BusinessMirror December 20, 2018

DEPT. OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY

2018 BANTOG DATA MEDIA AWARDS CHAMPION

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Thursday, December 20, 2018 Vol. 14 No. 71

‘Safeguard duty on cement imports may stall public infra’

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By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

@alyasjah

LAPPING additional duties on cement imports to safeguard local manufacturers could lead to shortage and the eventual delay of the government’s infrastructure projects, importers argued on Wednesday.

The Philippine Cement Importers Association Inc. said there is no need for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to impose safeguard duty on cement imports. Napoleon Co, the group’s president, argued the local industry is in a good position and can withstand competition.

The “Build, Build, Build” pro-

gram, cement importers said in a statement, faces delays due to severe cement shortage. Sales of cement is now being rationed or allocated in several parts of the country, as cement manufacturing and importation cannot cope with the increased demand.

The country has seen growth in construction after President

Duterte’s election in 2016. Cement demand expanded to 28.5 million tons last year, and is expected to reach 30 million tons this year.

Cement importers added the government encouraged the importation of cement to fill in the shortage of 2.5 million tons in 2016 and almost 3 million tons last year.

Cement producers Holcim, Repub-

3M tons

The total shortage of cement in 2017, which importations had to fill lic and Apo are some of the biggest importers.

Co is dumbfounded as to why Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez initiated a motu proprio investigation on the influx of cement imports when the imports were reportedly made to fill in the supply gap.

He added the local industry can withstand the entry of imports, as it maintained robust growth in spite of the influx of its foreign counterparts. Cement manufacturers posted total sales of P109 billion and industry earnings of P14.7 billion last year, according to Co. See “Cement imports,” A2

Nov BOP at surplus of $847M

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@BcuaresmaBM

Continued on A2

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@BNicolasBM

OTAL disbursements will be reduced by P44 billion if the budget will be reenacted for the first quarter next year, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said on Wednesday.

Diokno told reporters in a Pal-

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TECHPRENEURS EYE ASIA-PACIFIC AS SAFE HAVEN AMID U.S.-CHINA TRADE TENSIONS

Taming the robots and AIs Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS

‘W

HOEVER becomes the ruler of AI will become the ruler of the world,” quipped Vladimir Putin in September 2017.

Russia is bent on intensifying efforts to master artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, 3D manufacturing and other technologies under the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR)—digital, physical and biological—to regain the eroded global power it once had during the Soviet era.

Continued on A7

PHL urges US: Take the lead in free trade

BACK HOME Miss Universe Catriona Gray mingles with fans after flying in aboard a private jet at a hangar in Pasay City on Wednesday, two days after winning the title at glittering rites in Bangkok. She is still uncertain if she will be able to spend Christmas in the Philippines, but expressed a wish to be with her Team Catriona—her fashion designer Mak Tumang, shoe designer Jojo Bragais, mentor Carlos Buendia Jr., casting director Harley Tan and stylists Ton Lao and Brent Sales. NONIE REYES

Diokno sees disbursements cut by ₧44B in Q1

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR

However, the United States remains the global leader in AI and other FIR technologies. Donald Trump and his “America First” followers are adamant in keeping vital technological breakthroughs from falling into the hands of China.

By Bianca Cuaresma

HE Philippines’s dollar earnings registered a surplus in November this year, owing largely to strong economic conditions and a stronger local currency against the US dollar.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday reported the country’s balance of payments (BOP) position for November, indicating an overall surplus of $847 million for the month.

The BOP is the summary of the country’s dollar transactions with the rest of the world; a surplus in this economic indicator means the

2017 EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS

ace briefing he expects the budget to take effect by March after its enactment by mid-February.

“We estimate that in total, a reenacted budget for the first quarter of 2019 will reduce total disbursements by an estimated 44 billion [pesos] for one quarter—if it is delayed by one quarter. However, if it’s not passed at all...on a full-year

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.9730

₧219.8 billion

Total of disbursement cuts projected for full year of 2019 if the reenacted budget is not replaced by a new GAA after the first quarter

basis it will reach 219.8 billion or 220 billion [pesos],” he added.

He noted that the Senate promised to reconvene on January 14 to finish scrutinizing the budget bill, so he estimates it will be approved before end of January. However, he said it will still have to go to the printing press for about a week.

See “Disbursements cut,” A2

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HE Philippines took a swipe at the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO), as it urged the world’s largest economy to take the lead in restoring the multilateral trading system back to order.

At Washington’s 14th trade policy review at the WTO, Manila highlighted the long-standing trade history of the two economies. It emphasized the importance of the US as one of the world’s largest exporters and importer of goods and services.

“The Philippines and the US have long-standing bilateral economic relations based on our strong historical and cultural ties. In 2017 the US became the Philippines’s third-largest trading partner and fifth major source of

foreign direct investments,” the Philippines said.

“The Philippines-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement serves as a valuable mechanism for the expansion of trade and investment flow between our two countries where regular discussions are held to strengthen the economic partnership between our two economies,” it added.

Manila noted that since the 2016 review of the US’s trade policies, the superpower has shifted to adopting rules intended to “support its national security and strengthen its economy.” These policies, it added, are in line with US President Donald J. Trump’s trade agenda focused on renegotiating trade deals, enforcing See “Free trade,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4706 n UK 66.9579 n HK 6.7751 n CHINA 7.6818 n SINGAPORE 38.6608 n AUSTRALIA 38.0346 n EU 60.2038 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.1235

Source: BSP (19 December 2018 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Thursday, December 20, 2018

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Rebels storm Agusan Army patrol base, seize 12 militiamen, 2 soldiers, firearms

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By Rene Acosta

@reneacostaBM

OME 50 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels stormed a military patrol base in Agusan del Sur on Wednesday, seized a cache of high-powered firearms and captured two soldiers and 12 militiamen, the police and military said.

The capture of the 14 government troopers is now the subject of “intense” pursuit operations, according to Maj. Gen. Ronald

Villanueva, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (ID) based in Cagayan de Oro City.

Based on the report of the

regional director of the Police Regional Office 13, the rebels swooped down on the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary Patrol Base under the Army’s 3rd Special Forces in New Tubigon, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur, at around 3 a.m.

T he report said the rebels overran the outpost and carted away some 17 M16 rif les, four M14, two M4 rif les, an M60 machinegun and a Harris handheld radio before f leeing with their captives.

A separate report from the 4th ID said the attackers belong to the NPA’s Sub-Regional Sentro de Gravidad Westland under Commander Momoy and Guerilla Front 30 under

Commander Megan.

Elements of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion are pursuing the rebels, even as the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Rhoderick Parallag, said the rebels must observe the rights of their captives. “ The abducted soldiers are protected by the provisions of the international humanitarian law or IHL, which requires the NPAs to inform their families of their capture, their status and location,” Parallag said.

“The abducted soldiers also have the right under IHL to have to [establish] contact with their [government troopers’] families or relatives,” he added.

Eva ngel ist a sa id t hey a re

investigating as to why the rebel assault was successfully carried out when the soldiers were supposed to be on highest alert level.

Both the military and the Philippine National Police have been consistently warning their troops to be wary of rebel attacks and be on alert with upcoming 50th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on December 26.

Ahead of the anniversary, the central committee of the CPP has ordered the New People’s Army to intensify its attacks against military targets.

The rebels were set to observe a cease-fire on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

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Free trade. . .

Continued from A1

US trade laws and rights, and reforming the multilateral trading system.

The US, in accomplishing this agenda, had slapped left and right tariffs on various products, especially those offensive to the interests of its rival superpower China.

“The Philippines appreciates

Turkey’s TAI/AgustaWestland ATAK helicopters to fill in the Air Force’s requirement for attack choppers under the military’s modernization program.

The Turkish helicopters will replace the 16 Bell attack helicopters from Canada, whose acquisition contract was scuttled

by President Duterte following the announcement of the Canadian government that they would have to review the deal, citing the Duterte administration’s human-rights record.

The procurement of attack helicopters was originally included in the First Horizon, the first phase of the Armed Forces Modernization Program, but was moved to the Second Horizon after the scuttling of the Bell contract.

L ore n z a n a s a id t he PA F may only acquire eight Turkish

the proposals of the US to further improve institutional processes at the WTO in the areas of improved notifications and refinements of the dispute-settlement processes, which the Philippines is reviewing and studying in a constructive spirit,” the country said.

With this, Manila urged Washington to take the lead and return to the side of free trade. It also said the superpower’s leadership is needed now more than ever,

Cement imports. . .

With this, Co concluded that an additional safeguard duty will only increase prices and aggravate the shortage. He explained it will take three years to four years to commission new plants that can fill up the requirement.

Continued from A1

Co said importers came to the government’s rescue when the shortage sprouted and wondered why they are now being threatened with safeguard duty. He claimed several cement importers have halted importation when the motu pro-

Disbursements cut. . .

Then, the Department of Budget and Management will review the General Appropriations Bill line by line and create a Statement of Difference between the version of the budget as submitted by the President and the GAB. “So, it takes about another week, and then [there’s a requirement under the law] that you need 15 days after the signing for the law to take effect. So, [we may be talking about the period around March],” he said.

This was after the budget chief and Malacañang confirmed that the President will no longer be calling for Congress to have a special session to finish the passage of the budget before year-end, as

Continued from A1

originally requested by the economic team.

“As you know, we did not wait for 30 days before we submitted the budget. We submitted on Day 1, as we did with the 2018 budget.

Unfortunately, it took the lower house four months to pass their version of what is called General Appropriations Bill. Given the limited time, the Senate deliberations and the Bicameral Conference Committee is set for next year. So now we are faced with the prospect of a reenacted budget at least for the first quarter of 2019,” he said.

He reiterated that having a reenacted budget will be “detrimental to the economic growth

Continued from A1

Elijah Felice E. Rosales

OME 25 provinces along the country’s eastern seaboard stand to benefit from the Philippines’s parametric insurance policy, which aims to provide quick liquidity in case of natural calamities, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

In a report to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said the Parametric Insurance Policy, which has a maximum cover of P20.49 billion, has already been placed on the international market.

The policy, which will enable 25 catastrophe-vulnerable provinces and the national government to act faster and respond better against natural calamities, became effective at midnight of December 19, 2018.

“With the increased market participation, we were able to achieve a tighter multiple this year compared to last year’s transaction,” de Leon said in her report to Dominguez.“[This] augurs well for our forthcoming indemnity and catastrophe bond issue.”

The 25 provinces are Albay, Aurora, Batanes, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Laguna, Leyte, Northern Samar, Pampanga, Quezon, Rizal, Sorsogon, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Zambales.

De Leon said that, in addition to the reinsurers in 2017, which include Nephila, Munich Re, Swiss Re, AXA and Hannover Re, a new set of reinsurers also provided support for the cover. They are Hiscox Re, Allianz Re Switzerland, AP3 (Tredje AP-fonden) and SCOR. The premium for the program was allocated under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund of the 2018 General Appropriations Act in the amount of P2 billion.

Under the said program, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) provides catastrophe risk-insurance coverage, particularly for the Department of Education, along with the 25 selected provinces.

The World Bank, through its International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, acts as the intermediary to transfer or cede GSIS risks to the global reinsurance market, thus minimizing risks for the government.

Its Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program provided preparation work with financial support from the UK-DFID. In turn, the BTr is the designated policyholder, representing the 25 provinces and the national government.

Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez earlier said that the program is unlike the traditional indemnity insurance that takes a long time to assess and process. The program’s quick-disbursing payouts will be based on the estimated loss triggers determined through the Philippines’s Catastrophic Risk Model developed by the finance department in 2014, as well as damage reports from the ground.

“Since the Bureau of Treasury is the policy-holder, the funds will be mobilized faster to the first responders, namely the national government and the LGUs,” Alvarez said.

In addition to the Parametric Insurance Program, the Department of Finance is also exploring a plan to sponsor a catastrophe bond (Cat nond) to help bridge the financing gap the government faces in light of natural disasters.

Depending on the insurance coverage and its trigger, the Philippines, as sponsor of the Cat bonds, will get paid the principal contributed by investors if a catastrophe occurs. But if there is no trigger, then investors would make a positive return on their investment in the bonds.

country earned more dollars than what it spent during the particular period, while a deficit means the economy lost more dollars than what it earned.

The country’s BOP only registered two months of surpluses in the first 11 months of 2018, the other one being in August at $1.27 billion.

The November BOP surplus is an improvement from the previous month’s deficit of $458 million and a reversal of the $44-million deficit also seen in November last year.

The Central Bank, in a statement released on Wednesday, said the BOP surplus was mainly brought about by the BSP’s foreign exchange operations and its income from its investments abroad during the month.

The BSP has a mandate to participate in foreign exchange operations to smoothen out any excess volatilities in the peso-dollar market.

Notably, the local currency gained considerable strength in November to average at 52.808 to a dollar during the month, from the previous month’s average value of 54.009 to a dollar.

The BSP said the surplus could have been larger, if not partially offset by the payments made by the national government for its foreign exchange obligations and its net foreign currency withdrawals during the month.

Earlier this month, the BSP also reported that the country’s foreign portfolio investments (FPI), one of the components of the BOP, also reverted to the net inflow territory in November.

November FPI yielded a net inflow of $832.07 million, the secondlargest net inflow for the year - next only to March’s $1.1 billion.

The BSP attributed the positive development during the month to decreasing global oil prices, the BSP’s decision to raise its policy rate and progress on the rice tariffication bill, all of which are expected to temper inflation.

It was in November when inflation first started to decelerate to 6 percent, from it 6.7-percent peak in the previous month.

However, the country’s BOP total for the first 11 months of the year is still at a deficit of $4.75 billion, higher than the $1.78-billion BOP deficit recorded in the comparable period in 2017.

“The higher cumulative BOP deficit for the period may be attributed partly to the widening merchandise trade deficit [based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s preliminary data] for the first 10 months of the year,” the BSP said in a statement.

This trade deficit was then attributed to the sustained rise in imports of raw materials and intermediate goods, as well as capital goods, all as initial expenditures “support domestic economic expansion.”

The BSP expects a $5.5-billion BOP deficit by the end of the year.

and development objectives of the Duterte administration,” especially at a time that the government intends to ramp up investments on public infrastructure, poverty alleviation and social services. Nonetheless, he said they are still hopeful that legislators will see the urgency and wisdom in passing at the soonest possible time, the national budget for next year.

He also said the government operat ing under a reenacted budget would not be a recurring problem in the succeeding years of the Duterte administration as he is hoping for a “friendlier” Congress, whose membership will change after the May midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Diokno also tagged Hou se M ajor it y L eader a nd

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando G. Andaya Jr. and House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo E. Suarez among the lawmakers following up on the status of the release of the road user’s fund.

“Marami nang lumapit sa akin.

I won’t name names ’no. Marami nang lumapit sa akin na pulitiko na tinatanong iyong status nga ng road user’s fund na iyon, kailan mari-release and so forth. Sabi ko, hindi ko iri-release iyan until that issue on the Road Board is settled [There are a lot of people who went to me. I won’t name names. There are a lot of politicians who asked about the status of the road user’s fund, when will it be released and so forth, I said, I won’t release it until that issue on the Road Board is settled],” he said. Malacañang said it sup-

ports Diokno’s position to scrap the Road Board amid allegations by some lawmakers it is being used for corrupt practice, noting that the President is ready to sign into law the bill calling for its abolition.

T he measure has been approved by both chambers, but the House under the new leadership that assumed office in late July, adopted a new resolution rescinding the measure. The Senate does not want to recognize such resolution, saying the matter is in the hands of the President at this time.

Moreover, former Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez had claimed on Sunday that Diokno’s refusal to approve the use of the road user’s tax in the 2019 budget has caused some lawmakers to at-

tack the credibility of the budget secretary.

During a “Question Hour” at the House last week, Diokno was accused by Andaya of inserting P51 billion worth of projects in the 2019 budget of the DPWH without the approval of Duterte and favoring a contractor, CT Leoncio Construction.

Diok no cor rec ted A nd aya, saying the added budget for the DPWH was P75 billion, and it was approved by Duterte. He said it was not an “insertion” but an “augmentation” and perfectly within the regular process of crafting the budget. He also denied any involvement with CT Leoncio Construction. The Palace said Diokno still enjoys the trust of the President despite the allegations against him.

DND inks defense cooperation 25 disaster-prone provinces stand to benefit from govt’s agreement with Turkey’s SSB parametric insurance policy

HE Department of Nationa l Defense has signed a defense cooperation agreement with Turkey, which, DND officials said earlier, would be the source of attack helicopters for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana signed a memorandum of understanding on defense industry cooperation with the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) of the Republic of Turkey at the Villamor Air Base on Tuesday.

The agreement focuses on government-to-government acquisition as well as the development, production, cooperation and transfer of defense technology between the DND and the SSB. Lorenzana disclosed more than a week ago that the technical working group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has chosen

Nov BOP at surplus of $847M

ATAK helicopters and not 30 as previously reported due to budget considerations.Aside from attack helicopters, the PAF will also acquire Black Hawk helicopters for its combat utility helicopters requirement.

The Black Hawk was recommended also by the PAF’s technical working group.

Black Hawks are manufactured by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of American defense manufacturer behemoth Lockheed Martin.

A reconfigured Black Hawk was used by a US Navy SEAL team when they swooped down on the lair of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011 in Pakistan and killed the al-Qaeda leader.

Lorenzana said the PAF, which has allotted $240 million for the acquisition of combat utility helicopters, will get 16 Black Hawks.

Rene Acosta

given the collapse of the multilateral trading system.

“As the US pursues all these, we would encourage the US to continue leading in upholding the rulesbased multilateral trading system at the core of the WTO. Now, more than any other time in the life of the WTO, your leadership is needed,” the Philippines concluded.

The Philippines and the US are set to negotiate a bilateral freetrade agreement. Elijah Felice E. Rosales prio investigation was launched. Lopez in September initiated an investigation to determine whether the government should impose safeguard measures on cement. This, after the DTI found imports of the construction commodity rose in significant volumes the past years to the detriment of local players.

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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www.businessmirror.com.ph

Davao ports eye P5.5-billion surplus year-end collection

By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

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AVAO CITY—Customs authorities here are aiming for a P5.5 billion for the entire year, even as total current port collection has already breached its target by 25 percent.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) here said it has collected as of Wednesday a total of P25.3 billion since the start of the year.

The amount, the agency said, was already P5.1 billion higher from its target of collecting P20.1 billion for the year, and 54 percent higher from its collection last year of P16.4 billion, or P8.9 billion higher.

“We are looking at around P5.5 billion in surplus by the end of 2018,” said district collector, Romalino G. Valdez.

The collection district, he added, has surpassed its highest monthly collection record twice this year. First was in February, when it collected P2 billion, a 54.34-percent surplus from that month’s target.

The second was in June, when it collected P2.4 billion, representing a 57.73-percent surplus.

The collections were generated from its Port of Davao and its subports of General Santos City in South Cotabato, Parang in Maguindanao and Mati City in Davao Oriental.

“The Port of Davao takes to heart that hitting our collection target means assurance that every infrastructure, health, educational, economic and financial project of the government would be well funded,” Valdez said.

He also thanked the businesses and taxpayers for paying the right amount of taxes to the government.

“Hitting our collection target was also made possible through the help of the BOC stakeholders and the individual taxpayers. I would like to thank them for their contribution to the funding of the projects of the government,” Valdez said.

Economy BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, December 20, 2018 A3

Total value of construction projects grew 45.4% in Q3 2018–PSA data ₧104.8B

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

he total value of construction projects grew 45.4 percent in the third quarter of 2018 on the back of the growth of residential construction projects, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Based on PSA’s preliminary data, the value of construction projects reached P104.8 billion in the third quarter of 2018, from P72.1 billion in the same period of 2017.

Nearly half of the value was taken up by residential construction, which has reached P48.5 billion. However, the growth of the value of construction, for nonresidential buildings was faster at 52.8 percent year-on-year.

“Construction statistics are compiled by PSA from the copies of original application forms of approved building permits, as well as from the demolition and fencing permits, collected every

month by PSA field personnel from the Offices of Local Building Officials nationwide,” PSA said.

Residential constructions grew 32.9 percent, from P36.5 billion recorded during the same quarter of 2017.

The growth was attributed to the increase in construction values of residential condominiums at 67.6 percent; apartment/accessoria, 40 percent; single-type houses, 17.2 percent; and duplex/quadruplex, 14.6 percent.

The value of construction for nonresidential buildings amounted to P47.1 billion in the third quarter of 2018, higher than the P30.8 billion recorded in the

The value of construction projects recorded by the PSA from July to September 2018, from P72.1 billion in the same period of 2017.

same period of 2017 attributed to the double-digit increase in the construction values of commercial, or 80.3 percent; industrial, 51.7 percent; and institutional, 24.2 percent, type of buildings.

Data also showed that construction values for addition to existing structures stood at P1.6 billion, an increase of 60.1 percent, from P1 billion posted in the same period of 2017.

The combined construction values of alteration and repair of existing structures, estimated at P7.7 billion, increased by 101.0 percent from the registered value of P3.8 billion in the same quarter of 2017.

In the third quarter, there were a total of 42,111 construction projects

recorded nationwide. This was a 16.7percent-growth from the 36,076 constructions recorded during the same quarter in 2017.

The number of residential building constructions reached 30,638, or 16.8 percent increment, from the 26,227 projects reported during the same period of 2017.

Nonresidential constructions grew 14.4 percent to 5,983 projects, from the 5,231 projects recorded during the same period of previous year.

Additions to existing structures increased by 23 percent with 1,447 projects, from 1,176 recorded during the same period of 2017.

The PSA said the preliminary data on construction statistics from approved building permits for the third quarter of 2018 were generated 60 calendar days after the reference quarter.

Data from the provinces of TawiTawi, Sulu and Lanao del Sur were not included in the tabulation as these provinces did not submit any approved building permit before the generation of preliminary tables. However, if there are any, these are to be included in the annual tabulation.

TheBroa

Business

A4 Thursday, December 20, 2018 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

TECHPRENEURS EYE A HAVEN AMID U.S.-CHI H

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

ONG KONG, China—There’s something to be gained from these trade tensions after all.

And Asian countries could win big.

Technology giants are now looking to Asia and the Pacific to help them wade in the deep waters of the US-China trade conflict, and they expect to reap the rewards starting next year.

As it is, HP Inc. Asia Pacific and Japan President Ng Tian-Chong said it’s good to do business in Asia Pacific and Japan right now because it is the fastest-growing region in the world. And HP has benefitted from the strong growth in the region as the company posted a 17-percent year-on-year growth, according to Tian-Chong.

Globally, he said the company posted a 12-percent year-on-year growth. It was able to add $6.4 billion to its topline in its global operations and $4.2 billion in “free cash flow to the company.”

And the future looks even brighter, even amid these trade tensions. Tian-Chong said a global company like HP has had its fair share of challenges and has enough contingencies to address problems that could come along the way. He believes there are opportunities amid all these challenges.

“Asia is full of rich opportunities; and the three big things that are happening here,” Tian-Chong said during a forum here organized by Canalys Ltd. “There’s a very big demographic change and innovations happening in Asia.”

He said, sans citing sources of data, that 22 of the 41 megacities of the world would be in Asia by 2030.

“We are going to have the biggest number of aff luent households, and a big increase in the young of the work force, the millennials coming to work, etc.,” Tiang-Chong said. “I think all of this presents a lot of opportunities for us to look at while we deal with the challenges as they show up.”

A complete portfolio

LENOVO Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yang Yuanqing, for his part, said the company is already making four devices every second and 37 motherboards per minute. These are produced by Lenovo on its own without original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Yuanqing said.

These are being manufactured in the largest laptop factory in the world, Lenovo’s facility in Hefei, China, which is over 3 million square feet or the size equivalent to 42 soccer fields, he added.

The company remains bullish, especially with the growth of smart devices worldwide, which is expected to reach over $20 billion by 2020, Yuanqing said. He added this is more than double the figure posted in 2017. These devices are expected to “fuel the intelligence of our homes, offices and the entire industries.”

Yuanqing said the data center business is the fastest-growing among the top players, as well as statistical companies. In order to cope, Lenovo is aiming to remain at the forefront of innovation.

They are continuing to work on

devices with “computing power with advanced algorithms.” “ T he adva nced a lgor it hms combined with Big Data technology and industry know-how will form vertical industrial intelligence and produce valuable insights for every value chain in every industry,” Yuanqing said. “ W hen t hese t h ree bu i ld i ng blocks all come together, intelligence will change the world.”

The drive to automate and improve business operations is one of the main things for companies right now and technology firms are enjoying the creative ways by which their products and services are being used.

Robotic process

AN opportunity seen by technology firms is robotic process automation (RPA), an emerging form of business-process automation technology based on the notion of software robots or artificial intelligence (AI) workers.

RPA “will be a big hit” and that firms should get into these to transform their businesses, Canalys President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Brazier said during the forum.

UiPath Inc. Asia Pacific Vice President for Partners Paul Kessler confirmed this in an interview with the BusinessMirror and said many industries such as finance, insurance and even manufacturing have come to them looking for RPA solutions.

Opportunities to upgrade and improve businesses, mainly in terms of increasing efficiency, exist for other industries. Kessler said some interest has even come up in unorthodox industries such as in agriculture.

“Just tak ing what we do wel l and just hav ing a conversation w it h somebody in a complete l y d i f f e r e nt v e r t i c a l s p a c e , t h e y ’r e s e e i n g a p p l i c a t i o n s pop even beyond t he obv ious ones t hat we a re being c hased on r ight now,” Kessler told t he BusinessMir ror .

Making money

AMID the boom in AI, RPAs and IoT (Internet of Things), the infrastructure side of technology companies have also skyrocketed this year.

Dell EMC Inc. Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) Senior Vice President and General Manager Ng Tian Beng said their infrastructure business has been a major driver to the company’s growth this year.

Tian Beng said their server business grew 42 percent and its storage business, 33 percent, and with the rate of its success, executives at Dell are now worried that their success could mean higher quotas for 2019.

In fact, Chen and Tian Beng were candid enough to admit that they are already nervous when it comes to their quotas for 2019, since the company recorded “fantastic” numbers in 2018.

“You need a portfolio. You can’t be just selling a server product by

WORKERS in a manufacturing plant of a semiconductor in Laguna do their job.NONIE REYES

itself; you can’t be selling a dataprotection software by itself. You really need to be selling and solving a business challenge and you can do that with our portfolio,” Tian Beng said. “And I think that this is why we are seeing this huge momentum both globally and in the region, partners are believing in this value proposition that we have.”

Brazier agreed and said that amid the demand for public clouds and IoTs, hardware remains a key part of technology businesses globally.

“Selling servers, storage, PCs and selling networking are still lucrative businesses. Maintaining them and installing them and securing them. Ever yone will tell you at conferences, ‘Go to IoT’ [or] ‘Go to AI;’ and IBM loves to hype the next big thing before they have a business that follows it. You should do some of those things. We are not telling you not to do some of those things,” Brazier said. “But also, be very proud to run [to] these

big established businesses where you can still make a lot of money.”

Fostering creativity

DELL EMC APJ Chief Operating Officer Dmitri Chen said it is important for companies to focus on innovation by fostering creativity, expanding their customer base and doing it in the fastest way possible.

Chen said this is key because companies must work on a wide range of products that can provide solutions for various business challenges. He said technology companies should know how to work on new product and service development; across the multicloud layer; and across different traditional applications.

But innovation is not easy. One of the ways by which this is made possible is through automation.

As a company, Chen said, Dell EMC is looking for ways to better improve its services to consumers and how best they can help them make the transition, particularly where automation is concerned.

“Automation is so critical in

order to help free up budget and resources that can be reinvested in innovation. It’s a consistent conversation that we end up having based on customer feedback, you know, looking for ways to try and run as efficient a business as possible. A lot of times the customers are concerned about their ability to go embed a culture of innovation and creativity and fresh ideas,” Chen told the BusinessMirror.

Digital divide

EMERGING markets who have high inequality when it comes to technological solutions are seen as part of what is driving the potential in the region. Many companies such as Lenovo have found that while personal computer sales are down in advanced countries in the world, the PC market is still thriving in countries like the Philippines.

Lenovo Central Asia Pacific Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ivan Cheung told the BusinessMirror that currently, Japan and India are the

biggest markets for the company.

In Japan, Lenovo’s market share is 50 percent.

Cheung said the Philippines is the fourth-largest market, just behind Indonesia, Hong Kong and Thailand. The Philippine market, Cheung said, is ver y important, especially in the last five to six years because of the growth of the PC market. This is the reason the Philippine market is a top priority for Lenovo.

While he does not claim to be an expert, Lenovo Philippines General Manager Michael Ngan said this could be due to the number of first-time PC buyers in the Philippines. Many Filipinos in the provinces are buying their first computers, and companies like Lenovo are benefitting from it.

Saturated market

NGAN said that while Manila is already a saturated market, there are opportunities in reaching out to provinces where demand for technological products like PCs is higher. Going to the

aderLook

sMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace | Thursday, December 20, 2018

A5

ASIA-PACIFIC AS SAFE INA TRADE TENSIONS CRYPTOCURRENCY CRASH IS CAUSING START-UPS TO SHUTTER OPERATIONS

T

HE plunge in the cryptocurrency market is weighing on the softwaredevelopment community that spawned over 1,000 digital coins amid dreams of independence from traditional financial systems and instant wealth.

ETCDEV, the start-up that led development on Ethereum Classic, which is among the top 20 coins with a market capitalization of about $400 million, announced this week that it’s shuttering operations due to a funding crunch. Joseph Lubin’s ConsenSys, one of the largest crypto-related software start-ups based in New York, said on December 6 that its work force will be reduced by 13 percent as part of a reorganization.

Many of the companies are suffering because they kept a portion of their funds in digital assets, whether in tokens they sold through initial coin offerings or in Bitcoin and Ether, which served as the preferred means of exchange in the crypto world. As prices collapsed this year by more than 90 percent in some cases, and their so-called digital wallets thinned out, many developers found they couldn’t raise additional funding.

“We are definitely a part of this trend,” Igor Artamonov, founder of ETCDEV, said in an interview. “There are a few things that happened at the same time.

I am sure if that happened a year ago, that wouldn’t be a problem at all, a year ago there was a lot of free money in the market. But in a bear market there’s a change.”

ETCDEV discovered it was in a financial crunch last week, and couldn’t raise funds, Artamonov said. Its 12 workers are searching for other jobs and a few have been recruited by a rival company, he said.

They’re not alone. In late November, Steemit Inc., which supports a site that pays content contributors for posts, said in a blog posting that it’s been forced to layoff nearly 70 percent of its employees. Adult entertainment site SpankChain has downsized

provinces and being able to reach first time buyers in these locations are driving the PC growth in the Philippines. Cheung said the countr y has consistently posted an annual growth of 6 percent to 7 percent.

Lenovo’s GM in the Philippines also explained that conditions make it ripe for consumers to finally buy their first PCs at this time because of Internet speed. He said that, while Internet speed in the country has been the slowest and most expensive in Southeast Asia, the telecommunication networks have been improving.

One major change is the entry of the third telco player, Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. Inc. (Mislatel), which is a consortium between Udenna Corp. and China Telecom.

This, he said, is giving confidence to more consumers that buying PCs is a worthy investment.

Cheung added that in advanced markets, workers do not need to buy their own PCs because these are provided for by many, if not all, companies. However, in emerging

markets where many companies have not reached a high level of revenues and profits, their workers may need to buy their own laptops and this is driving PC growth even faster.

“Word on the ground is that PC will continue to move because now more and more people are confident to buy more devices, you can now get more connected,” Ngan told the BusinessMirror. “But even if these are not present, I still see the market as very big because of the huge first-time buyers.”

Opportunities amid uncertainties

IN order to take advantage of o p p o r t u n it i e s a nd n av i g at e through the uncertainties, Brazier highlighted the need for quality personnel who will carry on their shoulders the weight of making all these innovations possible for companies.

Apart from the usual jobs such as software engineers, computer engineers and other professions, there is the emergence of new jobs such as tariff engineers. These

experts will specialize in trade in order to maximize the benefits of multilateral and bilateral trade for companies.

Brazier said the need for skills has never been higher. It is important for companies to continue acquiring skills, by recruiting people, particularly skills in security, cloud, artificial intelligence and analytics.

“When I did my speech about future jobs, obviously another job is going to be tariff engineering.

Yes. And specializing. And this will be a new role we should advise our children to start getting into,” Brazier said.

These new experts and additional personnel will be able to navigate the terrain, especially amid the trade tensions and future trade disruptions that could affect technology and all other businesses in the near or far future.

US, China

CANALYS Senior Analyst Jordan de Leon said they expect China and the US to have a tug-of-war

in terms of increasing their investments across Asia and this bodes well for businesses in the region. When it comes to China, de Leon said there will be no slowdown in its efforts to increase its production and manufacture of semiconductors.

De Leon said China imports $200 billion worth of semiconductor equipment from the US. With the trade tensions, Canalys expects that China will be less reliant on the US and increase its dependence on countries like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

This shift has already become evident with China’s semiconductor imports from South Korea reaching 7.8 percent in the past quarter.

“In the future, we could very well have China coming out of China, an exact copy of the Intel processors,” de Leon said. “Even further into the future, what could that lead to is we have two ecosystems: one for the US, one for China, which may not interoperate with each other.”

There are no real and definite

winners in a trade war. However, de Leon said with some manufacturing firms moving out of China, some countries are winning. He cited as example a company called “Extra Textile,” which has already moved its manufacturing operations in China to Vietnam and Cambodia.

“And the company that assembles Mac books is also moving away from China,” he added sans citing the source of his information.

Spreading risks

DE LEON believes that “when these companies move and build new factories they are not going to be old factories.

“They are going to be the most advanced factories in the world.

They will be smart factories,” de Leon said. “Really, it means opportunities for you to build smart factories. So [invest] in robotics, software, automation, security, IoT and edge. Real, real exciting opportunity for many of you, as these companies move.”

from 12 people to eight workers recently, according to a tweet from CEO Ameen Soleimani.

That’s down from 20 employees and contractors in March.

Venture capitalists funded about 1,180 crypto start-ups since 2012, to the tune of more than $5.6 billion, according to CoinDesk. Hundreds of other companies raised about $22.5 billion by issuing tokens to the public or so-called accredited investors via ICOs, according to the researcher.

Sirin Labs, for example, raised $158 million last year to create a mobile phone that allows consumers to trade and use crypto. The company, which will ship its first batch of a few thousand phones in December, is now considering abandoning hardware altogether and refocusing on shipping software for other phone makers to use, Chief Executive Moshe Hogeg said in an interview. Sirin now only has enough funds for six to 12 months of operations, he said.

“I’d be comfortable saying that the pricing pressure on digital assets in 2018 is likely to lead to 25-50-percent shut downs and layoffs for current projects based on historical comparisons,” said Lex Sokolin, global director of fintech strategy at Autonomous Research.

“However, the pace of new entrants and capital could counterbalance this contraction and still grow the sector overall.”

Many start-ups had trouble getting to a viable product, Martha Bennett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, said in an email.

And others’ business models didn’t hold up, such as East Wenatchee, Washington-based Giga Watt, which filed for bankruptcy in November. The provider of hosting services for people wishing to mine cryptocurrencies couldn’t cover costs when Bitcoin’s price nosedived.

“Sooner or later, this would have led to a contraction anyway,” Bennett said. “The crypto crash acted as both catalyst and wake-up call.”

Bloomberg News

Ultimately, what is important for companies, Brazier said, is to not be complacent. There are opportunities and there are also risks. What is important is for companies to be agile and be able to adjust to the changing times.

Brazier said Jeff Bezos of Amazon himself is not convinced that Amazon will be a forever business.

He said companies should learn from Amazon and manage their risks better. Brazier advised companies to spread their risk.

“If you go all-in on one cloud, nasty things might happen. The company might go bankrupt.

The company might get hacked.

They might have a catastrophic system failure,” Brazier said. “Or perhaps, more likely, the way the world is going at the moment, there might be a political event, which means they are not willing to serve you in your country because they are blocked for regulatory reasons. There are many reasons why you don’t want your risk in one place.”

A6 Thursday, December 20, 2018 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

A silver lining

C

ATRIONA ELISA MAGNAYON GRAY on Monday bagged the fourth Miss Universe crown for the country, just three years after Pia Wurtzbach won in 2015. Gloria Diaz paved the way in 1969 and Margie Moran was crowned in 1973.

Throughout the pageant, Miss Philippines overshadowed 93 other candidates as she created the biggest tsunami all over social media through her mesmerizing walk.

During the swimsuit competition, Catriona mesmerized the universe with her now legendary “lava walk,” which was viewed by more than 2 million people on YouTube. Her performance caught the attention of Vogue, an international fashion and lifestyle magazine, which predicted that Catriona might be the next big thing in the modeling world.

On her first appearance on the Miss Universe stage at the start of the coronation ceremonies in Thailand, Catriona acknowledged the support of her countrymen by telling host Steve Harvey how she would write a song titled “Raise Your Flag” because she was “not standing as one but as the 104 million Filipinos.”

Filipinos who followed the final question-and-answer portion can’t help but feel proud of her grace, confidence and intelligence. Host Steve Harvey asked the top 3 finalists to name the important lesson they have learned in their lives and how would they apply it should they become Miss Universe. Catriona was at her articulate best: “I worked a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila; and the life there is very... it’s poor, and it’s very sad. And I always taught myself to look for the beauty in it—to look for the beauty of the faces of the children; and to be grateful.”

She added: “And I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with the silver lining. And to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. And this, I think if I could teach also people to be grateful we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces.”

Catriona’s triumph at Miss Universe 2018 is a memorable Christmas gift for most everyone as it stoked Filipino pride, particularly when she said: “I may now carry the sash of Miss Universe, but I’ll forever be your Miss Philippines.”

As words of congratulations continue to pour in after her Manila arrival on Wednesday, little did the new Miss Universe know that her words in the penultimate question-and-answer portion has ignited a debate in the country. She was asked about her stand on marijuana legalization, and she said that she supports its legalization solely for medicinal purposes.

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said he is open to tackling the proposed legalization of marijuana for medical use. The senator explained: “I have been open to it because if it will prolong the lives, ease the pain of those cancer patients and those in pain, and relieve their agony, why not?”

At the Lower House, some lawmakers believe that the statement of the new Miss Universe regarding the use of medical marijuana may help in the passage of a pending measure. Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo, one of the authors of House Bill 6517, said cannabis may help patients with severe seizure, muscle aches and others. The proposed bill has already been approved at the committee level.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde, however, cautioned: “If medical marijuana is legalized in the country, law-enforcement agencies should ensure that it’s not abused. If we pass a law on that, we need to implement the law strictly, and we should always try to see if it could be abused, especially its entry, its importation.”

Since 2005

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

Patriots, traitors and opportunists John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

T

O understand 2018 politics, you must understand the politics of 1018, more particularly in Europe between the eighth and 14th centuries. This was the time when the political system we call “feudalism” flourished. While much of the economic aspects of that time have vanished, the basic political structure is similar today.

Kings always carried a bad reputation. This is probably because the Judeo/Christian Bible provides a chronology of the kings of Judea and Israel, most of them characterized as “bad.” On the top was Ahab who kept fighting the prophets of Jehovah. Of course, Ahab built a temple to the Canaanite deity Baal and also had a local leader executed so he could take his ancestral land for a palace vegetable garden.

However, there were many “good” kings like the Babylonian Hammurabi that decided laws should be written down—Code of Hammurabi —and not made up as you go along.

The reign of the Persian King Cyrus the Great is partially described in the “Cyrus Cylinder.” The United Nations declared the relic to be an “ancient declaration of human rights.”

The European feudal system was a social and economic hierarchy. At the top was the King who was the government, ruled the kingdom and owned all the land. When you think about it, “democracy” has only replaced the individual with an institution. King Louis XIV of France supposedly said “L’Etat, c’est moi”—I am the state. Today the government is the state and the state is the government.

Below the King were the Nobles

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more power and authority even as the Roman Senate feared Caesar becoming a dictator.

Some nobles cared more about their own future and maneuvered to position themselves to overthrow and replace a King whether that king was good or bad. These were the traitors. They can be identified because they are quick to put themselves forward as the ideal replacement for the former monarch.

Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus —not the famous Brutus—was a distant cousin of Caesar whom Caesar had given several key and critical military commands that made his career. However, Decimus Brutus was convinced that the assignation plot against Caesar would succeed and that the perpetrators would take power. Decimus was an opportunist who cared only a little about the state and more about making sure no matter what happened, he would prosper.

We are approaching 2019. The names have changed. The “players” are the same.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my web site at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stockmarket information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.

Mutibillion-peso economic losses annually due to illicit trade in the shipping industry

✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Publisher

that leased land from the government. In return they had to provide the King with Knights to wage war and had to pay rent and taxes. To meet their obligations, these Lords gave some of the land to knights. The knights went to war and also made sure the Peasants and Serfs worked the land to provide crops, livestock and services—perhaps foot massages—to the others higher up the food chain.

Most monarchs stayed in office until they died. Interestingly, when a king was thrown out of office it was usually by another family member and not by someone lower on the hierarchy. Abolishing the monarchy, on the time line of history, is a very recent development. Further, rarely did a Noble move up to king. That meant getting the support of many other Lords of the Manor and pretty much killing the entire royal family.

Most Nobles were inclined to support the monarch believing that in the long run, the stability of the government were more important than their own personal ambitions.

These were the patriots. However, bad kings maintained their power and even prospered because these “patriots” were not willing to take direct action. Julius Caesar gained

A

CTING on persistent reports of multibillion-peso economic losses as a result of warrantless fees and other charges collected by unscrupulous agents of international shipping lines, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez has called the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to look into their tax liabilities.

Lopez also asked the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) and the Insurance Commission to conduct a separate probe to determine their legal liabilities and apply the law accordingly to protect port stakeholders and other entities against these violators.

Lopez acted on the complaints of port stakeholders and the joint report by Dr. Enrico Basilio, chairman of the joint committees on Transport and Logistics of Export Development Council (EDC) and Mr. Michael Raeuber, CEO of the Royal Cargo Group of Cos. and former president of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), that destination fees and surcharges imposed by international shipping lines and their local agents cost the Philippine

economy an estimated $2 billion to $5 billion in losses annually.

Their report, entitled “Potentially Avoidable International Shipping Cost and Other Charges,” is backed by various port stakeholders who were present during the public hearing conducted by the House Committee on Transportation on January 17, 2018, which tackled the container deposits and related charges imposed and collected by agents of international shipping lines.

Based on a series of forums and a survey conducted last year, only 39 percent of the total amount paid to international shipping lines, while the so-called destination charges levied on Philippine importers accounted for only 61 percent of freight cost accounts for an average of only

25 percent of the total amount paid to international shipping lines and the so-called origin charges levied to Philippine exporters by the carriers accounted for 75 percent.

Such huge losses undermined the country’s export competitiveness by increasing the cost of importing raw materials and intermediate goods. The hardest hit by these costs are the small exporters and importers because big importers and exporters can negotiate for better rates and terms with international shipping lines.

This illicit practice does not only damage the competitiveness of domestic producers by increasing the cost of imported raw materials and intermediate products but also results to higher inflation as charges and surcharges are passed on domestic consumers who pay higher prices for imported products.

Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, chairman of the House Committee on Transport, said that with these claims and result of the report, the next hearing will be conducted jointly with the House Committee on Economic Affairs to find the best solution for the situation.

Goods are brought to and from the Philippines through the services of shipping lines, more specifically foreign shipping lines. These foreign shipping lines have their respective agents in the Philippines to manage

their local operations. It is through these Philippine agents that parties, more specifically importers and customs brokers, deal with regarding the use of their containers to move imported and local goods.

Under the prevailing illicit practice, shipping line agents, before they allow an importer or broker to pull out their containers from the Bureau of Customs for delivery to the importer’s warehouse, will obligate a customs broker or importer to post cash bond ranging from P5,000 to P20,000 per container (the amount varies depending on the shipping line) as deposits, which ostensibly serve as security for the return of containers to the shipping lines.

In my previous columns, I took the position that any and all domestic practices of these foreign shipping lines and their Philippine agents must be scrutinized by concerned Philippine authorities as these entities are basically engaged in common carriage operation, which is in the nature of public service and ought to be regulated for the greater protection of Philippine consumers and the economy.

For so long a time, no one in the Philippine government lifted a finger to scrutinize this matter on container deposit collection, which has been abused and continuously abused by some Philippine agents See “Arillo,” A7

Opinion BusinessMirror

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YEAR ENDER

Pardo airs ‘cautious optimism’: PSEi will rebound next year Val A. Villanueva

BUSINESSWISE

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F we go by the Skirt Length Theory, share prices in our stock market will be sky-high, piercing through the roof.

The theory goes that the length of women’s skirts is a barometer of the health of the stock market. The shorter the skirt, the higher the share prices will be. If longer skirts become fashionable, it means the market will be in the bearish territory.

The theory, also known as the hemline index, was advanced by economist George Taylor in 1926.

Through the years, the theory has been embraced by really superstitious investors. In fact, the theory traces its roots to two historical points. In the roaring ’20s, the US economy basked in the sustained growth of personal wealth leading to new ventures in all areas, including entertainment and fashion. What were considered as scandalous attire a decade before became en vogue: women’s skirt climbed up above the knee. Vice versa, women’s skirts became longer during the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression when flashy fashion gave way to cheaper wardrobe.

These days, the skimpiest of shorts are used as streetwear and the shortest of skirts are worn even in formal parties. But even as modern women’s apparel may reveal a lot of skin, sometimes almost in the exhibitionist-style of presentation, our stock market has remained stuck in the doldrums.

The country’s equities market moved sideways as of this writing (Monday, December 17). The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) went down by 0.05 percent or 3.97 points, closing at 7,520.40. The broader all-shares index, meanwhile, climbed 0.08 percent or 3.60 points to 4,510.10. Net foreign selling was recorded at P822.25 million, flaring from last Friday’s net outflow worth P691.23 million.

Sadly, the gods of fortune and women’s exhibitionist fashion have failed to lift up local share prices. The PSEi has been on a freefall since the beginning of the year, becoming the worst-performing stock market in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). In early October it actually ended up as the world’s worst.

The PSEi plunged by more than 15.4 percent from October last year, while Indonesia’s stock index climbed by 2.3 percent, and Malaysia and Thailand’s indices went up by 0.33 percent each. While all four Asean stock markets tumbled since early 2018, the local market fell face down. The local market has been experiencing a turbulent 2018. It hit a record close of 9,058.62 in January, and then got battered by both domestic and global developments as the year marched on, plummeting to a near two-year low of 6,843.33 in November.

More than the external factors, the stock market degeneration is mainly because of the government’s wretched failure to tame inflation, which went up in recent months at its highest in roughly 10 years.

Nevertheless, the PSE remains sanguine on PSEi prospect next year.

In an exclusive interview with BusinessWise, PSE Chairman Jose T. Pardo says he is cautiously optimistic that the PSEi will be able to recoup the losses it had in 2018: “We are still of the view that the local stock market is only taking a breather after being on an extended bull run for several years. Investors should take comfort in knowing that lower share prices this year provides opportunities for bargain-hunting. Our plan to implement short selling should aid in enhancing the stock market liquidity, as well.”

These PSE initiatives, which involve the short-selling of securities and the Real Estate Investment Trust

(REIT) framework—both slated to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2019— as well as two new indices and partnerships with the Singapore and Shenzen stock exchanges, are expected to drum up investors’ interest.

Investing in REITs is just like parking your money on real property without actually buying a piece of land.

With the approval of the REIT Law or Republic Act 9856 in 2009, many big real-estate companies have expressed interest in transforming portions of their businesses into REITs. This way, they can avail themselves of the tax incentives and additional market capitalization that the law offers. It is expected that REITs will be actively trading on the stock market next year.

Pardo remains pragmatic though.

He says that the improving economic health of the US is expected to support the strengthening of the US dollar, “and thus we think the Philippine peso will continue to depreciate in the coming year.”

As of this writing, the peso has weakened by 4.4 percent to an average of 52.62 per US dollar, from its 50.40 per US dollar average in 2017. However, Pardo expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to make good use of the reforms it has undertaken through the years to defend the Philippine peso from further depreciation. There is also some optimism that the US Fed will take a more dovish tone in 2019 after implementing several aggressive interest rate increases this year.

Pardo points to sound economic fundamentals and expectations of lower inflation, among other factors, that could win back investors. He sees the prices of goods decelerating in 2019, “especially after economic managers are able to recognize the need to clip runaway inflation as soon as an uptrend became evident.” He believes that the economy is fortunate that the BSP has enough elbow room to tweak policy tools and also has the support of other government agencies in addressing inflationary pressures. Inflationary risks are believed to come mainly from the movement of oil prices and other commodities, more than the tax reforms being introduced in Congress.

One thing that will augur well for the local stock market is the downward trend in global oil prices and subsequent domestic pump price reductions. Crude oil, from a high of $76.41, now hovers at $56.76. The domestic oil prices during the past weeks have gone down by P4.55 per liter of gasoline and P4 per liter of diesel.

As far as hemlines and stock prices are concerned, the line between fact and fiction sometimes becomes blurred. Investors are often handed an interminable muddle of data. In their desire to accumulate as much profit as they can, they make up tales to explain byzantine systems. They understandably tend to cling on to something that will ease their minds or help them in decision-making. It’s fun to talk about the hemline indicator, but you’d certainly make a fool of yourself if you accept such deceptive storylines, or adhere ardently on beliefs that are based on flawed or wistful theories.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com.

Bearers of joy Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco Jr.

ALÁLAONG BAGÁ

I

LANG tulog na lamang at Pasko na! (A couple more winks and it is Christmas!) Our penchant for celebration is reflected by our eager way of counting the days to fete in terms of the sleeping still to be undergone. As if in a fairy tale, we wish to wake up from sleep into the joy of the festivity. The Fourth Sunday of Advent means we are already a hailing distance to the tremendous and joyous event of the incarnation and nativity of our Lord Jesus. The Gospel account (Luke 1:39-45) reminds us that joy needs bringers.

Mary, the bringer of joy MARY’S visit to her relative Elizabeth illustrates the fact that jubilation is presaged by labor, as birth is by pangs. The perilous distance Mary travels to be beside her elderly and very pregnant cousin took at least four days on foot, probably in the company and protection of pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem or some caravan of merchants. Her spontaneous desire to go to Judea to the house of Zacharias is triggered by the angel’s information that the one who is called barren is already in her sixth month of pregnancy with the child that is already the joy of the old couple. Truly, nothing is impossible with God, and every gift of God

is the cause of joy and thanksgiving.

But Mary does not only share in the personal joy of Elizabeth and Zacharias, she is the bearer herself of the messianic joy of her people.

The first word of the angel to her was “Rejoice, highly favored one! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). What the prophet Zephaniah (3:14) earlier said now applies to her: “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, o daughter Jerusalem!”

Chosen by God to be the mother of the savior, Mary is the very personification of God’s chosen people in the delight and certainty of God’s saving action. With Jesus in her womb, Mary understands what Simeon in the

Thursday, December 20, 2018 A7

temple who would say upon taking the infant Jesus into his arms: “Now, Master, You may let Your servant go in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation...a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for Your people Israel!”

(Luke 2:29-32).

Jesus, the joy of the world

FILLED with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth joyfully experienced that her own infant in the womb jumped with gladness at the coming of their guests. Mary is like the living Ark of the Covenant containing in her womb the Sacrament of God’s saving presence. Like King David leaping and dancing before the Lord at the coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:16), the infant in Elizabeth’s womb is moved with intense joy before the “Emmanuel” —God is now once again in the midst of His people full of mercy and compassion. Like the three strangers who dropped in on Abraham and Sarah at Mamre and brought joy to the lives of the old couple who had no more tomorrow to wait for (Genesis 18:1-15), the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit, in the womb and in the heart of Mary, visited Zacharias and Elizabeth and their child, and shared with them the fullness of joy.

Mary in her own meditation on everything happening to her and around her, can only burst forth in her canticle the Magnificat: “My soul

Taming the robots and AIs Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS Continued from A1

O

N the other hand, China, now No. 2 global developer of the system of AIs and No. 1 manufacturer of robots, has been unequivocal about its ambition: to be the world leader in AIs and other technologies by 2030. This ambition was reaffirmed in the just-concluded meeting of the Communist Party of China on the 40 years of China’s market reform transformation, when Xi Jinping declared that China will produce “miracles that will impress the world.”

Not to be outdone, the European Union is increasing its R&D spending by 70 percent for 2018 to 2020, with the expected investments EUwide reaching around €20 billion.

There are similar aggressive programs being undertaken by Japan and South Korea.

The problem is: will this technology competition keep the world safer and better for all? Or will it put humanity at greater risk to conflicts and deprivations?

For those in the field of industrial relations, the basic question is: Where is the technology competition to create and maintain quality jobs for all, especially in the developing world? As it is, AIs, robotics, big data systems and so on are disrupting jobs across Asia and the globe while keeping a few global corporations happy in cornering all the profits.

One distressing development is not only the deepening of social, economic and technological divide between and among rich and poor nations. There is also the disruption of the skills pyramid and the attendant hollowing out of jobs handled by the army of blue- and white-collar workers. And as the technology giants keep accumulating more and more

Arillo . . .

continued from A6

of these foreign shipping lines to the grave prejudice of importers, customs brokers and other port stakeholders.

The abuses come in different forms. These include unreasonable delay in returning container deposits to the port stakeholders (mostly importers and brokers) who paid the

Why the emphasis on “ethical”?

The point is that AI must put people and planet first because the issue is precisely survival of people and planet. UNI further explains: “Some workers are already losing their jobs to AI; indeed, research indicates that over 50 percent of the work currently done by humans can be faster and more efficiently done by automated systems.”

computing power, even professions involving analysis and creation such as financial consultants, doctors, lawyers and so on are affected partly, or even wholly. For example, the more advanced medical robots are able to provide more accurate diagnostics of body ailments compared to the regular surgeons.

This is why in the last G-20 Meeting, the trade unions from the G-20 countries came up with a number of demands bundled under what they call as “Just Transition to a digitalized economy.” These include demands for stronger and universal social protection for all those affected by the technology revolution, equal playing field for both the digital and traditional economy, nondiscrimination in online and offline work, social and labor rules that must be observed when technology is introduced, skills development for readiness for industry 4.0 and so on.

However, the most dramatic and forward-looking labor demands in the digital era are those articulated

by UNI Global Union, the world’s largest skills and service confederation, which has its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. UNI has come up with 10 ethical guidelines or

principles on the development of AI systems that AI designers, technology companies and countries must observe to insure that society does not get further divided and workers are not excluded from the development process.

Why the focus on AI? UNI’s answer: “AI is present in many household appliances and workplaces: in chatbots, robots, system analytics and databases churning out information and reactions such as movements and speech...AI and its applications are already displacing workers, and with the rapid development in its capabilities, it is expected that many more tasks done by humans today will be done by AI and robots in the future. Within companies, typical human resource tasks are being complemented or even substituted by AI. This can be seen in the use of AI in recruitment and promotion processes, and in workplace monitoring and efficiency/productivity tests.”

Why the emphasis on “ethical”?

The point is that AI must put people and planet first because the issue is precisely survival of people and planet. UNI further explains: “Some workers are already losing their jobs to AI; indeed, research indicates that over 50 percent of the work currently done by humans can be faster and more efficiently done by automated systems.”

And yet, ethically developed and properly harnessed, “AI, machine learning, robotics and automated

same; automatic deduction without giving the depositor (importer or customs broker) a chance to contest before deduction is imposed; and, worse, the failure to return container deposits.

Once a container is returned to the shipping lines, they or their agents must return, without delay, the container deposits.

A specific example of this was the case of MOF, an agent of Hanjin Shipping Line Co. Ltd. in the Philippines,

which collected container deposits in the amount of P107.7 million from several importers and customs brokers. For unknown reason/s, MOF failed to return the container deposits to the parties that paid this aggregate amount.

In 2016, with the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping (its principal), MOF filed a petition for voluntary liquidation which was granted by a court.

Because of this voluntary liquidation, MOF’s creditors whose unpaid

proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior!”

(Luke 1:46). Rejoice in the Lord she does, as the angel at the Annunciation told her. Mary can uniquely reflect the joy of the people because she has in her womb and in her heart the Joy of the world. That is her blessedness, the source of her happiness, her beatitude, that she has accepted the Word of God into her life, as Elizabeth appreciating what has happened to her young relative said to Mary: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45).

Later during his preaching ministry, Jesus himself would underscore that Mary’s true blessedness, or anybody else’s for that matter, lies in receiving and hearing the word of God and in observing it and living according to it (Luke 11:28).

Alálaong bagá, if Jesus God’s eternal Word is the salvation of the world, being in communion with Jesus is the foundation of the true joy anyone can be blessed with. And as the story of the nativity of Jesus recounts to us, God’s Word and joy make use of bearers to spread out.

Am I rooted enough in the joy of the coming of Jesus in my life, so that I am a bearer of joy to others?

Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.

systems can also benefit workers. In the health-care sector, robots will be able to help workers lift patients, or monitor their well-being. In many service jobs, AI systems can improve the service offered to customers.”

Now what are the 10 commandments developed by UNI? These are: 1. AI Systems should be transparent. “A transparent artificial intelligence system is one in which it is possible to discover how, and why, the system made a decision, or in the case of a robot, acted the way it did.”

2. AI Systems should be equipped with an “Ethical Black Box.” 3. AI should serve People and Planet. The idea here is that AI development should be compatible with “the principles of human dignity, integrity, freedom, privacy and cultural and gender diversity, as well as with fundamental human rights.” Also, AI systems must protect the planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity.

4. Adopt a human-in-command approach in AI development. This means legal persons are on top at all times to ensure that the work of the AI system is safe and useful to society.

5. AI systems should be genderless and unbiased. AIs should not generate discrimination in gender, race and so on.

6. AI benefits should be shared with the people.

7. There should be a just transition in the development of the AI system and these should support the fundamental freedoms and rights of workers.

8. There should be a multistakeholder global governance mechanisms.

9. There should be a ban on the attribution of responsibility to robots to any wrongdoing. Robots do not have legal personalities.

10. There should be a ban in the use of AI systems for the arms race.

Are today’s world leaders capable of following these 10 commandments for the 21st century? claims aggregated to more than P158 million, including the P103-million unreturned container deposits, were paid only with the remaining more or less P5-million assets of MOF divided proportionately among them, and thus exposed the irregularity.

Had there been a watchful regulatory agency, this matter of container deposits could have been avoided.

To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio.arillo@ gmail.com.

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

A8 Thursday, December 20, 2018

ICC wants 2 changes made on Bulacan airport project

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) Cabinet Committee (Cabcom) has recommended the amendment of the draft concession agreement for San Miguel Corp.’s proposed Bulacan airport project before it is submitted to the President for approval.

On Wednesday morning, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III confirmed to reporters that two airports that were discussed at the ICC-Cabcom meeting, one of which was the Bulacan airport, were both moving on to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board, which is chaired by the President.

However, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia clarified to the BusinessMirror that the concession agreement will be revised according to guarantees that the ICC wanted to change in the current draft.

“[The project will] advance to the Neda board after some wording changes/clarifications regarding no guarantees in concession agreement,” Pernia said via SMS on Wednesday.

Transportation Undersecretary Ruben S. Reinoso Jr., in a phone interview with the BusinessMirror, said the ICC-Cabcom wanted to revise provisions in the agreement that pertained to guaranteed terminal fee increases and certain “adverse government actions.”

Reinoso said a provision in the existing draft concession agree-

ment states that in case an increase in terminal fee is granted by the regulator but it is subsequently not implemented, the difference between the existing terminal fee and the approved new rate will be shouldered by the government. For example, if the existing terminal fee is P500 and the regulator increases it to P600, the difference of P100 will be paid for by the national government to the proponent.

Reinoso said the ICC-Cabcom recommended that the provision for the Clark Airport Operation and Maintenance be followed.

This was also the recommendation of the ICC-Cabcom on the computation for the termination payment.

“The problem with comparing to Clark is that when you turn over the facility to the proponent, there is a new facility. In the San Miguel case, you will not turn over anything. This is where the formulas differ,” Reinoso said.

As for the “adverse government action,” Reinoso said this mainly referred to political risk arising from local government policies. He said local government u n it s a re autonomou s and have the authority to issue

guidelines and ordinances.

But there are some issuances, Reinoso said, that could adversely affect the proposed airport. This is what San Miguel wanted to avoid by including the provision in the concession agreement.

However, Reinoso said the provision is considered by the ICCCabcom as a “deal breaker” for the proposed Bulacan airport. He said the DOTr will just relay the condition of the ICC to San Miguel.

He said the DOTr will try to meet with San Miguel before the year ends to amend the concession agreement. However, Reinoso said there is no assurance on the availability of the proponent for this meeting.

Other projects tackled at the ICC-Cabcom meeting were the Philippines-Korea Project Preparation Facility; Road Network Development Project in ConflictAffected Areas in Mindanao; and the Reconstruction and Development Plan for a Greater MarawiStage 2.

The Reasonable Rate of Return for the Clark International Airport Expansion Project and the Regional Fish Port Project for the Greater Capital Region were also taken up.

Road Board abolition bill sent to Palace

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HE Cong ress-approved final version of the bill abolishing the graft-ridden Road Board was officially transmitted to the Palace on Wednesday and is expected to be signed soon into law by President

Duterte, the Senate leadership confirmed.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said the Road Board, tainted with allegations of misusing multimillion-peso funds collected from annua l Motor

TROUGH OF A LOW PRESSURE AREA AFFECTING MINDANAO NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING LUZON AT VISAYAS as of 4:00 pm - December 19, 2018

Vehicles Users Charge (MVUC) registration fees, was deemed abolished long ago. “ ...As far as we are concerned, the Road Board was abolished when the Senate adopted the House-approved version of the

bill abolishing the Board. We also passed our own Senate version at the start, but we subsequently recalled out version to avoid having to go through bicameral proceedings, since we saw that the House version was good. So to skip the bicameral, we adopted their version en toto,” Sotto said on Wednesday, in a mix of English and Filipino. “In other words, it should be deemed an enrolled copy, submitted already to the President for signature.”

Sotto said the agency is “good as abolished because its funding won’t be released anymore,” and it was good, he added, that the Palace made it clear on Tuesday that the President was ready to sign the abolition as soon as it reaches his desk.

He, however, did not rule out the possibility that the issue could be raised in court, but hinted it could be an exercise in futility.

“If they insist on it, perhaps somebody should bring it to the proper venue, if courts are needed to resolve it, let it be,” Sotto said.

Butch Fernandez

www.businessmirror.com.ph

M.M.D.A. POSTPONES TO JAN. 7 HIGHER FINES ON ILLEGAL PARKING

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

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Correspondent

HE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has postponed to January 2019 the enforcement of higher fines on illegal parking, originally scheduled on December 19, an official of the agency said.

“MMDA Chairman Danilo D. Lim has moved the enforcement of higher fines on illegal parking to January 7,” said MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia in a press briefing on Wednesday.

“We are still fixing our ticketing col lection system for traffic violations so we decided to move the implementation,” said Garcia.

Garcia said the penalty for illegal parking for attended vehicles was raised to P1,000 from P200 currently; the fine for illegal parking for unattended vehicles was increased to P2,000 from P500 currently; the fine for obstructing the road, up to P1,000 from the current P150;

and fine for yellow lane violation, increased to P1,000.

The increases in fines was based on regulations signed recent ly by t he Metro Manila Council, the governing and polic y-ma k ing body of the MMDA. Once implemented, Garcia warned vehicle owners that they can be fined for illegal parking plus obstruction, twice a day for the same violations.

He also reminded motorists who park their vehicles in front of their houses that they do not own the road.

“Vehicle owners thought that they own the road in front of their houses. They have benefited long enough. It’s time for motorists and the government to utilize the thoroughfare,” Garcia said.

Garcia reiterated that motorists are prohibited from parking their vehicles on all national highways, including Mabuhay Lanes.

“This directive covers all public roads except in subdivisions and roads covered by existing parking ordinances,” he added.

‘I never threatened or bullied Cardinal Tagle,’ Duterte says

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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@BNicolasBM

RESIDENT Duterte said on Tuesday he never threatened Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

“They say I shouldn’t threaten Bishop Tagle. When have I ever done that? But when they hold their Mass for Trillanes, they say, ‘Ah mamatay sana si Duterte sa sakit’ [Oh, we hope Duterte dies from his illness],” the President said in a speech on Tuesday during the Barangay Summit on Good Governance Region 11.

Duterte was reacting to Cardinal Tagle’s statement that people in high office should not use power to bully others.

The President said this a day after Malacañang said Duterte does not feel that he was the one being alluded to in Tagle’s remarks.

In his homily on Sunday at Manila Cathedral as he led the celebration of traditional dawn masses leading to Christmas Day, Tagle said: “Do not bully anyone. Do not use your power to disrespect others. Do not use your power to coerce others.”

“Just because you are in power, you already have the right to

trample upon others. In truth, the bully, he who uses power to belittle his fellow man, he is the one who is most afraid and insecure,” Tagle added.

The President has repeatedly unleashed tirades against the Catholic Church and the priests.

“Nobody there goes to church anymore. That’s why…And the priest who…They always criticize me for being a bully. But what about the American priest who was assigned in Biliran? For how many years did he molest children?” he also said on Tuesday, referring to one priest whom he said was a “pedophile.”

Earlier this month, the President urged the public to eliminate “useless” Catholic bishops” for “all they do is criticize.”

However, Malacañang has insisted this would not incite more killings as the President’s statement should not be taken literally.

Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo has also said the President does not expect an apology from the bishops who are criticizing his administration’s war on drugs.

Ecop still reviewing final details of regularization deal with DOLE

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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HE Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) said on Wednesday it had yet to give its imprimatur to a proposed agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its members to absorb their contractual workers.

In a SMS, Ecop Director General Jose Roland A.Moya told the BusinessMirror they are still reviewing provisions of the draft accord.

On Monday, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III announced they are just waiting for the Ecop to respond to their query about the provision of the accord before it could be signed.

Once the agreement is approved, Bello said, Ecop members would

have to regularize 30 percent of their work force in the initial year of its implementation. The proposal came from Ecop.

The labor chief, however, noted the agreement did not contain any time line as to when Ecop members will absorb the remaining 70 percent of their contractual workers.

“We want them to give a period for this. For example, three years,” Bello said.

In exchange for the voluntary regularization, the DOLE would exempt Ecop members from regular workplace inspections.

The DOLE hopes the proactive approach in its campaign against illegal contractualization will minimize the load of its labor inspectors and maintain industrial peace in the country.

Currently, DOLE’s 1,000 labor

inspectors have to regularly inspect over 900,000 companies nationwide.

It earlier said it came out with the measure after observing many companies have shown their willingness to voluntarily absorb their contractual workers.

At least 65 percent of the 411,449 contractual workers regularized under DOLE’s campaign as of December 3, were covered by voluntary acts by the concerned firms.

Among the companies was Henry-Sy owned SM Mall chain and Jollibee Food Corp., which were able to regularize 11,660 and 1,000 contractual workers, respectively, this year.

Bello said the government hopes more private companies will also absorb their contractual workers on their own volition once their agreement with Ecop is signed.

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, December 20, 2018

B1

PSE fails to raise ₧200-B target for 2018

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By VG Cabuag

@villygc

HE Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) fell short of its P200billion target fund-raising from the exchange this year, but officials said it still showed an increase of money raised despite the turbulent market.

PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon said the exhange raised P187.84 billion this year, mainly from the big banks that needed to increase their respective capitaliza-

tions. The funds raised this year, which Monzon said is P12 billion short of its target, is 12 percent higher than last year’s P167 billion in funds raised.

“We did not hit our P200-billion target. We are going to try hitting P200 billion next year,” Monzon told reporters.

The funds were raised despite jittery market conditions that peaked during the second half of the year, which saw the benchmark index, the 30-company PSEi, enter the bear market, a technical term used when an index drops at least 20 percent from its peak within a year.

The PSE also targetted to have eight initial public offerings (IPOs) this year, but only one materialized, DM Wenceslao and Associates Inc., which raised P8.15 billion.

Del Monte Philippines Inc. and Taiwanese firm Cal-Comp Technol-

ogy (Philippines) Inc. both pulled out their respective IPO plans this year.

For next year, Monzon said they are still targeting P200-billion funds raised from the PSE, but that will be harder to achieve as banks have already raised their capital this year and there’s a new regulation that makes it easier for lenders to raise money through bonds.

“What are the challenges for next year? All the big banks have already raised capital from Metrobank, BPI, RCBC, and even worse now, bank bonds have been approved, so everybody goes to the bank bonds because the requirement there is very small,” he said.

Monzon is referring to the move

Clark airport records 2.5 million travelers in 2018, highest in history

By Ashley Manabat Correspondent

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IOSDADO MACAPAGAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT—The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) registered a record 2.5 million passenger in 2018.

The CIAC made the announcement on Monday, saying the figure registered the highest number in passenger traffic in the airport’s 23-year history.

“We tallied a total of 2,500,052 passengers as of 7:58 p.m. on Monday, December 17, the highest record so far in the history of CIAC, which means more revenues for the government and more flights to come,” newly designated CIAC President Jaime Melo said.

Melo noted this all-time record was reached via Emirates Flight EK338 bound for Dubai. By December 31, CIAC is expected to tally in a total of 2,611,362 travelers.

“What was once relegated as just a dream for CRK is now working in full throttle. Since President Duterte called for the greater utilization of Clark airport in 2016, CIAC was able to increase flights and passenger volume.

Profitability has also improved commensurately, a huge improvement from three years to five years ago with more airlines signifying to mount flights,” he added.

The average daily passenger volume at the CRK is 8,000 and served by a total of 656 weekly flights, 202 of which are international flights while the remaining 454 are domestic flights. The airport chief said these record-breaking figures are attributed to the Duterte administration’s full support, citing Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, whose agency oversees the airport’s operation, and CIAC’s parent company, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), headed by its President Vince Dizon.

Also this year, CRK tallied a total of

242,840 passengers from May 1 to May 31 the highest monthly total passengers recorded while the biggest number of travelers served in just one day was on May 26 at 8,662 passengers, the CIAC chief added.

“The dream has further come to reality now that a new terminal building will be operational by 2020 and able to accommodate an additional 8 million passengers per annum,” Melo said.

By the end of 2022, CIAC’s target is to have 4,457,046 passengers flying via Clark.

International destinations from Clark include Doha and Dubai in the Middle East and South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei and Singapore, while negotiations are ongoing for airlines to mount Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur flights, among other destinations.

The airport is also connected to major domestic destinations including Cebu, Boracay, Bacolod, Davao and Palawan.

PLDT, Smart to sign more deals with tech firms to develop 5G

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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LDT Inc. and subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. will sign more agreements with tech companies for the development of 5G technology and to launch more of its Smart 5G cities in 2019, a company executive said on Wednesday.

Joachim Horn, who sits as chief technology and information advisor at both telcos, explained his group is exploring the “right way” to do 5G in the Philippines, as it is different from previous mobile-data technology, given its flexibility and power as a platform for different services.

“5G is versatile. We can actually customize its use, and there are many new opportunities we need to take time to test out.

That is exactly what we are now starting to do,” Horn said.

For 2019, the group will be testing more 5G use cases for various industries to demonstrate the possibilities of 5G—particularly in the enterprise sector.

“Our focus for future 5G services is initially for enterprise customers, for whom it will mean completely new use cases, like with drones, Internet of Things and other specialized services, for example. These services can utilize 5G’s capabilities like low latency, very high resilience and very high reliability,” he said.

Today, the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led company has tapped Huawei and Ericsson for the development of its initial 5G platform. A few months after launching its 5G Technolab, the group successfully made the country’s first 5G-to-5G video call between

the newly launched Smart 5G cities in Pampanga and Makati.

“We plan to start work on new smart cities in the first half of next year. They will be in different areas, with different interests and with different vendors. This is because we want to explore with various types of customers how 5G can be set up for their particular use cases. When we do that, we will acquire the know-how to best roll out 5G to provide the best customer experience from Day 1,” Horn said.

As early as now, Smart is deploying 5Gcapable equipment while upgrading core and transport elements to prepare its network for 5G deployment. It has been testing 5G since 2016, when it achieved speeds of 2.5 Gigabits per second using 100 MHz with latency of just 1 millisecond over a “live” network—the first in the Philippines.

Glaxo plans breakup after Pfizer deal combines Panadol, Advil

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LAXOSMITHKLINE Plc. paved the way for a split into two companies, agreeing to create a consumerhealth joint venture with Pfizer Inc. that the pharma giants plan to list on the stock market.

Glaxo will have a 68-percent controlling stake in the new entity, with combined sales of $12.7 billion. The UK drugmaker’s shares surged as much as 7.8 percent in London trading, the biggest gain in a decade, as it eyes a listing of the new business within three years.

The transaction creates the world’s biggest supplier of over-the-counter medicines with brands of painkillers such as Advil and Panadol, and marks a shift from Glaxo Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley’s previously stated strategy of keeping the steadily performing consumer and vaccine businesses under the same roof

as the more volatile pharma operations.

The benefits of separating into two companies—one focused on prescription medicines and the other on consumer health— outweigh the advantages that come with a more diversified structure, Walmsley told reporters on a conference call.

Glaxo, Pfizer and others are grappling with surging research costs to develop new medicines, even as insurers and governments demand lower prices for the finished product. A split will help focus resources on separate businesses with different needs.

The deal will help “support our No. 1 priority, which is strengthening the pharma business,” Walmsley said. When the split occurs, “we then are able to reset the balance sheet of two focused companies with the appropriate capital structures.”

In the business of selling over-thecounter remedies, where brands and heft

are key, New York-based Pfizer made the bet that it wasn’t big enough on its own. An earlier attempt to sell the consumer business failed after potential buyers dropped out of the bidding process.

“Pfizer realized it was too small and that it was facing increasingly tough competition,” said Timo Kuerschner, an analyst at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg.

That could be a harbinger of things to come for the consumer health market as rivals weigh how to react to the creation of a leader in the field, according to Kuerschner. Other drugmakers with integrated consumer-health divisions include Johnson & Johnson, Bayer AG and Sanofi. In another industry shift, General Electric Co. has filed confidentially for an initial public offering of its health-care unit, according to people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg News

of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to relax some of its rules to make it easier for lenders to float bonds without asking for Central Bank approval. BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. said they are treating lenders like any other nonfinancial corporate; thus, a bond can be issued by a bank following the bondissuance rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Monzon said the PSE needs more IPOs for next year and new products to perk up the fund-raising market.

“Next year, it will depend on the market. If the market really is in the high 7,000 or 8,000, they may be encouraged to do their IPO,” he said.

He said Del Monte Philippines is

still waiting for market conditions to improve for their IPO. AirAsia, the airline company, is also among the firms waiting to list, but because of the closure of Boracay, it also suspended its plan.

Cal-Comp, the Taiwan firm, also expressed its interest to list next year.

Meanwhile, some of the backdoor listings include the Dennis Uy-led gambling venture PH Resort, which made its presentation with the PSE last week; the listing of Uy’s holding firm Udenna Corp.; and Tiger Resorts Asia Ltd., the operator of Okada Manila in Entertainment City.

“The backdoor listing is there.

But we need more IPOs next year,” he said.

Cebu Pacific ends 2018 with 71 planes

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UDGET carrier Cebu Pacific is ending the year with a 71-strong fleet, after receiving the last of the seven additional Airbus A321 ceos this month, which are collectively priced at around $812 million based on list values.

With the latest jet addition, the carrier’s fleet is now composed of 36 Airbus A320s, seven Airbus A321 ceos, eight Airbus A330s, eight ATR 72-500s and 12 ATR 72-600s, a company statement read.

After this, Cebu Pacific is expecting the delivery of five more Airbus A320 ceos, 32 Airbus A321 ceos and four ATR 72-600s. Currently, it has one of the youngest fleets in the world with an average fleet age of 5.1 years.

“Deliveries of these aircraft will commence

in the first half of 2019 and will be completed within the same year. The carrier is also expecting delivery of four ATR 72-600 aircraft from 2019 to 2022 for use in inter-island domestic routes where jet operations are not possible,” the statement read.

Cebu Air Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific, is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline.

Cebu Pacific and subsidiary Cebgo fly to 37 domestic and 26 international destinations, with over 107 routes spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East and the United States. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Asian stocks in December less ugly than in US

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N air of calm has descended on Asian stock markets.

The regional benchmark index rose a mere 0.3 percent as of 5:04 p.m. in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with markets mixed across the region. To boot, trading volume slumped in the last full trading week of the year. And, news that China and the United States held vice ministerial level talks on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing trade dispute didn’t move the needle much.

After the tumultuous on Tuesday where major indexes sank, investors stayed on the sidelines while awaiting the conclusion of the Federal Reserve’s rate decision. Here’s a look at how Asian stocks have done so far this month: The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 3.7 percent as of Tuesday, much less than the 7.8-percent plunge in the US. While Asia wiped out $563 billion of value this month, that’s only 16 percent of the market cap lost globally. More than $2.2 trillion evaporated from US stocks. In terms of valuations, the gap between Asian and US equities has narrowed

significantly from a record earlier this year.

Why hasn’t it been as ugly as the US carnage? It could be that the region bore the brunt of a sell-off earlier this year as trade tensions intensified, sending several major markets into correction and bear-market territories way ahead of the turmoil stateside. To Margaret Yang Yan, an analyst at CMC Markets Singapore, the downside for Asian equities is likely to be protected by relatively low valuations, according to a note published on Tuesday.

In some sense, though, Asian markets have been calmer. Intraday swings in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index have averaged 0.9 percent this year. While that’s higher than 0.6 percent in 2017, it’s less than in 2016 and less than the mean moves of 1.1 percent for the S&P 500, which is on track to post its biggest swings since 2011. That hasn’t gone unnoticed, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin blamed stock volatility partly on high-speed trading and the effect of the Volcker Rule during a Bloomberg interview on Tuesday. Bloomberg News

B2 Thursday, December 20, 2018

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Thursday, December 20, 2018 B3

‘NFA to sell rice at low price even after removal of QR’

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM & Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

ICE from the National Food Authority (NFA) will remain available to the public and will be cheaper than the commercial varieties even after a measure that will remove import caps is signed into law by President Duterte.

Quoting Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said government-subsidized rice will still be available to the public even after the President signs a law that will lift the quantitative restriction (QR) on imports.

Piñol said, however, that selling government-subsidized rice at P27 per kilogram (kg) may no longer be viable, as this could cause the NFA to incur more financial losses.

“Unless [the] government subsidizes NFA rice, it cannot be sold at P27 per kg because it would mean a loss of P9 per kg for the grains agency,” he said in a Facebook post. He said the provision disallowing the NFA to import rice for its buffer stock and local markets was supported by the Department of Agriculture and stakeholders in the rice sector. Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said on Wednesday that the proposed Rice Tariffication Act will be signed into law by Duterte “anytime soon.”

‘Unclear’ THE NFA on Wednesday said in a statement that it is looking into its future role with the impending enactment of the proposed Rice Tariffication Act. Under Senate Bill (SB) 1998, or “An Act Liberalizing the Importation, Exportation and Trading of Rice, Lifting for the Purpose the Quantitative Import Restriction on Rice and for Other Purposes,” rider provisions were inserted that clipped most of the powers and functions of the NFA in implementing its food security and stabilization role.

The NFA was left with the mere function of buffer stocking for a specific purpose: to sustain the disasterrelief programs of the government during natural or man-made calamities.

Under Section 3, buffer stock is defined as “the optimal level of rice inventory that shall be maintained at any given time to be used for emergency situations and to sustain the disaster relief programs of the government during natural or man-made

Trump green lights next round of farm bailout in China trade war

MATT WIGGEIM, assistant farm manager, operates a Case 7010 combine harvester as he harvests soybeans near Princeton, Illinois, on September 30, 2010. BLOOMBERG NEWS

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HE Trump administration will move forward with plans to distribute a second round of payments to farmers caught in the crosshairs of a trade war with China.

“Today I am making good on my promise to defend our farmers and ranchers from unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations,” President Donald J. Trump said via Twitter Monday.

In July, his administration announced it would deliver $12 billion in aid to farmers after Beijing slapped retaliatory tariffs on agricultural products from the United States, including 25-percent duties on soybeans.

Farmers form part of the rural base that helped catapult Trump into the White House. The administration distributed some $4.7 billion in the first round of direct government aid. With tensions between Trump and China showing signs of thawing, there was uncertainty within the agriculture industry as to when or if the second round would be distributed.

In a statement on Monday, the US Agriculture Department (USDA) put the total payment at $9.57 billion.

In Iowa last week, Deputy Secretary Steve Censky said the USDA had been having a “little bit of disagreement” with the Office of Management and Budget over the payments and that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue would be appealing directly to Trump on the payments.

Censky said it was the idea of the Office of Management and Budget, headed by Mick Mulvaney, whom Trump announced would be his acting chief of staff, to split the so-called market facilitation payments into two “to see if some of that retaliation went away.”

On Thursday, the USDA reported sales of 1.1 million metric tons of soybeans to China. To put the purchases in perspective, China buys 30 million to 35 million tons of US soybeans in a normal year, according to Censky, underscoring the need for the second round of payments. Bloomberg News

calamities.” It technically removed the function of rice buffer stocking for the purpose of stabilizing consumer prices.

Other NFA powers and functions repealed under SB 1998 are: The registration, licensing and supervision of persons and entities engaged in the grains business; the regulation of grains importation and exportation; monitoring and enforcement of grains trading rules and regulations; and the power to contract indebtedness and import rice for food security buffer stocking, among others.

“What will happen during the lean months, a period of no harvest, when rice prices traditionally increase? Will it not be treated as an emergency situation requiring government intervention? How do we ensure that those who cannot afford to buy high-priced commercial rice will still have rice on their table?” NFA OIC Administrator Tomas R. Escarez said.

In its 46 years of existence, the NFA said it has been supplying 60 to 80 percent of the rice needs of remote barangays and island provinces. These are the places where selling low-priced rice will not be attractive for profitoriented businessmen, as add-on costs would not make a feasible business proposition.

The NFA noted that at least 10 million Filipinos, or about 10 percent of the current population of 106 million rely on low-priced government rice for their daily sustenance.

“If NFA’s palay procurement would be limited for what is the ‘optimal volume’ needed for calamities and manmade emergencies, NFA may no longer be able to influence palay farm-gate

prices. The country’s rice requirement for calamities averages at only about 500,000 metric tons annually, or only about 4 percent of the average 12 million MT annual rice production of the country,” Escarez said.

With unhampered rice importation, the NFA said more traders will also resort to buying rice than palay that will entail more expenses for processing, storage, handling, trucking and distribution to retailers.

“Even small rice traders will also be affected under the rice tariffication law, as rice retailing and wholesaling will be completely placed in the hands of the private sector. There are presently 74,875 NFA-licensed grains businessmen nationwide. More than 50,000 of them are into grains retailing,” Escarez said.

“The NFA’s 15,892 accredited retailers that sell NFA rice at P27 and P32/ kg will eventually lose their livelihood and consumers will no longer have access to rice at these prices,” he added.

Although the NFA is still awaiting the final approval of the bill and the ensuing implementing rules and regulations of the prospective law, Escarez said the agency is already studying and preparing recommendations on how to ensure rice price and supply stabilization.

Economic managers have been pusing for the passage of the measure, as this was seen to bring down the prices of the staple by P2 to P7 per kg.

Panelo said competition among traders would pull down rice prices.

“If you liberalize [the rice sector], there will be competition in the market, so they will be competing with lower prices.”

PHL wants to ship more agri goods to Indonesia

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ANILA is keen on expanding exports of Philippine agricultural products to Indonesia in its bid to narrow the country’s trade deficit with Jakarta, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said on Wednesday.

Piñol said negotiations between the delegates from the Philippines and Indonesia, which began on Wednesday in Jakarta, will focus on farm trade.

Part of the agenda of the dialogue is the removal of import restrictions on Philippine horticultural and animal products, according to the agriculture chief.

He said the restrictions imposed

by Jakarta caused the “drastic” decline in the volume and value of shipments of agricultural products, such as shallots and tobacco.

“Restrictive import policies imposed by Indonesia, however, tilted the trade balance in favor of Indonesia,” Piñol said.

“Indonesia exports $1 billion worth of agricultural products to the Philippines mainly palm oil while allowing only a measly $50 million worth of exports from the Philippines,” he added.

Piñol said bilateral ties between the two Southeast Asian countries became warmer following the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Manila.

The agriculture chief said Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Sinyo Harry Sarundajang met with him last month to reopen trade negotiations with Manila.

Piñol said Sarundajang told him that he was directly instructed by Widodo to start the “friendly and brotherly” engagement with the Philippines.

“In the meeting held at the Bureau of Plant Industry office in Manila, the DA Secretary and the Indonesian Ambassador signed a joint declaration to start ‘friendly and brotherly’ negotiations to

allow more Philippine agricultural products to enter Indonesia,” he said.

Manila would also discuss with Jakarta the possible lifting of the long-standing antidumping duties imposed by Indonesia on Philippine bananas.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country’s farm exports to Asean member-countries in the first quarter amounted to $97.88 million.

Agricultural imports from Asean countries, according to the PSA, reached $975.13 million.

Among the Asean member-countries, Thailand was the top destination for export with a share of 32.2 percent valued at $31.48 million.

Inbound shipment of agricultural products from Indonesia amounted to $297.50 million or a share of 30.5 percent.

PSA data also indicated that the total value of Philippine agricultural trade dropped by 6.6 percent to $4.16 billion in the January-toMarch period, from last year’s $4.45 billion.

Total export revenue for all commodities reflected a decrease of 5.5 percent during the period. Also, the PSA said agricultural export declined by 26 percent to $1.17 billion, $1.58 billion in the same period last year.

The PSA said total import receipts amounted to $25.77 billion in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of $24.21 billion recorded in 2017. Agricultural import also followed the same trend, reflecting an increase of 4.2 percent valued at $2.99 billion in the first quarter of 2018 compared with $2.87 billion a year ago.

This translated to a higher trade deficit of $1.83 billion in the first quarter of 2018 compared with $1.30 billion in the same period of 2017, according to the PSA. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, December 20, 2018 B4

JASON DAY poses with (from left) his daughter Lucy, son Dash and wife Ellie after winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in May. AP

DAY GOES SLEEPLESS Sports NEXT YEAR BusinessMirror

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| Thursday, December 20, 2018 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

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By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press

ASON DAY wants to get back to No. 1 in the world, and he’s willing to lose sleep over it.

“There has to be some kind of sacrifice,” Day said in the Bahamas before shutting it down for the year. “I was reading the Kobe Bryant book, and he knew there was something he had to sacrifice, so he sacrificed sleep. Because he couldn’t sacrifice family, he couldn’t sacrifice competing, and not working.

“What can I sacrifice?” he added with a smile. “Sleep.”

Day knows the cost of being the best golfer on the planet because he already reached that summit.

He first reached No. 1 in the fall of 2015 after winning five times that year, including his first major at the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship. The following spring, he won three more tournaments in a span of six starts, capped by a wire-to-wire victory in The Players Championship that gave him the highest points

average in the world ranking since Tiger Woods. He stayed No. 1 for 47 weeks and looked to be the dominant player he always wanted to be.

Getting back might be even tougher.

The 31-year-old Australian thought he was on the right track when he started the year by winning in a playoff at Torrey Pines, his first victory in more than 18 months. He talked that day about how his victory at Torrey in 2015 propelled him to his best season.

“I’m hoping to do much of the same this year,” Day said.

He won again in early May, hitting a towering 7-iron that bounced off the pin on the treacherous par-three 17th at Quail Hollow that sent him to a two-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship.

The end of the year brought a sobering reality: Day started at No. 13 in the world, won twice and finished at No. 14.

“I wasn’t as consistent as I should have been,” Day said. “If you have a couple of wins, finish with around

10 to 12 top 10s, typically you’re in the top-5 region.

That’s why I was disappointed about this year, even though I had two wins.”

There’s one other part of the equation.

Along with adding two PGA Tour victories, he and wife Ellie added a third child. A son, Arrow, was born in November.

Dash was three when he ran onto the green at Whistling Straits in 2015 after his father won the PGA Championship, and Ellie was six months pregnant with Lucy. The family is growing, and Day invariably has felt a tug.

He has talked about his constant battle with desire and motivation, and now there is another challenge.

“It takes desire, but it takes balance in life,” Day said.

“Right now, I’m at a different stage in my life just having my third child. It’s hard. Tiger made it look so easy over the years. Being No. 1 for 13 years is very impressive, but to be able to be a dominant player, that’s the biggest thing. I wanted to be one of those guys.”

Winning takes care of everything. Woods used to talk

about that when he was getting back to No. 1 after a two-and-a-half-year absence.

Day won twice and dropped a spot in the ranking.

Part of that is a testament to the depth on the PGA Tour, and how hard it is to win.

Bryson DeChambeau went from No. 99 to No. 5 on the strength of four wins. Woods started at No. 656 and winds up at No. 13. In those cases, they were low enough to make up ground in a hurry. For players just outside the top 10, making up ground requires winning and having a steady diet of chances. Day had only the two wins. He never reached the 18th hole with an opportunity to win at any other tournament.

What bothered him more was his performance in the majors. His best finish in the last two years was a tie for ninth in the 2017 PGA Championship.

“When you don’t play well in the majors, when you don’t finish well in the FedEx Cup, that’s disappointing to me,” he said. “I always gear myself around playing well in the majors, and the last couple of years have been pretty hard.”

He starts up again in two weeks at Kapalua for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, which he missed last year. He wants to start well again and make up ground. The big test will be contending in a major for the first time since his runner-up finish in the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

More than anything, he wants to see if he can dedicate himself to a big year on the course and at home.

“You have to learn balance,” he said. “If you want to get to No. 1 in the world, you have to be super selfish. When that happens, you’re sacrificing family, you’re sacrificing friends, you’re sacrificing everything else other than golf.”

He chuckled and said, “I wouldn’t mind seeing the divorce rate on No. 1 players in the world.”

Day has known only one way to play his best golf—with a relentless, methodical work ethic. Now he wants to find his path with a wife and three kids along for the ride.

Even if that means giving up a few hours of sleep.

“I don’t sleep well, anyway,” he said.

THOMPSON, 4 OTHER GOLFERS TO VISIT TROOPS IN DJIBOUTI R

IGHT about the time Kyle Thompson was ready to abandon his struggles on the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour, he jumped at a chance to give back.

Thompson was on the practice range at the Wyndham Championship, where the only way to keep his full card was to win, when he received an e-mail from the PGA Tour looking for players who wanted to travel to Djibouti, Africa, in December to visit the troops.

“The e-mail said the first five who want to do this trip to Africa get to go,” Thompson said. “Before talking to my wife, I said, ‘I’m going.’ I come from a big military family, and I thought it would be really neat.”

It lived up to his expectations.

Thompson joined David Hearn of Canada, Kris Blanks, Shaun Micheel and Billy Hurley III, a surface warfare officer in the Navy and the only player from a service academy to win on the PGA Tour.

They met with the troops at Camp Lemonnier, a forward deployed military base in a country on the Gulf of Aden that shares a border with Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. They saw the operations, gave a golf clinic and individual lessons to anyone who wanted them and even had a trivia night. It was part of the tour’s “Birdies for the Brave” program. This trip was mainly about boosting morale and showing support.

“Not one person was unimpressive,” Thompson said.

“The coolest thing was a lot of these guys were in the reserves. The commanding officer works for Dell. The No. 2 guy works at Booz Allen. And they’ve been stationed over there for a year.”

Thompson’s military history runs deep. His grandfather was wounded on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion, which is how he met his wife, a nurse. Five of their 11 children served in the military. His maternal grandfather was a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp during World War II. The other players also had military connections.

Blanks grew up on military bases until he graduated high school. Hearn’s grandfather was in the Canadian Army during World War II. Micheel’s father was a cryptologist who worked on behalf of the Air Force Security Service.

Thompson was overwhelmed by the operation, and thankful to have Hurley along to explain.

“They speak in acronyms that go over my head,” Thompson said.

Thompson returned home to a future that won’t

BACK IN THE CROWD

include much golf. He decided to retire after making just two cuts this year. It was his third full season on the PGA Tour, and Thompson failed to keep his card each time. With three kids (ages 9, 7 and 2) and a wife who has endured Thompson

KEEGAN BRADLEY ended more than six years without a PGA Tour victory at the BMW Championship, and there were plenty of low points along the way.

The biggest was not being invited to dinner for prospective Ryder Cup players in late February.

Sure, it hurt to be left off the last four US teams in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. He had to go through US Open qualifying the last two years (made it both times), and it really stunk to be home the first full week in April instead of playing in

grinding away in a sport with no guarantees, the 39-year-old didn’t want to lose any more time with them. He starts a job as an insurance broker in January.

“This golf thing is stressful,” he said.

“I’m done with golf, to be honest with you. I’ll be a part-time pro golfer.”

Unless, of course, the tour calls offering another trip to be with the troops.

“If ever asked to do it again, I’d drop everything in a heartbeat,” he said.

the Masters in each of the last two years.

But there was one moment when it hit him just how far he had fallen.

“There was a point as early as last year, even two years ago, I was involved in some of the Ryder Cup meetings. I was invited,” Bradley said. “This past year at one of the tournaments, I heard a couple guys talking and I realized I wasn’t even invited—nor did I deserve to be.

It was like, ‘Wow. I’ve come pretty far there.’ Now I’m not in the conversation. Those times hurt.” AP

MASTERS FIELD

IAN POULTER, the last man into the Masters this year, won’t have to wait until the final week to make plans for Augusta National. He was among 13 players who earned an invitation by finishing the year among the top 50 in the world ranking.

The other dozen not otherwise eligible except through the world ranking were Alex Noren, Tyrrell Hatton, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Eddie Pepperell, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Matt Fitzpatrick, Li Haotong, Thorbjorn Olesen, Matt Wallace, Lucas Bjerregaard, Emiliano Grillo and Branden Grace.

That brings the field to 79 players who are expected to compete, one fewer than at this time a year ago. And it virtually assures the club of having fewer than 100 players at the Masters, which Augusta National prefers.

Players can get into the Masters by winning a PGA Tour event that offers full FedEx Cup points or through top 50 in the world ranking on March 31, the week after the Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas.

In the five years since the PGA Tour went to a wraparound schedule, players have earned a Masters invitation by winning early in the year only 19 times out of 65 opportunities. Russell Henley did it twice (Honda Classic in 2014, Houston Open in 2017). Matt Every did it in consecutive years at the same tournament (Bay Hill).

Four of those early tournaments have not produced a winner that wasn’t already eligible for the Masters—the Tournament of Champions, Sony Open and both World Golf Championships. The Tournament of Champions has four opposite-field winners and Ted Potter Jr., who are not yet in the Masters.

GOLF ON TV

PGA Tour Live, the direct-to-consumer subscription video service that offers live streaming of featured group, is beefing up its product and will be part of NBC Sports Gold starting in January. The cost for the year is $49.99 (or $9.99 a month) if bought by January 20. After that, a season pass goes for $64.99.

The product will have double the amount of hours and more than twice as many supported platforms compared with 2018, along with expanding live coverage to all four days at 27 tournaments outside of the majors. It also will such features as 10-minute “speed round” recaps for featured players, Shot Tracer on every hole on the golf course and integrated scoring and statistics.

KYLE THOMPSON’S (right) military history runs deep as Ian Poulter won’t have to wait until the final week to make plans for Augusta National. AP

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Business

C2 Thursday, December 20, 2018

SCRIPT FLIPS IN OLYMPIC HOSTING S

ALT LAKE CITY—When Salt Lake City pursued the Winter Olympics more than two decades ago, competition was so fierce that lavishing International Olympic Committee (IOC) members with gifts and favors seemed commonplace. Salt Lake City got caught in a bribery scandal that nearly derailed the plans for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Two decades later, the script has flipped.

The IOC is struggling to find cities willing to take on the financial and societal burden of hosting the Winter Olympics. The race to host the 2026 Winter Olympics is down to just two cities after several dropped out over a lack of local support. Beijing got the 2022 Winter Olympics by attrition, winning by four votes over Almaty, Kazakhstan, after a half-dozen European bidders dropped out, discouraged by soaring costs and taxpayer backlash.

That’s why a city that, for a time, stood out as a pariah in the Olympic world is a serious contender again, this time for the 2030 Winter Games—decades sooner than anyone expected and despite that bid scandal.

Utah’s capital city is among an increasingly small group of cities worldwide that has the venues needed for winter sports and the willingness to take on the costly task of hosting Olympics that have lost some of their cache. The US Olympic Committee last week chose Salt Lake City over Denver as a future bid city. The IOC will choose a 2030 host by 2023 at the latest.

Jules Boykoff, a Pacific University professor who has written widely on the Olympics, said the bribery scandal is “a pretty big stain on the history of the games.”

“But these days, the International Olympic Committee is not in a position to be overly

picky,” Boykoff said.

The scandal broke in 1998, three years after Salt Lake City was chosen over cities in Canada, Sweden and Switzerland. Salt Lake’s bid committee doled out $1 million in cash, scholarships, medical care, gifts and other favors to IOC members and their families. That included ski trips, National Basketball Association tickets, plastic surgery, knee replacements, violins and housing and salary for children of IOC members, according to report by an ethics panel.

It led to the expulsion of six IOC members, the resignation of four others severe warnings for several others though none faced criminal charges. US prosecutors brought criminal charges against two Salt Lake bid leaders, but both men were acquitted by a judge halfway through a federal trial.

The IOC brought in outside experts to help reshape the organization. The IOC approved a 50-point reform package that included a ban on member visits to bid cities, creation of an independent ethics committee and term limits.

Olympic historian David Wallechinsky said Salt Lake City’s current bid officials will have to talk about the scandal, but he doesn’t think it will impact their candidacy. The Salt Lake City bribery scandal capped off decades of cities trying to win the favor of IOC board members behind the scenes.

“They learned from the corruption of other cities that beat them before,” Wallechinsky said. “It’s not like they invented

the corruption...they just got caught.”

Mitt Romney, who was brought in to steer the 2002 Games through the scandal, said the city selection process is a now a more transparent process than it was in the past.

“That’s good for Salt lake City,” said Romney, elected last month to represent Utah in the US Senate. “We will be judged on the merits.”

Boykoff said it is naive for anyone to think corruption is a thing of the past at the IOC, citing the case of honorary member Carlos Nuzman of Brazil who headed the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He was suspended on corruption allegations connected with vote-buying.

Before the IOC picks a city for 2030, it will have to choose a host for 2026 between Stockholm and the duel bid of Milan and Cortina d’ Ampezzo, Italy. Calgary, Canada, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, backed out after voters rejected a referendum. Three other cities withdrew earlier this year and Erzurum, Turkey, was eliminated last month by the IOC. Salt Lake City says it can host the Olympics for about $1.35 billion, not including additional security costs covered by the US government, relying mainly on existing venues. Stockholm and Milan/Cortina d’ Ampezzo offer similar plans and similarly low estimates, $1.5 billion.

Wallechinsky and Boykoff doubt any city can host the Olympics for that little. A 2016 study at Oxford University found the Olympics have the highest average cost overrun of any type of megaproject.

Salt Lake City’s 2002 Olympics cost $2.52 billion, a 24-percent cost overrun, the Oxford report found. That was actually the second lowest cost overrun behind only the 2010 Vancouver Olympics among all Olympics held from 1960-2016. AP

Mayweather’s foe taking ‘exhibition’ seriously

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ATSUDO—To Floyd Mayweather, his three-round match on New Year’s Eve in Japan is for entertainment only.

To opponent Tenshin Nasukawa, the “exhibition” is as serious as a kick to the head.

Which is what he wishes he could do to Mayweather.

But the rules of their match prohibit the unheralded kickboxer from kicking. So he’s taken a crash course in boxing. Among his advisers was three-weight world champion Jorge Linares.

“I can change the world with my fist,” Nasukawa said in his quiet voice on Tuesday after a demonstration workout at his family’s Teppen Gym in the Tokyo suburb of Matsudo.

Except, he really can’t change the world.

There will be no judges and no official result.

When 20-year-old Nasukawa’s people were last month touting a real bout, the 41-year-old Mayweather walked away. He hasn’t fought since beating Conor McGregor more than a year ago for his 50th win from 50 fights. He returned to this matchup only after getting the rules clarified to make his first bout in Japan more about “entertainment.”

The Rizin Fighting Federation organizers are even willing to placate Mayweather by undertaking the weigh-in in his hotel room.

NBA RESULTS Cleveland 92, Indiana 91 Atlanta 118, Washington 110 Brooklyn 115, LA Lakers 110 Denver 126, Dallas 118

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EW YORK—LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were rallying, trying to send themselves home on a winning note.

The hottest team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) wouldn’t allow it.

The Brooklyn Nets ran their longest winning streak in nearly four years to six games with a 115-110 victory on Tuesday night, emphatically stopping James on his first shot and then holding him off down the stretch.

D’Angelo Russell had 22 points and a career high-tying 13 assists against his former team as Brooklyn continued its recovery from an eightgame skid by hanging on in front of a loud, large sellout crowd of 17,732 that alternated cheering when the Lakers seized the momentum and when the Nets regained it.

“It’s a great feeling,” Russell said. “I personally have never been in that position at this level to win six in a row. Definitely not satisfied.”

James bounced back from his lowest-scoring game of the season with 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, but the Lakers finished 1-3 on their road trip. Kyle Kuzma had 22 points and 11

FOR Tenshin Nasukawa, the “exhibition” is as serious as a kick to the head. AP

Despite everything, VIP seats are going for ¥100,000 ($1,000) each at Saitama Super Arena, on the northern outskirts of Tokyo.

There’s little Nasukawa has in common with Mayweather, apart from both being unbeaten. Nasukawa is undefeated as a kickboxer at 27-0 and undefeated in mixed martial arts at 4-0.

He said he never was much of a Mayweather fan, usually cheering for his opponents, such as Manny Pacquiao. And when he met him in person, Nasukawa said he was a little disappointed that Mayweather wasn’t as charismatic as he thought he was.

“I sensed no aura about him,” he said.

“He says such provocative stuff I feel like kicking him.”

Nasukawa said he can’t allow the taller and heavier Mayweather to land a single punch in their three rounds. He plans to use his kickboxing nous to avoid getting hit.

“He is the best so I can’t let my guard down. I’m sure his punches are fast but I’m sure I can see them.

“I feel excited, although some days I still feel afraid,” Nasukawa added.

“But when the day comes, I want to fight with confidence.” AP

After beach volleyball, it’s now snow volleyball

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HEN USA Volleyball asked four-time Olympian Lloy Ball to put together a team for a snow volleyball tournament in Moscow this week, the 2008 gold medalist was eager to accept.

Never mind that he’s never played on the snow before.

Or that, at 46, he’s not a likely candidate for the US Olympic team if the discipline is eventually added to the Winter Games.

“I’ve been playing volleyball my entire life.

It would just be an amazing feeling to know that me and my friends would be able to help volleyball grow,” Ball said. “To help be one of the forefathers, to get another discipline of volleyball into the Olympics, it would be awesome.”

The son of a volleyball coach and a member of the US indoor team that won gold in Beijing, Ball played professionally in Russia for six years and was a natural choice to be a part of first American team to play on the European snow volleyball tour. After what he is calling an exploratory mission, he hopes to report back to the national governing body on how it can help the sport grow.

The ultimate goal: helping snow volleyball earn a spot in the Olympics—perhaps by 2026.

If it does, volleyball will be the first sport to be included in both the Summer and Winter Games.

“We want to climb this mountain step by step. We do not want to rush,” said Fabio Azevedo, the general director of the sport’s international governing body, adding that snow volleyball will join the Olympics “as soon as the discipline has an amazing relevance in the world.”

“We have our road map, we have our timeline,” he said. “We really believe it is premature now to mention anything about Winter Olympic Games. I cannot say to you 2026 is realistic or not.”

Still, they are plowing ahead.

After a demonstration at this February’s Olympics in Pyeongchang, the European governing body held its first snow championships in March. With its 2018-2019 tour starting this weekend in Moscow, it has invited teams from the United States to compete. (Teams from Kazakhstan and Brazil were also offered wild-card entries.)

Betting capital: DC lawmakers support betting

Nets hold off Lakers to extend unbeaten streak to six games rebounds, while Lonzo Ball scored 23.

“We could’ve had a pretty good road trip but 1-3 is definitely not the way we would like to have it,” James said.

Joe Harris added 19 points and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 18 for the Nets, who last won six in a row from March 25 to April 3, 2015. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 17 points and Jared Dudley made some big baskets down the stretch to score 13.

“It’s amazing, man,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “Just to see the hard work we put in, all the resiliency we had, it’s amazing to be able to say we put together some wins.”

Brooklyn led 100-87 with seven-and-a-half minutes to play before back-to-back three-pointers

by Kuzma and Ball. James then scored inside, blocked a shot on the other end and scored again to make it 100-97.

Dudley and Dinwiddie answered with drives, and Dudley hit two more baskets to settle the Nets before Russell’s three-pointer made it 113-107 with 22 seconds remaining.

The Nets had scored 70 points in the first halves of their last two games, and were almost on pace in this one after taking a 33-32 lead after one quarter. They led 62-57 at halftime.

“That’s why this team has won six games in a

row. They have a lot of different guys that can hurt you,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said.

Brooklyn then used a 12-0 run to take its largest lead at 79-65 on Hollis-Jefferson’s threepoint play with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter.

The Nets led 90-83 going to the fourth.

James was limited to 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting in a loss to Washington on Sunday and things started rough for him in this one, as Jarrett Allen denied his attempt at a dunk with a sensational block.

“He’s in his 20s, I’m in my 30s,” James said.

“Takes me a little longer to get warmed up.”

James was called for traveling the next time he had the ball before finding his groove. AP LEBRON JAMES bounces back from his lowest-scoring game of the season with 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, but the Lakers finish 1-3 on their road trip. AP

Knowing that he spent time in Russia and would make a good ambassador, USA Volleyball chief Jamie Davis called Ball, who remains active as a coach and a semi-pro grass and beach volleyball player. He pulled together a team with Will Robbins, Kevin Owens and Tomas Goldsmith.

Although they have been training outside in Indiana to get used to the cold, the first time they will play on a snow court will be in Moscow.

“I’m going to rely on my massive amount of repetition and skill training and experience,” Ball said with a laugh. “Hopefully we won’t embarrass ourselves too badly and hopefully we’ll know what to do better next time. I’m going to come back and sit down with Jamie, and maybe say ‘Hey, this is something that can take off.’”

The women’s team for the Moscow tournament, which USA Volleyball put together, consists of Allie Wheeler, Emily Hartong, Katie Spieler and Karissa Cook.

“It’s a milestone for us,” Davis said. “We’re starting at level zero and building this up from scratch.”

“My hope is that we’ll get more and more athletes that are concentrating on snow, in addition to beach and indoor,” he said. “What I would hope for snow volleyball is that we’re going to be able to have players—north, south, east or west be able to go outdoors to play the sport they love to play.”

Although snow volleyball has kicked around Europe for a decade, its growth has accelerated over the last five years. The European volleyball federation officially recognized the sport in 2015, and a seven-stop European tour is planned for 20182019, starting with this week’s event in Moscow.

Azevedo said the FIVB is hoping to add three more events of its own, including one in Argentina that will be the first outside of Europe. Davis said he hopes to host one in the United States next winter.

From there, the FIVB is planning for a snow

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ASHINGTON—City lawmakers in Washington have voted to legalize sports betting, making the nation’s capital the first US jurisdiction without casinos to authorize sports books.

The DC Council voted 11-2 on Tuesday to authorize betting on professional sports at the city’s stadiums and arenas, private businesses like restaurants and liquor stores, and within the city limits on a mobile app.

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser supports the bill, which needs her signature to become law. It would also need to survive a review by Congress, but with Democrats taking over the House in January, the law from the Democratic-dominated city is almost certainly safe. Supporters hope bets could be taken in the city within months, although there is no firm timetable.

In May the Supreme Court struck down a law that banned sports betting in most US states. Since then, several states have authorized betting on sports. The closest place to Washington with legal sports betting is a casino in Charles Town, West Virginia. Sports gambling is also legal in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Because Washington lacks casinos, the D.C. Lottery would oversee sports betting, an arrangement that makes the nation’s capital an

THE US’s Lloy Ball serves during a World League volleyball match against Serbia in Rio de Janeiro in July 2008.

The four-time Olympian Ball will lead an American delegation to a European snow volleyball tournament in Moscow this week. AP

volleyball competition at the Youth Olympics and World University Games in 2020 and the winter Military World Games in 2021, along with a possible world championship.

“We are really shaping this new discipline around the world,” Azevedo said, adding that it would have much lower barriers to entry than many winter sports, which require ice rinks or luge runs or mountains.

That could help open the Winter Olympics to countries with successful volleyball programs but no ice or snow.

“Possibly snow volleyball is the only winter sport you can just pass by and play,” Azevedo said. “You just need proper clothes, football cleats and you can play.”

An earlier incarnation of the sport had two-person teams, like beach volleyball, but organizers have tinkered with the rules and settled on three-on-three, with a fourth teammate as a substitute. While indoor sets go to 25 and the beach goes to 21, snow volleyball games are up to 15 “Thank God, because it is minus 20 in Russia— Celsius,” Ball said. AP outlier. Athens, Greece-based Intralot is the city’s current lottery vendor. The lottery would sell licenses to sports books at arenas and stadiums for $250,000 over five years, and retailers would be able to purchase a two-year license for $5,000. There is no cap on the number of licenses.

Casino industry groups had a measured reaction to the bill’s passage, saying that handing over control of sports gambling to the lottery could stifle competition.

“While the vote today is progress, we remain deeply concerned about giving the lottery a virtual monopoly in the mobile market,” Sara Slane, a vice president at the American Gaming Association, said in a statement. “Predictably, this will result in less investment and innovation, to the detriment of consumers and the ability of a nascent legal marketplace to compete with the accessibility and convenience offered by many established illegal wagering operations.”

Operators would be taxed at 10 percent of revenue, and city officials have estimated that legal sports gambling will bring in $92 million over four years. Critics said that figure was overly optimistic, particularly if neighboring Maryland, which has several casinos including the massive MGM National Harbor just over the city line, legalizes sports betting. AP

Sealteam Peenoise captures crown

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EALTEAM PEENOISE emerged champion in the recent Rules of Survival tournament hosted by Nimo TV at the Mineski Infinity Taft.

Sealteam Peenoise is composed of Jayson Tabin, Rexon Kerk Tanay, Jhoey Bhoy Buenaflor and squad leader John Kirk Magbanua.

The team took home P100,000 in cash plus in-game items.

The champions endured the finals that lasted more than seven hours. They defeated 14 squads.

From a second to the last finish in the first round, the team recovered by winning the third, fifth and

sixth rounds for a total score of 3,065 that was enough to win the title.

Savage Gaming finished second with 2,925 points, followed by Team Marshall with 2,675, Comeback in fourth with 2,380 and Evo Groundz fifth with 2,380.

The top five teams will represent the country in the Rules of Survival Southeast Asia tournament.

The Rules of Survival—Nimo TV Philippine Champions League Season 1 was broadcasted exclusively via Nimo TV that brought professional gaming to a wider audience.

orts

sMirror

Thursday, December 20, 2018

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ROMEO, OFFICIALLY, NOW A BEERMAN

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

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ERRENCE ROMEO is now officially with San Miguel Beer (SMB) after a five-member panel formed by the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) Commissioner’s Office approved on Wednesday the SMB-TNT trade that involved two other players and future draft picks.

Commissioner WIllie Marcial headed the five-man panel that scrutinized the deal that shipped Romeo to the Beermen in exchange for Brian Heruela, David Semerad and SMB’s 2021 first round picks.

Drafted fifth overall in 2013, the threetime scoring champion played for more than four seasons for GlobalPort until he was sent to TNT for big man Moala Tautuaa after a turbulent relationship with Batang Pier management and coaching staff.

The 26-year-old Romeo, a former Far Eastern University King Tamaraw, averaged 21.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the Governors’ Cup for the KaTropa. But the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and wound up a dismal ninth place.

Romeo is expected to bring his act in the guard position for San Miguel Beer, which includes veteran playmaker Alex Cabagnot.

Heruela, on the other hand, will form a potential backcourt tandem with Jayson Castro, while Semerad will reunite with his twin brother Anthony.

Beefing up the Beermen are Paul Zamar and Ronald Tubid, who also got the green light in the Beermen’s other deals.

KIM FAJARDO sets the play for F2 Logistics.

B’SPIKERS, MOVERS GO FOR ALL THE MARBLES T HE country’s most dominant teams— Petron and F2 Logistics—clash one last time to determine the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference champion on Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Game Three of the dramatic best-of-three series kicks off at 7 p.m. following the suddendeath finals showdown between University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines at 4 p.m. and the battle for bronze between University of the East and Far Eastern University at 2 p.m. in the Collegiate Grand Slam.

After racing to 12 consecutive victories, the Blaze Spikers booked a finals duel with bitter rivals Cargo Movers and looked poise to winning the title via a sweep.

Petron took Game One in dominant fashion, 25-23, 25-11, 25-17, to inch closer to another crown in the women’s club league bankrolled

by Isuzu, Mueller, Asics, Mikasa, Senoh, Bizooku with Genius Sports as technical partner.

But disaster struck in Game Two on Tuesday night.

The Cargo Movers marched to war with fire in their eyes and hounded and pounded the Blaze Spikers with their middle attacks and superb blocking in the second and third sets before going for the kill in the fourth for an impressive 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17 victory.

F2 Logistics Head Coach Ramil de Jesus said a golden opportunity presented itself so they wasted no time denying Petron a series sweep and a second All-Filipino title since 2015.

“For as long as the opportunity to win

comes, we’ll take it,” de Jesus said. “I believe in my players. I know they will deliver. After all, we’re not just here to play—we’re here to win the title.”

Ara Galang was and delivered 17 kills to finish with 20 points in Game Two, while Majoy Baron and Cha Behag chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Cargo Movers, who asserted their mastery in the blocking department, 12-4, and the service box, 9-2.

“I don’t want to think that momentum is on our side. I don’t want my team to be complacent,” de Jesus said.

But Petron Coach Shaq de los Santos remains defiant, believing that they can still win the crown in the battle that has ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners.

“We’ve been in this situation before,” said de los Santos, recalling their disappointing loss to the Cargo Movers in last year’s Grand Prix where they won the opener but collapsed the rest of the way.

“We’ve already learned our lesson. We won’t let this golden chance to slip away,” he said.

He added that winning the title is their ultimate objective and they will finish the job whatever it takes.

“We’re still optimistic that we can defend the title,” said de los Santos, who will bank more on star players Rhea Dimaculangan, Mika Reyes, Remy Palma, Sisi Rondina, Bernadeth Pons, Ces Molina and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.

“This is not yet over. All we have to do is to go back to the drawing board and prepare for Game Three,” he stressed.

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Bolick’s teammate, forward Javee Mocon, and National University’s Jayjay Alejandro, on the other hand, inked three-year contracts with Rain or Shine.

The Batang Pier obviously wanted to add power to their backcourt with the acquisition of Bolick as the third pick in the first round.

After Romeo left last year, Stanley

Pringle became the lone gunner in the backcourt position and Bolick’s addition would be a bit help for NorthPort’s aspirations to elevate its game.

Pringle, one of the best guards not only in the country but also in Asia following stints with the national team, forms a formidable onetwo combo with the former Red Lion.

TERRENCE ROMEO suits up for his third team since turning pro in 2013, while NorthPort makes sure Robert Bolick won’t go anywhere else.

Former NBA star Odom, Brownlee tapped as Mighty reinforcements

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ATIONAL Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Lamar Odom and Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee will reinforce Mighty Sports in the Dubai International Basketball Tournament in February next year.

Odom announced his plan to play for Mighty Sports through his Instagram, adding that he is excited about the opportunity to represent the Philippines in the Dubai tournament that will draw top Middle East teams.

This will mark the second time that Mighty Sports will be competing in the premier Middle East tournament, having played there two years ago with Brownlee as one of the team’s imports.

Mighty Sports team owner Caesar Wongchuking is also hoping to tap other NBA veterans to boost their title campaign after producing only one win the last time.

“We welcome Mr. Lamar Odom to the Mighty Sports family,” Wongchuking said. “It’s a great honor to have such a great player to be part of our team representing the Philippines.

My thanks to coach Charles Tiu and payer agent Sheryl Reyes.”

Tiu said American Randolf Morris, who plays for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association, will also join the team.

Odom, 39, made waves during his stint with the LA Lakers where he helped superstar Kobe Bryant win the championships in 2009 and 2010. He also played for the US team

Bravo, McKenzie book twin wins in Mandaue tilt in the 2004 Olympics and 2010 Fiba World Championship.

Wongchuking also plans to invite collegiate stars like De La Salle’s Santi Santillan and University of the Philippines’s Juan Gomez de Liaño along with Gab Banal and former Philippine Basketball Association star Joseph Yeo. “We hope to add star power to the team because we have lots of fans in Dubai,” Wongchuking said.

This early, Odom is eager to meet his teammates and interact with Filipino fans. He is scheduled to arrive in January next year.

Filipinos miss titles on home soil

APO Golfers bag seniors crown in Fil-Am

HE Alpha Phi Omega Golfers’ Club (APO Golfers’ Club) assembled a 352 and captured the Fil-B crown via a whopping 43-point victory over Macquarie Links Sydney in the Seniors division of the Fil Am golf tournament at the Camp John Hay and Baguio Country Club (BCC) courses recently.

The APO golfers, led by President Rey Talatala, Bing Alcantara, Mandy Lustre, Cord Guangco, Jack Punao and skipper Jess Cualing, dominated the field with 93 and 95 outputs at the par-69 John Hay course then pulled away at the short but tricky BCC layout with 89 and 75.

Macquarie finished with a 309 for second,

San Miguel Beer gave up its second-round picks in 2021 and 2022 to Blackwater to acquire Zamar, while parting ways with Keith Agovida for Tubid from Columbian Dyip.

Romeo, Zamar and Tubid now form a strong team backcourt with Cabagnot, fourtime Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, Christian Standhardinger, Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos.

The Beermen are seeking a fifth straight Philippine Cup next season.

Zamar was drafted in the fourth round by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 2012 draft when Fajardo was the No. 1 pick, but never got to strut his wares in the league.

He journeyed in several leagues, first in the PBA D-League before packing his bags for Bangkok where he became a star for the Mono Vampires in the Asean Basketball League.

With his star shining overseas, Blackwater tapped Zamar, who immediately made an impact in the previous Governors’ Cup. At San Miguel, Zamar gets the chance to play under his dad, Assistant Coach Boycie, who like his son was a former University of the East star who played alongside Allan Caidic and Jerry Codinera in the 1983-1984 University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion team.

NorthPort, meanwhile, wasted no time signing up former San Beda star Robert Bolick to a maximum two-year contract for rookies which guarantees the player a maximum of P150,000 a month in salary in his first year and P220,000 in his sophomore year.

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OMAN International Master (WIM) Jane Jodilyn Fronda and IM Ricky de Guzman drew with their respective foes to emerge as the best-placed Filipinos in the just-concluded 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships (Second Manny Pacquiao Cup) on Tuesday at the Tiara Hotel.

Fronda, 24, fought third-seeded IM Guo Qi of China to finish with five points for 16th overall after the tiebreak in the women’s division while de Guzman, 58, failed to cash in on his twopawn edge over GM Abhimanyu Puranik of India to wind up with five points for 23rd place also after the tiebreak in the men’s side.

including 87-83 at John Hay and 67-74 at BCC, nipping Fil-Am Golf of Florida, which also pooled a 309, in the countback.

The APO squad, the only fraternity-based golf club accredited in the annual event, also placed second in Am-F with Jay Millonado, Juan Alfonso Abastillas, Alfredo Nasser, Juan Ponce Abastillas and Noel Relucio combining for 79-74 at BCC and producing two 74s at John Hay for 301.

Bibak New Jersey, composed of Soc Suayan, Camilo Passi, Rod Cadelina, Paul Agnew and Faustito Caballero, ran away with the crown with a 330, including 81-78 at BCC and 87-84 at John Hay. Team Na KOA finished third with 295.

Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna also ended up with five points after she drew with 13th seed WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An of Vietnam but slipped to 18th place after the tiebreak in the event bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission and Sen. Manny Pacquiao and organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

Woman Fide Master Allaney Jia Doroy capped her impressive performance with a draw with 11th seed WIM Mobina Alinasab of Iran to finish at 19th with 4.5 points. She earned a whopping 101.6 rating points.

GM John Paul Gomez halved the point

with former women’s world champion GM Tan Zhongyi of China and placed 27th.

Chinese GM Wei Yi reigned supreme in the men’s side, while Indian IM Ruot Padmini copped the women’s title.

Frayna later bounced back in the blitz event where she upset sixth seed IM Gulishkan Nakhbayeva of Kazakhstan to wind up fourth.

Two more Filipinos, WIMs Catherine Secopito and Bernadette Galas, appeared headed to ruling the side event after they zoomed to the top two after six rounds only to fade in the last three games when they scored half a point. Secopito slipped to sixth and Galas to ninth place.

PSC INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

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HE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), in an effort to properly and fully exercise its mandate in both elite and grassroots sports, sealed an intergovernment collaboration with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The partnership was sealed on Wednesday in a memorandum of agreement signed by PSC Chairman William Ramirez and Deputy Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr. and DOJ Assistant Secretary Margaret Castillo-Padilla, who

representedJustice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

“I am very happy that this intergovernment collaboration with DOJ is finally happening,” said Ramirez after the MOA signing ceremony at the PSC offices inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

“The PSC wants to seek guidance and promote accountability and good governance among national sports associations, organizations and other

PHILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez (center) and Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Margaret Castillo-Padilla (right) sign the partnership with PSC Deputy Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr.

stakeholders,” Ramirez added.

“The DOJ is here to help the PSC in enforcing their standing implementing rules and regulations and help on issues of mishandling financial assistance and on other matters, which may be consulted with them,” Castillo-Padilla said.

“For the past 28 years, this is the first time the PSC partnered with DOJ and we are hoping that this positive move will help create unity among us,” Iroy said.

The PSC will form a task force that will coordinate and work closely on standing cases and other conflicts that are referred by the PSC.

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EDRIX BRAVO hacked out a pair of tough wins, while Ashley McKenzie swept her way to twin victories in the premier sides to clinch the Most Valuable Player honors in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) Mandaue national agegroup tennis tournament in Cebu last Monday.

The top-seeded Bravo from Ormoc City survived Raymund Goco twice, escaping with a 6-1, 3-6, 10-6 victory in the boys’ 16-under finals and a 6-7(2), 7-5, 10-8 thriller for the 18-under crown in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.

The No. 4 McKenzie, on the other hand, routed top seed Bless Coderos, 6-1, 6-2, in the semis then ripped No. 2 Corazon Lambonao, 6-3, 6-1, to snare the girls’ 16-under diadem and lead the rash of reversals in the girls’ division. The rising star from Australia, whose mother is a Cebuana, held off Mia Gemida, 7-5, 6-2, in the 18-under finals of the event put up by Palawan Pawnshop.

Gemida, also from Ormoc, earlier upended top seed Lambonao, 6-2, 6-1, for the 14-under title while Thalia Suson, Louise Paliwag, Mitch Largo and Goco shared center stage in the penultimate leg of the annual nationwide circuit sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilsoin, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-MEG. No. 4 Suson, from Liloan, Cebu, stunned top seed Paliwag, 7-5, 7-5, to pocket the girls’ 12-under plum; Paliwag, from Valencia, Dumaguete, took the 10-under unisex title with a 4-2, 4-5(3), 4-0 victory over Juvels Velos; and Largo, from Naga, Cebu, repulsed Chad Cuizon, 3-6, 6-2, 10-4, for the boys’ 12-under diadem.

Goco served notice of his rise by shocking top seed Hans Cabellon, 2-6, 6-4, 10-0, in the semifinals and blasting Mitch Largo, 6-2, 6-2, to nail the 14-under title.

“The future looks bright for McKenzie, Goco and company who continue to shine through sustained campaign in the PPS-PEPP circuit,” said Palawan Pawnshop President and CEO Bobby Castro, who has lined up a bigger 70-leg tour that will keep the country’s junior players busy in 2019.

McKenzie also led the doubles winners as she teamed up with sibling Khymberly to beat Bless and Hazel Coderos, 8-3, for the 18-under title with Goco and Kenneth Tenepre foiling Bravo and Cabellon, 8-4. Other winners were Mia Gemida and Lambonao and Cabellon and Cuizon (14-under) and Shara Paliwag and Christian Laguna (10-under unisex).

Sports

FIVE COUNTING

BusinessMirror

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ARCELONA, Spain—Lionel Messi received his record fifth Golden Shoe award on Tuesday for leading all of Europe’s soccer leagues in scoring last season.

Messi’s fifth win breaks the tie he had with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi scored 34 goals in the Spanish league last season to lead Barcelona to the title. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was the second leading scorer of Europe’s domestic leagues with 32 goals in England.

Messi also won the award in 2009-10 (34 goals), 2011-12 (50), 2012-13 (46) and 2016-17 (37).

The Argentina forward currently leads Europe’s top leagues with 14 goals this season.

“I love football, but when I started I didn’t expect all this. My dream was to be a professional player,” Messi said. “This is thanks to the hard work and effort I have put in, and above all to my teammates. I have the best players in the world at their positions playing beside me.”

The 31-year-old Messi is Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. The club credits him with 572 goals in 655 games.

The Golden Shoe is awarded by European Sports Media, an association of European sports newspapers and magazines. AP

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| Thursday, December 20, 2018 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Fifa bans African official for taking cash presents

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LIONEL MESSI receives his fifth Golden Shoe award for leading all of Europe’s leagues in scoring last season. AP

MOURINHO MAGIC GONE

By Steve Douglas

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The Associated Press

ANTED: A coach to restore Manchester United to its former status as a major force in European soccer.

It was a task that proved beyond even Jose Mourinho.

United brought an end to Mourinho’s turbulent twoand-a-half-year spell at the storied English club by firing him on Tuesday, an inevitable move that follows a pattern of bitter endings at the Portuguese coach’s recent teams.

“Be careful,” Mourinho said to reporters and photographers through the open window of a car that whisked him away from the city-center hotel where he lived throughout his time at United.

Indeed, these are worrying times for both United, which is arguably at its lowest point since the departure of longtime manager Alex Ferguson in 2013, and Mourinho, whose illustrious coaching career is at a crossroads as critics question if his abrasive approach, on and off the field, still suits modern-day soccer.

United said it will not hire a permanent replacement for Mourinho until the off-season. The club will soon appoint a caretaker manager for the remainder of the season and a page on United’s web site suggested it will be former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Under a video of Solskjaer celebrating after scoring the winning goal for United in the 1999 Champions League final, a post read: “Solskjaer becomes our interim manager, 20 seasons after clinching the Treble with that goal at Camp Nou...”

No official announcement has been made, however.

The end for Mourinho at English soccer’s most prestigious club came two days after a 3-1 loss at fierce rival Liverpool, the latest reminder of just how far United has slumped behind the top teams in the Premier League and Europe.

It was a result that left United sixth in the Premier League, 19 points off the lead after 17 games and, perhaps more significantly, 11 points off the top four in the race to secure Champions League qualification for next season. It is United’s worst 17-game start to a league campaign since the 1990-91 season.

“The club would like to thank Jose for his work during his time at Manchester United and to wish him success in the future,” United said in a three-line statement released after Mourinho was told of his fate in a face-to-face meeting with Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward.

United won two titles in Mourinho’s first season—the English League Cup and the Europa League—but failed to capture a trophy in his second season, although runner-up spot in the league was its highest finish since Ferguson left.

Mourinho has historically encountered problems in his third season in charge at clubs he has managed, and it was no different at United.

His relationship with Paul Pogba, United’s record signing at $116 million and the marquee arrival in Mourinho’s reign, appeared broken following a spat that started in the off-season.

Pogba, who hasn’t started for United in its last three games, wrote on Instagram “Caption this!” alongside a picture of him smirking in a post published soon after the announcement of Mourinho’s departure. It was quickly deleted.

Mourinho has also publicly criticized other players, including Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial, during his reign. By the end, it felt as if Mourinho was unloved and increasingly alienated.

Tellingly, the only public message from a United player in the hours following Mourinho’s departure was that post

by Pogba.

Mourinho, who oversaw the outlay of $470 million on players while at United, also appeared to have a fractious relationship with Woodward, especially since the club’s board failed to back his wish to sign a central defender in the off-season. United has already conceded more goals in the league (29) than it did in all of last season.

Then there was United’s pragmatic and often-ponderous style of play under Mourinho that always seemed at odds with the team’s preference down the years for free-flowing, attacking play. Mourinho’s approach and tactics appear out of date and have been bypassed by younger, more forwardthinking managers.

After Sunday’s loss at Anfield, Mourinho said his players were brittle and couldn’t cope with the intensity and physicality of Liverpool—historically United’s biggest rival. United also lost, 3-1, to neighbor Manchester City in the league in recent weeks in another display that highlighted the team’s demise.

A serial winner of trophies throughout his coaching

URICH—Fifa ethics judges have imposed a fouryear ban on African soccer official Seedy Kinteh for taking cash gifts from former Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar.

Fifa says its ethics committee found Kinteh guilty on charges of bribery and corruption, and accepting gifts. He was fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($202,000).

Kinteh was named in a 2014 investigation report by Fifa’s then-ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia for taking payments totaling $69,396 from Bin Hammam from February 2010 to April 2011.

Then, Kinteh was president of Gambia’s soccer federation and Bin Hammam was a potential then actual candidate for the Fifa presidency.

Bin Hammam was suspended in 2011 days before the election against thenpresident Sepp Blatter after being implicated in bribing Caribbean voters.

UEFA, meanwhile, said it wants a deeper investigation into alleged anti-Semitic chants by Chelsea fans that the club condemned after a Europa League game.

UEFA says a disciplinary inspector will “conduct an investigation in relation to the alleged racist incident” by midJanuary.

Some Chelsea fans were heard singing an anti-Semitic chant targeting Tottenham minutes into a 2-2 draw at Hungarian club Vidi on Thursday.

In a statement that evening, Chelsea questioned the “brainpower” of fans who did not understand the chant was “abhorrent.”

UEFA would typical open a formal disciplinary case within 36 hours if incident details are reported by a referee or match delegate. AP

career—his title haul currently stands at 25—Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford in 2016 as a supposed quick fix for United following its struggles after the retirement of Ferguson three years earlier. David Moyes, Ferguson’s hand-picked successor, and Louis van Gaal departed after 10 months and two years, respectively.

Mourinho lasted only marginally longer. He was at United the same length of time as he was in his previous job at Chelsea, when he was also fired just before Christmas in 2015 in his third season after accusing his players of “betraying” him.

In his six major coaching stints—at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea again and United—Mourinho has only lasted more than three years once. That was in his first spell at Chelsea.

Having signed a new contract with United in January until June 2020, the Portuguese coach will reportedly receive compensation of £24 million

($30 million).

Whoever replaces Mourinho—former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been linked with the caretaker position—will take over a team that reached the last 16 of the Champions League, where it will play Paris SaintGermain over two legs in February and March. The interim coach’s priority will be to claw back that massive deficit to the top four and try to qualify for the Champions League—the minimum requirement for big teams like United at the start of every season.

Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pochettino is among the favorites with British bookmakers to take over on a full-time basis.

“We know a lot of rumors happen,” Pochettino said on Tuesday. “But it’s not my business what happens in another club now. I’m so focused on delivering my best job, our best job, in this club.”

In some of Mourinho’s final public comments as United manager, he said “for sure we are going to finish in the top six...but the better we can get is fourth position.” It smacked of a lowering in standards that he used to criticize other managers of having.

By the end, the old magic that marked Mourinho out as one of the greatest coaches of his generation had gone.

TOP DRAW ON T.V. New Orleans Saints’

Michael Thomas (13) and Carolina Panthers’ James Bradberry (24) grab each other’s face masks in the second half of their National Football League (NFL) game in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday. Professional football—the lifeblood of live television this time of year—illustrates its dominance in the ratings this past week as four games finished among the Nielsen company’s 20 most popular prime-time programs, with NBC’s Sunday night and Fox’s Thursday contests the top two. AP

JOSE MOURINHO’S illustrious coaching career is at a crossroads as critics question if his abrasive approach, on and off the field, still suits modern-day soccer. AP

God of the covenant OD of the covenant, in Christ Jesus You bless us and make all creation holy. We humbly pray: God, in Your faithful love, hear our prayer. Refresh Pope Francis, bishops, and all Your Church through reflection on Your word and contemplation of Your creative works. May God enlighten our hearts by the spirit of truth, and lead us to know our need of forgiveness and mercy, through Jesus, our saving hope. Amen.

GIVE US THIS DAY, SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL

Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

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

Life BusinessMirror

THE Kilchurn Castle in Scotland

PARIS in the winter

THE glaciers in Iceland

THE Isle of Skye in Scotland

The travels of Tony Shalhoub, from Paris to Austin

By John Ortved

I

New York Times News Service

T was a trip gone awry that brought Tony Shalhoub his first Tony Award last season, for best performance by a leading actor in a musical. In The Band’s Visit, Shalhoub played the leader of an Arab military band that inadvertently ends up stranded in a small, isolated Israeli town and not the more cultured city it was supposed to travel to for a concert performance. (The fact that one was named Petah Tikva and the other Bet Hatikva—“with a B”—might explain the confusion.)

More recently, Shalhoub, a three-time Emmy winner for USA Network’s detective procedural series Monk (20022009), and a nominee this year for his work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, was in Paris, where some of the scenes for Season 2 of that Amazon series were filmed. (That second season just began streaming.)

When he travels—whether for work or on vacation with his wife, actress Brooke Adams—Shalhoub says he wants to immerse himself in the experience, whether it is exploring art in Venice, ruins in Lebanon or glaciers in Iceland. Which isn’t to say that he isn’t content to just unwind. “I’m always happy if there’s a gorgeous beach involved,” he says. “I have to say, the most extraordinary ones were in Tahiti. The color of the water, the feel of the water, the temperature of the water—it was so unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

In a recent e-mail exchange and a follow-up conversation, Shalhoub revealed some of his most memorable trips, his soft spot for Texas-style ribs, and why he’s over hotels.

When you travel, are you looking for adventure, relaxation, culture—all three?

When I take a break, I’m looking for a little bit of everything. Everything except crowds. And great food! Oh, and museums reflecting the local culture. Recently, when we were in Lebanon we went to Baalbek, where there are Roman ruins. A guide told us that a Roman temple was built on top of a Greek temple—the Greeks had been there before the Romans—and before that the Greeks built on top of a Phoenician temple. This notion of all of this labor and all of this time and all of this artistry crammed into one place, it was extraordinary.

than hotels, whenever possible. We were in Venice five years ago, during the Biennale, and the available hotels weren’t what we were looking for. And so we found a site, Views on Venice; they had extraordinary apartments right in the area we wanted to be. We found we had extra room, we had a kitchen, we had privacy. When we were shooting in Paris for Maisel, we were offered a hotel but we found an apartment in the Marais district. And it was just heavenly.

Guests came from the States and stayed with us; we had three bedrooms. Way more space and convenience than we could get in a hotel.

Do you sleep on the plane? Read? Watch movies?

Typically, I sleep on short flights. Often I’m “out” before takeoff. On longer flights, I like to read a lot, do the crossword, watch films, play video poker or backgammon.

And sleep (but only before takeoff).

Are there certain things you always take with you?

I always wear slip-ons. Uggs. Never shoes with laces!

And I try to remember to bring along some Airborne or Emergen-C. And toothpicks. And earplugs. And a sleep mask.

And a book or script. And good headphones. And a pen for crossword puzzles. Oh, and my wife.

Checked luggage or carry-on?

Carry-on. But only if it’s a direct flight.

What have been your favorite trips?

Well, Scotland is remarkable. Edinburgh, the Highlands, the Isle of Skye. Breathtaking. And, of course, hearing that fabulous Scottish brogue everywhere: lovely! Most recently we visited Lebanon—where my father was from—and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. (I want to go back for a

When you were shooting The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in Paris, did you have a favorite local restaurant?

We went to a place not far from where we were staying called the Saint Regis Café, a breakfast and lunch place: perfection.

Where do you want to go that you haven’t gone yet?

Cuba. I’ve always been curious about it. And I love the idea that it might just be a bit like traveling back in time.

THE multi-awarded actor Tony Shalhoub, who has scored yet another Emmy nomination for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

TONY CENICOLA|THE NEW YORK TIMES

much longer stay.) Just before that I was filming in Paris, to me the greatest city on Earth. Nothing that’s been said or written or painted or documented or sung about Paris can ever truly do it justice. When I’m there I feel like I’m walking around inside a beautiful painting.

Favorite hotel?

Lately, we opt for Airbnb-style apartments, rather

Experience winter in Switzerland SWITZERLAND Tourism is back in the Philippines for its annual Southeast Asia Roadshow. This year’s roadshow encourages Filipino travel enthusiasts to visit Switzerland for its “Upgrade Your Winter” campaign.

Recently held at Solaire Resort and Casino, the roadshow, beyond its primary aim to strengthen Switzerland Tourism’s strategic partnerships with local travel agencies and tour operators, intends to also connect travel agency executives and representatives with Switzerland Tourism’s partners to further promote destinations and attractions in Switzerland, as well as provide them updates on new products that will suit Filipino travel enthusiasts’ palate for holiday adventures, particularly this winter season.

Ivan Breiter, Switzerland Tourism director for Southeast

Asia, along with Oliver Guggisberg, project manager, and the Southeast Asia Delegates, welcomed guests from the travel agencies and travel media with a two-part event. The whole-day roadshow included a workshop in the morning for travel consultants and tour operators followed by a cocktail reception for travel executives and the media.

Switzerland Tourism partners included Gornergrat Bahn—Matterhorn Railway, Bermina Express, Jungfraujoch— Top of Europe, Swiss Travel System, Rail Europe, Schilthorn Cableway Ltd., Titlis Cableways, Hotels and Restaurants, Lucerne-Lake Lucerne Region and Zurich Tourism.

Ivan Breiter grabbed the opportunity to thank the Filipinos for the 67-percent increase in Filipino tourist arrivals in three years. Switzerland Tourism looks forward to boosting this number by continuously intensifying its efforts in connecting

Switzerland to the Filipinos and encouraging them to treat themselves to a winter upgrade this season.

Switzerland, a country with 12 Unesco world heritage sites and two Unesco biospheres, picturesque boutique towns, famous landmarks, beautiful landscapes and breathtaking mountains, will surely bring to life every Filipino’s winter wonderland fantasies.

The Swiss Travel Pass, an all-in one ticket for travel by train, bus and boat in almost 90 cities, offers free entrance to over 500 museums and 50-percent discount on most mountain railways, allows travelers to make the most of their holidays in Switzerland and experience its diversity.

With its 150 ski resorts, more than 5,500 kilometers of cross-country ski trails, winter walking trails at over 2,800 meters, cozy hideaways and picturesque towns,

Have any places really surprised you?

As a family, we found Iceland totally surprising. The scenery and topography changes radically every time you turn a corner. We did a five-day trek on horseback.

Is there somewhere you went, for work, that you found unexpectedly interesting?

A number of years ago I had the chance to film in Austin, Texas. And I discovered that it’s definitely a place I could happily spend the rest of my life. The music! The young people! The ribs! There’s a lot to love.

Switzerland certainly captures every traveler’s heart for thrill and adventure.

The Swiss winter promises an unforgettable experience with families and friends as Switzerland’s Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt unveils the beauty of the unparalleled Alpine regions and frozen lakes.

Since Switzerland is home of the first cable car for tourists and also the world’s first T-bar lift, tourists should not miss these ski lifts in the country.

An exhilarating experience awaits travelers who are up for Husky Tours in the Valais Alps, or they can walk with the St. Bernards of the Fondation Barry.

Whether you opt for ski touring, hiking through snowcovered forests or apréski fun, Switzerland is the perfect place to upgrade your winter.

REELING: THREE BELLS, A BEAUTY, A PREWAR FILM D4

Thursday, December 20, 2018 D1

D.O.T. READY FOR BALANGIGA BELLS TOURISTS

DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat assured that the Balangiga bells would be a historical treasure that will be preserved for all the world and future generations to see.

Puyat made the statement in view of the expected influx of tourists desiring to see the three Balangiga bells along with the old church in Eastern Samar, where they were formally restored in recent ceremonies led by President Duterte.

“We, at DOT, are so happy for the people of Eastern Samar as the homecoming of Balangiga Church bells may yet turn not only Balangiga town but the whole of Eastern Visayas [Region 8] into an emerging tourist destination. In time for the Christmas season, this is one of the best gifts the region could ask for, ” said Puyat.

The Balangiga bells is seen to boost tourism activities in the town, located in the southern part of Eastern Samar province, around 97 kilometers, or an hour and a half of travel from Tacloban City.

“Eastern Visayas is really rich in history and among those historical places that can help in improving our tourism is the town of Balangiga, which has figured prominently in both the Philippine and American history,” Puyat added.

Balangiga is part of Eastern Samar province that is blessed with attractions ideal for nature, marine sports, adventure, historical, heritage, cultural and religious tourism.

The DOT had been assisting the local government unit (LGU) of Balangiga in the area’s tourism development projects, said DOT Region 8 Director Karina Rosa Tiopes.

“Foremost of these is the improvement of the Balangiga Incident Marker, funded under DOT-Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Project worth P9.7 million, which was downloaded to the LGU,” disclosed Tiopes.

The improvement includes landscaping and beautification of the park and the small museum located at the back of the marker to make it more presentable to tourists and pilgrims who will be visiting the town.

The Balangiga Incident Marker is the work of National Artist Napoleon Abueva, inaugurated on the 102nd commemoration on September 28, 2003.

Preparations set by the DOT include trainings for mangrove paddling guides, waiter servicing and food handling, community tour guides, mountain guides, effective customer service and entrepreneurial development.

The DOT also provided a fund worth P629,000 to the LGU for the procurement of livelihood gears that include kayak with paddles, personal flotation device, fisherman’s hat, rash guards, first-aid kits, tents, solar lamps, beach umbrella, plastic tables, monoblock chairs and more, plus various office supplies for Bayakha Falls, LadderBangon Falls and Sitio Marag Mangroves.

“Enhancing other tourist destinations in Balangiga will make visitors stay longer, giving them the opportunity to get to know our people, experience our culture, taste our cuisine and discover the Infinite Escapes in Eastern Visayas” Tiopes added.

She said the DOT is looking at the possible accreditation of homestay units to address the lack of accommodation for visitors in town.

Homestay is a tourism program that allows visitors to rent a room from a local family who earns additional income, at the same time enabling tourists to immerse with the locals and learn Filipino culture.

The DOT chief echoed Duterte’s words that the Balangiga bells and their return as a “symbol of reconciliation and lasting friendship” between the Philippines and the United States.

The three church bells were seized by US troops in a bloody attack, known as the “Howling Wilderness,” avenging the death of several American soldiers by Filipino guerrillas during the Filipino-American war in 1901.

The longtime plea for the bells’ return to the Philippines gained impetus when Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last August rallied the nation to demand the US to bring back the war trophy.

Heeding the Filipinos’ clamor, Washington shipped the three Balangiga bells back to the country.

FROM left: Beat Wälti, SEA representative of Lucerne-Lake Lucerne region; Alan Ramsay, sales manager of Schiltorn Cableway Ltd.; and Paolo de la Cruz of People’s Asia.

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Entertaining BusinessMirror

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Spread love and give back this holiday season WHEN we think of Christmas, we instantly think of get-togethers and reunions, feasts, gifts and bonuses.

And while these fill our minds and our days, the spirit of the season is also about love, joy, hope and giving.

So as we fulfill our holiday duties this season, let’s do our part in spreading the essence of Christmas especially to the less fortunate.

At Richmonde CHOCOLATES for Charity Hotel Ortigas and Eastwood Richmonde Hotel, you can help make someone’s holiday enjoyable and memorable too with fund-raising programs that will support select charitable institutions.

For the past seven years Eastwood Richmonde Hotel has been giving back to the community of Quezon City by way of donations to the Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC), a residential facility that houses abandoned, abused, exploited and orphaned children aged 6 and below. Now on its eighth year, Eastwood Richmonde enjoins its guests to extend their love and care to the residents of RSCC through its Angel of Hope program. Set against a picture-perfect gingerbread fireplace, the fund-raising activity invites hotel guests to make a straightforward contribution to RSCC. For every P200 donation, an angel ornament will be displayed at the Christmas Tree of Hope in honor of the donor.

All donors will also get a chance to win an overnight stay in the raffle, plus an assortment of goodies when they play the Help Angel Afriel game. All cash contributions will be endorsed to RSCC to help fund the daily operations of their housing units, including the provision of their medical, educational, psychological, and dietary requirements, plus other needs of the children.

Over at Richmonde Hotel Ortigas, sweet treats await all kindhearted souls this year. Ongoing all year round for several years already is the Chocolates for Charity at the Lobby Café where for every purchase of the Christmas chocolate lollipops (P50 net/pc and P350/ seven pcs in a mug), all the proceeds from the sale will go to two foundations supported by the hotel: CRIBS (Create Responsive Infants By Sharing) Foundation, which nurtures and cares for abandoned babies and sexually abused young girls; and the Bahay Kanlungan ni Maria Domenica, which provides shelter for old, destitute people. Cash donations may also be made at the lobby donation box or at the Front Desk.

Choice cuts, casual vibe at Concepto FANCY a steak but don’t want to head out for fine dining? You can now leave the formalities behind because you can have your choice cuts together with beers or cocktails and slick beats at Concepto, on Mañalac Street in Poblacion, Makati.

The fun hangout place is a hybrid between a restaurant and a meat place, inspired by the love for both food and good drinks of owners Migz del Gallego, Mikey Presa, Anna Villanueva, Con Mendoza and Thina Mendoza. This new dining experience was inspired by the success of their other concepts, where they serve up approachable cuisine that is especially appreciated by meat lovers.

Their collective experience in the food industry and their entrepreneurial chutzpah have led them to open Concepto, where customers can choose their meats from a range that includes prime cuts such as USDA Rib Eye, Porterhouse, Sirloin, Tenderloin and T-bone, all the way to 48 hours marinated Porkchops, Pork Belly and Smoked Maple Bacon, and then have it cooked to their preferred doneness at only P100 cooking charge, plus their choices of sauces and sides.

Planning for a party? Looking at something that’s not on the menu? Concepto can customize a menu just for the occasion.

The other menu items are throwbacks to their road trips, with dishes that they cooked along the way, Migz shares. The best sellers include Mikey’s Chili (eight-hour simmered ground beef topped with sour cream, cheese and cilantro, with fried tortilla on the side), Roast Beef Adobo (roasted garlic with adobo jus, served with fried potato or rice), and the Spicy Binagoongan (sautéed with three kinds of chili with green mango salad and crispy wanton chips).

The meaty menu items are meant to be enjoyed with cold drinks and savored with music courtesy of hot bands and DJs. They also have quiz nights every Tuesday with the winner getting a bottle free.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

z

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jonah Hill, 35; David Cook, 36; Nicole de Boer, 48; Joel Gretsch, 55.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Get everything in order. You’ll accomplish far more if you are on top of matters that have the potential to hold you back. Embrace change that will improve your standard of living or encourage you to take better care of yourself. Put emotional energy into what’s important to you and into helping loved ones. Don’t share personal information or passwords. Your lucky numbers are 2, 10, 16, 20, 28, 31, 44.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t spend unnecessarily. Time is money, so take care of business and refrain from getting involved in behavior that may make you look bad or appear to be wasteful or indulgent. A personal change should not be made under emotional conditions. ««««

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Share your intentions with someone you love, and you’ll bring greater stability into your life moving forward. Plans can be made and a promise put into play.

The response you receive will give you better insight into someone you love. «««

THIS recipe for this porchetta appears in the cookbook Sous Vide for Everybody.” AP

Can’t get a whole pig? You can still make a yummy porchetta c

By America’s Test Kitchen

T

The Associated Press

RADITIONALLY, Italian porchetta is a whole pig that is spit-roasted to produce fall-apart tender, rich pieces of slow-cooked pork, aromatic with garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary and thyme. It’s served with pieces of crisp skin on a crusty roll.

Seeing as most people don’t have a rotisserie in their kitchen, or access to whole pigs, porchetta is a tricky recipe to adapt for cooking at home.

After testing a few different cuts, we settled on pork butt, which is cut from the upper portion of the shoulder and has a good amount of fat to keep the meat moist and flavorful without making it over-the-top decadent (as can be the case with pork belly, another common choice).

We cut the pork butt in half to allow for even seasoning and easy slicing when serving. We seasoned both pieces with salt and then rubbed them down with a simple garlic-herb paste before sending them to the water bath.

A low-and-slow sous vide bath allowed the collagen in the meat to transform into moistureretaining gelatin. This kept the roast juicy and tender but still sliceable. Once the pork had finished cooking in the water bath, we quickly blasted it in a hot oven to crisp up and brown the fat cap to mimic traditional porchetta’s crispy pork skin. In sum? Roast pork just got a whole lot better.

Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the

supermarket. If fennel seeds are unavailable, substitute 1/4 cup of ground fennel.

PORCHETTA Servings: 8-10 Sous vide temperature: 145 F Sous vide time: 20-24 hours Active cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes 3 tablespoons fennel seeds 1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves 12 garlic cloves (60 grams), peeled Kosher salt and pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 5 pound boneless pork butt roast, trimmed

Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 145 F in 12 quart container.

Grind fennel seeds in spice grinder or mortar and pestle until finely ground. Transfer ground fennel to food processor and add rosemary, thyme, garlic, one tablespoon pepper and two teaspoons salt. Pulse mixture until finely chopped, 10 to 15 pulses. Add oil and process until smooth paste forms, 20 to 30 seconds.

Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer of fat on roast, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into meat. Cut roast in half with grain into two equal pieces.

Turn each roast on its side so fat cap is facing away from you, bottom of roast is facing toward you, and newly cut side is facing up. Starting 1 inch from short end of each o

roast, use boning or paring knife to make slit that starts 1 inch from top of roast and ends 1 inch from bottom, pushing knife completely through roast. Repeat making slits, spaced 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart, along length of each roast, stopping 1 inch from opposite end (you should have six to eight slits).

Turn roast so fat cap is facing down. Rub sides and bottom of each roast with 2 teaspoons salt, taking care to work salt into slits from both sides. Rub herb paste onto sides and bottom of each roast, taking care to work paste into slits from both sides. Flip roast so that fat cap is facing up. Using three pieces of kitchen twine per roast, tie each roast into compact cylinder.

Combine 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub fat cap of each roast with salt mixture, taking care to work mixture into crosshatches.

Place each roast in 1 gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until roasts are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen one corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 oF. Set wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray. Transfer roasts, fat side up, to prepared rack, leaving at least 2 inches between roasts. Discard twine and pat roasts dry with paper towels. Roast until exteriors of roasts are well browned, about 20 minutes.

Transfer roasts to carving board and let rest for five to 10 minutes. Slice roasts 1/2 inch thick and serve.

Christmas get-togethers made special ’TIS the time to gather family, friends, colleagues and clients over a fine meal that’s shared together with stories of then and now. This, of course, has to be done at a special place so that each social or corporate function and intimate get-together becomes more memorable.

Salvatore Cuomo & Bar (salvatorecuomoph.com), the restaurant named after the celebrity chef and restaurateur and media personality who is known as the pioneer of Neapolitan pizza in Japan, has a branch at Uptown Parade, Bonifacio Global City, that offers authentic Italian cuisine in an elegant and modern setting for the discerning set.

As such, it features premium casual dining at a convenient location within the city that is an ideal place to celebrate Christmas.

It has a private room that can be a venue for intimate holiday lunches or dinners for up to 12 pax and a larger function room for 30 pax. These two rooms can be combined to fit a maximum of 40. There is also an option to book the whole restaurant for larger groups of up to 170 guests, including outdoor seating.

Chef Salvatore loves creating dishes from what he sees at local, as well as international markets. That’s why he can offer off-menu items, whatever the season. This is a creative process that he loves to immerse himself in, making changes here and there for variety and so that traditional Italian dishes are refreshed from time to time. Known for his hands-on approach to managing

his restaurants, Chef Salvatore’s continuous quest for freshness takes him to Manila’s wet markets to personally choose seafood. He also brings in high-quality ingredients like wagyu from Japan, seafood from Europe, and cheeses and cured meats from Italy.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t leave anything to chance or make a promise you can’t keep.

Keep your words simple and your plans moderate.

Emotions will flare up quickly if a lack of honesty or loyalty leads to suspicion. A change will do you good. «««

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Look for changes that are easy for you to make and will thrill someone special. A gift you make or one that comes from the heart will be treasured by someone you love. Don’t reveal a secret someone has entrusted you with. «««

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Last-minute shopping or getting together for some festive cheer with your colleagues will be engaging, but be careful not to give away secrets that someone expected you to keep to yourself. You’ll be surprised by someone’s candor. ««««

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It is best to address emotional issues head-on before things get blown out of proportion. Honesty will be the best policy when dealing with love-related issues and partnerships. A romantic gesture will help clear the air. ««

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t give up on someone who is going through a difficult time.

Try to understand and offer practical solutions.

A gift or unexpected offering will take you by surprise.

Be cautious sharing personal information with your peers. «««

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Get in touch with people you haven’t seen for a long time.

A kind gesture will make someone’s day.

Home and personal improvements can be made, and an emotional issue can be cleared up. Romance and socializing should be priorities. «««

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Show compassion when dealing with others. Your patience will make a difference in the way others respond to you. A surprise should be accepted graciously and shared with those you love. Romance is highlighted. «««

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Your words matter, so choose them wisely. Truth and integrity may not be upheld by everyone you encounter, but that shouldn’t tempt you to boast or exaggerate about something that may not come to fruition. ««

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Clear up unfinished business and move on to activities or events that will get you in the spirit of the season. An offer someone makes will be difficult to resist, but first be sure accepting won’t upset someone you love.

«««««

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t overreact, or you will end up in an emotional spat with someone you love. Focus on what you can do to bring you closer to the people you care about most. Travel delays and communication problems can be expected. «« BIRTHDAY BABY: You are imaginative, constructive and opinionated. You are helpful and gracious.

HOMEMADE Roasted Pork “Porchetta”

‘unreal!’ BY TIMOTHY E. PARKER The Universal Crossword/Edited by Timothy E. Parker

ACROSS 1 Mugger spray 5 Ceases 10 Bygone despot 14 Golfer’s choice 15 Hold in high regard 16 One in opposition 17 Balsams 18 Raise to the sky 19 Crackpot 20 Be an awful security guard?

23 Catchers’ necessities 24 Poker buy-ins 25 U-turn from vain 28 Some eagles 30 Name-dropping abbr.

31 Funny type of strip 33 Car protector 36 Pretend to be a bigger man?

40 Common article 41 Peon kin 42 “___ Lang Syne” 43 Swell Brit 44 Small mesas

6 Dizzying design 4 49 Kinda similar 51 Pretend to like my hiring interview?

57 Inferno 58 Game with a jackpot 59 Author Coward 60 In the near future 61 Full speed ahead 62 St. relatives 63 Camera’s attachment 64 Tiny openings 65 After the deadline DOWN 1 Irritate 2 Mozart solo, e.g.

3 Angler’s bobber 4 Full company on stage 5 Slender 6 Deck with many images 7 Margarine alternatives 8 It’s slapped in hockey 9 ___ precedent 10 Claws on birds 11 Beak kin

2 Pay reparations 1 13 Melon covers 21 Have a health problem 22 Dressing choice 25 Test the weight of 26 State of Donny and Marie 27 Create 28 Spew forth 29 Fix, as an outcome 31 Boston hoopster, cut 32 Cry of discovery 33 Boxing event 34 Rough breathing sound 35 Contributes 37 Greek letter No. 8 38 Egg provider 39 Sensible 43 Olive and pea 44 Kevin and Francis 45 Deplete (with “up”) 46 Butcher’s byproducts 47 “Common Sense” writer 48 Rubber hub of Ohio 49 Persian Gulf country

0 Free from restraint 5 52 Applaud 53 ___ erectus 54 Exploding star 55 Come face-to-face 56 “Anything ___?”

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Parentlife BusinessMirror

Thursday, December 20, 2018

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My Christmas ‘soul-searching’ HERE are some of the pins from my collection.

Characters like Disney and Barbie played a big role in my childhood.

Nike Air was my dream shoe brand that I got in high school. I collected a lot of pins with cool quotes. Thanks, Meagan, for arranging mom’s pins and taking this photo.

MOMMY NO LIMITS

MAYE YAO CO SAY mommynolimits@gmail.com

L

AST week was pretty busy for us. It was exam week, Christmas school projects and peak season at work. I was glad that we ended the week nicely with two warm and relaxing get-togethers. One was with the families of my daughter Meagan’s Children’s International Summer Village (CISV) friends who went with her to Sweden in 2017, and the group who went to the United States. Both parents and kids, with their siblings, always have a great time together.

On the car ride home, Meagan and I were chatting.

She shared how she hoped us parents would continue to find time for them to hang out. I told her how lucky she was to find such good friends. As a mom, I felt even happier that she found people who she can trust and be herself with.

It made me bring up distinct memories of my distant past. It reminded me of my own friendships and relationships that have always been there for me. I felt like looking for the boxes of old letters I would usually go through when I felt like going down “memory lane.” Instead, I found a box filled with the metal button pins I used to collect. It was a surprise find and a gateway to who I once was.

It dawned on me how far I have gone, from being the most fearful human being—one who could not sleep alone, who was afraid of the dark and who was so afraid of people’s disapproval—to someone who has achieved clarity, gratitude and love.

The songs below are part of my playlist, called “Portia Soul Searchers”. I usually listen to them in the morning when I get ready for work. They usually calm me down and make me smile. Portia was the name I gave my diary when I was growing up. These are the songs that trigger those poignant moments whether I was in grade school or the new ones I have learned from my kids. n “Take Me Out of the Dark” by Gary Valenciano—When I was in Grade 4, I received a cassette copy of the album Faces of Love from my long-time classmate Bing Tan. He specifically told me to listen to this song. That song made me a fan of Gary V. Since then, when I find myself in my most hopeless moments, I would still listen to this song

and feel a lot better. n “Wen Bie [The Goodbye Kiss]” by Jacky Cheung—This Mandarin song is my go-to “heartache” song. My best friend Liza explained each line to me word-for-word. This is still my most favorite Karaoke piece to date. n “Sa Kanya” by Ogie Alcacid/ “Muli” by Gary Valenciano and Regine Velasquez—In college, these two songs used to always take me back to “what could have been.” Today, these songs remind me that God’s plan is always greater. n “Anima Christi/Prayer for Generosity”—Toward the end of my first year in college, I realized how I depended too much on people for security. I was lucky to be introduced to a group called Christ Youth in Action. I joined this group on my own. In visiting the chapel or the Blessed Sacrament, I found true solace then as I do now. n “Man in the Mirror” by Micheal Jackson/“True

Colors” by Phil Collins—Thanks to great professors in Philosophy and Theology, and of course Clinton Palanca, my English professor, I found many answers in the teachings of Aristotle, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. Both these songs remind me of how I embraced solitude in my college years and fortified my “personal bubble.” n “Fool Till The End” by Gary Valenciano—After college, I realized how my idealism led me to cling on to people or situations that hurt me. It took abrupt and hurtful goodbyes to make me realize this. I think the greatest-hits album of Gary V, with continuous repeat of this song, became my ultimate driving companion. n “In Your Eyes” by Regine Velasquez/“One More Gift”—These are two songs I love because of my husband. “In your eyes, I can see my dream’s reflections/In your eyes, I found the answers to my questions.” I always feel grateful that God gifted me with a husband who truly understands and loves me

unconditionally. “One More Gift” is my husband’s most favorite Church song. n “I Want You To Know” by Zedd featuring Selena Gomez/“Photograph” by Ed Sheeran/“Sunflower”

by Shannon Purser from the original soundtrack of the Netflix movie Sierra Burgess is a Loser—These are songs that makes me grateful for having genuine connection with my kids. These are from movies we watched together or events we attended together.

As we enter these more quiet times of the holidays, try to recall songs that “stuck,” or rummage through your oldest box of memories. Cherish the fact of remembering. Appreciate the lyrics that usher those “thuds.” For each day of our past’s “soulsearching” allowed us to reach the depth of today.

And if not, start peeling, facing and being. We all deserve to be proud of who we have become.

Special shout out to my husband, Vinson. “Happy 14th anniversary, Vink. You will always be my rock!”

US surgeon general warns of teen risks from e-cigarettes

By Matthew Perrone The Associated Press

SPARKLE with Mary Jane ruby shoes with a bow from Sugar Kids.

BE the star of the party with TAKE flight in white slip-on sneakers ON trend green camo boots from Tough Kids Sugar Kids flat mules with spiral with butterfly wings from Sugar leg wraps.

Kids.

Kids on a holiday rush KIDS can step into great holiday style with footwear from Sugar Kids and Tough Kids shoes from The SM Store.

Sugar Kids has everything nice with storybookinspired ruby Mary Jane shoes with bow for little girls, as well as lots for glitter and shine—think sequined boots and sneakers. They can go classic with pretty flatties, edgy with mules with spiral leg

wrap, or active with slip-on sneakers.

The young gentleman is not to be left out in shoe trend, with casual loafers in leather or suede from Tough Kids. There are also ankle boots, high-cut sneakers and sporty shoes with trendy camo prints.

Fun and festive, the Sugar Kids and Tough Kids shoes collection is available at Children’s Shoes Department of The SM Store.

SMPFC establishes scholarship fund for culinary and hospitality students SAN Miguel Pure Foods Co. Inc. (SMPFC) has established a scholarship fund through the new Dusit Hospitality Management College (DHMC), an international school dedicated to honing the next generation of world-class restaurateurs and hoteliers. As part of SMPFC’s pledge, DHMC will be offering scholarships to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management and Professional Advancement programs. Present during the contract

signing were (from left) DHMC and DusitD2 The Fort Manila Director of Culinary Arts Cyrille Soenen, DHMC and DusitD2 The Fort Manila Managing Director Lars Eltvik, Dusit Hospitality Education Phil. Inc. President Evelyn R. Singson, SMPFC President Francisco S. Alejo III, SMPFC Board of Director Menardo Jimenez, and SMPFC-Great Food Solutions Vice President and General Manager Helene Pontejos.

WASHINGTON—The government’s top doctor is taking aim at the best-selling electronic cigarette brand in the US, urging swift action to prevent Juul and similar vaping brands from addicting millions of teenagers.

In an advisory on Tuesday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said parents, teachers, health professionals and government officials must take “aggressive steps” to keep children from using e-cigarettes. Federal law bars the sale of e-cigarettes to those under 18.

For young people, “nicotine is dangerous and it can have negative health effects,” Adams said in an interview. “It can impact learning, attention and memory, and it can prime the youth brain for addiction.”

Federal officials are scrambling to reverse a recent explosion in teen vaping that public health officials fear could undermine decades of declines in tobacco use. An estimated 3.6 million US teens are now using e-cigarettes, representing 1 in 5 high-school students and 1 in 20 middle schoolers, according to the latest federal figures.

Separate survey results released on Monday showed twice as many high-school students used e-cigarettes this year compared to last year.

E-cigarettes and other vaping devices have been sold in the US since 2007, growing into a $6.6-billion business. Most devices heat a flavored nicotine solution into an inhalable vapor. They have been pitched to adult smokers as a less-harmful alternative to cigarettes, though there’s been little research on the long-term

health effects or on whether they help people quit. Even more worrisome, a growing body of research suggests that teens who vape are more likely to try regular cigarettes.

Adams singled out Silicon Valley start-up Juul.

The company leapfrogged over its larger competitors with online promotions portraying their small device as the latest high-tech gadget for hip, attractive young people. Analysts now estimate the company controls more than 75 percent of the US e-cigarette market.

The surgeon general’s advisory notes that each Juul cartridge, or pod, contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. Additionally, Adams states that Juul’s liquid nicotine mixture is especially formulated to give a smoother, more potent nicotine buzz. That effect poses special risks for young people, Adams says.

“We do know that these newer products, such as Juul, can promote dependence in just a few uses,” Adams said.

Juul said in a statement that it shares the surgeon general’s goal: “We are committed to preventing youth access of Juul products.”

Last month San Francisco-based Juul shut down its Facebook and Instagram accounts and halted in-store sales of its flavored pods. The flavors remain available via age-restricted online sales. That voluntary action came days before the Food and Drug Administration proposed industry-wide restrictions on online and convenience store sales of e-cigarettes to deter use by kids.

Adams recommends parents, teachers and health professionals learn about e-cigarettes, talk to children about the risks and set an example by not using tobacco products.

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Three bells, a beauty, a prewar film REELING

TITO GENOVA VALIENTE titovaliente@yahoo.com

T

HE bells of Balangiga were finally returned after more than a hundred years.

The return began with a photo of the bells flanked by two American soldiers. Then claims were made as to who caused their return. Names of historians were mentioned but how can academics survive a government PR? The ceremonies had the president kissing one of the bells, according to the news. There were also talks that church officials were “excluded” or not given prominence. Masses were sad. And the institutional church—or some of its cohorts—announced that the event was a church event.

What about the people? I know what the priests would say: the church is people. Whatever.

A few days after the return of the bells, the Philippines would win its fourth Miss Universe. Its fourth what?

We are obsessed with beauty queens and pageants.

We die with each loss in a pageant and with each win, we feel the world should look at us and applaud.

Even before the Balangiga bells made their journey, Thailand was in the mind of everyone. It was the site of the 2018 Miss Universe pageant and it seemed our entry, Miss Catriona Gray, was an early favorite. Or that she was there not to “play” but to “slay”—this, I took from one of the posts in Facebook.

You see, beauty pageants have ceased to be a parade of beauties; it has become a warrior’s terrain.

Beauties, if we are to believe the documentations, fight to get the crown.

Then people started to take note of the slow-mo turn. Naïve to these proceedings, I thought Miss Gray’s performance was aided by camera technology. No, she manually caused the slow-mo. Then came the costume competition: She walked with a parol on her back, a walking Christmas celebration until the lights

failed her. Talks of our beauty queen being “sabotaged” circulated online. She wouldn’t win. The beauty from Lao PDR did her walk, with a contraption that made her look like she was connected to another human figure and with another behind her. When she moved her hands, the figures also moved. It was grotesque but who cares? The costume competition for Miss Universe has become a free-for-all design contest.

Then Catriona Gray won. Then the Balangiga bells were forgotten. Not even the move from one of the senators to put one of the bells in the National Museum would cause a stir. Put the bells anywhere, let us talk of something more pleasant.

Then the Bikolanos found Catriona Gray’s origin: Oas, Albay, Kabikolan.

Soon, online posts were calling Catriona Gray orag0n, a term once demonized by Spanish colonizers to mean lecherous but now recovered as indicating “power.” That is, if the historians are correct. On the one hand, a negative label can always be embraced as a form of resistance. Whatever.

The discourse online is now about this Bikolana beauty and all the terms coined about her walk is starting to make sense. “Lava” walk, a label given to how she sashays, is supposedly concocted by a fashion expert. But “lava” is now also seen as pointing to her being partly from Albay, where Mayon Volcano is. You know, “lava” and “volcano.”

Even her gown, the one she used for that Final Three walk, is supposedly a reimagination of the lava flowing in all its incandescent and furious glory.

Until another post showed details of the gown and compared it to the unmoving vehicles on Edsa, their lights red and yellow in sedentary anxiety.

When will this obsession with Catriona Gray end?

We don’t know. She is set to come home and there will be a parade, of course. I’m not complaining: Catriona Gray smiling and talking and beautiful is infinitely better than Pacquiao coming home and promising to use his money for this and that.

My obsession, fortunately, has nothing to do with beauty pageants. With the onset of the celebration of the 100 hundred years of Philippine cinema— give and take its bias toward films from the central location of Manila—I have been looking for footages of Tagalog films online. Interestingly, YouTube has some of them. For one, there’s a 1939 film in full available online. It is called Tunay na Ina. Viewed now, the film is really a curiosity. It shows how films were

made in those years.

Directed by Octavio Silos, Tunay na Ina stars two of the most ill-fated prewar idols of Philippine cinema: Rudy Concepcion and Rosario Moreno. Both died in their prime: Rudy got sick in the middle of a shoot and passed away the age of 28 in 1940 because of peptic ulcer; Rosario perished after her house in Sampaloc was hit by a bomb from the Japanese during the last days of World War II in 1945. She was 29 and pregnant.

It was with nostalgia and with much sadness that when I watched the film, we could see two actors just a few years from their demise.

The fashion of the times allowed them to act with big gestures and expressions. The screenplay, which still bore the influence of a zarzuela made the actors, especially Rosario Moreno, deliver lines straight to the camera. Songs were also interspersed in between serious dialogues making the drama almost a musical. Tita Duran, who would become a big star herself, is a child star in this film. Tita would sing while begging if only to tug at everyone’s heartstrings. But it is Rosario Moreno, playing a woman who was raped and who was forced by her father to give away her child, who gets to sing with bravura. She sings with Rudy “Buhat” while they are dancing for the first time. She sings “Ave Maria,” her face half shrouded in black veil like the Dolorosa, right at the grave of her father. Then she sings “Buhat” again when she is about to marry Rudy.

Right, near the stream, while the adoptive mother of Tita Duran, played by Naty Bernardo bathes, Rosario Moreno sings “Buhat” again.

One could grin at how different filmmaking then was, but Tunay na Ina, has some gems in it. When Rudy Concepcion and Rosario Moreno sing, there is no false note, musically and in terms of acting.

They shine with sincerity. When the two actors are just made to stare at the camera, in scenes without dialogues, one encounters actors who were natural before the new technologies of photography. They allowed the camera to do the work, and we, watching this film of two actors who, by fate, will remain young for eternity, are in gratitude for the accident of preservation. We wish though that restorers would look into this and other films. The students of cinema would benefit from the gilded memories preserved onscreen.

From Bagane Fiola, a multi-awarded filmmaker

here and abroad, came this letter about a unique and significant project. This column wishes to endorse Fiola’s project, thus I am providing a space for his letter.

“Hi, I’m Bagane Fiola, I am a filmmaker from Davao City, in the island Mindanao, located in the southern part of the Philippines.

“In 2016, I directed Baboy Halas, Wailings in the Forest, a feature film that follows a family of the last forest people of old and how they cope with the unusual changes in their ancient environment. The film was performed and well-participated by one of the Lumad or the Indigenous tribes of Mindanao called the Matigsalug tribe, in their home—the Marilog forest. The Matigsalug people played a very important role of conserving their culture and traditional way of life in a cinematic form.

“Baboy Halas, Wailings in the Forest was selected under the Bright Future noncompetition section of the 46th International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2017. It won the Netpac Jury Prize and the Best Artistic Acheivement Award during its World Premiere at the fourth QCinema International Film Festival held in Quezon City, Philippines, last 2016.

The film was also given a Special Newcomer Award at the 66th Internationales Film Festival MannheimHeidelberg in Germany in October 2017.

“After several screenings in Manila, Europe and, recently, in Thailand for its Asian premiere at Cinema Oasis, Baboy Halas, Wailings in the Forest has been receiving warm appreciation from movie enthusiasts, filmmakers and critics. Though the film has been screened in many places, we always bear the thought that one day, at the right time, we will be bringing the film back to the community where the Matigsalug reside, where the film was realized and shot, and where the rest of the Lumad deserve to see it.

“Through Spark Project, we hope to find backers, to connect with friends, with those who have already seen Baboy Halas, Wailings in the Forest from other parts of the world, and even with strangers as well, to help us achieve our goal of bringing back the film to its home, the Marilog forest. We would like to reunite with the rest of the cast and crew, the Lumad themselves, and share the film to their community in a proper and sacred manner, just like the way we made the film together. Through this crowdfunding campaign, we also hope to share the film to the rest of the world through an online film and with a cause.

“See you in Marilog!”

Jeff Bridges to receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at Globes LOS ANGELES—Jeff Bridges may have once been considered as one of Hollywood’s most underappreciated actors, but next month’s Golden Globe Awards will showcase his life and illustrious career next month by bestowing him one of its highest honors.

Bridges will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the 76th annual awards ceremony on Jan. 6, 2019, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Monday. The actor been praised for starring in films including Crazy Heart, True Grit, Hell or High Water and The Big Lebowski, which became a cult classic thanks to his nonchalant, knit-sweater wearing character Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski. HFPA President Meher Tatna said in a statement the Golden Globe winner has “captured hearts and minds” of audiences worldwide.

Bridges, 69, won a Globe in 2010 for best actor for his role in Crazy Heart, when he remarked at the time during his acceptance speech about “chipping away” at his underappreciated status. He went on to win an Academy Award that year, and also received previous

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Met Opera in HD)

CCP OPENS ‘MET OPERA IN HD’ SEASON 6 WITH ‘DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE’ THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Metropolitan Opera of New York and the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation Inc., in cooperation with the Ayala Mall Cinemas, opens the sixth season of the “Met Opera in HD” with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) on January 8, 2019.

Featuring the German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, The Magic Flute tells the story of a handsome prince who has been persuaded by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from captivity.

Accompanied by Papageno, the prince and the princess undergo severe trials, which end in triumph. Soprano Golda Schultz stars as Pamina,

tenor Charles Castronovo as Tamino, baritone Markus Werba as Papageno and soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night. Julie Taymor’s spectacular production is a classic of the Met repertoire.

The CCP (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) partners with the Met Opera of New York to feature screenings of its operatic productions through the high-definition digital video technology and Dolby sound, recreating the experience of watching an opera production at the Met “live.”

All screenings of the “Met Opera in HD” series will be held at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, 6:30 pm. Tickets are priced at P450 for a single screening.

Season subscription is at P2,400 for six shows.

Geoffrey Rush accused of sexual misconduct NEW YORK—Orange Is the New Black actress Yael Stone alleged actor Geoffrey Rush engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior when they starred in The Diary of a Madman in 2010.

Speaking to The New York Times, the 33-year-old said Rush danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, used a mirror to watch her while she showered and sent her occasionally erotic texts.

Stone said she “enthusiastically and willingly” replied to the texts from her fellow Australian actor when she was 25 and he was 59.

“I was so flattered that someone like that would spend their time texting me into the very early hours of the morning,” she said. “Gradually the text messages became more sexual in nature, but always encased in this very highfalutin intellectual language.”

“I’m embarrassed by the ways I participated,” Stone said. “I certainly wouldn’t engage as the person I am now in the way I did when I was 25.”

Stone said she was trying to manage “uncomfortable moments” without offending the star.

In a statement , Rush said the allegations “are incorrect and in some

instances have been taken completely out of context.”

“However, clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work. I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress. This, most certainly, has never been my intention,” Rush said.

A representative for Stone referred The Associated Press to her original comments. A Rush representative did not return an e-mail seeking additional comments on Monday morning.

The allegations came as Rush awaited a verdict in a defamation lawsuit that he filed in Australia.

Rush sued the Daily Telegraph’s publisher, Nationwide News, and a journalist over two articles and a newspaper poster published in 2017. They related to a report he behaved inappropriately toward a costar during a Sydney Theatre Co. production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016.

The Academy Award-winning actor denied the allegation.

A judge is expected to issue a ruling next year. AP

Globe nominations for his performances in Starman, The Fisher King, Contender and Hell or High Water.

The DeMille Award is given annually to an “individual who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment.” Past recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier and Lucille Ball.

The Globes next year is also adding the Carol Burnett Award, an accolade that focuses on life achievement in television. The inaugural award will go to the 85-year-old Burnett, a five-time winner at the Globes.

In 1983, Bridges founded the End Hunger Network, a nonprofit dedicated to feeding children globally.

Bridges co-executive produced the 1996 television film Hidden in America, which focused on poverty in America.

This year, he appeared in the mystery thriller Bad Times at the El Royale starring Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm and Dakota Johnson. AP

Sandra Bullock’s Oscars host solution: Call on random actors

By John Carucci The Associated Press

NEW YORK—Sandra Bullock has an impromptu idea for how to solve the Oscars host problem, and it involves a lot of improvisation.

The Oscar-winning actress told The Associated Press Monday at a screening of her new film Bird Box that she thinks random actors should be pulled out of the audience and read what’s on the teleprompter to cover a segment of the show.

Organizers “don’t even have to tell them it’s happening, just put up the teleprompter, and go, ‘it’s your turn,’” Bullock said. “You’re an actor, figure it out.” Bullock says it’s a genius solution that everyone in the room is perfectly suited to handle. Well, almost everyone—Bullock says she’s not attending next year’s ceremony, but would participate in her idea if she was.

No host for February’s Academy Awards has been announced since Kevin Hart backed out of emcee duties earlier this month over backlash to his old homophobic tweets.

Bullock’s idea relied on a bit of improvisation.

She told the AP, “I just pulled that out of my butt. It’s amazing.”

By the end of the red carpet for Bird Box, it already had the support of some of Bullock’s costars.

“I don’t think we need a host anymore, man. I really believe it should be a show that we just do,” Lil Rel Howery said. “Maybe if you can get celebrities to do some really funny sketches instead of one person.

Something fun.”

SANDRA BULLOCK attends a screening of Bird Box at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, December 17, in New York. AP

Actor BD Wong said if anyone can pull off Bullock’s idea, it’s her.

“She’s got tons of good ideas. First of all, she’s the life of every party,” Wong said. “I would just give her the gig to figure out how to organize it because she would be the person to figure out how to do it.”

Bird Box has a limited theatrical release and will be on Netflix on Friday. The Oscars will be held on February 24.

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Thursday, December 20, 2018 E1

Innovation integral for global brand’s health-care delivery in the Philippines

I

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

@brownindio

N the pre-globalization era, an assignment to a Third World country was unenviable for expatriates, as they had to hurdle several challenges.

The stellar performance of the Philippine economy in the past years, however, has made it a darling among foreign executives, with some of them expressing particular interest to be posted here.

Philips Philippines’s Country Manager and Health Systems Lead Ashwin Chari said he is enjoying his local assignment while believing in the potential of the country, as it is capable of harnessing digital technologies needed by emerging markets.

Chari explained that the Philippines has a lot of things going for it in the arena of innovation and technology with some early wins, specifically in the sphere of financial technology.

He added, “It just needs to bring everything together and take innovation on a working level to smalland medium-sized enterprises, students, government leaders [and] up to the business [executives].”

Aside from spearheading the company’s business toward higher growth, the country manager is also passionately pursuing the innovation process in the country.

With a huge, young population, Chari is confident there are lots of potential homegrown talents waiting to be tapped.

“Actually, I have seen a lot of [possible] start-ups in the Philippines,” he said. “We are looking for ways to leverage, team up and venture, as well as and think of ways on bringing what we have, then work together,” he added.

At present Philips is currently working with some local start-ups engaged in the health industry, together with those from other countries to develop innovative solutions for the abovementioned sector.

Being part of its corporate DNA, Chari pointed out that the area of research and development is being pursued with vigor to develop health solutions for the people, and that Philips’s R&D team continues to develop such for the emerging markets to serve their burgeoning population.

Moreover, the global company is looking for third-party partners to develop bigger number of startups in fostering greater economic inclusivity in the country.

“There is no timetable in getting partners for our campaign [as we] are looking for sustainable [ones],” Chari said.

“If there are interesting ideas tied to the health sector, particularly for the Philippines, we are happy to sit down with them and see how we can help them out, [and vice versa].”

Philips is also interested to participate in the country’s public health sector. With a population of around 110 million, the country needs every bit of technology and innovation to deliver affordable, efficient and quality health care to the populace, especially those in the marginalized sector.

One such initiative is the Open Innovation program, where Philips is looking for a holistic solution to the entire gamut of local health concerns.

“It is currently a work in progress. We noticed there is growth, and we wanted to harness it. At the

same time we would like to do it in a way that can benefit Philippine society,” Chari pointed out.

Furthermore, the Philips executive said the company is also using technologies such as artificial intelligence in areas such as radiology to figure out a need, or, if a case warrants, further diagnosis.

Role of start-ups

CHARI said there are various areas in the health sector that start-ups can pursue for their projects, such as healthy living, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. In a developing country like the Philippines, it is important to come up with relevant solutions to address pressing issues.

He is confident that local startups are up to the task. They can address real problems, “as they are the ones on the ground to identify [those] causing challenges to people.”

Boosting its innovation program in the country, Chari and his team are pushing the expansion of Open Innovation in Singapore, with the goal of introducing innovation and development to the marginalized sector.

Engineering, business

AN electronics and communications graduate of Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University, Chari believes it will be beneficial for engineering students to also take up business courses while studying, because it will benefit them in the long run as they build up their careers.

“I feel anybody entering the corporate world should be a lot more open to learn new skills and master different tools,” said the one-time Singapore Airlines engineering scholar, and a Master’s degree holder from France’s graduate business school INSEAD (Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires, or European Institute of Business Administration).

“If you are an engineer, you should be able to relate to the business side of things. Whatever you are doing there, a customer or a businessman will ask you several things about a product. So, I believe, it is great for engineers to take some time off and learn something onthe-job,” he explained.

Making an impact

APART from growing the business, Chari said he wants Philips to make a concrete impact to Filipinos. In this undertaking, he believes a government-private sector partnership can achieve the goal of delivering quality and affordable health care.

“We want to help doctors [make a right diagnosis] the first time. We have to put a concrete plan in place,” he opined.

The Philips country manager shared that his Philippine posting is probably one of the most exciting opportunities in his career, and one of its high points.

“If I were asked to choose where to hone my experience in an emerging market as country manager, it would be [here],” he pointed out. “I feel it’s great to be in the Philippines.”

Envoys& BusinessMirror

E2 Thursday, December 20, 2018

CCI France Philippines marks 3 decades

T

By Cesar M. Cruz Jr.

HIS year serves as a milestone for the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines (CCI France Philippines) as it celebrated its 30th anniversary through the La Soirée event on November 23.

AMBASSADOR Nicolas Galey

DELECTABLE desserts

“Thirty years cannot be achieved alone. My tenure as president is my own contribution to the three decades of the chamber. Thanks to our members for the loyalty, support and time invested all those years.

Thanks to the loyalty, integrity and especially the hard work of the staff of CCI France Philippines,” current President Isabelle Nilo asserted.

She added, “Last and not least, thanks to the vision, authenticity, and generosity of the sponsors and past presidents. We would not be here if any of [those elements] was absent…”

Managing Director of CCI FrancePhilippines Vanessa Hans voiced in her opening statement: “Tonight is also about giving back. We partnered once again with our foundation-France Philippines United Action (FPUA) Foundation, which has three rehabilitation sites in Northern Cebu. They are assisting more than 1,200 victims of Supertyphoon Haiyan (local code name Yolanda) with four advocacies, one of them being education.

Hans declared, “Part of the proceeds will be funding the [founda-

tion’s] educational project.”

(FPUA was established five years ago by a group of French companies led by Lafarge President Don Lee, with the support of the CCI France Philippines and the Embassy of France in the Philippines. Following the visit of then-president Francois Hollande in 2015, it became the foundation of CCI France Philippines, with the goal of carrying out humanitarian works by way housing rehabilitation, as well as health and child welfare for the victims of natural disasters in the country.)

A seven-minute video clip documented the history of CCI France Philippines, as well as testimonials of its past presidents: Philippe Gauthier, Louis-Paul Heussaff, Roger Ferrari, Cyril Rocke, Bernard Flour, who all made significant contributions to the business and cultural ties between the two countries they serve.

The former executives, together with Ambassador Nicolas Galey, were then recognized for the valuable roles they have played in making CCI France Philippines grow exponentially over the years as a nonstock, nonprofit organization.

CCI France Philippines Managing Director Vanessa Hans (fourth from left), current president Isabelle Nilo (fourth from right) and past president Philippe Gauthier (third from right) pose with other former presidents of the organization.

FRENCH pastries and breads

WINES served in the gala

Nilo said to the past presidents: “Thank you for your leadership, passion, dedication and drive to create strong ties. Today we have 120 members consisting of French companies, entrepreneurs and

Philippine corporations.”

The grand celebration was marked

by French signature cuisine: wine, cheese and charcuterie (or delicatessen) flown in straight from France, as well as French dishes served with a

twist concocted by Chef Julien Cossé.

World-class cocktails by award-winning bartender Lester Ligon lined-up the evening drinks.

For entertainment, dance duo French Wingz delighted the crowd

with their soulful renditions. The band Silver Streak played danceable music from the 80s onward. Beats by DJ Abdel followed next. Round-trip business tickets for two to Paris were also raffled off.

Italian wine labels take center stage via tasting session A

WINE-TASTING sessioncum-seminar of the International Exhibition Management, in partnership with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines and Grandi Marchi, recently promoted Italian wines to potential buyers and importers in the country composed of food and beverage representatives, as well as tradesmen.

Billed “Discover the Iconic Wines of Grandi Marchi, Italy’s Premium Brands,” the guided tasting seminar saw participation of wineries from Taipei and Manila, which included Argiolas, Carpenė Malvolti, Lungarotti, Masi Agricola, Mastroberardino, Michele Chiarlo, Pio Cesare, Tasca d’Almerita and Umani Ronchi.

Made up of 19 prestigious Italian wine families, Grand Marchi upholds Italy’s best wine and producers on a global scale. The strength of this institution is built upon the fact that all are family-owned brands, with each member having been in operation for at least 25 years and in some cases, for centuries. All their estate vineyards, which stand out for their history and enduring traditions, are all recognized worldwide for their superior quality and production practices.

Considered innovators with profound vision, all members are key players representing Italy’s most

SET of wine featured in the guided tasting

highly praised wines, and are industry leaders. They share the same values and strategies, as well as support collaborative efforts. Every one is committed to a continued focus on education, innovation and developing markets, exemplifying the best of their region.

“Master of Wines” Mark Pygott addressed the audience: “As we all appreciate in this room, wine is simply exceptional. There exists a market for high-quality Italian wine.”

He continued, “In every bottle, you should see everything you need to help convince any consumer or

customer of yours that the value and validity of these wines are significant.”

Together with Pygott, nine wine experts represented their respective wineries, with the same number of glasses laid out before them. Each guided the audience in sharing the history and unique characteristics of their wine, as everyone in the room sipped simultaneously—glass after glass.

In a separate venue inside the hotel, more wine tasting ensued. It provided a relaxed environment for attendees to sample other varieties

AN Italian winemaker entertains an enthusiast

of wine while they interacted with Italian producer and exporters.

Worth mentioning is the fact that Italy holds the distinction of being the world’s largest wine producer.

It boasts of 20 wine regions, which each having many more subregions and hundreds of grapes varieties.

Family, the kind of grape and territory are factors that result in the

wonderful synergy of winemaking in the boot-shaped peninsula.

Manila was the last stop of the Grand Marchi Asian Tour 2018 after Taipei. Cesar M. Cruz Jr.

&Expats

envoys.expats.bm@gmail.com | Thursday, December 20, 2018 E3

EMBASSIES, EVENTS, ETC.

Qatar commemorates Natl Day

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Reception fetes Japanese emperor’s 84th birthday

Story & photo by Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

HE State of Qatar’s top envoy to the Philippines recently urged Filipinos to visit his country and discover why it is called the “Glittering Pearl of the Persian Gulf.”

The invitation was made by Ambassador Ali Ibrahim Al-Malki during the celebration of Qatar’s National Day, which commemorates the founding of the Arab country by its first ruler, Sheikh bin Thani bin Mohammed.

Al-Malki also expects that the bilateral ties between the Philippines and Qatar will become more robust.

The diplomat, representative of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in the country, said, “We are looking forward to enhance

the relations.”

He also lauded the role of the Filipino community of workers in his country: “We have more than 250,000 [of your countrymen] in Qatar. They are our partners in our development. And we say ‘thank you’ to them.”

Al-Malki noted the many agreements the two countries signed during President Duterte’s state visit to Qatar in April, and added his government is currently working with the Philippines for more.

FOREIGN Affairs Assistant Secretary Millicent Cruz-Paredes with Ambassador Koji Handea and wife

A FORMER Speaker of the House Jose de Venecia (from left), Katrina Yu-Pimentel, Sen. Aquilino L. Pimentel III, Ambassador Ali Ibrahim Al-Malki and Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines and Dean of the diplomatic corps Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia

Thailand observes three festivals in 1 reception

MBASSADOR of Japan to the Philippines Koji Haneda recently hosted a National Day reception at his residence in Makati City to celebrate the 84th birthday of the Emperor of Japan.

Distinguished guests present were government secretaries Arthur P. Tugade (transportation), Mark A. Villar (public works and highways) and Benjamin E. Diokno (budget), as well as Sen. Franklin M. Drilon, among others.

Having started his diplomatic career in Manila in the early 1980s, Haneda expressed in his speech how very fortunate he felt in coming back to the country this year, when Japanese-Philippine relations “have

never been better.”

He noted that Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the country twice in 2018, and was the first foreign leader to spend time with President Duterte at the latter’s private residence in Davao.

Haneda said that Abe’s pledge during that visit, “a five-year economic package worth P450 billion,” has been steadily implemented. He concluded his speech by reiterating his resolve to do his best to further promote the “Golden Age of JapanPhilippine Strategic Partnership.”

Japanese companies also set up booths at the reception to promote their products, technologies and services.

Bangladesh, PHL sign cultural-exchange pact

ROYAL THAI EMBASSY’S Chargé d’affaires Urawadee Sriphiromya, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto C. Abella and Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines and Dean of the diplomatic corps Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia

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HE Royal Thai Embassy in Manila hosted a reception on the special occasions of the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Asian country’s Father’s Day—all on December 5.

Chargé d ’affaires Urawadee Sriphiromya delivered the embassy’s message, then invited guests to join a toast for the good health of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun and President Duterte, as well as to the long-standing friendship of the two countries

that will both celebrate in 2019 the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The national reception was well attended by the local diplomatic and consular corps, representatives of international organizations, key government officials, political lead-

ers, guests from the private sector, as well as members of the media.

Undersecretary Ernesto C. Abella of the Office of Strategic Communications and Research delivered the message of the Department of Foreign Affairs on behalf of Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr.

Turkish folklore dancers wow mallers at MOA

S

HOPPERS at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) recently had the rare opportunity to get a glimpse of Turkish culture through the traditional music and dance performances of Turkey’s State Folk Dance Ensemble at the MOA Central Atrium.

A partnership between the Turkish Embassy in Manila and the SM MOA, the event showcased Turkey’s rich tradition just in time for its National Day, or Cumhuriyet Bayramı.

The annual celebration is a remembrance of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923. It was also on the said day that Ankara was declared as its capital.

During the spectacle, musicians played songs on the clarinet and traditional Turkish instruments, such as the kanun, kemençe and ritim. Dancers clad in colorful outfits performed the Aegean Zeybek, which portrays bravery, heroism and self-confidence; the Trabzon, which resembles the catching of a fish out of water; and the Silifke, which is danced to the rhythm of wooden spoons in the performers’ hands.

Counselor Melek Dilşen Seymenoğlu and Second Secretary Ali Erbas graced the event.

A

MBASSADOR of the Philippines to Bangladesh Vicente Vivencio T. Bandillo, who represented the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and Secretary Md. Nasir Uddin Ahmed, representing Bangladesh’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs (Moca), recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on a culturalexchange program between their countries.

The MOA signed on December 6 at the Moca office in Dhaka aims to

develop mutual cooperation in the fields of arts, education and culture.

The program will be implemented until 2020.

According to the Moca, the agreement will broaden the cooperation between the two countries within their cultural spheres through exchanges of cultural and historical information, literature, film and arts, as well as performances.

It would also provide avenues in further deepening the friendly relations between the two countries.

DANCERS Ismail Eraslan and Didem Roduplu

SECOND Secretary Ali Erbas and Counselor Melek Dilşen Seymenoğlu

TURKISH musicians Murat Omurtağ (kanun player, from left), Ali Başbuğ (kemençe player), Salim Kabaci (clarinet player), and Ramazan Konak (ritim player)

BusinessMirror

Health&Fitness

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December 20-26, 2018

MANAGE HOLIDAY STRESS:

20 EASY WAYS THAT’LL SURPRISE YOU DEBUNKING THE MYTHS ABOUT H.P.V.

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS

ABOUT H.P.V.

A

LOT of people have heard of HPV, or human papillom virus, and its connection to cervical cancer, but somehow there are still plenty of misconceptions about this common virus. Some parents, or adults in general, even have wrong ideas of HPV that they eventually make the mistake of shrugging it off as just another virus.

Myth 4: All HPV infections canclear up on their its own.

Fact: Only about 80 percent of HPV types can be cleared out by the body.HPV infection that persists may eventually cause cancers or HPVrelated diseases.5 Myth 5: You can’t easily contract HPV. Don’t let your loved ones suffer the consequences of HPV infections. Protect yourself and your children from the harmful, long-term effects of this virus by learning what you and your family are really up against.

Myth 1: HPV is rare.

Fact: The virus is so common that about 80 percent of men and women will contract it during their lifetime.What makes it even more alarming is that most of the people who have HPV don’t even know they have it or have had it.

Myth 2: It only affects females.

Fact: HPV affects both men and women. It can also cause a variety of cancers. Based on studies, 20- to 24-year-old women are most likely to become infected from 20 to 24 years old; while men are most likely to become infected in the ages between 25 and 29.

Myth 3: You can tell if you have HPV.

Fact: Although there are instances when HPV infections produce warts or cauliflower-like lesions in various parts of the body like the mouth, throat or reproductive organs, there are instances when infected areas do not show symptoms. The best way to test if someone has HPV is by conducting a Pap smear, an HPV DNA test or visual inspection of the affected area with acetic acid. These tests verify the presence of the HPV virus and the growth of abnormal cells.

2 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

Fact:HPV is very easy to transmit and contract. Intimate skin-to-skin contact is the simplest way to acquire HPV. Research has also confirmed that the virus can be transmitted through fomites or objects that have been exposed to the virus, such as (but not limited to) infected surgical gloves, undergarments and biopsy forceps.

Myth 6: There’s only one type of HPV.

Fact: Contrary to popular belief, there are actually more than 100 strains of HPV. HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66 are known to cause certain cancers.

Myth 7: The existing vaccines only work on women and young girls.

Fact: There are available HPV vaccines available that are indicated for both men and women. Young girls and boys may also get the vaccines. Ask your doctor about these.

In fact, since HPV is so easy to transmit, it's important that both men and women (or ideally, young boys and girls) receive HPV vaccines to guard their health from the harmful effects of HPV. Myth 8: You can delay getting vaccinated until you’re older.

Fact: Vaccination can start as early as nine years old.The vaccines work better in guarding against HPV and HPV-related cancers and diseases if they are given before exposure to HPV. Please consult your doctor for more information

Health&Fitness

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MANAGE HOLIDAY STRESS:

20 EASY WAYS

THAT’LL SURPRISE YOU

T

HOUGH it is typically thought of as a joyful and merry time, the holiday season can also be incredibly stressful, as well.

1Get some sunshine.

The cold months provides little incentive to step outdoors, especially if you live in an area where it’s actually painful to be outside during this time of year. Lack of sunlight can easily lead to vitamin D deficiency.

The vitamin D you absorb by going outside not only brings essential nutrients but can also help to offset the side effects of seasonal affective disorder, as well.

So, next time you think about cozying up next to the fire under a warm blanket, perhaps bundle up in your warmest gear and head outside.

Go for a quick jog around the block or take your dog on a nice leisurely walk. It will do wonders!

2Try citrus oil.

Studies suggest that various citrus essential oils have powerful antidepressant properties and promote general feelings of relaxation and well-being. Plus, they help alleviate stress by increasing levels of norepinephrine, which is a hormone that affects mood. Try dabbing a few drops of lemon or orange essential oil on a cloth tissue or napkin and keeping it in your pocket. Take a whiff anytime you feel holidayinduced stress coming on.

a minute to 3Take breathe deeply

It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

With so many things needing to be done and relatively limited time to do them, it’s tempting to push yourself further than you normally would. However, for your own well-

4 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

being and sanity, you could try to set aside a few moments each day to take a deep breath and forget about the stressors around you, if even only for a couple of minutes.

4Be present.

It’s easy to lose focus of what the holidays are truly about while you’re trying to check tasks off of a totally unrealistic to-do list. This is why it’s so important to truly be present by being “in the moment.” Whether you’re enjoying time with family or friends or simply taking some time to relax in your own space, try to be present in each moment and disengage from the hectic holiday season for a while.

Consider adding a 5 5-HTP supplement to your daily routine.

Available at most drugstores or supplement stores, 5-HTP is a powerful plant extract shown to increase serotonin levels while simultaneously reducing anxiety and improving sleep. It’s important to note that if you take antidepressant medications you should consult your healthcare provider before adding anything else to your treatment regimen.

advantage of 6Take your hoku.

What is a hoku you may ask? According to traditional Chinese medicine, applying pressure to the hoku spot can significantly reduce stress and tension in your body. The spot is located in the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger. Simply apply firm pressure to your hoku for 30 seconds at a time to feel immediate relief.

7

Be realistic. Though you

may feel like you need to participate in all holiday traditions, it’s important to remember that you likely cannot physically do everything while still maintaining your sanity. Prioritize a few important tasks and spend the rest of your energy focusing on sticking with your daily routine. Trying to squeeze in too much will leave you

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From the crowded shopping centers to large gatherings of friends and family, it can be difficult to find the time for everything, which often results to loads of unwanted strain.

Thankfully, there are several ways to manage holiday stress.

Compiled below are 20 holiday stress-relief tips on how to beat holiday strife once and for all.

feeling drained, and you won’t be able to enjoy any of the wonderful things this time of year brings.

8

Don’t forget to laugh.

It’s true what they say: Laughter is the best medicine. In fact, laughing can actually help reduce stress hormones in the body. This, in turn, can help the body’s immune system work better, making your chances of contracting the typical holiday flu lessened dramatically.

Leave your 9 perfectionist tendencies behind.

Realize that not everything is going to go as planned this holiday season. The best thing you can do is to prepare for negative situations before they arise. Even so, things aren’t always

in your control. Try to go with the flow and let things be.

Experiment with 10 new customs and traditions.

Sometimes, we can get in a sort of holiday rut with our customs and traditions. This year, maybe you can experiment with new customs and traditions so you can break out a little bit.

11Volunteer.

Even if your main cause of stress is due to the numerous things you have to do, it’s important (if you have the energy) to use the holiday season to bring joy to others, as well. Call your local shelter or organization and devote a couple of hours a week in service to those less fortunate than yourself.

Take a few 12 minutes each day to disconnect from technology. While having

access to virtually the whole world at your fingertips is great, sometimes a break is needed. Try to set aside at least 10 minutes of tech-free time every day (especially before bedtime).

13

Show gratitude. Per-

haps the best thing about this time of year is your potential reflection on the past 12 months and giving thanks for everything you are blessed to have in your life.

Try to think of three things each day you are thankful for. You could even start a gratitude journal!

14

Listen to music. Re-

search from the University of Maryland shows listening to and hearing music you love can actually

help to relax blood vessels, as well as increase blood flow. This can help reduce stress levels on both your body and mind.

15

Get your workout in. It’s no secret that regu-

lar physical activity is vital to the overall quality and longevity of your body and life. Plus, working out releases endorphins, which is why you feel a mood boost after getting your sweat on.

16Take a vacation.

If your busy schedule allows, take a quick weekend getaway somewhere new. Even just a change of scenery for a few days can do wonders in revitalizing and rejuvenating your holiday spirit and reducing overall stress levels.

to your 17Stick budget.

It’s tempting to

go overboard during the holiday season. However, stress can be easily induced when a budget isn’t followed. Instead of buying gifts for every single member of your family, consider making homemade gifts or donating to a charity in their name instead. Remember: You can’t buy happiness.

18Plan ahead.

One easy way to maximize your time in the most efficient manner possible is to plan ahead. For example set aside specific days to finish your gift shopping and gather with family and friends. Don’t make your schedule too full though, as that can end up causing even more stress.

be afraid to 19Don’t say no.

You are not obliged to go to every holiday party and gathering or to participate in every single tradition and custom. If it tru-

ly doesn’t fit in with your schedule or is causing you unnecessary added stress, don’t be afraid to say no.

20Keep it simple.

The holidays truly do not have to be as stressful a time as they are.

When in doubt, keep things simple.

Whatever is causing you stress, try to minimize the situation or eliminate it altogether. Focus on what’s most important to you at this time of year, whether it’s your family, friends or simply having some quality time alone. Simplicity is key.

Conclusion

WE hope this guide helps you to manage holiday stress this year.

Anytime you feel worry coming on, simply employ these tactics to combat it. Happy holidays. Go forth, eat, drink and be merry.

Source: www.bewellbuzz.com

Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018 5

FITNESS RULES

By Greggy H. Romualdez

10 HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR THE FITNESS BUFFS IN OUR LIVES

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one-year memberships to a day pass, there are various options to pursue.

Gym memberships, yoga classes, CrossFit and whatnot. Some Gold’s gym branches, for instance, are offering 24 gym sessions for two for P2,445. Yoga studios like Bikram Yoga Manila offer day passes at P499.

Workout top/t-shirt—

Workout tees are a staple consumable of the fitness warrior. An Under Armour classic t-shirt in moisture wicking fabric is my personal favorite.

Fitness tracker—This wearable device keeps track of one’s daily activities and monitors key fitness information such as calories burned. Crucial information for someone wanting to shed excess pounds.

Jump rope—No gym, no

problem. A jump rope (or skip rope) is an excellent way to burn calories and get the heart pumping without having to leave home.

A bag of whey protein—

Perfect for those who lift weights and want to gain lean muscle mass.

Stacker2 Whey Protein is a highquality, affordable option.

6 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

Wireless earbuds—Intense workouts are usually accompanied by a motivational soundtrack. However, those wires sometimes get in the way. Enter wireless earbuds that make sure music is delivered unobstructed.

Insulated water bottle—

As gym sessions require a lot of hydration. An insulated water bottle not only keeps one hydrated, but it also helps lessen the use of plastic cups and bottles. Hydrate and save the eErth all at once with this gift. Klean Kanteen and Hydro Flask are great choices.

PIXABAY.COM

Gym/fitness class memberships—From full

Yoga mat—This not only works for yoga, but it is also ideal for floor exercises and stretching routines, whether for use at home or in the gym or yoga studio.

Gym bag—A nice gym bag to stuff in all the gear will always be useful. Pick one with compartments for shoes, keys, wallets and water bottles.

Spa/massage gift card—Workouts can, and will,

wear down our bodies no matter how tough we think we are. What better way to put it at ease and relieve those tired muscles than a gentle, relaxing rubdown from a spa.

May we give generously, receive gratefully and, more important, remain steadfast in our fitness commitments in this season of endless feasting.

PIXABAY.COM

Here are 10 gift ideas for that fit someone—or for somebody we would like to gently nudge into fitness.

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OADS of chocolates, boxed cookies and those specialty cakes are being passed around this holiday season. After all, who wouldn’t appreciate those delectable sweet treats amid all the merrymaking? In fact, giving away food items has been a default setting for some of us makes things a whole lot simpler, except, of course, when the recipient is someone who embraces or is trying to embrace the fitness lifestyle.

HEALTH MONITOR

MINIMIZE IMPACT OF DIABETES ON 3 GROUPS, EXPERT URGES

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HE diabetes goal is to reduce the disease and its economic burden and to improve the quality of life of all people who have or are at risk of developing diabetes. But according to one expert, special attention should be given to these three most vulnerable segments of a population, as they have an increased risk for developing the disease.

Prone to risk factors

THE danger is more pronounced

among BPO workers—estimated to be over 1 million Filipinos—who mostly answeri phone calls from different time zones and are, thus, prone not only to sore throat, cough and sleep problems but also to risk factors linked to the development of diabetes: inactivity, weight gain, uncontrolled high blood pressure, as well as abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

“The same goes to our fellow Filipinos working abroad who often skip meals, work long hours and even skip days off to the point that they overlook their own health. A lot of them forget the value of exercising, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep in their quest to provide a better life for their families back home. These unhealthy habits leave them vulnerable to health risks such as diabetes,” warned Dr. Robles.

The doctor suggested a healthy eating plan, sufficient aerobic physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can help improve abnormal blood sugar levels. Sometimes, medications are necessary.

Knowing the symptoms

“BUT first, knowing the symptoms and understanding the causes will allow one to detect diabetes earlier and avoid the serious damages it can do,” said Dr. Robles.

During the early stages of prediabetes and diabetes, the doctor says symptoms are often subtle and can be missed like thirst; fatigue; increase in appetite; frequent urination; itching skin; tingling and numbness in the hands or feet; and frequent and recurring infections.

The best thing to do is to see a doctor, preferably an endocrinologist who has special training and experience in treating people with diabetes.

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According to Dr. Jeremy Robles of the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, the millennials, business-process outsourcing (BPO) workers and overseas Filipino workers who are all constantly exposed to work strain and/ or emotional stress, have a working environment that does not support physical activity, as well as having no or little access to affordable and nutritious food—may be at risk of developing diabetes.

“Having a blood relative with diabetes, being Asian [race], being a middle-aged adult or having a history of gestational diabetes [those who developed diabetes during pregnancy] are diabetes risks that are beyond our control. However, the other modifiable risks like being overweight/ obese; being inactive physically; having an untreated high blood pressure; and abnormal cholesterol [lipid] levels are things that we can modify to delay if not stop the development of the disease and its worrisome complications,” warned Dr. Robles.

The medical journal, the Lancet, reports that there are an estimated 3,600 children and young adults being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year in the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, where nearly 7,000 cases were reported this year.

“What makes this interesting is that this trend is reflected internationally. This means the Filipino millennials are more likely to get diabetes as a lot of them are no longer eating better and exercising more, possibly due to environmental, lifestyle and other factors,” explained Dr. Robles.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES

Initially, the doctor may recommend getting a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) blood test, which shows one’s average blood-sugar level.

A more accurate determination of diabetes would be taking the fasting blood-sugar test (wherein blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast) as well as oral glucose tolerance test.

One should remember that undetected/untreated diabetes is a major cause of heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, nerve damage and other complications.

Medications

APART from constant monitoring of blood sugar, Dr. Robles says many individuals with type 2 diabetes will now need to take medications, including one that could help the pancreas—the organ that plays an important part in diabetes—release more insulin (for type 2 diabetes patients), or others that would help cells use insulin better if not keep the liver from releasing too much glucose.

Due to the progressive nature of type 2 diabetes, insulin therapy may

also be required to achieve optimal blood-sugar control. “When lifestyle modifications and treatment with oral antidiabetic drugs have failed to achieve normal blood-sugar level, timely initiation of single-dose basal insulin treatment may prove as a convenient, effective and recommended strategy,” shared Dr. Robles.

The recent development of new generation long-acting basal insulins has also resulted in significant improvements in the management of type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Robles added: “I believe the most important message here is that diabetes management has shifted away from ‘one-size-fits-all’ care to an individualized approach for each patient. This is because, even though we all have the same goals, there is not one set of advice that covers everybody with type 1 diabetes or everybody with type 2 diabetes.

More important, successful diabetes care requires a patient’s consistent self-care behaviors such as attention to diet, exercise, preventive care measures, drug adherence and selfmonitored blood glucose.”

Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018 7

SPECIAL REPORT

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WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE GET HIGH WRONGLY

By Henrylito D. Tacio

‘D

RUG abuse has ruined many lives,” declares Dr. Willie T. Ong, an internist-cardiologist and consultant at the Manila Doctor’s Hospital and Makati Medical Center. “The threat of illegal drugs is real, and it’s closer than we think.

In the Philippines, the drug-abuse situation has actually increased over the years.”

Drug addiction spares no one: famous and notorious, beautiful and ugly, employed or jobless, young and old, rich and poor. “Illegal drugs can easily destroy a whole generation,” said then-Sen. Alan Peter S. Cayetano.

According to Cayetano, in many cases of heinous crimes in the country, the suspects are usually confirmed users of shabu. He cited a technical brief by the UN World Health Organization, which said that

8 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

the dependence and chronic usage of amphetamine-type stimulants is associated with psychosis and causes cognitive impairment, aggression and violence.

“The Filipinos have witnessed how the use of illegal drugs like methamphetamine led to violence and destroyed the lives of many,” he pointed out.

Cayetano cited that young people are the most vulnerable to the temptation and evils of prohibited drugs.

It must be recalled that in 2008, the Philippine media reported the arrest of 11 high-school students who were caught doing a pot session in Quezon City. Most of the arrested students came from the ranks of “financially distressed families.”

As the students could not afford to conduct “the pot session in a luxurious hotel or a mansion-like residence or condominium in one of the metropolitan areas’ premier locations that some scions of wellto-do families reportedly do on a regular basis,” they held it only in a “vacant lot.”

Citing data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Cayetano deplored, “It is projected that we will have 32.7 million Filipinos aged 14 and below, or 31 percent of our population.”

Drugs 101

A DRUG is defined as “any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, relief, treatment or prevention

of disease or intended to affect the structure or function of the body.” A simpler but workable definition of a drug is any chemical substance that affects the body and its processes.

“By law, drugs are divided into two categories: prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs,” explains The Merck Manual of Medical Information. “Prescription drugs— those considered safe for use only under medical supervision—may be dispensed only with a prescription from a licensed professional with governmental privileges to prescribe.”

Nonprescription drugs, on the other hand, are those considered safe for use without any medical supervision (like aspirin, for instance). Oftentimes, these drugs are sold overthe counter.

To some people, the word “drug” means a substance that alters the brain’s function in ways considered pleasurable—a mind-altering substance. These are what the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB) defines as “dangerous drugs” or “illegal drugs.”

“Drug abuse exists when a person continually uses a drug other than its intended purpose,” the DDB explains on its web site. “This continued use can lead to drug dependence, a state of physical and psychological dependence or both on a dangerous drug.”

Based on a report on cases admitted in treatment and rehabilitation centers, the top 10 commonly abused drugs are as follows: shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride, marijuana, inhalants like rugby, sedative drugs like benzodiazepines, cough and cold preparations like codeine, ecstasy, cocaine, nalpuphine hydrochloride, psilocybin or magic mushroom, and solvents like acetone and thinner.

In 2012, the Philippines was singled out to have “the highest abuse rate for shabu” in East Asia, according to the United Nations World Drug Report, which was posted on the web site of the US Embassy in Manila.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report said that “2.1 percent of Filipinos

aged 16 to 64 were using shabu,” and “domestic consumption of methamphetamine and marijuana continued to be the main drug threats in the Philippines.”

Of the top 10 most abused drugs mentioned earlier, shabu and marijuana topped them all: 47 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

Drugs create problems

EVEN in small amounts, illegal drugs can create big problems, according to the booklet, The Truth About Drugs.

“It is not always possible to predict how a drug will affect the user—or the user’s life,” it says.

Drug use can cause, the booklet claims, damage to health, trouble with the law, financial hardship and social difficulties. “While the specific physical and psychological effects of drug-use disorder tend to vary based on the particular substance involved, the general effects of a substance use disorder involving any drug can be devastating,” explains medicinenet.com.

More than a health issue, drug users often end up with serious problems. Aside from those mentioned earlier, he may figure in a car accident (drugs can impair driving ability

and make the driver less concerned about safety), commit crimes (robbery is often the only way to support an expensive habit) and build up tolerance (when users need more and more of a drug to get the same effect, they increase their risk of an overdose, which result in death).

But the question is: Why do some young people turn to drugs? There are many factors, but among those that cited are the following: n Curiosity: “Some young people think experimenting with drugs is harmless,” the booklet says. “It is not. Any time you use drugs, you raise your risk of physical injury. And there’s no telling how soon you could become addicted.” n Peer pressure: “In many cases,” the booklet explains, “young people start using drugs because their friends are using drugs. But being part of the group that uses drugs is asking for trouble.” n Problems: There are those who try to escape feelings of loneliness or from family problems. “But using drugs cuts you off from other people,” the booklet says. “The drug user ends up feeling more isolated and alone than before. Once the user is hooked,

drugs become more important than anything else, including friendship and family.”

Signs of drug abuse

IN his book, Doctors’ Health Tips and Home Remedies, Dr. Ong gives some possible signs of drug abuse.

“First, the person may associate with friends who are known drug users. Second, the person often needs money and sometimes steals things at home. Third, the person may exhibit some changes in behavior and mood.”

On the latter, he explains: “He or she may be irritable, discourteous and aggressive. [If the person is a student, he or she] may stop going to class and receive failing grades.

There may be poor personal grooming and a general lack of interest in life. Take note, however, that these behavioral clues are not always present.”

The DDB portal further gives these signs: asks to be left alone a lot, always tired (or makes it as an excuse to be left alone), careless and often becomes involved in accidents, implicated in a lot of fights, sudden change in appearance and conduct (red or puffy eyes, weight

changes, constant complaints of headaches or stomachaches, shaking, incessant cough, brown stains on fingertips, stumbling or a constant runny nose), loss of interest in hobbies or sports, exhibits poor judgment and finds it difficult to concentrate.

“If you suspect that a friend is using drugs, talk to him or her,” the DDB suggests. “Let your friend know that you care. Talk to your parents, teacher, school counselor or another trusted adult. Offer to go with your friend to his parents or a counselor for help.”

Help someone who is addicted to drugs. “Drug addiction is considered a disease and needs comprehensive and prolonged treatment,” Dr. Ong reminds in his book. “After being rehabilitated, the drug abuser should still be closely monitored so that he or she will not relapse again into using drugs.”

A word of advice: Don’t ever try to attempt to experiment with illegal drugs. Here’s a final thought from the booklet: “It doesn’t take months or years to become addicted to a drug. And once you are addicted, it can be extremely difficult and painful to stop.”

Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018 9

BULLETIN BOARD

EASTWOOD RICHMONDE HOTEL

WINS AT THE 12TH NATIONAL FOOD SHOWDOWN THE recently concluded 12th National Food Showdown held at Elements in Eton Centris in Quezon City saw culinary talents from all over the country showcasing their skills in a variety of categories that highlight technique and creativity in every dish that was prepared.

Eastwood Richmonde Hotel participated in this prestigious food and beverage competition for the first time and proudly won the highest recognitions in most of the events it joined. Represented by select members of the hotel’s kitchen team and coached by its Executive Chef, Victor Barangan, Eastwood Richmonde took home a total of five medals.

Top winner was Pastry Chef de Partie Richelle Ann Bautista, who won a gold medal in the Innobake Cookie Jar competition with her innovative display of garden-inspired cookies aptly named Flowerpot Cookie (vanilla-based choco chip cookie dough with raspberry jam, chocolate ganache and pistachio), Dug Up Brownie (salted egg cream cheese brownie swirl with milk chocolate ganache, and chocolate custard mousse), and Charcoreo

(black cocoa and charcoal cookie sandwich with salted white chocolate ganache). Bautista was also the top winner together with Commis II Arwin Abracia with a silver medal in the Plated Desserts category for their unique creations of Yosi, a warm pili nut financier with a pili nut sauce center, fresh mango bruleé topping, whipped chocolate custard quenelle siding, chocolate crumble and dried mango bits bedding, and “cigar

snow” made of pili butter maltodixtrine and white chocolate to be blown on the dessert; and Chix, a sucre tart with cashew croquant, glazed raspberry mousse, whipped ganache and gotu kola.

The top honor was also awarded to Chef de Partie Roleo A. Comia and Commis II Bonn Marc Tudla in the Happy Hour Category with their original take on four familiar bar chow items: Cevichaw, kinilaw with tabun-tabun vin and byasong leaves from Butuan and served with red cabbage chicharon; Black Jack, black sesame seed-crusted skipjack tuna with avocado peso, rambutan salsa, and micro greens; I Have Four Eggs, takoyaki-style balut tempura with sweet soy, togarashi, anori and bonito flakes; and Talabang, baked oysters topped with spinach laing, kamias slivers, turmeric pearls, and cheese.

In the Pantry Chef Category, Commis II Christopher Pagas and Commis II Rowell Manahan won the silver award with their starter dishes of Compressed Watermelon Salad (pressure-packed watermelon with orange and served with al-

mond cream cheese and tapenade) and Dapithapon (roasted peppers, black quinoa, carrot hummus smoked with cinnamon chips).

Eastwood Café+Bar’s resident bartender Winnie Lyn Estoesta was a silver medalist in the professional class of the Cocktail Mixing competition, which required participants to mix original drinks within a limited amount of time.

Certificates of recognition were also issued to Sous Chef Pedro Paluga and Commis III Kynnard Sanchez for participating in the McCormick Spice Showdown.

The winning entries of Eastwood Richmonde Hotel in the 12th National Food Showdown will soon be offered at Eastwood Café+Bar. For inquiries and reservations, call (632) 570-7777.

For more information, you may send an e-mail to erh@richmondehotel.com.ph or log on to www. eastwoodrichmondehotel.com.ph.

For the freshest updates on hotel promotions, follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EastwoodRichmondeHotel), Instagram (@ Richmonde_ERH) and Twitter (@ Richmonde_ERH).

GLOBE TELECOM LEGAL TEAM FURNISHES TAGUIG SPED CLASSROOM, CONDUCTS TEACHER TRAINING ON CYBER WELLNESS AS part of Globe Telecom’s employee volunteerism program, the company’s Corporate and Legal Services Group has furnished a Special Education (SPED) classroom for EM’s Signal Village Elementary School (ESVES) in Taguig City, as well as held a teacher training workshop on cyber wellness.

“We wanted to extend our assistance outside the walls of our office and serve our immediate local community which is Taguig. When we visited ESVES, we realized that while the school is well-supported by the local government, it can use a bit more help on SPED,” said Froilan Castelo, Globe General Counsel.

He added: “We also wanted to conduct

10 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

the digital citizenship talks because we felt responsible for disseminating very useful information to the teaches who are already within our reach. Being considered as leaders in the school, the teachers have to be in tune with digital trends and lifestyles so that they can teach their students more effectively.”

Made up of more than 50 legal practitioners, the team inaugurated the fully furnished SPED classroom which includes new chairs and tables, SPED-friendly books, toys, an air-conditioning unit, television units and other SPED-dedicated learning materials. ESVES is home to close to 40 SPED students and over 7,000 regular students.

Present during the ribbon-cutting cer-

emony and signing of the deed of donation were School Division Supt. Romulo Rocena, City Councilor MherSupan, ESVES Principal Josefina Granada, ESVES Teacher I AnalynCaburian, Globe General Counsel Atty.

Froilan Castelo and Globe SVP—Law and Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer and Asst. Corporate Secretary Atty. Marisalve Ciocson-Co. Likewise, more than 30 grade-school teachers participated in two workshops conducted by guest speakers Atty. Jorge Franco Sarmiento on the Data Privacy Act and Kiten Dimayuga on Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP). DTP is Globe Telecom’s flagship cyber-wellness education training for teachers and students. It was designed to

increase the students' knowledge of digital citizenship and cyber safety by taking a critical look at their online behavior and helping them develop insights into the influences of the online world and the choices they are making.

CLSG has been providing free legal consultation services, aid for government agency services and plenary discussions to Globe employees for the last three years under their AttyATBP volunteering program.

Over the years, Globe has consistently enabled its employees to nurture a culture of giving by assisting interested employees and departments with outreach opportunities, funding support and even paid leaves for volunteering-related engagements.

BULLETIN BOARD

FESTIVE SPREADS TO MAKE SPIRITS MERRY AND BRIGHT

WELCOME the holidays with indulgent staycation packages and delightful feasts as our restaurants transform into a gastronomic holiday wonderland.

Enter a world of mouthwatering holiday favorites at Market Café and enjoy a delicious spread of Yuletide dishes from around the world from any of its international show kitchens. On Christmas Eve, Christmas day and New Year’s Eve, enjoy a hearty dinner at P3,500 per person inclusive of free-flow soda, chilled juices, beer, ice tea and wine. Continue your celebration onto the New Year with a lunch or dinner buf-

fet at P2,019 per person inclusive of free-flow soda, chilled juices, beer, ice tea, and wine.

Walk into The Fireplace and discover one of Manila’s hidden gems with a three-course Christmas set menu. Tuck into the Yuletide flavors of Roast Pumpkin Soup with Nutmeg Foam, your choice of Certified Angus Beef Tenderloin in Port Reduction or Duck-Fat Turkey Breast with Porcini Gravy for the main and Red Velvet Fondant in all its festive-colored glory. Rates start at P3,200 per person and available on December 24 and 25 only. Usher in the New Year with another three-course set menu

comprised of creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup with smoked bacon followed by a generous serving of grilled Outside Skirt Steak with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato in Shallot Confit. End your meal with the sweetest of finales with the Caramel, Rum and Vanilla delight of Bananas Foster. Available only from December 31, 2018 to January 1, 2019 at P3,200 per person.

For intimate family gatherings, celebrate with a sumptuous Chinese banquet at modern and elegant Cantonese restaurant, Li Li. Gather your family and friends and get ready to feast with set menus, dim sum and plenty of festive fun during the holidays.

Holiday Yum Cha rates start at P2,188 per person on December 25 2018 and January 1, 2019.

On December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1, 2019, the Yuletide Set Lunch and Festive Set Dinner start at P2,688 per person and P3,288 per person (minimum of two persons) respectively.

For those looking for a livelier way to welcome the New Year, welcome 2019 in the sky with a dazzling celebration filled with splashy cocktails, a live count-

down and a dance party hosted by one of the city’s top female DJs. Join them to start 2019 in sparkling style on the hotel’s topmost floor featuring panoramic views of the cityscape and New Year’s Eve fireworks. New Year Countdown Party at the Rooftop is on December 31. Party starts at 10:30 p.m. with a ticket fee of P1,900 per person inclusive of three rounds of drinks.

In this season of togetherness and merriment, bring the family together and plan your holiday vacation ahead to be rewarded with exclusive rates and discounts starting with the Christmas room package priced at P4,888+ for an overnight stay in a Superior room inclusive of buffet breakfast for two persons at Market Café, discounts on restaurants and spa; early check-in and late check-out, and other exclusive benefits.This offer is valid from December 1, 2018, until January 15, 2019, (except on 30 and 31 of December 2018).

Celebrate the holidays with us to experience indulgent stays and unforgettable getaways in the heart of Manila.

Prepare a berrylicious mocktail this holiday THE “ber” months call for numerous parties and gatherings, so what better way to make it merrier than by infusing a refreshingly healthy concoction that you can whip up easily at home with friends and family. Whether you’re hosting a party or organizing the menu, be sure to have a refreshing yet healthy drink to quench the thirst of your guests!

Try Old Orchard’s Sparkling Cranberry Punch, a three-ingredient mocktail recipe that’s almost effortless to prepare. It has the right balance of sparkly, sweet and tart—a wholesome drink that goes well with all your favorite holiday food.

Not only is this concoction berrylicious, it also packs a punch. Several studies mention that

cranberry juice helps reduce the risk of UTIs. The properties present in cranberry help prevent bacteria in the urinary tract. It is also rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber that are known to prevent cancer and heart diseases. This Sparkling Cranberry Punch is the festive drink that the whole family will enjoy.

Old Orchard Sparkling Cranberry Punch mocktail recipe n Combine two cups of Old Orchard Cranberry Juice w/ 1 tbsp. of lemon juice. n Stir in one cup of sparkling water. n Chill and serve.

Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018 11

HEALTH MONITOR

PACQUIAO HOPEFUL FOR THE PASSAGE OF S.B. 1599

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

N

EOPHYTE Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao said that he will continue to push for the increase in tax rate imposed on cigarettes through his Senate Bill 1599 for it will not only generate revenue to the government but will reduce smoking prevalence to 19.8 percent by 2020.

“We will benefit from this bill because it will not only give additional finding to the Universal Health Care but can save lives because we can reduce the number of smokers by 1 million,” Pacquiao said in an interview.

He stressed that the bill, once passed, will furthermore save lives, especially of the youth.

“This is a very important bill especially since it will add [revenue] to the budget of Universal Health Care. That is why that is our focus, to have it approve,” he said.

“If we can raise [the tax on tobacco], we can save from P40 [billion] to P60 billion [annually], and reduce the number of smokers by 1 million, and we can save lives,” he added.

He also said that he will continue to fight for P60 cigarette per pack after

the House of Representatives approved a bill to increase the tax on every cigarette pack from the current P32.50 to only P37.50 in July 2019.

He also asked his colleagues to continue to support the bill, however, he lamented that the still unfinished hearings on the proposed national budget for 2019 have affected deliberations on his bill.

“But I am determined to push this bill [SB 1599]. I will continue to speak and speak about it and push it,” the hopeful senator said.

He also wished the youth to stay healthy and encouraged them to stay away from smoking.

“Look at me, I am already 40 years old, but God is good, I am healthy,” he said as he shared that he never tried smoking because he hates its smell.

Records from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that 28 percent of Filipino adults—that’s a huge 17.3 million people—15 years and older are current smokers of tobacco.

“Almost half [48 percent or 14.6 million] of adult males and 9 percent [2.8 million] of adult females are current smokers. Moreover, 23 percent of Filipino adults are daily tobacco smokers: 38 percent for males and 7 percent males,” the PSA said.

The statistics agency pointed out that Filipinos mainly smoke cigarettes, either manufactured or hand-rolled.

“Cigarettes are smoked by 47 percent of men and 9 percent of women.

On the average, male daily smokers

consume 11 cigarettes per day while female daily smokers consume seven cigarettes a day,” the PSA said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in the Philippines, the number of deaths related to smoking is at 20,000, and an estimated 10 Filipinos succumb every hour to diseases related to tobacco.

“Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death. It is a prime factor in heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease. It can cause cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth and bladder, and contributes to cancer of the cervix, and kidneys,” the WHO said in Module 5: Promoting Smoke-free Individuals.

National Integrated Cancer Control Act ensures quality healthcare for cancer-stricken Filipinos

S

EN. Joel Villanueva last week hailed the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, which institutionalizes a national integrated cancer control program by integrating cancer consciousness into schools’ curriculum, strengthening patient and family-centered cancer control programs, increasing public funding for robust prevention of cancer, better screening and making cancer treatment and care affordable for all, especially to poor cancer patients.

“Pirma na lamang po ng Pangulo

12 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

at maisasabatas na natin ang ating panukala na magbibigay ng sapat na pondo at kalidad na pagpapagamot para sa ating mga kababayan na dumaranas ng cancer,” Villanueva, one of the authors of the measure, said.

“Malaking pasasalamat din kay Sen. JV Ejercito na principal author at sponsor ng panukalang ito, gayundin sa mga kapwa nating mambabatas na sumuporta sa pagsulong ng ating panukalang batas.”

The senator further noted that 7 out of 10 Filipino cancer patients cease their medical treatment due to

financial problems and high cost of cancer treatment.

The Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society found out that the Philippines has the highest prevalence of breast cancer among 197 countries. In 2012 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (lARC) revealed that there were 269 new adult cancer cases in the Philippines every day.

Furthermore, the Cancer Coalition of the Philippines said that around 3,900 children are diagnosed with cancer yearly and that the average survival rate of children diagnosed

with cancer is only at 30 percent.

The Philippines observes the National Cancer Consciousness Week— an initiative that stresses the synchronization of efforts by both public and private organizations toward the prevention and control of cancer.

“We hope that the immediate passage into law of this important measure will ensure quality health care for all Filipino children and adults with cancer by increasing investments for the prevention, early and accurate detection, and optimal treatment for all forms of cancer,” Villanueva said.

HEALTHY INDULGENCE

Savor the joy of the season with Cravings’s holiday offers

W

HAT to do when you want a delicious and thoughtfully puttogether holiday spread but you’re pressed for time?

Comfort food is the best way to go—and with Cravings’s array of delectable party trays, gift offers and catering themes, you’ll sure have a merry and bright Christmas!

From the Cravings family to yours

CRAVINGS was born from the mother-and-daughter team of Annie Pascual-Guerrero and Badjie Guerrero-Trinidad who have been known to host intimate parties and big social gatherings. Their expertise at holiday dining comes from their own experience and family traditions—and it’s no wonder why Filipino families have made Cravings a part of their celebrations for the past 30 years.

This year, Cravings introduces two new catering themes that promises to elevate the

holiday party experience: Modern and Chic catering setups, as well as delicious tapas-style cocktail food to cover all the bases for excellent entertaining. Catering choices also include their four classic themes of Cider, Rust, Tangerine and Ochre—and with dishes carefully curated and prepared by

seasoned chefs, your guests will surely have a memorable holiday feast!

For more intimate gatherings, Cravings has a selection of take-home party trays that were made to impress. These come in different sizes that can cater 10 to as many as 40 people so you can easily decide on what to serve to visiting loved ones or the right tray to bring for potluck night. Choices include from Roast Turkey with Chestnut Raisin Stuffing, SaltCrusted Fresh Salmon, Crackling Pork Bagnet with Arroz Valenciana or Truffle Rice, Roast Beef with Mushroom Sauce and Paella Mixta.

Christmas can be a frantic time—but it doesn’t have to be.

With Cravings’s festive spreads and artisanal goodies, you can savor the season more and bask in the joy of the holidays!

For inquiries about Cravings’s holiday offerings and catering, reach their Viber at 0977-0645453 or e-mail: salesexec@cravingsgroup.com. Follow their Instagram and Facebook (@thecravingsgroup).

Share a light, bubbly holiday celebration with the whole family

A

S the most awaited holiday of the year approaches, the dates begin to be filled with back-to-back Christmas parties, reunions and gatherings.

Whether you’re a host or a guest of these celebrations, you

want to be sure that the beverages you serve can be enjoyed by everyone – young and adults alike.

People these days prefer to cherish each unforgettable moment, so what better way to share what’s good to the whole family than to serve some light, refreshing and bubbly non-alcoholic drink.

Made from the freshest Concord and Niagara grapes, Welch’s line of Sparkling Juices carries a long tradition of Real Grape Goodness for every kind of celebration with loved ones this season.

With two flavors to choose from, you can share a toast of Welch’s Sparkling Juices and to-

gether enjoy it without guilt. Best of all, Welch’s Sparkling White Grape Juice and Sparkling Red Grape Juice are incredibly easy to mix with other beverages.

Using a splash of creativity, they can be teamed up with other juices to create one’s own special fizzy mocktail, promising a celebration that engages the senses.

A product of USA, Welch’s products are widely available in retail stores across the Philippines.

Each bottle is tastefully prepared and packaged, making for a sparkly gift for all ages.

Share your experience with Welch’s Sparkling Juices on www. facebook.com/WelchsPh/.

MAKE EVERYDAY MEALS MORE FLAVORFUL, NOURISHING AND FUN

T

O help bring out the best flavors and nutritional value in your dish choices, Jolly, the No.1 canned mushroom brand in the country, provides two easy-to-prepare recipes that will give your favorite Filipino dishes a new appetizing twist that the family will surely love.

Following the one can of Jolly Mushrooms + 1/2 kg of pork or chicken ratio, one can come up with a much delicious, nutritionally balanced dish that is a good source of protein, valuable minerals and antioxidants.

Because mushrooms deliver a rich, earthy umami taste and meaty texture, they are used to perfectly complement almost any dish, any cuisine.

Jolly pork adobo with mushroom

Ingredients 1 can (400g) Jolly Whole Mushrooms, drained 500 grams pork belly, adobo cut 2 to 3 tablespoons Canola oil 1 piece red onion, chopped 1 head garlic, minced 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup vinegar 1 cup water 1 teaspoon peppercorns, whole 2 pcs bay leaf

Cooking procedure 1. Heat oil in a pan. Pan-fry pork for 10-15 minutes or until light brown on all sides. Remove excess oil.

2. Add onion and garlic, sauté until fragrant.

3. Add soy sauce, vinegar and water; let it simmer without the pan cover for 30-45 minutes.

Add water if it becomes too dry.

4. Add peppercorns, bay leaf and Jolly Mushrooms, continue simmering until pork is tender and sauce is reduced. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Serving size: 160g/serving Number of servings: 6-7 servings

Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018 13

HEALTHY FINDS

n COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR MARKS 80TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A FLAGSHIP STORE RELAUNCH

SPORTSWEAR, the brand that elevates your adventure to new levels with its tested tough gear, is launching its flagship store in SM Mall of Asia with an all-new epic retail environment.

The flagship Columbia SM MOA will be opening the doors of its renovated store on October 18 at the 2nd level, North Wing, Entertainment Mall. The new Columbia store has drawn inspiration from its home in the historic Timberland Lodge, a National Landmark that attracts more than 2 million visitors a year.

Visitors primarily appreciate the seamless transition of the outdoor playground and the flawlessly executed rustic interior of the Lodge.

With that said, the new store is a masterpiece in brand storytelling that Columbia has been known for from the start.

Outdoor goodness meets cutting-edge retail design THE new Cascade Retail Environment store concept incorporates evergreen photography, prop libraries, and highly customized fixtures to the store as evidenced by the elaborate fitting rooms and the dramatic and well-thought out amphitheater. Every detail has been meticulously planned and implemented for one purpose— to deliver a superior brand environment dedicated to enhance the retail experience of customers.

The redesigned store comes on the heels of Columbia Sportswear’s 80th anniversary.

80 years of trying stuff and making alreadyperfect gear, Columbia continues to push the boundaries of outdoor wear innovation with industry leading technologies like the OmniTech, Omni-Heat and Omni-Grip technology to name a few. To commemorate this milestone,

Columbia is bringing retro back with the limited-edition Bugaboo 80th Anniversary Interchange Jacket.

80 years of outdoor wear innovation WHEN the Bugaboo first came out, it blew everyone’s minds with the 3-in-1 jacket concept— wear the fleece liner when it’s cold, the waterproof shell when it’s wet or wear them together when it’s wet and cold. Now the revamped Bugaboo Interchange jacket features Columbia’s proprietary Omni-Heat thermal reflective liner and Omni-Tech waterproof/breathable, critically seam-sealed weather protection feature, making it even warmer and drier than the 80s edition.

n GUMTECT FOR MORE FOODIE MOMENTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

FILIPINOS love to eat, and the holidays are definitely no exception! With Christmas gettogethers and parties dotting our calendars, are our teeth and gums ready to take on the challenge of nonstop eating and drinking?

Doug and Chesca Kramer posed the same question as they prepare for the holiday season.

As oral health-care advocates for Gumtect, the couple shared how important it is that they take care of their teeth and gums, so they don’t miss out on any foodie moments when they celebrate the holidays with their

14 Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018

The jacket is also embellished with a special 80th anniversary embroidery, quotes from Columbia Chairman Gert Boyle, and a Bugaboo 1986 history patch. All of these elements serve as reminders of the brand’s commitment from the very beginning—to build gear that will help you stay outside longer.

They said winter was coming. Yet, we never felt it with gear that was made to keep us warm and dry in the most miserable of weathers. Find out more about Columbia’s tested tough gear by dropping by at the Columbia Cascade Retail Environment store in SM MOA today.

Keep warm, dry, cool and protected. Stay out longer and have more fun!

friends and family.

“Despite our busy schedules, we enjoy the gatherings and reunions to relax and catch up over food,” shared Doug. “I have a really sweet tooth, and I enjoy having conversations over dessert, but for me to be able to just enjoy the food, I also ensure to make that these “ber” months are care months for my gums and teeth so there’s no hassle of gum problems”.

Doug advocates oral care with the use of Gumtect Gum Care toothpaste, which works to promote healthy gums, protects against harmful mouth bacteria, and moisturizes and strengthens the gums.

As for Chesca, her already hectic schedule as

HEALTHY FINDS

a mom can only get busier with holiday activities with her kids on the horizon. She shared that with her sensitive teeth, she needs to take care of her gums so pangingilo doesn’t get in the way of her indulging in her favorite holiday dishes with her loved ones.

According to a study in 2011 by the National Monitoring and Evaluation Dental Survey, 48 percent of Filipinos suffer from some form of gum disease. Receding gums are often accompanied with tooth sensitivity.

Commonly caused by wearing of the thin outer covering of the tooth (enamel), overbrushing, acidic food, and gum receding, pangingilo or dental hypersensitivity begins when the inner part of the tooth is uncovered. This results to an oh-so-familiar brief yet sharp sensation of tooth sensitivity.

“I want to maximize my bonding moments with my family, especially enjoying food together like ice cream and buko salad. I want to be able to indulge in my favorite holiday dishes without having to think about pangingilo,” Chesca said.

For Chesca, she recommends using Gumtect Sensitive toothpaste and Gumtect Sensitive mouthwash as they are specially formulated with Dynamic Desensitizing System to be able to help relieve tooth sensitivity.

Dr. JV Jaurigue, external vice president of the Philippine Society of Periodontology, shared about the connection of gum health with overall health and stressed the importance of proper oral care.“Oral care is essential to our health. Rather than dealing with complications and difficulties of gum diseases, it is better to prevent them from happening,” he said.

Gumtect Gum Care is the only gum care toothpaste with GUMSHIELD+ which contains allantoin, which improves the condition of the gums, vitamin E, which moisturizes gums and triclean, which reduces the formation of plaque and shields against harmful mouth bacteria, while Gumtect Sensitive has a Dynamic Desensitizing System that helps relieve sensitive teeth. Both Gumtect Sensitive and Gumtect Gum Care also have Active Anti-Cavity Protection that ensures fresh breath and strong teeth enamel.

To know more about gum health-care tips, visit www.facebook.com/Gumtect.

n KEVIN BALOT’S JOURNEY TO BECOMING #STRONGERNOW

AT first glance, Kevin Balot is the epitome of grace, elegance and beauty. As the Philippines’s first transgender Miss International Queen, the serenity in her face, her bright smile and air of

confidence, effectively masks the pain she had endured growing up and the journey she faced that made her #StrongerNow. Throughout childhood, Kevin experienced exclusion within her very own family. Her father criticized her for wearing makeup, attending beauty contests and behaving in a feminine way. As a kid, she would look at herself in the mirror and would feel confused. Instead of buckling under the weight of these pains, Kevin has chosen instead to grow from these.

Today, she stars in Pantene Philippines’s heart-stirring #StrongerNow short film, as the first-ever transgender to be a hair-care ambassador in the country, with a goal to inspire more Filipinas to celebrate every scar, every sweat, every struggle that made them the kind of strong they are now.

The video, launched during the global observation of Transgender Awareness Week, shows Pantene Philippines’s solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Kevin’s story resonated with audiences around the world, as it went viral gaining over 4 million organic views last weekend and was shared by half-Filipina and America’s Next Top Model finalist Justine Biticon, Grey’s Anatomy actress Ellen Pompeo, YouTube and beauty content creator, Manuel Gutierrez, also known as Manny MUA and Bretman Rock, among others. Following the Twitter conversations are different international publications sharing the video, recognizing Kevin’s story and celebrating #StrongerNow. Kevin herself has found people who embraced her for what she was. Even if her family did not accept her at first, her friends and classmates accepted her with open arms. She has also fought to be where she is today. After graduating from high school, she left home and supported herself by joining beauty pageants near and far almost every day, traveling all the way to Pangasinan from Tarlac, where she lived.

She had already won numerous pageants when she was called to join Miss International Queen. Others had doubted her, saying she was not international beauty queen material or that she was too short to compete. Despite their doubts, Kevin won Miss International Queen.

It was a momentous event in her life, her dream finally fulfilled and even more important, one of the prizes was the major operation that would change her life. She went to Thailand and had a sex change. When she finally saw her new body in the mirror, she said “Eto na talaga ‘yong laman ng utak and ng heart ko.”

Kevin’s story shows how pain can be transformed into something greater, and how strength and resilience allows one’s inner beau-

ty to shine brighter.

This holiday season, the film serves as a message of hope to those dealing with pain, celebrates those who have triumphed over their internal struggles and encourages LGBTQ members to be #StrongerNow. Join Pantene in supporting the LGBTQ community and in fighting for inclusivity around the country. Watch the video and be inspired to be yourself, to grow and be #StrongerNow. Visit Pantene’s Facebook page.

Generika Drugstore Area Operations Manager for North GMA Carol Echavez (from left), QC Culiat Store Supervisor Jommel Alejaga, VP for Operations/COO Jay Ferrer, President and CEO Dino Francisco, with Fr. Donald Iongno

n GENERIKA DRUGSTORE OPENS IN BRGY. CULIAT, QUEZON CITY

GENERIKA Drugstore opens its newest store at #467 Tandang Sora Avenue, Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. This store features an improved store format with better assortment in order to better serve its customers. With this development, customers can avail themselves of Generika Drugstore’s quality affordable medicine, food supplements, select consumer goods and plus services with comfort and convenience.

Generika Drugstore is the pioneer in the retail of generic medicine established in 2003 with the mission of providing access to quality, affordable generic medicine. Generika Drugstore is a member of AC Health— a wholly owned subsidiary of Ayala Corp., and serves as the portfolio company for health-care businesses. To learn more about Generika Drugstore, visit www.generika.com.ph.

Health&Fitness December 20-26, 2018 15