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Data is the B

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN INSTITUTIONS RACE TOWARD DIGITIZATION IN FULFILLMENT OF ASEAN ICT MASTER PLAN 2020

By Roderick L. Abad | Contributor

ECAUSE the digital era continues to reshape how public and private organizations operate, they are challenged to start capitalizing on the potential of data to stay relevant in the coming years. Continued on A2

CA allows 16 cops in Ampatuan Massacre to walk

By Joel R. San Juan

HE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the grant of bail to 16 policemen who were among the 198 accused in the gruesome case now known as the Ampatuan Massacre in Maguindanao, where 58 people, including 32 journalists, were killed in November 2009. In a 12-page decision penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, the CA Tenth Division denied the petition filed by government prosecutors seeking the reversal of the order issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Quezon City Branch 221 Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes on October 13, 2014, which granted the petition for bail filed by the 16 accused police officers (PO) who were members of the 1508th Provincial Mobile Group (PMG).

Granted bail were PO1 Heirich Amaba, PO3 Rasid Anton, PO3 Felix Enate, PO1 Esprielito Lejarso, PO1 Narkouk Mascud, SPO1 Eduardo Hong, PO2 Saudi Pasuta, PO1 Arnulfo Soriano, PO1 Pia Kamidon, PO3 Abibudin Abdulgani, PO2 Hamad Nana, PO1 Esmael Guilal, SPO1 Oscar Donato, PO1 Abdullah Baguadatu, PO2 Saudiar Ulah and P/Insp. Michael Joy Macaraeg. Reyes, in granting their bail applications, noted that none of

PESO exchange rates n US 51.0500

Policemen look at the mangled remains of a van that was unearthed on November 25, 2009, at the massacre site in Ampatuan, Maguindanao. AP

the testimonies or exhibits presented by the prosecution had particularly linked and identified the police officers to the relevant times and places surrounding the alleged

killing of the victims. In seeking the reversal of the trial court’s order, government prosecutors held that the judge committed grave abuse of discre-

tion and acted in excess of jurisdiction in granting the petition for bail of the accused. It noted that the judge limited herself to the testimonies of only

13 of the 35 prosecution witnesses and disregarded other undisputed and material facts, which would warrant the dismissal of the bail petition. The prosecution insisted that it presented strong evidence sufficient to establish the guilt of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre. In upholding the trial court’s ruling, the CA explained that in applications for bail, the trial court merely conducts summary hearing to determine whether the guilt of the accused is strong. “In this case, far from being despotic and arbitrary, we find nothing improper or irregular on the part of public respondent judge when she confined herself to the 13 testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, which, in her evaluation, are essential to the purpose of the bail hearing and no longer touched on the testimonies of the other witnesses, which failed to identify or mention the private respondents,” the CA explained. “Hence, if public respondent judge has determined that only a number of witnesses has a direct bearing to the bail applications, it See “Ampatuan,” A2

n japan 0.4660 n UK 65.3491 n HK 6.5260 n CHINA 7.6606 n singapore 37.4871 n australia 40.3295 n EU 60.2441 n SAUDI arabia 13.6134

Source: BSP (25 August 2017 )

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A2 Saturday, August 26, 2017

Data is the new gold Continued from a1

Those in the Asean region, in particular, are being called to shift fully to digitization, considering that the economies of all the 10 member-states are now integrated. “As more organizations in Southeast Asia become digitally connected, they cannot escape this reality,” said Chwee Kan Chua, International Data Corp.’s (IDC) global research director for big data and analytics and cognitive/ artificial intelligence in the AsiaPacific region. The executive noted that the increasing volume and detail of information gathered by enterprises, as well as the emergence of multimedia, social media and the Internet of Things (IoT), are seen fueling the exponential growth in data in the near future. “[So] governments and businesses alike will need to be ready to leverage information and turn them into a key premise of competition, supporting new influxes of efficiency development, advancement and customer surplus,” he said. This is timely as they work toward the fulfillment of the Asean ICT Master Plan (AIM) 2020 goals. The road map was formulated and announced in November 2015, during the 15th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting in Vietnam. Governments and enterprises are given guidelines in this five-year plan to drive the digital economy in the region from 2016 to 2020. “We see plenty of opportunities for organizations from the public and private sectors alike to harness the power of data,” SAP Southeast Asia President and Managing Director Claus Andresen observed from the execution of AIM toward a digitally enabled Asean in the next three years.

PHL’s likely success

DIGITIZATION, or the process of converting information into a digital format, opens an economy of limitless opportunities. “In the digital economy today, data is the new gold for digital enterprises,” Andresen said. Failure to leverage on it, nevertheless, can cause displacement in the chain. Fortunately for the Philippines, it is seen to be on equal footing with its neighbors in this space. This is because the country immediately incorporated the AIM into its own ICT structure, following its announcement two years ago, which then led to the establishment of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The DICT outlined the Philippine Digital Strategy (PDS) set by the national government. The nationwide digital road map, according to Secretary Rodolfo A. Salalima of the DICT, is envisioned to move the country toward “a digitally empowered, innovative, globally competitive and prosperous society, where everyone has reliable, affordable and secure information access in the Philippines.” Under this plan, the government is calling upon the private sector and civil society to tie up with it in developing the country in all the elements of ICT.

Digitized homegrown enterprises

CONTRARY to the gradual pace of global enterprises to fully transition to digitization, prospects on their local counterparts are high. According to the “SAP Digital Transformation Executive Study: 4 Ways Leaders Set Themselves Apart”, 84 percent of international companies said digital transformation is important to their survival in the next five years. However, only 3 percent have

The increasing volume and detail of information gathered by enterprises, as well as the emergence of multimedia, social media and the Internet of Things (IoT), are seen fueling the exponential growth in data in the near future. completed company-wide efforts, per the report that was released during the SAP Asian Innovators Summit (AIS) held in Makati Shangri-La on August 17.

Supported by Oxford Economics, this new study is based on the results of a survey involving senior executives across 17 countries and regions, including 195 business

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leaders in Southeast Asia. The research identifies the challenges, opportunities, value and key technologies driving digital transformation. Businesses in the Philippines, meanwhile, are predicted to achieve a macroeconomic scale over the next three to four years. The DICT said that as digital technologies emerge, it will also change the way local organizations operate. By 2020, 25 percent of the top 1,000 companies in the country will be dependent on their capability to create products, services and experiences that are digitally enhanced. “As [the] Philippines’s businesses transform to become digital enterprises, it is important for them to recalibrate their approach to technology and understand how digital solutions can help them intelligently connect people, things and processes across the enterprise,” said Ryan Poggi, country managing director of SAP Philippines. For him, this is a “winning mind-set” that will make them digital leaders in their respective fields. “We are excited to work with our customers to help them define their digital future,” he added. The German firm has so far utilized its digital core, bold technologies of the future and its expertise in enterprise resource planning (ERP) to help clients make everything digital, programmable and smarter. This forms part of its overall strategy to push its innovation agenda and support customers’ digital transformation and journey to the cloud through its portfolio of solutions.

Enabling local businesses to flourish in digital age

To empower Philippine-based organizations to thrive in today’s digital era, SAP identifies opportu-

nities and, at the same time, introduced new solutions and services that will elevate them to the next level of their digitization. It recently launched IoT solutions to help customers use the power of data and advance their digital enterprise. Included in the SAP Leonardo digital innovation system, these offerings take advantage of advances in Big Data and Analytics, the ability to link people, things and businesses with SAP Cloud Platform, and technologies such as machine learning to enable IoT and Industry 4.0 strategies across digital logistics, manufacturing and asset management. These suites are the SAP Leonardo IoT Bridge, a configurable role-based digital command center giving operations managers unprecedented visibility and ability to act in real time; SAP Global Track and Trace, a cloud-based offering for unified, end-to-end tracking, monitoring and reporting of objects and business processes across supply chain networks; and the SAP Leonardo IoT Edge software to bring compute, storage and business semantics via the cloud to where intelligent devices reside outside of the data center, for near real-time and deterministic performance of business processes. Also included in these new solutions are the SAP Digital Manufacturing Insights, a centralized, cloud-based manufacturing performance management solution that provides comprehensive visibility into manufacturing that enables process optimization; and SAP Asset Manager, a cloud-based mobile app for managing asset health, inventory, maintenance and safety. “SAP allows organizations to act instantly through real-time, datadriven insights to deliver delightful, meaningful experiences to their customers, employees, suppliers and partners,” Andresen said.

Ampatuan… Continued from a1

is within her authority to consider only these testimonies in forming her decision. “Besides, it is the quality, not the number, of witnesses that will tilt the scale of evidence,” the appellate court added. The CA did not give weight to the claim of the prosecution that the link, or the actual role of the said policemen to the crime, was shown by their act of manning the checkpoints, without which the victims would not have been stopped in their convoy that led to being murdered. The prosecution insisted that the accused were part of the “armed men” referred to by witness Norodin Mauyag as the same police officers who were members of the 1508th PMG, and were stationed at the Malating checkpoint when the incident happened. The prosecution said the police officers did not only man the checkpoints, but also participated in physically harming the victims in conspiracy with the principal accused. But the CA noted that the prosecution’s witness and evidence failed to established that the said police officers conspired with the other principal accused. “The general reference of witness Mauyag to ‘armed men’, which allegedly included police officers who pointed their guns and physically harmed the victims, without specifically identifying private respondents and the details of their actual participation will not suffice to prove that they acted in concert with the other accused or warrant a finding of strong evidence of their guilt,” the CA said. Concurring with the decision were Associate Justices Ramon M. Bato Jr. and Samuel H. Gaerlan.

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Saturday, August 26, 2017

PSALM debt down P45B, P490B more to settle

Staying out of the debt trap In this photo provided by Malacañang, clad in a combat uniform and a protective vest, President Duterte holds an assault rifle during his third visit to the embattled Marawi City.

Duterte visits Marawi battle zone after troops recapture mosque

resident Duterte fired a rifle toward Islamic Statelinked militants during a visit on Thursday to the battle zone in southern Marawi, after troops recaptured a main mosque where the gunmen had taken cover with their hostages in the three-month siege of the city, officials said. Clad in a combat uniform, protective vest and helmet, Duterte congratulated the troops for regaining control of the Islamic Center, an indication they are entering the final stage in ending the disastrous uprising. It was the President’s third known trip to the embattled city. During his brief visit, Duterte inspected a devastated community near the frontline and talked to troops guarding a recaptured building. He also visited a military patrol base and “tried a sniper rifle and fired twice toward the direction of the terrorists,” a government statement said. A r my Col. Romeo Braw ner said Duter te went to the main battle area—a cluster of dense, mosque-dotted communities— which has been heav ily damaged in the fighting, w ith militar y chief Gen. Eduardo M. Año and top commanders. More than 760 people, including 595 militants, have died in the Marawi fighting, which has sparked concerns that the Islamic State group may have taken a foothold in Southeast Asia through local extremists as it suffers battle setbacks in Syria and Iraq. About 600 gunmen launched the insurrection in Marawi’s commercial center on May 23 after a botched Army raid to capture the group’s leader, Isnilon Hapilon, according to the military. The United States and Australia have deployed sur veillance aircraft to help Filipino troops locate the hundreds of militants who took positions in buildings, mosques and houses, some of them linked by underground tunnels. China provided

heavy weaponry and Southeast Asian governments offered aid for troops and the hundreds of thousands of displaced residents. It was not immediately clear if any militants or their hostages were in the mosque when troops entered the building on Thursday after weeks of painstakingly slow advances because of sniper fire and an order from Duterte to avoid any massive attack that might harm an estimated several dozen hostages, including a Roman Catholic priest, used by the gunmen as human shields. Brawner said the militants withdrew shortly before troops gained access to the mosque in fighting that wounded three soldiers. He said the gunmen had rigged the building with boobytraps and explosives which were being cleared by the troops. “We recovered the mosque after some resistance, but not through an assault with bombardment because we wanted to preserve the structure,” Brawner said. The military said about 40 gunmen are still fighting in the main battle zone, now confined to a smaller cluster of communities after troops backed by air strikes and artillery fire recaptured key bridges and crossed over a river toward the main militant position. Some residents have started to return to neighborhoods declared safe by the military. Classes at the main Mindanao State University reopened on Tuesday, although a clash between government forces and gunmen allied with the militants in nearby Marantao town, outside the city, underscored the remaining danger. Duterte declared martial law in the largely Roman Catholic archipelago’s southern third until the end of the year to deal with the Marawi crisis and prevent other armed groups from reinforcing the militants or launching similar uprisings elsewhere in the volatile region. AP

Davao Light customer services open on August 28 and September 1

avao Light and Power Co.’s frontline customer services will be available for the public on August 28, a regular nonworking holiday in commemoration of the National Heroes’ Day, and on September 1, which is declared as a special nonworking holiday for the Eid’l Adha or Feast of Sacrifice. Davao Light’s full service centers in SM Lanang Premier and in SM City Davao in Ecoland will be available to accept payment and customer services from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Ponciano office will be available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Panabo branch will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Toril and Calinan payment offices will be open on the said days from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Only the Santo Tomas collection office will not be available for the public during the said dates. Davao Light Call Center service will remain available 24 hours through 229-DLPC (3572).

By Lenie Lectura

he Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has reduced its liabilities by over P45 billion at endJune this year, bringing down the state firm’s obligations to P490 billion. “PSALM financial obligations serviced in the first half of 2017 amount to P45.51,” PSALM Officer in Charge Lourdes Alzona said in a text message. Of t he amount, P22.64 bi l l ion w a s a l lot ted for debt pay ment ; P 9.18 bi l l ion for i nterest a nd ot her c h a rges on debt s; a nd P13.69 bi l l ion for i ndependent power producers ( I PP) lea se obl igat ion s. “ T he funding for this sett lement of obl igat ion s were sourced by PSALM principally f rom pr iv at i z at ion proceed s and funds generated from operations of remaining assets,” Alzona added. PSA LM, the agency tasked to manage state-owned power assets, is determined to reduce the debts of the National Power Corp. (Napocor). Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), PSALM is the government agency tasked to repay the debts of Napocor. Alzona on Thursday said PSALM’s outstanding financial obligations as of June this year stood at P490.7 billion, “consisting of outstanding debts of P271.1 billion and outstanding IPP lease obligations of P219.6 billion.” “We are continuously identifying certain measures to avoid and/or minimize costs, specifica l ly on ref inancing. A mong these steps are str ingent management of col lect ibles, sa le of rea l-estate assets, disposa l of other assets, which entail high costs for maintenance,” she added. PSALM, she said, plans to sell some real-estate assets that could

fetch an estimated P5 billion. “The sale would be staggered since we still have to sort out which can be sold, depending on the land title. There are areas that can be sold, such as the resort in Puerto Azul; while there are others that can’t be sold, such as the one in Bagac,” Alzona said. This plan, she added, will be over and above the universal charge (UC) administration and other regular activities to support the liquidation of PSALM’s financial obligations, that being its main mandate.

Tap Malampaya Fund

The Department of Energy (DOE) has urged lawmakers for the government to tap the Malampaya Fund in paying for the stranded debts (SD) and stranded contract cost (SCC) of Napocor. Per DOE records, the Energy Resource Development Fund “is now about P210 billion”, adding that “around P193 billion is from SC 38 [Malampaya].” With the Supreme Court (SC) decision in the Belgica case, the said fund must be utilized for energy resource exploration and development only. As such, Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said legislation must be passed if it will be utilized for other purposes. “It’s for Congress to decide.” “By end of 2026, or PSALM’s corporate life, there will be a deficit of P245.6 billion,” Fuentebella said. “So, because of that, there’s a proposal to the Cabinet cluster to use the Malampaya Fund, or the energy resource development fund, specifically to

We are continuously identifying certain measures to avoid and/ or minimize costs, specifically on refinancing. Among these steps are stringent management of collectibles, sale of real-estate assets, disposal of other assets, which entail high costs for maintenance.”—Alzona

Duterte Inaugurates First Filipino Solar-Panel Factory

resident Duterte inaugurated the Solar Philippines Factory on August 23, establishing the Philippines as a major player in the global renewable-energy revolution, and enabling solar panels to become accessible to everyday Filipinos. This comes as solar-panel costs have fallen 90 percent over the last 10 years, and 50 percent in the last three years alone, prompting countries like China and India to source the majority of their new power requirements from renewables. Bloomberg estimates 86 percent of planned coal plants globally will be canceled, given the new economics of solar prices. Duterte himself told reporters that “Solar is becoming cheaper now, it used to be very expensive, now the price is diving.” In his speech, the President noted: “The establishment of this state-of-the-art facility in Santo Tomas, Batangas, is timely and relevant as we address increasing demand for renewable energy. It is high time that we begin to establish local solar power.” “We in government will continue to support the development of renewable energy,” Duterte said, adding, “I look forward to the realization of your company’s goal to be the largest exporter of solar panels.” “This factory has enabled us to generate the lowest

cost power in the history of the Philippines,” Solar Philippines CEO Leandro Leviste noted, referring to its recent offer to replace many planned fossil-fuel plants with 5,000 megawatts of solar farms. “Filipinos can save 30 percent on electricity. The average family paying P3,000 will see their bill decrease to P2,000 a month, and now with the latest batteries, entire towns can use solar energy for 24 hours a day.” At the event, Solar Philippines also announced its new initiative to help communities with poor electric service to form their own “solar power sssociations” and avail themselves of low-cost 24/7 power. “We don’t measure our success in terms of profits or revenues, but our contribution toward the development of the Philippines. This factory will create 50,000 jobs, from manufacturing to installation, and show the world that Filipino ingenuity is second to none,” Leviste added. Solar Philippines entered solar manufacturing after SunPower, a US solar company, shut down two of its factories in the Philippines. Since then, Solar Philippines has hired Filipinos experienced in manufacturing solar panels in line with international standards and certifications.

address the issue on universal charge-stranded contract cost and stranded debts.” For this to be implemented, Fuentebella said, “It can’t be done [through] an executive order alone. It has to be coursed through a legislation.” The DOE official said the proposal, if approved, should be implemented sooner rather than later. “The debts will just balloon.” The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) recently allowed PSALM to collect from the consumers P37 billion, spread over a nine-year period with a rate of P0.0265 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The collection of the amount will be reflected in UC component of a consumer’s electricity bill starting next billing period from the receipt of the relevant ERC decision by the distribution utilities (DUs.) “Discussions on this have yet to be firmed up in Congress. Even though the ERC has approved PSALM’s application, there is still time for Congress to pass a law that will allow the government to tap the energy resource development fund, commonly known as the Malampaya Fund,” said Fuentebella, who explained that a timely enactment of a law could eventually stop the nine-year implementation of the ERC order. “That option to tap the Malampaya Fund is still there, despite the ERC approval on PSALM’s recent application. There is still a chance, so we hope lawmakers can look at it and determine if the fund can be utilized to pay for such,” Fuentebella added. He said the present administration has yet to utilize a single centavo from the Malampaya Fund. The ERC, in two separate orders dated July 7, allowed the recovery by PSALM of P24.198 billion for UC-SD covering 2011 and 2012 true-up adjustments. The collection will be spread over a nine-year period with a rate of P0.0265 per kWh. For the SCC, which was already approved earlier by the commission, PSALM was ordered to extend its collection for another

10 months, providing PSALM P12.878 billion in recoveries covering calendar years 2011, 2012 and 2013. The said amount will be recovered at the existing UC-SCC rate. Thus, there is no increase or decrease in the UC-SCC rate, as the 10-month collection is only an extension. Epira defines SD as “any unpaid financial obligation of the Napocor which have not been liquidated by the proceeds from the sales and privatization of Napocor assets.” On the other hand, the Epira defines UC-SCC as the “excess of the contracted cost of electricity under eligible contracts over the actual selling price of the contracted energy.” PSALM continues to incur SD and SCC because the proceeds from privatization of Napocor/ IPP generation assets and the revenue generated from the Napocor-owned and IPP plants are not enough to pay its contractual obligations with the eligible IPPs and lending institutions. PSALM said the collection of P37 billion would relieve it from additional borrowings this year. “Early recovery of said charges will partially infuse the needed monetary source to pay maturing obligations without resorting to refinancing. Contracting further loans is only a palliative solution that further widens PSALM’s stranded debts in the long run because of refinancing charges,” Alzona said. PSALM stressed that the SD and SCC charges are pur posely intended to pay the remaining financial obligations that the government incurred when new power plants were constructed to end the power cr isis that eng u l fed t he whole cou nt r y, particularly in the 1990s and early-2000. “The collection of UC-SD and SCC should be appreciated for its social inclusion value. Let’s look at it as a necessary contribution for the stable and quality supply of electricity we had enjoyed in the past and continue to enjoy nowadays,” Alzona, said.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

The World BusinessMirror

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The latest: Clerk just happy to have touched winning ticket

he latest on the lone winning ticket for the $758.7 million Powerball drawing that was sold in Chicopee, Massachusetts (all times local):

6:45 p.m.

Given her excitement, you might think Angelica Merced won the $758.7-million Powerball jackpot. But her exhilaration on Thursday comes from being the first person to touch the winning ticket. The 20-year-old store clerk at the Pride Station & Store in Chicopee sold the ticket to the 53-year-old hospital worker who came up with the winning combination of numbers. Merced says she couldn’t believe it and got “really nervous” after hearing she sold the ticket to Mavis L. Wanczyk, a regular customer at the store. She says she’s “just really happy for her” and hopes she enjoys her winnings.

4:05 p.m.

Supporters of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra show a poster of her and her brother Thaksin, also a former leader of Thailand. Bloomberg News

Yingluck’s whereabouts unknown as Thai court issues warrant

Thai court issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra after she failed to show up on Friday to hear a verdict in a negligence case. The court postponed the verdict until September 27, saying the prosecution didn’t believe that Yingluck is ill. Her lawyer Norawit Larlaeng told the court that she has vertigo and cou ld n’t attend t he hea r ing. He later told reporters that he doesn’t know where Yingluck is. Yingluck, whose government was ousted in a 2014 coup, faces up to a decade in jail if convicted of failing to curb losses from her government’s $26-billion ricepurchasing program for poor far mers. She has denied t he charges and says the two-year trial is politically motivated. The verdict threatens to reopen

fissures in Thai society that have triggered violent clashes over the past decade between urban royalists and rural backers of exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s brother. Allies of Thaksin have won the past five elections, only to be unseated by the courts or military. Thaksin fled abroad to avoid jail time on corruption charges brought after his own government’s ouster in a 2006 coup. Yingluck became Thailand’s first female prime minister after a 2011 election, the last one held in the country. T he T h a k si n- bac ked Pheu Thai party couldn’t immediately

be reached for comment on her location. Yingluck was impeached in 2015 and banned from politics for five years for alleged corruption in the rice-purchasing program. She was also hit with a 35-billion-baht ($1-billion) fine over the allegations of negligence in overseeing the policy, which purchased grain at above-market rates to help farmers.

Protest risk

Yingluck on Thursday had urged her supporters to avoid thronging the court complex in Bangkok, as Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s military administration steps up security to avert unrest. T h a i l a n d ’s c u r r e n c y a n d stocks were little changed after the court issued the arrest warrant. The benchmark SET index of stocks has climbed about 2 percent this year, one of the worst per for mers in A sia, weighed down in part by a climb in bad loans in Thailand. Bonds have proved a bigger

draw for foreign investors, helping to make the baht the region’s top-performing currency in 2017. While the delay in the court ruling may hang over the stock market, the overall downside risk for investors from the saga is limited, said Rakpong Chaisuparakul, an investment strategist at KGI Securities (Thailand) Pcl. in Bangkok. The junta clamped down on political activity after seizing power three years ago following a period of unrest, pledging to restore stability. The current stretch of militar y rule is one of the longest since the 1970s, in a countr y with a histor y of coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. The promulgation of a new constitution in Apr il set the stage for a possible return to democracy in 2018, though a date for elections has yet to be announced. Prayuth said in a speech on Thursday that the country would return to a democratic path soon. Bloomberg News

Making America polluted again By Paul Krugman

fforts to kill Obamacare have failed, at least for now. Tax “reform”—which really means big tax cuts for the rich— aces doubtful prospects. Indeed, these prospects may have become even more doubtful, thanks to Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin: Her now infamous Instagram rant may open at least a few voters’ eyes to the contempt “populist” Donald J. Trump’s inner circle really feels for the little people. So many observers are asking whether Trump can restart his stalled agenda. But that turns out to be a bad question, in a couple of ways. First, Trump doesn’t really have an agenda beyond “winning.” He has instincts and prejudices, but no interest in the details, or even the broad outlines, of policy. For example, it’s obvious that he never had any idea what was in his own party’s health-care plan. And he has definitely shown no interest in turning his populist rhetoric into anything concrete. As a result, whatever personal

feuds Trump may have with the Republican establishment, that establishment—the same interest groups and ideologues who’ve been driving GOP positions for decades—is setting his administration’s policy agenda. Which brings me to my second point: While the legislative agenda does indeed appear stalled, a lot of what those interest groups want doesn’t require legislation and is anything but stalled. This is especially true for environmental policy, where decisions about how to interpret and enforce laws already on the books can have a huge impact. So Trump’s true legacy may well be defined not by the laws he does or more likely doesn’t pass, but by his decision to put Scott Pruitt in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As Oklahoma’s attorney general, Pruitt effectively acted as a servant, not of the public, but of polluting industries. That’s not an accusation; it’s confirmed by his own e-mail trail. Now, at a time when much of the Trump administration seems paralyzed by lack of leadership

and key personnel, Pruitt is firing on all cylinders—but not because he’s making the EPA more effective. On the contrary, he’s engaged in sabotage from the top, moving quickly to undermine his own agency’s mission—not just its efforts against climate change, but its role in protecting the environment across the board. Trump won’t make America great again, but Pruitt, who clearly has Trump’s full backing, can do a lot to make it polluted again. This is an unpopular agenda, or it would be if people knew about it. The improvement in air and water quality since the EPA was founded in 1970 is one of America’s great policy success stories. It’s also largely unsung. When Trump was young, New York’s air was filthy, and smog sometimes killed hundreds; meanwhile, New York’s own governor described the Hudson as “one great septic tank.” But Trump probably doesn’t remember that or realize that regulation made the difference, and neither do many voters. True, that could change quickly if people realized that the rela-

tively clean air and water they take for granted was being put at risk. Think of how support for the Affordable Care Act surged once people realized that coverage for millions might really be taken away. There would be a similar but even bigger surge in support for environmental protection if, say, Republicans tried to repeal the Clean Water Act. As I said, however, Pruitt can do a lot of harm without changing the law. He can, for example, reverse the ban on a pesticide that the EPA’s own scientists say may damage children’s nervous systems. Or he can move to scrap a rule that would limit h e a v y - m e t a l c o nt a m i n at i o n from power-plant wastewater. And he can cripple enforcement of the rules he doesn’t undo simply by working with Trump to starve his own agency of personnel and funds. The Trump budget released in May won’t actually become law, but it was an indication of priorities—and it called for cutting funding for the EPA by 31 percent, more than any other agency. The New York Times Service

Massachusetts State Lottery officials say the winner of the $758.7-million Powerball jackpot bought a total of five tickets. Fifty-three-year-old Chicopee resident Mavis L. Wanczyk bought three tickets with numbers she chose along with two computer-generated tickets. She got them all from the Pride Station & Store in Chicopee. The winning Powerball ticket was one that Wanczyk picked herself, using a combination of family birthdays and her lucky number, four. Lottery officials say she chose to take a lump-sum payment of $480 million, or $336 million after taxes. It’s the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history. Wanczyk worked at a hospital for 32 years but quit when she won.

2:45 p.m.

Massachusetts’S treasurer says she offered advice to the winner of the $758.7-million Powerball jackpot and her family about being careful with their newfound wealth. Deb Goldberg tells repor ters on Thursday that “a lot of people will be coming at them with all sorts of things.” She says she encouraged them to find very good lawyers and advisers and to think carefully about how they’re going to manage their money. On her Facebook page Thursday afternoon, someone had already written to Wanczyk asking for help for his family to pay off a $100,000 house. It’s the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history. Wanczyk worked at a hospital for 32 years but quit when she won.

2 p.m.

The Massachusetts woman who won the massive $758.7-million Powerball jackpot has quit her job at the hospital where she worked for three decades and says she wants to relax. Fifty-three-year-old Mavis L. Wanczyk, of Chicopee, worked at Mercy Medical Center for 32 years. She says she used birthdays to choose some of the numbers when she bought the winning Powerball ticket on Wednesday at a store in Chicopee. Lottery officials say she chose to take a lump-sum payment of $480 million, or $336 million after taxes. About $120 million of the tax revenue will go to the federal government, and $20 million will go to Massachusetts. Massachusetts lottery officials say they sold $13 million in total ticket sales for the drawing, with $8.4 million of that on Wednesday.

1:30 p.m.

A Massachusetts hospital worker has claimed the $758.7-million Powerball jackpot, and says she always thought winning the lottery was “a pipe dream.” Fifty-three-year-old Mavis L. Wanczyk, of Chicopee, says she was leaving work at night with a Chicopee firefighter, and they were discussing Powerball. That’s when she realized she won. She says he followed her home to make sure she got there safely. Wanczyk says the first thing she wants to do is sit back and relax. She says she has called work to let them know she won’t be back. Wanczyk has two adult children, a daughter and a son. Lottery officials say she chose to take a lump-sum payment of $480 million, or $336 million after taxes. It’s the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history.

Noon

The head of the Massachusetts lottery says the winner of the $758.7-million Powerball jackpot has come forward to claim the prize. Michael Sweeney, the lottery’s executive

director, says the winner will be introduced at 1 p.m. at lottery headquarters. All he would say about the winner is that it is an individual woman. A store in Chicopee, Massachusetts, sold the only ticket that won the jackpot. It’s the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history. Sweeney also apologized for the lottery’s erroneous announcement early Thursdaythat the winning ticket had been sold at a store in Watertown. He blamed it on human error.

10:30 a.m.

The owner of the store that sold the lone winning Powerball ticket says he’s donating the store’s $50,000 prize to several local charities. Bob Bolduc owns the Pride store chain. One of its stores, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, sold the only ticket that won the $758.7-million jackpot. It’s the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history. He says once they heard that the winning ticket was sold on Wednesday afternoon, store workers looked it up on the surveillance video and believe the winner was a middle-aged woman. Bolduc says they’re happy for the customer, and happy for the charities. The lottery says the winner still had not come forward as of midmorning Thursday.

10 a.m.

The head of the Massachusetts State Lottery says a transcription error led the organization to wrongly identify the store that sold the lone winning Powerball ticket. In a statement issued on Thursday morning, lottery Executive Director Michael Sweeney says officials were manually recording the names of the retailers that sold the winning ticket for the $758.7-million jackpot, as well as two tickets that won $1 million prizes. He says they transcribed it incorrectly. Sweeney issued an apology for the confusion created by the error, but said lottery staff remained thrilled that a jackpot-winning ticket and two $1-million winning tickets were sold in Massachusetts.

9 a.m.

The Massachusetts store that sold the winning Powerball ticket was initially told it sold a $1-million ticket, not the only ticket that won the $758.7-million jackpot. Mike Donatelli, a spokesman for the Pride Station & Store in Chicopee, Massachusetts, says they were told shortly before 8 a.m. that the store had actually sold that ticket. The jackpot is the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history. Donatelli says the founder of the chain, Bob Bolduc, plans to hold press conferences at 10 a.m. and at noon. The store is part of a chain that operates in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. The Chicopee store will receive $50,000 for selling the winning ticket. Lottery officials had initially said a different store, near Boston, had sold the winning ticket. That store actually sold a ticket that won $1 million.

8: 30 a.m.

The error by the Massachusetts State Lottery over which store sold the lone winning Powerball ticket is being blamed on nerves. Michael Sweeney, the lottery’s executive director, tells WBZ-AM they had a “couple of excited people at 1 o’clock in the morning” but said if there’s any blame to be placed, the buck stops with him. The lottery initially said a convenience store in Watertown had sold the winning ticket. A few hours later, it announced it had made a mistake, and that the winning ticket was sold across the state at the Pride Station & Store in Chicopee, in Western Massachusetts. Sweeney says the lottery had not yet heard from the winner. He said the Chicopee store will receive $50,000 for selling the winning ticket, he said. He said the store in Watertown did sell a ticket that won a $1-million prize.

8 a.m.

Massachusetts State Lottery officials have corrected the site where the single winning ticket for the Powerball $758.7 million jackpot was sold to Chicopee, not Watertown. The Massachusetts State Lottery had announced around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday that a convenience store in Watertown, near Boston, had sold the winning ticket. But shortly before 8 a.m., the lottery said it had made a mistake, and that the winning ticket was sold across the state at the Pride Station & Store in Chicopee, in Western Massachusetts. The lottery did not say how the error was made . It said the store in Watertown did sell a ticket that won a $1 million prize. AP

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, August 26, 2017

CAN MCGREGOR BOX? L

By Greg Beacham The Associated Press

AS VEGAS—Before Conor McGregor had even heard of mixed martial arts (MMA), he wanted to be a boxer. He first stepped into Crumlin Boxing Club nearly 20 years ago in muddy football boots and started punching a heavy bag. McGregor returned constantly for the next seven years, determined to become tough enough to dissuade bullies in his Dublin neighborhood. He competed in amateur boxing matches against opponents of all sizes and shapes over the years, developing tenacity and power. “There were no weight rules, no limitations on who you could fight,” McGregor recalled on Wednesday. “We would just have an opponent assigned to us. That was always the joke: Everybody at the Crumlin Boxing Club had to fight heavyweights, no matter what size you are. But it was a good lesson. You must be prepared for any eventuality. You must be ready to fight. That’s how I was brought into this game.”

McGregor is on top of the fight game this week before his Saturday showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49-0), the most accomplished boxer of his generation. McGregor, a former plumber who has never had a professional boxing match, will make roughly $100 million for stepping into the ring for the first time in the spectacle of the summer. And though McGregor moved into MMA training in his teens and eventually, rose to win two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) belts, he is no boxing neophyte. While he has other strengths, McGregor’s MMA career has been built in large part on his boxing-bred punching power, which is considered exceptional by his sport’s standards. Oh, and he also doesn’t lack confidence, which is no small thing

when facing odds as daunting as McGregor’s chances against Mayweather. “No fighter can train for what I bring into the ring or into the octagon,” McGregor said. “I am too skilled. I am too diverse. My movement is too much for them. All of these men will fall.” But for McGregor to make Mayweather fall, he’ll either need to land an astonishing home-run punch, or he’ll have to show more creativity and sustained boxing skill than MMA usually demands. While McGregor’s versatility and smarts have made him the UFC’s biggest star, he can use only one discipline against Mayweather—and no serious people outside McGregor’s camp doubt that Mayweather has more boxing skill. Still, McGregor has devoted himself to boxing in recent weeks, bringing in former champ Paulie Malignaggi among his many sparring partners and recruiting Joe Cortez, the veteran boxing referee, to instruct him on the finer points of etiquette.

“Fighting in Vegas, I just don’t see how Conor outpoints him [for a decision],” UFC President Dana White said. “Conor is going to get in there to rough him up and try to knock him out.” White and McGregor’s other fervent backers believe in his one-punch knockout power, which he showed most memorably in dethroning longtime UFC champion Jose Aldo. But one-punch knockouts are rare in 8-ounce boxing gloves, which diffuse the impact of a blow more than tiny UFC gloves. McGregor’s ability to pull off perhaps the most improbable upset in sports history likely rests on his chances to land not just one punch, but repeated combinations of blows on Mayweather, who has shown a decent chin on the few occasions he has been hit in the past decade. If McGregor can’t consistently hit Mayweather—and nobody has consistently connected against Money May in over a decade—he can at least avoid embarrassment by not getting knocked out—and there is no doubt

McGregor can take a punch. His sparring partners have spoken of his tough chin, and it was evident last year in his two UFC brawls with Nate Diaz. Their second bout in August 2016 devolved into a brutal stand-up fight that left both men bloodied and bruised. McGregor’s disregard for defense in that bout—or his inability to defend himself from repeated head blows—could be decisive when facing Mayweather, who might be the most precise puncher in the sport. McGregor claims he has worked on defense during his training camp, but his predictions for the fight invariably return to his belief in his own power. No matter what happens to McGregor at T-Mobile Arena, he will rely on the skills he first learned at the Crumlin Boxing Club, where his mother Mags still works out. The club will be full of his fans when it screens the fight at about 5 a.m., Sunday morning. “You will see the culmination of everything I’ve learned and studied,” McGregor said. “A great many people helped to get me to what you will see this weekend.”

RORY: I FEEL GOOD T

EN days ago, Rory McIlroy wasn’t sure if he was going to play the rest of the year. A week off made him feel good enough that a nagging rib injury can be managed well enough for him to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs. And, with just over a month before he shuts it down for the year, McIlroy wants to do more than just play. “I think the real thing for me was I want to win,” McIlroy said. “I want to win at least once before the end of the year. I haven’t not won a tournament since the 2008 season, which was my real rookie season on the European Tour.” Even in 2013, when he struggled with an equipment change, McIlroy won the Australian Open by one shot over Adam Scott and headed into the off-season feeling better about his game. He wound up winning two majors the following year. “I’d like to have that feeling again before taking that time off at the end of this year and getting myself right for 2018,” he added. The majors are over, though McIlroy faces a field that, in some respects, is tougher than the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship. The Northern Trust, which starts on Thursday at Glen Oaks on Long Island, features the top 120 players available based on their performance this season on the toughest circuit in golf. There are no aging champions, amateur qualifiers or club professionals. There is no Masters champion either, as Sergio Garcia again is taking off the first playoff event. Hideki Matsuyama enters the FedEx Cup playoffs as the fifth player in the last five years to be the No. 1 seed. The points count four times as much for the next three playoff events until the reset for the Tour Championship at East Lake. The objective is to be among the top 5 seeds going into the finale, where those players only have to win the Tour Championship to capture the $10-million bonus. There remains plenty on the line beyond the cash for players who haven’t won majors this year—Matsuyama and Dustin Johnson—and even those who have. PGA champion Justin Thomas and British Open winner Jordan Spieth are regarded the front-runners to be voted PGA Tour player of the year. Thomas has one more victory and some impressive rounds (his 59 at the Sony Open), while Spieth has been more consistent. “You’re the Most Vluable Player of the league,” Spieth said, who won the award in 2015 when he won five times, including two majors and the FedEx Cup. “When you put it that way, it’s something that you want really badly, and you want to be considered the best player.... So it’s a fight, and it’s something that is keeping me going and grinding at the end of a really good season.” Spieth looked to be a shoo-in for the award in 2015 when he came as close as anyone to the calendar Grand Slam. Jason Day began to emerge late in the year and looked like a viable candidate until Spieth won the Tour Championship. Thomas is still coming to grasp with his victory in the PGA Championship for his first major. He hasn’t had much time to celebrate, mainly because he had The Northern Trust after one week off. Thomas said he went to practice on Thursday in steamy conditions and wasn’t into it, so he headed to the gym. He headed for Long Island on Friday and played Shinnecock Hills (US Open site next year) and Liberty National (Presidents Cup next month) to get back into it. The FedEx Cup is important because it’s the next big trophy he can claim, and that would lead to player of the year. “If you ask someone, ‘Would you rather win a major or a FedEx Cup,’ they are both life changers,” he said. “They are both something that a lot of people won’t do in their career—a lot of great players won’t do. Now that I’ve done one, I hope to do the other at least once in my career.” Three of the top six players in the world—Spieth, McIlroy and Henrik Stenson—have won the FedEx Cup. Stenson had a chance to be the first to go back-toback until he ran into Spieth and his propensity to hole putts across the green. McIlroy now has that opportunity, even though he starts the playoffs at No. 44 because of the stop-and-start nature of his season. Then again, he is one of only two players in the 10-year history of the FedEx Cup to win after starting the playoffs out of the top 20. He was No. 36 last year. “I think we’ve seen what can happen in these playoffs and how quickly you can shoot up the rankings with a good week or a win,” he said. “I’m here, and I know I’ve done it before and, hopefully, I can give myself a chance to do it again.” AP

Conor McGregor, a former plumber who has never had a professional boxing match, will make roughly $100 million for stepping into the ring for the first time in the spectacle of the summer. AP

Ginebra 3-on-3 finals cast complete

RORY MCILROY wants to do more than just play.

OUR more teams booked their tickets to the 2017 Ginebra San Miguel 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament National Finals to complete the 16-squad cast. Team Helterbrand—bannered by Noriel Guerrero, Jonathan Ablao, Vijay Viloria and Firmorico Francisco— imposed its domination and ruled Barangay Catbangen (San Fernando, La Union) after beating Team Taha, 21-18, in the regional final. Team Slaughter—carried by Jan Michael Auditor, Edrian Lao, Christian Floyd Taboada and Randy Colinia— downed Team Tenorio, 21-12, to rule Barangay Pasil in Cebu City last Saturday. Team Tenorio of Mikko Estrellante, Jed Edulan, Alvin Calatayud and Reggie Rivera also earned its spot in the big dance, fending off Team Caguioa, 16-12, in

Barangay Crossing Bayabas inToril District in Davao City. Team Taha—composed of Lemuel Bulanon, Vhal Valenciano, Nino Atamosa and Sylvester Moreno—wrapped up the regionals as it edged Team Tenorio, 21-18, to win in Barangay San Jose, Sitio Burayan, Tacloban City. The 16 regional champions converge on September 1 at SM Megamall Activity Center for the knockout phase of the National Finals. The last two remaining teams proceed to play on September 3, with the championship game set before the Manila Clasico duel between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Star Hot Shots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The champion will bring home P50,000, a trophy and Ginebra San Miguel products.

Mayweather-McGregor live on Sky Pay-Per-View

S gratitude to subscribers to the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Conor McGregor match on SKY Pay-Per-View (PPV) Sports, a viewer gets 100 points on Kapamilya Thank You, ABS-CBN’s newly launched customer-loyalty program. The earned points may be secured as SKY billing rebates, a gift certificate at the ABS-CBN store or as a donation to the ABSCBN Lingkod Kapamilya Tulong Center, among others. The year’s biggest fight will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

commercial-free, and in high definition on Sunday at 9 a.m. Redemption of the rewards may be done only if subscribers have registered at the Kapamilya Thank You program’s web site: thankyou.abs-cbn.com. The Mayweather-McGregor fight on SKY Sports PPV offer is available to subscribers of ONE SKY, SKYcable, Destiny Cable, SKYdirect and SKYbroadband via SKY on Demand for only P950. Subscribers can catch the fight by calling 418-0000 or their local SKY office, texting BOXINGPPV to 23662 or by visiting www.mysky.com.ph/boxi ngppv. SKYdirect postpaid subscribers, on the other hand, can text SKY to 23668.

BusinessMi

Saturday, August 26, 2017 | Editor: Jun Lomibao

President of Indonesian Cycling Federation Raja Sapta Oktohari has more than a few reasons to be optimistic about the future of the sport in his country.

‘Indonesia will be a major player in world cycling’

HAVE a vision that Indonesia will be a major player in world cycling.” President of Indonesian Cycling Federation (ICF) Raja Sapta Oktohari has more than a few reasons to be optimistic about the future of the sport in his country. First of all, in Rio last year, Indonesia was represented in BMX at the Olympic Games for the first time. Moving to para-cycling, four athletes are currently preparing for the 2018 Asian Games being hosted by their home country. And in the road discipline, Indonesia has six events registered on the UCI calendar in 2017, four of which are part of the prestigious UCI Asia Tour. In January 2018, the Tour of Indonesia will be relaunched and upgraded to Class 2.1 after a long hiatus. “We started from something small and we’re on the right track,” said the federation president, who was recently appointed vice president of the Asian Cycling Confederation. Cycling is gaining in popularity throughout the country, with spectators turning out in large numbers to watch the professional road races. Cycling for All is also taking off. This year, for the first time, the Tour de Bintan joined the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. In its seventh year, the road race attracts more than 1100 cyclists from 45 countries across Asia. The best from the last edition qualified for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, which take place in Albi, France, from August 24 to 27.

One of the leading lights of Indonesian cycling is Toni Syarifudin, who participated at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. His selection came after a concerted effort spanning several years to develop the discipline. Syarifudin was one of two Indonesian BMX athletes who trained regularly at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland, from 2011. In 2014 they were joined in Switzerland by Coach Dadang Haries Poernomo, who completed a coaching internship at the UCI WCC. It was the start of a new impetus for BMX in Indonesia. “They brought back experience and, most important, knowledge to the local BMX community,” Oktohari explained. At the head the Indonesian federation’s BMX program, Poernomo set up a long-term training program for all age groups, shared his knowledge with other coaches and worked on improving the quality of the country’s BMX tracks. He was instrumental in helping Syarifudin qualify for Rio 2016. “That was huge for Indonesian BMX,” Oktohari said. “After Rio, the ICF reviewed and improved its BMX programme in order to have more athletes for Tokyo 2020.” BMX competitions for children aged 7 to 18 are becoming increasingly popular, and the federation is using this discipline to build the country’s pool of talent. Junior BMX athlete Rio Akbar participated in a training camp at the UCI WCC at the end of 2016. Para-cycling also has its local hero in

Muhammad Fadly who, after just two months of training, represented Indonesia at the 2017 Asian Para-cycling Championships in Bahrain where he finished in fourth place in the 12.8-kilometer time trial. The well-known former 600c Supersport rider had his leg amputated following a crash in 2015, and it was only at the end of 2016 that he first tried para-cycling. He is one of four para-cyclists currently preparing for the 2017 Southeast Asian Para Games in Malaysia next month and the 2018 Asian Para Games, which will be held in their own country. “His story is very inspiring and people can learn from it. He will be a great role model and ambassador for the sport.” The president of the ICF has plenty of ideas and projects to take cycling in Indonesia to another level. To this end, Junior Women’s athlete Liontin Evangelina Setiawan has been selected for a training camp at the UCI WCC starting this month. The trials discipline has recently been integrated into the federation and a commissiares course organized for the discipline. Meanwhile, a new velodrome is under construction in preparation for the 2018 Asian Games. “To improve athletes, coaches and commissaires, we need to have good competitions and good venues. And it takes good organization to manage them all,” Oktohari concluded.

UCI News

VUELTA WIL IN THE MOU Just like any Vuelta, the 72nd edition features a few new twists and novelties—how about riding through a Roman arena in last Saturday’s opening team time trial? But the winner will be decided on the climbs. With nine summit finales, this year’s course has plenty of vertical. THE climbs will determine the champion of this year’s Spanish Vuelta.

ONE BIKE, TWO CYCLISTS: SHARED DETERMINATION

RISH duo Katie-George Dunlevy and her pilot Eve McCrystal have won nearly every race in the UCI Para-cycling Road Word Cup this season. Last year they collected a gold and a silver medal from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. We caught up with them in Marjorca where they were fine-tuning their training prior to the main event of the season: the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, starting on August 31 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Get to know the dynamic duo in this tandem interview.

Katie, tell us about meeting Eve

I’m a former rower, and the para-cycling coaches approached me to see if I had any interest in cycling. To be honest, I didn’t even know it existed! They convinced me to give it a try, so in 2011 I began para-cycling. Right away the speed and the teamwork appealed to me, and a year later I was at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Eve and I were paired up at a training camp, and have ridden together since 2014. Right after we were paired, we competed at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Mexico, and we quickly

realized that we made a great team. I just knew we were going to be strong together! I trusted her instinctively as a pilot, and it didn’t take long for our teamwork to bear fruit—we earned our first medal at a UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup that same year. What qualities were you looking for in a pilot, and that you have with Eve? Since we are each one part of a twosome, I needed someone who had the same passion for cycling that I did, who was driven, and ready to work as hard as I was. Above all, I needed someone that I would and could trust to be my eyes steering the bike.

Eve, what do you recall about first riding with Katie? Being a tandem pilot wasn’t necessarily a goal for me, but after we did our first race together, I actually really enjoyed it and wanted to keep going. Both of us had the same goal: a gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. We never once gave up on that goal, and we worked incredibly hard to make that dream a reality last year.

Tell us about a memorable moment you’ve shared since you started riding together Katie: There are so many! But I’ll always remember the road and track training camp we had right before the Paralympics last year. One day we had to replicate the time trial we were going to do in Rio—the same distance, the same effort, everything. It was so unbelievably hot that day, and we were so exhausted, but we gave it everything we had because we knew it would pay off. Once we got to the start line in Rio, we knew that we had done everything in our power to get that gold medal—and that’s exactly what we did.

were so very exhausted—and that’s the thing that I’ll always remember. We had worked so hard to get there, and we felt gratified when we finally got to the top of the podium.

Eve, was that a memorable moment for you too? That training session was pretty much the worst we’d done, but we still completed it. As a pilot, I know that I would never abandon Katie, and that she’d never abandon me. I think the fact that we both knew how much the other was suffering really gave us the strength to push through ‘til the end. Our Paralympic gold is the culmination of all those efforts— even when we

What do you want to achieve in Pietermaritzburg? Katie: There’s no question that the gold is the goal in the time trial, and to earn a medal in the road race. Eve: We don’t have any other goals than to win gold! We’re in the best shape we’ve ever been in, and all we have to do is make sure everything goes as planned on the right day! UCI News

Do you have a pre-race ritual? Eve: We do, we give each other a pat on the back, just to remind each other that we’re a team, we’re in this together. Will this be your first time in South Africa? Katie: Yes! We’re in the final stages of our prep, and we’re in great shape. I can’t wait to race at the World Championships, and get to discover South Africa!

IRISH tandem KatieGeorge Dunlevy and her pilot Eve McCrystal are expected to dominate the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships anew.

IMES, France—It might start in France, and end in Madrid, but the Vuelta a España always has been, and certainly will be this year, about the mountains. Just like any Vuelta, the 72nd edition features a few new twists and novelties—how about riding through a Roman arena in last Saturday’s opening team time trial? But the winner will be decided on the climbs. With nine summit finales, this year’s course has plenty of vertical. “The Vuelta will be again a tough race,” Quick-Step sport director Geert van Bondt said. “It will be grueling, even for the best climbers. With steep gradients, some kicking out at 25 percent, and the extreme temperatures, [it will] test the riders these three weeks.” With a stellar start list—the only notable names missing are Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb), defending champion Nairo Quintana and the injured Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)—the Vuelta could deliver the most engaging GC fight of the season. Who is at this year’s race? It’s an embarrassment of GC talent: Chris Froome (Sky), Romain Bardet (AG2R), Fabio Aru (Astana), Vincenzo Nibali (BahrainMerida), Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac), Tejay van Garderen (BMC), Esteban Chaves, Adam and Simon Yates (all three Orica-Scott), Illnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin), George Bennett (LottoJumbo) to name a few. What makes the Vuelta so unpredictable? The Vuelta comes at the back-end of the season, and that means riders have a wide range of fitness. Some contenders have tired legs from the Tour de France. Others are comparatively fresh, after having raced the Giro d’Italia. A few need a big result to secure their respective futures. Add Spanish summer heat and endless pressure, and the Vuelta is the season’s most surprising, and entertaining, grand tour to watch. Call this the Vuelta on slow boil. The 2017 edition becomes harder as it unfolds. The hardest climbs are packed into the final week, including

a return of the fearsome Alto de l’Angliru on the penultimate stage. The GC battle could come down to the final ramp on the final weekend.

Week One: A few early surprises

Despite the race’s long history dating back to the 1930s, Saturday’s start in France is only the third time the race has ventured beyond the borders of Spain to start. The first foreign adventure was in Lisbon in 1997, and the second in the wildly successful start in Assen, Netherlands, in 2009. It won’t take long to get back into Spain, however. Saturday’s team time trial is followed by a transition stage to Gruissan. The race quickly dips into Andorra for Stage 3 before returning to the more comfortable confines of the Iberian peninsula. Week One could deliver a few surprises. The explosive “puncheurs” will have plenty of chances to win a stage, and any one of the GC favorites who don’t have strong legs out of the gate could cede early ground. The climbs come early and quick. Stage 3 into Andorra features two difficult climbs in the final hour of racing. Stages 5 and 7 serve up explosive finales, with pure sprinters looking for their few chances in between. Things heat up by the second weekend, with uphill finales at Xorret de Catí in Stage 8 and Cumbre del Sol in stage 9. Both are sharp, explosive climbs where the first major GC differences will be set. “The race ramps up as it goes,” OricaScott sport director Neil Stephens said. “The first half of the Vuelta has some surprisingly difficult stages that don’t look difficult on paper, but might catch people off guard.”

Week Two: Heat and more climbs

Week two will see the main GC favorites pedal to the fore. And temperatures will rise. After finishing second three times, Chris Froome (Sky) wants to get that elusive Vuelta victory. The course stacks up in his favor. Only Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil have won

irror CYCLING

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, August 26, 2017 A7

LL BE WON UNTAINS Antonio Pedrero sports the #RodamosJuntos hashtag during Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España. UCI NEWS

Safety in spotlight at Spanish Vuelta

HE 2017 Vuelta a España started last weekend with a thrilling team time trial in the city of Nîmes, France. Amid the excitement over the start of the Vuelta, UCI WorldTeam Movistar Team launched an interactive new road-safety initiative. Called #RodamosJuntos, the campaign seeks to promote mutual respect between cyclists and drivers. The riders of the Movistar Team are very conscious of the risks faced by cyclists when out riding on the road and have lent their image to the campaign. A series of actions will take place during the three-week Vuelta, helping spread the importance of coexistence between bicycles and motor vehicles out on the road. During the Vuelta,

the team will ride in jerseys featuring the #RodamosJuntos hashtag—which will also appear on team vehicles. Eight videos, featuring team member Alejandro Valverde and former pro and Grand Tour winner Pedro Delgado, have been created to share useful advice about safe riding and driving with the public. A Facebook app has also been developed, where fans can join cyclists from the Movistar Team in personalizing and signing a manifesto calling for respect among all road users. The campaign will also be backed by other top athletes, including long-distance runner Chema Martínez, triathlete Javier Gómez Noya and the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team.

#RodamosJuntos is supported by the Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD), the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), Radio Televisión Española (RTVE), La Vuelta a España and the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC). The UCI welcomes this effort to promote safer and more accessible cycling for everyone, and encourages others to undertake similar initiatives. The high interest in UCI WorldTour races, such as the Vuelta, helps ensure that such campaigns receive wide exposure, but actions at all levels can also make a difference. For more information on the campaign, do not hesitate to visit www.rodamosjuntos.org.

UCI News

Cairns, Australia play key role in history of mountain biking

the Tour and Vuelta in the same season, and no one’s done it since the Vuelta moved to late summer in 1995. “It certainly feels as if I’ve got unfinished business with this race,” Froome said this week. “It’s a race I love doing, but it’s relentless. It’s more mountainous than the Tour, and being in mid-August, it’s common to have temperatures up in the mid-40s [well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit]. It’s absolutely brutal.” That undoubtedly will be the case in Week Two. Every stage in the second week, with the exception of Stage 13 to Tomares, features at least one first category climb. The Vuelta’s first major mountaintop finale comes in Stage 13 to Calar Alto, with the double-whammy of the La Pandera climb in Stage 14 and the Monachil ascent in Stage 15. Be sure to tune in for these three days— the climbs will certainly divide the wheat from the chafe. Spain’s summer heat will take a toll in Week Two. As the route pushes south into Andalucía, the thermometer will soar into the high 90s and above on a daily basis. Managing recovery and hydration will be vitally important. The podium picture will be more complete

by the end of two weeks of racing. The pure climbers will need to stick it to Froome early if they hope to have a chance at overall victory.

Week Three to decide all

A long transfer into northern Spain on the second rest day carries the race into the decisive final week. Cooler temperatures in the climbs along Spain’s “green coast” will come as a welcome respite, but the roads won’t get any easier. The inclusion of a 40.2-km individual time trial at Logroño at Stage 16 tilts heavily in favor of Froome. Last year he took back enough time on the climbers in a late-race TT that likely would have delivered victory had he not lost time on the road to Formigal. Froome will be looking to avoid mistakes like that this year, and the Logroño TT will be his best chance to sew up the GC. Even if Froome takes big gains, the climbers will have further opportunities in the closing stages. The Vuelta delivers another surprise the very next day on Stage 17 to Los Machucos. The race has been able to dig up these incredibly steep and hidden climbs with consistency over the

past 15 years. The final climb features ramps as steep as 25 percent, with short respites as it stair-steps up the 6-km summit. The final kilometer is flat, which should set up an incredible stage. Two more transition stages lead to the Vuelta’s “queen stage” and the return of the fearsome Angliru. Back for the first time since Chris Horner won the 2013 Vuelta, the Angliru is one of Europe’s steepest climbs. The Vuelta never lets up. “With a course like that, you have to take it like you’re racing a ‘classic’ every day, because anything can happen,” BMC’s Samuel Sánchez said. “One day you’re fighting for the GC, but you can be out of it the very next day. In the Vuelta, you cannot afford even one slip of concentration.” What’s it going to take to win? Consistency, strong climbing legs and a solid time trial. Can the climbers beat a “fresher” Froome? That will be the big storyline of this Vuelta. And a predictably unpredictable Vuelta course sets the tone. We expect nothing less from the Vuelta. The 72nd Vuelta began last Saturday in Nimes, France, and concludes on September 10 in Madrid. Velonews

Former Olympic champ Sanchez fails dope test

IGLE, Switzerland—Former Olympic cycling champion Samuel Sanchez was suspended on Thursday after failing an out-of-competition doping test. The International Cycling Union (UCI) said the Spanish rider for BMC Racing tested positive for a growth hormone releasing peptide in a sample taken on

August 9. Sanchez won the road race at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He was due to race in the Spanish Vuelta, which starts on Saturday. His BMC team announced it was provisionally suspending Sanchez until the results come of the B sample test. “BMC Racing Team is extremely disappointed to share this news

on the eve of the Spanish Vuelta,” the team said. Loic Vligen replaced the 39-year-old Sanchez on BMC’s team for the Vuelta. AP

Samuel Sanchez is suspended after failing an out-ofcompetition doping test.

AUSTRALIANS have always loved mountain biking.

hen the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships open on September 5 in Cairns, Australia, it will mark the third time that the nation has hosted these Worlds, and the second time they have taken place in Cairns. Australia and Australian athletes have long been an integral part of the sport of mountain biking, with Cairns playing a prominent role. The Queensland city hosted UCI World Cups for the

discipline in 1994 and 1995 before organizing the first UCI World Championships in the Asia-Pacific region in 1996. Mountain bike was included in the Olympic Games for the second time at Sydney 2000, and six years later the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne also included the off-road discipline. In 2009 the UCI World Championships returned to Australia, in Canberra, and this year they come back to Cairns. Australian athletes have featured consistently at the highest reaches of the discipline in all its formats. In cross-country, two names stand out from the 1990s: Mary Grigson and Cadel Evans. Grigson competed at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, won two UCI World Cup races and, in 2001, was part of the team relay silver-medal squad at the UCI World Championships along with Evans, Sid Taberlay and Trent Lowe. Cadel Evans is arguably the most successful Australian cyclist of all time, winning both the Tour de France (2011) and the road race world title (2009). However, before his success on the road, Evans was a mountain biker, winning the overall UCI World Cup title twice, and finishing on the UCI World Championships podium five times as a Junior and under-23 rider (in addition to the team relay silver). He represented Australia in mountain bike at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. In recent years, Rebecca Henderson and Dan McConnell have been the most successful XCO riders from Australia, with McConnell winning a UCI World Cup round in 2013 (in Albstadt, Germany) and Henderson winning the overall under-23 women’s title the same year.

Australian riders are just as prominent in the gravity disciplines. In 1999 Nathan Rennie became Australia’s first downhill UCI World Champion, winning the Junior title, and was a fixture on the UCI World Cup podium in the early 2000s, winning the overall title in 2003. The appropriately named Sam Hill became the most successful Australian downhiller in history in the mid- to late2000s with five UCI World Championship titles (two Junior, three Elite), 13 UCI World Cup wins and two UCI World Cup overall titles. More recently, Troy Brosnan has once again put Australia among the top nations, with two Junior world titles and two UCI World Cup wins. On the women’s side, Cairns native Tracey Hannah is the most accomplished Australian rider, with a Junior world title and four Elite UCI World Championship medals. Hannah is having one of the best seasons of her career leading into this year’s Worlds, including a UCI World Cup win (in Fort William, Great Britain, in June). In the dual slalom and its replacement, the four-cross, Australian riders have been particularly dominant, with Caroline Buchanan winning the women’s world title four times and Jared Graves winning the men’s world title once and the UCI World Cup overall title three times, as well as winning a bronze medal in the downhill at the 2013 UCI World Championships. Australia has played a key role in the development and growth of mountain bike, and continues to do so in hosting the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. UCI News

OurTime

A8 Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

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Veteran reflexologist helps ease physical pain of others By Faye Almazan | Special to the BusinessMirror

ARIOUS researches say that when a person reaches the age of 60, they start feeling various physical discomforts, but for 64-year-old Aida Vista, this is not the case. Instead, she helps ease some of these discomforts. Tita Aids, as what her patients fondly call her, has been practicing reflexology for almost four decades now. She has been treating patients since she was a teenager. Reflexology is the application of appropriate pressure to specific points and areas on the feet, hands or ears. The practice is traced back

to ancient Egypt, India and China, but the reflexology known today could be attributed to American therapist Eunice Ingham, data from International Institute of Reflexology showed. A ref lexology therapy could last any where between 30 to 45 minutes. The duration and

REFLEXOLOGIST Aida Vista

number of sessions of the treatment depends on one’s health condition and needs.

Tita Aids said studying reflexology didn’t come to her instantly. She said she ended up studying a couple

DSWD disburses P30.6M for free meds in W. Visayas

LOILO CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disbursed P30.6 million worth of free medicines to Western Visayas indigents under the “Libreng Gamot sa Masa (LinGap sa Masa)” program of President Duterte. In a news conference on August 17, DSWD-6 Information Officer May Castillo said the free medicines benefited 4,887 indigent patients in the region as of August 11. Bulk of the fund, or P21.9 million, went to 3,859 indigent patients under the program’s family head and other needy adult client category. A total of 904 indigent patients under the senior citizens’ client category availed of the free medicines with a total cost of P6.6 million;102 patients under the persons with disability client category with medicines amounting to P1.9 million; and 22 women in especially difficult circumstances w ith P123,788 worth of medicines. Western Visayas has a P138million fund for the LinGap program. It was implemented starting

March this year, in partnership with the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC), in Mandurrriao, Iloilo City. Castillo said the utilization of the fund was moving fast when compared with previous months. She added the utilization would even be faster once the program coverage is expanded to three more hospitals in the region to include Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital in Kalibo, Aklan; Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital in Roxas City, Capiz; and Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. Castillo added they were still waiting for the guidelines from the DSWD central office for the expansion of the program. If the fund is not be fully utilized by the end of December, the remaining money will still be used next year as it was sourced from the trust fund of the President, Castillo added. Patients in the region, especially those admitted at the WVMC, are encouraged to avail themselves of the free medicine. PNA

of courses first and even became a gym instructor at some point before deciding to open her own massage clinic, which was an adequate source of income for her family. “Being an acupressure therapist and reflexologist for several years, I was able to send my seven children to school,” she said. Reflexology as a business, she added, gives her a feeling of fulfillment because, through it, she gets to help the people around her. Perhaps, the person that greatly influenced Tita Aids’s passion for reflexology was her grandmother, who also used to massage people in their area. She said her grandmother taught her the basics and was also her very first patient. Tita Aids has come a long way since then. Her patients come back for relief and even bring back family and friends for treatment. Their number even managed to

increase over time. “When someone is cured, he accompanies another patient. [’Pag gumaling, magdadala ng bagong pasyente],” Tita Aids said. When asked if she ever experienced difficulties, especially physically, in performing reflexology due to her age, she said surprisingly, not yet. “Wala. Ano bang klaseng kamay ito? Parang wala naman siyang nararammdaman,” she answered. She added that if not for her regular patients, she probably would not do any more treatments. “Parang ginagawa ko na lang para sa pasyente talaga,” she said. “Kung ako lang, ayaw ko na. Kaso lang, mayroon sa kanila ang nanggagaling pa sa malayong lugar. Nakokonsensiya ako sa gastos nila sa gasolina. Nage-effort sila just to meet me.” Tita Aids’s reflexology clinic is located at a subdivision in Bacoor, Cavite.

Centenarians in Gen. Santos City get additional cash incentives

DRIED MILKFISH

Lola Marta is busy sorting the dried milkfish she sells at the Angeles City, Pampanga, public market. Her signature dried bangus is sweet because she marinates it with brown sugar. LAILA AUSTRIA

ENERAL SANTOS CITY— Centenarians in South Cotabato province are set to receive an additional one-time cash incentive of P20,000 and monthly financial assistance from the provincial government. William Lebanan, provincial focal person for senior citizens, said on August 16 the move is in line with the local government’s full implementation of the Provincial Centenarian Ordinance passed by the Sanguniang Panlalawigan or provincial board last year. He added South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes signed in June the measure’s implementing rules and regulations. Lebanan said the ordinance provides senior citizens 100 years old and older will receive cash incentives of P20,000 each. Living centenarians will also get a monthly financial assistance of P2,000 from the local government, he added. These incentives are on top of the P100,000 cash incentive allotted by the national government for centenarians. “Those who reach the age of 100

this year or were alive during the passing of the ordinance in 2016 will receive the incentive,” he said. But he added those who did not reach the minimum age requirement of 100 and died before the law was passed and signed will not receive the incentive. Lebanan said the local government is currently conducting a profiling and counterchecking of centenarians within the province’s 10 towns and its lone city to facilitate its proper rollout. Citing their records, he added a total of 37 senior citizens in the province had been documented to have reached 100 years old and above. He said 10 are already deceased, while the status of the 27 others are still being validated by their office. “To avail [themselves] of the incentives, only those authorized by the beneficiaries or their next of kin will be allowed to make claims on their behalf,” Lebanan said. He added the local government has initially set the release of the cash incentives on the last week of September during the celebration of the National Centenarian Week. PNA

Growing older without getting Housing market’s new dominant richer: A reality in Latin America force: Baby boomers who won’t sell

ATIN A mer ica, a reg ion maligned by recent crises that nonetheless boasts of a $4.6-trillion economy, needs urgent policy shifts to bring growth rates back to where they were during years of high commodity prices. Time is running out because its demographic advantage—when active workers outnumber retirees—will peak in 2020, a report from the Inter-American Development Bank said. T h i s le ave s go ve r n me nt s squeezed on both sides—forced to cover swelling costs of social security and health care for the elderly, while the working-age population becomes proportionally smaller. Even if new policies were adopted today, it would still take years to build out the needed infrastructure, and at least a generation to educate the labor force. The urgency of that policy shift was easier to ignore during the commodities bonanza. In those years, exports of soy, iron and oil, largely to feed the voracious appetite of a rising China, pushed Latin American growth to more than double the developed-economy average. One of the region’s problems

is that since the global financial crisis, it has relied on private consumption and government spending to grow, the United Nation’s Latin America and the Caribbean economic commission said in an August report. Private investment, which is needed to sustain long-term growth, has consistently lagged that of other emerging market countries. The challenge of luring investment largely explains why Brazil has struggled this year to come free from its worst-ever recession, and why Argentina’s bounce back from contraction will be smaller than the government originally hoped. “We don’t invest enough, don’t save enough, don’t trade enough, don’t educate enough. What do you expect? You’re not going to grow enough,’’ said Alberto Ramos, Goldman Sachs’s chief Latin America economist. “It’s not an economic puzzle, we know what needs to be done, but I’m not optimistic it will be done. If it isn’t, the region will continue to lose decade after decade, and continue to fall behind.” The International Monetary Fund is also sounding the alarm. Latin America’s per-capita growth

will average 1.6 percent in the medium term, the same rate recorded in the past quarter century, and well below the 2.6-percent growth estimated for developing countries in general, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a July report, titled “Back on Cruise Control, but Stuck in Low-Gear”. “Prospects for strong longterm growth in Latin America look dimmer now than they did a few years ago at the height of the commodity price boom,” Alejandro Werner, the IMF’s Western Hemisphere director, wrote in the report. “Worryingly, these growth rates are essentially equal to that of advanced economies.’’ Shelly Shetty, head of Latin America sovereigns for Fitch Ratings, said the region’s low growth also stems from difficult business environments in some countries, limited trade openness, lagging productivity improvement and general delays in structural reforms. The good news, she added, is that nations have achieved progress on macroeconomic stability and now, finally, some countries have begun to heed the wake-up call. Bloomberg News

AKE Yanoviak is hunting for houses. On a weekday afternoon in North Philadelphia, the 23-year-old painter cruises along on his bike, its black paint obscured under stickers from breweries and rock bands. He turns onto a side street, where he spots a few elderly neighbors, standing on adjoining porches. He parks, leans on one handlebar and makes his pitch. “Anybody on the block considering selling?” Yanoviak asks gently. “I’m not a developer, I’m not interested in renting to students. I’m just a kid trying to buy a house, fix it up and live in it.” “We’re not going no place,” replied a 70-something woman, relaxing in fuzzy white pig slippers in the row house where she’s lived twice as long as Yanoviak has been alive. “All these houses are taken.” Like much of his generation, Yanoviak is desperate to get a piece of an increasingly scarce commodity: prime American real estate. Millennials are finding themselves out in the cold because building has slowed, and longerliving baby boomers are staying put, setting up a simmering con-

flict between the two biggest generations in US history. To succeed, buyers and realestate brokers must show uncommon persistence and, at times, diplomacy. Yanoviak has tried sheriff ’s sales, lost two bidding wars, ridden miles on potholed streets and left notes in mailboxes, all to no avail. People 55 and older own 53 percent of US owner-occupied houses, the biggest share since the government started collecting data in 1900, according to real-estate web site Trulia. That’s up from 43 percent a decade ago. Those ages 18 to 34 possess just 11 percent. When they were that age, baby boomers had homes at almost twice that level. Public policy contributes to the generational standoff. Propertytax exemptions for longtime residents keep older Americans from moving. Zoning rules make it harder to build affordable apartments attractive to senior citizens. “The system is gridlocked,” said Dowell Myers, a professor of Urban Planning and Demography at the University of Southern California. “The seniors aren’t turn-

ing over homes as fast as they used to, so there are very few existing homes coming online. To turn it over, they’ll have to have a landing place.” In Lexington, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb, broker Dani Fleming offers pizza and refreshments to entice the mostly elderly homeowners to attend seller seminars on “how to unlock the potential of your home”. In Alameda, California, east of San Francisco, 38-year-old Angela Hockabout, her husband and their two children live with her 76-year-old mother-in-law, who is holding onto the home because the real-estate taxes are very low. Under the almost-40-year-old ballot measure Proposition 13, they are tied to the property’s value when the house was purchased in the 1970s. In Omaha, Nebraska, Bill and Peg Swanson, a couple in their late 60s, said they might move if they could find affordable single-family homes aimed at seniors nearby. Still, like many from their generation, they like aging in place, tending their garden of green peppers, kale and tomatoes. Bloomberg News

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Saturday, August 26, 2017

I.T. expert: Support young innovators A Story and photo by Rizal Raoul Reyes @brownindio

handful of companies in the Philippines are investing in technology-centric activities.

How to apply?

Fill out the online application form. Multiple rounds of review will then assess the start-up team and its technology, growth potential, investment readiness and ability to build quickly and scale.

When is the application deadline?

Application is on a rolling basis; ergo, no set application deadline. As long as the Incubator has enough space to take in another start-up, it will.

How is the AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator different?

It carries with it a rich abundance of experience and success in investing, starting and growing start-ups. Chief adviser Dado Banatao is a serial entrepreneur of and investor in a number of start-ups in the Philippines and the US. Additionally, given the joint partnership and leadership of the Asian Institute of Management, Department of Science and Technology and PhilDev Foundation, the AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator promises access to a wealth of practical knowledge and expertise.

Who can apply?

Teams and founders with strong technical and business backgrounds, irrespective of alma mater, that meet the basic qualifications.

Is there a maximum number of team members? Diosdado Banatao, a Silicon Valley, California-based entrepreneur, and Asian Institute of Management (AIM) President and Dean Jikyeong Kang speak during the launch on August 10 of the AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator program.

These activities lure young Filipinos and must be given more support, according to Diosdado Banatao, a Silicon Valley, California-based entrepreneur. “People in the Philippines prefer to invest in real estate and retail sector. A change of mindset is needed among investors to support technological activities,” Banatao said. “It is contrast to the environment in Silicon Valley where the risk taking is high. There are many funds available even for a simple idea.” Banatao pointed out that innovation plays an important role in promoting inclusive growth in the country. By pursuing their innovation, the young start-up proponent can be the future entrepreneurs of the country. “This is why entrepreneurship is the best example of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor,” Banatao said. “Beyond these teachings of inclusive innovation in classrooms, the next stage in building a successful

start-up is for the team to be formally formed and move to a space where they can begin to write up a business plan, look for funding and, if successful, begin to design the product in a suitable space similar to a university laboratory.”

Help

BANATAO added young entrepreneurs will need a lot of help from funders, experts and other sectors to succeed. To become a formidable force in the digital economy, Banatao said start-ups have to focus on developing applications based on artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and data analytics. He also stressed that reaching out to the needs of the market is s very important to achieve success. Furthermore, Banatao stressed the start-ups in the program must have a global perspective. “When we talk about markets, we are not shy as Filipinos,” he explained. “We are looking at

The private office space per incubated start-up can comfortably accommodate up to six members. Should the start-up need to house more than six, they are strongly advised to find ways around the space constraints.

the global market.” Ba nat ao, c ha ir ma n of t he PhilDev Foundation Inc., is collaborating with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to give startups in the Philippines an incubator program. The goal is to accelerate the development of start-ups and open up more local opportunities for young entrepreneurs. The program received a P14.8million grant in initial funding under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) incubator creation program.

Catalyst

AIM President and Dean Jikyeong Kang said start-ups must be provided with the all support needed to become a catalyst in the economy. “Start-ups belong to the biggest drivers of the Philippine economy, micro enterprises and small businesses. Of the 99.6 percent of local companies that make up the backbone of the local economy, a

mere fraction of a percent belongs to medium enterprises. The bulk belongs to enterprises with less than 10 employees,” Kang said, As crucial drivers of the Philippine economy, Kang added startups have such huge potential. Although they are small, she pointed out they are agile, and can pivot quickly in response to a fickle, demanding market. With this capability, Kang said Start-ups are always ready to deploy technology in a swift manner simply because resources, both human and capital, are limited; and members can easily benefit from mentoring because they can instantly apply what they learn without wrestling with the bureaucracy of a large organization.

Investment

KANG said the participation of Banatao will definitely give a huge boost to the incubator program because of his wide expertise and connection with the leading per-

When young Chinese ask your sign, they don’t mean dragon or rat

EIJING, China, the birthplace of the Chinese zodiac and some of the world’s oldest and most sophisticated fortunetelling techniques, has a new obsession: Western astrology. What remains a largely niche interest in the West has in recent years become a mainstream cultural trend in China, especially among the younger generation. At dinner tables and in coffee shops, friends and strangers trade the latest gossip and tidbits about their astrological profiles. Online, social-media accounts with millions of fans dispense weekly horoscope forecasts. On dating web sites, users list their zodiac signs alongside other basic information, like age, salary and car and homeownership status. Starting in the 1990s, Western astrology began to seep into China, mostly through variety shows from Taiwan, which caught the astrology bug early on. After the spread of the Internet, a seed of interest soon blossomed into a torrid love affair. While concepts like the traditional Chinese zodiac are still relevant, they are often dismissed by millennials here as “the older generation’s pastime”. Western astrology, on the other hand, is seen as more fun.

New and exotic

MUCH as some Westerners have embraced Eastern practices, like Buddhism, young Chinese are gravitating toward Western astrology because they say it is new and exotic. “People don’t get as excited about traditional culture because it’s too familiar,” said Liu Hongchen, an astrologer known as Eskey among his more than 9 million followers on Weibo, a popular microblogging site. “The younger generation likes Western culture more, and the interest in Western astrology is a perfect example of this.” More and more Chinese are consulting the ancient practice for celestial guidance on all kinds of major life decisions: relationship

advice, making friends, having babies, even hiring employees. Que Gangjian, a manager at a car-sales company in the southern Chinese city of Changzhou, said that true to his nature as a Pisces, he was better at handling the softer side of the business. So when it came time to recruit a sales representative, Que considered what skills would be best suited to the demanding job and would complement his own. After listing the mandatory requirements a hardworking attitude, a driver’s license and a quick tongue Que inserted another line into the online job posting: “Scorpios, Capricorns and Geminis preferred.” “People who fall under these three signs tend to be more persistent they don’t give up as easily,” Que said in a telephone interview. “So, really, this is just to save time and make the hiring process more efficient.”

Zodiac discrimination

IT is not the only instance of what has become known in China as “zodiac discrimination”. A recent survey showed that 4.3 percent of college graduates looking for jobs in China had experienced discrimination based on their Western or Chinese zodiac sign. On Baidu Baike, the Chinese version of Wikipedia, there is even an entry for the term xingzuo zhaopin, or job recruitment based on Western zodiac signs. Of the 12 horoscope signs, Virgos, or those born between August 23 and September 22, have an especially rough time. Described as perfectionists, Virgos and Virgo men, in particular, are considered to be constantly on the defensive. While the criticism is mostly tongue in cheek, the sign has become so tarnished that some Chinese employers go out of their way to emphasize in job postings that, yes, Virgos are welcome to apply, too. The derision has prompted much introspection among Virgos. “Sometimes, I think about whether my personality has been shaped by the stereo-

type,” said Yan Rubin, 35, a Virgo and an electronics engineer in the northern Chinese city of Xi’an. “I wouldn’t say it’s discrimination, necessarily, but I guess we’re just different from the other signs.”

Divination techniques

HU Xiaofei, like many of her friends, had a strong aversion to Virgos until she discovered that her boyfriend’s birthday fell within the ill-fated range. “Well, he wasn’t a true Virgo,” said Hu, 28, a Taurus who works in public relations in Shanghai. “His mom changed his birthday when he was younger so he could make the age cutoff for school.” In any case, Hu said she did not take horoscopes that seriously. “It’s just something to read every day when I’m bored on the subway,” she said, adding that they certainly did not influence her life decisions. Well, that is, with one exception. “Oh, I would never date a Cancer,” Hu said adamantly. “They might be good family men, but most of the Cancer guys I know dabble outside their marriage. It’s really bad.” Over the centuries, China developed a set of sophisticated divination techniques for use within and outside the imperial court.

Growing thirst

TODAY, many Chinese still consult fate-calculating practices, like bazi, which determines a person’s fortune based on birth year, month, date and hour. And the traditional Chinese zodiac, which features 12 animals representing 12 years, is so widely referenced that in 2014, several provinces reported a spike in births among young couples hoping to have their babies in the last weeks of the auspicious Year of the Horse to avoid the less favorable Year of the Sheep. China is, of course, not the only place where interest in the occult thrives. A survey by the National Science Foundation, published

in 2014, found that, in recent years, the number of Americans who said they believed that astrology was “sort of scientific” or “very scientific” was on the rise. The difference in China is the visibility of the phenomenon. Unlike in America, there is little embarrassment about believing in Western astrology. Determining your fortune based on the interaction between the sun, the stars and the planets is just what Chinese have been doing for hundreds of years. At the root of Western astrology’s popularity, some astrologers say, is a growing thirst for spiritual guidance. “In America, you have religion,” said Panda Cao, a Chinese astrologer based in Washington. “But in China, most people don’t have a defined belief system. They don’t have a godlike figure to help them find a solution or guide them in a certain direction. So Western astrology helps fill that gap.”

Pseudoscience

Never mind all the skeptics who say astrology is a pseudoscience. “Didn’t Reagan like astrology?” Cao asked, referring to Nancy Reagan, the former first lady who is said to have kept an astrologer on retainer while her husband, President Ronald Reagan, was in the White House. “So I don’t think you can say that it’s completely false.” For some astrologers, the growing obsession has translated into big business. Cai Yuedong, also known as Tongdao Dashu, shot to online fame in recent years with his satirical zodiac-themed cartoons. Last December Meisheng Culture, a local investment firm, spent $32 million to acquire a 72.5-percent stake in Tongdao Dashu’s company. There are now plans to spin off the popular social-media account, which has over 12 million fans on Weibo and many more on Tencent’s messaging app WeChat, into a sprawling zodiac-themed franchise. New York Times News Service

What start-ups get

• World-class mentorship from serial entrepreneurs, top executives, industry experts, including individuals with a successful track record in Silicon Valley. • Access to the global funding network of Dado Banatao, PhilDev and AIM. • Education and training calibrated to the needs of the start-up’s founders. • Resources from selected partners. • Rent-free, dedicated office space with high-speed Internet connectivity inside the AIM Campus in the heart of the Makati Central Business District. • Demo nights and exclusive networking events for business development and investments eligibility. • The incubator intends to support early-stage start-ups with deep technology, science or engineering solutions to the neglected problems of an emerging world. • Eligible start-ups will have a proven ability to build quickly, sell to customers and evolve their idea into a business that can grow. • To be accepted into the AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator Program, the startup must meet the following criteria:

n Founder: • Team of two to six members with at least one founder with rigorous science/engineering/technical expertise and one founder with market and business development expertise. • Both tech and business cofounders will work on the business full-time • Open to non-AIM students and graduates n Technology: • Early product demonstrating a strong core science, technology or engineering innovation, or vetted market need, up to a minimum viable product stage. • Open to early-stage start-ups with or without prior external funding, revenues or customer-traction n Industry: • Focus on sectors that need innovative solutions. • S&T-based solutions in communications, agriculture, health, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and so on. • Need not be limited to software; can also include hardware and businessmodel innovations. Note: The AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator program has a rolling application with no set deadline. All applicants must fill out the online application form on the AIM web site: https://aim.edu/dado-banatao-incubator. sonalities in Silicon Valley. “The incubator has a rock star in the person of Dado [Banatao].” Banatao founded several Silicon Valley firms including Chips & Technologies, S3 Graphics, SiRF, Marvell and Inphi. But while has made major investments in the United States—Cyras Systems, Stream Machine, Wilocity, he has yet to invest in the Philippines. Aside from providing qualified start-ups rent-free working space, Kang added AIM will be generous in offering the partici-

pants a mentoring program and the expertise of its faculty and alumni. “Although we will not charge start-ups, we want them to be passionate and committed to the program,” Kang said “We do this in hopes of encouraging more angels and VC [venture-capital] funds to invest, as well as lowering the assumptionto-knowledge ratio of start-ups in the Incubator as painlessly as possible. As a management institute, AIM can do no less,” Kang concluded.

Of bugs and lizards Vernon Velasco

MILLENNIAL UNIVERSE

OUNTING how many insects died at my hands—ants, bugs and caterpillars, among them—I may have been an infamous assassin in their world. Some of them I would hit with slippers. The last thing some knew that they’re dead. I imagine a couple of caterpillars on their breakfast date: “The leaves taste good in here,” one of them would say, whereupon my finger would show up like a prop in a play and flick the poor thing off the surface instantaneously so that the other caterpillar would wonder where in the world did her boyfriend go. Before the caterpillar comes to her senses I would retreat a little, and see that she’s befuddled, briskly running away to tell her friends of her lover’s mysterious disappearance. Ants are a different matter. I have been fascinated with ants since grade school when a teacher or two sat us down and taught us a lesson about teamwork. Not that bugs are necessarily an integral part of the lesson plan but, owing to a wealth of comic strips and story books we grew up reading and television shows that anthropomorphize them (Hiraya Manawari, Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang), they are a universal symbol of virtue. The moral lesson of every story there being that we should all be like ants: industrious, united. We were taught that with teamwork, ants can overcome whatever challenge is coming their way. With this in mind, I would, as a matter of habit, kidnap a member from a random colony and pretend it were a star of a reality show, a cross between Survivor and Big Brother, with me playing, well, the titular Big Brother. The challenge is to survive isolated from the colony in a harsh living condition I would orchestrate in “x” number of days. Of all the ants I’ve tried, my favorite is

the one I named Sam, whom I caught with a group that tried to steal a part of my hotdog sandwich. As a first challenge (and also quite sort of a punishment), I situated Sam on a fragile small paper boat and marooned him on the tub. I let him there for hours on end, manipulating his life by disturbing the water by removing the clog on and off again to create a giant whirlpool. Scared, Sam briskly darted from end to end. One moment he was feasting upon a hotdog sandwich with his friends, The next thing he knew is that he didn’t know how he ended up alone on a paper boat reeling in the tub to begin with. The boat capsized, and, before the tub was drained of water and Sam disappeared into the abyss, I stuck a stick into the water to which he could climb to reach a safe place. After surviving the whirlpool challenge and other such trials with equal intensity (running while dodging a falling jackstone, putting him atop a rotating disc on an open CD player, pitting him against a centipede), I let Sam go. I don’t know whether his adventures are something you could put in a book or adapted in a motion picture, but one can learn a lesson from Sam, the moral of the story being “do not steal a hotdog sandwich”. It was when I stumbled upon minuscule eggs tucked safely within the clothes in my drawer that I discovered I also have a thing with lizards. These eggs I propped in my slingshot and hurled against the wall. The contents would blot the surface like body fluid and, as if lizards could smell misfortune, later you’d see what my brothers and I surmised to be their “Mama Lizard” seemingly wailing over her dead children. Vernon Velasco is connected with the advertising department of the BusinessMirror. The views Velasco expressed in this column do not necessarily ref lect those of the BusinessMirror’s.

BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, August 26, 2017

FORMER C.I.A. AGENT WANTS TO BUY TWITTER TO KICK TRUMP OFF WASHINGTON—Former undercover Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Valerie Plame Wilson is looking to crowdfund enough money to buy Twitter so President Donald J. Trump can’t use it. Wilson launched the fundraiser last week, tweeting: “If @Twitter executives won’t shut down Trump’s violence and hate, then it’s up to us. #BuyTwitter #BanTrump”. The GoFundMe page for the fund-raiser says Trump’s tweets “damage the country and put people in harm’s way”. As of Wednesday morning, she had raised less than $6,000 of her $1-billion goal. In an e-mailed statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the low total shows that the American people like the Republican president’s use of Twitter. “Her ridiculous attempt to shut down his first amendment is the only clear violation and expression of hate and intolerance in this equation,” the statement read. Wilson wrote on the fund-raiser’s GoFundMe page that she hopes to raise enough money to buy a controlling interest of Twitter stock. If she doesn’t have enough to purchase a majority of shares, she said, she will explore options to buy “a significant stake” and champion the proposal at Twitter’s annual shareholder meeting. If Plame were to hit her $1-billion goal, she’d still fall far short of gaining a controlling interest in the company. As of Wednesday, a majority stake would cost roughly $6 billion. But, a $1-billion stake would make her Twitter’s largest shareholder and give her a very strong position to exert influence on the company. Twitter declined to comment on Wednesday on Wilson’s tweet about seeking to buy the San Francisco-based company. Wilson’s identity as a CIA operative was leaked by an official in President George W. Bush’s administration in 2003 in an effort to discredit her husband, Joe Wilson, a former diplomat who criticized Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. She left the agency in 2005. AP

CONNECTING SHOPPERS AND RETAILERS ONLINE

HUNTING for the perfect gift can take time, so Google is helping streamline the process for Philippine shoppers. Today Google rolled out Shopping Ads in the Philippines—image-based ads that help shoppers find the products they’re searching for and quickly connect with the merchants who sell those products. You’ll see them alongside your Google Search results. So, if you’re searching for lunch boxes, shoes or backpacks, you can find exactly the one you’re looking for—and easily connect with a retailer who sells it. Businesses can use Google Shopping campaigns to promote the products they’re selling, boost traffic to their web site or local store, and find better-qualified leads by putting product images, prices and business name in front of people searching on Google. Like search ads, merchants only pay when people click through to their web site. Instead of targeting based on keywords, however, these ads are targeted based on the product data provided. Now that’s one more way to make shopping even more convenient.

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Seniors and the Internet PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

EACHING a senior citizen how to use a smartphone and a tablet requires a lot of patience. Helping them navigate the Internet is a different story. You’d need to be a saint to do it. Difficult and annoying as it may be to teach our mothers and grandmothers to be tech-savvy, remember that it’s even more challenging for them. Imagine that you’re 70 years old, with poor eyesight and no experience using a computer. Then, your daughter tells you to click the Home button. We’ll all be old someday too, so think about that the next time you’re impatient when an old person asks you for technical advice. It was my best friend who first taught me how to use a computer and surf the Internet. I remember her telling me, “Just click on that hand using your mouse.” The hand she was referring to was the small one that appeared whenever I held the mouse in my hands. That small tip was a big help and I never forgot it. It made surfing less daunting. But that opened a whole new world for me. I remember how fascinated I was. Imagine how it

would be to a bored senior citizen whose only hobby is watching TV and taking care of plants. Imagine the hours and hours of fun he or she would have with a smartphone or tablet and the Internet. My mother uses Facebook to connect with old friends and former classmates. She chats with her nieces, nephews, cousins and grandchildren on Facebook Messenger. She is a member of Facebook gardening and bonsai groups. She once tried to buy a dining table via Facebook, but it wasn’t successful. She keeps track of her favorite celebrities’ activities on Instagram. She’s been attempting to get into Twitter, but we don’t want her there. My mom is very outspoken. I’m already imagining what she’d say there if she had account. The Internet has kept her occupied when I’m working and my daughter is in school. In the beginning, we had a problem because she used her tablet for long periods of time and this made her eyes dry (Note: My mom has had cataract surgery). But given the happiness and entertainment being on the Internet has brought her, it was a minor trade off. So if there’s a senior citizen who you’d want to teach how to use a smartphone and explore the Internet, here are some tips: ■ From experience, don’t try to do this if you are 35 years old and above. Why? Because you’re probably more impatient than someone who is younger. It’s better to assign the task to someone younger and willing to spare an hour or two teaching a lolo or lola. ■ From our own experience, it’s always better to start with an Apple gadget (iPhone or iPad) because it’s simple and easy to use. My mother began her Internet journey with an Android tablet, but it became easier

LG Q6 lands in the Philippines GLOBAL consumer electronics brand LG Electronics’s (LG) newest smartphone featuring the proprietary Full Vision display is now available in the Philippines. The LG Q6 meets the needs and expectations of discerning millennial customers worldwide. The Q6 is the first model in the company’s new Q series of smartphones and was designed for consumers who want a mobile device that offers the technology of LG’s flagship smartphones at an exceptional price that discerning millennials can appreciate. The Q6 shares DNA with the awardwinning G6—the first smartphone to offer LG’s FullVision display. With the display, LG is able to offer a large screen in a phone that can still be used comfortably with one hand, making it convenient for Filipino users. The LG Q6 has a unique 5.5-inch FHD+ Full Vision display, which not only offers maximum space but also allows easy multitasking, since the screen can be divided into two perfectly square windows that are viewable either vertically or horizontally. The front camera doesn’t just take great selfies—you can unlock your phone with a smile using its Face Recognition feature. Just simply lift your phone and smile—it automatically wakes your phone. No need to tap nor slide your finger across the screen. The

Square Camera Mode enables the merging of two images into one and the creation of square grid collages—a popular feature among socialmedia users and fans. The LG Q6’s metal frame is constructed of 7000 series aluminum, a strong alloy commonly used in the aerospace and marine industries, with rounded corners to dissipate impact energy when dropped, so it is surely durable and can withstand many every-day stresses. The LG Q6 was designed with MIL-STD 810G in mind, a standard that tests and measures devices for their reaction to temperature extremes, rain, humidity, sand and dust to determine their suitability for use by the US military. The battery was subjected to an extraharsh testing process, even more demanding than international standards. And to disperse heat most effectively, a thermal pad-cooling system is incorporated in the interior, and key components are placed far from one another to minimize internal heating. “We designed the Q series based on extensive research into what millennials want from their smartphones,” said Jun Yong Won, vice president of LG Philippines Mobile (www.lg.com/ph). “The LG Q6 delivers the key features of our flagship smartphones at an exceptional price that will appeal to young consumers the world over.”

when she got an iPhone. ■ Create an e-mail address and social-media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for him or her. Write down all the passwords. ■ Teach him or her about the nuances of social media. For example, I know a mother who wrote a message on her daughter’s Facebook wall, saying, “Why don’t you want to attend Tita Patty’s party on Saturday? Just ignore her when she asks why you’re not married yet.” To avoid incidents like this, be sure to tell him or her what to avoid. ■ Even when the tutorial is done and the senior citizen is all set, be ready to be a 24-hour hotline. You or whoever is the designated teacher will need to answer questions and do some troubleshooting. Be prepared for the most disconcerting situations, like him or her deleting apps, phone numbers and photos. Or even him or her sending the strangest messages (think covfefe levels) to the unlikeliest people. For instance, my friend’s dad texted someone, “Ang laki ng suso niya [Her breasts are huge].” He actually meant, “Ang laki ng problema niya [She has a big problem].” ■ Think of it as akin to teaching a child how to use the Internet. Remember that cyber bullies spare no one, so warn the senior citizen about the dangers of the Internet in the same way that you would warn a child. ■ A senior citizen is no different from you and me. Most of them also go for nice phone cases and accessories. Don’t assume that just because they’re old, it’s okay if their phones are plain and not accessorized. I remember standing in line at an Apple store years ago. Behind me was a man around 65 years old. He said he was sneaking off to buy expensive phone cases because his wife would get mad. ■

BusinessMirror

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CITI LAUNCHES APP-BASED MOBILE LOGIN SOLUTION FOR CORPORATE CLIENTS

CITI has launched MobilePASS, a new digital solution that eliminates the need for corporate users to carry physical tokens for logins. MobilePASS is an app-based soft token that enables users to leverage their own smartphones to generate dynamic passcodes without any network connectivity to log into Citi’s award-winning range of institutional e-banking platforms, including CitiDirect BE, CitiDirect BEMobile and CitiDirect BE Tablet. Traditionally, corporate users were required to carry a physical-hardware token to generate login passcodes, which act as secure authentication to access their accounts and transactions on CitiDirect BE. A separate physical token is no longer necessary with MobilePASS, which is available on all smartphones. The feature combines faster logins and strong security to provide a more convenient omni-channel institutional banking experience. Keng-Mun Lee, Asia Pacific head of Channel and Enterprise Services, Treasury and Trade Solutions, said, “This solution is an important part of our continuous effort led by Citi Innovation Lab to bring the best-in-class digitized experience to our clients. MobilePASS is easy to use and improves the login experience for users of all levels within the organization—from CFOs who need to view transaction analytics, to corporate treasurers who approve transactions on the go, to personnel who need to connect from the office or work from home. In addition, it enhances the security of their login process, while complying with applicable local regulatory requirements.” Accessing MobilePASS is fast and easy—existing or new CitiDirect BE users can download the app on their smartphone from the Apple App, Blackberry World, Google Play and Windows Stores. Users can also employ additional mobile device-security features, such as PIN, swipe and fingerprint ID, to further secure MobilePASS on their smartphones. Citi was the first global bank to launch a soft-token smartphone solution to its multinational corporate clients across 80-plus countries globally. It was launched to Citi’s clients in the Philippines last year.

HUAWEI RISES TO 83RD SPOT IN LATEST FORTUNE 500 LIST

A GLOBAL player in technology, Huawei has reportedly climbed up to the 83rd place in the 2017 Fortune 500 list from its previous rank of 129 last year. With a revenue of $78.51 billion, the tech giant has made the top global 100 for the first time in its history, and has successfully become one of the biggest movers in the rankings along with other major players in tech, such as Microsoft, Facebook and Netflix.Known as the “ultimate list”, the Fortune 500 is considered the most prestigious ranking of some of the biggest companies in the world according to revenue and profit, with focus on size and scale of these corporate entities. The list has become an important indicator that renowned companies use to measure their own strengths, size and international competitiveness, a parameter of global economy that transcends beyond borders, nationality and cultural differences. Huawei’s brand value has also been recognized by multiple authoritative agencies, and selected for several prestigious brand-value lists of the world, such as Forbes Magazine’s World’s Most Valuable Brand List released in 2017. Further, it ranked No. 49 in the 2017 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list, and climbed seven places from last year to No. 40 in the Brand Finance 2017 Global 500 list of the top most valuable brands in the world. As one of Huawei’s three business groups, the Consumer Business Group (Huawei CBG) is committed to making the best in consumer-centric innovations possible, and becoming a signature culture and technology brand popular among consumers worldwide. According to market research statistics from widely acknowledged agencies, such as IDC, SA and Trendforce, the company ranked third in terms of market share in the global smartphone market in Q1 2017, and first in China. Its flagship P series and Mate series have won the hearts of many consumers, building a solid foundation for the tech giant to increase its impact from the medium to the high ends of every market.

Saturday, August 26, 2017 A11

Survey shows security concerns highest in PHL S

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor

ECURITY issues are growing in emerging markets, mostly the Philippines, while highly developed nations are beginning to feel susceptible since digital economy is now a reality worldwide, according to a study conducted by global information-technology (IT) firm Unisys. Based on the results of the 2017 Unisys Security Index involving 13 countries, the overall score of the Philippines is 243 on a scale of 0 to 300, which is considered “a serious level of concern”. This is 70 points or 40 percent higher than the global average. Filipino consumers recorded the highest level of concern, particularly on areas of identity theft and natural disaster. There is, likewise, unease about datasecurity threats. “Consumers are concerned about the issues that are most likely to impact them personally,” said Unisys Director of Border and National Security Programs John Kendall during their recent news briefing in Makati City. As per the survey, 93 percent of the Philippine population are concerned about unauthorized access to, or misuse of, personal information. Apprehension about the risks on their personal information is also apparent, with 89 percent of Filipinos are concerned about other people obtaining or using their credit-/ debit-card details, and 88 percent worried on computer and Internet security incidents related to viruses, unsolicited e-mail or hacking. “Approximately, nine in 10 Filipinos are seriously concerned about identity theft, credit-/debit-card fraud and computer security, reflecting the very real threat that their personal details may be stolen and sold on the dark web—highlighted by last year’s breach of the Philippine voter-registry database,” he explained. It can be recalled that prior to the May 9 national polls last year, the Commission on Election’s portal was hacked, jeopardizing the personal data of millions of voters. Interestingly, the Philippines is the only country where natural disasters ranked in the top 2 concerns, with 93 percent of Filipinos concerned about catastrophes, such as epidemics, floods, typhoons and earthquakes. “With the more than 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines located on the ‘ring of fire’, earthquakes and typhoons are a common occurrence—generating not only the physical threat of the events themselves, but also the flow-on impact to the economy and daily living,” the top executive said.

Addressing the top concerns of Filipinos WITH the people’s high concern on their personal information being at risk to be stolen by criminals lurking on the web for their gains, Kendall suggested that organizations which collect and utilize local consumer data must prove they use robust cyberresiliency frameworks to secure them from both malicious and accidental breach threats. “Identity is fundamental to addressing these issues,” he said. “Anchoring our identity with secure multifactor authentication [including biometrics] provides a strong deterrent to unauthorized people accessing personal information, finances and the IT systems we all depend upon.” With regards the natural disasters that continue to worry the Filipinos, the director of border and national-security programs of Unisys recommended the clever use of digital technology can help address this.

By way of “smart cities” strategies featuring intelligent and interconnected infrastructure, he said that they can be of help to automatically detect, predict and handle responses well to better protect citizens and reduce impacts. The national government has been taking proactive action to prepare the country and its people from any security threats. Last December 2016 the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) formally kicked off the National Cybersecurity Plan 2022, targeting to make critical infrastructures trusted and secure, government information environment safe, individuals aware and protected, and business and supply chains more guarded. “While the benefits of ICT adoption are expanding, the risks and dangers associated with Internet usage are also rapidly increasing. We must take proactive action to protect our nation’s critical information infrastructure so that Filipinos can enjoy the new services and innovations available via in our increasingly internet-connected world, without putting themselves at risk,” said Engr. Allan Cabanlong, assistant secretary for cyber security and enabling technologies at the DICT.

Cautious sharing of data WHILE Filipinos are open to disclose their own details, according to the study, they are selective and cautious enough about their safety and the extent of benefits they could get from doing so. Among other ways, the research found out that the Philippine public is willing to share personal data with organizations through data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), where devices can share information with other tools or systems via the Internet. It’s noted, however, that they want control over when they share their information. To wit, the majority, or 94 percent, of Filipinos support using a button on their smartphones or smartwatches to alert the police to their location during emergencies. On the contrary, only 42 percent agree with the police being able to monitor fitness tracker location data at any time. Medical equipment, like pace makers or blood sugar sensors, that automatically transmit important changes to a patient’s doctor are approved by 84 percent of local respondents to the survey. But only 54 percent are okay with health insurers tracking fitness-monitor data to determine premiums or even reward healthy behavior. The main reason of Filipinos for not divulging data with organizations via IoT devices is that they don’t want them to have their data, or they find it not compelling to do so. Only half support using an app on their smartwatches or smartphones to make payments, citing concern about data security as the top reason for not supporting this. Nevertheless, 79 percent said yes to fingerprint scans to control who can access data on their smartwatch, and 71 percent support fingerprint scans to authorize payments by their smartwatch suggesting that this may be a way to overcome data-security concerns. Filipinos strongly support IoT and data analytics as a part of border-security processes: 91 percent support police or border security staff wearing facial-recognition body cameras to identify known criminals or terrorists; and 77 percent for border-

security officers in airports using data analytics to assess the travel history of passengers to determine if they are eligible for fast-track border clearance. Nonetheless, there is low support for other government agencies accessing personal-spending data from credit-card records and insurance policies. Only 45 percent of Filipinos support the tax office using such data to verify tax returns, and even fewer, 35 percent, support welfare agencies using this data to verify claims. There is, likewise, low support for banks analyzing data collected about their clients from multiple sources to offer them targeted services and products, with only 44 percent agreeing to this. “Consumers weigh up whether there is a compelling enough reason for an organization to capture and analyze detailed information about them—balancing privacy against the benefits being offered. The findings reveal law enforcement, national security and serious medical conditions are considered acceptable justification, but others are not. Government and commercial organizations need to take this into consideration and position their services accordingly if they want Philippine consumers to take them up,” Kendall said. The Unisys Security Index gauges concerns of consumers on issues related to national, personal, financial and Internet security worldwide. For this year’s edition of the study conducted online from April 6 to 18, involving at least 1,000 individuals per country, overall concern is rising with a 19-percent increase on the index score since 2014. After the Philippines, other emerging economies completed the top 5, with Mexico (216 points), Malaysia (215 points), Brazil (189 points), and Argentina (177 points). The top 6 downward are the United States (169 points), Colombia (169 points), Australia (157 points), New Zealand (154 points), Belgium (152 points), the United Kingdom (144 points), Germany (136 points) and the Netherlands (125 points). Significant increases, as per the survey, came mostly from “mature” markets, such as Australia, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the US. “This suggests that even developed countries are starting to feel vulnerable—especially as we move to an increasingly interconnected global digital economy. Organizations have to assume they will eventually be breached and take immediate steps to minimize and contain the impact on themselves and their customers in order to gain and maintain that trust,” Kendall stressed. ■

Survey shows security concerns highest in PHL A11

BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, August 26, 2017 A12

How to be a Huawei P10/P10 Plus pro user THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

SOLENN HEUSAFF draws inspiration from the locals of Biri Island in Northern Samar for her newest art piece.

“Our mobile phones have become the greatest spy on the planet.” —JOHN MCAFEE

New ‘Scenezoned’ season takes audience on meaningful journeys GET ready for another round of adventures as Globe presents the second season of Scenezoned, an online video series featuring eight popular personalities on a meaningful journey to the Philippines’s finest. Taking them to these wondrous locations is Philippine Airlines, the official airline partner of Scenezoned. The new season will follow personal journeys of people like celebrity Solenn Heusaff, model and host Tommy Esguerra and LA Aguinaldo, who each travel to a different location in the Philippines. Each one of them takes the trip with #ThePLAN in mind: a very personal goal, like conquering a long-held fear or tracing their family roots. Each odyssey is set against the backdrop of the untamed natural beauty of their destination, like Biri Island in Northern Samar or Tacloban’s Yolanda Beach. This season, Solenn Heusaff, a Scenezoned mainstay, returns for the first episode, and #ThePLAN is to find a subject for her newest art piece. She makes her way to Biri Island and is overwhelmed by the scenic vistas, even as she meets the locals and learns more about their lives. Chris Everingham and Evan Spargo of the Philippine National Rugby Team, also called the “Volcanoes”, feature in the second episode, traveling to Tacloban to run rugby clinics for the community, with #ThePLAN to rise up and come back stronger and better. Their own journey to overcome defeat and disillusionment helps them identify with the ongoing struggle of the people of Tacloban, who themselves display great resilience as they rebuild their communities post-Supertyphoon Yolanda. In its first season, Scenezoned won accolades from the Adobo Design Awards for Film Advertising and its flagship episode, featuring Solenn’s exploration of the “World’ Most Beautiful Island”, Palawan, topped the YouTube Ad Leaderboard for the second half of 2016. In the same season, other personalities like Wil Dasovich, Alex Diaz and Katarina Rodriguez traveled the Philippines, sampling the best the country has to offer: from the hottest chili pepper in Bicol to the deepest caves in Samar to the most enchanted island of Siquijor. The series garnered praise from critics and customers alike, for its ability to captivate viewers with the beauties of the Philippines. This season, Scenezoned will present six more personalities traveling the country, each one equipped with a Samsung Galaxy S8, their personal mission, and #ThePLAN to see it through. The first and second episode of the second season are now up on YouTube. com/Globeph. New episodes will be up every two weeks, inspiring customers to go out themselves and achieve their own goals. With Globe and #ThePLAN, customers have the power to create the life they want without limitations, just like Solenn and the rest. The larger-than-life data pack that comes with ThePLAN gives them access to great entertainment from Netflix, Spotify, Pokemon GO, Viber and many more. Customers also get one free app of their choice, along with unlimited calls and texts. Get to know more about ThePLAN at www.globe. com.ph/postpaid/theplan.

VERY month I’ll be dedicating a week to give you, my readers, some tips and tricks to help you make the most of your devices— and maybe introduce you to a few hidden features and safe hacks as well. As promised, this week is for those who use Huawei phones, particularly the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus. The P10/P10 Plus is an enticing combination of simple yet stylish design, solid specs and an intuitive user interface—oh, and it’s also been judged as the best smartphone camera by the European Imaging and Sound Association for 2017-2018, thanks to its second-generation Leica-certified dual camera. I’ve been using the Huawei P10 Plus as my main phone for a couple of months, which means that it’s been subjected to a lot of use (and a little abuse) and, I tell you, it’s definitely proven to be worth its price tag. From calling it by name, quick navigation and knuckle controls, here are 10 tips to help you master the Huawei P10’s best features. ■ ENABLE APP DRAWER. For those who are a bit OC when it comes to the home screens of their phone, the new EMUI 5.1 allows you to enable the app drawer simply by clicking on Settings > Home Screen Style > Drawer. Now you can get rid of all that clutter and hide those unnecessary apps from your main screens. To personalize your home screen, press and hold down any empty space on the home screen or pinch the screen with two fingers and you can choose Home Backgrounds, widgets and transitions and change other settings, such as the layout-grid size, shake to align, etc. ■ FROM FINGERPRINT SCANNER TO NAVIGATION BUTTON. One of the most noticeable changes between the P9 and P10 is the placement of the fingerprint scanner. By moving it to the front, (where the “menu button” of other phones is located), Huawei removed a few practical features that I really liked, such as browsing through your gallery by swiping left and right, taking selfies, as well as answering calls, and turning off alarms. It’s a good thing that the new fingerprint scanner can do some other functions besides unlocking your phone. First go to Settings > Navigation Key and select Off-Screen Navigation Button. Now you can turn the fingerprint scanner into your navigation button and free up more space on your screen. To go back to a previous window or screen, simply press down (or tap) the navigation button. Press and hold the middle of the button to go back to the Home screen and slide your finger over the button from left to right (or vice versa) to access the Recent apps. It’ll seem odd at first, but give it a day or two and trust me, you’ll love the speed and simplicity of it. You can also use your previously saved fingerprints to Access the “Safe”, to protect your photos, audio, video and other files that you want to keep away from prying eyes. Go to Settings > Fingerprint ID > Access Safe and click on Activate and select “SD card/internal memory”. ■ THE (TEDIOUS) SEARCH IS OVER. To quickly find files (apps, contacts, videos, music, messages and even different types of data) all you have to do is just swipe down on the home screen, and the search bar will appear. Tap that location button and it will even show you where that app is located in your home screen. Another quick tip: to the left of the search bar is a little symbol that looks like a box with a line through it. Tap this to open a combined QR code/barcode scanner. ■ CALL OUT YOUR PHONE. Misplaced your phone again while it’s on silent mode? You can actually give your P10 a name and it will answer you back with “I’m here!” Just be sure to turn on voice command first. Go to Settings > Smart Assistance > Voice Command and choose “Voice Wakeup”. Record a name or phrase (four syllables). You can also use it call someone from your

contacts list just by saying their name. ■ KNUCKLE CONTROL. Knock twice to capture a screenshot or use your knuckles to draw around an area for a smart screenshot. You can also use it to draw and open an app in less than a second. Go to Settings > Smart Assistance > Motion Control > Knuckle Gestures. You can configure up to four apps and assign the letters C, E, M or W. Knock using two knuckles to start screen recording. ■ QUICK LAUNCHER. Need a flashlight or a calculator fast? From the lock screen, just swipe up, and you’ll have access to the voice recorder, calculator, flashlight, alarm clock and camera, as well as scroll through the different pre-installed backgrounds. ■ PHONE MANAGER. The P10 comes pre-installed with its own phone manager, so you don’t need to download any third-party app. With this you can optimize the system, lock apps with a PIN, clean the memory and cache, check available data, do a virus scan and check your battery life. If you want to see exactly how much battery you have left, go to Settings > Notification and Status Bar and turn on Battery Percentage. There’s even an option to display how fast your Internet-network speed is. ■ TWIN APPS. Avoid those social-media blunders if you are managing a couple of Facebook accounts. With App Twin you’ll be able to simultaneously manage two different WhatsApp or Facebook accounts on one device. Go to Settings > App Twin. You will find find icons for the new cloned apps with a little No. 2 on the right, just to make sure you don’t get confused. ■ CAMERA TRICKS. Go to camera and swipe from the left of the screen to access the various modes, from Photo and Monochrome to Night Shot and Slow Mo. Make sure to download extra modes, such as Good Food, Water Mark, Audio Note and Document Scan. Swipe right on the screen to go to the Camera Settings, and swipe up to switch to Pro Mode. For close-up shots, use wide aperture to give your photos that bokeh effect, but if you are shooting photos of people, the P10s unique portrait mode is a lot better. Just make sure that you focus on the subject as, unlike the wide aperture shots, you cannot change the focus after the shot. You can also use portrait mode for

selfies to give you an artistic bokeh shot as well. If the Pro Mode is a little complicated, and you’d rather stick to auto, here’s a cool tip. When focusing on a subject, instead of tapping to focus, hold down to make two separate meters appear, one for the focus and the other for the exposure. Drag them around the screen to adjust and get the right lighting and look for your picture. Finally, if you need to take a quick or stolen shot? Press the volume button down twice and the P10 will instantly take a photo in less than a second. ■ MUST-HAVE APPS. Since you’ll probably be taking a lot of photos and videos, I’ve decided to share the apps you could use to edit your pictures. While the P10 already has a fairly capable editing app, you might want to download VSCO, Snapseed or Pixlr for more advanced edits. For video, I love using Quik, Action Director and KineMaster, as well as Viva Video. Now, for fast file sharing, there’s ShareIt; and for watching videos, I suggest you go for VLC player or MX Player. That’s it for my tips on how to master the Huawei P10 or P10 Plus. I’m sure once you tried all these features, you’ll love your phone even more.

/ TECH THOUGHTS: “Smartphones are tools that fools �iddle with when they are around people that they don’t have the courage, or the intellect, to converse with.”

—MOKOKOMA MOKHONOANA

GOT questions? Or gadgets you want to be featured? Send me an e-mail at whereiseduy@gmail.com with the subject TECHNIVORE.