. Bloons TD 5 (Ninja Kiwi) 5. MONOPOLY Game (Electronic Arts) 6. Facetune (Lightricks Ltd.) 7. Geometry Dash (RobTop Games AB) 8. The Escapists (Team17 Software Ltd.) 9. iSchedule (HotSchedules) 10. Scribblenauts Remix (Warner Bros.)

TOP FREE iPHONE APPS:

1. Sarahah (ZainAlabdin Tawfiq) 2. YouTube: Watch videos, music (Google Inc.) 3. Instagram (Instagram Inc.) 4. Snapchat (Snap Inc.) 5. Messenger (Facebook Inc.) 6. Facebook (Facebook Inc.) 7. Flappy Dunk (Voodoo) 8. Bitmoji: Your Personal Emoji (Bitstrips) 9. Google Maps: Navigation and Travel (Google Inc.) 10. Gmail: Email by Google (Google Inc.)

Geek to chic

OPTIMUS Prime 6500-mAh battery pack

TOP PAID iPAD APPS:

1. Minecraft: Pocket Edition (Mojang) 2. Procreate: Sketch, paint (Savage Interactive Pty. Ltd.) 3. The Escapists (Team17 Software Ltd.) 4. Notability (Ginger Labs) 5. Geometry DashRobTop (Games AB) 6. Scribblenauts Remix (Warner Bros.)

7. Minecraft: Story Mode-Season (Telltale Inc.) 8. Terraria (505 Games [US] Inc.) 9. Five Nights at Freddy’s (Scott Cawthon) 10. Goat Simulator PayDay (Coffee Stain Studios AB)

TOP FREE iPAD APPS:

1. YouTube: Watch videos, music (Google. Inc.) 2. Netflix (Netflix Inc.) 3. Gymnastics Superstar: Get a P... (Coco Play) 4. Bowmasters: Top Multiplayer B... (Playgendary) 5. Roblox (Roblox Corp.)

6. Facebook (Facebook Inc.) 7. Messenger (Facebook Inc.) 8. Snake VS Block (Voodoo) 9. Hungry Shark World (Ubisoft) 10. Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream (Budge Studios) AP

THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

“Its time for the odd to get even.”

B

—REVENGE OF THE NERDS, 1984

EFORE anything else, let me just tell you that it feels so good to be back.

So I’d like to thank my editor, Gerard Ramos, for giving me this space and allowing me to share my thoughts in print form once again. A quick background: It’s been almost five years since I submitted my last column. I previously wrote about tech, gadgets and video games for almost 15 years for a few different newspapers before I entered showbiz (the beat, that is) and lifestyle. But my first love will always be anything tech and geek-related— hence the column name, The Technivore, which I hope would help you understand how to make all these gadgets and devices work for you instead of being eaten alive (figuratively, of course) because of ignorance and misinformation.

So instead of game tricks (and cheat codes), this time I’d be featuring the latest gadgets, tech news and all-around geek stuff, plus a few bits of tech tips and trivia.

GEEK IS GOOD UNLIKE millennials who were born into the digital world, I spent my teen years in the 1990s, when the words “geek” and “nerd” weren’t as cool as they are now. But thanks to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and friends, we can now openly admit our geekery and nerdism without shame and fear of being outcast.

Being a geek no longer means a “boring and unattractive social misfit”; in fact, a survey by an advertising agency called Inferno indicates that the public now finds intelligence and passionate

engagement with a hobby four times as attractive in a person than good looks or dressing well. Take that, beautiful people!

Geek is good, and geek is definitely in—and it goes way beyond the thick glasses and the statement shirts. All you have to do is check out those popculture conventions, which now sell tickets faster than concerts and other events. Even the most successful movies in recent years are either based on superheroes and science-fiction novels—and as the Marvel and DC cinematic universes continue to expand and the Star Wars saga plays on, there’s definitely no sign of slowing down.

Whether we like it or not, geek has become the new iteration of the mainstream, and we just can’t get enough of all the stuff that comes with it. In short, geek is the new chic.

AUTOBOTS TRANSFORM AND POWER UP SPEAKING of stuff, have you heard about the new power bank from Hasbro?

Yup, the same Hasbro that makes the My Little Pony, Monopoly, Play Doh, Nerf, Marvel, Star Wars and Transformers toys (among others)?

Well, for the first time, they’re having their own convention, called HasCon, which kicks off in Rhode Island this September 8. Exclusive toys will be on sale, including a My Little Pony Dungeon & Dragons Dice Set, a Star Wars Captain Rex Black Series Toys a Marvel Legends Deadpool Uncanny X-Men edition figure and a limited-edition Optimus Prime Powerbank.

Instead of his usual semitruck mode, this exclusive Optimus Prime figure transforms into a functioning 6500-mAh battery pack. The anonymous gray block may not be the most exciting form for the Autobot leader but, hey, at least you now have a reason to bring him everywhere!

The robot figure, as you can see, actually looks quite good, and it takes 16 steps to open the block and turn it into Optimus Prime. His robot form also sports a shield and LED light-up sword, which you can plug into the pack’s USB port. You can almost hear him say, “I am Optimus Prime, and I swear to protect your gadgets from low battery.”

You can get it for $50 at HasCon, and a limited number of will be available after the convention through the company’s online toy shop.

4 reasons new Asus phones brings out your inner explorer SINCE the release of its first model in the country, ASUS Zenfones have captured the attention of many Filipinos as a smartphone that goes beyond expectations. From its remarkable front camera to its impressive battery life, the Zenfone is the perfect device for all kinds of adventures.

Here are four reasons this little wonder from ASUS is a cut above the rest: ■ A SUPERIOR BATTERY LIFE THAT KEEPS UP WITH YOU. Imagine being in the beautiful shores that Bantayan Island and soaking up all the beauty that it has to offer. You grab your phone to capture this spectacular sight, only to find your battery dying at the last minute. It’s a nightmare, we know. Your bucket-list moments shouldn’t be left uncaptured because of poor battery. The Zenfone, with its undeniably impressive battery

capacity that can go up to 5,000 mAh mixed with energy-efficient processors, knows this struggle.

Now, you can keep on shooting your picture-perfect adventures and even keep up with your day-to-day activities, such as surfing the web, playing mobile games or just checking your socialmedia accounts.

■ CATCHING THE MOMENT IS A BREEZE. The ASUS Zenfone is built for photography. You’re given a wide array of Instagram-worthy photos with every click. May it be a simple, one-day, outof-town trip to Tagaytay or a weeklong surfing escapade at La Union, this phone will boast of game-changing photo features, like a high-end color correction device, wide digital image stabilizer and real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, features that used to be only found in DSLR cameras.

■ A DESIGN THAT LETS YOU SHOW YOUR PERSONALITY. The ASUS Zenfone’s exteriors don’t disappoint too. Whether you like sleek and stylish or you want fun and quirky, the brand offers a wide range of colors that can fit any preference.

From your common black, white and silver shades, to your bright pink, blue and purple hues, the Zenfone’s got you covered with phones that you can say are uniquely yours.

■ A QUALITY PHONE THAT PAYS OFF. All these features of the ASUS Zenfone come at a reasonable price. Designed for photography enthusiasts, this phone line only gets better series after series. Its midrange variants are for those looking for a phone with distinct camera and battery features but are on a budget, and its more premium units are designed for pros on the lookout for specific and advanced specs.

CALL ON THE JUSTICE LEAGUE (SMARTPHONE) YOU have the toys, watched the movies, bought the shirts and almost every other item related to the DC comic series, but one fan has decided to show the Justice League even more love by creating a Justice League Smartphone.

Edric Chua admits to being such a fan of the comic-book franchise, that his company Ekotek decided to partner with DC Comics to come up with Ekonic’s Justice League headphones, power banks, Bluetooth speakers and the world’s first-ever Justice League smartphone.

The smartphone sports a sleek, black body made more eye-catching with the four exclusive back cases featuring different Justice League member artworks done by Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, Francis Manapul and Ivan Reis. Also included in the package are several must-have accessories, such as the Lasso of Truth cable charger and the Scarlet Speedster earphones.

As far as specs go, the Ekonic Justice League Smartphone has a pretty good 5.5-inch HD IPS display, a MediaTek MTK 6737 quad-core CPU, Mali T720 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and is powered by a 2500-mAh battery. It also has an 8MP rear camera and 5MP front camera, runs the latest Android 7.0 Nougat and is dual-SIM 4G LTE (700MHz-ready) capable.

To make you really feel that you are part of the League, the boot sequence includes the Justice League logo, while the UI features high-definition wallpapers of Justice League members, as well as customized theme and icons.

But what makes this phone truly special is that only 5,000 units are being produced, so each piece will come with a number and seal of authenticity.

You can be part of the elite league of collectors of this superhero package, simply by adding P400 to any Smart Postpaid plan and request the limited-edition smartphone.

Best paired with Smart Postpaid Plan 599, which comes with 5GB Data that allows you to stream CW’s The Flash if you subscribe to iflix. Plan 599 also comes with the following inclusions: 30 minutes all-net calls, unlimited all-net texts and free Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Viber.

/ Tech Thoughts: “Arti�icial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.”