DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY
2018 BANTOG DATA MEDIA AWARDS CHAMPION
BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
A broader look at today’s business n
Saturday, February 9, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 122
2018 EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS
BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR
P25.00 nationwide | 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
SWORD OF DAMOCLES In what some decry as a mix of power and politics in the Philippines’s ‘inefficient’ rural electrification program, the Department of Energy has ordered a review of electric co-ops’ performance—with the risk of possible recall of their franchises.
POWER lines frame a street scene in Manila in this December 3, 2017, file photo. MIKHAIL DAVIDOVICH | DREAMSTIME.COM
A
By Lenie Lectura
RECOMMENDATION of the Department of Energy (DOE) to revoke the franchises of some electric cooperatives has caused an uproar among industry stakeholders, particularly the 17 ECs cited by the agency.
The DOE’s move, however, was viewed as a wake-up call to ailing cooperatives that continue to deliver poor services. “It’s more of a wake-up call. The market on unserved areas has been there but the ECs failed [to deliver]. ECs have been around [and are] older than Epira [Electric Power Industry Reform Act]. Access to electricity should not be denied,” commented Laban Konsyumer Inc. President Victor Dimagiba in an interview. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the consumers deserve noth-
ing less. The ECs, however, failed to carry out their mandate for various reasons. These include inefficient management, corruption, unnecessary political interference, as well as institutional conflicts. “It’s been too long already. Matagal na rin deprived ang mga kababayan natin sa probinsya. [Our countrymen in the regions have long been deprived]. We can’t afford further delay. Kawawa naman ang mga tao at hanapbuhay [Let’s consider the welfare of the consumers and their liveli-
hood],” Cusi said in a text message on Wednesday night when asked about the ongoing performance review of all ECs. However, the Philippine Rural Electric Co-operatives Association Inc. (Philreca) said the poor performance of some ECs can be attributed to the following: the energy chief has consistently declined restoring budget cuts to the government’s sitio electrification program; he favored the entry of for-profit corporations in the electrification sector versus supporting
ECs that are experiencing different kind of challenges; and, he has never engaged the ECs to any dialogue or meeting with an open mind so as to come up with solutions.
Performance review
THE energy chief ordered a performance review of all ECs’ compliance with the service requirements of their respective franchises, the DOE said in its February 1 statement. The statement, however, did not mention anything about the Continued on A2
Brexit or not, Britain’s real economic threat is here to stay
I
By Tara Patel and Lucy Meakin | Bloomberg News
n the relentless political drama of Brexit, the closure of a small ball-bearing factory 95 miles (152 kilometers) west of London barely registered outside the local community. The loss of the Stonehouse plant will cost 185 jobs, hardly the thousands some companies say are under threat because of the upheaval from leaving the European Union. Nor did the December announcement come with the kind of political noise surrounding Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co.’s recent decision to scrap plans to build a model in the UK. By ending manufacturing at the site in 2021, though, Swedish owner SKF AB highlighted a dangerous undercurrent in the Brit-
ish economy that exists regardless of what happens with the divorce from the EU: the country’s productivity. And uncertainty about Brexit has made companies cautious about investing in the automation that might help boost it. The problem has been on the radar of politicians, executives and central bank policy-makers for a while, but it’s now becoming more urgent. Businesses are looking to a future outside the common European market, as Prime Minister Theresa May tries to get her Brexit deal
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.2900
An employee works on ball bearings at the SKF plant at Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire near Tours on May 13, 2016.The Swedish plant established in France in 1908 is the world leader in the production of ball bearings. GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
through Parliament and they face a stark choice: modernize or die. It’s not that the country isn’t working hard enough, more that it’s not working smart enough. On average, French workers toiled for 10 percent fewer hours in 2017, yet they produced more while they did so. That’s aggravating an already dismal standing among peers. Indeed, SKF said it’s shuttering Stonehouse and moving production to sites in Italy and France, where the company can “make better use of more modern machines and manufacturing technologies.” Data compiled by the International Federation of Robotics, an industry group that champions the deployment of automation equipment for manufacturing, show the UK is falling behind. By one measure, robot density—the number of automated machines per 10,000 employees— the country ranks 22 in the world, bang in line with the average. Continued on A2
n JAPAN 0.4760 n UK 67.7208 n HK 6.6631 n CHINA 7.8051 n SINGAPORE 38.5477 n AUSTRALIA 37.1364 n EU 59.3230 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9432
Source: BSP (February 8, 2019 )
News
BusinessMirror
A2 Saturday, February 9, 2019
www.businessmirror.com.ph
SWORD OF DAMOCLES Continued from a1
recommendation of Cusi to House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding the cancellation of the franchise of 17 “underperforming, financially and technically distressed electric cooperatives.” On January 30, the BusinessMirror reported Cusi’s recommendation letter dated January 11. On February 1, the DOE statement was issued. There was no mention of the recommendation in the statement because, as it turns out, the DOE recalled the recommendation letter. “The earlier recommendation to Congress [was] withdrawn two days ago. The DOE sees the need to further evaluate and assess the present status and performance of the 17 ECs,” said DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella on February 1.
‘Done in haste’
THE 17 ECs whose franchises were recommended for cancellation are Abra Electric Cooperative, Pampanga III Electric Cooperative Inc., Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc., Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc., Palawan Electric Cooperative, Camarines Sur III Electric Cooperative Inc., Albay Electric Cooperative Inc., Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc., First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative Inc., Ticao Island Electric Cooperative Inc., Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative Inc., Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc., Sulu Electric Cooperative Inc., Tawi-Tawi Electric Cooperative Inc., Maguindanao Electric Cooperative Inc. and Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. Cusi said his recommendation is pursuant to Section 46 of Republic Act 9136 and based on the submission of the National Electrification Administration (NEA). Philreca said the endorsement was “done in haste” because the same endorsement was recalled. The DOE, Philreca stressed,
should have conducted an evaluation and assessment on the status and performance of these cooperatives in the first place. “While we believe that recalling and revoking the original endorsement is the right thing to do, we cannot help but express our sentiments because his [Cusi’s] actions have already caused significant damage and irreparable negative impression to the ECs.” Philreca claimed the endorsement letter to the House of Representatives and the DOE statement were meant “to manipulate the mindset of the public for them to think that the electric cooperatives are not performing well. And with this comes the justification [for] the entry of private, for-profit and zero-experience corporations.”
Due process
PHILRECA is hoping that Cusi would be just and fair in assessing the ECs’ accomplishments and challenges. “We hope that the DOE would see how the electric cooperatives have been operating in areas no private distribution utility has dared to enter before.” Cusi, for the DOE’s part, gave assurances of due process for all ECs in the ongoing review. “The review will be an inclusive process. We will ask the ECs to identify their main challenges and work with them in determining long-term and sustainable solutions. For transparency purposes, the results of the review will be made available to the public,” said Cusi. Depending on the review’s findings, task forces may be created to assist underperforming ECs. For nonperforming ECs, on the other hand, the DOE may recommend the cancellation of their franchises. “For those extremely dire cases, the government can no longer ignore the negative impact on citizens. Other reasonable and legal options, as provided in Republic Act 10531, or the National Electrification Administration law,
must be considered,” he warned. He did not say when the review would be concluded. “I don’t like to preempt the findings and recommendation of the task force,” Cusi said. But the review, he stressed, is meant to fast-track the government’s electrification program. “The objective is to attain 100-percent electrification by 2020. One that is stable, reliable and affordable. That’s the objective and the task force knows the urgency and will not waste time,” said Cusi.
“While we believe that recalling and revoking the original endorsement is the right thing to do, we cannot help but express our sentiments because his [Cusi’s] actions have already caused significant damage and irreparable negative impression to the ECs.”— Philreca
Clear policy
SENATE Committee on Energy head Sherwin Gatchalian agrees that the DOE should hold EC and distribution utilities accountable in their services to consumers by reviewing their technical and financial performance. “Panahon na rin para i-assess ng Kongreso kung dapat bang magpatuloy sa pag-operate ang mga nonperforming electric co-ops at private distribution utilities sa pamamagitan ng pagsuri sa performance ng mga ito [It’s high time that Congress assessed whether or not to allow the operation of nonperforming ECs and private distribution utilities through an objective performance review]. I believe Congress’s assessment will impose greater accountability on these underperforming distribution utilities to the benefit of the consumers,” said Gatchalian in a text message on Wednesday night. The senator cited data from the NEA indicating there are at least seven ailing ECs, or those with D rating, and at least 10 underperforming ECs—all to the detriment of power consumers. However, Gatchalian said the DOE should not have recommended yet any move to franchise cancellation. “To be fair to the ECs, however, the DOE should have a clear policy and procedure on the recommendation for revocation before actually submitting their
recommendation to Congress.”
‘Sensitive’ issue
CUSI has, likewise, requested the NEA to submit the technical and financial performance reports of ECs for the last five years. In addition, ECs will also be asked to submit their road maps and strategies for improving their services, operations and economic viability in the next three years. The NEA, a governmentowned and -controlled corporation attached to the DOE, is tasked with the full implementation of the rural electrification program. Industry players have observed conflicting views between the DOE and NEA on certain issues. “In some instances, particularly this electrification program, they don’t sometimes share the same view,” sources observed. When sought for comment, NEA Administrator Edgardo Ma-
songsong said on Wednesday night that he would issue “a copy of my rejoinder to the DOE press release in the subject hopefully tomorrow or the following day. Please bear with me as the issue is sensitive.” In his statement, Masongsong only said that the NEA “welcomes and supports” the decision of the DOE to withdraw its recommendation to cancel the franchises of 17 ECs. Consistent with the NEA’s mandate under RA 10531, Masongsong said his office will conduct a thorough performance review of the ECs involved—a task regularly performed by the NEA based on set parameters or key performance standards—and submit the results of the same to the DOE and the House of Representatives for their appreciation and evaluation. The NEA is part of the task force evaluating the performance of all ECs.
Brexit or not…
Germany is third, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the ambitions of Brexit supporters to boost the UK’s global standing. The damage caused by that shortfall can be seen in the UK’s productivity record, said Ram Ramamoorthy, a researcher and doctorate supervisor at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. “If the UK wants to be competitive with peers that are investing in modern technology, then we have to do that too,” he said. “We’re not at a point of no return, but it would take a sustained effort to turn things around and that won’t happen overnight,” he said. Britain is home to some of the weakest growth in output per hour worked among Group of Seven nations. Between 2010 and 2015, it near flat-lined at 0.2 percent a year, far below its long-term average of 2.4 percent from 1970 to 2007, and lagging that of France and Germany. That’s particularly troubling because consulting firm McKinsey estimates about 90 percent of future economic growth will need to come from improvements in productivity just to keep pace with historical growth rates. “Some damage to the economy gross domestic product forecast and how we think trend GDP has evolved since the vote…is 1.4 percent. We think Brexit can explain about a third of that with the remainder reflecting the UK’s persistent [and persistently surprising] productivity weakness.” In part, it’s down to Britain’s more flexible labor market. Following the global financial crisis, UK companies went on a hiring spree fueled by easy access to millions of cheap workers primarily from the EU’s poorer eastern members such as Poland. Not only did that create an
Look at the record–Philreca
PHILRECA said the partnership between the ECs and the NEA led to the successful energization of 78 provinces (100 percent); 1,475 cities and municipalities (100 percent); 36,057 barangays (99 percent); 123,198 sitios (83 percent); and 12,713 million household connections (85 percent). It stressed that if the intention is for genuine total electrification, the best approach is still to support the ECs by rehabilitating, not disfranchising them. “By recommending the revocation, Cusi essentially and effectively disregarded the ECs’ sacrifices during the last four to five decades where the partnership of ECs and the NEA has been successful,” said the group. For now, ECs can only wait for the results of the review and hope that none of them will be recommended for franchise cancellation.
Continued from a1
investment-weak recovery, with spending falling in areas like equipment, but one that could prove unsustainable should May’s government ultimately succeed in its Brexit goal of curbing the freedom of workers to settle in the UK. The pro-Brexit argument suggests productivity might benefit because companies will no longer be able to rely on cheap labor and be forced to invest in robots and smarter working. “Productivity is arguably still the No. 1 issue for the UK over the medium term,” said Dean Turner, economist at UBS Wealth Management. “That’s where the focus of government and industrial policy really needs to be if the UK is to offset some of the possible negative impacts of leaving the EU.” People aren’t the only thing the economy stands at risk of cutting off. Foreign-owned businesses have, on average, productivity that is double that of domestically oriented firms. That underscores the importance of openness to trade and overseas investment, according to the Bank of England’s chief economist, Andy Haldane. The Bank of England has slashed its forecasts for business investment to zero for 2018. Haldane has likened the situation to companies simply pressing the “pause button.” Overall, a report on Tuesday indicated the UK economy is at risk of stalling after growth in the services sector came close to a standstill, with firms growing increasingly anxious about Brexit. The purchasing managers index for services dropped to a 2 1/2-year low in January, IHS Markit said in a survey, falling more sharply than economists had forecast. A new start in innovation might be just the impetus firms
and the government need, according to Benjamin Craig, who specializes in the tax related to research and development at international business performance consultancy Ayming. “We are lagging far behind our main competitors France and Germany, a dangerous position to be in ahead of Brexit if we want to remain a competitive economy,” he said. “However, following Brexit, it’s possible that we could see a shake-up in the R&D space as we gain more independence over measures.” Whatever happens, it looks too late for Stonehouse. In the 1930s and then World War II, the factory’s making was its location out of range of Luftwaffe bombers yet on transport routes. Now, its major client, Rolls-Royce, is phasing out its use of Stonehouse’s ball bearings in favor of others made in SKF’s more modern and flexible Italian and French plants. SKF’s strategy is to consolidate its 80 or so global production sites and Brexit wasn’t to blame, said spokesman Theo Kjellberg. The company opened a fully automated production line in Valenciennes, France, on January 21 to make components for airplane engine maker Safran. Employees at the Stonehouse plant long feared they weren’t a priority, according to Nick Bailey, regional officer of the Unite labor union. “They say lots of the tooling and machinery is quite old,” he said. “Without investment, how can you attract new work?” During talks with staff about the plan to close the site, SKF executives said the workload will decline by 40 percent, according to Bailey. “It’s like being left to wilt on the vine.”
The World BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Comedian who plays Ukraine’s president on TV leads real race
K
IEV, Ukraine—Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spent more than 20 years as a comedian in Ukraine peppering his stand-up routines with imitations of politicians. So when his production company needed an actor to play an everyman who unexpectedly becomes president, Zelenskiy was a clear choice. But in an example of life imitating ar t far more than the other way round, the 41-year-old film and TV star who plays the president in a popular T V s e r i e s i s t h e l e a d i n g c a n d i d ate i n U kra i n e’s u p co m i n g p re s i d e nt i a l election. It’s a role he takes seriously. “Corruption is everywhere. We need to reduce its impact on the government, on people’s lives,” Zelenskiy said during an interview with The Associated Press in which he outlined plans to stem a population exodus with higher wages and to bring internet service to small villages. Zelenskiy argues that his lack of political experience is an advantage in an election climate in which voters have seen their hopes for a better future squashed. He described himself as a “fresh face” and allowed that his participation in the president’s race gave some “hype” to Ukrainian politics. He also brushed aside claims that he’s controlled by a powerful banker in a tug-of-war with the incumbent president, Petro Poroshenko. On Servant of the People, the Ukrainian TV series he has starred in since the fall of 2015, Zelenskiy plays Vasyl Holoborodko, a high-school teacher abruptly propelled into the presidency after a student’s video of him blasting official corruption goes viral. The show is full of crude humor and four-letter words, but the inexperienced President Holoborodko is a good leader who honestly tries to serve the people. It’s not clear to what extent the popularity of Zelenskiy’s campaign is driven by his standing as a celebrity, or a collective longing for a figure like his character in the presidential seat, amid strong public fatigue with the current political elite. In his stand-up routines, Zelenskiy frequently mocks the incumbent. The biting satire has boosted his popularity and irritated the president, who complained to the comic the portrayal was unfair, according to Zelenskiy’s own account. With a laugh, Zelenskiy dismissed
both Poroshenko and the other leading candidate, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, as a “turned page.” He voiced confidence in his ability to beat either in a runoff election between the top two finishers in the first round of voting. “People have grown tired of the old guard, so to say,” he said. Recent opinion polls have shown Zelenskiy surging ahead of both Poroshenko and Tymoshenko in the run-up to the March 31 vote. An election survey by four respected polling agencies in Ukraine had 21.9 p e rce nt o f re s p o n d e nt s s u p p o r t i n g Zelenskiy, the most of any candidate. Tymoshenko was the choice of 19.2 percent, and Poroshenko came in third with 14.8 percent. Thir ty-four other candidates trailed behind. The poll of 10,000 registered voters, done in face-to-face interviews, was completed last week and released on Monday. It had a margin of error of 1 percentage point. “Zelenskiy has succeeded in attracting angry voters who have lost trust in the current politicians,” said Viktor Zamyatin, an analyst with the Razumkov Center, a Kiev think tank. The comedian’s rivals have tried to tarnish his newcomer ’s shine by pointing at his business ties to an expatriate billionaire banker and alleging that he controls Zelenskiy. The banker, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, left Ukraine following a clash with Poroshenko. Zelenskiy announced his candidacy on New Year’s Eve on the TV channel that aired Servant of the People and is owned b y K o l o m o y s k i y ’s m e d i a c o m p a n y. Other stations were broadcasting Poroshenko’s New Year’s address to the nation at the moment. Zelenskiy has acknowledged b u s i n e s s t i e s w i t h K o l o m o y s k i y, b u t d e n i e d t h at h e i s t h e p o l i t i c a l p at ro n directing his presidential bid. “There is nothing to talk about,” he said. “I have no relation to him.” B orn to a professorial family in the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih when Ukraine still was part of the Soviet Union, Zelenskiy is a native Russian speaker, something that helps his popularity in eastern regions where many speak Russian. AP
P
But t he US pres ide nt said the two would “maybe” meet later. The S&P 500 hit a session low shortly after the news that Trump was unlikely to meet Xi this month was first reported by CNBC. Trump told reporters last month that he planned to meet Xi in late February, adding there was a “good chance” of striking a deal. The president is headed to Asia to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam
T
HAILAND’S Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was named the prime ministerial candidate for a party linked to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in one of the country’s biggest political upheavals. Ubolratana will be the prime ministerial candidate for the Thai R aksa Chart Party in the March 24 general election, its leader Preechaphol Pongpanit said on Friday in Bangkok. This would be the first time a senior royal has participated in a Thai election—a monumental shift in a countr y where the royal family is officially treated as semi-divine and apolitical.
“ This is unprecedented for Thailand,” said Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University’s College of Asean Community Studies in the country’s north. “It’ll be difficult for parties to run against the princess. It’ll be hard for anyone to campaign against her. Voters would find it difficult to choose someone that’s not part of her party, because Thai ideology puts the royals at the top.” IN this March 24, 2010, file photo, Thai Princess Ubolratana attends the Thai Gala Night in Hong Kong. Thai Raksa Chart party selected on February 8, 2019, the princess as its nominee to serve as the next prime minister, upending tradition that the royal palace plays no public role in politics and upsetting all predictions about what may happen in the March election. AP
on February 27 and 28. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are leading a group of administration officials headed to Beijing next week as part of the trade talks. Trump economic adviser Larr y Kudlow said earlier at the W hite House that a Tr ump -X i summit was “off in the distance” but that he remained confident the two leaders would still
meet at some point. Kudlow added that he had a “good vibe” about ongoing talks, and said that he saw all trade issues between the two countries as potential topics for discussion. Still, he declined to say whether he expected negotiators to strike a deal before the end of the month, when Trump has said he will raise tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion in Chinese goods. Bloomberg News
Amazon CEO Bezos accuses ‘National Enquirer’ of blackmail
A
MAZON.COM Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Bezos accused the National Enquirer and its publisher David Pecker of extortion and blackmail, stepping up a war of words between the world’s richest man and a confidant of US President Donald J. Trump. The magazine, owned by American Media Inc. (AMI), published an exposé on Bezos’s relationship with former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez, and Bezos has hired investigators to find out if the story was politically motivated. He owns the Washington Post, which has written critical stories about Trump, who counts Pecker as a close ally. In a surprising move on Thursday, Bezos said the National Enquirer threatened to publish more details and revealing photos if the executive
didn’t stop the probe. His statement online included vivid descriptions of the images. “R ather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten,” Bezos wrote in a post on Medium. “Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there’s a much more important matter involved here. If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?” Bezos also suggested that the Washington Post’s coverage of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have motivated the National Enquirer’s investigation. “For reasons still to be better understood, the Saudi angle seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve,” the billionaire wrote.
A3
Thai royal named candidate for PM by Thaksin-linked party
Trump sees no Xi summit by March 1 tariff deadline, stoking trade worry RESIDENT Donald J. Trump said he won’t meet Chinese President Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline to avert new US tariffs on Chinese goods, intensifying fears the two won’t strike a deal before the end of the 90-day trade truce. Trump responded “No” and shook his head on Thursday when reporters at the White House asked him if he would meet with Xi this month. Then he added, “Unlikely.”
Saturday, February 9, 2019
A spokesman for AMI didn’t respond to a request for comment. The magazine investigated Bezos because his wealth and position made him a newsworthy subject, and its reporting isn’t influenced by politics, according to copies of e-mails allegedly from AMI lawyer Jon Fine that Bezos included in his post on Thursday. In one of those e-mails, Fine proposed Bezos release a mutually agreed upon statement to a news outlet saying that he had no basis for suggesting AMI’s coverage was politically motivated. In exchange, the media group would refrain from publishing other texts and photos featuring Bezos, according to the e-mail released by the Amazon CEO. “ Th i s l o o k s l i ke t e x t b o o k extortion,” said Zachary Elsea, a litigator with Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert Llp. in Santa Monica,
California. The law defines extortion as, among other things, obtaining something of value through fear, and AMI’s very explicit threat to publish the embarrassing pictures unless Bezos complies, fits that description, according to Elsea. Fine, a former executive at Amazon, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. The White House also didn’t respond to a request for comment. This is the latest clash between Bezos and the president. Trump has repeatedly vilified Amazon’s CEO, threatening his company with tax increases, antitrust prosecution and higher shipping fees, while attacking the Washington Post as a “scam.” In 2015, Bezos offered to blast Trump into space, but has mostly avoided mentioning Trump publicly—until Thursday. Bloomberg News
T he long- de l ayed e lec t ion will be the first since former army chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha seized power in a coup in 2014 after a period of unrest, becoming prime minister in the country’s military government. Prayuth on Friday said he’ ll be the prime ministerial candidate for the Palang Pracharath Party. T he coup he led u nseated a Pheu Thai Party-led administration headed by Yingluck Shinawatra, T ha ksin’s sister. Thaksin or his allies like Pheu Thai have won ever y election dating back to 2001, only to be unseated by the courts or the militar y in a more than decadelong tussle for power with Thailand ’s urban establishment.
Thaksin’s shadow
A T ELECOM t ycoon who entered pol it ic s i n t he 199 0 s, T ha k sin won t he suppor t of m i l l ions of r u ra l T ha is w it h e x pa nded we l fa re prog ra ms, but o p p one nt s acc u s e d h i m of g ra f t a nd c ha l leng ing t he power of t he mona rc hy. He eventually f led to avoid a ja i l sentence for abu se of power, charges that he denied. His sister f led in 2017, also to avoid jail in a case she said was politically motivated. The prospect of a party linked to Thaksin contesting the poll
with a royal at the helm may spark fresh speculation about his chances of returning to a countr y he hasn’t set foot in since 2008, but where he retains a loyal following.
Media presence
“IT’s really throwing the political scene into a loop,” said David Streckfuss, a scholar of Southeast Asian politics and honorary fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s something very new for Thai society.” Ubolratana, 67, is the eldest child of the late K ing Bhumibol Adulyadej and sister of current monarch King Maha Vajiralongkorn. She relinquished her royal title in 1972 when she married an American, Peter Jensen. After her divorce in the late 1990s, she returned to Thailand and received a royal designation. The princess has a heavier media presence than any of her siblings, ranging from appearances in Thai movies and television to an Instagram page with about 100,000 followers. Her full name is Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi. Thai Raksa Chart, a Pheu Thai offshoot, relaunched itself late last year. Like all the parties contesting the election, it had to submit its candidate list by February 8. Bloomberg News
ExportUnlimited
A4 Saturday, February 9, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos
BusinessMirror
Exporters join Biofach, Vivaness 2019 By Gil Gabriel D. Ragil | Senior Trade Investment Specialist, DTI-EMB
T
HIS year, Philippine exporters will participate in the Biofach and Vivaness 2019 Fair taking place from February 10 to 20 in Nürnberg, Germany. This second Outbound Business Matching Mission is an offshoot of the very successful first OBMM to Germany in Biofach 2018. This year’s mission is also marked by the very first Philippine participation in Vivaness, the side event of Biofach for natural products, based on the recommendations from the scoping activity conducted in 2018. This second consecutive year of the country’s participation in Biofach augurs well for exporters of Philippine organic products who were carefully selected to be part of the mission. Those who were part of the mission last year are expected to strengthen the business ties established with buyers in Biofach 2018. The first-time mission members are expected to expand their horizons given the exciting and boundless opportunities available during the fair and B2B meetings. Biofach is the biggest and the most-visited event by major buyers of EU-certified organic products from Europe and the rest of the world. The organizer, NurnbergMesse GMBH, ensures that visitors to the fair are committed and valued buyers seeking the latest innovations in the organic sector. This OBMM to Germany, 2019 edition, supports and sustains the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) Strategy Number 15, Sector Outcome 3: Strategic External Trade Policy Regime, to intensify the marketing and promotion of Philippine goods and services and increase market intelligence. In pursuing this commitment, the Export Marketing Bureau increased the number of participating Philippine exporters to 11 European Union organic-certified companies, with the corresponding increase in the depth and variety of organic products made available at Biofach, and an additional three Philippine exporters in Vivaness, for the very first time, to showcase Philippinemade and -produced natural products known more as cosmeceuticals, herbals and nutraceuticals. The participants for this year’s Biofach are: Ahya Coco Organic Food Manufacturing Corp. is an ardent manufacturer and exporter of coconut products including organic
coconut water, coconut milk, virgin coconut oil, coconut cream, coconut flour and desiccated coconut. The business was established in 2014 with a current plant capacity of more than 500 tons per month. It regularly ships its certified-organic products to China, Korea, Taiwan and European countries. Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc. is a subsidiary of Century Pacific Food Inc., an integrated coconut manufacturer with a multiawarded and strategic facility in General Santos City in Mindanao. Its products include coconut water, desiccated coconut, virgin coconut oil, coconut milk and cream, and coconut flour. The firm sells its products through two channels, namely under branded retail and under private label. Its products are duly certified organic, BRC, halal and kosher. CPAVI is committed to a sustainable coconut industry and in improving the lives of its farming communities. It gives back to its coconut-farming communities through seedling distribution and microfinancing, among many other services. Filipinas Organic Coconut Products Corp. is dedicated in manufacturing satisfying, nutritious and high-quality virgin coconut oil and other coconut-based products. Its plant operations is based in Misamis Oriental, one of the provinces in Northern Mindanao where coconuts grow abundantly. Guided by its vision to help its global clients, FOCP strives to “Adopt Healthier Lifestyles” and “Tranform its Farmers into Co-Creators of Wealth” using systems that are beneficial to the environment. Its corporate social responsibility is based on its strive to “empower its farmers” to become its partners in its organic program and assist them in establishing a cooperative enterprise, which is Fairtrade-certified. As a dynamic business entity, FOCP continuously improves its products and services by investing in its personnel development and new technologies. Its principal markets are European nations, the US and Japan. Its products
are certified-organic, (USDA, JAS), kosher and Fairtrade. Japan Philippines Malunggay Eco Farm Inc. was established in 2010 primarily to export moringa products, such as moringa powder, moringa flakes, moringa tea, moringa capsules, oil and seeds. After securing for the company an internationally recognized organic certification, it started exporting to Japan in 2015. Its organic farm is strategically located at the foot of Mount Makiling in Laguna province where the soil is believed to be naturally highly fertilized. JPM prides itself in working and collaborating with welltrained groups of women who are in charge of meticulously handpicking and sorting the moringa leaves to ensure maintaining the high quality desired of its products. Lao Integrated Farms, Incorporated is a Filipino family social enterprise that strongly advocates organic farming and healthy living. Its farm is well-known in the country to farm-enthusiasts, farmers, people from academe, nongovernment organizations and government agencies who study LIFI’s “best practices” in organic farming systems. In addition to organic farming, LIFI produces coconut sap-based products and does business using its own brand in the Philippine market, catering mostly to health and wellness-conscious individuals. It operates its own bakery using its own organic coconut sap sweeteners in its cakes, pastries and bread. LIFI exports 100-percent organic coconut blossom nectar and 100 percent organic coconut amino sauce to the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and some parts in Asia. LIFI is highly committed to its sustainability principles by way of taking care of the environment, providing stable income to some indigenous peoples, small coconut farmers and sap harvesters and in delivering safe and high-quality products to its wide and diverse clientele. Raw Brown Sugar Milling Co. Inc. is a corporation duly organized pursuant to Philippine law with its principal business located at Raw Brown Compound, Igbalanac, Pamplona, Negros Oriental. It is a food-processing plant, which produces raw brown sugar, referred to as “Muscovado,” entirely and purely from sugarcane juice. The sugarcane used as raw material are homegrown, adopting organicfarming practices. These sugarcane are freshly harvested and milled in producing Muscovado. San Pablo Manufacturing Corp. is a part of the group of companies collectively known as Coconut Industry Investment Fund-Oil Mills Group, the manufacturer and brand owner of Minola lauric oil. The CIIFOMG is a group of coconut oil milling and trading companies in the Philippines. Its five manufacturing
plants are strategically located in the rich coconut-producing regions of the country, with a combined oil-milling capacity of more than 500,000 metric tons. It has plants that are FSSC ISO 22000, USFDA and GMP-certified. CIIF’s mantra is to uplift the lives of Filipino coconut farmers. It does not only provide business opportunities but also provides scholarships and other social development initiatives to enable children of coconut farmers in pursuing higher education, learn trade skills to avail and be assured of a decent way of living. In partnership with its sister company, the United Coconut Planters Bank, the CIIFUCPB Foundation came into being. To date, more than 3,000 youth were able to finish their tertiary education through the foundation. For more than a half century now, Minola has been at the forefront of the coconut cooking oil segment and is one of the leading brands in the overall cooking oil category. CIIF products are organic-certified by USDA, EU and kosher-certified. Team Asia Corp. holds a strong leadership position and is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of health and lifestyle products in Asia. It produces natural and organic coconut products duly certified by international bodies. The fresh matured coconuts are harvested from certifiedorganic farms owned by individual Filipino farmers or cooperatives and associations of coconut farmers. TAC partner-farmers have theirs farms certified organic and by buying their harvests at premium prices as TAC’s corporate social responsibility. The company’s premium products are virgin coconut oil, winterized coconut oil, coconut milk powder, coconut cream powder, coconut cocoa powder, refined, bleached and deodorized oil (rbd or coconut cooking oil), coconut sugar and coconut honey nectar. All its products are chemical-free and are processed under strict hygienic conditions set by internationally accepted food safety and quality standards. All its coconut products are certified organic, halal and kosher. Tree Life is a company from Sout her n Ph i l ippines, wh ic h proudly provides premium organic products. Its farm was established in 2004, and by 2011 started its processing line. Tree Life has now expanded its horizon in neighboring areas by partnering with cooperatives and communities, thereby benefitting more than 800 partner farmers. Its products include organic coconut sugar (Class A and Class B), organic coconut syrup, organic virgin coconut oil, organic coconut flour, coconut jam, organic coconut aminos, organic coconut wine and organic banana chips.
Accrediting coffee exporters
By Rodelio A. Torre Senior TIDS, DTI-EMB
EXPORT READY! Part One
T
HE export of coffee in the form of green beans and roasted beans is still under the terms and conditions of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) to which the Philippines is a signatory. Hence, Philippine exporters are required to be accredited and secure Coffee Export Clearance (CEC) and Certificate of Origin (CO) from the country’s Department of Trade Industry’s (DTI) Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) for their shipment to other countries. The implementation of the ICA was undertaken by the DTI as the certifying agency through the creation of the International Coffee Organization-Certifying Agency. The ICO-CA’s main responsibilities are to oversee the negotiations and implementation of the ICA between the Philippines and other countries and act as the export marketing and promotional arm of the Philippine coffee industry. However, the ICO-CA was deactivated when the government streamlined its processes for an efficient and effective public service under its rationalization program. With the deactivation of ICOCA, the EMB continued its functions and facilitated the export documentation of coffee shipments. Currently, the following are the services for coffee exporters and producers offered by the EMB: coffee exporter accreditation; CEC; CO; and coffee export exemption. Regulated coffee for export comes in the form of green beans, roasted beans, and soluble. Coffee mixes such as 3 in 1 and other coffee drinks are exempted from the regulation and do not need a clearance for export. All exporters of coffee are required to be accredited by EMB for the assignment of the Unique Reference Number. The URN is a permanent number code of the company and will be used in all their coffeeexport transactions, including their registration to the Company Profile Registration System of the Bureau of Customs (BOC). Also, the accreditation is a requirement for securing the CEC and the CO. The requirements for the coffee
exporter accreditation are the following: letter of intent addressed to EMB Director Senen M. Perlada; Securities Exchange Commission or DTI business name registration; mayor’s permit; company profile; and latest audited financial statement or balance sheet (for newly established companies). Beverages are required by the Food and Drug Administration to have a certificate of product registration and the processor/ company to have a license to operate. Since soluble coffee is classified as a beverage by the FDA, copies of the LTO and CPR are additional requirements for applications of accreditation intending to export soluble coffee. For Metro Manila applicants, the processing of an application for coffee exporter accreditation shall start after the day of the plant visit. The certificate will be available for release within seven days after the visit. For applicants outside Metro Manila, the processing starts upon receipt of the inspection report submitted by the DTI provincial offices to the EMB. Applications for CEC and CO are processed and released within the day. The requirements for the CEC are the following: completely filled-up Export Declaration (ED); proforma bill of lading; packing list; and commercial invoice. The information in the ED form should be consistent with the other documents submitted. The application for CO should be filed only after the ED has been approved and marked with the date of approval and “authority to load” by the BOC. The requirements for the CO application are photocopy of the following: processed ED; bill of lading; packing list; and commercial invoice. As a member of the ICO based in London, the Philippines through DTI-EMB submits to the ICO a monthly report of the export shipments transactions as evidenced by the COs. The CO for coffee is an ICO specialized form in five copies for BOC processing. After the CO is processed by the BOC, the applicant/ exporter is required to return to EMB the green and blue colored copies of the COs. To be continued
Sports BusinessMirror
Editor: Jun Lomibao • mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
Saturday, February 9, 2019
A5
Rajon Rondo hits a 20-foot jumper as time expires to lift the Los Angeles Lakers past the Boston Celtics, 129-128. AP
NBA results Indiana 116, LA Clippers 92 Orlando 122, Minnesota 112 Toronto 119, Atlanta 101 LA Lakers 129, Boston 128 Oklahoma City 117, Memphis 95 Portland 127, San Antonio 118 PHIL MICKELSON: History is made today. AP
NEW COLORS A general view of the new livery is unveiled by drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean during the Rich Energy Haas F1 Team 2019 car launch at the Royal Automobile Club, in London, on Thursday. The Haas Formula One team has changed its livery from a metallic gray to a more dynamic black-and-gold for the upcoming season.
A6
BusinessMi
Saturday, February 9, 2019 | Editor: Jun Lomibao
CAN WOME
THE move by the 23-yearold Peter Sagan draws plenty of criticism for showing disrespect against women.
SAGAN APOLOGIZES FOR ‘PINCHING’ PODIUM HOSTESS
C
ANNONDALE’S Peter Sagan apologized for his actions on the podium following the Tour of Flanders. As the runner-up standing next to winner Fabian Cancellara on the podium in Oudenaarde, he grabbed the derrière of one of the podium hostesses while she was posing for the cameras with Cancellara. The move by the 23-year-old drew plenty of criticism for showing disrespect against women. He released a video apology which followed up on an earlier Twitter apology. “I sincerely apologize to Maja for what I did on the podium yesterday after the race,” said Sagan in English in the video posted on Facebook. “It was wrong of me, and I wasn’t thinking when I was on the podium. I never
should have done that. I’m so sorry and I hope that Maja and anyone else I have offended knows how how sorry I am.” “I promise to act more respectfully in the future,” said Sagan. Tour de France owners ASO, meanwhile, are considering bringing an end to the tradition of using podium girls to hand out prizes at the race, according to a report published in The Times. The news follows recent announcements by The Professional Darts Corp., which said in January that it would no longer use walk-on girls to accompany players onto the stage, and from Formula 1, which axed their “grid girls” the following week. Podium girls have been a common feature in cycling but it has been a divisive
issue, particularly in recent seasons. While some call it a traditional part of cycling, the treatment of the women and the sexualization of their role have also been questioned. Last year, Jan Bakelants had to apologize after he made sexist remarks about podium hostesses in an interview with a Belgian newspaper. In cycling, the Tour Down Under was one of the first WorldTour races to do away with the traditional podium hostesses. The oneweek race opted to use junior riders to hand out awards and jerseys. The Vuelta a España, which is owned by Tour de France organizers ASO, became the first Grand Tour to do so last year, with “tastefully” dressed men and women replacing the traditional podium girls. Some women’s races have opted to reverse the roles with Gent-Wevelgem using podium boys.
Lappartient commits to gender equality
T
HE International Cycling Union’s (UCI) Management Committee has approved the Agenda 2022 that includes a number of important structural initiatives concerning the sport governing body’s future role in gender equality with in the sport. In the agenda, the UCI promises to soon enforce a strict Code of Conduct to be signed by all employees of UCI Women’s Teams, which aims to raise awareness of harassment. It will also develop and implement a Charter to promote gender equality in cycling, starting with a gender equality policy and the fundamental principles on its aim to implement equal pay within the organization. Other topics outlined in the agenda include guaranteeing gender equality during podium ceremonies and providing equal prize money in its cyclo-cross World Cup. President of the UCI, David Lappartient, said that the agenda, “contains crucial initiatives for guaranteeing equality between men and women, whether they be riders, Federation employees or any other women involved in our sport. It is essential that we all work together for this cause, which is one
of my biggest priorities for action.” This is the second meeting that the committee has held, this time for three days in Arzon, France, where members debated and then validated the agenda, which is considered a road map to the next four years of professional cycling. The agenda clarifies objectives in the five areas identified by Lappartient during his presidential campaign in 2017; to strengthen the UCI’s authority with a president ensuring a solid leadership; to place the UCI increasingly at the service of national federations; to make cycling the sport of the 21st century; to develop an ambitious vision for professional cycling; and to ensure the credibility of sporting results and protect the athletes. The agenda will be published on the UCI web site after its ratification by the congress on September 28. However, the main focus was on the UCI’s future and the role of women in cycling. The agenda outlines several areas meant to improve the working conditions for women in cycling. The new Code of Conduct will be enforced at the beginning of 2019 and onward. The document will be signed by all teams and then sent to the UCI along with the team’s registration
This year Flanders Classic, organizer of the Tour of Flanders, decided to make changes to their podium ceremony by removing the “handing over of the flowers and kissing by the podium girls.” Instead, Leye was given a different role as master of ceremonies. If the Tour de France was to stop using podium girls, it would leave RCS-owned Giro d’Italia as the only Grand Tour still to use the practice. Speaking to Cycling Central, Race Director Mauro Vegni defended the practice and called the move by other race organisers a “temporary trend.” Cyclingnews has reached out to ASO who declined to comment on the matter. The Tour de France is scheduled for July 7 to 19, with the start in Noirmoutier-En-L’Ïle. Cyclingnews
documents. The UCI also noted that failure to respect the Code of Conduct will result in sanctions being applied, in accordance with the UCI Code of Ethics. The new Code of Conduct is meant to raise awareness of and increase responsibility around the harassment that certain riders may face, including from within their own teams. The UCI administration has spent several months working on the development of a new Charter that will promote gender equality. According to the statement from the UCI, one of the first measures being developed is the creation of a gender equality policy within the UCI administration, which will form an integral part of the staff regulations and will also be available on the web site. The aim of the gender equality policy is to “guarantee equal, respectful and fair treatment for everyone, particularly with regards to recruitment, and ensuring that men and women are given the same professional opportunities,” as stated by the UCI. The sport governing body also noted that the Charter contains fundamental principles according to which the UCI wishes to implement equal pay, presumably within the organization. Implementing a minimum wage in professional women’s cycling has long been discussed, but has yet to come to fruition. The CPA women’s chapter said it is aiming for a minimum wage and tiered system by 2019. The minimum wage for WorldTour and Pro Continental was set to rise in 2018 for the first time in five years, while there was no mention of a minimum salary for women’s teams. UCI Management Committee member Bob Stapleton, formerly manager of the HTC-Highroad men’s and women’s teams, told Cyclingnews last fall that he is in favor of creating and enforcing a minimum salary rule as soon as possible, even if it might start out at a low figure. Also on the agenda, the UCI Management Committee approved several measures designed to guarantee gender equality during podium ceremonies at the UCI World Championships. The policy will require UCI approval for all outfits worn by hosts and hostesses, or an equal representation of the two genders in these roles, will form part of the UCI World Championships Organisation Guides, and will come into effect from the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck-Tirol (Austria). There has been a recent push to remove podium hostesses from postrace ceremonies altogether, but Lappartient said in March that that will not be enforced by the UCI. He said that he is aware of the gender biases that go along with the traditional role but says that compromises can be made to have a more respectful protocol while retaining cycling’s podium customs.
Cyclingnews
By Isabel Best
W
Cyclingnews
HILE Simon Yates made history as one of three British riders to win all the men’s three-week Grand Tours in one year, women’s cycling made history in a more modest way, with the first-ever women’s stage race at the Vuelta a España—all two days of it. While the mountains of Andorra, Covadonga and the Balcón de Bizkaia provided an epic stage for the men, the women got to show what they could do with a flat time trial, followed by a sprinter’s circuit around Madrid. Over the summer, the subject of equality in men’s and women’s racing has been a frequent topic, with debate continually revolving around the same themes: Why isn’t there a women’s Tour de France? Why is it so hard to watch the Giro Rosa? Why, with the exception of the Giro’s 10 days of racing, does the International Cycling Unon (UCI) only allow six days maximum for a women’s stage race, while the minimum number of stages for a men’s Grand Tour is 15? If women’s stage racing is so limited, it begs the question, can women even ride a three-week Grand Tour? And if so, why does the UCI limit women’s stage racing?
PHYSIOLOGY
“TO me it’s really obvious—there’s no physiological or any other reason why women couldn’t also do a three-week event,” says Dr. Ross Tucker, of Science of Sport, which draws on the latest scientific research to shed light on debates and controversies within the sporting world. “Of course they are capable of it. The only barrier is a socio-cultural one.” He points out that, “elite marathon runners all run 160 to 200 kilometers per week, male and female, and that’s over many more weeks than three. “Cycling seems to me to be where running was in the 1940s,” he adds. He cites the famous case of the 1928 Olympics, where a number of women allegedly collapsed at the finish of the 800-meter running race (a myth, incidentally, that was effectively debunked in a 2012 Runner’s World article). The Olympic committee used this early example of “fake news” to limit women’s track racing to distances of no more than 200 meters—for the next 30 years. It wasn’t until 1984 that women got to run the marathon in the Olympics. That same year saw female riders get their first Olympic road race. But while there are no longer any distance limits for female runners, who compete in ultra marathons and Iron Man triathlons, the distances for female cyclists are still
severely truncated compared to men. For example, in a WorldTour stage race, the maximum distance for an individual women’s stage is 160 km, while for a men’s stage it’s 240 km. The maximum average daily distance is 140 km for the women and 180 km for the men. Those are differences of between 22 and 33 percent. This doesn’t even take into account the other ways difficulties are removed from women’s races, such as this year’s controversial World Championships route in Innsbruck, where women won’t be riding the notorious “Hell Climb” that features on the last lap of the men’s race. The irony is that women are arguably better endurance athletes than men. There’s no shortage of anecdotal evidence suggesting they have a natural talent for going long and hard, and there are even a few stories of them beating men in this respect. In 1940, Pat Hawkins broke the Australian men’s record for seven days’ continuous cycling. More famously, in 1967, Beryl Burton broke a men’s record of nine years’ standing in the 12hour time trial. The qualities that make for a good endurance athlete are arguably more complex than what makes a good sprinter, and it’s consequently hard to compare men and women with scientific precision. In running, however, “if you match men and women for performance at shorter distances, the women outperform the men at longer ones,” Tucker says. So if you compare men and women who have similar 10 km or 21 km times, “the women tend to be faster than the men at the marathon. And this is not universally true, but it is broadly the case.” It appears that, “other factors help women relatively more than men. These may be metabolic, may be psychological, [we’re] not really sure, but women do come into their own over longer distances. “There is such a thing as the female triad—eating disorders, amenorrhoea and decreased bone mineral density—which is more common in sports where weight is a factor, and of course, cycling will be such a sport,” Tucker acknowledges. “However, I’d contend that what we see in men’s cycling these days is actually not all that different.” He cites research revealing reduced bone mineral density in elite male riders and points out; “I don’t think anyone can reasonably think athletes can get as skinny as the ones we see in men’s cycling without a combination of extremely aggressive dieting [which is a euphemism] and doping. I doubt even the most enthusiastic supporter thinks that the extremes of endurance sport are healthy. Or they shouldn’t.” Cycling, of course, has a long history of being physically punishing. Famously, Henri
UCI to roll out rules for ‘more respectful’ podium ceremonies
T
HE recent push to remove podium hostesses from postrace ceremonies will not be enforced by the International Cycling Union (UCI). UCI President David Lappartient is aware of the gender biases that go along with the traditional role but says that compromises can be made to have a more respectful protocol while retaining cycling’s podium customs. In an interview with Telegraph, Lappartient said that the UCI will introduce new guidelines for podium procedures which will keep podium hostesses but may also, instead, feature local women and men in traditional costume. “The UCI is reconsidering its medal award ceremonies to ensure the protocol is respectful of all participants,” Lappartient told The Telegraph. “We will set new guidelines, starting with UCI events such as World Championships, and disseminate them across all UCI-registered events.” At the recent UCI Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, podium awards were handed out by hostesses
wearing official UCI uniforms. Any new guidelines will be implemented gradually across UCI-registered races. The pressure is on for event promoters to do away with the dated tradition completely, particularly after the Professional Darts Corp. (PDC) removed “walk-on women” and Formula 1 announced that it would replace “grid girls” with “grid kids” this season. Tour de France organizers, ASO, have said they would consider ending the use of podium girls. The UCI president said that there have been discussions in Aigle about the various issues surrounding cycling’s traditional roles of “podium girls” such as models being hired to wear revealing clothing and lead the podium process of handing out awards and kissing the athletes’ cheeks for photographers and fans. Lappartient has no intention of following the PDC or Formula 1 by completely removing podium hostesses, but he would rather see them treated more respectfully.
TOUR de France is considering bringing an end to the tradition of using podium girls to hand out prizes at the race.
“The important thing is that it is respectful,” Lappartient said. “I think we can have a mix. Sometimes I think it’s nice to have local women or men hand out the jerseys and the flowers in traditional
costume from that area. Sometimes children maybe. “What is important, I think, is that the costumes are not degrading in any way, and no one is being exploited.” Cyclingnews
irror CYCLING
mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, February 9, 2019
A7
EN RACE A 3-WK GRAND TOUR? THE irony is that women are arguably better endurance athletes than men. There’s no shortage of anecdotal evidence suggesting they have a natural talent for going long and hard, and there are even a few stories of them beating men in this respect.
Desgrange, the Tour’s founder, once fantasized about making his race so hard, only one rider would make it back to Paris. When the Pélissier brothers caused a scandal by abandoning it in 1924, they spelled out in gothic detail the ways in which they suffered: “We’re drained all the time by diarrhea,” they told journalist Albert Londres. “We can’t sleep at night. We’re twitching as if we’ve got St Vitus’s Dance.... And our toenails. I’ve lost six. They fall off a bit at a time all through the stage.” Then they emptied out their pockets to show what helped them get through it all: “There’s cocaine for our eyes and chloroform for our gums.... “We’re a long way now from the 400-km stages that were a feature of early 20th-century racing, but it’s a concern for riders’ well-being that lies at the heart of the UCI’s limitations— not just for women but also men—on the number of days and overall distances in races. [Perhaps equally importantly, those limitations seek to eliminate any perceived ‘need’ to dope, given a lot of cheating in endurance sport is not really about going faster, but suffering for longer.]’” So, are health concerns the reason for limiting women’s stage races? When I put this question to the UCI, a spokesperson echoed
Tucker’s comments regarding the female triad, adding, “One of the objectives of the new UCI medical program will be to prevent these incidences on female riders.” However, there was no specific confirmation that this was the rationale for the shorter race distances. Iris Slappendel has her doubts on the UCI limiting women’s stage racing simply for health reasons. A recently retired pro, she heads up The Cyclists’ Alliance, which works closely with the UCI and other stakeholders to improve conditions for female riders. She points out that many of the UCI’s rules have been in place for many years, and have been slow to evolve, adding that until a few years ago there were even regulations regarding the average age of riders on a women’s team. The limitations on stage races were introduced in 2001 or 2002, however, not 1972, which doesn’t count as ancient history if you were born in the 20th century. Thibaut Pinot’s dramatic abandon from this year’s Giro d’Italia with pneumonia suggests the UCI could also do more to prevent male riders from pushing themselves to such physical extremes. Perhaps the men, too, should have shorter races? When asked if the UCI discussed these concerns, their spokesman said, “The UCI Medical Commission is very attentive to the fact that the Grand Tours does
not go through the exhaustion of riders and dropping out for medical reasons. Regulating the duration of the stages should allow a better recovery of the riders, without affecting the show of the race,” which suggests they reckon they’ve already got the right formula for men. What makes these disparities between men and women suspicious, apart from the sense that the UCI isn’t paying proper attention to sports science, is the fact that they exist at much shorter distances, such as the 4,000-meter Individual Pursuit for men on the track, compared to the 3,000 meters for women, or the men’s 1,000-meter sprint time trial, compared to the women’s 500 meters. What possible justification can there be for these differences, other than simple, old-fashioned chauvinism?
HISTORIC PRECEDENTS
THIS summer a group of women made headlines by riding the Tour de France route one day ahead of the men. It was an impressive achievement, although no doubt cynics will point out that it wasn’t ridden as a race. They might want to consider this instead: in 2014 teammates Evelyn Stevens and Trixi Worrack rode two back-to-back stage races—the women’s Giro Rosa in Italy followed by the Thüringen Rundfahrt in Germany—entailing 17 consecutive
days of racing and what would have been a more than eight-hour transfer between both countries. Even more remarkably, Stevens won the German race, thanks in part to a dominating time trial on Stage 3. Talking about her 17-day ‘tour’ afterwards, she said, “I actually felt I got stronger and a little bit tougher as time went on,” and she went into the time trial feeling confident: “it comes to a point where you realize you’re not going to have good legs, but you have the ability to suffer.” Naysayers might also want to consider female participants in the Race Across America, which is approximately 30 percent longer than the Tour de France, and is ridden without stopping. Seana Hogan, the current record holder, did it in nine days and four hours in 1995. We should also mention Alfonsina Strada, who in 1924 became the only woman who has ever been allowed to participate in a men’s Grand Tour. The same year the Pélissiers left the Tour de France in a huff, Strada rode the entire 3,613-km Giro d’Italia, featuring 12 stages averaging over 300 km. After a crash that broke her handlebars on the eighth day of racing, she failed to make the time cut and was taken off the general classification, but she was nonetheless allowed to continue to the end. Out of the 90 riders who started, she was one of only 30 who finished. But even very recently, there was a golden
Prudhomme: Impossible to organize women’s Tour de France in July
T
OUR de France Race Director Christian Prudhomme has said it would be impossible to stage a full women’s Tour de France during the men’s race in July. Prudhomme said he still wanted to develop women’s cycling but that the logistics of it would prevent organizer ASO from running two stage races concurrently in July. Hosting the Tour de France requires a lot of work with the authorities and there is a traveling band of police and firefighters. According to an article published by Velon,
some 29,000 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were sent by the French Home office during the 2018 race. “I would not know how to organize a second event during the Tour de France,” Prudhomme told Eurosport program. “We do not know, and we would never get permission. It is impossible to do. “We organize many other competitions and want to develop women’s cycling, but this is a no. Simply because we do not know how to do that during the Tour de France.” ASO currently runs the one-day La Course
during the Tour de France, but there have been calls for ASO to revive a multiday version of the event. UCI President David Lappartient has urged ASO to expand the event to 10 days and add a women’s Paris-Roubaix—another race run by ASO—to the calendar. There was previously a women’s race called the Grande Boucle Feminine Internationale that ran for 26 editions before it was canceled after the 2009 race, which was won by Emma Pooley.
At present, the only Grand Tour on the women’s calendar is the 10-day Giro d’Italia Femminile (also known as the Giro Rosa), which has run since 1988, though it was not held in 1991 and 1992. Cyclingnews CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME says he still wanted to develop women’s cycling, but that the logistics of it would prevent organizer ASO from running two stage races concurrently in July.
age of women’s stage racing that most people, it seems, have completely forgotten. Women’s racing entered the modern era in 1984 with the Olympics and with the first women’s Tour de France. That Tour was created by the same race organizer, and was held on the same roads and on the same days as the men’s race. Félix Lévitan would in all likelihood have made it exactly the same, were it not for the UCI capping the race at 18 stages and limiting the stage distances. A host of women’s stage races were launched that year, including the Ore-Ida Women’s Challenge, which eventually became known as the toughest women’s stage race of all, with 17 days of racing. Inga Thompson won it in 1987 and 1990, when the UCI refused to ratify it. By the late 1990s there were three major stage races on the women’s calendar: the somewhat tamed yet tremendously successful Women Challenge, then sponsored by Hewlett Packard, which offered the biggest prize purse of any US race, male or female, and the women’s Giro and the Grande Boucle Féminine (as the women’s Tour de France was now known), which were both two weeks long. French TV offered one hour highlights of the latter race every evening. For Nicole Cooke, at that point a precociously talented teenager growing up in Wales, the future of women’s cycling looked bright. When she first rode the women’s Grande Boucle in 2002 it was two weeks long. Yet, by the time she took the first of her two overall victories there, in 2006, it was down to six stages. By the time she retired, in 2013, it had completely disappeared. The decline of women’s stage racing since the early 2000s is a long and complex story that warrants unpacking in greater detail, but to put it briefly, the problem of sponsors walking away is only a fraction of the story, an outward symptom of a blight affecting the whole ecosystem of women’s racing. “There’s been a lot of outstanding and quite astonishing decisions made by the people running the sport,” says Cooke, “and it has all led to an essentially very tragic downfall of the women’s Tour de France.” Cooke remembers that two-week Tour de France in 2002 as, “an amazing showcase of women’s cycling,” featuring stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees. “The competition was really fierce in terms of the best riders doing it because it was the high point of the calendar. “It certainly isn’t a question of ‘could they do a three-week tour’—they definitely can,” says Cooke. This brings us to the elephant in the room: for all that might be said about the brilliance of striving to put on a women’s race that was the equal of the Tour de France, one person I spoke to, who prefers to remain anonymous, said that those early years of the women’s Tour did a lot of harm to the women’s sport. The event was chaotic; the teams were hastily cobbled together and featured amateurs who in most instances had never ridden together, let alone competed in a stage race. They had no idea of tactics. A few brilliant riders would dominate the race, while the rest of the peloton trailed behind, like participants in cyclosportive. It wasn’t, according to my source, very exciting to watch. As a consequence, the boy’s club of cycling correspondents didn’t bother giving it the time of day. All this changed in the early 1990s with the end of the Soviet Union and the arrival of some highly competitive and motivated Lithuanian riders who became a catalyst for the—by now more experienced—women’s peloton to up its game even further. The same person who critiqued those early years of racing declared that by the end of the decade, women’s cycling was as exciting as anything you could watch on the men’s calendar. Unfortunately, the cycling press had already walked away. The women’s peloton in 2018 is a world away from the brave pioneers of the 1980s, but every rider I spoke to was in agreement that a three-week race couldn’t be introduced overnight, and would have to emerge over time. There was little doubt, however, that the riders could put on a good show. As Cooke puts it: “Is women’s racing interesting? Yes, absolutely. Do they know how to race, the tactics? Yes, absolutely. It’s more of a question of: why don’t
they have a showcase?”
WHAT IS THE UCI’S POSITION ON LONGER WOMEN’S STAGE RACES?
WHILE I didn’t get a clear explanation from the UCI about their rationale for limiting women’s races, they did suggest there were practical considerations given that the current women’s calendar is already quite full: there isn’t really room for a 23-day race without overlapping with existing events. Because women’s teams are much smaller than men’s teams, and consequently don’t have the resources to send two sets of riders to two simultaneous events, having races that clash is something the UCI seeks to avoid at all costs. The UCI also pointed out that they haven’t received any applications for a three-week women’s race, but added: “The UCI would, of course, be open to exploring future opportunities should they arise in the future.” Slappendel contends it could be fairly easy for a well-run six-day stage race to get permission to extend to 10 days. Indeed, she indicated there was interest from within the UCI to do just that with the OVO Energy Women’s Tour of Britain—widely regarded as a beacon of modern women’s stage racing, with fully televised stages and an equal prize purse to the men’s race—but that resistance to expansion came from other quarters.
QUESTIONS OF ECONOMICS
THIS is perhaps the moment to consider the economics of women’s racing, and the argument that no one watches women’s racing, and so it has no appeal for sponsors. Consequently, women’s stage races are not worth the effort that goes into putting them on, since organizing races is an expensive business, and no matter how passionate the organizers might be, they have to, at the very least, break even. Why would anyone in their right mind organize a three-week women’s race? The no appeal/no sponsors argument is, of course, a catch 22. If fans can’t watch or read about a race, how are they supposed to find it interesting? And if there’s no audience, what is the appeal for brands hoping to reach new customers? Thankfully this argument is becoming increasingly dated. Women’s cycling is growing, both professionally and recreationally, and media coverage, though it still leaves a lot to be desired, has vastly improved in the last 10 years. The emergence of new brands making women’sspecific products generates advertising, which in turn puts pressure on media outlets to cover the women’s sport more extensively. Teams and riders are no longer waiting for traditional media but finding their audiences directly via social media. Olympic success—and the TV coverage that came with it—in Britain, in particular, has turned some of these riders into celebrities with followers in the hundreds of thousands. The UCI, too, has thrown its weight behind efforts to secure more TV coverage. After the creation of the Women’s WorldTour series in 2016, TV viewer figures of the races increased by 55 percent, from 80 million in 2016 to 124 million in 2017, and that figure is set to be much greater by the end of this season. Likewise, broadcast hours increased from 310 to 650 hours in the same time frame. These things are cumulative, generating further interest, coverage and revenue. Modest though it may still be, we can now talk about a women’s cycling economy, a notion that would have made Beryl Burton— who often had to pay her own way to compete at the World Championships—no doubt choke on her cup of tea. Moreover, the OVO Energy Women’s Tour, and the Women’s Tour de Yorkshire, both of which made historic decisions to offer equal prize purses for the men’s and women’s versions of their races, and which have so far shown no outward sign of financial distress since their creation in 2014 and 2015, respectively, suggest that a properly planned and implemented women’s stage race is certainly financially viable. It doesn’t seem such a wild fantasy, given time, to imagine one of these races evolve into an event of two weeks or more.
OurTime BusinessMirror
A8 Saturday, February 9, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos
Senior citizens await creation of ‘super body’ for older sector
T
HE recent passage of a bill institutionalizing a national commission for senior citizens in both the House of Representatives and the Senate has buoyed the hopes of millions of senior citizens, who have been clamoring for a better implementation of several laws and policies providing for their needs. For years, senior citizens have gone through a maze of different government agencies and institutions just to get the benefits due them. But this situation will soon become a thing of the past once House Bill (HB) 8837 is enacted into law. HB 8837, which was adopted by the Senate, was approved on third and final reading by both Chambers of Congress last January 29. The proposed measure aims to “create a cohesive government agency that will implement and enforce the laws and monitor compliance, to properly address the needs of senior citizens.” The body will be named the National Senior Citizens Commission (NSCC). Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Fancisco G. Datol Jr., the principal author of HB 8837, said the NSCC will be responsible for the implementation of all policies, plans and programs for the welfare of senior citizens. “With the creation of the NSCC, the implementation of several laws and policies on senior citizens will now be synchronized in one body,” Datol said in a press briefing. “We will have a high-level government agency looking after seniors and run by seniors,” he added. Under the proposed measure, the NSCC would be an agency attached to the Office of the President. The commission will be composed
of a chairman and six commissioners who will serve for seven years. The chairman and commissioners, who must be at least 60 years old, shall be appointed by the President. The six commissioners will be apportioned to oversee clusters of regions in the country based on the number of senior citizens in the area. The commissioners to be deployed in a geographic region must come from that region. Datol said this provision is meant to ensure the commission is truly in touch with the plight of its constituents and close enough to see to it that the services to seniors are indeed being delivered at the local government and community levels. “Priorities would be the indigent senior citizens in depressed areas,” he said. Meanwhile, regional directors will directly handle the activities of the different Office of Senior Citizen Affairs (Osca) in their respective assigned regions. The Osca shall be appointed by the commission upon recommendation of the respective regional directors using the parameters or qualifications stated in RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. The terms of office of Osca heads and regional directors shall be at the pleasure of the commission.
Datol said the creation of the NSCC as the national implementing and coordinating body linking all the Osca of LGUs nationwide would finally depoliticize the issuance of senior citizens’ identification cards. “The Osca will now be removed from the direct control and supervision of the mayors. Senior citizens won’t be politicized anymore,” he said. Citing findings during the committee hearings, Datol noted that at present, some Osca are being used by the respective mayors as a means for their early campaigning by placing their names and pictures on Osca IDs and booklets. “On the same vein, senior citizens who oppose or contradict the mayors’ policies and mandates are left behind in terms of benefits, pensions and good opportunities,” he said. He said what is even worse is the fact that even rich senior citizens are granted pensions supposedly reserved for indigent senior citizens just because they are allies of incumbent officials. Datol was referring to the P500 monthly pension being received by indigent senior citizens under the social pension program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Citizens aged 60 and older who have no pension from private or government institutions, regular income, or support from their families may enroll in the program. Qualified senior citizens may apply at the Osca, the City or Municipal Social Welfare Development Office or a DSWD Regional Office. Applicants or their representatives must bring an Osca ID and birth certificate, or any document stating his or her date of birth. “If you are allied with the mayor, even if you are rich, as long as you are a leader, you will receive P500 in pensions. That’s why the authority to appoint Osca personnel is removed from the mayor,” Datol said.
Datol cited the case of a Metro Manila city, where only 17,000 out of the around 350,000 senior citizens were receiving the universal pension of P500. Upon investigation, they found out that most of those receiving pensions lived in subdivisions, and even had children working abroad. Datol, however, clarified that removing Osca under the direct control of the mayors would not mean that mayors would be completely stripped of supervision. “They are free from giving additional benefits and reasonable restrictive measures so long they are not in contravention of the objectives and policies set by the commission,” he said. “However, all benefits for senior citizens provided by the DSWD, the LGUs and other agencies will be under the commission. On this score, the NSCC will now become relatively independent and free from the political clout or claws of politicians,” Datol said. Datol said senior citizens like him eagerly await the full implementation of HB 8837. He said since the measure was adopted by the Senate, there is no need for the bill to go through a bicameral committee conference so it would be sent immediately to Malacañang after printing for President Duterte’s signature. “We are sure that President Duterte will immediately sign the measure once it reaches his desk, because we all know that he is a living legend among senior citizens and fully supports this bill,” Datol said. “I also hope that President Duterte will immediately constitute the NSCC by appointing its chairman and commissioners by this coming summer. We could have a fully operational NSCC by around Grandparents Day on September 18 with the approval of the implementing rules and regulations by that time,” he said. PNA
Nazi’s paintings fund foundation for Jews
B
GRANDPA’S SAMPAGUITA BLOOMS Despite his elderly age of 79, Lolo Isidro Perez still manages to sell sampaguita blooms within the busy streets of Santiago City, Isabela. Lolo Isidro claims he earns P400 up to P500 on only four hours of work. He has been doing the job for 20 years now. CEASAR M. PERANTE
ERLIN—When Hilde Schramm inherited several paintings collected by her father, Hitler’s chief Arch. and Armaments Minister Albert Speer, she was only sure of one thing: She didn’t want them. Despite determining they probably hadn’t been looted from Jews during World War II, she wanted their legacy to somehow benefit others. So she huddled with friends around a rickety green table at her home-office in Berlin and came up with a plan to sell them and use the proceeds to support Jewish women’s creative projects in Germany. In 1994, that became the Zurueckgeben foundation, a project for which Schramm received an Obermayer German Jewish History Award. The honor was established by an American Jewish philanthropist to recognize the efforts of non-Jewish Germans to keep alive their nation’s Jewish cultural past. The foundation’s name translates as “return” or “give back” but also can mean “restitution,” and Schramm said it was intentionally chosen to emphasize its goal of raising awareness at a time when looted Jewish property and art was a little talked-about issue. “It was very much our point with this word ‘Zurueckgeben,’ which in a way is a provocation, because in a way nobody really can give back, to raise consciousness about the injury that had been done very broadly in Germany,” she told The Associated Press. Today, there’s a wider understanding that the Nazis plundered precious artworks and other property from Europe’s Jews, partially because of recent stepped-up German government efforts to identify heirs and organize restitution, and the popular 2014 Hollywood film The Monuments Men. But most of the focus has been on the big-ticket items like precious paintings and sculptures. Schramm’s foundation encourages Germans to take stock of the more mundane items in their households and question where they came from. In part it’s to fight the cliche perpetrated by the Nazis that all Jews were rich and powerful, and also to dispel the notion that only the Nazi elite profited at the expense of the Jews. “Let it come close to your families and look at what other ways the German population did profit. When Jews were expelled from their jobs, of course non-Jewish Germans could take their job,” Schramm said. “It’s not only the question of real objects being robbed, but their whole existence. This is to raise awareness that it did reach almost every family, a kind of involvement or profiting.” AP
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Intimations of immortality By Nick Tayag
MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH
D
O I believe in reincarnation as Hindus and Buddhists do? As a lifelong Catholic, I have been indoctrinated not to believe it. But now, I’m open to it. Viewed from another perspective I believe that all of us get “reincarnated” somehow. Although maybe not as commonly and as traditionally perceived. This thought struck me as I was watching a bad science-fiction movie on cable television where the lead character (supposedly an alien from another galaxy) says to the young mother whose son is apparently dead: “Your son did not die. He will come back to life. Nature wastes nothing.” I was about to laugh at what I thought was atrocious dialogue, but then, I stopped when it dawned on me: Yes, that’s true! You don’t really die in a way; you just get reconstituted into something or someone else. Science tells us the cells that make up our bodies come from the universe. In the final scene of the sci-fi film Gattaca, Ethan Hawke’s character Jerome says that every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. In his book entitled Cosmos, Carl Sagan explains at length how the matter we are made of comes from stars. Your body contains trillions of atoms, of many different elements. There are atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, carbon and nitrogen, but your body also contains many atoms of calcium, nickel, potassium, iron, even gold! In all, there are 92 different types of atoms, most of which can be found in the molecules that make up the tissues of our body. Since we know that when the universe formed, the only elements around were hydrogen and helium. Where did all these other types of atoms come from? The answer is quite startling. All the atoms in your body, other than helium and hydrogen, were manufactured in the center of a supernova—a star that once existed, but destroyed itself in a gigantic explosion and spewed the heavy elements they created into the space around them. In fact, science tells us that all of the heavier elements that went into forming the Earth, the ground, the biosphere came from this interstellar gas cloud. And so did all the elements in your body! Right now, some of the elements
such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium or whatever that hold up our bodies may have even come from outer space—another planet or a star that has exploded. So yes, we are made of dead stars. But some elements don’t have to come from a dead star. Some of the atoms may have come from another body that has died, decayed and disintegrated. In fact, so science tells us, throughout our life, our bodies are constantly changing, in the sense that the cells of our organs— heart, brain, intestines, liver, lungs, etc.—age, decay, and disintegrate and are replaced by new cells, new atoms, new elements derived from something or someone else. Think of this: The atoms of people who came before you could now be part of you and, therefore, in you. So the guy who proclaimed we are all part of the universe has a point, after all. This is probably what led the poet Jane Hirshfield declare in her poem “My Proteins,” thus: Ninety percent of my cells, they have discovered, Are not my own person. They are other beings inside me. Nothing is lost. You die and your atoms become part of some living thing or human being in the future. After our bodies decompose, the atoms exist as nutrients in the ground. Eventually, a plant will soak up these nutrients, and the atoms become part of the plant. Then, another animal may eat the plant, and the atoms become part of the animal. Then that animal dies, and the process starts over again. This is called the “cycle of life.” I read somewhere that this return to the system is so dramatic that every person alive has a substantial number of atoms in them that once belonged to Shakespeare or Rizal or Confucius. In a sense, you come back to life. Having said that, my Catholic upbringing has taught me to believe in a soul that is indestructible, that does not die, decay or disintegrate. But whatever, the indestructibility of the soul is just a bonus for me. Just the thought that my atoms now will later on be used to compose another life is assuring enough for me. In death, let yourself be a part of what is called the great cycle of life and “reincarnated” as another form of life. Thus, you become—do I dare say it—immortal!
Baguio solon seeks privileges for elders below 100 years old
B
AGUIO CITY—Baguio City Rep. Marquez “Mark” Go said House of Representatives Bill (HB) 8208, which is being proposed to substitute Republic Act (RA) 10868 or the Centenarian Act of 2016, was approved by the committee on senior citizens. The bill, which proposes to grant cash incentives to senior citizens aged 85, 90, 95 and 100, has been approved by the House Committee on Senior Citizens. “What we want to do is to advance these privileges to them before they reach the age of 100 so they can feel and appreciate such distinct recognition,” Go, author of HB 8208, said in interview. Go explained it is rare for people to reach the age of 100, and even if they do, they cannot fully enjoy the benefits of the law be-
cause they are already suffering from health problems. Under the bill, a senior citizen aged 85 and 90 will receive a cash gift of P25,000. Those who reach 95 will get P50,000, and when they reach 100, a cash gift of P100,000 will be granted to them, Go said. Under the Centenarian Law of 2016, only Filipino citizens reaching the age of 100 get a cash incentive. Aside from the cash incentive, the elderly will also receive a congratulatory letter from the President. “This will not be retroactive and there is no in-between application,” Go said. RA 10868 or “An Act honoring and granting additional benefits and privileges to Filipino centenarians,” otherwise known as the “Centenarians Act of 2016,” took effect on June 23, 2016. PNA
Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com
BusinessMirror
Saturday, February 9, 2019 A9
Google parent beats Q4 estimates, stock still drops BY RACHEL LERMAN The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO—Google parent company Alphabet beat Wall Street expectations for its fourth-quarter earnings on Monday, although its stock slid in afterhours trading over investor concerns about increased spending. Alphabet swung to a profit of $8.9 billion, up from a $3-billion loss in the same period a year ago due to the effects of a new federal tax law. Its revenue grew this quarter to $39.3 billion, up more than 21 percent from $32.3 billion last year. Alphabet’s earnings per share of $12.77 beat Wall
Street expectations of $10.86 per share, according to analysts polled by FactSet. But Alphabet also spent more on research and development and other expenses during the quarter, as it works to expand its cloud computing business and its long-term bets such as self-driving cars. Alphabet’s stock price dropped roughly 3 percent despite the beat in aftermarket trading on Monday. Analysts attributed the decline to Alphabet’s increased investment in its cloud business, YouTube and other areas it hopes to grow. Executives noted the company’s focus on expanding the cloud business during a call with analysts on Monday, as it races to compete against
rivals Amazon and Microsoft in the growing industry. Amazon currently leads in that market, followed by Microsoft and Google in a somewhat more distant third place. Late last year, Google brought in former Oracle Corp. Executive Thomas Kurian to lead its cloud business into what it hopes to be a rapid growth stage. Cloud bets are likely to start paying off in the coming years, said Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives. And it would be shortsighted to count Google out, though Amazon and Microsoft’s businesses are larger. “I think Microsoft and Amazon need to keep one eye open with Google,” he said. Google revenues from its “other” category, which
includes what it pulls in from cloud services and hardware, climbed more than 30 percent to $6.5 billion in the fourth quarter. Alphabet’s Other Bets business, which includes its self-driving car company Waymo and health-tech venture Verily, saw revenue rise to $154 million, up from $131 million in the year-ago period. But operating losses also ballooned to $1.3 billion, a 78-percent increase since the year-earlier quarter. Alphabet shares have climbed 9 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has risen roughly 9 percent. In the final minutes of trading on Monday, shares hit $1,141.42, a rise of 2 percent in the last 12 months.
How connectivity helps improve people’s lives PRIMETIME
DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ
Investment habits we can learn from millennials
@dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com
C
ONNECTIVITY has definitely changed how we live. We need connectivity to do our jobs and get in touch with people. We need it to keep abreast with what is happening in the country and the rest of our world. I mean, how many of us open Twitter or Facebook to read news in the morning? Or chat with family members, friends and colleagues on Viber or Messenger? Better connectivity means better lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has a good Internet connection. According to research firm OpenSignal, LTE availability in the Philippines was at 58.83 percent as of May 2018, placing the country at the 69th spot. But there is some good news. Residents of Barangays Guba and Bonbon in Cebu City, two mountainous barangays, now enjoy stronger cellular and data signal after Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) fired up two 4G LTE cell sites in the area. With the two new cell sites up and running, businesses and livelihoods and facilities like schools and hospitals can now tap mobile data services. Fr. Peter Necesario, parish priest of Santo Niño Parish in Guba, Cebu City, said that with stronger signal, they no longer feel isolated, especially during emergencies. “It is easier for us to communicate and be updated about the weather through the Internet,” Father Necesario said. Guba is a strategically located barangay with a community hospital and a church, so communications is very important. Resident Gemma Sandigan, 40, said the improved mobile phone service helps them address the needs of the community, especially with regards to health care. Gemma’s father was the former head of Guba Community Hospital. Since the community hospital is small, it can’t cater to complex health needs and has to refer patients to bigger hospitals. There are
ROBOT, KNOW THYSELF; MACHINES GET MORE SELF-AWARE NEW YORK—Forget dreaming of electric sheep. Robots first need to figure out how to imagine themselves. One New York robot has done just that. It’s learned that it’s a robotic arm using a process of self-simulation. Columbia University engineers have given the robot the ability to model itself without prior knowledge of physics or its own shape. The robot starts out moving randomly, but over time learns enough about itself to be able to perform tasks and even detect if it’s been damaged. Columbia mechanical engineering Prof. Hod Lipson says “selfawareness is the Holy Grail” of autonomy. He says there are ethical risks in gifting robots with self-awareness but also many benefits, including adaptability and resilience. The research was published last week in Science Robotics. AP
RESIDENTS of Barangays Bonbon and Guba can use the newly launched LTE network in their barangay to stay in touch with their families.
times when no vehicles are available to transport the patients. “With better signal, we can call for vehicles and ask for help in transferring patients to bigger hospitals faster,” said Gemma. The activation of two new cell sites is part of a larger rollout plan covering several more mountain barangays in Cebu City developed at the request of Mayor Tomas Osmeña. The city government plans to deploy new services for these communities that require improved mobile phone coverage and data services. In terms of education, better signal is also good news. For 14-year-old Grade 8 student Faith Mae P. Tabal, communication with teachers and classmates for school-related activities has become easier, now that she can use LTE for research and other school work. Meanwhile, in Barangay Bonbon, farmers are reaping the benefits of good signal and data connection. Flower farmer Donyo Tapia, 71, said that the better Smart signal has helped him a lot with his flower deliveries. “Stronger signal is a huge help. They [customers] can just call us when they order flowers. Even if we don’t have the flowers, we can still look for them,” he said. Tapia also shared that they have the phone numbers to the local market and the customers can now call them for orders anytime and anywhere. “We can make sure to deliver flowers immediately, especially rush orders, now that the signal is stronger, unlike before when we still had to go to higher places just to look for a signal. It was hard. Now, the signal is very strong anywhere.” Another thankful resident of Barangay Bonbon is 50-year-old micro-entrepreneur Marites Cabos. Upon experiencing stronger signal for calls and LTE for mobile data, she now sells Smart SIM cards in her store. “Before we didn’t have network signal from Smart; now, we finally have it. We are very thankful because this is a huge help for us here in Bonbon, especially because our children live far away. Now, I am also a
retailer here because the signal is faster. The LTE data [signal] is now very fast here in Bonbon,” she said. To date, over 80 percent of cell sites across Cebu now have LTE. This continuous expansion of LTE services across Cebu is part of the efforts to provide the best mobile data experience across the country. LTE is the best technology to help bring fast, affordable and reliable mobile Internet services to as many consumers as possible. It is also quickly upgradable to LTE-advanced (LTE-A), which can provide even greater capacity and speeds to users with capable smartphones. In Cebu, major cities like Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City, for example, already have LTE-A sites. To date, Smart has also already fulfilled its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to cover at least 90 percent of cities and municipalities to address the growing demand for broadband infrastructure and Internet access within three years from the grant of the use of frequencies by the NTC in 2016. Smart has increased its total LTE base station count across the country by 65 percent in the first three quarters of 2018. PLDT’s fiber-optic transmission and distribution network, the country’s most extensive fiber network at 221,000 kilometers, meanwhile, provides high-capacity fiber connections for these LTE base stations. For these continuous network upgrade efforts, both PLDT and Smart have been cited by third-party firms for being the country’s fastest network. Earlier this year, PLDT and Smart were cited for being the country’s fastest fixed and mobile networks for Q1Q2 2018, respectively, by Ookla, the global leader in Internet testing and analysis. Mobile analytics firm OpenSignal has also consistently cited Smart for having the country’s fastest LTE network in its past four study rounds. Parent company PLDT has committed historic levels of resources for network transformation. For 2018, PLDT capex was expected to reach P58 billion. ■
MILLENNIALS, or those born between 1981 and 1996, currently in their early-20s to mid-30s, have somehow earned the reputation for being an “entitled generation.” However, many of this generation have grown up to become professionals with permanent employment, or freelancers in the gig economy, a term this generation refers to for short-term independent contracts. “Millennials are very consumption-driven. They typically allocate a significant portion of their money for experiences such as travel, food and education. They save and invest to be able to finance their shortterm goals,” said Sheila Tan, president and CEO of BPI Asset Management and Trust Corp. MAKING THE MOST OF THE INTERNET WHEN it comes to getting information about savings and investments, millennials generally tap the Internet. “They are a generation of digital natives, hence they prefer transacting online through smartphones and laptops. It is equally important that they can view the status of their investments online anytime,” Tan said. According to the latest customer data from BPI, the average age of millennials who start to save and invest is 24 years old. “Since information is accessible at their fingertips, they make use of technology to research by watching videos, reading blogs and reviews, comparing financial product providers before choosing an investment product that is suitable to their needs,” explained Tan. Millennials believe that they have the power to plan their finances early because when it comes to investing, time is one’s greatest ally. The longer you are invested, the better you can mitigate risks. SAVE AND INVEST, EVEN IF IRREGULARLY A BPI study shows that the number of millennials with investments is increasing at a faster pace compared to older generations. According to Tan, a prevalent behavior of millennials is irregular investing wherein they only set aside money when they feel like it or when they feel the time is right to invest. Millennials gravitate toward more flexible investment products such as Unit Investment Trust Funds and Mutual Funds. While the investment habits of millennials seem erratic, they still strive to invest to be able to afford their lifestyle. Given their tech-savvy, youth, and eagerness to learn about saving and investing, the future remains bright for millennials. Non-millennials can certainly take a cue from them—make use of the Internet to learn about saving and investing, save and invest whenever you can and do so while aiming for the lifestyle you want.
A10 Saturday, February 9, 2019
BusinessMirror
/
www.businessmirror.com.ph
eSAKAY ELECTRIC JEEPS SERVICING MAKATI-MANDALUYONG COMMUTERS INTRODUCED TO RIDING PUBLIC
A BOX is scanned and weighed before at the Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island borough of New York. AP
Amazon has another ‘Prime’ holiday: Profit tops $3 billion N
BY JOSEPH PISANI The Associated Press
EW YORK—Amazon had another strong holiday season: Its quarterly profit topped $3 billion for the first time as revenue grew across many of its businesses, including online shopping, advertising and cloud computing. The company, however, issued an estimate for the current quarter’s revenue that was below what Wall Street analysts expected, sending its stock down about 5 percent in after-hours trading on Thursday. Amazon executives attributed the softness in this quarter to uncertainty about how new e-commerce rules in India could hurt sales in that country. They also said the company’s costs may increase this year from last year, as it spends on hiring, warehouse construction and other investments. Amazon, which recently surpassed Microsoft as the most valuable company in the United States, reported net income of $3.03 billion during the last three months of 2018. On a per share basis, it had earnings of $6.04, beating the $5.55 per share analysts expected, according to Zacks Investment Research. Revenue rose 20 percent to $72.38 billion, which also beat expectations. The Seattle-based company has boosted its profits in recent quarters as it expanded into businesses beyond online shopping. Its Amazon Web Services unit, which provides cloud computing services to the governments and companies, has become a big moneymaker, helping to offset the high costs of the retail business. Sales in the Web services unit grew 45
percent in the quarter. Its advertising division is now a multibillion-dollar business, selling ads to companies that want their products to show up first when shoppers search for things on the site. The company doesn’t say exactly how much its ad business makes, but its “other” revenue, which is mostly made up of the ad business, nearly doubled from a year ago. During the holidays, Amazon said a record number of people signed up for its Prime membership, but it didn’t provide specific numbers. Prime members pay $119 a year for free, fast shipping and other perks. The service is a way for the company to strengthen loyalty with shoppers. Amazon said that its voice-activated device, the Echo Dot, was its best-selling product, but didn’t say how many of the hockey puck shaped gadgets featuring its Alexa voice assistant it sold. “Alexa was very busy during her holiday season,” said CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos, in a statement on Thursday. Amazon has been making a big push into brickand-mortar stores, buying up the Whole Foods grocery chain and opening bookstores and cashierless convenience stores around the country. But sales at its physical stores slipped 3 percent from a year ago. It said those numbers didn’t include Whole Foods groceries that were bought online, and it noted sales were lower this year because it had five extra days of revenue in the quarter a year ago, due to an adjustment it made when it bought Whole Foods. If adjusted, the company said Whole Foods sales would be up about 6 percent. ■
THE LOVE MONTH GOES DIGITAL
WE always seem to lose the right words when we say “I love you”—but not anymore. For this heart-fluttering season of love, SM Supermalls shows infinite ways to tell these words without even speaking. Say your long-overdue affections to your loved ones by sending sweet digital love notes for a chance to win SM gift certificates. “As we continue to create new and interactive experiences for our customers, our SM digital love notes will open another fun-filled opportunity for everyone to express messages of love,” said SM Supermalls SVP for marketing, Jonjon San Agustin. Simply write a love note and upload your photos through the #CelebrateLoveAtSM: Digital Love Notes booth in select SM malls or online via www.smsupermalls.com/ CelebrateLoveAtSM. Selected love notes will be featured on LED screens in SM malls nationwide and at the SM Mall of Asia Globe. Surprise your loved ones when your love note is featured on LED screens from now to February 14. Send your digital love notes and see it posted online on or before February 28.
ESAKAY’S electric vehicle (EV) fleet that will soon ply one of Metro Manila’s busiest commuting routes between Makati and Mandaluyong, was introduced at a launch ceremony at the Circuit Events Grounds in Makati City on January 18. The need for EVs and green technology has never been more relevant. Land Transportation statistics from 2017 revealed over 10.4 million vehicles traverse the country’s road network, with 2.5 million of those jostling on the overburdened streets of Metro Manila alone. Reports from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association indicate total vehicle sales of 425,673 units in the same year. While there is the perception that fewer people are buying new cars due to higher excise taxes, rising inflation and increasing fuel prices, sales figures still managed an 18.4-percent growth rate. This brings new challenges to mitigate pollutants from a dependence on fossil fuels, prompting stakeholders to study how to reduce carbon emissions through the use of EVs. eSakay, an end to end electric transport solutions provider, helps address the country’s snowballing transportation concerns and answers the Department of Transportation’s gradual but inevitable shift in its massively ambitious 2017 Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). With an opportunity to play a significant role in the government’s PUVMP, eSakay, incorporated in 2018, applied for and eventually received provisional authority to operate 15 eJeeps for the Buendia MRT Station-Mandaluyong City Hall via Jupiter Street developmental route. The modern eJeeps from eSakay are 100 percent electric and emission-free, compliant with PUV innovations for the convenience and safety of the riding public: equipped with side entrances, onboard Wi-Fi, an automated fare-collection system, GPS tracking system, CCTV cameras, USB ports so passengers can charge their phones while traveling and others. The service will also have priority seating for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. “Meralco has long been an advocate for the wider use of electric vehicles in the country with the EV shuttling service and electric bike sharing program at the Meralco Center in Ortigas. It soon became clear to us that electric vehicles were indeed a viable transport solution. That’s when we partnered with private companies, government institutions and, now, public-transport operators who expressed keen interest in utilizing EVs for their transport needs,” said eSakay Chairman and Meralco Senior Vice President Alfredo S. Panlilio Present during the unveiling were Transportation Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Richmond M. de Leon, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Atty. Martin B. Delgra III, Energy Assistant Secretary Leonido J. Pulido III, Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay, Makati City Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo, Mandaluyong City Administrator Ernesto Victorino, Meralco Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, Meralco PowerGen President Rogelio S. Singson, Development Bank of the Philippines President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo, and Philippine Racing Club Inc. President and CEO Simeon S. Cua.
Study says brands, companies should leverage PHL’s lead in online, social-media use BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor DESPITE escalating concerns about the proliferation of fake news and bogus users online, as well as threats to data privacy, more and more Filipinos still connect to the Web that brands and enterprises cannot afford to miss the opportunity to reach out to them to help boost the growth of their businesses. Based on the Digital 2019 report released by Hootsuite and We Are Social, digital and social platforms continue to expand their footprints in the Philippines as 70 percent of Internet users spend money on e-commerce. The study, likewise, shows that they spend more time online at an average of 10 hours and two minutes, up from nine hours and 29 minutes in 2018. This made the Philippines surpass Thailand to become the nation that spends the longest time on the cyberspace.
More so, the country retained its global status as the champion of time spent on social media, with Filipino netizens spending an average of four hours and 12 minutes on social platforms. Such record is a substantial leap from the average of two hours and 16 minutes internationally. With the increased penetration of mobile phones in the country, it also opens a big opportunity for brands and enterprises, especially mobile commerce (m-commerce) providers, to sell their products or service online as local users prefer these tools. Given their penchant to turn to their handsets to access the Internet with an average time of use of four hours and 58 minutes, the second highest globally after Thailand, the local market is ideal as potential customers. The number of Filipino Internet users using m-commerce platforms is as robust (57 percent) as their mobile banking usage (54 percent)—both are higher than the global averages of 55 and 41 percent, respectively.
“To capture the attention of customers, brands need to rethink how they engage on social,” said Penny Wilson, CMO of Hootsuite. “Brands need to develop creative, socially led strategies to make the most of changing habits—especially when it comes to incorporating video and adapting to voice-controlled devices,” added Nathan McDonald, cofounder and Group CEO of We Are Social. Businesses, on the other hand, must be respectful of their customers’ privacy, while continuously creating personal one-on-one connections through a content that’s “important, interesting and timely to the audience, while being genuine and authentic to their brands,” Wilson stressed. Hootsuite is a social-media management provider, serving over 18 million people and employees of 80 percent of the Fortune 1000. We Are Social is a socially led creative agency, with a global team of more than 750 people in 13 offices globally.
BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Why do people still use fax machines?
T
LEGAL ACCEPTANCE
BY JONATHAN COOPERSMITH Texas A&M University
HE fax machine is a symbol of obsolete technology long superseded by computer networks—but faxing is actually growing in popularity. Four years ago, I wrote a history of 160 years of faxing, saying my book covered “the rise and fall of the fax machine.” The end I predicted has not yet come: Millions of people, businesses and community groups send millions of faxed pages every day, from stand-alone fax machines, multifunction printers and computer-based fax services. It turns out that in many cases, faxing is more secure, easier to use and better suited to existing work habits than computerbased messaging.
BUSINESSES OFTEN USE FAXES FAXING remains alive and well, especially in Japan and Germany—and in major sectors of the United States economy, such as health care and financial services. Countless e-mails flash back and forth, but millions of faxes travel the world daily, too. A worldwide survey in 2017 found that of 200 large firms, defined as companies with more than 500 employees, 82 percent had seen workers send the same number of, or even more, faxes that year than in 2016. A March 2017 unscientific survey of 1,513 members of an online forum for informationtechnology professionals found that 89 percent of them still sent faxes. The persistence of faxing—and the people who send faxes—is in part because the fax industry has adapted to accommodate new technologies. Fax machines still dominate, but both surveys suggested users were shifting to computer-based services, such as fax servers that let users send and receive faxes as electronic documents. Cloud-based fax services, which treat faxes as images or PDF files attached to e-mails, are also becoming more popular. These new systems can transmit faxes over telephone lines or the Internet, depending on the recipient, handling paper and electronic documents equally easily.
FAX’S longevity also benefits greatly from reluctance—both legal and social—to accept e-mail as secure and an e-mailed electronic signature as valid. Faxed signatures became legally accepted in the late 1980s and early 1990s in a series of legal and administrative decisions by state and federal agencies. The Electronic Signatures Act in 2000 also gave digital signatures legal power but institutional and individual acceptance followed only slowly—if at all. Even parts of the federal government preferred faxes over e-mail for many years thereafter. Not until 2010 did the Drug Enforcement Agency allow electronic signatures for Schedule II drugs like Ritalin and opiates, which comprised about 10 percent of all prescriptions. That meant a pharmacist could accept a faxed prescription but not one scanned and sent by e-mail. The most recent FBI Criminal Justice Information Services policy allows faxing from physical fax machines without encrypting the message, but demands encryption for all e-mail and Internet communications, including cloud-based faxing. It’s much harder to intercept faxes than unencrypted e-mail messages.
FAXING AND MEDICINE ANOTHER reason faxing hangs on is because competing technologies are weak. The health-care industry generates huge amounts of data for each patient. That should make it fertile ground for a fully digital record-keeping system, “where data can flow easily between patient, provider, caregivers, researchers, innovators and payers,” as Seema Verna, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, put it in a speech earlier this year. Federal privacy laws and deliberately incompatible standards, however, stand in the way. Immediately after the passage of the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, fax vendors retooled their transmission, reception and storage systems and procedures to protect patients’ personal records. Specifically, HIPAA-compliant fax systems ensure the correct number is dialed and limit who can see received faxes. Digital patient-information systems have struggled to meet the same standards of
administrative, technical and physical security. The Obama administration spent more than $25 billion encouraging doctors and hospitals to adopt electronic medical records systems. Crucially, rather than forcing competing systems to be compatible in order to receive federal support, the administration believed the market would decide on a standard to communicate. What actually happened was that competing companies deliberately created incompatible systems. Doctors’ offices and hospitals that use different records databases can’t communicate with each other digitally—but they can via fax. For many medical professionals, particularly independent physicians, faxing is far easier than dealing with expensive, hardto-use software that doesn’t actually do what it was supposed to: securely share patient information.
COMFORTABLE INERTIA ONE more personal factor preserving faxing is users’ reluctance to change. Small businesses who find that faxing meets all their needs have little reason to spend the money and effort to try a new technology for document exchange. Every company that prefers faxes inherently encourages all its customers and suppliers to keep faxing too, to avoid messing up existing ordering processes. It’s important to remember, too, that fax machines and multifunctional printers with a fax capability provide an inexpensive backup capability in case of technical problems with an Internet connection, or even a cyber attack, like the Russian attack on Estonia in 2007. Absent a compelling reason or some management or government mandate, people often don’t change technologies. This is true beyond faxing: I drive a 2005 Camry. There are plenty of cars that are better in some way—safer, more fuel-efficient, more comfortable— but so long as the Camry passes state inspections and performs adequately, I can avoid the challenges and costs of buying a new car and learning how to use its new features. Eventually the older generation of people more comfortable with faxing than e-mailing will fade away. Until then, however, fax machines will whirl away. ■
Saturday, February 9, 2019 A11
Connectivity needs to be addressed before jumping to 5G and other technologies BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES BEFORE embarking on the deployment cutting-edge technologies, the government and the private sector must first tackle the connectivity issue to ensure the smooth migration to more advanced technologies. “Connectivity is the key to push 5G, Internet of Things [IoT] and artificial intelligence [AI]. With robust connectivity, there will be a great boost on services in health, governance, education, agriculture and other important sectors,” said Sudev Bangah, managing director of IDC Asean, in a recent press briefing held in Makati City. Bangah said the education sector would play a key role in the utilization of these technologies, as it will be the lead actor in developing the talent. He added educators will need to develop a realistic view of the curriculum so they can create a proper road map for the future. “We will need skilled people in the future to handle such technologies,” he pointed out. For the basics, he said students must develop their critical thinking so they can have a strong foundation in their studies. On the bright side, he said the millennial generation is already capable of using AI because they are the driving the use of AI, as they demand for more information in their activities such as shopping, education and travel. As far as Philippines organizations are concerned, Bangah said it is quite important for them to develop a clear road map for their digital agenda. Furthermore, he cautioned this demands “a long investment plan based on the principle that digital is inherently valuable to the business, and a single digital platform to scale technology innovations.” Aside from pushing these technical aspects, he said digital determination would require organizations to make the required organizational and cultural changes to “better adapt in today’s digital transformation age.” “New technologies are changing paradigms for individuals, businesses, industries, economies and governments. The race to the future enterprise has begun. And with digital disruption becoming the new normal, no entity will be spared of the need to at least resist or reboot themselves, if not reinvent,” he said. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is the government lead agency in planning, developing and promoting the national ICT development agenda. In coordination with the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the DICT will develop and promote ICT in education in line with the national goals and objectives, responding to the human resource needs of the ICT and ICT-enabled services.
Apple’s top retail exec to leave amid iPhone sales slowdown SAN FRANCISCO—Apple’s top retailing executive is stepping down amid a slowdown in iPhone sales that has raised doubts about the company’s future growth prospects. The shake-up announced on Tuesday ends Angela Ahrendts’s five-year stint overseeing Apple’s 506 retail stores and e-commerce operations. She is being replaced by Deirdre O’Brien, a longtime Apple executive who also runs the company’s humanresources department. Ahrendts will
remain with Apple until April. During her 30 years at Apple, O’Brien also helped gauge product demand. That issue has become a problem now that customers are holding onto their current iPhones longer instead of buying the latest models. It’s one reason Apple posted disappointing iPhone sales during the past holiday shopping season. Although Apple sells iPhones and other products such as the iPad and Mac computer through a wide variety of merchants, its own elegantly designed
stores have become a pivotal outlet, especially during the first few weeks after a new device hits the market. “It was clear that Apple needed new strategies and a potential change on this front to catalyze demand in and outside the all-important retail stores,” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives. Apple didn’t give a reason for Ahrendts’s departure, saying only that she is leaving “for new personal and professional opportunities.” Ahrendts, 58, joined Apple amid great
fanfare in 2014 after CEO Tim Cook persuaded her to leave a glamorous job running the fashion brand Burberry. To lure her away, Apple gave Ahrendts company stock valued at $70 million in 2014. In her last full year at Apple, she received a compensation package valued at $26.5 million, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ahrendts’s arrival at the Cupertino, California, company coincided with the rollout of the Apple Watch, which the company designed to be a fashion
statement in addition to a wearable piece of technology. While at Apple, Ahrendts engineered renovations of high-profiles stores in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and other cities in an attempt to transform them into hip places to hang out while shoppers checked out the company’s latest innovations. Her lofty description of the stores as the equivalent of “town squares” became the subject of derision among some analysts and media commentators. AP
Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com
BusinessMirror
Saturday, February 9, 2019 A12
For the love, and the loveless THE TECHNIVORE ED UY
whereiseduy@gmail.com
X
IN Nián Kuài Lè!, Gong Xi Fá Cái!, Cái Yuán Guang Jìn!, Zhao Cái Jìn Bao! and Kung Hei Fat Choi! to all our Chinese readers and friends. And though we are just about done with all the Chinese New Year celebrations, red is still the color of the month, as we are just a few days away from Valentine’s Day. According to Marites Allen, the so-called Feng Shui Queen of the Philippines, the Year of the Boar (or Pig) shows the presence of the Five Elements, indicating that great opportunities will be available for everyone. She says it’s a good time for relationships, and overall a good time to get married and to start a family, especially since having children who are born in the year of the Pig are considered very lucky by the Chinese. The Earth is a symbol associated with longevity, stability and self-control, and those born this year will have plenty of great things in their lives. The best months of 2019 for giving birth are: May, June, July, August and September. According to the Chinese wisdom, the best chances of having a baby boy are if he is conceived in July and if the mother is 18, 20, 30 and 42 years old. Meanwhile, the best chances for having a baby girl occur if she is conceived in April and the mother is 21, 22 and 29 years old. The Feng Shui Master, however, cautions those who are “in a relationship” to be careful, as they might be involved in third-party interventions and even sex scandals to those who are married. For singles, or those just starting a romantic relationship, she advises them to take things step by step, to ensure that there is always common understanding, and one in which both can plan ahead and progress together. So how would you know your luck for 2019? Marites Allen has an almanac and a separate book for each animal sign detailing the best days and even hours for you. She also has a free app on Google Play so you can view your daily forecast.
LUCK AND LOVE YOUR daily fortune isn’t the only thing you can find on an app. With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, and if you belong to the NBSB or NGSB (no boyfriend/
girlfriend since birth) club, this might be the year to finally try your luck on those dating apps. There’s Tinder, CMB (or Coffee Meets Bagel), happn, OKCupid, TopFace, Meetup, LOVOO and a lot of other apps (just check out the reviews first!) you could download to meet new people according to your preference. Just be careful and don’t be embarrassed to bring a friend along during your first “date.” And if they really are interested, I’m sure they won’t mind the extra company—as long as you don’t make them pay for everything. Who knows you might actually find him—or FindHer. Still need a bit of inspiration? That shout-out, if it still isn’t obvious, is for FindHer, the first online series from Smart Stories. Produced by Smart in partnership with Epicmedia and Bent 8L Buzz, the seven-part romantic-comedy online series revolves around three individuals who contend with the complexities of love in a time of smartphones and dating apps. Smart dropped the FindHer teaser last week, sending netizens abuzz over the quintessential dilemma of modem-day dating: Is love online? The first four episodes will be available starting on February 9, while the final three episodes will break on February14, Valentine’s Day. The series features actors Bie Ruaro as Lia, Dionne Monsanto as Aika and Vance Larena as Gabe. Ruaro recently starred in Dog Days, a feature film at the 2018 QCinema International Film Festival, while ex-Pinoy Big Brother housemate Monsanto is known for her breakthrough role in the 2016 daytime series Tubig at Langis and, recently, the digital film Glorious. On the other hand, Larena was last seen in Bakwit Boys, one of the finalists at the 2018 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. FindHer is helmed by critically acclaimed director Victor Villanueva, while award-winning writer Carl Chavez and best-selling author Rod Marmol teamed up for story, which reflects the realities of modern dating and relationships. I’ve actually watched the first three episodes during a special screening earlier this week, and I do agree with director Victor Villanueva, who said it was inspired by the popular Japanese animé Your Name, although there are also some elements that make it a bit like Black Mirror—because of its parallel universes and technology theme. It’s also very millennial, from the setting, the characters and the overall look, especially with the use of all those pop-up graphics during the scene whenever Aika and Gabs send each other messages. And after the first three episodes, which are around 10 minutes each, it does keep you hanging a bit. The good thing is, you can watch the entire series via Smart’s Free Video Everyday. Andrew L. Santos, PLDT Smart first vice president and consumer marketing head, said FindHer is both a creative and strategic move as
they continue to expand their portfolio to meet the growing appetite of Filipinos for meaningful and entertaining digital content. He adds that this is just the first of many Smart Stories, which we can expect throughout the year. In our interview, he also said they are open to discovering more filmmakers and creators with great ideas they can use to produce more quality content.
SAFER INTERNET IN support of this year’s Safer Internet Day, shortform video platform TikTok is rolling out an in-app safety quiz and a challenge to encourage users to spread positivity and a Filipino version of the #BetterMeBetterInternet campaign. The in-app quiz to aims to educate Filipino users with online-safety tips. Users who answer all the questions correctly get to win special prizes from TikTok. Users in the Philippines can also participate in the global #BetterMeBetterInternet challenge within the TikTok app by applying customized stickers designed to encourage the adoption of positive online habits. With these stickers, users can embrace positive hashtags, such as #likes, #respect, #positivity, #creativity and #security, and shove away negative hashtags, such as #cyberbullying, #hatespeech, #negativity, #trolls, #anxiety and #haters. TikTok’s #BetterMeBetterInternet challenge also takes place in time for the Safer Internet Day for Children Philippines, which is observed every second Tuesday of February every year. As a platform that celebrates trends and embraces diversity, TikTok has become the preferred platform for expression, given its lowered boundaries for sharing, creating, discovering—all made easy on mobile. As part of its efforts, TikTok has put in place protective measures by combining content moderation technology with a robust human moderation team. This team, which is based in over 20 countries and regions, now covers 36 languages, an increase of 400 percent in terms of language support from a year ago.
KEEPING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SAFER ONLINE THIS Safer Internet Day, Google likewise shared some quick tips to help users ensure they are safer not only while on Google, but also while navigating the wider Internet. 1. KEEP YOUR SOFTWARE UP-TO-DATE: To help protect your online activity, always run the latest version of software across Web browsers, operating systems and applications on all your devices. 2. USE UNIQUE PASSWORDS FOR YOUR ACCOUNTS: Using the same password to log in to multiple accounts increases your security risk. It’s like using the same key to lock your home, car and office— if someone gains access to one, all of them could
be compromised. Create a unique password for each account to eliminate this risk and keep your accounts more secure. Along with creating unique passwords, make sure that each password is hard to guess and better yet, at least eight characters long. Consider using a password manager, like the one built into your Chrome browser, to help you create, safeguard and keep track of all the passwords for your online accounts. 3. TAKE THE GOOGLE SECURITY CHECKUP: This gives you personalized and actionable security recommendations that help you strengthen the security of your Google Account. Taking the Security Checkup doesn’t just help you stay safer while using Google. The Checkup also includes helpful tips to keep you safer across the Web, such as by reminding you to add a screen lock to your mobile phone, reviewing third-party access to your Google Account data, and showing you what sites and apps you may have signed in to using your Google Account. Go to g.co/securitycheckup to take your Security Checkup. 4. SET UP A RECOVERY PHONE NUMBER OR E-MAIL ADDRESS: Adding recovery information—such as a phone number or back up e-mail address—to your account can help you more quickly get back into your account if you ever lose access or can’t sign in. Remember to update the information if you change your phone number or e-mail address. For many Web services, a recovery phone number or e-mail address can be used to notify you if there’s suspicious activity in your account, or can help to block someone from using your account without permission. 5. SET UP 2-STEP VERIFICATION: Go one step further to secure your accounts by setting up 2-Step Verification, which requires you to use a second step on top of your username and password to sign in to your account. Setting up 2-Step Verification will significantly decrease the chance of someone gaining unauthorized access to your account. Once you set up 2-Step Verification for an account, remember to be ready for the second verification step each time you sign in. To set up 2-Step Verification on your Google Account, visit g.co/2sv. If you have children, talk to them about online safety early, and set digital ground rules for your household (g.co/beinternetawesome)
MATE 20 PRICE DROP ON a final note, if you plan on getting a new Mate (smartphone that is) this Valentine’s Day, you’d be happy to know that the King of Android, the Huawei Mate 20, is now within your reach, as you can get it for only P35,990 via open channels and carriers beginning today, February 9. Finding that one great love may be difficult, but getting your perfect Mate has now become a little bit easier. ■