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Duterte’s statement of support to same-sex union seen stirring heated congressional debates

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By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

s the Philippines ready to accept the concept of same-sex marriage and follow the path of around 30 countries—mostly in the West—that legalized it? recent years, it is notable, however, that the Philippines has not made sufficient strides in providing some of the most basic civil rights to couples who are not eligible for marriage under the law. A large part of this affected population is the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] community,” Alvarez said in the explanatory note of HB 6595.

There are at least 26 countries globally that allow same-sex marriage, with Belgium, Canada and Spain among the first jurisdictions to legalize it.

Roman said civil partnership is a more feasible option than same-sex marriage.

Numbers game

“We want to thank President Duterte for his support for the LGBTQI+ community. It only shows that he wants equality for all Filipinos,” Roman said.

“With regard to the President’s support for same-sex marriage, we would like to advocate for the more feasible option, which is the civil-partnership bill, which has already been filed by Speaker Alvarez,” Roman added.

According to the lawmaker, the bill aims to give legal recognition to stable relationships—whether same-sex or otherwise—or those outside the bond of marriage with the corresponding civil and legal rights and obligations.

“Congress is a numbers game and I honestly think that, at this point, my colleagues in the 17th Continued on A2

Ivonnewierink | Dreamstime.com

This is emerging as the next “hot” issue that members of Congress will address in the coming months, after President Duterte expressed his support to the proposal to allow same-sex marriage.

For Rep. Rodito T. Albano III of the First District of Isabela, the Philippines is not yet ready to legalize same-sex union.

“I don’t think we are ready for that [same sex-marriage]…. What religion solemnizes same-sex marriage?” Albano asked.

Pending before the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality is House Bill (HB) 6595, or “An Act Recognizing the Civil Partnership of Couples, Providing for their Rights and Obligations,” principally authored by Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez and the country’s first transgender lawmaker, Rep. Geraldine B. Roman of the First District of Bataan.

In filing the measure, the authors of the bill, citing Section 1, Article III of the 1987 Constitution, said “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law.”

However, the Family Code of the Philippines said marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.

But Alvarez clarified that the proposal only covers civil union.

“While there has been great acceptance of minority groups in

‘I now pronounce you husband and husband’ Most Filipino consumers still rely on traditional channels to obtain fast-moving goods

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By Roderick L. Abad | Contributor

HILE major mall developers in the country are aggressively expanding to other retail formats, such as hyper and supermarkets, Filipino shoppers still turn to their trusted sari-sari, or neighborhood variety stores, and nearby market stalls, as they still consider traditional channels as the No. 1 shopping destination for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). serve as an “extended pantry” for Filipino households, while supermarkets only replenishes them with products not easily purchased from just around the corner.

Apart from the convenience element, another factor traditional trade is the most-preferred channel for FMCG among

Casfotoarda | Dreamstime.com

Based on the latest Smart Shopper research of Kantar Worldpanel, traditional trade accounted for 46 percent of the total FMCG sales in 2017, while hyper and supermarkets partook 30 percent.

Kantar Worldpanel Philippines General Manager (GM) Alexandre Duterrage attributed this to the fact that traditional trading centers

Continued on A2

PESO exchange rates n US 50.1940

n japan 0.4431 n UK 67.1947 n HK 6.4202 n CHINA 7.6219 n singapore 37.3690 n australia 38.6544 n EU 59.6255 n SAUDI arabia 13.3851

Source: BSP (22 December 2017 )

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A2 Sunday, December 24, 2017

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‘I now pronounce you husband and husband’ Continued from A1

Congress [may] not [be] ready for same-sex marriage. Many of them believe that marriage is an institution with religious connotations, and we respect that,” Roman said.

On the other hand, Roman added that the civil-partnership bill has definitely more chances of being approved.

“What we are interested in is the legal recognition and the civil rights attached to it, bearing in mind what is plausible at this point in time and without offending religious sensibilities,” Roman said.

The measure seeks to allow couples to enter into a civil partnership whether they are of the opposite or of the same sex. It aims to be a landmark effort to provide civil rights, benefits and responsibilities to couples, previously unable to marry, by giving them due recognition and protection from the state.

It also protects civil-partnership couples by penalizing unlawful and discriminatory practices committed by persons or institutions against them on the basis of their civil-partnership status.

Coauthors of the bill are Deputy Speakers Gwendolyn Garcia of the Third District of Cebu, Raneo Abu of the Second District of Batangas, Sharon S. Garin of Aambis-OWA Party-list and Eric D. Singson of the Second District of Ilocos Sur, and Rep. Frederick F. Abueg of the Second District of Palawan.

Clearer purpose

Earlier, Party-list Rep. Mariano Michael M. Velarde Jr. of Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) said he is noncommittal to the proposal of Alvarez to push same-sex union, unless the purpose for the passage of the proposal is cleared.

“Family is a basic institution.

If you will pursue same-sex marriage, how can you call it a family? Because marriage is solely for a man and a woman,” Velarde said. “But, if you are looking for legal unity, such idea can be looked into,” he added.

Party-list Rep. Aniceto D. Bertiz III of ACTS-OFW, for his part, said: “I stand ‘no’ on the issue because, basically, you can change the Constitution, but you can’t change the law of nature. I stand on the basis that the Divine Law cannot be violated and that the essence and sanctity of marriage should be protected.”

Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito L. Atienza Jr. of Buhay said the Philippine law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

“Marriage, as defined by law, is a union between a man and a woman. We are ready to defend the rights of anyone, especially those in the LGBT community. But marriage should exclusively be, as intended by nature, for a man and a woman,” he added.

‘Law of nature’

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines News web site, said the Family Code of the Philippines states that marriage is “between a man and a woman” and “this does not apply to same-sex marriage.”

Cruz said the Philippine Constitution also provides that it does not only recognize “family life” and shall also “equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn” and “this does not apply to same-sex marriage.”

He added that the Code of Law of the Church stipulates that marriage is between “a man and a woman” and “this does not apply to same-sex marriage.”

“Natural law—the nature of realities, the objective substance of things, the essence of earthly matters—has already specifically and clearly defined, established and affirmed what is marriage. No church and no pope, no government and no president, no people of any race, color and creed can really change it,” he said.

“Why? Ground realities as categorically and concretely determined by nothing less than the law of nature are beyond denial or contradiction by any contrary human opinion, by any opposite human authority or legislation. Therefore, to think and affirm, to promote and proclaim that marriage is between a man and a man or between a woman and a woman—this is an excellent example of an exercise in futility,” he added.

Cruz said the Church, through all the ages as well as all over the globe, professes and declares that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“She has no choice. This is why the pope himself teaches and affirms that marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said.

“He has no alternative. This is why the Church in the Philippines and the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-

ence of the Philippines maintain and insist that marriage is between a man and a woman. They have no option. To even think, much more to assert and insist, that marriage is not so—this can be done but it does not in any way change the nature or essence of marriage,” Cruz added.

According to Cruz, “homosexuals are human persons with their intrinsic human dignity that

should be respected by people of all races, color and creeds. And in the event that a man and another man or a woman and another woman want to live together, this they do at their own personal accountability. Such togetherness can be called a ‘partnership,’ a ‘venture,’ a ‘contract,’ an ‘agreement’ or whatever—but marriage it is not! It takes more but mere human preference to alter the law of nature.”

‘I

don’t think we are ready for that [samesex marriage]… What religion solemnizes same-sex marriage?”— Albano

Most Filipino consumers still rely on traditional channels to obtain fast-moving goods Continued from A1

the local consumers is the suki relationship, wherein there is trust and confidence between the household purchaser, mostly the housewife, and the shop or store owner, he said.

“This relation to them is very strong. It’s still much stronger than the competition made by hyper and supermarkets, especially in categories such as fresh vegetables, meats and so on,” he told reporters during the company’s recent announcement of the results of the annual study, which delves into the opportunities and challenges for shopping channels and retailers.

The report revealed groceries as the third leading destinations, contributing 6 percent to the aggregate FMCG sales this year, followed by drugstores at 4.5 percent; gifting 4.5 percent; direct sales 2 percent; convenience stores 0.4 percent; online 0.1 percent; and others 7 percent.

“Online is very small [here] compared to the share of e-commerce in FMCG of various countries in the region,” Duterrage said. “For example, from our data in South Korea, online is already almost 20 percent [or 19.7 percent to be exact] and it’s 6.2 percent of total FMCG sales in China.”

Slow-moving growth

FOLLOWING the election year, the growth of FMCG is tapering off in 2017 at 3 percent in sales value, with the top destinations traditional trade and hyper and supermarkets both barely moving 1 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

“The growth of traditional trade is [flat or stable], especially in this country where modern trade should be developing. This is the same with hyper and supermarkets,” Duterrage said.

Among the retail channels, convenience stores performed well with a 15-percent valuecontribution to total FMCG sales in the past 12 months finishing June 2017.

“Why it’s growing [so high]?” he asked. “The convenience store is the new extension of the pantry— with air-conditioning and refrigerated products, and a slightly different assortment.”

Drugstores, on the other hand, sustained their growth at 8 percent during the period. Local pharmacies, according to the top executive, are relatively different from other countries.

The first model, which is similar abroad, has the mix of semicommerce of simple products, on one side, and beauty products/cosmetics on the other side, another type which is uniquely found in the Philippines that has a pharmaceutical component and, at the same time, an FMCG offering.

While groceries posted flat performance, direct sales regis-

tered a -3 percent value-share to overall FMCG sales in June compared to the same period in 2016.

Limited buying power

FILIPINO households still have other priorities than FMCG insofar as their consumption is concerned, the SmartShopper research showed.

“We’re very conscious about the limited cash outlay,” Kantar Worldpanel Philippines New Business Director Des B. Deocareza told the BusinessMirror, while referring to the 90 percent of Filipinos who still belong to classes D and E with restricted disposable income.

“The FMCG [sector] is also challenged because we’re competing with a lot of other expenses like load, recreation, utilities and gadgets,” she added.

Across all retail formats, the average spend per household on FMCG in the Philippines is P84 per trip in June of this year, or just P1 higher than P83 in 2016. Given that the frequency of their visit stands at 395.2 annually, each buyer spends P33,367 per year. This is P358 greater than the P33,009 expenditure for 395.8 visits to all channels last year.

Traditional trade remains to be the most frequently visited at five times per week, or 257 in 2017 against 262.4 in 2016. Even if every client’s expenditure per trip remains the same at P59, it still rakes in P15,262 from the purchase of each customer this year compared to P15,452 a year ago.

For hyper and supermarkets, a payout per trip from over the two periods in review hiked from P253 to P254, together with expenditure for every buyer from P11,286 to P11,290 annually. The result is encouraging despite a slowdown in frequency from 44.6 to 44.4.

Notable of all is the growth of drugstores, driven by visits and heavier baskets. Filipinos’ FMCG purchases in these retail formats are on the rise, with shopping frequency growing steadily from 12.8 times in 2016 to 13.4 times in 2017, and spend per trip increasing from P187 to P198, or P2,394 to P2,643 expenditure yearly.

“There is obviously a trust or confidence in buying pharmaceutical products in a drugstore,” Duterrage said of the encouraging factor for consumers to visit and spend more in this shop. “You think this store is probably cleaner. And this trust have some kind of an umbrella effect that is covering close category to pharmaceutical products that is FMCG.”

Categories, profiles

LOCAL shoppers’ preference vary depending on their needs and socioeconomic class, the report showed.

Amid a challenging environment for the FMCG sector, given its flat performance, the most consumed category is family or adult

milk pegged at P47 billion. This is followed by instant-coffee powder, breads, growing-up milk, biscuits, infant milk, baby diaper, instant noodles, laundry powder and soft drinks.

As of June 2017, traditional trade still dominates channel spending in food (43 percent), household care (47 percent) and beverages (60 percent). Hyper and supermarkets maintain contribution in personal care at 36 percent.

Per economic status, classes A, B and C are largely hyper and supermarket shoppers at 54 percent.

But still, they spend 20 percent of their FMCG spend on traditional trade. “[This is because of] the trust [or] the relationship that is still there between the household, whether it is through the housewife or the maid, with the market or store owner,” Duterrage explained.

As expected, classes D (45 percent) and E (62 percent) mainly source their spending from sari-sari stores and market stalls.

Classes A, B and C spend more in drugstores. Meanwhile, classes D and E are gradually including modern trade in their shopping destinations, at the expense of traditional trade.

Top 5 retailers

ALTHOUGH Filipinos’ FMCG shopping habits mostly favor traditional trade, five retailer accounts still benefit from it.

Puregold, SM, Robinsons, Mercury Drug and Gaisano all contribute to 15 percent of the overall FMCG sales in the local market in the past 12 months ending June 2017.

Among these powerhouses, the fastest-growing is Mercury Drug, which reported a 19-percent value change growth this year. It is seconded by Gaisano, with a hike of 15 percent.

Puregold and SM are growing at the base of FMCG by 5 percent and 2 percent, respectively. However, Robinsons registered a 7-percent decrease in value change.

“So, it’s not everyone growing in the same place at all. Here, it’s only on one year. If you project that on several years, you will see that there are fantastic differences between different stores,” Duterrage said.

The go-to market

ACCESSIBILITY of location is the main consideration for buyers when shopping at retailers since all of them want convenience.

Second, Filipino shoppers prioritize merchants that make them feel like they’re spending their money wisely with good price points and promotions, per the study.

When it comes to product range and layout, the research showed that retailers that offer a wide array of brands, types or sizes

of products gain the customers’ patronage.

More so, they are greatly attracted to good marketing initiatives via events or animation in store.

Buyers also tend to purchase from those retailers that help local manufacturers and their fellow Filipinos.

“Our research shows that, while Filipino shoppers are embracing the expansion of hyper and supermarkets, they are still loyal patrons of traditional trade,” Duterrage said.

SmartShopper outlook

SARI-SARI stores and market stalls are seen continuing their appeal to Filipino households next year and beyond.

“So, remember the extended pantry [or the] traditional trade in the Philippines is still there for some time. It’s not going down,” predicts the executive of the global expert in shoppers’ behavior.

But modern trade will grow faster as local households spend more on these channels, especially drugstores and convenience stores, he cited.

The former is winning the confidence of consumers though infant or toddler milks and personal care since they have the closest affinity to pharmaceutical products.

The latter, on the other hand, stand to benefit from being a “modernized extension of the pantry.”

In the online setting, FMCG e-shopping in the country is expected to be constantly minimal, as regards its penetration.

Nonetheless, it will cater to a very specific market segment that is personal care.

Meanwhile, direct sales will only be important for some specific parts of the population. Duterrage said: “It is not something across everyone. It’s really specific for [classes] D and E.”

Obviously, hyper and supermarkets differ from each other in terms of location, price and assortment. To compete better in this channel, the players must understand what attributes across these factors will help win the hearts and loyalty of Filipino homes, he recommended.

The study engaged the participation of 3,000 panelists nationwide—2,000 of them are from urban areas and the remaining 1,000 from rural sites.

“Kantar Worldpanel’s Smart Shopper Study is a unique tool that allows retailers and manufacturers to understand where consumers are purchasing their FMCG needs and why they choose to patronize that particular channel. The combination of the actual data from our panel and the insights we get from our extensive interviews provides a wealth of information that help our clients craft their business strategies to boost growth,” Duterrage said.

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news@businessmirror.com.ph

Sunday, December 24, 2017

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Trump eyeing January 3 tax signing to avoid cuts

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resident Donald J. Trump plans to sign the tax bill on January 3 to ensure automatic spending cuts to Medicare and other programs don’t take effect, according to a House Republican aide familiar with the plans.

The W hite House informed House GOP members of the timetable, following the likely decision by House Republicans to leave the so-called Paygo provision out of a year-end spending deal to avoid a government shutdown before Friday, the person said, who asked not to be named because the plan hasn’t been publicly announced.

Trump and GOP leaders have repeatedly said the president would

sign the legislation before Christmas. White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn signaled on Wednesday morning that the signing date could be pushed back because of the potential for triggering the cuts.

Under the Paygo law, automatic cuts to Medicare and other spending categories would be triggered by the ta x bill in Januar y, because the bill is scored as increasing the deficit by $1.5

America’s last nuclear project gets green light from Georgia

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eorgi a reg u l ators gave t he go - a head for Sout h er n Co. to f i n i sh t he on ly ne w nuc lea r power u nder con st r uc t ion i n t he Un ited St ates a f ter it fe l l yea rs be h i nd sc hedu le a nd cost s soa red to more t h a n $25 bi l l ion.

T he G eorg i a P ubl ic Ser v ice Com m i ssion approved t he re v i sed pl a n of Sout her n’s G eor g i a Power a nd it s ut i l it y pa r t ners to f i n i sh t wo reac tors at Pl a nt Vog t le w it h a u n a n i mou s vote on T hu rsd ay. T he com m i ssion told G eorg i a Power it wou ld h ave to a g ree to lower ret u r n s on t he pl a nt , a cond it ion t he compa ny s a id it wou ld acce pt. Sout her n era sed losses to t rade 0. 5 percent h ig her on t he dec i sion.

T he r u l i ng prov ides a w ay for w a rd for t he Vog t le proj ec t , t he f i rst US nuc lea r power pl a nt to be l icen sed i n t h ree dec ades. Sout her n , wh ic h ow n s 4 6 percent of t he projec t , s a id it s est i m ated cost s h ad soa red to $12. 2 bi l l ion a f ter t he pl a nt ’s cont rac tor West i ng hou se E lec t r ic Co. dec l a red ba n k r uptc y ea rl ier t h i s yea r.

T he projec t re present s t he l a st , best hope for a nuc lea r ren a i s s a nce t h at h a s f a i led to m ate r i a l i z e i n t he US fol low i ng Japa n’s Fu k u sh i m a acc ident. It ’s now sc hedu led to be completed i n November 2022, more t h a n f ive yea rs l ater t h a n a n or ig in a l est i m ate.

T he st a f f of t he com m i ssion proposed t h at G eorg i a Power ’s

por t ion of t he projec t ’s cost be c apped at $9 bi l l ion , t he a mou nt it wou ld cost to c a nce l a nd re pl ace it s power w it h a ga s - f i red generator, accord i ng to a f i l i ng. T he st a f f s a id it s propos a l wou ld be $1. 5 bi ll ion less t h a n t he compa ny s a id it needed , i nc lud i ng a pen a lt y pay ment to Sout her n f rom Tosh iba Cor p. a f ter it s West i ng hou se u n it w a l ked aw ay.

Sout her n’s projec t doesn’t m a ke econom ic sen se be yond $9 bi l l ion , a nd a por t ion of t he compa ny ’s proposed i nc rea sed cost s resu lt f rom “m i sm a n a ge ment of t he projec t ,” t he com m i ssion st a f f s a id . Env i ronment a l g roups a l so lobbied t he com m i ssion to pu l l t he plu g on t he reac tors.

Sout her n s a id it wou ld be forced to c a nce l t he Vog t le reac tors i f it s cost s were c apped at t he a mou nt t he st a f f w a s recom mend i ng At l a nt a- ba sed Sout her n coow n s t he reac tors w it h Og let hor pe Power Cor p., Mu n ic ipa l E lec t r ic Aut hor it y of G eorg i a a nd Da lton Ut i l it ies.

Sout her n a g reed to t a ke over con st r uc t ion of t he reac tors a f ter West i ng hou se’s ba n kr uptc y. C h ief E xec ut ive O f f icer Tom Fa n n i ng h a s s a id t h at t he projec t i s v it a l to t he cou nt r y ’s n at ion a l sec u r it y. I n Se ptember Sout her n a nd it s ut i l it y pa r t ners sec u red $3.7 bi l l ion i n add it ion a l US loa n g u a ra ntees, br i ng i ng t he tot a l to $12 bi l l ion. Bloomberg News

BAT expands in South Africa with vape deal

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ritish American Tobacco (BAT) Plc., the world’s second-largest traded cigarette maker, agreed to buy South African vaping company Twisp, expanding in a continent where it has grown in since buying Rothmans in 1999.

The deal increases BAT ’s offering of so-called next-generation products, or alternatives to smoking cigarettes, the Londonbased company said in a news statement on Thursday. It didn’t disclose the price of the deal or

how it’s being funded.

The deal comes after Japan Tobacco Inc. also agreed to spend $434 million to raise its investment in Ethiopia’s tobacco monopoly to a majority stake. BAT appointed Kingsley Wheaton, formerly the head of next-generation products, to lead the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa region last month.

BAT shares rose 2.2 percent to 5,027 pence as of 3:21 p.m. in London, extending gains for 2017 to 8.7 percent. Bloomberg News

trillion over 10 years. Waiting until Januar y means that those cuts would be delayed until 2019, according to budget expert Ed Lorenzen of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

W hite House officials insisted that no firm timetable had been set. Trump could sign the ta x legislation earlier if Congress passed a waiver to the Paygo rules, but that is unlikely to happen before lawmakers leave Washington for a holiday recess.

“I think we’re just working out some of the logistics on that,” Treasur y Secretar y Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday on Fox News. “He’ ll sign it as quickly as he can.”

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan have vowed that the cuts would not be triggered.

They would need Democrats to waive them this year, however, since doing so would require 60 votes in the Senate. Nearly the entire House Democratic caucus last week threatened to block a Paygo waiver unless Republicans made concessions like restoring the Obamacare individual mandate.

Bloomberg News

I think we’re just working out some of the logistics on that.

He’ll sign it as quickly as he can.”

—Mnuchin

US President Donald J. Trump speaks during a tax-bill passage event with Republican congressional members of the House and Senate on December 20. Zach Gibson/Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia begins payouts to buffer belt-tightening blow

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audi Arabia paid 2 billion riyals, or $533.3 million, to citizens in the first month of a cash-transfer program meant to cushion the blow of austerity measures as the kingdom tries to diversify its economy.

About 3 million households received the cash, deposited into the bank accounts of eligible low- and middle-income Saudis on Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing Labor and Social Development Minister Ali Al-Ghafees.

Half of the households received the maximum average monthly benefit of about 938 riyals, he said, while the smallest payout was 300 riyals. Benefits are determined according to a family’s size and income, he said.

The kingdom’s “Citizen’s Ac-

count” program is intended to ease the impact of belt-tightening measures expected to take effect next month, including higher prices for gasoline and electricity and a 5-percent valueadded tax. Raising the government’s non-oil revenue is a key part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” plan to move Saudi Arabia beyond crude.

Officials announced an expansionary budget on Tuesday with total planned spending of 1.1 trillion riyals— the highest ever—but they also said inflation is expected to hit 5.7 percent next year after deflation this year.

A smooth rollout of the cash transfers is key in a state built on trading government largesse for political loyalty. In total, 3.7 million households

representing 13 million people registered for the benefits, meaning almost one-fifth of the applicants were turned down. Next week the government will begin taking appeals, Al-Ghafees said.

Within an hour of the announcement, the top trending hashtag on Twitter in Saudi Arabia was “Citizen’s Account, 300 riyals,” with many social-media users mocking the size of the minimum benefit. Last year officials presenting the program had estimated that a family of six with a monthly income of less than 12,000 riyals would receive a monthly cash transfer of 1,200 riyals, falling to 1,000 riyals for a family of six with an income of less than 15,299 riyals.

Bloomberg News

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Sunday, December 24, 2017

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Fresh scandal hits Mexico’s ruling party before election

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he arrest of the former treasurer of Mexico’s ruling party is the latest scandal to rock President Enrique Peña Nieto’s political group ahead of elections in which popular demand for a clampdown on corruption may play a defining role.

A lejandro Gutier rez, who control led the accounts of the par t y know n as PR I, was arrested on Wednesday on a llegations he orchestrated a financing scheme to f unnel public money to politica l campaig ns. T he peso fel l to the wea kest level in nine months, as investors wor r y the scanda l may boost the prospects of left-leaning candidate A ndres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

A grow ing list of top PR I officia ls, from gover nors to the for mer chief executive officer of state oil g iant Pemex, have come under scr utiny in recent months amid cor r uption accusations. T he par t y faces a presidentia l race w ith disma l approva l ratings, control over fewer states than ever before,

and w ith at least eight of its cur rent or recent gover nors under investigation or in jail.

T he par t y’s press office hasn’t responded to a request for comment by Bloomberg.

Gutier rez and other gover nment officia ls created ghost contracts w ith shel l companies to access f unds that were sent back to the PR I to use in the 2016 elections, Refor ma newspaper repor ted earlier this week. Bloomberg cou ldn’t immediately locate his law yer for comment.

His ar rest is a lso a reminder that, while the PR I controls the Federa l Attor ney Genera l ’s office, cases developing in reg ions where opposition gover nors have more inf luence may esca late, reaching

Israel’s spy agency turns to Facebook for recruiting

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Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexico's president, listens during the Pacific Alliance Summit in Valle del Cauca Department, Cali, Colombia, on June 30. Eduardo Leal/Bloomberg

nationa l fig ures. T he for mer PR I gover nor of Chihuahua, where this case ta kes place, f led to the US to avoid prosecution in Mexico and his arrest is pending.

Graft scandals are denting

the performance of the peso, one of the most liquid currencies among emerging markets. It dropped 0.8 percent in early Thursday trade, the biggest decline among the world’s major currencies.

“The main issue against the PRI for the electoral period is corruption,” says Ociel Hernandez, an analyst with BBVA in Mexico City. “And more issues will continue to surface.”

Bloomberg News

srael’s Mossad intelligence agency is turning to Facebook for headhunting help. The Mossad already has a recruiting web site. This month it launched a ”Careers” page on Facebook to reach a wider audience and find the best candidates to fill dozens of positions, the spy agency said in an e-mailed statement.

“If you want an exciting career change, if you always dreamed but never dared, we invite you to examine the possibility of joining one of our several career paths,” one of the posts on the Facebook page says. “We are looking for quality people from an array of disciplines to fill a variety of fascinating and challenging posts.”

The post links back to the Mossad’s web site, which lists dozens of job openings ranging from automotive electrician to textile and leather craftsman to cyber specialist. The agency is also looking for Arabic and Persian speakers, decoders, a clinical psychologist and an accountant for a position that includes “unusual field work,” according to the web site. Bloomberg News

Trump threat to cut aid raises stakes in UN Jerusalem vote

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

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NITED NATIONS—President Donald J. Trump’s threat to cut off United States funding to countries that oppose his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has raised the stakes in Thursday’s UN vote and sparked criticism at his tactics, which one Muslim group called bullying or blackmail.

Trump went a step further than US Ambassador Nikki Haley, who hinted in a tweet and a letter to most of the 193 UN member-states on Tuesday that the US would retaliate against countries that vote in favor of a General Assembly resolution calling on the president to rescind his decision.

Haley said the president asked her to report back on countries “who voted against us”—and she stressed that the United States “will be taking names.”

At the start of a Cabinet meeting in

Washington on Wednesday, with Haley sitting nearby, Trump told reporters that Americans are tired of being taken advantage of and praised the US ambassador for sending the “right message” before the vote.

“For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us,” Trump told reporters at the Cabinet meeting. “We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us.”

“We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” he said, alluding to US aid.

Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, tweeted after Trump’s comments: “Our government should not use its leadership at the UN to bully/ blackmail other nations that stand for religious liberty and justice in Jerusalem.

Justice is a core value of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.”

The Palestinians and their Arab and Islamic supporters sought the General Assembly vote after the United States on Monday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other UN Security Council members that would have required Trump to rescind his declaration on Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and not move the US Embassy there.

Before Haley’s letter and tweet, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told The Associated Press he expected “massive support” for the resolution in the General Assembly.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad alMaliki and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the US of intimidation.

They told reporters at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport on Wednesday before flying to New York to attend the General Assembly meeting that they believe UN member-countries will ignore “pressure” from Haley.

Al-Maliki said he believes that countries will vote their conscience, and “they will vote for justice, and they will vote in favor of that resolution.”

“No honorable state would bow to such pressure,” Cavusoglu said. “The world has changed. The belief that ‘I am strong, therefore I am right’ has changed. The world today is revolting against injustices.”

Ambassador Rhonda King of the tiny Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sent Haley a letter, saying that her country treasures the United States “as an enduring ally,” but will vote against Trump’s action.

“Sometimes, friends differ; on Jerusalem, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines respectfully differs from the USA; and so, too, do many of the staunchest friends and allies of the USA,” King wrote. “We gently urge yet again that the government of the USA rethink its position and

approach on this entire matter.”

What impact the threats from Trump and Haley will have remains to be seen.

Some diplomats predict the resolution will be supported by at least 150 countries, and possibly 180 nations.

Israel has also been conducting a global lobbying campaign against the resolution, government officials said on Wednesday. The vote will show whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has succeeded in his efforts to drum up new pockets of support in the developing world.

Netanyahu acknowledged on Thursday the vote would likely pass by a wide margin, but said Israel “completely rejects this vote before it is made.”

Haley said in her letter, reportedly sent to over 180 countries, that the Trump administration is “simply asking that you acknowledge the historical friendship, partnership, and support we have extended and respect our decision

about our own embassy.”

She said the US Congress decided 22 years ago that Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel and Trump followed through on that decision.

Her tweet was sharper: “At the UN we’re always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us. On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”

This was not the first time that Haley threatened to keep track of US opponents.

On January 27, the day she arrived at the United Nations as ambassador, Haley announced a new way the United States would be doing business. The Trump administration’s goal is to show US strength, speak out and defend its allies—and as for countries opposing America, “We’re taking names,” she said.

Sexual misconduct allegations voted top news story of the year N

EW YORK—The wave of sexual misconduct allegations that toppled Hollywood power brokers, politicians, media icons and many others was the top news story of 2017, according to The Associated Press’s annual poll of US editors and news directors.

The No. 2 story was Donald J. Trump’s tumultuous first year as president. A year ago, Trump’s unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton in the presidential election was a near-unanimous pick for the top news story of 2016.

The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain’s King Edward VIII as the top story. Here are 2017’s top 10 stories, in order:

1. Sexual misconduct: Scandals involving sexual misdeeds by prominent men are nothing new in America, but there’s never been anything remotely like the deluge of allegations unleashed this year by women who were emboldened to speak out by the accusers who preceded them. Luminaries toppled from their perches included movie magnate Harvey Weinstein, media stars Bill O’Reilly, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, and several celebrity chefs and members of Congress.

2. Trump-First Year: The controversies started on Inauguration Day, with the new president challenged over his claims on the size of the crowd, and persisted through-

out the year. Trump’s approval ratings hovered around record-low territory, his base remained fiercely loyal, and his relentless tweeting— often in the early-morning hours— provoked a striking mix of outrage, mockery and grateful enthusiasm.

3. Las Vegas mass shooting: A 64-year-old high-stakes video poker player, after amassing an arsenal of weapons, unleashed a barrage of gunfire from a high-rise casino-hotel that killed 58 people and injured hundreds among a crowd attending an open-air concert along the Las Vegas Strip. Weeks after the massacre, questions about the gunman’s motives remained unanswered.

4. Hurricane onslaught: In a four-week span, hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. Harvey killed more than 80 people in Texas and caused an estimated $150 billion in damage. Irma killed scores of people in the Caribbean and the US, including 12 residents of a Florida nursing home that lost its air conditioning. Maria damaged more than 200,000 homes in Puerto Rico, caused lengthy power outages, and prompted an investigation into whether the official death toll of 64 was vastly undercounted.

5. North Korea: At times the taunts had a schoolyard flavor to them—a “dotard” versus “Little Rocket Man.” But they came from two world leaders with nuclear

arms at their disposal— Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Fueling the tensions were North Korea’s latest tests of a hydrogen bomb and of ballistic missiles that potentially could reach the US mainland.

6. Trump-Russia probe: Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, but a former FBI chief, Robert Mueller, was soon appointed to investigate potential coordination between Russia and Trump’s election campaign. By mid-December, Mueller’s team had brought federal charges against four people, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

7. Obamacare: Despite repeated efforts, majority Republicans in Congress failed to repeal Barack Obama’s health-care law and replace it with new plan. At one point, a deciding vote against a GOP replacement bill was cast by Republican Sen. John McCain. But questions remained as to how Obama’s plan would fare going forward without substantive help from the Trump administration.

8. Tax overhaul: Without a single Democratic vote, Republicans in Congress pushed through a sweeping $1.5-trillion tax overhaul that would cut corporate taxes while producing mixed results for individuals. GOP lawmakers, backed by

Trump, said the bill would have broad benefits by accelerating economic growth. Critics said consequences would include higher budget deficits and the potential loss of health-care coverage for millions of Americans.

9. Worldwide terror attacks: The first big terror attack of 2017 came on New Year’s Day—a gunman killing 39 at a nightclub in

Istanbul. Subsequent targets of global terror included an Ariana Grande concert in England, a bike path in New York City and the historic La Rambla promenade in Barcelona. In October a truck bombing in Somalia killed more than 500 people; in November an attack on a crowded mosque in Egypt killed more than 300.

10. Islamic State: After

lengthy assaults, an array of forces drove the Islamic State from its two main strongholds—the city of Mosul in Iraq, and its selfstyled capital, Raqqa, in Syria.

The defeats left the Islamic State without significant territory in either country, but affiliates elsewhere in the region, particularly in Egypt and Afghanistan, continued to operate. AP

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua • tourism@businessmirror.com.ph

Sunday, December 24, 2017

A5

Dream Cruises’s ‘World Dream’ Luxury Ship

makes Manila its home port

P

Story & photos by Marky Ramone Go

Cruises’s World Dream ship can accommodate 3,400 passengers. Other features include 35 bars and restaurants serving an array of global cuisine, a state-of-the-art Zodiac Theater, a number of casinos, health spas, signature brand stores and various recreational and entertainment centers with an outdoor fitness course, a six-slide swimming pool and the largest virtual-reality game zone at the high seas.

hilippine tourism has reached cruising level— figuratively and literally— thanks to a succession of port of calls by leading luxury liners in Asia.

5-Night Sailing to the Whitest

world dream Cruises is so big it won’t fit into one frame. the outdoor pool and slides

After the successful sailing of Star Cruises’s SuperStar Virgo early this year, which cruised from Manila to Laoag, Ilocos Sur, Kaoshiung, Taiwan; Hong Kong and back, its sister ship, Dream Cruises’s World Dream is now calling Manila as its home port starting November this year until March 28, 2018.

This development comes as a major boost to Philippine tourism, as each docking of the World Dream constitutes to at least 2,500 foreign tourists taking various tours in the city of Manila to even as far as Tagaytay City.

“With the introduction of the World Dream, Dream Cruises is now a fleet and with strong destination partners, such as Manila.

Dream Cruises is proud to be an exciting part of Genting Cruise lines’ leadership role in promoting the growing tourism and related industries throughout Asia and specifically the Philippines,” Dream Cruises President Thatcher Brown explained during the round-table discussion held inside World Dream during the ship’s inaugural docking at Manila Harbor.

Welcoming the thriving cruiseship industry in the country with open arms, Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said: “We welcome World Dream to the Philippine shores, the largest cruise ship for the year, as we continue to position the country as one of the major cruise hubs in Asia. This

A preview of some of the spectacular shows held nightly at the Zodiac Theater

milestone is another sign of the confidence and trust from cruise lines, especially Genting-Star Cruises.” Teo added, “As we broaden our cruise-tourism portfolio with more exciting shore excursions and plans for our very own dedicated cruise-port terminal, we continue to welcome more and more cruise passengers and bigger cruise ships

for the years to come.”

Introducing a new travel concept to Filipinos

With the Philippines becoming a cruise-shipping hub in Asia, Dream Cruises hopes to introduce a new travel concept to Filipinos, who have now been bitten by the travel bug—as shown by increasing

A journey through the happy island of Catanduanes

figures of domestic tourism and outbound travelers.

Gone are the days when the idea of luxury cruise-ship travel is seen as a staple of the rich and famous.

Nowadays, even young millennial professionals can easily afford a five-night getaway aboard a ship laden with luxurious features.

Rising 18-deck high, Dream

Century Properties Group launches the World’s First Livable Art Park

L

Everything turns golden in Igang Beach come dusk.

The meadows before Tuwad-tuwaran Lagoon afford a marvelous view of the ocean below.

The towering, picturesque cliffs of Binurong Point

Fairy’s garden

Story by Celine Reyes Photos by Dennis Murillo

It’s not just coves that are plenty in Viga. Like a scene straight out of a fairy tale, Hardin Falls appears to be the perfect dwelling for druids.

The actual cascade is, to be honest, nothing really special, but the surroundings are almost surreal. With a canopy of vines and lush trees, and water as clear as glass, the place has a sort of otherworldly vibes. The colors here are bright; the edges blurry. It makes perfect sense that its name translates into “garden.”

O

ur trip to Catanduanes was anything but smooth. Five days of tracing its periphery aboard a motorcycle came with a trove of obstacles.

Yet, in spite of this, we forged ahead and were rewarded with wondrous views and marvelous vistas. Here are nine of them.

Wave breaker

In the province’s capital of Virac lies Igang Beach. With the Pacific Ocean waiting beyond the shores, this beach is often submitted to vigorous waves but the waves make the place even more interesting. Watching it crash against the sea stacks and skerries that decorate the seascape is, perhaps, one of the most calming and, at the same time, exhilarating scene to witness. Come here at sunset and watch everything turn into gold.

Golden coast

If I were to make a list of the best places to see the sunrise in the Philippines, Sakahon Beach in the municipality of Bato would be right on top. The place makes for a perfect stage to welcome a new day. Furthermore, not only is dawn marvelous here, it’s also one of the cleanest shores you’ll ever come across. Lined with ochre sands, the beach’s waters shimmer; the wafting breeze pleasant and fresh.

Climactic cliffs

Unrelenting waves barge against dramatic escarpments over at Tuwad-tuwadan Lagoon.

This tidal pond is prefaced with verdant plains complete with grazing livestock. Its platform of jagged rocks looks out to the unabbreviated sheet of ocean’s spray that’s aplenty

Two in one

A lagoon is tucked in the center of Binurong Point.

and unavoidable. The lagoon is in the town of Pandan, right on the northern tip of Catanduanes. Getting here would require about two hours of trekking then scrambling down an almost 90-degree drop. All would be worth it when you behold the idyllic view worthy of Johanna Spyri.

Secret cascade

We happened upon Taprang-taprang Falls by accident. It was in the town of Panganiban— a place that we would’ve missed if our plan to circumnavigate had actually pushed through.

But since we backtracked, we found our way here and what a blessing it was. Tucked in a patch of forest, this tributary runs with water like liquid silver. Because it’s somewhat remote and out of the way, not many people know about it. For the same reason, there’s a huge chance you’d get to have it all to yourself.

A giant’s unmentionables

Ilihan Point in Bagamanoc is famous for

The early sun bathes Sakahon Beach in a soft, golden light.

the curious attraction across its shores.

Known as Buto ni Kurakog, local folklore says that the erect formation is the private part of a giant named Kurakog. He fell in love with a mortal, but perished when their loved did not prosper. It’s also fascinating—and a bit ironic—that the island on which it is situated is nicknamed Fertility Island due to the fact that childless couples apparently have their luck turned around after coming here.

Ripple effect

Home to a number of inlets, it’s no surprise that the town of Viga is ripe with beautiful seascapes. Take Soboc Cove for example.

This beach is framed with coppery sand and a sprinkling of rocks where local fishermen spend their afternoons. During a low tide, the retreating waves transform the shore into a pattern of ripples. The surrounding limestone faces also provide a natural shade, making it perfect as a siesta spot.

You can’t discuss Catanduanes’s landscapes without eventually bringing up Binurong Point.

This astonishing piece of natural architecture had put the province on the traveler’s map, and it’s not hard to see why. Found in the town of Baras, the ridge, reminiscent of the meadows of Tuwad-tuwadan, is adorned with tiny yellow and white flowers, and a carpet of grass that could put a manicured lawn to shame.

On top of this incredible terrain—or should I say below it—is a dreamy lagoon.

Binurong has a hollow center and on it is an altogether different landscape. While above, green and blue is the theme, below, muted onyx and grays dominate the field. A freshwater pond—subterranean in origin according to the locals—lay reflecting the sky, and a concentrated sound akin to a bass drum booms all around. It’s quite surreal.

World Dream offers an itinerary starting from a three-night Manila—Boracay and Hong Kong cruise to a five-night Manila-Boracay-Hong Kong-Manila. By cruising in one of the “whitest beaches in the world”, the Department of Tourism is expecting World Dream to lure more tourists from Hong Kong, making this partnership a two-prong approach in promoting both the cruise-ship industry in the Philippines, as well as helping the country increase tourism arrivals.

While Dream Cruises’s World Dream will only make Manila as port of call destination until March 2018, its sister ship the SuperStar Virgo, is scheduled to make another tour of duty in the country, as it plans to offer another exciting itinerary that will include Manila, Taiwan and Japan starting March 2018.

When they say “the sky’s the limit,” in the case of the cruiseship industry in the Philippines, the possibilities stretches as far as the edges of the seas. The port of Manila has never seen exciting times as what has happened these past few months. With the sight of the gigantic World Dream ship docked at Pier 15 in Manila Harbor, one can only decipher how the future of travel has, indeed, arrived in our waters.

isted Philippine real-estate developer Century Properties Group (CPG), through its subsidiary Century Limitless Corp., has announced the first horizontal development in its leisure and tourism portfolio: the 54-hectare Batulao Artscapes, dubbed as the World’s First Livable Art Park and ArtVenture Community in Batangas, Philippines.

A 142-hectare lot near the foothills of scenic Mount Batulao in Nasugbo, Batangas, is the site of CPG’s latest foray into the leisure and tourism segment. Of this property, Batulao Artscape will cover the first phase of the mixed tourism development with an active retirement village component featuring designer homes from Revolution Precrafted, a world-class village-executive vacation amenities, a man-made beach with clubhouse and a lake with a charming wedding chapel. Art cum adventure, or “artventure,” facilities include a sports park, flavor park and art park with museum designed by Pritzker Prizewinning architects.

“Art is the driving force behind the entire development of Batulao Artscapes, and not just an afterthought. Our vision is to create a design-driven community that celebrates art and adventure in an expansive natural landscape. The launch of this spectacular development also affirms CPG’s commitment to pursuing its strategic business plan of diversification into allied real-estate segments, including leisure and tourist,” CPG Head of Investor Relations Kristina Garcia said.

Batulao Artscapes is set to attract families, weekend-adventure seekers and active retirees with its relatively cool climate, world-class amenities and proximity to Metro Manila’s financial district with only a one-and-a-half to two-hour drive from Makati via four access points— through Daang Hari Road towards the scenic Nasugbo-Kaybiang Tunnel, the Star Tolllway to Tanauan Exit, The South Luzon Expressway and Cavite Expressway.

As the world’s first livable park art park, Batulao Artscapes will showcase a fine collection of “livable art”—exceptional designer homes with a total sales value of P19 billion, and created by some of the most revered names in architecture and design.

These homes are by Revolution Precrafted, a multibranded housing company with a collection of limited edition precrafted properties of stunning homes, designer, museums, unique popup concepts and cutting-edge hotels.

Three Filipino names lead the roster for Batulao Artscapes’s first three villages: Arch.

Ed Calma’s “Polygonal Successions” will make up the Cluster Village. Designer Kenneth Cobonpue’s “Heredera Homes” will be main feature of the Commune Village. Budji+Royal Architecture+Design of Budji Layug and Royal Pineda will fill the collection Village with their Tranche and facet Homes.

The fourth section, called the Curated Village 1, will feature 12 one-of-a-kind homes by international architects and designers, including David Salle+AA Studio for the “Billboard Home,” Marcel Wonders for “Eden,” Marmol Radziner & Kravitz Design for the “Instrumental Home,” Philip Johnson Alan Ritchie Architects for the “Modular Glass House,” Elizabeth de Portzamparc for the “Butterfly Home,” AFGH for Wallpaper for the “We Home,” Studio Libeskind Design for “Adaptation II” and Daphne Guinness for the “Daphne Skin Home.”

Home prices range from P4 million for a 56-square-meter unit at the Cluster Village to the larger homes at the Curated Village, which part at P17.4 million and come with their own private pool and guest home.

“Batulao Artscapes will be a design paradise, active retirement community, arthouse vacation spot and outdoor mecca to escape to for a day or a lifetime. It’s where you can elevate your daily living to a fine art,” Garcia said.

Happy island

Just the natural landscape of Catanduanes would already leave you breathless. Even when everything doesn’t go as planned, you’d still think the place is being generous to you— what with all its incredible vistas. It doesn’t scrimp on beauty and the kind residents make the across its fold even more memorable.

Revolution Precrafted Founder and CEO Robbie Antonio (from left) with Royal Pineda and Budji Layug of BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design and host Joey Mead.

Science

A6 Sunday, December 24, 2017

BusinessMirror

Sunday

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

New economic model, technologies needed for Apac’s sustainable future

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By Rizal Raoul Reyes @brownindio

here is an urgent need to develop a new economic model and new technologies to respond to rapid urbanization, high population growth rate and environmental degradation to ensure the Philippines and the rest of the countries in Asia Pacific (Apac) will have a sustainable future, a United Nations official said.

“The current economic model is designed for growth but it’s not inclusive and not environmentally responsible. If we are to continue what we are doing today, we have to change the technolog y,” Hong joo Ha hm, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap), pointed out at a recent news briefing in Makati City. The event was held during the International Conference on Green Technologies for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals organized by the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) of the UN Escap, jointly with the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (Tapi) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Despite the herculean challenge being faced by the Philippines and the rest of Asia Pacific, Hahm said that working with

the organizations, such as Tapi and APCTT could make some inroads by sharing best practices and innovations.

Although it is a valid alternative to the current situation, Hongjoo said green economics is viewed as extremely expensive and a barrier to development.

Nevertheless, he pointed out that innovations pursued both by business and the government have resulted in lowering the cost of these green products.

He said the development of products, such as air conditioners with inverter and light-emitting diode lamps, is a positive sign as more people can now afford environment-friendly products.

“These processes are good substitutes for brown technology,” he said. In an interview through Facebook Messenger, Renato Redentor Constantino, executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, said

The International Conference on Green Technologies for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals was held recently in Makati City. It was organized by the United Nations’ Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology. From left are Gil-Hong Kim (from left), senior director and chief sector officer, Asian Development Bank; Dr. Rodolfo Ilao, director, DOST-PCAARRD-ARMRD; and Dr. Aiko Endo, associate professor, Research Institute of Humanity and Nature. NONOY LACZA

the term is “not as important as its description.” He said a modern economy that is efficient, sustainable, resilient, inclusive, regenerat ive a nd democ rat ic could be classified as pro-people and pro-environment economy.

“This also means it looks at several planning cycles ahead as a means of course setting and course correction, thereby, securing equitable sharing of wealth across generations,” Constantino said.

He added that the production of high-efficienc y appliances and, at the same time, making them affordable to more families means that technologies have a huge impact on several levels.

First, he said demand for highefficiency products is rising, resulting in a positive effect on prices and costs that can motivate engineers and business people to innovate.

He added that it changes the public’s perception in terms of return on investments.

“New high-efficiency products show that what they see on the price tag is not always the most important, if not the only consideration. It changes mindsets.

Incandescent bulbs are still the cheapest, yet, why is it no longer the mainstream option?” he pointed out.

Const a nt i no sa id people’s mind-sets are changing as technologies develop, adding that this is a positive sign because it is not technology that will be the driver but the people themselves.

He said people are gradually understanding the logic and importance of using pro-environment products and technologies.

“Things that we consider cheap are actually far more costly, when they come back in the form of massive floods due to clogged drainage systems,” he said.

Philippines and the APCTT

Michiko Enomoto, head of the

APCTT, commended the Philippines for the valuable support it has provided to the UN agency.

To further enhance innovation, Enomoto said the APCTT is employing steps, such as capacity building of governments, developing the skills of people involved in the incubation programs and publication.

She said the APCTT supports capacity building to boost science and technology-innovation policies. “ T he Apac reg ion is compr ised of g reat innovators in bot h developed a nd developing cou nt r ies. It is a reg ion of d iversit y. It ca n fac i l it ate k nowledge sha r ing in sc ience and technolog y, best pract ices of resea rc h a nd development and commercialization of technologies in the Philippines a nd ot her reg ions of t he A si a Pac if ic,” she sa id.

Enomoto said the APCTT also boosts the capabilities of the officers handling the incubation of technology by agencies to help them commercialize the technologies, inventions and innovations.

At the same time, the APCTT helps in the publication of research so it can distribute the knowledge, research and development policies in different areas.

Moreover, she praised the Philippines for being supportive to the APCTT and a major supplier of knowledge in the region.

Ph i l ip pi ne S c ie nce S e c re t a r y For t u nato T. de l a Peña sa id: “ T he DOST has been a f ir m bel iever and suppor ter of tec hnolog y t ra nsfer t hat t he Ph i l ippine Tec hnolog y Tra nsfer Act of 20 09 is act u a l ly a n

init i at ive of t he depa r t ment [DOST]. L ook ing bac k , t he re publ ic act helped in push ing t he t ra nsfer of tec hnolog ies which has prov isions on output of resea rc h a nd development t h at re ce i ve d f u nd i n g f rom t he Ph i l ippine gover nment.”

For his part, Engineer Edgar Garcia, director of Tapi, said the cooperation between membercountries in the APCTT could benefit the Philippines as it can infuse the innovations in the technologies they recommended. “ Bei ng a n i mplement i ng agency, Tapi, through the Philippines’s Technology Transfer Act, has been supporting the various platforms of APCTT. In particular, it supported international fora on agricultural enterprises,” he said.

Moreover, Garcia pointed out that the DOST is interested in the exchange of scientists between developed and developing countries.

He said the sharing of experiences and knowledge will be beneficial to both parties.

“It is not just scientists from developed countries who can share their knowledge with their counterparts from Third World countries. At the same time, scientists from less developed countries can also share their ex per iences to the scientists from the First World countries,” he explained.

The conference was attended by delegates from Bangladesh, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and K azakhstan.

4 CHED-Newton scholars set to study in UK

A

By Stephanie Tumampos

new batch of scholars under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)-Newton PhD Program will be sent for doctorate studies in their chosen fields and institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) in early 2018.

The scholars—Stephen Doliente, Zyra Evangelista, Joan Pauline Talubo and Paul Dominick Baniqued—were presented to the media last week. They are set to finish their studies within three years.

Program’s fourth

T h e Newton PhD Programme aims to facilitate the capacity building of individuals, and the building of sustainable, long-lasting links between the UK and the Philippines, British Council Country Director Nicholas Thomas said.

In the Philippines the scholarship i n i t i a t i ve, n a m e d N e w t o n A g h a m Programme, has been sending full-time Filipino PhD scholars to the UK since 2014. It is in partnership with Philippine government agencies like the CHED and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

This new batch of scholars has increased its PhD scholars to the UK to 22.

The program is cofunded by the government of the UK, particularly the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with the counterpart funding from the Philippines’s CHED and DOST. It is delivered by the British Council in the country.

Newton Programme Manager Andrea Teran said in an inter view with the B usiness M irror that the funding from the United Kingdom government “will support tuition and consumable costs of the scholars, while CHED will cover the scholars’ travel, insurance and visa costs, as well as a monthly living allowance for the three years that they are in the UK.” The UK government’s investment is about £300,000 for the whole three years, while CHED’s International Relations Officer Sebastian

Felipe Bundoc said, “we would be investing around P10 million to P12 million.”

The scholars are composed of young researchers in various fields that encompass engineering to psychology.

Biomass utilization and sustainability

For Stephen Doliente of the University of the Philippines, his research focus for PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath is on biomass. His research will project a chain model that will show the sustainability of the utilization of biomass in the next 30 to 50 years.

“This model will try to answer if we are going to be able to meet our climate-change goals,” Doliente told the B usiness M irror. “We [the Philippines] have signed the Paris Agreement so we need to transition away from using fossil fuels, and one way is to use biomass as a source of energy and chemicals.”

He emphasized that the country has enough biomass to be able o sustain an economy that’s based on it.

“However, the way on how to sustainably use it, wherein we will not disrupt our food system, because we also get our food from biomass, is something that my model will try to answer,” he added.

Doliente hopes that his model will be able to address the issues he raised because he wants it to be considered by legislators as they are considering legislative measures on sustainable source of energy.

“Currently, I think the area that legislators have been considering is only for the biofuel sector. I heard it’s being reviewed and checked,” Doliente added.

Disaster risk and recovery planning

Joan Pauline Talubo, also from the University of the Philippines, will be conducting assessment on the resilience of small island communities in the Philippines for disaster risk and recovery planning. She

will have her scholarship at the University of Surrey under the Civil and Environmental Engineering Doctorate Programme.

Talubo, who has performed research on Philippine-Lidar, will focus on the physical environment and look into the socioeconomic characteristic of the community within the island.

“The main difference of my research [from others] would be the use of the companion modeling, which is relatively new in the country,” Talubo said.

Talubo explained to the B usinessM irror that the research would involve the stakeholders, the government and the local community. “Then you do the model with them, so the process will be participatory,” she added.

After she finalizes the maps, the biophysical data and the socioeconomical characteristics of the island, the data would be integrated in the process involving the concerned groups in making the model.

“And then it [model] will be integrated in the planning documents in the local development planning,” she said.

Talubo added that the research aims to bridge the gap of the scientific know-how of the community so the policies and the decision-making at the local level will be scientifically based.

“It will aid to the translation from research to policy,” Talubo noted.

Assessing LGBT inclusiveness in universities

From De La Salle University, Zyra Evangelista’s proposed study on the climate in the campus affecting the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) will be conducted at the University of Glasgow.

“Generally speaking, this kind of study has been conducted by other countries, and the data have shown that LGBT university students, in general, experience bullying and it can affect their academic performance,” Evangelista told the BusinessMirror. “Sometimes, they dropped out of school.”

The reality of the LGBT community in the Philippines is complex. Evangelista aims to conduct a large-scale campus survey to produce the baseline data and help “open the eyes of our legislators because there are antidiscrimination and antibullying bills that have been proposed.”

Evangelista is hoping that her research will help push the bills and become basis for the laws and make the Philippine campuses more LGBT inclusive.

Evangelista said, “I want to make the higher education curriculum in the Philippines more LGBT inclusive. I also want to establish an LGBT psychology program in DLSU when I get my PhD.” The LGBT psychology is a field that is growing fast but the Philippines is still lagging behind other countries when it comes to researches related to this concern.

Robotics for health applications

Paul Dominick Baniqued has made a research on robotics for medical applications at the De La Salle University. Baniqued is planning to deepen his research at the University of Leeds where he will be researching on neurorehabilitation through the use of robotic exoskeleton, or external robot attached to the body of the patient.

“My research would be focused on the hand,” Baniqued said. “We have this principle, called motor imagery, wherein one would imagine that if your body will move, it will really move because our brains would send the signal.”

Baniqued told the BusinessMirror that when a person experiences stroke, parts of the body could not be moved but there will always be brain signals that would command the body and it can be detected.

“My research would focus on detecting these signals through the program, which I will develop at the university in the UK.” He cited the principle wherein the physical therapist would repeatedly move a part of the body until it could move by itself.

With the use of his technology, Baniqued said, instead of the physical therapist, it is

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED)-Newton PhD Programme will send four scholars to the United Kingdom in 2018. They are Stephen Dolente (from second from left), Zyra Evangelista, Paul Dominick Baniqued and Joan Pauline Talubo. With them are British Council Country Director Nicholas Thomas (left) and CHED Program Director Marianne Vital (right), for the K to 12 Program Management Unit. British Council Photo

the robot, which would aid in the therapy.

Although he noted that it does not aim to replace the therapists.

He added that the therapist would be trained on how to control the robots, which, in the end, would help both the therapist and patients in the therapy.

“The focus of the research would be to make the robot independent. Our aim is to close the circuitry between the brain and the exoskeleton because the pathways of the signals to the affected area could not be repaired, it is only rewired.”

Through the program, the signals can bypass the broken body pathways so that it will directly command the exoskeleton robot to do the commands and, eventually, it can teach the stroke patients to regain their motor movement until they not need the robotic arm anymore.

Optimistic about his project, Baniqued said he is fortunate with the guidance he is getting from his mentors.

“I’m very glad that my supervisors are multidisciplinary. One is from mechanical engineering, one is from the school of psychology and another two are from the robotics development.”

He said that his supervisors are really passionate about his research and they are really excited when they heard the news. “They have already started preparing my arrival.”

Return service to the country

Although the scholars will be sent off for three years in the UK, they would need to immediately come back home in the Philippines and provide a return service.

“The scholars have also agreed, along with their sending institutions, for a return service plan so there is a define reentry action plan once they come back,” said Marianne Joy Vital, project director of the CHED K to12 Transition.

The Newton scholarship program “answers the need of the universities to scale up during the K to 12 transition for the incoming university students and its an opportunity for universities to develop their faculty,” Vital added. “These PhD scholarships is really targeted toward having our young researchers in our top universities go for their PhD during this transition period.”

The return service aims to integrate the scholars’ research to the extension work because of their relevance in the researches and their applicability toward their economic and social development of the country.

The CHED-Newton PhD Programme also aims to expose scholars to research in other universities and forge linkages with universities in gearing toward internationalization.

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

Faces of Christmas

Sunday

Sunday, December 24, 2017

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Urduja-affected families receive ‘Christmas love’

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ALO, Leyte—At least 150 individuals from 30 families in three barangays got a feel of the Christmas spirit early this week, thanks to employees of a school here.

A depiction of the Nativity of Jesus with a Christmas tree backdrop Wikimedia Commons

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

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here was nothing extraordinary on the first Christmas Eve. God, though, did not make it so ordinary.

A distinct star shone brightly to guide three wise men from Iran and Iraq who defied tedious and dangerous routes to look for the King of Kings, and adored Him when they found Him. Prophets spoke of this holy night—God’s coming hundreds of years ago. And, when the time has come, God sent his son, born of a woman. And an unending fellowship with the Almighty was offered men.

The Lord, despite his generosity offered, not imposed, salvation to man, for the perfect gentleman that He respects the freedom He gifted us with.

God the Savior was born. Lo and behold, take a look and with a holy hush. He looks like us! Exactly like us. He is the same God who first manifested Himself to Abraham. “I am who I am,” said He when asked about His identity (Exodus 3:14).

This is the enigma of Christmas: the all-knowing, all-powerful God, who was, who is and will be was born—helpless as a babe to a world He made.

A world who in Him “we live, and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). So emphatic is Saint Augustine of Hippo when he said, “Yes, Jesus came to save us, but He cannot save us without us.”

God is with us

Emmanuel means “God is with us.” The Blessed Mother, the new Eve with her Fiat (Thy will be done), has opened the gates of paradise which Eve has shut in the Garden of Eden. Truly, a cause for rejoicing. And so the angels declared: “Glory to God in the highest and peace, to men of goodwill.”

The message is a prelude to God’s Decalogue, the 10 commandments deduced to two propositions that ought to be enshrined in the hearts and minds of all men for all times and all places.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37-38). The second most important commandment is like it.

“Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

While these are the only two rules to wrestle with to deserve heaven, they are the most difficult to follow since man always has to reckon with his fallen nature, and love is a self-emptying directive.

Love is the only norm for it is the synthesis of all virtues according to theologians. An inwardlooking attentiveness, one has to consider God’s commandments in all actions.

The greatest and most often quoted verse in the Bible is about God’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Remembering the great love of God for everyone and responding to God’s love is the true reason for the season.

Self-gifting or self-giving

Christmas through the ages has become a universal season of festivities. And through the years, more products were creatively convoked by artists to whet man’s desire for wordly things. The genius in man will never reach its finale.

Collage of handiworks, clothes fitted by clean-limbed mannequins posted in social media or advertised in billboards, framed

by LED lights and high-definition colors, surely whetted the appetites of spectators who looked and were convinced they were necessities in life.

Marketing techniques heightened awareness, and fuelled vanities for worldly things. Is it a wonder why man every Christmas season is awash with wordly wants?

Lucy, the friend of Charlie in Charlie Brown, complained: “Chr istmas is a big commercial racket.” Linus, their dog, quipped, “Christmas is not only getting too commercial, it is getting dangerous.”

Yes, dangerous. For man could no longer differentiate or refuse to acknowledge the difference between a need and a want. The ratrace for must-have to update the art of living could not be abated.

And yet, Christmas is a season of gift-giving, as exemplified by the Holy Baby Boy who gave all of us a gift—Himself.

To share one’s blessing is a divine imperative. In the beginning, it was decreed that God owned the land.

Man was the caretaker, the steward, and the produce was for the benefit of all. Even after the concept of private ownership was practiced by the Israelites, owners were obligated to leave some produce behind for the poor even if they planted not, cared for the growing plants and did not help gather them. The Hebrew law ordered a third of earnings every year for the poor.

As of October 2017, the world population is 7.6 billion, 15 percent of which live on $2 or less daily and 56 percent survive on $2.01 to $10 a day, according to the World Population Pew Research Center. Thus, definitely w ithin one’s ow n community poor neighbors live.

The second law of love is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22-39). The law commands that we love others. Every day of life is an opportunity to be holy, to make a difference in the life of others, moreso those in need.

Christmas this year is the season to make a difference. It is the season to say yes to the invitation to restore or enhance love for others by sharing one’s blessings. It is opening wide the minds, hearts and eyes of mercy to the need for a more humane and blessed celebration.

Not only man, but the season also wears a mask. And when the disguise falls off, our hearts will be bare for Christ to see. Is it a blessed Christmas or happy holidays?

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

Families residing in the villages of Campetic, Pawing and San Fernando, who bore the brunt of Typhoon Urduja’s torrential rains, were given food, medicine and clothing donated by teaching and nonteaching staff. “ T his is an outreach project of the school to make the u nder - pr iv i leged h appy t h i s Chr istmas,” said Mar ia Bella Sevilla, a faculty development consultant of Saint Paul School of Professional Studies (SPSPS).

Poorest of the poor

According to her, recipients of the relief goods are among the poorest of the poor in the villages close to the school.

The employees and administrative staff of SPSPS are also drawing more plans to reach out to more survivors of Urduja in other

places, especially their alumni. “ This week we will have our alumni homecoming and I will encourage them to extend help to the victims of Typhoon Urduja,” said Erwin Vincent Alcala, president of SPSPS. The school started having its annual pre-Christmas outreach activity a few years back when A lcala assumed leadership of the institution.

“We have been inviting about 10 families every Christmas for this program, but for this year, I made it different,” he said, noting how instead of the school shouldering expenses for the outreach, faculty and administrative personnel of the school shelled out personal money to share with the poor.

Preparing for Jesus’ birth

Fr. Danny Pongos, who said a Mass

Fr. Danny Pongos cites the importance of giving gifts to the less fortunate and to pray for safety, amid the impending threat of yet another typhoon expected to enter the country. Eileen Ballesteros

before the outreach, stressed in his homily that giving gifts to others is one way of preparing for the coming of Christ Jesus.

He said, “The gifts that we receive are also our gifts to others.”

According to the priest, gifts are not only material things but can also be goodwill.

The Mass was offered not just in thanksgiving for a blessed year,

but also for the soul of the alumnus of SPSPS who perished during Urduja’s onslaught and for other victims of the calamity.

Pongos also called on the children present to pray with their families the Oratio Imperata to spare Eastern Visayas from possible harm that incoming tropical depressions could cause.

Eileen Ballesteros/CBCPNews

Cheering up Emmaus House residents

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he Em m au s Hou se of Apostolate in Barangay San Agustin, Malolos, Bulacan—a home to old indigent female patients from provincial hospitals—recently received visitors from the Senior Hub, Sunshine Place and music therapists from the College of Music and Performing Arts of Saint Paul University of Manila, led by Sherry Martinez and Cleofe Buenavista.

The group turned over their donation of basic necessities and taught the residents the importance

of music to their health and well-being. The Emmaus House p r o v i d e s s p i r it u a l no u r i s h ment and care to its residents who are neglected, abandoned, sick and dying elderly. They are nursed, their wounds cleaned, their clothes washed and they are given food.

The Emmaus House, which now houses 72 residents, enjoins everyone to share their blessings to the less fortunate either as benefactors, volunteers and coservants in the apostolate.

Christmas in Bethlehem: Trump’s Jerusalem shift looms large

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ETHLEHEM, West Bank— President Donald J. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel ’s capital looms large in Christmas festivities this year in the trad itiona l bir thplace of Jesus.

Some food vendors, sellers of holiday trinkets and a leading hotelier in biblical Bethlehem say Palestinian protests, triggered by what many here view as a provocative show of pro-Israel bias, have hurt their Christmas business.

Yet, Bethlehem also offers a stage for a Palestinian rebuttal: banners proclaiming Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine have been draped over façades on Manger Square as a backdrop for Christmas TV broadcasts to a global audience.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is keenly felt—perhaps even more so at Christmas—in Bethlehem, just a few miles (kilometers) south of contested Jerusalem.

Israel’s West Bank separation barrier cuts into Bethlehem and a segment of it has become a tourist magnet in its own right. Its cement slabs are covered with works by international graffiti artists, such as Banksy, and pro-Palestinian slogans left by visitors.

While Palestinians try to draw attention to the barrier when foreigners pour in for Christmas, Trump’s policy shift on Jerusalem two weeks ago has emerged as the dominant theme this year.

It went against an international consensus that the fate of the city should be determined

in negotiations. Israeli-annexed east Jer usalem houses major Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines, and Palestinians seek it as a future capital.

Trump’s declaration triggered clashes in the Palestinian territories between stone-throwers and Israeli soldiers who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. Eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, most on the Gaza border, and scores were wounded.

In Bethlehem, the fallout was felt immediately.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was to have received Vice President Mike Pence, a devout Christian, in Bethlehem, but canceled after the US pivot on Jerusalem. The snub came as Abbas shifted from cooperating with the United States to rejecting Washington as a Mideast broker.

Meanwhile, Bethlehem’s flagship luxury hotel, the 250-bed Jacir Palace, closed because of frequent nearby clashes.

General Manager Marwan Kittani said the hotel had been fully booked for Christmas, but that he is now assessing day by day if he can reopen.

Palestinian activists have called for more protests.

In Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity built over Jesus’ traditional birth grotto, some merchants blamed Trump for a drop in business.

Two souvenir shop owners selling nativity scenes and tree decorations carved from olive wood said

they hadn’t had any customers by early afternoon.

Mahmoud Salahat, who sells pomegranate juice on the square, said his main source of income— Palestinian citizens of Israel— largely stayed away from Bethlehem during the past two weeks, apparently fearing trouble on the roads.

Palestinian officials took a more upbeat view.

The Christmas season caps a banner year for tourism in the Palestinian territories, with 2.7 million visitors in 2017, compared to 2.3 million in 2016, said Tourism Ministry official Jiries Qumsieh.

Despite some cancellations, Bethlehem’s 4,000 hotel rooms were more than 90-percent booked for Christmas, he said.

Christmas also offers an annual opportunity for Abbas to court international sympathy for longstanding Palestinian demands for statehood in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967.

Abbas rival Hamas, an Islamic militant group that dominates Gaza, seeks a state in all of historic Palestine, including what is now Israel.

The vast majority of Palestinians are Muslims, but Abbas— like the late Yasser Arafat before him—values close ties with the Christian minority, regularly attending Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity, which is broadcast live.

This year TV footage will likely show two large banners hanging

from roofs in Manger Square, reading: “Jerusalem will always be the eternal capital of Palestine.”

Activists also plan to circulate a petition to Christmas visitors in support of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem and distribute stickers reading: “We [heart] Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine,” organizer Munther Amira said.

Earlier this week, two-dozen protesters assembled near the square’s towering Christmas tree, holding white candles and photos of Pence and Jason Greenblatt, a member of Trump’s Mideast team.

“Bethlehem welcomes the messengers of peace, not the messengers of war,” read the captions under the photos.

The protesters held the candles to the photos and burned them.

Amira said it was a protest against US policy, not the American people.

Some tourists seem baffled by the politics and are mainly drawn to the Nativity basilica, currently under renovation and partly covered by scaffolding.

German pilgrim Ludmilla Trifl said she reserves judgment because she doesn’t know enough about the conflict.

The separation barrier at the entrance to Bethlehem “does not look good,” she said, adding that she’s also heard it described as a security measure. Israel says the barrier is to keep out Palestinian militants, while Palestinians call it a land-grab.

Along the barrier, a different type of tourism has emerged. AP

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 Sunday, December 24, 2017

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

‘RUSSIA’ ON UNIFORMS G ENEVA—The word “Russia” will appear on the Olympic uniforms worn by the athletes granted an exemption from the country’s doping ban at the Pyeongchang Games.

More than 200 athletes are set to compete in South Korea as an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” (OAR) if they can prove they are not tainted by doping.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday published guidelines for restrictions around the use of “OAR” on approved uniforms.

“Russia” cannot be more prominent than the words “Olympic Athlete from.” The logo proposed by the IOC features the complete phrase around a circle, with Russia upside down.

The exact colors of the red, white and blue Russian flag also cannot be used, the IOC said.

Darker tones of red and blue will be allowed. A maximum of two colors can be used, and the IOC specifically bars separate items of clothing that create a tricolor effect like the flag.

The guidelines also prohibit “national identifications

design elements.”

The list adds detail to punishments imposed on Russia two weeks ago by the IOC for running a sophisticated doping program at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

With the Russian Olympic Committee now suspended, an IOC panel chaired by former France sports

minister Valerie Fourneyron will decide which eligible athletes can be invited to compete in Pyeongchang. Detailed eligibility criteria have yet to be published.

The fallout from Sochi doping is still being felt less than eight weeks before the Pyeongchang Games open on February 9.

Also on Wednesday, an IOC disciplinary panel published more detailed verdicts to explain why three Russian bobsled gold medalists have been

(left) vies for the ball with Bournemouth’s Andrew Surman during their English League Cup quarterfinal match recently at the Stamford Bridge Stadium in London. AP

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Miami Dolphins’ stadium offers better amenities

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Ranting about stolen toilet D

ALLAS—A former National Basketball Association (NBA) player has taken to Twitter to complain that a toilet was among the items stolen from his Dallas home during a burglary.

Thirty-three-year-old Charlie Villanueva, a former first-round pick who most recently played with the Dallas Mavericks, posted a photo of the space in his bathroom where his toilet once stood.

In a series of sometimes potty-mouthed tweets, Villanueva says his home appliances also were taken during the burglary Tuesday.

The former Detroit Piston described the episode as “mind blowing,” saying he’s “in shock.”

Villanueva criticized police for a slow response to his burglary report, saying he called four times about the purloined toilet.

Another Twitter user created the handle “Stolen Toilet” and responded to one of his tweets by asking: “Charlie are u looking for me?” AP Charlie Villanueva posts a photo of the space in his bathroom where his toilet once stood. AP

Ex-wife of slain NBA player fights extradition

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IVERSIDE, California—The ex-wife of former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Lorenzen Wright is fighting authorities’ attempt to extradite her from California to Tennessee, where she is charged with killing him in 2010.

Sherra Wright made a very brief appearance on Wednesday in Riverside County Superior Court. A judge explained that the only issue in her extradition is whether she is the person named in the arrest warrant out of Memphis. Wright said she understood and was told to return for a hearing on January 8.

“She’s exercising her right to go through the process,” her attorney Eric

THE proposed logo to be worn by athletes granted an exemption from Russia’s doping ban is presented to the public. AP

disqualifications and life bans by the IOC. Rodchenkov, who is living in the United States in a witness protection program, was not available to be cross-examined in the Oswald panel cases. The bobsled doping panel said making the ruling without Rodchenkov is “not compatible with the principles of international law.”

The IOC said it “cannot understand nor accept the conclusions” of that ruling.

“The results of the Oswald Commission are not just relying on the testimony of Mr. Rodchenkov but on other extensive forensic evidence,” the IOC said in a statement.

“Additionally, the appeals panel clearly did not understand that this judgment is not a criminal trial.”

The IOC said it is seeking to join the IBSF in its appeal. AP

Russian ice dancer Bukin following father’s path

A HEAD AND A FOOT Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas

IAMI—While the Miami Open is giving up its picturesque island setting for suburban sprawl, the tennis tournament’s new home will include a 13,800-seat showcase court in the Miami Dolphins’ stadium and 29 permanent outer courts, with the largest seating 5,042 spectators.

IMG, which owns the event, on Wednesday said the new site will include more space for players, fans and parking, along with better infrastructure and amenities. The tournament won permission on Tuesday from the MiamiDade County commission to move 18 miles north in 2019 from its longtime home of Key Biscayne.

Construction of the new tennis complex will begin soon and cost more than $50 million, with much of the work done on grounds that had been used for football parking. Total seating capacity will increase to 32,474 from 25,062, including 5,660 at practice courts. Lighting will allow for more night matches.

The stadium court will use both permanent and temporary seats, with the net located over the 50-yard line.

Screens will hide unused football seats.

There will be double the number of parking spaces and suites at the new site. The grounds will feature a “tennis oasis” for fans with the largest video screen of any tournament.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who also owns the stadium, said last spring he was willing to invest in a tennis complex on stadium grounds because he wanted to keep the tournament in South Florida. The Dolphins then reached an agreement with IMG and the county.

“We are extremely excited that the Miami Open, a global entertainment event, will remain in our community,” Ross said in a statement.

“The Miami Open belongs in Miami,” IMG co-president Mark Shapiro said.

A 2015 appeals court decision preventing upgrades to the Key Biscayne complex had left the event’s future in question. There had been speculation the tournament might leave South Florida, with potential sites ranging from South America to China.

“The Miami Open has been a part of Miami’s culture for as long as I can remember,” eight-time Key Biscayne champion Serena Williams said in a statement. “I am thrilled the Miami Open is staying in Miami where it belongs.”

Williams and her sister Venus own small stakes in the Dolphins. The tournament starts on March 19 on Key Biscayne for the 32nd and final time. AP

disqualified from the Sochi Games and banned from the Olympics for life.

The judging panel, chaired by IOC executive board member Denis Oswald, said it used independently verified evidence to find the trio guilty. Urine sample bottles for all three men in Sochi had abnormal levels of salt and were tampered with in the laboratory.

The IOC also sided with bobsled’s governing body, known as the IBSF, which is going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge its own doping tribunal over its view of Russian whistle-blower Grigory Rodchenkov.

It was Rodchenkov’s claims that triggered investigations into the Sochi doping program.

The tribunal has refused to provisionally suspend two Sochi gold medalists— bobsled pilot Alexandr Zubkov and skeleton racer Aleksandr Tretiakov—despite their

Keen told the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs after the hearing. “From my point of view, it’s normal.”

Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman, who is prosecuting Wright in Shelby County, Tennessee, said, “We will pursue getting her back here to face these charges.”

Wright, 46, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lorenzen Wright.

He played for 13 seasons as a forward and center in the NBA, including several for the Grizzlies in Memphis, where he was born and raised.

His decomposing body was found in suburban Memphis 10 days after he was reported missing. He had been shot

multiple times.

A statement from the Shelby County district attorney’s office said Sherra Wright and a landscaper named Billy R. Turner conspired to kill Lorenzen Wright.

Turner was arrested earlier this month after a gun used in the killing was discovered in a lake in Mississippi.

He also has been charged with firstdegree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sherra Wright received $1 million from her ex-husband’s life-insurance policy.

She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the money meant to benefit their six children, The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis has reported. AP

OVOGORSK, Russia—Ivan Bukin is under enough pressure trying to qualify for his first Olympics, even without a famous name to live up to.

The Russian ice dancer’s father is Andrei Bukin, who won the gold medal in 1988 and helped make the sport what it is today with his expressive style.

“There’s serious pressure on Ivan and I can tell you why. Everyone thinks that all his results, all he’s achieved with his partner, has been done by his father,” Andrei Bukin told The Associated Press at a recent training session. “I’m friends with everyone, but I’ll never ask anyone to make it easy for Ivan. I want him to earn his own medals, then it will be more valuable. I could help him to earn it, but I won’t. He must do it.”

Willowy, with an elegant, ethereal style, Ivan Bukin and his partner Alexandra Stepanova are growing into some of the world’s best ice dancers, a point they underlined with two Grand Prix podiums this season.

A medal in Pyeongchang in February might be a stretch—Bukin Sr. says a top-6 finish should be the target—even though Ivan Bukin was never meant to skate at all.

His father had spent most of the life in the Soviet sports system, cut off from the outside world. “I only started living normally aged 31,” when he retired, Andrei Bukin said. He was determined his children wouldn’t follow him. But Andrei reckoned without Ivan’s maternal grandmother, who dragged the young Ivan to the rink while his parents were away touring in ice shows.

“She kicked me in the butt. I was standing right up against the boards and she was shoving me out onto the ice because I was shouting and screaming,” Ivan Bukin said. “You had to get up at 5 a.m. I started training in the winter and it was horribly cold, really freezing, and my

RUSSIA’S Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin execute their free dance at the Rostelekom Cup ISU Grand Prix in Moscow recently. AP

grandmother and I walked for 15 minutes through this blizzard. I really hated figure skating when I was a child.”

Ivan started out as a singles skater but struggled with the big, acrobatic jumps and switched to dance, his father’s discipline. Things clicked. “It got more interesting, dancing with girls,” he said with a grin.

Bukin and Stepanova started skating together 12 years ago. Stepanova had dreamed of being an ice star from a young age, but when she arrived in Moscow to join up with Bukin, she had nowhere to stay. The Bukins took her in.

“We were living there, seeing each other every day and grew up together. We were playing together all the time like brother and sister,” she said. “That’s how we lived, running around, pinching each other, fighting. Now we’ve grown up a bit.”

Ivan interrupts: “We’re still the same now.”

Some fans assume they’re a couple—just as many did 30 years ago with Andrei Bukin and his partner Natalia Bestemianova. They were never romantically involved, Andrei Bukin said, but still skate together in shows.

On tour, hotel receptionists across Russia still put them down for a double room. “People are so convinced it should be Bestemianova and Bukin.”

The buildup to Pyeongchang has been made even more difficult by the uncertainty whether Russia would be allowed to compete. Bukin and Stepanova say they try not to pay attention to the news. If they qualify for the Olympics at Russian nationals, Bukin and Stepanova will compete under a neutral flag as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”

Speaking before the International Olympic Committee imposed that condition due to the Russian doping scandal, Andrei Bukin said anything’s better than a repeat of Cold War-era Olympic boycotts. AP