Businessmirror August 19, 2018

MEDIA PARTNER OF THE YEAR

UNITED NATIONS

2015 ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA AWARD LEADERSHIP AWARD 2008

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

www.businessmirror.com.ph

n

Sunday, August 19, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 309

2016 EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS

BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

Who’s really to blame for metro’s flooding woes? Plastics or squatters?

THE URBAN GARBAGE TRAP

A SCAVENGER collects garbage washed ashore by strong waves in Manila Bay on August 13, 2018. AP/AARON FAVILA

T

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is not just about to jump the gun and blame the garbage and flooding problems on manufacturers and their excessive production of single-use plastics and other plastic packaging products.

Hence, the proposal to impose a nationwide single-use plastic ban is not likely to happen—at least for now.

In a telephone interview, DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Benny Antiporda said people, not plastics, are the real problem— and possibly—the solution to the garbage and flooding woes.

The culprit

LACK of discipline, he said, is the

culprit behind the river of garbage that submerged parts of Metro Manila following the typhoon- and southwest monsoon-induced rains over the past few days.

National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) Secretariat Executive Director Eligio Ildefonso agrees.

“The garbage that flooded Metro Manila is proof that the people really lack discipline when it comes to waste disposal,” Ildefonso told the BusinessMirror

in a separate interview.

As tons of garbage, mostly plastic food packaging materials and consumer goods, were literally dumped back by the waves on the shores of Manila Bay along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard, environmental groups reiterated the call to impose the ban on single-use plastics.

Leveling up their campaign against plastic pollution, the groups are now training their guns on manufacturers of single-use plastics and demanding account-

ability for plastic pollution.

Epic failure?

ANTIPORDA said imposing a ban on plastics and styrofoam as food packaging materials failed miserably in addressing the problem, which, he said, is not because of the product packaging themselves, but because of the poor solid waste management and the people who do not practice proper waste segregation and the so-called 3Rs or reduce, reuse and recycle.

See “Garbage,” A2

Telecom stakeholders cite ways to improve dismal PHL record

T

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

centage point and by Phnom Penh by two points. Expectedly, South Korean capital Seoul topped the latest survey with almost 98 percent 4G availability, followed by Tokyo with over 96 percent and Bangkok with 92 percent.

It could be noted, however, that Open Signal measures availability by the proportion of time users have access to a particular network, and not by geographic coverage.

HE most effective, fool-proof way of improving the availability of mobile data connection—particularly 4G— in Manila and other parts of the country is to promote healthy competition and polish regulations in and for the local telecommunications industry. bottom spot in a 4G availability survey of 12 capital cities in the eastern region of Asia.

Based on Open Signal’s report, 4G reach in Manila from March to May 2018 is the most dismal of 12 capital cities in the eastern region of Asia, with only 78 percent availability.

The Philippine capital was beaten by Ho Chi Minh by a per-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 53.4430

MUNGKORN LASONTHI | DREAMSTIME.COM

Hence, the government must fast-track the selection process for the third telco player, pass laws that promote robust and fair competition, and reduce bureaucratic red tape, according to industry stakeholders polled by the BusinessMirror.

They were responding to late Monday’s Open Signal report that showed Manila landed at the

‘Not surprising’

FOR Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, co-convenor of consumer group Better Broadband Alliance, the results are somewhat par for the course, given certain barriers in the buildup of network infrastructure in the capital and elsewhere.

“The results are not surprising since the country’s 4G coverage is not as extensive yet, considering the number of subscribers that wish to access the network,” she told the BusinessMirror.

She said Open Signal’s report bolsters the proposition that two telco players are not enough to serve the Philippine market.

“This is proof that having two mobile operators is not enough, and that there remain high barriers to entry and operation in the telecom and data sectors,” Santos, also an independent policy researcher, said.

Pierre Tito M. Galla, the cofounder of consumer group Democracy.PH, shared the same view.

Leniency toward improvement of service due to the lack of competition could account for the results of the Open Signal report.

“This and other similar news highlight the need for more competition in the Philippine telecoms market. Without competition, the incumbents will not feel the pressure to roll out infrastructure and improve quality of service,” Galla said.

See “Telecom,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4820 n UK 67.9902 n HK 6.8085 n CHINA 7.7566 n SINGAPORE 38.8479 n AUSTRALIA 38.7943 n EU 60.8128 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.2499

Source: BSP (August 17, 2018 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, August 19, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Telecom stakeholders cite ways to improve dismal PHL record

Garbage...

Continued from A1

He said certain LGUs have, in fact, passed local ordinances and strictly imposed similar policies banning the use of plastic sando bags with relative success, but in the end, the campaign in supermarkets and even wet markets started to lose steam.

“What they [supermarkets] did was sell plastics or eco bags. It [the ban on plastics] will only hurt the poor as they have to pay extra for these plastic bags,” Antiporda said in mixed English and Filipino.

Flooding, he said, is not caused by plastic waste alone, but admittedly by the poor solid waste management and poor enforcement of the garbage law, which is aggravated by the informal settlers whose makeshift shanties built along waterways prevent the smooth flow of the water out of Metro Manila.

Long-term solution

TO prevent flooding, he said, there is a need to first clear the canals, creeks and rivers, which will require the relocation of squatters, followed by massive dredging of all the silted waterways to ensure the smooth flow of water through outlets that lead to either Laguna de Bay or coastal and marine areas like Manila Bay.

“Relocation is a long-term solution. We really need to relocate the informal settlers away from the creeks and the rivers and we solve half of the problem,” he said.

He admitted, though, that many people, particularly those squatting near creeks and rivers, still lack discipline, if not the sense of patriotism, as they continue to dump their waste into water bodies, unmindful of their adverse impact on the environment and even the health and wellbeing of their own community.

“Once they have been relocated, we can start the rehabilitation of our waterways,” Antiporda said.

One problem at a time

ANTIPORDA said there is a need to conduct further study on how to best address the garbage problem, by making the 3Rs work more efficiently “one problem at a time.”

For instance, Antiporda said, most garbage in Metro Manila—about 90 percent or more—is kitchen waste.

“People tend to use plastic to seal spoiled food to prevent its foul odor. That is one problem. I am looking at working with LGUs to introduce the use of containers where residents can put their spoils for proper disposal,” he said.

Either the LGU will come up with a collection schedule or people will bring their spoiled food to a designated area where they can be disposed of, Antiporda said.

Either way, he said, the kitchen waste must be properly disposed of, either through composting for conversion into organic fertilizer, or treatment before disposal to the environment to prevent soil and water pollution.

Cause of flooding

ILDEFONSO said that uncollected garbage ends up in vacant lots, or worse, finds its way into canals, creeks and rivers, clogging the major arteries that prevent water from flowing out to the seas.

Around 20 percent of the garbage pro-

duced every day remains uncollected.

This means that in Metro Manila alone, which produces around 9,000 tons of garbage daily, around 1,800 tons end up in vacant lots or in waterways, causing rivers to overflow.

‘No burn’ WTE

TO address the environmental and health problems caused by the poor solid waste management in the country, the DENR and the NSWMC are seeking to put in place guidelines for thermal waste-toenergy (WTE) solutions.

A draft of the guidelines in the form of a department administrative order is now being studied by the DENR’s Policy and Planning Office, Ildefonso said.

Thermal WTE does not make use of direct burning or incineration, Ildefonso said.

“It’s like when you leave rice unattended. Rice in the pot is burnt and turns into ash,” he said.

Through burning, heat is produced, which will then be converted into energy.

Through the process, one ton of garbage can produce 1 megawatt of electricity, he said.

Such process, he added, would require highly combustible materials as fuel—like plastic—thereby partly helping address plastic pollution.

Not so fast

THE Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, however, rejected the idea that informal settlers, whether those living along riverbanks or coastal areas, are to blame for the garbage and flooding woes.

The group agrees garbage being washed ashore in Manila Bay is highly alarming because of its effect on communities. But garbage, the group stressed, is just one of the threats to the marine ecosystem and biodiversity in Manila Bay. “The garbage washing ashore does not just come from the residents residing along Manila Bay,” Fernando Hicap, national chairman of Pamalakaya, said.

“This garbage came from different places. But while we recognize the contribution of garbage to pollution and contamination of fish species, it is crucial to address that still, 60 percent of pollution enters Manila Bay from Pasig River, in which 80 percent comes from industrial and commercial establishments situated in Metro Manila,” he said.

More important, Hicap said, the pollution that is not visible to the naked eye poses more danger to the marine biodiversity and, most of all, to the livelihood of small fishermen who now have to endure the dwindling fish catch due to the deterioration of Manila Bay. “We urge the concerned government agencies to address the long-standing pollution in Manila Bay fair and square. Garbage and other waste must not be used against us to justify our displacement in our community and, instead, resolve this issue by rehabilitating Manila Bay in the framework of restoring its marine resources and as a productive fishing ground,” Hicap said.

Environmental groups also strongly oppose any form of waste-to-energy technology, saying any WTE technology that makes use of sexy titles still use incinerators, which violates the Clean Air Act.

China 1.18 million

India 450,000

Indonesia 76,477

Vietnam 55,000

Thailand 52,483

Pakistan 28,000

Bangladesh 27,000

Malaysia 22,000

Philippines 16,300

CELL-SITE BUILD Continued from A1

‘Not so bad’–Smart

THE results of the Open Signal report— though soliciting ideas of enjoining new competition—are really not so bad, at least according to Smart Communications Inc. Spokesman Ramon R. Isberto.

“What we want to emphasize, 78 percent availability is not that bad. And my point is, it’s getting better as we speak,” he said. “We are still rolling out our upgrade of 4G in Manila, so that number is certainly higher now than it used to be.”

In the larger Metro Manila area, Isberto noted, Smart recently completed its most recent round of network upgrades in Quezon City, Marikina City, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon.

For Manila and Makati, the latest round is expected to be completed by October.

Smart has also deployed carrier aggregation technology across all of Metro Manila’s 17 cities and municipalities, paving the way for much greater speeds to an area where over 12 million Filipinos work and live.

The mobile operator also deployed over 2,000 Long-Term Evolution (LTE) sites across Metro Manila, which use low-frequency bands such as the 700-megahertz (MHz) band for wider coverage and better indoor penetration, and high-frequency bands like 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for additional capacity.

To date, more than 92 percent of sites in Metro Manila have already been upgraded with LTE, based on data from Smart.

“We expect to finish Metro Manila by the end of this year—that is the base stations for both existing and new ones will have LTE.” Smart parent company PLDT Inc. is spending P58 billion in capital expenditures for 2018 to further develop its network both for mobile and fixed line.

Globe’s commitment

GLOBE Telecom Inc. Spokesman Yolanda C. Crisanto noted that her group is, likewise, committed to improve the overall mobile

data service in the country, noting the company’s capital outlays for the year amounting to $950 million.

“We continue to invest in networks to build capacity and build new sites to increase coverage,” she said.

To date, Globe has a total of 39,614 base stations spread across the Philippines, with over 26,200 for 4G, to support the service requirements of its customers.

But the infrastructure listed above are not enough to meet the demand of over 113 million subscribers in the Philippines, mostly in the capital and its neighboring cities and municipalities.

Crisanto said the lack of telco infrastructure in place could have been one reason Manila was the worst-performing capital in terms of 4G reach.

“4G availability means how pervasive 4G service is already in the Philippines. This is a function of not having the right amount of infrastructure relative to users in the country,” she said in a text message.

Since the last administration, Globe has been calling on the government to remove bureaucratic red tape to fast-track the deployment of more sites not only in Manila, but in different parts of the Philippines.

Based on a study made by TowerXchange, an independent community for operators, tower companies, investors and suppliers interested in emerging-market telecom towers, the Philippines lags behind its neighbors in Asia when it comes to cellsite build.

The number of unique physical cell sites in the Philippines is one of the lowest in Asia, with a combined 16,300 cell sites.

China has the highest number with 1.18 million cell sites, followed by India with 450,000 and Indonesia with 76,477 cell sites, while Vietnam has 55,000, Thailand with 52,483, Pakistan with 28,000, Bangladesh with 27,000 and Malaysia with 22,000 sites.

With 113 million mobile subscribers and only a combined total of 16,300 towers from PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. ser-

vicing them, the Philippines has the lowest tower density score in Asia, with a meager 0.14 to Asia’s current giant China’s 1.43.

Permits, Isberto added, have always been a concern, given the number of certifications and requirements that local government units ask from telco operators for network buildup.

“It’s quite hard to roll out in an urban environment because we can only access cell sites for repair and maintenance only on certain parts of the day, we are covered by certain regulations,” he added.

But in the city of Yangon in Myanmar, where 4G was only made available about two years ago, the said protocol’s reach is at 83 percent.

“The success story of Yangon, which now has higher 4G availability than Manila, shows that opening up the market to more competition, for both local and foreign service providers, at all network segments will address the infrastructure and access gap,” Santos noted.

Myanmar awarded the fourth telco license to MyTel last year, and the telco provider started offering its services to the Southeast Asian nation in February 2018.

“The Philippines needs to create a market environment that allows as many players as possible, who can pour in as much capital expenditures and introduce as many innovative solutions as necessary to improve the availability of data services,” Santos said.

Currently, the Philippine government is in the process of selecting a third core player in the telco market.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Eliseo M. Rio said his group is on track to meeting the deadlines it set for the selection process.

“The process is ongoing and we are on track,” he said in a phone interview.

Legislative action, Executive backing

BUT the search for a third telco also needs the support of lawmakers, Galla noted, saying that reforms in the telco laws could help stir healthy competition in the market.

“We call on the legislature to fasttrack the passage of ICT reform bills that will enable better competition, such as the open access in data transmission bill, the mobile number portability bill, the amendments to the Public Telecommunications Act and the Public Service Act, and the spectrum management reform bill,” he said.

Recently, Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian urged his colleagues in the Senate to pass the three bills to ease the entry of the third telco and foster a more competitive telco environment.

The open data in transmission bill will allow the use of data distribution systems and facilities subject to fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms in a transparent market.

In the Senate, the bill will allow additional telco players to enter the Philippine market even without a congressional franchise.

When passed, the mobile number portability bill will allow subscribers to retain their old numbers even after shifting to another telco provider.

Amendments to the Public Telecommunications and the Public Service laws seek to shift telecommunications services to a basic service, and further regulate the market.

“We call on the Executive, particularly the DICT, to fast-track the entry of the new major player, as well as to collaborate with other agencies and stakeholders to aggressively promote competition in Philippine telecoms,” Galla added.

Should the selection process be smooth sailing, the third telco player should be named by December. Its services are expected to be launched mid-2019.

The World BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Sunday, August 19, 2018

A3

China, unsure of how to handle Trump, braces for ‘new cold war’

P

erhaps nowhere outside America’s heartland is Donald J. Trump given more credit than in Beijing.

In government offices and think tanks, universities and state-run newsrooms, there is an urgent debate under way about what many here see as the hidden motive for Washington’s escalating trade war against President Xi Jinping’s government: A grand strategy, devised and led by Trump, to thwart China’s rise as a global power.

“The Trump administration has made it clear that containing China’s development is a deeper reason behind the tariff actions,” said He Weiwen, a former commerce ministry official and now a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, an independent research group filled with former bureaucrats.

These sentiments were echoed by many of the more than two dozen current and former government officials, business executives, stateaffiliated researchers, diplomats and state-run media editors interviewed for this article. Most requested anonymity to speak their minds about sensitive matters.

A common suspicion ran through the conversations—that the tariffs are just a small part of Trump’s plan to prevent China from overtaking the US as the world’s largest economy. Several people expressed concern that the two nations may be heading into a long struggle for global dominance that recalls the last century’s rivalry between the US and Soviet Union.

“The trade war has prompted thinking in China on whether a new cold war has begun,” said An Gang, a senior research fellow at the Pangoal Institution, an independent research group in Beijing whose experts include former government officials. The dispute, he says, “now has military and strategic implications”—reflecting concern among some in Beijing that tensions could spill over into Taiwan, the South China Sea and North Korea.

The general pessimism is a major shift among China’s elite, many of whom had initially welcomed the rise of a US president viewed as a transactional pragmatist who would cut a deal to narrow a $375-billion trade deficit for the right price. Now, with tariffs on $34 billion of goods already in effect and duties on another $216 billion in the pipeline, a majority saw no quick fix to a problem that is starting to rattle the country’s top leaders.

‘Smart negotiator’

The turning point came a few months ago, when Trump put a stop to a deal for China to buy more energy and agricultural goods to narrow the trade deficit. Not only did that insult Xi, China’s all-powerful leader who had sent a personal emissary to Washington for the negotiations, but it crystallized a view in Beijing that Trump won’t quit until he thwarts China’s rise once and for all.

“Donald J. Trump is a smart negotiator who has accumulated abundant experience in doing business

for many years—and also from the show The Apprentice,” said Wang Huiyao, an adviser to China’s Cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization, whose advisory council is stacked with former lawmakers. While “China is open to negotiations,” he said, Trump’s pressure tactics “will only arouse Chinese nationalism, which will be counterproductive.”

The ramifications of that are now rippling through a society that has embraced America’s consumer culture—Big Macs, Bentley cars and Chanel handbags are ubiquitous in Beijing—even as it retains a oneparty political system that champions large state enterprises and has little tolerance for dissent.

The trade war is leading to some soul searching in Beijing. Discussions quickly turn to the sustainability of China’s state-centered economy and the leadership of Xi, who can rule the country indefinitely after he led a successful effort earlier this year to repeal presidential term limits.

Xi criticism

The hushed debate centers over the wisdom of Xi’s goals for rapid growth and his decision to announce China’s ambitions to the world. This was a dramatic shift from former leader Deng Xiaoping’s famous dictum, “Hide your strength, bide your time.’’ Critics of Xi say policies like Made in China 2025 (a plan to dominate industries such as aircraft, new energy vehicles and biotechnology) and the Belt and Road Initiative (a mechanism to finance infrastructure investments around the globe) raised alarm in the West, and prompted the US to target China before it could build critical technologies.

This was seen by how swiftly Trump could bring down ZTE Corp., China’s second-largest telecommunications equipment maker. In April his administration prohibited the company from buying essential components from American suppliers after it violated laws banning the sale of US technology to Iran. The move prompted ZTE to cease major operating activities until Trump came to the rescue and helped engineer a settlement.

Although ZTE is now back up and running, the episode showed China just how dependent the nation is on the US for high-end know-how. It has also highlighted wider efforts to block Chinese firms from acquiring tech companies by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews deals on national security grounds. All in all it amounts to “hightech containment” of China, said Shi Yinhong, a foreign affairs adviser to the State Council and director of Renmin University’s Center on American Studies in Beijing.

The US, of course, sees things differently. Officials have repeatedly said they don’t want to prevent China from growing, they just want to stop it from breaking the rules and stealing

intellectual property—allegations that officials in Beijing repeatedly deny.

‘Off-the-books nonsense’

The Pentagon recently named China and Russia as two US rivals actively seeking to “co-opt or replace the free and open order that has enabled global security and prosperity since World War II.” Last month US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo obliquely criticized China for wooing developing countries with cheap financing for infrastructure projects, saying the US believes in “strategic partnerships, not strategic dependency.”

“With American companies, citizens around the world know that what you see is what you get: honest contracts, honest terms and no need for off-the-books nonsense,” Pompeo said in a speech before he attended a regional security forum in Singapore.

Another advantage of the US, he said, is that “we will help them keep their people free from coercion or great power domination.”

Across the political spectrum in China, from reformers to nationalists, there’s a growing consensus that the nation needs to open up more to foreign business, better protect intellectual property and create a more level playing field. The confrontation with the US was “due in large part to China doing nothing for many years” to reduce the surplus, widen market access and ease state control, according to Shi from Renmin University. “China faces a new, uncertain situation and needs to undergo review and adjustment,” he said. “We didn’t consider other nations’ feelings in our strategic great leap forward.”

Yet, sentiments like these are tempered by a reluctance to be seen as bending to Trump’s demands. Several people said that at first they viewed the US tariffs as not all bad if they prompted the government to make long overdue adjustments in China’s approach to doing business with the West. But as the trade war, and the war of words, has escalated, many of these same people are now digging in against the US, saying China won’t be bullied.

Apart from some criticism from academics and grumbling from unnamed officials, so far there’s little visible sign from China’s opaque government that the trade war has impacted Xi’s ability to control the levers of money and power. If Xi and his ministers are themselves suffering any doubts, it’s not reflected in the official press. The People’s Daily newspaper—the main mouthpiece of the Communist Party—recently confronted critics who say it was a mistake for China to be so public with its global goals.

“Such a heavyweight cannot be hidden by taking a ‘low key’ approach,” the paper said in a commentary last week, “just like an elephant cannot conceal its body behind a small tree.”

Beijing has signaled a willingness to strike a deal that narrows the trade deficit. But policy advisers see little room to budge on some of Trump’s other demands, including an end to subsidies for strategic industries, a stop to forced technology transfer and more competition for state-owned enterprises. Those stipulations—

shared widely by both Republicans and Democrats alike—are seen as posing an existential threat to the Communist Party, whose legitimacy to rule hinges on its ability to improve livelihoods.

China has also hinted there are ways to turn up the pressure on Trump, if necessary.

Tariffs on automobiles, semiconductors and Boeing airplanes aren’t off the table, according to Wei Jianguo, a former vice commerce minister and now vice director of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a group with a mission to “improve China’s soft power.” While China is dependent on US chips to make highperformance mobile devices and can’t completely cut ties with Boeing, it served as the second-largest market for Americanmade cars after Canada.

“If you want to hit Trump hard, give him a right hook so he remembers the pain,” Wei said.

The instinct to fight back comes naturally to China. The “Century of Humiliation” that followed the Opium Wars in the mid-1800s—in which foreign powers forced China to open its markets and provide access to strategic ports—is etched on the national psyche and used in Communist Party propaganda to spur nationalism.

‘Most dangerous period’

Nearly everyone interviewed in Beijing was looking ahead to the midterm elections in the US to see where things go next. While Standard Bank predicted on August 15 that Trump would look to cut a deal before then to ride a stockmarket surge to victory, the consensus in China saw a higher chance of a deal if the Republicans get walloped, as polls predict. China announced on Thursday that lower-level talks were set to resume later this month.

“We’re talking to China, they very much want to talk,” Trump said on Thursday at a cabinet meeting at the White House. “They just are not able to give us an agreement that is acceptable, so we’re not going to do any deal until we get one that’s fair to our country.”

Next to nobody is betting on a quick resolution. While Trump could tactically shift course at any time—similar to what he’s done with Nafta, the European Union and North Korea—with China he’s persistently ignored opportunities to lower tensions.

“The US and China are now in the most dangerous period in the past 40 years,” said Lu Xiang, an expert in relations between the countries at the government-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Mr. Trump put a knife on our neck. We will never surrender.”

Bloomberg News

A4

The World BusinessMirror

Sunday, August 19, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

China may add ‘nuke element’ to SCS dispute, Pentagon warns

T

By David Tweed | Bloomberg

he Pentagon sounded a warning over China’s plans to introduce floating nuclear power plants on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea (SCS), part of annual report assessing the nation’s military strength.

“China’s plans to power these islands may add a nuclear element to the territorial dispute,” the Pentagon said in its 2018 report to Congress, titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.”

“China indicated development plans may be under way to power islands and reefs in the typhoonprone SCS with floating nuclear power stations; development reportedly is to begin prior to 2020.”

C hina Sec ur it ies Jour nal— a Chinese state-run financial newspaper—said in 2016 that

China could build up to 20 floating nuclear plants to “speed up the commercial development” of the South China Sea, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. Several Chinese state-run companies last year established a joint venture that aims to strengthen China’s nuclear power capabilities in line with its ambitions to “become a strong maritime power,” the Post added, citing a statement released by the venture.

Beijing claims more than 80 percent of the SCS, which carries

around $3.4 trillion worth of global trade each year. Five other countries—including the Philippines and Vietnam—also have claims in the waters, which have led to clashes over fishing rights and energy exploration.

US- China militar y ties have deteriorated of late, w ith the Trump administration in May revoking an inv itation for Beijing to join in Pacific naval exercises due to its activ ities in disputed parts of the sea. China has reclaimed 3,200 of acres of land in the Spratly Island

c h a i n a nd m i l it a r i z ed t hem w ith ports, runways and other militar y infrastructure.

“The best-case scenario for the region would be China reconsidering the electricity supply source for its controlled islands, or at least a delay in the deployment of the fleet,” given potential safety challenges and security risks from pirates or regional terror groups, Viet Phuong Nguyen, a nuclear researcher at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, wrote in The Diplomat that month.

Ex-U.S. security leaders blast Trump for yanking clearance W

ASHINGTON—Former US security officials issued scathing rebukes to President Donald J. Trump on Thursday, admonishing him for yanking a top former spy chief ’s security clearance in what they cast as an act of political vengeance. Trump said he’d had to do “something” about the “rigged” federal

probe of Russian election interference.

Trump’s admission that he acted out of frustration about the Russia probe underscored his willingness to use his executive power to fight back against an investigation he sees as a threat to his presidency. Legal experts said the dispute may add to the evidence being reviewed

by special counsel Robert Mueller.

In an opinion piece in The New York Times, former CIA Director John Brennan said Trump’s decision, announced on Wednesday, to deny him access to classified information was a desperate attempt to end Mueller’s investigation. Brennan, who served under President Barack Obama and has become a

vocal Trump critic, called Trump’s claims that he did not collude with Russia “hogwash.”

The only question remaining is whether the collusion amounts to a “constituted criminally liable conspiracy,” Brennan wrote.

Later Thursday, the retired Navy admiral who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden called Trump’s moves “McCarthy-era tactics.” Writing in The Washington Post, William H. McRaven said he would “consider it an honor” if Trump would revoke his clearance, as well.

“Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation,” McRaven wrote.

That was followed late Thursday by a joint letter from 12 former senior intelligence officials calling Trump’s action “ill-considered

and unprecedented.”They said it “has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances—and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech.”

The signees included six former CIA directors, five former deputy directors and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Two of the signees— Clapper and former CIA Director Michael Hayden—have appeared on a White House list of people who may also have their security clearances revoked.

Trump on Wednesday openly tied his decision to strip Brennan of his clearance— and threaten nearly a dozen other former and current officials—to the ongoing investigation into Russian election meddling and possible collusion with his campaign.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal,

Trump again called the probe a “rigged witch hunt” and said “these people led it!”

“So I think it’s something that had to be done,” he said. The president’s comments were a swift departure from the official explanation given by the White House earlier Wednesday that cited the “the risks” posed by Brennan’s alleged “erratic conduct and behavior.” It marked the latest example of the president contradicting a story his aides had put forward to explain his motivations.

Attorneys said the revocation appeared to be within the president’s authority. But they noted the power play also could be used to reinforce a case alleging obstruction of justice, following the president’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey and his repeated tweets calling for the investigation to end. Jill Colvin & Catherine Lucey/AP

Journey

»life on the go

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Sunday, August 19, 2018

A5

Hotel topshot Apo View Hotel

A view to a thrill S

Story & Photos by Bernard L. Supetran

EASONED travelers, almost always, would look for three things when looking for a place to settle when on the road—a comfy room, good food and a warm service by the staff.

Throw in a room with a view, which will serve as the clincher in the search for the proverbial home away from home.

Down south in Davao City, a 70-year-old hotel has been providing the jet-setting class these qualities, plus a little bit more since it opened its doors shortly after the end of World War II. Established in 1948 by the Pamintuan family as a humble inn for the weary traveler, Apo View Hotel is the first of its kind in the city of durian, and the second oldest existing in the Philippines.

Located downtown, it is socalled because of the unobstructed view of Mount Apo, the country’s tallest peak, plus a soothing panorama of the tranquil Davao Gulf,

Garden view at Entree Restaurant

Samal Island and Mount Talomo.

But aside from the view to a thrill, Apo View has endeared itself to locals and visitors alike with its touch of elegance, the luscious cuisine and the warm welcome accorded to every soul who walks into its doors.

“Apo View isn’t just a hotel. It’s your second home where you will be treated well. We’ve housed families, companies, big and small groups for events, and gatherings and they have come back time and again because we offer them security, privacy and excellent service,” said hotel General Manager Cesar Canabal.

Now managed by the Global Comfort Group Corp. (GCGC), one of the country’s largest and fastestgrowing hotel chains, Apo View aims to cater to the changing needs of a wide array of guests, which includes millennials, who travel to Davao to discover the diverse experiences it offers.

But beyond waxing nostalgia and basking on its past glory, Canabal said the new management has embarked on a P140-million facelift to reinvent the landmark hotel with the unique mix of the old and the new. This includes upgrade of facilities, enhancement of service, and infusing international and indigenous flair to the cuisine, while preserving the time-honored values which have been Apo View’s unique trademark of hospitality.

The hotel recently added 25 new rooms for its growing occupancy rate, while its 36 old rooms are due for renovation as themed rooms to lure millennials. With an inventory of 182 well-appointed rooms, it is eyeing to add more rooms in the next two years as Davao positions itself as a MICE (meetings, incentives, convention and exhibit) destination in the south.

To meet the expected surge of business and leisure travelers, as well as retirees, the GCGC group will be building two residential condominiums under the Euro Towers brand within the city, which will also have that unique Apo View touch.

Apo View’s renovated room

Tropical-themed welcome at the lobby

He revealed that the management is aiming to shoot for a five-star classification from the Department of Tourism, and halal accreditation from certifying bodies in order to cater to the vast Muslim market.

Sun worshippers will be delighted with the planned P15-million facelift of the hotel pool and bar at the third floor, which was once the watering hole of the city’s who’s who. The podium-level pool offers a sweeping view of downtown and patches of green in the heart of the city.

On the food front, the hotel is attempting to recapture the old prestige of the culinary heritage it was known for. For decades, it has been the go-to place for banquets and special occasions because it of its succulent continental fare and regional specialties.

Swimming pool

In line with this thrust, the management has brought in Australianraised Filipino chef Ben Bernardo who envisions adding pizzazz to the food and beverage department by discovering more indigenous ingredients and delicacies, and including them in the menu or incorporating them in the existing offerings. Having spent 27 years Down Under, Chef Ben is rediscovering his Pinoy roots through cuisine by putting to use the rigid discipline he has acquired in the different culinary institutions and world-class restaurants there.

Recently, he introduced the “Sinugbang Durian” where the famed tropical exotic fruit was grilled and offered on a limited time to dine-in guests. With the unexpected encouraging response on an otherwise outrageous experiment, regular diners can expect more of the same bold steps to stretch the

infinite possibilities of Davao’s rich food resources.

The hotel currently offers a wide selection of cuisine available at Entrée, the all-day dining buffet restaurant, the lobby Café Josefina, the Blue Room bar and Casino Filipino Players Club, the oldest in Davao. It also has in-house specialty boutiques and souvenir shops for guests’ utmost convenience.

In conjunction with its 70th founding year and the Kadayawan Festival, Apo View has an ongoing promo on room and food to reward its loyal patrons.

Looking forward, Canabal said, there’s a lot of surprises in store as the hotel marks its seven-decade milestone and starts the journey to a new one.

“We will certainly be around for more decades to come because at Apo View Hotel, history is made every day,” he concluded.

Journey

»life on the go

BusinessMirror

A6 Sunday, August 19, 2018

Editor: Tet Andolong

Sandbox raises the bar with two new attractions

The newly opened Splash Tub

Bigger race track by City Kart Racing

Areal Walk Challenge facility, right at the park’s entrance

S

Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

URROUNDED by Pampanga’s vast plains and mountain ranges is Alviera’s popular outdoor adventure park known as Sandbox.

Situated within the property’s expansive estate in Porac, this 2-hectare exclusive outdoor facility offers various attractions for families, group of friends, and even serves as an ideal venue for corporate team-building activities.

All it takes is a two-hour drive from Manila to reach this exciting park and, once you get here, you’ll be mesmerized with the picturesque surrounding view of what nature has to offer.

If you’re wondering why it’s called Sandbox, Ayala Land Project Development Associate Manager Leonard Grape simply regarded the fun and adventure that you get from an actual sandbox, only more exciting. “At the same time, because of the region’s character, which is Pampanga province, so we took a play on that. Also, to highlight how it offers fun experiences and adventures.” Aside from being positioned as Alviera’s outdoor and adventure recreational park, Sandbox focuses on assuring every guest the experience of adrenalin rush from the numerous attractions.

Splash Tub and Karting

Raising the level of escapade as a prime tourist hot spot in the province, Sandbox recently opened two new facilities. The Splash Tub One is the park’s first-ever water attraction which offers a refreshing take on outdoor adventure. This 1,200-square meter water facility features 11 various inflated

obstacles which include Ball Traverse, Wreckers, Over and Under, to name a few.

The inflatable courses are designed to accommodate both adult and kids. In fact, guests can join the “Aqua Dash” challenge. Here, guests are grouped into four to go through the obstacles for a race challenge to achieve the quickest time. The best part is that prizes are given away every month. Even kids have their own “Little Warriors” category for the challenge. Of course, there’s a lounge pool, shower and changing areas for the visitors. Fees for the Splash Tub are as follow: P250 for Challengers (adults) and P100 for Little Warriors (kids). Both are exclusive of the P100 park entrance fee. But there’s a package worth P600 to access the water facility, other attractions and inclusive of the park entrance fee.

Another fresh attraction is the Karting Complex. Operated by City Kart Racing, the same group behind the famous karting place in Makati, the complex offers rentals, clinics for newbies and even motorbike rentals. We had the opportunity to try out the new and bigger circuit. Evidently, the entire circuit layout is more technically designed to provide realistic curves, hairpins and stretches.

Also, there are apexes installed in order to better guide the drivers.

Impressively, the karting circuit is so extensive that it can host international race events. Soon the complex is being eyed to be the ven-

ue for big kart racing events in the country. Likewise, the same complex will have a mini-golf course, airsoft and paintball playing fields, which will all open soon. Even equipment will be available for rent on-site. Fees for City Kart rentals are as follow: P450 (one heat on kiddie kart), P450 (one heat on 200cc kart), P700 (one heat on 390cc kart), P700 (one heat on 100cc two strokes) and P600 (one heat for cadets using race karts). One heat is equivalent to 12 minutes. The City Kart Racing is open from Wednesday to Sunday (2 to 6 p.m.).

Other existing attractions and amenities

Aside from the two new attractions, Sandbox is also offering spe-

cial packages to include the other facilities. There’s Asia’s first rollercoaster zip line known as Avatar One. Imagine zipping through the 180-meter line of zigzags and gradients coming from a 12-meter high starting point. Then there’s country’s tallest swing standing 10 meters high rocking you back and forth. These two facilities also serve as the parks front liners.

Another thrill is the Adventure Tower—a 15-meter tower for wall climbing, rappelling and the heartpounding free fall. The tower also provides a great vantage point to the entire park. Serving as backdrop to the Sandbox signage is the Areal Walk Challenge facility. With different obstacle paths, guest would have to endure the series of hurdles to

Asia’s first roller-coaster zip line—the Avatar One

The all-terrain vehicles used for the off-roading adventure

test their physical capacity. But for the target-practicing individuals, there’s the archery section where guests can practice their archery skills. But for the outdoor thrillseekers, Sandbox offers its ATV/ UTV (all-terrain vehicles) for that adrenaline-charged outdoors encounter. Guests will follow the tour guide to feel the off-roading adventure going through the Pasig-Potrero river and other rugged paths.

For food and beverage, Sandbox also has a dedicated lane for restaurants and even indoor play areas for toddlers. From Capampangan foods, other menus and drinks, the food outlets are all conducive and enough to accommodate your choosy taste buds. The Sandbox outdoor adventure park is open from Wednesday to

The 15-meter high Adventure Tower

One of the Archery sections

Sunday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

The future of Alviera

Alviera is currently expanding the property into a complex. Soon there will be a country club, hotels, a botanical garden and more developments to attract more visitors in the area. “Sandbox is a component of our Alviera estate, which is a master plan community and Sandbox takes on the tourism aspect.

When we launched Sandbox, we were happy that it achieved that aspect. Also, Sandbox is our move to position Alviera as a go-to tourism destination,” said Grape. They also envision the estate to be an urban development within a natural environment, where nature would be a part and parcel of Alviera.

The Giant Swing

The food and beverage lane

Four for four at Marco Polo Ortigas

I

N line with the two-time Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award Winner’s fourth anniversary, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is excited to share more reasons to celebrate this year.

Starting off with celebrations, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila launched its annual Mid-Autumn Festival offerings with Celestial Treasures. Coming from traditions observed during the Yuan Dynasty, the hotel heralds its rich Oriental culture with authentic mooncakes imported directly from Hong Kong. Inspired by traditional flowers, this year’s featured mooncakes symbolize luck, prosperity and honor. The Plum Blossom (set of four pieces) and Peony (half-dozen set) gift boxes are

available at P2,588 and P3,588, respectively.

Enjoy a relaxing weekend staycation in the busy district. With Fantastic Fridays, guests enjoy accommodations on Friday nights for an exclusive special rate of P4,500. This comes with access to the indoor infinity pool, fitness center and complimentary wireless Internet.

Foodies can also feast on the flavors of the world with all-day dining destination Cucina for only P1,399.

Enjoy the freshest sushi at the Japanese station, warm up on a cold night with Asian noodles, say delizioso with authentic pizza and pasta, and satisfy the sweet tooth with a well-deserved

dessert. This promotional rate applies to both the lunch and dinner buffet spread as a special gift to loyal guests.

Last and certainly not the least, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is making the move toward becoming plastic straw-free. The hotel is pleased to share that it now offers bamboo straws as an alternative to singleused plastic ones to reduce unnecessary waste. The hotel is working with socio-civic organization Bambuhay, which provides livelihood to communities in Central Luzon, to ensure all its restaurants and bars are without plastic straws toward environmentfriendly utensils and items to support its five star-rated service.

Journey

»life on the go

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Sunday, August 19, 2018 A7

El Nido Resorts’s Miniloc undergoes improvements

M

INILOC Island Resort, one of the four private islands of El Nido Resorts in Northern Palawan, has become a key destination for some parents, who believe travel is essential to their kids’ education.

Now temporarily closed until December 2018 for renovations to upgrade facilities, the iconic resort within highly diversified Bacuit Bay has become the ideal setting for lessons in marine life and in the unique flora and fauna of this part of the Philippines that was adjoined to the Asian mainland millions of years ago.

Some of these guests of various nationalities have been coming two or three times a year with their children for some time now to immerse themselves in nature and island living, according to Joey Bernardino, El Nido Resorts Group director of sales and marketing. Thus, they and other visitors who enjoy the warm and homey ambience of Miniloc look forward to experiencing improvements in the resort’s 51 rooms, and further enhancements of the clubhouse which will retain its rustic features.

Miniloc will reopen before the year ends, sporting a lighter, more streamlined look characterized by eggshell-white walls, capiz panels, windows framed in gray and tiled or walnut wood floors. Its structures will maintain their signature cogon roof and the use of natural materials to differentiate this family-oriented resort from the other three in the group, namely, the luxurious Pangulasian, Lagen and Apulit that each

has its own interpretation of the tropical plantation theme.

Nevertheless, Miniloc’s fine sand beach within a quiet cove in a protected bay will remain its focal point. Beachfront facilities will soon include a pool suitable for guests of all ages, which Bernardino explained will not detract from a key attraction of the island resort—the twice-a-day feeding of the resident silver jacks supervised by El Nido guides.

The guides, who regularly undergo nature interpretation courses, are trained to make guests—even very young ones—appreciate their unique surroundings and at the same time ensure their safety. They encourage visitors to swim with the jacks and also accompany them on island-hopping tours, kayaking, star gazing and other ecotours that are part of the room rate.

They may also engage guests with leaf origami, hat weaving and other island crafts. Snorkeling is particularly memorable at Miniloc as the guides patiently point out the various species of fish and corral.

They are informative at the same time assuring. Even adults who don’t know how to swim have been enticed by the guides to try snorkeling for the first time, Bernardino proudly pointed out.

Malapatan’s cultural overload

Maguindaoan royalty at Pakaradyan Festival street parade

Blaan mat weavers in Malapatan

Ginakit boat Ethel Tangalin

T

HE laid-back coastal town Malapatan by the sleepy shores of Sarangani Bay is not the typical tourist destination we know, but once you have seen it up close, you will realize that it is the oft-said big surprises come in small packages.

This obscure locality revealed the big surprise that it is when it recently threw a birthday party on land and in the sea to mark the annual Pakaradyan Festival in celebration of its 49th municipal founding day.

Literally meaning celebration, Pa-

karadyan is a cultural heritage preservation project which aims to promote the town’s socioeconomic and cultural development, and advance Malapatan as a cultural tourism destination.

The highlight of the festival is the Sugoda sa Malapatan, which paraded gaily decorated ancient Moro boats called ginakit in the sea. The indigenous boat is a main mode of transportation for Muslim royals and tribal chieftains around the inland waters of Mindanao during the precolonial and Spanish era.

The sailboat is inspired by the ves-

sels used by pioneer Islamic missionary Shariff Kabunsuan who landed in the coasts of present-day Cotabato City, and sailed around Mindanao aboard these legendary boats.

Spicing up the festivities are a street dancing tilt, agro-tourism trade fair, a land float parade competition, and the ceremonial kanduli or thanksgiving, and pagana or banquet feast.

The municipal government also launched its “Mapya Malapatan...Resilient, Inclusive” brand and tagline to highlight the community development, social empowerment and peaceful coexistence of the Blaan, Moros and Lumulupyo settlers as the tri-people of Sarangani province.

The town is known for the exquisite inaul Maguindanaoan fiber world woven by a women’s cooperative at the Balungis Weaving Center, and have found its way around the world’s fashion catwalks.

It is also the home of Bai Estelita Bantilan, a Blaan igem mat weaver, who has been proclaimed Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan or National Living Treasure by President Duterte in 2017.

Malapatan was created in 1969 when it was carved out from neighboring Glan town, which was still then part of South Cotabato. Its name was coined from the ethnic Blaan words Malah and fatan, which meant place where pepper is abundant.

Club Paradise Palawan: Sustainability first

L

OCAL tourism industry players, particularly luxury hotels and resorts, are now adopting the principle of sustainability in their operations. More and more upscale establishments seek to ensure that how they do business creates the least impact on the environment, through proper management and planning controls, even as they continue to provide clients the firstclass amenities, facilities and services they expect.

Initiatives that promote sustainability have become timely and important globally and nationally, primarily because sustainability makes perfect business sense. By taking care of the environment and the communities where they operate, businesses make a positive impact on society, the local economy and the bottom line, and ensure their own long-term survival.

Club Paradise Palawan, a premier resort managed by the Discovery Leisure Co., is among those forward-looking properties that have realized sustainability is good for business. It has been proactive in protecting and sustaining the environment in its day-to-day operations through their program Ecoconserve.

Ecoconserve aims to rebuild, protect and conserve the environment.

Snorkeling

It is one of the sustainability initiatives of the Discovery Group, which also supports the annual Sustainable Seafood Week and the Heirloom Rice Project in the Cordillera region.

A showcase project of Club Paradise Palawan, Ecoconserve can be a model for other companies “Sustainability and environmental consciousness is one of the organization’s top priorities,” said Joegil Escobar, resort manager.

“We see them as part and parcel of our responsibility to act as stewards for the environment, working hand in hand with the communities we serve in caring for nature.”

Through Ecoconserve, Club Paradise Palawan promotes “nurture nature” through the following activities: Ensure the protection of Club Paradise Palawan’s 700-meter pristine beach, situated in a Biosphere Reserve of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that is a nesting site for Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles.

Annually, from November to January, around 200 turtle hatchlings are released to the ocean.

Club Paradise Palawan is also committed to protect the azure waters that surround it against illegal fishermen. It acts as “Sea Guardians” of marine ecosystems and reefs.

The Discovery Scouts program

aims to develop in children love for Mother Earth. It organizes different activities daily at 4 p.m. at the Tree House.

At the Firefish Restaurant and Lounge, delightful international and homegrown comfort cuisine is served using ingredients from sustainable sources. The resort’s own Taranuman Farm, for instance, supplies fresh herbs and vegetables so guests can enjoy true farm-to-table dishes.

The verdant 19 hectares where Club Paradise Palawan’s island resort is located is home to beautiful birds, fruit bats and other wildlife. A dense forest cover provides a natural habitat for these creatures. Club Paradise Palawan takes seriously the job of caring for trees to ensure their friends have a place to live.

In the pipeline is a water desalination plant to provide the island a drought-proof, alternative water supply.

Club Paradise Palawan also undertakes regularly beach cleanup activities with the help of volunteers.

It practices waste segregation by providing color-coded garbage bins within the property.

With all these eco-friendly initiatives, Club Paradise Palawan is showing the way forward and demonstrating that sustainability makes perfect business sense for the long term.

Club Paradise undertakes regular beach cleanup activities with the help of volunteers.

Journey

»life on the go

A8 Sunday, August 19, 2018

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

A ‘baluarte’ of culture and environment

T

THE TOURISM ADVOCATE

HIS month wraps up a nostalgic visit for me in paradise, Sumilon. Very few could claim being part of the launch of paradise, and in 2005, I did.

Sumilon is a tiny island of corals and cliffs, with a stripe of sand that likes to wander the shoreline.

Once the site of an epic battle with between pirates and a warrior priest in the 1800s, the adventures today are much more peaceful.

The first thing you notice is how clean it all is: No trash in the water, no trash on the ground. Everything is so tasteful and well maintained.

This resort has been in operation for over 12 years, but the highly competent Blue Water Team has really gone out of its way to keep up appearances.

The villa we stayed in was a gorgeous little property unto itself, with a view overlooking the ocean, a tree-lined yard and a perfectly clean wading pool. The interior is a sprawling bi-level affair. The bathroom is a cavernous, naturally lit environment by itself with its own door in and out of the villa so, when you come in dripping from the ocean, you don’t track through the room.

Even the closets are accessible from both sides, which is very thoughtful.

You will be sharing the room with a few ants and bugs, and while some might be bothered by this, I find it comforting that the property respects the ecology enough not to spray toxins everywhere.

A charming addition to the Sumilon room repertoire is the addition of glamping tents; double layers of canvas on sturdy, elevated platforms, fully furnished inside.

These are a good mix of comfort that’s close to nature, as the sea is 12 paces away, framed by a beach of crushed corals and a treasure trove of seashells. The only draw-

back for some is that the tents do not have their own bathrooms, but they have a clean, well-maintained shared facility nearby.

As you might imagine, the logistics of maintaining proper food and beverage on an island can be challenging, as you can’t just call in a delivery any time you run out of stock. Despite that, Sumilon’s spread is pretty impressive, featuring a mix of Filipino, Asian and western cuisine. They even have their own on-site bakery that specializes in local bread making. Particular dining standouts are their tender pork humba and grilled chicken. Have a glass or two of their signature tanglad and you’ll go to bed full and happy.

A great portion of the natural beauty of the Philippines is underwater. Sumilon is both a marine sanctuary and near one of the world’s most prolific whale-shark sites. Swimming with whale sharks is a perspective-inducing experience. They are very gentle…and the size of a bus. Not that much is really known about them, they meander thousands of miles looking for food and no two have the same pattern of spots. Ocean scientists are using National Aeronautics and Space Administration star-tracking software to identify individuals. Many visitors choose to snorkel over them while they glide by, but to strap on an air tank and spend some quality time immersed in their environment is unforgettable.

The coral reefs of the marine sanctuary are plentiful and quite well maintained. Colorful snappers, large puffers, masterfully camou-

Visiting with the tambals of Siquijor and Negros yields an ancient mystical animistic culture that predates the arrival of the Spanish. It’s very much still alive today.

flaged scorpionfish, shy eels and sea turtles reside in cities of heathy corals. Outside of the sanctuaries, traditional fishermen leave bamboowoven fish traps the size of station wagons at intervals, but I didn’t see any plastic or packaging waste.

If you haven’t ever tried scuba diving, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Sumilon is a great place to start— this was where I popped my diving cherry.

While whale sharks are a major draw, the local area has many other charms.

Samboan, for instance has a unique waterfall hiking experience.

The Aguinid falls is geologically unusual in that it is heavy with limestone, and the round, smooth rocks have developed a texture that makes them strangely nonslippery.

It seems like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference when water hiking. Beginning climbers easily scale rocks with water rushing over them, which would have be hazardous under any other circumstances. Makes you feel like a pro! Like Sumilon, the place is immaculate, no garbage anywhere, the guides are so friendly, patient and helpful, and it is almost unimaginable that they earn no regular wage (be sure to tip well). On the way out, look for the pugon-baked Aguinid cookies— totally addictive with coffee.

In the Oslob market I found

Whether you choose a one-bedroom villa or a glamorous camping setup, this hidden gem in the Visayas, Sumilon, will certainly be your own personal paradise.

As a hardcore water lover, the riches of the Philippines is most definitely underwater. The butanding or the toki has found a famous home in Oslob.

fresh sea urchin selling for less than a dollar, which I happily devoured with crunchy, fresh seaweeds and kinilaw. The fish market was small, but so fresh that it didn’t have the telltale smell. They were also selling hand-rolled leaves, but I was unable to figure out just what they were smoking. If you are interested in local Visayan food, that place is a gem.

They had this bread called Binangkal, kind of the shape of a local bangkal fruit, hearty, lightly sweet with sesame seeds; once the package is opened, it will disappear fast.

A couple of dishes to ask for are

ban-soy, a nuanced pork nilaga made with mucho taba, and halang halang, a spicy noodle dish.

The town of Santander has some hidden mystical history.

There is a place on the road with a scenic view of the ocean on one side and a steep hill on the other.

But, if you look close, you will see something weird on the slope of the hill. On the left side a live goat is tied to a tree, and on the right side is a large statue of something that looks like a black kangaroo with drooping paws and no eyes. It’s not a kangaroo, though, it’s something called a sigbin, which, depending

who you talk to, is a creature or spirit kept by warlocks. The goat is its offering.

The culture of this area is deeply mystical and spiritual. I arrived on Friday the 13th, and there was a festival. Apparently, there is a festival every 13th of the month to bring luck and prosperity. Prominent features are the candle sellers for church offerings, mixed together with traditional healers, with handmade bottle wards, coral branches, charms and cave stones to protect you from those who mean you ill. I met three generations of healers in the festival (the eldest was 97). I invited them back to the resort to give a reading and treatment. I found them to be quite accurate in all they said. If you need the residue of negativity scraped from your life, they will melt some alum and smoke those remnants from you, but they are not cheap.

150 years ago, a warrior priest commissioned the building of a network of baluarte; strongholds made from stone and coral, which they used to repel pirate attacks. You can see them scattered throughout the region. Since then, the word baluarte has come to mean “bastion” or a group that defends a principal. I found Sumilon and its surrounding areas a bastion of cultural pride, environmental care and genuine warmth for all of her guests.

Science

BusinessMirror

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph

Smokers better off quitting, even with weight gain

N

EW YORK—If you quit smoking and gain weight, it may seem like you’re trading one set of health problems for another. But a new US study finds you’re still better off in the long run.

Compared with smokers, even the quitters who gained the most weight had at least a 50-percent lower risk of dying prematurely from heart disease and other causes, the Harvard-led study found.

The study is impressive in its size and scope and should put to rest any myth that there are prohibitive weight-related health consequences to quitting cigarettes, said Dr. William Dietz, a public health expert at George Washington University.

“The paper makes pretty clear that your health improves, even if you gain weight,” said Dietz, who was not involved in the research. “I don’t think we knew that with the assurance that this paper provides.”

The New England Journal of Medicine published the study last Wednesday. The journal also published a Swedish study that found quitting smoking seems to be the best thing diabetics can do to cut their risk of dying prematurely.

The nicotine in cigarettes can suppress appetite and boost metabolism. Many smokers who quit and don’t step up their exercise find they eat more and gain weight—typically less than 4.5 kilograms, but, in some cases, three times that much.

A lot of weight gain is a cause of

the most common form of diabetes, a disease in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal. Diabetes can lead to problems including blindness, nerve damage, heart and kidney disease and poor blood flow to the legs and feet.

In the US study, researchers tracked more than 170,000 men and women over roughly 20 years, looking at what they said in health questionnaires given every two years.

The people enrolled in the studies were all health professionals, and did not mirror current smokers in the general population, who are disproportionately lowincome, less-educated and more likely to smoke heavily.

The researchers checked which study participants quit smoking and followed whether they gained weight and developed diabetes, heart disease or other conditions.

Quitters saw their risk of diabetes increase by 22 percent in the six years after they kicked the habit. An editorial in the journal characterized it as “a mild elevation” in the diabetes risk.

Studies previously showed that people who quit have an elevated risk of developing diabetes, said Dr. Qi Sun, one of the study’s authors. He is a researcher at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

But that risk doesn’t endure, and it never leads to a higher premature death rate than what smokers face, he said.

“Regardless of the amount of weight gain, quitters always have a lower risk of dying” prematurely, Sun said. AP

Forum reasserts smallholders as central in agri, devt work in Southeast Asia

T

he Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) gathered some 50 leaders and experts to consult on “Reshaping Agriculture and Development in Southeast Asia” on August 2 at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, along its emphasis on cross-cultural, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural and rural development.

The one-day forum discussed gaps and directions to reshape agriculture and development in Southeast Asia and called for changing and enhancing the policy, implementation and program management approaches that redound to improving the lot of the smallholder farmers who contribute 70 percent of the food produced in the region.

Knowledge partners included Grow Asia, the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Research Program and the National Taiwan University.

Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez Jr., University of the Philippines Los Baños chancellor and Searca governing board chairman, underscored in his welcome remarks the need for development organizations to keep abreast to the changing development landscape of agriculture and development in Southeast Asia and to continue asserting their relevance in helping their various stakeholders, particularly smallholder farmers.

Singaporean expert Dr. Paul P.S. Teng, managing director of the National Institute of Education International Pte. Ltd. at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), set the context of the forum.

“You cannot transform unless you understand where you stand at the moment.

At the end of the day, you should have a clear idea of how to transform or reshape the current [agricultural] situation and how to move forward,” he asserted.

Teng also emphasized the need for vivid assessment of the Southeast Asian region’s agricultural situation across all levels—taking micro, meso and macro perspec tives—and for drastic steps to reshape the scenario at its roots to address the looming relevant problems of prevalent malnutrition in rural areas and the emerging overnutrition in urban settings, among other changing demographics and contexts of agriculture and development in the region.

Teng concurrently serves as senior fellow at the NTU Centre for Non-traditional

Security Studies, adjunct senior fellow of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies also at NTU, Searca senior fellow and chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotechnology Applications.

Dr. Cielito F. Habito, former Socioeconomic Planning secretary under former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos, explained that among the dominant concerns toward resiliency, inclusiveness and sustainability in the region’s agriculture and development are climate uncertainties and water scarcity, the promise of information technology, agro-industrial value chains and their integration of smallholders, and farm tourism and family farming. Habito is economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University; chairman of Brain TrustKnowledge and Options for Sustainable Development Inc.; and Searca senior fellow.

In this context, the forum discussed how agricultural problems are often addressed from and by the national government or regional organizations, and the primacy of initiatives emanating from the local government, smallholder farmers and other sectors or groups closer to the ground.

The forum also tackled the potential of Internet of Things. The experts pointed out that technology is not the solution per se as it is only a tool—it is how stakeholders use it and developing a healthier attitude toward its adoption is the best way to wield the power of technology in agricultural development.

Such modern technologies can also empower small-scale farmers to link to global agricultural value chains in terms of trade and market access, among other relevant subtopics on value chain integration.

Another hot topic was how to attract the youth to agricultural activities and entice them to build enterprises in the rural areas. The Pink Economy, farm tourism and technologies, such as mobile apps to aid farming activities, were highlighted in this regard, seeing that millennials are adventurous travelers and live on connectivity.

Local and regional integration of d e ve l o p m e n t i n i t i a t i ve s we re a l s o e n co u ra g e d, s u c h a s c ro s s - co u nt r y cooperation and strengthening localnational-international programs that encourage knowledge and resource sharing.

Sunday

Sunday, August 19, 2018

A9

Irradiated carrageenan fertilizer increases mungbean production

H

ere is good news for mungbean producers. An increase of 104.7 percent in the yield of mungbean occurred after a three-month-old carrageenan plantgrowth promoter (PGP) was used.

The technology was developed by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). Carrageenan PGP is an oligo-saccharide produced by irradiating carrageenan solution. It is already registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority as an inorganic fertilizer for rice.

According to Fernando B. Aurigue, PNRI project leader and senior science research specialist, to utilize the benefits of carrageenan as fertilizer, PNRI conducted experiments using Carrageenan PGP on different varieties of mungbean.

Pot experiments were done on Kulabo mungbean variety, which yielded 61.3 percent when sprayed thrice with freshly irradiated carrageenan PGP. Meanwhile, an increase of 104.7 percent was achieved after using a three-month-old carrageenan PGP used as foliar spray.

Carrageenan is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweeds, particularly from carrageenophytes that are abundant in the

Philippines. It is an edible natural product used as dietary supplement, gelling agent, stabilizer of toothpaste and thickener/emulsifier of ice cream, among others.

Carrageenophytes, according to Aurigue, is a marine alga. The carrageenan species that can be found in the Philippines include Eucheuma, Hypnea, Acanthophora and Kappaphycus. But the latter is the species commonly used as PGP. Several on-farm trials were conducted in different regions in the country. In Central Luzon results of the study in the farm of Emerito C. Marasigan, a farmer-cooperator in Magalang, Pampanga, showed that NSIC Mg 2 (Pagasa 19) increased in yield from 1,353 kilograms per hectare to 1,805 kgs per hectare, or an increase of 33.4 percent.

In Cagayan Valley, on-farm trial conducted in Barangay Barsat Pequeño, San Mateo, Isabela, using Pagasa 7, showed an 86.9 percent increase in yield at one-half RRG and Carrageenan PGP compared with the farmers’ practice of seed

Dr. Fernando B. Aurigue presents the Carrageenan Technology during the Technology Forum at the recent National Science and Technology Week. Applied Communication Division/PCAARRD

broadcasting without inoculant.

Field trial in NSF Seed Production Area in Barangay Bay, Los Baños, Laguna, using Pagasa 3 showed an increase in yield from 1,049.70 kgs per hectare to 1,134.09 kgs per hectare when Carrageenan PGP was supplemented to farmer’s practice.

On the other hand, for Pagasa 7, the yield more than doubled from 710.45 kgs per hectare to 1,497.60 kgs per hectare when Carrageenan PGP was supplemented to farmer’s practice.

In Northern Mindanao Pagasa 7 was used for the field trial in the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex of the Department of Agriculture in Barangay Dalwangan,

Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.

When carrageenan PGP was supplemented to farmer’s practice, an increase in yield from 312 kg per hectarec to 392 kg per hectare was realized.

The use of Carrageenan PGP for mungbean also gave the following results: more branches, more f lowers wh ic h bec a me pods, longer pods w ith more seeds, larger and heavier seeds, extended f lowering and pod formation, increased priming from three to six; and extensive root system and nodulation.

Given these benefits, Aurigue recommended that mungbean farmers use carrageenan PGP as supplement to their practice.

Liza R. Gutierrez/S&T Media Services

Farmers sign support for biotechnology Story & Photo by Ginny N. Enriquez

Special to the BusinessMirror

F

armer-leaders f rom Mindanao have signified their support for the application of modern biotechnology tools in agriculture, even as they keenly await the commercial release of “Pinoy biotech crops.”

Twenty-eight farmer-leaders from six regions in Mindanao, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, added their signatures to more than 200 other previous signatories in the “Declaration of Support for the Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture.”

The event coincided with a recent seminar on biotechnology on Camiguin Island in Northern Mindanao that was organized by the Asian Farmers Regional Network (Asfarnet) Philippines with the Biotech Program Office of the Department of Agriculture.

D u r i n g t h e s e m i n a r, t h e f a r mer -le aders were br iefe d by scientists about traditional pl a nt-breed i ng processes, a s well as the current application of modern biotechnology tools through genetic engineering.

Both human and natural selection processes, according to Prof.

Floro Dalapag, a geneticist-plant breeder from Xavier University, have led to the development of, for example, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussel sprouts and the familiar head cabbage as variants of a common wild species of cabbage (Brassica oleracea).

He e x pla ined t hat, w it h advances in biotechnolog y tools, p l a nt b r e e d i n g h a s b e c o m e more precise t hrough genetic mod if ication.

Dr. Rey Ordonio, a plant molecular geneticist from Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and project leader of the Philippines’s collaborative Golden Rice Project with the International

Rice Research Institute (IRRI), provided updates on the research and development of Golden Rice.

He said Golden Rice has been sucessfully developed to contain beta carotene and provide 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimated average requirement for vitamin A. The use of Golden Rice shall be a complementar y measure to curb the country’s vitamin A deficiency problem, according to Ordonio.

Data from the eighth National Nutrition Survey in 2013 of the Food and Nutrition Research of the Department of Science and Technology showed that 20.4 percent of Filipinos are affected by vitamin A deficiency. This includes 2.1 million children aged 6 months to 5 years old, and half a million pregnant and lactating women.

Meanwhile, testing by thePhilRice and IRRI has indicated that Golden Rice is as safe and nutritious as any other rice. It has been found to be nontoxic and nonallergenic.

Three international bodies namely, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand in August 2017, Health Canada in March 2018 and US Food and Drug Administration in May 2018 have attested to the food safety and nutritional quality of Golden Rice.

Moreover, the Golden Rice has been found to perform well in the field and yields as much as any local inbred rice variety.

Well aware of the many serious challenges in agriculture and food production, such as dwindling farmlands, crop damage from pests and diseases and the constant threat of flooding, the farmer-leaders hailed the potential contribution of modern biotechnology to sustainable food production and food security, as well as in poverty alleviation and environmental health.

E dw i n Pa ra lu m a n , one of the earliest users of genetically

A farmer signs the “Declaration of Support for the Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture.”

modified (GM) Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn and chairman of the Philippine Farmers Advisory Board, attested to the yield and income benefits of GM corn.

From his prev ious subsistence corn farming and much use of pesticides, he now enjoys bumper crops from the family’s cornfields in South Cotabato.

No longer a poor, long-suffering farmer hounded by uncertainties at the farm, he now enjoys financial freedom, with bright business prospects for new agrienterprises.

Dahlia Non, a Church lay leader

who served as member of the local Biosafety Committee during the field trials of Bt corn in Tampakan, South Cotabato, in the 1990s, recounted the questions and issues that hounded her during that time.

Now, she says South Cotabato is practically “GM corn country” because farmers have seen the field and yield performance of Bt corn.

The farmer-leaders noted that local research institutions like the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and Philippine Fiber Development Authority, besides the PhilRice, have already developed modern biotechnology crops that are in various stages of required testing.

Among these “Pinoy biotech crops” are fruit and shoot borerresistant eggplant (Bt eggplant), delayed r ipening and papaya ringspot virus-resistant papaya and bollworm-resistant cotton (Bt cotton).

They urged “local government hosts to support the endeavor that will bring benefits to farmers and consumers, and their future generations.”

They also vowed to keep themselves “updated on science-based and factual information,” so as to “become partners in policy and decision-making on the use of agri-biotechnology to attain food sustainability and food security.”

The farmer-leaders expressed “support for products of modern biotechnology as component of a long-term and sustainable strategy that is better for the environment, better for the farmers and better for consumer health.”

Headed by Reynaldo Cabanao in the Philippines and Paraluman in Asia, Asfarnet started in 2003 after a capacity-building workshop in the Philippines attended by farmers from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Faith A10 Sunday, August 19, 2018

Sunday

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Muslims to celebrate Eid’l Adha, to honor Abraham’s unwavering obedience to Allah

S

By Edd K. Usman | Special to the BusinessMirror

her search for water, Hagar ran back and forth between the ancient hills of K adesh and Bered.

A nd spr ing g ushed for t h f rom t he ar id deser t, God hear ing t he plea of a f rantic mot her.

Presently, in Mecca within the Masjidil Haram, based on Muslim belief, is the flowing Zamzam Spring, which water has not been exhausted ever since. Many pilgrims every year bring to their country a container of water from the ancient spring.

audi Arabia’s Supreme Court has announced that the five-day Hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, starts today, August 19, with a sea of pilgrims proceeding to Mina, the Tent City, for an overnight stay called alTarawiya.

Mina, which is inside the holy city, is around 8 kilometers (km) away from Mecca’s Masjidil Haram (Sacred Mosque).

On the other hand, tradition has it that scores of the pilgrims, with the males wearing a uniform white unsewn cloth, called ihram, to signify purity, will go direct to Mount Arafat, some 20 km away.

Women may wear clothes of any color but must cover their body except the hands and face.

The Arab kingdom estimated that 1.3 million pilgrims from abroad have arrived to the holy city to join around 200,000 internal pilgrims.

Some 6,000 Filipino Muslims are now in Mecca for the pilgrimage, which is obligatory to adult Muslims who have the financial means and physical condition to accomplish the Islamic duty.

The Saudi Arabia embassy in the country is processing pilgrims’ Hajj visa every year on the recommendation of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).

Islam’s calendar

Saudi’s highest court said the first day of Dhul Hijjah—the 12th and final month in Islam’s lunar calendar Hijrah—fell on August 12, its equivalent in Western Gregorian calendar—after a moon sighting confirmed the crescent moon was seen on August 11. Hijrah is now on its year 1439.

Every year, the Islamic event occurs from the 8th to 12th of Dhul Hijjah, which this year falls from August 19 to 23 in the Gregorian calendar.

The Hajj occurs on different dates in relation with the Western solar Gregorian calendar because Hijrah is short by 11 days, as it depends on the movements of the moon.

Rituals

A s a n nou nced b y t he Saud i kingdom’s religious authority,

the paramount ritual, Uqof, or Standing on Mount Arafat, of the Hajj will be on August 20 (or 9th of Dhul Hijjah).

The Eid’l Adha—the climax of Hajj—will be celebrated on August 21 (the 9th of Dhul Hijjah) with a qurban (sacrifice) of those who can afford a cow, a sheep or a goat, to commemorate Prophet Abraham’s unwavering obedience to God and his son’s, Prophet Ismael, complete submission to God. Eid’l Adha will see the pilgrims in Mina—after spending part of the day and a part of the night on Arafat and an overnight stay in Muzdalifah—to pick up pebbles for the ritual called “Stoning the Devil” at three concrete walls called Jammarats, which represent Satan.

T he est i m ated 1.6 - bi l l ion world Islamic community, called Ummah, will celebrate the first day of the Feast of Sacrifice, or Eid ’l Adha in Arabic, with earlymorning congregational prayers in mosques, or in open fields, topped by the imam’s (worship leader) sermon about the origins of the festival. The slaughter follows.

In honor of Abraham

Islam has only two major festivals, Eid’l Adha and Eid’l Fitr, or the Festival of Breaking the Fast, which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan.

In some Arab and Muslim countries, the celebration takes a week or longer.

This year, however, like in the case of Eid’l Fitr, a few countries will mark the first day of Eid’l Adha on August 22, such as in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Greece. Muslims in the Philippines celebrate it on August 21.

The Essentially, Eid’l Adha is celebrated by Muslims to honor the patriarch Abraham—known in Islam as Prophet Ibrahim—for

Queenship of Mary

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

T

he celebration of the queenship of Mary is significantly related to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Assumption is a dogma instituted

by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950. It asserted as truth that the Immaculate Mother of God, after her life on Earth, was taken up, body and soul, to heaven and crowned Queen of heaven and Earth, which, “fully conformed to her son the King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Relation 19:16).

Woman clothed with the sun

Saint Alphonsus de Liquori, on bestowing the title queen to Mary, said, “Raising the Virgin Mary to such a lofty dignity is a title she rightfully deserves as ‘mother of the King of Kings.’”

Her queenship is based on the vision of Saint John the Evangelist.

“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under Her feet and on her head a crown of 12 stars” (Revelation 12:1).

The institution of the feast was first requested five decades earlier during the Marian Congress in Lyons in 1900, then in Fribourg in1902, Einsredeln in 1906 and on the Feast of Christ the King in 1925.

In the centenary year of the Immaculate Conception in 1954, Pope Pius XII made the feast of the Queenship of Mar y a reality in his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (Queenship of Mary).

Mary, the Queen

If Christ is King, the Marian title Queen Mother has a basis. In Judaic history, the mother of King David was the queen mother.

Even if Kings David, Solomon and some successors had several wives, not one of them was honored with the title queen. It belongs only to the King’s Mother.

Fr. Nil Guillemete in Cedars of Lebanon explained: “As soon as the crown prince ascended the throne and became king, the Great Lady could also be called the Mother of My Lord. She remained Great Lady even after the death of her son if she happened to outlive him.

Ka’aba

The Ka’aba at the center of Masjidil Haram, which pilgrims circumambulate seven times as part of the Hajj ritual. Aljon Abpi/Facebook

one third is retained by the family; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors, and the third share is for the poor and needy.

He said the greeting used is like in Eid’l Fitr, “Eid Mubarak,” or “Happy or Blessed Eid.”

‘Stoning of the Devil’ Maguindanaon pilgrims in a group picture before performing umrah, the minor hajj, at Masjidil Haram. During Hajj, the umrah is a requirement. Sheikh Mohammad Taha Edza/Facebook

his unwavering obedience to Allah’s (God’s) command to sacrifice his son Ismael.

Abraham’s obedience to Allah

Islamic religious leaders, quoting the Koran, said that, as Abraham was about to carry out the sacrifice of his son, who submitted himself willingly, God had him replaced with a ram as offering.

In honor of the sacrifice, Muslims during Eid’l Adha slaughter an animal they can afford.

Ustadhz Muhammad Cana, a graduate of Theology in Saudi Arabia and now a translator of Arabic language at NCMF, said God appeared to Abraham in a dream, commanding him to sac-

rifice Ismael as a test and an act of obedience.

So, how is the Feast of Sacrifice celebrated?

Cana said the first day of the occasion is observed first with the early-morning prayers, after which is the slaughtering of an animal for qurban (for those who have the means); reciting Takbir (“Allahu Akbar,” or “Allah [GOD] is [the] greatest” three times, visiting relatives or friends, reconciling with those one has a misunderstanding and giving gifts; and holding social gatherings.

He said the meat of a slaughtered animal is not an offering to Allah, emphasizing that the meat is divided into three parts:

We, Muslims, are not worshiping the Ka’aba, nor the Black Stone; we worship only Allah in His Oneness and has no partner whatsoever.”—Cana “Thus, in the traditional doctrine of the Blessed Mother’s queenship, let all approach with greater confidence more than before the throne of mercy and grace of our Queen and Mother to beg help in difficulty, light in darkness, and solace in trouble and sorrow; and let them strive to free themselves from the servitude of sin.”

Theotokos

Mary is indeed queen of all because she is Theotokos, or God bearer. In the “Apostles Creed,” that Jesus is born of the Virgin Mary is professed as an article of faith.

In the Council of Ephesus, the title Theotokos was defined in 431 AD that the Virgin Mary is mother incarnate of the Son of God. The title does not glorify the Blessed Mother but help Christians understand that Jesus, the Lord, was Word made flesh, thus, is both human and divine.

In biblical history, specifically in the infancy narrative, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, “Saint John, who was in her womb, leaped.”

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice, “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me that the Mother of My Lord should come to me” (Luke 1:41-53).

Litany of Loreto

Since the earliest centuries of the church, Christians have implored her prayers and protection, addressing her with hymns and praises. “For she is considered the queen of the universe who will reign in the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32).

The Litany to the Blessed Mother, also known as Litany of Loreto, originated in the Loreto Shrine in Italy and was approved by Pope Sixtus V on 1587, although it was recorded to be recited as early as 1558.

This homage to the Blessed Mother include: 12 invocations as the mother of God, six as the virgin and 13 as queen.

There are 13 invocations derived from the Old Testament for her help and protection. In 1980 Pope John Paul II added Mother of the Church, and in December 31, 1995, Queen of Families. The Queenship of Mary is celebrated on August 22.

Damo-Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris Collegium in Calauan, Laguna, and of Mater Redemptoris College in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

Cana explained that “Stoning the Devil” portrays the instance when Abraham was on his way to sacrifice Ismael, but the devil appeared three times and tried to distract and persuade him into disobeying God. So, A bra h a m t h re w sm a l l stones seven times at the devil on three different instances, he said.

“In the pilgrimage,” Cana said, “pilgrims throw pebbles at the three Jammarats seven times each in the last three days of the Hajj.

In their hearts, the pilgrims are declaring enmity to the devil,” Cana said.

Brisk walking in honor of Hagar

The Saudi-educated religious leader from Maguindanao said another Hajj ritual called Sa’e, or brisk walking between the hills of Safa and Al-Marwah within the Masjidil Haram, is in honor of Hagar (Hajiara in the Koran), the second wife of Abraham, when she gave birth to Ismael in the heat of the desert and without water.

Sa’e is performed by walking briskly seven times the distance of some 450 meters between as-Safa and al-Marwah. The brisk walk covers a total of 3.15 km.

In a n a r t ic le w r itten by jour na list Nash Mau lana, he quoted the Bible in the Book of Genesis 14:16 t hat, sa id t hat in

In the Masjidil Haram is the Ka’aba, “a small square building made of stones in its original form, about 60 square feet” in size.

For Muslims, the Ka’aba is called Baitullah, the metaphorical House of Allah, and the center of Islamic worship to which they face in their prayers from everywhere in the world.

For Muslims, it was God who ordered the building of the Ka’aba.

“Tradition goes that the Ka’aba was ordained by Allah to be built in the shape of the House in Heaven called Baitul Ma’amoor. Allah in his infinite mercy ordained a similar place on Earth, and Prophet Adam was the first to build this place,” according to Al-Islam.org.

It added that the Genesis chapter in the Christian Bible described its construction when God ordained Abraham to build a Shrine for Worship when he commanded him to go to the Southern Desert with his wife Hagar and infant son Ismael.

Cana, of the NCMF, said the Ka’aba has the Black Stone, believed to be a meteorite, on its eastern side, which many pilgrims kiss following what Prophet Muhammad did. Kissing the Black Stone is not obligatory, he added.

“We, Muslims, are not worshiping the Ka’aba, nor the Black Stone; we worship only Allah in His Oneness and has no partner whatsoever,” he explained.

When praying five times daily, all Muslims face the direction of the Ka’aba, which symbolizes unity, Cana said. “It is like a circle with its center; you could say the Ka’aba is the center of the Islamic world.”

Usman is a freelance journalist who is on science, information technology and current events, among others. He won the “Best Science Feature Story” in the first University of the Philippines Science Journalism Award 2018 on February 17, and the DOST-PCIEERD “Kabalikat Award” for Print Media on June 27, 2014.

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time: ‘John 6:51-58’

I Am the Living Bread that came down Msgr. Josefino S. Ramirez SUNDAY GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE

T

oday’s Gospel, though it seems like a repetition of the last two gospels, aims to transcend a deeper meaning to when Jesus fed the multitude. It reveals to us the truth of how and why Jesus is the Bread of Life—the truth of a promise.

Sometimes we are like the disciples who think that Christ is asking us to do something when He tells us “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”

Let us not be fixated on the action behind the words but on what God wants to give us. We are invited to an eternal promise.

His love and generosity goes beyond our understanding, and the best thing we can do is believe in that promise. It is only

then can we understand the entirety of what God wants for us.

As humans, we tend to focus on what we need to do instead of why we need to do something. Being motivated by the “why” inspires us to realize the blessing that is given, an invitation to accept a gift of life.

To fully grasp the life God has created for us for all eternity. And that is how God’s love through His Son enables us to live forever.

The life being given to us is more than the physical life we have. No words or feeling can ever describe it, but amazingly, we know it when we taste it.

The Eucharist is life-giving because it is Jesus who gives it, and it is life-giving because it is Jesus Himself who is given. He is our medicine to sustain our health. He is the means to the life, which we deeply hunger.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Sunday, August 19, 2018

A11

An enchanting adventure awaits in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

The dreamlike landscape of Zhangjiajie

The afternoon sunlight reveals the full splendor of the rock formations.

View of the stone pillars and its majestic peaks.

S

Story & photos by Joshua Berida

ince the movie Avatar popularized its landscapes years ago, I’ve heard and read about Zhangjiajie. On my next planned trip to China, I made sure to include the city in my itinerary. It soon became a reality as soon as I booked an overnight train ticket to the town closest to it from Guilin.

I still had the landscapes of Yangshuo in my mind, but I began to refocus my thoughts to what Zhangjiajie had to offer. I boarded the train; its slow chugging, the nameless faces that passed in and out of the cabin, and the small talk in broken Chinese and English momentarily occupied my mind.

The Avatar mountains

The train stopped at Zhangjiajie Station. The city was like any other Chinese city I’ve been to; skyscrapers, smaller buildings and constructions sites dotting the landscape.

I imagined the protagonists and mythical creatures of the movie Avatar flying and weaving in and out of the rock pillars of their dream

world. This was the picture I had in mind as the bus made its way to the walking trails of the park.

As I walked along the trail next to the river, I saw a glimpse of the famous rock formations peaking out of the forest. As I ascended the stairs and viewing platforms, the pillars began to take shape, their heads reaching for the sky. I could see their feet firmly planted on the ground, their bodies taking various shapes; monkeys, candle sticks, lovers, a dragon and fingers. The only limit to the forms they take is your imagination.

The park is an interesting mix of mankind’s ingenuity and nature’s creativity. Cable cars flew in and out of Zhangjiajie’s different sections. These vehicles weaved through the towering rock formations, clouds and mountains. An elevator can take visitors whether going up or down to several floors in just over a minute. Paved roads, stairs and walkways made it easy for the young and old to explore.

Buses ply their routes in regular intervals to shuttle passengers at each stop.

Melco Resorts (Philippines) Foundation Corp. to construct P.s.g. Station Hospital

In photo (seated, from left), Melco Resorts (Philippines) Foundation Corporation’s Corporate Secretary Marissa Tomacruz-Academia, Foundation Vice President Armin Raquel-Santos, City of Dreams Manila’s COO Kevin Benning and Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana, (standing) Jose Memorial Medical Center’s Chief II Emmanuel Montaña, Jr., Antonio Mariano Almeda, Department of Health Undersecretary Herminigildo V. Valle, former Presidential Security Group Commander Brig. Gen. Lope C. Dagoy, Department of National Defense’s Acquisition, Installations and Logistics ASEC Jesus Rey R. Avilla, and Chief of Legal Affairs Service Norman Daanoy.

M

elco Resorts (Philippines) Foundation Corp. (MRP), the foundation of City of Dreams Manila, signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of National Defense (DND) for the construction of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) station hospital in the vicinity of Malacañan Palace. The hospital will be constructed

by MRP Foundation in support of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) directive to the integrated resorts to implement and fund projects for environmental and health programs.

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana signed the agreement with MRP Foundation’s Kevin Benning, chief operating officer of City of Dreams Manila representing Clarence Chung, president; Armin Raquel Santos, vice president; and Marissa Tomacruz-Acadamia, corporate secretary. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy, until recently the commander of the PSG;

Department of Health Undersecretary Herminigildo Valle; Jose Memorial Medical Center Chief II Emmanuel Montaña Jr., Antonio Mariano Almeda; and from the DND, Jesus Rey R. Avilla, assistant secretary for acquisitions, installations and logistics, and Norman Daanoy, chief legal affairs.

At ceremonies celebrating the PSG’s 121st anniversary recently, PSG Commander Col. Jose Eriel Niembra presented plaques of appreciation to MRP Foundation President Clarence Chung and Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo for their continuous support of PSG’s various programs.

The support for the construction of the PSG hospital is also part of MRP Foundation’s long-term and sustainable corporate social responsibility undertakings to support environmental and health programs. Last year the foundation, upon the agreement with the Pagcor, committed to a monthly donation of P1 million

or a year’s donation of P12 million to the government of Parañaque City’s health program to procure medicines, medical supplies and equipment for the city’s government-maintained hospitals.

On a broader perspective and to complement the MRP Foundation initiatives, City of Dreams Manila upholds its long-term commitment to contribute primarily to the communities in which the luxury resort operates its business.

This responsibility to create a positive impact in society is deeply ingrained in every employee through active volunteerism. More than 4,000 of its employees or 80 percent of its work force have participated in the resort’s sustainable corporate social responsibility programs.

Various CSR activities are held at least twice a month during which employees, regardless of rank, work hand in hand to help those in need and conserve the environment.

City of Dreams Manila’s year-round outreach programs include providing for basic needs, social and learning activities for orphans and the elderly; annual blood donations for Red Cross; donating relief goods for those affected by disasters, and participating in tree-planting and coastal cleanup drives. The various undertakings are aptly, named “Spoonful of Dreams” for the care of orphans and street children, ”Connecting Dreams” for the special time spent with the elderly, “Headful of Dreams” for educational sessions for children and elders, “Hopeful Dreams“ for hospital visits to indigent patients, “Growing Dreams“ for environmental protection and “Building Dreams” for the repair of beneficiary shelters and schools and volunteering for construction work in select communities.

Viewing platforms give visitors different angles of the pillars.

The weather gives the rock formations and mountains a different appearance. During my visit, the sky was clear and the sun was out. At various times of the day, the light dressed the pillars in orange, red or a touch of white. As the afternoon was about to end, clouds started to veil them.

The day before I left, the skies turned dark and rain began to fall.

I didn’t let the inclement weather ruin my trip, so I decided to see another section of the park. A newfound friend and I decided to take

the elevator up to the viewing platform to save some time. The rains and fog gave the pillars and rock formations a distinct, Chinese painting-like appearance. The mist drifted and wrapped around the rice field-shaped rocks.

We crossed the natural bridge and felt like we were walking on air, because of the thick cloud cover.

We climbed up the flight of stairs to one of the peaks, but all we could see were fog and a glimpse of the stone pillar’s head.

We took the stairs going down

the mountains as most people decided to take the cable cars and elevator. The patter of rain and our own voices were the only sounds that filled our ears as we descended. The fog continued to shroud the rock formations as the latter receded into the background.

We made it back to the pathway along the river, its gushing sound mixed with the tapping of the light rain. The clouds faintly moved, revealing part of the mountain’s peaks. I could make out the vague shapes they took from below. I imagined I was up there, ascending and descending the steps, reaching for the heavens of Zhangjiajie’s dreamlike landscapes.

Travel info

The ticket costs CNY248 or roughly P2000 and includes the bus rides around the park. You have to pay for another ticket to take the cable cars and elevator. There are flights to and from Zhangjiajie from China’s big cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi’an. You can also take an overnight train ride from Beijing, Guangzhou or Shanghai.

Las Piñas City: Vibrant, competitive and productive

By Leony R. Garcia

A

s a private citizen and way before she became chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Sen. Cynthia A. Villar has been very busy and active in implementing her own environmental programs (through Villar Sipag or Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) in her hometown, Las Piñas City.

Her livelihood projects have environmental component since all of them use wastes as raw materials: the water lily basket-weaving enterprise and the handmade paper factory; coconut husks for the coconet weaving enterprise and the charcoal-making factory; kitchen and garden wastes for the organic composting facility and plastic wastes for the plastic recycling factory that produces school chairs.

For the record, everything started in the lady senator’s hometown, Las Piñas, and now it’s all over the Philippines giving small businesses to many of our kababayan while helping many cities in their zero-waste goals.

For 13 years now, Villar gives credit to the once pesky water lilies that used to clog the Prinza River of Las Piñas and the community which continues to benefit from the livelihood program through the WaterLily Festival held every July 27 annually.

For two years now, Villar also commends the youth sector’s participants in the festival by coming up with unique and innovative solutions and undertakings to address poverty in impoverished communities.

“This makes the festival different from the past. More and more youth are joining the fight against poverty. I am grateful to all the participants for sharing their ideas with us.

Villar Sipag will never waiver from its commitment to work with the youth for the betterment of our country,” Villar, director of Villar Sipag, told the BusinessMirror.

Yearly, the senator also spearheads The Las Piñas Food Festival in her quest to find a particular food which will surely best represent her city. On its fifth year, the festival is

At the 13th Las Pinas Waterlily Festival, high school students show their waterlily costumes and waterlily-made handicrafts.

Ms. Las Pinas Waterliliy Festival 2018. Senator Cynthia Villar poses with the winners of Ms.Las Pinas Waterlily 2018, (from left) 2nd Runner Up Rojielen Autencio of Pulang Lupa 1, Ms. Las Pinas Waterliliy 2018 Arlyn Claire Sangab of Pamplona 1, 1st Runner Up Rebecca Kirsten Lopez of Talon 4 and People’s Choice awardee Patricia Mariel Veasquez of Talon 3. composed of culinary workshops and baranggay-wide annual cooking competition on May 18.

A nonstock, nonprofit organization, Villar Sipag gets its funding from the income it generates from the lessees in its commercial property which houses the Mushroom Burger, Jollibee, Coffee Project, All Day Supermarket, Hotel Mi Vida and others. In April this year, Villar personally opened her latest business

venture—the Havana Club, a bar, restaurant and event place—within the area.

With the various developments and festivals in the city now attracting nearby cities, municipalities and provinces, the city which is known for its world-famous Bamboo Organ is surely stepping closer to achieving its dream of becoming tourism/culinary destinations and home of innovative ideas in this side of the country.

Sports BusinessMirror

A12 Sunday, August 19, 2018

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

FOR A SAFE GAMES? J

AKARTA—Amnesty International says Indonesian police fatally shot dozens of petty criminals in a deliberate campaign of “unnecessary and excessive” force ahead of the Asian Games.

The rights group said Friday that 31 of the police killings it recorded from media reports between January and August were directly linked to street-crime crackdowns for the games being hosted in Jakarta and Palembang.

It said police shot dead 77 petty criminals across Indonesia during the same period, a large increase from 2017.

Police were criticized last month when they said they had killed 11 street thugs in Jakarta in under two weeks.

They were among 52 suspected criminals shot in the capital for resisting arrest.

Amnesty official Usman Hamid said hosting an international sports event “must not come at the price of abandoning human rights” and called for all deaths to be promptly investigated.

“These shocking figures reveal a clear pattern of unnecessary and excessive use of force by the police, and a constant veil of impunity that taints public security institutions,” he said in a statement.

The spokesman for Indonesia’s national police didn’t return calls or text messages.

Indonesian police have also carried out a heavy-handed policy against suspected drug traffickers, fatally shooting dozens last year.

Some 12,000 athletes from 45 nations and territories are competing in the 18th games, which open Saturday.

Jakarta, meanwhile, has had less than the normal amount of time to prepare for the Games. It was selected four years ago after Vietnam, the original host, pulled out because of financial problems. There are sure to be problems as Indonesia tries to show it could hold even larger events.

But there’s also gratitude from the Olympic Council of Asia—which oversees sports in the region—for stepping in.

Jakarta is famous for some of the world’s worst traffic jams, with a river of swerving motorbikes trying to beat the congestion. Getting athletes to venues on time is sure to be challenging. Some schools along transportation routes have been closed, and the city is also using an odd-even license plate scheme to reduce traffic.

But no one is being asked to stay home. Just the opposite.

“We are asking that people come to see the Asian Games, but please come to see them using public transportation,” Herryanto said, calling this a chance to change habits and a possible “legacy” of the quadrennial

event.

Security will be heavy.

Organizers say 100,000 police and military will be on guard with another 100,000 in reserve.

Indonesia is certainly

large enough to think of itself as an Olympic country.

With 260 million people, it’s the world’s fourth-most populous nation after China, India and the United States.

It’s comprised of about 13,500 islands—the government says 922 are permanently occupied—that stretch about 5,100 kilometers (3,200 miles), which is greater than the distance from east to west in the continental United States.

Despite its quirky qualities, the Asian Games are also a serious proving ground for powerful teams from China, Japan and South Korea, and a chance for smaller nations to win medals that are out of reach at the Olympics.

Forty-five nations are entered from Afghanistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh to Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

Singapore, one of the smallest nations, has one of the biggest names in swimmer Joseph

Schooling, an Olympic gold medalist who defeated Michael Phelps in the 100 butterfly two years ago in Rio de Janeiro.

China has the largest delegation with 845 athletes. But it’s a young team. It includes only 214 who have been in previous Olympics or Asian Games, and only 19 Olympic gold medalists. The most famous is three-time Olympic goldmedal swimmer Sun Yang.

South Korea and Japan are not far behind.

South Korea has 807 athletes, a number that includes 38 North Korean athletes. The Koreas are entering several combined teams, following up on a combined team in women’s hockey at this year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Japan has traveled with 768 athletes, which is more than double the size of the team it sent to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. That reflects the size of the Asian Games, and Japan’s push to win 30 gold medals in two years in Tokyo. AP

JC BONDS WELL WITH TEAMMATES J

By Jun Lomibao

AKARTA—National men’s basketball team Coach Yeng Guiao has all the positives to say about Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson as he prepares the squad for a big game against China.

Clarkson will make his debut with the national team on Tuesday, when the Philippine squad takes on China, which also has National Basketball Association players—7foot-2 Zhou Qi of the Houston Rockets and 6-foot-7 Ding Yanyuhang of the Dallas Mavericks.

“He’s adapting to the system really quick, he’s very smart,” Guiao said. “He’s very smart, his basketball IQ is very high so I don’t see JC having problem adjusting to the system. He’s also getting along with his teammates, although he knows some of them already.”

Clarkson admits he has a lot of catching up but stressed he is keeping up with his teammates.

“It was great. A little walkthrough, just do the plays and that was about it,” Clarkson said.

“A lot of dribble drive, a lot of movement ball screens and I feel right into it. It was easy to pick up from there,” added Clarkson, who initially played for the LA Lakers before he was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers late last season.

Clarkson agreed so much is expected from his game and stressed he will try to live up to what Filipinos want to see from him.

“Just coming in here and try to fulfill that. Coming here as an example, try to win,” he said.

Bonding with his teammates is a cruise for Clarkson and what his teammates like about him is his simple character— very Filipino.

A bet of $100 was raised in practice and who else made the shot? Clarkson.

And so the bonding went to work, something the team needs against the powerhouse Chinese.

“I’m just excited,” he said. “That’s all I can say. I’m just excited to play here and finally be with the team, just being able to put a jersey and represent the country, it’s just an exciting moment for me.”

HONG KONG’S Wai Yiu Ng (left) and Indonesia’s Nyoman Ayu Savitri Arsana fight for the ball during their women’s tournament group A water polo match in Jakarta. AP

COMBINED Koreas’ Ro Suk Yong (left) and Taiwan’s Hsile Bao jump for ball possession during their women’s basketball match in Jakarta on Friday. AP

As always, Filipino bowlers charged for excess baggage

J

AKARTA—It’s the same problem that bugs the Filipino bowlers again and again.

They always are overweight—excess baggage that is.

With the number of bowling balls that each kegler brings to the games, this time the 18th Asian Games, it is normal that a lot of extra fees have to be paid in excess.

“The allowed [baggage] weight for each athlete is 30 kilos but our bowlers bring six to seven balls each, or more than 40 kilos, so excess talaga sila,” Philippine Bowling Federation Secretary-General Bong Coo said.

The Filipino keglers were scheduled to fly out to Palembang on Friday and will see action at the newly renovated Jakabaring Bowling Center inside the Jakabaring Sports Complex.

The 12-member squad is led by head coach and fourtime World Cup champion Paeng Nepomuceno with former national team mainstays Biboy Rivera and Jojo Canares as his deputies for the men’s and women’s squads, respectively.

Among its members are Merwin Tan and Kenzo Umali, who were members of the four-man squad that bagged the boys’ team bronze medal in the recent world youth bowling championships in Detroit, Michigan.

Coo pointed out the PBF would have to shell out at least P140,000 for the overload from Jakarta to Palembang alone, and much more from Jakarta to Manila, if the airline does not budge on its policy.

She said that while the Philippine Sports Commission has assured the PBF that it would reimburse the amount for the costs, “masakit pa rin sa bulsa.”

The country is aiming to end an eight-year drought in the quadrennial meet since Rivera ruled the men’s singles event in the 2019 Asiad held in Guangzhou, China. Jun Lomibao

I.O.C. LIFTS BAN ON KUWAIT

J PHL back in Asian Games v’ball with fingers crossed

J

AKARTA—The Philippine is making its return to Asian Games women’s volleyball competitions after 36 years.

The national volleybelles arrived at noon on Friday and immediately checked in at the Athletes’ Village hoping to start their warmup in earnest.

They will skip the opening-day parade to train in preparation for a blockbuster match against regional rival Thailand on Sunday.

“That’s the consensus of the team,” said Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. President Peter Cayco before

sending off the ladies from Manila.

“We need this training session because the game on Sunday [against Thailand] will be very tough,” Cayco said.

“As much as possible, we want to make an impression that we also deserve to be here.”

The last time the Philippines saw action in the women’s volleyball competition of the Asian Games was in 1982 in New Delhi.

A Philippine team won the gold medal in the 1993 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore and emerged as a perennial podium-finisher together with rivals

Thailand and Indonesia.

But after claiming the bronze medal in the Manila SEA Games in 2005, Philippine volleyball fell into an abyss and did not participate in the SEA Games after that.

That spell was broken in 2015, when the LVPI sent a team to the Singapore SEA Games. It was followed by a couple of international tourneys before seeing action in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games last year.

This year the team is reaching another milestone.

“Our players were not born yet the last time we played in the Asian Games. So making it here is already a

major achievement for Philippine volleyball,” Cayco said.

After Thailand, the squad will face Japan on Tuesday, Hong Kong on Thursday, and Indonesia on Saturday.

Cayco said the goal is to make it to the quarterfinals.

“We want to make it to the quarterfinals,” said Cayco, adding that a victory over Hong Kong will put them in the Round of Eight.

“If we beat Hong kong, we’ll get to the quarterfinals. I also think we can get past Indonesia.”

Skipper Aby Maraño is at the helm together with Jaja Santiago, Alyssa Valdez, Dawn Macandili, Kim Fajardo, Mika Reyes, Cha Cruz, Majoy Baron, Kianna Dy, Julia Morado, Maika Ortiz and the returning Dindin Manabat.

Shaq de los Santos is the head coach with Kungfu Reyes and Brian Esquibel as assistants. Jun Lomibao

AKARTA—Athletes from Kuwait will be able to compete under their own flag in the Asian Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted the country’s suspension, which had been in place for nearly three years.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the governing body of Olympic sports for the region, said in a statement on Friday it was “delighted with today’s decision” taken by the IOC’s executive board.

The OCA statement said this will allow “Kuwaiti athletes to take part in the 18th Asian Games under the flag and anthem of Kuwait.”

The suspension was imposed after the IOC accused Kuwait’s government of interfering in Olympic sport in the country.

The IOC says Kuwait’s government has promised “fresh elections” for sports organization boards and also given a “clear undertaking...not to obstruct the work” of the Kuwait Olympic Committee. The suspension can be reimposed in October if the IOC board isn’t satisfied with the changes.

The suspension meant Kuwaiti athletes at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro had to compete under the title of “Independent Olympic Athlete.” When Fehaid Al-Deehani won a gold medal in double trap shooting, the Olympic anthem played and the Olympic flag was raised.

There was no repeat at this year’s Winter Olympics because no Kuwaitis competed. Kuwait said its delegation at the Asian Games consists of 40 athletes and officials. AP